As we continue to lay the foundations for understanding God’s plan of the ages, the topic of sonship needs to be examined. Yahweh created man because He desired to have sons. One of the most common titles used to refer to God in the Bible is Father. In approximately 270 instances the Bible uses the word Father when speaking of Yahweh’s relationship to man. In hundreds of additional occurrences men and women are called the sons, daughters, children, seed, and offspring of God.
The desire of God to have sons in His image, and after His likeness, was not to be immediately fulfilled upon the creation of Adam. Sin entered the creation and marred the image of man. The Earth would not see a son in the image of God until the appearing of Christ. Of Him, the Father testified:
Matthew 17:5
“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased...”
Christ is the Firstborn Son of God. He is the express image of His Father.
Hebrews 1:1-6
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the ages; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say "You are My Son. Today I have begotten You"? And again: "I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son"? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the angels of God worship Him."
Christ came into the world to fulfill the desire of Yahweh that He might have sons. Mankind needed a Savior. Man could not attain to sonship in his fallen state. Humanity needed to be set free from its slavery to sin. The righteousness and divine nature which man lacked needed to be imparted to him. The process of restoring fallen man to God was begun in earnest at the appearing of Christ. Christ made a way for many more brethren to stand before Yahweh as sons.
Romans 8:29
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren...
Hebrews 2:10-16
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, 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." Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
This is the goal of Yahweh’s plan of the ages. He will conform man to the image of Christ, and thereby bring many sons to glory. Yet, even as this work of redeeming fallen mankind and bringing forth sons in the image of God began with a single man, so too will we see the spread and fulfillment of this work accomplished in successive and ever larger waves. In the end Christ must fill all things, but in the outworking of this process He must first be formed in a firstfruits group of men and women.
James 1:18
In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of firstfruits among His creatures.
The plan of God is to acquire for Himself a body of firstfruits and then to reconcile all of creation to Himself.
I Corinthians 15:22-23
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: The anointed firstfruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then the remainder, when He delivers up the kingdom to God the Father
These firstfruits will be preeminent among their brethren. By being the first to taste of death and suffering through becoming partakers of the cross of Christ, they will obtain a place of honor. They will be known as the firstborn from the dead, the firstborn sons of Christ.
Revelation 14:4
These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
Notice the qualification given here. “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” These are those who have accepted Christ’s invitation to “Come, take up your cross, and follow Me.” A lamb is a sacrificial animal. A lamb will go meekly and quietly to be slaughtered, not resisting the hand that guides it. So too will this be the attitude and character of those who will be the firstborn of Christ. They will humbly yield their lives to Christ, and present themselves as a living sacrifice. They will surrender to pass through many fiery trials and experiences that serve to reduce the Adamic man that a spiritual creation after the image of Christ might arise. Even as Yahshua embraced the cross, and was perfected through sufferings, these ones too will do the same and serve as a pattern and testimony for their brethren to follow.
These truths are observed in the types and shadows of the Old Testament. The firstborn male that opens the womb was reserved, set apart, as holy unto Yahweh.
Exodus 34:19
The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me...
This preeminence of the firstborn was not merely some archaic custom belonging to a patriarchal society. Yahweh does all things with great purpose and design. The emphasis on the firstborn is a pervasive theme throughout the Old Testament.
Exodus 13:1-2
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me."
Exodus 13:11-13
“Now when Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, you shall devote to Yahweh the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to Yahweh. But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.”
Every detail in the Law of God is significant. It was only firstborn males that were devoted unto Yahweh. We saw the significance of this in the preceding chapter. Man must rule over the feminine soul, taking upon Himself the masculine spiritual character of Christ. Only spiritual men will be counted as the firstborn of God.
Yahweh singles out donkeys as an exception to the law of the firstborn. This is due to what donkeys represent. The donkey is renowned for its stubbornness, whereas the lamb is known to be meek and yielding. It is a true statement that no man will ever qualify as a firstborn son of Yahweh unless he adopts the meek and submissive attitude of a lamb. Those who are stubborn must have their necks broken. Stephen, the first martyr of Christ, reproached the Israelite leaders for their stubborn resistance of God’s work in their lives.
Acts 7:51
“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.”
Both history and the Scriptures reveal that God had to deal with the Jews very harshly due to their stubbornness. A generation would not pass from the time Stephen spoke these words until Jerusalem would be destroyed and tens of thousands of Jews slaughtered. Yet, even among the Jews there was a remnant who humbled themselves, embraced the shame and suffering of Christ’s cross, and qualified themselves to be firstborn sons.
The firstborn are considered holy unto God. They become His unique possession. They are accorded honor and glory above all others.
Luke 2:22-23
Now when the days of [Mary’s] purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought [Yahshua] to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord")...
Colossians 1:18
And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Although the above Scriptures are specifically speaking of Yahshua, there will be many who are the firstborn of Christ who will receive similar distinction and honor. The spiritual substance of the shadow of the firstborn is fulfilled in those who attain to the first resurrection. Both deal with birth order; first the natural, then the spiritual. Regarding those who attain to the first resurrection, we read that they too are considered especially holy unto God, and are blessed by Him.
Revelation 20:6
Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
Only those saints who attain to the first resurrection will be so honored. The apostle Paul spoke of his own earnest yearning to attain to this group.
Philippians 3:10-14
To get to know him, and the power of his resurrection and fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death, - If by any means I may advance to the earlier resurrection, which is from among the dead: Not that I have, already, received, or have, already, reached perfection, but I am pressing on - if I may even lay hold of that for which I have also been laid hold of by Christ Jesus: - Brethren! I, as to myself, reckon that I have, not yet, laid hold; one thing, however, - the things behind, forgetting, and, unto the things before, eagerly reaching out, With the goal in view, I press on for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.
[Rotherham Emphasized Bible]
Paul understood that there is a premier resurrection from the dead. There is a prize to be contended for. The prize is to be numbered among the firstborn of Christ. Paul buffeted his body and kept it under subjection that he might not be disqualified. He ran the race as one who was not without aim, for he knew what awaited those who crossed the finish line first. Paul applied all diligence, all discipline, all focus and determined effort, in the pursuit of attaining to the number of the firstborn from the dead.
If you and I have any inkling of what awaits the firstborn we will also be gripped by the pursuit of this high calling.
I Corinthians 9:24-27
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.
Paul clearly had something in mind here other than the common view held today by a majority of Christians concerning what awaited him in the afterlife, in the resurrection from the dead. Paul discerned that there was a prize for which to strive. Paul was raised as a Pharisee. He knew the Law and the prophets. Paul discerned the types and shadows of the Old Testament. He discerned that something of a profound nature was foreshadowed in the laws of the firstborn and the laws regarding firstfruits. He wanted to be numbered among that elite company.
The Old Testament reveals the special significance of the firstborn male.
Genesis 49:3
Reuben, you are my first-born; My might and the beginning of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob. In what is spoken of him we can discern the role God has chosen for the firstborn. What does it mean to be “preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power”? The word preeminent is defined as “surpassing all others.” Yahweh was showing forth through a natural type a profound truth of the kingdom of God. There will be firstborn sons of God, and there will be latter born sons. The firstborn will be preeminent among all others. Attaining to the number of the firstborn is a goal every Christian should strive towards.
The Bible reveals that receiving the honor and distinction of the firstborn was something that could be lost due to walking unworthily. The honor could be given to a latter born son who distinguished himself. Although Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob according to natural birth order, the rights and privileges of the firstborn were lost to him and given to Joseph.
Genesis 49:3-4
Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and the beginning of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father's bed; Then you defiled it - he went up to my couch.
Reuben had illicit sexual relations with his father’s concubine Bilhah.
Genesis 35:22
It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it.
Note: Yahweh changed Jacob’s name to Israel.
Jacob declared that Reuben was “uncontrolled as water.” This testimony reveals that he had no self-control. Water flows through the path of least resistance. It cannot restrain itself. It will always sink lower and lower, unless an outside force restrains it. This is the condition of sinful man. Man will debase himself unless restrained. Reuben could find nothing within himself to restrain his fleshly impulses. Even when he knew that his actions would bring great shame and dishonor to his father, this knowledge did not prove adequate to cause him to rule over his sinful desires.
Certainly there is in this a great parable for Christians today. There are many who are born again of the Spirit of Christ who continue to live carnal (fleshly and sensual) lives. Even though their lack of self-restraint and personal denial are dishonoring to the Father, they do not find within themselves the will to rule over their souls. They are unrestrained. They follow whatever course their soul and sinful flesh presents to them. In so doing, these ones are disqualified as firstborn sons. These ones will not attain to the first resurrection.
In Joseph, the eleventh born son of Jacob, we see another spirit. Joseph loved his father more than his brothers. When Jacob sent his sons out to tend the flocks, we find that Joseph remained at home with his father. There was a special bond and fellowship between them.
Genesis 37:13
Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them." And he said to him, "I will go."
Joseph was eager to do the will of his father. In like manner, those who will receive the right of the firstborn are eager to do the will of Yahweh. Joseph’s brothers were envious of him and treated him shamefully. They sold him as a slave into Egypt. In Egypt Joseph faced temptation akin to that of his elder brother Reuben, yet Joseph’s response was very different.
Genesis 39:7-10
It came about after these events that his master's wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?" As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her.
Consider the situation in which Joseph found himself. God had given Joseph dreams when he was seventeen years old of being promoted above his brothers. Yet, Joseph found his experiences taking him lower, rather than higher. Joseph’s brothers continued living as the free sons of a wealthy father, while Joseph was a slave in a foreign land. Joseph must have been tempted to believe that Yahweh had abandoned him. He might have given into self-pity, reasoning that there was little reason to resist the advances of this Egyptian woman. After all, he must have been very lonely in this foreign land, and here was one manifesting a desire to be with him, even if it was in an illicit manner.
Joseph did not give in to such unworthy thoughts. He remained faithful in his commitment to honor God, and to not defile his master’s wife. Had he done so, he too would have been disqualified for the right of the firstborn. By manifesting self-control Joseph distinguished himself among his brethren. Self-control is at the very heart of that which is needed to qualify as an overcomer in Christ and attain to the first resurrection. The last of the fruit of the Spirit named, which encapsulates all the rest, is self-control.
Galatians 5:22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Yahshua have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
To attain to the first resurrection, a Christian must overcome the sinful passions and desires of the flesh. It is only those who overcome who will be counted worthy of that resurrection. Joseph was elevated to the throne of Egypt. In a similar manner, those who distinguish themselves among their brethren will be granted to sit with Christ on His throne.
Revelation 3:21-22
He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
That which Reuben lost due to his lack of self-control, proved to be Joseph’s gain. The Scriptures similarly warn believers today to not walk carelessly, and thereby let someone else take the crown that could be theirs.
Revelation 3:11
“I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Joseph stands as a type of those who will obtain glory and honor above their brothers. He is a shadow of those saints who will receive a double portion and the birthright belonging to the firstborn.
Genesis 48:21-22
Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers. I give you one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow."
I Chronicles 5:1-2
Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph)...
The struggle for the birthright is seen throughout the Old Testament, for it points to this most profound issue in the kingdom of God. There is an inheritance in Christ to be contended for, and only a remnant will qualify themselves for it. Jacob earnestly desired both the birthright and the blessing. His twin brother Esau was the firstborn, but he showed little regard for his inheritance. Esau forsook his birthright to satisfy the appetite of his flesh. For a bowl of pottage, Esau gave his birthright to another. Esau stands as a sign, and a warning, to Christians lest they too should forfeit their spiritual inheritance by putting the temporal fulfillment of their natural appetites above the will and pleasure of God.
Hebrews 12:15-17
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God..., that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.
The apostle would not give such a warning to the saints unless there were those in the body of Christ who stood to commit a similar transgression. When the saints stand in judgment and see that inheritance that is reserved for the overcomers in Christ, it will be too late. There will be found no place for repentance though it is sought with many tears. The honor of being the firstborn of Christ will have passed beyond their grasp.
There are resurrections other than the first. All men will in their own order be resurrected to life in Christ. Nevertheless, there will be much that distinguishes the firstborn sons of God, and the latter born sons. The apostle Paul discusses the differences that will exist in the resurrection of the dead in the following passage from his letter to the church in Corinth.
I Corinthians 15:35-42
But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?" You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.
We see in this passage that Paul’s subject is the resurrection of the dead. He is particularly pointing out that there will be differences of glory among those who are resurrected. Those who attain to the first resurrection will be preeminent among their brethren. They will be like the Sun shining in its strength.
It is the Father’s desire that His children contend for the prize of attaining to the first resurrection from the dead. In this will He be greatly glorified, that of a free will His sons laid down their lives to attain to that conformity to His own image and likeness that He has desired for them.
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Joseph Herrin
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Montezuma, GA 31063
7 comments:
Dear Joseph,
Thank you for your teaching on this subject. This tract, "the restoration of all things," came to my attention just a month or so ago when I met with Bob Schlenker
who writes “The Open Scroll” before he moved to Penn. This tract, for me, brings it home and ties out so many thoughts and concepts that seemed to linger without a theological home.
Now, I do have a question: I understand self control and discipline as it relates to ones own moral, ethical and emotional actions. That makes sense to me. However, where I have trouble is reconciling my daily life here in time and space with His Will. How do I know that I am being directed by Him and not just hearing my own random thoughts?
For instance, I have a job by which I try to support my family but I am not sure that by doing my job that I am somehow ignoring God. Am I not supposed to be disciplined and work hard for my family? I have not been given any specific direction by Him, to my knowledge, other than to seek knowledge of the scriptures and watch for the signs of the times. I cannot go stop doing this. So, given that I am so compelled I believe that it has been given to me as the Holy Spirit’s direction for me. Is this a rational view or am I missing something?
Can you share with me (us) how it is that you distill your human thoughts from those that you perceive as being from the Holy Spirit?
Is there a method by which that we can know that we are being directed by the Holy Spirit and not just thinking thoughts on our own?
Thank you,
YBIC,
D Randall
Dear Brother Randall,
Thank you for writing and asking your excellent question. This is a question that all Christians should be seeking to answer. When we discern the necessity of living a life surrendered to the leading of the Spirit, our next natural thought should be "How do I recognize the voice of God?"
It is perhaps easier to address this question by asking, "What things hinder us from hearing God's voice?" Hearing the voice of God should come naturally to all who are born again of the Spirit. Read I Corinthians 2:11-16)
When Christ drove the merchants and money changers out of the Temple, He demonstrated His zeal for His Father. Yahweh created man to be the temple in which His Holy Spirit dwells. We are that which has been created by the Father to be a house of prayer.
Men, Christians included, are guilty of filling their souls with the noise of commerce and self-seeking. A pursuit of the world, a love of money and the things it can buy, a focus upon material comfort, possessions, ease and pleasure, can so fill our souls with noise that it makes it nearly impossible to discern the still, small voice of God.
One of the necessary steps I believe will enable a person to hear the voice of God (assuming they have been born of the Spirit of Christ) is to drive out the spirit of merchandising and money-changing from their soul.
Few actually recognize that these things have taken up residence in them. Can you imagine the spectacle it must have been to have people selling animals in the Temple courts? The hawkers were shouting to gain the attention of pilgrims to the Temple. The animals made their own beastly noise. Then there were the money changers exchanging the coin from all the foreign travelers to that accepted by the Temple priests.
After a while, these sights and sounds became so common that no one noticed them anymore. Only Christ saw the incongruity of it all. He knew that this was not what His Father had in mind. Yahweh wanted a house of prayer.
I believe it is similarly difficult for Christians today to discern how far they have departed from the will of God for their lives. They have come to accept the world's forms of conduct and thought as normal. It is hard for us to discern that we have drifted so far that we can no longer discern the voice of God.
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Brother Randall, one requirement for hearing the voice of God is that we have a quiet soul. We must still all selfish ambition, and desire nothing above knowing the Father's will that we might do it. Christ did not have any trouble discerning His Father's voice. This was due largely to the fact that He was focused on only one thing - Doing the Father's will.
George Mueller who raised up huge orphan houses in England in the 1800s shared the following. Whenever he was faced with a decision regarding expanding the orphanages, or any of the many other ministries he was involved in, he said he would never trust himself to discern God's voice until he had come to a place of quietness inside. He shared that he would consider if God were to tell him "Yes" regarding some direction, or "No." Only when he was equally content to have God direct either way would he trust himself to hear God's voice.
I believe this act of Mr. Mueller's touches on a very important principle. Whenever we have any bias in our souls, we will find it difficult to discern God's voice. We must quiet all other voices except God's. When we yearn above all else to know His will that we might do it, then I am confident Yahweh will make His will and direction known.
There are certainly other things that can hinder a person from hearing God's voice. Deception. Unconfessed sin. Unforgiveness toward another person. Yet, above all, I believe it is necessary for a man to be single-minded, having a desire to please the Father while stilling the natural impulse to please self.
Brother Randall, I know you are asking these things because you have a greater than average desire to be found pleasing to the Father. You want to know whether the life you are currently living, which seems so common and not unlike even that which the lost would do, going off to work each day, paying bills, maintaining a home and the cares of a family, is the path God has chosen for you, or whether you have in some way chosen this course for yourself.
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Yahweh is certainly not opposed to a man caring for his family, nor with you seeking to be disciplined and responsible. At the same time, what God testifies to be actual needs are to be content with having daily food and covering. Paul says, "With these we shall be content."
The world presses upon us a different standard of what is necessary. Even Christians are driven to "keep up with the Joneses." It is difficult to divide between those things we have acquired through the counsel of our own soul, and those things God has led us to acquire. Our own soul would very much like to rule, but those who are Christ's disciples must be beheaded that they might take Christ as Head.
I believe it is a good thing for a man to wrestle with such issues. Every man will have to give an account for the life he led. It is therefore every man's responsibility to press into the Father until he has the assurance that he has heard God and is following the course Yahweh has chosen for His life.
I encourage you to press in to the Father. Devote yourself to being that house of prayer Yahweh created you to be. Ask the Spirit of Christ to expose anything that has entered into the Temple of your body that is hindering your perception of that still, small voice of God. And be zealous to drive out the merchants and money changers if they might be found intruding there.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Dear Joseph,
Thank you for your wise and thoughtful counsel. Everything you wrote made perfect sense to me and has found an open heart. I will be working on this, immediately.
As I do this, I also would like to ask you if you believe that the analogy of the temple applies to us in other ways. In that, just as you point out that Christ threw the money changers out of the temple that we must also throw money changing out of our hearts and minds. But does the analogy end there? The temple has many structural elements that seem ripe for extrapolation as does the figure and concept of the temple as it relates to both Jews and Gentiles of the world.
Now, Christ taught in the temple, he went to and worshiped in the temple and the temple was in the world, in that, it was existent in time and space, just as we are. Did Christ object to being in the world or object to trading outside the temple? In Romans 12:1-2 Paul tells us “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of you mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. (NAB) But Christ also said in Matt 6:10 “your kingdom come, you will be done, on earth as in heaven. (NAB)
I have always wondered why the Lord’s Prayer says “on earth as in heaven” if we are not to do something here on Earth, which is here in time and space.
I ask this because it struck me that if we are indeed temples of God as part of the Sonship, then are we not also beacons on a hill just as the temple was (and is) in the center of the city of Jerusalem? (Funny, just thought of what and who has been “occupying” the temple mount for the past 1941years.)
This is important to me because I want so much to finally understand how I follow His voice and live here on Earth without contradiction to his purpose for me.
Again, thank you for you help.
YBIC,
DR
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Dear Brother Dennis,
Thank you for your kind gift. I appreciate it very much. I am grateful for your humble response to those things I have shared in the comment field in answer to your questions.
You are absolutely correct about the Temple containing many more insights that can be applied to the lives of the saints.
Certainly we are to be lights in this world. The Temple contained the golden candlestick, and there is a profound lesson to be discerned in it. I have written of this parable in the teaching titled Parables that can be found at the following link:
http://www.heart4god.ws/id593.htm
A further insight is gained as we look at the divisions of the Temple. The Temple was comprised of three distinct parts: The Outer Court, The Holy Place, and The Most Holy Place.
The Scriptures teach that Christians are being built up as a Temple of the Lord. The lives we live will determine what part of the Temple we will be found in. The Most Holy Place, or Holy of Holies, is the place of the Bride.
From the Outer Court to the Most Holy Place we find seven pieces of furniture arranged in the shape of a cross. To travel further in a man must embrace the cross. These symbols and the parables they contain are discussed in a chapter of the book "The Remnant Bride."
See the following two chapters:
http://www.heart4god.ws/id34.htm
http://www.heart4god.ws/id33.htm
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Dennis, it is true that the Christian lives in the world, yet we are not of this world. We belong to another kingdom. Those who discern this truth will demonstrate it by their lives. They will not live as if this world was their home, seeking comfort and every good thing afforded by this age. They will have their focus on a heavenly inheritance, and they will live for the will and pleasure of a heavenly King.
There is a great difference between a man whose focus is on this world as his home, and the man who is looking to an inheritance and dwelling place in the age to come. The first man lives as a settler, while the latter travels lightly through this world as a pioneer. The apostle Paul said:
I Corinthians 7:29-31
But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.
Our attitude toward this world should not be to acquire houses and lands and much material goods, or to sate ourselves with every pleasure offered. Rather, we should use what is needed to carry forth the will of God, being satisfied to receive our good things in the age to come.
This was certainly the example set by Christ. He accepted whatever provision the Father chose for Him. Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man had nowhere to lay His head. And He was content with this!
The hallmark of discipleship is contentment with the will of the Father. What He chooses for us in the way of living experiences should be acceptable in our eyes, whether we are abased, or abounding. Paul testified of this contentment in his life. (Philippians 4:11-13)
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
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