But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. John 16:13
It is important to see
ourselves as individuals chosen by God before the world began, but more
importantly to see that we are a part which makes up the whole Body of Christ. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord came to reveal the heart and desire
of our heavenly Father. Matthew 3:16-17
reads, “After Jesus was baptized, He went
up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him and He saw
the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him. And there came
a voice from heaven: “This is My beloved Son I take delight in Him!” After Jesus receives this word of approval
from His Father, Matthew 4:1 states, “Then
Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” This verse emphasizes
the immediate progression of the steps of Jesus. Remember we are in his heart; God is
love. There is nothing taking place that
is not controlled by the eternal love of our Father God. Once we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us
our unity in Christ all fears, questions, and doubts begin to vanish, and we come
into the truth of what is really taking place.
After He came out of the water, the Holy
Spirit descended on Him. God audibly declared delight in His Son. There is no
doubt that the first 30 years of our Lord’s life were years of temptation and
testing. Remember Hebrews 2:17-18 says,
“For since He Himself was tested and has
suffered, He is able to help those who are tested.” Jesus overcame the
attacks, temptations and the tests in His private life. For the Father to open the heavens and declare
approval of his Son, we know He was pleased with the first 30 years of His life. Now
He is about to enter His public ministry, but first He is led by the Holy
Spirit to face the enemy of the human race.
This is the ultimate test where Jesus meets evil in all its strength and
hatred in the personality of the devil. If we identify ourselves with the death
and the resurrection of our Lord, the Holy Spirit is showing us what to expect. Matthew 4:1, “Then Jesus was led up by the
Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” An important fact to realize is that Jesus
was led into the wilderness. Our Lord
Jesus Christ had just come from a glorious manifestation of the satisfaction of
our mighty God. He was surrounded by family, friends, and other people being
baptized. Then He is led into the wilderness.
What does the wilderness represent?
As human beings we live in two worlds; the natural and the spiritual. Jesus goes from being surrounded by family
and friends, to the wilderness where He is isolated from the people and things
that bring contentment to the natural man.
He is now being tempted and tested by the devil and comes out victorious.
Our Lord is bringing forth a new humanity, taught by the Holy Spirit, who will be
an expression of the divine ideas and thoughts of God. Isaiah 53:1-2 gives us a better understanding of
who the true source of our life is, “Who has believed what we have heard? And who has the arm of the Lord been revealed
to? He grew up before Him like a young plant and like a root out of
dry ground. He had no form or
splendor that we should look at Him, no appearance that we should desire Him.”
I repeat a “root out of dry ground.” The Holy Spirit is using a young plant and
root out of dry ground as a type of our Lord to show us that the life our Lord
lived did not have its source here on earth.
His source came from above. John
8:23, “…. You are from below; I am from
above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.” How can a plant grow
out of dry ground? It needs water and moisture.
Where was the power, the life source, the fountain that our Lord lived
by? It was not in the natural realm. He
is always teaching us that man’s life does not
exist in the abundance of things he owns. It is written in Luke 12:15, “Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on
your guard against all kinds of greed: a man’s life does not consist in the
abundance of his possessions.” The source of our life our existence is not
in what this world has to offer. Our new
life is Christ Jesus. Our new life
source is God. Colossians 3:3 reads, “For you died, and your life is now hidden
with Christ in God.” Romans 6:11 and
Romans 8:9 also confirm that we live by Him and for Him. This is why as Jesus
is led by the Spirit into the wilderness He is being separated from all His
natural resources. I recall a time when a
friend lost his job; he began to lose his house and his vehicles. I witnessed
this brother trying to hold on to his possessions by borrowing money and using other
world strategies. The Holy Spirit showed me this was similar to a drowning man
who sees his life vanishing before him. His life’s work and money spent for
security were now vanishing. Things that
we possess represent the natural life. Jesus spoke of this in Luke 12:16-21 in the
form of a parable. Things do not give us life; Christ is our life and our
satisfaction. I would strongly suggest you read Ecclesiastes with an open heart
and a submissive spirit to God’s Word.
You will clearly see what this world has to offer; “Absolute futility, everything is futile.”
The Holy Spirit is using a young plant and root out of dry ground as a type of our Lord to show us that the life our Lord lived did not have its source here on earth. His source came from above.
We are seeing
tremendous changes taking place in this world.
Our Lord predicted wars and rumors of wars…. nation will rise against
nation. Read Matthew 24:4-13. This is all a result of fallen man. Many think America will be exempt from
persecution. Judgment is coming. God is
separating and purifying His people. Hypocrisy within the individual and the
Body of Christ as a whole is being purged out. The Holy Spirit is convicting us
of those things we presumed were harmless.
No more compromising with the world, God is purging the Body of Christ. God is helping us understand His ways by
bringing us to His Word. The Holy Spirit
is revealing His plan and His purpose to us.
I hear Hebrews 2:3 very clearly, “how
will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”
The Spirit probed a question
into my heart. Who occupies the greatest measure of your day? This question enters
the depth of our consciousness, because God knows our heart. He is omniscient. He knows the minute your
eyes open in the morning and the minute your eyes close at night. He knows your
last thought before you sleep and your first thought as you wake. He knows your dreams and the thoughts that
control you during the day. Because He
knows everything we cannot hide. In Ecclesiastes 12:14, “For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden
thing, whether it is good or evil.”
We have to say “Thank you Father that your grace and your mercy are renewed
every morning.” It is by grace that we are saved not by works.
Our Lord came into
this world with a mission. He came to do the will of the Father and He
fulfilled that mission on this earth. He gave us His Spirit and His power. God
knows our limitations, our frustrations and our disappointments. However, He has made provision for everything
through Jesus Christ. Christ is not only
our death, but our resurrection, our life, our victory and our salvation. He is
our wisdom, He is our sanctification, our justification, our righteousness,
everything. He is all in all. How shall
we escape judgment if we neglect such a great salvation offered to us by a
loving God? In the beginning was God
and God is love. He is still in control and
his plan continues to unfold. He will receive everything that He desires.
I received an answer
to the question ‘who occupies the greatest measure of your day?’ If we
want to know God’s presence we must be occupied with his Son. This is how we know we are being led by the
Holy Spirit, John 16:13-14, “But when He
the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not
speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, He will tell you what is
yet to come. He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what
He will make known to you.” Whatsoever you do, do it as unto the Lord. Live unto the Lord no matter where you are; in
school, work, or at play. This is what
satisfies our Father. Come to him with
an open heart. Our submission and our
honesty please Him. It pleases our
Father when we acknowledge, ‘I can do nothing on my own.’ (John 5:30, John
8:28, John 14:30-31).
Before I close, I
leave you with this truth. Every action of our Lord Jesus Christ spoke clearly
to us of His purpose in coming into this world. Hebrews 1:1-2, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors
through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days
He has spoken to us by His Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and
through whom also He made the universe.” Amen.
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