THE
DIVINE PLEASURE – Part 4
John 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me
alone; for I do always those things that please him.
Let’s recap what we have
studied on this point so far. IAUE
created all things for His pleasure. At
the very core of all creation, the designed function and purpose of all things
is to do IAUE’s will…to follow and observe His every wish or desire. This is
not because IAUE is an egotist or is selfish and receives satisfaction knowing
He is the center of our lives. It is
because He knows that it is only when we are wholly given to do His will that
WE are fulfilled; because that is when we enter into the very function and
purpose of our creation. Consequently, it is only when we are doing His will in
place of our own that our lives reach their fullest potential of achievement
and satisfaction (and that is not measured in terms of achieving worldly
success or goals.)
IAUE has designed man
to be at his happiest and most joyous and most complete and most content when
we are fulfilling our designed purpose…to do the will of IAUE. It is very much in the same way as when we
were young children. We made special
efforts to do things for our father, just hoping it will make him smile, make
him pleased. If we saw that satisfaction
and pleasure registered on his face, our whole being was flooded with excitement
and pleasure. (I don’t know about you, but I have plenty of memories of this
very thing from my childhood.)
When IAUE created man,
He created him “very good.” Man lost
this goodness in the fall; when he chose a different path for his life. When man chose to please himself instead of
IAUE, he was separated from IAUE. In
forfeiting his goodness (his righteousness), he also forfeited the ability to
be fulfilled as a man. He introduced to
his very nature an impassable obstacle to being restored to an ability to
fulfill his designed function. Without
his goodness, man cannot please IAUE.
Nothing can arise from or proceed forth from a fallen nature in order to
produce righteousness; for every thought and action of fallen man originates
from darkness. Man must be redeemed by
someone who is outside the “system” of fallen humanity.
Enter the Messiah.
People have debated the
virgin birth ever since Isaiah first prophesied it would happen; but since the
fallen nature is passed from one generation to the next via the seed of man; it
is obvious that a perfect redeemer cannot come from the coupling of a man and a
woman. The virgin birth of Yahushua was
absolutely required in order for the redeemer to be born “good.” By having IAUE as the source of Mary’s pregnancy,
it guaranteed that her son would be born righteous as he would not be corrupted
by the fallen seed of Adam.
Scripture prophesied
Yahushua’s “designed purpose” in Isaiah 40:7, which is restated in the New
Testament.
Hebrews 10:7 Then
said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy
will (His wish or desire), O Elohim.
Before we ever see
Yahushua begin his 3-year ministry, we receive the benefit of IAUE’s account of
the 30 years of his life up to the moment he came to John (Yohannes) for
baptism.
Mark 1:11 And
there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Later, well into the
third year of his public ministry, at the “mount of transfiguration” IAUE gives
us an update on His son.
Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:
and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye
him.
Why was he well
pleased? It is because Yahushua came to
do the will of his Father, only.
Scripture says that the words he spoke were the Father’s words. The works he did were the Father’s works. He
always did those things that pleased his Father.
It is only in the
Garden of Gethsemane, the night he was betrayed, that we ever see that Yahushua
had a will that was capable of being independent of his Father’s will when he
prayed, “Not my will, but thine be done.” (Luke
22:42) Even in death, Yahushua
realized his life would not be complete without pleasing his Father in this one
last decision to suffer and die for Adam’s race. The writer of the book of Hebrews captured
Yahushua’s attitude about this decision.
Hebrews 12:2 Looking
unto Yahushua the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim.
Now, we can speculate
on what the object of his joy was in this verse; but given his life, it seems
obvious that the primary joy he had in giving up his life through such torturous
means was the satisfaction it would bring to his Father. So, even in death, our
Master was experiencing the joy of knowing that what he was doing was pleasing
his Father.
Messiah’s half-brother,
Yacov (James), wrote about this seeming contradiction in his epistle; obviously
having learned it from Yahushua.
James 1:2 My
brethren, count it all joy
when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the
trying of your faith worketh patience.
We are never to measure
our obedience to our Father by the amount of hardship or suffering it brings
into our lives. There isn’t a cut-off
point at which time IAUE will simply understand it was too much to ask of us.
1 Corinthians 10:13 There
hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but IAUE is
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear
it.
Hebrews 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners
against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4 Ye have not yet resisted
unto blood, striving against sin.
Sooner or later, we
will tend to make this life about us; and our comfort zone will begin to
dictate the depths to which we will go or not go in our obedience to the will
of IAUE. We must recognize this as a
temptation and count it all joy that our faith in Yahushua is more than enough
to bring us through unto the good pleasure of IAUE. The joy of His smile is worth more than any
hardship or difficulty we could ever face.
It is imperative that we understand this, believe this, own it and make
it real in our life.
Once you see it, you
will find it throughout the New Testament; especially in the writings of Paul.
He begins all of his letters with a blessing that his readers would receive
grace (the power IAUE gives man to enable him to do His will). He frequently prays for the various churches
to know the Father’s will; and how to equip themselves to know it and do it.
Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also,
since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom
and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of IAUE unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the
knowledge of Elohim;
I would encourage you,
over the next week (or for the rest of your life), to pray this prayer for
yourself and for several other people, by name, whom you know. Make the
knowledge of IAUE’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding your highway
to walking in a manner worthy of Him unto all pleasing.
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