LIFE IN THE SON (Part IV)
Think seriously about this. It is mission critical that we make a
complete commitment to JESUS CHRIST, THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE and THE AUTHOR AND
FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. Because whoever gets THE SON…GETS
EVERYTHING!
Let’s review the pertinent scriptures:
I John 5:11-12
And this is the record…that GOD hath given to us eternal life, and this
life is in HIS SON. He that hath THE SON hath life; and he that hath not
the Son of God hath not life.
Ephesians 4:13-15
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in
love MAY GROW UP INTO HIM in
all things, which is the head, even CHRIST.
What is the status of the contemporary institutional church, contrasted
with those who fully embrace the world system? Consider this. Most
UN-believers are unfulfilled, i.e. they harbor lost and empty feelings because
they long for the Christ-Word to be poured into their souls. On the other
hand, many believers also seem to be unfulfilled. However, it is not an
empty feeling that results from being full of THE WORLD. Rather, it is a bloated feeling because we, who are
so full of THE WORD, somehow
fail to empty ourselves into those who do not profess Christ! We are
pregnant with purpose and destiny; but instead of giving birth, so many experience
seemingly endless gestation periods. To
wit, relatively few ‘spiritual babies’ are being birthed! That’s why BELIEVERS
can sometimes feel listless, or restless, or out-of-sorts.
Are you ready for this?
In the Garden of Eden, God came looking for Adam after his fall from grace
– not because God did not know where Adam was – but because ADAM desperately
needed to know where ADAM was! What is our current status? Today, a
significant number of men and women are LOST, both inside and outside the
church! When GOD cried out, “Adam, where art thou?” – He did not mean
which bush are you hiding behind? Quite the contrary. He
meant…there IS a PLACE BY ME that at one time you occupied…and now I am
painfully aware that you have departed
from MY PRESENCE. And only in My presence is fullness of
joy. Only at My right hand are pleasures forevermore! (Psalm 16:11)
After Satan launched the same temptations against THE SECOND ADAM, JESUS
CHRIST, the Bible says “he [Satan] departed for a season,” which simply means
he went away for a while, but came back. He would return – to
attempt again – to tempt again. He just won’t quit, will he?
Consider this: If Satan was bodacious enough to return and try again to tempt
JESUS CHRIST, don’t you think (after the fall), that he came again to Adam to
tempt him again and to solidify the STRONGHOLD over his life and family?
I can imagine the kind of deception that Satan must have tried to speak
into Adam’s ears after his fall from grace: “I told you God was lying! He said the DAY that you eat of the
tree you would die. You and Eve are lookin’ pretty good for ‘dead
folks!’
In a real sense, you and I were spiritually present at the scene of Adam’s
original sin. The Word declares, “And
you hath He quickened [made alive] who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
(Ephesians 2:1) For though we were not physically present in our fore-parents’
day, WE WERE ACTUALLY VERY MUCH ALIVE INSIDE OF THE FIRST ADAM. Indeed,
we were genealogically TRAPPED INSIDE FATHER ADAM; and as such, became
partakers of his fallen nature. That’s why the Bible says that MAN is
born IN sin…not born TO sin…but born IN sin! (Psalm 51:5) When God told Adam
“The day that you eat of the tree, you shall die,” God was simultaneously
speaking to ALL FUTURE GENERATIONS THAT WERE LOCKED INSIDE ADAM.
Yes, Adam, the day that you decided to eat of the tree…you were
spiritually dead…but THANKS BE TO GOD FOR THE CROSS OF CALVARY! Thanks be
to God for THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, without which there is no remission of sin!
(Matthew 26:28) Do you know what THE CROSS OF CALVARY signifies for us? JESUS CHRIST, THE ANOINTED ONE, freed
us forever from the curse that we were LIVING (and DYING) under. And
because of His shed substitutionary blood, we are now living, liberated, and
aligned with Christ, as eternal “PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE.” (II Peter
1:4) For “in Him we live, and move, and have our being.” (Acts
17:28) You and I are WINNER-BELIEVERS and our permanent victory is
assured!
Stay tuned…more to come tomorrow.
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