|
|
|
|
Chapter 11 THE HOLY CHRIST
(Rev 3:7-13 KJV) "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; {8} I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. {9} Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. {10} Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. {11} Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. {12} Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. {13} He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
In the previous chapter I gave you 14 things that holiness was not. These things are traps that cause many to fall today by carrying holiness on their person like an article of clothing. Holiness is not some thing. Holiness is God. God is love. God is holy. It is His character. It is His nature. And when you have it, then worship is produced. The only manifestation of holiness in a believer's life is a walk of worship. If you are not a worshipper of God, then you need to check what happened to your holiness.
The next thing the Lord says to the church of Philadelphia is that He is true. This is a continuation of His holiness. The word true in this text is really in contrast to being ignorant.
(Rom 10:3-4 KJV) "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. {4} For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
Righteousness = character. Even as holiness is His character, the outcome of holiness is righteousness. Establishing your own holiness produces self-righteousness. (1 Sam 2:2 KJV) "There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God."
Paul says, "Do not be ignorant about righteousness." The True one is the only righteous one; therefore it is up to you to submit yourselves by believing only in and upon Him. Self-righteousness is what brings on the lukewarm spirit. People can talk much about how righteous their lives are by what they know and what they do, but they do not want to do it God's way. {example: tithing -- A person who walks in truth and righteousness will not justify himself in his giving. The Word is clear, "Pay what you owe." Stop robbing God of what you owe Him. Of all your increase, 10% belongs to the storehouse where you have been planted. You do not get to decide where your tithe goes. That belief is deception and self-righteousness. In offerings over and above the tithe, you are free to choose (hopefully by the leading of the Spirit)}.
There is another meaning of "true" -- "to be exposed." I believe the saddest day will be when we see all the self-righteous exposed for who they really are. (Gal 6:7-8 KJV) “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. {8} For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
Jesus also revealed himself to the Laodiceans as the "true witness, " the righteous martyr. He is the Holy and the True. Is He operating freely in you?
Third revelation - "he that hath the key of David." The key of David was David's house. Who has the keys? The Catholic church believes Peter has them! Revelation tells me who has them -- "He that is true and holy."
(Isa 22:15-22 KJV) "Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, {16} What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock? {17} Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee. {18} He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house. {19} And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down. {20} And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: {21} And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. {22} And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open."
David was king over Israel. Jerusalem was the city of God or His house. Shebna was given the care over the house, but not the authority. To Eliakim was given the authority or rule of the house. His name means "God almighty will strengthen and establish." God is going to strengthen and establish you. He has a place for you. In the natural, our self-righteousness will establish a place for us.
If God can take this man and throw him like a ball, what do you think He will do in this hour with all that have made a place for themselves without the call of God? We all long for authority and power, but we do not have any without Him. But when He gives it, "he shall open and none shall shut; he shall shut and none shall open." Back in Revelation Jesus was given these keys and He says the same thing in (3:8). This church had found their strength and authority in Christ who has the keys to the house. Peter did not get the keys -- Jesus did!
What kind of keys did Peter get? Peter had just received the revelation of who the Christ was and because of that Jesus said,
(Mat 16:18-19 KJV) "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. {19} And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
The keys that were given to Peter were the keys to binding and loosing. The rock is Christ, not Peter. Peter died.
Peter was given the keys to open (start) the church. He was the first to preach to the Gentiles. He was given the authority to loose the Gentiles from their bondage and to bring them into the kingdom. Based on the analogy that if you bind the strongman you can spoil his house(Mat.12:29), the church today has used the keys to bind and loose Satan. By failing to understand John 20:23, we have missed the power and authority given to us. Bind = to forbid Loose = to allow What you forbid is forbidden in heaven and what you allow is allowed in heaven by the Spirit.
(John 20:20-23 KJV) "And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. {21} Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. {22} And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: {23} Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."
Did they not wait in the upper room for the Holy Spirit? (There are different anointings in the Holy Spirit.) This waiting brought the desire for more, and this is the forbidding and loosing that we must come into. We as the church have a responsibility to walk in this kind of forgiveness. We do not understand our authority until by the Spirit of God in us we can discern when people are forgiving and when they are not.
This does not mean we have control over other people's lives. If a conflict takes place between myself and someone else, I can go to the Father and repent. When I am forgiven you cannot bind me; but I can move into that repentance faster if you can release me. Whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven. People do not believe in repentance because they are bound by others. God has already dealt with our sins, but we haven't understood how we bind one another. {We call it the devil -- "They need to be delivered."}
When you recognize the power of binding/loosing or forgiving or holding onto, that is the authority of Christ. Jesus never bound the devil. IF HE HAD --- WOW -- WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT WOULD BE TODAY.
Today we want one another fixed so we will not have to suffer at each other's hands again. But change doesn't happen because we do not know forgiveness. Even if you refuse to forgive me for what I have done, I can receive forgiveness from Father. If I have repented to Him, the only area that is affected is between you and me, not between Him and me.
We must come to the place that we do not allow people to bind us because of unforgiveness. It is the most destructive force known to mankind. Until you know how to walk in forgiveness, you will not be given these keys. Forgiveness brings redemption, and the authority that comes with it occurs when we say "You are forgiven!" Jesus will hear and will send forth His angels to deal with that person. This is why intercession is so powerful! It brings repentance. Repentance does not come because of my obedience. Repentance comes because of the Holy Spirit's convicting power. We either loose or bind that power to operate. Repentance does not produce obedience -- suffering does. He lets me suffer! Suffering produces obedience (Heb.5:8).
(Mat 18:18 KJV) "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
This Scripture is in the context of forgiveness. It was said to all the disciples, not just Peter. Forgiveness is what you forbid and what you allow. Without the Holy Spirit we do not know what to allow in our lives or what we must forbid. This is why we must be directed by Him. The self-righteous person tries to act like the Holy Spirit. We come to the place that we determine Who or what will rule us?
Paul had said the reason he was in birth pains again until Christ be formed in you was because he saw the pull of the flesh -- the self-righteous behavior taking over again (Gal. 4:19). The enticement of worldliness misdirects our behavior of wanting what we want instead of what He wants. Paul goes on to say die to self and ends with "whatever you sow, you will reap" (Gal. 6:7). Whatever you allow, He will allow, but there will be consequences. It's not just the Pharisee attitude toward others. You have the authority to forbid or allow for your own life.
(Luke 11:52 KJV) says “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.”
Let us take warning from the Pharisees who misinterpreted the ways of God. Let us not be accused of hindering the process of God in a person’s life, for then the keys will be taken away from you.
You know when the holiness, the true, and the keys are yours when no one but God opens and closes the doors. The overcomers in the Philadelphia Church became the pillars in the church. That simply means others will come and go, but these will remain through every trial and tribulation. Their reward - NO GREAT TRIBULATION. Stability! No tribulation will keep you from serving and going on with Christ to the very end. (verses 11 and 13). HOLINESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS, and FORGIVENESS IS HIS LOVE. |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
|
|
Copyright © 1995-2007 Living Word Christian
Fellowship, Inc.
|
