On God's Holiness:Our only Reason for Living

brethren
These are the fruits of the Lord's labours in me and are poured out for His glory in the edification of His Church. To God be the Glory forever and ever.

[b]On the Holiness and Glory of God and His Glory: Our sole Purpose for Being 5/01/06[/b]

God is Holy, All-Holy, All-righteous, All-Sovereign, God is all in all. To be shown the Holiness of God is to be told by Him and shown of Him that this Holiness is going to be wrought in your own life whether you agree with it or not, like it or not or want it or not. To be made Holy and righteous by God is to be made an abomination to man, an offense. The coming to completion of this work of God which can only be done by Him is offensive to men because it exposes the fallacy of the righteousness and holiness of man (which is an abomination to God) which comes forth from an attempt to express his perceived sovereignty (only God is sovereign). When Peter was shown by God the Father who Christ was as the Messiah, this revelation made it so that His life would be forever bound to that of Christ, in fact his fate was sealed, he would end up dying for that same Christ. When Paul saw Christ on the way to Damascus, the Lord’s Holiness and Righteousness began to be wrought in him and his life was turned from persecuting the Church to being a champion raised of God for the Church and also a tool with which God brought about the governance of the Church. It is a fearful thing to behold the Lord’s Holiness for one will not be left the same thereafter. We are bought by Christ’s very blood so we are not our own and do not live unto ourselves of for our own pleasure. We live for the Glory of God the Father, we live to have Christ formed in us that God the Father may receive His due glory through us His Church which was His intent from before the foundations of the world. All this which is around us is not extravagant in anywise; for God in creating all things and making things to be the way they are by whatever means did all this to glorify Himself in and through His Church. Dear brethren we are to live wholly for Him and not delude ourselves into thinking we deserve anything less than hell for if we did not then Christ’s death would not have been necessary. But let us remember Christ did not die to save us from hell primarily but to glorify the Father, being saved from hell is a byproduct of this. Christ came to do the will of His Father as he always said. When Paul said for me to live is Christ, he was speaking of a complete forfeiture of his past life and ways in exchange for this life of Christ. Are we willing to give it all up as Christ did? Christ even though He was God didn’t consider His Godhood something to be taken by force but freely laid it down for the cause of glorifying the Father via living and dying for our sake, that God would be glorified in us being reconciled to Him. What more then of us? If Christ gave up His Godhood and life for God’s glory and we are His servants who can not be greater than the Master, how much more then should we lay ourselves down for God’s glory? How much then should we forfeit our own ideas, desires, ambitions, traditions, abilities, gifts, talents and all other things which make us us in exchange for the life of Christ which seeks to glorify the Father? How much more then should we suffer affliction for God’s glory? Are these afflictions even worthy of mention compared to the glory which we shall receive in heaven for glorifying the Father here on earth? Are we not called to Holiness? If not then how different are we from the heathen? How much more broken should we be over our fallenness and iniquity and unholiness and unrighteousness in light of this call to be Holy as God is Holy? We should be weeping and mourning and prostrating ourselves before an All-Holy, All-Righteous, All-Sovereign God repenting, repenting and repenting some more! Oh that the Lord would reveal to us our pitiful state before Him and shame us so as to compel us to repent and be humble before Him that He may lift us up and make us Holy like He is Holy so as to glorify Himself in us His Church!

The coming season of judgement on His Church will lay waste to all the false walls of holiness and righteousness and perceived sovereignty of men which are abominable before God. From the ashes of this destruction will come forth the repentance which is required of us first before the Lord can bring forth revival. This revival will usher in a new apostolic age even greater than that which was at first after Pentecost. The Lord’s Holy Spirit will move and pour out gifts of all kinds to manifest God’s power until such time as Christ is formed in the Saints and His very Life which is true Life (anything outside of this is death) flows out of His saints as springs of living water.

Praise God He is jealous for His Church and will see this work through to completion. Lord see your name glorified in us and through us your Church. AMEN.

brethren

[b]Seeking First the Kingdom of God: Hating One’s Life That God May Show Us How to Truly Love True Life 5/03/06[/b]

In Matthew Chapt 6 the word says this:

[b]33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.[/b]

The Lord Jesus Christ said these words to His disciples in Matthew chapter 6. Throughout this section of the word, Christ speaks to His disciples about not worrying about what they shall eat and wear or where they will sleep because God the Father in heaven is aware of these things and has tended to them already. As a result and instead of this we are called to seek first the kingdom of God and all these other things will be added unto us. If we are to be Christians, if we are to be like Christ we must like He did, come only to do the Father’s will (John chapter 5 vs. 30), which is to see God glorified for he is indeed more than worthy of all the praise and glory! For us to do the Father’s will is our existence, this is the sole purpose for the existence of the Christian. Out of this purpose issues forth all that is pleasing to God because the source is God Himself. God’s purpose for His Church is to be glorified and if what we do doesn’t have it’s roots in the glorification of God, that is to come from the very Throne of God, it can’t be pleasing to God. If in fact such works are done they are an abomination to God for they are done in His name but have no roots in Him but in our flesh. Who then can be sufficient?!? Who than can do what is pleasing to God?!?! Only he who has died to the flesh and complied with the requirement that all fleshly things must die before God is sufficient. Only he in whom Christ Himself has been wrought and in fact lives is sufficient for Christ is the sufficiency.

What then brethren? What shall we do in light of this tall order issued from Heaven? We must forsake all, bear our cross and walk behind Christ. Let us look at what Christ then said to the multitudes in Luke 14:

[b]25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.[/b]

What can this mean? i’ve heard this explained in several different ways the consensus being that it is not to be taken literally. If this is the case then why did Christ use these words? i myself struggled with concept until the Lord revealed this to me. We have a natural love for family, friends and life which comes from our souls and our natural man which is sufficient while we are heathens. However when we come to Christ and must have our flesh crucified with Him that we may live, yet not us but Him in us, even that love must be sacrificed because it is no longer sufficient for the purposes of God. We must give up our natural love which comes from our souls and experience and resolve to know nothing save for Christ and Him crucified so that God the Father can then show us how we are to love as we ought. What sort of love is this then? Let us look at John chapt 15

[b]13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends[/b]

We have further evidence of the sort of love which is required of us as demonstrated by God and Christ.

John 3 16 says

[b]For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.[/b]

This is then shown by Christ dying on the cross to God’s glory through our salvation. That sort of love can’t issue forth from our outer man, instead it is a thing which must be wrought and forged by God Himself. This is the love by which the early saints were able to sell fields and possessions and have everything in common and as a result no one wanted for anything for everyone had enough. This was a function of Holy Spirit living out this love of Christ in them. Why then in this day do we not live as such? We do not love as we ought, our love which stems from our flesh is not sufficient for us to behave in such a way. First our fleshly love must die on the cross so that God may issue forth His own love and impart it to us so we can love properly. What of this then in Mark chapter 10?

[b]Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.[/b]

If we love anyone or anything above Christ then we are unworthy of Him. This sort of love which is fleshly is the love Christ is speaking about, this sort of love can and will place other people or things before Christ because it’s root is not in God but in our flesh and no good thing dwells in the flesh as per Romans 7

[b]18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.[/b]

But praise God that the above scripture continues thusly!

[b]24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body F27 of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.[/b]

Through Christ we are freed! Through Christ we are freed even from this bondage of fleshly love (which is not love at all for it places people and things before Christ) and can have the Love of God flow out of us so that we can love properly or show forth the Life of Christ in our love or should i say His love flowing out of us.

Oh that these things which are the Life of Christ which is to the glory of God may be wrought in us by God the Father! But dear saints the fact that these things must be wrought speaks to the need for much travail to see these things done! Much time in a quiet agony as those things which were once dear are nailed to the cross and kept there to die that they may be exchanged for the glorious and even dearer things in Christ. When iron is wrought, there is much heat and he that works it wields a heavy hammer which he uses to strike the iron so as to shape it. The fire removes impurities; the hammer turns the iron to the desired shape. Such is the nature of how God deals with us to see His Holiness and Righteousness wrought in us.

To the Glory of God.AMEN.

[b]Hating One’s Life So as to Lose it and Find it In Christ and Have More Abundant Life 5/4/06[/b]

Christ calls us to hate our lives in Luke chapt 14:

[b]25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.[/b]

To hate father, mother, wife, children and brethren even. What a tall order, what a most audacious thing to ask of us! We are social creations and this is a most unsocial thing to do is it not? What are we to do then? We have seen how man has a natural innate love which stems from the flesh and the soul. This type of love is fine while we are heathens but is not sufficient for the purposes of God and so when we come to God it must be discarded. What is left when this love is abandoned? Hate. But this in this vacuum God pours His pure love which comes from His throne which is sufficient for His purposes. The heathen say they love each other and it [u][i][b]can not[/b][/i][/u] be that the love we have and show as Christians be the same. It must be a love beyond that, a love or should i say the only True Love which issues forth from the throne of God. This Love should replace that which we express from birth, this Love is how to Love properly as God would have us do. This is the Love Christ showed us. To bear the cross is to endure the hardship of realizing that nothing we have to offer is sufficient for the work of God we are called to and that all we have and are must be nailed to that cross unto death that God may express Himself in us and through us. It means to admit we don’t have it together and so we must forfeit [u][b]all [/b][/u] for God to then [u][b]become[/b][/u] all for us that we may do His work. This is to forsake [u][b]all[/b][/u] that defines us so that [u][b]God[/b][/u] can define us and this is the True Definition. What can all this be but to lose one’s life and then to find it in Christ?!?!?!

[u][i][b]Not only that but to have Christ as our life is to not only have True Life but to have abundant life![/b][/i][/u]

In John chapt 10 the word says:

[b]Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.[/b]

There is no life but Christ and so there is no life before Christ only death. It is only when Christ enters the heart that life begins. There has been much contention and abuse of the latter phrase “more abundantly” Some say it is to have much in terms of worldly goods and this has been a major theme in the prosperity gospel. An abundance of wealth from the Lord is not for us to squander on our own pleasures because the wealth first of all belongs to God as does the earth in it’s entirety as said in Psalm 24:

[b]1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.[/b]

As such it is to be used for God’s glory. Our needs are met indirectly, or should be met indirectly by us seeking the Lord’s glory at all times. We oft misuse wealth for our own pleasures which if we were to seek the Lord earnestly we’d find much such pleasure unnecessary. All things are permissible but not altogether expedient however. So we see that an abundance of wealth is to be used for the glory of God in benefiting His whole Church yet there is much selfishness on our part wherein we seek our pleasures or needs first as opposed to God’s. An Abundance of wealth doesn’t mean abundance in Life; in fact there are very many wealthy heathens out there whom the Lord has allowed the enemy to bless. The abundance Christ is speaking of is that of True Life which is Him which comes from the throne of God. It is this Life that can affect God’s purposes in the earth. This is the only Life there is because this Life is eternal. Abundant life is that which Christ exhibited while here on earth. It is what sustained Him. Christ was not wealthy; His parents on earth were poor, He was born in a stable, lived in a home which we would think unfit for Him and when He died He had nowhere to be buried. Yet none of these things deterred Him nor did He complain but the very life of God consumed Him such that none of these things mattered because He came to do His Father’s will not His own. This is True Life, being driven by the Father’s will but it comes at a terrible cost; the death of our own.

May the Lord deal with us such that our will, our love, our life and everything which defines us is nailed to the cross and that God becomes all these things for us to His own glory. AMEN.

Praise God He is jealous for His Church and will see this work through to completion. Lord see your name glorified in us and through us your Church. AMEN.

May the Lord deal with us such that our will, our love, our life and everything which defines us is nailed to the cross and that God becomes all these things for us to His own glory. AMEN

Thank you, Thank you! Amen and Amen. Blessings in Him, Cindy

The abundance of life...

Proverbs 3:

13 \tHappy is the man who finds wisdom,
\tAnd the man who gains understanding;
14 \tFor her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
\tAnd her gain than fine gold.
15 \tShe is more precious than rubies,
\tAnd all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 \tLength of days is in her right hand,
\tIn her left hand riches and honor.
17 \tHer ways are ways of pleasantness,
\tAnd all her paths are peace.
18 \tShe is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
\tAnd happy are all who retain her.

Psalm 119:

123 My eyes fail from seeking Your salvation
\t\tAnd Your righteous word.
124 Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy,
\t\tAnd teach me Your statutes.
125 I am Your servant;
\t\tGive me understanding,
\t\tThat I may know Your testimonies.
126 It is time for You to act, O LORD,
\t\tFor they have regarded Your law as void.
127 Therefore I love Your commandments
\t\tMore than gold, yes, than fine gold!

We are given the substance of what creates abundance in our lives according to the promise. This substance will become more valuable the gold and silver. This is a promise, the question is are we understanding, are we actually seeing this transformation in what we hope for?

God Bless
Thankyou for your words Ironman.

In Christ
Jeff

brethren
let us thank our Lord for the richness of what He has shown me and asked me to share for His glory in our edification. i myself would have been blind to these things were it not for His glory. i'm but a mouthpiece for God so let us all give Him thanks and praises for He is most gracious and merciful to us.AMEN.

i fear our concept of what is abundant life is very carnal and has been defined as what the world deems to be abundance, money and stuff. Abundant life is True Life which is Christ and the abundance thereof is in Christ permeating every aspect of our life and conforming it to the standard of the Father which we are called to. That is by far a more difficult thing for it requires forsaking our life as we know it. There are those (praise God!) who are seeing this shift in seeing what is important, and yet others are still so wrapt up in the world they are blind.

May we not be timid and speak the truth of God in Love as He leads to His glory and the breaking of the bonds which hold our brethren. AMEN.