FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
RENEWING
THE MIND – XV
THE WORD
OF IAUE - 6
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this
world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of IAUE.
If the Word of IAUE is not germinated, if it does not produce life (revelation
knowledge), then all we have of the Word of IAUE are the letters on the
page.
We have lifeless doctrine. The
letter kills. It is the Spirit that
gives life. It profits
us nothing to have a head full of Bible doctrine when none of that
teaching has
been allowed to germinate within our hearts and release the power of
IAUE.
Many times in the
nearly three years I have been writing this blog, I have discussed the
difference between doctrine and revelation…between the marketing of the
product, and possessing and experiencing the product. For example, you can learn the nutritional
content of a hamburger. You can
understand how it should be shaped, cooked, placed on a bun, what extra
ingredients should be added, what “special sauce” you should put on it. You can see a picture of the hamburger and
note how appealing it is visually. You
can learn all there is to learn about a hamburger and teach that to others; but
if you have never actually purchased a hamburger and eaten it, you only know
the marketing, the advertisement. You do
not have the truth of the hamburger. You
have not experienced the knowledge that can only be revealed by experiencing
the hamburger. Consider, what is the purpose
of the advertising of the hamburger? Is it not to create within you the desire
to purchase and eat the hamburger?
Marketing of a product that does not achieve the objective of getting someone
to purchase the product is worthless. It
is unprofitable.
A person who rejects
Messiah can understand Bible doctrine; but it profits him nothing because he
does not mix the Word with faith to have the “marketing” of that truth revealed
to him. Most professing believers are exactly the same. They never get beyond the marketing of
spiritual truths. They are content merely
to have an intellectual knowledge of doctrine rather than a spiritual revelation
of the truth that is contained within the doctrine. Millions of believers listen to teachers or
read their books; and they can restate what they have heard or read, even well
enough to teach it to others; but they have no revelation of the matter. In fact, they do not even know that there is
a difference; that there is something more than simply understanding the
information presented.
Hebrews 4:2 For
unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word
preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Hebrews 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also
hath ceased from his own works, as Elohim did from his.
11 Let us hasten therefore to
enter into that rest, lest any man
fall after the same example of unbelief.
The gospel, the good
news that Messiah has appeared, is intended to bring us into the Father’s rest;
but it can only do that if it is mixed with faith in those who hear it. The rest that is available to us brings a
cessation to our own works. In
particular, it brings us to an end of the works man does to attempt to achieve
the righteousness of IAUE, to attempt to pacify his wrath and to achieve His
favor. Works can never do that; but
the unrenewed mind of man does not understand that.
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of
the law, but by the faith of Yahushua Messiah, even we have believed in Yahushua
Messiah, that we might be justified by the faith of Messiah, and not by the
works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Yahushua had entered
into His Father’s rest. We know this
because Yahushua repeatedly stated that the words he spoke were not his
words. They were the Father’s
words. The works that he did were not
his works. They were the Father’s
works. In other words, we enter into
rest when we cease from our own efforts.
This is what it means to be a living sacrifice. We are no longer living for ourselves,
pursuing our own interests, our own desires.
We have emptied ourselves of self-pursuit to allow the life of Yahushua
Messiah to live in and through us; such that the words we now speak are not our
words, they are the Master’s words. The
works we now do are not our works; they are the Master’s works. Until we are living within that dynamic, we
have yet to enter into the Father’s rest.
Are you still trying
to accomplish your own goals? Are you
still speaking words to defend your self-worth or maintain your image, to express
your anger or irritation, or to make people like you or to prevent them from
rejecting you? Do you even care about
any of these things? If you do, you have
not entered into the Father’s rest. You
have missed the whole objective of the gospel.
You have failed to mix the Word with faith.
Why do we who
believe upon the Master Yahushua Messiah continue in such selfish
pursuits? It is because our minds are
not renewed; and as long as they are not renewed, it is impossible to mix the
Word of IAUE with faith and put an end to our works. This is the problem explained in a nutshell.
Remember James’
words that a man sins when he is drawn away of his own lusts (James 1:14-15)?” Do you also remember Paul’s words in
Galatians 5:24 that those who belong to Messiah have crucified the flesh with
the affections and lusts? Thus, if our
lusts have died, what is there yet within us to draw us away and entice us to
sin? It is an unrenewed mind. It is a mind that is filled with the world’s
indoctrination as well as the marketing of spiritual truths without the
revelatory experience of those doctrines.
Not being mixed with faith, doctrine does not change our lives any more
than does what the world teaches us.
The principle truth
that most believers have yet to mix with faith is found in Paul’s words.
Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of
us as were baptized into Yahushua Messiah were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with
him by baptism into death: that like as Messiah was raised up from the dead by
the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted
together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his
resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our
old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is
freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Messiah,
we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Messiah being
raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
2 Corinthians 5:14 For
the love of Messiah constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one
died for all, then were all dead:
15 And that he died for all, that they which live
should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them,
and rose again.
Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Messiah: nevertheless I live;
yet not I, but Messiah liveth in me: and the life which I now live in
the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of IAUE, who loved me, and gave
himself for me.
If we experience the
revelation of our union with the Body of Messiah, then we will understand that the
new creature we have become in Messiah (2 Corinthians 5:17)
was in Yahushua when he died; and it was in Yahushua when he rose from the dead,
very much the same way the Scripture says that Levi paid tithes to Melchisedek
because the unborn Levi was yet IN ABRAHAM when Abraham paid tithes to
Melchisedek. It is the same way that all
of creation is attributed to Yahushua Messiah because he was IN IAUE when IAUE
created all things.
When we embraced the
good news and mixed it with faith, we entered into Messiah, and we died. The new spirit that was created and placed within
us is in union with the spirit of Messiah. The life that now is intended to
live within our mortal bodies is the very life of Yahushua. Where then would be the lusts that drive us
to selfish choices? Where then would be
the impetus to defend ourselves or to protect our image? Where then would be
the desire to pursue our own selfish goals?
Where then would be the trust in worldly thinking that is contrary to
the Word of IAUE? It would be dead; for
the life living within us would be the life of Messiah who can no longer be
tempted or draw away by lusts (strong selfish desire).
Romans 6:10
For in
that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto IAUE.
11 Likewise reckon ye also
yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto IAUE through Yahushua
Messiah our Master.
Within our spirit is
the life of Messiah that trusts implicitly in the Word of IAUE, and knows how
to release the power of every word His Father speaks. Within our spirit is the life that spoke only
the words of the Father and only did the works of the Father. Within our spirit is the life that destroyed
the works of the devil, provided forgiveness and healing for man and redeemed
us from the curse of the law. Within our
spirit is an eternity’s worth of provision of grace and compassion. Within our spirit is the one who loved us and
gave himself for us, and who reveals the Father’s love for us. If we are born of the Spirit and are united
with Messiah, all of this is IN US right now; and for the most part, the church
is absolutely oblivious to this because all it possesses is the marketing of
these truths.
The church is
waiting to experience all of this after Messiah returns and the day of redemption
has come. The problem is that our minds have not been renewed to be in
agreement with this truth. The way we
think is not in alignment with the way the spirit within us thinks. Believers have not mixed the Word of IAUE
with faith. Consequently, they have not
entered into His rest.
Next week we will
attempt to unravel this process whereby the Word becomes flesh within us and
the life of Messiah is revealed through us to the world as we mix faith with
the Word of IAUE.
Kingdom
heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the
performance of the will of IAUE.
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