Voice Of God Without The Rejection example essay topic

O JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM 37 'O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 'See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 'for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' ' (Matthew 23: 37-39) Jerusalem in the Scriptures is symbolic of the Church in general. The word 'Jerusalem' means 'city of peace'. Paul writing to the church at Galatia makes a distinction between the two Jerusalem - the natural one and the spiritual one.

BothJerusalems are described symbolically as mothers with children. 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children; 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Galatians 4: 25-26) We see that when Jesus laments over Jerusalem, He is actually lamenting over BOTH the natural Jerusalem AND the spiritual one. From history we know that Jerusalem had a record for killing the prophets God sent to her to warn her to repent of idolatry. The irony of it all, is that the city of God had a tendency to reject God Himself when He came to them in the form of these men. This led to the ultimate of all ironies- the rejection of the man Jesus, who was in fact God in the flesh.

And all this by those zealously attempting to adhere to the principles of God but at the same time rejecting the person of Godin Jesus. 37 'And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 'But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 'You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 'But you are not willing to come to Meth at you may have life.

(John 5: 37-40) We, as born-again believers, have the seed of the word of God living and abiding in us because we were willing to 'come to Him' and 'believe in Him'. Likewise, as we learn to recognise those sent by God, we will be able to receive the word living in them which may be the very anointing we need to have the yokes and in our lives and be changed from glory to glory into the image of the Lord. Many times we struggle with not being able to overcome the carnal nature because we fail to recognise His " form' when He comes to us. Let not the Lord say about us the same that He said to the Pharisees: 'But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life'. Speaking on the heavenly Jerusalem, Paul tells the Hebrew church: 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12: 22-24) As in the natural Jerusalem, the Jerusalem from above has a history of stoning and killing those sent to her, especially those sent to warn her about her apathy and idolatry.

As in her natural counterpart, she has failed to recognise the person of Jesus coming to her through these prophets. Seeing them more as threats to her security and well-being, she has tended to embark on a mission of persecution motivated by self-preservation. A root to this has been her insecurity. Because she lacks an understanding of the love and grace of God, she will tend to resist those who posses the confidence of the Lord and have found their security in Him. Jesus was typical of this.

He was a man full of confidence in His Father. He was never motivated by the fear of man, thus never submitting to the desires of being approved by man. Being free in this way allowed Him to do only the Father's will without the pressure of yielding to public opinion. 23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.

24 But JESUS DID NOT COMMIT HIMSELF TO THEM, because He knew all men, 25 and HAD NO NEED THAT ANYONE SHOULD TESTIFY OF MAN, for He knew what was in man. (John 2: 23-25) At the end of His ministry, Jerusalem rejected Jesus to the point of crucifying Him. Even so, at the end of this age, Jerusalem will once again reject the man Jesus who will be the man-child birthed in the life of the over comers. Once again, 'Jesus' will be 'crucified' as His people will face enormous persecution even from their own. In Matthew's gospel, we find Jesus sending out the twelve disciples with the commission to proclaim the nearness of the kingdom of heaven.

These same twelve disciples were given great authority to cast out devils and anoint the sick with oil and heal them. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: 'Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6 'But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 'And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand. ' 8 'Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.

Freely you have received, freely give. (Matthew 10: 5-6) We can see from verses 5-6 that the commission today is not necessarily to go to unbelievers, but rather to the lost sheep of God's kingdom (whether they be in the 'world', sitting in the pews, or even preaching behind a pulpit). However, in bringing healing and wholeness to God's people, these disciples were to face great persecution BY THEIR OWN, even as Jesus came to His own, and was rejected by His own. In verses 16-26 we read of this persecution. When reading the following verses, you must take into consideration the spiritual symbolism. It is of paramount importance to recognise that most things Jesus states in the whole of chapter 10 that would happen to the disciples on their mission did not actually take place.

The resulting conclusion could only mean that this was not only to be fulfilled at a later time in their lives, but also that this remains a spiritual implication to all disciples throughout the ages, as well as a final testimony of what will happen to the disciples (over comers) as a whole at the end of time (Important: see verse 23)! REMEMBER TO WHOM THE DISCIPLES WERE SENT (vs. 5- 6)! 16 'Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 'But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 'You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

19 'But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 'for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21 'Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 'And you will be hated by all for Myname's sake.

But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 'When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 'A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 'It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!

26 'Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. (Matthew 10: 16-26) Who are the 'wolves' of vs. 16 and where are they found? Who are the 'men' and what are their " synagogues'? (vs. 17) Are the 'governors' and 'kings' of vs. 18 to betaken literally or symbolically? Are those mentioned in vs. 21 symbolic or literal? Who are the 'all' of vs. 22?

Who does the persecuting of vs. 23? Who called the master of the house Beelzebub? (vs. 25) Who is it that you should not fear? (vs. 26) REMEMBER TO WHOM THE DISCIPLESWERE SENT (vs. 5 - 6) and take into consideration the 'timing' of verse 23. Now read on... 34 'Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.

I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 'For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 36 'and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household. ' 37 'He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 'And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

39 'He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 10: 34-39) Between WHO has the Lord brought the sword instead of peace? (vs. 34) The answer is in verses 35 and 36. But in vs. 35, are the people mentioned symbolic or literal? Is the 'household' of vs. 36 natural or spiritual?

REMEMBER TO WHOM THE DISCIPLESWERE SENT (vs. 5 - 6) The conclusion to all this as it pertains to our main text of Matthew 23: 37-39 is found inverses 40-42.40 'He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 'He who receives a prophet in the name of prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 'And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward. ' (Matthew 10: 40-42) Please note that Jesus identifies Himself with those He sends out. It is an eternal law that -whenever one comes in the name of God carrying the authority of God, then whatever you do to that person you do unto God.

HOW you receive the one whom God has sent is exactly HOW you receive God Himself... and said to them, 'Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great. ' (Luke 9: 48) There are many ways in which to receive one another, in particular those in the kingdom of God. Jesus, in verse 41 of Matthew 10, moves from speaking about prophets to speaking about righteous men. Notice that He is expressing two levels of faith here. If, on the one hand, you recognise the one who comes to you as a prophet, then you make yourself available to the prophetic anointing this person may carry.

If, on the other hand, you recognise this SAME personas only a righteous man, not recognising the prophetic anointing he may have, you will receive the anointing he may carry as a righteous man, but at the same time you disqualify yourself from any prophetic gifting's this man may posses. Do you see it? Let me stretch your faith a little... What if you were to receive this same man as GOD HIMSELF coming to you through the life of this person? Imagine the anointing you make yourself available to?

Think about it! Going back to our text in Matthew 23: 37-39, we read that in spite of Jerusalem's persecution and rejection of the LORD (in the form of 'prophets and those sent to her'), the Lord's heart has always been to 'gather her children together, asa hen gathers her chicks under her wings'. His covenant with Israel through Abraham has always been one of provision and protection on the basis of Israel's obedience. After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. ' (Genesis 15: 1) The reference to the 'shield' is the covenant of protection, and the reference to 'exceedingly great reward' is the covenant of provision.

This covenant promise made to Abraham automatically flows on to his natural and spiritual seed. O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. Here members His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel a san everlasting covenant, Saying, 'To you I will give the land of Canaan As the allotment of your inheritance,' (Psalm 105: 6-11) In Galatians chapter 3 we read: 29. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. To both the natural and the spiritual seed the Lord's promise of protection has been Psalm 91.

Verse 4 in particular, has been one His heart's cry. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (Psalm 91: 4) However, the rejection of Jesus resulted in the Lord's prophetic warning that, 'See! Your house is left to you desolate'. The fact of the matter is that because of Jerusalem's ultimate rejection of Christ, in 70 AD the Romans under Titus destroyed the great city with approximately 1,000,000 Israelites losing their life through battle or famine. Likewise, there is a solemn warning to the Church that if she continues to reject Christ coming to her through His people, there will come a time coming when God may well say, 'See!

That time will come when the beast rises out of the sea and is given authority to make war against the saints and to overcome them (see Rev 13: 7). In Luke's gospel we have an account of how Jesus was moved with compassion over Jerusalem as He approached the city in His final week. 41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, 'If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 'For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 'and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation. ' (Luke 19: 41-44) Notice that in verse 41 He weeps as He approaches the city.

Likewise, in the last days, the Son of God will approach His people, the Church, and weep due to His overwhelming compassion for His people. His heart towards His people has always been for their well-being. His dealings ALWAYS FOR THEIR BENEFIT. This was meant to be THEIR day (verse 42), and for THEIR peace, but because of their sinfulness and idolatry, they missed THEIR day of visitation (verse 44). The resulting consequence was that their enemies would be allowed to come against them, surround them, and level their city to the ground.

This happened to the natural Jerusalem, but will also happen to the Spiritual Jerusalem at the end of the age 1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, 'Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 'But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. (Revelation 11: 1, 2) The temple referred to here is not a physical temple but rather a spiritual one. This is not to imply that there will not be a physical temple, or even that this physical temple will not be trampled on by gentiles, but rather that any physical temple exists mainly to point to a spiritual one.

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Cor 3: 16, 17) The three main areas of the temple (ie. the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place / Holy of Holies) represent the nature of every believer. Even as the Levitical Priesthood functioned throughout the three levels, so we also as believers exhibit the nature associated with those three levels.

Our is to enter into the Most Holy Place by faith thus being changed from glory to glory till we permanently dwell in God's presence thus outwardly and practically manifesting full nature of Almighty God in our lives. The spiritual 'outer court' mentioned in Revelation 11: 2 is a representation of those Christians who exhibit the outward (usually carnal) aspects of a Christian walk. They definitely need a 'treading underfoot' to push out any forms of carnality that prevent the Lord from being glorified in their lives. The fires of persecution are one such forms of " trampling'. These are effective tools used to purify many of our selfish motives and actions. These are weapons against lukewarmness, complacency, apathy, indifference, compromise, and carnality.

If we haven't dealt with these areas in our lives, then the fires of persecution are an excellent tool in the hands of God, quite often (but not always the case) making us fall to our knees crying out for forgiveness and help. This too is God's grace and mercy in our lives. The 42 months mentioned in Revelation 11: 2 is the number representing the complete trampling of the flesh for the purpose of purification (ie. 7 x 6... 7 being the number completeness... 6 being the number of man / flesh ).

Subsequently, we find the same number two chapters later. Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name... And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months... It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.

And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation... (Revelation 13: 1, 5, 7) As in the Jerusalem of Jesus' time, the Church has also at times 'missed her day of visitation' by not recognising those sent to her. Here in the last days, the 'beast out of the sea' will be used to purify the people of God, even as the 'great fish' was used to swallow Jonah only to produce one of the greatest preaching anointing's this world has ever seen. The same will occur in the last days with the result being a church having repented from her Laodicean state and receiving an anointing to preach the gospel with signs following to a sinful world. In effect, the last days church will be 'spewed' out back into God " swill and His presence, which is the only place that she will be able to find the grace she needs for the hard times she is about to face. There is a voice going out today.

There is a call going forth to God's people! There are ones " crying in the wilderness'. Do we have an ear to hear? Do we even recognise the ones sent to us? We don't have to be disciplined by the beast. How can we expect to obey God if we don't recognise His voice?

If we submit ourselves unto God and come and come under His mighty hand, allowing His dealings to purify us NOW, we will find His grace which we so desperately need in times of trouble. 14 'Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. (Psalm 91: 14, 15) Even the two witnesses of Revelation 11: 1-13 could well say the same as Jesus... ' Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! ...

(Matthew 23: 37)... because... ' If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! ' (Luke 19: 42). They themselves (whether they be two individuals or symbolically two ministries) will be rejected by their own and even killed. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, WHERE ALSO OUR LORD WAS CRUCIFIED. (Revelation 11: 8) Our Lord was crucified in Jerusalem (symbolically meaning the Church).

In the 13th verse we find another reference which points to this being the Church. In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquakes even thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and GAVE GLORY TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN. (Revelation 11: 13) This the fate of many who are the voice of God to this generation.

Yes, it did occur to the Old Testament prophets. Yes, it did occur to Jesus Himself. And, Yes, it will occur to the last days ministry that will bear the voice of the Lord. But the problem is, it is occurring RIGHT NOW! We have almost all be guilty of this at one time or another. For some, who once rejected the ones God sent, are now themselves being rejected.

The question remains, what are we as individuals going to do about it? We so desperately need each others anointing's to set us free and build up the body... to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4: 13) At times, we have the tendency to receive a stranger's voice and reject the voice of the Great Shepherd Himself. This problem expresses itself on two levels. Firstly, there are those rejecting God's voice coming to them. Secondly, there are those suffering from persecution by their own because of un dealt levels of rejection. Rejection is on of Satan's primary entry points into a believer's life.

Every Old Testament prophet had to overcome rejection, as he faced often hostile 'brothers'. The LORD Himself sent prophets to face the people knowing full well that they would reject the words of the prophet. 3 And He said to me: 'Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. 4 'For they are impudent and stubborn children.

I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD. ' 5 'As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse; for they are a rebellious house; yet they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 'And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briars and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though the yare a rebellious house. 7 'You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.

(Ezekiel 2: 3-7) The LORD sees that any rejection of a prophet has ALWAYS meant the rejection of God Himself! We see this in the story of the people of Israel asking for a king from Samuel. 8: 1 Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abi jah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, 'Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. ' 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, 'Give us a king to judge us. ' So Samuel prayed to the LORD.

7 And the LORD said to Samuel, 'Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. (1 Samuel 8: 1-7) Samuel had to overcome rejection. These people, (his OWN people), had rejected his sons thus rejecting him. Samuel, however, not being moved by the will of the people, went and prayed to the LORD (verse 6) who told him that the people had not rejected him but the LORD Himself. Samuel was quite free from the need of man's acceptance, therefore, was able to makethe hard decisions in the face of opposition.

Un dealt with rejection will do the opposite. I twill cause one to water down God's truth for fear of persecution. King Saul was a classic example of this (see 1 Samuel 15: 24). In Samuel's case, the LORD knew that the people were rejecting Him, but the people themselves thought they were rejecting Samuel. Why? They failed to recognise God's voice when He came to them.

Their eyes were on man. Their eyes were on Samuel. They had to have been - they were asking for a king in place of God! The people saw this as the 'the voice of Samuel' as opposed to the voice of the LORD.

Nevertheless the people refused to obey the VOICE OF SAMUEL; and they said, 'No, but we will have a king over us (1 Samuel 8: 19) It is interesting to note that just one chapter earlier, Samuel was respected as the voice of the LORD, judging all of Israel, and even leading them into battle! What happened? One moment he is God's representative, the next moment rejection. We so often do this in our lives.

The clue is we MUST SEE BEYOND a man of God speaking and see the LORD Himself coming tous! Perhaps we wouldn't be so quick to act in disobedience if we recognised God Himself coming to us rather than just His representative. At times what we really need is a healthy fear of the Lord! Recognising God's voice will take discernment on our part. Discernment cannot be conjured up.

It is a fruit of spending time in the Lord's presence, and a product of a life of faith and obedience to the truths already revealed to us. Obedience to what we already know allows greater revelation and light to come upon us. If, on the other hand, we reject 'known light' (ie. God's truth that we are consciously aware of), then we enter darkness and we harden our hearts depending on the level of light rejected. The greater the truth we consciously refuse to walk in, the greater the hardening of our hearts, which causes greater blindness.

In such a state, we place ourselves in a position of not being able to see any further light (once again depending on the level of truth rejected). In this condition, how are we to recognise those sent to us? At times, we come to the point in our lives where things are confusing and we recognise that we have hardened our hearts. This is the time to humble ourselves, go back to the Lord, and ask Him to reveal which areas we have been overlooking - I mean those often small, seemingly insignificant areas we have disobeyed God in.

With a humble attitude like this, praise God, it doesn't take too long before the Lord begins to show you the areas of your heart to change. Consequently, if we keep this attitude, we become subject to greater revelations by the Lord... for 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. ' (1 Peter 5: 5) Wisdom is another by-product of this type of heart attitude. Discernment of thoughts and intent of the heart becomes evident in our lives. Now we are not only able to recognise God's voice to us, which we so desperately need, but also become available mechanisms TO BE the voice of God to this world. With our face to the ground and our hearts towards Him, the Lord is able to entrust us with the eternal riches of His kingdom, without the concern that we will abuse them.

As the Old Testament prophets faced rejection, we too must be the voice of God without the rejection created by the fear of man. We are to fear the Lord not man! The one whom we fear we will submit to. Once we recognise levels of rejection and fear of man we are well on our way to overcoming them.

All is not lost. Jesus paid the price for us to overcome this enemy of ours. The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe. (Prov 29: 25) We must understand that no matter how many people reject us we have never been rejected by God Himself. On the other hand, Jesus was... rejected by His natural family (John 7: 1-5)... rejected by His home town (Mark 6: 1-5)... rejected by a Samaritan village (Luke 9: 51-53)... rejected by the people He performed miracles for (Matthew 11: 20-24)... rejected by the religious leaders of His time (John 11: 45-53)... rejected by the civil authorities (Matthew 27: 27-31)... rejected by the people of Jerusalem after performing miracles for them (Mark 15: 29, 30)... rejected by the thief on the cross with Him (Mark 15: 32)... rejected by His own disciples (Matthew 26: 15, 34, 56). And finally, the worst of all - suspended in the air on the cross... rejected by earth... rejected by heaven... rejected by God the Father Himself (Matthew 27: 46).

This was the worst of all pains. The pain of the cross was not in the nails, the whipping, the beatings, the humiliation of hanging naked on the cross, the reviling's, the false accusations, the crown of thorns, the sarcastic taunting's. NO! The pain of the cross was in the fact that the Father Himself would turn away from His own Son after the Son whole-hearted ly, completely, FULLY, submitted to EVERY will of the Father in EVERY area of ALL His life.

Jesus did not deserve this - WE DID and DO! This is what really killed the Son of God. Why the rejection by the Father? Why not just the beatings and the physical death?

The Scriptures say... You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness... (Hab 1: 13). God the Father had to turn away in rejection of His Son, and in so doing, made us able to be partakers of His acceptance when He rose Jesus from the dead.

Because of Jesus, you and I never have to live with the fear of God ever turning His face away from us... For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you. ' (Hebrews 13: 5) Now if we recognise the fear of man or rejection in our lives, we have an avenue to identify ourselves with Jesus' rejection, death, burial, AND RESURRECTION. We are in Him, are we not? Are we not risen together with him? Are we not seated together in heavenly places at the right hand of the Father?

Are we not accepted in Him? Has He not given us of His nature in the Holy Spirit? 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh; who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands; 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

(Ephesians 2: 4-18) Now let's identify with Him (Jesus) and exhibit His nature which is in us, and love all those whom God sends our way, regardless of how they treat us. Let's love sacrificially, even as the Son of God loved to the point of death. Let's get our eyes off ourselves and onto the Lord, recognising that 'I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2: 20) Now we know that when people reject us, they really reject the Lord. Likewise, when we reject others, we also reject the Lord Himself! CONCLUSION There is a time coming when the Lord Jesus Christ will come back to His Jerusalem and, as in the first time, not everyone will recognise Him because of the religious and traditional attitudes of the hearts of most of His people.

He will once again be persecuted because this time He will come in the form of His servants. It is His heart's cry to look after His people, but first His people must learn to recognise those that come to them in the name of the Lord. Jesus concludes by saying, 'for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' ' The warning is obvious - WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RECOGNISE THE LORD IF WE DONT RECOGNISE HIM IN HIS PEOPLE. BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART: FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD. (Matthew 5: 8).