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He That Has Ears To Hear, Let Him Hear
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Matthew 11:15-30
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Challenging both secular wisdom and religious doctrines. - Will our descendants know moral virtue?
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Trinity
"Created in His Image"
Our spirit is how we can have a relationship (communicate) and "know God" which is "Eternal Life." (John17:3)
Not by our "flesh" or our own wisdom.
Why Jesus emphasized fulfilling the "Promise of My
Father" (Luke 24:49) and proclaimed: "It is the
spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto
you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)
How the Word of God discerns between our "flesh" and our spirit.
The "inner man" (Ephesians 1:17-19, 3:16), "hidden heart" (1 Peter 3:4), "candle of the Lord" (Proverbs 20:27).
See also: 1 Samuel 16:7, Job 10:11-12, Luke 17:21, John 3:1-7, Romans
8, 1 Corinthians 2:7-16.
"He
that has ears to hear, let him hear..." (Matthew 11:15-27)
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the 7 Wisdom Challenges &
The Gospel of John
Quiz
Index
o
Foundation
- How did Paul describe/define the "Kingdom of God?"
o Created in His Image
- When did Adam become a "living soul?"
o Man's spirit: The "Inner Man" - "the Hidden Man" - "the Candle of the Lord" -
the "heart" of man
o Why - "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of
the heavenly."
Foundation
What importance did Jesus place on fulfilling the 'Promise of My
Father?" (See Luke 24:49) What did Jesus implore us to "seek first?" But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. --Matthew 6:33 What is the "Kingdom of God?"
Romans 14:17 - "For the Kingdom of God is not meat
& drink; but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."
Luke 17:21 - And He (Jesus) said unto them,
I must preach the Kingdom of God to other cities also: for
therefore am I sent (Luke 4:43) Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there!
for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Acts 19:1-6 - And it happened while Apollos was in
Corinth, after Paul went through the interior parts he went down to Ephesus and
found some disciples, and he asked them, "Did you take the Holy Spirit
when you believed?" And they said to him, "But in fact we did not hear
whether there is a Holy Spirit." So he said, "Then in what name were you
immersed?" And they said, "In John's immersion." Then Paul said, "John did
immerse an immersion of repentance to the people, saying that they should
believe in the One Who was coming after him, that is in Y'shua." And when they
heard they were immersed in the name of the Lord Y'shua, and when Paul laid his
hands upon them2 the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they were speaking in
tongues and they were prophesying. And there were about twelve men. God's plan is not for you to get into heaven, God's plan is for Him
to live in you.
John 14:16-23
- And I will pray the Father,
and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him
not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in
you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while,
and the world sees me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live
also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in
you. ...Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our
abode with him.
Job 10:11-13, 32:8-10 - You have clothed me with skin and flesh
and have knit me with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and fsvor and
Your visitation has preserved my spirit. And You have hidden these things in
Your heart: I know that this is with You. ...But there is a spirit in man:
and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding. Great men are not
always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment. Therefore I say, Listen to
me! I will also show my knowledge.
Genesis 2:7
- And the LORD God formed man of the dust of
the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living soul.
John 20:22 - He [Jesus] breathed on them, and said
unto them, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost:" John 7:37-39 - And on the final Sabbath day of the feast
Y'shua stood and cried out saying, "If anyone would thirst
he must continually come to Me and he must continually drink. The one who
believes in Me, just as the Scripture said, rivers of living water will flow out
from his inner being." (Isaiah 58:11) And He said this about the Spirit,
which those who believed in Him were about to take: for the Spirit was not yet
given, because Y'shua was not yet glorified.
1 Corinthians 2:7-16
- But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God
ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this
world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory. But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, (Isa. 64:3; 52:15) neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that
love him. But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit
searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things
of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God
knows no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are
freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which
man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual
things with spiritual. But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit
of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he knows them, because
they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet
he himself is judged of no man. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he
may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
"Know no man after the flesh..." (2 Corinthians 5:16a)
What is Paul suggesting with this statement? Are we to
consider everyone's
appearance (or "flesh"), or the
spirit of each person? What does the Lord consider? (John 4:24, Job 32:8-10) "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit
incorruption." (1 Corinthians 15:50) The spirit is what "returns unto God" (Ecclesiastes 12:7)? The "inner man"
(Ephesians 1:17-19, 3:16) of the "hidden heart" (1 Peter 3:4), The
"candle of the Lord" (Proverbs 20:27). Acts 2:37-39 - And when they heard this they were pierced in
their hearts. They said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "What could we
do, men, brothers?" And Peter said to them, "You must immediately repent, and
each of you must immediately be immersed in the name of Y'shua Messiah, for
forgiveness of your sins and you will take the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the
promise is for you and for your children and for all those in far away places,
whomever the Lord our God will call to Himself." But the LORD* said to Samuel, Do not look at his countenance
or at the height of his stature because I have refused him! For the LORD* does
not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD*
looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7 ONMB) Discover the many Scriptures outlined below revealing the utmost importance
God's Word and Jesus place on understanding "created in his image."
Genesis 1:27 - So God created mankind in His own image; He
created him in the image of God. He created them male and female. (Matthew 19:4)
Genesis 2:7 - And the LORD God formed man of the dust of
the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living soul. Man was created in God's Image (Genesis 1:27a). Adam was not alive until:
"And the LORD* God formed man from the dust of the ground and blew into his
nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7). So
if Adam's body was without life until "the breath of life," was it the Spirit of
God that mentioned in Genesis 1:2 that provided the "breath of life?" Therefore, if we are "created in his image" it is the spirit, or "breath of
life," in us, the "inner man," the "hidden man of the heart" that is primary. As
numerous Scriptures reveal we are spirit, soul, and body, not just body and
soul. (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Job 32:8). What is the "Kingdom of God?" (Romans
14:17). What did Jesus say about being "born again" (John 3:3-5) and what "gives
life" (John 6:63) and how to "worship God" (John 4:24)? What part of us returns
to God? (Ecclesiastes 12:7)
And He (Jesus) said unto them, I must preach the
Kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent (Luke 4:43)
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of
God is within you.
(Luke 17:21)
God's plan is not for you to get into heaven,
God's plan is for Him to live in you.
It is not "faith in God," but God's faith
in you, a "gift"
and "fruit"
of the Holy Spirit. (1
Corinthians 12,
Galatians 5)
"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by
the Word of God."
--Romans 10:17
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you
another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Even the Spirit of
truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows
him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will
not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the
world sees me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At
that day ye shall
know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
...Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our
abode with him.
--John 14:16-23
We
are not body and soul only.
(Genesis 1:2,26,
1 Thessalonians 5:23) We are first and foremost an eternal spirit that
has a temporary body. Adam's body was created but did not have life until
God "breathed into his nostrils." (Genesis
2:7) Understanding the Trinity of
God and trinity of man is the foundation of Eternal Life, which is knowing
God. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth." (Jesus, John 4:24) And when he was demanded of the Pharisees,
when the kingdom of Gd should come, he answered them and said,
The kingdom
of God comes not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo
there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:20-21)
Now the
Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the
Lord, are changed into the same image from glory
to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
--
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
Jesus, in announcing the Kingdom of God, preached and emphasized a relationship
with God by knowing Him, and the only way to
know and worship Him is
in spirit, for God is a Spirit. We must learn this lesson and teach our children
we are an eternal spirit that has a mind and a temporary earthly body. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Our relationship between the Holy Spirit and our spirit is the only way to "
know" God (Matthew 7:23, John
3:3-5, 1 Corinthians 2:10-16), which is "eternal life." (John 17:3)
John 3:1-7 - And there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus was his name, a
leader of the Jewish people: this one came to Him at night and said to Him,
"Rabbi, we know that You, a teacher, have come from God: for unless God were
with Him no one is able to perform these signs that You do." Y'shua answered and
said to him, "Most definitely I say to you, unless someone would have been born
from above, he is not able to see the Kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him,
"How is a man able to be born when he is in old age? Is he able to enter his
mother's womb and be born a second time? Y'shua answered, "Most certainly I say
to you, unless someone would have been born out of water and Spirit he is not
able to enter the Kingdom of God. What has been born of the flesh is flesh, and
what has been born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to
you, 'It is necessary for you to be born from above.'"
1 Thessalonians 5:18-23 -
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesying. Prove all
things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole
spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
If one is "dead," what lives on? What is "absent from the body?" How
will we "appear before the judgment seat of Christ?" 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 -
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have
a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which
is from heaven:
If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we
would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of
life.
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given
unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the
body, we are absent from the Lord:
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to
be present with the Lord.
Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may
receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad. Job 10:11-13, 32:8-10 - You have clothed me with skin and flesh
and have knit me with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and fsvor and
Your visitation has preserved my spirit. And You have hidden these things in
Your heart: I know that this is with You. ...But there is a spirit in man:
and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding. Great men are not
always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment. Therefore I say, Listen to
me! I will also show my knowledge. Ecclesiastes 12:7 - Then shall the dust return to the earth as
it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (One
New Man Bible) Matthew 7:21-23 - Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is
in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Acts 19:1-6 - And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was
at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and
finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost
since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether
there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized?
And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with
the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on
him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his
hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and
prophesied. Though "Trinity" is not mentioned in the Word it is simply a word describing
the Image of God. Jesus furthers describes the relationship in John 14 and 16
that He alluded to in John 3, 4, & 7. (All discussed below.) John 14:6 - Y’shua said to him, “I AM the Way and the
Truth and the Life: no one comes to the Father except through Me." John 17:3 - And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. There is only One Way to KNOW the Father - by
KNOWING Jesus (John 14:9)
How are we to "know" God and have a relationship with Him?
Just as the Lord is 3 in 1 so are we. This is what the Lord means when He says we are created in His
image, 3 in 1. Adam, although his body was created from dust of the earth, did not
become a "living soul" until God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life."
God's Word also referrers to man's spirit as the "Inner Man" -
"Inner Being" - "the Hidden Man" - "the Candle of the Lord"
- the "heart" of man
Ephesians 1:17-19, 3:16 - ...in order that the God of our
Lord Y'shua Messiah, the Father of glory, would have given you a spirit of
wisdom and revelation for your knowledge of Him, that the eyes of your heart
have been enlightened for you to have known what is the hope of His inheritance,
the riches of His glory, of His inheritance for the saints, and which exceeds
the greatness of His power in us, those who believe, according to the working of
the might of His strength. ...That he would grant you, according to the
riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner
man;
Genesis 2:7 - And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
1 Samuel 16:7 - But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his
countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for
the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the
Lord looks on the heart.
2 Corinthians 5:16a -
"Know no man after the flesh..." If we are
to "know no man after the flesh" we must then consider every person's
"inner man," their eternal spirit over their (flesh) body and soul. The
Holy Spirit reveals this without a doubt in the Scriptures provided below. This
leads to understanding the compassion of Christ and His command to "love your
enemies." ..."He that has ears to hear, let
him hear."
1 Thessalonians 5:18-23 -
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesying. Prove all
things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole
spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
God does not appeal to your
reason. He appeals to your spirit.
2 Corinthians 13:13 - The grace of the Lord
Y'shua Messiah and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with
you all.
Proverbs 20:27 - The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all
the inward parts of the belly.
John 1:12-13 - But as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God. 1 Corinthians 15:40
- "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of
the heavenly."
1 Peter 3:4 - But let it be the hidden man of
the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and
quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is quick,
and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart. There is a reason God did not
speak us into existence, as He did the vegetation, animals, moon and stars.
Instead, He chose to create us out of the Earth. He shaped us with His fingers
from the soil. "God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them." (Genesis 1:27)
and "breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7)
And Moses said unto God,
Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The
God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his
name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and
he said, Thus shall you say unto the children of Israel, I AM has sent me unto
you. Exodus 3:13-14 (Jesus answering the
scribes and Pharisees) Your father
Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said
the Jews unto him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Before Abraham was, I Am. John 8:56-58 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear
witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
1
John 5:7-8 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the
flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in
the world, received up into glory.
1 Timothy 3:16
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily. Colossians 2:9 Philip said unto him, Lord, show us the Father,
and it will suffice us. Jesus said unto him, Have I been
so long time with you, and yet have you not known me, Philip? he that has seen
me hath seen the Father; and how can you say then, Show us the Father? Don't you
believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak
unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the
works. John 14:8-10 If any man defile the temple of God, him
shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. Know
ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 What? know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are
not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19 Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord has Christ with
Belial? or what part hath he that believes with an infidel? And what agreement
hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as
God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye
separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive
you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, says
the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 See also
1 Corinthians 15:35-58.
Jesus is Eternal Life. We can
only have eternal life, as we have Christ. "I
am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Believe you
this?" John 11:25 And as we have borne the
image of the earthy, we shall also bear the
image of the heavenly. Now this I
say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither
does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall
not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this
corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death
is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy
victory? 1 Corinthians 15:49-55 "I
am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never
die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in
spirit and in truth. John 4:24 It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the
words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
John 6:63 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying,
If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that
believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water. (But
this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy
Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) John 7:37-39
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world
cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but you know him; for he
dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to
you. Yet a little while, and the world sees me no more; but you see me: because I live,
you shall live also. At that day you shall know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and
I in you. He that has my commandments, and keeps them, it is he that loves me: and he that
loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him. Judas said to him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that you will manifest
yourself to us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said to him,
If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and
we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that doe not love me does not keep
my sayings: and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These
things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the
Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring
all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 14:16-26
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you
that I go away: for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I
depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of
righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you see me no more; Of judgment, because the
prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot
bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all
truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he
speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of
mine, and shall show it unto you. John 16:7-14
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things,
yea, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of
man which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we
have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might
know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10-12
But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a
man does is without the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body.
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which
you have of God, and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price: therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:17-20 And hope does not disappoint, because the love
of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which
has been given to us. Romans 5:5
Hid In
Christ - The Secret Place of the Most High
He that dwells in the
secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I
will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I
trust. Psalm 91:1-2 If you then are risen with
Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand
of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you
are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3 No man can see God and live.
Self will have to go. Self-centered will become Christ-centered. Selfishness
will yield to sharing the Good News.
1 John 4 -
Beloved, believe not
every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false
prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it
should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he
that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world hears
them. We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God hears not
us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that
loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his
only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his
Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us,
and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us
of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the
Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and
he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love;
and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of
judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear hath
torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that
loves not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not
seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loves God love his
brother also. Click
here for challenges to man's wisdom
versus the wisdom of God. See also:
ABRAHAM'S ENCOUNTER WITH THE TRINITARIAN GOD Genesis 18 -
"Then the Lord appeared to Abraham by the terebinth
trees of Mamre as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
So Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing
by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and
bowed himself to the ground ... Then the men rose from there and looked
toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way ... And
the Lord said ... I will go down now and see whether they (men of Sodom)
have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to
Me ... Then the men (two of the three) turned away from there and went
toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Now the two angels
came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom."
In this Scripture, God reveals Himself to Abraham
singularly as Lord, then as three men, and finally as two angels. In the
limits of our present 3-dimensional realm, plurality and singularity are
not possible at the same time. But our incapacity to conceive does not
affect God's capacity to be. To theologians, Jewish and Christian, the
importance of Abraham's encounter with God cannot be overemphasized.
Observe the Genesis 18:1, 2, 22 account carefully: 1. The Lord (singular) appeared to Abraham.
How did Jesus define "eternal life?"
(See also:
"I never
knew you.")
There is only One Way to KNOW Jesus - by
KNOWING the WORD. (John 1:1,14)
There is only One Way to KNOW the WORD - by
having the Spirit reveal the WORD. ( 1
Corinthians 2:10-16)
There is only One Way to HAVE the Spirit -
Be born again of the Spirit (John
3:3-6)
There is only One Way to be filled with the Spirit -
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
(John
1:33, Acts
19:2-7)
We are then first and foremost a spirit, just as God is a
Spirit, and we have a body and a soul (mind), 3 in 1.
It is our spirit that communicates (has a relationship) with His Spirit.
John 4:24 - God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in
spirit and in truth.
Job 32:8-10 - But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the
Almighty gives them understanding. Great men are not always wise: neither do
the aged understand judgment. Therefore I said, Hearken to me; I also will
show mine opinion.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 - Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and
the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
James 2:26 - For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without
works is dead also.
John 20:21-22 - Then said Jesus to them again,
Peace be unto you: as my Father has sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he
breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
1
John 5:7-8 -
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father,
the Word (John 1:1-14), and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear
witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
God: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
(three in one)
Deuteronomy 6:4 -Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD. (Note: The
word "one" was translated from the word echad of the original Hebrew text. Echad
is plural for properly united or to unify as one.)
Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it will suffice us. Jesus said unto
him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not
known me, Philip? he that has seen me has seen the Father; and now you say, Show us the
Father? You don't believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I
speak to you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works.
John 14:8-10
And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and
it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same
said unto me, Upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the
same is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the
Son of God. John 1:32-34
Why?
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts
2:1-4
2. But, He came in the appearance of three men (plural).
3. God said, "I (singular) will go down to Sodom.
4. Two of the three, as angels (plural), went to Sodom.
5. After the departure of the two, "Abraham still stood before the Lord"
(singular).
