Why We Must Learn To Live By the Life of Jesus
Why We Must Learn To Live By the Life of Jesus
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. (John 14:19)
Because I live, you also will live. Now what does this mean? I think it means that we are to live by the Life of the Lord Jesus.
How do we live by the Life of the Lord Jesus?
By inviting His Presence continually until we are thinking along with Him; speaking along with Him; and acting along with Him.
Isn't this impossible?
It might have been impossible at one time, but not today. The Lord promised that there would come a day when the world would not see Him but we would see Him.
Where sins abounds, as it does today, grace does much more abound. The Lord Jesus has kept the best wine until now!
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. (John 14:20)
There do come changes in the plan of redemption; but only those who are given to prayer are aware when they do come and can profit from them.
It makes us think of Anna and Simeon in the Temple, doesn't it?
Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against." (Luke 2:34)
The leaders of the Jews were well acquainted with the Torah . Here was the Torah made flesh in front of them, and they could not perceive it. Why not? Because they were men of religion but not of the Spirit of God.
God is moving in a dramatic manner today. Is it possible any of us could not perceive or experience what God is doing?
It is not only possible but probable, unless radical changes are made in the Christian people of America.
We have been forgiven through the blood atonement made on Calvary.
We have a touch of the Spirit of God on our lives.
Some of us speak in tongues and minister by a gift of the Spirit.
But I think, if I am not mistaken, that the majority of us have not experienced what the Lord Jesus described in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John.
Now is the time for us to receive the Lord Jesus to a far greater extent than we have believed possible, and the Father with Him. They desire to make their eternal home in us, their place of rest. They also desire to make us Their Throne, from which they can govern Their creation.
Before such marvels are possible we must be in Their image.
The Lord Jesus is coming to us to make us ready for the moral and physical chaos that America will soon experience; and to insure that we are qualified and competent to be gathered together to Him when He appears to the world.
So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28)
At His first appearing, Christ bore the guilt of our sins upon Himself. His second appearing is to His faithful disciples who patiently keep His commands. The salvation He will bring in the present hour is help us confess and turn away from our sins, and especially from our self-will.
Until we have been cleansed from the sins of our flesh and spirit, and have been willing to count ourselves dead and are ready to be perfectly obedient to Christ, we are not in the image of God; we are neither qualified nor competent to be an eternal house for God; a resting place for God; and a location for the Throne of God.
These are awesome issues, are they not? Yet this is what is occurring right now in the spirit world. They are the spiritual fulfillments of the final three feasts of the Lord: the Blowing of Trumpets; the Day of Atonement; and the feast of Tabernacles.
Would God give us the spiritual fulfillment of the fourth feast, Pentecost, and withhold the final three celebrations?
As I see it, the spiritual fulfillment of the Day of Atonement has begun and will occur for eternity. We know from the Scripture that the Kingdom of Christ will continue forever. This means that people will continue to be born throughout eternity.
Since each human being born during the endless future shall have a will of his or her own, it will be the responsibility of God's Royal Priesthood to make certain that each individual chooses to do God's will rather than his or her own will (the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, of Reconciliation to God).
Otherwise there will be the same confusion we are experiencing today.
If we are to participate in these concluding aspects of the seven feasts of the Lord we must be willing to count ourselves as crucified with Christ and begin to live by His Life.
To summarize: There are reasons we must learn to live by the Life of Jesus as He lives by the Life of the Father: one reason is, if we are not living by the Life of Jesus when God's judgment is poured out on America, we will not be able to stand in Christ or to help others to stand.
Another reason is, if we are not living by the Life of Jesus we will not be gathered to Him when He appears to the world.
Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. (Matthew 24:30,31)
The spiritual fulfillment of the Jewish Blowing of Trumpets has begun, announcing the beginning of the year in which God through Christ shall put an end to the rebellion that commenced so many eons ago and continues to this day.
The only valid will in the universe is the will of the Father. Each of us who would hope to live in the new world of righteousness, either as a member of the Royal Priesthood, or as a citizen, must choose to do the will of Christ in every aspect of his or her life.
I believe the Royal Priests will have a hundredfold of Christ in them while the remainder of the saved people will have a lesser degree of Christ in them. This is according to God's design for the new world and not according to the personal ambition of people.
Putting an end to all the rebellion in the creation, the rebellion of angels and people, is a vast undertaking. But it has begun, and because of the wisdom and power of the Father, it shall be perfectly and completely accomplished.
It is difficult to believe, isn't it, that there shall be a new world of righteousness in which there is no sin and every creature performs God's will completely and cheerfully.
We must gird up our minds and embrace what God has determined, for it surely shall take place!
Seventy "sevens" are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. (Daniel 9:24)
To put an end to sin. That is the best news any of us will ever hear. When there is no sin, God will be dwelling on the new earth in the new Jerusalem. All any decent person would desire will be present for eternity.
But as I stated, putting an end to all the rebellion in the creation, the rebellion of angels and people, is a vast undertaking having many dimensions. But it has begun, and because of the wisdom and power of the Father, it shall be perfectly and completely accomplished.
However, we must keep in mind that our own self-will is regarded as rebellion. We must learn to seek the will of Christ in every aspect of our being and doing. If releasing our self-will so the will of Christ may be performed seems grievous to us, we need to pray until God's will no longer is grievous to us but highly desirable.
I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart." (Psalms 40:8)
To retain our own will in some area of our life will eventually bring misery upon us. Only in the will of Christ shall we obtain safety and the fulfillment of all the desires that actually will bring to us what we hope for.
Any young person looking forward to marriage will do well to remember what I have written.
Isaiah tells of the beginning of God's war against all sin and rebellion:
Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord repaying his enemies all they deserve. "Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says the Lord. "Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?" says your God. (Isaiah 66:6-9)
First, Zion delivers the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord, strong and mighty in battle. He will be the instrument in driving all sin and rebellion from God.
Then Zion will give birth to her children. This is taking place today. Sons and daughters are being born who eventually will form an army that, with the Lord Jesus at the Head, will descend to the earth and put an end to the rule of Satan, the False Prophet, and Antichrist.
She gave birth to a son, a male child, who "will rule all the nations with an iron scepter." And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. (Revelation 12:5)
Many Christian people are "laboring" today as the Spirit of God is forming Christ in them. They are sincere believers in many denominations. They are learning how to wait patiently on the Lord Jesus.
Jesus does nothing except what He sees the Father do. The believers to whom I am referring are watching the Lord Jesus in prayer so they do nothing except what they see Him do.
Meanwhile the False Prophet is coming forth. He is composed of Christian people who are not waiting for Jesus but are seeking the power of the Lamb, Jesus. They hope, in their own self-will, to set up the Kingdom of God on the earth before the Lord appears.
The False Prophet will work impressive miracles and will use his influence to assist Antichrist, who is the god of the money systems of the world.
As I stated, those in whom Christ is being formed are looking continually to Jesus. They are the believers who are living by the Life of the Lord. The Father and the Son are grooming them that they might be in the image of God and serve as a house, resting place, and Throne of God. They are married to the Lamb.
It is true that an unprecedented revival is coming. It is the promised "latter rain." It will evolve into the two witnesses of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation. However, it will be "clothed in the sackcloth of humility, not exalted in worldly finery.
Revelation, Chapter Twelve, is a key passage concerning God's plan to drive all sin and rebellion from His creation.
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. (Revelation 12:1-3)
One thing we must understand is that while the Bride of the Lamb is in the heavens, so is Satan. There can be no solution to sin and rebellion until Satan is removed from the heavenlies.
In the Lord's prayer we find, "Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
The problem is, God's will is not being contested in the heavenlies.
In the present hour, a very significant battle is taking place. There are believers who are wrestling against Satan and his ways.
They are relying on the authority and power of the blood of the Lamb. They are thinking, speaking, and acting so as to give a clear testimony of the Person of God and His ways.
Most importantly, they have set aside their own life even to the point of death. All their treasures are in Heaven.
Their struggle against all sin and rebellion has pleased God to the point that He has given Michael the authority and power to drive Satan and the rebellious angels out of the heavenlies.
The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. (Revelation 12:9)
Prior to this, Satan had managed to overcome many believers who had been stationed at the right hand of God in Christ.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:2,3)
When we make a profession of belief in Christ, our spiritual nature is raised in Christ to God's right hand. However, many Christians who are raised still have a strong self-will.
It must be that they are given a chance, just as we are, to accept the will of Christ as our own will. But it is evident that some refused to do this. Remember that when Satan fell from his position as a covering cherub because of his self-will, he was as close to God as it is possible to get.
These who had been stars of God were removed from their position in Christ, by the influence of Satan, and flung to the earth.
Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.
This is the reason for the following warning:
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:11)
Is it actually true that if we are not careful, someone can take our crown of life and righteousness?
Recent history in America tells us of highly placed Christians, leaders of large congregations, who have fallen into sin. Were they at one time stars at the right hand of God in Christ?
I will say that we American Christians are altogether too confident about our position in Christ. We are not working out our salvation with fear and trembling, in many instances. In fact, we are too familiar with Christ. We are not bearing our cross patiently after the Master, suffering the deferral of our most intense desires.
The casting down of Satan through the efforts of victorious saints is a major step in the elimination of all sin and rebellion from the heavens. This victory causes great rejoicing in the heavens.
Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. (Revelation 12:12)
There are passages in the Bible that tell us God is going to give Antichrist the authority to reach into the heaven and tear down those who have rebellion in them. One such passage is as follows:
Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord; it took away the daily sacrifice from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down. Because of rebellion , the Lord's people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. (Daniel 8:9-12)
We cannot imagine our Father in Heaven permitting Antichrist to attain to such power. But He will, and as a result, all rebellion finally shall be cleansed from the heavens.
Here are some other passages that tell us of the latitude that will be given to Antichrist in the concluding days of the Church Age.
It was given power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. (Revelation 13:7,8)
Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them . Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. (Revelation 11:7,8)
The witness was overcome by sexual lust (Sodom); worldly materialism (Egypt); and personal ambition (Jerusalem). These three destroyers all spring from self-will, not God's will.
The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed." (Daniel 12:7)
As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them , until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21,22)
Thinking again about the cleansing of the heavens:
See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. (Hebrews 12:25-27)
The reason the heavens will be shaken along with the earth is so all that is of religion will be removed from the pure work of Christ.
Religion consists of "created things." Religion consists of the efforts of people to please God and obtain His favor.
"Babylon the Great," of the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation, is a description of religion. It often is true that there is wickedness among the leaders of religious organizations. Such wickedness was displayed graphically in the murder of Jesus by the Jewish elders. It was revealed also in the manner in which the leaders of the Catholic Church treated those who would not agree with their practices.
I am not certain why this is so, except that Satan moves in men and women so that he, Satan, can be involved in that which represents God. Satan wants the Glory of God, but he is not willing to do God's will. So it is that the leaders of religion may not always be seeking the will of Christ but the furtherance of their own ambitions.
We see, therefore, that before God is finished driving out all that is sinful and rebellious He shall shake the heavens so all the works of people have been removed and only that which is of Christ remains.
We understand there are four major reasons why we must learn to live by the Life of the Lord Jesus.
First, so we can remain in Christ at the right hand of God when God shakes the Heavenlies.
Second, so we can stand in Christ and help others to stand during the period when God pours out His judgment on the United States of America.
Third, so we can participate in the current acts of redemption.
Fourth, so we will be eligible and competent to be gathered to Christ when He appears to the world.
FOUR REASONS WHY WE MUST LEARN TO LIVE BY THE LIFE OF JESUS
TO REMAIN IN CHRIST DURING THE GREAT SHAKING (Revelation 3:11; Hebrews 12:25,27; Daniel 8:9-12)
TO STAND IN CHRIST IN THE COMING JUDGMENT ON AMERICA (Ephesians 6:13)
TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CURRENT ACTS OF REDEMPTION (John 14:18-23)
TO BE GATHERED TO CHRIST WHEN HE APPEARS TO THE WORLD. (Colossians 3:5-17)
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)