The Law...

[Following are a series of posts I placed on my Facebook page over a few days in November 2014. I pray that you will be blessed by these few thoughts]

10th November

‘This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.’ [Joshua 1: 8]

‘And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, “THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,” He then says, “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.” Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus…’ [Hebrews 10: 16 – 19]

I recently quoted this great passage from Hebrews 10 in one of my Facebook posts. I like to call this the terms of the New Covenant of Grace. If you want to draw a comparison you can read Exodus 20 where we see the terms of the Covenant of Law and you will see that the terms of the Law covenant are about what we will do, or not do; Law equals demand. 

But the terms of the New Covenant are all about what God will do; ‘I will put My law upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them.’

One thing that I often say to people is this; when you read your Bible you must make sure you read it with eyes of Grace. You must view scripture, this side of the cross, through the cross. Grace eyes are cross-shaped. Especially when reading the Old Testament you cannot read it without cross-shaped eyes, like the verse I quoted from Joshua 1, or it may confuse you. There are many, many verses that read entirely differently depending on the eyes we read them with. 

These verses are a good example primarily because they mention the word ‘law.’ Many people read them and believe that the law they refer to are the laws of the Covenant of Law and with them written on our hearts and minds that we are to apply our energy to keeping them. 

Not so. Law demands, Grace supplies.

So what laws are referred to here? 

Let me share something wonderful with you. The law God will put on your heart and mind are the law of Righteousness, the law of Liberty, the law of Faith and the law of Love. And then we are to meditate on them. In many of the religious systems they have a practice of chanting scripture. This may come from the fact that in the Jewish religion the Torah, the word of God, is spoken or muttered, not just ‘thought’ about and the word translated meditate in Joshua 1 : 8 actually means to speak or mutter. So we are to speak out the laws that God is writing on our hearts and on our minds. It is good to meditate in silence but better to speak out His word. Power is released, life comes, creation happens, the enemy trembles at the mention of His word. If you don’t know a verse to speak then just speak the name of Jesus, every knee bows to that name; His name is above every name [Philippians 2: 9 – 11]

I don’t have space to share my thoughts on the laws God is writing on our hearts and minds here so perhaps I will share on these over a few days as you rest in Jesus, your mediator of a new and better covenant.

To close today let me share something from the Passion translation of the Psalms.

‘But let them all be glad, those who turn aside to hide themselves in You. May they keep shouting for joy forever! Overshadow them in Your presence as they sing and rejoice, then every lover of Your name will burst forth with endless joy. Lord, how wonderfully you bless the righteous. Your favour wraps around each one and covers them under Your canopy of kindness and joy.’ [Psalms 5: 11 – 12]

It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]

Have a great day.

11^th November

'...I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MINDS I WILL WRITE THEM...' [Hebrews 10: 16]

What laws?

Firstly, they cannot be the law of the covenant of Law. The Bible identifies this Law as the 'tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor’ [Galatians 3: 24 - 25]. The Bible also says that this covenant of Law is 'obsolete' [Hebrews 8: 13] and the requirement of it has been fulfilled to the letter in us because God sent 'His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as an offering for sin' [Romans 8: 3 - 4]. Jesus Himself said that He 'did not come to abolish but to fulfill' [Matthew 5: 17]. He did not abolish it but, rather, He fulfilled every jot of its requirement on our behalf and as we accept Him in faith then we are released into the newness of the Spirit-life having 'died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter' [Romans 7: 6]

So it can't be that Law! So, then, what laws will God 'write' on our hearts and minds?

The first, I believe, is the law of righteousness. I have spoken much on this in recent days. It is important to receive as it is the bottom-line, the foundation stone of the covenant of Grace. The New Covenant of Grace in Christ has its basis in the 'term' that God, righteous, holy God, declares that 'AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE' [Hebrews 10: 17].

The 'law' God wants to write on your heart and mind is the truth that ALL that separated you from Him has been dealt with in full in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is by believing and receiving this truth in your heart that you can speak with authority the declaration of freedom and blessing, "I am the righteousness of God in Christ" [2 Corinthians 5: 21]. Declare it now!

'What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone...' [Romans 9: 30 - 32].

Today, don't stumble, walk in the sunshine of the blessing of the covenant that Jesus established on your behalf. Receive by faith, just believe, His righteousness and be free in the newness of Life, Holy Spirit Life found only in JESUS. God wants this written indelibly on your heart and mind. He will do it. Will you receive it?

It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]

Have a great day.

12^th November

'This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night...for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.' [Joshua 1: 8]

'Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.' [Mark 11: 23]

God is good. You know I am proof that if we position ourselves to listen He will speak to anyone, even me! I want to encourage you with that!

We are considering the laws God writes on our hearts and minds under the New Covenant of Grace [Hebrews 10: 16]. I will return to the laws of Grace, I promise and yesterday we briefly considered the 'Law of Righteousness.'

This morning I just 'feel' to share this with you.

Yesterday I spent the day considering why God would put His laws on our hearts AND write them on our minds and He showed me something. We already saw a few days ago that the word 'meditate' in Joshua 1: 8 means to mutter or speak and then God shows me another verse I have read many times in Mark 11: 23 where Jesus is encouraging us to believe and to speak to the mountains and they will be cast into the sea. Notice 'believing' is a one-time thing but 'saying' it is more than once. And then the Lord reminds me of another verse that I love from Romans (take out your Bible and read that great gospel verse, Romans 10: 9) but my thoughts went to the following verse 10 where it says that 'with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.' What are we to confess resulting in salvation? Well, according to verse 9, that 'JESUS IS LORD!'

What does it all mean, Lord?

He writes His laws of Grace on our hearts and minds because He wants us not only to believe in our heart but to speak out His word with our mouth, constantly! We believe once, we speak more and the mountains move! We believe that Jesus is alive, that He is our righteousness and this results in our righteousness (We are the righteousness of God in Christ [2 Corinthians 5: 21]) and we confess that He is Lord (JESUS IS LORD) resulting in salvation, every day, every time, in every circumstance. As I shared yesterday if you shout your own name (as wonderful and as important as your name is) the earth does not tremble nor the enemy bow down but if you shout the name JESUS every knee bows, in heaven, on earth, under the earth and God is glorified! [Philippians 2: 9 - 11]

Wow! So much to say, so little space!

I trust you understand what I am trying to say. God writes His laws of Grace on our hearts and minds because He wants us to believe (our hearts) and confess His truth (our minds) and then the mountains tumble, and our way is prosperous and we have good success. Awesome, hey?

Next time, the law of liberty.

It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]

Have a great day.

13^th November

'...I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MINDS I WILL WRITE THEM...' [Hebrews 10: 16]

God says He will put His laws upon our hearts and He will write them on our minds…laws to believe, receive and declare. As we have seen these are laws that are to be believed, received and declared as they are put in our hearts and written on our minds. It follows then that the laws of Grace are for believing, receiving and declaring…not doing!

 But what laws? These cannot be the laws of the old covenant of law as we have already discussed so what laws are they?

Two days ago we talked of the ‘Law of Righteousness.’  I won’t repeat what I shared but perhaps just summarise this law in this way – ‘Jesus says, I am your Righteousness; in Me you declare ‘I am the righteousness of God in Christ’ and ‘blessings are on the head of the righteous’ [Proverbs 10: 6].’

This morning we consider the Law of Liberty.

‘But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.’ [James 1: 25]

The book of James is probably one of the most misunderstood of all the New Testament but that’s a post for another day. Many read it with law eyes and misinterpret it, believing it speaks of doing, doing, doing.

What is the perfect law of liberty?

The Bible says this in 2 Corinthians 3: 17 that ‘the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’ We have shared at length in the past thoughts on the purpose and work of the Holy Spirit. In John 16 Jesus Himself declares the ‘job description’ of the Holy Spirit sent to indwell us when we believe with the purpose to ‘guide you into all the truth’ by taking of Jesus, who receives all from the Father, and disclosing it to you [John 16: 13 – 15]. The Law of Liberty is to receive the Spirit. Having received Him, there is liberty. In Galatians 2 we see believers being compelled to be circumcised, to re-embrace law, but Paul says it was ‘because of false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage [Galatians 2: 4].’ As Paul says, ‘…we did not yield.’ Neither should we!

Beloved, the doing of James is to look intently and abide by the perfect law of liberty. Do not be drawn in to doing in our own strength but rather believe, receive and declare the Law of Liberty, the truth of the indwelling Christ. Can you grasp the wonder of this truth? The believer is indwelt with the Spirit of Christ and as Colossians 1: 27 says it is ‘Christ in you’ that is your ‘hope of glory.’ If we receive this truth how can our lives not step into the realm of glory? When we believe and receive the Law of Liberty then we believe and receive the revelation that He freely discloses to us of the wonder and beauty and majesty and glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, and we declare His wonders, declare His beauty, declare His majesty and declare His glory. This is the supreme place of our purpose, to glorify His name.

The Laws of Grace.

Law of Righteousness – you are righteous in Christ, not in your own works, but in His finished work alone. Declare it; the enemy hates it when you do but God loves to hear it because by it He is glorified, which is His rightful place!

Law of Liberty – you are indwelt with the filling to overflowing Holy Spirit, Jesus freely sent Him to you so that you might receive revelation of Himself. Declare His wonder; the enemy hates it when you do but God loves to hear it because by it He is glorified, which is His rightful place!

Next time, the law of faith.

It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]

Have a great day.

14^th November

'...I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MINDS I WILL WRITE THEM...' [Hebrews 10: 16]

We are sharing about the laws God wants to put on our hearts and write on our minds. We have discussed the Law of Righteousness and the Law of Liberty; perhaps if you would like you can look back on my Facebook page to see my thoughts on these. (Can I just say that I only have space to share a little; my hope is that these will encourage you to look and seek and receive for yourself and that my thoughts will be an encouragement for you to do that. God is good; He speaks to us all.)

We have considered very briefly the Laws of Righteousness and Liberty and this morning we think on the Law of Faith.

‘Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.’ [Romans 3: 27]

Romans 3 speaks of our justification. It establishes early that our justification is ‘apart from the Law’ [Romans 3: 21] and so it has nothing to do with our works. It then clearly declares that we who believe are ‘justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith’ [Romans 3: 24 – 25].

Then it asks, ‘Where then is boasting? In works? No way! By the law of faith.’

What then does this law require? The Grace Law of Faith, put on our hearts and written on our minds, requires that we believe and receive the completeness, the finished work of Jesus and abandon completely any notion that we contribute by our law keeping. The Law of the Old Testament Covenant of Law are not nullified by faith, rather, in Jesus every letter of the Law was established, on our behalf, perfectly and completely in the person of Jesus [Romans 3: 31].

What then are we to declare? In what are we to boast? In the truth that we are what we are completely because of Jesus, no input from us, and that He, our Lord, is EVERYTHING!

(Are you relishing in the freedom of the Laws of Grace? Can you declare of a truth that ‘it was for freedom that Christ set us free’ and never, never, never again will we be ‘subject again to a yoke of slavery?’ [Galatians 5: 1] I pray that you are!)

Next time, the mountain top, the law of love.

It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]

Have a great day.

15^th November

'...I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MINDS I WILL WRITE THEM...' [Hebrews 10: 16]
For a few days we have been sharing on the laws God wants to put on our hearts and write on our minds. We have discussed the Law of Righteousness, the Law of Liberty and the Law of Faith; perhaps if you would like you can look back on my Facebook page to see my thoughts on these.
This morning we think on the Law of Love.
‘And He (that is, Jesus) said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’” [Matthew 22: 37 – 39]
In my posts and blog I have shared many times that this Law, which comes directly from Torah, a direct quote from the Ten Commandments, no longer applies to us this side of the cross of Jesus. I stand completely by that statement on the basis that of all scripture these verses are read and misinterpreted by precious people when read with law eyes…you MUST read this commandment with grace eyes, looking perfectly through the cross of Jesus. If you don’t you risk missing the mountain top of the Grace Laws God is putting on your heart and writing on your mind. You must…please ask now that the Holy Spirit, the discloser of Jesus, will open grace eyes in you to see the most wonderful, beautiful truth on which rests all the wonder and glory of God.
Many people when reading these verses burden themselves with the perception that it is commanding us to love God more. When people say that to me I cannot help but ask them, “How is that going for you?” If we have a desire to love God more there is only one way, receive more of His love. If we have a desire to love others more there is only one way, receive more of His love. We cannot generate love ourselves, that is the requirement of law. It isn’t wrong, just unattainable. But what is attainable is to receive His love because He has already declared it and it is freely given in the person of Jesus, and then we can love, because He first loved us. It is the only way, because He is the only Way! You see, I believe, that these words from the mouth of Jesus must be seasoned with all that HE is; He is Grace, and we need to see not a requirement on us but we must see His blessing upon us. I trust the Holy Spirit will show this to you.
This may be the most important post I ever write…maybe having written it I will stop and release you from my daily journal…but, seriously, this is the single most important truth we will ever receive; this is the mountain top of truth.
Where do I start?
‘God is Love’ [1 John 4: 8]. Not just God loves; He IS Love!
‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life’ [John 3: 16}…You want proof of God’s love? Look at Jesus. He is the ‘radiance of God’s glory’ [Hebrews 1: 3].
What does this mean for you and me? 
I am the favoured child of God; God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, supreme being, majesty of all majesty, wonder of all wonder, the great, complete, King of all kings and Lord of all lords He, GOD, is my Father! Did you get it?
HE IS OUR FATHER! Abba Father. Dad. Daddy. Your Father! I am His favoured child! You are too! 
(I could write forever!)
What does this Law of Grace require of you? Believe and receive His love for you. Believe and receive JESUS.
What is your declaration? I am His favoured child!
‘What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Please read on in Romans 8: 33 – 34) Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ [Romans 8: 31 – 39]
Ephesians 3: 14 – 21
It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]
Have a great day

16^th November

‘…God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.’ [Acts 3: 26]

This is amazing! This is grace defined. God raised up Jesus and sent Him to bless you. When you turn you turn to blessing. We know the truth of the return of Jesus for His church but we sometimes wonder when that will be.  In this preaching by Peter in Acts 3 we see a wonderful indication. In verse 19 Peter says that we are to ‘repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away…’ This speaks of our worth…we are the righteousness of God in Christ. But Peter goes on, ‘…in order that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.’ This is the blessing that comes from believing. This is the receiving of grace. But there is more yet. Peter goes on to say, ‘Jesus, the appointed One…whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things…[Acts 3: 21]. Many will say that Jesus must come soon. They base this on prophecy surrounding the state of the world in the last days. But there is a better indication of the return of Jesus than this, one we can embrace by stepping into grace, discarding law and its requirement, and embracing Jesus our Grace.

Beloved, the enemy has stolen from us and we have the right to expect the restoration of all things. It is certain in the person and work of Jesus Christ…God sent Him to bless you! And what a blessing! In Zechariah 9: 12, the prophet declares, ‘Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you’ [Zechariah 9: 12]. We have the HOPE, His name is JESUS!

Oh what a blessing! In Jesus we have the right to claim the restoration of all things but not just restoration. His work, finished at Calvary, restores double to us. Will we claim our right?  And then we read the story of Job and in Job 42 we read ‘The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.' [Job 42: 10] Consider this; if the restoration of Job under the covenant of Law was twofold how much more is our restoration under the new covenant of Grace in the finished work of Jesus?

‘Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. (You need to read Ephesians 3: 16 – 19 to see the ‘this’.) He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for His miraculous power constantly energises you.’ [Ephesians 3: 20 – Passion translation]

Embrace the truth.

Jesus is Grace.

Law can’t help because we can’t do it.

The Way is a way of grace, we must believe and receive.

 It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]

Have a great day.

17^th November

‘But we have this treasure in earthen vessels…’ [2 Corinthians 4: 7]

Restoration, transformation, change, breakthrough; we all desire it.

Often people say to me, “I need to love God more.” Or they look at a verse like John 14: 15, Jesus speaking, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” but they look with law eyes and they see commandment but don’t see the Love. The Love is what we need to see. I often say to people when you read your Bible you must look for one thing, Jesus, it’s all about Him, there is nothing else, He is everything. I talk about much about the great conundrum of law and grace and people get frustrated with me. It is the subject of much of the epistles of Paul. It is the great challenge that the Jesus people, those that believe in Jesus, face. Law is not wrong but when it becomes the means of restoration, transformation and breakthrough then it becomes bondage. This is truth. The enemy wants you to stay in that place of applying Law because he knows that is a place of bondage and he is ‘in’ to your bondage. He likes to steal, kill and destroy [John 10: 10].  He doesn’t want you to know freedom because freedom is in Christ. You may believe in Jesus and there is nothing he can do about that but he can still keep you from receiving Jesus and so you remain without the freedom of Christ. What, then, is the key?

A few days ago I was talking about the great mountain top law of the New Covenant of Grace – the Law of Love. I said that if you feel that you need to love God more then there is only one Way, you must receive more of God’s love for you. It is eminently simple – who is the expression of God’s love? It is Jesus! There is no other way. You can’t work your way into loving God more – that is the Law way. Transformation from the outside in; it will not work. You may see temporary short-term change but it will not last. I know, I’ve tried.

We are all earthen by nature. The fall-out of this is we do ‘earthen’ things. When we do earthen things we get disappointed. Our earthen reaction is to apply more Law. We say to God, “Lord, help me with this…” On the face of it that isn’t a bad prayer but it is a self, law based prayer. Today, we can look with grace eyes and see the most wonderful thing!

GRACE. JESUS.

He is treasure; He is THE TREASURE and He is in earthen vessels – You and Me. He is the ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’ of Colossians 1: 27. This is the most wonderful key. It is glorious beyond description. I said we all want restoration, transformation and breakthrough. This is it. See Jesus in you.  When we do an earthen thing then our prayer becomes, “Thank You Lord, You are in me, and you are my …love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – put in what you need to put in, put in Jesus, He is EVERYTHING – and wonder of all wonders He is in you.

See Him. This is having an unveiled face, seeing not law but seeing the glory of the Lord, JESUS, and seeing Him the Bible declares you will be transformed into the same image from glory to glory, from the Lord, the Spirit [2 Corinthians 3: 18]. The Spirit, He is ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ The Spirit’s job is to disclose Jesus and the disclosing brings Jesus, and Jesus is restoration, transformation and breakthrough. Treasure in earthen vessels; Christ in you, the hope of glory. This is immense. This is wonderful.

It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]

Have a great day.

What is God looking at?...

" And you shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. And you shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I shall give you. And there I will meet with you..." [Exodus 25: 18 - 22]

 'But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying.' [John 20: 11 - 12]

The Ark of the Covenant was a golden box. 

It had three things inside; a golden jar containing manna, Aaron's rod that budded and the tablets of stone on which God had written the Law [Hebrews 9: 4 - 5]. These three things represent man's rejection of God; the manna representing man's rejection of God's provision, Aaron's rod representing man's rejection of God's leadership and the stone tablets representing man's rejection of God's standard. Man's sin was in the box. 

Over the box was the mercy seat and looking down on the mercy seat, two cherubim. The Ark and the Mercy Seat sat in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle of the Old Testament. Once a year the high priest would enter with the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat, seven times.

Please take the time to read Hebrews 9.

It all points to Jesus. The number seven represents the perfection of the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus has gone in, once for all, to the tabernacle not made with hands, into the Holy of Holies not without blood, He took His own shed blood and His offering was accepted in full for our right standing before a holy God.

So the question is this...when God looks at you, the believer in Jesus, what does He see? The answer lies in the cherubim. What did the cherubim see?

They see the blood! The cherubim symbolise the eyes of God. 

What does God see? He sees THE BLOOD!

Beloved, this is most important. 

God looks on you and He does not see your lack of worth He sees the infinite value of the blood of Jesus, His Son, shed for you. He sees you righteous in Christ. To believe anything less is de-valuing the blood of Jesus. And more than that the Bible says that 'blessings are on the head of the righteous' [Proverbs 10: 6].

My breakthrough is not based in me; it is based in my Saviour.

'I will sing my song of joy to you, the Most High...My enemies say that I have no Saviour, but I know that I have one in You!' [Psalms 13: 6 - Passion translation]

His blood covers my exclusion and God looks on me and sees the blood and says, "Righteous, Loved, Blessed, Whole, Perfect, Well, Healthy, Prosperous, Saved."

The 'D' Word...

Disappointment!

We bury stuff in ourselves. We bury it so deep no-one and nothing can get to it; not even God.

We often make a big deal out of the fact that we have choice. God has given us choice, that's essentially what separates us from the animals, I guess, it is true to say. We have a choice. The ultimate choice we have is what we do with God Himself. Because God is God and because our common father made a choice to reject God the result is we are unable to approach and so God, because He loves us, made a way of approach. Jesus. He is our way of approach to God. He is also our ultimate choice. The greatest decision of choice you will ever make will be what you decide to do about Jesus. You cannot be passive in your decision on Jesus. To ignore is to reject. I'm sorry to tell you but you all will make a decision, a choice.

I believe in Jesus. It is my choice. I do not force it on you. That's your choice.

Disappointment. With regard to disappointment our gift of choice means we can bury it deep. I have buried my disappointment deep. My disappointment is closely aligned with my worth. My worth lies deep in my receiving of the truth of God's love...for me. I preach about it, I describe it as the mountain top of Grace and I encourage you, the reader, to receive it. I preach to myself. Isn't that often the way? The very thing God puts on us is the very thing we need to hear. I guess that is the nature of the personal father love He has for us.

But sometimes it is brought to the surface.

I used to drink. A lot. I am an alcoholic. Not one of those sleeping in a bus shelter alcoholics but a far more sinister type. One that sits in the comfort of a respectable life and veils their disappointment with excessive quantities of alcohol. I used alcohol to veil my disappointment.

What am I disappointed in? Myself.

As I said sometimes these things come from the deep place we hide them and rise to the surface and bang! They slap you in the face.
Why am I telling you this? Because I need to talk to someone today about Jesus. Only an hour ago I said that to my wife. I need to tell someone and if you're reading this then you are the one.
A few years ago I attended a family do. There were cousins there who I hadn't seen forever and, as is normal, we were discussing our lives and all that had happened since forever. I was asked about me and, frankly, I didn't have much to say. You see there are two parts to my life and they struggle to cross over in any way. There is my life of earthly accomplishment and there is my life of what God has done. I said a little of the latter when in fact there is a lot to say but I didn't feel that I could give lots of detail as the audience maybe could not understand, and I said a little of the former, mainly because there isn't anything to say. Anyway I was struggling a little to say a lot when, from across the table, a member of my immediate family pipes up and says, "What Graeme is trying to say is that he has amounted to absolutely nothing."

BANG!

I can sense you are shocked but put that aside. That's what I need to do anyway!

Disappointment. I am hoping this might be helping someone and I am hoping, and trusting, that God is going to do a miraculous thing in me. Breakthrough.

I could go into a great analysis into what has contributed to my disappointment. No point! I could tell you about how I, in the natural, have achieved nothing. It is true. I have achieved nothing. My family member was correct. But I do have a choice about whether I allow that big 'D' to be a millstone that hangs around my neck. It affects my whole life. I could recount how but again, no point!

I could go on and then try and paint a new picture of the other part of my life and show you what God has done but, while that is wonderful, here, right now, there is no point in that either.
The fact is the two sides of my life have to come together. They have to align. Having brought the disappointment to the surface I have to allow God to deal with it.
My great, vast and deep disappointment has to be swallowed up into the truth of God's grace. His favour has to swallow it up. His favour says I am His favoured child. His favour says that He has a plan for me. His favour says that He will be gloried in me. His favour says that the yoke will be broken because of fatness.

These are truths that have been spoken over me. Why do I not see the fruit of these words? What stops me receiving? The 'D' word. My life breeds disappointment and it brings death to my worth. I don't believe I'm worth it.

I've said it.

It's now time to speak truth. This isn't a post to tell you that breakthrough has come. I wish it was but it isn't. At least it doesn't feel like that sitting here right now although maybe, just maybe, this is a step. I was reading a devotion, only a day ago, and one little phrase stuck out. Truth.

'God...called me through His grace...' [Galatians 1: 15]

My calling, that is my purpose, my life has nothing to do with my qualifications, my abilities, my achievements, or my lack of these things.
My calling is 'through His grace.'
What does His grace say?
I am highly favoured.
The Lord is with you, you are a successful man.
The temporal is not your reality, the spiritual is your reality. That is, what they say in the earthly doesn't count; the only thing that counts is what I say, God says.

My life is not shrouded in the veil of disappointment, my life is illuminated by His grace.

His grace says I am worthy. His grace says I am loved.
Disappointment says you deserve nothing...HIS LOVE SAYS I DESERVE EVERYTHING!
And He died to give it to me.

Choice. I can choose to bury my disappointment or I can choose to shine the light of His grace on it. His light is shining. Jesus is the Light of the world.
His light says I am worthy of His blessing. I have NOT amounted to absolutely nothing...I have amounted to HIS GRACE. My worth in His grace is valuable, precious, worthy, righteous, loved, blessed.

You too.

Good?...Really?...

This is my blog so I guess I can say what I want! In a way I guess this is a bit like a journal, a journal that I subject you to...but then again you don't have to read it I guess! Anyway this week has been a difficult but important week...

Thursday 16th October.

Last night a friend of mine told me he had been reading about the experience of Peter in Acts 10. You remember how Peter was on the housetop and he was hungry and he falls into a trance and he sees a sheet coming down from heaven, full of animals, and God says to him, "Get up, kill, eat" and he responds that he can't because the animals are unclean to which God responds that what He has cleaned is not to be considered unclean. You know the story?
Anyway my friend asks me a question.
This is the question...
"Why didn't God just tell Peter what He wanted him to do? Why not just tell him?"
Great question!
My answer was a stumbling, bumbling one...
"Because God wanted Peter to receive a revelation of who God is."
Hmmm! Totally unsatisfactory answer!
Then we sit down to pray and someone thanks God for His goodness...and I think...'God is good...really?' Now before you jump up and run off and report me to the Heretic Council please let me tell you that I definitely believe that God is good, and that it is perfectly acceptable and desirable to pray thanking Him for His goodness!

I have a problem. It is big. I need breakthrough. The Lord has said through more people than I can enumerate that the breakthrough is coming. Dates have been given and those dates have come and gone. The fact is this; I can't deal with this problem. This problem is totally beyond me...and I mean, TOTALLY beyond me. Only this morning I have said to God that I can't do this. There is only one avenue of relief open to me, I need a miracle. That's all!

This problem has been before me for a long time but lately it is all coming to a head. It is immense. The provision of God has also been before me for a long time through words of scripture, words of knowledge, pictures, visions, prophecies that have been delivered to me from almost all points of the globe.
And then my friend asks his question.

Let me tell you of my last few days...

Its start was actually some years ago. I make a decision to receive grace...Grace. This may sound strange to you, stupid, in fact, but the fact is until you are presented with truth, and truth is grace, then you will think me stupid. Plenty of people know Jesus but many don't know Grace. Sorry! It's a fact.
But I made a decision to receive Grace. Not just grace but Grace, Radical Grace. That's where this began.

Since that time God has blessed me with all the words of encouragement that I alluded to above and strangely, in a way, these have all added to my problem. The bottom line of all these things is that I believe that God is good and He is my God of breakthrough, and that He has broken through over me...the problem being that this breakthrough hasn't materialised (yet) in the physical.
I believe it is finished in the spiritual in the finished work of Jesus (that is Grace) but it has yet to be fulfilled physically.

Now I need the breakthrough. I'm not planning to tell you the details. If you want to know, or if you feel that God is speaking to you that you are the answer, or an answer, to that breakthrough then you ask Him. The Holy Spirit will tell you and then it is up to you what you do with that!

So I have been waiting. Word upon word has come to me. Even dates have been given to me as the day of breakthrough, dates that are described as new beginning days and still nothing. This has been going on and on for a long time.

Now I'm not superman. I don't have a big 'S' on the front of my shirt and I don't wear my underpants on the outside of my trousers! Faced with a mounting problem, faced with a mountain of prophetic word and faced with a conviction that my God is good and is my breakthrough that seems to have no result I get to a point where I think that I must have got it all wrong and the thought trickles into my mind, 'GIVE UP.'

So that's where I got to a few days ago. Give up.

I'm just going to then share with you, the reader, what has happened since. You can think about it and if you have any revelation then please share it with me. You can share that privately if you want, it's up to you. I'm not looking for wise words, I don't need to be told that my strategy is wrong or that I need some planning or that without these things my call is illegitimate. I am looking for revelation. Revelation is the domain of the Holy Spirit. That is all that interests me.

You know one of the things that you may know about me, particularly if you follow me on Facebook is that I like to write. Every morning I get up early, I spend some time meditating and praying, I think about the Word and I write down my thoughts. My meditation might be prompted by a devotion, or by a scripture I have been thinking about, or by something I saw or heard and I write about it. My writing is mainly for me because I like doing it and if you are blessed in some way by it then I am thankful for that bonus blessing for you. One thing that has been shared with me in the past was that God will use what I say and what I write as a means of my breakthrough...so I suppose I am just exercising that word. (While I think of that I am immediately reminded that God also said that, 'the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want...'...just a thought!)
Anyway the thought is 'give up' so I decide not to write anymore. I stop...at least for a few days.

This is a storm. The waves are monstrous, the wind is howling...my little boat is being tossed too and fro. I'm like the disciples...I'm standing over Jesus who appears to be sleeping and I'm saying, "Jesus! Don't you care that I'm perishing? DON'T YOU CARE THAT I'M PERISHING, JESUS?"

My brother writes to me saying that he 'needs to hear from me.' I hadn't spoken with him for a few days. I say to him, 'My brother, I do not know what to say. No breakthrough comes...(I have deleted a bit here)...I am sorry my brother but I do not know what to say. He answers me, 'I know you go though a big storm. I receive His love for you.'
Then, later, he says, 'I feel so sad for you. How much more our heavenly Father feeling, thinking, passioning for you my brother!'
And, still later, he asks me a question, 'Do you see this is the way of your breakthrough?'
Do I see? Not quite.
Then my brother says, 'All people want to get their breakthrough but they do not believe this is the road (wilderness) of their breakthrough. God is leading WTL through fire because He loves us very much, so He patient (hurts) to see us go through the hard time, but He wants us to get to the fountain of water!'
I'm slow. I answer, 'Yes, my brother. It is so hard. I speak Grace and I write Grace but I see no breakthrough just trial and difficulty. I am sorry my brother. I don't know what to say to you.'
He answers, 'You write and speak Grace but you need to experience Grace. Why Mary from Bethany did not go to the tomb to anoint His body?  Because she experience about her brother raised from the dead. I believe Jesus believe for your financial freedom breakthrough that He come and die for you. When will it happen? It is when you get revelation about Him on financial freedom breakthrough. This is what I believe.'

I had also shared with my brother about a problem I have been having for months with my right shoulder. Finally I had been to the doctor to reveal a tear in the tendon and inflammation. My brother asks me how my shoulder is and I say, 'My arm cannot do as it used to do. I need my Right Arm.' To which my brother replies, 'I remember Jesus healed a man that his right arm withered. It means God wants to heal our prosperity because we use our right arm to earn money. The enemy does not want you to prosper, but God will turn bad to good for you because He loves you. I believe your miracle going to take place soon. Do you get His revelation about it yet?'

So this is the conversation that has followed my decision of last weekend to write no more, which is a response to the thought, 'give up.'

Now the title of this blog is 'Good?...Really?...'

Sometime, maybe Monday, I say to God I need to hear something. 'Don't you know that I'm perishing here? Don't you care? Jesus! Why are you sleeping? JESUS!'
I have a little devotion I use. I use more than one but this particular one I open it up and this is what it says...

This is Monday.
Christ is our mercy seat and this is the meeting place with God...the mercy seat.. I have been banging on for months about entering the Holy Place, the meeting place with God, as typified by the tabernacle of the Old Testament. It is here we find the mercy seat. I don't want to turn this into a great teaching session, you can read my thoughts about this by looking at my Facebook page, or reading previous posts on this blog. The point is having asked God for something the first thing He gives me is the mercy seat. I probably don't need to remind you that Hebrews 4: 16 encourages us to 'draw near, approach boldly, the throne of grace where we will receive mercy and find grace in time of need.' I think there is a lot in the fact that we 'receive mercy' and 'find grace.' We approach and mercy is ours...everyone who approaches gets mercy, praise God for that! But we have to find grace. Oh, it is just as freely available as mercy but we have to 'find' it. Maybe that's a thought for another post!
So God's first response is to direct me back to where He has brought me already but in my haziness I had missed the point. Do I still miss the point? Probably.

Tuesday.
The scripture today is this. 'The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses...' [Deuteronomy 28: 8] Remember my right shoulder? I agree with my brother that the enemy does not want our prosperity and this problem shows that the Lord will breakthrough with His good. I also believe the Lord is saying to my dull revelation that my breakthrough isn't based in my right arm...it is based in my Right Arm! It is based in the Lord's commandment. And not only that the blessing will be commanded by the Lord in my storehouses...existing storehouses. I'm not required to pull down my barns and build greater, in fact that is discouraged,  He will command blessings on my storehouses...my bank account might look bleak but His command will change all that! Why will He do this? Why will He command this? Because we obey His commandment! What is His commandment to me? To believe. To believe in what? To believe in Jesus, the expression of the love of God. 'God SO LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son...[John 3: 16]

Wednesday.
Today it says this. 'A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; wherever he turns, he prospers.' [Proverbs 17: 8] This one perplexed me and even now I'm still thinking about it. The devotion is saying that we all have 'gifts' and when we combine our gift with His wisdom then 'wherever (we) turn, (we) prosper.' The problem is I don't see much gift when I look at me! The other thing that stumbled me was this; another version puts this verse like this, 'A bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner; when he turns, he prospers.' Seems a bit different to me! A bribe is something that is illegal and that gets us something we perhaps don't deserve. But I guess that is the point isn't it? I look at me and I see no real gift. I don't deserve it but does that mean I don't have it. In Christ everything I have and am I didn't deserve. I deserved what He got, so I really can't say I don't deserve it because He gave His unassailable life to give it to me. His love did that. I need to receive the fact that He loves me. (Am I making sense?)...I hear my brother's question...'Do you see this is the way of your breakthrough?'

Thursday. This is today.
'He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.' Jesus is alive. The mercy seat of the Old Testament tabernacle with its glorious golden purity, and its position over the ark of the covenant which contained the testimony, and its cherubim points to the burial place of Jesus. But the fact is that when we get to see the burial place, with its cherubim, one at the head and the other at the foot they aren't there to watch over His body, they are there to herald His Life. That doesn't mean this is no longer the mercy seat, it still is, but it has taken on a infinitely greater significance in that Jesus has risen. He is alive!!!!!!!! And His living is for a purpose...to make intercession. and His intercession is for a purpose...to save to the uttermost!!! He wants to save me to the uttermost! Why? Because He is alive. Why is He alive? Because He died. Why did He die? To bring me to restoration. What is my restoration? Double what sin gave away. Why? Because He loves me.
HE LOVES ME.

This isn't finished yet. Can't wait to see what tomorrow says. (Written 16th October, 2104)

Friday.
So I wake at 4.45 AM anticipating what the Lord may say to me today. I asked for His encouragement and He does not disappoint. He is a good God.
The devotional this morning gives the scripture from 2 Corinthians 3: 18. This is an oft quoted scripture but, sadly, when quoted it is taken in isolation and so its interpretation, sometimes, does not fit with its context. The passage is about Law and Grace, it is so clear, and so the veil is undoubtedly the veil of the Law. The devotion speaks of us beholding not ourselves, which is what we see if we look in a mirror, but rather Christ in us. The point made is that is we 'see' Him then we will see He is not sick, which we may be, and not poor, which we may be and as we look if we see Him then transformation will take place. It is impossible that it will not. As we behold His glory we will be transformed by the revelatory work of the Holy Spirit. The truth is Colossians 1: 27, '...Christ in us, the hope of glory.'
But as I meditate on these things the Lord takes me to Zechariah 4. It is important that I quote it.

'Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and roused me, as a man who is awakened from his sleep. He said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it; also with two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side." Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, "What are these, my lord?" So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." Then He said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts. 'What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"" Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel -- these are the eyes of the Lord which range to and fro throughout the earth." Then I said to him, "What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?" And I answered the second time and said to him, "What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?" So he answered me, saying, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "These are the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth."' [Zechariah 4: 1 - 14]

Its a long passage I know, making this a long post...but I don't really care! The Lord speaks and He says to me, "I have called you to be Zerubbabel, You will speak 'Grace, grace to it' and the the top stone, the keystone will come forth. With the top stone removed the mountain that stands before you will become a plain. The foundation you have laid you will complete. The beginning may appear to be small but do not despise it. I am glad when I see the plumb line of My Word in your hand. My eyes are on on you.I am in your midst."

Then the Lord shows me the logo of WTL, two logos, two trees and He says to me, "These are my olive trees, one on either side of my lampstand, near to the the golden pipes that empty the golden oil. You are right near to My Spirit who is releasing His golden oil of anointing upon you, to guide you and lead you; not by your might or power, but by MY Spirit. The anointed ones are your brother, Samnang, and you, set apart by me to stand by the Lord of the whole earth." These are His words to me this day! Hallelujah! What can I say? I have nothing to say to this!
And then I open Facebook and there is a post...I share it with you.

The post said this, 

'If you've been feeling short-changed in life, investing more than you get back, sowing more than you reap, faithful to people who are not faithful to you. Don't worry, God has not forgotten you, He's going to restore everything you didn't get. This is your season of restoration! The Lord will restore to you the years that the locusts, cankerworms and palmerworms have eaten. [Joel 2: 25]

If you know me these are the first words I heard from the Lord in April 2000.

"then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust,...[Joel 2: 25] 

These words turned my life upside-down.
Do you think God has His eye on me?
Is God good?
We need then to see the rest of God's word that surrounds His promise to me fulfilled in His provision of the finished work of Jesus...read with me...

'Then the Lord will be zealous...The Lord will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied in full with them...Do not fear,...rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done great things...the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, for the tree has born its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full. So rejoice, O sons of Zion, and be glad in the Lord your God; For He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain, the early and latter rain as before. The threshing floor will be full with grain, and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. Then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; then My people will never be put to shame. Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the Lord your God, and there is no other; and My people will never be put to shame."'

Yes and Amen.
I will say no more now. Maybe I will add more later but can I ask you...if you were me, would you be encouraged?

Thank You Lord, You are good, Your lovingkindness endures forever and ever.

Graeme Shephard
17th October, 2015

Three steps...

I recently wrote of the journey of purpose in a post entitled 'The Life of Purpose Journey.' We journeyed together into the tent of meeting, the tabernacle of the Old Testament using Psalm 23 as our guide.
You can have a look if you wish by going to http://graeme-lifeofpurpose.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/the-life-of-purpose-journey.html.

The mountain top, the promised land, our greatest desire was to join with the desire of David expressed in Psalm 27 where he said,

'One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.'  [Psalms 27: 4 - 6]

 I am sure you will recognise that all is pointing to one person , the person of Jesus who is our dwelling place, our temple, our tabernacle in which we are concealed, our secret place, our rock, the One in whom we are lifted up, He is our offering and sacrifice. Truly He is worthy of our shout and song! He is our Everything.

The ultimate destination in our journey into the tent of meeting is the Holy of Holies and recently I have shared something that was opened to me by my dear brother, Samnang, and I have been meditating on these things and as I do I like to write. Usually I share my meditation in a Facebook post and so I feel to combine my thoughts written as five posts here in this blog. My purpose in writing is primarily personal but I do pray that my thoughts might prompt you to enter in to His presence and behold His beauty for yourself.

25^th September

'Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."' [John 14: 6]

'Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."' [John 20: 19]

'Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon...do you love Me...?"' [John 21: 15]

Jesus said to him, "... You follow Me!"' [John 21: 22]

26^th September

'Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest...' [Hebrews 4: 11]

A few weeks ago we walked together through the tabernacle of the Old Testament using Psalm 23 as a guide. If you would like to read of that I will add a link below.We said that the tabernacle is a shadow of Jesus Christ and as we consider it (and there is much more) we see His beauty. But it is also true that the tabernacle is the Law, and Law demands and expects effort. I read somewhere that of all the furniture in the tabernacle there was no chair. All the tradition of the tabernacle involved effort, no time to sit. As I considered that the Lord prompted me that what I had read is not, in fact, true, there is a chair in the tabernacle and we are invited to sit.Do you know that for the people of Israel the innermost place of the tabernacle was a no-go zone and was only ever entered once a year on the ceremonial Day of Atonement when the high priest entered into the Holy Place not without blood. This was where God dwelt and man could not go. If he did he would surely die. But rejoice for a Man did die, and this Man entered in to the Holy Place with His own blood, and on the way in He tore the heavy veil that barred our way in two and He was accepted as the one sacrifice for all time. If you don't believe me read the book of Hebrews and even a few verses on from the verse above where it says, 'therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast...' [Hebrews 4: 14]There is a chair in the tabernacle and Jesus has paved the way for you and I to sit on it. The only chair in the tabernacle is the mercy seat, over the ark of the covenant, where the shekinah glory of God dwelt and you are invited to sit, in fact God say be 'diligent to enter that rest.' That chair is mentioned again in Hebrews 4: 16 where it says 'let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace...'Yesterday I posted a verse from John 20: 19 where Jesus says that He is leaving His peace with us. He has left Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit and He wants us to rest there and let no man take that peace from us. Be diligent to rest there. He says to me, "rest, sit, My peace I leave with you, let no man take it, be diligent to enter and remain here."He is our Rest, and He wants us to diligently enter into all that He is. He is our breakthrough.'One thing I have asked from the Lord...that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold His beauty and to meditate in His temple. [Psalms 27: 4]Have a great day.

27^th September

'Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon...do you love Me...?"' [John 21: 15]

Yesterday I spoke of the only chair in the tabernacle, the mercy seat of the presence of God and God is inviting us to sit, to 'be diligent to enter that rest.'

His first step for us is to enter His rest, enter into His blessing of John 20:19, rest in His peace; rest in Him our Prince of Peace.

Here is our second step. He asks us, 'Do you love Me?'

Now scholars tell you much about this story and focus much on the two 'loves', agape love and philo love and teach much about the relative use of the two words. That is worthy study but just think on this with me.

In this verse Jesus asks of Peter, "Do you agape Me?" Agape love is a love of great sacrifice. Irrespective of how Peter answered I believe the important thing is the question. Yes, Peter answered truthfully by using the 'love' he was capable of giving, philo love, friendship love but Jesus asked for agape love, great, unconditional, sacrificing love!

Jesus says to us, "Do you agape Me?"

You know in myself I am unable to give agape love. Truthfully I would have to answer like Peter. But Jesus asked about agape love. How is this possible? I suggest to you that the only way is to receive His love because His love is agape love; His love is the absolute definition of agape love! We can only love Him as we receive His love for us. 'We love, because He first loved us.' [1 John 4: 19]

Yesterday step one was to receive His peace and sit, let no man, nothing take it from you. Step two, receive His love, sit in it, receive it in peace.

How can we doubt His love? He proved it as He hung on Calvary for us. He hung there taking what we deserved and He died the death that was ours. How can we not 'see' His love for us? Come to the throne [Hebrews 4: 16] and find grace, find His unmerited favour for us, find His love.

Rest in His love and then you can answer. 'Yes, Lord I love you because I know and receive Your love for Me. You first loved me. You are Love, I receive You. Thank You, Lord. Thank You.'

Have a great day.

28^th September

'...but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood...but Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come...through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption...how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?' [Hebrews 9: 7, 11, 12, 14]

The last two days we have spoken of two steps. We have entered into the Holy of Holies and our first step is Receive His Peace - "Peace be with you." [John 20: 19] Our second step is Receive His Love - "Do you agape Me?" [John 21: 15].

Before we get to the third step I feel prompted this morning to share this. I sense that we perhaps 'feel' that we are not worthy to be here. I may be wrong but I do know that there is an enemy who has no impact on the truth of our worth but certainly tries to influence our belief in our worth.

'...let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.' [Hebrews 4: 16]

Draw near with confidence. In the tabernacle of old the high priest went in to the Holy of Holies only once a year and he went 'not without blood.' The blood of the sacrifice was offered for the sin of the high priest and the sin of the people committed in ignorance.' [Hebrews 9: 7]

Today we draw near with confidence at any moment, at any time; in fact David's desire was to dwell here [Psalms 27: 4], we draw near forgiven and accepted because of the blood of our perfect, once-for-all, completely sin removing sacrifice, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who bore our sin in His own body on the tree.

You are worthy to be here because God looks on you and sees not one speck of sin. He sees only the blood of Jesus and in Him you are completely forgiven and completely accepted. On this basis, despite our lives, we can come boldly and not only 'obtain mercy' but also 'find grace.' Protection from the bad things we deserve plus unmerited favour to receive the good things we don't deserve!

Powerful blood!

What does it mean to have your 'conscience cleansed from dead works?' It means that we are no longer conscious of sin, we no longer believe in condemnation and we no longer have a guilty conscience because of the blood of Jesus. Hallelujah!

Rest in Jesus blood, it avails for you.

Tomorrow, step three.

Have a great day.

29^th September

'He said to him, "Follow Me!" Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them...So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!"' [John 21: 19, 21 - 22]

We have entered the Holy of Holies and we have three steps.

Step one; Receive His Peace, rest in it, let nothing take your Peace.

Step two; Receive His Love, realise, receive and live in His Love. His love is passionate, unconditional and undying,

Step three is here: Follow Him. 'Don't be concerned about what others are doing (as Peter looked at John), you just follow Me!' This is His word to us. You know this could easily be interpreted as our 'doing' but I want to set aside that thought immediately. Do you remember the 'WWJD.' bracelets? 'What Would Jesus Do?'

Well, to follow Him is a WIJD, what is Jesus doing?

This speaks of our Partner, the One that Jesus has sent to us, the indwelling Holy Spirit whose purpose is to reveal Jesus and to guide into all truth. He reveals to us what Jesus is doing, We follow Jesus by responding to Him. I have spoken much of Him in the past in these posts but His role is revealed so clearly by Jesus Himself in John 16.

Listen...Jesus speaking, "But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you." [John 16: 13 - 15]

There is much I could say but let me share one last verse. Paul is praying and he says 'that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of the revelation in the knowledge of Him...so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.' [Ephesians 1: 17 - 19]

Two things...He is the Father of glory. Do you want glory in your life? Yes! Glory comes as you receive wisdom. Jesus is Wisdom! As you receive Him you receive wisdom for every moment. How? It is received 'in the knowledge of Him.' Now, many people have 'knowledge' of Him but it says 'the revelation of the knowledge of Him.' This is different...this is the work of our Partner. He reveals Jesus as we open to Him and receive Him!

What is Jesus Doing? The Holy Spirit shows us, leads us, guides us, reveals truth, discloses Jesus.

Follow Him!

Have a great day.

Coming...

"Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. [Revelation 22: 20]

We are an expectant people. We are looking for His coming, and come He will. There is great comfort for the people of God in this truth.

But this post isn't about that.

It is not my 'thing' to comment on stuff but I am sure we have all been absolutely appalled by the evil of the ISIS death cult and the deaths of the three who have been brutally and disgustingly beheaded. My prayer and care reaches out to the families and friends of those who have suffered, and are suffering.

As I look at this I see prophecy speaking about the last days.  As we view these atrocities, and all the conflict and brokenness of our world, we must accept that these are last days. The last days are clearly defined and explained in scripture but that isn't what I felt to speak about either.

As I thought and meditated around these things my mind went to a thought I had years ago. At that time I was thinking on the coming of Jesus spoken of in the Bible and I 'felt' at that time that He will come when the gospel circumnavigates the world. The gospel headed out from the cross of Calvary, outside the city of Jerusalem, and to complete its circumnavigation it must return to Jerusalem. Those were my thoughts at that time, and these returned to me and prompted this post.

Now as we consider ISIS there is much in me, and maybe in you, that says turn every form of retribution their way and use the formidable power of our armed forces to wipe this scourge from the planet. I am sure we have what is capable to do so. But will this have any lasting effect? I doubt it. In the last few days we have seen military personnel mobilise to return to Iraq. We admire them and we lift them to God.

But even as I say that my thoughts turn and what I think flies in the face of the human in me but the fact is that there is only one answer. This answer is the most formidable weapon ever unleashed against evil, ever! This answer overcomes all evil, this answer is victory itself because this answer, the only answer, is the Overcomer and Victory Himself, Jesus Christ.

My call is the gospel of Grace. Grace is a person, His name is Jesus Christ. He is the Overcomer and the Victor. He defeated death, He annihilated evil, He overcame.
I am greatly challenged because my call is the gospel and as I thought of all this I felt a prompting from within.
This prompting said, 'Prepare Graeme, the last great bastion of the enemy is ready to be taken. This is the last barrier to My gospel circumnavigating the world and returning to where it began in the heart of God, expressed in Jesus Christ at Calvary. Prepare, the gospel must be taken to these people who languish under the oppression of evil. I AM the answer. There is no other. Military power won't do it. The last days will see the gospel return to Jerusalem. Prepare for mobilisation, the last great push is beginning.'

I don't know what to say. Maybe God will say something also to you. If He does I would love it if you shared it because I believe that mobilisation is not about just one but us all.
I'll say no more.

God's blessing to you.

The Life of Purpose Journey

This will be a long post...I apologise. Please persevere.

Following are a series of posts I made to my Facebook page in the latter part of August and early September 2014. For a long time I have been meditating on the tabernacle of the Old Testament. The tabernacle is Christ concealed and today in this day of Grace, this side of the cross of the finished work of Jesus, God, by His Holy Spirit, wants to disclose Jesus to us. Jesus is the centrepiece of God, the keystone and the cornerstone and our sure foundation, our rock of ages. 

For a long time also I have felt that Psalm 23 is a journey, a progression, and reflects the journey of the life of David, the 'man after God's own heart.' And so, off and on, I have also contemplated this in my meditation before the Lord and then, in August, the Lord showed me, through my precious brother Samnang, of Cambodia, Psalm 27 (also written by David) and it was as if God completed a jigsaw puzzle He has been building before me over a long time.

So I pray you will be blessed by my thoughts and, perhaps, they will spur you to seek to meet with your God and receive His revelation for yourself. You know the Bible says we 'know in part and we prophesy in part' [1 Corinthians 13: 9] and the desire of the Lord is that 'the partial be done away.' The partial will be done away when we receive Jesus in radical grace. Only when we discard the alloy of mixing law and grace and embrace grace completely will we 'know fully just as [we] have been fully known.' [1 Corinthians 13: 12] To know fully, I believe, is is 'see' faith, hope and love; I speak of Jesus alone, and to know His love for the greatest is love - His love for us and in His worth enter His radical presence to dwell. This is the mountaintop, this is the presence of God, this is the meeting place, the tabernacle and the temple, the place where God dwells...but let's travel together on the Life of Purpose. Let's go...  

'The Lord is my shepherd...' [Psalms 23: 1]

The journey of Life, with a capital 'L', begins here. We enter the tent of meeting, the meeting place with God. The first thing we see is the brazen altar, the altar of the burnt offering. This is the first thing we must see. 

 The sacrifice is taken and the person places his hand on the head of the offering. In the burnt offering the purity of the sacrifice is transferred to the one offering; in the sin offering the sin of the one offering is transferred to the sacrifice.So beautiful! Such a wonderful picture of our Good Shepherd. In John 10 Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep."Think of David, who wrote this Psalm. He would have been intimately acquainted with the layout of the tabernacle. He knew what came first. As David grew tending his father's sheep he knew the Lamb of God. He could 'see' the offering of God ; therefore He could say at the beginning, 'The Lord is my shepherd. He knew that this is where a meeting with God began. No need to 'know' anything just receive truth in faith. Receive truth that this Shepherd left the ninety-nine self-righteous sheep in the wilderness and went looking for the one that was lost. And when He finds it He lays it on His shoulders and carries it, and rejoices! [Luke 15]Can you see it? Will you believe and receive it?Rejoice! This is good news. Receive Him, Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd. Allow Him to lift you upon His shoulders; I think there you can truly say, 'I shall not want...'Have a great day.

***

'...I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.' [Psalms 23: 1 - 2]

In John 6 we see Jesus feeding the 5000. It says that He instructed the disciples to 'have the people sit down' and it notes that 'there was much grass in the place.' There is nothing insignificant in the Bible.

If we continue our Psalm 23 life journey into the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, we first met with Jesus at the altar of burnt offering. There we met our true shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. There we hear His voice and He says that ' My sheep hear My voice and know My voice.'

The next item in the tabernacle is the laver. It is a bowl, very ornate, for washing. It represents the word. You see Jesus wants us to not only believe but He wants us to receive. He wants us to receive Him, and He is found in the word, for He is the Word.

Our Shepherd finds us in the wilderness and He lifts us upon His shoulders and rejoices. This rejoicing never stops and His shoulders are a place of protection and blessing, a place of no want or lack, a place of green pastures and still waters.

There is so much that could be said but may be think on this. Hebrews 5: 9 - 10 says that Jesus 'became to all those who obey Him (that is, believe in Him - do not apply law, see with eyes of grace) the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.' What does this mean? Why not the Aaronic priesthood that served in the tabernacle? The Aaronic priesthood took from people but the priesthood of Melchizedek blesses. See Genesis 14 where we read of Melchizedek blessing Abraham. The priesthood of Jesus is to bless.

And then we could think on this. Galatians 4: 6 - 7 says this. 'Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.'

I trust you are receiving the washing at the laver. The wonderful thing is you can go here every day and I would encourage you to do so.

Beloved, receive this...the priesthood of Jesus is to bless you, He loves you. He came a long way for you. He lifts you to His shoulders, He is the source of eternal salvation; you are no longer a slave but a son. Salvation for you is so much more than the wonderful miracle that occurred at the brazen altar. He has so much more for you; it is healing, prosperity, wholeness, favour, intimacy with God, answered prayers AND He has deposited the Spirit of His Son in you by which you cry 'Daddy, dear Father.'

There is so much more to say. Sitting down in the grassy place the 5000 all were filled, and there were twelve baskets of fragments left over! This is your portion. Will you receive it?

And the journey has only just begun!

Have a great day.

***

‘He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.’ [Psalm 23: 3]

Remember we are on a journey. The journey we are taking is into the tabernacle, the meeting place, where we meet with God. Do you want to meet with God? We have met Him in the person of Jesus as our Shepherd at the altar of burnt offering, the brazen altar. He is the shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep, the One who left the ninety-nine and went looking for the one lost sheep – You. He places you on His shoulders and you never leave that place of rejoicing, protection, support, provision and favour. We have taken a glimpse of the fact that God has placed the Spirit of His Son within us and it is He who reveals, who discloses, all that is Christ to us and in us. This is the truth of John 16. We are at the laver, the place of washing. We receive His washing by the Word and we can bathe there whenever we like.

You know I often us this analogy. Sin is a prison. We are all incarcerated in the innermost cell, on death row, because of the sin of man, the rejection of God. Jesus came to the prison and He calls us to come. He opened the door of the death cell at Calvary and we receive Him and come out. But when we do we are still in the prison. Jesus is with us but we still experience all the atmosphere of the prison. Before us are doors that bring us ultimately to freedom. Religion can’t help, even church can’t help; only Jesus by His Spirit can help.

But here we are at Psalm 23: 3. Read the verse again. Here, in this verse, I believe is one of the great keys of FREEDOM. We begin our journey to freedom. Jesus is with us. Restoration begins. His ministry, declared in Luke 4: 18 – 19, is a ministry of gospel, release, sight, freedom and favour. But here is a great key. The key is righteousness. Many people struggle to believe that they are worthy to receive. We need to smash that lie right here. The foundation stone of the New Covenant is set in Hebrews 10: 17. He remembers our sins and lawless deeds no more! Today He wants you to receive, to KNOW, that you are righteousness. How? For His name’s sake! He places His name on it. He declares it by His name! His name is worth nothing if it is not true! As solid as His name is so is your righteousness in Him. He guarantees it by His word and His name is the Word. Do you see?

Listen! ‘He made Him (that is, Jesus Christ) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.’ This is a vital key. Today as you meet with God in His meeting place, through Psalm 23, I want us all to stand and declare in truth, ‘I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST.’ God’s word says so; Jesus name guarantees it; in this truth, beloved, you are WORTHY!

Have a great day!

***

‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…’ [Psalm 23: 4]

I hope you remember we are taking a journey together through the tabernacle and through Psalm 23. The tabernacle you can read about in the book of Exodus.

We are at the laver, the place of washing. Before us is a veil, the entry into the Holy Place, into the tent of meeting, the meeting place with God. At this point I need to encourage you in your journey. God calls you friend. You have received Him at the altar of burnt offering. He is restoring you. He has shown you that you are righteous in Him, not in yourself, but in the person of Jesus alone. Because of Him you are a friend of God. Jesus declared, ‘No longer do I call you slaves, for a slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made know to you.’ Are you excited? You are meeting with God; you are worthy to be there because of Jesus. Whereas this was only the domain of the priest under the covenant of Law you are the priest in Christ. You are worthy to be there!

There is a veil to pass through into the Holy Place. Do you remember Jesus when He was baptised in Jordan? This is found in Luke 3. God declared, “This is My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” This is like you having received the truth of the word that you are righteous. You are beloved! Therefore, you are worthy! What happens next? Jesus is tempted and passes through the storm. Satan, the tempter, immediately drops the word ‘beloved’ when he says to Jesus, ‘If You are the Son of God…’ Satan does the same to you. He does not want you to believe you are righteous; he does not want you to know you are loved; he does not want you to receive your worth…I speak every time of Jesus…Satan does not want you to receive Him. To pass through this veil is to step into the Holy Place of the tabernacle. Beloved, declare with Jesus the word that you have received at the laver. Say with Jesus to the enemy, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” [Matthew 4: 4] Invoke the Word, silence the enemy! Step through.

Don’t give up on this journey. This is the place of faltering but wonder awaits. Trust me, better still, trust Him…step through.

Have a great day.

***

‘Then I will give her her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.’ [Hosea 2: 15]

Achor means trouble, or valley of trouble. In our journey we encounter the valley of the shadow of death, the valley of trouble, Achor. But what does God say? He says He will make your valley of trouble a door of hope. He says He will give you your vineyards from here.

How does He do this?

He says to you step through His door of hope.

Who is this?

Jesus says, ‘Not only am I your Good Shepherd, I am also the door of the sheepfold.’ In John 10: 7, 9 Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep…if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.’ Can you see the vineyard? Can you also see that entering in to the Holy Place, the tent of meeting is a place we can enter in, and enter in, and enter in, and we will find pasture. It is a green place; there is much grass there. Jesus wants you to sit down, as He did with the 5000. It is a grassy place. All were filled at the provision of His hand, and there were twelve baskets of fragments left over. Can you see the amazing blessing of the gift of Jesus? But to receive we must enter in. Enter in to what? Enter in to Him, enter in at your point of meeting, He is our Way. Yes it may be a valley of trouble through which you enter because there is an enemy who will do anything to prevent you from entering in and meeting with God but step through anyway! ‘…know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.’ [Romans 8: 28]

You are called. He calls you to step into His Holy Place. He loves you so and He so wants to meet with you. He has much He wants to show you and share with you because you are His friend. Step through, He is the Door, He is also the Shepherd. Because of His shed blood you are made righteous and worthy to step through. I speak of Jesus. He is everything. Step through into the vineyard and sing as you sang in your youth, when you first came up out of Egypt. Sing as you did when you first encountered Him at the altar of burnt offering. Sing.

Have a great day.

***

‘I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.’ [Psalm 23: 4]

There are many things to share here but I will encourage you with this as you step through the veil.

·         As you step through with me on this journey you will, in fact, be unveiled. Be expectant!

·         As you step through fear nothing! Jesus is with you. He declares that He will never leave you, or forsake you [Hebrews 13: 5]. He says to you all that He says in John 16 and He completes it with the greatest statement; ‘These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.’ ‘If God is for us, who is against us?’ [Romans 8: 31] God is surely for us, He proved that in the giving of His Son.

Also we have the rod and the staff. You know, many people believe that both are for us, the Jesus people. The staff is for us, but the rod is not. A shepherd uses his staff to guide. We have a guide. He is our partner. He works through the word to guide us and lead us. He discloses the things of our Shepherd, including His voice. He gives us the ability to hear Him and speak His language. When we speak His language we are confident we pray the will of God. We know His voice because the Holy Spirit discloses Him to us. It is through Him that we can call out, “Abba! Father!” He is our staff.

But what of the rod? Many, sadly, believe that He also beats us into subjection. NOT SO! The enemy may try to have you believe that the sickness you may experience is from God, but it is a lie. Many believe that the horrors and atrocities of this world can be laid at the feet of God but this is not true. God does not use the rod on His beloved people. (All these things have their source in the choice of mankind, and mankind’s alignment in rejecting God with the ministry of death, the ministry of satan.) Jesus bore the full brunt of the rod on our account, please believe me. He wants us to receive this absolute truth. ‘He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.’ [2 Corinthians 5: 21] To be made sin means He bore the awful penalty of it…why? For our righteousness! Having received this truth the rod is no longer ours instead it is turned to beat off those that would assail us.  In Genesis 3: 24, when man sinned, an angel, with a flaming sword, was assigned to guard the way to the tree of life. When we receive Life, that flaming sword is turned to guard our way. What a beautiful, wonderful thing!

We have a partner who guides with His staff and protects us with His rod. Do not fear. Jesus is with you. Step through the veil; be unveiled. This is the road to freedom!

Have a great day.

***

‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…’ [Psalm 23: 5]

This journey we are taking together through the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, through Psalm 23 just gets better and better, if it were possible to improve on Jesus, which it is not.

We enter the Holy Place. (Do you remember my analogy of the prison? We are nearing the outer wall of the prison. Close before us are the final, imposing prison gates and they are opening to allow us to pass!) The glories of this meeting place are too wonderful to describe adequately; please forgive me. My only comfort is that my Partner will reveal all things of Jesus to you. This is His mission. Praise the Lord.

There are many things to share from what is before us but there is no space here. (Already I am told my posts are too long!) Here we find wonderful, vital keys to meeting with God. Meeting with God is true freedom.

Before us is a table, the table of showbread. You can read of this in Exodus 25 and 40 and of the bread placed on it in Leviticus 24. There is much that can be received here but for us today, I believe, it points to a key; the Lord’s Supper. In our churches today this New Covenant feast is almost consigned to a place of obscurity, celebrated once a month or less, and then often almost as an afterthought.

The Lord’s Supper is a key meeting place with God. I take it every day. See Acts 2: 42 – 47. 1 Corinthians 11: 26 says, ‘For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim The Lord’s death until He comes.’ We take it as a means of remembering but God’s word says it is a proclamation! Many times in the Old Testament when the children of Israel were faced with the enemy they would offer a lamb as a burnt offering and the battle would turn for them. It is no different for us. When we proclaim the Lord’s death in the Lord’s Supper the battle is ours! We don’t proclaim His death by getting Him to die again, we proclaim it by taking the Lord’s Supper. Every time you take it you proclaim that the Lord’s death avails for you, that His judgement and punishment means you will not be judged and punished, that His resurrection declares that death is defeated and victory is yours. The table is prepared in the presence of your enemies because when you take it the enemy trembles! See Colossians 2: 15.

There is much to say. We could speak of the fact that His body was striped for your healing. We could speak of His blood shed for your righteousness. We could talk of your health, healing and wholeness declared in the truth of the Lord’s Supper. We could speak of the fact that here is the feast of the New Covenant.

Let me finish with this. In a Jewish wedding ceremony, I am told the groom will take the cup of wine and offer it to his bride. In this act he is offering her to share in his life. As she takes it and drinks she is agreeing that his life is hers. Jesus offers His life to us and as we drink we agree that His life is ours. What wonder! What glory! His life is ours. He is Life. ‘He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life…For My flesh is true food and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.’ [John 6: 54 – 56]

There is so much more to share. In the Holy Place we meet with God in the Lord’s Supper, we receive Him. You can receive Him in this key at any time. You can do so now.

Have a great day. 

***

 ‘You have anointed my head with oil...’ [Psalm 23: 5]

Over the last few days we have been journeying together through the tabernacle with David as a guide in Psalm 23, meeting with God. I hope by now that maybe you have taken the time to read of the tabernacle in the latter chapters of the book of Exodus, and also spent some time meditating on Psalm 23. Washing at the laver is a beautiful thing that I love to do every day.

If you have looked into the tabernacle you will agree that one thing that is obvious about this place. There is a lot of oil in the place! Everything was anointed with oil. Oil was in included in offerings like the grain offering. Oil burnt in the lampstand, providing light, the other item that stands before you in the Holy Place. It burnt perpetually. There is much to say on this.

Then in Psalm 23 David has arrived at the anointing.

Oil speaks of the Holy Spirit. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in meeting with God? Oh, such a role! At another time I was encouraged to believe that the Holy Spirit was like an interchange player but can I tell you He is definitely a starting player in the team!

I have spoken in the past of John 16 where Jesus reveals the Helper, the Comforter, and His role to take of Christ and disclose Him to us. Jesus goes on to say that all things of the Father are His and the Holy Spirit takes these things and discloses them to us. There is so much to say! If we believe in Jesus He indwells us (Ezekiel 36: 27, John 14: 17, Romans 8: 9, 1 Corinthians 3: 16, 1 John 2: 27); He is poured out upon young and old (Joel 2: 28); He is given by Jesus (Matthew 3: 11); He is the 'good gift' of our Father (Luke 11: 13); Through Him we are the light of the world (Matthew 5: 14) as He empowers us (Acts 1: 8); He guides into all truth (John 16: 13); He gives life (John 6: 63, Romans 8: 11, 2 Corinthians 3: 6, 1 Peter 3: 18); He intercedes for us and speaks through us if we allow Him (Romans 8: 26 - 27); He abides forever, brings to remembrance Christ's words, testifies concerning Christ, convicts the world of sin and guides into all truth (John 14: 16, 14: 26, 15: 26, 16: 7 - 8, 16: 13) As I said, so much to say! Definitely not a bench player and essentially a key in meeting with God! I am convinced in our journey to freedom He is key.

I mentioned the grain offering. If you read Leviticus 2: 1 you see it is an offering of fine flour with oil poured upon it. It speaks of Jesus in His humanity. He became man by emptying Himself of His god-ness (Philippians 2: 7) and so as He began His earthly ministry he was anointed by the Holy Spirit (John 1: 33). He was anointed to bring God's blessing to us. He speaks vividly of this in Luke 4: 18. Beloved, you have been anointed if you have received Jesus; the Bible says so. Read 1 John 2: 27. You are anointed for the same reason as Jesus! But how do we release the anointing to bless others? Is it in our long prayers or maybe our ability to keep the law? Maybe in some other thing? No to all these things!

It is much simpler than that. The answer is a person, His name is Jesus. He is the release. His name is the key. Faced with any situation His name is the key. Romans 10: 13 says 'whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.' His name is above every name!

I will finish this very long post here. Song of Solomon 1 : 3 - 4 the virgins are speaking, they represent us the church and they say of Jesus, "Your oils have a pleasing fragrance, Your name is like purified oil, therefore the maidens love you. Draw me after you and let us run together!"

We are running together to freedom. Receive the Spirit. He is key. Tomorrow, your cup overflows!

Have a great day.

***

‘…my cup overflows.’ [Psalm 23: 5]

We have been journeying through Psalm 23 into the tabernacle of the Old Testament. This might seem a strange combination but both have been in my meditation for a long time and when we seek the presence of God He reveals Himself everywhere, in everything, because He is everything. I believe He reveals Himself to bring glory to His name, for He alone is worthy, and to declare His purpose for us. The life He offers is a life of purpose.

We are anointed. The moment we believe in Jesus He indwells us by His Spirit. His Spirit discloses Him to us. He does this as He leads us to the pinnacle of His desire and plan for us, and we draw closer and closer in our meditation. I hope that you will see it when we arrive. The Holy Place, also called the tent of meeting, has a lot of oil. Oil, as we have already seen, represents the Spirit of God, God the Holy Spirit. Over flow is associated with the outpouring of the Spirit. As we receive Him overflow is inevitable; over flow into our lives and overflow out of our lives.

The presence of God, meeting with Him, is a flood. It flows out from Him and as we immerse ourselves as we enter into His presence, as we receive our Partner who discloses God to us, as we enter into that flow up to our ankles, up to our knees, up to our waist, and over our head and the Word says ‘everything will live where the river goes.’ See Ezekiel 47. The overflow of His Life is a supply ‘according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.’ The overflow is graphically displayed in the five loaves and two fish which satisfied all with twelve baskets of fragments left over. The overflow of His grace, His favour, His blessing, His life, His salvation reaching into every aspect of our lives, the overflow of the fullness of Deity which dwells in Jesus in bodily form and in whom, the Bible says, ‘you have been made complete.’ [Colossians 2: 9 – 10] Can I ask, do you think it is worth meeting with God? Is ‘completeness’ by God’s definition something that is of appeal to you? It is to me! The Bible clearly says that He loves you; do you not think that He favours those He loves? Absolutely!

Overflow in and overflow out. I often say that when we get filled up with Him we cannot do anything but ooze Him. Filled with Jesus we will leak Jesus because He is so big we cannot contain Him. Encouraged to be missional as we receive Him we cannot contain ourselves from being missional. Encouraged to be loving and compassionate as we receive Him we cannot contain ourselves from oozing love and compassion. Encouraged to be Christlike as we receive Him we cannot restrain ourselves from exhibiting Christ-likeness. Encouraged to love the Lord with all our hearts, soul, minds and strength the only way we can ever achieve this is to receive Jesus and His love. As we receive Him we will ooze love because He first loved us. [1 John 4: 19] Jesus loves you, He filled you with Himself the moment you believed and filled with Him we cannot not be Him. He is big, and wonderful, and dynamic, and irrepressible, and dramatic, and all-powerful, and all-loving, and completely missional, and He is the healer, and the One who blesses, and the One who favours. I could go on and on. Fill up with Jesus, disclosed to us by His Spirit, and you will overflow Him. Jesus said, “…Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in a well of water springing up to eternal life.” [John 4: 14]

We have entered into His presence. Recognise the oil, His Spirit, as He is key in the overflow of all that God has purposed in His grace, mercy and love. Receive Him, receive His work to disclose Christ to you, recognise that herein is completeness for you. Seek His presence and join with me next time as we see the third article of furniture in the Holy Place, the meeting place with God.

Have a great day.

***

‘Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life…’ [Psalm 23: 6]

As we step through the veil of the Holy Place we see the table of showbread, the lampstand and ahead the Altar of Incense. Now for the high priest of the Old Testament ahead was also a heavy veil that covered the entry to the Holy of Holies, the most holy place; most holy because here dwelt the presence of God, the shekinah glory, covered because no man could look upon God and live. I’m not sure whether the altar of incense lay beyond this veil or outside this veil but it matters not because we are taking this journey this side of the cross and as Jesus declared His finished work the veil was torn in two from top to bottom. The way was made open in the shed blood of Jesus, and we, as priests, are made worthy and welcome to enter into the presence of God purified and accepted in the person and finished work of Jesus. I hope you can see that as we have taken this journey through Psalm 23 into the tabernacle that everything points to one person only, the person of Jesus Himself. It’s not about us beloved, it is about Him.

Now, the altar of incense; incense was burnt on this altar perpetually. It was part of the priest’s duty to burn incense on this altar morning and night. Incense speaks of praise. As we enter into the presence of God we ‘enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise’ [Psalm 100: 4]. But what is the perfume of the incense, what is the aroma that we present in our praise? What is the subject matter of our praise? What do we present as we meet with God? Do we present ourselves? Or do we, perhaps, present our good works? Or maybe we present our love for God? No! We present Jesus. He is our offering of praise! He is our praise for it is in Him we have our worth and our acceptance, our righteousness is Him alone. And He follows us. I remember when I was a boy I used to love campfires (still do). Have you noticed how the campfire smoke seems to follow you? On a still day no matter where you move the smoke seems to find you! Jesus is the smoke of the glory of God, the aroma of God and He follows you all the days of your life!

And, I believe, here the Lord has given us another key, a key I will call the Victory Call of the believer. We hear of the fall of the wall of Jericho [Joshua 6] and we hear of the story of David and Goliath [1 Samuel 17] and we hear of the great victory that God wrought for Jehoshaphat [2 Chronicles 20] and all these stories involved shouting. The Israelites shouted and the wall came down. David smote Goliath and the army shouted. ‘Those who sang’ were sent out at the head of the army of Jehoshaphat and as they went out they called out. I don’t believe their shouts were indiscriminate. In the case of Jericho I don’t believe mere sound waves brought down the wall despite what scientific research might suggest. I believe the people were intentional in their shout and so it was what they shouted rather than the fact that a large group of people shouted that was the important factor. The same with the army at the valley of Elah; the army shouted as the giant fell and, I believe, the story of Jehoshaphat gives us the key; as does another Psalm of David, as does this Psalm that we have been considering.

Please take you Bible and read these three stories and then read Psalms 105 – 108 and see the victory call of the people and then stand with me at the altar of incense, in the presence of God and give Him the glory by burning His incense and declaring His praise in the call of victory…

‘I give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love, His mercy, His grace endure forever and ever’

I must just point one thing out so we are all clear. What is His love and His mercy and His grace? These things are not mere ideas or teachings or theology; these are a person and His name is JESUS.

I rejoice that I can go on and give thanks….for me, for my family, for WTL, for the families of WTL…you can add yourself and your life here too.

This is our victory call, the rising aroma of the person of Jesus and His finished work, the great work of God.

Shout it out; it is your victory call, it declares the aroma of Jesus, it burns the incense that is to be burnt perpetually as a sweet aroma, pleasing to God. This is the only accepted offering – JESUS – He is the only way, He is the only truth, He is the only life. He is the perfume that we burn as we meet with God. This is our offering of praise, JESUS, nothing else. Bring Him, in Him you are accepted and joyfully received as you meet with God.

Have a great day.

***

 ‘And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ [Psalm 23: 6]

And so here we are…if this were a mountain this would be the mountaintop. (In actual fact this is a mountain, it is Mount Zion!) If this were a promised land this is the Promised Land. (It is the Promised Land!) If this were Heaven this is heaven come to earth. If this were the greatest place the earth has to offer it would fade into insignificance for this is the presence of God, this is the meeting place with God, this is the holiest of holies, this is the house of the Lord and I for one want to stay right here. This is the culmination of our journey. Using the analogy of the prison we have walked through the gates into the sunshine of the freedom of Christ because ‘if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’ [John 8: 36]

What is before us as we have now entered the Holy of Holies and as we have arrived at Psalm 23: 6, the latter part? Before us is the Ark of the Covenant. It is a golden box in which were three items; the tablets of the law, representing man’s rejection of God’s law, there was Aaron’s rod that budded, representing man’s rejection of God’s priesthood and there was a jar containing manna, representing man’s rejection of God’s provision. Over the ark, and covering man’s rejection of God is the mercy seat over which are the two cherubim, one at each end with ‘their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another…’ [Exodus 25: 20]

Now I want to direct you to another scene. Jesus, the Son of God, a man approved and attested by miracles and wonders and signs [Acts 2: 22] was delivered by the predetermined plan of God and was nailed to a cross and there as He hung He bore in His body the penalty of our rejection of God. As He hung there He bore our sin and when He had satisfied the demands of the Law of a righteous and holy God He gave up His life. Death had no claim on Him but He freely gave it up because the ‘wages of sin is death.’ As He gave up His spirit He cried, “IT IS FINISHED” and in that moment the way was made for you and me to reach God, to come in to the presence of God. In that moment the veil of the temple, the veil of the tabernacle that was entered only once a year with blood was torn in two as Jesus went in with His own blood and was accepted on our account and so we have freedom and are welcomed with a kiss, robe, ring and sandals by the Father, God Himself; received in the efficacy of the person of Jesus. Oh, hallelujah! If you never have before receive Him now, right where you are! Please read with me. ‘But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying.’ [John 20: 11 – 12]

Can you see it? Here is the mercy seat! Here is the meeting place with God. Here is the fulfilment of the mercy seat of the tabernacle. When Moses had completed the construction of the tabernacle Exodus 40: 34 says ‘Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.’ Beloved, because of the mercy seat of Jesus the way is open to you. I don’t know how many times I can say it; He is our way, our truth, our life. Jesus is the place we meet with God. He is the glory of God.

I will complete this tomorrow.

Have a great day.

***

‘And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ [Psalm 23: 6]

Psalm 27, I believe, is the Holy of Holies. Oh, yes, a glorious day will come when we will enter in to the presence of God but I believe that in His radical grace we can enter in to the promised land and take possession of it now. And this is the place. This is where we are to dwell. We have complicated our ‘life’ in so many ways by making and teaching our own way based in strategy, effort and work, and the strength of our faith, and the efficacy of our belief when it has nothing to do with any of that. Listen. David has spent his life surrounded by enemies from within and without. He has endured more storms than most and he has stepped through the veil. He arrives here at the mercy seat, at the meeting place with God, in the presence of God and he can say, ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? ...One thing I have asked from the Lord, that shall I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me; and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.’ [Psalms 27: 1, 4 – 6]

This is the key of David. [Revelation 3: 7]

I have spent many hours considering the seated place of Ephesians 2. And as I have considered Mary and her choice of the good part at the feet of Jesus. [Luke 10: 42] I have sought and sought Him even when all appeared to be against me. Every day I have received Him in the Lord’s Supper. I have heard Him say, ‘My peace I leave with you’ and I have received it. And He has brought me to His banqueting house and His banner over me is love. [Song of Solomon 2: 4] He has taken me lame in both my feet and seated me at the King’s table. [2 Samuel 9: 13] He says to me sit down, it is a grassy place. [John 6: 10] He says feast on Me, take my body and My blood; eat and drink. [John 6: 53] He says step away from your strategy, step away from the institution that worship has become and see Me. Look at Me. He says, ‘Trust in Me with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Me in the meeting place. I will make your paths straight.’ [Proverbs 3: 5 – 6] This is it. This is the mountaintop. This is the promised land. This is Zion. This is breakthrough. This is freedom. This is healing. This is wholeness. This is salvation. This is righteousness. This is favour. This is grace. This is it. JESUS. He is the pinnacle. Sit and rest. He says, Receive Me here in the holy of holies. Sit at the mercy seat where God dwells. Congratulations you have reached the mountain top.

I will dwell here in the house of the Lord. Here I will behold the beauty of the Lord. Here I will meditate. Here He will conceal me. Here He will hide me. Here He will lift me up on a rock and my head will be lifted up above my enemies and I will praise Him.

I praise you my Lord and My God. Your Love, Mercy and Grace endure forever and ever and ever.

‘The grace of our Lord Jesus be with your all. Amen.’ [Revelation 22: 21]

These are just my thoughts…I have many more and I know that as you sit in the presence of the Lord He, by His disclosing Spirit, will reveal more to you. Try it; there is no better place to be. Recently I was thinking of Solomon and how he asked God for wisdom. My thoughts then went to the prayer of Paul in Ephesians 1 where he prays that God ‘may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.’ Many smart and studious people have knowledge of Him but they miss the revelation in the knowledge of Him. This is the work of the Spirit who indwells the believer and is ‘Christ in us, the hope of glory.’ My prayer is that these thoughts will lead you to journey to the holiest place, the place of purpose and life, to the presence of God and you will sit round God’s centrepiece, Jesus Christ, and bathe in the revelation of our Partner of the knowledge of Him. He wants you to draw near. When you draw near you will find He is near to you and wants to reveal Himself to you. God bless you all.

Have a great day! Have a great life!

***

An afterword...

‘…to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.’ [Psalm 27: 4]

A few years ago I read a book. I liked the book. It’s not important that you know the title and author. It made a parallel of the Christian journey with climbing a mountain. The mountaintop was knowing the love of God. The mountaintop was Ephesians 3: 14 – 19 and the author was correct.

However, I believe that there is a higher peak.

The journey begins with believing. We believe in Jesus. He is the way.

We receive. Unless we receive His righteousness and declare it we will never journey further. You must receive it and declare it for unless you receive His worth you will never receive His love for you. Many people believe but they never receive.

They never receive His peace. Shalom. Jesus said to His disciples that He was going away. They didn’t understand and, no doubt, they grieved but He said that this was necessary so the Helper would come. This is our Partner. He plays an important role. Many leave Him on the interchange bench when He should be in the starting lineup. He reveals Jesus and Jesus is our peace. In fact He is the Prince of Peace. This peace is not as the world gives. It is shalom. Here is a link to see the meaning of shalom. http://www.therefinersfire.org/meaning_of_shalom.htm

Peace says I won’t worry about today because God has it in hand. Peace says I won’t worry about tomorrow because my God is the god of tomorrow. Peace says I will trust in the Lord with all my heart, I will lean not on my own understanding. I will acknowledge Him (I will behold His beauty) in all my ways knowing He will make my paths straight’ [Proverbs 3: 5 – 6] Peace says ‘seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all things will be added to you.’ Receive His peace. Rest in it. Sit down in the grassy place. [John 6: 10] This is where life isn’t what we are doing but what we see our Partner doing. Shalom.

And then we arrive at the mountaintop. What is the mountaintop?

To behold His beauty and to meditate in His temple.

This is the ultimate. This is the pinnacle. This is where we just see Him. This is my dwelling place.

How about you?

Have a great day.

Graeme Shephard

12th September, 2014