THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

December 15, 22, 2002 am
MF BLUME

Dec 21, 2002

Luke 22:41-42 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, (42) Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Ephesians 5:28-32 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. (29) For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
(30) For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. (31)
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (32) This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

The tree of Life was held in the Garden away from sinful humanity by the cherubims and flaming sword placed at the Garden entrance after man sinned.

Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

The figures of the cherubim were later embroidered on a veil that was hung between the most holy place and holy place of the tabernacle and temple.

Exodus 26:31-33 And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: (32) And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. (33) And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.

Within that most holy place was the LIFE of God, just as the Tree of Life was in the garden.

The veil in the temple and Tabernacle depicts that barrier to the Garden.

The New Testament informs us that the veil represented the FLESH OF CHRIST, that forms as The Way to the Presence of God..

Hebrews 10:19-20 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, (20) By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

In John 6, Jesus spoke of eating His flesh and drinking HIs blood in order to have eternal LIFE.

That picture is the preaching the same note that the story of the Garden of Eden is telling us.

Eating His flesh and drinking His blood is proposing the same thought that the idea of entering the holiest by the blood of Jesus by the way of His flesh as a veil.

Neither of these are to be taken literally as though we actually must eat Jesus' flesh, drink His blood, or carry His blood past HIs own flesh and inside His physical body as though it were a holiest place.

These are figurative words that speak to us about the necessity of BELIEVING THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS.

Jesus told the people that His actual flesh was not His point, but that believing HIS WORDS was His object.

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

If the message was eating actual flesh, then He would not have said "the flesh profits nothing."

And He would not have summarized His words by saying the following:

John 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

The issue was His Words.

Peter understood:

John 6:67-68 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? (68) Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

Words of eternal life, not flesh of eternal life.

What words?

Words regarding the breaking of His flesh like bread, and the pouring of His blood like wine.

These took place on the cross.

They speak of His death.

And the entire universe of teachings concerning why He died and in what manner God looked at His death are implied in speaking of eating His flesh and drinking His blood.

Jesus said His broken flesh and poured blood spoke of the suffering of the cross.

Matthew 26:26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. (27) And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; (28) For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Passing through the way of the veil of His flesh by the blood of Jesus, in Hebrews 10, is saying the same thing.

When you believe Jesus died as you on the cross, and seek after God in repentance, knowing Christ is THE only Way, then you can say that you have eaten His flesh and drank His blood, and you entered the holiest by the blood through the veil of His flesh.

Train your faith to recall the truths of the teachings of the necessity of our faith in the work of the cross whenever you read statements in the Bible about the flesh and blood of Jesus.

You can also see glimpses of the work of the cross in Old Testament stories that involve a "hanging" of someone, or a duration of "three days", since Christ was hanged on a tree, and spent three days from the point of the crucifixion until the resurrection.

Once we see the picture of veil in the Garden of Eden that barred man away from the Life in the tree, and note Hebrews' reference to the "veil of his flesh", we get a beautiful picture.

Inside the flesh of Jesus Christ was the Life of God for us all!

Another truth is understood when we consider that His flesh was the Word made Flesh.

If you have to pass through the veil in order to enter the Holiest, and His veil is the word made flesh, then we see that we must pass through the Word in order to gain the Life of God.

We must abide by the word and live out the word after believing it with all our hearts.

Gifts are a big issue in everybody's minds at this time of year.

Gifts come gift-wrapped.

Christ was LIFE that was gift-wrapped in the flesh for us to receive.

But just like any gift that can only be enjoyed after it's unwrapped, We had to get through His flesh in order to obtain the Life.

The barrier of the cherubims had to be traversed in order to hold the fruit of life in the Garden.

Jesus had to be unwrapped.

And that is precisely what the cross accomplished.

God sent a GIFT of life down to the world when Christ was born in Bethlehem.

"Bethlehem" literally means HOUSE OF BREAD.

And His flesh was the bread of life and His blood the river of life.

The cross opened up that gift for us all.

His body was Broken FOR US.

His blood was SHED FOR US.

He gave the GIFT OF LIFE.

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING!

And for that reason, when He died we read:

Mark 15:37-38 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. (38) And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

The veil that barred man from LIFE was ripped wide open when He died.

Of course, there was no more life in the physical temple at that time.

But that temple veil represented Christ's flesh, and it's rending indicated Christ's flesh had been broken open for us to enter the BODY OF CHRIST, which is the Church, and enjoy the LIFE OF GOD.

They say Adam opened a Pandora's Box when he sinned in Eden.

A box was to be left shut.

Curiosity got the best of a person who opened the box and released evil into the world.

Adam's sin opened the door for death to come into the world.

However, Jesus brought the gift of Life and released it to all those who would believe when he died on the cross.

But this has implications for us as Christians as well!

Paul was a believer and part of the Body of Christ.

If we are part of Christ's body, then we are part of the veiling, in a sense.

We have obtained God's Life!

We have the knowledge of the glory of God in us.

And as Paul noted, we have this treasure in earthen vessels that must be "broken" to release the Life.

2 Corinthians 4:6-11 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (8) We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; (9) Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; (10) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. (11) For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

Paul was a GIVER , Like Jesus, NOT A TAKER.

He had the LIFE within himself, as a believer.

And for Paul to be able to speak about his perplexities, persecutions, casting down, and then say these things did not stop his ministry, tells us that he was able to take hurts and offenses.

He realized a key.

These things only were allowed by God so that the LIFE of God that was within Him might be released when PAUL WAS UNWRAPPED, HIMSELF.

Like Jesus, Paul bore the dying of Jesus, the unwrapping process, in Paul's own body so that the life might be released in His ministry.

2 Corinthians 4:12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

As a minister, death worked in his body, so that life might be administered to the people who received his ministry.

Jesus cried out for the will of the Father to be done, instead of His own will.

And Matthew 7:21 shows Him seeking those who likewise do the will of the Father.

And if the will of the Father for Him was to be unwrapped through the cross, then what do you think His will is for us?

Jesus said we cannot follow Him and be His disciple unless we take up our crosses and deny ourselves.

This allows His unwrapping to occur in our lives after we are saved.

The parts of our lives that are easily offended are the self-centred parts.

Flesh and veiling.

They are the parts that scream out for vengeance when we are wronged.

They actually hinder God's will from having His Way in our lives in releasing His life through us.

When we deny those parts, we deny self.

Look at all that Jesus' self-denial accomplished!

Where would we be without the cross?

It was LIFE for the world!

Mankind took their eyes off God's life and put them on SELF in the Garden.

The serpent explained to Eve how much she would be improved upon if she ate the forbidden fruit.

And we must remember that ruse.

Anything that focuses our attention on ourselves is going to cause the will of the Father to be hindered in our lives.

We have LIFE in us, as Jesus did, as Christians.

And our flesh is the veiling that must be unwrapped.

All the self-serving parts of our lives are part of that fleshly veiling.

Lets be GIVERS and not TAKERS.

TAKERS are those who refuse to suffer in their flesh through self-denial, and are easily provoked and touchy.

Charity is not easily provoked.

And God so LOVED (charity) the world that HE GAVE.

We've got a GIFT OF LIFE in us.

The reason we are barred from the Kingdom of God due to not doing the will of the Father is because we must be unwrapped to do His will, as Jesus did the will of the Father in submitting to the cross.

Just like the Garden, God closes the door to those who do not the will of the Father.

Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

This is speaking about ENTRANCE.

Adam and Eve refused the fruit of Life due to Eve's desire to exalt and improve SELF, rather than fulfill God's will.

To eat the fruit of life required Eve to deny her own interests for the interest of God's will.

Her sin caused them to leave the Garden.

And we are born outside that Garden, in sin.

Christ says to us all, "Only those who do the will of the Father may enter in."

Only those who will be GIVERS, as Jesus was, may enter in.

Are we givers or takers?

It takes self-denial and giving of YOUR LIFE so that HIS LIFE may be released.

God DRAWS the humble who deny self.

But...

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Note that SUBMISSION is linked with God's gift of grace to the humble.

I am not speaking of the sort of self-denial that people put upon themselves by becoming hermits.

It's the self-denial that is required when we are tempted to sin, or are persecuted and urged to deny Christ.

The suffering of self-denial is not the suffering we receive due to sins and mistakes we commit.

It's a willingness to put self-interest aside and see God's life released from our lives out to a world all around us that is wanting to get something more in this life, and the next!

You may have done something for God and people used you and you were "burnt" by them.

So you made your mind up to never do that for people any more.

I thought it was FOR GOD we did these things.

If we are doing them only for people who will not abuse us, nor "burn" us, we are not doing it for God.

We are doing it for people.

Do all things as unto the Lord.

Not to people.

And you will never stop doing the releasing of God's life in your heart.

It's FOR people, in the hands of God.

But my point is to not work for people, but for God in His service.

People may hurt you, but God never will hurt you.

Jesus brought life gift-wrapped in His flesh so long ago.

He gave that life and was unwrapped through the death of the cross.

And we are now his flesh, his body.

The church.

We must now, then, be unwrapped as, too.

The gift THAT KEEPS ON GIVING.

The church is still giving His Life!

But it takes self-denial, as it did for Jesus.