In Matthew 16 Jesus asked a pointed question to the disciples. “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (v.13) They answered “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (v.14) Then Jesus got personal. “But who do you say that I am?” (v.15) Simon Peter spoke up saying “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (v.16) I think it is more like Simon Peter blurted it out in excitement. Afterall, the name Simon means “hear.” But Jesus is about to change his name and will see the profound significance of it.
Jesus responded to Simon Peter’s declaration of faith:
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (vv.17-19)
First, Jesus calls him “Simon Bar-Jonah,” which simply means Simon, son of John. Now, we don’t know the relationship Simon had with his father. But Simon’s identity as a person was clearly tied with his father, whether that was good or bad is unknown. Nevertheless, Jesus was giving him a new name and it was Peter, which means “rock.” Specifically it is a piece of a rock from a bigger rock. Peter was now the rock that was from the big Rock, God.
Jesus made a few very profound statements to Peter that demand our attention.
First, Jesus revealed to Peter that the foundation of the church itself was built on the revelation of the person of Jesus as the Christ. The church started in revelation and is further built on that revelation.
Secondly, Jesus said the “gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” This church is a victorious church! The church built on revelation from heaven is a victorious church.
Lastly, Peter was promised “keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Keys represent authority. The keys of the kingdom are promised to us as well. Jesus explained, in part, that the keys were meant for binding and loosing. “and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (v.19)
Notice how Jesus did not say “Here are the keys, go use them.” He said “I WILL give you the keys of the kingdom.” Peter had some maturing to do before he could be trusted with the keys.
Right after Peter’s life-changing encounter with Jesus he faces the hardest moment of his life.
“From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (vv.21-22)
Jesus responded “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
You see, Peter had much more maturing to do. He was now trying to use his new authority to prevent Jesus from going to the cross. Jesus said something to Peter that we can all learn from:
“for you are not MINDFUL of the things of God, but the things of men.”
The Greek word for “mindful” there is phroneō and means to “entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; by implication, to be (mentally) disposed (more or less earnestly in a certain direction). It means to be persuaded of something. An example would be a person in America persuaded that the Republican party is the best party, or that the New York Yankees is the best baseball team.
Peter was persuaded that the end goal for Jesus was an earthly victory. He was thinking of the earthly kingdom and not the heavenly one. We all face this dilemma every day: to be mindful of the earthly kingdom or the kingdom of heaven.
After Jesus rebuked Peter He gives these beautiful keys of the kingdom:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (vv.24-25)
Denying ourselves involves saying yes to the Holy Spirit and no to the earthly pulls. Peter had an earthly mindset regarding Jesus going to the cross. Our cross will look different. My cross looks different from yours and vice versa.
JESUS TRANSFIGURED
Hold on, turn your page to the beginning of Matthew 17. There is one las gem to look at. Right after Peter was rebuked he finds himself on a hiking trip with Jesus, James and John.
“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” (vv.1-2)
“Now after 6 days.” The number 6 in the Bible represents man. Man was created on day six of creation week. Men are appointed 6 days to labor. There are other examples but you get it. But notice it was “after” the 6 days that they were brought up and saw Jesus transfigured. I think the rebuke of Peter was meant to bring the old man in him to an end.
You see, we will never be given the keys of the kingdom what we are “mindful” of the things of men. God’s kingdom is a heavenly kingdom not an earthly one. Don’t think I am saying we can earn the keys of the kingdom. But there needs to be a maturing in order to rightly use the keys. Imagine if I as a father gave the keys of my car to my 5-yeard-old. No, he isn’t ready yet. But the good news is that God is getting us ready to receive the keys and be able to use them properly. Authority without maturity is dangerous.
In the account of the transfiguration the disciples get a visitation from Moses and Elijah. Then a “bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (v.5) The disciples were greatly afraid. Now see what happens next:
“But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid. When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” (vv.7-8)
When they lifted their eyes “they saw no one but JESUS ONLY.” This is where we are heading. Did you know you can ask Jesus for a personal encounter? He may not be physically transfigured before you but you can still have an encounter where you will begin to see “no one but Jesus.”
You see, Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter. Hearing (Simon) is great but hearing alone does not build the kingdom. Keys are needed. Peter was promised the keys of the kingdom and so are we. Its time for us to grow up in the Lord, and be mindful of the kingdom. The old man has has his time but its up now. It time to deny him and follow Jesus.
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Last Updated: June 20, 2022 by I am a VOICE Ministries Leave a Comment
And the Bride Has Made Herself Ready – Pt. 1
Having Oil in our Lamps and Trimmed Lamps – Pt. 1
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” (Rev 19:7)
Having Oil
Jesus will be coming back again to meet His bride. This bride is described in a number of ways but the most important is that she is “ready.” In this little series we will discover what it means for the bride (us) to be ready for His return.
The parable of the 10 virgins is a wonderful example, with a number of key insights for us. In the parable there are 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins, who were waiting for the Bridegroom to arrive. The bridegroom was delayed in His coming and all the virgins slept. The foolish virgins brought no extra oil with them. The foolish demanded of the wise: “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” (Matthew 25:8)
Oil represents the person of the Holy Spirit. (see Luke 4:18) So the 5 foolish can represent those in the body of Christ who do not store their own oil. They happily listen to sermons and receive from a minister but do not obtain their own oil. As believers, we must get our own oil. This happens by spending quality time in His presence, worshiping Him, reading His Word, waiting on Him. We do not want to only get, as Wade Taylor puts it, “moon revelation,” the reflected light of another. We each need our own special walk with the Lord. As we do so our lamps will be filled.
The end of the parable gives us Jesus’ main message. Hear it.
“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ ‘Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.'”
Jesus said “I do not know you.” This may baffle some. Doesn’t Jesus know everything? Doesn’t he even know the numbers of hairs on our head? Yes and yes. But this knowing Jesus talked about was an intimate knowing, one that only people in love can share. You see, the five foolish were content with the light and reflection of the glory, but not the direct light of intimate fellowship. Thus, they had no oil in their lamps.
Trimming Lamps
When the call rang out at midnight to meet the Bridegroom it is said that the 5 wise virgins “arose and trimmed their lamps.” (25:7) The Greek word for trimmed is kosmeō. We get our word “cosmetic” from it. The word is often translated as adorn, prepare, arrange. But here it means to trim our cut back. Oil lamps must be trimmed in order for the wick to burn properly. If the wick is not trimmed often the light will be dull. David Crank gives 6 benefits (needs!) for lamp trimming.
There is a trimming happening now to many in the body of Christ. Jesus is stripping away the unfruitful and even dangerous things in our lives. This trimming is not always pleasant but very necessary.
This “trimming” reminds me of what Jesus said in John 15:2,4.
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit…Abide in Me, and I in you.”
Notice the Vinedresser does the trimming and not us. It is not our job to be constantly evaluating ourselves and self-pruning. Our job is to keep our lamps full. Yes, in that process, He will prune in His beautiful way. Our job is to not run from the pruning but to abide. Abiding is the best thing we can do. Like Mary, it will not be taken from us.
Posted: May 28, 2022 by I am a VOICE Ministries Leave a Comment
Many Called, Few Willing
“For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14)
I hope my title doesn’t scare you away. From the start let me assure you there is no earning our way into the kingdom. What did Jesus say about being born again? “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6) That “which is born of flesh” is what man can do and that “which is born of Spirit” is what the Holy Spirit can do. So let me explain.
In Matthew 22 Jesus gives us the Parable of the Wedding Feast. In the parable the father sends out invitations to his son’s wedding.
“But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.” (Matthew 22:5)
They made light of it. Have we ever been guilty of making light of our walk with Christ? Yes, of course. If that is you there is good news. You can repent. What did Jesus say to the sleepy, indifferent, self-sufficient church of Laodicean Church?
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” (Rev 3:19)
It is interesting that he said to be zealous and then repent. We would think it should be “repent and be zealous.” But did you ever notice God’s order of importance is often flipped from ours? Being zealous is a choice. We can choose to be alive to the things of Gods! Yes we can.
So we see the first part of those unwilling is that they are indifferent. That will not be us in Jesus’ name. We will be alive, zealous for the things of God.
The second part of the unwillingness is a lack of being spiritually clothed. After the first group rejected the call to wedding the father put out the call.
“Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding. So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.” (vv.9-10)
Then, when the king (father) came in to see the guests he noticed one did not have wedding garments on. The guest was removed harshly. Garments speak of our being clothed in the new man. You see, being born again (accepting Jesus) is just the first wonderful step. We then will have a daily choice which garments we will wear. Just as one chooses one profession over another, we choose which garments to wear – the old or new man. Here is a passage that sums it up beautifully.
“that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph 4:22-24)
See the two garments? The old and the new man. So, the guest who didn’t have the wedding garments on represented what we would call a carnal Christian. They have accepted Jesus but by their choices showed they were unwilling to be chosen.
Now, do not be discouraged. We all come short. But Jesus, I believe, put this parable in the Bible to encourage us. Just as we can choose to be zealous, we can choose to be willing. God’s grace is available if we will just ask.
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Last Updated: May 25, 2022 by I am a VOICE Ministries Leave a Comment
Bread of Life
Bread of Life
Combined, Ukraine and Russia supply the world with 30% of its wheat. Some experts have predicted that very soon we may see many die for lack of food. We must remember that in many countries, particularly those in the Middle East, bread is their main source of nourishment and calories. India may be able to pick up some of the slack but they are suffering from a record heat wave that has destroyed a lot of crops.
Jesus said of Himself “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35a) I think those hearing Jesus felt a little different about than we might. Most of us have an abundance of food – too much in fact. But to the people in Jesus’ day (and many Middle East countries today) rely on bread. It is literally a life-saver.
Now, switch your thinking into the spiritual. Is Jesus really our bread of life? Or do we have many other things that we think spiritually sustain us? The truth is that Jesus is the only true bread of life. Only He can nourish us the way we need.
The biggest spiritual obstacle, in my view, is the lack of seeing our need. The rebuke to the Laodicean church was that they were self-sufficient. This is seen in their corporate confession: “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.” (Rev 3:17)
What is our corporate confession? This confession may not be audible but most like a lifestyle that serves as a confession. Jesus, when He said He was the bread of life was speaking to a hungry people. Many were hungry in the natural (Jesus had just fed the five thousand) but some came because they recognized Jesus as the Bread of Life.
Jesus, you are the Bread of Life. We lay aside all lesser forms of nourishment. We thank you for Your blessings but what we really want is You. We will, like the children of Israel, come to You daily for You are Manna from heaven. In Jesus’ name.
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Last Updated: May 16, 2022 by I am a VOICE Ministries Leave a Comment
Our Position in Christ – We are God’s Inheritance – Part 7
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” (Eph 1:11)
I quite like The Passion Translation as well.
“Through our union with Christ we too have been claimed by God as his own inheritance. Before we were even born, he gave us our destiny; that we would fulfill the plan of God who always accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart.”
This “obtaining” of our inheritance is something received and not earned or gained. The Greek word for “we have obtained an inheritance” is klēroō and means “to cast lots.” It is found in the passive tense, meaning it is something received. Now, the casting of lots was a practice used throughout the Old Testament. How exactly they casted the lots is uncertain and perhaps not that important. The important part was that through the casting of lots GOD did the choosing. For example, the promised land was divided by casting lots (Numbers 26:52-56). Lots established the Temple priests’ order of service (1 Chronicles 24:5-19). You get the point – God is the one doing the choosing through the “random” use of casting lots.
God the Father said this to His Son Jesus:
“Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.” (Psalm 2:8)
We are that inheritance! Does that not put a smile on your face? It should greatly encourage you. We have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus.
Now, head over to the Song of Solomon. If you remember from my articles on Song of Solomon the Shulamite (representing the Bride of Christ) had three confessions, each revealing her spiritual condition. The first “My beloved is mine, and I am his,” (SOS 2:16) revealed that she was very self-centered. The second “I am my beloved’s, And my beloved is mine,” (SOS 6:3) showed she had progressed but still self-occupied. The last “I am my beloved’s, And his desire is toward me,” (SOS 7:10) revealed that she was now all-consumed by the Beloved. Most of us can easily find ourselves in the first or second confession. And that’s fine. The important thing is that we are headed in the direction of “I am my beloved’s, And his desire is toward me.”
It is vitally important to remember that all of this is His doing. He chose us and He will perfect us. If we can gain anything from Ephesians 1 it is the fact that He is the Initiator. Let us lay aside any pride or smugness. He chose us. Sometimes we may question His choice but that is up to Him.
There is a flip side to this. Yes, we are God’s inheritance. But He is also ours. Listen to David, the man after God’s own heart:
“O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5-6)
David realized that no land, riches or any THING would satisfy him. God was his portion. No matter what lot fell to him he had the greatest inheritance: God Himself. We can say the same. But we, if I may, have an advantage over David. We have the person the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, teach, reveal mysteries. We can rightly agree with David and say “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.”
Thank you Father for choosing us. Thank you that we are Your inheritance. You are bringing us to the place where we can say, as Your bride, “I am my beloved’s, And his desire is toward me.” Yes, we are yours. Do with us as you will. We surrender to you. We thank you for the “lines” in our lives. We may not enjoy every line but we know you use everything for your purpose. In Jesus’ name.
Last Updated: May 5, 2022 by I am a VOICE Ministries Leave a Comment
Our Position in Christ – Mysteries Made Known – Part 6
“having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.” (Eph 1:6)
We are continuing our series on Our Position in Christ. Today we will see that the mysteries (secrets that were previously hidden) have now been revealed to the church.
Paul starts of the statement with very strong wording. “Having made known to us the mystery.” There is no questioning here. It is settled fact that the mysteries have been made know to us. But let’s take a look at the Greek word that make up “made known.” It is gnōrizō = “to become known, be recognized.” The word carries the idea of someone disclosing information to another – the revealing of an otherwise unknown truth.”
In this context God has made the mysteries of God recognizable to us. We can even say He has declared them to us. Take note that this word indicates that the One with the mystery (God) is the one initiating. Take the Apostle Paul. God initiated the mysteries, starting with his experience of becoming blind. Then God unraveled the mystery of the gospel of salvation and many other things. We can take great comfort that God is the one who initiates.
“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:5)
Jesus said to the disciples and He says it to us. A friend is one who shares intimate secrets. How wonderful is this: “for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” Here we see this same strong wording “I have made known to you.” Are you beginning to see that God wants us to have confidence that He has revealed His secrets to us?
If you are still a little unsure see this verse. “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God.” (1 Cor 2:12)
We have received the Holy Spirit so that we “might know the things that are freely given to us by God.” The truth is that He has already given us all the mysteries of His kingdom. The Holy Spirit’s job is to come along side us make them “know” to us. Take note that the verse says that we “might” know them. This reveals there is a possibility for us to know or not know them. Some mysteries, like hidden treasure, require some digging. This digging is led by the Holy Spirit of course.
We see this point of digging, if you will, in the following passage. Jesus had risen from the dead and was walking on the road to Emmaus. Two men were taking the 7 mile journey to Jerusalem.
“So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” (Luke 24:15)
Two important things to note here. 1. Jesus is the one iniating and 2. There eyes were restrained from knowing who Jesus was. We’ll see the importance of that later.
Then Jesus asked the men what they were talking about. They said they were talking about Jesus. Jesus acted as if He had no idea who this Jesus was or the amazing miracles, much to their astonishment. Then we see this:
“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (v.27)
What an incredible 7 miles that must have been! Then Jesus does something fascinating and gives us a good lesson on receiving the mysteries of the kingdom.
“Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.” (v.28) He “indicated” He would have gone father. Was Jesus playing games with them? No, He was testing them to see how hungry they were for truth. They had already received much but oh there was much, much more to know.
“But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.” (v.29) They constrained Him! They physically held Him back. Wow! And I know for a fact that Jesus loved every second of it. But wait, see the beautiful end to this story.
“Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?‘” (vv.30-32)
On the road they learned much about Jesus. At the table they came to know Jesus personally. It was at the breaking of bread. I believe this is another key to understanding the mysteries the kingdom – taking communion often.
Tongues and the mysteries of God
One way to know the mysteries of God is through speaking in tongues. I am talking about our personal prayer/worship language, not the tongue that is to be interpreted.
“For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.” (1Co 14:2)
When we speak in tongues we speak mysteries. Amazing! If you do not yet have this wonderful gift I suggest you reach out to someone you know who is spiritual in your church, maybe the person who leads the prayer meeting. I use this gift every single day and it is a highly valuable gift.
Fellowship of the mystery
“and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ.” (Eph 3:9)
It is interesting that Paul used the word “fellowship” regarding the mystery. Some may see the mysteries of God as mere knowledge to be uncovered. But Paul contends that there is a fellowship with the mystery. In other words there is an intimate exchange, a back and forth. A part of me, not just me intellect, engages with the mysteries of God. We recognize that from the road to Emmaus account. The disciples eyes were opened up after the breaking of bread during fellowship. There is noting more personal and intimate than what Jesus did for us at Calvary.
So, you can (and should) ask God for intimate dreams, visions and the like. Give all of yourself to knowing and fellowshipping with God in the mysteries of God.
Last Updated: April 25, 2022 by I am a VOICE Ministries Leave a Comment
Receiving the Keys of the Kingdom
In Matthew 16 Jesus asked a pointed question to the disciples. “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (v.13) They answered “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (v.14) Then Jesus got personal. “But who do you say that I am?” (v.15) Simon Peter spoke up saying “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (v.16) I think it is more like Simon Peter blurted it out in excitement. Afterall, the name Simon means “hear.” But Jesus is about to change his name and will see the profound significance of it.
Jesus responded to Simon Peter’s declaration of faith:
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (vv.17-19)
First, Jesus calls him “Simon Bar-Jonah,” which simply means Simon, son of John. Now, we don’t know the relationship Simon had with his father. But Simon’s identity as a person was clearly tied with his father, whether that was good or bad is unknown. Nevertheless, Jesus was giving him a new name and it was Peter, which means “rock.” Specifically it is a piece of a rock from a bigger rock. Peter was now the rock that was from the big Rock, God.
Jesus made a few very profound statements to Peter that demand our attention.
First, Jesus revealed to Peter that the foundation of the church itself was built on the revelation of the person of Jesus as the Christ. The church started in revelation and is further built on that revelation.
Secondly, Jesus said the “gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” This church is a victorious church! The church built on revelation from heaven is a victorious church.
Lastly, Peter was promised “keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Keys represent authority. The keys of the kingdom are promised to us as well. Jesus explained, in part, that the keys were meant for binding and loosing. “and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (v.19)
Notice how Jesus did not say “Here are the keys, go use them.” He said “I WILL give you the keys of the kingdom.” Peter had some maturing to do before he could be trusted with the keys.
Right after Peter’s life-changing encounter with Jesus he faces the hardest moment of his life.
“From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (vv.21-22)
Jesus responded “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
You see, Peter had much more maturing to do. He was now trying to use his new authority to prevent Jesus from going to the cross. Jesus said something to Peter that we can all learn from:
“for you are not MINDFUL of the things of God, but the things of men.”
The Greek word for “mindful” there is phroneō and means to “entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; by implication, to be (mentally) disposed (more or less earnestly in a certain direction). It means to be persuaded of something. An example would be a person in America persuaded that the Republican party is the best party, or that the New York Yankees is the best baseball team.
Peter was persuaded that the end goal for Jesus was an earthly victory. He was thinking of the earthly kingdom and not the heavenly one. We all face this dilemma every day: to be mindful of the earthly kingdom or the kingdom of heaven.
After Jesus rebuked Peter He gives these beautiful keys of the kingdom:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (vv.24-25)
Denying ourselves involves saying yes to the Holy Spirit and no to the earthly pulls. Peter had an earthly mindset regarding Jesus going to the cross. Our cross will look different. My cross looks different from yours and vice versa.
JESUS TRANSFIGURED
Hold on, turn your page to the beginning of Matthew 17. There is one las gem to look at. Right after Peter was rebuked he finds himself on a hiking trip with Jesus, James and John.
“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” (vv.1-2)
“Now after 6 days.” The number 6 in the Bible represents man. Man was created on day six of creation week. Men are appointed 6 days to labor. There are other examples but you get it. But notice it was “after” the 6 days that they were brought up and saw Jesus transfigured. I think the rebuke of Peter was meant to bring the old man in him to an end.
You see, we will never be given the keys of the kingdom what we are “mindful” of the things of men. God’s kingdom is a heavenly kingdom not an earthly one. Don’t think I am saying we can earn the keys of the kingdom. But there needs to be a maturing in order to rightly use the keys. Imagine if I as a father gave the keys of my car to my 5-yeard-old. No, he isn’t ready yet. But the good news is that God is getting us ready to receive the keys and be able to use them properly. Authority without maturity is dangerous.
In the account of the transfiguration the disciples get a visitation from Moses and Elijah. Then a “bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (v.5) The disciples were greatly afraid. Now see what happens next:
“But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid. When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” (vv.7-8)
When they lifted their eyes “they saw no one but JESUS ONLY.” This is where we are heading. Did you know you can ask Jesus for a personal encounter? He may not be physically transfigured before you but you can still have an encounter where you will begin to see “no one but Jesus.”
You see, Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter. Hearing (Simon) is great but hearing alone does not build the kingdom. Keys are needed. Peter was promised the keys of the kingdom and so are we. Its time for us to grow up in the Lord, and be mindful of the kingdom. The old man has has his time but its up now. It time to deny him and follow Jesus.
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Posted: April 21, 2022 by I am a VOICE Ministries Leave a Comment
God Laughs
“Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.’” (Psalm 2:1-3)
These “kings” represent the present spiritual forces of darkness that rule the air. They “counsel” together and “set” themselves against Christ and His followers. But see God’s beautiful response:
“He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.” (v.4)
Why does God laugh? And can we laugh with Him? Yes! He laughs because He knows the plans of the “kings” will be brought to nothing. Satan thought he won when he tricked Adam and Eve in the garden. He thought he won when Christ was crucified.
Maybe he thinks he is winning right now when there are wars, disease and chaos. But let’s remember the words of Jesus: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for [a]all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6)
Let’s go back to Psalm 2. Here is God’s response to the enemy’s aggressive attempts to “cast Their cords away.”
“I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.” (vv.7-8)
God’s answer was His one and only Beloved Son! The answer was us having an intimate relationship with Jesus. Do you see the contrast. The wicked forces of darkness seek to set themselves, to take counsel together, to break the bonds, and to cast the cords away. God, on the other hand, through His Son, draws us close to Himself.
“I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.” (Hosea 11:4)
Right now we see the nations raging under the power of Satan. But we need not be held in that sway. We can, along with the Father, laugh. We know the end and we know Christ has the victory. Not only do we laugh with God but we also “sit” with Him. “and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:6) Sitting means resting in His authority, in His strength.
Like never before it is time to get to know the Son. He is the answer and the reason for it all. Allow His cords of love to draw you in. Reject all forces that seek to chew away at those cords. Its time to return to our first love.
Last Updated: April 12, 2022 by I am a VOICE Ministries Leave a Comment
Righteous Vs. Unrighteous Anger
Right after lowly Jesus entered Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, we find this fascinating account:
“Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” (Matthew 21:12-13)
The gospel of John even records that Jesus made a “whip out of cords” and drove them out. Jesus demonstrated righteous anger. This type of anger is very beneficial. I will even go as far to say it is crucial for the believer to have. God gives us righteous anger so we can wrestle against principalities and powers. This is very different from unrighteous anger. In fact, we see this unrighteous anger on display by the religious leaders in response to Jesus the Messiah being praised as He entered Jerusalem.
“But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were ]indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” They were INDIGNANT. The Passion Translation says they were furious. That is unrighteous anger. In this case it was rooted in pride and jealousy.
When righteous anger begins to rise up, don’t try to push it down. Use that power to wrestle, intercede. God gave that wonderful gift to you – use it for the kingdom. After Jesus overturned the tabled the disciples were reminded on the Messianic scripture in Psalm 69: “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” I say let that zeal (fervor, passion) eat you up also! It will eat you up in a good way let me assure you!
Notice how the scripture says “BE ANGRY, and do not sin.” (Eph 4:26, emphasis mine) The first command is in fact to “be angry.” The key is to not sin while doing it, which would be to walk in unrighteous anger. So yes go ahead and be angry. Just use that anger for righteousness.
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Posted: April 6, 2022 by I am a VOICE Ministries Leave a Comment
No Strings Attached – Free from Condemnation
“Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) Period. End of story.
But you may be asking, “What about the rest of the verse Rod?” In the New King James and some other translations it adds “…who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” That little addition – a requirement if you will – was added by scholars. Some say it was to add clarity, and other like Joseph Prince, say the scholars themselves couldn’t believe that incredible statement had no strings attached. But I am here to tell you there are NO strings attached. To those who are in Christ there is no condemnation. Period.
Let’s talk about condemnation for a minute. Go back to where it all started in the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were commanded not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Note that that was the only restriction. “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.” (Genesis 2:16) Now I imagine the garden was not like grandma’s little garden in her small backyard. It must have been massive, with every imaginable colorful fruit, vegetable, flower. It truly must have been stunning to all of the five senses.
We know what happened. Eve was tricked by Satan and then Adam listened to his wife and partook as well. What was the first response of Adam and Eve? Condemnation.
“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:7-8)
You see, their first response was to feel condemnation. The response to feeling condemnation is to run away from God. Now fast forward to the Apostle Paul bold and amazing statement: “Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The next time you sin you can boldly declare the above verse. It isn’t a license to sin but rather and acknowledgment of His awesome, unfailing grace.
You see, Jesus died so that we would live a life free of condemnation. Do you think Jesus would shed His blood, save you from your sins, only to have you live a life being beat down by condemnation? No way! I will leave you with one more powerful verse.
“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)
What are you under? Sin and the condemnation that surely follows? Or grace where peace is the result? Come under the tent of His amazing grace and receieve life.
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Posted: March 21, 2022 by I am a VOICE Ministries Leave a Comment
Our Position in Christ – In Him We Have Redemption – Part 5
** These articles aim to help us to know who we are in Christ. The jumping point for our study is Ephesians 1, where Paul beautifully lays out the position of the believer in Christ. **
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Eph 1:7)
We have redemption. It is ours. But what exactly is redemption? In order to answer that question we must first understand the redemption of the Old Testament, where the word originates. When the church at Ephesus read the words “In Him we have redemption” their minds went straight to what they learned in the Old Testament.
The Hebrew root words used most often for the concept of redemption are pada, gaal and kapar.
Pada is a legal term concerning the substitution required for the person or animal delivered. The firstborn males or ritually clean animals were to be sacrificed, while the firstborn of unclean animals were “redeemed” (Exod 13:13 ; 34:20 ; Num 18:15-16).
Gaal is a legal term of deliverance. It can relate to a person, property, or right to which one had a previous claim through family relation or possession. Goel, the participle of gaal, is the term for the person who acted in the duties of a “redeemer.” It was usually the person’s next of kin who acted as the redeemer to buy back freedom that was lost. See Leviticus 25:47-49 for an example.
Kapar means to “cover.” It means to cover sin or atone. R. David Rightmire puts koper like this: The substantive koper (ransom) is of interest in that it signifies a price paid for a life that has become forfeit.” (Exod 21:30; 30:11-16)
Hebrews were well acquainted with God as Yahweh, Israel’s “Redeemer.” We see the key metaphor as God as Redeemer in Isaiah (41:14 ; 43:1 ; 44:6 ; 47:4). The Israelites, of course, knew God as the one who redeemed them from the bondage of Egypt. This redemption was further seen in God redeeming Israel from the bondage of Babylonian captivity.
The expectation of the Jews was that the coming Messiah would be the Redeemer of Israel. And indeed Jesus did come as a Redeemer, just not in the way they thought He would. Jesus did come as a Redeemer but His focus was on the souls of men and women.
“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)
Can you see Jesus in pada, gaal and kaper? Legally, (pada) Jesus became a substitute for us. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor 5:21)
In gaal we see Jesus as our next of kin brother who has stepped in as our Redeemer. “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.” (Romans 8:29)
Lastly, we Jesus as kaper in that He “covers” us. His blood has covered and atoned for our sins. When God covered Adam and Eve in the garden it was a foreshadow of what Jesus would do for us. Now we can walk without shame, knowing we are covered by the precious blood of Jesus.
Now, do you see the value in your personal redemption? Jesus came as your Redeemer to free you from the bondage of sin and to live a life of victory. Yes, in Him we have redemption. It is ours and it cannot be taken from us. Lastly, when thinking about redemption always remember you were redeemed because of the value God saw in you. He did not redeem us out of obligation but out of pure love. You were worth it when He did it and you are still worth it now.
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