The Holy Ghost Difference

Acts 19:1-7 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.  3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.  4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.  5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.  7 And all the men were about twelve.

Ephesus was the sight of the great Temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. (425 ft long; 220 ft. wide; 60 ft high; 127 massive pillars supported it.)  There was no mega-church in Ephesus.  Whatever church was there had not made much impact on the city.  It was a tough place to start a church. 

I’m not sure how Paul found these disciples.  However that happened, he got together with them and they had church.  They were happy to have a guest preacher that day.  Paul did not mince words. He didn’t play the diplomacy game.  Maybe the worship service tipped him off…this church needed something!  He began to preach exactly what was needed.

“Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?”  No. “How were you baptized?”  Unto John’s baptism.  “Have we got a deal for you!”

They were re-baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost.  There were many things that Paul could have preached.  What about love, peace, justice, worship or other important subjects?  If this is what Paul preached, I take it that he thought it was important.  It is the model for all of us to follow.

Paul preached about the Holy Ghost because he knew that the Spirit made the difference.  I don’t want to preach about things that don’t matter…that don’t make any difference.  Our preaching is in vain if this message doen’t really make any difference.

The Holy Ghost Difference in Power

Power in Prayer

1 Corinthians 14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

• Praying in an unknown tongue is a marvelous mystery.
• It is a direct “hot line” to heaven.
• Strength pours into your soul. God’s power flows in; Victory comes.
• There is a difference between just praying and Holy Ghost praying!

Romans 8:26-27  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Paul knew the church an Ephesus didn’t need to know how to wield political power; They didn’t need to know the techniques of political action committees.  They needed to know how to pray in the Holy Ghost!

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

• I want my preaching to be powered by prayer.
• I want to preach with unflinching boldness.
• I don’t need to be a smiling, social diplomat skilled in the art of almost saying something.
• Preachers, stand. Pray through until the fire touches your every fiber!
• Deacons, stand. Pray through until the fresh zeal of the Lord falls on you!
• Sunday School Teachers, stand. Pray through until a genuine burden for your students hits you!
• Choir members, stand. Pray through until you sing with anointing and true worship.
• There is power in Holy Ghost praying!

Power in Witness

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

This movement started with people seized with a passion from the heart of God for souls.  They weren’t worried about money, security, fame or acclaim.  No sacrifice was too much for them.  They had one thing on their minds: souls!  When persecution came to the first church in Jerusalem, the people packed their bags and moved on.

Acts 8:4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

Power in Healings

Acts 19:11-12 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:  12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

Yes, there is a lot of trickery, deception and counterfeit out there today.  But, it’s not my job to figure out why God doesn’t do what I want him to do, every time I want him to do it.  I know what he can do…and what he has done.  My job is just to keep on praying.

Power over Demonic Forces

Acts 19:13-16 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.  14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.  15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?  16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

We need this kind of power today!

Romans 1:26-27 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 

Romans 1:28-31 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: This world needs a Holy Ghost filled church to stand up and pray against the demonic powers that hold it in sway.

• The feminist movement has and agenda.
• The anti-Christians have an agenda.
• The New Age people have an agenda.
• The hedonists have an agenda.
• The secular humanists have an agenda.
• The gay pride people have an agenda. The gay marriage advocates will destroy the normal and natural institution of marriage if they possibly can.
• But the Holy Ghost can make a difference!

The Holy Ghost Difference in Purpose

The difference in worship services.

We are not here to worship ourselves. It is his worship service! Paul didn’t exalt himself. He didn’t send out a monthly magazine with his picture plastered on every page.

Acts 19:17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

The Holy Ghost Difference in Purity

Acts 19:18-20 And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.  19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.  20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

Does it make any difference to have the Holy Ghost Difference?

Romans 8:5-11 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.  10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

• If you don’t’ know what the Holy Ghost is, find out.
• If you don’t have the Holy Ghost baptism, get it.
• If you have the Holy Ghost, let the Holy Ghost have you.
• If you are used by the Holy Ghost, get ready to see the difference!

Grace for the Humble

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

There are two things which attract the attention of God in this verse.

Pride and humility.

God resists the proud. He gives grace to the humble.

We talk of salvation by grace. We talk about a loving, caring, redeeming Savior who gave his own life for man. We say that if you were the only person in the world to save, God would have gone to the cross just for you. I don’t know how we could describe the overwhelming love, the unfathomable grace, the inexorable power of God to save the lost, with more compelling and passionate tones than we have always preached it.

Yet, there is something called pride that stands in the way. Pride is so evil, so stubborn, so unreasonable that it turns back the grace of God.

Pride makes a person an enemy of God. That’s what the Bible means when it says, “God resists the proud.” It’s one thing to ignore God. It’s another thing to have God as your enemy. The proud will not break through God’s defenses. They will not claim God’s territory. They will not steal God’s supplies. They will not escape God’s retribution.

The Jews in the O. T. found out haw much God was against their pride.

Leviticus 26:19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:

Pride lies at the core of Satan’s rebellion against God in heaven.

Isaiah 14:12-16 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms.

Pride leads to the fall of kings.

Daniel 4:30-33 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? 31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. 32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.

Pride is at the root of most, if not all, human failures. When Cain’s pride was insulted, he murdered his brother. When Absalom became proud of his talent and looks, he lost his life.

The Bible shows us the devastating results of pride.

• Ps 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
• Ps 31:20 Thou shalt hide them (blessings) in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
• Ps 59:12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.
• Prov 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
• Prov 13:10 Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

As I look at the world of the lost, and if I could change one tendency in the heart of man, it would be the element of pride.

It is pride that keeps people from submitting to God. It is pride that won’t allow people to admit they are wrong. It is pride that prevents people from worshipping God. It is pride that causes people to reject the truths of God’s word.

If pride didn’t stand in the way, God could touch your heart. If pride didn’t stand in the way, God could take away your destructive habits. If pride didn’t stand in the way, God could mend your broken marriage. If pride didn’t stand in the way, God could bring peace to your family. If pride didn’t stand in the way, God could restore love and joy to your life.

If you are to overcome pride, you need to know what it is. Pride is not just thinking you are better than anyone else.

Pride is when you have to be right, regardless of the consequences. Pride is when you won’t let go of the past. Pride is when stubbornness is the best word to describe the way you act. Pride is when you won’t stop sinning, just because you don’t feel like it. Pride is when you won’t let anyone tell you what to do. Pride is when you get offended at the least word or actions of others. Pride is when you would rather go down in flames than say you are wrong. Pride is when you refuse to let anyone know you are really weak.

Prov 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

If you hang onto your pride, ma’am, sir, you lose the favor of God!

1 John 2:15-17 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. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

It is humility that brings the favor of God.

• 2 Chron 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
• Job 22:29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.
• Ps 10:17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
• Ps 34:2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
• Prov 29:23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
• Matt 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
• James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
• 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

You Are Part of Me

Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

“The small island of Iwo Jima lies 660 miles south of Tokyo. One of its outstanding geographical features is Mount Suribachi, an extinct volcano that forms the narrow southern tip of the island and rises 550 feet to dominate the area. By February 1945, U.S. troops had recaptured most of the territory taken by the Japanese in 1941 and 1942; still uncaptured was Iwo Jima, which became a primary objective in American plans to bring the Pacific campaign to a successful conclusion.

“On the morning of February 19, 1945, the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions invaded Iwo Jima after a somewhat ineffective bombardment lasting 72 hours. The 28th Regiment, 5th Division, was ordered to capture Mount Suribachi. They reached the base of the mountain on the afternoon of February 21, and by nightfall the next day had almost completely surrounded it. On the morning of February 23, Marines of Company E, 2nd Battalion, started the tortuous climb up the rough terrain to the top. At about 10:30 a.m., men all over the island were thrilled by the sight of a small American flag flying from atop Mount Suribachi. That afternoon, when the slopes were clear of enemy resistance, a second, larger flag was raised by five Marines and a Navy hospital corpsman: Sgt. Michael Strank, Cpl. Harlon H. Block, Pfc. Franklin R. Sousley, Pfc. Rene A. Gagnon, Pfc. Ira Hayes, and PhM. 2/c John H. Bradley, USN.

“News-photographer Joe Rosenthal caught the afternoon flag raising in an inspiring Pulitzer Prize winning photograph. When the picture was later released, sculptor Felix W. de Weldon, then on duty with the U.S. Navy, was so moved by the scene that he constructed a scale model and then a life-size model of it. The Marine Corps War Memorial now stands as a symbol of this grateful Nation’s esteem for the honored dead of the U.S. Marine Corps. While the statue depicts one of the most famous incidents of World War II, the memorial is dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives in the defense of the United States since 1775.”

Maybe I have a different strand of patriotism running through my veins, but when my eyes fall on scenes like this, I identify with it strongly. Something leaps up in my heart. It is almost as if one of those brave men turns his head toward me and says, “I’m doing this for you.” I think, “Yes, I am a part of you! That is my flag. You fought for me. You share my goals. You are me and I am you.”

On May 1st, 2004, Jonathan Ryan Jordan walked across the stage in Indianapolis, IN and received his Bachelor’s Degree diploma from Indiana Bible College. After the ceremony, an Ohio pastor, Clifford Garber reminded me of a youth rally I preached some 23 years ago when I brought Ryan up before the crowd and showed him off to everyone. He was a few months old at the time and we had just brought him home to live with us.

I seldom speak of the fact that Ryan, Ross and Rene are adopted because it never seemed like they were anything but bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. Whatever they do in life, good or bad, worthy of acclaim or deserving of punishment, whether it makes me beam with pride or chafe with embarrassment, they are part of me and I am part of them.

The sense of identity goes farther than a shared name. It goes much deeper than any differences that may exist in genetic properties. It is made from a spiritual fabric, a bond of the soul that can never be unraveled or separated. It is love, but it is more than the feeling of love. It is the basis for the love itself.  I can look at my children, and you can look at yours, and say, “You are a part of me!”  Those words—-that confession, resonates to the core of what it means to be family.

The Apostle Paul felt a deep bond with his people.

He was raised as a Pharisee. He was zealous to live like them, be like them, defend them, preserve them. After his Damascus Road experience, he knew they were wrong, but he did not totally abandon his roots.

Romans 9:1-5 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

It is tremendously important for us to understand our relationship to Jesus Christ.

We are born again.

John 3:3-5 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

We are adopted.

Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

We are engrafted.

Romans 11:24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

We are made new creatures.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

We are brought close to God.

Ephesians 2:11-18 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Now, back to my text.

Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

The word “partaker” means a participant, a sharer; by implication, an associate. When you are a partaker with someone, whatever they do, you do it with them. I want you to see Jesus turning his face toward you, looking into your eyes, and saying, “You are part of me!” You must understand the full import of this statement.

Look at him ridiculed and rejected by his countrymen.

John 8:52-59 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

From out of his hiding, the eyes of Jesus locate you and he says, “You are part of me.”

Look at him suffering and shamed on his road to Calvary.

Matthew 27:27-31 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. 28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. 31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

Jesus’ sorrowful eyes look though the crowd until they find you. His look says, “You are a part of me.” That’s hard. We don’t want to be part of him in this way. Not, your pain, Jesus. Not, your shame, Jesus. Give me the peace, the joy and the celebration. Give me the love, the life and the wealth. But that’s not what the Apostle Peter wrote.

1 Peter 4:12-16 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 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. 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

Here is the scripture that turns it all around.

1 Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

But this is where it gets good!

John 20:11-16 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

Now, on his way out of the tomb, he finds you and says, “You are a part of me!”

• When he ascends up on High, he says, You are a part of me. 
• When he banishes Satan from the earth, he says You are a part of me. 
• When he sits in his throne, he says, You are a part of me. 
• When he claims victory over sin, he says, You are a part of me. 

When he appears to John in the book of Revelations, he says, You are a part of me.

Revelation 1:12-20 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

When he destroys the last enemy, Death itself, he says, You are a part of me.

Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Don’t you want to identify with the one who has all power in heaven and earth? You can be a part of him tonight!

Who Is This King of Glory?

• Psalm 24:8-10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

• Isaiah 63:1-4 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.

• Matthew 21:10-11 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

• Luke 7:49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?

Bethlehem was Act One in the drama of redemption. The curtain lifted on a baby; not just any baby, but the single, most unique, most special creature ever to enter the world. This baby is not just a player in the drama, he is the entire story. He is not just an actor; he is the act itself.

Jesus is the unbroken thread that runs from Genesis to Revelation. The lineage of all the patriarchs envisioned him; the visions of all the prophets embraced him; the stories of the hundreds of characters woven into the Bible revolve around him. Any seeker who begins his quest for God in Genesis and leaves Revelation without this revelation has failed. Anyone who receives this one revelation possesses the key to every other promise, truth and blessing in the Bible.

We need to know everything knowable about Jesus. We need to comprehend everything comprehensible about Jesus. We need to know who he was before he came; who he was after he came; who he is now and who he will be throughout the eternal ages.

Our greatest mission in life is to discover the identity of the occupant of the manger. Why? Because in him we live and move and have our being.

First, Jesus got here through the body of Mary.

• Mary was not a mere surrogate mother for a flesh created by God.
• She was not some sort of incubator which contained a “heavenly flesh.” The flesh truly originated from Mary’s egg. If Jesus did not receive His humanity from Mary, then He could not be said to have been “of the seed of David.”
• Mary contributed the flesh to the existence of Jesus. Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.”
• The Greek word translated “of” in the phrase “of a woman” is ek. This word means “out of.” Jesus was made out of a woman, He was not just born out of one.
• This is why the author of Hebrews said “he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” (Hebrews 2:16).
• God raised up the Messiah to rule on his throne through David’s line. (Ps132:11). “The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.”

Let’s focus for a moment on the way in which Jesus was conceived.

• The Scriptures simply affirm that Mary conceived a child of the Holy Ghost without ever addressing how she did.
• Many think that Jesus received all of His deity from God and all of His humanity from Mary. That’s only partially true.
• Jesus could not have received the entirety of His humanity from Mary. If He did, Jesus would have been a female. All that Mary could have offered were X chromosomes. X chromosomes produce females. It takes the presence of Y chromosomes to produce a male child. Only men have this Y chromosome. Without a contribution of this Y chromosome Jesus could not have been born a human male.
• Where did this genetic influence come from then? The only answer can be that it was supplied by the Holy Ghost in the conception.
• Erickson said, “Jesus was not produced after the genetic pattern of Mary alone, for in that case, he would in effect have been a clone of her, and would necessarily have been female. Rather, a male component was contributed. In other words, the seed placed within Mary was specially created for the occasion.” 10

(Jason Dulle is responsible for much of the research and thought in this section.)

So, the question remains, who is this…baby, child, man, prince? Who is this King of Glory? The best testimony we can get concerning Jesus’ identity is His own. What did Jesus think about Himself? How did Jesus view His relationship to the Father?

Jesus boldly declared the He was God.

• He said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). He was of the same essence as the Father (deity).
• The Jews’ took up stones to stone Him (10:31). They believed that Jesus, who was a man, had made Himself God (10:33).
• This was blasphemy to the Jews and was deserving of the death penalty.
• They understood perfectly that Jesus was claiming to be the Father Himself. If Jesus was not declaring equality with the Father, it would have been the perfect opportunity to explain what He really meant. Instead He continued to back up His claim (10:34-38).
• Jesus told the Jews, “He that seeth me seeth him that sent me.” (John 12:45).
• Jesus declared to Thomas, “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him and have seen him.” John 14:5-9. (v. 7).
• Philip could not understand this statement, so he asked Jesus to show the Father to all the disciples, and then they would be satisfied. Jesus responded, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (v. 9). According to Jesus’ own testimony, to see Him was to see the Father (God). One can not get a much clearer statement than this as to who Jesus claimed to be.

 
In addition to what he said, Jesus acted like he was God.

• If Jesus was not God, indeed his statements would have been blasphemous.
• For example, Jesus forgave sins.
• He said to the paralytic who was lowered through the roof, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” (Mark 2:15). The scribes present in the room thought Jesus’ statement blasphemous saying “who can forgive sin but God alone?” (v. 7).
• If Jesus truly did not have the power to forgive, He had the perfect opportunity to clear up the matter when the Jews inquired of His words.
• Instead of pointing out the scribes misunderstanding of His words, Jesus said, “Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.” (vs. 9-11).

Jesus claimed authority with respect to the Law of God.

• One such example is the law of the Sabbath.
• God established the Sabbath for Israel as one of the 613 commandments of the Law of Moses they had to obey.
• Because God had made the Law, He alone had the power to alter it. We see Jesus, however, claiming the authority to alter the Sabbath when His disciples were questioned by the Pharisees for picking grain heads on the Sabbath.
• Jesus’ response was to remind them of the time that David ate of the shewbread (vs. 25-26). The shewbread was strictly for the priests. For anyone else to eat it was a violation of the Law of Moses, but God never punished David. In conclusion Jesus said, “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” (vs. 27-28)..
• Jesus clearly claimed the right to redefine the Sabbath.

Jesus claimed to have the power of life.

• He said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25).
• The Old Testament declares that only God has this power: “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” Deuteronomy 32:39

What did the Jewish leaders think of Jesus?

• After Jesus told the Jews, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” (John 5:17), the Jews sought to kill Him.
• Why did they want to kill him? “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his father, making himself equal with God.” (v. 18).
• The Jews understood that Jesus was claiming to be God Himself. The Greek word isos is translated here as “equal.” It means to be “the same as” something. Jesus put Himself on the same plane, or grounds of deity as the Father.
• When Jesus claimed that He and His Father were one (John 10:30), again the Jews took up stones to stone Him (v. 31).
• When Jesus asked them for what good work they desired to kill Him, they responded, “For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” (v. 33).
• The Jews did not understand Jesus’ reference to God as His “Father” to mean that Jesus was less than God, or some sort of a second-rate god. Rather they understood His claim to be that of Yahweh God Himself.

What did the apostles think of Jesus?

• Thomas said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28).
• The Greek word kurios, translated “Lord,” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew adonai; and the Greek theos translated “God” is the Greek counterpart to the Hebrew elohim.
• So, for Thomas to call Jesus his Lord and God, knowing that the only Lord God was Yahweh (Deuteronomy 6:4), would have been blasphemy if Thomas had not believed that Jesus was Yahweh Himself in flesh.
• Peter’s bold declaration to Jesus, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16), showed Peter’s belief in His deity.
• Jesus told Peter that flesh and blood had not revealed this truth to him, but the Father which was in heaven (v. 17).
• If “Son of God” here only refers to Jesus’ humanity, no revelation from the Father would have been necessary.
• Paul, who wrote the most concerning Christ’s person, said that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15; See also II Corinthians 4:4).
• What did Paul mean when He declared Jesus to be God’s image?
• We know it was not physical likeness because God is a Spirit and cannot have a physical body.1
• The Greek word translated “image” in the King James Version is eikon. Its root is eiko, meaning likeness, resemblance, or representation.
• Eikon denotes both the representation and manifestation of a substance.
• Notice that Paul contrasted Jesus’ image to that of the invisible God. The point Paul was trying to get across to his readers was that Jesus is the visible representation of God to man. That is why Jesus could say, “he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” (John 14:9; also 12:45).

Jesus is the “express image of his [God’s] person” (Hebrews 1:3).

• “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
• The English phrase translated “express image” is from the Greek word charakter. It is this word from which we get our English word “character.”
• This is the only occurrence of the word in the New Testament. It means “to impress upon, or stamp.” It denotes an engravement from a tool, which impresses an image into that which is being engraved.4
• This impression, then, is a characteristic of the instrument used to produce it. The end result corresponds precisely with the instrument.

The Greek word translated “person” is hupostasis.

• It is from this word that we get the term “hypostatic union,” the union between deity and humanity in the man Christ Jesus. Hupostasis is more properly understood as “essence of being, or the substance of a thing.” It is like “the sediment or foundation under a building.”5 It is that which underlies, makes up, or supports a thing.
• Hupostasis is to God as air is to wind; hupostasis is to God as water is to wave; hupostasis is to God as notes are to music.
• The only other time the word appears in Scripture is Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the “substance” (hupostasis) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
• Faith is the underlying support, or foundation of things that are hoped for.

Jesus does not just represent God. He is the very visible impression of God’s invisible substance and essence.

• He is God’s very nature expressed in humanity as the Son of God.
• He is the corresponding engravement of God in human form. He is the adequate imprint of God. 6

At Bethlehem, God unrolled a blank sheet of humanity over the invisible essence of divinity and mapped a visible image that we could see. When Mary held up the baby, we could trace all the divine attributes of God through the transference of his image into the flesh of Jesus.

Jesus is everything about God permanently settled in the body of Jesus.

• “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:9) The NIV says “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”7
• “Dwelleth” is katoikeo, meaning “to permanently settle down in a dwelling.”
• “Fullness” is pleroma indicating that which “is filled up.”
• “Godhead” is theotes, meaning “divine essence, or the very person of God.”8
• In the Greek, Paul said that the fullness of the divine essence has permanently settled in Jesus’ body.
• Jesus did not merely possess some divine attributes, but rather He possessed every aspect of deity.

Who is this King of Glory?


God’s oneness is the absolute doctrine of the Old Testament. But now we know that the Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Jesus of the New:

• Jehovah is omnipresent (I Kings 8:27 ). So is Jesus. (Matthew 18:20).
• Jehovah is omnipotent (Jeremiah 32:17). So is Jesus. (Matthew 28:18).
• Jehovah is omniscient (Psalm 147:5). So is Jesus. (John 2:24-25).
• Jehovah is self-existent (Exodus 3:14 ). So is Jesus. (John 8:58).
• Jehovah pardons sins (Psalm 78:38). So does Jesus. (Matthew 9:2).
• Jehovah is absolute in truth (Ps. 33:4). So is Jesus. (John 14:6).
• Jehovah is the source of life (Isa 44:24). So is Jesus. (John 11:25).
• Jehovah has all authority (Ps 119:89). So does Jesus. (Matthew 5:18).
• Jehovah is the Creator (Genesis 1:1). So is Jesus. (John 1:3; .
• Jehovah is the Savior (Isaiah 45:21). So is Jesus. (Matthew 1:21).
• Jehovah is the Redeemer (Psalm 130:8). So is Jesus. (Titus 2:14).
• Jehovah is the Judge (Psalm 50:6). So is Jesus. (Acts 17:31).
• Jehovah is the King (Isaiah 44:6). So is Jesus. (I Timothy 6:15).

How is the incarnation relevant to us today?

• Paul spoke of the “mystery of the incarnation” (I Timothy 3:16). This mystery is none other than that “God was manifest in the flesh…”.
• What does the Godhead mean to us practically then? Is it just some bunch of theological garb to get us confused? No.
• It is the way in which God fully loved us…He identified with us in every way, even to the point of limiting His divinity so that He might face the sufferings and challenges we face.
• It is the way that he could fully understand what we face in this existence, and after overcoming the temptations and hardships He could become our example and offer help in the time of need.
• It is the way that He showed us to rely strictly upon the Holy Ghost for strength to overcome temptation and be perfectly led of the Spirit.
• Jehovah-Jesus knows what you are going through..
• When you feel forsaken, so did He on the cross (Matthew 27:46).
• When you are struggling with the will of God you can rest knowing that Jesus also struggled in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed that His Father would change His will (Matthew 26:36-44).
• Jesus is your example for ministry, overcoming temptation, and empathizing with others (II Corinthians 1:3-7).
• Christology also demonstrates to us how Christ’s person affects our salvation.
• If He was not perfect man and perfect God He could not save us.
• When we experience salvation, it is not a mere experience, but it is an encounter with Jesus Christ.

Down from His glory, ever living story,
My God and Savior came, and Jesus was His name;
Born in a manger to His own a stranger,
A man of sorrows, tears and agony!

What condescension, bringing us redemption,
That in the dead of night, not one faint hope in sight,
God gracious, tender laid aside His splendor,
Stooping to woo, to win, to save my soul!

Without reluctance, flesh and blood His substance,
He took the form of man, revealed the hidden plan;
O glorious myst’ry sacrifice of Calv’ry!
And now I know He is the great “I AM”!

Chorus
Oh how I love Him! How I adore Him!
My breath, my sunshine, my all in all!
The great Creator became my Savior,
And all God’s fullness dwelleth in Him!

I Hear the Rain

God will not permit human history to blot out the mention of his name. He will not suffer his eternal truths to be savaged and buried by despots or tyrants, by kingdoms or empires, by philosophers or intellectuals, by artists or militants, by princes, presidents or prime ministers, or by atheists or misguided theologians. God wants his redeemed people to worship and love him forever.

Does it seem as though the work of God has entered into long and terminal decline? Do not fear. At some point, through some era, by some means, he will revive the mention of his name and kindle the fires of revival The work of God is both sovereign and universal. He exercises complete and total authority over his creation, and he coordinates and orchestrates his work everywhere at the same time.

There is no question that America wallows in the depths of sin and infidelity. It is not escaping the attention of scholars either.

Atheism and its Link to Bad Dads

How long was it after you started college that you heard that first attack on your faith? Unless you attend a religiously-oriented school, it probably didn’t take long.  Maybe it happened in your Freshman English Lit class, where the professor—so careful to respect the beliefs of every other student (including the one who thinks he’s Elvis reincarnated)—made a point of ridiculing belief in the Christian God.  Or maybe it happened in Biology 101, where the professor contemptuously dismissed anyone stupid enough to believe a bunch of creationist myths.  If you took a class in women’s studies, you likely heard that Christianity is a patriarchal religion designed to oppress any woman fool enough to join it.

Of course, not all attacks on faith come from professors. You might have tried to witness to your new roommate—only to have him dismiss your faith as a “crutch” for the weak. Or you may have opened the school newspaper, only to see a letter viciously attacking the school for allowing a theologian to speak on campus.

If you think these attacks appear to be more common on campus than off, you’re right. Atheists do tend to congregate there. And the reason they reject the Judeo-Christian God with such passion is the subject of a fascinating new book by Paul Vitz.

Vitz is a psychologist, and until he was in his late thirties, he was an atheist himself (He’s now a Roman Catholic). In his book, Faith of the Fatherless (Spence, 1999) Vitz says he began to wonder why America—a country that was essentially an atheist-free zone until the late nineteenth century—has become one in which “the presumption of atheism” defines public life. “The rejection of God in our schools is just one small example of the triumph of atheism,” Vitz notes. Atheists have been wildly successful in promoting the assumption “that belief in God is based on all kinds of irrational, immature needs and wishes, whereas atheism or skepticism flows from a rational, grown-up, no-nonsense view of things as they really are.”

Even though well over 90 percent of us tell the pollsters we believe in God, “references to God in public discourse have become extremely uncommon; we have become a nation of public and practical atheists,” Vitz says. “This social condition has been well described by Richard John Neuhaus as the ‘naked public square.’”

Well, if the public square is naked, then the average college campus is a veritable nudist colony. Serious references to God in scholarly writing is considered “taboo,” Vitz says. In fact, he adds, bringing God up in any way “would bring the legitimacy of one’s scholarship into question.”

How did this state of affairs come about? Until just a few decades ago, America ‘s public square was on the best-dressed list, religiously speaking. As Vitz observes, no other culture in history has manifested such a widespread public rejection of the divine—while at the same time boasting a citizenry that stubbornly persists in clinging to private belief in the Almightly.

“That such a rejection of God should have triumphed is quite remarkable—even bizarre” in a country that is seriously religious,” Vitz says. How did atheists become so good at controlling publicly “acceptable” views about God—especially on college campuses? That’s what Vitz wanted to know. He began his study in the same place atheists began: by examining the psychology of belief.

Atheists, of course, have long considered belief in God nothing more than infantile wish fulfillment. They disdain religion as an illusion we poor schmucks made up to satisfy unconscious needs.

But, Vitz wondered, what if the shoe’s on the other foot? Suppose it’s the atheists who are engaging in unconscious wish fulfillment? (Anna Morse in Boundless Magazine, January 2000.)

As we study the scriptures, we cannot escape the conclusion that God has a plan for revival.

Habakkuk 3:2-4 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. 3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. 4 And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.

Isaiah 64:1-2 Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, 2 As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!

This coming of God takes on more specific dimensions in Joel.

Joel 2:28-29 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

God uses metaphors that we can all understand that shed light on the nature and effects of a heaven-sent revival:

Acts 3:19-20 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Evidently, God wants us to see revival as a long-awaited rain that comes at the end of a drought. Every face is turned toward heaven, every eye searches the sky, every heart jumps at the feintest cloud formation in hopes of a few drops of water to refresh the ground.

Jesus kept hinting and forecasting a greater outpouring of power.

John 1:50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

The prophets not only encouraged the people to ask for revival rain, they commanded them to pray for it.

Zechariah 10:1. Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.

Whenever revival did not visit the people of God, there were tragic consequences. Almost every time the knowledge of God fell off to nothing in the history of Israel, a corresponding influx of idolatry and paganism took place.

Judges 2:7-13 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. 9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. 10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. 11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: 12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

There comes a time when revival, as a sovereign act of God breaks forth and nothing can stop it. We soon find out that we have been sitting next to or on top of a mighty and forceful move of God.

“A reservoir in the hills supplied a village community with water. It was fed by a mountain stream, and the overflow from the reservoir continued down the stream-bed to the valley below. This stream never attracted any attention or gave the villagers any trouble. One day, however, some large cracks appeared in one of the walls of the old reservoir. Soon afterwards, the wall collapsed, and the water came cascading down the hillside. Great trees were rooted up, boulders tossed about like playthings, houses and bridges destroyed. What had before been taken for granted now became an object of awe, wonder and fear. From far and near, people came to see what had happened.” Arthur Wallis

Isaiah 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

What can we determine about the initial outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost and the subsequent revival that caught fire among the Jewish people of Jerusalem and Judea?

1. There was a certain time in which God ordained it to happen.
2. The people of God were with one accord and in one place.
3. It was a sudden event.
4. There were sounds from heaven.
5. It was likened to wind.
6. It was likened to fire.
7. It touched every person present.
8. The people were filled (turned over the control of the Spirit)
9. There were tongues and other manifestations of spiritual power.
10. It drew a curious crowd.
11. The truth was preached to the people.
12. There was great conviction.
13. People repented.
14. People were baptized in the name of Jesus.
15. People were filled with the Holy Ghost.
16. There were many souls added to the church. (Added means that they entered into a relationship with each other after they experienced their personal Pentecost.)
17. They were discipled.
18. They began to live differently.
19. They exalted Jesus Christ as Lord.
20. They went everywhere as witnesses of the gospel.

Is there a revival in the making today? (Read growth statistics of the UPCI presented at the General Board meeting in January of 2000.)
We have every right to expect God to continue his revival ways!
Revival will not come at the expense of true holiness, doctrinal purity or Apostolic spirituality.

Sister Tenney attended a Prayer Coordinators Convention of denominational leaders. Peter Wagner was there. (Probably the most influential person in denominational circles today in the matters of church growth and prayer.) Sis. Tenney was sitting at a round table talking with people. Peter Wagner came over and introduced her to those sitting there. He cited the facts about the UPCI, and praised it to the people. He told of the oneness, baptism in Jesus name, tongues, holiness. Sis. Tenney was asked what she believed …

At another conference…Dutch Sheets. Man came over and said the Lord told him to do this. He took Sis. Tenney’s hair clip out and her hair fell to her waist. Everyone in the room caught their breath. Said, Look at this beautiful woman and she doesn’t have an ounce of makeup on.”  He said Sis. Tenney was pure seed and ssked her to tell of old-time pentecost.  They can sense a difference and there is a hunger for the real thing! 

LORD SEND A REVIVAL!