Wholeness - in Christ Jesus
In our last Teaching letter we made the statement "Wholeness is what the Cross is all about". We looked at the sacrifice of our LORD JESUS upon the Cross at Calvary. We also saw that as HE hung upon that Cross, bearing our sin and shame, HE made a most remarkable statement. HE said "IT IS FINISHED".
What we aim to do today is to show how "OUR WHOLENESS" is linked eternally to those amazing words, "IT IS FINISHED".
In 2 Peter 2:24 we see the LORD showing us that by HIS stripes we are healed. 1Peter 2:24 Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed.
Here in this verse we are shown that on that tree called Calvary, (the Cross was made from a tree) the LORD bore our sins, then HE goes on to show us just what was the result of that action. HE said, "that we, BEING dead to sin". This means that HIS actions on the Cross killed sin over us, sin no longer had, or even has, any power over us. Then HE goes on to tell us why this is so, "that we should live unto Righteousness".
Our lives are to be lives that reflect the righteousness of CHRIST JESUS. They should reflect the righteous act that set us free from sin. HIS death has empowered our lives to be as the life of the one who willingly gave HIMSELF in exchange for us. HE gave HIS Life so that we would not have to suffer the second death mentioned in the Book of Revelation (2:11, 20:6, 20:14, and 21:8).
Rev 2:11 He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Rev 20:14 And death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
The last scripture listed above is one that we need to take a closer look at though. Perhaps we should start at the verse six.
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7 He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Take note of how the LORD starts HIS discussion with the Apostle John (John is the one who recorded the Book of Revelation). JESUS starts off by saying "IT IS DONE". This is another way of saying "IT IS FINISHED". So, we need to look at what IT IS FINISHED (or done) means?
In a previous teaching letter we looked at how our Fore-Parents Adam and Eve sinned and Mankind lost all of the perfection that GOD had created them with. From that time on sickness and death was to be their lifestyle. No longer were they the ones who would live so long, as seen in the life and age of Methuselah. He was the man who has the longest recorded lifespan, as seen in Genesis 5:27. Gen 5:27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
Mankind was created as perfection. They had perfect bodies: there was no sickness found in them by GOD. How do we know this? Because when their Creator looked upon them and everything else that HE had just created in (Gen 1:31) Gen 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. HE beheld that it was very good.
Through sin Mankind had lost that perfection, for themselves and for everything else as well. BUT, through the actions of JESUS upon the Cross of Calvary, for those who are thirsty for the things of GOD (verse 6 above), that perfection is once again made available to them.
Sin had robbed Mankind of perfection. As a result, they were less than whole. When a portion of something that was built is taken away, then that object is incomplete, it is no longer a whole item. so, it was for Mankind, they were made incomplete by sin.
Rev 21:6 tells us that if we are thirsty for the life that GOD offers us then we simply need to go to JESUS and HE will allow us to drink freely of HIS life. That is the life that HE gave to us on the Cross of Calvary. Then HE tells us what HE requires of us: that we be overcomers, just as HE overcame death and sin, so too must we.
Some people might think that being an overcomer is too hard for them, they might think that it was alright for JESUS, after all, HE was the Son of GOD. But it was NOT the Son of GOD who went to the Cross and overcame, it was JESUS, the Son of Man. Mankind sinned, and it had to be a Man that paid the price for that sin.
That is why JESUS did not just sit in Heaven and forgive our sins, HE had to come to earth, through a Woman. We all come through a Woman into this world, therefore, so too did JESUS. As a man HE qualified for becoming the Sacrificial Lamb that GOD would use to pay the penalty for Man's sins. This HE achieved without using any of the powers that were HIS when HE was the Son Of GOD.
The only Power that JESUS used to overcome the world, sin, even death, was the very same power that is today available to each and every one of us who follow our LORD JESUS. JESUS was conceived by the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD, HE lived HIS life under the influence of that same power, and HE was able to go to the Cross empowered by that very same power source - the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD.
The death of JESUS on the Cross paid for our sin, but what it also did was to enable you and I to live a life similar to the life that JESUS lived. It enables us to do the things that we see JESUS doing in HIS Word.
That is why HE says in John 14:12 – 14 that we too can do the things that we see HIM do, and even greater things than those shall we do. In these verses HE also tells us why this is so. That HIS FATHER, our FATHER, should be glorified through HIM. John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. John 14:13 And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:14 If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.
JESUS is the head of the Church, we are the Church. The Church is not the building we meet in. We are the BODY OF CHRIST JESUS. And it is through the Body of CHRIST JESUS that our FATHER GOD is glorified today.
We do that, not just through our Praise and Worship in the Church service, but we do it through doing the things that we see our LORD doing. This brings Glory to GOD through the body of JESUS, it brings Glory to HIM through us.
GOD loved the world so much that HE gave HIS only begotten SON to die for us. JESUS did it so that we too might live for HIM, and through HIM, to the Glory of our FATHER GOD.
Earlier we saw that when an object, loses a part of itself then it is incomplete, so it is with a person as well. When a parent is estranged from their Child, or a person is separated from a loved one, then that parent, or person, has an empty feeling within, they feel incomplete, they feel like they are not whole, something is missing. However, it is not just the Parent that is incomplete, without our Parent(s) we are no longer a Family, the Family is incomplete. This is how it is with us and GOD.
Sin separated Mankind from GOD, and GOD (FATHER, SON and HOLY SPIRIT) was that Parent that longed for HIS Child(ren). But we also were incomplete, our Family relationship was incomplete. That is why we all long for relationship, without that we are incomplete.
The actions that JESUS accomplished on the Cross of Calvary did more than just pay for our sin, it also restored our relationship back to our GOD. It also enabled us to live our life in the same way as JESUS lived HIS, totally sold out to our GOD. As a result of this, HE was an overcomer (John 16:33), John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.
The Cross of Calvary, and the LOVE of the one who died for us on that Cross, brought about a completed (finished) result that enabled JESUS to say to HIS FATHER with confidence "IT IS FINISHED".
From that time onwards we were made whole again, all things that were lost to Mankind were now restored to us WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS.
With lots of Love
Don Phillips
17/03/2019