THE RECOVERING OF CHRIST

PART IV

SEED UNTO FULL HARVEST

Once again, what a joy it is to be gathered together in Spirit and Truth, that is in the understanding of the Spirit of Truth, and so gathered for the purpose of learning Him.

Take Away the First

Now, I will take you to Genesis 12. We are finding the pattern of one creation in the other. We are going to see one creation come to an end, and then we will just spend the rest of our time dealing with the other - the creation that you are in Christ Jesus - a New Creation. But we have been finding the pattern of the New Creation in the old and finding the fulfillment of the first in the second. There is a coming of the Lord wherein the first is done away, and only the second remains. If you have not experienced that coming of the Lord in your heart, then you need to do that. That is to say, if you have not experienced the appearing of Christ, the revealing of Christ, where one creation has in fact and indeed come to an end, passed out, passed away, and another is remaining to be established, this you need to do. Hebrews 10, verses 7-10, "Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;" (Heb 10:7-8). I do not come to offer another sacrifice for the first man. I do not come to offer another oblation for the first creation. With sacrifices and offerings thou art not pleased. "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified…" (Heb 10:9-10).

Well it is just in that taking away of the first and the establishing of the second that we are set aside unto Him. So, we are going to see a first coming to an end and a second remaining. But we have established a pattern - a pattern that is established in the first and shall be fulfilled in the second. God's purpose in the first was to establish His pattern. His purpose in the second is to bring what He has patterned to PERFECTION. Well now, you can see by that, we have lain out before us, a lifetime of searching. To just deal with the few scriptures, with which we have dealt, and the few examples and to say that we have gotten a hold of the pattern would be ludicrous, but we have seen at least the principle of it.

Seed Unto Harvest

We have seen that in the first creation God's pattern is a SEED producing after its own kind unto full increase of harvest. God is after a harvest of the seed. And that pattern is established. Then we saw that all of that is summed up and realized in a man. It is not in a sunflower, not in an apple tree, not in an elephant, a cow, a giraffe, or a fish, but in a MAN. It is in a man that God's seed is most perfectly seen. And that even in that first man, He established his divine intention - an intention that that first man fell from - fell short of. We just mentioned those verses in the third chapter of the book of Romans, "For all have sinned and committed adultery"? - No, no, no. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23, emphasis added). See, that first man in whom God established His intention fell short of His intention. But nonetheless in that first man all creation is summed up, the whole of that first creation, called Adam - yes, the whole of it called Adam, for even to every part of it was given its name by Adam. All of it finds its purpose in the man. However, the man finds his purpose in none of it. Is it not true? The man finds his purpose, his kind, his fulfillment in none of it. But all of it is summed up in Adam and God sets forth his intention with regard to man. The intention that we saw set forth was just this - THAT GOD WOULD HAVE A MAN IN THE FULL EXPRESSION OF HIMSELF. Consequently, that God would have a creation for the express purpose of filling that creation with the fullness of Himself, bringing forth a full harvest in that creation. And in that creation, God gets the absolute and complete expression of His glory, which in the Greek is translated "the self revelation of God, or the divine nature of God fully expressed." Everything is intended for God's glory. Now all of this was typed and shadowed in the first creation, but in the second creation, the New Creation, God GETS everything. Everything that He set forth in type, in shadow, in intention in the first, He will achieve in the second. Beloved, the New Creation is for a tremendous purpose. You have a tremendous purpose in Christ Jesus.

References:

Gen 2:19

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof

New Unger's Bible Dictionary, "GLORY"

"GLORY. Usually represents the Heb. kabod, "weight," and Gk. doxa, although a number of other words in the original are thus rendered.

In the applications of the word glory in Scripture it is easy to trace the fundamental idea involved in it. Properly, it is the exercise and display of what constitutes the distinctive excellence of the subject to which it is spoken; thus, in respect to God, His glory is the manifestation of His divine attributes and perfections, or such a visible splendor as indicates the possession and presence of these (<Exo. 33:18-22; 16:7,10; John 1:14; 2:11; 2 Pet. 1:17>; etc.). God's "glory is the correlative of his holiness . . . is that in which holiness comes to expression. Glory is the expression of holiness, as beauty is the expression of health." In respect to man, His glory is found in the things that reveal His honorable state and character, such as wisdom, righteousness, superiority to passion, or that outward magnificence that is expressive of what, in the lower sphere, bespeaks the high position of its possessor…."

bibliography: A. M. Ramsey, The Glory of God in the Transfiguration of Christ (1949); I. Abrahams, The Glory of God (1973); J. D. Pentecost, The Glory of God (1978).

(from New Unger's Bible Dictionary)

Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, "GLORY, GLORIOUS"

A. Nouns.

1. doxa ^1391^, "glory" (from dokeo, "to seem"), primarily signifies an opinion, estimate, and hence, the honor resulting from a good opinion. It is used (I) (a) of the nature and acts of God in self-manifestation, i. e., what He essentially is and does, as exhibited in whatever way he reveals Himself in these respects, and particularly in the person of Christ, in whom essentially His "glory" has ever shone forth and ever will do, <John 17:5,24; Heb. 1:3>; it was exhibited in the character and acts of Christ in the days of His flesh, <John 1:14; John 2:11>; at Cana both His grace and His power were manifested, and these constituted His "glory"…

(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)

Born of the Seed of God

I want to take you just a step farther in the pattern that is set forth in the first. We are going to specifically deal with the SEED because it is the seed that is going to bring us right over into the New Creation. YOU ARE ONLY THERE BECAUSE YOU ARE BORN OF THE SEED OF GOD. Adam, though he was a type of that, was not the seed of God and was never born of the seed of God. No - no where in the Bible do you find that? You find the principle established in creation. Then you find creation summed up in man so that in man you see God's intention, with regard to creation and with regard to a man, that in that man God would have the increase of Himself. But of course all that Adam brought forth was the increase of himself. And you can look around the world and see the problem with that. Nations came out of him, so now nations fight one another. Races came out of him, so races square off against one another. You see there is none of that in Christ, because in Christ there is just one seed - THE SEED OF GOD. And I am going to tell you something. In Christ there is only one man, too. His name is not JW Luman, and he is not white. Well, he is not black either. We will look at that man, born of God's own divine seed, with the express purpose of coming forth in the fullness of the Lord and giving His creation fullness of expression: the glory of God filling the earth as the waters cover the sea.

References:

Gen 5:3

And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

1Ptr 1:23

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Gal 3:27-28

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Seed Revealed

Look at this pattern. Now we came to this with Abraham. And we saw the promise of God was made concerning the seed in Genesis the third chapter. But it is in the twelfth chapter of Genesis, dealing with Abraham, where the seed begins to be revealed. You know the story of Abraham. It is to Abraham that the seed is first revealed. Now you know that. The twelfth chapter of Genesis right on up to the seventeenth and eighteenth chapters of Genesis shows God beginning to deal with Abraham concerning the seed. Now there is a pattern there, and I have to take time to establish the pattern. So, this will be important to you.

Again, we are still dealing with this first creation. The pattern here in Genesis 12 is that God said I will show you a land. And then we realized that the word "land" there is the summation of everything that Abraham left. Well, what did he leave? He left his country, his kind, kindred, his father's house. God said I will show you a land, and that land represents all that he left. He did not only leave it as a location; he left it as a creation. He left it in his heart; he left it as a citizen of it; he left it as a race; he left it - period. And I will show you a land. And we found in verse 7 what God really showed to Abraham was Himself. He showed Himself. Verse 7 in Genesis 12 - "And the Lord appeared to Abram ", and the word "show" and the word "appeared" is the same Hebrew word "ra-ah" - the Lord showed Himself.

Reference:

2Cor 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.

The Lord Appeared

Here is the progression, type, and pattern. First you see THE LAND. Now you see all of that in relation to the Lord. It is not really the Lord showing you something other than Himself. But it is the Lord showing you Himself and giving definition to it. Who defines the land? THE LORD DOES. Who defines where you dwell? THE LORD DOES. Who defines the house that you are? THE LORD DOES. It is not something aside from Himself. IT IS WHO HE IS MADE UNTO YOU. He is made a dwelling place. He is made the holiness of the Lord. He is made unto you. "…I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (Jn 14:3). "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you" (Jn 14:20). And "…where I am, there ye may be also." THE LORD BRINGS DEFINITION TO SALVATION. Salvation is not something the Lord has given to you and me. It is who the Lord is. Hallelujah to God! The land is not something other than Himself, and he showed that to Abraham. But there still is a pattern here, and only in relation to the Lord. He showed him first the land, and then the land representing now, patterned here, representing the New Creation, because it is something that the Lord has to show. See, if Abraham could have seen it with the natural eye, then it would have remained part of the old. If Abraham could have seen it, then it wasn't holy. And honey, if you can see it, it is not holy either. If you can pick it up and put it in a jar, there is nothing holy about it. You have to "…Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art…" (Gen 13:14), to see anything holy. You have to look in the face of the Holy One of God to see anything holy. And if ye, if ye are quickened together and raised together and seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:5-6) - and if ye be risen with him, then set your affections... (Col 3:1-2). Well.

References:

Gen 13:14

And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

Jn 5:39 (NKJ)

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

Ps 40:7

Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,

Heb 10:7

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

1Cor 1:30

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

Eph 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:

Col 3:1-2

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Lord Shows Himself

The only holy thing about this building we are in tonight is if the Lord appears to you here. My pattern is just this - he showed him first the land - HE SHOWED HIM HIMSELF! You will never comprehend - folks, listen to me, I am telling you something now. You will never comprehend where you are now dwelling – you will look around and say, "Well I am dwelling in St. Croix. I am here; I am there." You will never comprehend truly where you are, spiritually, physically, any other way, UNTIL YOU SEE THE LAND and until HE DEFINES YOUR DWELLING PLACE. Now again, I take you back in our quote, back to John 14, because the problem with most Christians today is that they have no comprehension of where they are. They think they are where their eyes see, their nose smells, and their ears hear. That is where they think they are. That is the reason they are having such battles with the devil, such battles with races and such battles with people, such battles, such battles, such battles - you have not the slightest idea where you are. The whole purpose of this business of the New Creation is to come to the comprehension that He has not only delivered you from something, but He literally translated you into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col 1:13). "Translation" is a strong word in the scriptures. It means literally the removal from one place and the placement in another place (Online Bible Hebrew Lexicon). Translated - though your feet may be on red carpet, that is not where you are. That is not where your life is. That is not where you live and dwell. That is not the creation that the Spirit of Truth has come to show you in the person of Jesus Christ.

References:

Online Bible Hebrew Lexicon: Col 1:13, "translated" <3179>

3179 meyisthmi methistemi meth-is’-tay-mee or (#1Co 13:2) meyistanw methistano meth-is-tan’-o

from 3326 and 2476; ; v

AV-remove 2, put out 1, turn away 1, translate 1; 5

1) to transpose, transfer, remove from one place to another

1a) of change of situation or place

1b) to remove from the office of a steward

1c) to depart from life, to die

Jn 15:26

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Jn 16:13-14

Col 1:13

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Abraham might have been standing where the Canaanites (Genesis 12:6) were the inhabitants of the land, but that is not the land God showed to him. THE LORD SHOWED ABRAHAM HIMSELF. And the altar Abraham built was not to the land he stood on. The Bible says that the altar he built was to the LORD WHO APPEARED unto him. Hallelujah to God! That makes all the difference in the world. You are going to build your altar wherever you are - America, St. Croix, Africa, India, or China. It does not make any difference. You are going to build your altar to Him there, but the altar that you build is unto Him. It is not unto the place. There is nothing holy about the place. It is the Lord who is holy. The habitation of the Lord is a holy habitation for He inhabits a New Creation - one not made with hands but birthed by the Spirit.

References:

Gen 12:6

And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

Gen 12:7

And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Eph 2:22

In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

2Cor 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.

Your Dwelling Place

So the first thing that is going to happen to you and me here in Christ Jesus - when the Lord appears - when we come face to face, as we come as a believer, as believers God begins to reveal His Son in us. As a believer, the Lord begins to appear in His creation. As a believer, the Lord begins to reveal Himself in His holy tabernacle, in His New Creation. The first thing you will comprehend in view of the Lord is your dwelling place - the land. See, if Abraham had just seen real estate, he would have made himself comfortable there. But the Bible says that he never did. He was a pilgrim; he was a stranger; he was looking for a city that has foundations - Hallelujah to the Lamb of the living God! YOU ARE THAT CITY! YOU ARE THAT CITY!

Reference:

Heb 11:8-10, 13

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God… These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Heb 12:22-24

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Emphasis on the Seed

The pattern is there, but the reality of it is in Christ, only in Christ and nowhere else. The pattern of God's temple is there, given to Moses, but honey, the temple of God is only in Christ and nowhere else. The pattern of Zion and the whole thing are given in type, given in pattern, but the fulfillment of that is only found in Christ Jesus, the New Creation. But the pattern is that you first SEE THE LAND. Then you will go on. I will not take the time to go through it in the scriptures. Look at it, though because there is something I want to come to. The Lord began to show him the seed. What gives definition to the land? In the 15th chapter of Genesis, "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed…" (Gen 15:1-3 AVRLE). From this point on, the whole emphasis of God concerning the land is the seed. Everything now is measured by the seed, and the promise of God is concerning the seed. Everything, I am telling you. When you begin to be brought into a view of Christ, God will begin to reveal His Son in you. The first thing you are going to comprehend by the Spirit, not just because it is written in the scripture but because you will actually come to a Spirit given comprehension in the face of Jesus Christ, is that you are dwelling in Him. You will see that you are in Him and that He is in You – you will see the land.

Land and Seed

Each time the Lord appears, each time there is a revealing of Him, the emphasis is off of the land and ON THE SEED that is to possess the land. And I am here telling you as truthfully as I can that there is not, that I know of, a handful of believers who comprehend the difference between the land and the seed. There is a difference. One is to fill the other. One is purposed for the fullness of the other. One is purposed for the harvest of the other, and one can not do without the other. But there is a distinction between the two.

Christ is the fullness of the whole thing. The whole promise - you follow it on through with Abraham. Abraham got into trouble with God, not because he produced another land, but because in the land, he produced another seed. You and I as believers here in Christ, get in trouble with God when we tamper with the seed, when we bring forth ourselves instead of Him. That is where the problem is. See, Abraham finally settled down in the land, quit running down to Egypt, got back to his beginning, came right back to the first revealing, right back to the first altar all over again. He finally settled down in the land, got rid of Lot and then produced the wrong seed. And I can not tell you how many today are in what we call "kingdom preaching" or "Sonship preaching" and all of this which I am connected with one way or another, or have been, who are confused concerning the seed. They actually think that they are the seed and that they are supposed to possess the land. They seem to have no comprehension that they are the land. Christ is the seed and He is to possess them! He is to fill the land with the fullness of Himself. He transforms the land from common dirt (2Cor 4:7) to a heavenly harvest. The much fruit is Christ formed in you! So, Abraham had the wrong seed (Ishmael) in the right land. And that is like trying to have the seed of "Adam" (you and I) to bring forth "much fruit" in Christ. That will never work. Christ is the true Seed and in Christ it is "not I but Christ liveth in me". Christ is the true incorruptible Seed of the Father. You and I are purposed of God for the increase of The One True Seed!

References:

Gen 13:1, 3-4

And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south… And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

Gen 16:1-2, 4

Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai… And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Gen 17:20

And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

Gal 4:19

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

Gal 4:21-26

Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Gal 3:10

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

2Cor 4:7

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

God Knows HIS Seed

Abraham could have produced all the Ishmaels he wanted to produce except for the fact that he insisted that Ishmael was the seed. That is when, in Chapter 17, the Lord appeared to Abraham and set the record straight. It took the appearing of the Lord to do that and it will take the appearing of the Lord in you to do that, too. I hope you understand the word "appear" signifies "Christ revealed in you, the revealing of the Lord". We are not talking about some dream out here in the clouds. We are talking about the Spirit of God revealing Christ in you. We are talking about Christ who is your life being revealed in you (Col 3:1-4).

References:

Gen 17:1

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Gen 17:15-19, 21

And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. …But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

Col 3:4

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear <5319>, then shall ye also appear <5319> with him in glory.

Strong’s Greek Lexicon: Col 3:4, "appear" <5319>

5319. fanerow phaneroo fan-er-o’-o; from 5318; to render apparent (literally or figuratively):— appear, manifestly declare, (make) manifest (forth), shew (self).

Online Bible Greek Lexicon: Col 3:4, "appear" <5319>

5319 fanerow phaneroo fan-er-o’-o

from 5318; TDNT-9:3,1244; v

AV-make manifest 19, appear 12, manifest 9, show 3, be manifest 2, show (one’s) self 2, manifestly declare 1, manifest forth 1; 49

1) to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way

1a) make actual and visible, realised

1b) to make known by teaching

1c) to become manifest, be made known

1d) of a person

1d1) expose to view, make manifest, to show one’s self, appear

1e) to become known, to be plainly recognised, thoroughly understood

1e1) who and what one is

For Synonyms see entry 5812

Gal 1:15-16

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal <601> his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

Strong’s Greek Lexicon: Gal 1:16, "reveal" <601>

601. apokaluptw apokalupto ap-ok-al-oop’-to; from 575 and 2572; to take off the cover, i.e. disclose:— reveal.

Online Bible Greek Lexicon: Gal 1:16, "reveal" <601>

601 apokaluptw apokalupto ap-ok-al-oop’-to

from 575 and 2572; TDNT-3:563,405; v

AV-reveal 26; 26

1) to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up

1a) disclose, make bare

2) to make known, make manifest, disclose what before was unknown

For Synonyms see entry 5812

Well Abraham went along for 14 years in the right land with the wrong seed - 14 years and then the Lord appeared and said in effect, "Ishmael is not my seed. Ishmael is not my heir, BUT IN ISAAC SHALL MY SEED BE." And then Paul got a hold of that and brought it right into the book of Galatians and said, So then brethren, as Isaac was, so are we. How was it with Isaac? IN Isaac shall thy seed... IN Isaac… . So, brethren, as Isaac was, so are we. IN you shall be the seed of the living God. Honey, the seed is Christ. "And if ye be Christ's, then ye are Abraham's seed..." (Gal 3:29) but if ye be Christ's - the seed is Christ (Gal 3:16).

References:

Gen 17:18-19, 21

And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. …But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

Gen 21:12

And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Gal 4:28

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Ga 3:16

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Summing All Up

There was a seed promised to Abraham. It was a seed typed in Israel. You can look at the types in Israel - gathering all, everything up, bringing everything out of Egypt, through the wilderness, finally entering Canaan, three administrations of judges, prophetic priests and finally the king. Then at last, in the top of the mountain, one is born and brought forth in Zion and all of Israel summed up in him, who bringeth together the house of the Glory of God in the earth. The pattern is all there. In Solomon shall it be. In Abraham in Isaac shall it be established, God revealing the seed to Abraham, setting it forth in type and shadow, certainly in Israel.

Now in Galatians 3:16, and in the whole of the New Testament, it is fulfilled in Christ. "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds [not to seeds, s-e-e-d-s, (because God doesn't have seeds)], as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, WHICH IS CHRIST" (emphasis added). All right, now I know we love to jump over into verse 29, and we like to say "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed…" (Gal 3:29). But there is a lot of distance between verse 16 and verse 29, and that is the difference I want to deal with. There is a great deal of distance between "thy seed, which is Christ" and "if ye be Christ's". (There is one brother whose book I recently read and then disposed of it. He was spelling that C-h-r-i-s-t-s, without the apostrophe, and he meant that he had so many Christs. But there is just one Christ of God.) There is only one Christ of God, only one seed of God, and one creation for the purpose of the full harvest of that one seed, or the full coming of that one Man. The Man of the first creation indeed is Adam, after the earth, earthy. But the Man of the second creation is none other than the LORD FROM HEAVEN HIMSELF. And as this creation (the first) bore the image of Adam, so does the new bear the image of the heavenly. And that is the work of the Spirit right now in the New Creation, summing this whole thing up in the fullness of the seed that God may have a harvest of the increase of Himself in One New Man. Hallelujah!

References:

1Cor 15:45-47

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

1Cor 15:48-49

As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

Jn 15:26

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Jn 16:13-14

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

To Bring Us Unto Christ

Turn to Galatians. I quoted from Galatians 3:16, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." Now look at verses 23-25, "But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ [nothing else - Christ], that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (Gal 3:23-25, emphasis added). (After that faith is come, however, not just because you get mad at the school teacher). How long shall I abide under the law? Until faith comes. I want to tell you something friends. You can argue with this if you want to, and I will give you liberty to argue with it. I am not going to write it and engrave it in stone, but faith will never come to a lawless individual. We are kept under the law until faith is come. The only problem with the law was that it could not make anything perfect, but it brings you to the ONE THAT DOES. It brings you to the one that does. "But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all…" (Gal 3:25-26). This word "children" should be translated as "sons", "...for you are all sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus…" (Gal 3:26-27). And the reason I emphasize this is that sweetheart, you are children by birth. You are sons by faith. "Sons" implies a maturity, a growing up. You are children by birth; you are sons by faith. And the Apostle here is writing to the Galatians concerning an understanding, concerning the coming from one understanding which is regulated by the law, to another understanding which is regulated by faith. And the whole book of Galatians is based upon God revealing His Son in a believer. "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him…" (Gal 1:15-16). This is at the beginning, in the first chapter of Galatians - THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.

References:

Gal 3:21

Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

Heb 7:19

For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

Gal 4:4-7

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Gal 1:15-16

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

Sons By Faith

Now back to Galatians 3:26-27. We are dealing with and Paul is talking about an understanding of faith. "For ye are all the children [sons] of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal 3:26-27). Now remember there is something about this baptism. It is a baptism unto death as well as a baptism into life. Romans 6 discusses the death of it, and I Corinthians 12 discusses the life of it. And here Paul sets forth the purpose of it - Clothed in Christ, Galatians 3:28 - all of this before we get into vs. 29, "There is neither Jew nor Greek…" (Gal 3:28), - what that does sweetheart is cover all of humanity, because you are either a Jew or a Gentile in this human form. It does not make any difference what color you are or whether your ancestors spoke Swahili or German. It does not make any difference. You are either a Jew or a Gentile, one fashion or another. But you see, here - IN CHRIST, there is neither Jew nor Gentile. They represent seeds - S-E-E-D-S and there are not S-E-E-D-S in Him. In Christ there is just a SEED and nothing is there except it be born of that SEED. It does not make any difference what you and I think. You and I who are in Christ - it does not make any difference what we think in our natural mind. The fact of the matter is that there is only one seed in this whole New Creation. God set the pattern where there are many seeds, but in Christ, the fulfillment of the pattern is in one seed. There is only going to be one harvest here. There is only going to be one man - fully occupying the creation with himself here. The rest is a figment of the Adamic imagination and will be and is done away with in the light of His appearing.

References:

Rom 6:3-4

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

1Cor 12:12-14

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. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.

1Jn 3:2

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

All Summed Up In ONE

Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Well now you may say, "Well Thank God, brother, we are just one." Now wait a minute. That is not what that scripture says. "That looks like what it is to me." Well, read it again. "For ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Again, you might insist, "Well, brother, that is what I said. ‘We are all one.’" That is not what it says. If we would read what it says, we have just gotten rid of you and me, just gotten rid of male, female, Jew, Gentile, bond, free - just gotten rid of them. And the whole, all is summed up in ONE. Most of us have not yet seen the one. We are trying to see it in each other, and we are trying to say we are one while we stand there looking at each other knowing - no, we are not. So we make believe. Then we reduce it down to bumper sticker slogans - "We’re just all God's children." That is not it either because although we say that, we still in our own hearts leave ourselves just as we are and say, "Well, you have to accept me like I am." I do not know why I should accept you like you are. God did not. I do not know why you should accept me like I am. God did not. Honey, He took who we are to the cross and killed it. He did not accept it - My Lord God!

Reference:

Gal 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.

But in our little milk of human, soulish pitiful love, understanding we have reduced salvation down to learning how to get along with each other, learning how to accept each other. Then we lie to each other and say we do rather than coming to another understanding, rather than coming to faith - the faith of the Son of God by which we understand something with regard to one another - coming to realize all are one. Now the letter to the Colossians the third chapter verses 9,10 and 11 brings this into the same view, brings it right into the clarity of Christ. Paul says there in Colossians 3 vs. 9-11, says the same thing all over again. This time he is dealing with the New Man. This time he is dealing with being renewed and he says something. He says which is neither - he goes through the same list again - Jew or Gentile, Barbarian, Scythians, male, female - all of that and then he says - "BUT CHRIST IS ALL, AND IN ALL." Hallelujah to God!

Reference:

Col 3:9-11

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

There is only one living. Whether you can hear this or not, you are going to have to hear it sooner or later by the Spirit of God or else you will wrestle with it throughout eternity and miss Him. You will remain in your own little creation trying to be like Jesus; you will continue to run around as many Christians do, and lie to one another and wish that you could make it work. Just look around on the face of the earth today and tell me that it works, and I will tell you that you need to take another look at it. CHRIST ALL AND IN ALL. Sooner or later you and I are going to have to be awakened to something that Abraham had to face up to, in type, and I think probably in reality of spirit because Abraham was justified by faith not by law. This thing is not mine; this thing is not Isaac. This is the Lord! You and I are finally going to have to wake up to this situation. This thing is not you; it is not I. It is not this; it is not that. This thing is the Lord! Hallelujah!

Reference:

Rom 4:1-3

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Christ All and In All

There is only one who lives in the New Creation that you and I are. That one is the seed of God. That one is Christ - all and in all. When you and I come to that faith, sweetheart, our attitudes then about one another will change because the outward thing has nothing at all. We understand that is a facade anyway, and we quit trying to understand each other in the flesh and get along in the races, by a superior faith, a faith of the Son of God which says Christ is the only thing alive here and I live only by Him. Consequently my thoughts concerning you are my thoughts concerning Him. That is the only way it is going to work because that is the only way it is true. The rest of it is just a pitiful attempt in the flesh to imitate a tremendous truth in Christ.

References:

Jn 11:25 (emphasis added)

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life…

Gal 2:20

Now, if none of this creation is found in Christ then there is no life. I hope you get the impact of what I am telling you because I am telling you that you and I cannot live, cannot produce, cannot grow, cannot come to anything here except in the KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD. Honey, He is the only one who lives here and everything here that is alive is alive by Him, in Him, through Him - as one with Him. He does not give life here - HE IS THE LIFE OF ALL THAT IS HERE. You are not here except you are born here by the seed which is Christ. And if you are born of the seed which is Christ, then that makes you that handiwork of God created in Christ Jesus - a New Creation in Christ Jesus - having one life - CHRIST; having one seed in that creation - CHRIST; that full creation standing in one expectation - the coming forth in fulness of Christ. Hallelujah! All of that creation defines itself not in itself, BUT IN CHRIST.

References:

1Ptr 1:23

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Jn 14:19

Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

Jn 6:53

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Col 1:18

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.

Rom 8:23

And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Eph 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.

2Co 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.

Gal 6:15

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

Col 3:4

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

The Expression of One

Now that is the pattern that I have told you about. There is a pattern there. This whole first creation found its definition in Adam. The type of that is named Adam. Honey, you and I have not the slightest idea who or what we are until HE APPEARS AND WRITES IN US HIS NAME. No, He is not making a bunch of little Jesuses. He is transforming a whole creation into the EXPRESSION OF ONE JESUS - ONE SEED - ONE MAN - ONE CHRIST - bringing glory to one God and Father of all, Father of all birthed of His seed, Father of all, because to God this (Christ) represents ALL - CHRIST ALL AND IN ALL. What happened to the first one? It passes out. I want to deal with the disruption of the world because you can not have a New Creation without the disruption of the first one. That is so as a fact, and it is so progressively in you. As you begin to seek out the reality of Christ and the New Creation, there will be and must be a disruption in your heart because truth is truth. And if one is passed away, then it must be out of your heart passed away. Sweetheart, if you lose a loved one, sooner or later it has to take place in your heart. I mean, they can be as dead as a doornail for days, weeks, months or even years and you can walk around in denial. There are a lot of Christians like that, walking around in denial. I have known people like that who are trying to find happiness, and they just never can. Why? It is because they are in denial. Sooner or later what has died must, in their hearts, be reckoned dead or else they will never get on with their lives. It is not cruel; it is reality. It is true. And we have Christians today nursing the dead, hoping for a resurrection that is never going to take place. It is never going to take place.

References:

Rev 14:1

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

Rev 22:3-4

And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

What I mean when I say that resurrection is never going to take place is that you are never going to resurrect the old man. You are never going to resurrect Adam. That is the resurrection that is NOT going to take place because Jesus says I AM the resurrection – I AM the resurrection. Sooner or later every believer must turn in his heart to comprehend that there is nobody truly living here except Christ! Paul did that, but you see, that comprehension comes with the destruction of the other. What did Paul say? "I am crucified." He did not just say, "Christ liveth in me" No, No, No. The comprehension that brought that conclusion is, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…" (Gal 2:20).

Reference:

Jn 11:25

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection…

Understanding Must Come

Galatians 3, verse 29 - "And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed" – we are Abraham's seed! Wait a minute, you are that BY COMPREHENSION; YOU ARE THAT BY UNDERSTANDING. But the beginning of that understanding is "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female…" (Gal 3:28). Do you understand that one creation has to pass away before you and I can ever come to comprehend the other. The point is they will both be summed up for you in a man. The creation that passes away is YOU. The creation that remains, and the fullness of it, is HIM. Oh, I will tell you. When I first began to comprehend this, and when a believer begins to comprehend this, this is when the grace of God really gets great. I mean, you begin to say, "My God, what grace - what grace that I could be a part of something that I have in the natural no part of. My God what grace, what grace." Well you see God's whole purpose for mankind is summed up in the Lord. And God's purpose for mankind is that He has a new kind of man. This is a man in whom He will fully recover, what we said before - His Vision, His Voice and His Glory. So we are just looking towards that.

References:

2Cor 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.

Eph 2:8

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

1Ptr 2:10

Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Disruption of the World

I want to deal with you concerning the disruption of the world. We are going to use a good number of scriptures, and in the King James Version all of them are translated "foundation". You will see this in passages such as, "since before the foundation of the world" or "from the foundation of the world". It is always "world" too, and the times that it is not "world" then it is not the same foundation that we are talking about. The word "foundation" there in the Greek is not like it is in the gospels - the foundation upon which the house is built, the sure foundation. No, the foundation that is used there is from a Greek term which means "casting down". Now I want us to look at that in the scriptures and see what is reckoned from the disruption of the world. I will tell you right now. There is only one thing basically that is reckoned from the disruption of the world. That is this New Creation. What that means is that when God destroyed the one, and He did that AT THE CROSS, here is the foundation; here is the disruption. When God destroyed one, He had the other in mind. The disruption of the one is indeed the foundation of the other. We will look at that in the scripture. That has to come in truth right over in our hearts. You and I have to suffer the disruption of the one world.

References:

Vine’s Expository Dictionary: FOUNDATION (TO LAY), FOUNDED <2602>

2. katabole ^2602^, lit., "a casting down," is used (a) of "conceiving seed," <Heb. 11:11>; (b) of "a foundation," as that which is laid down, or in the sense of founding; metaphorically, of "the foundation of the world"; in this respect two phrases are used, (1) "from the foundation of the world," <Matt. 25:34> (in the most authentic mss. in <13:35> there is no phrase representing "of the world"); <Luke 11:50; Heb. 4:3; 9:26; Rev. 13:8; 17:8>; (2) "before the foundation of the world," <John 17:24; Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:20>. The latter phrase looks back to the past eternity.#

(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)

Strong’s Greek Lexicon: Eph 1:4, "foundation" <2602>

2602. katabolh katabole kat-ab-ol-ay’; from 2598; a deposition, i.e. founding; figuratively, conception:— conceive, foundation.

2598. kataballw kataballo kat-ab-al’-lo; from 2596 and 906; to throw down:— cast down, lay.

Heb 9:26

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

1Ptr 1:20

Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Rev 13:8

"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Re 13:8 AV)

What was the sufferings of Christ? He came to suffer. He came to disrupt, down to its roots - the world - and bring forth another. The fellowship of his sufferings is when the world is being disrupted in your hearts and His fullness is coming forth. Blessed be the Lamb of the Living God! We will look at that more - the disruption of the world which is the work of the cross. Many people ask, "Surely the disruption of the world is since the fall of Adam?" But you see the fall of Adam is brought right up and connected with the cross. THE TRUE DISRUPTION OF THE WORLD IS AT THE CROSS.

References:

Phil 3:10

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Jn 19:30

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

The Lord Jesus came and said, "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up…" (Jn 12:31-32). Hallelujah! We have come from one creation to another by the cross of Christ. The cross allows nothing to cross over except that which comes forth in the resurrection. Jesus says "I AM THE RESURRECTION" (Jn 11:25).

FATHER, WE JUST THANK YOU FOR YOUR SPIRIT IN US REVEALING YOUR SON, BRINGING FORTH THAT ONE SEED OF GOD IN FULNESS OF A MAN - A NEW MAN - IN A NEW CREATION. JUST MOVE BY THY SPIRIT IN THIS NEW CREATION FOR THE BRINGING FORTH OF THE MAN OF YOUR GLORY - EVEN THAT SON OF MAN, OUR SAVIOR AND LORD JESUS CHRIST. THE LORD BLESS YOU.

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