Studies

The Cost of Following Christ

Peter
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Bearing Our Cross as Christ’s Disciples

Peter and Rohnel, servants of God to the scattered saints and pilgrims, elected of God, now being sanctified by the Gospel through faith, grace, and peace in the name of our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.

A disciple follows, and as chosen disciples of Jesus Christ, we are following the Lord. To say we are following the Lord means we are striving to obey all His commandments, because Christ is the Word. The costs required are very high, in terms of the loss to our flesh and carnal way of life. Understanding and being often reminded of these costs helps us prepare for the journey and be ready for the promised trials that test our discipleship.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 

1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 

The Lord tells us about the costs we bear. To follow the Lord and stay the course requires us to willingly embrace the suffering, affliction, and persecution that come with standing on the Commandments.

Luk 14:26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 

Luk 14:27  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 

We hate nobody in our hearts; we love all men by doing the Commandments.  One way to understand it is to think of hating them as loving them less than Christ. We always put the Lord, the Commandments, first in everything we do and bear the consequences and reactions from a carnal world, including families that have been made deaf and spiritually blind by the hand of the Lord.

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

We love our families and all men, and we do this by obeying the Lord. We hate the spiritual clothing of those who walk in the flesh, symbolizing their carnal works and bondage to spiritual death. Disciples take great care to remain separate and not run in the same excesses of riot and dissipation as the world. We save some from the fires of Gehenna, better known as hell, the inner torment of the carnal mind. We save them by obeying God, which is loving them in obedience, including teaching them the Gospel.

Jud 1:21  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 

Jud 1:22  And of some have compassion, making a difference: 

Jud 1:23  And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. 

Christ’s disciples carry their cross all the way to death, believing that new life only comes from the death of the old. Our flesh does not profit.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

As we follow Christ, walking with Him, we strive to obey the commandments, which is the Gospel being preached to us. Hearing the Gospel is the baptism by water that precedes our baptism of fire when the Promise comes in the appointed hour. Being washed by the commandments takes time and occurs when one stands for Christ and willingly bears others’ reproach, rejection, and persecution. True disciples are given strength to embrace these losses and endure the suffering to be counted worthy of His Name. It is a long journey, the remainder of our physical lives that we who believe in Him pursue at a significant cost.

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 

Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

Christ is to have the preeminence above all things, meaning that doing the commandments and loving God becomes our life’s purpose. Obeying God is loving the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul. By keeping the commandments, we, by definition, love our neighbors and our families in Spirit. We as Christ have no respect of persons, treating and reacting to all men in the Spirit of Christ, the commandments. We no longer know any man after the flesh but only through the prism of the Gospel.

2Co 5:16  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

Obeying Christ and loving Him is not just our top priority; it becomes our only priority. We are sent in the same manner that the Father sent Christ.

Joh 8:28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 

Joh 8:29  And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. 

In the world, we are promised many tribulations as the flesh hates Christ. Our peace is the inward peace of Christ when we rest in the commandments and cease from our carnal works and thoughts. Obeying the commandments in the carnal world brings tribulation upon us. We gladly bear the reproach and rejection.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. 

Obeying the commandments costs us everything in the end. All is given up in obedience, and nothing is held back. We do not overcome the inward enemy, our sins, by making peace with them; they are destroyed at a great cost. As the Lord’s people, we are given the faith to lose everything we have, trusting in God’s power to finish the work in us and deliver us from all our enemies. Christ does not bring shame to His Name, and failure is not an option for those elected of God. All is to be forsaken.

Luk 14:28  For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 

Luk 14:29  Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 

Luk 14:30  Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 

Luk 14:31  Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 

Luk 14:32  Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 

Luk 14:33  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. 

The Word of God living in us shall not fail. The Word finishes the work and prospers to whomever the Father sends it. The further we walk with the Lord in His Faith, the seed of Christ grows like the mustard tree. We grow in Christ and obtain great confidence to continue the journey, making war against our sins, even as the costs to our flesh continue to mount.

Heb 10:32  But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; 

Heb 10:33  Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. 

Heb 10:34  For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. 

What are the costs of discipleship? When we begin our walk of faith, we have a limited view of the costs. We need to grow up in the knowledge and grace of God and mature into sons of God.  It is easy to follow the other Jesus of orthodoxy, except in some countries that are aggressively anti-Christ, as there is little cost to be borne. Many become renowned and reap profit to the flesh, being well spoken of by many, and suffering is not in view. We all begin the walk seeking gains for our flesh, be it the esteem of man, acceptance, money, and other things that stoke the pride of life.

Mat 23:5  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 

Luk 6:26  Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you!

Our teacher, the Living Christ, comes, and then the true costs begin to be revealed when we receive the Gospel and ultimately the indwelling Spirit of Christ and the Father. We learn of these costs as we carry and ultimately die on our cross. Wisdom is found through the death of our flesh.

Job 28:12  But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? 

Job 28:13  Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. 

The flesh gets no reward as we now belong to God, and our sacrificed lives become our reasonable service. There is no reward except that which we have received, that is, the pearl of great price.

Isa 45:13  I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts. 

Luk 17:10  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. 

Those marked to endure to the end keep the covenant and are counted faithful. Some who hear the Gospel and begin walking are unwilling to pay the full price to follow the Lord. When we hold back and lie to the Spirit, we are cut off from the living, as the Acts 5 parable of Ananias shows. All is to be given up as the Lord is jealous for us, demanding all of our hearts.

All things are being made new when we follow Christ, who is now leading us into all righteousness and judgment. We are being separated as a holy people unto the Lord, and all things we think, do, and say, even our interests, are being taken away and changed. To be made anew, we give up relations with family, friends we know and esteem in the clay. We forsake all things needed to follow the Lord. We do not allow anything to impede our walk in following Christ. Many fiery trials come to set us apart and disconnect us, and no longer engage in the affairs of the world.

1Pe 4:3  For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 

1Pe 4:4  Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 

When Christ comes into our lives, division is the result. We are letting go of what the Lord is cutting off. The church Christ builds is separated, called out, and set apart from those who remain worldly and without the Gospel.

Luk 12:51  Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: 

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 

To those being saved by the Commandments, Christ is precious, but to those who do not believe or obey the Gospel, Christ is a rock of offense and a stumbling stone which separates and brings reproach.

Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 

Giving up the keeping of days, times, months, and years that all the world partakes in is a significant early step of our obedience. Yet the costs are much higher as we learn. The Lord demands our whole heart and mind, not just a portion. We have been redeemed, we now belong to Christ, and anything that is not of faith is required to be taken. Worldly interests, sports, hobbies, political discourse, carnal relationships, and anything that keeps us engaged in the world, pursuing its idols and interests, are removed in time.

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

The Lord raises His elect up for the purpose of putting them into the ministry and sending them forth to preach the Gospel and do the greater works. There is little time, and we cannot serve two masters. The Lord brings trials and earthquakes into our lives to remove whatever is not of faith.

Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

Heb 12:27  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

As we follow Christ, those outside the faith no longer know us. We are not the same person; we have been transfigured, remade into a new vessel, with a new mindset and identity, having been transformed into sons of God. Rejoice and be thankful for the privilege and honor of being chosen to pay these costs now. We are the beloved sons of God, being remade.

1Jn 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 

The Lord does not demand the full price until we are made ready and able to pay it, as we are clay in His hands. There is a process of growing in the faith and grace of God that matures us in Christ on His timeline. The Lord gives us the macro picture of expecting great tribulation but leaves out the details, which are unique to each person. Losing our old life and stepping into a new one is the hardest thing we are asked to endure. We endure many deceptions, false christs, but the elect are brought through all hardships, and He shortens the days for our sakes.

Mat 24:21  For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 

Mat 24:22  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. 

Mat 24:24  For false christs and false prophets [Christ without the Gospel of Commandments] will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 

Mat 24:25  See, I have told you beforehand. 

The Living Word of God is only revealed to us and in us as we can bear it according to our measure of faith and maturity. Once the Spirit of Truth comes, then our understanding of the totality of the costs required becomes clearer, and we are led further into the Kingdom as we are made able.

Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 

When we seek the Lord, He is faithful to reveal to us what we need to know before the trials and hardships come. If we lack wisdom, seek Him and ask.

Isa 42:9  Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

One of the hardest costs to understand and pay is separating from brethren we have walked with for a long time. This separation comes at the time of the harvest, that is, the “last days” after the Gospel has been preached and received. It is then that the separation of the wheat from the tares and/or the sheep from the goats is being done. The Lord winnows the flock, so only those ordained to be faithful to the end remain.

1Co 11:19  For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

As painful as paying these costs may be, they are the way to eternal life and coming to know Christ and the Father in Spirit and in Truth.

Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 

There is no turning back for those chosen for salvation in this age. Remember Lot’s wife, who ceased following the angels of the Lord as she turned to look at Sodom. No man who begins working for the Lord and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God. When Christ brings great tribulation upon us after we see our man of sin, we are commanded not to look or go back or bring any abominable thing with us on the journey.

Mat 24:17  Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 

Mat 24:18  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 

Isa 35:8  And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it

Separating from the unclean includes separating from those outside of the faith who bring us into bondage of their carnal reasonings.  We are to remain separated and not be defiled and let anyone man steal our peace.  Coming out of Babylon is separating ourselves within and without, from the unclean and the fornication, covetousness, and idolatry that is the world

Being Made Willing:

The Lord makes us willing to pay the costs, and that comes by the gift of His faith in God the Father. Only a chosen remnant escapes and is given the faith and zeal to continue to follow the Lord’s commandments and lose their old life. Eating Christ’s body and drinking His blood is about losing your flesh and carnal way of life to gain it by the resurrection of Jesus Christ within you.

Joh 6:53  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 

The Gospel of commandments brings judgment and correction, and remakes us into sons of God, and is the true bread from heaven called the Bread of Life. We eat this bread every day in seeking the Kingdom of God within us to grow unto maturity. Christ is the bread of life that works righteousness and changes hearts and minds. Eating Christ’s bread is how we live, and eternal life is made manifest.

Joh 6:56  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 

Joh 6:58  This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. 

Those who fall away, all by the design of God, are not made willing to pay the costs in this age.  No man embraces Christ, the Commandments, except it is given of God the Father. Many disciples leave the narrow way and cease following the Lord, but disciples indeed continue in His Word.

Joh 6:65  And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 

Joh 6:66  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 

Joh 6:67  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 

Joh 6:68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 

The Lord puts a zeal for His house and His Spirit in us, making us willing to pay the cost, sell all we own, and follow after Him. Pay the cost, buy the Truth that is the living Christ dwelling in you. It comes with wisdom, instruction, and understanding unto righteousness.

Pro 23:23  Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. 

The Lord spoke two short parables about those who, by the mercy of God, find Him and receive the Gospel and sell everything to buy it.

Mat 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 

Mat 13:45  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 

Mat 13:46  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 

Few are given the faith to make the sale and sell/forsake all for Christ. The parable of the Rich Young Ruler shows the refusal of the carnal mind to pay the full price to follow the Lord by treasuring one’s possessions, our knowledge over the Living Commandments. To be made perfect, all is let go, or else we cannot follow Christ and be His disciple.

Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 

Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 

Mat 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

All things are possible if the Lord chooses, and even a rich man can enter into the Kingdom, being made willing to forsake all and pay the costs.

Mat 19:25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 

Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. 

Without paying the full price and giving up our lives, we are not saved from our sins. Without shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. We are saved when we suffer in the flesh and strive against sin and pay these high costs to obey the Lord.

Heb 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 

The resulting chastening and scourging of our heavenly Father is not joyous in the moment, but it works the peaceable fruit of righteousness in our lives. We are made partakers of His holiness by following the Lord’s example, bearing the chastening of God.

New Life in Spirit Comes by Death on the Cross

It pleases our heavenly Father to bruise us and make our lives an offering for sin. We fill up in the afflictions in our bodies and lives for the sake of the entire church of Jesus Christ. We follow Christ to our death as His Christ.

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 

Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 

Isa 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death:  

We are asked to let go of everything by turning our lives over to Christ to enter into the kingdom. Giving up the ghost [spirit] is the ultimate price we pay, and we stay on the cross until everything is accomplished. As He is, so are we, His Christ, in the world. We submit our spirit unto the Lord, trusting Him in all things, enduring all things in faith.

Luk 23:46  And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. 

Joh 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. 

Walking in the Spirit is walking in the Commandments and is how we follow Christ. Those doing it are on the cross, and their flesh and all its lusts are being crucified.

Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

The only way we find eternal life is by the resurrection from the dead. To get there, we go to the cross, suffer, and die, just as our Lord set the example.

Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 

Rom 6:7  For he that is dead is freed from sin. 

Rom 6:8  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 

To be freed from sin, we reckon ourselves dead to the flesh. An astronomical price we pay by the mercy and grace of the Lord.  We trust in the Lord, we keep the faith of what we do not yet see.

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 

Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 

The salvation journey ends when we depart these clay vessels. That is the end of our race. We walk the walk and fight the fight of faith all the way to the end. Our lives belong to Christ, and we follow Him to the end, never ceasing to carry our cross and willingly lose our carnal life in obedience.

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 

Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 

Pray for the zeal and strength to stand in the face of the fiery trials that lie ahead on the journey to the mountain of Christ. The Spirit is willing, but our flesh remains weak even with a deposit of the Spirit. Paul followed the Lord to the end, serving as an example for us all.

2Ti 4:7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 

2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 

To the carnally minded, these Truths are foolishness. What an honor and a blessing to be counted worthy to suffer for His Name and pay this price, giving all of ourselves to the Lord.

1Co 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Commandments

Go and Learn What This Means

Peter
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 Mercy and Not Sacrifice

The Lord desires mercy and not sacrifice, and tells us as Pharisees, who focus on our outward works of righteousness, to go and learn what this means.

Mat 9:11  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

Mat 9:12  But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

Mat 9:13  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance

The righteous in God’s eyes are those who are doing righteousness, which means obeying the Father’s Commandments.  Seeing and obeying the Commandments is the desire of the Lord, as they work the work of salvation for which the Father sent Christ to perform.  Mercy opens our eyes to see the Commandments, the Gospel, which then shines a light upon our earth and our walk.  The Lord’s mercy is also called the goodness of God that leads us to take the first step and repent of our sins, which begins the process of being delivered from those sins.  By mercy, we come to see our need for Christ to save us from our sinful nature.  We praise the Lord for His wonderful works, which show us mercy and lead us away from sin into righteousness.

Tit 3:5  not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 

Psa 107:7  And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. 

Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness [Mercy], and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 

The Commandments wake us up by shining a bright light into our earth, brightening all the dark places.  This is how we are raised from a state of spiritual death and, in time, bring forth the obedience that is salvation and the glory of the Lord.  Christ is come, the day star has arisen.

Isa 60:1  Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 

The Lord’s will for His people is our sanctification, which begins with open eyes to the true knowledge of God, the Commandments.  Our outward sacrifices mean nothing to the Lord and are vanity that occupy us until the Gospel is heard, and faith is given.  With open eyes and ears to the Commandments, we are drawn to the Lord by the Gospel in Spirit and in Truth.  Our sacrifices to the Lord now come from our heart and a desire to please our maker and love God by obeying Him.

Hos 6:6  For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. 

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 

Knowledge of the Commandments [mercy] is far more important than our outward forms of righteousness, which are the sacrifices of carnal men to justify themselves before the Lord.  The first great Commandment teaches us that the Lord wants obedience from our whole heart.  The Lord despises us when we honor Him in the letter, meaning with our lips and in outward forms, but remain disobedient to the Commandments.

Through mercy, when we see and hear the Commandments, then judgment has come to our earth, that is, the Temple of the Living God.  The fire of the Commandments, the Word of God,  the Living Christ, is now kindled in our hearts and minds.

Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? 

Christ commands us to go and learn what having mercy, and not sacrifice, means.  Only those chosen for salvation hear the Commandment and are being taught of the Lord and learning the new song.  The grace of God, the Living Commandments, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, guides us into all Truth and teaches us about mercy and the only sacrifice that pleases the Lord.

Joh 6:45  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. 

Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 

Joh 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 

The Lord despises the sacrifices of carnal men who claim His name but are far from Him, meaning the Commandments.  Spiritual Jerusalem, which is Sodom and Egypt, also known as Spiritual Babylon, is where we hear the everlasting Gospel of the Lord and the call to come out and be the set-apart peculiar and holy people of God.  The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees is not enough to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  To whom much is given, hearing the Gospel, a much higher attainment of righteousness is required.

Isa 1:10  Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. 

Isa 1:11  To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 

Isa 1:13  Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 

The only sacrifice the Lord desires and demands is a life submitted to His Commandments.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

When David sinned, he confessed his sin, acknowledging that the only sacrifice the Lord desires is a life laid down to Him in service.  It is a broken spirit, a contrite heart, where we lose the old life, submit ourselves to the Commandments, who is Christ,  and thereby arise to newness of life.

Psa 51:16  For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 

Psa 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 

Pharisees back then and today observe Christ and His disciples doing what is forbidden under their law for the carnally minded. This is a parable, speaking to always doing the Father’s work and ceasing from our carnal reasonings. Pharisees do not recognize Christ nor understand the Commandments, which place the showing of mercy, the [opening eyes to the Commandments], far above the outward sacrifices that are for the pride of man and the esteem of men.  We do not condemn those whom the Lord has blinded.  We show all men mercy by doing and speaking the Commandments in everything.  At the appointed time, the Lord opens eyes and ears who receive our witness.    The coming of Jesus Christ, the Living God of the universe, is the end of the law of Moses/Gentiles to all given to believe.

Mat 12:5  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 

Mat 12:6  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 

Mat 12:7  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 

Mat 12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

The Lord looks to the heart to see who loves Him with all their heart, mind, and soul.  Most who claim the name Christ do many great works, but do not bring the offerings or sacrifice the Lord desires. They are cast out and the door shut in this age, being saved and coming to Christ in the age to come.

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

In Matthew 9, Christ speaks words previously spoken in a pivotal Old Testament story about the fall of King Saul and his rejection and being cut off by the Lord.  Saul was commanded by the Lord through the Prophet Samuel to utterly slay all the Amalekites and all their possessions, leaving nothing.  There was no room for ambiguity in the Commandments.  We obey all the Lord’s Commandments and do not add to them nor take away from them.  We just do them. The natural man in all of us is led by their carnal mind, the father of lies, and cannot help but corrupt the Lord’s Commandments.  Saul, the rejected king of Israel, is the example of that, and a shadow of the Lord rejecting those who have heard the Gospel, but do not obey the Gospel.

1Sa 15:1  Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. 

1Sa 15:2  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 

1Sa 15:3  Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 

1Sa 15:5  And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

Yet Saul did not obey and failed to slay the King of Amalek and kept back the best sheep and oxen so Israel could sacrifice them to the Lord. Saul placed sacrifice above showing mercy and obedience to the Lord, thus corrupting the Commandments by adding to and taking away from them.  In his corruption, which is called rebellion and witchcraft, Saul falsely believed he had obeyed the Commandment when Samuel came.

1Sa 15:13  And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. 

Samuel rebuked King Saul and pronounced the judgment of God upon him for the witchcraft.  It is better to obey than sacrifice to the Lord, as obedience is the Commandments is the only sacrifice the Lord desires.

1Sa 15:14  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 

1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 

1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. 

Spiritually, the Amalekites are descendants of Esau, the rejected son of Isaac, and are not the seed of Jesus Christ.  Israel is to remain separated from them and always destroy such a spirit in their midst.  Despite confessing his sin, King Saul was cut off from Israel and soon died.  David, a type of Christ, began to reign in his stead.

1Sa 15:26  And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. 

The Lord wants our obedience in all ways and not feigned works of righteousness that we offer unto the Lord. Corrupting the Commandments, we are robbers and spiritual whores, and Israel within and any who hear us is defiled.  The true disciples of Christ seek to do good at every turn, meaning obeying all the Commandments, which is the sacrifice of praise in which the Lord is well pleased.

Heb 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 

Heb 13:16  But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. 

The Lord is our helper who now lives in our hearts and minds, quickening us to do righteousness.  We freely sacrifice to Him, meaning we are dead and our life belongs to the Lord.  We desire mercy and are merciful to all, showing them the Gospel, knowing that those who show mercy are given mercy.

Mat 5:7  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 

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Articles

Shutting the Door to Christ

Peter
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Knowing Not the Time of their Visitation

Peter and Rohnel, servants and apostles by the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained a like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God the Father and our Saviour Jesus Christ:   Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord

The Scriptures are written for and are about Jesus Christ and His Christ, the firstfruits of salvation in this age. While all humanity is saved in the end, in this age, it is the chosen few, the elect, who are the firstfruits; they are Jesus Christ in the world.  All Scriptures are a parable spoken in dark sayings that only those given ears to hear and eyes to see can understand. The Scriptures begin with the Lord creating us as His firstfruits and making in us a heaven and an earth in which His light shall shine forth.

Gen 1:1  In the firstfruits [Strong H7225 ראשׁית, beginning] God created the heaven and the earth. 

Gen 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 

Gen 1:3  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 

Gen 1:4  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 

Few understand these spiritual words, yet those appointed to understand do so as they are marked by the Lord for salvation in this age. The manifestation of the sons of God comes about in the time of the end, which is now for this generation and continues until the end of the physical age.

Dan 12:9  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 

Dan 12:10  Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 

We are fulfilling the prophecies of the end times written in the Prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles, and the book of Acts. All things are indeed ours to fulfill as Christ fulfilled the Scriptures, and so do we as His Christ in this world. As with Christ, events happen so that the Scriptures are fulfilled in our lives. We endure the same rejection and hatred from our own people as the Lord. The city that welcomes us with great joy, and then, as is appointed and declared from the beginning, turns against Christ. These brethren also fulfill the Scriptures and do not know the day of their visitation, the coming of Jesus Christ to them in this age for salvation.

Luk 19:41  And when Christ was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 

Luk 19:42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 

Luk 19:43  For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 

Luk 19:44  And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. 

To fulfill the Scriptures, we briefly sorrow as Christ over the rejection from the fallen brethren who know not the time of their visitation. They are not given to discern the signs of the time, nor recognize Jesus Christ in their midst, and, in time, turn against Christ. It is all written to be fulfilled by the Christ, the Lord’s anointed, whom He raises to do His greater works in this age. Our recent experience fulfilled many prophecies regarding Christ and His dealings with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, who are the chiefs and rulers of the house of Israel, to which we go through to find the lost sheep of Israel.  These chiefs took away the key, the Commandments, corrupting them by adding to and taking away, and thus are not entering in and hindering those who heed their counsel. They kill Christ in their hearts as they have done to the prophets before.

Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and of them they shall slay and persecute: 

Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 

Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. 

Luk 11:52  Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. 

Speaking truth in boldness and standing firmly on the Commandments, Christ, the Apostles, and all born again of the Spirit are rejected by our brethren in living by every Word.

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 

1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 

1Co 3:23  And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

The Lord brings a trial and a heresy against the Commandments. The warnings of the watchmen who blow the trumpet [the rule and order the Lord sets over the flock] go unheeded, and the result is the division the Lord orchestrates. Thus, our warnings about the sin unto death and remaining separated from one the Lord has cut off are ignored, spoken evil about, and thus the Lord’s will in winnowing the flock is accomplished.  The Lord did it.

Amo 3:6  Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? 

Amo 3:7  Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. 

In New Testament language, the Gospel we preached was heard yet not received, as their foolish hearts are darkened by the Lord. The fallen of Israel worship the creation, meaning men, themselves, and not the creator [the Commandments], preferring to return to Sodom, which the angels of God previously delivered them from.

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 

Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 

2Co 4:3  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 

2Co 4:4  In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 

We boast not against these branches whom the Lord has cut off, but fear, knowing we too can be cut off if we make the same error and do not continue in the Gospel we have heard and preach. We obey God and fulfill the remaining prophecies for the work of God to be finished. Those who reject Christ and refuse to come to the wedding feast when given the choice to choose today whom they shall serve are cut off, and Christ moves on from them. The call to come out and meet the bridegroom is rejected, and the foolish virgins who have no oil in their lamps, who had merely warmed themselves by the fire, doing no work, were not ready when Christ came.  The door is thus shut and not reopened in this age.

Mat 25:10  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 

Mat 25:11  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 

Mat 25:12  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 

Mat 25:13  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. 

The Lord rules with a rod of iron, and when judgment has come upon the house of God, after the Gospel has been preached, there is no more ignorance, and thus the separation of the sheep and the goats, the wheat and the tares, is taking place quickly.   Many are called, and only a few are chosen to be saved in every generation, and we are witnessing this in our day of the Lord. The door to Christ is shut for those who refused the call and did not recognize the day of Jesus Christ.

Luk 13:24  Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 

Luk 13:25  When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 

Luk 13:26  Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 

Luk 13:27  But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 

Luk 13:28  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. 

The door is shut to those who cut off their Messiah, and the wicked one has now entered their city, and they are being swept away by a flood of lies.

Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 

Mat 24:38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 

Mat 24:39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 

Dan 9:26  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 

To fulfill the Scriptures, some who did not come when called to choose whom they serve and at what table they eat, return asking to be let in through the door that is now closed. It seems unloving to flesh, but the rejection of Christ and the Gospel once one has tasted of it is not forgiven in this age. It is the sin unto death. We are commanded not to pray for these brethren; we do not even wish them Godspeed. We move on as commanded.

1Jn 5:16  If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. 

1Jn 5:17  All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. 

Mar 3:29  But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath no forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 

John tells us what walking in love is all about, and the very next words remind us that loving God and all men includes doing things that some may seem offensive and harsh, as they judge by their flesh and emotions, not by the Commandments. Here is the Commandment again.

2Jn 1:6  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 

2Jn 1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 

2Jn 1:8  Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 

2Jn 1:9  Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 

2Jn 1:10  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 

2Jn 1:11  For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. 

Christ and His Christ do not open the door as Commanded; we do not even wish them Godspeed; we cut off all communication with those who spoke evil against the Commandment and/or against the Lord’s anointed in their day of visitation. Speaking evil is saying our words were lies and the Commandment was not true, thus attributing them to Satan. Anyone who did not hear the voice of the true shepherd and follows the voice of strangers instead is not of God; they are being identified in the times of the harvest, as the time of separation is now.

Joh 10:3  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 

Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 

Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 

Luk 10:16  He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. 

1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 

Now is the harvest, and the sheep and goats are being divided by judgment that has fallen on the house of God in this generation.

Mat 25:31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 

Mat 25:32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 

Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 

The ways of God in dividing a remnant and moving them onwards to salvation are the mysteries being revealed in the last days. Those who reject our Gospel and us who preach it, are separated from Christ.  When they seek to come back, they learn that repentance is not granted in this age for those who sinned the sin unto death. Those who fail are caused to fail of the grace of God, receiving it in vain and thus are not renewed to repentance in this age.

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he [Esau] would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. 

Those being saved, the elect, build their spiritual house on the Rock that is the Commandments and nothing else. Those not chosen build their house on a mixed multitude of shifting sand, esteeming flesh, respecting persons, and not loving God with all their heart, mind, and soul. When the flood of apostasy comes in the last days, to try the faith of Israel, they are swept away and taken away only to be restored in the age to come. This is the fall of Spiritual Babylon within every man not given to heed the call of the angels to come out of her.

Mat 7:26  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 

Mat 7:27  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Apostles receive their revelation, the Promise and baptism of Christ, directly from the Lord. All others receive their baptism of Christ through the laying on of hands by the Apostles and others who have in turn been raised in Christ. When preachers of the Gospel are sent out, they are Christ, and the day of visitation of Jesus Christ has come to all that the Lord puts in our path. Christ and His Christ first go into the synagogues of the spiritual Jews who profess His name, and there we preach the Gospel [Act 13:46]. Yet most Jews reject it, trusting instead in their knowledge and desiring to continue to reign and sit in the high seats they appointed themselves to take. We thus fulfill these Scriptures as Christ in the world.

Mat 23:2  Christ saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: 

Mat 23:3  All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 

Mat 23:4  For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 

Mat 23:5  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 

Mat 23:6  And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

Those who exalted themselves are abased, and when the Commandments and Christ are evil spoken about, the Lord brings his fury and destroys the leaders of Israel and all who follow their pernicious ways. Scriptures speak of this in many places, including here in Ezekiel speaking of Egypt, that is, really, Spiritual Jerusalem, likened unto Sodom and Egypt [Rev 11:8]. The dragon, the prince of the world, runs the show here as they remain bound to the law of sin and death in their members. The leaders of the house claim the river that fed the flock as their own and boast in themselves, bringing the wrath of God upon that house. The fowls of heaven, the carnal lies and reasonings of men, are set to devour them, as this is the great supper of God that is the same as being swept away by a flood of lies [fowls of heaven].

Eze 29:3  Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. 

Eze 29:4  But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales. 

Eze 29:5  And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. 

These cut off brethren marked for destruction are not the true shepherds, as they did not come through the door that is Christ. They are the deceivers, the false apostles, whom the Scriptures prophesy appear to us in the last days. They beguile many by their outward form of righteousness and swelling words of vanity.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 

2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 

These are also known as false brethren, unawares, and are among the perils that the apostles of every generation face in preaching the Gospel and defending the ministry of the Gospel.

2Co 11:26  In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 

As the angels of the Lord, the Cherubims, the apostles by the will of God, we zealously guard the gate/door and entryway into the Holy City of New Jerusalem, where the tree of life grows and feeds the inhabitants.  Nothing unclean enters in as the watchmen and shepherds are commanded to guard the sheep and allow no dogs, wolves, sorcerers, or heretics whom the Lord has already rejected into the Holy City.

Rev 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. 

Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 

Rev 22:15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 

The Fate of the Fallen

Those deceived by the hand of the Lord, not marked for salvation in this age, think they are doing God a service by killing us in spirit and cutting off the Messiah from their city. Yet they are the blind leading the blind who have not known the Father nor the Son, and thus fulfill many prophecies in our lives, including this one.

Joh 16:2  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 

Joh 16:3  And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 

Rather than Christ, the Jews in the city chose Barabbas, a murderer and a man who previously stirred up sedition against the Lord’s anointed and was rightly put into prison and excluded from the city. They were given a choice, and they chose Barabbas, proving they know not the Lord who had visited them.

Luk 23:18  And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: 

Luk 23:19  Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison. 

Joh 18:40  Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. 

We sorrow for our fallen brethren; we tried to save them as Paul wrote about in Romans 10 and 11. Yet the will of God has been made manifest, and thus we move on, dying to our fleshly emotions and knowing no man in the flesh anymore. Many have observed these things from afar, following what the Lord is doing in His flock and reading what the Lord has given us to post on this website. Some of them following us are rising from their graves and awakening from their sleep.

Mat 27:50  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 

Mat 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 

Mat 27:52  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 

Mat 27:53  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 

Mat 27:54  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. 

Our spiritual clothing, meaning our writings and doctrine that we taught them and preached, are parted from us, and they have cast lots for them, thus fulfilling even more Scriptures.

Joh 19:23  Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 

Joh 19:24  They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. 

They broke none of Christ’s doctrine, as the legs of the crucified Christ were not broken. The doctrine of Christ is only heard and is not obeyed.

Joh 19:32  Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 

Joh 19:33  But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 

A day comes when those who were cut off look upon him who was pierced.  While they seek repentance in tears, it is not granted, for the door remains shut in this age. All these things, the killing of Christ and His Christ in spirit in every generation is about fulfilling the Scriptures.

Joh 19:34  But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 

Joh 19:36  For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 

Joh 19:37  And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. 

False apostles and deceivers are cut off from the true Israel of God. They are not to be found in the true city of God, Heavenly Jerusalem, also known as New Jerusalem. They remain in Spiritual Jerusalem, which is Babylon, and the cage for every evil bird [carnal thoughts and reasonings].

Rev 2:2  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 

Rev 2:9  I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 

It is obedience to the Commandments to deny and separate from those who commit the sin unto death, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, that immediately shuts the door.  We are not letting anyone aligned with them back into our spiritual house.  This is the Commandment of the Lord, and the door remains shut as we love God more than we love men.  Saying otherwise is another gospel.

Gal 1:10  For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 

With lessons learned, as the appointed shepherds, we carefully guard the gates of who comes into the Heavenly Jerusalem that the Lord is building, the true everlasting city of God. Anyone coming to our fellowships must be let in by the Apostles, who oversee the flock as shepherds and are diligent watchmen. We are careful as commanded to whom we cast our pearls of truth and the meat of this Gospel. We do not give our holy things to those the Lord has cut off who are the heretics, antichrists, deceivers, false apostles, and deceitful workers the Lord raises to try our faith.  Time is short, and we do not waste any time in disobedience with those whom the Lord has cut off. Our ministry is to go only to the lost house of Israel, and they are those who hear and receive the words of Christ we preach.

Mat 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. 

As the Lord’s witnesses, we have the power to shut heaven and to make it rain or not in the Spirit. We are given this power by the Lord and are commanded to use it in obedience to the Commandments. By retaining their sin, we shut the rain off in this age.

Rev 11:6  These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 

We know the fallen did not choose of their own free will to do the evil they have done. All was appointed and declared from the beginning. Thus, we have asked our heavenly Father to forgive their sin as we cannot forgive it ourselves in obedience. Our Father hears us, and the fallen cut off brethren are saved in the age to come.

Luk 23:34  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. 

We have not yet attained, and we press onward for the high calling of God, striving to finish our race. We follow Christ, the Commandments, our eyes always looking to them, and we groan, waiting for the fullness of the adoption as the Sons of God.

 

 

Commandments

Love thy Neighbour as Thyself

Peter
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Fulfilling the Royal Law of Christ

Loving thy neighbour as thyself is being Jesus Christ to everyone the Lord puts into our path. God is love, and that love is doing the Commandments, all of them in everything we speak and do.  We live to do our heavenly Father’s will and not our own will.  We belong to the Lord, being redeemed from among men and thus are in bonds, being servants to all He sends.

Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God

Chosen of God, our implanted desire is to be remade into His image, and we impart that desire upon others by obeying all the Commandments in our interactions with all mankind, who in time become the children of God.

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The so-called “golden rule” is the Commandment to do unto others as we desire men to do unto us. Loving our neighbors is likened unto the first great Commandment because the love we desire from others, their obeying the Lord to prosper and nourish us in our trials, is the same love we give them. We edifiy one another and wash each other’s feet as disciples of Christ by loving the Father and the Son.  The love spoken of is the love of God, which is the obeying of all His Commandments.

Mat 7:12  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 

James called the Commandment “to love thy neighbor as thyself,” the royal law, meaning this is the pinnacle, the epitome of what loving God means. We do unto others as we ourselves seek intimacy with the Lord, the Living Commandments, that is Christ, who is the Word of God.

Jas 2:8  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 

The new Commandment of Christ, which has its own study [CLICK HERE], brings the first two great Commandments together into one.

Joh 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 

The Commandment is new in the sense that it combines the first great Commandment with the one likened unto it that has us loving every man with godly love, which is always obeying the Commandments.

2Jn 1:5  And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. 

2Jn 1:6  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, that, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 

Loving one another does not mean we disobey the Commandments to cut off and separate from those marked by God and by retaining the sin unto death that is known as blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  Loving God with all our heart, the first great Commandment, has us obeying all the Commandments.  We are warned to be on the lookout for these deceivers in the last days who speak evil against the Living Christ and His Christ.

2Jn 1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 

We love one another by serving them the Gospel, the Commandments, which are a cup of water, some living bread of life, that also provides clothing to cover their nakedness, and we are visiting them in their carnal prisons to set them free. When we do these things for the least of them, we are doing it for Jesus Christ and thus are loving the Lord thy God with all our heart, mind, and soul.

Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 

Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 

Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 

Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 

Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 

Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

Loving your neighbor as thyself is the fulfillment of the law of Christ. We have been set free from the bondage of the carnal law, and we do not abuse our freedom to feed our own lusts but instead use it to serve one another.

Gal 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 

Gal 5:14  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

We owe nobody anything except to love them by obeying the Commandments. This is loving our neighbor as ourselves and the fulfillment of the law of liberty.

Rom 13:8  Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 

Rom 13:9  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Rom 13:10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 

The Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. The great Commandment to love thy neighbor was all foretold and shadowed in the Old Testament. We feed the poor; we do not steal by taking away what we are commanded to leave for them. We do not swear falsely by the Lord’s Name, meaning we do not have a false Gospel and we do not swear by obeying the Commandments. Everything we do is done for the glory of God, and the Commandments are never changing. Here are the deeds of loving your neighbor spoken of in the types and shadows of the Old Testament.

Lev 19:9  And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. 

Lev 19:10  And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God. 

Lev 19:11  Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. 

Lev 19:12  And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. 

Lev 19:13  Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. 

Lev 19:14  Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD. 

Lev 19:15  Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. 

Lev 19:16  Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD. 

Lev 19:17  Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. 

Lev 19:18  Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

As the Lord’s servants, we care about the wealth of others above our own needs. We reap what we sow, and the more we love others, the more the Father pours out the blessings upon us. It is therefore more blessed to give than to receive. These phrases are all saying the same thing. All that we do is done to manifest the glory of God [obedience to the Commandments] in ourselves and all to whom we are sent. As servants, we love as Christ loved us, laying down our lives for the brethren, looking up to the needs of others above our own.

1Co 10:23  All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 

1Co 10:24  Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth. 

Php 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Joh 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Mar 10:44  And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.

The story of the Good Samaritan is a parable that often comes up when the Commandments are discussed.  In this story, the example of loving our neighbor as ourselves shows that we love God with all of our hearts.  We certainly help our neighbor with physical things, but these are all spiritual words for those given eyes to see. We give the meat and wine of the Gospel, that is, the oil, which heals and gives rest to the weary.

Luk 10:33  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 

Luk 10:34  And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 

Luk 10:35  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 

Luk 10:36  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 

Luk 10:37  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

We are loving our neighbor, which is going and doing likewise as the Lord commands us as His faithful witnesses in this dark world.

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Commandments

The Great Commandment

Peter
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Loving God With All Your Heart

The Lord has many Commandments, yet He spoke of a great Commandment upon which all others fall under. The greatest Commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and strength. Anything else is the making of idols and disobedience.

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 

The Commandments to be kind, gentle, long-suffering, or even to forgive is not the greatest Commandment.  These are important, as is every Commandment of the Lord.  Many err by elevating some Commandments and ignoring others. The great Commandment is putting God’s Commandments first in everything we do. We love Him above everyone and everything, which means we obey Him with all our heart, mind, and soul.

Mar 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the  commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 

Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 

Anything we put above any Commandment is an idol, which is a false god and angers the Lord, who is jealous over us with a godly jealousy. The first Commandment given to Moses was the same as Jesus answered, for the Lord changes not.

Exo 20:3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

When Moses returned the second time to receive the Commandments, the Lord added some perspective to the first Commandment. We are acting by taking all contrary thoughts and carnal reasonings captive to the obedience of the greatest Commandment.  Standing in the Commandments destroys the altars, images, and groves [gatherings] of these false gods that are a corruption of the one true God.

Exo 34:12  Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: 

Exo 34:13  But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: 

Exo 34:14  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 

Exo 34:15  Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;

Exo 34:16  And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

Exo 34:17  Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.

The Lord commands us to diligently teach all the Commandments to one another and to bind them on our hands [our works] and keep our eyes always looking to the Commandments.

Deu 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Deu 6:6  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

Deu 6:7  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Deu 6:8  And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

Deu 6:9  And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Inheriting eternal life is the result of loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, and strength. If we do this, by extension, we obey all the Commandments, holding nothing back, having no idols, and the promise of salvation is made manifest. Anyone not obeying the great Commandment, remains dead in their graves no matter the outward forms of godliness.  To find eternal life we are obeying the great Commandment.

Luk 10:25  And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Luk 10:26  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

Luk 10:27  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Luk 10:28  And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

If we obey the first and great Commandment, we are obeying all the other Commandments. Loving God with our whole heart is obeying God in every possible way.

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments

The great Commandment is readily corrupted when carnal men, not given the Spirit, add to or take away from the Commandments, making an idol, a false god, out of their own reasoning. We are careful and keep ourselves from idols and do not eat or take to heart strange meat that is not the true Gospel.

Act 15:29  That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

1Jn 5:21  Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Do not make an idol out of one Commandment and thereby disobey another. Such disobedience does not honour God and is the righteousness of the Pharisees, which is not enough to enter the kingdom of God. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees, the rulers in the houses of Israel, even today, which is their hypocrisy. They claim to love God, yet their hearts are far from the Commandments; it is all for a show, an outward form of godliness.

Mat 15:7  Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

Mat 15:8  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

Mat 15:9  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Flesh loves to hear smooth things, and thus the hard things of God to obey, such as cutting off those the Lord rejects in obedience, are reasoned away, saying it is not loving or saying we forgive all sins and do not retain them as Commanded.  Here are witnesses from the new and the old.

2Ti 4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2Ti 4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Isa 30:9  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:

Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

False prophets and deceivers deceive many because they have a form of godliness, yet they corrupt the Commandments in seeking fleshly rewards and the esteem of men. Do not be deceived and run from such corruption, as it can only be a snare that can take away your crown. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of the wisdom of God. Beware any teaching that takes away from the greatest Commandment to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul.

Jud 1:10  But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

The second Commandment is likened unto the first Commandment, and we plan to address it in its own short study.

Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.