BLESSED TO REST

BLESSED TO REST

Genesis 2:3
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

BEFORE THE FOUNDATION

Before the fall in the Garden of Eden God blessed the 7th day, setting aside a day where he rested from works.  Even before the fall the plan for man to rest was on God's mind.  Before the fall, God knew man would fall. Before the fall, when man was still at rest, God knew they would need to re-enter that rest. God rested from his own works leading the way for man to enter into a rest! Because he rested, we can enter into a rest! The bible says Jesus was already slain before the foundations of the earth were laid! God was not surprised at the fall and had already provided a way for mankind to be saved!  God isn't limited by present knowledge. He sees that past, present and future all at once!   In fact Jesus had to be slain before the foundations of the world because he is the foundation!  In order to build on Christ he must come first and he did!  Before God created the earth, his son was already set aside for the purpose of redemption! This is an awesome truth!

Revelation 13:8
All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

1Peter 1:20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

Isaiah 28:16 b

Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,  A tried stone, a precious cornerstone

DAY OF REST FOR MAN

God has designed the human body to need a day of rest.  This is a day that we stop our labor and our toils and both rest our bodies and worship him.  While physical rest is one day a week, rest in Christ is eternal.  The number six represents the number of man. Six days we labor and on the 7th we rest.  The number seven represents perfection.  In Christ, the perfect one, we enter an eternal rest from our own labors and rely on Christ.

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

In the Old Testament the actual day mattered. The Old Testament was a type and shadow of the New. In the Old Testament the Jews worked for 6 days but at the end of the 6th day they could do no labor and they entered into a 24 hour rest.  The New Testament teaching is that we enter into a spiritual eternal rest (not just 24 hours) representing the 7th day-the day we accept Christ as Savior.  It's on that day we rest from our own labors and rest in what he has done for us.  We know all of our own labors and toils can never provide the permanent eternal rest in God that was lost in the fall.  The day of the week doesn't matter but the day you accept Christ does!  Some denominations put an emphasis on the actual day.  You can work Monday through Saturday and wind up like a clock and visit a church on Sunday but that doesn't save you.  You can do the same thing Sunday through Friday and then grace the doors of a church on Saturday and still have a heart that hasn't been cleansed by the blood of Christ.  The actual day doesn't matter but the day of Christ matters.  We must ask ourselves have we found the day that we set down self-reliance and yielded to Christ and his forgiveness?  It's on that day, we find rest! That's when the 7th day, the day of rest becomes an every day experience! That's when we enter back into the place man had in the garden before the fall!  It's an eternal day of rest! Amen!

The Promise of Rest

Hebrews 4: 3-7   7-For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:“ So I swore in My wrath, ‘ They shall not enter My rest,’” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” 6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:


 “ Today, if you will hear His voice,
  Do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

This passage shows the true rest was not entered into in the Old Testament but that true rest is for those who believe in Christ. Those who don't believe have no rest. Those who do have entered into that rest! He who has entered that rest, has ceased from  his own works!  Praise God!

TODAY IS THE DAY

So there is a promise of rest and that rest is today!

The 7th day is today!

Today is the day of salvation!

Today is the day to make Christ Lord (if you haven't already!)

Today is the day to rest from works just as God did!

We have no guarantees about tomorrow!

I want to thank each person who takes the time to read this post.  If you've never asked Christ into your heart  you can do that right now.  He is present and hears every word you speak from your heart.  If you want to accept his death and the payment for your sins and if you want to accept the rest from your own works and an eternal rest in life with him, just ask him now.  You can simply say, "Dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart.  Forgive me of my sins.  I give you my life.  Take control and be Lord of my life TODAY!"  Amen!

If you said that prayer, the bible says you are saved~

Scriptures used taken from:  http://www.biblegateway.com/

BLESSING: PENTECOST EMPOWERMENT

THE DAY OF PENTECOST- A QUICK NOTE ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST WHEN THE POWER CAME DOWN!


ACTS 1: 4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

This is what Jesus spoke right after his resurrection and there were about 500 followers. On the day of Pentecost when this actually happened there were only 120 that were actually waiting for this promise, yet Jesus had told them they should wait for it. What did he mean when he said they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit?

The Greek used is baptizo which means to be submersed and also to be continually dipped. This is different that being baptized into the body of Christ, which happens at salvation and it's different from being baptized in water which is an outward act of a choice you make to follow Christ. In the same way we are submersed into the body and submersed in water for baptism, we are submersed in the Holy Spirit by Jesus for a life of consecration, boldness, power and witnessing.

Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

It was right after this moment that Peter stood up from where he was and spoke the gospel with boldness, resulting in 3000 being saved. Peter who was just coming out of the failure of denying Christ was the one in the face of the religious crowd breaking down their man made traditions and proclaiming the uncompromising gospel of Jesus Christ, the savior of the world!

The 380 that didn't receive (at least at this time) the baptism in the Holy Spirit were no less followers of Christ than the 120 that were in the Upper Room but they didn't at that time experience the baptism Jesus had told them about. It's that baptism that fills us with the power to stand up and be bold about Christ. It's that power that fills us with the Holy Spirit equipment to become his witnesses! It's that power that brings the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are just as alive today as they were then, and which actually equips to set captives free, bring sight to blind, healing of broken hearts and more! Just after that experience those followers went forward preaching and they saw signs and wonders including healing, deliverance, & all kinds of miracles!

Here's something else he said right after he told them to wait for the promise:

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Even today there are Christians that are satisfied with their own salvation, going to church and shall we say "a little dab will do ya Holy Spirit, and actually spend almost no time at all sharing and demonstrating their faith to others.  All through the book of Acts, an experience and work of the Holy Spirit AFTER salvation is seen. While there may be debates about what the evidences of that work will be there is no question that work results in power to witness and a flame that burns toward boldness- that makes one submersed and consumed with witnessing! That proimise is still available and to receive, one only needs to ask. If you've experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit, you know it! If you don't know it, make that your Pentecost Celebration commitment; to seek it and find it! Also don't think that a one time experience is enough. As long as we are in this flesh we will need that continual dipping to stay filled for both increased Christ-likeness 

 and increased power to witness Amen!

BLESSING: DOMINION IN THE EARTH- YOUR SPHERE OF BLESSING

THE BLESSING OF DOMINION

GENESIS 1:28  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God spoke a blessing over man that included dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on earth.  You don't see the animal kingdom living in houses, building houses, cities, roads and highways while mankind lives in the forest or lives as pets to animals!  I've never seen a dog leading a man around on a leash!  No! God gave man dominion on the earth over the animal kingdom and in fact over every living thing.  Man is made in the image of God and is superior to anything else as far as dominion goes.

Dominion in Hebrew means to tread, rule over, take by force or break apart.  This blessing to take dominion was never taken away by God.  There was a curse of sin and death and labor on the earth but God never withdrew the blessing over man to dominate the earth, to subdue it and have dominion over all life.  It was never God's intention that animals shred and tread on man and for the most part you don't see that, except for in animal attacks.  In the Garden of Eden, however, it wasn't so.  Now the earth and all creation is groaning waiting for the full redemption and the full manifestation of the dominion and reign of God on the earth.  The bible says the earth groans waiting for the sons of God to be revealed.  When we walk in the authority and dominion given to us by God, the creation sees the sons of God walking in their inheritance and walking in their blessing.  The completion and fullness of this restored dominion will finally be seen when Christ returns, but until then we as "sons of God," must learn to walk in the blessing.  We must not allow the devil and circumstance to crush us, to tread upon us and to destroy us.  We must not let the devil trample us under foot.  What Jesus has purchased for us is to be able to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy yet we often walk in defeat and in a place of allowing the devil to dominate us!

Luke 10:19, 20 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

THE FULLNESS OF TIMES

While all things have been placed under Christ's feet and the victory has already been won, we don't yet see all things in subjection.

HEBREWS 2:8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.

We are living in a current age when all things are currently being gathered to Christ.  Until all that will be gathered to him is gathered to him, we are in that age. At the fullness of that time, this final redemption will take place. Until then there is this evidence of the fall and although the redemption has been bought and paid for; the blood has been shed and Jesus is seated at the throne, we still do not see all things subject to him. There is still evidence of the fall.  Work is still oftentimes laborious, animals and the earth still groan and bodies still age!  Have you ever noticed the animal kingdom's voice is in the minor key?  I don't remember where I first heard that but when Jesus restores all things I do think their voice will change from one of groaning to one of rejoicing and possibly they may even be able to talk!  However, the fullness of blessing has been bought back by Christ. He has already crushed the head of the serpent and those who have already come into his kingdom have the ability to walk in the blessing he bought!

Ephesians 1: 9,10- 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth.

To walk in dominion is to walk in blessing.  It is ruling over the sphere, the place God has given you. Obviously at this present time, with earthly natural limitations no man can be all things to all people at all times.  Only God can do that!  God told man to "have dominion."  When we are fruitful, increasing in every area, subduing and filling the earth with the knowledge of the glory of God, we are walking in dominion and blessing. When we experience lack and failure, we are not walking in the blessing Christ bought back for us.  When people walk in famine, poverty, sickness and sin they are not walking in the blessing that has already been redeemed; that Christ has already paid for.  While we sometimes walk through seasons, we need to never accept that failure, lack, sickness and defeat of every kind is God's perfect will.  He's called us to walk around in victory.  He's not only called us to walk around in victory for our own lives but to bring the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to those around us.  That gospel includes not only salvation and eternal life but it includes an abundant life now that is full of God's blessing!

NATURAL TRAGEDY

It was never God's will for animals to dominate man.  When you see animals attacking and shredding and killing or harming man, you are not seeing the plan of God for mankind.  It's not God's will for destructive weather patterns to dominate man. This is part of the fall.  That's why Jesus rebuked the storm and it ceased it's destructive power!

We as Christians are to walk in the dominion Christ bought back for us and to influence the world around us for him until he comes and all of these things that are contrary to his will are brought under his feet!  Man was made to have dominion.  While we live on this earth, we will continue to see the effects of sin and the results of the fall but we have given authority and we must stand and rebuke evil until Jesus returns and puts an end to everything that was a result of the fall! There is a final redemption coming that will put all things back in order.

1 Corinthians 15:20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. ²³ But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 

Psalm 8:6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.

What has God placed in your care. He's given you dominion over your surroundings- over the work of his hands.  You're in charge and you reign.  You are his representative on the earth.

You may be the only person in your family serving Jesus.  What about your work or other activities. You may be the only Godly example in the someone's life. That is your sphere.  I'm not saying that's all you have dominion over.  God may place something on your heart to pray about.  Whatever he asks you to do, you do it in his strength, power and authority.  Until he sets things in order, you reign in the place he's put you in!  It is not God's will for Christians to walk in defeat!  The bible teaches we all have a place in the body of Christ and that each one is important and necessary.  We need to find that place, fit in and fulfill the purpose God has designed for us!

DOMINATION VS REIGNING

Man was never meant to be dominated but to dominate.  Even men are not to dominate over men but rather to rule by example and as co-laborers.  We are to willfully submit to one another in relationship.  God will give men position and even raise some up to be kings, rulers, presidents, prime ministers, governors, mayors, pastors, prophets, overseers, bishops, elders, parents, principles, teachers, coaches, youth leaders, team leaders, etc.  In that capacity they are to lead as examples and yes, followers are to submit to their leadership but not to their domination!  Even pastors who are typified as shepherds of the flock are also typified as sheep themselves and can only lead where they've already been.  They are to gently lead as the good shepherd does.  The bible says he's a good shepherd, who gently leads and whose voice the sheep hear and gladly follow!  Whatever our leadership capacity, we need to gently lead where we've been and not by dominating men! 

DOMINATE THE DEVIL IN YOUR PLACE OF REIGN

If dominate means to tread down, destroy, and break apart, who should we be dominating?  We should be dominating the devil and we should be dominating our negative circumstances!  Remember, Jesus crushes the head of the serpent.  The following is the promise of God at the beginning of time:

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

He's under our feet.  We are now recipients of the above promised seed and have been given the authority to crush the head of the serpent, Satan!:

Luke 10:19, 20 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20- Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Be free and don't be dominated by anything!

Psalm 119:45  And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.

2 Corinthians 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Bring that liberty to those around you by preaching, proclaiming, laying hands on the sick and loving the wounded and broken hearted!

Isaiah 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound

Galatians 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

YOUR DOMINION, YOUR CALL-THERE'S ONLY ONE YOU

Joseph had a call on his life.  God was going to save and deliver an entire nation through him.  God had years before Joseph was born shown Abraham and spoken to him in a vision that his descendants would go into a time of bondage in Egypt.  Although they would only be delivered over 400 years later, their time in Egypt would be a season of being fed and preserved.  There was to come a famine in Joseph's land yet God would position Joseph as a ruler in Egypt to show favor to his people.  There they would thrive and flourish.  By positioning Joseph ahead of time, the people would be preserved. This is the very short version of a very long story.  Just as God had shown Abraham a vision, God showed Joseph a vision of him being in authority.  Even his brothers and parents bowed down.  Rather than holding the vision in his heart he told the vision to his brothers.  Sometimes it's better not to tell.  We know God only shows us in part.  Instead of rejoicing that God had spoken to Joseph, the brothers were jealous.  Now Joseph had not asked to dream the dream. It had just come. All he was doing was telling, yet they were jealous.  They were already jealous because his father favored Joseph.  Who knows if the outcome would have been different had he pondered the vision, rather than told.  Joseph's brothers, sisters, father, and all the Hebrew people were not only saved but thrived and flourished through Joseph's leadership!

God has a plan for you and his plan for you is not your brother or sister's call.  He has a plan for each individual.  We need to have God open our eyes to see the call on our lives. Many never realize their full potential because rather than focus on their own particular call and blessing they are too busy comparing themselves with others!  Only Joseph could fulfill his call and only Joseph could endure what he had to go through to get into the position God had for him.  Only you can fulfill your call and only you are cut from the cloth necessary to walk the walk God has designed just for you.  Joseph's coat wasn't cut out for his brothers and neither would it even fit his brothers. (Rodney Howard-Browne's The Coat My Father Gave Me, 

http://www.revival.com/the-coat-my-father-gave-me.1958.1.htm?q=1)  

You have a path you have to walk on to fulfill your call and only you can do it!   Many want position but they don't want the path!  Many want position but they don't want to pay the price.  Many only see the glory and dominion but they don't see the 13 years of suffering that preceded Joseph's rise to prominence!  Rather than seeking the glory and position of another we need to have our own vision as Joseph did.  God will give you your particular call and vision and it will be according to your faithfulness and willingness to walk in integrity!  No matter what Joseph went through or was accused of, he never turned from God and never compromised his integrity!  Amen!

It's time for the body of Christ to rise us and fulfill God's plan for their life.  This plan may involve leading just a few or God may make you to lead many!  Whatever the call you need to realize there's only one you!  We need to not look at others but say, "Lord not my will but yours be done!"  We need to dominate the devil and walk in the authority God has bought back for us through Christ, bringing liberty, increase, blessings and fulfillment not only to ourselves but others!  It's time to walk in dominion over the devil and not over people!  Jesus reigns and does reign, and will reign for all eternity.  Just as he was prophesied to come the first time, there's coming a day when not only will all things BE under his feet but we will actually see all things under his feet!  Until then, we walk in authority, walk in dominion, and take part in gathering all things to him!  Praise God and Amen!