Monday, March 30, 2009

The Secret Of God's Rest - Des Walter




The world in which we live is a world of make believe, but man’s ability to discern between that which is real and the fake has been greatly diminished. The whole paradigm of life changed for all mankind in the Garden of Eden, and for so many it has never been restored because the religious world has created confusion as to what is the true reality of man. We understand that if the first premise is false then whatever is built on that premise will not stand. Today religion has developed its teaching by starting with Adam, who had eaten of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, considering he was the FIRST MAN. Therefore it is assumed that all of mankind has been generated out of that one man who was cast out of the Garden of Eden and out from the presence of God. Therefore all mankind are sinners and God is angry with them placing them under a curse.
However, the very foundation of this assumption is wrong, for Paul declares in Eph 2:10 that we are all God’s workmanship, CREATED in Christ Jesus who is the only son God ever created in Gen.1: 26-27. That first man never sinned and is declared to be the Only Begotten Son of the Living God. For four thousand years man walked on the earth ignorant of his true identity, until the day came when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem’s manger. His life became an enigma, as people debated who he really was. He demonstrated abilities beyond the capacity of other men that set him apart from everyone else. Finally one day he asked the disciples who the people thought he was? They replied that the people did not know, but their best guess was that he was one of the Prophets or even John the Baptist who had been beheaded. So he turned to the disciples and asked them who they thought he was? Peter responded having received revelation from God saying, "You are the Christ the Son of the Living God."
Peter could never have known Jesus true identity unless it had been revealed to him, for he was looking at a man just like himself from a human point of view. But now he saw him as a spirit being but clothed in a man’s body. He saw something beyond what his eyes could tell him, for he realized that Jesus functioned out of a higher dimension than mortal man. The Son of the Living God was never considered to be a part of humanity with a body, two arms and two legs. The people knew that God is spirit for Jesus himself had declared this to the woman at the well, so if God is spirit, then his son must also be spirit. Jesus did not ask the question of the disciples in order to discover for himself who he was for he already knew, but so that they might realize that he came into the world to reveal man’s true identity, for this had been lost to all mankind. It must have surely dawned on Peter and the rest of the disciples that this revelation would change their concept of their own identity.
In creation that first man of Gen 1:26-27 was Christ the son of the living God, but he was also a corporate man, for out of him came forth all of mankind, who also had the same quality and identity as Christ. But the truth of man’s origin and identity became lost in the sense of separation from God that Adam endured in the Garden. This separation from God had a dramatic effect on man’s consciousness that lowered him into another dimension of life that destroyed the memory of his origin and true identity. Because Adam in the Garden was also a "Corporate Man" what happened to him there in the Garden of Eden, affected all mankind with the same amnesia. About 4000 years later a child was born of a virgin in Bethlehem and that child was that same MAN created in Gen 1:26-27. But this man-child was BORN OF A WOMAN just as all men since Adam have been born, except that his mother was a virgin for he was conceived of INCORUPTIBLE SEED, which was the SEED OF GOD.
Now here is an amazing truth that we need to grasp, that has been overlooked by the religious world for 2000 years. The birthing of Jesus Christ into this world is the birthing of that CORPORATE MAN that includes you and I. So what does this mean? It means that there is no difference between you and Jesus Christ, for you were birthed in him. The Apostle John declared this when he said in 1 John 4:17 "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because AS HE IS SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD." His creation out of God was also our creation. We were created in the likeness and image of God, just as he was. Forasmuch as you are manifestly declared to be THE LETTER OF CHRIST TO ALL CREATION ministered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God and not in tables of stone, but in the fleshy tables of the heart as a true expression of God.
This birthing of Jesus Christ is our birthing also for our natural birth was by means of an egg and a sperm, which produced a mortal human being. But our birthing through the virgin was a birthing through the INCORRUPTIBLE SEED OF GOD that cannot be corrupted and neither can it sin. John the Apostle made it very clear THAT WHICH IS BORN OF GOD CANNOT SIN FOR HIS SEED REMAINS IN HIM. In that birthing, our origin is out of the SEED OF GOD that has never been tainted by sin nor affected by the carnal mind, nor can it be corrupted at all.
The birthing of Jesus Christ on the earth was indeed the birthing of that corporate man whose destiny is to set all creation free. Mary, the virgin chosen to be the vessel through whom the Christ was to be birthed on the earth was the sign given to the tribe of Judah in the reign of King Ahaz. Isaiah, God’s prophet said to Ahaz, you refuse to ask a sign of the Lord in order to discover what is God’s will for you at this time, so he says to you I am going to give you a sign whether you want it or not. "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name IMMANUEL, which means "God with us." What did this mean to the King of Judah? This prophecy declared that any King that believed he could rule apart from God would be consumed by his own folly. The conception of this child had nothing to do with any MAN, for it would be birthed by a VIRGIN, but in that birth God would become visible on the earth in the form of MAN, in a people who would be Kings and Priests unto God.
King Ahaz was arrogant and self-willed, who divided Israel and brought trouble and strife to the whole nation. But in this Prophecy God was telling Ahaz that there was coming a day when God would declare his authority on the earth through a people who would recognize Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God as their Lord and King, ruling and reigning within them, for he would be IMMANUEL. This is Jesus Christ the son of the Living God, out of whom would come the whole Elohim Company. This company consists of the Chosen Generation of God, the Royal Priesthood, the Holy Nation and a people designated as belonging to God. His birth at Bethlehem represents a people, who would not be born of an "Egg and a Sperm," but of the same incorruptible "Seed of God."
The Prophet Isaiah continued his prophecy saying that the Lord sent a "Word" unto Jacob but it hath lighted upon Israel. Jacob referred to Israel in their rebellion and disobedience, and they could not understand nor receive that word, but it is the true Israel of God that now receives the enlightenment and revelation of what the Prophet was saying. As we read this prophecy we find that this word applies to a people who are living on the earth today.
"For unto US a child is born, unto US a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders and his Name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his Kingdom to order and to establish it with Justice and with Judgment from henceforth, even forever."
The religious world like Israel of old has never "heard" this word, so they did not see that it had any relevance to them. However, the Child is born TO US, and the Son is given TO US. Paul tells us in Eph 2:10 that we were created in CHRIST JESUS and therefore we were birthed 2000 years ago on the earth not of "Flesh and Blood," but born of the spirit of God by the incorruptible seed. Jesus Christ was a corporate man in Gen.1 for all mankind was in him, so in his birthing into this world 2000 years ago he was also a corporate man, birthing a people who would take on the nature and character of their true identity, being the product of the Divine Seed.
Peter reminds us that we have been BORN AGAIN not of corruptible seed but of INCORRUPTIBLE, by the WORD OF GOD, which lives and abides forever. Because of this birthing there has been established within us, the THRONE OF GOD, which the Apostle John saw when he was invited to ascend in the spirit, where a door was opened in his understanding into the Temple of God which was his body. It was there that he saw a Throne from which God would rule over the Nations. Concerning the King who ruled from that Throne it is said, "Of the increase of his government there would be no limit." This is the divine authority that now functions in us, until all his enemies become his footstool and he becomes Lord of ALL.
In our birthing, we are destined to rule and reign with him as Kings and priests unto our God. In the light of these things it is amazing that many Christians today still suffer from depression and are beset by enemies that enslave and imprison them and they see no way of being free. Beloved we are born to REIGN with Christ, for his name is "Wonderful" or without equal. He is also called "Counselor," or able to guide and direct our path for he is Omniscient. He is the Mighty God, maker of heaven and earth, and the Everlasting Father who is constantly bringing his children to Birth. Then finally we are told that he is the PRINCE OF PEACE who will cause the nations to beat their weapons into ploughshares, and there will be no more wars or strife, as the Peace of God is established in the hearts of his children first. The divisions in the Christian Church and the dividing of God’s people on the basis of doctrines, must give way to an expression of divine Love, as God’s people find their unity and oneness in the Christ of God.
The illumination of the spirit of the Lord is helping us today to see that whatever Jesus Christ is, that is what we are. Jesus told us that true sonship was to do only what he saw his Father do, and to only say what he heard his Father say. It is for this reason that Father has revealed to the Son what he is doing in the heavenly realm, because he knows that the Son will bring it to pass on the earth. This is the lesson we all must learn for this is OUR God given responsibility. Jesus spoke to Peter about this when he told him he would be given the keys to the Kingdom of God saying, "Whatever you shall bind on earth, you will know that Father has already bound that thing in the heavenly realm. And what ever you loose on the earth, Father will already have loosed it in the heavens." In other words whatever we see Father doing in the heavenly realm, that is what we must do on the earth, for this is according to the Lords Prayer. "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done ON EARTH EVEN AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."
It is the corporate nature of the Christ that makes us ONE with him for if we came out of him, that means whatever he is, that is what we are. Now if we apply this also to the Cross we find again that he did not die simply as himself, for himself, but he "Tasted death for EVERY MAN." His death IS OUR DEATH for we died IN HIM. Then it follows that we were also buried with him and this agrees with what Paul told is in Rom 6. "Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into HIS DEATH, so the reality of Baptism is not in water, but IN HIS DEATH. This means that the "WATER" is simply a symbol of his death, burial and resurrection. So we have also been BURIED WITH HIM, to be raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father to walk as a New Creation Man in a NEW dimension of LIVING. Paul continues, "If we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, it stands to reason that we would be raised up out of the same incorruptible SEED in resurrection into exactly the same LIFE THAT HE IS LIVING.
Whatever we were before our death IN CHRIST on the Cross no longer exists, for that person IS D-E-A-D, and the scripture informs us that "If we ARE DEAD then we are FREE FROM SIN, and the power of DEATH has been broken so that we do not have to die again." To take this even further, the whole concept of a life apart from God is simply a result of the Adamic dream. The man of resurrection has never sinned for he is the product of the incorruptible seed that did not originate from the EARTH. Through the Cross, the MAN OF SIN who is ADAM died, for Jesus Christ died as the LAST ADAM to bring to an end that Adamic consciousness that declared we were sinners. Beloved, this is the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel that Paul preached, liberating us from everything that would seek to bind us. In this new LIFE there are no limitations except those we impose upon ourselves. We are set free in order to liberate the rest of creation that has been held in bondage. All these things are being revealed today to those who have been searching for release for many years, but until this day many remain bound by their humanity, and the limitations of their MORTALITY. Today Father is revealing the TRUTH to you so that you might be free.
How is he revealing this truth to you? By you reading this word, for the spirit of God is now unveiling the Christ dwelling IN YOU, by which the seed of freedom is being planted in your consciousness. If you really want to be free, and to know the Truth of your identity, you need to reject the religious teachings of man and believe that which Father is revealing to you now. Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former manner of living of the OLD MAN, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, having no true reality, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Then put on the NEW MAN, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Let us continue in this revelation for this is not the end but there is much more that needs to be brought to light. When we read the Bible we get the idea that it was written chronologically and so when we open the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ we consider that whatever is written there is for "The END TIME." So we tend to dismiss it from our understanding of "Present Day Truth." But do you realize that it was written by the Apostle John who lived in what we would term New Testament times, while imprisoned on the Island of Patmos, where abandoned prisoners lived out their miserable lives. John was not a murderer nor was he a wicked man, but he was there because of his testimony of Jesus Christ. In that desolate place where many went insane, he saw the greatest revelations of the Christ that any man has ever seen.
I just want to share a few things he recorded for us who live in the 21st Century, even though it was written so long ago. He begins his revelation saying, "Grace and peace be unto YOU (that is to YOU) from HIM WHICH IS," that is Christ who still IS, but he is no longer the INVISIBLE GOD that Israel never saw, nor is he the BABE OF BETHLEHEM, and neither is he hanging on a CROSS, but exists on this earth as YOU AND ME. He is today in the form of MAN walking the streets in every town in every country, revealing himself through a PEOPLE. But John continues, "Which WAS and which IS TO COME." Yes, he was the Messiah of the Old Testament but was also Jesus Christ the Son of the living God, living for about 33 years on the earth. But he is also the one who is to COME. For many, this means that just as he came the first time in the form of a man born of a virgin so he will return again to the earth at a particular time.
This so called "Coming of Christ" is often referred to as the SECOND COMING, but this is because they have not understood who he is. Remember that he is a Corporate Man that includes all who were created in him in the beginning. He has been revealed to a people at this time, who now understand that they are IN HIM now, and have always been in him even from creation. So our eyes are being opened to find we were involved in everything that he did including the miracles, as well as his death, burial and resurrection. Jesus Christ has been coming ever since he entered again into the invisible realm of Spirit. But he came back on the day of Pentecost to indwell 120 who were gathered unto him in the upper room. Equipping them for the task of releasing the captives, setting them free. His coming is not to the whole world but to take his seat on the Throne that has been established in his people whose bodies have become the Temple of God.
Let us consider further what John has to say about Jesus Christ. He called him the First begotten of the dead, but being a corporate man all of mankind was also raised in him. Then he called him, The Prince of the Kings of the earth, and these refer to the saints of God for we are told that he has made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion forever. Then the resurrected Christ speaks and tells us, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end," which means he was that first man out of whom all mankind was created." He is also the Last Man or the Omega, having been through the fire of God and taking us with him, through death, burial and resurrection. The fire of God is not destructive but is a purifying fire that removes that which is not of God, refining the Gold of our being. He was tempted in all points just as we have been but without sin.
At this point John turns to SEE THE VOICE that spoke such wonderful words to him. He saw the seven Golden Candlesticks, the testimony of Christ on the earth, and in the midst of the light he saw one, "LIKE UNTO THE SON OF GOD." What a breath taking picture is here revealed to us, for John saw the saints of God all standing in that light "In his Likeness and Image" looking like the Son of God. Let us not pass on too quickly lest we loose the import of this amazing scene. How wonderful these word pictures are showing us who we are in reality. So many Christians are still crying out to God to forgive them for what they may have done, feeling so unworthy of God’s love, because they have never seen what John saw 2000 years ago. Beloved we are the Lamp stand or the LIGHT of God on the earth today, and it is no longer a candle we hold in our hand, but that LIGHT radiates out of our true being for the Light of Life dwelling in us is illuminating the Glorified Christ of our true identity. This is the LIGHT OF THE WORLD that this darkened world is waiting to see and John was given a glimpse of it all those years ago for you and I today.
This one now speaks and says, "I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore Amen, and I have in my hand the keys of hell and death." It is time for the people of God to declare the truth to the world, to destroy the lies of religion that have kept mankind bound in sin and darkness. John recorded these things for our encouragement and blessing, for they all speak about the people of God who are NOW, AS HE IS. This whole book is a most wonderful revelation of the Christ in his people. But now let us look at chapter twenty-one, to see the climax of this revelation. John saw a new heavens and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. Remember we are the heavens and the earth and now the Light has come and all the shadows are fleeing away, so we have been revealed in our true being, standing in the midst of the Candlesticks.
John was allowed to see the NEW HEAVENS that have been cleansed from the contamination of the serpent. In place of the carnal mind that cannot know God and is set at enmity with God, there is now the Mind of Christ. This is the mind that has never been involved with the snake, and functions in accord with Truth. According to God’s design the Heavens are to rule in the affairs of men, so as the NEW EARTH appears it is no longer flesh and blood, as it was under the direction of the carnal mind. The Christ who is now Lord breathes his Life into every cell in our body, until it is no longer flesh and blood, but has become spirit materialized. These things were revealed through John so that we might know the Father’s will and purpose for us. The old earth of our mortality has gone, and the heavens with its warfare involving the carnal mind has now been won, so we stand clothed upon with Christ wearing the robe of righteousness. And John says there is no more sea, which means there is no more separation, for on this earth the sea separates peoples and nations. The omni-present Christ has made us one with all of creation and joined us with all mankind as one family.
Then John says he saw the HOLY CITY, the NEW JERUSALEM coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband. That which had been separated in the Garden of Eden by the carnal mind, now has been united by the mind of Christ to find we are ONE IN HIM. Then out of the Heavens comes a voice saying,
"Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for all these former things are passed away." Then he that sat upon the throne said, "Behold I make all things NEW, for it is done, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely."
The Journey of Life
At this point in time I would like to share with you, that most Christians have ignored the provision that God has made for them in this world, where they can live without lack of any kind as was provided for Adam in the Garden of Eden. Instead, they would prefer to live by the sweat of their brow, and the consequences of their choice is poverty, sickness, pain and death.
Adam lived in the Garden of Eden where he never raised a sweat. His food was all provided his fellowship with God was perfect as they shared life together as one and there was no lack whatsoever. This is but a picture of the Rest of God that he enjoyed, but he added to what he was and had a knowledge system that took him out of paradise and put him in a wilderness where he had to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow. This has now become the "Norm" for God’s people today. How many people tell me they have so little time to meditate in the presence of God as life for them has become so hectic. We now must have the best of everything and to pay for it requires more and more of our time so that God is pushed into a corner and perhaps on Sunday they may squeeze an hour in just to let God know that he is not forgotten all together. If ever there was a day when we needed to experience the REST OF GOD it is this very day. It does not make any sense to have to work so much, just to live without finding time to relax and enjoy the Lord who holds the key to abundant life.
The "Rest of God" is not something to which we must attain, but simply something we must accept as God’s gift to his people. What does this mean for us today? It means that we do not have to do anything to qualify in order to enter into "His Rest," considering that it is something we have established by our own works and faithfulness. Nor is it by attaining a high degree of spirituality beyond others, but it is a matter of simply BELIEVING GOD. It is our many WORKS PROGRAMS that keep us out in the wilderness, trying to prove our spirituality in the hope that one day I will make it and God will accept me into the promised land. Religion is based on DOING, and this has barred the people of God from entering into GOD’S REST. How did God enter into rest, because remember it is GOD’S REST we are entering into, and it was as he looked at all that he had created and said, "It is VERY GOOD." There was nothing to be added, nothing that needed to be changed, everything was PERFECTION, so at that point GOD RESTED.
But man just cannot BELIEVE GOD!! I hear Man shouting, "God you are wrong, I am a sinner and need to be changed, I have a heart problem, I am in debt because you have not blessed me like you said you would. And I have a very bad marriage and children who are on drugs. How could I possibly enter into rest while I am in this mess?? There is an answer and I have great joy in my heart to be able to tell you there is nothing you have to do nor anything you could do, to enter into God’s rest except to BELIEVE GOD. Gods invitation to YOU to enter into HIS REST is based upon the fact that,
All God’s works WERE FINISHED to his own satisfaction totally and completely from the foundation or the fertilization of the divine seed of God from which you came in creation, clothed in perfection.
The truth here revealed was that the day Jesus Christ was born on the earth at Bethlehem, was in fact the birthing of the Christ in the consciousness of all mankind. In reality it was the liberation of all humanity from material bondage and limitation. His birth on the earth is the only true revelation of the Almighty God, declaring that he is the true origin of all mankind, and has never been separated from any of his creation. At the same time he declared man’s true identity is not, "A mortal human being," as so many considers themselves to be. The divine abilities that were in evidence in the life of Jesus Christ are available to all mankind once we see the reflection of himself in us, for he said, "The things that I do, you can do also and greater things than these because I go to my Father."
He revealed the secret in John 14:10 that allowed Jesus to do what we call miracles. The first step was to understand that he was IN THE FATHER, and the next thing was that the FATHER WAS IN HIM. This means that Jesus the man was an integral part of God without any sense of separation at all. Then if the Father was in him, this indicated that the spirit that was in Jesus was God dwelling in him, so that the words he spoke were in fact, God speaking through him. But the most astonishing thing about this revelation was that it was not Jesus that did the miracles himself, but it was the Father who did the work through him, using his voice and his hands and feet. Jesus made it clear that the same situation applies to us today. In John 14:20 he made it clear for all to know, that at that day I am in the Father and you are in me, and I am in you."
We need to realize that every attempt to try and make ourselves perfect is a denial of the truth that God spoke in the beginning. The influence of modern society has so contaminated our mind that we find it difficult to understand that all the superficial issues of our lives, and the changes that seem evident to us are the result of the fact that we believe everything that our sensory perception tells us through our five natural senses. None of those five senses will ever tell you the truth, for they are the nature of the carnal mind. The spirit of Christ within you, that still small voice is the only voice that will always tell you the TRUTH. The challenge for each of us today is to enter into HIS REST where the perfection of our being is already set. Changes beyond our imagination and blessing upon blessing is stored up for us, as this becomes our reality.
Of course modern life in the 21st century is not conducive to living in the "Rest of God," but there is a people who are "Ceasing from their own works," and entering into God’s Rest. The invitation remains open as the Scripture says, "There remains therefore a REST to the people of God." It is important for us to realize that Christ dwells within us and he has already entered into that Rest while we worry our selves sick over so many things. Does not the scriptures say, "As he IS so are we in this world." There is nothing that we need to enter into rest, and is Christ not our true identity, and our Life. We must discover that our identity is Christ and not that imaginary mortal human being that we have falsely identified as who we are. Here is the key to unlock this seeming contradiction between our true identity and who be thought we were. Christ was spoken into existence in the beginning and that is who we are so when he came to this earth and was at the river Jordan the heavens opened and God spoke saying, "This is my well beloved son in whom I am well pleased." There he stands representing mankind just as perfect as he was when he came forth from the hand of the creator. Beloved see yourself in him and enter into God’s rest.
The Apostle Paul tells us that the carnal mind is death. Many years ago the Children of Israel made a Covenant with death, and it would seem that many today have made that same covenant. Most Christians look upon death as inevitable and so as old age creeps up on them they simply become resigned to it, and often being it as a blessed release. However, Jesus said, "No man takes my life from me for I have power to lay down my life and have power to take it again." The truth for me is that my Life is hid with God in Christ, and so there is nothing in this world that can touch it. Sickness and death result from the sense of separation, that so many feel between themselves and God. We are born into this world through our mothers and therefore we believe we are simply mortal human beings, but within this body is a spirit that is my true identity and that spirit came from God. With this knowledge I can safely enter into God’s rest and know that he will complete in me that which he desires.
The appearing of Christ on the earth revealed to us, that all our limitations are the result of our mind having been infected by the snake, destroying our God consciousness. God’s purpose in creation was that man would become the dwelling place of God on this earth. So when the disciples took Jesus to see the great Temple that they had taken 46 years to build, he declared, "Destroy THIS temple, for it was simply a symbol of humanities idea of God’s dwelling place, an ornate structure called a Temple made by men’s hands." He told them, in three days I will build MY TEMPLE, but this time he was referring to the true Temple of God, which is HIS BODY.
The first man created out of whom we have all come, was the only Son God ever created but let us be clear, that man was a corporate man and not just a single identity. This was the BODY God had decided was to be his temple. However, man living out of a human consciousness could not be the Body of Christ, for that body would function as mortal and would succumb to death. But God’s temple must be eternal for he is the eternal God, and therefore he said it would take three days to "build" his Temple. This refers to the three days involving the DEATH, BURIAL and RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ, but because he is a corporate being and we are all IN HIM, we become involved in his death also just as we were in his Birth. So when he died WE also died in him, so that his death was OUR death.
That "Death" was the end of our humanity, with all its human limitations and bondages. Only in death could we leave behind the sense of false identity, and the thinking patterns of that identity. On the Cross of Calvary our blood as well as His blood was shed, bringing that mortal life that is in the blood to an end. His body was broken there on that cross to become the broken bread for a hungry world, and His flesh, which he said he would give for the life of the world. For flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Then there was his burial where the SEED of God which he was, had to be planted in accordance with his own words. He said, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and dies it abides alone, but if it dies it will bring forth much fruit."
Abraham was told that Christ is the "Seed" through which the blessing of God would flow to all the nations of the world. As we died in him so we were buried in him, so that the seed of God, which has been planted in every man, might through death now burst forth in new life releasing the divine expression of our true identity for all mankind to see. So on the third day the tomb that had imprisoned us restricting our understanding and limiting our expression of life, burst open releasing God’s NEW CREATION MAN, in all his resurrection glory. That man no longer saw himself as a spirit and a soul, living in a body, but he had become ONE, spirit and soul united as in creation called CHRIST, who now breathes his life into every cell in my body until it becomes manifested as spirit. He could walk through walls, move as the wind and able to do the will of God. When we function out of that Christ mind we also will do exactly all that he has done and is still doing today through a people.
The limitations that are upon our lives today are simply the fact that we have not yet believed the truth about ourselves that is revealed in Jesus Christ, for what he is NOW so are we in the world today. His life and the wonderful works that he did and all expressions of that higher life has always been ours, but we have lived out of a false identity that is controlled by our natural mind. We have the potential to LIVE as he LIVED, doing what he did, and expressing what he is, for he told us that the things that he did we could do also and even greater things than these because he went to the Father. The human mind is driven by "Cause and Effect," but the truth is that God is the only cause of all things, for he is ALL and in ALL.
The only source of true life is God himself expressing himself through man. That is why Jesus Christ spoke like no other man, for he was speaking truth, which he received from God. This truth was not just what he preached it was what he was, for he said, "I am the Truth." Because of this we also must be able to say what he said, for it is just as true for us as it is for him. He said I am the Door, and we also become the door for our generation for the same Christ dwells in us, to open the understanding of the people to see the Christ manifest in us as it was in Jesus. He said I am the WAY, and we also are the way by revealing the Christ in us who opens the way into the realm of spirit for all to follow. He said, "I am the Good Shepherd," and that is what we are to our generation for the Christ of God dwells in us.
Jesus declared how his relationship with his Father operated. First of all he made the statement, "I and my Father are ONE!" This statement almost cause the Jews to stone him for blasphemy, for their carnal minds could not understand the true import of his words, and it is still the same today. He was saying that his true identity which is Christ, and his Father (God) are ONE. He then quoted from Psalm 82:6 where the Psalmist says, "I have said ye are gods,(Elohim) and all of you are children of the Most High God." Our origin is out of God, so according to the law of bio-genetics, we must be what he is. But then Jesus says that he only does what he sees his Father do. To put it in another way, the Father reveals to the Son what he is doing because he knows that the son will bring it to pass on the earth. Then he states that he only says what he hears his Father say, so that as the Sons of God we are to say only what the Father is saying for his words are spirit and life. Sons do not preach sermons, they only speak words of Life.
Man has been given the capacity to receive revelation from God, as we embrace
the Christ life as our own and the Christ Mind that allows us to function according to the spirit that dwells in us. The carnal or natural mind is enmity with God and cannot know or understand the things of God; therefore we must elevate the Christ mind above the natural mind to be free of all human limitations. Jesus Christ made us to understand that all men were created equal because all of humanity constitutes ONE Corporate Man all of whom have come from the One God. It is important for us to get to know the Christ that dwells within as we enter into our "Closet" and shut the door. It is there we will discover that our true identity is Omni-present, Omniscient and Omnipotent, dwelling in Light in the deepest part of our being, called the Most Holy Place. Once we embrace that understanding we will live as Christ lived on the earth, doing what he did. But for many people this seems like an impossible dream.
God fills the universe of our being as well as the universe at large, and we find that he is an integral part of our being. Jacob had a vision of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven linking the two together with a divine activity in both directions. He found he was connected to the spirit world and was not separated from it, and that there is an invitation for us all to enter into the secret place of the Most High, where we will discover that we are in the centre of every created thing. In that place we are one with all creation both visible and invisible. Jacob was to discover that the outward reality he saw was in fact a picture of that which is inward, and in the morning as the "Light" of God illumined his mind he said, "Surely God is in this place and I did not know it." He discovered that his body was actually the "House of God."
Every one of us is responsible to deal with the areas of unreality that persist in our lives. Elijah challenged Israel over their constant infidelity in their relationship with God, by putting Baal and their priesthood on trial. The test was to see if Baal’s reputation as "Lord" or possessor could stand the test. Baal was originally the Sun God so he was involved with the harvest bring light and warmth. Worship involved giving their children to this god by "Passing them through the fire." The 450 prophets of Baal were called to make a sacrifice of a bullock to Baal but the rules of the sacrifice were that Baal himself must initiate the fire that consumed the sacrifice. After the prophets every attempt to get Baal to respond failed they watched as Elijah set up the altar according to the word of the Lord God. After pouring water 7 times on the sacrifice and the altar, Elijah prayed and the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifice. Thus were the prophets of Baal and their pseudo god discredited in the sight of Israel.
This produced a revival in Israel as the nation returned to worship the living God. Now we read these things recorded in the Scriptures, but who is there today who can challenge the pseudo god that is worshipped in most churches all over the world today? People are told "God" will love you if you give your heart to him, and he has taken your sin and sicknesses to the cross to set you free. He will bless your life and protect you etc etc, but it does not seem to become reality for the people. Christians die of cancer today just as the "Unsaved" do, they have divorce in their marriages, and their children get on drugs and abuse themselves in other ways, just the same as the people in the world. But today very few preachers’ challenge that so called "God" of the Christians that is worshipped all over the world. The truth is that that "God" has no more reality than did the BAAL of the Old Testament, for it is only the God of the imagination and has no true reality. We teach the people that our God is LOVE, but at the same time tell the people that God will burn you forever in hell if you do not do what he says. Such a contradiction remains, breeding confusion in the hearts of God people all over the world, as to what God is.
The God that dwells within us is spirit, as Jesus told the woman at the well and so cannot be known through of sensory perception, nor through our natural mind. He is only accessible through our consciousness and there we perceive him as Wisdom, Love and Truth. The same consciousness that functioned in Jesus Christ must also function in us. That spirit fills the universe, for everything that is visible to us today came out of that invisible realm of spirit. When he said, "I and my Father are ONE," we must understand that we also are part of that O-N-E, as we are ONE body and ONE spirit, being made of ONE blood or life with all the nations of the earth. MAN was created out of that ONE spirit that is God, constituting mankind as ONE family all having the same Father and therefore the same origin. For this reason the word declares, "God so loved THE WORLD," indicating that there is not a man on this planet that is not included in that love.
However, if we listened to the majority of preachers today you could never believe that statement to be true. Religion would declare if a man is a thief because he stole something, or a gambler, or drinks alcohol, God could not possibly love them, because they are sinners. Would everybody who has never sinned please stand up, but there was not a soul who could affirm they were sinless. So does God really love the whole world regardless of what they may or may not have done? Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ went to the Cross and died, not simply to forgive the sins of the people but to destroy the very ROOT of sin and not just the FRUIT. Most Christians look upon the death of Christ as being a payment to God that would "Buy" our forgiveness, just as Israel killed millions of animals and sacrificed them to God for their sins. So they tell God they are sorry for being bad and ask him to come into their heart, and then have a party to celebrate the difference between them and the rest of the world. The incredible thing is that such a person will continue to sin just as the rest of the world does, but he will be quick to remind everyone that he has been forgiven!!!
Having been forgiven we announce to everybody, we are "Saved" and now we can relax because we have bought our ticket to "Heaven" when they die!! I find it incredible that Jesus our Master and Teacher never once told a single person to do what preachers are telling people to do today. We have divided society on the basis of some religious theory created by man but never sanctioned by Jesus Christ. But worse still we condemn the rest of the world because they are sinners and relegate them to a burning hell forever and ever. No wonder there are more heathen on the earth today than there ever was, and in countries like India, less than 2% are Christians, even after hundreds of years of missionary work.
God’s people must return to reality as far as God is concerned, and stop destroying his character by presenting him as a monster who creates mankind, but is happy to burn the majority of them in a burning hell, because they do not respond to his demands. The natural or carnal mind of man cannot know God, nor will it tell you the truth about anything spiritual. Man has become convinced that he is separated from God who is spirit, and this has caused our bodies to age and finally succumb to death. Jesus said, "That which is born of the spirit is spirit, but that which is born of the flesh is flesh." Our natural birth was for the formation of our body, however, the Body is not you. You are spirit because you came out from God who is spirit. Jesus introduced God to us as FATHER, for there is no other source of life in the universe. If God is our Father then we must be spirit just as he is, but now that spirit lives in a body. Our body is important to God because man was created to be the dwelling place of God on this earth, and it is through our body that we give expression to what God is. Jesus said in Heb 10:5, "Sacrifices and offerings you DID NOT DESIRE, in spite of the thousands of animals that were killed as sacrifices in Israel’s history, BUT you gave me a body."
Your body was given to you not for you to use it just for your own benefit, but as a vessel through which HE could manifest HIMSELF to the world through you. Man was destined to walk this earth as a demonstration of God living through man. Adam lived in the Garden of Eden without aging or any deterioration of his body, until a sense of separation came upon him, whereby the soul (female aspect of his being) became separated from him. As a result of this duality Adam became convinced that the female part of his being was now a separate entity from himself. This is the sense of separation that has robbed us of our true relationship with our heavenly Father, for at that time man became a LIVING SOUL. We have lived out of this limited expression of our true being from that time until Jesus Christ, God’s proto type man appeared on the earth to declare to all mankind our true identity and function.
He said he came from the Father and that he and the Father were ONE with no sense of separation at all. He was given a body just like ours being born of a woman, but his true identity was not the body he had, but the spirit that dwelt in him. Jesus asked the disciples who the people thought he was, but they replied that they really did not know who he was. He then asked the disciples who they thought he was, and Peter who had received revelation from the Father answered, "You are the CHRIST the Son of the Living God." But standing in front of Peter was a M-A-N just like you and I. This was a revelation to all mankind, for we all came out from this ONE MAN according to Eph 2:10. For the first time in history we were able to see what MAN really was, and he lived among us for about 33 years. We have been so brainwashed by the teachings of man and blinded by our natural mind, that we really have no idea who we are and what we are capable of doing.
Peter tells us in his epistle that we are Born from above, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible. This "Seed" of God has been sown in every man and it contains man’s true identity and if we will allow that seen to reproduce in us it will release the same Christ life that we marvel at in Jesus Christ. Notice that this life is the very life of God and it is INCORRUPTIBLE. Did Jesus fail at all in his life on the earth? NO, even at his trial the great Judge Pilate declared "I find no fault in him." That is exactly the same life that is in you, but perhaps it is still in "SEED" form until it is planted in the earth of our humanity. John tells us in his epistle, "That which is born of God does not sin." He continues by saying, "Whoever abides in Christ does not sin, but whoever sins has not seen him (Christ), neither do they know him. The Prophet Isaiah tells us, that those who live in a vital relationship with the Lord shall renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.
In Psalm 46:10 we read, "Be still and know that I am God." Most Christians look up in the sky when we speak about God or heaven, but the Truth is that God is not external to us but he dwells within us. So to meet God or to commune with him we must go INSIDE. As we develop a relationship with God who is our Father we will let go of the crazy notions of a God up in the sky, and our self-delusions and ignorance. Only then will we begin to hear his voice speaking within us. Then you will begin to realize that the God that dwells in you is OMNI-PRESENT, that is he is everywhere at all times and fills the universe. Then he is also OMNICIENT, which means that he is all knowing having within himself the sum of all knowledge, for he is the creator of all things. But there is more for he is also OMNIPOTENT, which means that he, is all-powerful and there is no other power in all the universe. So we are told, "Do not resist evil." The reason is that there is no other power anywhere, so there is nothing to fight or destroy. This is the TRUTH that makes us free from fear and anxiety for the almighty dwells in us. Once we understand this the true nature of God can be expressed through our daily lives.
We need to make that invisible connection with the Christ who is God that dwells within ourselves. Out of our relationship with the Father we will discover the power of God flowing through us to fulfill every desire. Jesus Christ was in touch with the Father at the grave of Lazarus, so that he saw what he was doing in the spirit realm and Jesus simply brought that divine action into the visible world, calling Lazarus forth after being dead four days. These are in fact the Keys of the Kingdom that are available to us also. Whatever you bind on the earth will already be bound in the heavenly realm, and whatever you loose on earth will have already been loosed in the realm of spirit. So the Father wants us to know what he is doing in that heavenly realm because he expects us to bring the manifestation forth in the visible realm for others to see.
In the Scriptures we find nature is used to help us understand spiritual truth. In Psalm 1, we find man likened to a Tree, so if we look at an old tree that could be a hundred years old or more, we can see on the tips of the branches there is new growth developing with new leaves springing forth. The tree is constantly being renewed with new growth appearing to replace the old. The tree may bring forth new flowers an then the new fruit appears. Often this provides food for the birds and animals but when it has all gone we wait a while and more new growth appears with new flowers and then the new fruit appears again. This is a vital process that is going on constantly in nature and is a picture of ourselves. Cells are dying everyday but there are new cells being produced to replace the old so in fact we should not be growing old as we do. Our life begins with a single cell, but that cell at a certain point divides and continues to divide until it is a complete body that is made up of millions of cells. If cells are being produced to replace the old so it should not get old and eventually die. A tree does not die of old age but only by some external action.
We are spirit living in a body and our identity is not found in the body itself which is simply the house we live in, but in the spirit. Paul explained what we are when he said, "We have an OUTER MAN which is our body and it is perishing away every day, but we also have an INNER MAN which is being renewed every day. Most Christians still live out of the outer man living as mortal human beings, and being subject to sickness, pain and death. 2Cor. 4:16. The inner man is the Man of the Heart and this is the most holy place where God dwells. This is what Paul was speaking about when he said, "Don’t you know that your body is the TEMPLE OF GOD which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own. God’s Temple is not the outer man because that is perishing, but it is the inner man, which is being renewed every day and is not subject to sin sickness pain or death. The outer man is mortal but the inner man is a spiritual body and that is eternal being in the likeness and image of God.
Paul continues the discussion about these two parts of our being, the outer man and the inner man, in 2Cor5:1. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle or body were dissolved we have a building of God a house not made with hands that is eternal in the heavens. In the Garden of Eden when the female part of Adam’s being was separated from him, the woman he called Eve joined herself to the Body so she could pro-create, and that is what we became a "Living Soul." So now Paul says that if that connection between the soul and the body could be removed we would HAVE right now our true spiritual body that is eternal. This means that we would not have to wait to die and be buried in the cemetery, in order to get our eternal body for we already have it. The soul connection with the body is the reason for most of our sickness because if we feel sick we are sick. The mind controls our body and this is the basis of most of our problems. Now with the mortal body free from the soul, it can now come under the power of the spirit who breathes his life into every cell in our body.
Then Paul continues on saying we groan in this mortal body that is perishing, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house from heaven. This refers to our spiritual inner man, which is our eternal body from heaven, but he is not speaking about dying at all. He says he has no desire to be unclothed which means to be dead for in death the spirit that is you leaves the body and you are unclothed. But he makes an important statement in verse 6. "Therefore we are always confident knowing that while we are AT HOME in the Mortal Body we are absent from the Lord." This is because God does not live in our outer body, which is perishing, just as he did not dwell in the outer court of the Tabernacle. So if we are living and settled in the outer mortal man we are separated from the Lord who dwells in his Holy Temple in the INNER MAN OF THE HEART.



Jesus told us that he is the Vine and we are the branches


No comments: