Let's Get Back to the Cross

[mfblume]

Eli was a heavy fat-fleshy man, dim of sight, with two sons whose names meant Fist Fighter and Mouth of the Serpent (Phinehas and Hophni). He let the light of the candlestick burn out int he Tabernacle, and it was a day when the word of God was so rare it was precious, and there was no open vision.

This state represents the state of a carnal believer whose eyes of "understanding" are dim, and they do not let their light "so shine". Their offspring by way of what their lives portray are works of the flesh represented by Eli's boys, the fist fighter and mouth of the serpent. They say things to people that hurt and are devilish, and there is much fuss and fight in their lives.

All this occurs due to carnality and lack of spiritual understanding.

In 1 Sam 4, a man of Benjamin's tribe ran reporting the news that the ark of God was taken and Eli's two sons had died.

Like this man of Benjamin, Paul was a Benjamite. And his message in the Bible was an emphasis upon the work of the cross applied to the believer's life. It is a message about how Christ's cross dealt with OUR lives and carnality. And this message will recover believers from carnality.

When the Benjamite told the message to Eli, he fell back and broke his neck and died. We read he was AN OLD MAN and very heavy, or fleshly. This represents the OLD MAN whom Paul spoke about, and this old man is slain by the truths of the cross.

Paul's message needs to break through to the church and cause the OLD MAN TO DIE.

[mfblume]

It is after 1 Sam 4 that we read chapter 5 where the ark was taken into the temple of Dagon in Philistia.

If the devil and sin ever had a temple, it is A TOMB. Christ, like the ark, was taken and put into the tomb in death. But, like the ark that broke the human head and hands off Dagon on the third day after it was in the temple, Christ destroyed the yoke of sin and satan the third day when He resurrected!

But this applies to us as well! We died, were buried and resurrected WITH CHRIST. And when we understand this truth, and realize it, we will experience victory form carnality. To have died, been buried and risen with Christ means that sin has no dominion over us.

This is very important to know, because the carnal believer does not have a revelation that they are risen with Christ, victorious over sin. They think they HAVE TO sin, and cannot be freed from such a lifestyle, except by repenting every time they sin. Paul's revelation is the correcting answer!

The devil has our HEADS and HANDS when we are deceived by sin and do not think we can have victory over sin. When we EXPECT to sin, due to the false notion that we have to, we will find a way to do it. OUR HEAD determines OUR HANDS, or determines what our actions will be. And satan has OUR head and hands, as Dagon had human hands and human head. The Young's Literal Version of the Bible says that only the FISHY PARTS REMAINED after the head and hands were broken off Dagon. This shows us that as much as a fish does not naturally have human head and hands, satan is not a human but has OUR HEAD and OUR HANDS that do not belong to him when we are carnal believers. He puts lies into our minds and our actions are wicked, as a result, making OUR head and hands his possessions.

The revelation of our co-deaths and co-burials and co-crucifixions with Christ will break the human head and hands that belong to us off the devil, as the ark broke the head and hands off dagon on the third day.

The way this truth breaks our hands and head off from satan's use is by TEACHING OUR MINDS (heads) the truth so that our BEHAVIOUR (hands) are affected. When we realize we arose with Christ spiritually, we realize the victory Christ had over sin is our victory and we can UTILIZE that victory. CLAIM our position in Jesus' name and take authority over sin.

Praise God for the truths of the cross.

[mfblume]

Elisha prophesied to a barren woman that she would have a child, and she did. She formerly made a room in her house for Elisha to stay in while he was in the area.

One day, when her son was old enough to work in the fields with his father, his head was afflicted and he cried out "My head, my head!" He died in the lap of his mother, and she laid him in the same place where Elisha slept and left him alone in that little room.

The cross is found in foreshadowing form in every Bible Story there is.

SLEEPING in the Bible represents physical death. The place where Elisha slept foreshadows the tomb where Jesus laid in death.

The affliction of the boy's head represents the attacks of the devil on our minds when we begin to become productive in the fields of labour, and reap souls.

When our minds are attacked and our salvation is threatened with death, it is time to go back to where Jesus laid. Laying the child in the bed of Elisha speaks of the mother, the church, taking us back through preaching and teaching to the experience we shared with Christ when we were buried with Him by baptism into His death. Our water baptism was a burial with Christ into His death, thereby making His death to become our deaths as well. We experienced a co-death, co-burial and co-resurrection with Jesus when we were saved. And we need our understanding reminded of this truth.

Attacks to the mind of a believer are lies from the devil. And taking us back to the place where Jesus laid in his death, by teaching us and reminding us of how WE DIED WITH JESUS, renews our minds.

Elisha came and having learned of the child's death, laid on the boy and put his mouth to the boy's mouth, his eyes to the boy's eyes and his hands to the boy's hands. This is IDENTIFICATION.

This speaks of how Christ's eyes were as good as our eyes when he died. His hands were our hands and his mouth was our mouth. We so identified with Him in our baptism into His death, that HIS DEATH BECAME OUR OWN. HIS RESURRECTION BECAME OUR OWN. And his VICTORY OVER SIN became our own! This defeats the lies that afflicted the HEAD or the MIND.

When the boy came to life, it speaks of regaining victory through Christ!

He sneezed seven times.

Sneezing physically removes the obstructions in the head. And these obstructions that were cleared out of the boy's head were likely the cause for his death and affliction in his head to begin with.

This speaks of TRUTHS of our identity with Christ in His victory THAT CLEAR OUT ALL THE LIES that OBSTRUCT our MINDS.

Praise God for men like Paul who repeatedly taught that we MUST KNOW some truths in order to overcome sin!

[mfblume]

In 2 Samuel 18, David awaited news of the outcome of a battle involving Absalom. Ahimaaz wanted to report to David but it was Cushi who actually saw the death of Absalom whom Joab directed to tell David about it.

Ahimaaz ran and went to report anyway, and had nothing to detailingly tell David. But Cushi arrived and had the FULL MESSAGE OF THE DETAILS OF THE DEATH.

Ahimaaz was a good man but was NOT SENT BY JOAB. Many who preach and teach and share the Lord are good people, but they were not sent nor called by God to preach and teach. A God-called minister is one who knows the details of the death of Christ on the cross and what it accomplished for mankind. We can hear a lot of sermons about Jesus, but who has a revelation of the death of the cross and how it affects us so much as believers that it takes years to learn it all?

Many feel that the truths of the cross are so few and fundamental that there is not much information to learn about it to qualify a person to preach it. That could be no further from the truth! The cross is more than truth about freeing us from hell and sin. It affected us to the extent that it allowed for us to be seated in Heavenly places with Christ over every demon power and authority that exists in this world and the world to come. It gave power over sin IN THIS LIFE, before we ever die and go to glory.

Ahimaaz simply said he saw a tumult. He saw a ruckus and a skirmish but did not see anything. He did not lie. He knew Absalom was dead, but he did not see it happen. But he only had half a message. So much like so many messages and sermons today. No depth to the details of Christ's death.

Peter even commented about how Paul's ministry was so deep and involved things that were hard to be understood. Paul stands as a hallmark of the revelatory power of God since Paul did not even walk with Jesus on earth as Peter did, and yet Peter had to stand back and let Paul take the limelight for depth of revelation Paul received after Christ had left this world!

Praise God for depths of truths regarding the cross of Christ!

[drummerboy_dave]

Tell it, Bro Blume!

Thank you Jesus, for providing us our refuge, escape and victory.

[mfblume]

Amen, bro! Paul came preaching nothing but Christ and HIM CRUCIFIED!

[Withdrawn]

Amen, Bro. Blume. Too often, we let Jesus escape our sight because of all the worldly distractions that assault our senses every minute of every day. Indeed, the world and its attractions are curious and our flesh delights in them. Just like John on the Isle of Patmos when he saw Babylon, the mother of harlots, we often lose ourselves in the vision and "wonder with great admiration." But the writer to the Hebrews reminds us to look unto Jesus, who both authored and FINISHED our faith. The work of the cross is finished. It's complete. And we are complete in Him. We must forsake worldliness, the works of the flesh, and be what we are called to be.

Since His physical body ascended into heaven, He is counting on us to be His hands, His feet, His voice and His heart! He used His hands to bring healing and comfort to those who were sick. His feet took Him out of His way when there was someone in need of some special touch or ministry. His feet also took Him to Calvary in the ultimate example of self-sacrifice. He used His voice to calm storms, to rebuke traditions that were contrary to His Word, and to preach "the acceptable year of the Lord." And His heart was big enough to love a world that had rejected Him and killed Him. His heart grieved over Jerusalem, knowing its destruction was coming due to their rejection of their King.

So, it's up to us to follow His example and to fulfill our calling as the Body of Christ.

“He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” John 14.12

God Bless!

[mfblume]

Amen, jaamez,

Jesus told us to take our crosses up, deny ourselves and follow Him. The cross is a lifetime issue. It did away with our citizenry in hell and slavery under sin once, but all our lives we need to deny SELF NOW. SELF is an everliving problem. There are times when believers can become enemies of the cross since they will not allow themselves to be denied when that is the whole point for the cross. The more WE are out of the way in self denial, the more His Spirit can work in His church!

[POWERUP]

Its ashame that this thread is not at the top of the list. It should have at least 1000 hits by now. I guess instead we want to know who's left the flock, and backslid, and had this horrible affair with someone other than thier spouse. All because they left thier standards.

Never even thinking about the spouse that verbally abuses thier children, and spouse.

[Withdrawn]

Originally Posted by POWERUP

Its ashame that this thread is not at the top of the list. It should have at least 1000 hits by now. I guess instead we want to know who's left the flock, and backslid, and had this horrible affair with someone other than thier spouse. All because they left thier standards.

Never even thinking about the spouse that verbally abuses thier children, and spouse.

This discussion evidently isn't as exciting as fighting about whether "standards" are/are not required, or any of the other gossip threads. But I am finding new life and excitement in getting back to the basics of what the Church was intended to be. We often wonder why the church seems to be so anemic (where is the revival? where are the miracles? where are the healings and deliverances?), but we spend so much of our time gossipping and fighting over who is holier, that our eyes are no longer on Jesus. I'll be honest and say that I'm guilty. Jesus, please forgive me!

I want to be pleasing to Him and found IN HIM. The Bible says that the steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord. Oh, God, that my steps would be ordered by Him and that the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart would be pleasing unto Him and bring glory to His great Name.

So let's get back to where Jesus leads. Let's get back to the old landmark of the cross of Jesus and make it new in our lives once again. Let's sacrifice our own flesh, take up His cross and follow Him. I want to be found faithful and working for Him - not gossipping or arguing about who is holier. All that is in me would love to be caught up in that, and I must admit that as I searched through the most recent posts, I did click on a few to read before landing back here, as this was pretty far down the list. When I would do good, I find that evil is always present with me. Oh, wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Thank you, Jesus, for Your new mercies! I will do better today.

God Bless!