JESUS THE MAN OF OPPOSITES
Jesus was the man of opposites. Though He was God in the flesh, God's first
begotten Son, He was also the Son of Man and many other titles belong to Him.
The ideal I want to convey in this writing is that Jesus Christ was unlike any
man before Him. What separated Him from other men is that He was filled with the
Godhead, and in this, it pleased [the Father] that in him should all fullness
dwell. In this, one man was the power to save all that was lost. Emmanuel, was
His name, which being interpreted is God with us.
Jesus understood completely who He was. John 10:30 I and [my] Father are one. He
was sent to save the people from their sins.
He made His message clear for those who had ears to hear what the Spirit was
saying. 2Cr 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the
word of reconciliation.
However, unto the religious minded people who conformed to doctrines of men His
words were threatening and not understood.
People want tangible things. Faith based on physical signs and wonders. It is
difficult for your average person to believe in miracles unless they see it
first hand. Moses was ineffective to lead the Children of Israel until he had
the tables of stones, and a law, and commandments in his hands which had been
written by the finger of God. People today still want this type of religion.
Paul wrote 2Cr 3:3 [Forasmuch as ye are] manifestly declared to be the epistle
of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the
living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
We can put value in the stones but the stones break, they are heavy to carry and
hard to follow for they are interpreted by man. The tables in the heart are
invisible, light to carry and God translates these truths unto us. For many,
these stones of the law have become their idols and their own destruction. We
must turn from idols to serve the living and true God in Spirit and in truth.
Hbr 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God? Didn't God say? "I will put my laws into their mind, and
write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me
a people:"
This can only happen inwardly. The outward man is perishing day by day. Yet,
there is a voice, the Spirit of truth that speaks revelation to the inward man,
strengthens us with might and Christ is raised up and brought forth in the
nature of God.
Knowing what Christ Jesus is and what man is and that they are in contrast to
one another one must ask themselves what causes the contrast? The answer is
simple. Jesus knew who He was in the Father and most men do not know who they.
People live with lost identity. This is why we read in Eph 4:23 And be renewed
in the spirit of your mind;
The church and the Kingdom of God also differ. The church is split and divided
and there are many separate denominations. The Kingdom of God is unified and is
operated in the Spirit realm.
The subject punishment is something that is often naturalized, and is
misconstrued by a natural minded people. Jesus never once threatened, accused,
or condemned. The record shows that Jesus forgave and reconciled all. Mat 5:39
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on
thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray
for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Luk 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which
hate you,
Rom 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil.
1Pe 3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise
blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a
blessing.
1Pe 2:20 For what glory [is it], if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye
shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [for it], ye take
it patiently, this [is] acceptable with God.
The Kingdom of God declares that we become everything that God the Father is
through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. This means being transformed by the
renewing of our minds into New Creatures walking a New and Living Way, which is
in direct contrast to the mindset of the world.
Father God does not expect more from us than He Himself has instructed. His Word
is His nature and God cannot go against His nature. In one Word what would we
describe God as being? The answer is LOVE.
Those declaring Christ as Lord are to ALWAYS forgive. If we fight against evil
in our own strength, we give credence to it and thus we leave the spiritual
realm where victories are won to wrestle in the natural. Mat 6:15 But if ye
forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses.
Whatever the flesh is appealed to do the spirit would do just the opposite.
Can't we see this is what made Jesus such a powerful person in those whom met
Him? He only did what He saw the Father do, He only spoke what His Father was
saying, and it was always opposite to that which the majority of religious folks
were doing and saying. Jesus never leaned on His own understanding, nor did He
do His own will. He forsook the natural comforts (being clothed with death) to
embark on His journey as the Son of God.
Natural man is loosing the war against drugs, terrorism, child abuse etc.
because man serves the creature instead of the creator. Man draws his knowledge
from a tree that God forbids one to eat from for it produces death. Jesus lived
off the substance of the Tree of Life. This is our example today. When man is
struck, man strikes back. When man is accused, he immediately hires a lawyer to
defend him. Jesus as our example did none of these things. All Christians aspire
to be like Jesus until it comes to the suffering part and servant-hood and then
there is where a distinction is usually drawn.
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; Col 3:8 But now ye also put off all
these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his
deeds;
These are all attributes of the flesh. This is the nature of the beast. All in
the above scriptures are those things which natural man is until Christ Jesus
apprehends him. Upon accepting Christ and coming into His consciousness (where
the Holy Spirit is our guide) our nature will progressively change. All
connected to the dust and earth realm becomes reversed. Death is defeated in
this realm. Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such
there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Read on into Chapter 6 of Galatians and see what we as "spiritual" are required
to do.
Let us move on in our walk and walk as Christ. Eph 5:12 For it is a shame even
to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
The things of the past never existed in God's reality, which is Spirit, and once
we have put them away, we should never acknowledge them again.
Too many Christians live in the past where they remember the former things of
the natural and thus they find themselves being accused by the accuser of the
brethren again and brought into condemnation and shame. Remember your past does
not exist in God's reality. God's reality is SPIRIT.
When Jesus came, He changed the rules because man had so perversely
misinterpreted the Father's plan and man was preaching lies and prophesying
falsely based on a natural concept and limited understanding.
Man believed that if he kept a set of laws and regulations that when he died he
would be admitted to heaven. The Bible says that keeping these laws has nothing
whatsoever to do with your salvation. Tts 3:5 Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
No flesh can be justified in his sight no matter how much we clean it up: for by
the law [is] the knowledge of sin.
Jesus gave spiritual meaning to the literal illustrations. No man ever spoke
this way before. The leaders of Jesus day whether religious or political lay in
wait for Him and sought to catch something out of his mouth, that they might
accuse him. Jesus was accused of perverting the nation, and forbidding to give
tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. All that Jesus spoke
was truth for He was "truth." He never contradicted Himself, He never stretched
the truth, but He did speak enough out of the normal mindset to provoke people
to accuse Him, bring Him up on charges and to kill Him.
Jesus spoke things that many today would call heresy. He spoke things that in
today's society would be laughed at. Someone says "Lazarus is dead" and Jesus
said "no he isn't he is just sleeping." Most people today would think that this
man Jesus was out of His mind. Jesus was speaking in the Spirit and in order for
anyone to remotely understand what was about to take place He spoke naturally to
them in John 11:14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
Jesus forgave people of sins while He walked the earth. He was opposed Mar 2:7
Why doth this [man] thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
Our interpretation is based on what we see and hear of man's doctrines until
that precious Holy Spirit pours the truth into our very being. We grow up as
children with people telling us what to believe and what not to believe. Our
belief system is already in place normally by the time we receive Christ. So,
when we do receive His salvation are we to continue in the mindset that we were
taught? Should we continue to adhere to the concepts of right and wrong? Or are
we to enter a new realm of thinking, which is opposed, to natural thought
process?
By the time a person reaches their adulthood; If they have not received Jesus
their entire view of God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Church, Heaven, Hell, life, Death,
Eternity, the devil etc has been molded and shaped primarily from a world
perspective. They will see through a glass darkly. People misquote scripture. We
are told Bible stories as young people in fairy tail form. Movies are filmed
about the Bible, which we watch as children. In our minds we see Charleston
Heston as Moses, we see Jesus portrayed by an actor named Robert Powell in
"Jesus of Nazareth" and these images are burned into young minds. Even the lost
that are not yet Born Again but attend church have concepts and ideals they
promote and live by in a moral sense. But, are these moral principles the
correct ones? Can they be? "The world cannot receive the Spirit because it
seeeth Him not, neither knoweth Him."
Without true enlightenment, which only comes through the revelation of Jesus
Christ by the Holy Spirit into the heart of the people, can people begin to draw
close to the heart of God. It is Father's nature, His attributes, His character
that we want bestowed upon us as children of the Most High. We cannot hold on to
the lies from the god of this world and still hope to see into the heart of
Father God. 1Cr 8:6 But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [are]
all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all things,
and we by him.
I have heard so many people say "I was in church for 10 maybe 20 years thinking
I was alright with God when all of a sudden God called unto me and saved me."
It is time that those who confess themselves to be Christians to honestly ask
themselves what doctrine are they following. Is it of the God kind? Is it of
spiritual awareness and existence in the realm of the unseen where truth is
manifested with eternal results? Or could you be one who is living in an
existence of man's doctrines and traditions which has enslaved you and
restrained you from participating in, becoming all that Father says that you
are? Has your life been less than a life because you have not yet been
quickened? Men have put so much emphasis on outward things, so much carnalizing
of the Word of God which is Spirit and Life, that when we read scriptures we oft
times overlook the reality of truth which the Spirit is trumpeting forth. This
is called Spiritual Illiteracy. We have a generation that is trying to interpret
Spirit through the Adamic intellect.
It is time for ALL that call themselves Christians to invite the Holy Spirit to
probe your innermost being and let you know "are you serving an idol you have
created called God? Is your belief and concept of God a true one? Have you been
brought up believing because you have seen something that has convinced you or
has Father God shown His light upon you and now you no longer perceive God in
worldly view? Have you been awakened from the dead and are serving the faithful
Creator of the ends of the earth? Is He your living and true everlasting God? Is
the gospel you adhere to in word only, or also in power, and in the Holy Ghost?"
Is your life a reflection of the life of Christ? Or is your life a compromise, a
contradiction after the rudiments of the world?
Often I hear, "Do you remember so and so? I say yes. Then the person says, well,
you know they got saved, but now their backslidden again out here in the world
living like the devil."
Let me tell you, the God I serve is not a God a person goes back on. He is not a
God that a person just stops loving and serving. Once Father God apprehends a
person, accepts Jesus as Lord, is in-filled and baptized in the Holy Spirit and
with fire, they no longer walk the course of the old life.
I know no other life than the one that is led by the Spirit of God. My
encouragement to you is to invite the Lord to bring you into the mind of Christ.
In this place your awareness of Him is ever so clear. Your past is buried. In
Him there is no condemnation. This is the Good News. It is called Salvation.
True salvation changes everything, the way you walk, the way you talk, the way
you see things. Be opposite than the world. The world, the flesh, the carnal
mind opposes Christ, do not be conformed to this world any longer. Today, walk
in His realm. Today.
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in
the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
Dale Thompson