THE TRUTH OF THE CROSS SHINES KINGDOM GLORY IN YOU

May 1, 2011
MF Blume


Matthew 16:18 KJV  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 7:24 KJV  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Matthew 7:25 KJV  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

2 Peter 1:10 KJV  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:




One common denominator in all the above passages is as surety and solidity of the people of God who Hear Jesus’ words.

Matthew 16:21-25 MSG  Then Jesus made it clear to his disciples that it was now necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, submit to an ordeal of suffering at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and then on the third day be raised up alive.  (22)  Peter took him in hand, protesting, "Impossible, Master! That can never be!"  (23)  But Jesus didn't swerve. "Peter, get out of my way. Satan, get lost. You have no idea how God works."  (24)  Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.  (25)  Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.


Recall that the Son had words about BEING ON THE ROCK and they regarded taking your cross, denying self and following Jesus.

Who Jesus is – showing us the NATURE OF THE ROCK.

2 Peter 1:2-4 KJV  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,  (3)  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  (4)  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Notice that LUST is the root of all the corruption that is in the world.

Carrying your cross is done in any thing that stops your flesh from fulfilling its lusts and allowing the Spirit to lead you instead.

Mark 8:34 KJV  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, (1) Whosoever will come after me, (2) let him deny himself, and (3) take up his cross, (4) and follow me.

Jesus actually followed a pattern the Jews had for converts to Judaism.

Secondly, a person had to renounce idolatry, all his prejudices against God’s law and anything from false religion.

Thirdly, a person had to submit to the yoke of Jewish Law.

Fourth, Be faithful to the death.

Ruth shows the conversion requirements.

Ruth 1:16-17 KJV  And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:  (17)  Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

Recall what Jesus said in association with hearing His words and DOING THEM to be like a house on rock.

Matthew 7:21 KJV  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.

Now see what Peter said:

2 Peter 1:10-12 KJV  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:  (11)  For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  (12)  Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

Entering the Kingdom of Jesus is noted in both Matthew 7 and 2 Peter 1, just as being on a rock and making your calling and election SURE OR SOLID are mentioned in both.

All of this comes from PROMISES and KNOWLEDGE  that cause us to partake of HIS DIVINE NATURE.

2 Peter 1:2-4 KJV  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,  (3)  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  (4)  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

TRUTH!

When Jesus’ face shone like the sun, look at what Paul described it as:

2 Corinthians 4:6 KJV  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.

This KNOWLEDGE is the GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST!

Matthew 17:2 KJV  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.


And the Father speaks and emphasizes NEED TO HEAR JESUS.

Matthew 17:5 KJV  While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.



Christ’s face shining like the sun is KNOWLEDGE or REVELATION TO US.

Recall that Peter said Knowledge causes us to partake of HIS DIVINE NATURE.

Let’s go back to Paul.

2 Corinthians 3:6 KJV  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Paul is speaking of the MINISTRY of the NEW COVENANT.

2 Corinthians 3:6-8 KJV  (6)  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.  (7)  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:  (8)  How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

Ministry of Life/Spirit is New Testament ministry.

Ministry of Death/condemnation is Old Testament ministry.

LAW OF MOSES is death/condemnation.

New Testament is righteousness/Life/Spirit

Law had no forgiveness.

Then Paul speaks of how much HOPE is in the Gospel compared to the Law.

2 Corinthians 3:12-18 KJV  (12)  Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:  (13)  And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

Did you catch how LACK OF BOLD AND PLAIN A VFREE SPEECH in Moses’ law is understood by Paul as the reason MOSES VEILED HIS FACE?

 (14)  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.  (15)  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.  (16)  Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.  (17)  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  (18)  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:12-18 MSG  (12)  With that kind of hope to excite us, nothing holds us back.  (13)  Unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn't notice that the glory was fading away--  (14)  and they didn't notice. They didn't notice it then and they don't notice it now, don't notice that there's nothing left behind that veil.  (15)  Even today when the proclamations of that old, bankrupt government are read out, they can't see through it. Only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there's nothing there.  (16)  Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are--face to face!  (17)  They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it!  (18)  All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.



We are changed to the same image as JESUS.

This fits perfectly with what Peter said!

Peter speaks of all these elements from the Matt 17 and Matt 7.

THEN PETER SAYS THIS:

2 Peter 1:16-19 KJV  For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  (17)  For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  (18)  And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.  (19)  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

Let the light SHINE UNTIL THE DAY DAWNS!

HIS FACE SHINES ON YOU UNTIL YOUR FACE SHINES.

So the imagery God uses to tell us we partake le of his divine nature is

1)    A house on a rock partakes of the rock’s nature of being firm and solid.
2)    Light from Jesus’ face shines on us until WE START SHINING as well.

PETER IS THE MAN WHO RESISTED THIS MESSAGE, AND LEARNED AND NOTICE THE GRAVITY IN HIS WORDS:

2 Peter 1:19 KJV  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:


And all of this describes the CROSS – taking the cross and denying self.

2 Peter 1:4 KJV  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Cut off the lust of the world.

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 Complete Apostles' Bible  (26)  Therefore I run thus: not as without a goal, thus I box: not as one beating the air.  (27)  But I treat my body roughly, and I bring it into subjection, lest, having preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.