Part 2 – Purpose

The Purpose

It is good to be gathered together now. And I’ll tell you what is great about it. What is great about it is the purpose. In many places today people are gathered – in all kind of numbers. But most of those gatherings are WITHOUT purpose. They are not without reason: they are without purpose. But this gathering is with purpose: it is toward Divine Purpose. Now there’s NOT a natural purpose AND a Divine Purpose: there’s just a Divine Purpose. You can try to find purpose other than The Eternal Plan and Purpose of God fulfilled in Christ… let me know if you succeed. Let me know if you’ve found purpose in anything else. You may find pleasure, and a lot of good things, but I’m talking about purpose: not good things vs. bad things.

Ephesians 1:11 – In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

Ephesians 3:11 – According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:28,29 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Failing To Walk In Purpose

We’re going to go back and look at Israel. Israel’s problem wasn’t that they did something bad. It was bad, but they didn’t do some bad action. Israel’s problem was that they failed to walk in purpose. They failed to assemble in the land – in purpose. They accepted provision: every day of their lives in the wilderness they went out and picked it up off the ground. They accepted provision, but they would not walk in purpose. It is a picture of Christianity today. By and large in the Christian religion we accept provision: we want provision. We want God to provide for "my" ministry, "my" family and relatives, "my" grass… whatever! But it’s different when it comes to PURPOSE. See, nobody chases you into purpose. The devil is not behind you, running you towards purpose. Egypt is not even chasing you into purpose. Purpose is strictly an act of obedience unto what God has called you in the first place. Entering into purpose – refusing to stop until we come to purpose.

Hebrews 3:8-11 – Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.

Hebrews 4:1,2 – Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

Exodus 16:15-17, 21 – And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an homer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents, And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less… And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating…

Philippians 3:12,13 – Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.

Not "Doing" – Purpose

And gatherings like this are important to me because it has purpose. Now I’ve been travelling since I was around 20 years old, but now I’m getting to where I hate to travel! And the only thing that causes me to travel is PURPOSE. There’s nothing else that could get me off that mountain in Arkansas! There are many meetings going on all over the world that have no purpose… maybe reason, but no purpose; but as we gather to SEE CHRIST, this meeting has purpose. I think a lot of believers get discouraged because they do not understand purpose. They are always trying to find a reason for "doing". And in many cases we look in the wrong places for that reason: we look to the wrong motivation for that reason. It always has to finally come to purpose. Is it of purpose or not? If it is not for purpose, personally it has lost all of its appeal for me. But if it is for purpose, then it is not only worth the cost, and worth the effort or whatever; it is absolutely essential! It is essential to Christ: it is essential to knowing Christ. It is essential to manifesting Christ! It was essential that Israel enter into Canaan. It wasn’t just a good thing for them to do: it was essential to the whole plan of God that they do it! It wasn’t incidental: it was essential!

Exodus 15:17 – Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.

God’s Purpose is IN Jesus Christ

We say, ‘Well, He got them out of Egypt.’ But see, that was NOT the essential part. Getting them out of Egypt is almost incidental, because you see, sin came along and was added to this after God had signed and sealed, and settled and delivered His Eternal Plan from before the foundation of the world. After that sin entered: so getting you out of sin is almost incidental. God didn’t form a purpose to get you out of sin: His purpose existed before YOU did, let alone before you sinned; before man did, and before the world did! And purpose can only be found in it, because God’s purpose is in it. God’s purpose for creating a universe is found in Jesus Christ. And most don’t understand that. Even most who preach that under a pretext of some kind of a "Reconciliation Universalist" Doctrine (which is just belched up out of the belly of hell, in my opinion), have no concept of God creating the universe. The universe is NOT the center of God’s purpose: CHRIST is! The universe has to find its purpose in Christ: not the other way around. God doesn’t find His purpose in you or me. He finds His purpose in Christ. We then have to find our purpose in Christ, because there’s only one purpose. The God Who created all things… And that’s what the verses in Colossians 1 about God creating all things by Him, for Him, through Him, for Him, means. This is what it’s all about. It’s about all of those things finding their purpose: all of those things have been either a Testimony of, a type or shadow of something. But God’s purpose is not in any of those things. Those things all find their purpose for existing IN CHRIST. Everything that has ever been created of God finds its purpose for existing IN CHRIST.

Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

Hebrews 4:3 – For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

2 Timothy 1:9 – Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.

1 Peter 1:20 – Who (Christ) was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

Hebrews 1:2 – Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.

Colossians 1:16-19 - For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father than in him should all fulness dwell.

Colossians 2:16,17 – Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

God’s Eternal Plan

Don’t we understand that " In the beginning, God…" (Genesis 1:1) And in the beginning, before the foundation of the world, God conceived this Eternal Plan and Purpose: what He would have for Himself; and He conceived that in The Son – IN CHRIST. Yes, and that concept of God, that intention of God involved a living creation: it involved a people that would come to be found IN CHRIST for the purpose of fulfillment. The purpose is God fulfilling His Eternal Plan and Purpose in connection with that people. See, God desired to have expression: to have the increase of Himself in a creation that was explicitly for that, and had no other reason to exist but that.

Exodus 19:5,6 – Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.

1 Peter 2:9 – But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people: that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.

Philippians 3:9 – And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

Ephesians 1:12 – That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Ephesians 3:19,21 – And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God… Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

All Pertains To His Purpose

On behalf of that creation which was to come in Christ, He created the creation that you see, as a type, as a shadow, as a testimony, as a format, as a foretaste. That’s what it means: it is of HIM, by HIM, for HIM; because it is all pertaining to His Purpose. In one way or another, it all exists because of His Eternal Plan and Purpose in Christ Jesus. And man came to exist for that reason. Man exists for the purpose of God. It’s not God’s purpose that man exists. You can’t turn it around and make it true. Man exists for the purpose of God. God does NOT find His purpose in man, but man finds his reason for existing in the purpose of God. And that is not only found, but fulfilled in His Son. All things come to purpose IN CHRIST – ALL THINGS! In Christ: New Creation; therefore the first creation finds its purpose in the New. The whole universe does; mankind does – everything does. The Law does: the types and shadows of the Old Covenant – everything comes to find its purpose in Christ. Our meetings are with purpose. We’re not sitting here trying to figure out why. I know why I’m sitting here! I’m sitting here because of purpose: because of the purpose of God that is revealed in Christ, so that God would have expression in the earth; that God would have increase of Himself; that there would be a creation created of God in Christ with the express purpose of giving Christ manifestation of fulness. It is for that purpose that we meet, and that purpose is worth serving. It is worth doing what we must do.

Genesis 1:26-28 – And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Colossians 1:16 – For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.

Psalm 8:4-6 – What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Not According to Provision – But Purpose

And my desire is that The Lord’s people come to understand this reality of purpose and find themselves doing NOT according to provision, but according to purpose; because so much of what we do today we do according to provision. Provision is our motivation for doing it: either to get God to do something, or keep God doing something; and provision is our motivation one way or another. And it is in my heart that ministry and The Lord’s Body come to do what we do for PURPOSE. We must realize that there is in purpose found provision for the purpose: but purpose is never found in provision. Had that been the case then nobody would have died in the wilderness! Those folks didn’t starve to death! They didn’t die of exposure to the elements. No, they didn’t! But they died out of purpose. They died for lack of purpose; they died because they wouldn’t walk in purpose. God didn’t withhold the manna and let them starve to death. No, they had provision while they drew their last breath. But it was purpose; and I’m telling you we can fall into that trap, It’s easy to fall into… it’s almost too easy to fall into!

Psalm 78:24,25,29 – And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full… So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire.

John 6:31 – Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, he gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Hebrews 3:17-19- But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Provision/Purpose

I remember my son when he first moved to Arkansas. He and his wife had had good jobs and made a lot of money, and lived in a place where it cost a lot to live. There it took about four to five thousand dollars a week to live! And he called me early one morning crying, and the Lord was really putting the screws to him. Now he knew that the Lord would have him be here, but he was not doing well. He came to Arkansas, but now he had to find a job. His background was in carpentry, and he was well trained, and he was even a chemist in off-shore drilling, but he ended up hauling rocks off his own property to make a living for a year! I watched him do things that I’m sure he wouldn’t do to be anywhere else and for any other reason. I watched his wife work in maid service, but my point is - he was put to the test, because it didn’t come easy. And about the second year he was there, he was working for a roofer and it really got to him. He came to see me and just sat down and started crying! He said, ‘Dad, I can not believe that I moved to Arkansas and that my purpose for moving here was to roof houses!’ And I answered him and said, ‘Son, you’ve got purpose and provision confused.’ And so we sat and talked about this: that purpose is found IN CHRIST; provision is what your hand finds to do. Provision is spelled: JOB – not Life. And you don’t look for purpose in it. You find your purpose in Christ, and then you can rejoice in provision. We talked about that, and it really hit home with him. He came over the next day with a big smile on his face, and he said this is the best day I’ve had in two years!

Finding Purpose

What did he do – get another job? No, he’s still up there roofing houses, but he wasn’t looking for purpose in it. He was just looking for a paycheck at the end of the week! Purpose is going to be found in Christ; then it’s going to be manifested in whatever you do. Yes, you’re going to manifest purpose up there nailing shingles on a roof. Once you find purpose you manifest it wherever you are and in everything you do, but you never make the mistake of looking for it in those places; or trying to measure those places and those things by it, because you will come up short every time. And thankfully after that my son really came to find purpose IN CHRIST, and it changed his whole outlook on life, and on everything; because now whatever you do, you do it in purpose, but it’s not the purpose. You just do it OUT from purpose. You do it out from what you have found in Christ, from the reality. And actually in everything you do then, whether it is driving a truck or whatever – you become a manifestation of the purpose you found in Christ. What a difference that makes! Places that have no purpose… YOU bring purpose in to them. Things that have no purpose…YOU bring purpose into it.

2 Corinthians 2:14 – Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Knowing

My Lord, if we only KNEW the fulness that we have in Christ! If we only knew… We are out here trying to FIND purpose rather than MANIFESTING it wherever we are. We have that potential: that is part of the fulness that is in Christ Jesus. We are going to talk about the Door into fulness: Purpose – and I am just thanking God today for Purpose. And you have to understand this is how I am. I hate to travel, and I will probably hate to travel until the day I die… probably travelling! But the difference is PURPOSE. Purpose makes it worthwhile. It doesn't make me like the travelling part, but it makes it worthwhile. And it doesn’t have to be so drastic: of something that you hate to do, but it may disrupt something you love to do when you realize there is no purpose in doing it. Our purpose is IN CHRIST and that’s where it must be found. And then we bring that into all other things. So that to God, for the purpose of gathering together: there are no insignificant gatherings of the Lord’s Body. There are larger gatherings and smaller gatherings; but there are no insignificant gatherings IF that gathering is in Divine Purpose. May the Lord help us to truly understand that beyond just being a statement, so that it becomes the real motivating factor in our heart. PURPOSE.

Matthew 18:20 – For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

2 Thessalonians 2:1 – Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him.

I AM

Our scripture setting will be in John 10:7-11, " Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." Then, John 11:25,26, "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" And John 14:1-20, but most specifically verses 1-6 and verse 20, " Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me…At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you."

The dealings of The Lord in my heart recently have been particularly from those three settings. I have brought those three settings together in what I am referring to "The I AM Factor" because you will find the term "I AM" in all three of those settings. In fact the term "I AM" dominates those three settings. In John 10 we are dominated by I AM THE DOOR; in John 11 we are dominated by I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. It’s not ‘I do resurrections and I give life’. No – I AM! See, Israel believed in a resurrection. You know the valley of dry bones; you know Jeremiah’s predictions. Out of your graves I will bring you forth. Now all of that was relating to their Babylonian captivity for seventy years where a whole generation died, and another generation came forth that had never seen Solomon, never seen Jerusalem, never seen the Temple. The only thing they had seen was the mixture of Babylon! They were dead as doornails, they were buried in graves, and they were in need of RESURRECTION! They didn’t need a ‘healing meeting’; they needed a resurrection. So the prophets spoke of that and prophesied the whole thing. But they also spoke BEYOND that. Every one of the prophets that spoke toward their deliverance out of Babylonian captivity, which is a resurrection, also spoke beyond that.

Ezekiel 37:5,7,11-14 – Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live…So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone…Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.

Hosea 6:2 – After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Jeremiah 8:1 – At that time, saith the Lord, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves.

Jeremiah 30:18,19 – Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry; and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

Israel’s Condition

For instance, there is "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts." (Haggai 2:9) Another, "Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." (Zechariah 4:6) Zerubbabel was the builder of the Temple during that time, and on and on in those books there is language there that is not going to be fulfilled or satisfied with them coming out of Babylon and rebuilding. You see, what they did there was a Rebuilding: it wasn’t a NEW building: it wasn’t a NEW creation. It was a rebuilding of what has been torn down. It was a recovery of a Testimony of God that has been lost, because the City and the Temple was God’s view of Israel. So the condition of Israel was always reflected in the City and in the Temple. Israel’s condition was one of complete degeneracy, a complete decline. They had gone into the captivity of Babylon – they were dead! Therefore the Lord allowed the Temple to be torn down, and the City to be burned. And the rubble of that was such that Nehemiah could not negotiate it on a mule! That’s how bad it was! It was unbelievably destroyed!

2 Kings 24:15 – And he carried away Jehoichin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

2 Kings 25:8,9 – And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire.

Ezra 4:1 – Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel:

Nehemiah 2:11-14 – So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

The City

That was the condition of Israel, because to God Israel was always the City and the Temple. Always God dealt in Israel: this was in type and shadow, this is your Old Covenant. Isaiah speaks of this from chapter 60 on through, and he says in that day, "And they shall call them, The holy people, the redeemed of the Lord; and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A City not forsaken." (Isaiah 62:12) Well that comes to be fulfilled in Christ. We know that, but my point is that the City and the Temple are a reflection of the spiritual condition of the people. So it wouldn’t just do for the people to come back out of captivity: the people had to come back and restore the Temple and the City. So all of the ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah and prophets like Zechariah along with Zerubbabel and Joshua (not of Moses’ day): all of it was toward what? Getting Israel out of Babylon? No, it wasn’t. That happened, but that wasn’t what it was all about. It was about restoring the City and the Temple. None of them were just burdened about Israel being in captivity. This even included Daniel in his prayer.

2 Corinthians 6:16 – And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Revelation 21:3 – And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Ezra 1:2,5 – Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah…Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:3,4 – And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I lay down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 2:17 – Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

Daniel 9:15-19- And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. O Lord, hear: O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God; for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

Unto Purpose

Listen, their deliverance was unto PURPOSE. With God it is all unto Purpose. He’s not just tired of your condition so He wants to give you a better one. Everything God does is unto HIS Purpose! And His Purpose is never found in us: we are found in His Purpose. That’s where He sees us: that’s how He deals with us. That’s the reason we are at cross-purposes with God most of the time. It’s the LORD dealing with us, but half the time we think the devil is after us! But The Lord is dealing with us where He knows us. And we don’t know He is dealing with us according to a purpose for which everything that exists – does exist. But we don’t understand that. Our little world is just centered around US! God love us! WE are the center of our own universe! We are the rising sun! And that is comical in a way until we confess: Oh God, this is true; and then it’s not comical any more. But it is true. Until…. We are coming to that "until". And it is until there is a revealing of The Son, but there is a preparation that comes before that. So God was bringing them out of Babylon with PURPOSE. The Purpose is the City and the Temple: that God have a Testimony in the earth. Now that was in type and in shadow because it was a material Temple, and a material City. And the people that lived in it were material, that is, natural: but it was a type and shadow. And every thing of God’s dealing with them was according to that Purpose.

Ephesians 1:9,11 – Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself…In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Hebrews 8:1,2 – Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

Hebrews 9:23 – It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

Israel’s Resurrection

Now, to get back to our subject at hand: ISRAEL was looking for a Resurrection. That’s where the Church gets their doctrine of The Resurrection, but they miss it, amazingly, just like Israel did. Now the early Church didn’t, but the one we’ve got today has. We’ve totally missed it! It is TO ISRAEL that Jesus speaks in John 11. Lazarus, a Jew, a Jewish household, Mary and Martha – they represent Israel here. This is the reason that Jesus allowed Lazarus to die! And yet Jesus said "He sleepeth." This is the term that Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 15:18,20, " Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished…But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept." It is with direct reference to the Old Covenant saints who died in faith: many of which are listed in Hebrews 11. They are said to "be asleep". That is, they are waiting for their resurrection. Paul says, I am going to show you a mystery about that resurrection: you don’t have to be physically dead to be part of it. Yet, if you are physically dead, that will not hinder you. These are those that ‘sleepeth’ – they are physically dead. They are Old Covenant Israel who sleepeth. They are chapter 11 of Hebrews, who all died in faith, looking for a BETTER RESURRECTION. But this thing is for you and I who are alive and remain as well!

Acts 4:2 – Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

John 11:11-15 – These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent that ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

Hebrews 11: 4,5,7,8,20,23,35,39,40 – By faith Abel… By faith Enoch…by faith Noah… By faith Abraham…By faith Isaac…By faith Moses…women received their dead raised to live again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection… And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 – Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Dead In Faith

He says the same thing in Ephesians 2:5,6, " Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together…" Together: who do you think "together" is with? "… quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Quickened together – whole body, raised together… in Christ Jesus. If that’s not Resurrection, then what is it? Is that the imagination of somebody’s mind? Or is that a genuine Work of The Spirit of God? Ok, now Israel was looking for a Resurrection, and Jesus stands right here in John 11 and He uses this household as a type of those who died in faith, looking for a better Resurrection. Why? Because they have received HIM! They were His friends: these are they who had received Him. And He permitted this one to die, and they questioned Him why. But He said, John 11:4, " This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." Well, Lazarus died, didn’t he? But the death was unto a Resurrection! That’s what He’s talking about. This is not so that Lazarus be destroyed; and it’s the same thing with those in Hebrews 11. Their death wasn’t unto destruction: their death was unto a BETTER RESURRECTION. The Lord wanted to show Himself, and He used this as an occasion. He set it all up because He could have gone and healed Lazarus. Those people in Hebrews 11: they could have received their dead alive again, and some of them did. But others did not, because they looked beyond that to a better Resurrection. I hope you see the type here: Jesus just brings it all right over, because everything in these Gospels, in these 3 ½ years He is speaking to the Jews, confirming the Covenant. He was coming to His own, albeit His own received Him not. But as many as did… and as do… and as will.. to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even of the Jews.

John 5:25 – Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

John 11:32,37 – Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died… And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

Daniel 9:27 – And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

John 1:11,12 – He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

I AM The Resurrection

So here He says you are waiting on a Resurrection: the prophets have prophesied of this. I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE! That’s ME! And it is NOT translated, and it can NOT be defined as ‘I do resurrections’. No, I AM… I AM The Resurrection. I AM The Resurrection of the dead. The dead don’t have a Resurrection other than ME. I AM The only way that the dead can live again: it is to live BY ME! I AM The Resurrection of the dead! That’s HIM! That’s greater than saying, ‘I raise the dead’; because if you raise the dead, then it is the dead that are raised, and they’ve got to die again! He raised dead people. Those in Hebrews 11 had some of their dead raised to life again, but none of them claimed that THAT was The Resurrection, because it wasn’t. The Resurrection is NOT me living again: The Resurrection is CHRIST living in me! There is a great deal of difference in that! Most Christians want an "after life"; they don’t want a Resurrection. They want to live again… in a better place.

John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Matthew 9:24,25 – He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

Mark 5:35,39,41 – While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? …And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth…And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

Luke 7:12-15 – Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

John 11:24,25 – Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

Resurrection is CHRIST Living in you

But The Resurrection is Christ living in you. It is CHRIST living – not you! The Resurrection is the GREATER LIFE than me living again! It is Christ living in me. It is Life Himself – living in me. It’s Resurrection HIMSELF living in me! You and I are the Body of His Resurrection, the Body of His Glory, the Temple of His Fulness, The House of His Glory – in The Resurrection! This is The Truth! So – The Resurrection: what Body lives in the Resurrection? THE BODY OF CHRIST lives in The Resurrection. Who died? He died! We read 1 Corinthians 15 and think it is talking about "bodies", but it is talking about BODY. It is the Resurrection of The Body. And as I was looking at that once, the Lord spoke into my heart. ‘Son, who died here anyway? Christ died. How did He die? He died because God prepared Him a body to die. He identified that body with the old man; He identified with Israel; He identified that body with the first man, Adam; He identified that body with all that had ever come before Him, who He said were all thieves and robbers. He identified that body with the first. And then He took it all TO DEATH in that body that was prepared of God for that death. So in THAT body – He died.’ Then it came to me: Paul said, "But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? Thou fool that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die; And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body." (1 Corinthians 15:35-38) Not ‘this is a body GIVEN’; not prepared for death – but ANOTHER body!

Galatians 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.

1 Corinthians 3:16 – Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Corinthians 15:44 – It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Hebrews 10:5 – Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hath thou prepared me.

Philippians 2:6-8 – Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

John 10:8 – All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

Ephesians 2:16 – And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.

The Body of Resurrection

And that is The Body you are! It is The Body The Church is! It’s The Body that HE LIVES IN AS THE RESURRECTION, and That Body HE quickened, raised up together, seated it together – WITH HIM – in heavenly places. It is A SPIRITUAL BODY! We have this treasure in earthen vessels, so the earthen vessel can come and go: it doesn’t affect The Resurrection one way or the other! Because The Resurrected Body is The Body of JESUS CHRIST, which never dies; always is abounding; and has physical manifestation in the earth under the name " Church"; but it is The Living Body of Christ; the fulness of HIM, Who filleth all in all.

Ephesians 2:5,6 – Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:7 – But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Ephesians 1:23- (the church) Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

All Things Gathered Together In Him

This is what we have come to through this Door that He says I AM. So we go from I AM THE DOOR to I AM THE RESURRECTION. You can’t separate these "things" because they all find their oneness, their sameness in The I AM. It’s not like He is many things: rather it is like all things are gathered together as ONE IN HIM. So that The Door, The Way, The Truth, The Life, The Resurrection – all ONE, and HE is The One. They are part of the many facets of who Christ is. So He presents Himself according to our need. And we need a Door before we can enter into fulness. So He says, " I am the door." We need a way – "I am the way." Again, it isn’t ‘I’ll show you one.’ No, in all of these things – I AM! And now finally this third portion of scripture is in John 14. Now He just brings you and I right into the picture, so that Salvation for you and I becomes one of inclusiveness. We are just brought right into the picture.

Ephesians 1:10 – That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.

God’s Dealing

So Jesus starts out in John 14:1, " Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God…" The Lord will always do that. If it’s truly The Lord working with you, preparing you for a revealing of Himself, he will always deal with you upon the ground where you stand. He will always deal with you on the basis of something you do believe. You may not understand it, but you believe it. For instance, in John 5:39, He says, " Search the scriptures…" And we say that The Lord commands us to search the scriptures. Now I wouldn’t argue with that, but this verse doesn’t say that. That verse is written as: ‘I know that you search the scriptures.’ They were proud of that! They did! ‘You do that, and you do that because "in them you think you have eternal life."’ He knew they were there seeking Eternal Life. And then He drops the hammer on them! "… and they are they which testify of ME." Oh my God! I’ll never forget when The Lord slapped me upside the head like that! That’s the way it hit me. I was sitting on November 6, 1963 in a little building in Dallas, Texas hearing someone actually teach this reality of Christ revealed in you for the first time in my life; although I had read an article that got me there. But I was there, and this brother was using this very technique: declaring things I had believed. Then he was bringing those things right into Christ for their understanding, for their explanation, for their fulfillment – bringing them right into CHRIST! And that’s what got me!

Search The Scriptures

See, I believed the Bible, I’ve preached the Bible, I’ve known the Bible all my life. I’ve been in Bible college, and on and on. But this brother brought all of those things, and just brought them into Christ, and it was just like somebody came up and slammed me in the head! The first thing I did was get mad, because I didn’t know what to think. But I had to go back to the scripture: he got me in the scripture. He wasn’t teaching a philosophy: he got me in the SCRIPTURE. And every time I went back to that scripture it would go right where he said it went. And that really made me mad! And finally it just beat me down, because it was the scripture: here it is, and here’s where it comes to – CHRIST! And I wondered how did he do that? Now folks, you know as well as I do that Christians don’t read their Bible. They say ‘the Bible says this or that’, and you know good and well The Bible does not! They don’t read The Bible: they know a few verses and they have some of them marked from their favorite sermon, but they don’t read the scripture. Now, there I was – a preacher, a graduate of a Bible school, and there were literally books in the Bible I had never thoroughly read!

Don’t You Know?

And all of this came to me during the time when I realized that for 30 years God had just been tearing things down in me. He was getting ready to lay a foundation upon which His Son could truly be revealed in His fulness: not only in my death, but in His Life. But it came back to me that Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘You are supposed to be a teacher of the Jews, but you don’t know this?’ And that’s what kept coming back to me. ‘Now tell me once again son, what you are. Run your credentials by Me again. And you don’t know this? You’ve never read this? You’ve never been here… and you are what, now?’ That’s the way The Lord does. You don’t ever want to get in a question and answer session with The Lord until you are just ready to say… I give up! I don’t even know how to ask a good question, Lord. You just show me the answer. You know the question, and YOU are the answer; so Lord, just show me! That’s the only way to win out with The Lord. Now that seems comical, but what I’m saying is true. This thing with the Lord: He is NOT somewhere far off! No – He is in you! He is in you, revealing and bringing us to that place of the realization of Himself, so He brings us right into the picture.

2 Corinthians 10:5 – Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:11 – For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

John 3:10 – Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

Romans 10:6-8 – 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;) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.

Colossians 1:27 – To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Christ Relating To The Believer

Now we’ll go back to John 14, and here He brings us back to something we believe, and probably think we know. " Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also in me." And what He is saying here is: you believe in God… HERE I AM! He’s NOT saying to believe in God AND also believe in Me. He’s saying in the way you believe in God: believe in Me. Understand that I am sent out from Him. I come as One out from Him. "The Father and I are one." (John 10:30) You believe in God, believe in Me. See, that’s what He does. He knew they believed in a resurrection so He said, "I AM The Resurrection." That’s what happens when Christ is revealed in you. It isn’t going to come with your head under a peach basket somewhere! It’s going to come out from the scriptures concerning something you believe. And then THE LORD is going to appear. But He appears in you, because that’s where He is. This is so because that Resurrection relates to you; that Life relates to you; that Salvation relates to you. So that Life, that Salvation, that Resurrection is going to appear where it is. HE IS IN YOU! If He doesn’t appear in you, then what good is it to you? But He will do it in line with the scripture. And then all of a sudden as you are saying, ‘Oh, I want to see Jesus", and you are searching the scripture with a real turned heart, and you are there waiting… and waiting… waiting.

John 5:19 – Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you. The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do; for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

John 14:20 – At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

2 Corinthians 3:16 – Nevertheless when it (the heart) shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

One Appearing In The Midst

Thank God John waited through the revelation of the seven golden candlesticks. Thank God he waited! He saw that first, and then… One appeared in the midst. He saw The One in the midst! Listen – there is ONE in the midst of this mirror; there is ONE in the midst of these Words; ONE in the midst of this Law, of this Testimony, of these Commandments, of this Epistle. There is ONE in the midst, and if you wait there… And I don’t mean ‘wait there’ like you are waiting on a bus; but wait there with a heart in expectation of seeing HIM. You will see HIM as the answer to what you are reading. You will see HIM as the answer to the verses you have never understood. You will see HIM as the answer to what you believe in the scripture, but don’t really understand. You will see HIM as the understanding of what you believe. You will see HIM. You will not only believe that thing: you will understand it to be HIM, and you will be able to present it as being HIM! How many believe in righteousness, preach righteousness, but have no understanding of righteousness? And when this comes up, the women usually get the worse of the deal! To be righteous they have to be extremely ugly for Jesus! That’s about it! We talk about how beautiful "the bride" is, but then we think Jesus only wants ugly women! My sister, who was Spirit filled and knew the Lord before she died, and with whom I had many wonderful times of sharing, told me years ago, ‘Honey, I was trying to be ugly for Jesus.’ And I’ve never forgotten that statement.

Revelation 1:12,13 – And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks: And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

Luke 24:25-27,32 – Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself…And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

1 Corinthians 1:30 – But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.

Philippians 3:9- And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

1 Peter 3:3,4 – Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Ground For The Revelation of Christ

And to many that is holiness; that is righteousness. ‘We believe in righteousness, so…women, shape up!’ That’s the way it comes out – how long or short your hair should be, or nonsense like that. But you see, if you really have a heart to know The Lord, all of a sudden Jesus will appear, and bring you the understanding of these verses that say "righteousness", and He will say ‘I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD’. And you will understand that righteousness is someone OTHER than me, someone other than you, being formed in you. You will understand that righteousness is The Seed that brings forth its own fruit once it is firmly impregnated and planted into our soul. You will begin to understand, by the understanding that Christ is. And when I say ‘Christ revealed in you’, that’s what I am talking about. But it is always on the basis of something you believe but don’t quite understand. See, a lot of people ask me, ‘Brother Luman, how do we come to this Revelation of Jesus Christ?’ Well, you don’t get in a prayer line and have hands laid on you. It doesn’t work that way. And most people who want Christ revealed in them simply don’t have enough scripture to facilitate the revealing of Christ. He is not revealed according to the label on a can of Diet Coke! Or according to the latest book you read on so-and-so’s life story. That is not ground for the Revelation of The Eternal, Ever Living Word of God! THE SCRIPTURE is the text for that, and most people don’t have enough interest in searching the scriptures to have ground in them for the revealing of The Eternal Word.

Isaiah 54:17 – No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:6 – In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Ezekiel 33:12,13 – Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, the righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

Isaiah 64:6 – But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Galatians 4:19 – My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.

John 15:5,8 – I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Galatians 5:22,23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The Eternal Word Revealed

Doesn’t it make sense that The Eternal Word can only be revealed upon the basis of the scripture; since "they are they which testify of Him" (John 5:39)? But the Church world today is scripturally void. And what they know, is misinterpreted! And it is explained incorrectly because preachers are too proud, or too dumb to say, ‘Yes, here it is, but I don’t understand it. Why don’t we just seek The Lord about this?’ But they just want to give some kind of an interpretation that the natural mind can run off with. Again, such interpretation is NOT ground for the revelation of Jesus Christ. Think about it: you in whom Christ has been revealed, did it not come upon the basis of the scripture? It was probably scripture about which you had become frustrated, come to an end of, and thought it’s got to mean something more than this. You didn’t throw your Bible away, you didn’t doubt what was written, but you began to doubt your understanding of it. And you began to doubt that what you were being told about it was all there was to know about it. You either did, or Christ is not revealed in you, because there is no other way to come. I know that for a fact!

John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Hosea 4:6 – My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Amos 8:11 – Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.

Matthew 4:4 – But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

1 Corinthians 3:1,2 – And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

Under The Law

This is the reason that Paul came to such a revealing of Christ. Oh my, he was a walking scroll!! He was a walking Old Covenant! And he was honestly looking for his righteousness in it, until it absolutely frustrated him! See, Romans 7 is not about a schizophrenic Christian; Romans 7 is about a man trying to find righteousness under the Law, and he could not do it. And the more he sought good, the good of the Law; the more evil is present with him. In other words, the Law is like a Catch 22. The more you keep it, the more it condemns you! The more you try to find your righteousness in it, the more it says you don’t have any righteousness. That’s what the Law is all about. Paul said the very thing I thought was life unto me, became death. Finally it drove him to utter frustration and he said, " O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24) He wasn’t talking about his natural body: but the body of Judaism, the body of the old man that he had just described in Romans 6. "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 7:25)

Philippians 3:5,6 – Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Acts 22:3 – I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

Romans 7:9,10,13,19,21-23 – For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death…Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful… For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do… I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

Romans 6:6 – Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

He Comes To Us Based On Our Belief

Paul was full of the scripture, and he was looking into the scripture. This is what drove him to frustration. Now he’s out on the road just trying to kill Christians, because since he couldn’t find righteousness, he was just zealous for the Lord. He was zealous among all of the others, and the Lord was able to deal with him. And it’s that way with you and I. See, He is not revealed in those that have a nonchalant, occasional glance at the scripture. It won’t work that way. You can preach Christ and The Revelation of Christ until your tongue falls out, but there has got to be a heart turned and prepared before the revealing of The Son. He always comes to us based upon our belief. And Israel’s belief was a scriptural belief, based upon what was written. "You do search the scripture." "Yes we do." "You search them looking for life, believing that you will find life there. They are they that testify of Me." "You believe in God, believe in me. In My Father’s house…"

Acts 22:4,5,7,8 – And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished…And I fell unto the ground and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

1 Corinthians 15:9 – For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

In My Father’s House

And what He’s actually saying here is referring to The Body of Jesus Christ: what is going to be The Body of Christ. And He is simply saying there will be many members in this: many will find rest in My Father’s family; many will come to rest. And even in the definition it says that: ‘mansion’ means ‘resting place’, ‘places of abode.’ And what is being spoken of here is the largeness of The Father’s House itself: that it is large enough for all. And I am saying this is with direct reference to the many membered, yet One Body of Jesus Christ, because what was He going to death to prepare, except a Body, a place? What was the transition? In His death from body to New Body. He was born of a virgin birth, made of woman, born under the law, made of no reputation in the one body for DEATH. But in the Next Body He would live and be the very Life and Resurrection of it! And in fact, that Body would have NO substance but HIM! And that Body would not be for His death, but for the manifestation of His Life! And that’s the Church: that’s The Body that you and I are!

Romans 12:4,5 – For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

1 Corinthians 12:12 – For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

Galatians 4:4 – But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.

Philippians 2:6-8 – Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Colossians 3:11 – Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Ephesians 1:23 – Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

I Will Come Again

But He goes on, and here’s where you and I are just brought right into it. John 14:2, "…if it were not so, I would have told you…" Well, what’s that got to do with me, Lord? Well, it has everything to do with you – this House, this Father’s Household: it has everything to do with you because as surely as I go away… "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." He’s going away unto DEATH. "… I will come again…" And the word "again" here means "ANEW." It’s the same word that is in John 3:7. "… ye must be born again…" That is, anew, of Spirit. I will come anew, I will come in Newness of Life, I will come again. I came a first time, I will come a second time. The first time – to die; the second time – in Resurrection, unto Life. I will come again. You can look that up in any Bible dictionary, and you will see this is what it means. It means ‘newness of Life.’ That’s how I will come again. Why? Because the purpose of My coming again is to receive you unto Himself! See, He is still here The Door! "… to receive you unto myself; that where I am…" And any good Bible scholar will tell you that this is NOT speaking of a location, because HE is the object of the word ‘where’. I AM… That where I AM… He is not speaking of a location, but a divine relationship. "… that where I am, ye may be also." The word "there" has been added, and should not be in the text. That where I am, ye may be; and it’s only where He is that you are; because if He’s not in you, then you don’t exist as a New Creation; you don’t exist as a Salvation, you don’t exist as The House of God. The House of God doesn’t exist waiting for Him to come and visit it!

Hebrews 9:28 – So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

The House of God

You are The House of God because He is in you; and if He’s not in you, then you are NOT The House of God! You are a New Creation because you are in Him, and if you are not in Him, you are NOT a New Creation. If you take HIM out of this equation, then this whole thing vanishes! It is non-existent without Him! If you take Him out of it, it all ceases to exist. His Death was with purpose. He suffered the shame, despising it, for the joy that was set before Him. His death was with purpose; that purpose was defined of God before the foundation of the world. Now He goes on… " That where I am, ye may be also." And I’m telling you: that’s the only place you are. As a New Creation you are only where He is. If He’s not there… you’re not either as a New Creation. This is a mystery, because we see with our eyes. That’s the reason Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:18, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not are eternal."

John 14:20,23 – At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you… Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2 Corinthians 6:16 – And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Hebrews 12:2 – Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I AM The Way

This was Paul’s whole philosophy – that if you can see it, it is not eternal. And if it is revealed of The Holy Spirit, it is eternal. And that the eternal remains after what you can see does not. This is his whole understanding and reality of Life. And this is the same thing Jesus said. Israel wanted another earthly kingdom that would also come to another end. Jesus said, No, My Kingdom is not like that. Then in John 14:6 He says, " I am the way, the truth and the life.." And this brings you and I right in. "…no man cometh to the Father, but by me." In John 10:9 He says, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in…" Now He says, " no man cometh but by Me." There is NO other Way or Truth or Life – it is HIM! We’ll look at this further as The Door – The I AM Factor; bringing all things into the realization of Himself, and you and I finding the realization of everything of Spiritual Life in The Person of Him. We believe so many things: we understand so few, because He has not appeared in them. Well, He only will appear in them when I finally come to a frustration and say I don’t understand anything! I believe it. I just don’t understand it. Well, HE is the understanding given of God. It is The Revealing of His Son.

Luke 17:20,21 – And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them, and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Acts 1:6 – When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

Ephesians 1:17-19 – That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened: that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.