Teaching

Watching and Waiting

The Glory Of God

There is a truth revealed throughout the word of God that explains why Christians suffer, why God seems to wait until our situation seems impossible before he moves to deliver, why Jesus said “take up your cross and follow me”, why God chooses the weak and foolish things of the earth to confound the wise, why God chose Abraham and his children after him when they were the smallest family not the greatest, and just about every other question we have about the trials and the weaknesses Christians face. 

It has to do with his glory being revealed in the earth according to his many promises.

As background to what I want to share, there is a series of three David Wilkerson messages explaining what the glory of God is. But I can only find Youtube links for messages two and three.

The Effects of Seeing the Glory of God

Walking in the Glory of God

It doesn’t matter if you read my message below or listen to David Wilkerson first. I listened to the Wilkerson messages several times before absorbing them completely.

August 8th 2019.

Two nights in a row the Holy Spirit gave me a prayer and the prayer was, “Lord, for the church to affect the world, the world needs to see you miraculously preserving and delivering your people.”

I was under the night sky where I had already learned months before that the stars cannot be seen in the day when the light is bright, they can only be seen at night when it is dark.

This is also true of the light in the lives of Christians. The bible reveals that the light of God is seen when it is dark, and more and more light is evident as the darkness increases.

And recently, David Wilkerson’s messages on the glory of God reminded me that the glory of God is not merely the manifestation of his power and kingdom, it is his nature as he revealed it to Moses on Mount Sinai, and reminded me that specifically, God’s glory is seen in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6). As Jesus walked the earth, the glory (nature) of God was revealed in him.

And then, last night, I remembered Isaiah 60 which says that “darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people, but the glory of the Lord shall arise upon thee and His glory shall be seen upon thee”. And I understood, with a true shout of joy, that God’s purpose for the darkness in the world, and God’s purpose for the persecution and suffering we all face, is to reveal his mercy and grace, which is his glory, in a dark world. GOD’S TRUE NATURE CANNOT BE FULLY REVEALED IN ANY OTHER WAY. This has been his plan all along and is what is described by Paul as God’s perfect will.

As we rest in his perfect will, we are totally (TOTALLY) secure in the love of God as we pass through the fire, the storm, and the shadow of death… in the process God is revealed in all of his glory… and, this has been his plan from the beginning.

This truth explains why Jesus was a Man of Sorrows, why Paul (as soon as he was saved) was told of all he would suffer for Jesus’ sake, and why true disciples of Jesus throughout the world all partake of the same sufferings to this day.

The glory of God is revealed as we rest secure in his will for our lives. He asks us to trust him, and when we do, a river of life springs up within, and we never again have to ask why, because we know that we are in the perfect will of God.

That is the revelation that made me shout, and that I am convinced will be a huge blessing to all who embrace it.

Watching and Waiting

Why God Leaves Us in the Flesh

Firstly, the flesh and the old man are not the same thing. You may think this is merely a technicality, but it is not.

The old man is crucified with Jesus. And while remembered in scripture as something to totally divest and not return to, the old man is no more. If the old man still had life, the Holy Sprirt could not have been given on the day of Pentecost. But because the old man died being crucified with Jesus, believers are wholly sanctified and the Holy Spirit is given to us freely and fully, (or else the Spirit could not enter the temple – this principle is illustrated repeatedly in the old testament). Therefore we conclude that the old man is no more.

But we have this power (the Holy Spirit) in earthen (fleshly) vessels. And the flesh and the world are related because the flesh is of the earth and of the same substance as the world.

Therefore, drawn to the world and susceptible to the lies of the devil, it is the flesh that actively troubles us, (not the old man) because it “lusts” against the Spirit, the word lust indicating a longing for the things of the world working against the truth and leading of the Holy Spirit.

But the Spirit is against the flesh and the true Christian responds to His call, forsaking the world and all it holds, allowing God to create a new man in His image.

Now religion is the flesh attempting to mimic or imitate the true life of God. And the flesh loves religion, that is why there are so many false religions and antichrists in the world. And churches forsake the true power of God and fall into religion because practicing religion is easier than being a Christian – it costs nothing.

But Christianity and religion are two very different paths and if you believe in him, it is time to ask God to completely remove all religion from your heart and instead, to create Christ in you by his Word.

So, the old man and the flesh are not the same thing, and the old man is dead and done away with. But just as God sent his Son in the flesh, he leaves us in the flesh, allowing certain lusts (temptations) to remain, leaving some of our enemies in the land to teach us that the flesh (and the world) have absolutely nothing to offer him.

Remember Cain? Singled out in scripture as a fornicator, in love with this world and confident in the flesh, he offered the work of his own hands thinking God would be pleased. But it was not accepted. Well the absolute most deceptive and despicable lie of the flesh is the insidious thought that we have anything to offer God. I say the thought that we can do something to merit God’s favour is insidious, because it creeps in without us being aware. That’s why Jeremiah calls the heart of man deceitful and desperately wicked, adding, “who can know it?” It is also the reason why Cain had no idea his offering was an offence to God.

And so God leaves his children in the battle with lust to humble and bring us to the ultimate recognition that the flesh (and this world) have absolutely nothing to offer him. This is how we learn the “exceeding sinfulness of sin” and the true corruption of the flesh.

But believing that we are still battling the old man, many Christians are led into discouragement and offence. And instead of forsaking themselves and the world, they fall into a substitute.

But beware. Practicing religion is easier than being a Christian because it costs nothing.

Religion is a subtle imposter, but you can recognize it. Religion does not require you forsake everything, but true Christianity does. Religion does not require you give up our own thoughts and your own ways to follow the man Jesus, but true Christianity does. Religion does not require that two wills become one, but Chriatianity does.

Religious “christians” cannot comprehend the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Neither do they follow him or understand their body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because until we forsake everything we are servants of the flesh, aligned with the world, allies of the devil, and the best we can do is blindly practice religion as a deceptive substitute for faith.

But the true believer’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is on the throne, and there is power. And when the true church is assembled, the Holy Spirit is in control, Jesus is all in all, and God is manifest in all of his power. This is how the true church of Jesus Christ is identified. Just like Janes and Jambres, religion cannot mimic the true power of God.

Flee from religion and every other dead work of the flesh.