Jesus lived a sinless life, but at the age of 12, He might...have gotten ahead of God’s plan by wanting to be about His 'Father’s business’ (Luke 2:41-50) but then was quickly escorted back home by his earthly parents, and we hear nothing from Him at all for the next 17 years. At the age of 30, we read where Jesus once again appears on the scene, when He meets His cousin, John...to be baptized by him in the Jordan River. (Matt. 3:13-17; Luke 3:23)
There is a passage found in Hebrews 5:8-9 that I find quite interesting and insightful, while at the same time still not sure what it fully means, especially the first part, as it speaks of Jesus: “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him”.
Jesus ‘learned obedience by the things which He suffered...’. While I still lack complete understanding in just how...Jesus learned obedience...and what kind of ‘suffering’ that entailed....this I do know – If HE...had to learn obedience where suffering was involved, who are we...to think we could escape that process...since we are being ‘conformed into His image...who is the ‘firstborn among many brethren’? (Rom. 8:29).
And for all those who build their ‘doctrinal camp’ around ‘just believing Jesus is the Son of God’ in order to inherit or receive ‘eternal life’...what do you do with the last part of that passage in Hebrews 5 that says Jesus became the source of eternal life to all those who ‘obey Him’??? Or what about Matt. 7:21 where Jesus declares: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”? And why...do we call Him ‘Lord, Lord’...and not do the things He tells us to do? (Luke 6:46)
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” – Jesus (John 15:12)
How many have come to discover...that none of us can fulfill this commandment on our own, no matter how hard we try nor how sincere our intentions may be to do so? We simply do not have it ‘in us’...to love as Christ loved us; which is why we need to undergo a ‘rebirth’ so that God’s Spirit can lead us to a place of ‘dying to self, (that ‘old nature’). Only then...can He transform us into a ‘new creation’ so that we can become partakers of His divine nature; which we all must have in order to fulfill God’s law...as summed up by loving God and loving others as He first loved us. (2 Cor. 5:17; 2 Pet. 1:2-4; Matt. 22:34-40; John 12:24)
And IF...God has any kind of ‘ministry’ in store for any of us, you can be sure of this: He will not empower you to do this until your heart has first been tested...just like Jesus was in the wilderness. It was only after...He finished and ‘passed’ that test...that He returned in the ‘power of the Spirit’ and began to preach the gospel of the kingdom. (Luke 4:1-13).
I don’t know about you, but I long for nothing more...than to see people today ‘healed from the oppression of the devil’ in the same manner in which Jesus did back when He was on the earth (Acts 10:38). But we cannot do that without His anointing, and don’t be fooled by all the counterfeits out there who would say otherwise (Matt. 7:22-23; 24:24;1 Cor. 13:1-3).
Do you also...long to know true freedom, a peace that passes all understanding, and a joy that is abundant and lasting? Then surrender to Him and come to learn His voice so He can lead you into that place, that ‘land of peace and rest’ (John 10:27; Ps. 23:1-3; Luke 1:79).
You might be tempted to ask: “How will I know?”...or “How can I know it’s Him and His voice I’m hearing?” Let me assure you, in the same way I would respond if a young person asked me “How will I know I’m ‘in love’?” – Oh...you’ll know, believe me! :- ) (Acts 3:19)
And the best way to learn anyone’s voice, especially God’s voice...is to spend time with them/Him. Spend time in His word. Set your mind on things above, and not on the earth (Col. 3:1-2). Humble yourself in His presence as you draw near to Him and He will in turn draw near to you. (James 4:7-10). And, in the words of Mary, the mother of Jesus – “Whatever He tells you to do, do it!”...IF...you want to see and experience genuine transformation (John 2:5).
If you are ‘new’ to this faith walk’ or just about ready to take that first step...let me assure you now...God is not going to steer you into a direction of doing ‘weird things’ just to prove your willingness to obey Him. I know that sounds ambiguous, but God’s primary purpose at this point is to lead you to ‘laying down’ that old life of carnality and ‘flesh’. He has His own way of ‘brining to light’ what exactly those areas are, and spending time in His word goes a long way in helping.
I spent a few days this past week sharing with you from my own personal experiences what God has had to remind me of repeatedly. And trust me, it’s easy to be diverted and/or ‘drift’ from His path when we don’t ‘give heed to those things which He speaks to us’ (Heb. 2:1). Perhaps you are familiar with the stinging rebuke the church at Ephesus received in Rev. 2:4-5, where they were told they had ‘lost their first love’ and needed to repent and then revisit their ‘first works’. I guess that is what I have been doing these past five years since I was ‘awakened from my own spiritual slumber. And I have spent much time being reminded of those first three important and life changing lessons that we all need to take hold of:
1- We live in a ‘spiritual world’ surrounded by spiritual influences of evil and darkness, and you would be foolish to ignore this fact. (1 John 5:19; Eph. 6:12; Acts 26:18; 2 Cor. 2:11)
2- When God begins to point out areas of sin/carnality that you need to repent of, or turn from (once and for all), you better do it, or else the process of continuing on in this walk is hindered greatly.
3- Know that God will test your heart in an assortment of areas to see if you do indeed love Him more...than anything else in this world and life, because that is the first and foremost commandment.
And when God talks about bringing you into a ‘good land’, a land of ‘peace and rest’, I don’t know what that looks like to you, but this I can assure you...whatever you might think that looks like from your vantage point now...He...is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think...”(Eph. 3:20)
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