Life in Christ Jesus Podcast

The Judgement of the Cross - The Judgement of the World

The Judgement of the Cross – The Judgement of the World
In John Chapter 12, Jesus makes a statement that should challenge the hearts of all believers. “John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”NOW was now over two thousand years ago. In Christ it is still now to us who come to see Him and understand His judgement.
What does He mean Now is the Judgement of the World? If He be lifted up, He will draw all mankind to himself? This is the Judgement of the Cross. The Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 6, “I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me.” Catch what He says, I am crucified. He doesn’t say I was crucified as He did in Romans 6, when He declared we died with Christ at the cross. The judgement that had come in Paul’s heart was I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me.
What does that mean? It means I am dead to the world and the world is dead to me. However, is that our concept of life that the world has no hold on us? Now as I say this, I have to define the world. What is the world? It is not simply planet earth. This word used for world is kosmos, (2889 in the Strong’s), which means the orderly arrangement. The orderly arrangement of the world was sin and death, the law, the pride of life, the functions of the flesh, etc. The arrangement had to do with everything in the old man.
Paul is saying that He is crucified to the world, to its arrangement and order. Then He said it is crucified to Him. Now Paul was not crucified. Even those who were crucified literally, could not say what Paul did. Only one could make this statement true and real. The one who is the Lord Jesus Christ. In Paul’s knowing of Christ, he had come to the seeing and comprehending of being dead to the world and the world being dead to him through the work of Jesus Christ, and through the reality of Christ that was in him.
The only way this becomes real to us is through the knowing of Jesus Christ and His judgement upon the world at the cross. In His powerful work of the cross Jesus took me and you with Him and He died, pronouncing judgement on the world! In this judgement we are to come in our hearts to living unto Christ and not to the world.
Unfortunately, many of us have no concept of this. We have been taught that we live the best lives we can, and someday Jesus will take us away from the world. At the cross He did just that. He took us in His death, and brought us forth in His resurrection to be a people who manifest Him and not the world. If we do not understand this, and see this by the Spirit of God, we will not manifest Him. He must be revealed in our hearts. We must come forth unto Him. Glory to God!
 

The Judgement of the Cross - He Shall Bring Forth Judgement Unto Victory

The Judgement of the Cross – He Shall Bring Forth Judgement Unto Victory
 
In Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 12:20 the scripture reads, “A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. With the idea of judgement in much of the Christian Church, what does this mean?  How would Jesus send forth judgement to victory?
 
To understand this, we would need to comprehend the judgement of the cross, and we would have to understand the cross in the reality of the Person of Jesus Christ.  At the cross much more happened than just Jesus dying for our sins.  While this is a tremendous truth, that He died for our sins and they were laid upon Him, the fullness of this is not understood by most believers.  At the cross Jesus died to sin.  He judged sin in the flesh through His death (Romans 8:3).  He brought us into His death to sin, freeing us from its penalty and bondage. 
 
John writes in I John 3:5 “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”  This is a powerful statement.  Jesus was manifested to take away our sins.  It is fitting that John also wrote in His Gospel, “Behold the lamb of God that taketh away our Sin.”  In the seeing of this statement, Jesus not only died and forgave my sin, He took it away.  I am no longer bound to sin through His glorious work. 
 
Therefore, we must understand the judgement in the death of Christ and our union in His death.  He that is dead to sin is freed from sin.  The word judgement used often throughout the scripture is the Greek word Kreesis 2920 in the Strong’s dictionary.  It has in its definition the meaning of a decision for or against, and to separate.  The death of Christ is a separation from sin and its root.  Through the work of Christ we are separated out of sin.
 
One of the words for sin (Strong’s 264), means to miss the mark.  It is this word used in 1 John 3:6.  John states that whoever abides in Christ does not sin.  I could consider this as to mean, that we who abide in Christ do not miss the mark.  In Romans 3, the scripture tells us that all sinned and fell short to the glory of God.  We should consider the Glory of God as the mark or the goal for man. 
 
He that abides in Christ shall not miss the mark of God’s Glory.  In John Chapter 17, Jesus makes it clear that those who are His are to behold His Glory.  Read this Chapter closely.  Jesus prays to be glorified with the Glory He had before the world.  He then declares that He will be glorified in the believer, and at the conclusion of the Chapter, Jesus states that the believer will be one with Him as He is one with the Father, that they may behold His Glory.  This is through Christ being in you. 
 
Much of our teaching has robbed us from the reality of God’s Glory in a people.  The “some-day” mentality that we have been programed to believe has kept us from the reality that He is in us right now.  All Christians who are truly born again say Jesus is in my heart, but many do not understand the power of that statement.  When Paul writes “when Christ who is our life appears in Glory, then we shall appear with Him in Glory (Colossians 3),” many do not consider this as an inward appearing.  This is what Jesus says in John 17.  He declares that “they may be one as we are one, I IN them, thou IN ME, that they may be made perfect in one.”
Through the judgement of the cross we are dead to sin with Christ, and we are made alive with Him.  Here in His life we are waiting, watching, expecting His glory to appear.  This appearing is not on the outside, but it is inward, and in it we are transformed to the same image as Christ to be His expression.  Now this is a glorious judgement that brings us to victory.  Glory to God!
 

The Judgement of the Cross - The Great High Priest - He Tasted Death for Every Man

 The Great High Priest - He Tasted Death For Every Man
One in the midst of the seven candlesticks clothed with a garment down to the feet and girt about the Paps with a golden girdle.  Our Great High Priest.  Seeing Jesus and His Priesthood is one of the most glorious realities I have ever began to see.   In our relationship with God, He is our Priest. 
 
In the simplicity of that understanding we do not come to the Priesthood of Aaron or to the Priesthood of man, period.  We come to the Priesthood of Christ, and the summation of His Priesthood (Hebrews 8:1).  This is what we must set our hearts on the sum of His Priesthood.  What does it account for?  What does it do?
 
By one offering He has completed forever, them who are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14).  The offering is in Him.  The completion is in Him.  The sanctification is in Him.  All these things pertain to Him and His Priesthood. 
 
Under the law, none could come to completion.  Year after year the comers to the atonement would have to wait for their sins to be covered by the Blood of an animal.  They never could come to a clear conscience before God.  They could never fully enjoy His presence.  Those animals pointed to one who was going to bear our Sin and put it to death.  Jesus did just that.  He became sin, and died, making His grave with the wicked. 
 
Jesus not only died on Calvary, He entered death.  In Psalms 16:9 and Acts 2:27, it speaks of Christ and says He cried out thou shalt not leave my soul in hell.  The word for hell in your Bible is a Greek word Hades, and means the unseen.  In the Old Testament it is Sheol and means the place of the dead.  Jesus entered into the unseen place of the dead and brought forth victory.  His soul was not left in hell but came forth in the light of life. 
 
In Revelation Chapter 1, it is recorded that Christ says to John, I am He that lives and was dead.  He tasted DEATH for everyman.  Then He continues I am alive forevermore.  The entirety of our salvation rests with those words.  The entirety of scripture points to those words.   The cross of Christ.  His death to Sin, His burial putting Sin away, and His resurrection in Newness of Life.  To us this is the cross.  Jesus died and rose again. 
 
In that statement I find life.  He died for me and as me and brought me to death.  He rose in the power of the Spirit and brought from the tomb a New Man.  This man is of Spirit and Life.  This is our completion, and the completion of all those who believe.  We must give our hearts to the knowing of this man.  Glory to God!
 
 

A Lamb for a House - The Light of the New Day

A Lamb for a House III – Light of the New Day
 
When Israel departed Egypt heading to the promise land, they went out the blood-stained door in the light of a new day.  For 430 years they had been kept in Egyptian bondage.  This day was a new day for them.  In regarding this day, natural daylight had not changed.  Natural light had not changed but everything around the day had changed.  The perception of their reality was new.  No longer were they under the rule of Pharoah, but they had come out of Egypt to be under the rule of God, through the leadership of Moses, to be a people unto God in the earth.
 
This is the reality in which believers must come to in Christ.  When we enter the Door, who is Christ and partake of the true Passover lamb our day immediately changes.  Like the Israelites the natural day did not change but the Day we walk in changes.  No longer are we under the rule of Sin and shame, but we have come out to the Light of Christ.  We are to walk in the understanding as it is in Christ Jesus.  No longer in the understanding as it is in the Old Man. 
 
When the woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus her accusers set her forth in accusation of the Old Covenant law.  Jesus stated that he that is without sin should cast the first stone when He was questioned what should be done with the woman.  The only one in the midst without sin was Jesus Himself.  All had become guilty before God in His presence.  Jesus stooped, wrote on the ground twice, and told the woman to go in sin no more. 
 
The hand of God touched the earth, which we see in Jesus Christ being made a man.  The empowerment to overcome sin is Christ Himself, and not our own abilities.  God writes His Living Word, who is Christ, in our hearts.  Paul declares the church to be the epistle of Christ written of God to be read of men.  The Light of the New Day is how we understand the Word of God that has been written in our hearts.  We do not understand this Word by the natural understanding, but by the Spirit of God.
 
At the completion of the encounter of Jesus with the woman caught in adultery, Jesus makes the statement, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).  This is light, whereby we can see and not walk in darkness.  Through His light we see the power to overcome sin and death.  Through His work on the cross they have already been overcome.  This blood-stained Door we entered, brought us out in the power of His victory, and the Newness of His Life.
 
The prophet Isaiah prophesied of a Day where the sun would not be the light.  Christ, Himself, is that day you will find being declared in the prophets.  He is the Day star rising in our hearts to give the Light, understanding, of the New Day.  He is the Day that when we see it approaching, we gather together in the knowledge of Him.  We understand we are His, bought with a price, to be filled with the nature of God.  Like Israel of old we come out from under the rule of bondage to be under the rule of God.  We see the glorious freedom we have from sin, shame, and death, and the New Life to be grasped in Christ. 
 
So many hearts are looking for a physical day to appear where there is righteousness, peace, and joy.  This Day is seen NOW as we see by the light of the knowledge of Christ, who is the glory of God.  This light is in us, even as many believer sings, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine”  I believe we should change the words to the song, “This great light of mine, I’m going to let Him shine.  Shine in the brightness of the glorious New Day. I’m going to let Him Shine.   Let Him Shine, Let Him Shine, Let Him Shine!”  Glory to God!

The Revelation Series - The Son of Man in Glory - Girt about the Paps with a Golden Girdle

The Revelation Series – The Son of Man in the Seven Golden Candlesticks, Girt about the Paps with a Golden Girdle
 
Have you ever noticed the detail in scripture?  When you read through the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy vivid detail is given to the instructions of the building of the Tabernacle, the Priests Garments, the Feast Days, the Trumpets, etc.  Why such detail?  Remember, Jesus said the scripture spoke of Him.  He is the fulfillment of the details.
 
Order, fullness, perfection had to be set forth in the type as a testimony of the reality.  From Genesis to Malachi the testimony of Jesus Christ is set forth.  We search the scripture to find its fullness or completion in Him.  When Jesus is seen in the Seven Golden Candlesticks with the description that is set forth of John, we should have a heart and mind to search the scriptures to see what is being declared through His eyes being  flames of fire and His feet being as burning brass.  Our hearts should burn to see it in the scripture, and to find the reality of what is said in our own being in Christ Jesus.
 
In the description of Christ in Revelation Chapter 1 He is clothed with a garment down to the foot and He is girt about the Paps with a golden girdle.  Why is the girdle golden?  Why is it around His chest and not around His waist?  These are questions we should ask ourselves, and the Father in the seeing of Christ.  Why?
 
Gold in the scripture is speaking of divine nature of God.  The ark of the covenant was covered inside and out with pure gold.  Here was where the presence of God dwelled and appeared in the midst of the Israelites.  God would appear above the ark.  The gold in scripture is speaking of the purity of His nature.  His nature has no shadow of turning from what God is.  He does not change like man.
 
The golden girdle speaks of Christ’s garment of righteousness being held up or together by His own divine nature.  He that knew no sin became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).  He was in the world but not of the world.  He was not of the nature of man, but in nature was God.  As a spotless lamb He died for us and died to the world.  He is our separation from the world.  He is how we are sanctified or separated from the world.  As we comprehend in our hearts, His death, we comprehend our own sanctification and separation from the world.
 
The picture of the sinless spotless lamb is seen in the High Priest’s atonement for Israel.  One time a year, the Priest would disrobe of his High Priest glorious garments, which are described in Exodus 28, and put on the simple white linen garment for the day of atonement (Leviticus 16:3).  To me this speaks of Jesus, who was in the form of God, emptying Himself and taking upon Him the form of a servant to die the death of the cross (Philippians 2).  Christ, being God, lowered himself, and as a spotless lamb offered Himself for all.  He offered ONE cleansing sacrifice that could perfect forever those who come to God by Him.    
 
This linen white robe speaks of the spotless lamb of God that was offered for our salvation.  The girding around His chest of the golden girdle, is speaking of Christs own deity.  When the devil came to Jesus he could find nothing in Him to tempt him.  The nature of Christ was and is divine.  His clothing of righteousness was held in place through the nature of God.  Glory to God.             

A Lamb for a House II - Eat His Flesh and Drink His Blood

A Lamb for a House II
Many Christians want to know how to live right, or how to have a greater relationship with Jesus Christ.  If I could tell any Christians what they should do, I would tell them to go in, close the door and eat the Lamb.  This picture was painted in Israel.  On the first Passover Israel was commanded to slay a Lamb, put the blood of the Lamb on the door post and eat it all, save nothing until the morning.  They were to burn any remainder.  All the Lamb had to be consumed and Israel would come out of the door in the light of the New Day.
 
This picture should be a reality in Christ.  We enter the DOOR, who is Christ.  “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”  We come out of this DOOR in the Light of the New Day.  We come out in the reality of Christ.  This is the picture painted in Israel.  A people coming out of the Door, leaving their old things behind, and pressing toward the prize, which was Canaan land for them.  The prize we press toward is the fullness of God in Christ, our Canaan land.
 
Jesus says in John’s Gospel unless you eat His flesh and drink His Blood you have no life in you.  He later says that the words He is speaking, are Spirit and Life.  Much like the Israelites, we have to eat the fullness of the Lamb.  We go through the Door and inside the Door we eat the Lamb, until we see the Light of the New Day.  I believe this is said another way in the Book of Corinthians.
 
In Corinthians 11, Paul makes a statement referring back to the Last Passover Jesus ate with His Disciples.  Here Jesus told his disciples He was giving His Body and Blood for the New Covenant.  He told them the cup of Blessing they bless is New Covenant in His Blood.  Paul says we are to eat this bread and drink this cup and show the Lord’s death until He come. 
 
1Corinthians 11:23-26  “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.” 
 
Does this mean we are to take communion, eat bread and drink wine or grape juice until the Lord literally comes?  I do not believe this is what is being said.  We eat His flesh and drink His Blood until He comes forth in us.  We actually do this over and over again in the views of Christ given by the Holy Spirit.  We eat the word until the Lord appears.  He appears where He is at.  He is in the Church who is His Body.
 
This is what Jesus meant in John 6:54 “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”  We eat His flesh and drink His blood and He raises us up.  We come from the reality of Adam, the old man, TO the reality of Christ.  This is the resurrection, being raised up into the Newness of Life.  Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the Life.”  We are made alive with Him, raised with Him and seated with Him, Paul writes to the Ephesians.  The LIGHT of the eternal Day of God is how we see this.  We see this Day the Lord has made through the Light, who is Christ.  We walk in the Light as He is in the Light.
 
Men and women have walked in the Light of this Day since the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  “This is the Day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”  We walk in the Day of His Salvation.  The Day that He is the Light of.  Glory to God! 

A Lamb for a House - The First Passover

A Lamb for a House
In Exodus 12 we can read the story of the first Passover.  The Children of Israel were instructed to kill a Lamb, place its blood on the door post and enter the House to eat the Lamb.  This was a new beginning for Israel.  Israel was coming out of Egyptian bondage.  The bitter years of slavery and bondage were over.
 
That night death passed through Egypt taking the life of the firstborn.  Those in Goshen with the blood on their door post, who had eaten the Lamb were not touched by this plague.  Instead they had received the death of the Lamb, which represented the death of God’s firstborn Son, which would take place on Calvary many years ahead.  
 
Everything we read in scripture is a picture of Christ.  It is given for our admonition and participating in Him.  When I see this picture, I see THE DOOR.  Jesus said that He is THE DOOR that we enter and find life.  In our entrance is the fulfillment of the picture, we enter into His death.  The Apostle writes that we are baptized into His death.  In Romans Chapter 6, Paul sets forth the reality that we have been crucified with Christ. 
 
Our eating of the Lamb brings us face to face with His crucifixion.  We come face to face with our death with Him.  When He died all died with Him.  This is a glorious death.  The result of His death frees us from the bondages of Adam.  We are freed through participation in His death from the conscience of sins, the power of sin, and even death itself.  In Hebrews 2, it is written that Jesus destroyed Him that had the power of death that is the devil and delivered us who were subject to the bondage of the fear of death. 
 
This door painted with the Blood of the LAMB is glorious.  His death speaks volumes.  The children of Israel entered the Door to eat the lamb of their salvation, which served as the type and shadow of our reality.  We enter the DOOR to eat our LAMB that produces LIFE.  This was the picture in Israel.  In the evening they entered in to eat lamb, to come out in the newness of the new day.  In that new day they were no longer slaves to Egypt but a free men.  We in reality are no longer slaves to the Old Man, but through the DOOR of salvation, we enter into death to the Old man, and come forth in the Newness of His Life.
 
In Romans 6, Paul writes that we are raised together with Him in the likeness of His resurrection.  We not only go into His death, but we come forth in His Life.  He is the New Day to us.  We come forth into a Life we have never had before, His Life.  This is our salvation.  His death produces death in us to the old man, the bondages of sin and the death in the old man.  His Life produces a new way of living. Christ is in us.  God’s glory is set forth to be revealed. 
 
I see this picture in the Israelites going in to eat the Lamb, to come out of that House in the newness of life.  This is what Jesus meant, you shall go in and out and find pasture.  We enter into the DOOR, the old man is crucified, we come out of the DOOR in the newness of His life.  We do not come out of Him.  He is our place of origin.  We come forth in Him.  Glory to God. 

The Son of Man in the Candlesticks - Our Great High Priest

The Revelation Series – The Son of Man in the Seven Golden Candlesticks                                The High Priest Garments
 
For months now, I have been caught up in John’s seeing of Christ in the Seven Golden Candlesticks (Revelation 1:9-20).  Of His fullness and completion, we have received of His Grace.  Here, the picture of Him in the Candlesticks speaks of His fullness.  Walking, being revealed, and dwelling in the Church is the Son of Man in Glory.  I do not know how we can approach the Book of Revelation and miss this reality that John turned to see, “JESUS CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.”
 
In His description of Christ, John writes that he was clothed with a garment down to His feet.  What I hear and see in this statement is the High Priest of our souls.  I see the garment of praise and salvation.  As our High Priest He has taken us with Himself into that within the veil, into the Presence of God to be presented whole, complete, righteous, and without lack.  Oh, that we may know Him as our Great High Priest, and no longer look to the Priesthood of Aaron, which spoke of Christ.  
 
There is no perfection there, only a continual remembrance of sins with every sacrifice and every offering made by that priesthood.  Yes, Aaron’s priesthood was of God.  It came to speak for the time that was present of what God would do in Christ.  It was sanctioned and ordained of the Most High Himself, but could never take away the sin and guilt of the conscience in man.  It was imperfect but ordained to speak of the PERFECT 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;”
 
This is the summation of the thought we have such a High Priest who has sat down in authority, the right hand of God.  What does it mean He has sat down?  Why not just say who is in Heaven?  Who is with the Father?  Because He has sat down in rest and has all power and authority.  What His Priesthood speaks is what is true of the believer that has come to God by Him.  The believer is not destined to live in a sin conscience life, but in a life empowered by the Holy Spirit.  This High Priest cleared our conscience of sins (Hebrews 9:14), to present you holy and complete, perfect, before God our Father (Hebrews 10:10, 14).
 
This is what we can live in NOW, completion in Christ.  No longer having to succumb to the fear of death.  No longer having to succumb to whether God accepts me or not.  We are made accepted in the beloved.  We live through Christ in His Life.  The work He did at Calvary is enough.  It is this work that we must know and understand in our hearts.  It is this Priesthood that frees us from the conscience of sin that we must turn to SEE.  Going back to the old priesthood, to be told over and over you are not good enough, you do not measure up, will never complete your soul.
 
Unfortunately, this is where many in the Body of Christ are held, in the conscience of sin.  Much of the teaching that we sit under is like we are still under the priesthood of Aaron, the Old Covenant, where man was incomplete.  However, when our heart turns to the LORD, we see a New and living way, a NEW PRIEST, who has perfected forever them that come to God by Him.  Who clothes those that He loves in His own robe of righteousness?  Who fills those that are His in His own glorious life.  This is the Sum.  This is the Priesthood of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Here is where we have come.  Glory to God.  “We have such a High Priest.”  Who accomplished, fulfilled, completed all things in the body of His flesh and has made us complete in the Body of His Resurrection.