D1 - A FRESH REVELATION

**  With the full idea of God's purpose in teaching being to learn from the anointing of the Spirit, our desire must increasingly be to receive from Him and not just what excites and comforts us. Jesus often said many things that were unclear in the moment yet later became quite clear in a fuller revelation of Himself through the cross, His resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit. We live in spiritually impoverished times that are marked by the hyped Christianity we find ourselves encompassed by. We are not only surrounded on the outside but also in our own hearts, by the pervasive and unchecked state and condition of the day. It tries to resemble unity and call for God's intervention, but rather more than not, becomes much like Israel in the time of the Judges.

‭‭JUDGES ‭17:6‬ ‭NASB

    In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.

*** ¹ G CAMPBELL MORGAN

     The nation had turned away from its one true King. He had not abandoned them utterly. That He had never done. But they had flung off re­straint, and were acting according to their own desires. This chapter, and the next four, do not continue a consecutive history. That ended with the story of Samson. In these five chapters we have illustrations of the internal conditions of the national life, and it is most probable that they were written with that intention. The strange and deadly mixture of motive is set forth in the story of Micah. His act was a vio­lation of the second Commandment. When he made images to himself and to his household, he was not adopting the idolatries of the heathen. His mother's words reveal her recognition of Jehovah, "Blessed be my son of Jehovah." So also do his own words to the Levite : "Now know I that Jehovah will do me good." Micah was desirous of maintaining his relations with God, but be attempted to do so by violating the commands of God. When in full and practical loyalty the King is dethroned, it is impossible to maintain relationship with Him.

** A fresh revelation of Himself is needed amongst the digital piles of sermons, podcasts, devotionals and teachings we have at our fingertips. It's amazing the light that can be shown in just one sentence and verse when we trust in God to be our guide and teacher. There is a point in our surrendering to what He reveals of Himself to us that must break through the concepts and "pet" doctrines we jealously guard concerning the Kingdom, to allow Him to be King. It's not enough just to know all about what we are to move towards, but preferably to participate in the sufferings, Kingdom and patience that are ours in Him, as we yield to the grace afforded us in the day of temptation and weakness.

‭‭REVELATION 1:9 KJV‬‬

    I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

JOHN 12:34‭-‬36 NASB

   The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.

** How much more confusing of an answer can there be than some of the responses Jesus gave to logically valid questions, yet to those who were still unacquainted, and at times, impervious to the real issues that remained at the heart and core of both His questions and answers. There is so much background, dogma, and tradition wrapped around what we perceive as truth. Many times it takes a path of redirection in order to get our thinking into a mindset and direction that the Spirit can work with and thus begin to introduce us to the full scope of His ways and dealings. Surrendering to His will is not the surging gush of feelings we get when we feel we've given Him everything and think we've reached some pinnacle of submission where it seems all will be better and more consistent from here on in. Jesus allows even our most sublime apprehensions of Him to be tried and tested in order to be wrenched from our earthly grasp to offer us the way to the heavenly. 

   He is in the process of breaking us of searching for the "It", with an eye toward learning to rest in the Person. Those gushing ecstasies some tend to attach to being in the Spirit, can be like a powerful drug that keeps us needing more and more, nonetheless, eventually leaving us cold, empty, and fleshly until the next altar call, vow, resolution, meeting, revival etc. This in no way means there is no excitement and exhilaration connected to our experience of faith (John 4:14). On the contrary, rather than being self serving and me centered, it's a pure and undefiled joy that relies and hinges on the glory of God. This joy often is the unexpected by-product of devotion to Him and Him alone and no longer the means to an end of trying to find validation and a sense of feeling better about our state of affairs. Grace is nullified when we feel compelled to work something up in order to feel closer and more useful to God. 

ROMANS 11:6 ESV

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

** Yet on the other hand, this could be why James is so adamant about the need for works to be present in true and visibly sound faith towards Jesus. Faith is not a feeling of satisfaction or peace firstly, but a movement of our heart towards God's ability and enabling alone as our only source and justification. It seems like a mysterious paradox and yet in the economy of the Kingdom of God, it is a solid and steadfast reality (commodity). Some personalities are at ease and temperate while others are unreserved and driven, yet both can still originate from our own ability and need to trust in God to be that way. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is a so altogether different thing and has nothing to do with the fluctuating disparities of our human nature. It is another life distinct from our own mild or wild temperaments and methods of visualizing peace, claiming prosperity and trying to conjure up a more godly life. We are called imperatively in the now to repent of self in all its positives and negatives and learn to embrace His heavenly kingdom ways today. Again, it can be why James can be so strong about works needing to be present in conjunction with our faith because true faith in Christ alone produces both the desire and heaven borne fruit that bears witness to the true presence of God within us.

JAMES 2:14‭, ‬17‭-‬18‭, ‬21‭-‬24‭, ‬26 NASB

   What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him... Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works....” Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God....You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

** A fresh revelation does not imply anything nefarious like “new truths” and “cryptic forsight” , but rather a more full understanding of His Word in each moment and circumstance that we offer to Him.

² BE THOU MY VISION

By Audrey Assad

 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me save that thou art.
Thou my best thought by day and by night;
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

 Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true Word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, I thy dear child;
Thou in me dwelling, with thee reconciled.

Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heav'ns Sun!
Heart of my heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

LISTEN TO: “Be Thou My Vision” by Fernando Ortega

https://youtu.be/P029ONqvu4c?si=zLWGAk1C03JspkNI

“New Years Day” by Caroline Arends

https://youtu.be/WqEJa_W0rOA?si=ROMHtgW8xZkUuHME

1 G CAMPBELL MORGAN: “Judges 17:6”

2 BE THOU MY VISION By Audrey Assad

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved." 

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.