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Wednesday, June 4,
2008
Flesh
and Blood
1 Corinthians 15:49-50 And as
we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly. (50) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. (KJV)
In order to be a partaker of
an inheritance one must be a member of that family. God is a spirit so only
those that worship Him in Spirit and in truth will be partakers as well as
inheritors of His kingdom. Many people think someday they will go to heaven
and then see all their family members and there will be a great reunion.
However the truth be known, once you accepted the Lord’s plan of salvation
you were adopted into a new family with a pure bloodline, that being the
blood of Christ which cleanses us from all sin and allows us to be a part
of His spiritual family.
Luke 8:19-21 Then came to him
his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. (20) And
it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand
without, desiring to see thee. (21) And he answered and said unto them, My
mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it. (KJV)
Which realm do you hold to
now; in other words which one has the most influence in your life, the
spiritual or the flesh and blood realm? Despite the fact that our Lord was
very clear in who His family truly is, today many still hold and put more
value in the fleshly realm than the spiritual one and then wonder why their
relationship with the Lord goes stale. If you were brought up in a
Christian home that’s great, but what if those of your own household were
not likeminded with you? In fact many times those of your own household may
be more of a hindrance than a help to your spiritual welfare. My question
is today, did the Lord make you the savior of your physical family or does
His word give specific warnings on how to handle these situations?
Mark 6:1-6 And he went out
from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. (2)
And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and
many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these
things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such
mighty works are wrought by his hands? (3) Is not this the carpenter, the
son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and
are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. (4) But
Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own
country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. (5) And he could
there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk,
and healed them. (6) And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he
went round about the villages, teaching. (KJV)
Isn’t it interesting that the
Lord Himself wasn’t given the royal treatment when around His own physical
family, in His own country? So if our Lord didn’t fare to well with flesh
and blood what makes you think you will either? Why let the enemy lay a
guilt trip on you because you think you are a failure if your family
doesn’t get saved the way you think they should? Let me share this tidbit
also, at the end of verse three we see that they were offended in Him,
which by the way included His physical family. Before you pack your bags to
embark on a guilt trip, realize that you are in good company if some are
offended in what you believe, even those of your own household. The theory
of relativity doesn’t work with God; in other words once you entered the
kingdom of God and sought out His righteousness you entered a whole new
realm populated with a whole new spiritual family in Christ. Many people
still look and see only the outward man, as with Jesus, they judged
according to the flesh and blood line and were unable to acknowledge who
the Son of God was standing in front of them, which was Christ in Him the
only hope of glory. Today the majority of people still have this veil on
their heart and only give credence to the outward, while a few ever truly
come to a working knowledge of the inward man Christ and become partakers
of His divine nature.
Psalms 69:7-8 Because for thy
sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face. (8) I am become a
stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children. (KJV)
Did not our Lord say that if
they persecuted Him they would do it to you also? Whether you believe it or
not, Jesus of Nazareth’s own flesh and blood family were not on board with
where the spirit of Christ was leading Him, which eventually ended up at a
cross. While many teach and preach that you should be holding to your
physical family until they get saved, the truth be known that the word of
God is quite clear that the realm of the flesh is contrary to that of the Spirit.
It is basically like trying to mix water and oil together. So Church, if
you don’t quite jive with those of your own household don’t take it
personally, because quite frankly you are in good company and good standing
with our Lord.
Matthew 10:34-38 Think not
that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a
sword. (35) For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and
the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother
in law. (36) And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. (37) He
that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that
loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (38) And he that
taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. (KJV)
Choose you this day who you
will serve, because no man can serve two masters and a house divided will
definitely fall. The Lord said quite clearly that they who were not with
Him were against Him. So just because you made a decision to serve our Lord
doesn’t mean everyone else around you will. The question now becomes, if
you are not finding peace where you are at and around those you have been
familiar with are you willing to move on in order to maintain that peace
you have with God or will you keep trying to find peace in a realm the Lord
said it wouldn’t be found in? Nobody said it was an easy path to heaven,
now the question becomes will you take up your own cross in order to follow
our Lord no matter who or what form it manifests itself in? When the Lord
put these instructions in the Bible they are put there for our benefit;
like throwing a lifeline to someone about to drown in destruction and
despair.
Luke 18:28-30 Then Peter
said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. (29) And he said unto them,
Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or
brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, (30) Who
shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to
come life everlasting. (KJV)
We just talked the last
couple of days about relationships, those between a man and a woman and why
we entered into these situations. Your life in the past was based on flesh
and blood, the carnal mind that chose things that were pleasing to the
flesh and not the Spirit. Now that you are a new creation in Christ, old
things are passed away and all things become new, including your family in
Christ and who our Lord now considers are your brothers and sisters in
Christ. Maybe these people you are surrounded by are just not edifying you
anymore and it is time to move on; again, no matter who or how it
manifests. The question today is which realm are you holding more to, the Spirit
or the flesh? Because while one will allow you to continue in your walk
with the Lord the other is a dead end that will have you coming up short if
you continue to hold to an anchor and not a lifeline of escape.
Revelation 21:4-5 And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away. (5) And he that sat upon the throne
said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these
words are true and faithful. (KJV)
Do you wish to partake of a
new life? Then that needs to start today in order to partake of it for an
eternity. While many people think that someday they will see lost loved
ones based on flesh and blood ties; the truth be known, a spiritual God is
only going to allow spiritual people access to His kingdom. There will be a
family reunion in heaven that will be based on those in Christ, His
brothers and sisters that chose to be lead of the Spirit and not the flesh.
If you are unable to recognize the spiritual now then don’t expect to be
recognized by a spiritual being in the here-after, because they that are in
the flesh cannot please God. Who do you consider to be your true family; is
it the family in Christ and what His word says or are you holding more to
the traditions and doctrines of man?
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