Grace For Grace..

"We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor 6:1).

Grace must be a manifestation of the whole nature of God to man. It is ALL that God is, made available to affect ALL that man has become. It is divine resources placed at man's disposal; it is energy flowing into temporal creatures. Grace builds a bridge between time and eternity, and narrows the gap between heaven and earth. Grace enables the godless to become Godlike without losing their humanity. Without grace, man has no hope of God in this world or in the world to come.

God doesn't want to lead His people merely by codes and ethics, by rules and regulations , by limitations, by imposition of a hard and fast law, rule or command. Instead, God wants to lead His people with His presence, with that soft-spoken inner voice, and He wants a response of faith, not fear. He wants us to respond to the commander, not to a command. He is interested that we be recipients, not of law, per se, but of grace in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. From the moment Christ was revealed to men, they began to be the recipients of grace in a magnitude unheard of in the Old Testament, for Jesus is God's channel of grace; it flows from Him abundantly. Those who learn to come into fellowship with Him find themselves in a flow of grace that baffles explanation!

- Judson Cornwall, Let Us See Jesus, pp. 27-28

In The Fullness of Time..

“Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal 4:1-4)

The epistle to the Galatians is a mine of truth for the diligent student. In the above verses, much can be expounded upon. But as I was reading this the other day, pondering the many greatnesses that King Jesus possessed, walked in, and delivered to His people, the Holy Ghost spoke to my heart saying, "And I will have other sons too, in the fullness of time". Wow!

Before you shout me down, no, God will not birth another Jesus, for He alone is the sovereign God-Man; the Name above all names! Redemption has been purchased by His precious blood, and will never be removed, altered, or changed; it simply cannot be bettered. He has greatly finished His work (Jn 19:30), and sat down at the right hand of majesty (Heb 1:3; 4:14; 8:1). For this we are so very grateful! He alone will be eternally exalted!

What do I mean then? Well, Scripture tells us that we too are to become "the sons of God", made after the image, nature, character and likeness of the Firstborn Son, Jesus of Nazareth (2 Cor 3:18; Rom 13:14; Jn 17:16, 19, 22, 23, 26; Eph 4:24; Phil 3:21; 1 Jn 3:2; etc). John has said, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (Jn 1:12). And similarly, the apostle Paul has said, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Rom 8:29). Weymouth pus it this way: "Those whom He has foreknown He has also predestined to share the likeness of His Son, that He might be the eldest in a vast family of brothers; and those whom He has predestined He has also called; and those whom He has called He has also acquitted; and those whom He has acquitted He has also glorified" (Rom. 8:29, 30). How can Jesus be the Firstborn of many brethren if His people don't rightly follow in His footsteps, to their own crosses, as He did? Friends, as we have wholly born the image of the awful and earthly, so shall we also bear the image of the perfect and heavenly (1 Cor 15:49). Yet, so many Christians are hibernating, waiting for some ethereal "rapture", while the Father is waiting for the precious fruit of the earth, that is, the transfiguration of His sons, after the image of His Firstborn, Jesus! The Father is waiting (Jas 5:7), and the earth is waiting too (Rom 8:18-20), or "standing on tiptoes", as one translation puts it. At one time, we fell short of God's glory (Rom 3:23), but that is to change. Now, because of God's plenteous and manifold redemption, you and I have been called to obtain the glory of the Lord (2 Thess 2:14; 1 Pet 1:4-5; 5:10; Rev 3:21; etc), and to minister from that realm of greatness, after the order of Melchizedek (Heb 6:19-20)! What a bewildering and marvelous thought!

In The Fullness of Time..

YES - God will have another son - a company of sons, after the image and likeness of His glorious Firstborn. But when? Well, just as it was with Jesus, so shall it be with us. He was the great and sovereign Pattern (Heb 3:1; Phil 2:5); He was the Firstborn and Forerunner (Greek: "Podoromos"), setting the stage for us to follow in His ways and likeness. The disciple can never be above his Master. Therefore, these coming sons will likewise come forth in "the fulness of the time", even as it was with King Jesus (Gal 4:4). This word "fulness" in Greek is "pleroma", and references maritime operations. It is used to refer to a ship and it's occupants. A ship was only "pleroma" when all the rowers, materials, etc were in place, in the ship. Until then, it was docked, and could not depart. For Jesus, this time has come and gone. But for His sons, the time is yet to come. God still has many sons to reach, disciple, train and mature (Eph 2:19-22; Heb 6:1-3). The ship is not full; There are much more to come in! "Pleroma" comes from a root word that means "to cram; to satisfy". Before God will manifest this "son" to the earth, He wants it to be crammed full and "satisfied". He wants His remnant complete! Then, and only then, He will send the necessary rains for the final harvest (Jas 5:7; Joel 2).

Made of a Woman..

Just as King Jesus was "made of a woman", so shall his sons be as well. What was a natural truth for Him, however, is a spiritual truth for us, His sons (1 Cor 15:46). Jesus was born of Mary, but His sons will be born of the church. All throughout Scripture, we see the "woman" symbolically speaking of the church system. Revelation 12 actually depicts this birthing: "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne" (Rev 12:1-5). A few chapters prior, we see that the overcomers will also rule the nations "with a rod of iron" (Rev 2:26-27). Therefore, we can easily conclude that these "overcomers" and this "manchild" are one-in-the-same. The manchild is the remnant of God, coming out of the church, "made of a woman". The sons of God must come out of her! She may have birthed us, but she cannot bring us in. Just like in Jesus' day, the religious system is corrupted, tainted, and permeated with mixture. For Jesus, the Pharisees were actually His greatest enemy! The very ones who were supposed to be the representation of God, and His vehicle in the earth, were those who most hindered His move! The very ones who were supposed to shorten the schism between God and man actually ended up widening it, wanting to keep men bound! What a travesty! They wanted men to remain in their terrible and separated states! And friends, the same is so today. The manchild must come out! Out of mere traditions, out of the Babylonian religious, and lifeless "system" (2 Tim 3:5).

Made Under the Law?

Like Jesus, this son too will (in a certain sense) be "made under the law". Let me explain myself. Of course, we are not to be under legalistic bondage, that’s not what I mean.. Paul tells us to "stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Gal 5:1). But let’s ask the question, “Why was Jesus put under the Law?” It was so that He could perfectly fulfill the law and break His people out from under that awful yoke! Jesus was made under the bondage of the law SO THAT He could redeem those who were under the law! His death under Law was their freedom from it, as He became a curse for us: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree”. Just as Jesus’ death became life for His people, similarly, your and my death is the savor of life that others need, and that the whole earth is waiting for! Paul said that God “maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.” (2 Cor 2:14).

The sons that are coming are a people who have been subjected to every evil, every pain, every trial, and every temptation SO THAT they'll be able to become the overcoming vehicle God is after. Your trials and tribulations are not even for you! God, in His wisdom, has allowed you to be under bondage to that thing so that you can overcome it and possess your enemy, only to minister such victory to a lost and dying world! What an honor! “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 Jn 3:16).

And Why?

What is the purpose of such a wondrous manifestation? Simply said, redemption! This is God's eternal plan - to partner with His bride in the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:17-19). Jesus did all He did so “that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Likewise, the sons of God simply want to bear Him fruit! Jesus wants more sons! He wants to use you and I; He wants to use His sons to BIRTH MORE SONS! Jesus is to be the Firstborn of MANY brethren. This is why Jesus came "in the fulness of time, made of a woman, made under the law".. And this is likewise why He will birth sons in His image: to wholly complete His ministry in the earth, towards creation. The sons of God will minister the redemption they've become so acquainted with! One day we will fully know WHY we had to endure the things we do. One day, we’ll know WHY we had to die so much! Why we had to go so low! Why we had to decrease, and decrease, and decrease some more.. It’s because He wants you perfectly like Him (Jn 3:30)! He wants you to be JUST LIKE HE IS, sharing His very glory! He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, yet He opened not His mouth! He was perfectly obedient to the will of His father, just for the one brother or sister who needs ministry! And so it will be with the ministry of His sons!

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:17-18).

Dear reader, is Jesus worth all this trouble to our flesh? Is His plan and will worth your very life? The sons of God say YES! The remnant of God will do whatever it takes to give God more sons; to minister His redemption to an ignorant and wasting creation! They simply want to bear Him fruit, to make Him happy, to fill the ship, to cram the boat, to satisfy to the full! Is that your heart today?

Is Jesus worth such a costly sacrifice? My heart says YES!

I Have Been Crucified

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20).

There is so much of the natural that needs to go to the cross. This altar is the divine sanitation system, for fire is a great sanitizer, a never-failing disinfectant. This altar is not an educational system, it is a burning process. The answer to our flesh is not pampering, controlling, or hiding; the answer to all carnality is the fire of God's brazen altar - the cross of Jesus.

However, I guess that once I really know the altar is for worship as well as for burning, I should always approach the burning as a worshipper.

When our life is hid with Christ in God, the old shell that once hid that life is going to be burned. It is like the seed planted in the earth and warmed and moistened until germination starts. Does the seed cry, "Wait a minute; stop it; you're destroying me?" No, of course not. To come forth in the new, the old has to die. The only alternative would be to dig the seed out, dry it, and put a little sign next to it saying, "This is the seed of God". If we just leave it in the ground to go through the death process, we don't need a sign, for people will see the fruit that life has produced. That's one of the purposes of the cross - to break the hull, to kill the old, in order to release the life principle so we can be restored to the Father's eternal purposes.

(Judson Cornwall, Let Us Draw Near, pp. 61-62)