A NEW LIFE REQUIRES WEANING
TO EAT AND DRINK
December 30, 2001
MF Blume
Genesis 21:1-10 And the LORD visited
Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For
Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time
of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son
that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised
his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham
was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah
said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with
me. And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have
given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. And
the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same
day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the
son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore
she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son
of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
New Year's Day is approaching, and everyone thinks of the old and the
new.
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This is a candystick to the church of Jesus who has revelation-insight
in the word of God.
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The truths of the new and of the old are very much a concern of this people.
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Do we have a lot to say about the old and the new!
But this new life has more involved in it than simply becoming new.
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There is the understanding of how new we really are that is so important
after we are made new.
Abraham's son Isaac was a miracle child, as much as your new birth was
a miracle.
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And like Abraham with a new son, you also have an older son in your humanity.
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Your physical being was born a lot earlier than your spirit.
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Your spirit was born again when you were saved and filled with God's Spirit.
And the older child hates the younger child.
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When Isaac was weaned, the older one rose up and was cast out of the household.
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The weaning was a noteworthy time.
Weaning, of course, is the time a child leaves the point of begin fed milk
by the mother, and is able to eat and drink on its own.
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This eating and drinking refers to the body and blood of Jesus Christ,
that He said we should eat and drink in order to have eternal life.
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That is His famous bread and wine.
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As we have studied for some time now, the eating of bread and wine speaks
of the APPRECIATION OF THE WORK OF THE CROSS UPON WHICH JESUS DIED AND
COMPLETED A WORK.
When you devour a teaching, it is a teaching you fully comprehend and benefit
from.
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We appreciate all the work the cross did for
us, when we are said to eat and drink His bread and wine.
Until we eat and drink on our own, we are infantile and require milk.
Hebrews 5:10-14 Called of
God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. Of whom we have many
things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For
when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach
you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are
become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one
that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a
babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those
who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and
evil.
Isn't it interesting that Hebrews teaches us of the truths that a
man named Melchisedek is involved with, that are meat compared to the simpler
truths of the Bible that those not yet weaned can only receive.
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Because Melchisedek brought Abram bread and wine
to eat and drink.
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Weaned children are able to eat and drink.
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Until we are weaned, we are not truly receiving supernatural insight and
strength as a result, from the Bible concerning the cross.
Being weaned speaks of a time when you are able to lay hands on people
and claim healing, instead of seeing the preachers and others do it.
Being weaned is a time when you start pushing the devil around
and casting him out of your home and your personal struggles.
Being weaned is the time when you don't let circumstances control
you any longer.
Being weaned is when leave the dishonesty and lukewarmness and
take Christianity seriously to act right and treat your brothers and sisters
properly.
Since you are absolutely nothing on your own without Christ,
being weaned is fully appreciating everything you are with Christ, which
is a tremendous amount of something!
Philippians 4:13 I can do
all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
"All things" is quite a lot of things!
Israel went from having received manna for forty years to eating
corn and manna, and then manna ceasing on the third day after the passover.
Joshua 5:10-12 And the children
of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day
of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. And they did eat of the
old corn {GRAIN} of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened
cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. And the
manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the
land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat
of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
Passover was the time when the CORN OF WHEAT, JESUS, would fall
into the ground and die.
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And from that death would be THREE DAYS until He would resurrect and fulfill redemption.
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During those three days it was not only manna, but corn of the land.
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On the third day they were weaned from the manna, and ate the CORN.
They'd eaten manna for forty years.
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And the day after passover, they ate grain of the land.
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And the third day after passover saw the manna cease.
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And from then on the people ate the corn.
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Manna was wilderness food.
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Food between Egypt and Promised Land.
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Their weaning came when they came into the promised land to eat the corn
of the land.
Another food they knew was there, that they had taken out of the land forty
years earlier, was grapes.
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From grapes you get WINE.
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And from corn you get BREAD.
Milk and honey – drink and food.
Wine and Bread – drink and food.
God is showing us how important the food and drink of the body
and blood of Jesus really is!
In the wilderness they fought with one another in bickering and
arguing.
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Korah, Dathan and Abiram had trouble with the leadership of Moses.
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These folks never grew out of their milk, but died as babies in the wilderness.
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But Joshua grew up and matured and received Moses' spirit.
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And after the corn of the land was their food, Joshua faced an angel with
a sword sent to conquer Jericho for the nation!
The day after Passover began, was the day the corn of the land
was eaten.
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John 12:24 shows that Jesus is the corn of wheat that falls into the ground
and dies in order to resurrect with much fruit.
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Passover was the day Jesus died.
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And they had both manna and corn or grain on the second day of Passover.
Only manna on Passover day one.
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Both manna and corn on day two.
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Only corn on day three.
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THEY WERE WEANED from manna.
In the Promised Land they were not fighting the childish fights between
one another, but began conquering enemy tribes and nations that possessed
their land.
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They entered a maturity in the land they did not have in the wilderness.
The Passover Lamb in Egypt was what set them free and redeemed them.
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This day of Passover in Canaan celebrated an event that was not merely
to take them out of Egypt.
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But that Passover lamb was to ultimately see them in the Promised Land.
A lot of Christianity can get the Passover lamb to you and preach
about Christ.
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But until it becomes a victory to YOU, and more than religion, but actual
warfare against the kingdom of darkness in your life, and conquest of the
peace and joy of the Promises of God, represented by the promised land,
your religion is only milk.
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We need to get off the milk and get into the bread and wine.
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We need to get out of the wilderness and get into the Promised Land.
This passover for Joshua and Israel was a monumental Passover.
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This was the time Israel was meant to see way back when the lamb was slain
in Egypt!
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Life of victory over enemies.
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A land to rule.
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God brought them out in order to bring them in!
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Leaving Egypt was only getting OUT.
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Entering Canaan was GETTING IN.
Hebrews says those on milk are not skilful in the word.
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Notice that the Word is the sword of the Spirit!
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And Jesus used the WORD against the devil when he told the devil "IT IS
WRITTEN" in the wilderness temptation.
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When we are skilful with the WORD, we know how to defeat the devil and
any other of life's troubles.
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And when God sees we're hungry enough for the MEAT, by seeing us mature
enough where we are serious with God and Church, and stop fussing amongst
one another, He opens up the Jordan and takes us into the Promised land
where the real victory is won.
But notice that the MEAT was obtained at a Passover in Canaan.
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It's a note telling us that the MEAT we feast upon is the truths of the
cross of Jesus- the cross that saved us way back when we first became Christians.
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The corn of the land is the MEAT of the land.
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The FOOD of the land.
You mean we use the truth of the cross for more than just getting
saved?
YES!
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The same cross that washed away our sins gives us more power in His blood
than we ever dreamed.
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There's not only power against a whole life of sin, but also against a
whole kingdom of darkness that holds our peace and joy away from us!
Every blessing of God is like a piece of land in the Promised land.
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And an enemy stands on that land that belongs to YOU.
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PEACE belongs to YOU.
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JOY belongs to YOU.
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HAPPINESS belongs to YOU.
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VICTORY belongs to YOU!
And a devil is standing on top of it.
And only the bread and wine of the broken body and shed blood
of Jesus' death on the cross can feed you and give you strength to defeat
that.
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How?
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Faith comes by comprehending the word of God.
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And faith is like muscle, while Word is food.
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This Jesus who died on that cross, defeated death, and hell and the grave.
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And He resurrected and was seated over all enemies.
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And every time you eat the bread and drink the wine, you are BELIEVING
THE TRUTHS that YOU DIED WITH JESUS and RESURRECTED WITH JESUS -- BECAUSE
HE DID IT FOR YOU!
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And you are SEATED WITH JESUS, all because of His death for you that you
accepted, far above all enemies.
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And your faith in His salvation has moved Jesus to GIVE YOU HIS POWER IN
HIS NAME.
You are His body, and He is the head.
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You discern the Lord's body til He come (1 Cor 11:29).
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You realize who you are in Him.
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If you are the body and He is the head, then THROUGH YOU WILL HE (JESUS)
DEFEAT THE DEVIL.
Exodus 19:16-17 And it came to
pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings,
and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding
loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought
forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the
nether part of the mount.
On this same third day we read the elders ascending into the Mountain
of Sinai.
Exodus 24:10-11 And they saw the
God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of
a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And
upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they
saw God, and did eat and drink.
The nobles of Israel marched with Moses up Mount Sinai, and saw God.
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It was a form God used, and nothing from which an idol could be made (Deut
4:15-16).
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And they ate and drank with God.
On a third day they ate and drank.
It was a third day that Christ rose from the death of the cross.
It was the death of the cross that the bread and wine represented.
Three days – bread and wine – they all speak the same point.
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We need to truly feed on the truths of the cross of Jesus!
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When we can eat that bread and drink that wine, we will be weaned!
There is new birth, but there is also the weaning.
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And the weaning is a very significant thing in the life of a child.
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We can neglect the weaning if we're not careful.
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Learning to eat and drink the bread and the wine is a very important part
of our new lives!
It's the third-day revelation.
When we eat and drink, the Ishmael of our lives will be dealt with.
1 Samuel 1:21-28 And the man Elkanah,
and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice,
and his vow. But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband,
I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him,
that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.
And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry
until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman
abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him. And when she had weaned
him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour,
and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh:
and the child was young. And they slew a bullock, and brought the child
to Eli. And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the
woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child I
prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore
also I have lent him to the LORD; as long
as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.
Samuel, a man in the Bible whose life story does not show us a single error
he made, was dedicated to the Lord and brought to the tabernacle to live
after he was weaned.
The weaning is a very pivotal point in the Bible.
There is a strong point God is trying to show us.
Of all thought in the Bible about eating, the bread and wine of Jesus
body and blood stands out the most important.
Even the fruit of the tree of life or of the knowledge of good and evil
was made on the THIRD DAY in Genesis.
Genesis 1:12 -13 And the earth brought
forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding
fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was
good. And the evening and the morning were the
third day.