Life in Christ Jesus Podcast

Greater Works V - Christ in You, Our Perfection

Greater Works V – Christ in You, Our perfection.
The Apostle Paul’s heart was to present to the believers the work that God has done in Christ. His heart was that there would be an effectual working of the Holy Spirit to show every man perfect in Christ.
Colossians 1:24-29 “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: 25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”
Let us carefully read the verses of scripture above. Paul is saying he is laboring for the Church. As I said, look closely. He is laboring according to the working of the Holy Spirit that is going on mightily in Paul. He is not just working in some religious way to get every man in a church. He is working that He may show every member of the Body of Christ their perfection in Christ Jesus. This word perfect means complete. We are complete in Christ. He is our completion.
Paul’s heart is that every man would see Christ by the Holy Spirit. That Christ would be revealed in them to see the full work that He did in the cross. This is Paul’s heart. This is his labor. This is why he would be shipwrecked. This is why he would be in wanting’s, in fasting’s, and do without. That all might see their perfection!
Much of the idea of perfection is simply that we would come to a place where we just did not sin. Even if we come there, we are still in need of perfection. Our perfection is in Christ Jesus. To be perfect is to have Christ living in me., and me living out of the reality of His life that is in me. He is my completion, and He is what I lacked. I am concerned that many in the Body of Christ do not see this. I am concerned that many, if not most, teachers do not declare this.
There is this idea in Christianity that hangs over us that we must become perfect. This may very well be designed of God that we would have this thought and idea before us. However, the tragedy is we usually try and find this of ourselves. Or we put it off to some other day. I used to make the statement over in glory land. I didn’t even know what that meant. I had grown up hearing it said, over in glory land, over there, when we all get to heaven. It was all about getting somewhere else, and somehow by getting there we would obtain perfection. God would give us a perfect body that does not die, and we would not sin.
What we miss in this idea is the truth that is in Christ. This other day. This perfection we are looking for is found in the person of Christ. In John’s Gospel in Chapter 16 Jesus tells His disciples that He has much to say to them, but they cannot bear what He would declare. Hear what He says! The Spirit of truth is going to come and take of that of Jesus Christ and show it to you. This is inwardly. The Spirit of truth inwardly shows us Christ Jesus. This is how we bear that of Him. Christ must be shown in our hearts and we then are transformed by HIM that is in us to bear HIM in the earth.
This is our perfection. Christ in you the Hope of Glory. That He may be revealed that we would see the Glory! We come by the Holy Spirit to know as Jesus said in John 14:20, “At that day you shall know I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you.” We come to know that He is in us by the Holy Spirit. We come to the Revealing of HIM that is in us by the Spirit. He must be revealed that He may appear that we see His Glory. This is how we are perfected. We see Him by the Spirit and come to understand that our life is Christ. Glory to God.
 

Greater Works IV – Living out of the Greater Work of God in Christ

Greater Works IV – Living out of the Greater Work of God in Christ
As said in last weeks teaching, there is no greater picture of the deliverance and salvation of God than Israel. Israel was redeemed of Jehovah and brought to Him by His own right hand. His own power brought salvation unto Israel. Israel was then to live out of God’s provision and be a people unto God. God would be their God and they would be His people (Exodus 6:7).
With a stretched-out hand and mighty signs and wonders Israel came from Egypt into the wilderness. God had brought them out and was leading the way into the promise land. He was among them as Cloud by day and a Fire by night. However, with all God was doing among them, and all that He had done, Israel would not enter the land of Canaan. Twelve spies went into the land of Canaan. Ten came out and reported that the land was to hard to take. They saw through their own sight (Numbers 13).
Think on this. This was a people who saw God roll back the waters of the Red Sea. They saw the pestilence and plagues of Egypt. They heard God’s voice on Mount Sinai and saw the mountain shake with his presence and power. They were fed manna and quail in the wilderness and drank water from a rock. However, they would not enter the land that Jehovah had promised. Rather than proclaim the greatness of the LORD, who was among them. They looked through their own sight and declared there were giants in the land, and that they themselves were as grasshoppers.
In Numbers there is a stern warning for us all. Israel stayed in doubt, and God gave them what was in their OWN HEART. Numbers 14:28 “Say unto them, As I live, saith Jehovah, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29 your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me, 30 surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.”
As you have spoken so will I do to you. Rather than believe God’s word, Israel proclaimed OF THEMSELVES, it would be better to go back to Egypt. It would be better to die in the wilderness. They were seeing with their own sight. They would not believe the hand of the LORD. They would not believe the power of His might or the declaration of His Word. God had told them He would bring them unto Himself as a people He would plant them in the land of Canaan. In Canaan, they were to flourish and live in the supply of the LORD and be a people unto their God. However, they would not believe and enter in. They did not KNOW this God who was in their very midst.
I am concerned that we the Church are much like this picture. God has said we are His. We are a new creation. The old has passed away and all is new in Christ. He has told us of His fullness we have received. In Colossians 2, the Apostle Paul writes we are complete in Christ. Rather than hearing a voice of completion in the land much of the teaching and preaching is about some future day. Rather than seeing the work of God that has been done in Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection, we hear of a future work that must be done. We hear we are not there yet. It will be better after a while.
The message of God must shift. The provision of God, who is Christ, must be declared. We must hear and see by the Spirit of God and enter that which God has given. This land of Christ Jesus is flowing with milk and honey through the richness of Christ Himself. This land is full of His provision and power. Through Him we are more than able to live in the promised land and declare His fullness. “At that day you SHALL KNOW, I am in my Father, you are in me and I AM IN YOU.” This must become the declaration of our lips. This must become our sight, all the fullness of God in Christ Jesus, and we in this land. Glory to God!

Living out of the Greater Work of God in Christ

Living out of the Greater Work of God in Christ
There is no better example in your Bible of a people living out of the Greater Work of God than the Israelites. Israel came out of Egypt by God’s mighty hand. God delivered them out of Egypt’s bondage and slavery by His own Hand. It was God who plagued Egypt, God who rolled back the Red Sea, God who led Israel through the wilderness as a Cloud and a Fire. He was light and warmth to them as Fire, and cool and shade to them as a Cloud. He fed them manna from heaven as they hungered, He gave them water when they were athirst. It was God who was their provider, and it was God’s work that they came out of Egypt from and not their own.
Typifying God’s greater work in Christ, Israel had to kill a Lamb and enter into the blood covered doorway, eat the Lamb and come out of the house in dawning light. This door speaks of Jesus Christ Himself, “I am the Door of the sheepfold.” Israel entered this door, speaking of entering into His death, eating all of the Lamb speaking of His burial, and came out in the dawning light speaking of living in the light of the New Day who is Christ himself. This house in Goshen speaks of a people entering into the work that God did in Christ. His death, His burial and His resurrection and originating and living out of that work.
Israel moved from this house across the wilderness by the mighty hand of God, destined for the promised land. A land flowing with milk and honey. A land where God would be their God and they would be His people. Through Moses God declared that He would take a people to Himself, and He would plant them in the place that His hands had made. He would take them to His sanctuary. Here through the work of God Israel was to enter into the door in Goshen and come out of the same door in newness of life walking in the provision that God provided. I see this as the very picture of what God has done in Christ. I see it as the very picture of Grace.
I see Grace as a much bigger picture than just God forgiving our sins and not counting them against us. I see it as a people receiving the full work of God in Christ Jesus, “of His fullness we have received, and Grace for Grace. (John 1)” Ephesians 2:5 “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” As Israel was to live out of the work of God done bringing them from Goshen into the land of promise flowing with milk and honey, we the Body of Christ are to live out of the work that God did in Christ.
“Greater works than these shall ye do because I go to the Father, John 14.” These greater works were done in Christ Jesus that we would be a people unto God and manifest His Glory in the earth. We have been made alive with him (quickened), raised with Him, and seated together in His dominion that He received from the Father through the cross. This is where we are destined to live. This is where we are destined to dwell. In His work, here in the earth. That we show our good works (living out of His work), and those in the earth are to see our good works and receive of our Father that He may have continuous glory through the Church of Jesus Christ.
However, rather than seeing all things done in Christ, I see much of the Church walking as Israel did, refusing to enter the land that is flowing with Christ Jesus the Lord. Much of the Church is living in a someday Gospel, it will get better by and by, rather than coming to NOW IN CHRIST JESUS. We are blessed with all the fullness of God in Christ according to Paul’s epistles. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him. In Him we have received all the spiritual blessings. We are full, complete, and rich through the work that God has done in Christ. Let us be as Joshua and Caleb, and declare that we are more than able through the work of the Lord, to enter into all that is done and complete in Christ Jesus, and become the very manifestation of it to the world. Blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Greater Works

Greater Works Than TheseIn the Book of John Chapter 5 Jesus declares that the Father will show Him greater works that you may marvel. For many years, the idea in my heart was that we the church would do greater works than Jesus did. Later as more understanding, light and illumination, began to fill my heart my thoughts became more connected to the idea that the works would be greater because Jesus was now in a many member body. I have even heard people say that now Jesus is not just in one place, so greater works are done through the church, because He is now in many members and throughout the world. This is true, but still mostly the greater works were attributed to the healing of the sick. Look closely at what Jesus says in John 5.
John 5:19-21 “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. 21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.”
As the Father raises the dead and makes the alive, the Son will make alive whom he will. Here is the greater work, being raised in Christ Jesus and made alive. This is the work that God was doing in Christ. He was bringing forth a people to LIFE in Christ. Through the Church who is His Body this bringing forth unto Life continues in the earth. The word of Life is in us and comes through us, as Christ Himself is in us.
Let us look in Joh 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” Jesus is saying those that believe on Him will do the works he does. He told them to believe that he was in the Father and the Father was in Him, and to believe for the very works sake.
Accordingly, Jesus was doing the works that Isaiah the prophet had declared as recorded in Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61. The lame was walking, and the blind was seeing. Men and women were being delivered from oppression, from devils, from all sorts of situations. The Kingdom of God was coming forth and loosing those that were bound. This is what Jesus was saying would be done through the church. The works I do you shall do also, and greater works. We who are His Body do the same works He did because He lives in us, but we also come to His greater works.
Let me be straight, I fully believe Jesus heals the sick, delivers the oppressed, casts out demons, and cleanses those who needs to be cleansed. There is no miracle or healing that He cannot do right now through His Body, the Church. This should be a normality among believers. However, Jesus said greater works than these shall you do because I go to the Father. This greater work that Jesus spoke of in John 14 is the same greater work that is spoken of in John 5. “As the Father raises the dead and quickeneth, the Son quickeneth whosoever He will.”
Through being quickened by the Son we are raised up and seated with Him, as one, in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus. Jesus is raised far above principalities and powers. We are raised with Him, seated with Him. He is seated above. We are seated above. This is the greater work that we must see and marvel. This the greater work that we must come to live out of, the work that God did in Christ Jesus. Glory to God!

The Judgement of the Cross - Because He is the Son of Man II

The Judgment of the World – Because He is the Son of Man II
When we look at judgment, we must look at the death of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 12, "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself. 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.” Here at the cross is our salvation. Here is the judgment we must come to.
Jesus died the death of the cross that we may be made the righteousness in Him. Jesus judged sin in the flesh and put to death sin by dying to sin. Jesus never died in sin. He died to it. It never gained dominion over Him. Paul writes in Romans 8 that Jesus condemned sin in the flesh. This word condemned is the same word used for judgment.
In John 6, John writes as the Father quickeneth the dead even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. Who did the Father quicken or make alive from the dead? He made alive Jesus Christ. He brought Him out from among the dead. Romans 6 says He died to sin once but now he ever lives unto God. Again, I say this is our salvation. This is our judgment that we must hear. In Him we are put to death in the flesh to live unto God by Christ.
“He that has the Son has life,” I John 5:12. John writes we have passed from death to life. Life is all based upon Christ Jesus. If I have Him, I have life. HE is LIFE. If I do not have Him, I do not have life. What a decision! What a judgment! Life is determined by the Son of God. It is determined by nothing but Him. To know Him is to know life.
God has given all judgment unto the Son of God, because He is the Son of Man. Another way we could say this is that everything is determined concerning you and I by Him. Everything! It is no longer determined by Adam’s death. It is determined by Jesus Christ and His life. He is the determination of the soul. He brought judgment upon the work of Adam and put it to its final death. We that come to Him have the finality of Life, and this life is out from Adam’s death.
What I mean by this is this life is in Christ. I must come to see myself put to death to Adam and raised in life in Christ. This is a major struggle within our hearts. This is how we walk by faith and not by sight. We walk in faith of the work of the Son of God, denouncing our very own lives in order to live out of His life. Luke 17:33 “Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.”
He has brought us to Himself. Let us see the separation and judgment of the cross. Let us walk in Him!

The Judgement of the Cross - Because He is the Son of Man

Now is the Judgment of the World – Because He is the Son of Man
We have been looking for several weeks at the Judgment of the cross, and Jesus saying, “Now is the Judgment of the World. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out,” John 12. He makes another profound statement concerning Judgment in John 5:27 “And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.”
The Father gave all judgment to the Son, because He is the Son of Man. Why did Jesus say this? The reason for this goes back to Adam in the garden. In Genesis 1, it is recorded that God gave dominion to Adam. Adam was to rule the earth. In the Book of Psalms 8:6 and 115:16 the Bible declares that man was given dominion in the earth. As Adam fell, He brought that whole creation of man under the authority of sin and death. “Through one man’s sin entered into the world and death through sin,” Romans 5:12.
So, Jesus had to come as the Son of Man to rescue us from death’s dominion. He came as a man to die the death of the cross. By becoming a man, He brought judgment upon the order of the old man and put it to death that He could bring us into His life. When He was raised from the dead, Jesus declared that all authority was given to Him in heaven and earth. This is a powerful statement, and a reality for us to come to in Christ.
The Old Man, and His order was put to death. This is the separation that is made at the cross. The old man is put to death. Jesus never died in disobedience. He died to it and was raised out from it. When we receive Him, we are Baptized by the Spirit into His death, and brought forth in His life. Everything is by Him and through Him.
He did this as the Son of Man, judging sin in the flesh. He came as a man to die the death of the cross and was raised out from that old creation. This is our salvation! We come to comprehend what He did, and live in it. His work is our provision. His dominion now rules over us.
We no longer have to fear the wages of sin or death. Jesus is our Lord. These are not our Lord. I love what the writer says in Hebrews 2, “He destroyed Him that had the power of death, that is the devil.” This is the power of the cross. Death is defeated we are living by Him. Glory to God!

The Judgement of the World IV - The Prince of the Word Cast Out

The Judgment of the World
“Now is the judgment of the world. Now shall the prince of the world be cast out?”
Who was the prince of ruler of the world? By studying scripture, I would conclude that the ruler of the world was Adam or the natural man. In Genesis 1, the Bible says God gave dominion to man. In Psalms 8, the Bible asks what is man that God would visit him. Here in this Psalm, again the scripture speaks of man’s dominion.
Man had dominion of the world, or orderly arrangement of the earth and mankind. The order of the world was through mankind. This order became plagued with sin and death. Through his disobedience all died. All men came to abide in death and darkness under the realm and rule of Satan.
Death, darkness and decay was not of God’s nature, but came into man as Adam became disobedient to God’s word. “The day you eat you shall surely die.” This is the reality of the natural man. Job said that man born of woman are a few days and full of trouble. This again is the natural man.
However, the Apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 2, that we speak wisdom among those who are perfect. Paul was speaking of the wisdom of the cross. He goes on to say had the rulers of the world known the wisdom of the cross they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. Through the cross of Jesus Christ, death, hell, Satan, and the old man lost their dominion. These have no dominion over the new creation in Christ Jesus.
Paul writes that Christ is the Head of the Body who is the church in Ephesians 1. This is a powerful statement. The head of the believer is not Satan. It is not the law or sin, and it is not death. Jesus Christ became Head. “He destroyed him that had the power of death that is the devil,” Hebrews 2.Jesus is our ruler. He is the Head of His Body, the church. This is what we must comprehend. As it is in Christ, so it is in the Body. Let this be our reality in the earth. Glory to God.

The Judgment of the World III

The Judgement of the World III
“I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to.” This glorious judgment must ring in our hearts. I am crucified with Christ to live unto Him. This is the answer to all my problems. This is the answer to my frustrations. I am crucified with Him!
In Ephesian 2, Paul writes that we are quickened with Christ. This word means made alive. We have been made alive from the world. We are not made alive with the world but with Christ Jesus, who was raised alive out of the world. Jesus was quickened out from the dead. He was not just raised again, but He was raised out from the dead.
Paul says in Ephesians 2 that we were dead in trespasses and sins and walked according to the course of the world. The reality here is we WERE dead. We ARE made alive with Christ. Do you see the separation? In time past, we were of the world. We lived in the world. It held us. The world had its grips on us. Here is where we had our conversation.
Now through Jesus Christ, God’s great mercy appeared. We who have received Him are made alive with Him. Through God’s saving grace, Paul writes we are made alive with Him, raised with Him, and seated with Him. This reality is not set forth to be just some positional truth that we are waiting to be real some futuristick day. This has happened to us because how it happened to us is NOW in us. The how is a person, Christ Jesus the Lord.
We have received Christ Jesus the Lord to walk in Him, to be rooted and built in Him (Colossians 2). This separation or division of the cross is real, and it is made real through the person who performed the work being revealed in our hearts. Jesus did the work. He completed the work God gave Him to do. His work separated us from the world. We are in the world, but we are not of it. The world dos does not possess our souls, Christ does!
We are the church which is His body the fullness of Him who is far above all principality and power (Ephesians 1). I love this statement. He is above all powers, all authorities, all rulers, all laws, anything we can think or imagine, Christ Jesus is above. Or we can simply say He is Lord. Jesus is Lord, our Ruler, our King.
We are seated with Him in heavenly places in Christ. To get ahold of this is to understand He is above. He is seated above rulers and powers at the right hand (power and authority) of God. We that are His body are seated with Him in His glorious work to manifest Him and His completed work to the earth. This is the purpose of the church to manifest Him, whose body we are.
Let this become our hearts, let this become our identity, “the church which is His Body.” We are the Body of the Lord to express the Lord wherever we go in the earth. We are to be His expression. We are to bring His aroma into all situations. WE ARE HIS!