The Daily Word of Righteousness

Attaining the Inheritance, #11

For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. (Hebrews 4:3)

We understand, therefore, that there is a great plan, a great kingdom in the vision of the Father. The Kingdom was completed in God's vision before the heavens and earth were created. Piece by piece the parts of the puzzle are being put together by the Father's wisdom and knowledge.

As we have said, we do not know of the state of Christ prior to His birth in Bethlehem of Judea. But we do know that His Spirit spoke through the Hebrew Prophets.

But to whom was the Spirit of Christ speaking when the revelation was coming forth through David and the other prophets of the Lord? The Spirit of Christ was speaking primarily to Christ, who was to be born as a man.

In the purest sense, the promises made by the Hebrew Prophets are to one Person—Christ. He is the one Seed of Abraham to whom the promises of God have been made. Christ is the Servant of the Lord, the Israel of God, the cultivated Olive Tree.

The promises of the Prophets apply to other persons only as they become part of Christ, part of the one Seed of Abraham.

All has been given to Christ.

The greatest point of change in the history of the world occurred when the living Word of God became flesh, became a Man, became the Son of Man, being born of a woman. Here is the first man as God intends man to be.

In order to be true man an individual must be born twice. He must be born of woman, and then he must be born again of God. No person is man, in the Kingdom sense, until he has been born twice. The human being who has not been born of God, in whom the Life of Christ is not dwelling, is not a true child of God. He is flesh. He is dust. He is dead to the purposes of God. He has the form of God but there is no Kingdom life in him.

As Jesus of Nazareth came to maturity His role in the Kingdom was revealed to Him through the Scriptures and through the personal revelation of the Father to Him. The Lord learned from the Scriptures who He is and what His mission and role on earth were to be.

Christ had to walk by faith in God, as all the other sons of God are required to do. Jesus was tested as we are. Satan attempted to plant doubt in Christ's mind that He is the Son of God. Jesus had to overcome the adversary by faith in the Father's Word just as each of us has to overcome the adversary by faith in the Father's Word.

The Captain of our salvation had to be made perfect through suffering (Hebrews 2:10).

Jesus had the written Word. He also had the personal revelation of God to Him concerning God's will for His life. We too, who are called to be sons of God, have the written Word, and God speaks to us along the way. Jesus had to overcome the world by faith in God's Character and we must overcome the world by faith in God's Character.

The Father held out a marvelous inheritance to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Lord Jesus had to overcome all enemies and gain His inheritance. He had a work to do and He finished it.

To be continued.