To Heal - Luke 14:1-6

Luke 14:1-6 ESV 

It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. And He said to them, “ Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” And they could make no reply to this.

The Greek word for "took hold" carries the additional meaning of laying on hands, of rescuing one from a compromised condition or situation. 

In a sense, that is what Christ did for all mankind. He took hold of us by entering our flesh to rescue us from the hand of death. 

The Greek word for "heal" carries the additional meaning of divine service, even of worship. Doing the will of God is a form of worship, just as it becomes a part of a life healed by God. That is the essence of observing the Sabbath. 

Christ has made us whole and holy and acceptable to our Holy Father. 

Who Humbles Himself - Luke 14:11

Luke 14:11 ESV 

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

One of the greatest challenges before us is in getting past ourselves in order to find our place in the kingdom of God. 

Those humbling themselves on earth and in the presence of others will find exaltation in the presence of the Lord. 

It is when we empty ourselves that we find we are filled by the Lord. It is not so hard to be humble when the Lord is involved.

Between You And The Woman

Genesis 3:15 ESV 

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.”

Galatians 4:4-5

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

From the woman Eve would come a  man who would destroy the works of the serpent and redeem fallen and lost man. Adam would refer to her as the mother of all the living. The man would bring the life and light of God before every man. 

The garden would be referred to as the promised land given to the man Adam, whose descendants would become known as Israel. From this tiny nation a son would be born of another woman to redeem those who were fallen and under the law, those whose father had eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It is the law that would teach the difference between the two, a knowledge gained by the bitter fruit of experience. 

Jesus would introduce us to a new Father whose love endures forever. 

The snake has been revealed to be the dragon known as Satan. He animates the nations surrounding Israel with the the same goal of destroying the works of God and taking the place of God. He calls himself Allah and says there is no other. Death is his calling card and he calls for the death of all who will not submit or oppose him. 

The Prophetic Word - 2 Peter 1:16-21

2 Peter 1:16-21 ESV 

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

The light of God shines on earth through the word of God. First in the written word of Scripture, then in the living flesh of Jesus Christ, and into the body of Christ which awaits His return. 

Prophesy in Scripture is unique. No other writings expound on future events that then are fulfilled with an accuracy of 100%. Jesus is the Spirit of Prophesy which is the Son sent by God. This is the evidence by which we will know that He is God. We can be certain of who He is and what will come to pass in the fullness of time. 

By these signs we know that He is God and there is no other. Jesus is the word of God and the word fulfilled. Through Him all things come into being, finishing with the sons of God as the crown of creation. It is then God will rest from His labor and creation will enter that rest. 

In the days to come, let's look at some of the prophesy and it's fulfillment, bringing to remembrance the reason for our hope and confirm our faith in the future promised by the one who makes all things possible. We who believe the Lord are blessed above all others. 

Present Your Bodies - Romans 12:1

Romans 12:1 ESV 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

We have given our spirit into His trust and care. He has awakened the spirit and given us life everlasting. 

Our bodies remain with the blood of the earth coursing through our veins. We therefore live a double life. One is in the Spirit and one in the flesh. 

Our worship becomes our obedience to God. We overcome the world by presenting our bodies to His life. His life will transform our bodies. What begins as empty and without form is given form and is filled with everlasting life. 

Holy Ground - Exodus 3:4-6

Exodus 3:4-6 ESV 

When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

It is easy to take our position and relationship with God for granted. Moses was a friend of God and not a son. As great as he was, the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than all the prophets before him. 

We are made holy by the presence of God. We have become holy ground because He abides in the earth of our bodies. We are able to stand in the presence of God and not be afraid, for we have become sons in His house. 

Abraham had the same response to God that Adam when he fell from God in his disobedience. He hid and was afraid to look at God. He is not the God of our father. He is our Father. 

We will see Christ face to face and will be like Him. 

Two Kingdoms

For the Church, the kingdom of heaven has arrived in the heart of each believer. 

The millennial kingdom on earth concerns the people of the land, the Israelites. 

Parted The Waters

Moses parted the Red Sea and brought the Israelites safely through the dark waters and to the other side. 

Jesus parted the seas of man and brings the Church safely through the dark waters and to the kingdom of heaven. 

Binds The Strong Man - Matthew 12:28-29

Matthew 12:28-29 ESV 

But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Where Jesus is becomes the kingdom of God. In these verses the kingdom of God is in the body of Jesus which has come near, even in the midst of His own people. 

Jesus goes on to describe His presence and action as "he first binds the strong man". The someone is Jesus. The strong man is Satan. Those whose eyes have been opened are no longer deceived. We are the freed captives led by the risen Savior who are transferred into the kingdom of heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Repent And Believe - Mark 1:14-15

Mark 1:14-15 ESV 

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

The light called forth by God has at last arrived in the darkness of the world. The light has taken the form of the Son of Man and in the words He preached as He proclaimed the gospel of God. 

The fulfillment of the word of God spoken before the advent of time enters into the time of man. It then is fulfilled in the heart of man allowing him to enter the timeless presence of God. 

"Repent and believe!"

Well Pleased - Mark 1:9-11

Mark 1:9-11 ESV 

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

The Messiah was prophesied in Scripture to be a Nazarene. And so He was. 

It is fitting that John would baptize in the Jordan river. Just as the baptism of repentance would allow one entrance into the kingdom of heaven, so would the immersion in the Jordan be necessary to cross over into the the promised land. John announces by his actions the transition from the Old Covenant to a New Covenant and from the promised land to the corresponding kingdom of heaven. The crossing into the land will entail the crossing of the river of repentance and the sacrifice on the cross. The same applies to us today. We must cross the river of repentance to enter the promised land. We must apply the cross to our own will for the will and life of the Lord. 

Coming out of the water, Jesus sees the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descend. The expanse between the waters is no longer watertight. The veil between man and God is torn. 

His baptism on the cross allows the Holy Spirit to descend on all His disciples who enter the body of Christ. God sees those as His beloved sons with whom He is well pleased. 

A Little Farther - Matthew 26:36-39

Matthew 26:36-39 ESV 

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Gethsemane means "oil press." In this garden of decision, the man chosen and anointed for the salvation of mankind would choose to obey God, and what a difference that will make. Salvation will come to many. 

This passage, like no other, clearly and emphatically confirms the humanity of Jesus. He goes a little farther in the garden, but goes a little deeper in the earth of His human body. There the angst and despair of the frailty of the man rises to His lips. With His face to the ground, He prays to the Father from the depths of His manhood for the cup of His sacrifice to pass from Him. But His thoughts return and give obedience to His Father's will above the earth. The final temptation is past. 

He knows the weakness of the flesh because He has experienced it firsthand. But He has overcome the flesh, that is, He has overcome the world. 

We all are familiar with the weakness of the flesh. Jesus has provided and shown the only way to overcome the flesh, that we might enter the presence of the divine. He came into our presence to make this possible. We can meet Him there. It's just a little farther. 

Into The Wilderness - Mark 1:12-13

Mark 1:12-13 ESV 

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

A time of testing and trial in the Scriptures is often associated with a period of forty days or years. It rained for forty days and nights during the flood of Noah. The Israelites struggled in the wilderness for forty years and here Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days. 

When our eyes are opened we can see the wilderness around us. It is populated with wild animals and trials previously unseen. It is this sight that allows us to avoid or deal with the world in a way only made possible by walking with the Lord. He will lead us through and to the other side. We have the comfort and presence of the Holy Spirit as our companion along the way. 

In Job we see God allowing Satan to test and afflict a man to teach and confirm a worthy servant. In the end, his righteousness is rewarded and Job has a better understanding of God and himself. This is God's plan for those He loves, to teach and discipline His sons and daughters. 

Satan is still roaming the earth today, going to and fro, accusing and tempting all he can find to stray away from the life of the Father. 

Drink It New - Matthew 26:27-29

Matthew 26:27-29 ESV 

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”

He changed the water into wine at the wedding in Canna. He will change the water of man's repentance into the wine of the divine. At the wedding the containers were filled to the brim with water, and we are filled to overflowing with the living waters of the Holy Spirit. We are initially served the wine of this life, but at the wedding to come we will drink the best wine. 

He is the vine and we can do nothing apart from Him. We become the fruit of that vine as we enter His Father's kingdom. The wine of the new kingdom flows to all who would lift the cup to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He drinks from the fruit of the vine in His new body, the bride of Christ. 

The kingdom is here. The new wine has been poured out for many, and that to overflowing. 

Psalms 118:14

The Lord is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation.

Psalms 118:23

This is the Lord's doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

We sing a new song, for the Lord has done a new thing. 

In Parables - Matthew 13:10-13

Matthew 13:10-13 ESV 

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

We live in creation which serves as a parable to the kingdom of heaven. A parable serves as a doorway into the kingdom of heaven. Those in the body of Christ have access to the kingdom of heaven through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We enter that Holy ground and become that Holy ground when we are joined with Spirit of God. 

Believing God is the key to the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Not believing God leaves one in the confines of worldly thinking and understanding. It is when we believe that we can rise from the land of the shadow of death to life everlasting. The word is for all who listen. Understanding is for all who believe. Life is for all who then walk with God. 

Who will believe what we have seen and who will listen to what we have heard? Only those who abide in the Spirit. 

Waterless Places - Matthew 12:43

Matthew 12:43 ESV 

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.

The sea of mankind is the home of the unclean spirit who is separated from the life of living water. Its only rest lies in the murky water of an unclean soul which lives in the land of the shadow of death. It takes the rest and peace from another to be its own. 

Like the unclean spirit, we find our rest and peace in the waters of another, that of the living waters of God. Our own unclean spirit is washed by the grace of the Lord. If we leave that grace, we will be the worse off, back to wandering in waterless places. 

Two Trees - Genesis 2:9

Genesis 2:9 ESV 

And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Still working with the dust of the earth, or clay, which God chooses as the raw material in which to work His glory, He fashions a multitude of delights and pleasures that spring from the ground. These trees represent every good thing that God has predestined in the life of those who would believe. Man cannot dream of the things God has prepared for those who love Him. 

There are two trees in the middle of the garden which present an a choice to the man of obeying or disobeying the word of God. 

Man is the only creature on earth given that choice. The only creature in the land made in His image. The only creature given the privilege to say no to God. This is a great and terrible honor bestowed to man. The possibility of glory or death will hinge on that decision. 

Something Greater - Matthew 12:6-8

Matthew 12:6-8 

I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

Yet they did not recognize the time of their visitation. We might be inclined to wonder how that could be given the signs and Scripture. How did they miss that?

The light of Jesus Christ remains on the planet. His Holy Spirit fills the heart of each believer to bring the light of God into the world. This is the true temple of God. One might be inclined to ask how do so many miss that?

Something greater than the temple was there then and now. He is Lord. 

Outer Darkness - Matthew 25:29-30

Matthew 25:29-30 ESV 

For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Where is the outer darkness? Mustn't it be apart from the inner light? God must be at the center of light because He is the light. To be in outer darkness one is removed from the presence of God. 

There is no weeping in the presence of God, for He will dry every tear. There is no gnashing of teeth, for there is no sorrow or despair in the jubilant assembly that gathers around God. Songs of joy will be unending. 

The Lord has invited to a celebration of life beyond our imagination. We must first live this life in this world before we are able to live the life of abundance that awaits. 

So what will we do with the life we've been given? How then shall we live?

Matthew 22:11-14

“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

A Living Creature - Genesis 2:7

Genesis 2:7 ESV 

then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

A man was taken from the dust of mankind to receive the life of God. This man would become a living creature with life far above and beyond life without the breath of God breathed in his nostrils. This is the Holy Spirit animating the dust of the earth into a creature that would would be the start of the union of heaven and earth. 

From The Land - Genesis 2:6

Genesis 2:6 ESV 

and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—

Water came from the earth instead of heaven in the form of a vapor or fog. The face of the ground, face means "the part that turns " -Strong's, was toward the land, for that was the source of water and life. The ground, that is man, had not turned to God, for there was no one to work the ground. No one had brought the light. Thus the earth didn't look toward heaven for rain, but got its water from the mist, or fog of the earth. 

There Was No Man To Work - Genesis 2:5

Genesis 2:5 ESV 

When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground,

The life of God had not taken root on the earth. There was no need for the rain of heaven for there is no one to receive the rain from heaven, the blessings and light from heaven, the living water that would bring forth that light and life on earth. There was no seed in the ground and there was no man to work it if it was. 

Plants in these verses may signify those people who would be able to accept the seed of the word and drink the rain from heaven. The ground was void until that took place. It would take a man to make that happen. 

Revelation 9:3-4 ESV 

Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

The Generations - Genesis 2:4

Genesis 2:4 ESV 

These are the generations

of the heavens and the earth when they were created,

in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

The word generations imply family, people. Here earth represents man and heavens the divine. This is the story of the heavens and earth, beginning as separated until the union provided by the divine light would join the two into one, bridging them with the power of love. 

There is a people chosen by God to bring the light into the world. A man is chosen for this purpose and his name was Adam. Through his descendants would come another who would be the light of the world. These are the generations of the family that would begin the unification of the heavens and earth. The imperative of creation of "Let there be light " will and is fulfilled.

C=(IE)3

C=(IE)3

Son = Father x Spirit 

to the power of the Trinity

Creation = ( Intelligence x Energy )3

This is the equation which explains all of creation. In the beginning was God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God spoke the word and the power of God brought it about and is bringing it about. 

A Very High Mountain - Matthew 4:8

Matthew 4:8 ESV 

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

The highest mountain of the devil does not surpass the mountain of God. When Jesus said we could move a mountain if we had enough faith, it was the mountain of the world. He overcame the world and so can we. It just takes a little faith in Him. 

It's about getting over ourselves and reaching for God. 

Good Works - Ephesians 2:8-10

Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We are not saved by our own work. Salvation is the work of God. 

Through His grace we are made alive to produce a different kind of fruit which is the fruit of the Spirit. This is the work God prepared beforehand, the abundant life of walking with God. 

Life is lived and we work out our salvation or our destruction in the days we have. 

Let good works be your aim. Walking with Him will ensure your arrival at the beautiful gate.