© 2011 Jasper Life Publications SERIES
Repent, for the Kingdom of the Heavens Has Drawn Near Title of this volume: God with Us 1ª Edition: May 2011 Translated with permission of Editora Árvore da Vida Published by Editora Árvore da Vida in Portuguese, Spanish, Korean and German. All rights reserved by Jasper Life Publications 725 Viscount Road London, ON, Canada N6J 4G9 Phone: (519) 472-0350 http://jasperlife.com ISSN 1920-8510 Printed in Brazil
Bible Quotations All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
ENJOY! Individually 1. Meet with the Lord early in the morning. 2. As soon as you rise, before doing anything else, take a breath of life, deeply calling on the name of the Lord, “Oh Lord Jesus”. When doing this, drop all your cares, fears, sadness and sin, and receive the Lord Jesus as life, joy, peace and encouragement. Call “Lord Jesus” several times throughout the day. 3. Read the verses given each day in order to have a complete idea of the subject to be covered. Remember that the Bible explains the Bible; because of this, you will find quotations from many other books of the Bible aside from the one which we are presenting in this Daily Food. 4. Prayerfully read the verse suggested each day. To do this, each word ought to be repeated, emphasized and proclaimed without haste, as if one were chewing. Do not read the verse too fast, but spend time on each word. In this exercise, do not worry about understanding the verse, but “eat” it, taking it by faith as spiritual food. 5. Underline and highlight the phrases and words in the explanatory text that most impress you. Pay special attention to the Key Point. This point will function as a key to unlock the spiritual significance of the text. “Digest” it during the day, repeating it to yourself. In this manner, the text that you read in the morning will be your spiritual food all day long. 6. Share what you gain with those you are related to at home, at school, at work, etc. They need the life that you receive through the word.
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ENJOY! In Small Groups 1. Daily Food is an excellent tool for small groups meeting to study the Bible. These small groups may be informal and be characterized by mutual care among the members. 2. A small group meeting can be formed of household members, relatives and neighbours, friends who live nearby, classmates, or work colleagues. 3. Try to meet regularly with members of your small group meeting in order to read Daily Food together. 4. When together, read the suggested passages for each day and prayerfully read the verse of the day. 5. Try to apply the Key Point to your daily life and its difficulties, and to your personal and professional life. Make the word of God applicable to your living. In this way everyone can actively participate and be mutually edified. 6. Take the opportunity to pray together for individual needs or problems. 7. Whenever possible, bring guests to your small group meeting. Then more people can be supplied by God’s word.
May you all receive life abundantly!
The editors
PS: Don’t forget to look at the Additional Reading suggested at the end of each week. It is very helpful.
CONTENTS Week 1 – Message 01 The Coming World (Heb. 2:5-7)
God Created Man to Govern the Coming World.............................. 7 Acknowledging That We Can Do Nothing without God................ 10 Overcoming the World..................................................................... 13 Governed by the Vision That We Will Reign.................................. 16 Released from the World’s Slavery to Serve the Lord...................... 18 The All-Inclusive Spirit Causes Us to Press on Toward the Goal.......................................................................... 21 Denying the Soul-Life and Being Perfected..................................... 23
Week 2 – Message 02 Repent! (Rom. 8:6-11)
Denying the Self and Being Perfected.............................................. 27 Placing Our Whole Being in the Spirit............................................ 29 The Meaning of Repentance............................................................ 31 True Repentance.............................................................................. 33 Paul’s Repentance and His Care for the Church in Corinth........... 36 Repentance According to God........................................................ 38 The Issue of Genuine Repentance................................................... 40
Week 3 – Message 03 The Seed of Araham (Matt. 1:1)
Abraham, Called by God.................................................................. 44 The Enslaving World and the Liberating Vision.............................. 47 The Main Obstacle for Inheriting the Kingdom.............................. 49 Our Time in the Church Is the Time to Mature............................. 52 Instruments to Practice God’s Word................................................ 54 God’s Government Must Reach the Entire Earth........................... 56 Having Caution Not to Be Disqualified........................................... 58
Week 4 – Message 04 The Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:9-10)
The Lord Jesus Opened the New Testament for Us........................ 61 The Lord Is the King of Peace.......................................................... 64 Having Sparkling Eyes from Wine and Teeth White As Milk......... 66 Being Prepared to Serve the Lord.................................................... 68 Our Food: Spirit and Life!................................................................ 70 Preparing to Reign............................................................................ 72 Being in the Spirit and Promoting the Faith.................................... 74
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Week 5 – Message 05 Joseph’s Garden (Gen. 49: 22-26)
Practicing the Word, Denying the Self, and Growing in God’s Life........................................................... 78 Faithful and Wise Servants.............................................................. 80 Life Is For the Work.......................................................................... 82 An Abundance of Life and Branches............................................... 84 Joseph’s Trials................................................................................... 86 Joseph’s Pattern................................................................................ 89 Being Prepared Like Joseph.............................................................. 91
Week 6 – Message 06 The Son of David (Rev. 5:1-5)
Inheriting Kingship........................................................................... 94 The Son of David Has Come to Save Us......................................... 96 The Life Which Is in the Son of God............................................... 98 Submitting to Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah....................... 100 The Loving Care of Him Who Perfects Us.................................... 103 Partakers of the Divine Nature...................................................... 105 The Gospel of Life in the Work of the Triune God........................ 107
Week 7 – Message 07 Mary Conceives of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18-20)
The Kingdom of the Heavens Is at Hand...................................... 110 The Genealogy of Jesus.................................................................. 112 The Origin of Jesus’ Humanity....................................................... 114 The Lord Jesus Was Begotten of the Holy Spirit........................... 117 Repentance Leads to Salvation...................................................... 119 Jesus: Jehovah Is Our Salvation!.................................................... 121 Enjoying the Lord’s Name As Water from the Wells of Salvation.123
Week 8 – Message 08 Immanuel (Matt. 1:23)
God Desires to Be with Us............................................................. 127 Considering God’s Needs............................................................... 129 God Needs Our Presence............................................................... 131 Calling on the Lord’s Name to Satisfy God’s Need........................ 134 Satisfying God’s Needs................................................................... 136 God Became Flesh to Be with Us................................................... 138 Christ Died and Resurrected That He May Be with Us Forever..................................................................... 140
Week
1 – MONDAY
Scripture reading:
Gen. 3:1-6; Isa. 14:13-14; 2 Cor .11:3; Eph. 2:2; 6:12; Heb. 2:6-9; Rev. 12:7, 9; 20:6 Read with prayer:
For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels (Heb. 2:5). GOD CREATED MAN TO
The previous series of the Daily Food had for a general theme: Why did God create man? The answer to this question is found in the second chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews. Verses 5 and 9 explain that the ruling of the coming world will not be put in subjection to angels, but to man. However, this does not apply to just any man, but to him who has received the Lord Jesus as his life, has denied himself, and has allowed the divine life to grow within him without restriction. How can this be? How can this take place in the lives of each one of us? In order to answer these questions we will address, in this series of the Daily Food, the kingdom of the heavens, which is intimately related to the coming world, the millennial kingdom. The coming world will have its beginning at the second coming of the Lord Jesus. The world which we live in began with the work of creation and restoration carried out by God and described in the book of Genesis, chapter 1. Prior to this world, however, was another, which had to be judged by God: the former world. In His original creation, God made a universe filled with beauty and harmony (cf. Job 38:7), and entrusted the
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GOVERN THE COMING WORLD
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government of His creation to a very special angel, Lucifer. Two chapters in the Bible – Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 – expound on what happened to this angel, who later on became Satan, God’s adversary. Ezekiel chapter 28 talks about the king (prince) of Tyre, referring to Lucifer: “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God... You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you” (vv. 12-15). Lucifer was quite special, and although he had been given a high position among the other angels as the anointed cherub who covers, he was not satisfied; he wanted more: “…I will be like the Most High” (Isa. 14:13-14). God could not remain indifferent before such audacity, and said: “Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones” (Ezek. 28:16b). God cast Lucifer down to the earth along with the legion of angels that followed him (Rev. 12:7, 9). Therefore, the earth became corrupt. The fossils of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals found today are vestiges of the former world. God judged His creation with water, and after restoring the world, created man (Gen. 1:2-26). Satan, nevertheless, managed to deceive man (3:1-6; 2 Cor. 11:3), and still holds great influence over the world today. He is behind all the wars, oppression, and injustices that take place around the world. Even the governments of all nations are under his influence and control. He is the prince of this world, ruling
it with the help of the angels that followed him (John 16:11; Eph. 2:2; 6:12; 1 John 5:19). Nevertheless, God has never given up on His purpose. He is preparing a group of people to govern the coming world together with Christ (Rev. 20:6). The constituents of this group are those who have been regenerated, who grow in the divine life, and are perfected by the Lord through denying themselves. May the Lord grant us grace and mercy, so that we are able to wholly consecrate ourselves to His marvelous purpose! Praise the Lord! Key point: God wants to prepare us to be kings together with Christ. My key point:
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Question: In a practical way, what can you do to cooperate with God’s purpose?
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Week
1 – TUESDAY
Scripture reading:
Gen. 1:26; 2:17; 3:1, 6; 4:17-23, 25-26; Psa. 139:14 Read with prayer:
Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near (Isa. 55:6). ACKNOWLEDGING THAT WE CAN DO NOTHING WITHOUT GOD
God had entrusted the government of the former world to Lucifer, but he failed and became Satan, God’s adversary. In His re-creation, God made man after His own image and likeness (Gen. 1:26). God had created man to govern the entire creation; man, however, was not ready to fulfill this task. Just as a glove bears the shape of a hand, yet it still needs fingers to give it life and purpose, so was that man, bearing only God’s image and likeness; he still needed to be filled by the Lord to be able to govern the earth. God placed Adam in the garden of Eden, where He had also placed the tree of life. If Adam had eaten of that tree, he would have been daily filled with God’s own life. Nevertheless, before this occurred, God’s adversary interfered. In the garden of Eden there was also another tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which Adam had been forbidden to eat from (2:17). If Adam ate of that tree, he would have knowledge of good and evil, and become independent from God, living by his soul-life, and ultimately dying. This would hinder the fulfillment of God’s plan to fill man with His life and govern through him.
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God wanted man to eat of the tree of life, but Satan intended the opposite, for he knew that if man ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he would become like him: rebellious, independent from God, centered in his own soul, and selfish. In order to get what he was after, God’s enemy did not approach Adam directly, but cunningly appeared to Eve while she was by herself (3:1). He managed to touch her soul and caused her to desire the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (v. 6), of which she ate and gave to her husband. This way, Satan managed to damage the couple God had created to carry out His will. Once they had been “poisoned” by the fruit of knowledge, Adam and Eve could no longer exercise dominion on the Lord’s behalf, and as a result, they were both cast out of Eden. Before this incident, the couple enjoyed God’s presence and were regarded by Him as intimate friends, having their every need supplied: sustenance, joy, and protection. After being cast out, many misfortunes took place in that generation. Their firstborn, Cain, murdered his own brother, Abel, and Cain’s descendants became a violent and vengeful people, who lived independently from God (Gen. 4:17-23). In that scenario of desolation and despair, a light shone forth. When a grandson was born to Adam and Eve, they recognized and acknowledged their fragility and incapacity to live a life without God; therefore, they called on the Lord’s name: “And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed. And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.” (4:25-26).
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Calling upon the Lord’s name—“Oh Lord Jesus! Oh Lord Jesus! I need You!”—is to acknowledge that we cannot live a life apart from God. The Bible records that all God’s servants called upon His name. The book of Psalms alone records the practice of calling on the Lord’s name at least 20 times. Psalms 99:6 says, “Moses and Aaron were among His priests, And Samuel was among those who called upon His name; They called upon the Lord, and He answered them.” In Psalms 116, the psalmist exclaims, “Then I called upon the name of the Lord: O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!” (v. 4); and also: “What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord” (vv. 12-13). Calling upon the Lord’s name should be our spontaneous reaction to all He has done for us. When we call on the Lord, He most certainly hears us. Calling is also the way for us to go back to God’s purpose, which is to be filled with the divine life by taking in the tree of life to be able to reign with the Lord in the coming world. Key point: Calling upon the Lord’s name is to acknowledge that we cannot live a life apart from God. My key point: Question: What consequences befell man after he ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil?
Week
1 – WEDNESDAY
Scripture reading:
Gen. 10:9; 11:4; 12:1, 10-20;13:3-4; Jsa. 24:2b; Acts 7:2 Read with prayer:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15). For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith (1 John 5:4).
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OVERCOMING THE WORLD
Once Adam and Eve acknowledged the condition of fragility they were in, they initiated the practice of calling on the Lord’s name. Later on, however, among their descendents, a man called Nimrod emerged. The Bible says that this man was a mighty hunter before the Lord (Gen. 10:9), which means that in the beginning of his life, Nimrod conducted himself before God, thus obtaining success. Nimrod, however, went on to build a city called Babel, whose inhabitants intended to build a tower that would reach the heavens, thus making a name for themselves (11:4). This was yet another consequence from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Man began to live a self-centered and independent life from God, abandoning His name and treading a way of darkness, desolation, and violence. As God saw the tower men had begun building in order to exalt their own name, He decided to intervene. God had made a covenant with Noah, promising never again to use flood waters to judge man. Therefore, in order to hinder that construction, God confounded the language of the people and scattered them throughout the earth.
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Among those who were dispersed and scattered, was a group of people who settled in Mesopotamia, in a region called Chaldea. This people became very idolatrous and did not call on the Lord’s name (Josh. 24:2b). Nevertheless, God still chose a man from among those people; his name was Abraham (Acts 7:2). While at a young age, God took Abraham away from Chaldea. Led by his father, Terah, Abraham was taken away from that land of idolatry and headed toward the land of Canaan. As they left that place, they journeyed as far as Haran, where they stayed (Gen. 11:31). There, the Lord appeared to Abraham once again, telling him to leave that land, the house of his father, and go to a land that He would show him (12:1). If we apply that situation to our Christian living today, we will see that we should never be imprisoned by the world (1 John 2:15). It is important to keep in mind that God’s enemy uses all three aspects of the world to imprison man. The first one is religion. Many people see nothing wrong with religions, for they teach “good”. The truth, however, is that religion distances men from God’s true purpose for humanity. The second aspect used by Satan to enslave man is the world of sin, typified the Haran, a city in the region of Assyria. God’s desire was to release Abraham from the world of sin and lead him into the land of Canaan. Upon his arrival, Abraham built an altar and called upon the Lord’s name, thus restoring that practice (Gen. 12:8). The book of Deuteronomy says that Canaan was a good land, where Abraham lacked nothing (Deut. 8:710). Nevertheless, during Abraham’s time, the rain ceased to fall and there was a lack of food; this was a great test for Abraham. Remaining in the land would have been the
ultimate proof of Abraham’s faith in God’s care. However, he went down into Egypt, the world of sustenance, where food was abundant due to the annual floods of the Nile river. Abraham ended up leaving Egypt in shame, being cast out from there by Pharaoh himself. Back in Canaan, Abraham revisited the place where he had built an altar and, again, called on the Lord’s name (Gen. 12:10-20;13:3-4). Key point: God takes care of us. My key point:
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Question: How has God cared for your needs?
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Week
1 – THURSDAY
Scripture reading:
Acts 7:9-15, 17-20 Read with prayer:
And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house (Acts 7:9-10). GOVERNED BY THE VISION THAT WE WILL REIGN
Abraham’s descendents were also tested on the matter of sustenance. Years later, as another period of famine struck the land of Canaan, his son Isaac, also tried to go down to Egypt, yet God forbade him. During the time of Jacob, his grandson, he and his descendents lived a good life in the promised land until they were also met with a time of famine. Although Jacob himself did not go down into Egypt when food became scarce, he sent his sons there to buy grain (Gen. 42:1-3). When they arrived in Egypt, they met their brother, Joseph, who at the time was the governor of that entire nation. Many years earlier, Joseph had been sold by them to Midianite traders, who then sold him as a slave in Egypt. In spite of his brother’s evil deed, God had a purpose for the young Joseph and was with him. God had given a dream to Joseph in which his family bowed down before him, and despite the bitterness and unjust sufferings in his life, Joseph grew up with that dream in mind. He conducted himself blameless during the entire time he was a slave and a prisoner, without ever blaspheming or murmuring against anyone.
His dream was fulfilled and Joseph became governor of the whole land of Egypt. As Joseph had a dream, so must we have a vision: the promise that the overcomers will reign with Christ. We need to live in a manner worthy of this promise that we may govern the coming world. When Jacob and all his family went down to Egypt, Joseph gave them the best land, where the crops grew without much effort. The life of the Israelites in Egypt was easy and comfortable; for this reason, they did not go back to Canaan, and as time went by, they forgot God. God, however, did not forget His people. Many years past and a new Pharaoh had risen to power, one who did not know Joseph. He imposed hard labor and mistreated the Israelites, who felt oppressed and abused by the Egyptians. For this reason, they cried out to God, and He heard their cry. At that moment, God began preparing Moses as a deliverer for His people. We will see this tomorrow. Key point: Living in a manner worthy of the kingdom. My key point:
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Question: How did Joseph overcome the sufferings, tribulations, and injustices he met on the way?
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Week
1 – FRIDAY
Scripture reading:
Exo. 2:11-15; Deut. 34:7; Matt. 13:22; Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14; 21:34; Acts 7:23, 30 Read with prayer:
Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness (Exo. 5:1b). RELEASED FROM THE WORLD’S SLAVERY TO SERVE THE LORD
God wanted to take His people away from Egypt, where they were under slavery and oppression, and bring them to the good land of Canaan, thus restoring their service to God. It was for this purpose that God prepared a deliverer: Moses. Moses’ life can be divided into three periods of forty years each (Acts 7:23, 30; Deut. 34:7). The first forty years of his life were spent at Pharaoh’s palace, where he received the best education at the time. At the age of forty, Moses saw the rigorous labor the Israelites were under and thought that he could help them with his own capacity; in order to defend one of his kinsmen, Moses killed an Egyptian and had to leave Egypt, fleeing into the wilderness (Exo. 2:11-15). In the wilderness, Moses got married, had children, and shepherded his father-in-law’s flocks for another forty years. This was all part of God’s perfecting work, preparing him to deliver the children of Israel. After forty years in the wilderness, at the age of eighty, the third period of forty years in Moses’ life had begun. All the natural capacity acquired in his youth had been put to death, and at that moment, God came and called him.
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Now that Moses no longer trusted in himself, God could send him to face Pharaoh and deliver the children of Israel from Egypt (3:10-12). Moses and his brother, Aaron, spoke to Pharaoh demanding the deliverance of the people, but the king did not yield. Therefore, God sent ten plagues over Egypt, each more harsh than the previous. The tenth plague was terrible: the death of the first-born among the Egyptians. At night, The Lord sent in an angel to go from house to house, exterminating all the first-born. The Israelites had been instructed to kill a lamb and use its blood on the doorposts and lintels of every house, for the angel would spare the houses bearing that sign. Moreover, the Israelites were to eat the lamb, so they would have strength for the journey ahead. During that night, the angel of God swept the land and there was no Egyptian house where there was not one dead. Among the children of Israel, however, no one died. As the Egyptian families wept over what had taken place, the children of Israel were finally able to leave. The people fled and arrived at the shore of the Red Sea. At that point, the Egyptians regretted letting the Israelites go and went after them. God, then, caused the sea waters to part and the children of Israel were able to cross on dry land. The Egyptians, however, perished when God commanded the waters to return as they attempted to follow (Exo. 14:28). Egypt represents the world of comfort and of the cares for sustenance. This is why the Lord Jesus himself warned His disciples not to become burdened with the cares of this world (Luke 21:34), for its comfort and cares produce anxieties, which occupy our heart, making it inadequate for God’s word to bear fruit (Matt. 13:22; Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14).
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Satan, the prince of this world, tries to entangle Christians with these three aspects of the world; he either tries to make someone extremely attached to religious concepts, uses temptations to pull a believer into the course of this world, or utilizes comfort, the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches to distance him from God and His word. God desires that we serve Him unhindered, and that we be free from the evil influence of these three aspects of the world. What a joy it is to be delivered from the world, receive the Lord, and begin to serve Him! Hallelujah! Key point: Delivered to hold a feast for the Lord. My key point: Question: Have you beseeched God for complete deliverance from all worldly oppression and influence?
Week
1 – SATURDAY
Scripture reading:
Num. 13:27; 14:6-10, 29-30, 34; 27:18 Read with prayer:
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7). THE ALL-INCLUSIVE SPIRIT CAUSES US
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TO PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL
The children of Israel left Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, and entered the wilderness, a journey which should have taken them no more than a few days to get to Canaan. In fact, they came very close to the good land, but before going in, God told them to send out twelve spies—one from each tribe—to scout the land for forty days and report back what they had seen. As they returned, the spies agreed that the land was very rich, fertile, and that it flowed with milk and honey (Num. 13:27). Nevertheless, ten out of the twelve spies were terrified of the inhabitants of the land, especially the giants. They feared being devoured if they fought against those peoples, for in their own eyes, they considered themselves as insignificant as locusts. Their report alarmed the people and caused them to murmur against Moses and Aaron. Among the twelve spies, only Caleb and Joshua had a favorable report, which encouraged the people to go in and possess the land God had promised them. Nevertheless, this was not enough to settle the people, who at that point wanted to stone them (14:6-10). As a result, God determined that those who did not believe in His word, but despised Him, would wander the
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wilderness for forty years, and that everyone over the age of 20 would not enter into the good land, except for Joshua and Caleb (vv. 29-30, 34). It is important to point out that God said the following about Caleb’s words: “But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it” (v. 24). This verse shows that in Caleb had a “different spirit”, that is, a spirit of fighting for and conquering that which God had promised (2 Tim 1:7). This “different spirit” Caleb had was also in Joshua (Num. 27:18), and it represents the Spirit, which is available to us today. This Spirit, which entered into us when we believed in Jesus Christ, is the all-inclusive Spirit, containing the works of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. It is through the prevailing action and abundant grace of the Spirit that we can go on, following the Lord in His triumphant procession. This is also God’s encouragement for us: He desires us to press forward without losing heart, for the giants will be bread for us. May Caleb’s words serve as an inspiration for us: “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it” (13:30b). Key point: Not focusing upon the difficulties, but believing in the Lord’s promise and clinging to Him. My key point: Question: What kind of a spy have you been?
Week 1 – LORD’S DAY Scripture reading:
Num. 20:8-12; Matt. 16:18, 24-26; Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Cor. 12:14-17, 21-22 Read with prayer:
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Matt. 16:24). And this also we pray, that you may be made complete (2 Cor. 13:9b).
Among that generation, all who had left Egypt and were over the age of twenty fell dead in the wilderness because of their unbelief (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb). This indicates that spiritual oldness, our soul-life, and natural life cannot enter into the coming world. We must deny our soullife today. Moses’ example is also a strong warning of how dangerous the soul-life is. As the leader of the children of Israel, he knew that he had to deny himself. Nevertheless, during an affair where the children of Israel thirsted and murmured at Meribah, he did not do as God had determined, but became angry and struck the rock twice with his rod, when he should have only spoken to it (Num. 20:8-11). That rock typified the Lord Jesus, who could only be wounded once, indicating His redeeming death on the cross, which happened once. Wounding the rock a second time, as did Moses, was as if there was a need for the Lord Jesus to be crucified again. Moreover, his anger did not sanctify the Lord before the children of Israel. As a result, Moses was not allowed into the land of Canaan (v. 12).
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DENYING THE SOUL-LIFE AND BEING PERFECTED
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If Moses had denied his soul-life and obeyed God’s word at that occasion, he would have been able to enter into Canaan. However, what may look like a small mistake prevented him from fulfilling his goal. Moses was deeply saddened and repented. He contended with the Lord and besought Him to be able to enter into Canaan. It is as if he said, “Lord, I repent. Let me go in! I am already one hundred and twenty years of age and I guided the people for forty years! Let me go in! I was born to enter into Canaan and to lead the people to enter the land! Now that we are so close, will I not be allowed in? Lord, let me go in!” To which God might have answered, “Enough Moses! Do not ask me again and stop insisting. You know that if you keep asking, I might just let you go in, and what position would I be in if I did so? I cannot go against Myself. Moses, stop asking Me to go in” (cf. Deut. 3:25-26). This should cause us to ponder how much we have denied ourselves. Perhaps some may be satisfied and think that they have sufficiently denied their soul-life. Behind this kind of thought, however, is the danger of not realizing how terrible our self is. He who does not deny his soul-life does not know the dangers therein. Even a small manifestation of the soullife can prevent a son of God from entering the kingdom and governing the coming world. We need to see how important it is to burn everything that proceeds from ourselves in the fire of the Spirit. In Matthew 16, after revealing the church to His disciples (v. 18), the Lord Jesus mentioned the importance of denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him (v. 24). After that, He added: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and
loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (vv. 25-26). Without denying ourselves, there is no way to receive more of God’s life. The more we deny our soul-life, the more God’s life is added. For this reason, if we desire to govern the coming world, we should not bring our natural things into the church. Moreover, in order for us to be able to govern the coming world, we need to exercise and be perfected. Beginning with verse 11, in Ephesians 4, we can see that those who have the ministry of the word must perfect the saints for the work of the ministry, which is to build up the body of Christ. In order for this to take place, each one of us must exercise our own ministry. Second Corinthians chapter 12 shows that every member of the body of Christ is important and has a function. As in the human body all members need one another, so also in the body of Christ. If we desire to be apt to reign with the Lord in the coming world, apart from completely denying our soul-life, we must also be perfected by the Lord, through the exercise of our gifts and cooperation with the saints around us. Praise the Lord! Key point: Every member of the Body of Christ is important. My key point:
Complementary Reading: “Genuine Authority and Submission” – chap. 5 – Dong Yu Lan. “The Lord’s Return is Near” – chap. 7 – Dong Yu Lan.
The Coming World
Question: In your living, can you identify situations where God wants you to deny yourself for His sake?
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