When you read through the Old Testament and the history of God’s creation and the relationship He established with His people, you begin to see how history often repeats itself; usually because we fail to learn from history. 

 At the close of the first book, Genesis, and then the start of the next book, Exodus, we see where God’s people had been blessed and were multiplying. But then, over time, ‘life happened’. And next thing you know, they are in bondage, serving another ‘king’ as slaves and their lives seemed far from being blessed. In fact, we read where they began to groan under the oppression and bondage they found themselves in. (Ex.2:23) 

 And God heard their groaning as their cry came up before Him and He remembered His covenant with Abraham...and Isaac, and with Jacob. (24). So God moved on their behalf and sent Moses to deliver them and lead them out of that life of darkness and misery. God had a better place for them where they could know Him and be blessed beyond their wildest imaginations. He had a special land set aside for them where He wanted to lead them into and establish them as a people and a nation unto Himself. (1 Peter 2:9) 

 This, was all a ‘blueprint’ for what God was going to do for humanity, a world drowning in darkness and sin and bondage. But this time, it would not be Moses whom He would send; it would be Jesus. Jesus was not sent by the Father to ‘condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved’. (John 3:17) 

 You probably also know that instead of it being a ‘pharaoh’ who keeps God’s people in bondage today, it is a spiritual enemy we know as Satan, or the devil, that great serpent who deceives and controls this whole world. (Rev. 12:9; 1 John 5:19; Acts 26:18). And the reason he is able to control and operate in the lives of God’s people is because of their fallen, dead, and sinful flesh nature. (Eph. 2:1-3). Have you ever seen a dead animal carcass on the side of the road? Dead bodies attract buzzards and varmints and bugs and insects and all kinds of wretched critters that like to feed on dead flesh. 

 And before we came to Christ, that was our condition as in we were ‘dead flesh’ and the ‘wrath of God was upon us all’. (John 3:36; Eph. 2:1; Rom. 3:23) 

We were those people sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. (Luke 1:79; Matt. 4:16). That passage there in Luke also mentions how this ‘light has dawned...to guide our feet into the way of peace’. That is what Jesus came to do, and if you read yesterday’s post, that part about ‘guiding our feet’ should resonate with you given we are seeing more clearly the importance of actually ‘following Jesus’, not just singing all the time about how we believe in Him and how wonderful He is. 

We were, prior to coming to Him with all our hearts, like those people He saw scattered and afflicted like sheep who had gone astray and were without a shepherd, and oppressed by the devil. Jesus was moved with compassion as he looked upon them and began healing every sickness and disease among them. (Matt. 9:35-36). Guess what? He’s not changed and is still doing this today. (Heb. 13:8; Acts 10:38) 

This next statement might be difficult for some to comprehend, but if you are not fully following Jesus, then you are under the wrath of God. (John 3:36). Many people don’t even realize it either. Others, don’t seem to really care as they love darkness more than light. (John 3:19-21) 

But there are plenty of others who know something is not right in their lives; yet because the god of this age, (Satan) has blinded them from seeing the light of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:2-4) they too, are like those early Israelites back in Egypt, groaning and crying out because of their bondage and misery and emptiness. They know nothing of this ‘abundant life’ that Jesus came to bring. (John 10:10). Yet, here’s the good news: Just as God heard the groanings of His people way back then, He also hears the cries of your heart as well. 

 Listen...and allow your heart to drink in this invitation Jesus made to ‘whoever has ears to hear’: 

 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will...find rest...for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30) 

 He’s not going to force you or compel you to come to Him. It remains an invitation. Sadly, too many sincere but misguided people today think they can find this ‘life’ that escapes them by ‘searching scriptures’ and doing ‘wonderful works for God in His name, yet come up short because of an unwillingness to ‘come to Him and do what He asks of us. (John 5:39-40; Matt. 7:22) 

 Is it not remarkably puzzling, that we are told that God sent Jesus unto His own people, who were being destroyed for a lack of knowledge, yet they refused to receive Him. (John 1:11; Hosea 4:6) 

Even as Jesus’ mission was winding down, leading up to His death on the cross, He looked over the city of Jerusalem, a picture and type of His church, His beloved, and He cried out: “How often...I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you...were not willing.” (Matt. 23:37) 

This, was just prior to His teaching on what the days would be like prior to His second coming. It would in fact, be just like the days of Noah. (Matt. 24:36-39). An ark was prepared to protect from the gathering storm and floods, but people were just too busy, pre-occupied with more important things in life. (Matt. 24:38; 22:3-5;Luke 14:18-19) 

But...to those who did receive Him...to them...He gave the right or power or capacity...to ‘become children of God’. (John 1:12). And as much as this causes many religious folks to bristle inside, there’s just a tad bit more involved to ‘becoming a child of God’ besides just saying you believe He’s the Son of God who died on a cross and was raised from the dead.’ 

You see, prior to coming to Jesus with all our hearts, everything within our sinful, carnal flesh nature was hostile to God. It would not allow us to submit to God’s law, nor could we , given our sinful, selfish, and rebellious nature. We simply were unable to please God in any way. (Rom. 8:7-8). We were ‘defective’; which is why we needed to be ‘born again’. (John 3:3) 

 When we do experience this new birth, we are transformed and become partakers of His divine nature as we are conformed to His image and likeness, becoming a ‘new creation’. (2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 8:29; 2 Pet. 1:2-4). Peter even adds the distinction of us being ‘obedient children’ who no longer are conformed to our former lusts but are ‘holy in ALL our conduct’. (1 Pet. 1:14-17) 

And the reason being is...God’s children obey Him; as in, they follow Him and the leading of His spirit, no longer walking according to the flesh nature. (Rom. 8:1,14; Luke 6:46; Gal. 5:24) 

Do you know that right after Jesus was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, (Luke 4:1), the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tested and have His heart examined? How did we come to believe that if Jesus had to be tested like this, that we would not? The whole purpose of being led into the wilderness is to see what is in our hearts and if we will fully obey God. (Deut. 8:2). Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. (1 Thess. 2:4; James 1:2-4) 

Jesus passed the test because His heart was totally surrendered to God, His Father. And because He passed His test, God was able to anoint Him with ‘power’. (Luke 4:14) 

We, on the other hand, have some ‘issues’ within our defiled hearts that need to be taken care of first. This is not an option and needs to be dealt with before...God endues us with power and sends us out to do the works Jesus did. (Jer. 17:9; Mark 7:21-23; John 14:12; 20:21) 

If it wasn’t so sad, it would be funny how we think we have a better way of doing things than God does. After we get someone baptized, we want to ‘plug them into ministry’ so they can go out and ‘be all that God wants them to be’. That might explain why we have such a powerless church today, carnal in nature, yet walking in a form of godliness devoid of the power we were supposed to wield. (2 Tim. 3:1-5; Acts 1:8; Mark 16:17-18) 

But that is about to change. God is waking up His remnant and those who are hearing His voice are like those wise virgins who themselves, had dozed off, but now are about the business of ‘getting ready’ for the return of the bridegroom. (Matt. 25:10; Eph. 5:26-27; 2 Cor. 7:1; Eph. 5:8-21) 

He’s coming back for a bride who has made herself ready and pure and holy. Those are the ones who will see God. (Matt. 5:8). And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:3). That...is what the Spirit is busying doing in those....who are following. (Rom. 8:13)