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.
- Words spoken to Peter are reflected in Peter’s own second
epistle.
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.
- Peter resisted that.
- Jesus persisted with it.
- Jesus spoke on the Mount of Transfiguration a week later about
the cross with Elijah and Moses.
- Peter continued to resist.
- So the Father again spoke from a bright cloud showing LIGHT as
TRUTH – revelation from the Father.
- And the SON’s face shone showing revelation from the Son.
Who Jesus is – showing us the NATURE OF THE ROCK.
- Followed by partaking of His divine nature like a church built on
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.
- THE CROSS destroys lust.
- Self denial prohibits our lusts.
Carrying your cross is done in any thing that stops your flesh from
fulfilling its lusts and allowing the Spirit to lead you instead.
- The cross slew Christ’s flesh.
- Our instinct is to fulfil the lusts of the flesh.
- Our flesh desires things.
- It also wants to rule our lives.
- Just to say no to the flesh and not allow yourself pleasures that
involve sin is carrying your cross.
- Even the concept of not doing what YOU think in your natural mind
should be done, but instead seeking what God might want, is self denial.
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.
- The first thing presented to non-Jews that they might become jews
is that people must not be forced to come.
- Voluntary.
- Jesus likewise said WHOSOEVER WILL COME AFTER ME.
Secondly, a person had to renounce idolatry, all his prejudices against
God’s law and anything from false religion.
- Jesus also said to deny yourself.
- Renounce yourself.
Thirdly, a person had to submit to the yoke of Jewish Law.
- All the inconveniences that Jewish Law had with it had to be
accepted.
- Jesus spoke of HIS YOKE as well.
- Take His doctrine.
- Carry his cross, which is cheerfully submitting to sufferings God
might want us to go through and persecutions that Christians receive.
- EVEN IF WE HAVE TO DIE.
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.
- In the chapter before Paul speaks of the LIGHT and GLOYR from the
face of Jesus being KNOWLEDGE of God’s GLORY, we read of the
SYMBOLISM of a face shining with light.
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.
- SPIRIT ministry that GIVES LIFE.
- He compared NEW TESTAMENT SPIRIT MINISTRY with MOSES’
MINISTRY.
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.
- And GRACE hates sin as much as law hated it, but FORGIVES, so it
is MUCH MORE GLORIOUS than Law.
- Blood of animals could not take away sin.
- Gospel is greater than Law.
Then Paul speaks of how much HOPE is in the Gospel compared to the Law.
- And he stresses how PLAIN THE SPEECH IS in this ministry.
- BOLDNESS.
- Freely speaking.
- This is contrasted from Moses and law and that is REPRESENTED BY
THE VIL OVER MOSES’ FACE.
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?
- Paul used plainness of speech, NOT AS MOSES.
- And to symbolize how Moses’ Law was not plainness of
speech, we read MOSES VEILED HIS FACE.
- Can you see the biblical imagery there?
- Moses’ people NEVER SAW THE TERMINATION OF THAT MINISTRY.
- “could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is
abolished:”
- Could never see it would END ONE DAY and see a NEW COVENANT TAKE
OVER.
(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.
- He has no veil on his face and we are changed INTO HIS IMAGE.
This fits perfectly with what Peter said!
- We become partakers of HIS DIVINE NATURE!
- It’s exactly what the face of Jesus shining like the sun
represented!
- TRUTH FROM JESUS changes us into His image, whereas Moses’
face was veiled and CHANGED NOBODY.
Peter speaks of all these elements from the Matt 17 and Matt 7.
- Calling and election made SURE and SOLID.
- Never fall (Matthew 7:25).
- Partake of His divine nature.
- Enter KINGDOM of Heaven (from Matthew 7:21)
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!
- Until the DAYSTAR ARISES IN YOUR HEART!
HIS FACE SHINES ON YOU UNTIL YOUR FACE SHINES.
- YOU PARTAKE OF THE DIVINE NATURE.
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.