HE IS ALIVE! (part 2) - THE WORD

In part one we saw that it is God alone who can promote us, raise us, and give us 'forward motion' in His Kingdom regardless of our ability or inability; that the power doesn't come from us, but comes from receiving the Life of the Son of God, the Word. And that the foundation of his Life in us is the only thing that will overcome this world and endure through the tests and fires of judgement in this age and last eternally.
 
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste (Isa. 28:16). God has laid a sure foundation for His Kingdom. That foundation is the finished work of Jesus Christ, the Word of God. Tell me, do you really believe? Do you believe

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost (Jn. 19:30).? Do you believe that everything is already finished in the mind of God; that he has already accomplished all things in Jesus Christ, the Word?

:although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works (Heb.4:3b-4).

In fact, God finished and accomplished everything before the foundation of the world. Even Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world (cosmos)(Rev.13:8). God accomlished all of this and entered into His rest on the seventh day. The Rest of God is in the fact that His Will and Plan is sovereign and must come to pass because He is the author of it.

All that God has ordained will come to pass in the realm of time and He calls and chooses a people to enter into His Rest and receive a Kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world. -Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34b).

In the old Covenant, God had a called out people. He called them out of Egypt and into a land of promise, a land of rest. And this call into His Rest was to typify the call of the New Covenant out of sin and into the promises of God. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, (Rom. 15:4a). But there was a problem with God's chosen people in the old Covenant. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief (Heb. 3:16-19).

God already had a place of provision for them; a land of Rest that "flowed with milk and honey", but they couldn't enter it because they had unbelief in their hearts. God waited forty years and allowed a whole generation to die off in the wilderness because of unbelief. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God (Heb.3:7-12).
 
What does unbelief mean ? Is it possible to do 'religious' works and still have unbelief? Is it possible to depart from the Living God while still professing to know Him?

Unbelief = to not trust in God's sovereignty, that he has absolute power and authority to bring His will to pass in the earth reguardless of the present circumstances.

Unbelief = to think that we must do something to make the plan of God complete by exercising our "free will". Unbelief = to continue to do religious works thinking that they somehow make us more right or acceptable to God.

Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent (Jn.6:28-29). Jesus taught that the the work that was acceptable to God was to BELIEVE on Him. He is the Word. To believe on Him is to believe that he alone has accomplished the Will of the Father and "it is finished".

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his (Heb. 4:9-10). The knowledge of the sovereignty of God brings His Rest. The knowledge that everything that God has spoken will come to pass and doesn't depend upon us achieving, but only receiving and believing the Word which has already accomplished all things, brings a glorious liberty and thankfulness for the Grace of God.

Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief (Heb. 4:11). The Greek word for labor = dilligent. So we must be dilligent, we must take careful heed to the things that we hear and hide the Word of God in our heart. I ask again...do you really believe?
 
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest,(Heb. 4:1-3a). We enter into the Rest of God when we believe and receive His Word and allow it (Him) to accomplish His will through us.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). The Word, the finished work of God seperates us from the soulish and carnal and promotes us into the Kingdom. This is a sure foundation. We receive the Word and the Word accomplishes the will of the Father through us. Not by our works of righteousness, but we manifest His finished work. This is the foundation of the Kingdom of God, the Life of the Word Living through us.
 
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (2Pet. 1:4).

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you (1Pet. 1:23-25).

Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:(Col. 1:26-27).

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2Cor. 4:6).

He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions (Ps. 107:20).

R. Carter 1849-1928 (punctuation updated)

Where is the place of God's Rest? Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word (Isa. 66:1-2).

God is an Almighty Sovereign Ruler! He poses a question to us - where is the place of My rest? Where is the place that I can dwell and manifest My finished work? Will you build some kind of big sanctuary out of bricks and mortar to contain me? Will you build some kind of 'religious' doctrine that can contain Me? How about your denomination; can that contain Me? How about all of your 'religious' works - your tithing? fasting? prayer? your clubs and commitees? Do you suppose that I am the least bit attracted to those activities as the place of my rest? No! No! No! God is not the least bit impressed with all the strivings of the flesh.

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God (Rom. 10:3). It is deception to think that God needs anything from man to complete His plan. But to this man will I look, one of a poor and contrite spirit and one that trembles at my Word.

God is looking for a place of rest. He is looking for a place to manifest Himself in power and authority, His complete and finished work. God looks to the one who trembles at His Word! What does it mean to tremble at God's Word?

Tremble = to hear or listen with the ready intent to obey; a readiness to receive and manifest the Life released from the Seed of the Word of God once it is sown into our heart. This is where God's rest is. This is where he completes and consumates His entire purpose, in our heart.
 
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him (2Chr. 16:9).

This is the one that gets God's attention. One that is broken in recognition of their total dependence upon Him to bring to pass His will in the earth; and acknowledges that they are totally and utterly lost without the finished work of God being manifest in them and they open their heart to receive the Life of the Word of God. The power to become lays in receiving the Life of the word of God. This is the Rest of God. This is the place of covenant and exchange, where we exchange our life for the Life in the Word.
 
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him (Jn. 14:19-23).

God's Word has power within itself to accomplish and bring forth life. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it (Isa. 55:10-11).

The only power that we have to accomplish the will of God is by the power of His Word living through us. As we prepare our heart to receive the Word of God, having a readiness to allow His Life to live through us, we are set free into his will and have the ability in covenant with Him to prosper in the things whereto He sends us.

When we receive the Word, faith is released in us and we will not be void (unprofitable), but will bring forth fruit. There is Life in the word of God! Thus, the most important issue is to make sure that we receive the Word on good ground. Just as the rain causes the Earth to bring forth and bud, giving new life, so is the Word of God to us when we receive it.

Receiving the Word of God is the only way to become; the only way to accomplish, the only way to prosper, and the only way of deliverance from one level of authority to another - to be delivered from the natural seen realm into the unseen (although very real) realm of God's Spirit.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (Jn. 14:6). Jesus, the Word, is the Way to the Father, the Truth about the Father revealing His charactor and nature, and the Life of the Father manifest.