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Chapter Thirteen
God Hides
As you study the Bible you discover that God is a God that hides Himself. Not so He can’t be found by those that are looking for Him -- but so He won’t be found by those that aren’t looking for Him.
(Mat 13:13 KJV) Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
(Mat 13:14 KJV) And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
(Mat 13:15 KJV) For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
This comes as a surprise to a lot of Christians that think that the whole idea of preaching their gospel of receiving Jesus as their Savior is the main purpose of God. There isn’t one verse of Scripture that says you should try to receive Jesus as your personal Savior.
It’s true that Jesus is our Savior and there is no other Name under Heaven where by a person can be saved -- but the Scriptural order is: you repent of not having trusted in the Lord before now and submit yourself to the Lordship of Jesus. You receive Jesus as Lord of your life --and because He is your Lord -- He saves you from Sin -- and reveals to you His Kingdom where you are invited to live your life free from Sin.
The broader picture is – you are a dead spirit-man buried in a dirt body walking around in a spiritually dead world. Before you are born again you are a dead person – born into a dead world but in that dead world you look like you are alive. Then in that tomb of this dead world – you hear the voice of you Father saying: Son awake-- it is Me. You are born again and become a live spirit-man buried in a dead dirt body in a dead world.
The new foundation of a new life has been laid in the dead world. Christ the Lord is alive in you and you no longer live. The tomb has been turned into a womb of life for you. All of your old life and sin is buried in that foundation when you submit yourself to the Lordship of Christ in you. Before you can come forth into the reality of that new life-- you must submit your self-life to the Lordship of Jesus.
You’re like a caterpillar waiting to come forth from the cocoon and fly into the reality of the Kingdom of God.
It’s really quite simple. If you ask me for a road map to a certain place and I give it to you. If you follow it -- it will take you to your place of destination. If you don’t obey the road map -- it is useless to you. If you receive Jesus as Lord and obey Him -- He will take you into His Kingdom. If you don’t obey Him -- then He isn’t Lord over you and so --the devil is lord over you. If you aren’t obeying Jesus -- you are obeying satan.
Today the order of that promise is reversed. It’s taught that you can receive Jesus as your Savior and He will save you -- then -- sometime in the future -- you can make Him Lord and then -- you will inherit His Kingdom when you die. From that idea we see many people saved and then trying to live out their lives within the kingdoms of this world -- trying to get their blessings from their works.
The promises of God are only to those that will forsake all and follow Jesus. Jesus didn’t pray for the world. It says in -- (John 17:8 KJV) For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
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(John 17:9 KJV) I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
Jesus sees the end of the kingdoms of this world and He has determined to let them go their way of death. If I won’t let go of those kingdoms -- I will experience that same death.
Our calling is to seek and learn to live in the Kingdom of God. Within that Kingdom -- the promises of God will keep me by the power of the reality of that Kingdom -- now.
(Mat 6:33 KJV) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
When Jesus said to Nicadomius – except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God -- I believe Jesus was saying that at your submission to the Lordship of Jesus you are given the life of Christ so that you can see into the Kingdom of God.
Then-- when you are born of the water and the Spirit you can enter the Kingdom of God. There are a couple of interpretations of what being born of the water and the Spirit means. Being born of the Spirit is clear but what does being born of the water mean?
Of course when we are born physically we are enclosed in a water bag and so-- one meaning could be that being born of the water – means our natural birth. The next verse seems to confirm that when it says whatever is flesh is flesh and whatever is spirit is spirit.
Being born of the water could also mean that when we are born again and become citizens of the Kingdom of God by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit -- that from then on -- as we allow the Water of the Word to show us the reality of the Kingdom of God progressively -- we begin to live in the Kingdom of God now.
I see an example like this. I’m standing on the shore of a heathen land and all I can see is the vast ocean before me. I’m thinking that there must be a better place than this heathen land where I’m living.
Someone tells me about another King and His Kingdom that lies across this vast ocean. They say-- if I will give myself to that King who’s the head of that Kingdom -- that I can go and live there and be under His authority. They say that--if I do that -- all the resources of His Kingdom will be made available to me.
This sounds to good to be true but what do I have to lose. I swear my allegiance to the Lordship of that King and when I do-- my eyes are given the power to look across that vast ocean and see that Kingdom where that King lives.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
I know that is now my home someday when I die physically – but then I’m told that the King of that land has taken up residence within my heart because I’m His property now -- so I become a little piece of that King’s domain within me. So the King has a right to live in me. I have become His embassy in a foreign land. I’m now a place where the King of that Kingdom lives.
Another likeness is that I have become like leaven placed in a loaf. Through me the King can change the evil kingdoms of this world.
The King will bring His Kingdom to me while I’m alive so that I can enjoy it now. But I’m told that the only way the King of that Kingdom can do that for me while I’m still living in this heathen land is for me to only look to that King for everything I need. I can take nothing from this heathen land and offer it to that King and I can’t rely on this heathen land for any of my supply. The only way this heathen land will give me anything is if I will work for it.
In fact-- my King doesn’t want anything from the kingdoms of this world. My King has taken up residence within me so that He can bring His supply to those that are trapped in the kingdoms of this world. I’m not only an embassy – I’m also a storehouse for my King’s supply to those caught in this evil kingdom’s system.
If I begin to work for the things of the kingdoms of this world I will begin to look away from the supply that my King has for me. I begin to rely on the supply of this world and am drawn back into the cares of this world.
I’m told that if I do that – then my King won’t be able to give me the supply that He has for me – but if I will trust only in His supply -- that He will meet all my needs according to His riches from His Kingdom.
Now with this illustration in mind you can see how impossible it would be to live in this heathen land if the King didn’t send me his supply. I would have no other choice but to rely on the heathen land for my supply or die.
Well-- that is the problem of Christianity today. The Christians that have a King are not spending the time it takes to know His will and believe His promises so that the King can get His supply to them. They don’t seek that relationship and that Kingdom first and so -- are left to try to live in the heathen world -- while pretending they are being blessed by the Kingdom of God. It will never work.
We are living on the supply of the heathen kingdom by working for our increase -- or we are living on the supply from the Kingdom of God by faith without works.
I realize that this faith that see’s the Kingdom of God as a reality now comes to us as we commit each area of our lives to King Jesus -- bring it under His Lordship and that is a process. But what is happening is that Christians are being taught to work for the riches of the heathen world and then offer them to God. When we do that -- we become works to be blessed people. We are deceived into believing the Lie that says we can do that and still be blessed. The penalty for believing that Lie is that you will die trying to be blessed by your works. Working in the kingdoms of the world to earn money to give to the Kingdom of God is a Cain offering. God won’t accept that kind of an offering from our hand. The only way we can serve the Lord that way is we have to give the money away into the hands of someone else -- and then hope they will use if for the real message of the Kingdom of God.
We have to constantly be remembering who we are and what is our relationship to our Lord and King. I heard a well known preacher teach today that Jesus is King and we are servants and that is all we will ever be while we are here on this earth in our bodies. The Truth is we are servant Kings. There is a big difference between being a servant slave and a servant King. A servant slave has no power and no authority and so lives a life of continuously working to get approval from his master and others.
A servant King has both power and authority and knows he is a supply from his master to those he serves.
That servant slave teaching causes a believer to never think of themselves as someone with authority and power in this world. Sure we are the servants of King Jesus and when we are in His presence we are bowing at His feet as servant Sons. But when we go out from our worship in His presence to do His will -- we are Kings in this earth and we have power to change circumstances with our words.
We see Jesus as He ministers to the world. He is seen of Himself as a King serving His Father – doing the will of the Father at all times. The world saw Him as a humble servant and yet with the power and authority of a King.
Jesus said of Himself –
(Luke 23:2 KJV) And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.
(John 18:37 KJV) Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
Christ Jesus is in us and we are kings representing our King here on this earth. We serve Him and bless others with His goodness to them through us. The world sees us as servants but we need to see ourselves for who we are or we will never walk in the power that is ours to serve our King and bless the world by taking dominion over the kings of this world.
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