Difference between revisions of "Actual Righteousness 7"

Latest revision as of 11:52, 28 January 2011

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. (Rev 21:1-NIV)

For one thousand years the work of perfecting the Church proceeds. Then the first earth and heaven flee from the Face of God. Soon a new sky and a new earth come into view. Down through the new sky descends the perfected Church, ready to be the representative and glory of God and Christ for eternity. This is the new Jerusalem, the holy city.

Her righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God no longer are merely a legal state. Each member of the Bride of the Lamb in that hour will have been perfected in righteousness, in holiness, and in stern obedience to the Father.

Now the new day of eternity begins, the day that has no end. All has been made new. Sin has been confined in the Lake of Fire.

This is the world and life God planned from the beginning. The adamic race was a temporary device, soon to be discarded and removed. But Jesus Christ and those who belong to Him shall dwell forever in the Presence of almighty God.

The first step, then, in the removing of sin from God's Church, is the gaining of victory by a first fruits of the Bride. The first fruits will be robed in her own righteous acts, righteous acts resulting from her interaction with Christ. This work of deliverance has begun. It is a giant step forward in the Kingdom of God.

The story of Gideon and his three hundred .

The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." (Judges 7:7-NIV)

If we had no other story than that of Gideon and his three hundred we still would have a clear portrayal of the temporary division of the whole Church into two groups, the first of which gains victory over the enemy on behalf of the remainder, the majority.

The events involving Gideon, with the light in the clay jars in one hand and a trumpet in the other, may be the strongest type in the Old Testament of the coming of the Lord. The breaking of the vessels and the revealing of the lamps portrays the manifestation of the sons of God as the flesh and blood body is done away and the inward resurrection life shows forth.

Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. (Judges 7:16-NIV)

The vast army of the Midianites filled the Valley of Jezreel. Instead of summoning all Israel, God chose to work with a small number of warriors. It often is a mistake to suppose the more people we can involve in ministry the greater will be the results.

The point is, in this major symbolic portrayal of the coming of the Lord, only a remnant of Israel was involved in the battle.

All Israel profited by the victory.

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-''The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place."'' (Judges 7:7-NIV)
+''Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.'' (Rev 21:1-NIV)
-There are three important lessons we can learn from the story of Gideon.
+For one thousand years the work of perfecting the Church proceeds. Then the first earth and heaven flee from the Face of God. Soon a new sky and a new earth come into view. Down through the new sky descends the perfected Church, ready to be the representative and glory of God and Christ for eternity. This is the new Jerusalem, the holy city.
-First, the victory gained at the return of the Lord will be accomplished through a remnant of the Church.
+Her righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God no longer are merely a legal state. Each member of the Bride of the Lamb in that hour will have been perfected in righteousness, in holiness, and in stern obedience to the Father.
-Second, how we drink the water is important. All the soldiers drank the same water. Some got down on their knees and drank from the water. Others scooped up the water in their hand and lapped. They were more cautious, not so heedless of their surroundings.
+Now the new day of eternity begins, the day that has no end. All has been made new. Sin has been confined in the Lake of Fire.
-So it is today. Many believers are so starved for the Spirit of God that they readily can be led into foolish actions. Others are more cautious, being on the alert in case the enemy is in the vicinity. The same Holy Spirit but a different response.
+This is the world and life God planned from the beginning. The adamic race was a temporary device, soon to be discarded and removed. But Jesus Christ and those who belong to Him shall dwell forever in the Presence of almighty God.
-Third, the separation of the remnant from the main body of the Church will be temporary.
+The first step, then, in the removing of sin from God's Church, is the gaining of victory by a first fruits of the Bride. The first fruits will be robed in her own righteous acts, righteous acts resulting from her interaction with Christ. This work of deliverance has begun. It is a giant step forward in the Kingdom of God.
-As we said, the believers are starved for God's Presence and they readily can be led into excesses, picturing themselves as some special segment of the Church quite superior to the rank and file of Christians.
+The story of Gideon and his three hundred .
-Their desire to advance in God is commendable, but without sound teaching we soon have groups of people imagining themselves to be spiritual giants. This attitude is unrealistic and unfruitful.
+''The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place."'' (Judges 7:7-NIV)
-The remnant God is drawing from the churches realize the Lord is looking for those who will accept the increased demands He is making.
-They do not view themselves as being superior to other believers. They remain compassionate toward the weaker, realizing that when God gives a double portion of a desire for righteousness, for God Himself, it is that the individual might be able to build up the entire Body.
+If we had no other story than that of Gideon and his three hundred we still would have a clear portrayal of the temporary division of the whole Church into two groups, the first of which gains victory over the enemy on behalf of the remainder, the majority.
-The victorious saints are too busy jumping the hurdles God is placing before them to spend time imagining how great they are.
+The events involving Gideon, with the light in the clay jars in one hand and a trumpet in the other, may be the strongest type in the Old Testament of the coming of the Lord. The breaking of the vessels and the revealing of the lamps portrays the manifestation of the sons of God as the flesh and blood body is done away and the inward resurrection life shows forth.
-The Gideon's army of today must recognize they are a first fruits of a much larger harvest to come. They are part of the whole house of Israel, not a favoured elite who are to be exalted over the remainder of the Church.
+''Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.'' (Judges 7:16-NIV)
-The remnant have been called out to be the first part of the Body to pass from imputed righteousness to actual righteousness. This is an occasion for utmost diligence, not for spiritual pride! We must keep a humble, ever-vigilant attitude toward the Lord in the present hour.
+The vast army of the Midianites filled the Valley of Jezreel. Instead of summoning all Israel, God chose to work with a small number of warriors. It often is a mistake to suppose the more people we can involve in ministry the greater will be the results.
-The Christian churches are lurching out in a number of unscriptural, unprofitable directions. In one area of the United States, at the present time, the believers are being taught they do not have to repay money they have borrowed because "we are in the Year of Jubilee."
+The point is, in this major symbolic portrayal of the coming of the Lord, only a remnant of Israel was involved in the battle.
-This is but one of several different errors being practiced. These wild adventures are occurring because God is ready to move past Pentecost and the people do not understand God's program.
+All Israel profited by the victory.
-The move of the Lord today has to do with Divine judgment on the sins being practiced by the believers; not a judgment of wrath and destruction but one of instruction concerning the difference between good and evil. Sometimes this Divine intervention is accompanied by fiery trials that we might be purged from sin and learn stern obedience to the Father.
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