Life in Christ Jesus Podcast

The Atonement - The Presence of God

The Atonement - The Presence
Jesus ascended back unto the Father.  In John 17 it is recorded that He prayed, Father glorify me with thyself with the glory I had with the before the world was.  What is God's self?  God is a Spirit.  God is Light.  God is Love.  God is a consuming fire.  Jesus went back into what God is.  
 
In Hebrews 9, the Bible says that He appears in the Presence of God for us.  If I consider this, I could potentially conclude that Jesus, all the work done in the man of Galilee appears in God's Presence for us.  His death, His Burial, His Resurrection is in the Presence.  It was received unto God.  He was received unto God.  Now this of Christ that is in the Presence of God appears unto us.  "Those who look for Him, He shall appear the second unto salvation."
 
He appears in God's presence.  What do we see in God's Presence?  We see Jesus!.  Amen!
 
 

The Atonement - His Appearing

The Book of Hebrews 9 says, Christ appears the second time unto salvation.  Many look at this as a natural appearing of the Lord Jesus.  However, the second appearing can  be seen as the New Creation, Christ in you.  He appears to our salvation.  This appearing is in our hearts.  
 
His appearing is our salvation.  In His appearing we begin to see our salvation.  For example, we see we are righteous.  We see we are whole.  We see we have life.  All of this is in Him appearing in us.  He is the substance of all of these things.  He is made unto us these things.  He is our salvation. Glory to God
 
 

The Atonement - Entering into the Heavenly II

Our concepts of Heaven can be expanded by the Spirit of God.  If we look closely at Hebrews 9, we can see that the offering of Jesus Christ is a Heavenly thing.  The Old Testament Tabernacle was a type of the Heavenly Ministry of Christ.  All that was happening in the Tabernacle was speaking of the Heavenlies.
 
Heb 9:21  Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 
 
Christ is entered into Heaven itself.  He ascended to Heaven.  John saw a lamb that had been slain standing in the midst of the throne, the elders, and the four beasts.  Christ is the resurrected slain Lamb, who entered Heaven, the abode of God.  In Isaiah, God said of heaven, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.”  Christ the Lamb of God is in the midst of God’s throne.  All that is in Heaven bows down to the Lamb.  All that is in earth is to bow to the Lamb.  Glory to God!

The Atonement – Entering into the Heavenly

The word atonement means to appease or satisfy.  It also means a covering.  We are clothed upon with Christ.  Here is where God is satisfied, our being clothed in Him. 
 
Now in Hebrews 9, a scripture that has been quoted often, “He shall appear the second time unto salvation.”  This scripture has been quoted pertaining to Jesus’ coming.  Ok, how does He appear the second time?  How is He coming?  If we look closely at the scriptures in Hebrews, we will see that they are speaking of the High Priest who entered the Holy Holies.  Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, fulfilled that by entering into God.
 
The Levitical High Priest entered the Holy of Holies and came out appearing the second time to the people in the acceptance of God, once every year.  Here Israel was atoned for as a nation and a people.  Here Israel appeared with the High Priest unto the Glory of God.  Christ, our High Priest appears the second to us, in us, as one with us unto salvation.  He doesn’t appear again to take away sin, but to our salvation.
 
In this appearing, we see we are dead with Him.  We see we have been made one with Him.  We see that He is alive from the dead.  We see the New Creation.  We come to the peace of God.  We come to the righteousness of God in Christ.  We come to understand that all things from being born again, being filled with Spirit, having the peace of God dwell within us are of Christ.  All of these things are from heaven.  They are heavenly, as Christ is heavenly.  He appears unto salvation. We appear with Him in Glory. 
 
This is not a futuristic appearing but is the appearing of the Great God and our Savior who now dwells within us.  He who is within us is being made manifest to us, just as He said.  “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye se me: because I live, ye shall live also.”  Glory to God!
 
 

The Day of Atonement - The Holy Place

If I could compel all the Body of Christ to hear the Ministry of the Lord that is in me, this would be one of the sharings I would have every born again believer hear.  I believe it is one of the most important understandings that we come to.  We do not live unto ourselves.  Look closely at Hebrews 9:6 below with this in mind.   
 
Hebrews 9:6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: Daily the Priest went into the Tabernacle doing the services of God.  
 
The Priest went into the first tabernacle always doing the service of God.  They operated continually, daily when the Tabernacle was set.  Consider with me that their life was not their own.  This Holy Place in the Tabernacle to me represents the place of burial.  The Tabernacle starting at the Brazen Altar is a picture of death, burial and resurrection (the Holy of Holies).  The Priests were living unto God in type and shadow.  Not to themselves.  They were buried.  They were put away.
 
Israel as a people were called out, redeemed unto God Himself.  They were not simply redeemed from sin, but they were redeemed to purpose.  This picture painted in the nation of Israel represents the truth that is in the Lord Jesus Christ.  We who are the Lord's Body are not an island unto ourselves.  Me and Jesus do not have our own thing going here.  I am called out and redeemed to live unto God Himself. 
 
Here in  this place of burial we are put away and we are looking for Him to come forth.  We eat His flesh and drink his blood.  Here on the table is the Body of Bread representing the eating of Him.  The colors of the fabric used  for the Tabernacle included fine woven linen (Righteousness),  Blue (Heaven), Purple (Royalty), Scarlet (Blood).  Upon these curtains were seal skins, and goat hair.  "We have this treasure in earthen vessels."  The colors of the covering speaks of Christ our Heavenly Covering in the earthen vessel, speaking of you and I.  
 
As we look into this Tabernacle and our eyes are open we see Him.  We see Jesus.  In the seeing of Him our individual greatness is put away, and we want to see His Greatness brought forth in every member of the Body of Christ.  Our desire for ourselves diminishes and our desire becomes that Christ may fill all the House.  Yes the House of the Lord that we are in Him!  Glory to God!
 
 

The Atonement IV - Atonement and the Tabernacle

The Atonement IV - Atonement and the Tabernacle
 
Hebrews 9:11 “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” 
 
Christ entered the Holy place with His Own blood obtaining eternal redemption.  What does that mean?  Where did he redeem us to?  Does it simply mean that he redeemed us from sin? Does it mean that he brought us back to Adam?  Or is it much greater? 
 
I believe there was a greater redemption than just being redeemed from sin or to Adam.  Now as I say this, being redeemed from sin is a great thing.  What I believe we miss is what we are redeemed to.  Israel, when they were brought out of Egypt were not just out of Egypt.  God said to Israel that he carried them on Eagles wings and brought them to Himself.  Israel coming to Canaan land, came to the LORD Himself, Exodus 19:14. 
 
Jesus didn’t just free us from sin.  He brought us to Himself.  John 14:20 “At that day you shall know I am in the Father, the Father is in me, and I in you.”  In fact, to truly be free from sin, I must be in Christ.  His nature is other than sin or even other than man.  As I know Him, I know being free from sin.  If I do not know Him, I will not know being free from sin. 
 
Many times, we see our salvation as us being saved without that being in Christ.  It is a view of salvation where he empowers me, and I learn to overcome.  However, salvation is so much greater than that.  It is being in Christ.  Any measure of salvation is a measure of knowing him.  So to know a life free from sin, is a knowing of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. 
 

The Atonement III - The High Priest and the Brazen Altar

At the Brazen Altar the animal sacrifice was left.  No animals came beyond the Altar, only the High Priest with the Blood of the sacrifice.  What does this mean?  Why was there an offering where the animal was completely put away?
 
In Revelation 1, John fell at the feet of Christ as dead.  His feet were as burnished brass.  Here is where John came to the brazen altar and found himself to be dead.  From there Christ laid His right hand upon him.  From here the power of life all resides in Christ.  
 
"Christ as a Son of his own house, whose house we are."  We are His.  He is the measurement of our living unto God.  We only live unto God in Him.  He is the change that comes into our hearts and into our mortal bodies to live unto God.  We have no power to live this life ourselves.  It is Christ living in me!  Hallelujah and Glory to God!

The Day of Atonement II - The High Priest

Israel lived in what their High Priest did.  Their society centered around the High Priest.  Everything as a nation centered in the Temple, the Feasts, The Priesthood, the Presence of God.  And One Time a Year the High Priest entered the Holy Place with the Blood of the Offering for a path of acceptance to God.  Not a God far away, but the God whose presence was in the Temple.  Glory to God.  
 
Now we are not like Israel of old.  We have such a High Priest who has sat down in a finished, glorious work!  He is a Minister of the True Tabernacle - you are the Temple of the Living God.  He is the Minister of you and I.  We partake of that HE MINISTERS!  We are centered around HIM!  All the offerings, all the Priesthood summed up in HIM!  Jesus Christ our High Priest, has made atonement for our souls.  We are made one, not just having access, but made ONE by HIM!.  Glory to God!
 
The word atonement means a covering.  Christ is our covering.  We are clothed upon by Him.  His Work, His Life, His Presence.  The reality of all that is in Christ is upon us to be manifest to the earth.  This folks is the Great Atonement of the Lord. "That they may be One, I in them thou in me that they may be made perfect in One!"
 
Hebrews 8:1 "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man."