The
Voice in The Wilderness
By
Bill Britton
JESUS
walked one day to the River Jordan where John the Baptist was
preaching. At this time Jesus was about 30 years of age. Something
definite, something tremendous was about to happen in His life. The
time had now come for this thing to happen. The time for it to come
to pass was ordained of God. No matter how much Jesus might have
wanted this event when He was 12 years of age, or 21, or 25, or even
28 . . . He had to patiently wait until the fulness of God's time.
Then Jesus came to Jordan.
In
order to fully understand the message that follows, you need to study
the early life of Jesus. In the first chapter we found that Jesus was
given for a sign, to point toward the Body of Christ, and as a
pattern for that body of believers who should press their way into
the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus. In God's sight, that body of
believers through the ages, form ONE BODY, with Jesus as the Head . .
the Chief Corner Stone of the Temple. That one body of saints, the
Sons of God, the Anointed Ones, along with Jesus their head, become
God's "Perfect Man" in the earth, the Son made after the
pattern and conformed to the image of the lovely Son of God. And God
will have a man in the earth made after His own image and in His
likeness as He originally purposed and He will defeat Satan's plan
that began with the corrupting of Adam in the Garden of Eden. This
Man, this Son of God, this Overcomer who shall inherit all things, is
a many membered Body of blood washed, Spirit filled believers .
. . anointed and dedicated to do the will of God.
Many
many scriptures were given in the first chapter to confirm these
marvelous truths. By taking note of the life of Jesus, from
conception, His virgin birth, early childhood and the silent years,
we could see the progress of the Body of Christ in our day, from the
coming forth of the Kingdom truth, accompanied by great signs and
wonders . . the immaturity of the early years, yet protected from the
systems by the Angel of the Lord, the recognition even in childhood
of the calling to Sonship, and the silent, yet growing years of this
wilderness journey. And now we come to His anointing at Jordan's
River.
Remembering
now that everything about the Life of Jesus is a pattern for His
Body, let us look at the order of events that happen when Jesus came
to be baptized of John ..
1.
There had been a prophetic ministry in the land for some time now.
2.
In the fulness of time Jesus was ready and came forth to meet his
destiny.
3.
Jesus, the Pattern, was recognized by the true Prophetic ministry as
God's Son.
4.
Jesus submitted Himself to God's ministry for this hour.
5.
In a figure, He died in Jordan's water and rose again to a new realm
in God.
6.
The heavens were opened unto Him.
7.
He saw God the Holy Ghost in a bodily shape.
8.
He received an anointing of the Spirit beyond what He had previously
had.
9.
He heard the voice of God announcing Him as the Son of God.
10.
He was led by the Holy Spirit into a wilderness place where He
battled Satanic forces hand to hand, face to face, and defeated and
overcame Satan.
11. He began a 3 1/2 year ministry of love, life, and poser
such as the world had never seen, not even from the greatest of the prophets.
There
was much more to follow, but this will be more than we can cover in
this message. Before you go any further in the message, read the
scriptures covering the Jordan experience. They are found in Matthew,
chapter 3; Mark, chapter 1; Luke, chapter 3; and John, chapter 1. The
truths contained in this message are found in the writings of Paul
and other writers of the New Testament, as well as throughout the Law
and the prophets; but the pattern is found in the Life of Jesus here
in the Gospels.
Before
Jesus came on the scene, John the Baptist had been filled with the
Holy Ghost and had been prophesying and preaching for some time.
Notice that though John was the son of a priest and could have found
a career in the Old Order, yet he did his ministering outside the
walls of that traditional old City; outside the system of organized
religion which had taken over God's Temple; and outside the
jurisdiction and fellowship of the religious leaders of his day who
ruled God's people with an iron hand. The common people heard John
gladly, but the Scribes and Pharisees came only to mock and ridicule
him as a strange "so called new order" fanatic . . .
and to question him. Does this pattern sound familiar? It should.
This is what has been happening in our land for over 10 years. While
the Son grows quietly to maturity, God has a prophetic ministry in
the land crying out for the people to prepare for the Kingdom which
is now at hand. The leaders of religious systems have caused many of
their followers to fear God's prophetic ministry. But many feel the
anointing that is upon this "Voice in the Wilderness", and
are coming out of the harlot systems into an acceptance of the Truth,
getting prepared for the coming of the Son.
Then
one day, quietly, unannounced, without fanfare.. He came. Mature.
Ready. And no one knew Him for who He really was. Except John. And
this came to John through the Holy Ghost. John had known Him as a
cousin in the flesh, but knowing Him as the Son of God had to be by
the Spirit. Although John was related to the Son, he was not the Son,
and never could be the Son no matter how perfect he became, or how
mature. It had to be a new and different ministry, anointed and
indwelt by the living God in a way John never was. The prophetic
ministry as we know it today is preparing the way, ready to recognize
and announce the Sonship ministry. But there must be an act of the
grace of God to bring forth the New Man. There are many substitutes
and counterfeits in the land today making big claims . . . but be not
disturbed' my little ones, for the real, genuine, anointed of God is
coming and nothing can stop it. Oh, it will come unannounced,
quietly, with no fanfare .... recognized only by the prophetic
ministry, and though announced by him, only those who have ears to
hear and eyes to see will understand what John is saying. Those who
have left the Harlot systems of the old order and followed God's
prophetic ministry will now have the opportunity to follow the Son of
God. Notice how they leave John and follow Jesus. But some do not
leave John, they have heard his words, but have not understood his
message. He must die and pass from the scene, but the Son must
increase more and more until He is glorified and sits upon the
throne. Many of the saints who have been called out of the old order
of sectarian, denominational system of religion and now are following
God in a wilderness path, will know the Son when He appears and will
enter into a new and wondrous ministry. Many will stay with what they
now have, afraid to move on, not understanding the message that they
themselves are preaching. This is not my guess work, this is the
word of the Lord, for it is the Pattern.
The
Son will not come before his time. You cannot bring it about by your
affirmation of faith. You can see by the Spirit some of the great and
precious truths that shall break upon the world with His coming. But
you cannot force God to move before He is read!,. No matter how much
in one accord the disciples got into during the first nine days in
the upper room, they could not force the Holy Ghost to fall until the
proper time came, the time prophesied in the Law. And when the day of
Pentecost was fully come, the Holy Ghost fell and no power on earth
or in hell could stop Him from coming. No matter how much Martin
Luther prayed, or how hard he preached, he could not bring about a
restoration of the feast of Pentecost, only what God had brought him
forth for . . the restoration of the Passover, salvation by faith. At
the turn of this century the Holy Ghost fell, Pentecost was restored,
and all the religious leaders in the land could not stop it from
spreading across the world. But no matter how hard those first
generation of Pentecostal believers tried, they could not bring about
the blowing of the trumpets. God has a time for everything It is now
time for the Son to appear on the scene of action. And just as Jesus
came in the fullness of time to Jordan, just so shall the Overcomer,
the Body of Christ come forth in due time.. and no amount of unbelief
or opposition shall stop it.
Notice
how Jesus submitted to the prophetic ministry of John. John's
ministry of water baptism was far inferior to that ministry which
Jesus had, and John knew it, but before Jesus received His anointing
of power, He submitted to John's ministry. In another chapter on "THE
KINGDOM OF GOD", we go into detail on this question of
submission. Submission is a very important thing for the Son to
learn. Eph. 5:21: "Submitting yourselves one to another in the
fear of God. " I Peter 5:5: "Likewise, ye younger, submit
yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another,
and be clothed with humility. " One who is to receive such
glory, such power and authority as we are destined to receive must be
clothed with the very humility of Christ. This takes a submitting to
one another, yes, submitting to God's ministry for this hour. Even
though it is a limited ministry which shall decrease and pass from
the scene, yet we must submit to it.
Down
into the waters of chilly Jordan Jesus went. He could not do this by
Himself, it took placing Himself in the hands of God's prophet, it
took God's ministry for that particular hour to put Him under. Dear
ones, you have the privilege of staying within the seeming safe
confines of the old order religious system if you wish. But you hear
me today, and you hear me well. . that old order of Pharisaical
religious leaders will never bring you to Sonship. You must come
outside the gate, to Jordan's stormy banks? submit to this strange
new order which God has anointed for this hour, then and only then
can you fully follow the Pattern. "Yea, my people, thus would
the Lord thy God speak unto thee. . I have called unto thee, I have
caused my trumpets to be sounded abroad in the land, but thou hast
not heard my voice nor heeded my call, for thy mind has been filled
with the thoughts of evil men. For I see thee that thou hast given
thy mind to follow after the evil imaginations of ungodly men, yea,
thou sit in the counsel of the ungodly. For thou hast given thy mind
to follow the cunningly devised fables of those wicked men who make
up the evil stories in those books and magazines that thou dost read,
yea, dost thou not sit to be entertained and think upon those things
created by the imaginations of sinful men who make up the programs
and write the stories that thou dost watch on television? And does
not thy soul tingle with excitement and move with the rhythm of the
ungodly songs which thou dost hear on the radio, songs that have been
born in the lustful hearts of the wicked? Yea, is it any wonder that
thy mind cannot understand the mysteries of God, that thou art
fearful of the Truth, and thou hast been led astray by blind leaders?
For thou art the lawful prey of false prophets, the willing victim of
the enemy of thy soul. Cleanse thyself, my people, come thou apart
and meet with me, and I shall show thee that which I have prepared
for thee. And I shall show thee the Way, and shall create thee after
the image of thy God. " Oh, glory to God! Hallelujah!
Down
Jesus went into the chilly waters. In a figure, He died and rose
again into a new realm in the Spirit. Not a natural literal death
this time that came later, but a death to self, a complete submission
to the will of God. When He came up from this complete submersion
into the will of God, things began to happen And when you have
followed him into a complete death to self, a burial of the old
carnal nature, completely, when you have quit sitting in the counsel
of the ungodly and stopped filling your mind with the thoughts of
carnal men and filled your mind with the Word of God, and received
the mind of Christ . . then you will arise to a new place in God, a
new realm in the Spirit . . and things will begin to happen. The
Gospel records all tell us that the very first thing that happened
when He came up out of the water was that THE HEAVENS WERE OPENED
UNTO HIM! The significance of the wonderful and tremendous thing that
happened to Jesus when the Heavens were opened to Him is contained in
another chapter "THE OPEN HEAVENS." Many things happened
here at the River Jordan, it was a great day in the life of Jesus,
and is very significant in the growth and maturity of the Overcomer.
Here Jesus saw the Holy Ghost in bodily shape, and He received an
anointing which started Him out on a ministry which has never yet
been duplicated. The chapter on "THE TWO WITNESSES" from
the book of Revelation takes up here and shows how the Body of Christ
will follow the Pattern and shake the entire world, yea, even the
heavens also shall be shaken by a ministry like His.
But
let us consider just now the two principal characters here at the
River Jordan. First, John the Baptist .. . prophet of God: and his
cousin, Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God. Here we find one man, John,
introducing and preparing the way for another man, Jesus. Actually,
Jesus has been around ever since John was six months old. . but He
was not yet mature, not ready to be manifested. Even during the days
of John's prophetic ministry, Jesus was there, not recognized by even
God's people, but growing to maturity. Now both of these men are
Patterns, or signs of that which God is doing in these last days.
Just as one man, a prophet, precedes and introduces one man, the Son,
just so in these tremendous days in which we live, a group of saints,
a prophetic ministry, precedes and introduces the group who enter
into Sonship. John the Baptist is a type of that group of saints who
are sounding forth the Trumpet call to prepare the way of the Lord,
to prepare your heart for Sonship. These saints are revealed in the
Bible as the Elijah ministry, and as the Moses ministry or "that
prophet.' Jesus, of course, is the Pattern for the Overcomer, that
group of saints who attain to the High Calling of God and come forth
to destroy the works of Satan, the Kingdom which overcomes and
destroys every earthly kingdom, principality and power, and puts all
under the feet of the Body of Christ.
Let's
look at John, this Voice in the Wilderness, for he is so much like us
today. His father was ~ priest, he was born within the Old Order of
the ecclesiastical system of his day. He was once a part of that
city, Jerusalem, which is, of course, a type of the Bride of Christ,
the Church. But the Pharisees and Scribes and the wicked High Priests
took over in Jerusalem and began to rule over God's people in their
own greedy way. They laid down laws and rules which they themselves
could not keep. Spirituality almost disappeared from the City, the
Church. But not quite. God had reached inside the walls of that
legalistic system and laid His hand on a young man, and called him
into a prophetic ministry. This prophet began to speak the Word of
the Lord. He began to hear from heaven, and to see the purpose and
plan of God. But he had to leave the City, get outside the
jurisdiction of that wicked system and its power mad leaders.
Now
friends, I realize that in John's day there were some good priests
still in Jerusalem, honest, sincere men who wanted things to get
cleaned up. But they thought the best way to do this was to work with
the religious leaders, stay in the system, and try to reform it. It
cannot work, then or now. Today there are many good honest ministers
who realize that the religious system as we known' now is wrong and
divides God's people. But they don't know what to do about it. John
knew what to do. He got out of the City, went into the desert, got a
revelation from God and began speaking the Word of the Lord to anyone
who had ears to hear. Many stayed within the walls of the City and
never heard John's voice in the wilderness. Their leaders told them
that he was a fanatic and that he was dangerous. Their hearts were
full of fear because of what they heard about this "new move",
and they never got out to hear the message of John. But many did.
They came by the hundreds to the River Jordan to hear from God
through the mouth of His prophet. Some heeded the message, some did
not. Some followed John in his wilderness walk and some returned to
the orderly system of Jerusalem...the City of God in the hands now of
a man made ecclesiastical priesthood.
Oh,
my dear friends, can you not see how plainly God has made the
pattern, how clearly He has painted the sign, how loudly He has
sounded the trumpet call? Will you continue in the slavery of a twice
dead, plucked up system of denominational bondage while God is
calling for warriors to enter His glorious Army of the Overcomer?
Time is so short, your opportunity is running out. . pray earnestly,
fast, seek God until He touches your life with His divine anointing
and calls you into this glorious Body. And then be faithful, let no
temptation move you from the purpose of God in your life, to conform
you to the image of His Son, Jesus. Don't let the devil tell you it
can't be done. Let God be true and every man a liar. The fact that no
man has yet reached that place of perfection in Christ does not
disannul His promise and His plan. He said it, and that's enough for
me. When I look at myself, I know that it is impossible. But when I
look at Him I know beyond doubt that nothing is impossible. So I just
stop looking at myself, keep looking unto Jesus, the author and
finisher of my faith, and know that by the grace of God I am what I
am, and that He will make me what He wants me to be as I yield to
Him. Glory to God!
"Yea,
for the Lord would sound a warning to His people; Have I not sent
forth the trumpet call into all the land, and called unto my people
to come out of Babylon? But ye say, 'Lord, this is not Babylon, this
is Jerusalem, your own fair city, your beloved.' But I say unto
you that Jerusalem has become a Babylon and my true Jerusalem which
is born from above has fled from behind her bloody walls. For that
which is made by hands is not my City, for my City is not made by
hands. But that which you see, that which you call Jerusalem, has
been made by the hands of men and I will have none of it. Yet my
mercy is extended unto those within her walls and my blessings are
spread abroad But my warning is unto you, my people . . Come out of
her before she falls, for she shall fall, and great shall be the fall
of her. Does not your history tell you that I sent men to destroy
Jerusalem of Old, and all that were within her were lost. But those
who had fled her gates and escaped her walls were spared. I warned
them by my prophets, but they would not listen, they scorned my voice
and mocked my servants and they wept in the hour of their just
reward. Come out from among them, my people, come into the wilderness
with my servant John. Ye shall not die, for I shall feed thee there
and give thee drink. Yea, for rivers of water shall flow in the
desert and ye shall know that I am God, and that I am the greet
Supplier. Trust not in that which ye can see, nor in that which bath
been from time past, but trust in the Lord thy God which leadeth thee
in a straight and a narrow path, upward and onward to everlasting
victory. Thus would the Lord speak unto a people bound with fears and
doubts. Cast thyself upon Him who loves thee.” Glory to God,
hallelujah! People, listen to the voice of the Lord Jesus as He
speaks in the deep of your heart. Study the Word of God and He will
guide you into all Truth.
Thou
Art My Son
Jesus
came up out of the water, dripping wet, the river water mingling with
the tears that ran down His face. And how He prayed! Those pious
country folk, standing on the river bank along with the well dressed
religious leaders from Jerusalem could not remember when they had
heard a prayer like this young man prayed as He stood there in the
water with John the Baptist.
Then
a strange thing happened to Jesus. (Luke 3:21 22) As Jesus
prayed, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a
bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven,
which said, "Thou art my beloved Son in Thee I am well pleased."
Have
you never wondered WHY the voice spoke directly to Him, informing Him
of His Sonship? Did it ever occur to you that God was bringing forth
a milestone in the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth. Nothing
happened by accident in the life of Jesus. Every detail was ordained
before the foundation of the world. This was a momentous day in His
life, and great things were happening in Heaven and earth. This was
.... in fact, the great day of...
THE
ADOPTION
For
thirty years Jesus had been in subjection, in His immaturity. For
years he had been growing, physically, mentally, and spiritually,
waiting for this day of Adoption, or "placing as a full grown
mature Son. " Galatians, chapter 4, tells how that the heir,
(though he is Lord of all) still has to be treated as a servant and
others in the household while he is a child, in his immaturity. So it
was that Jesus, in fulfilling the pattern for His Body, had to go
through the same process. And it was in reality, not a hypocritical
sham or token. This all actually took place, and were very real
events in the life of our Lord.
A
Jewish lad, the firstborn of his father, was tenderly cared for and
watched over not only by his father, but by all the servants
as well. For they knew that this one would someday inherit all his
father's possessions and become their master. But in this care there
was involved a discipline. The child was not given all his father's
authority, nor was he allowed to have his own way or choose his own
course. He learned to do as he was told, to be obedient even to those
of less stature than he was to be. CLARKE'S COMMENTARY has this to
say of Gal. 1:1 .... "Though he be appointed by his father's
will, heir of all his possessions, yet till he arrive at the legal
age he is master of nothing and does not differ from one of the
common domestics.
THE
MANGER WAS REAL
The
great humility of our Lord Jesus was marked by the manger in which He
laid as a babe. It was no accident. It was all part of the pattern,
and was very real. He was just a tiny baby born of a simple peasant
girl, amid the smells and noise of a barnfull of animals. He did not
lie there in robes of diety, thinking of all the ramifications of
this great Plan of the Ages that was being brought forth at this
time. No, beloved, all this had been stripped before He left the
portals of glory. He is now clothed in the humiliating garments of
His humanity. He thinks of nothing that any other baby would not
think of. He was a very real baby. He does not have the intelligence
to save Himself from Herod's fury, but is completely dependent upon
God. In fact, speaking prophetically through the Psalmist in Psalms
22 of this very time, He said to the Father:
"Thou
keptest me in safety when I was upon my mother's breasts. "This
takes nothing away from the glory that belongs to our Jesus. It only
adds to the luster of His brightness to realize the Depths to which
He went to redeem us and give us a pattern of Sonship. His humility
was real and honest. His discipline was as stern and Strict as any
Jewish boy. Hebrews 5:8 says "Though He were a Son,......yet
learned He obedience by the things which He suffered," or by the
discipline which He endured.
HE
GREW IN OBSCURITY
Except
for the lack of sin and the Adamic nature, and except that He was
born of God and was diety being manifested in human flesh, the boy
Jesus was just the same as any other boy. His young mind hungered for
knowledge, and He daily learned more about God's Word and the promise
of a coming deliverer, a Messiah. He was a strange one all right, to
the world, for He did not have a complaining, grumbling nature, and
He joyfully and obediently fulfilled His duties and tasks as
instructed by those to whom He was subject. He was an example, a
pattern, of what God's intentions were for children of this human
race. He was the firstborn of a new creation, a new race of people, a
people free from the corrupting influences of this Adamic nature. He
was the sign of our inheritance!
He
did not grow with a great sensational fanfare. Movies were not made,
nor was a diary kept of his every word and action as a boy. He was
just a boy. In submission. Being taught, and disciplined. Can God
grow ? Who can teach the Almighty ? Yet this boy grew, and has
taught. In His immaturity the heir was no different than the servant,
tho He be Lord of all! Born from above, seed of the Father, yet
walking in humility. Not knowing fully who Hewas, but a growing
consciousness that He was a child of destiny. Then the day of
Adoption, in Jordan's muddy waters, when the Father spoke to Him.
"Thou art my beloved Son". So this is why He is different.
Placed as a mature Son. Ready to take His place alongside His Father
in the work of redeeming mankind. Along with this voice came an
appearance. He saw the Holy Ghost in a bodily shape. This was the
first time He had, in His flesh, seen God. And the Spirit descended
upon Him, and remained. There was an anointing that came upon Him,
above and beyond anything that humans have ever experienced as yet.
All this was because He was...
A
PATTERN FOR US
I
feel the tug in my heart to go to the River Jordan. It is something I
cannot explain in words that make sense to the ordinary Christian. It
is just that I know that God is drawing me to a place of laying down
my life, my self nature. This is something that is true of all those
who are called into this High Calling of God, to be conformed to the
image of the Son of God. Jordan represents death, in baptism there is
a burial of all that remains of the self life. In the coming up out
from the water there is a resurrection into His divine life. The Word
of God is clear. I know I shall see Him, and shall hear His voice
declaring our Sonship. I hunger for the fulness of the inheritance,
the anointing of the Spirit without measure. This, too, came at
Jordan.
A
BODY FOR GOD
At
Jordan Jesus laid down His own life and gave Himself into the hands
of the Father in such a way that He became a vehicle of expression
for God. God may reveal His might and power in the hurricane or the
lightning. He might express His creative ability in the physical
universe. But only in Jesus, His Son, could He truly reveal and
express His own divine nature. So the Son, as a human laid down His
own rights, His own thoughts, His own will, and became a visible
means of expressing that which was divine, that which was invisible.
Now man can see what God is really like. He has one to truly
represent Him, one to express His love and compassion and wisdom and
humility, as well as His authority and dominion in heaven and earth.
Here He has one like Himself, in His own Image, and He is publicly
placing Him as His Son.
A
BODY FOR CHRIST
The
true nature of Jesus must be manifested to the world. To them He is
invisible, they will not read the Bible to learn about Him. Their
thoughts are continually on other things. But He seeks a Body in
which He can eternally express His own Nature. They are very close to
His heart. He is wooing them, drawing them, bringing them to a place
of laying down their own lives and partaking of His divine nature.
For you see, this Body is a corporate body, it is made up of a
multitude of chosen saints. Those willing to come into His own Image.
This is a difficult road. For you cannot take your old life or self
into this. You must become a vehicle of expression for the living
Christ. Many today are willing for God to give them power and
anointing and authority so that they Night express their owls desires
and ambitions. Many are willing to sacrifice greatly in order to
bring their own ministries to a place of great prominence. But
this is not the case with the Body. This is a laying down of our own
lives, that we might manifest the life of Jesus in this mortal flesh.
OUR
IMMATURITY
We
are now in a time of discipline, child training, Learning. Learning
obedience, and humility, Growing in obscurity, not even knowing
ourselves, the full extent of our growth, or how near mature. Forget
those who boast of their maturity, who tell of their Manifested
Sonship. They are impostors, voices of the flesh. Acts 5:37, tells us
that at the very time that the Baby Jesus was lying in the manger,
immature and helpless, there was another from Galilee who thought
that he was the deliverer and persuaded much people to follow him. He
perished, and his followers were dispersed, having missed the reality
of what was hidden in the womb of that little virgin of Galilee. They
had not heard the voice of the angel, as did Salary, nor were they
overshadowed by the awesome presence of God. So they were deceived
when one came offering sonship without the Cross. Those who are
coming into true Sonship will not have to announce their arrival. The
Father will speak with a voice "from the excellent glory, This
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," (II Peter 1:17).
The day of Adoption is surely coming. Be patient, children, grow in
God, and then let Him speak for you.
THE
ANOINTING ABIDES
"Upon
whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him ....
" (John 1:33) This was the word that came to John the Baptist as
to how He would know the Christ when He came. The Spirit anointed and
used other men. But where the Spirit came upon Jesus, it remained.
Because He was the Pattern for a body that shall dwell under an
anointing that abides. The anointing of the Baptism in the Holy Ghost
is a glorious experience. It is the firstfruits of what comes upon
the Body. But it is only the firstfruits, and God never intended for
us to be satisfied with the firstfruits. Israel came to
Kadesh Barnea, on the edge of Canaan. From there they sent in
twelve spies to spy out the land Numbers 13:20 tells us that it was
"the time of the first ripe grapes". And they brought back
a sample. It was good, yes, very delicious. But it was only a sample
of the first ripe grapes, and God did not intend for them to subsist
the rest of their lives on these samples of the firstfruits. They
were toga in and possess the land. Make a permanent thing of these
fine vineyards and harvests. God's desire is for you to have the very
best, not a sample.
UPON
THE BEARD
"It
is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the
beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his
garments". (Psalms 133:2). Here is a description of the
anointing of the High Priest, with emphasis on the precious ointment.
Notice .. . the same ointment not a different or cheaper kind, but
the same ointment that came first upon the Head, ran down over the
entire Body. Glory to Jesus! What a promise! Jesus, our High Priest,
and Head of this priestly company, was anointed of the Spirit without
measure. He had wisdom, understanding, discernment, as well as
authority and dominion over the works of Satan never before
experienced by mankind. He was anointed with a precious ointment. But
God is not using a cheaper kind on the rest of the Body. The same
divine anointing of the fulness of the Spirit that came upon Jesus
shall come upon the entire Body, until every enemy shall become His
footstool.
This
anointing does not come upon babes in Christ, as does the Baptism in
the Spirit, for the "beard" speaks of a full grown mature
Son. This anointing comes at the time of the Adoption,
at our Jordan. Gifts are given to God's children who are willing to
receive .... on His terms. And God's gifts are surely wonderful, no
doubt about that. But this anointing that we are speaking of is not
in the "gift" realm For gifts are in part whether they be
revelation gifts such as Knowledge or speaking gifts such as
Prophecy. But that which is in part shall be done away with. When?
When that which is perfect is come. Not when we go to heaven, but
when that which is perfect comes to us here. And come it shall!
Nothing shall hinder, for it is in the eternal purposes of God.
Jesus, the Pattern has established it, and He cannot fail.
HE
SHALL APPEAR
With
the complete death to our own self life and our own wills at
Jordan comes the Adoption and an appearance of our God. For He shall
appear unto His own and confirm to their own hearts this eternal
relationship unto Himself. The Amplified New Testament says in Heb.
9:28 " Christ. . . will appear a second time, not carrying any
burden of sin nor to deal with sin, but to bring to full salvation
those who are eagerly, constantly, and patiently waiting for and
expecting Him. " At His appearance there shall come a FULL
salvation, a complete deliverance from every earthly bondage and
demon oppression.
Some
are saying that He has already appeared to them. In spirit. They have
seen Him by faith. But this is not enough. Notice that Jesus saw the
Holy Ghost "in a bodily shape". He physically, literally,
actually saw something. Beloved, we are dealing with realities; not
fantasies. It will take reality to deliver this world from the
bondage of death and corruption. And this is the task reserved for
the full grown Son. The world wants, and needs, reality. Strife,
hatred, war on every side. They need something that will give them
peace. Something that they can see has changed your life.
MINISTRY
OF LIFE
From
the Adoption at Jordan, Jesus entered a ministry for three and a half
years that destroyed the powers of hell, and shook this world to its
very foundations. He is the Pattern. Looking unto Him, we see our
course set before us. "Be of good cheer," He said, "I
have overcome the world."
Can
you feel the tug of the Spirit pulling you to Jordan? Are you willing
to go beneath the chilly waters, to die to all of your own ways?
Consider carefully, for there is no turning back.
IN
THE FULNESS OF TIME
Galatians
4:4 indicates clearly that there was a time element involved in the
appearing of Jesus at the River Jordan. He could not decide to go at
His own whim, or when He thought He might be ready. "God sent
forth His Son. . . " This shows plainly the will of the Father
in the time chosen for the Adoption. So it is today.: There are those
who tell us it is unbelief to wait on God for this, that we must
press our way into it by faith. And we are surely pressing toward the
mark. But the fulness of God's plan will only come in the fulness of
God's time. Be of good cheer, He is not late!
A
PROPHETIC MINISTRY
There
is a prophetic ministry, speaking at the mouth of the Lord, calling
for a deep rooted repentance. This ministry is laying bare the
secrets of our heart, and laying the axe at the root of the tree. As
Jesus submitted Himself to John, so must we come to a place of
submission in this hour, that we might taste the glorious fruits of
full victory. Press in, saints of God, there is much yet ahead! We
are just getting ready to come out of our immaturity. Sonship, full
sonship, is God's plan for the mighty Body of Christ. Lift up your
voice and praise Him that He has counted you worthy, and expect to
hear His voice saying unto YOU .. . "Thou art my beloved Son, in
thee I am well pleased!
