Understanding
the Cross
The
Principle of the Last Day
q
The
principle of the last day is that Christ works at the moment that we become
supremely desperate and give up on our own resources.
q Working out hopelessness and strength less is part of the walk of faith.
q It causes us to always die to self.
q It develops the person of Christ in us and causes us to trust solely on Him. As we become desperate in our strength we cry to Him and see His salvation, and Christ obtains the glory.
John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 And this is the Father’s will which hath
sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again
at the last day.
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
q
Sentence –
is the answer of death
q
Trust in God
who is constantly raising the corpses.
q
Rescuing
from the pit.
2Cor
1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we
should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
10 Who
delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he
will yet deliver us;
q Aorist middle indicative. Christ has rescued us at all times by faith,
by drawing to Himself.
The
Principle of Resurrection
q
Everything must be taken to death and the
resurrection, so that what is corrupt, natural and earthly can be put to death
and the eternal and incorrupt may be raised up.
Num
17:8 ¶ And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle
of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and
brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
9 And Moses brought out all the rods from
before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took
every man his rod.
10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s
rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and
thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not. {rebels: Heb. children of rebellion}
Heb
9:4 Which had the golden censer, and
the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna,
and Aaron ’s rod that budded,
and the tables of the covenant;
q
The
need for brokenness for the Spirit to be released and fruit can be born for the
Lord.
Mrk14:3 And being in
Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman
having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake
the box, and poured it on his head. {spikenard: or, pure nard, or, liquid nard
Joh 12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
John
12:23 And Jesus answered them, saying,
The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
24
Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it
abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
q Present active/abiding alone if it chooses
to live (loneliness)
q Present active/ bearing much fruit if it
chooses to die. (Much company)
25
He
that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world
shall keep it unto life eternal.
q Devote it to destruction and total ruin
q To guard and keep watch over what is real
life
2Cor 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
q To carry about the corpsing of the Lord Jesus
11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
q
Present
passive indicative
12
So
then death worketh in us, but life in you.
q
Present
middle indicative. Death constantly
energizes itself in us, consequently bringing life to you.
2Cor 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
q Linear concept. God’s power grows in proportion to our weakness.
q Present passive indicative
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
q The Shechinah glory of God will tent over and become fixed upon a person in weakness,
q Aorist active subjunctive
Mark
4:23 If any man have ears to hear, let
him hear.
24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye
hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that
hear shall more be given.
25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
q We must continue to acquire through obedience to continue to get more and more from the Lord. The disobedient person will start to lose what he thinks he has.
Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
q
No
man has the dunamis or ability to be a slave to two lords.
q
Present
active infinitive
q
To
be a slave and do service to.
q
No
one has the power to serve to lords. It
is a black and white situation. One will he love unconditionally the other one
he will hate. He will cleave to one,
and hold firmly to one.
q
The
other, he will think down upon and thinks little of. That is the danger of loving money.
q
It
will suck out the love for the Lord
Mat 13:44 ¶ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
q
All
things, as many as he has, he sells and buys that field.
45
Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
q
Sold/
perfect active
q
All that he
had/ as many things as he had he sold/ imperfect
Mat
19:23 ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich
man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
q
With
difficulty
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the
kingdom of God.
26
When
his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be
saved?
q
We must be
stripped of everything in our hearts to be able to serve the Lord.
26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them,
With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
26
Then
answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed
thee; what shall we have therefore?
q
We have left
all things behind.
28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto
you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man
shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29
And
every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or
mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an
hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mr 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
q
Meekness
is to yield up all of our rights.
Ps 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
q Do not go before or behind the Lord.
q Do not run before the Lord and do not resist Him.
Mat 5:3 ¶ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
q
All
dependency upon the Lord.
Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in
heart: for they shall see God.
Lu 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
q
Will he find
faith rightly belonging to the earth?
Jesus is always looking for present faith.
Our Victory Comes Through the Revelation of Jesus
Rom
9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have
mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have
compassion.
16 So
then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that
sheweth mercy.
Ro 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
q A righteousness of God is revealed in
relationship to the gospel.
Righteousness is the outward deeds.
Faith is a possessor of righteousness or activating the deeds of God.
Faith as a possessor of righteousness into faith as the final goal.
q A righteousness is disclosed through the
way of faith that arouses more faith..
q The one who is just on the principle of
faith shall live. The manifestations of
God on the principle of faith shall live.
q The righteous man will always live in
relationship to his faith. There is no
other way.
Rom
3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the
law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Ro 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
q
A
righteousness and of God through faith of (in ) Jesus Christ into all the ones
believing. It is a righteousness, which
is meant to all the one believing
q
Grace is
God’s doing. The more faith, the more righteousness.
q
Faith is the
root system from which God’s actions emanate.
q
His actions
must lead us into greater levels of faith.
q
The goal is
always more faith.
q
The
righteousness of God is uncovered out of faith.
Ro
3:27 Where is boasting then? It is
excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
q
The law or
principle belonging to faith
Ro
3:31 Do we then make void the law
through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
q We establish the law through the
faith. We make the law constituting of
the righteousness of God to stand firm from minute to minute through faith. The
righteousness of faith is a law.
q We must make this righteousness stand from
moment to moment by this law.
Faith works on
itself from moment to moment to bring this righteousness. This is why faith is
a law. Works will destroy the law because it is impossible to keep.
Ro
4:5 But to him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness.
q Righteousness is the actions of God. To the one not having a relationship of work
but to the ones constantly believing from moment to moment activates the
righteous actions of God upon his life. His faith working upon itself brings
forth the actions of God.
q The good news has a component of faith to
it.
q Faith is regarded as the normal attitude
of the heart. It is not a sudden emotion or an isolated act. It is developed.
q Ro 4:9
Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the
uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
Makarismon- the
blessedness or the happiness of the man that walks by faith.
Ro
4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it
might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to
that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of
Abraham; who is the father of us all,
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
q Even God who is constantly quickening or
calling; the nature of God is to be constantly giving life to those that have
constant faith. The life comes to the
corpses. He is constantly calling forth
the things not being.
18Who
against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations,
according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
q
Who beyond
hope on the foundation of hope believed.
Whose hope being gone hoped on in faith; according to the thing being
said. The rhema must come first so that
we may act on faith.
Ro 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
q
In
view of the promise of God he did not vacillate in the sphere of unbelief upon
two mutual expectations.
q He considered his body to have died just like my tooth. (perfect) The corpsness of Sarah’s womb.
q
He
was fully persuaded with finality that what God had promised to do that He
would accomplish.
q
He
did not decide against the promise of God by unbelief. ( ouk)
Ro
4:20 He staggered not at the promise of
God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
q
Was
empowered in faith
2 Cor 4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
q
We having. Continuously possessing the same
spirit of faith. It is a spirit, which
is in possession of faith. We believe and can speak with effect and
confidence. As we believe, we shall
also go forth speaking. This is
prophecy and the use of the gifts of the spirit.
q
This spirit
of faith speaks on this wise- We believe something into righteousness or causes
God to act and speak it out into salvation or God’s deliverance and final
culminating answer.
2Co 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
q
We walk not
through what appears but by a moment-to-moment relation with faith. We order or
conduct our life through faith and not through what appears.
Romans
10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s
righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that
believeth.
Romans
10:5 Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which
doeth those things shall live by them.
6But the
righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who
shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
q
But the out
of faith righteousness thus speaks: Do
not say in your heart of you; near you is the rhema. It is in the mouth of you
and in the heart of you. The rhema of faith we constantly preach and
believe. The righteousness belonging to
faith comes out of the original rhema and must have mustard seed qualities.
q
The rhema of
God is always near to us in relationship to our mouth and heart.
6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh
on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is,
to bring Christ down from above:)
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that
is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8 But what saith it? The rhema is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the rhema of faith, which we preach;
7
That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
q
Faith is
exercised in the heart by the revelation of the rhema. Wherever there come the rhema also comes the
faith. Faith is in possession of
something called the rhema.
q
A hearing
that owns faith and a rhema that owns hearing.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the rhema of God.
q A type of hearing that comes out of faith
q Faith out of a report of hearing and hearing through the rhema.
q Faith comes out of the source of hearing first.
Joh
14:10 Believest thou not that I am in
the Father, and the Father in me? The rhemas that I speak
unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth
the works.
q
The works of
the Holy Spirit are described and are bounded by the rhema word.
Joh
17:8 For I have given unto them the rhemas which thou gavest me; and they have received
them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed
that thou didst send me.
q
The rhemas
reveal the person of Jesus.
Ga
2:20 I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
q
I now live
my life in the sphere of faith belonging to Christ Jesus.
Even the faith that constantly comes out of Christ through His rhema
word and is being lived out constantly in me.
q
But I am
living no longer as I. But in me now lives Christ, and that which I now live in
the flesh, in faith I live and that of the faith of the Son of God.
q
This is why
we must live out of the rhema. The rhema embodies Christ’s faith.
q
Unbelief carries a power
of its own.
Mt 13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Heb
3:7 ¶ Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
8
Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation
in the wilderness
12
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of
unbelief, in departing from the living God.
13
But
exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be
hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Mat
8:8 The centurion answered and said,
Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my
servant shall be healed.
q
Aorist
active imperative
Mt 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
q
Nothing will
be without power. Faith renders every
rhema of God with its inherent dunamis. It is a dative of relationship.
q
The grain of mustard seed is the rhema word
of God. Faith in every rhema must be mustard seed or
miraculous type of faith ; where everything small becomes big. The impossible must become possible.
q
Mustard seed
faith (THE RHEMA)
though it is a minimum amount of faith, must be a grain of miraculous
faith. Faith is an up rooter of
mountains.
q
The rhema
must be there. Faith is the acceptance
of the rhema word. Or the acceptance of the rhema as a grain of mustard seed or
miracle working faith.
1Co
13:2 And though I have the gift of
prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have
all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing
q
All faith to
keep on removing mountain after mountain
Mark
11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto
them, Have faith in God. {Have…: or, Have the faith of God}
q Constant present command from Jesus to
live in a state of constantly having faith in God or leaning upon the faith of
God.
23
For
verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou
removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but
shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall
have whatsoever he saith.
q
Present
middle Action upon itself. Belief
begets belief. Believing that I am getting it now at this moment by the
inherent action of the believing itself. Self-acting faith. It will be for him.
q
That what I
say now has immediate present reflexive action to immediately starts to take
place.
q
Not having
two judgments
q
It has
reflexive power that begins to come to pass immediately.
24
Therefore
I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye
receive them, and ye shall have them.
Joh
15:7 If ye abide in me, and my rhemas abide in you,
ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
q Believe
/ receive; A command to
believe immediately, that I begin to receive immediately in the here and now.
Watchman
Nee’s Crisis of Faith
Romans 10:17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the rhema of God.
Mt
7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate:
for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and
many there be which go in thereat: {strait: or, narrow}
Mt
7:14 Because strait is the gate, and
narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Rom
4:18 Who against hope believed in hope,
that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was
spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered
not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet
the deadness of Sara’s womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God
through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had
promised, he was able also to perform.
22
And
therefore it was imputed to
him for righteousness.
q
Accounted to
or credited to his account; giving it weight or force.
23 ¶
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
23 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
The Need for a Pure Conscience
1Tim 1:5 ¶ Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
1Tim 1:18 ¶ This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
19Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning
faith have made shipwreck:
1Tim 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
2Tim 1:3 I thank G