Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Revelation; How Much is Enough


I continue to emphasize the fact that it is a revelation not a seminar of who Christ is, and of course out of this flows His full and complete love for us.
This revelation is setting into motion those who have been stymied in the vice of fear, shame, and self-consciousness just to mention a few inhibitors.

Peter was the one who spoke up regarding Jesus two fold question, the first being, “Who do men say that I am, and the second, Who do you say I am?”
Like a cannon ball blasting out, Peter says, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” Jesus knows this revelatory experience Peter is experiencing is not as a result of how smart or dumb he is, but something the Father has permitted him to see/know.
On the basis of this revelation Jesus talks about further things that have been so badly warped and disfigured, a hernia would look less twisted. I have no intention of looking at this other than to ask, was this enough, seeing that Jesus was the Christ?

It says from that point on after telling them (his disciples) not to tell any man that he was the Christ, he began clearly and openly showing how he must go up to Jerusalem and be put to death and after three days rise again.
Here comes the point of what I’m asking, Peter hears this doom and gloom death talk from Jesus and begins to rebuke Him, ouch! Peter is gong to forbid this from happening if he can, until Jesus lovingly says to him, “Get behind me Satan, you are an offense to me, you are consumed with how a mere man thinks, not how God thinks.”

Jesus begins to expound on the reason for the cross, by the way, this was not included in Peter’s revelation of who Jesus was, but was most definitely a must know! Without a revelation of why Christ had come, Peter along with all of humanity would eventually perish in their sin. Please read it here.
The son of man, Jesus the Christ was fully identified with us, humanity, so that we could become fully identified with God the Father.
If we are not frustrating His grace, then the purpose and intention of the Father will be accomplished in our lives. Let’s look at that purpose and intention, according to the Scriptures, from before the foundations of the world.

That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.”

The Father has in Christ committed his heart (his love/life) to and for us, he is not asking us for service, or sacrifices, or even obedience, he’s aiming at something for more vital, our hearts. He has called and chosen us, not the other way around, to BE His! Without a unshakable foundation of His love laid down in our hearts, we will never know what this romance and deep intimacy is all about, that he is wanting to initiate all part of our birthright.
There will be NO ability to give up the right to self in us apart from knowing His love. It was this very thing that Peter learned the hard way. When Jesus said that everyone was going to forsake Him, Peter not knowing His love tried to cover up the true lies he was unknowingly choosing to believe, “Lord I will go to jail for you, I will even lay my life down for you.”
Jesus turned and spoke loving words that must have seemed more like a surgeons scalpel impaling Peter’s heart, “Peter Jesus said, before the rooster crows once you will deny me three times.”

The crushing and demolishing that came into Peter’s life was not because the Father hated Peter, but he knew full well that living less loved, or not knowing His love, he was going to suffer badly because of choosing to do things his way.
Father is calling, choosing you to know how much you are loved, there is no escaping the trouble in this world apart from a revelation of being Loved so that we might live Loved, will you let Him Love you?

Rich

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