In the Spirit world, what is happening to the Body of Christ is a guiding work of God toward a high mountain apart, just as Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration. We are being lifted up in the Spirit, taken up to a height mountain the Bible likens to Zion, and we are told of a way out of this world system. We are being taught about our "decease" — when the Adamic man was killed on the Cross.Just because you are Spirit-filled does not mean you are grown up. It means you have just begun your journey to being mature.
Into what are we going to grow up? Eph. 4 teaches we grow up into the fullness to the measure of the stature of Christ. That's the Church’s objective. To grow up.
"The measure (of the stature of the fullness of Christ)," — the standard of spiritual stature being the fullness which is essentially Christ's
AGE is translated from the Greek "aion," "an age, era" (to be connected with aei, "ever," rather than with ao, "to breathe"), signifies a period of indefinite duration, or time viewed in relation to what takes place in the period.
Stature- The force attaching to the word is not so much that of the actual length of a period, but that of a period marked by spiritual or moral characteristics. That is our objective, to grow up, to express Christ in all of His fullness. That's where we're headed.
1 Corinthians 10: 1Now all these things happened to them (the children of Israel) as examples (types), and they were written for our (you and I) admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.This verse gives us the key and gives us the right to teach and preach the Book of Exodus as a present day application. Can we literally, legally, and spiritually take what we read in the Book of Exodus and apply it to us today? Yes we can! What this is saying is, if we will go back and study what happened to the children of Israel as they were delivered out of Egypt and went to the Canaan land experience we will see what Father intends to do with a people who are alive at the end of an age.Do you hear that? Do you understand that we are at the end of an age? John the Baptist preached about a coming Man who would bring in another age. That age was the Church age. You and are living in that. The age of the law was being removed. The sacrifices, and the ordinances pointed to Christ. And He came to fulfill the law. When the law came to a conclusion, there was a perfect picture of the completion of it. It was fulfilled in a Man.
The Church age we are living in also has a conclusion. It also has a purpose. And from the moment that Jesus sat down on the right hand of the Father, and sent His Spirit into a people and made them the Body of Christ, there has been a purpose for the Church age. Acts 15 tells us that purpose. This was the beginning of the inclusion of the Gentiles to the Jews and they became one body.
In Acts 15:13, the heads of the Church had gathered in Jerusalem...
And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me:
14 "Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.Notice, "to take out a people for His name." What is the purpose of the Church age? To take out a people for His name or nature. Can you say amen to that?He goes on to says,
15-17 "And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 'After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,"RESIDUE"
kataloipos --- an adjective denoting "left remaining" (kata, "after, behind," leipo, "to leave"), akin to the verb in the Note above, is translated "residue" in Acts 15:17, from the Sept. of Amos 9:12.¶Note: In Mark 16:13, kjv, the plural of loipos, "left," is translated "residue" (rv, "rest").
This teaches us that at the end of this age, the Church age, there will be a people who have been built up by the Spirit as the Tabernacle of David. They will be like Davids Tabernacle. This tabernacle was a little tent on top of Mount Zion in which was the manifest presence of God. Yes, God is in this building, but is He in the fullness of His presence? No. He will be, and He is getting to that. He is manifesting.
Jesus said, "If you will obey my Word, my Father and I will come and manifest ourselves to you."
What does it mean to manifest? It means something can be seen, felt, and tapped into. There is a manifest presence of Father that will be much greater than the Spiritual presence now sensed, and it is coming to the Church.
The tent was placed on Mount Zion, but David brought the Ark of the Covenant, which typifies the presence the Lord, back and placed it in that Tent. We are Father's tent, and our King heavenly David is bringing His presence back into the Church! And that's what the Church age is about. At the end of the Church age, just like the book of Exodus, will be a tabernacle with God's presence in it.
The end of the Church age will present a people built up to become the house of the Lord with the manifest presence of Father in that building. This is not a physical building, but a building made up of people. That's where we're headed. It is sad that for the most part we have not at all known what Father is doing in the world. We are learning now, praise God!
People have been caught up in gathering together and saying, "Bless me, do this to me, lay hands on me," and on and on. And Father is not just wanting to give us things. He is wanting to build something out of us. He is making us to be something, Father's major thing that He is doing to you is not what He is giving to you, but what He is making you to become.
How did Father take Israel out of Egypt?
Hosea 12:13 By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet he was preserved.It is through the means of a prophetic voice that Father brings a people to a place of understanding of what's going on. It's through a prophetic voice.We're dealing with a prophetic picture of what's going on through various books of the Bible. That is why we don't just preach on topics, but we teach the Word of God. The Bible you hold in your hand is full of types, pictures, and nuggets that we must dig out and understand.
Turn to Exodus 15.
I want to read the Song of Moses in Exodus 15. Every time you have the first mention of anything in the Bible there are important principles to be found in it. The first word in Exodus 15 is what we pointed out last week --- THEN. They didn't have anything to sing about until they saw something. What did they see that the Church needs to see? The three days and three nights. His and your death, burial and resurrection. He became you and me, and died the death of all men. That's the work that we need to see. That is what will make you grow and sing. See it! See the mighty work that defeated the enemy and brings you out of the world. We must see the redemptive work of Christ as it really happened.
The blessing that we have is a revelation that we are receiving about the finished application of the Cross of Christ. The Cross is a present day work. It works in your life today.
Paul said, "That I may know Him, in the power of His resurrection." How many of you would love to know Him in the power of His resurrection? Paul told us how. By being made comformable to His death. You cannot not have a resurrection without a death. If you have His death, you cannot help but have His resurrection. That's the key.
1Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying:Is the Lord your strength today? The Cross, the finished work of Christ is something that is applicable to your everyday affairs. It is not something that just got you saved. It is something that keeps you strong. The Lord is my strength and song. You don't even have a song until He becomes your strength.
"I will sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!
2 The Lord is my strength and song,Psalms 137 while the children of Israel were in Babylon, they began to speak to the people of God and they said, sing us a song and they said, we can't sing a song of victory while were in a strange land.
Hear this. There is a joy that's coming that's deep inside. There is a song deep inside of us that has never been sung. Its a chorus which has never rung, but it will! There is a melody inside the Church that is way down deep that has never made it's way out yet. Can you feel it in you? Can you feel it coming up? There is something true of us that we don't know yet. But when it becomes understandable --- when we find out what Jesus has really done to us and in us and through us -- we will sing a song of victory. You won't have to teach somebody to do it.
Rev. 15 speaks of those who have the victory over the beast and over the mark of the beast and over the number of his name. They sang the song of Moses and of the Lamb. The song of Moses in the book of Revelation is the song of the Lamb. Do you not see that this song has prophetic implication? It's a Spiritual song. When that song rises up in us and we sing the song of the redeemed, it is going to be a holy moment.
Rev. 15 speaks of at time when the Church of Jesus Christ has gotten the victory over the world, and sing a song in unison. What will they sing? We will sing, "I will sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation."
It didn't say, "He saved me." It says
"He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him;In verse 13 of chapter 14, the people were scared as they saw Pharaoh coming down on them. And Moses said, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." Then in the next verse, he said, "The Lord is my salvation."
My father's God, My Father's God! and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name."Can you put those together and see truth? He said, "You better stand still and see the Lord." Do you understand this?
These people were not praising God for what they had received. They were praising for what He had done.
It wasn't, "I'm blessed, I'm healed, I'm prosperous." It was "Oh, we saw the finished work!"
Turn with me to 15 again,
4Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.The enemy's covered, and the worst thing in the world that you can do is to uncover him.
5 The depths have covered them; They sank to the bottom like a stone.6 "Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces.Jesus is seated today at the Fathers right hand, but Rev. 3:21, says we can share that throne with Him.7 And in the greatness of Your excellenceSay, "stubble." To understand what we mean by stubble, turn to Joel chapter 2. Joel saw a people like no other people who ever lived. We're not going back to a past move of the Spirit, or a past revival. We are entering into something that never has been before!
You have overthrown those who rose against You;
You sent forth Your wrath;
It consumed them like stubble.Speaking of the people Joel saw, we read...
5 With a noise like chariotsWhat do we mean by "stubble". What is that stubble that Joel's army consumes? Look over a couple of books to Obadiah.
Over mountain tops they leap,
Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble,
Like a strong people set in battle array.17 "But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance,Esau was one of the twins, Jacob and Esau. Esau was really the firstborn, but he sold his birthright for a bowl of pottage. Esau speaks of the flesh. Here is a people, who will, with the fire of God's Word, deal with the flesh. Get all the flesh out of your life. Are you desirous of that?
And there shall be holiness;
The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau shall be stubble;