WE ARE MADE PARTAKERS OF CHRIST
Wednesday – September 13, 2017
Do we want to be a partaker of Christ or a bystander? A partaker of Christ is one who avoids unbelief at all costs, and guards their heart against falsehoods developing a heart after God. Before I center up on Hebrews 3:14 let’s talk for a moment about an evil heart. When each of us were saved (born again) we had an evil heart. A little bit of our mind (heart) was renewed to God and that was instrumental in receiving Jesus as Lord, as Messiah. However, at the same time most of our mind was of the world, trained and ordered of Satan. The Scripture tells us to renew our mind or change our mind from the ways of the world to the ways of God. We do that by being in the Scripture and prayer on a regular schedule committing significant time daily (no less than one hour). As we identify false ideas, being diligent, being objective, and above all willing to change, we must cast down the false ideas and put the far superior ideas of God in their place. The more our mind is renewed to God, the more our thoughts are like His so will our words and actions be like His. We should think, speak, and act like our Father and our Brother (Jesus). This is accomplished by the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Dear brother and sister you might think your heart is pure as the driven snow but more than likely there is a degree of an evil heart. Whatever remains of the ideas of the world is evil. Now, let’s review our primary text from Hebrews.
Hebrews 3:12-15 (KJV)
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
Please notice that in our verse of focus, Hebrews 3:14, we have the word ‘if’. This word is everywhere in the Holy Scripture. In the KJV translation the word ‘if’ occurs over fourteen hundred times. The word ‘if’ makes a part of what is being said conditional on another part of the verse or passage. The word ‘if’ is a conjunctive or a word that connects two ideas. According to the Noah Webster 1828 Edition of the American Dictionary of the English Language a conjunctive closely unites two ideas expressing a condition or contingency. In this case the idea of our being made a partaker of Christ is dependent upon the idea, the requirement that “we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end” In this case the condition of being a partaker of Christ is to hold fast our initial confidence (belief or faith) until the end (end of this natural life).
For most of us our initial confidence or faith in God was in the salvation package particularly avoiding Hell. The children of Israel came out of Egypt full of confidence (faith) in God however natural circumstances soon became dominate over the Word of God. You and I came out of our Egypt (sin, the world) into the Kingdom of God with great hope. Soon however most of us if not all allowed our natural circumstances and carnal mind to override the Word of God. Our religious friends and leaders with the devils’ help taught us how to compromise the Word of God. They convinced us that our wealth was spiritual and for over there (Heaven) and the same was true for our health as well except perhaps for a sporadic healing here and there. If seems that most if not all Christians believe God can heal and that God does heal but it is kind of touch and go. You just never know.
Why do we allow this kind of thought, unbelief? If we worked for a company and were told on entering that they had the very best health package available anywhere if might be the deciding factor. If we subsequently went for healthcare we would very proudly present our healthcare insurance card. If the healthcare providers response was that we were not covered and we were on our own, it would not be long and we would be confronting the Human Resources Manager. We would insist that they were fraudulent in their claims and we would then even pursue this to the Insurance Commissioner of our State for a remedy. When we don’t have the health or receive the healing we are promised, do we come boldly to the Throne of Grace to see why not? Let me be clear, God is not the problem and neither is His Word, or His capacity. Perhaps in the company we worked for there was something we needed to do to activate this wonderful world class coverage. This would be an acquiring of knowledge, meeting a criterion, a change of mind, which is a type of repentance and then we become full recipients of what was promised. It is no different in the Kingdom of God.
You see in the Kingdom of God just like at that company I spoke of, the healthcare is already paid for we just need to accommodate to the requirements to receive it. In the natural healthcare case, it might be certain criteria for eligibility or administrative requirements. In the Kingdom of God, it is always the exercise of faith (believing God without wavering) powered by love (doing the Word of God). If we are doing our own thing, don’t plan on participating in the Kingdom of God health or wealth plan.
The children of Israel that rebelled against the Word of God having greater faith in their natural circumstances, in what their natural senses told them, and never entered the fullness of God’s provision (rest). Remember, the Word of God must always be in the highest place and we must demand that the natural world bow. We speak to the natural world, circumstances (mountains, giants). We cast the mountains into the sea and we take out the giants with the rock (Jesus) of the Word of God. David charged the giant Goliath and felled him with a rock to the head (seat of authority) and then severed his head altogether.
Until our next publication, I speak blessing into your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
CONTACT E-MAIL: pastordavidwood@gmail.com
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