It's Just Natural
But the natural man does not receive
thethings of the Spirit of God, for they
arefoolishness to him; nor can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned...The
Apostle Paul
The children of Israel had two paths before
them just like Adam and Eve did. The path
of promise, expectation and provision or
a path of confusion, despair and lack. One
is the way of faith, love and life, and
the other is the way of unbelief, fear and
death. One is the supernatural way and the
other is the way of the natural. The primary
path being the higher road of life that
takes us into the heavenly realm. Two paths
are before us. What path are you on today?
The Lord has an awesome plan for our lives,
unobtainable by walking in the natural realm.
By having our identity in union with the
death, burial and resurrection of Christ,
we have the ability to move into the supernatural
realm. The Apostle Paul says, "For
in Christ the fullness of God lives in a
human body, and you are complete through
your union with Christ. He is the Lord over
every ruler and authority in the universe"
(Colossians 2:9,10 NLT).
The unbeliever or natural man fails to
receive the heritage that is available in
Christ through faith. As believers, we see
ourselves cleansed of sin, free of the sense
of inferiority, guilt, and condemnation,
and made righteous by the blood of Jesus.
We see our old natural man dead with Christ.
We are risen and seated with Him above all
the power of the demonic realm as new creations.
We realize our complete heritage in Christ,
causing us to no longer be under the bondage
of sin [See diagram
#4].
THE BONDAGE OF THE NATURAL MAN
In the New Testament, the Israelites are
portrayed as walking in the natural way,
even though their father Abraham was a mighty
man of faith "who, contrary to
hope, in hope believed, so that he became
the father of many nations, according to
what was spoken, 'So shall your descendants
[seed] be'" (Romans 4:18).
The Lord made His promise of righteousness
available to His children, but a continuous
cycle of sin eventually brought them into
bondage. In Acts, Chapter 7, the martyr
Stephen gave the history of the Israelites
from Abraham, calling the patriarchs sinners
(v.9). He ended his testimony to the Jews
saying, "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised
in heart and ears! You always resist the
Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do
you" (v.51). They were Abraham's
seed, who felt they had no need for Jesus
(John 8:33). Their hearts were hardened
because their fleshly nature had not been
circumcised by the Spirit (Romans 2:29).
They found their security in Abraham, not
in Jesus who could regenerate their heart
by the work of the Holy Spirit. They were
trying to please God apart from the finished
work of Christ. They believed in their own
righteousness.
An inherent nature of sin rules the heart
of the natural man. His sin and unbelief
leaves him vulnerable to evil thoughts,
emotional disorder and uncontrollable actions.
The Apostle Paul says they "...suppress
the truth in unrighteousness ... are without
excuse ... became futile in their thoughts,
and their foolish hearts were darkened ...
changed the glory of the incorruptible God
into an image made like corruptible man
... exchanged the truth of God for a lie
... served the creature rather than the
Creator ... exchanged the natural use for
what is against nature... leaving the natural
use of the woman, burned in their lust for
one another, men with men committing what
is shameful... " (Romans 1:18-27).
These sinful thoughts and actions of man's
fleshly heart has infected all generations
since the fall. The debased mind has produced
"...sexual immorality, wickedness,
covetousness, maliciousness... envy, murder,
strife, deceit, evil-mindedness ... backbiters,
haters of God, violent, proud, boasters,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to
parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving,
unforgiving, unmerciful... those who practice
such things are deserving of death,
[they] not only do the same but also
approve of those who practice them"
(Romans 1:28-32). These actions are free
to rule the heart of natural man because
he falls short of God's glory, refusing
to live God's way (Romans 3:12,23). Jesus
says, "For out of the heart proceed
evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication,
thefts, false witness, blasphemies"
(Matthew 15:19). Do you need to return to
the glory and honor of God where He intended
you to live?
The natural man is open prey to the world,
the flesh and the devil. He does not have
the Spirit of God to empower his life (2
Corinthians 2:14). He is driven by his senses
[sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell]
or sense of need, which causes him to be
controlled by what looks good, sounds good,
feels good, tastes good and smells good,
instead of by faith in God [See Diagram
#5]. But even the natural man, by nature,
may do the things contained in the law (Romans
2:14). However, he does not have the love
of God: "If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him. For
all that is of the world--the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride
of life--is not of the Father but is of
the world" (1 John 2:15b,16).
The natural man walks in the flesh trying
to please God by good works or by keeping
the law to find acceptance, only to become
filled with guilt, shame and condemnation.
Paul says, "The strength of sin
is the law" (1 Corinthians 15:56).
The more we try to be saved by our good
deeds, the more sin rules our lives. Our
dependence on "doing good" hinders
God's Spirit of grace from working in our
lives. Paul said, "I do not set
aside [frustrate] the grace of
God; for if righteousness comes through
the law, then Christ died in vain"
(Galatians 2:21).
A sense of spiritual identity in God is
missing in the natural man. He reflects
the natural world around him. He does not
have a life based on a covenant relationship
with God. He has a promise of righteousness
from God, but he does not believe and experience
it. His identity is molded by the world
system. He does not identify with Christ.
He believes a lie. At best, religion has
bound him to legalism and ritualism causing
a false hope. He has a spiritual problem,
believing in man's wisdom instead of God's.
He is a slave to worldly passion and its
wisdom. The authority that His Creator intends
him to walk in is missing in his life. He
has accepted defeat, emptiness, loneliness
and fear as a way of life. He is dependent
on himself and others instead of God. He
makes accusations against God, blaming Him
and walking in uncertainty. He experiences
lack in all areas of his life because of
his own rebellious heart. His eyes are blinded
to the provisions that God has supplied
for him. His life seems to be falling apart
with a strong sense of discouragement. He
is consumed with sin and morally depraved:
"For the sinful nature is always
hostile to God. it never did obey God's
law, and it never will. That is why those
who are still under the control of their
sinful nature can never please God"
(Romans 8:7,8). Sadly, often the natural
man has achieved success according to a
worldly standard, that blinds him to the
truth of his spiritual depravity.
The god of the natural man from the Garden
of Eden, to the Tower of Babylon, to this
present age has been idolatry. Idolatry
is the worship of something created as opposed
to the worship of the Creator. The world,
the flesh and Satan place temptations before
us. Satan became the father of idolatry
from the moment God threw him out of heaven.
He now holds the natural man in captivity
because of his ignorance of God's covenant
promise. Mankind allows demonic forces to
control their lives. Satan can not be everywhere,
so his demons work to possess and influence.
It is hard for us to identify with the gods
of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Media Persians,
Greeks and Romans, but the same spirit is
behind present day idols. The goddess of
sexual lust, which was so prevalent in early
civilization, has overrun the Internet and
television. Commercial advertising creates
thoughts and needs that produce a covetous
heart at every turn. It is so easy to become
enslaved to the natural realm. We must be
constantly on guard that we let nothing
come between us and God. Idolatry is a deceitful
sin. The justification of the natural man
for his sin is found in popular sayings,
such as: "It's a natural thing"
or "If it feels good, do it!"
or "God has to approve or else he would
not have made alcohol [or marijuana or sexual
desires, or any other object of lust]."
Perhaps the desire for possessions, houses,
cars, reputation or fame has a hold on you?
Do you wish to be set free from the hold
this world has on you?
DELIVERANCE THROUGH THE BLOOD COVENANT
In Exodus, the children of Israel were
in bondage to the Pharaoh of Egypt. The
Egyptians believed Pharaoh to be a god.
He was the way to relate to the other gods
of the universe. The children of Israel
were enslaved to the god of the natural
world, and the Lord called Moses to deliver
them. God sent ten plagues, each representing
the destruction of one of Egypt's many gods,
to convince Pharaoh to let them go. Pharaoh's
heart was hardened, so the tenth plague
was to destroy all the firstborn in the
land (Exodus 11:5). In Exodus 12, God presented
a plan to save all the firstborn of Israel.
Each household was to take a lamb, without
blemish (vs. 1-11), and strike the blood
on the top and sides of the door (vs. 7,
22). They did not realize it, but this was
the sign of the cross of Christ. By doing
this act of faith, the destroyer would pass
over their houses (v.23). As a result, Egypt's
firstborn were destroyed (vs. 29, 30) and
God's children were kept safe. Pharaoh let
the children of Israel go (vs. 31-36). In
like manner, as we place the blood of Christ
over our lives by faith, the destroyer has
no place in our lives, because Jesus came
to deliver us from this present evil world
(Galatians 1:4).
The Lord always comes down to the level
of His people for the purpose of changing
their identity. He does this by making a
promise, a covenant relationship. Covenants
are . always everlasting and memorialized
by a visible sign. In the Old Testament,
He promised the birth of the Messiah to
Adam, then He covered Adam and Eve with
the first sacrificial offering (Genesis
3:15,21). To Noah, He promised to withhold
future judgment so salvation could occur.
The sign was a rainbow (Genesis 9:11,13).
To Abraham, He promised to bless his seed
(Genesis 12:1,2;15:18), giving the sign
of circumcision, a seal of righteousness
(Genesis 17:1-14; "Romans 4:8-13).
To Moses, He established the sacrificial
offerings to cover the sin of His people,
the sign was the Sabbath (Exodus chapters
1931). Finally, to David and his descendants,
He promised to' establish them as heirs
to the throne of Israel (2 Samuel 7:12-15).
A thousand years later, Jesus, the Messiah,
the King of Israel, would be born in Bethlehem,
a descendant of the line of David (Luke
1:29-33). The Lord Himself would come to
identify with His people, in order to regenerate
them' with His identity of righteousness.
He would make a new covenant based on His
death, burial and resurrection. He sits
upon David's throne forever.
The new covenant would accomplish with
God's people what the old covenant never
could. The promise of righteousness came
through the Prophet Jeremiah: "Behold,
the days are coming, says the LORD, when
I will make a new covenant with the house
of Israel and with the house of Judah--not
according to the covenant that I made with
their fathers in the day that I took them
by the hand to lead them out of the land
of Egypt, my covenant which they broke,
though I was a husband to them, says the
LORD, but this is the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel after those
days, says the LORD: I will put My law in
their minds, and write it on their hearts;
and I will be their God, and they shall
be My people. No more shall every man teach
his neighbor, and every man his brother,
saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall
know Me, from the least of them to the greatest
of them, says the LORD, for I will forgive
their iniquity, and their sin I will remember
no more" (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
God's law, written on our hearts, brings
forth a new relationship, a new knowledge
of Him and a new forgiveness, where He would
not only cover sin, but remember it no more.
All of God's covenants with His people
were ratified by a blood sacrifice. The
writer of I Hebrews says: "...without
the shedding of blood there is no remission"
(9:22b). The animals sacrifices of old could
not remove sin or cleanse the conscience
(10:2,22). 'Jesus is "the Mediator
of the new covenant" (9:15; 12:24).
This covenant is a "better covenant...
established on better promises"
(8:6). The old covenant became "obsolete"
(8:13) by the "new covenant in
[Jesus] blood" (Luke 22:20;
1 Corinthians 11:25). Jesus Christ was "...
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world" (Revelation 13:8). The
Apostle Peter says, "...you were
not redeemed with corruptible things, like
silver and gold, from your aimless conduct
received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ, as
a lamb without blemish and without spot"
(1 Peter 1:18,19).
The Apostle Paul calls these the "covenants
of promise" (Ephesians 2:12).
God's willingness to. use His power on our
behalf though the finished work of the cross
is one covenant of grace. We are made righteous
[right with God] by His grace through faith,
absent our natural effort to keep the law
(Romans 4:13,17). The blood sacrifice of
Christ ratified the new covenant of righteousness,
sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).
He came to change our identity by giving
us eternal life through communion with Him.
The writer of Hebrews says, "...for
this reason He is the Mediator of the new
covenant, by means of death, for the redemption
of the transgressions under the first covenant,
that those who are called may receive the
promise of eternal inheritance"
(Hebrews 9:15).
The believer's covenant identity is a
very important truth in the Bible. We base
our faith on the revelation of God's covenant
promise. The knowledge of His covenant promise
of righteousness to us, causes absolute
truth to reign in our hearts. The truth
sets us free from the natural and takes
us into the supernatural. Have you accepted
your covenant promise from God through faith?
THE PRESENCE OF GOD
Man's identity had to be changed because
natural sinful man could not come into the
presence of the Holy God of Israel. God
is separated and exalted above all other
things (Isaiah 6:1-3). He has demanded us
to be holy as He- is holy (Leviticus 19:2;
1 Peter 1:16). We receive the gift of righteousness
and holiness by faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul says, "... you
put on the new man which was created according
to God, in true righteousness and holiness"
(Ephesians 4:24).
In the Old Testament, the people could
not come into the presence of God's holiness
(Exodus, chapters 25-30). The best they
could do was to offer a sacrifice at the
tabernacle covering their sin. The priest
would sprinkle blood upon himself for cleansing,
and then enter into the Holy Place of the
tabernacle for service and to hear from
God. He would then go out to bless the people
awaiting him. Once a year, on the Day of
Atonement, he would enter behind the veil
[curtain] into the Most Holy Place into
the presence of God to sprinkle blood upon
the mercy seat to cover the sins of the
people. The High Priest would then place
his hands over the scapegoat, transferring
the sins of the people to the goat. The
scapegoat would then be released into the
wilderness, to the east of the Temple, as
the sacrifice for the sins of the nation
[See Diagram
#6].
The Lord has always made a way for us to
be cleansed and to come into His presence.
He knows we need His supernatural anointing
to destroy the bondage of the natural man.
Since the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit
has lived in the believer, causing us to
be "... joined to the Lord in one
spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians
6:17). The offerings of the tabernacle could
not join God's children to the presence
of God in heaven: "...the Holy
Spirit indicating this, that the way into
the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest
while the first tabernacle was still standing"
(Hebrews 9:8). The tabernacle on earth was
just a pattern of the true heavenly tabernacle
(Hebrews 8:2;9:23). Only Christ, as the
great High Priest, could take us into the
presence of God: "For Christ has
not entered the holy places made with hands,
which are copies of the true, but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of
God for us" (Hebrews 9:24). He
opened the high way of holiness to the whole
world (Isaiah 35:8-10). He changed our identity
through His blood, becoming sin for us,
and through His power, He raised us up together
with Him into the very presence of God.
Do you desire to live in God's heavenly
presence?
In the book Revelation, John heard, "...
a loud voice shouting across the heavens,
'it has happened at last--the salvation
and power and kingdom of our God, and the
authority of his Christ! For the Accuser
[Satan] has been thrown down to earth--the
one who accused our brothers and sisters
before our God day and night. And they have
overcome him [the devil] because
of the blood of the Lamb and because of
their testimony. And they were not afraid
to die. Rejoice, 0 heavens! And you who
live in the heavens, rejoice!... '"
(12:1012a). We are already raised spiritually
into heavenly places with Christ (Ephesians
2:6). The Revelation of John reveals to
us what the heavenly throne room is all
about. Why not meditate on your heavenly
vision described in Revelation chapters
4 & 5? Lift your voices in testimony
of what the blood of Jesus Christ means,
to you. As a result, you can more fully
experience the presence of God [See Diagram
#7].
Like Abraham, God is calling us to leave
what is familiar in the natural realm and
to move into the promised land of the supernatural.
This is a walk of faith, taking our eyes
off what we can see and putting our eyes
on the unseen. The Psalmist David says,
"I would have lost heart, unless
I had believed to see the goodness of the
LORD in the land of the living"
(27:13). Life may look bleak for you at
this point, but the Lord is calling you
to a better life. It is never too late for
God to carry you through your present troubles.
The Lord is reaching out His hand to you
with a covenant promise. He has already
given you His best when He gave His only
begotten Son on the cross for your sins.
Won't you receive His righteousness today?
WHO ARE WE?
We are the people of God who believe in
Him. The nation of Israel is God's "son"
(Exodus 4:22,23), His "special
treasure ... a kingdom of priests and a
holy nation" (Exodus 19:5,6),
His "inheritance" (Deuteronomy
4:20), His "holy people"
(Deuteronomy 14:2), His "sheep"
(Psalm 95:7), and His "servants"
(Isaiah 48:20). Today, Israel still has
a special relationship with the Lord through
His Covenant with Abraham. Not only the
nation of Israel, but all people of the
world have a covenant relationship available
with God through Jesus Christ.
We are redeemed eternally in Christ, Who
"...came as High Priest of the
good things to come, with the greater and
more perfect tabernacle not made with hands,
that is, not of this creation. Not with
the blood of goats and calves, but with
His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place
once for all, having obtained eternal redemption"
(Hebrews 9:11,12).
We are righteous in Christ with the ability
to stand in God's presence without the sense
of .sin, guilt or inferiority: "For
He [God] made Him [Jesus]
who knew no sin to be sin for us, that
we might become the righteousness of God
in Him [Jesus] " (2 Corinthians
5:21).
We are God's special people. The Apostle
Paul wrote Titus that Christ is the one
"...who gave Himself for us, that
He might redeem us from every lawless deed
and purify for Himself His own special people,
zealous for good works" (2:14).
The Apostle Peter writes about our Spiritual
royalty: "...you also, as living
stones, are being built us a spiritual house,
a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ-you are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, His own special
people, that you may proclaim the praises
of Him who called you out of darkness into
His marvelous light" (1 Peter
2:5,9).
We are purified in our hearts by the blood
of Christ from deeds that lead to death.
He is "...Jesus Christ, the faithful
witness, the firstborn from the dead, and
the ruler over the kings of the earth ...
who loved us and washed us from our sins
in His own blood, and has made us kings
and priests to His God and Father... "
(Revelation 1:5,6).
We are bold in Christ to "...enter
heaven's Most Holy Place because of the
blood of Jesus. This is the new, life giving
way that Christ has opened up for us through
the sacred curtain [veil], by means
of his death for us. And since we have a
great High Priest who rules over God's people,
let us go right into the presence of God,
with true hearts fully trusting him. For
our evil conscience have been sprinkled
with Christ's blood to make us clean, and
our bodies have been washed with pure water"
(Hebrews 10:19-22 NLT).
The death and the blood of Jesus Christ
satisfied the redemption price required
by the law for all the sins of everyone,
world wide and for all time. Those who practice
the many religions in the world are often
blinded to the truth. They must believe
in the finished work of Jesus Christ, His
death, burial and resurrection, in order
to be made right with God. Jesus obtained
our salvation 2000 years ago! The righteousness
of God is signed, sealed and delivered to
us, who have received and accepted Him by
faith. What a price He paid for us all!
One would have to be foolish to forsake
such a great salvation!
|
