PART #16
THE STAFF AND SWORD MINISTRY
February 7, 3006
MANIFESTING CHRIST IT IS EXPEDIENT FOR YOU THAT I GO AWAY° (Jesus in John 16:7)
by Nancy-TONI Youngbrandt At one time or another I am sure we have all read the words that Jesus told His disciples when speaking of His impending death on the cross. He told them in John 16:7 --
"it is expedient for you that Igo away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." And the purpose of this Comforter, this Spirit of truth, is so that "He shall glorify me: for he shall receive mine, and shall show it unto you." (John 16:14)
of
In other words, before this glorifying of Christ by the Spirit of God could take place, He first had to go away from His disciples — this was the best thing for them and for God's purposes. What I hadn't seen before in these Scriptures was an insight shared by Andrew Murray in his book, A LIFE OF POWER ( Whitaker House, 301hint Valley Circle, New Kensington. PA 15068), and that insight is that just as the disciples could not have a relationship with Jesus in the flesh AND in the Spirit too, so we also must give up our fleshy relationship with Him for one of , by and in the Spirit of God. As Andrew Murray said, "We must also give up the Christ we have known, if we are indeed to have Him glorified to us and in us by the Holy Spirit." 'I his in turn applies directly to our topic of Manifesting Christ because in His discussion of these Scriptures in John 16, he gave a very eye-opening definition of just what it means to "glorify." He explained it this way ... "To glorify is to manifest the hidden excellence and worth of an object."
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I'll say that again so that it sinks in
"To glorify is to manifest the hidden excellence and worth of an object." Now let's look at John 16:7, 14 again with this new understanding.
"It is expedient - ( useful for God's purposes) -for you - (in your/our best interest) - that I (Jesus) go away: for if'I go not away, the Comforter - ( the Spirit of God) - will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him - ( the Spirit of God) - unto you ... He shall glorify me - ( manifest the hidden excellence and worth of Jesus Christ) -for lie - (the Spirit of God) - shall receive of mine, and shall show it- (the hidden excellence and worth of Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God) - unto you."
KNOWING CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH An example of this need for a change or transition in our relationship with Jesus can been seen in 2 Corinthians 5:16 when the Apostle Paul makes the observation — "... Though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. " In other words, up until now we have known Christ after the flesh, but henceforth that is no more, for we know Him no longer by the flesh but by the Spirit. But what does that mean? How do we know if we are knowing Christ after the flesh'? Andrew Murray explained part of the way to tell by pointing out that just like the disciples in the Bible, many of God's children today have believed in Jesus. "They love and obey Him. They have experienced much of the inexpressible blessedness of knowing and following Him. Yet they feel that the rest and joy, the light and power, of His abiding indwelling is not yet theirs. The influence of the fellowship of other Christians and the teaching of God's ministers has helped and wonderfully blessed them. Christ has become very precious. Yet they feel something is missing — promises not perfectly fulfilled, desires not fully satisfied." He then goes on to explain that they only reason can be that they have not yet fully inherited the promise of the Holy Spirit's living in us. He goes an to explain .... Knowing Christ according to the flesh must come to an end and must make way for knowing Him in the power of the Spirit. 'After the flesh "means doing things in the power of external influences — of words and thoughts, of efforts and feelings. The believer who has received the Holy Spirit but does not fully know what this implies does not surrender entirely to His indwelling and leadings. To a great extent, he still has confidence in the flesh. Admitting that he can do nothing without the Spirit, he still labors and struggles in vain to believe and live as he knows he should.
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KNOWING CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH y Quote of Andrew Murra continued He confesses most heartily, and at times experiences most blessedly, that Christ alone is his life and strength. However, it grieves and almost wearies him to think how often he fails to continue in an attitude of trustful dependence in Christ. He tries to believe all there is to be believed of Christ's nearness and keeping and indwelling, and yet, somehow, there are still breaks and interruptions. It is as if faith is not what it should be — "the substance of things hoped for"(Hebrews 11:1). The reason must be that his faith was still too much the work of the mind, in the power of flesh, in the wisdom of man. There has indeed been a revelation of Christ as the faithful Keeper and the abiding Friend. However, that revelation has been taken hold of by the flesh and the fleshy mind. This has made it powerless. The doctrine of the indwelling Christ has been received into the mixed life, partly flesh and partly spirit, Only the Spirit can glorify Christ. We must give up and cast aside the old way of knowing and believing and having Christ. We must know Christ no more according to the flesh. 'TThe Spirit] shall glorify me. "
DO NOT BE AFRAID OF CHANGE For so many of God's children there comes a time in their walk with Jesus that He doesn't seem as near as He was before or they don't seem to hear Him as clearly as they once did. Their relationship with Jesus has changed but they don't know why or how to get it back. y Doubt and confusion can enter in and suddenl even one's salvation seems to be in question. However, the truth is that God has and will not abandon us and Jesus is still there for us so why did He seem to leave? Where did He go? Or did he ever really leave in the first place? Well, in all likelihood He didn't leave but rather He knew it was time for a change in our relationship to Him. In the beginning our walk with Jesus, we all tend to relate to Him after the flesh because that is the way are used to relating to people. We are used to a certain amount of feed-back or response that is easy to recognize in our soul so often Jesus relates to us in that way to start with to draw us to Him. This may come with an outward feeling of His presence, His Love, or in hearing a clear, audible voice in answer to a prayer. However, due to the sinful nature that is within our flesh, Jesus can only relate us after the flesh for a limited time and then we must move onward and inward to knowing Him after the Spirit lest our own sinful nature be encouraged and hung onto rather than letting it go. To know Jesus partly in the flesh and partly in the Spirit is to say that you can hang onto your sinful, self-life and have Christ's life too — but that won't work — the two are at enmity with each other. It is ultimately one or the other — we can't have it both ways.
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DO NOT BE AFRAID OF CHANGE continued I have even found, in my experience, that the more I sought Jesus out of my flesh through feelings, actions, strong thoughts or words from Him, the more doubt and confusion I had because I was never quite sure if what I was getting was from `me' (my own spirit) or from Jesus - if I got anything at all. It was like the more I tried to hold onto something, the more I wasn't sure of what I had. In the end, I found that only by letting go of my feelings, thoughts, and even actions to Jesus and letting them be surrendered to Him was I then given a blessed assurance to know that Jesus was with me and would get me through whatever situation I was facing. I also found that it was only in letting something go to Jesus that I would find out if it was from Him in the first place. For this reason I would encourage you to not be afraid of letting go of anything to God and Jesus by surrendering to Him; do not be afraid of loss or change. I have found that if God takes or changes a thing, it is always for the better and that my faith is strengthened or increased as a result.
A HEAVENLY RELAY There are times I find it is helpful when going through changes and periods of trial and growth to keep in mind the bigger picture or plan that God the Father has in motion. As I pondered this in prayer, the Holy Spirit showed me that the idea of manifesting Christ and having Him glorified within us is a bit like a Heavenly relay race. In a relay race, there is a team of runners and each runner takes his or her turn running with a baton for a certain distance and then when his or her goal is reached, the baton is then passed on the next runner who will carry the baton onto the goal or distance. This can go until three or four runners in all have gone their distance and the last one crosses the finish line. In this Heavenly example, let's say there are 3 runners — the first being God the Father with the baton is His Spirit and the race is the redemption of mankind. In the first round, God gave His Law, the Ten Commandments and the Old Covenant/Testament through which He sought to show His Spirit. However, that Old Covenant could only go so far in that fallen man could not be redeemed through the law and so He passed on His Spirit to His only Begotten Son, Jesus who came, died and rose again as Christ Jesus, having fully manifested and glorified (manifested the hidden excellence and worth of) God's Spirit in the New Covenant/Testament. Now we enter phase three of the 'race' and we are the runners. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the baton (God's Spirit) is handed to us. Jesus now holds His outstretched arms to us to take within us Christ and His Spirit so that God's Spirit can now be manifested and glorified within us. However, it is also now up to us to take hold of the baton which is God's Spirit which not every Christian does or realizes they need to.
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A HEAVENLY RELAY continued Of course, the analogy of a baton being passed barely does God's Spirit justice since unlike an inanimate object passed by one to another, when God give His Spirit, He gives a part of Himself as well. As God passed on and manifested Himself in Jesus, the two remained separate beings and yet one in Spirit. So likewise when Christ's Spirit, which is God's Spirit, manifests in us we too remain separate beings and yet one by the Spirit as the same time. Take for example the interchange in John 14:6-11 when Jesus told His disciples -"... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by
Me. If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also; and from henceforth ye know Hun, and have seen Him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus said unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet bast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sagest thou then, Show us the Father? Believes( thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of'Myself but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the very works' sake." Here we see Jesus saying that it is He who has taken up the `baton' from God the Father so if you want to go to the Father or see Him, you will have to go through Him (Jesus). Likewise, Jesus is saying that He has manifested and shown them the Father all of this time He was with them through the words that He spoke and the works that He did for they were all of the Father and His Spirit and not of Jesus. In other words, Jesus kept His flesh out of the picture (His words, thoughts, actions and feelings) for God's to be made manifest. On the other hand, as for Philip and his request to be shown the Father— well, this is an example of wanting something "after the flesh" which is by outward means. He didn't quite get that it wasn't about being intellectually convinced or because of a vision or the experience of seeing the Father directly that was the issue for Jesus but one of belief. The question Jesus raised was, "Do you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?" Because if you believe on Jesus, and believe that the Father is in Him and that He is in the Father, then "the works that! (Jesus) do shall (you} do also; and greater works
than these shall (you) do; because Igo unto My Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my ntime, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. " (John 14:1213) ... and likewise the Son is glorified - His hidden excellence and worth is made manifest — in us. This in turn goes along with what Jesus said in John 15:7-8 —
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A HEAVENLY RELAY continued
"if ye abide in inc. and my works abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye hear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. " ( Jesus in John 15:7-8)
]1 11i What I appreciated most about Andrew Murray's definition of what it means to "glorify" is that it opened up Scriptures to me in a new and exciting way. I had always just looked at the word `glorify' as meaning to give glory or honor to, or to give praise to. So when I read a Scripture like the one this article centers around in John 16:14, it seemed nice but not that interesting. I'll show you what I mean. Here we read, "He ( the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth) shall glorify Me: _for He shall
receive of mine, and show it unto you." Next, let's read it with my simple, basic definition in mind. — "He (the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth) shall glorify - give glory and honor to - Me: for He shall receive of
mine, and show it unto you. " Sounds nice enough but now let's put Andrew Murray's definition in there instead —
"He ('the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth) shall glorifj y – shall manifest the hidden excellence and worth of—Me: for He shall receive of mine, and show it–this excellence and worth hidden until now – unto you." Now, isn't that much more exciting, interesting and engaging? To me it even added more meaning to the prayer Jesus said shortly before He was taken away to be tried and crucified. In John 17: 1, 4-5, 10 it says
"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:.... I have glorified y thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou ga est inc to do. And now, 0 Father, glorify thou me with thine own self which the glory which I had with thee before the world was..... And all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. " As I read this prayer to the Father it seemed to have more depth and meaning to me now as I saw Jesus was praying for more than for God to be praised and honored but that Jesus was praying for the Spirit and very heart of God to be made manifest. He was praying for
Page 7 MANIFESTING CH RIST - IT IS EXPEDIENT FOR YOU February l2, 2006 TO GLORIFY CHRIST continued the excellence and worth of all that God had done through Jesus would be now revealed to the world — that was the "glory" He was seeking and praying for. And then there is Jesus' prayer for His Church — for us — in John 17:20-24. Here Jesus says,
"Neither pray Ifor these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their (the disciples 's) word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they may be one in us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.
y And the glory which thou ga est Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we
are one. I in them,
and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved Me. Father y 1 will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that the may behold M for which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world."
A PRICE FOR US TO PAY We know that Jesus paid the ultimate price for us and that salvation through Him is a free gift. However, if we want more than salvation and actually do as Jesus commanded to take up our cross and follow Him as well as praying to enter into the kind of relationship with Jesus as He had with the Father and for Christ to be glorified in us, there is definitely a price to be paid. As part of that price, as followers of Christ, we too must at least be willing to face suffering, persecution and denial of all that is of self—just as Jesus did—to one degree or another. We must never forget Jesus' Word to us in Luke 9:23 — "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himsel , and take up his cross ail , and follow me." Even Paul the Apostle wrote this in Romans 8:16-18 "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs,- heirs of God, and , joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we
suffer with Him, that we ma y also be glor red together . Of I reckon that the suffering y of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glor which shall he revealed in us. What is of further note is that this mention of suffering which Christ comes on the heels of Paul's Scriptures speaking of the need to not walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Why? Because it is sinful flesh that will keep us separated from God and His Spirit's ability to work in us.
Page 8 MANIFESTING CHRIST - IT IS EXPEDIENT FOR YOU February 12, 2006 A PRICE TO PAY continued Another example of the price we must pay and the change that needs to take place within us can be seen in the rent in the veil in the temple that occurred upon Jesus' death on the cross. Andrew Murray, in A LIFE OF POWER , put it this way: In the temple were two holy places — the one before the veil, the other within the veil, or the Most Holy. In His earthly life, Christ dwelt and ministered in the Holy Place outside the veil. When the veil of the flesh was torn, He could enter the inner sanctuary of the glory of the Spirit-life in Heaven. The believer who longs to have Jesus glorified within by the Spirit must learn that
there is something better. In him the veil of the flesh must also be torn. He must enter into this special part of Christ's work through the "new and living way" (Hebrews 10:20) into the Holiest of All. Then the soul sees how completely Jesus has triumphed over the fleshly nature and entered with His flesh (body) into the Spirit-life. The soul sees how perfect His power is over everything in our flesh that could hinder us. The soul sees how perfect the entrance and the indwelling of Jesus as Keeper and King can be in the power of the Spirit. The veil has been taken away, and the life in the Holy Place is now one in the Spirit, in the full presence of the glory. This tearing of the veil for myself has not come through severe physical trials or great suffering outwardly, but I have felt it as I have prayed to surrender to Jesus all that is within me that would resist doing His Will. When my flesh throws up fears, anxieties, or any other kind of resistance to doing what God has for me to do, I know it is at that time that I must "take up my cross and deny my self" (my self-nature, my fleshy nature) by letting these
emotions, this fleshy static, be torn away — they must go or else they will continue as a wall of separation between me and the Spirit of God. Lastly, I would share that once that surrender has taken place and the flesh is torn away,
it is usually followed by a simple peace and stillness that goes beyond understanding into my heart, soul and spirit. It's like Andrew Murray wrote This tearing of the veil, this enthronement of Jesus as the Glorified One in the heart, is not always with the sound of trumpet and shouting. At times it may be that way for some, but in others it takes place amid the deep trembling of a stillness where a sound is not heard. Zion's King still comes meek and lowly with the kingdom to the poor in spirit. He enters in "without form or comeliness" (see Isaiah 53:2), and the Holy Spirit glorifies Him to the one whose faith does not see but believes. The eye of the flesh did not see Him on the throne. To the world it was a mystery. Just when all within us appears weak and empty, the Spirit secretly brings the divine assurance and experience that Christ the Glorified One has taken up His abode in us. The soul knows, in silent worship and adoration, that Jesus is Master and His throne in the heart is established in righteousness. The promise, '[The Spirit] shall glorify me, "is now fulfilled. S.. 3# ' L.o