Newness Of Life - Romans 6:4

Newness Of Life 

We don’t choose to be born, but we can choose to be reborn in the newness of life life which is in Christ. 

Romans 6:4 ESV 

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

The Greek word translated as “glory” also carries the meaning of judgement and will. It is the will of our Father that we “walk in the newness of life.” In fact we are predestined for this life if we choose to receive it. 

We don’t choose to be here in this life, but we can and must choose to be in the life of Christ. Life is then based on the agreement of God and man. When two agree they can walk together. If they can walk together, they can live together. 

The Bride of Christ will live as one with the Lord. 

1 Corinthians 1:18

The Cross 

The cross is where God and man meet, kneeling before each other in love. 

1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV 

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

God humbled Himself on the cross before man to initiate a reconciliation. In the ultimate sacrifice of love for another, God would send light into the world in the form of His Son to wash the feet of His disciples and to cleanse them from all sin through the power of the cross. 

He calls all people to the mercy found there and to offer their own cross to Him in return by giving their life to Jesus. God kneeled down to descend on the cross in love for man. Man kneels down in love at the foot of the cross of Jesus to ascend to God the Father. 

We meet in the middle of one love. This is where our paths cross. 

Wisdom - Proverbs 2:6

Wisdom 

Wisdom comes from drinking from the fountain of the Lord. 

Proverbs 2:6 ESV 

For the Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

To know a thing is good, but to understand a thing is divine.

The Lord is the fountain of all wisdom which flows as part of the living waters. 

My Father’s House - Genesis 28:20-22

My Father’s House 

In three days the living temple of Christ was rebuilt with the living stones of the Body of Christ. 

Genesis 28:20-22 ESV 

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

The Lord has given us the bread of heaven to eat and the clothing of the righteousness of Christ to all who will ask. The Prince of Peace will bring us to our Father’s house in peace of the Spirit and we will become a pillar in the new temple which is the Body of Christ. 

There is room for everyone. 

Making His Name Known - Exodus 6:2-4

Making His Name Known

Christ will give His name to those who have entered the New Jerusalem that will descend from heaven. 

Exodus 6:2-4

God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners.

God revealed Himself as “God Almighty” in the Old Testament. He appeared to the fathers of Israel in this fashion which is consistent with a covenant based on Law and is land based: the promised land. 

God reveals Himself as our Father in the New Testament. He appears to each believer in the form of the Holy Spirit who begins to form us into His image. 

Knowing someone’s name implies an intimacy and the power of relationship. This took place when Jesus, the Son of Man came among us. God does not speak to us from a distant mountaintop, but from Spirit to spirit within the heart of man. 

We will know His because it will be ours. 

Revelation says we will receive His name and a new name. 

Revelation 2:17 ESV 

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

Revelation 3:12 ESV 

The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

In The Beginning - Revelation 22:13

In The Beginning 

God has no beginning or end, so Scripture is about the beginning of man in the image of God. 

Revelation 22:13 ESV 

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

When Jesus says He is the beginning and the end, He is talking about the beginning and end of man. This takes place in the framework of time, a fundamental element of creation. Time did not exist before creation and this might be understood as the everlasting present, to which God implies when He says “I AM!” 

The creation account in Genesis portrays the intent of God for man. From the darkness of our beginning, He fashions man into the image of God, who is the light of life. 

When the light of God comes to man, time alters for the man or woman being made in His image. We begin a journey to fully enter the eternal life of God. 

Jesus as the light of the world became the first man of this new creation. He showed us what God is doing by arriving as a newborn son of man and leaving the earth for heaven as the Son of God. This is exactly the destiny of man and the way we are to go. 

It is in His image we become as He takes our image for Himself. The two become one. This is the creation story of man from beginning to end. It is a summary of all that happens from there to the end of Revelation. 

In the end we reach the rest of God that will never end. 

Sabbath Rest - Mark 2:27-28

Sabbath Rest 

God enters His Sabbath rest by becoming one with man. 

Mark 2:27-28

And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Man was made for God, for God would enter His creation in the form of a man. He would breathe His life into this lifeless creature who walked in darkness until the light of God dawned on the earth of man. He enters the life of man to bring men into the life of Christ. 

The Lord gives His body so that others may become His body. We become the body of Christ when His Spirit comes to rest on us. This is what it means to be made in the image of God, for He has taken our image for His own. 

This is the Sabbath rest at the end of creation, when the work of the Lord ceases. The end of creation is man made in His image. The sons of man become sons of God and rest together. 

“Come and I will give you rest.”

Let Us Reason Together - Isaiah 1:18-20

Let Us Reason Together 

Coming to God requires a coming together of minds that calls for our willingness and obedience as we assume the mind of Christ. 

Isaiah 1:18-20 ESV 

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

If you are willing and obedient,

you shall eat the good of the land;

but if you refuse and rebel,

you shall be eaten by the sword;

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

If we had no choice, there would be no “if” in these verses. There would be no reason to reason together. Reason is required to stay together, as well as to come together. It is through reason that we receive revelation and through that revelation we can give the reason for our belief. 

Some will be saved and some will not. He has left it up to us. His hope is that we will. Our hope is in Him. 

The Blessing And The Curse - Deuteronomy 30:19-20

The Blessing And The Curse 

The division between light and darkness begins with two trees in the Garden of Eden, one of blessing and the other of a curse. 

Deuteronomy 30:19-20

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Moses tells the people essentially the same thing God said to Adam in the Garden. There were two trees of importance placed before him: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The fruit of one would be a blessing. The fruit of the other would bring a curse. Adam would pick the wrong fruit. 

Israel would do the same. They would disregard the word of God and go after the forbidden fruit. Instead of the snake, they would be deceived by the nations around them. They would receive the curse of God. 

We who believe in Christ have returned to that Garden of choice where we can choose to obey His word or not. If we choose to follow His commandments to the end, we will eat from the tree of life. It doesn’t seem to have gone well for those who would pick their own fruit. 

The Works Of God - John 6:28-29

The Works Of God

God does a mighty work in us if we do the works of God. 

John 6:28-29 ESV 

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

We are saved from the darkness and into the light by the blood of Christ. That is the only way to salvation. We are raised into the life of Christ where we begin to work with Him to transform into His image. 

Our work consists of believing in Him. It is much more than mental assent. We must believe in such a way that transforms our lives in the way we think and act. This is what it means to “put on Jesus.” We begin to assume His image. When we meet our Savior, we will be like Him. 

We are to get ready for the wedding with Christ the Lord by putting on our wedding clothes, which means coming in His image. This is something we do with His help and light. 

Good And Evil - Genesis 2:16-17

Good And Evil 

It takes two witnesses to confirm a thing. 

Genesis 2:16-17 ESV 

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

One might ask why there is evil in the world? Another might ask why there is good in world? Why was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden? Why was it necessary for mankind to begin in darkness?

It is how God forms us into the image of God. He gives us a preview contained in a parable using the birth of man. 

A child of man begins life when a single cell receives the appropriate seed from beyond the darkness of the womb. The cell begins to divide and grow into a being that is ready to leave the darkness for the light of day. 

A child of God begins life when he or she receives the seed of the word from the light above. The Spirit of the word begins the separation of the light and darkness within until we are ready to fully enter the light we’ve become. 

We remain a child of the flesh no matter how old we become, unless we are reborn from above. Only then can we hope to reach the maturity of our potential which is to be a son of God. 

A knowledge of darkness and light is necessary for us to choose between the two and to be made in the image of our Father,

By This We Know - 1 John 4:13

By This We Know 

We have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

1 John 4:13 ESV 

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

To be a child of God means that we live in a life that is beyond that which we had. The finite life of man is infused with the infinite life of God through the Holy Spirit. We are a unique person who has become one with God. 

We do not give up what we are, but become who we are meant to be. 

The Destiny - Revelation 21:6-7

Revelation 21:6-7 ESV 

Then He said to me, “ It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

The Beginning:

We take His name when we believe in His name. 

The Present:

We are being made in His image when we become children of the light. 

The End:

We will become the destiny for which we were created when He returns. 

Our destination and end is with Jesus. 

Our Destiny - Revelation 21:6-7

Revelation 21:6-7 ESV 

Then He said to me, “ It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

In The Beginning:

We take His name when we believe in His name. 

In The Present:

We are being made in His image when we become children of the light. 

In The End:

We will become the destiny for which we were created when He returns. 

Our destination and end is with Jesus. 

The Alien - Deuteronomy 10:17-19

Deuteronomy 10:17-19 ESV 

For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

This instruction for Israel may allude to the coming days when Jesus would free a people from slavery to the world. Instead of being fatherless, we would become sons of our Father in heaven. Instead of having no husband, we become the Bride of Christ. 

He will clothe us with robes of righteousness and feed us with the bread of heaven. We have become aliens in the land of the world, for indeed we are just passing through. Our home is from above. 

Where Are The Nine? - Luke 17:11-17

Luke 17:11-17 ESV 

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?

How many today act the same way as these lepers who were cleansed but did not turn to give thanks and praise to Jesus? This one would turn and fall at the feet of Jesus. 

God asked Adam, “where are you?”

Jesus asks the same question. Where are the rest? 

Turning to be present to Christ is the fulfillment of the healing. 

Do we want to go with the rest or seek the rest of God?

Take Possession - Numbers 33:53-56

Numbers 33:53-56 ESV 

And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”

The Lord gave the promised land to Israel to possess it. It was theirs for the taking, but take it they must. They must conquer the land to acquire and keep it. 

The Lord has given us life that we might possess it. It is ours for the taking, but take it we must. We must conquer our lives by overcoming the world of our flesh. We then become more than conquerors because we will receive life everlasting. 

If we do not drive out the works of the flesh, we risk falling short our goal of possessing the life of God. 

We must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. 

Philippians 2:13

for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

1 Corinthians 2:2-5

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

He Shall Bear - Numbers 30:12-15

Numbers 30:12-15 ESV 

But if her husband makes them null and void on the day that he hears them, then whatever proceeds out of her lips concerning her vows or concerning her pledge of herself shall not stand. Her husband has made them void, and the Lord will forgive her. Any vow and any binding oath to afflict herself, her husband may establish, or her husband may make void. But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows or all her pledges that are upon her. He has established them, because he said nothing to her on the day that he heard of them. But if he makes them null and void after he has heard of them, then he shall bear her iniquity.”

Christ said nothing as He was led to the cross. He would bear our iniquity in silence, making our sin and offense null and void. 

He is our husband and we are the Bride of Christ. 

The Wrong Tree - Luke 19:1-5

Luke 19:1-5 ESV 

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”

Hidden in this encounter is a picture which portrays an insight into the larger view of what God is doing. The sycamore tree produces fig-like fruit that aren’t figs. That tree might represent Israel by not producing the real fruit sought by the Lord. In effect, he has climbed up the wrong tree. 

Jesus tells Zacchaeus to climb down and bring Him into his house. From there Zaccheaus will have access to the tree of life and the opportunity to produce real fruit. 

Shall Be Clean - Numbers 31:21-24

Numbers 31:21-24 ESV 

Then Eleazar the priest said to the men in the army who had gone to battle: “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded Moses: only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water. You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp.”

There are a variety of metals that will pass through the fire of the Lord. The refining fire of His life will affect different people in different ways, according to their metal, or composition. 

Some will not be able to pass through the fire of the Lord, but can become clean through washing with the water of repentance. We all drink from the same cup of mercy, but the effect will depend on the person, though all will be clean. 

His House - Hebrews 3:3-6

Hebrews 3:3-6 ESV

For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

From these verses we that there is one house of God, just as there is only one God. Within that house are vessels of clay with different purposes. There are many parts of the body of Christ, all of which contribute to the whole. No part is insignificant. 

One people are the servants of God and another people are the sons of God. The servants brought the light into the world. The light brings the sons of God to life. This is how the light of creation enters and man is made in the image of Christ. 

Romans 9:19-24

You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

1 Corinthians 12:22-24

On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,

The Stump Remains - Matthew 3:8-12

Matthew 3:8-12 ESV 

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Man is like a tree that bears the fruit in keeping with its seed. He alone of all creatures on earth can change the fruit that appears on his branches. As a stand-alone tree he can choose to bear the fruit of repentance. 

He can then attach to the tree of life and bear the fruit of the Spirit. 

The tree of Israel has been cut down, though a stump remains. 

Isaiah 11:1-2

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.