SEEKING JESUS

Jesus Heals The Sick And The Lame

To put things in context we are discussing the Tabernacle and how the objects found in it are prophetic of Jesus Christ. To date we have covered the objects in the Tabernacle Courtyard as well as the objects found in the Holy Place of God. To summarize, the Courtyard is a place of grace. In it forgiveness of sin can be obtained. In addition, it is a place of cleansing ones self in preparation for a closer relationship with God. This closer relationship with God is achieved by entering into the Holy Place. The Holy Place is a place of enlightenment and empowerment. In it our pathway to the Father is illuminated and we are strengthened by the Spirit for spiritual warfare. All of this is achieved through prayer, as so the Holy Place is a place of prayer. We have previously discussed the Golden Lamp Stand that illuminates the Holy Place as well as the Table of Show Bread that signifies a personal relationship with God. In our prior two posting we initiated a discussion about the Golden Alter. In it we indicated that the things burned on the Altar were to produce sweet incense for the Lord, and that the smoke and incense were thought to be the prayers of the people going up into heaven. Therefore, the Golden Alter is the center of spiritual warfare through prayer. In today’s posting we will present some examples of the life of Jesus that support our thesis that His life was a continuous form spiritual warfare. These will in turn lead to a conclusion that Jesus is our Golden Alter of Incense. In other words, prayers that come through Him get to the Father and are effective in bringing down the forces of evil in this world. If you would like to get caught up to date on all of the above, the past ten postings will follow this one on this web page. In addition, most of these subjects can be found in the “Pages” section of the site, under the title “Seeking Jesus”. You can like directly to this section by clicking the following hyperlink: https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/ Now on to the subject of this posting, Jesus is our Golden Altar of Incense. Today we investigate the spiritual warfare that has to do with Healing.

Jesus Heals the Sick and the Lame

Throughout His ministry, Jesus is victorious over the power of evil. Many of these victories came in the form of healings. The scripture that follows is one example in which Jesus frees a man who is held in the paralysis of his own sin:

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’“ Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” (John 5:2-14)

In this case, Jesus is very clear about the relationship between the man’s bondage and sin. This correlation signifies that the gratification of sin is outweighed by the bondage it imposes on our body, mind and spirit. The devil, who seeks to abort your purpose, your mission and your Godly identity, sets traps for you in an effort to destroy you. This is what the devil attempted with Jesus in the wilderness. The reason is that the devil hates all of God’s people and seeks to render them incapable of achieving the mission that God created them to accomplish.

When we look back at our example, we see an example of a man who is healed after being disabled for most of his adult life. The spiritual victory was manifest in the dramatic change of his physical abilities. But the physical condition of the man was only symptomatic of his spiritual condition. Jesus said to the man, sin no more less something worse come upon you. The implication is that the healing was a result of being forgiven of sin. Miraculous healing is a victory in spiritual warfare and spiritual warfare is fought at the Golden Altar of Incense, which is Jesus Christ. Only through Him can we have victory over evil.

Thank God for Jesus, who broke the bondage the devil once held over us. Jesus, who was the only sin free man, defeated the devil on the cross with His own blood. While on this earth, He defeated the devil in every encounter. These are the kinds of victories that result only from spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare means taking dominion and defeating the forces of evil through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the same Holy Spirit power that Jesus demonstrated here on this earth. Most importantly, the spirit of Jesus is the Holy Spirit and it is available to those who are able to enter into God’s Holy Place of prayer. It is manifest by the people who are illuminated by the light of the Golden Lamp Stand to see the truth about God, the steps that they must take in ministry and their purpose in life. It is manifest by people who can develop an intimate relationship with the Father at the table of Showbread. In addition, it is for those who are able to enter into spiritual warfare at the Golden Altar of Incense. Going to these objects in Jesus, who is our spiritual Tabernacle empowers our ministry. This is precisely the reason for this section; to demonstrate the nature of spiritual warfare. In the above example Jesus demonstrates spiritual power over sin and illness. He demonstrates the power to break the bonds of evil that block people from achieving their purpose in life.

Our next posting will explore the spiritual warfare of Casting Out Demons. Until then, may Gods blessings be upon you.

Jesus Is The Golden Altar If Incense

To put things in context we are discussing the Tabernacle and how the objects found in it are prophetic of Jesus Christ.

The Tabernacle Courtyard

To date we have covered the objects in the Tabernacle Courtyard as well as the objects found in the Holy Place of God.

Priest in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

To summarize, the Courtyard is a place of grace. In it forgiveness of sin can be obtained. In addition, it is a place of cleansing ones self in preparation for a closer relationship with God. This closer relationship with God is achieved by entering into the Holy Place. The Holy Place is a place of enlightenment and empowerment. In it our pathway to the Father is illuminated and we are strengthened by the Spirit for spiritual warfare. All of this is achieved through prayer, as so the Holy Place is a place of prayer. We have previously discussed the Golden Lamp Stand that illuminates the Holy Place;

The Golden Lampstand which was present in old temple but damaged, was restored to its original form, kept outside the temple area.

as well as the Table of Show Bread that signifies a personal relationship with God.

The Table of Showbread

In our previous posting we initiated a discussion about the Golden Alter.

The Golden Altar is directly in front of the Most Holy Place

In it we indicated that the things burned on the Altar were to produce sweet incense for the Lord, and that the smoke and incense were thought to be the prayers of the people going up into heaven. Therefore, the Golden Alter is the center of spiritual warfare through prayer. In today’s posting we will present some examples of the life of Jesus that support our thesis that His life was a continuous form spiritual warfare. These will in turn lead to a conclusion that Jesus is our Golden Alter of Incense. In other words, prayers that come through Him get to the Father and are effective in bringing down the forces of evil in this world.

If you would like to get caught up to date on all of the above, the past ten postings will follow this one on this web page. In addition, most of these subjects can be found in the “Pages” section of the site, under the title “Seeking Jesus”. You can like directly to this section by clicking the following hyperlink:

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/

Now on to the subject of this posting, Jesus is our Golden Altar of Incense.

Jesus Resists the Devil’s Temptation

The devils temptation of Jesus in the desert is a classical example of spiritual warfare. The goal of the devil was persuade Jesus to renounce His identity (the Father said He was the Son of God) and His purpose on earth (His mission to save us all). Interestingly, the weapon that Jesus uses is the Word of God quoted from scripture. This is an interesting lesson because this is exactly what the devil will attempt to achieve with us all. He will try to get us to give up on the fact that we are sons of the living God and that we were all born with a unique purpose in life. More on this later, for now let’s drill down on some supporting material for the above statements.

Let us start with the identity of Jesus. If you remember Jesus received confirmation of His identity when the Father called Him, “My Beloved Son,” as He was baptized in the Jordan. There are other examples but they came after the temptation of Jesus, so we will forgo them for now.

In terms of His mission on earth we reference the words of John the Baptist, who when he saw Jesus proclaimed; “Behold the Lamb of God”. Based on our previous discussion about the Courtyard of the Tabernacle, we know that the Lamb was slain and its blood sprinkled on the Brazen Altar for the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, His mission was well known as well.

Some very important point must be noted here. The spiritual warfare of the devil came immediately after Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit, just prior to His entering into ministry. Also, Jesus initiated the attack as the Spirit led Him into the desert for testing. This leading by the Holy Spirit suggests that victory over the devil is necessary for proceed into ministry. Another key point is that the attack came when Jesus was at His weakest from fasting:

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’“ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’“ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’“ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’“ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. (Matthew 3:16 – 4:11)

So, all who take up the cross of Jesus can expect that the Holy Spirit will lead us into spiritual warfare and that they must be victorious to proceed into ministry. We must overcome all temptation and the desires of this world like Jesus did. Our intelligence, hard work, capability and desire will not offset any lust for the world or the things in it. The weapons of this world, be they the power of persuasion or military might, are useless in spiritual battles. We must demonstrate the ability to resist the temptations of the world prior to moving on to addressing our mission.

The spiritual warfare initiated by Jesus characterized His entire ministry right up to His ultimate victory over Satan on the cross. We should expect our ministry to be the same.

In our next posting we will present even more examples of how Jesus is our Golden Alter of Incense. Until then, may God bless every one of you.