THE DIVINE UNDERTAKER

Thank God we can celebrate Jesus Christ, the risen Lord of the Easter season every day of our lives. He lives! Our triumphant cry! The tomb is empty and we rejoice that we can live without fear amongst a fear filled world, because Jesus Christ is alive in our hearts. We are on the winning side! We have read the last page of the book and we know that “all things work together for good to those that love the Lord.” That is the reality of our salvation, we are not going to win, we HAVE won through the finished work of Jesus on Calvary.

Revelation 3:20 -21, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne.” In order for me to become an overcomer I need an “undertaker.” Jesus is the great unlimited Undertaker. As He overcame, so can I overcome. Paul said, “I die daily.” As we die the great Undertaker undertakes for us.

Revelation 12:11 “They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto death.” The great Undertaker undertakes for me and thus enables me to become an overcomer. Jesus took the sting out of death. Hebrews 2:14 “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that HAD the power of death, the devil.” (Past tense).

The devil has no more power of death in my life. Even in my darkest hour I can declare, by faith, that the living Christ dwells in me, by the power of the Holy Spirit. I lift Jesus higher by exalting Him to His rightful place: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I curse any God dishonouring function in my body that would seek to drag me down. I proclaim Jesus as my Saviour, a victorious, conquering overcomer!

It’s all about Him, it’s not about me any more. It is His glorious life – a new creation in me. The “old man” in me was crossed out at Calvary! I claim His risen life in me, by faith. Oh the fathomless depths of Calvary! Jesus freed me from sin and made me a joint-heir with Him, seated in heavenly places.

Now! That’s worthy of celebration praise! Let us exalt and proclaim the wonder, the greatness, the goodness and favour of our wonderful God, in whom “we live and move and have our being.” Yes indeed!….He is risen, but the miracle is:HE IS RISEN IN ME! Thine, thine, thine is ALL the glory Lord!

CALVARY DESTROYED THE DEVIL’S POWER

The devil has lost his power! He lives by bluff, dependant on your believing. What you believe rules you. He is involved in deceiving and accusing. Once you believe a lie, he has a foothold, he rides in on the lie. HE IS POWERLESS in truth. Jesus says, “All power is given unto me,” Matthew 28:18.

At Calvary, the power of the devil was destroyed, Hebrews 2:14. But you and I often give back to the devil what Jesus took from him! The devil tricks us into doing this by the artificial, by imitation, by bluff, by deception, by lies. But then, while he may fill his shop window with these goods, he needs me as a customer. If I don’t go into his shop, he continues in his bankruptcy, powerless.

But he sets the window, he makes a show. Then I go in and give him back what Jesus took from him. According to Hebrews 2:14 Calvary means our Lord Jesus became one of us and through death, destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.

Fear is the imitation of faith. Fear is the substitute of faith. Just as faith goes into the Word, which is truth and becomes creative, fear goes into a lie and becomes creative – IF I RECEIVE IT! Fear is believing the devil’s lie. Faith is believing God’s truth. When I am in confusion I need to take stock of my life before the Lord, for God is not the author of confusion. I need to ask myself, “What does God say in these circumstances?” His word brings peace and direction as I put my faith into His proceeding word for my life. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” Matthew 4:4.

THE DEVIL IN TRUTH IS POWERLESS! He cannot abide in the light, he flees from it.

NOT FORSAKING ASSEMBLING TOGETHER

Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much more, as ye see the day approaching.”

This word from the Lord exhorts us to gather together in His name because it is meaningful and important to Him, and therefore to us, for our benefit. Even more so as the “day” approaches, the soon coming of the Lord. There are often many obstacles and excuses that could prevent our assembling together, but if we gather in simple obedience to His word, God will honour it.

Is there anything more important than being together in His presence? Our choice is pleasing to God as we gather together. We come by faith, expectant, as unto the Lord in our various communities.

Whatsoever we put our faith into, God will honour, as a man walks with his God. We come together, not to get into His presence, but to be an expression of it, to the glory of God. We should be carriers of His presence. Is the Holy Spirit of God comfortable in me, inhabiting me with His presence? God has placed within us a wonderful Holy Ghost thermostat: His peace. When the peace of God within me is disturbed, it is an indicator that something is wrong. My peace “bubble” triggers a godly warning to seek God in the situation for His direction and restoration of His peace level in my being. He is my Guide in life.

In Acts 7:38, Paul refers to Moses leading the journeying Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land as being the “church in the wilderness.” They were assembled together by compulsion, they had no choice. We, the New Testament Church, are under the New Covenant. We have a choice whether we assemble together, or not, “as is the manner of some,” Hebrews 10:25.

What does the “assembling of ourselves together” really mean? I meet with God on His terms, not mine. Some relationships are a one way street. One man said “I once knew God as Father Christmas, wanting everything to come my way. I didn’t know God as God in my foolish heart, but the Lord revealed to me that He is Father God, not Father Christmas.” This is a two way street, a two way relationship.

Is there a place where gathering together before the Lord is enough? It satisfies my soul. God comes alongside of our choice and enables us to function and be comfortable in His presence in our Gathering, but also in our everyday life. As we gather together the Lord brings revelation for daily living.

We are walking miracles having received the life of the Son of God within us. When we are assembled together we express our gratitude to the Lord from the overflow of His abundance in our hearts. If the Lord wants to manifest Himself supernaturally in our Gathering, we are expectant, but we are not going to insult the Holy Spirit by trying to conjure something up!

Our two way relationship with the Lord is a two sided covenant. This is where sovereignty and human responsibility meet:

What MUST God do that I cannot do? (Sovereignty)

What MUST I do in choice, that God WON’T do? (Human responsibility)

The Living God wants us to partner with Him!……….in all areas of our lives……..but in this matter, “let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together,” for His glory and His purposes in our lives.

DEVIL – PROOF

If you abide in Jesus you are Devil – proof.

How do I resist the Devil?

By yielding to the Spirit of God.

The greater includes the lesser!

MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE

Ezekiel 34 prophesies a stern reprimand to the bad shepherds of Israel over God’s beloved flock, His people. A God ordained shepherd of God’s people has a holy responsibility, in stewardship of his position, to be accountable to God for his actions. A true disciple of Jesus will encourage the “sheep” to learn to know the voice of God for themselves and direct them to the Good Shepherd, Jesus.

In John 10:7 – 16 Jesus not only declares Himself to be the “Door” of the sheepfold by which men come in to Him, but also, “I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and AM KNOWN OF MINE.” John 10:10 That is the goal, to KNOW HIM in a personal relationship. Jesus came to show us the Father, God. Our Heavenly Father desires for us to know Him intimately, to restore His relationship with mankind that was lost after the fall of Adam and Eve. It is every Believer’s birthright. The Good Shepherd redeems and restores from the great storehouse of heaven’s abundance. Jesus said, “………..I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

In Psalm 23 David said, “The Lord is MY shepherd,” not our shepherd. We each have a personal walk with the Lord but He will not allow me to function correctly as an island. He directs and dovetails me into a Body of Believers.

Some Pastors, most certainly not all, have sought to control the people, instead of encouraging them to learn to hear the voice of God for themselves. However, it must also be noted that for some this suited them because they did not want the responsibility of hearing God’s voice personally! Neither position is right. John 10:27, Here Jesus declares, “My sheep hear My voice: and I know them and they follow Me.” This is the Good Shepherd’s desire for me. As I obey the Lord, His voice becomes clearer. His voice becomes distant and eventually silent when I disobey. We have all walked that path at some stage but, thankfully, the Good Shepherd welcomes back repenting sheep who humble themselves.

So, let us be encouraged! As we follow the Good Shepherd and eat from His pastures of goodness, mercy and restoration, His voice will guide our daily steps, bringing peace and order to our chaos and glory to His name. Wonderful Jesus!

PRAYER:

Please help me to remember, Lord, if I don’t consult You, I insult You.

If You are not Lord of all, You are not Lord, at all! Amen

MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU…..

There is a clear distinction between revelation and a “proceeding word.” Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,” Matthew 4:4.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7 – 10, Paul asked the Lord to remove his thorn in the flesh, which he termed “a messenger of Satan.” Paul had tremendous knowledge of the scriptures. His early life would have been trained and steeped in them. After his salvation experience and new calling, God gave him great revelations, of which much of the New Testament is made up from his letters. In spite of these great revelations he still needed a proceeding word from God for his situation, his “thorn.” God gave him one, it was not what he expected.:- “My grace is sufficient for you: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

There are times in our lives when we ask God to change our situation or our weakness, but God’s answer is to give me His grace for it, His strength, that it be a learning curve for me. What Paul once viewed as persecution in his life, he now saw God in it all. God moved him up to a higher gear.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God,” Matthew 5:8. When trials come, do I see God in them or blame the devil?

God’s word declares His grace IS sufficient. If I am finding an insufficiency I must take the blame and humble. God’s daily challenge is “Prove Me now!” There are untapped reservoirs of grace in Heaven at my disposal through the finished work of Calvary. I come to Jesus in my poverty and access God’s bountiful storehouse of grace and mercy.

Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was the ballast God permitted in his life “lest he became exalted above measure,” for the tremendous revelations God gave him.

2 Corinthians 12:7 “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” God knows what each of us needs in our walk with Him. He is God, I am not. I bow at the throne of His wisdom.

When Paul embraced God’s proceeding word for him, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness,” his spirit soared. He mounted up on the eagle wings of God’s strength and then declared, verse 9, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest on me.”

…..THAT THE POWER OF CHRIST MAY REST ON ME! This is the glory of God in the divine exchange: His strength for my weakness.

I see that the way up, is down. As I humble myself before God, He will lift me up, enabling me to move in His presence, carrying it, dispensing it into the world, for “the kingdom of God is within you.”

Man always looks for a new way, a better way – but God made a way, the Way, His name is Jesus. I can only come to God just as I am, weak and needy – then the Royal Exchange takes place and I operate through the life of Another – Jesus. HIS strength enables me to stand where I would fall without Him, and I find and prove His all encompassing sufficiency for every area of my life. For all that I am not, He is that to me. He is the ALL SUFFICIENT ONE, Who gives of His sufficiency to the weak and humble, and transforms them into mighty sons and daughters of the Living God, manifesting the Kingdom of Heaven.

THE APPOINTMENT OF GOD

WHERE THE APPOINTMENT IS THE PROVISION IS!

THE WILL OF GOD WORKS!

DOES YOUR REVELATION WORK?