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| Re: | | "Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that woud come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the [b]Spirit of Christ[/b] who was in them was indicating when [b]He testified beforehand the sufferings[/b] of Christ and the glories that would follow," 1 Peter 1:10-11
Here we hear that the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets testifiying to them before it happened the sufferings that Christ would experience and the glory that would follow. I saw the movie "Passion" this last Saturday. This verse came to mind as I sat there watching man's idea of how Jesus trembled in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knew everything that He would suffer before He experienced it as man.
Likewise, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confessions. For we do not have a High Priest [b]who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses[/b] but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16
I write this now to ask, at what point in time was Jesus able to sympathize with man? The point of my question is to focus on God's time and our time. I believe in 1 Peter we know that the prophets were told of the sufferings Christ would go through. It said that the Spirit of Christ was in them speaking to them of what would come to be at some time in the future. Now in Hebrews 4 it says that Christ is able to understand our weaknesses which means that He is able to have compassion and mercy for us. I believe this understanding has always existed in Christ. So He was always able to love man as High Priest.
In Christ Jeff _________________ Jeff Marshalek
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| 2004/3/22 14:38 | Profile | rookie Member
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| Re: | | "Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, "Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord! Then he said, "Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father's house--days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah." Isaiah 7:10-17
Now we see the prophesy of Jesus planted in the middle of a judgement that is coming upon Judah. Ahaz will turn out to be a wicked king. In verse 14, we are given a prophesy, yet this is also a sign for Ahaz. This sign is given at that moment in time to a king who would go bad. Following on into chapter 8, Isaiah continues to declare that Assyria will invade the land. And at the end of verse 8 it is written, "Will fill the breadth of Your land O Immanuel." Isaiah 8:8
I believe that Immanuel is reigning over Judah at the time of Ahaz. God is foretelling the judgement He is bringing upon His disobedient people. Yet God speaks to Isaiah, "For the Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying; Do not say, A conspiracy, concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. [b]He will be as a santuary[/b], but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." Here we see that God is promising Isaiah that He will be his sanctuary. And He will also be a rock of offense for both houses, Israel and Jerusalem. I believe this applies to judgement that would come upon Israel by the hand of God. Assyria would be God's tool used to judge the two houses. Yet in the middle of this judgement God provides a sanctuary for the faithful.
"And I will wait on the Lord, who hides His face from the house of Jacob; and I will hope in Him. Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion." Isaiah 8:17-18 I believe this speaks of a faithful group of children who were along with Isaiah nurtured and protected and called upon to be the witness during a specific point in time. This judgement would come long before Jesus was born of a virgin. The King of Righteousness and Peace acting upon his people according to the order of Melchizedec.
In Christ Jeff
_________________ Jeff Marshalek
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| 2004/3/23 12:00 | Profile | rookie Member
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| Re: | | I wrote in the preceding thread:
""And I will wait on the Lord, who hides His face from the house of Jacob; and I will hope in Him. Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion." Isaiah 8:17-18 I believe this speaks of a faithful group of children who were along with Isaiah nurtured and protected and called upon to be the witness during a specific point in time. This judgement would come long before Jesus was born of a virgin.""
Many say that the way Isaiah writes is confusing. Let us look to Hebrews 2:11-13. "For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are [b]all of one[/b], for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: "I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You." And again; "I will put My trust in Him." And again: "Here am I and the children whom God has given Me."
First look to what verse 11 says. Both Jesus and those who are sanctified by Him are [b]all of one.[/b] This is saying that Jesus is sanctifying or setting apart those who follow Him. He and those who follow Him become [b]one.[/b] This is important to understand. Remember in Romans 5:10, we are reconciled to God through the death of His Son, "much more, having been reconciled, we shall be [b]saved by His life.[/b]" It is His life being grown into those who are faithful which makes us one with Him. He is our righteousness. So when King David or Isaiah seem to be both talking of themselves and yet Jesus in the NT refers to Himself with these Scriptures it is because David and Isaiah are "[b]all of one.[/b]"
So in Hebrews 2:12-13, the writer ascribes or attaches these verses to Jesus actually saying these things. It is the work of our High Priest who sanctifies those who follow Him in faith. What do we who are faithful receive? Him.
In Christ Jeff _________________ Jeff Marshalek
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| 2004/3/25 12:05 | Profile | rookie Member
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| Re: | | Do you hear the Lord speaking through His faithful? Jesus is our Lord, He speaks through His faithful. Hear the words spoken and writen by Isaiah. Hear Jesus's heart for His Father in the words of David.
In Christ Jeff _________________ Jeff Marshalek
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| 2004/3/25 14:27 | Profile | rookie Member
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| Re: | | "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every [b]branch[/b] in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away..." John 15:1-2
"For if the firstfruits is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the [b]branches[/b]. And if some of the [b]branches[/b] were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in [b]among them[/b], and [b]with them became a partaker of the root...[/b]" Romans 11:16-17
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32
Within these three sections of Scripture we see the idea of a branch brought forth. The branch is sustained by the root. Also take notice to the idea that there are many branches. Also take notice that when a branch becomes unfruitful it is broken off, and other branches are grafted in. Now let us look to Isaiah and Zechariah.
First, looking back to my last posts, remember, that Jesus and all who are faithful become one. We are: "children, then heirs-heirs of God and [b]joint heirs with Christ,...[/b]" Romans 8:17 With this idea in mind, then it is Christ who is the source of our spiritual birth. It is Christ who nurtures our growth. It is Christ who makes us a new creation. Now look to Isaiah.
"There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a [b]Branch[/b] shall grow out of his roots. 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 of the fear of the Lord." Isaiah 11:1-2 I believe this Scripture tells us of the work of Jesus and His creating a holy branch in the kingdom of God. A tree has many branches. As we read through Scripture in the OT we see this idea repeated. Remember what Romans said, "And if [b]some of the branches[/b] were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted [b]in among them[/b]..." Paul teaches that branches were broken off, other branches remained, and new ones were grafted in. Now let us go to Zechariah.
"Behold, the Man whose name is the [b]BRANCH[/b]! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the [b]temple [/b] of the Lord; Yes He shall build the temple of the Lord, He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a [b]priest on His throne;[/b]and a counsel of peace shall be between them both." Zechariah 6:12-13 I believe this Branch who is the priest who sit on His throne is Jesus Christ. I believe the Branch is created by Jesus at the time of when God brought back the captives from the Babylonian exile and surrounding area. The temple was rebuilt during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.
I believe the history of the Bible actually is centered on the work of Jesus creating Branches of faithful generations. I believe the times of revivals that have occured in the last 2000 years speaks to this ongoing work of our High Priest.
In Christ Jeff _________________ Jeff Marshalek
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| 2004/3/29 11:58 | Profile | rookie Member
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| Re: | | Jesus is the High Priest. In the NT, He sends the Holy Spirit to take what is His and gives it to us who follow the Spirit. The Spirit declares GOD IS WITH US.
God was with the OT saints as well. The manner of how the priestly order of Melchizedec ministered must be in alignment with the NT Scriptures. The OT Melchizedec must preform the same way as Jesus ministers in the NT. Otherwise, God would not have said, "The Lord has sworn and will not relent, [b]You are a priest forever ACCORDING to the order of Melchizedec.[/b]." Hebrews 7:20
The order of Melchizedec was established before the foundation of this world. It is an unchanging priestly order. And Jesus is our High Priest.
In Christ Jeff _________________ Jeff Marshalek
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| 2004/3/31 11:33 | Profile | rookie Member
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| Re: | | Many thanks to eagleswings for his submittal on another thread.
Andrew Murray speaks of the work of our High Priest. Work through this and hear His voice.
ABIDE IN CHRIST -- THAT YOU MAY NOT SIN by Andrew Murray
"In him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not." 1 Joh 3:5,6.
"YE KNOW," the apostle had said, "that He was manifested to take away our sin," and had thus indicated salvation from sin as the great object for which the Son was made man. The connection shows clearly that the taking away has reference not only to the atonement and freedom from guilt, but to deliverance from the power of sin, so that the believer no longer does it. It is Christ's personal holiness that constitutes His power to effect this purpose. He admits sinners into life union with Himself; the result is, that their life becomes like His. "In Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not." As long as he abides, and as far as he abides, the believer does not sin. Our holiness of life has its roots in the personal holiness of Jesus. "If the root be holy, so also are the branches."
The question at once arises: How is this consistent with what the Bible teaches of the abiding corruption of our human nature, or with what John himself tells of the utter falsehood of our profession, if we say that we have no sin, that we have not singled? (see I John 1:8,10). It is just this passage which, if we look carefully at it, will teach us to understand our text aright. Note the difference in the two statements (ver. 8), "If we say that we have no sin," and (ver.10), "If we say that we have not sinned." The two expressions cannot be equivalent; the second would then be an unmeaning repetition of the first. Having sin in verse 8 is not the same as doing sin in verse 10. Having sin is having a sinful nature. The holiest believer must each moment confess that he has sin within him-the flesh, namely, in which dwelleth no good thing. Sinning or doing sin is something very different: it is yielding to indwelling sinful nature, and falling into actual transgression. And so we have two admissions that every true believer must make. The one is that he has still sin within him (ver. 8); the second, that that sin has in former times broken out into sinful actions (ver.10). No believer can say either, "I have no sin in me," or "I have in time past never sinned." If we say we have no sin at present, or that we have not sinned in the past, we deceive ourselves. But no confession, though we have sin in the present, is demanded that we are doing sin in the present too; the confession of actual sinning refers to the past. It may, as appears from chapter 2:2, be in the present also, but is expected not to be. And so we see how the deepest confession of sin in the past (as Paul's of his having been a persecutor), and the deepest consciousness of having still a vile and corrupt nature in the present, may consist with humble but joyful praise to Him who keeps from stumbling.
But how is it possible that a believer, having sin in him-sin of such intense vitality, and such terrible power as we know the flesh to have-that a believer having sin should yet not be doing sin? The answer is: "In Him is no sin. He that abideth in Him sinneth not." When the abiding in Christ becomes close and unbroken, so that the soul lives from moment to moment in the perfect union with the Lord its keeper, He does, indeed, keep down the power of the old nature, so that it does not regain dominion over the soul. We have seen that there are degrees in the abiding. With most Christians the abiding is so feeble and intermittent, that sin continually obtains the ascendency, and brings the soul into subjection. The divine promise given to faith is: "Sin shall not have dominion over you." But with the promise is the command: "Let not sin reign in your mortal body." The believer who claims the promise in full faith has the power to obey the command, and sin is kept from asserting its supremacy. Ignorance of the promise, or unbelief, or unwatchfulness, opens the door for sin to reign. And so the life of many believers is a course of continual stumbling and sinning. But when the believer seeks full admission into, and a permanent abode in Jesus, the Sinless One, then the life of Christ keeps from actual transgression. "In Him is no sin. He that abideth in Him sinneth not. " Jesus does indeed save him from his sin-not by the removal of his sinful nature, but by keeping him from yielding to it.
I have read of a young lion whom nothing could awe or keep down but the eye of his keeper. With the keeper you could come near him, and he would crouch, his savage nature all unchanged, and thirsting for blood -trembling at the keeper's feet. You might put your foot on his neck, as long as the keeper was with you. To approach him without the keeper would be instant death. And so it is that the believer can have sin and yet not do sin. The evil nature, the flesh, is unchanged in its enmity against God, but the abiding presence of Jesus keeps it down. In faith the believer entrusts himself to the keeping, to the indwelling, of the Son of God; he abides in Him, and counts on Jesus to abide in Him too. The union and fellowship is the secret of a holy life: "In Him is no sin; he that abideth in Him sinneth not."
And now another question will arise: Admitted that the complete abiding in the Sinless One will keep from sinning, is such abiding possible? May we hope to be able so to abide in Christ, say, even for one day, that we may be kept from actual transgressions? The question has only to be fairly stated and considered-- will suggest its own answer. When Christ commanded us to abide in Him, and promised us such rich fruit-bearing to the glory of the Father, and such mighty power in our intercessions, can He have meant anything but the healthy, vigorous, complete union of the branch with the vine? When He promised that as we abide in Him He would abide in us, could He mean anything but that His dwelling in us would be a reality of divine power and love? Is not this way of saving from sin just that which will glorify Him?keeping us daily humble and helpless in the consciousness of the evil nature, watchful and active in the knowledge of its terrible power, dependent and trustful in the remembrance that only His presence can keep the lion down. O let us believe that when Jesus said, "Abide in me, and I in you," He did indeed mean that, while we were not to be freed from the world and its tribulation, from the sinful nature and its temptations, we were at least to have this blessing fully secured to us-grace to abide wholly, only, even in our Lord. The abiding in Jesus makes it possible to keep from actual sinning; and Jesus Himself makes it possible to abide in Him.
Beloved Christian! I do not wonder if the promise of the text appears almost too high. Do not, I pray, let your attention be diverted by the question as to whether it would be possible to be kept for your whole life, or for so many years, without sinning. Faith has ever only to deal with the present moment. Ask this: Can Jesus at the present moment, as I abide in Him, keep me from those actual transgressions which have been the stain and the weariness of my daily life? You cannot but say: Surely He can. Take Him then at this present moment, and say, "Jesus keeps me now, Jesus saves me now." Yield yourself to Him in the earnest and believing prayer to be kept abiding, by His own abiding in you-and go into the next moment, and the succeeding hours, with this trust continually renewed. As often as the opportunity occurs in the moments between your occupations, renew your faith in an act of devotion: Jesus keeps me now, Jesus saves me now. Let failure and sin, instead of discouraging you, only urge you still more to seek your safety in abiding in the Sinless One. Abiding is a grace in which you can grow wonderfully, if you will but make at once the complete surrender, and then persevere with ever larger expectations. Regard it as His work to keep you abiding in Him, and His work to keep you from sinning. It is indeed your work to abide in Him; but it is that, only because it is His work as Vine to bear and hold the branch. Gaze upon His holy human nature as what He prepared ,for you to be partaker of with Himself, and you will see that there is something even higher and better than being kept from sin-that is but the restraining from evil: there is the positive and larger blessing of being now a vessel purified and cleansed, of being filled with His fulness, and made the channel of showing forth His power, His blessing, and His glory.
NOTE
IS DAILY SINNING AN INEVITABLE NECESSITY? "Why is it that, when we possess a Saviour whose love and lower are infinite, we are so often filled with fear and despondency? We are wearied and faint in our minds, because we do not look stedfastly unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who is set down at the right hand of God-unto Him whose omnipotence embraces both heaven and earth, who is strong and mighty in His feeble saints.
"While we remember our weakness, we forget His all-sufficient power. While we acknowledge that apart from Christ we can do nothing, we do not rise to the height or depth of Christian humility: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. While we trust in the power of the death of Jesus to cancel the guilt of sin, we do not exercise a reliant and appropriating faith in the omnipotence of the living Saviour to deliver us from the bondage and power of sin in our daily life. We forget that Christ worketh in us mightily, and that, one with Him, we possess strength sufficient to overcome every temptation. We are apt either to forget our nothingness, and imagine that in our daily path we can live without sin, that the duties and trials of our everyday life can be performed and borne in our own strength; or we do not avail ourselves of the omnipotence of Jesus, who is able to subdue all things to Himself, and to keep us from the daily infirmities and falls which we are apt to imagine an inevitable necessity. If we really depended in all things and at all times on Christ, we would in all things and at all times gain the victory through Him whose power is infinite, and who is appointed by the Father to be the Captain of our salvation. Then all our deeds would be wrought, not merely before, but in God. We would then do all things to the glory of the Father, in the allpowerful name of Jesus, who is our sanctification. Remember that unto Him all power is given in heaven and on earth, and live by the constant exercise of faith in His power. Let us most fully believe that we have and are nothing, that with man it is impossible, that in ourselves we have no life which can bring forth fruit; but that Christ is all-that abiding in Him, and His word dwelling in us, we can bring forth fruit to the glory of the Father" - From Christ and the Church. Sermons by Adolph Saphir. "
These words describe the fruits of a relationship with our High Priest.
In Christ Jeff
_________________ Jeff Marshalek
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| 2004/4/1 11:07 | Profile | rookie Member
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| Re: | | Going back to a recent post, I would like to again talk about the Branch. The kingdom of God is likened to a tree in Romans 11:18,"And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became partakers of the root and fatness of the olive tree." The branches and the Branch are one. It is only through Jesus that men are co heirs with Christ. Art Katz in his book, True Fellowship; To Him Be The Glory In The Church, clears up what I believe to be a misunderstanding that is pervasive in today's teachings. Christ in you, is not a mystery for the faithful generations of Jews that preceded Christ. However, it is a mystery for the gentile (heathen). Meditate on what Art Katz writes.
One Body
The "body" mentioned in verse 6 is the already existing body of Jewish believers who never left the faith, who recognized and received the Messiah and who received the Holy Spirit that was promised them. The mystery, however, is that Gentiles can now be fellow heirs with them and fellow partakers with them in Messiah Jesus through the gospel. The biblical faith of the God of Jacob, which is the inheritance of the Jews, has now been made available to Gentiles. In other words, Gentiles stumbled into the Hebraic faith, and in fact, it is even a mystery that God welcomed them in! To be apprehended by, and brought into, an understanding of this mystery is calculated to change usotherwise we will be brazen and arrogant: "Our Christianity." We have been allowed into something that has its roots in the God of Israel, and that goes back to the very inception of His redemptive history.
Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both into one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity (Eph. 2:12-16).
Gentiles, who were once without God and without hope in the world, have been brought, by the blood of the Messiah Jesus, into the commonwealth of Israel where Jews in times past counted it unclean even to enter into a Gentile home. Paul reiterates this same mystery in Colossians 1:25-27,
Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
There is no contradiction between these two texts. Gentiles are brought into the commonwealth of Israel, into their hopes and promises into Christ Himself. That is how we were brought in. It is the same mystery expressed in yet another way. In the past, believing Jews were in that Life, and now Gentiles are brought also into that same reality. This is not a cultural call to some "Judaistic" thing, but the Life of God in Messiah, in which Jewish believers and Gentiles are joined and made one new man. This is the faith to which we are called.
In other words, God has brought Gentiles into the Hebraic root, a root that is in God and in the life sap of God through the blood of the Messiah Jesus! Gentiles, up to the time of Christ, had been outside and excluded from the faith with few exceptions. Together with the believing remnant of Jews of every generation, God is making of us one new man, and that is the genius of what we call the Church. Here we have the very essence of the wisdom of God. God is demonstrating to the powers of the air that not only can Jews and Gentiles sit alongside each other, but also that they have come to a place where they have equally transcended what is both Jewish and Gentile, and constitute now a new reality. It would be a reality never before seen, and that could only be established by the power of Messiah and His life. This is beyond what the world knows unity to mean. The world is satisfied with "ecumenical" unity, some kind of religious-political thing where we agree to respect each others differences. God is, however, after something more glorious and which requires His power to establish, for which He has poured out His blood and given His Spirit. Two diverse and contrary entities becoming one new man is that glory.
Christ in you is the work of the priestly order of Melchizedec. It is His Life that saves.
In Christ Jeff
_________________ Jeff Marshalek
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| 2004/4/13 12:46 | Profile | rookie Member
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| Re: | | I was reading through John this weekend. These thoughts came to mind.
"No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." John 1:18.
Jesus has declared the Father to man. No one has seen God at any time. This is the work of our High Priest. In Hebrews chapter 8, [b]"Now this is the main point of the things we are saying:[/b], We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a [b]Minister[/b] of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.
Jesus is our High Priest, this is the main point. All grace flows through our Mediator. "And of His fulness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:16-17 The writer of Hebrews is going to make this same point. He will distinguish between the covenant made on Mount Sinai and the covenant made through Jesus Christ. Look at what each covenant has to offer through it's priesthood.
"...Since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle." Hebrews 8:4-5. This is the work of the Levitical priesthood. They offer both gifts and sacrifices according to the law. This work is prescribed by the covenant made on Mount Sinai. But what does our High Priest according to the order of Melchizedec have to offer?
The writer of Hebrews states, "For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices." The earthly priest offered gifts of grain, peace offerings etc. The earthly priest sacrificed the blood of animals as a covering for sin. But what does our High Priest have to offer according to the better covenant? The writer continues, "Therefore it is necessary that this One [b]also have something to offer.[/b]" Hebrews 8:3 "But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on [b]better promises."[/b] Hebrews 8:6.
What is the main point of these better promises? Our High Priest declares the Father to us. He reveals God as He is not as we imagine. The substance of the new covenant is this: "...I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." Hebrews 8:10 God also made this covenant with Abraham. "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, [b]for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you."[/b] Genesis 17:7 The promise of writing His laws in our minds and hearts reveals Himself to us. Do not others know us by how we act and by what we communicate to them. They only know us by what they observe coming from us. Paul writes, "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received...the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God...For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:10-16.
The writer of Hebrews continues, "None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying "Know the Lord," [b]for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them."[/b] Hebrews 8:11 Jesus our High Priest declares His Father to us. This it the nature of the offering our High Priest gives us. He sacrificed His own blood so that we might be reconciled to the Father. He then ministers to us by revealing the Father to us. How is this accomplished?
Through the work of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist declares, "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, [b]this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit."[/b] John 1:33 Please notice that John used the present active tense describing the work of Jesus. The Father declared about His Son the nature of His work. Jesus according to the order of Melchizedec baptizes with the Holy Spirit. This grace is extended to all who have received the promise made to Abraham.
"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." Zechariah 4:6
In Christ Jeff _________________ Jeff Marshalek
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| 2004/5/17 11:45 | Profile | rookie Member
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| Re: | | If the works of Jesus, according to the order of Melchizedec is to baptize with the Spirit, what does this imply to all men of every generation?
What does this imply to those who seperate the Holy Scriptures into two parts?
What does this imply to those who who don't see the work of Jesus in the books of the OT?
What would happen if we begin to embrace the truth that God is the same, Jesus is the same, and the Holy Spirit is the same?
Would persecution come from the religious leaders of today as it did when Jesus cried over Jerusalem?
In Christ Jeff _________________ Jeff Marshalek
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| 2004/5/20 15:23 | Profile |
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