THE FLOW, THE FAITH, THE FULLNESS, THE FINALITY OF GOD’S
REVELATION
BY: J. FARRELL FISHER
JULY – AUGUST, 2018
INTRODUCTION
It’s absolutely amazing as one walks with the Lord through the door of faith and trust: – the walk begins, you’re on the Way, and you believe that ‘soon this amazing walk of faith will be over’, but He reminds you, “You’ve just begun! There’s more to see, understand, receive, exercise, release as YOU then share with others!”
At 82 years of age, as of June 12, 2018, I’m STILL “awed” about more and more of His revealed, Spirit-inspired, necessary and essential, Word of Truth! The “inspirational part” NEVER LET’S GO! You know you’re “hearing from God Himself”, and that, it is not only for you, but all the world around you! By the Spirit, you KNOW you’ve opened the Book of divine revelation, even “GIVEN” understanding, that as human food is necessary to sustain the human body, so the Bible is ‘spiritual food’ to nurture the “new-born journey” into adult spiritual identity – without the Word, babes, children, teenagers, young adults, older adults, never come into the fullness of Christ!
The Word is our milk, our water, our ‘bread’, our ‘meat’, our necessary ‘food’, to mature us in our walk with Christ! We’re not to “forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is”, nor should a true disciple ever be in his walk of faith void of devotion to the Holy Word of God! Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God!” Return to the Word so His Word may faithfully return YOU to Him in ‘fullness, completeness, and abiding joy’!
How many do you know who’ve “professed faith”, and yet, have not come into its fullness, because, sadly, the Holy Word of God has not been their spiritual nourishment in a ‘well-fed walk’ by the Word of Holy God being released in them and through them? Word-less ‘disciples’(?) live ‘deceived lives’ because, yes, they still feed on world wisdom, but not His divine revelation and eternal promises!
How many do you know who will submit themselves to every ordinance of man but stubbornly ignore the mandates of the Master?
It was Simon Peter who wrote so wisely and in eternal understanding, saying in 1 Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, desire the ‘sincere milk’ of the Word, that you may grow.” Some “professors of faith” live ‘stunted lives of faith’ because they ignore the Holy, Spirit-inspired Word of God Almighty! AND He wants you blessed, anointed, maturing into the fullness of Christ! Let me help!
OUTLINE
CHAPTER ONE: REMAINING ‘FLAWED’ OR “FAITHING THE FINISHED WORK”?
CHAPTER TWO: SETTLING THE REALITY OF JUDGMENT BY ‘FLESH ALLEGIANCE’ OR IN “AMAZING GRACE”?
CHAPTER THREE:THE ‘ACTS’ OF TRUE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST!
CHAPTER FOUR:
CHAPTER FIVE:
CHAPTER SIX:
CHAPTER SEVEN:
CHAPTER EIGHT:
CHAPTER NINE:
CHAPTER TEN:
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
CHAPTER TWELVE:
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
CHAPTER NINETEEN:
CHAPTER TWENTY:
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:
CHAPTER THIRTY:
CHAPTER ONE
REMAINING ‘FLAWED’ OR “FAITHING THE FINISHED WORK”?
How aware are you of the ‘deception’ fallen men and women live with as they are confronted with Eternal Truth and minimize its’ importance in, they assume, the ‘supposed’ walk of faithful disciples as they, at least, admit to knowing about? How many do you know who will even ‘profess faith’ about Christ, but they hold onto “the heels” of a dead, condemned, Christ-less life, ‘hoping’, though hopelessly in reality, to maintain both the world, the flesh, and the devil, as they declare their ‘belief’ in Jesus, assuming by ‘head knowledge’ alone that one can be reconciled to God! Really? As they dance with the world, the old sin nature, and Satan himself, even enjoying the devil’s ‘fleshly music’?
Like a ‘government’ of ‘functional service’ apart from the grace and mercy of God, so, many ‘believers’ today in, at least, the ‘professing church’, PROFESS, apart from being “possessed” by the Indwelling Christ, but continue to live under the strong influences in an unbelieving world, adoring the seeming satisfactions of their sin natures, sadly avoiding but attempting to imitate Jesus in “best effort” demonstration and activity, blind to the reality that their ‘best effort’ was also crucified with Christ! But they continue, at least, every Sunday morning, the “Sabbath” day, to celebrate ‘IMITATION’, that is, yes, a ‘false impression’ of the True Christ, continuing to use His name, pretending Him apart from His Indwelling, Resurrection, Reigning Presence!
‘Sinners’, who are determined to remain as they are, still at times, will acknowledge the ‘name of Jesus’, ‘profess a flawed faith’, join ‘a church’, being ‘flawed disciples’, asserting their ‘faith’ as a believer, but within their mind and heart are blind to one’s “completion in Christ”, not by what they try to do, but by what He and He alone has done at the Cross and empty tomb, thus releasing a “new, eternal agenda” with Christ Jesus as the only “Commandeer-in-Chief” who rules, guides, inspires, comforts, empowers, and, yes, corrects, when necessary, through you by His Resurrection Presence!
You, no doubt have heard it, or at least sensed it, maybe said it: “Oh, I ‘believe’ in Jesus, as long as He allows Me to be myself. I want to be with Jesus, but if I must die to myself, to my old sin nature, forsaking devotion to a world philosophy and worldly pleasures, even, at times, agreeing with Satan’s false assertions and the desires of fleshly demons, I’ll just have to pay the price for a stubborn heart, mind, and life – ‘good-by, Jesus’!” So, by God, He decrees you: “Assigned to Satan, to the world spirit, and the bad fruit of your ‘flesh’ or old sin nature”!
Do YOU remember ‘Pharaoh of Egypt’ in Exodus 5:2 in response to Moses who confronted him for God? Pharoah said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.” It wasn’t long until God’s judgment WAS released upon Pharoah, as it will be released on every opposer, mind, heart, or will, of the grace, mercy, and love of God!
Fallen mankind does not truly KNOW God, though inclinations about Him remain hidden in their dark minds and dark hearts – maybe only a ‘reflection’, but they DO KNOW HIM! Men, unbelieving men, though spiritually ignorant, ARE birthed, by God’s design, with, at least a “primitive knowledge or awareness of the ‘CREATOR GOD’”, even though ‘fools’ say, “There is no God!” But, in spite of unbelieving stupidity, the awareness of God IS written on the mind, even if the heart remains ‘dark’, or ‘cold’ to the love of God!
The Bible does declare of unbelievers, “The way of peace they know not”, so they create ‘crooked paths’! Often one’s awareness of God is crowded out, shoved into the back recesses of the mind, or ‘short of God’s righteousness’, they fabricate their own, even giving God credit, though THEY “warped” their own view of Him, but they still wanted to verbalize His name without any devotion or commitment to His will!! They refuse to submit to “the righteousness of God”! “Blindness of heart” IS a serious disease or ‘dis-ease’, because one will never be “comfortable” with himself apart from “saving grace, mercy, and love of God”!!
In Jeremiah 4:22 God spoke about His “created people”! It says: “For my people is foolish (Is there a tribe, a nation, a brand of human people around that God didn’t ‘make, birth, or brand’?), they have not known Me; they are ‘sottish’ children, and have no understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to DO GOOD they have no knowledge.”
‘Sottish”? The Random House College Dictionary” of 1975, published by Random House Inc., New York, NY, defines it as: “stupefied with or ‘as with drink’” – that means “drunk”, and certainly, ‘strong drink, stupid thoughts, always intoxicates one’s mind, thoughts, and spirits’ – also the dictionary said: “given to excessive drinking” – unbelieving thoughts WILL stupefy!! ARE YOU SOBER OR STUPIFIED, OR “SET APART BY HIM TO HIS GLORY”?
In Jeremiah 6, as the prophet Jeremiah was sent BY GOD, yes, to His own ‘chosen people’, he wrote, in Verses 13-16, about God Himself speaking, Oh, so clearly and in convicting passion! “For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one deals falsely.
They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
Were they (My people) ashamed when they had committed abominations? No, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush; THEREFORE they shall fall AMONG them that fall; at the time that I VISIT THEM they shall be cast down, says the Lord.
THUS SAYS THE LORD, Stand you in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We, yes, have chosen not to walk THAT WAY any longer!”
Don’t YOU thank Almighty God for sending ON-TO-US-FIREY-PROPHETS to shock His own people in hopefully responding to His insightful Word?
In Jeremiah 7:23-24, again, God speaks: “But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people: and walk you in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they did not hearken to me (shutting their ears so they wouldn’t hear His voice of mercy), nor incline their ears, BUT walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went BACKWARD, and NOT FORWARD.”
Have you witnessed it? “Sold-out disciples of the Savior, deflecting their eyes AND heart AND will away from Him, absolutely ‘straying’ into what is absolute, infinite nothingness in place of the “fullness of the blessing of the Resurrected Life in Christ”?
And, I’m not highlighting ‘atheists’ or ‘agnostics’, even though they stupidly deny God’s existence, but “His own”, who, deceived by Satan, the old-sin-nature, and the world around them, are “led astray”, “caught up by ‘fleshly’ passions”, and intentionally ‘deceived by Satan and his demon forces’, are ‘turned’ away from Truth to be made spiritually ill by the disease of literal deception! Aren’t you aware that, yes, some believers are led astray by ‘spirits’, by uninformed Bible-believers who mix their ‘flesh-natures’ that were crucified, but won’t let go, and see no problem with holding hard to ‘untruths’ that they held before ‘salvation’, but now, though ‘saved’, decide it’s OK to pour their ‘old’ captive thoughts in with “Divine Truth”?
‘Compromising disciples, ‘intellectual’ preachers, ‘highly-fallible-folks, seeing themselves as ‘smarter than God Himself, immature, untrained, yes, neglected ‘babes in Christ’, WILL unashamedly wear “messy diapers”, and the “smell” is real! True disciples must not be betrayed by ‘split-allegiance-folks’ who claim Christ but unveil their spiritual stupidity!! Some ‘disciples’, yes, ‘set aside’, minimize, or, for a time, will forfeit ‘revealed Truth’ for “humanistic ideals, but absent of God’s Truth”!!
‘Compromising disciples’ often see themselves in their ‘spiritual fantasies’ as “Superman, Super woman”, living on the basis of fleshly, academic, worldly ‘truths’, promoted by ‘intellectual, spiritually ‘brain-dead’, men or women’, but ‘high-class’ in ‘godless theology’, or their ‘interpretations’, and,yes, with ‘religious minds’ but ‘godless hearts’! Reasonable revelation is forfeited for ‘restricted truths’ enlightened by their own persuasions, not guiding by God’s Spirit!
Have YOU ever even considered at all God’s INTENT in the ‘humans’ creation? If you haven’t, then I’m persuaded, for you, revelation-Truth is a ‘joke’ promoted by ‘religious fanatics’, and not to be ‘studied’, as a true disciple does!
What was Paul’s ‘inspired word’ to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15? “Study to shew yourself approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”
Rather than ‘study’, too many ‘believers’ “rest themselves” on the divided explanations of ‘prophets’ or ‘teachers’ or ‘professors’ who, subtly believe, though you’d never hear them say it, that, really, they are smarter than God Himself!
Again, the Prophet Jeremiah quoted God, saying, in Jeremiah 23:21-22, “I have not sent ‘these prophets’, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they ‘prophesied’. BUT, if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My words, then they should have turned them from THEIR evil way, and from the evil of their doings.”
So, of course, the question remains: Are YOU, at all, concerned about what Holy God has spoken about, yes, the precious words of Jesus, and, also, what the Holy Spirit directs you to in “guiding you into all Biblical Truth”? Jeremiah 23:28-29 also challenges all “followers” of God: “The prophet that has a dream, let him tell his dream; and he that has My word, let him speak faithfully My word. What is the chaff to the wheat, says the Lord. Is not My word like as a fire? AND like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
THE HOLY WORD OF GOD “IN CHRIST” DOES AND WILL SHATTER THE WORLD, THE OLD SIN-NATURE, AND SATAN WITH HIS DEMONS DAILY, ‘IF’ YOU “TAKE THE SENTENCE OF DEATH DAILY TO YOUR OLD MAN THAT THE NEW MAN, LIVING BY HIS PRESENCE WITHIN, BY HIS ANOINTED POWER, AND HIS GRACIOUS HEART, AND GUIDING HOLY SPIRIT, IS, YES, WILLFULLY RELEASED TO BE HIMSELF THROUGH YOU?
Far too many “professors of faith” live, behave, and share from a sad foundation of willful, ludicrous loyalty, while neglecting one’s “Life-Blessed Loyalty of the Indwelling Christ”!!
I don’t even know who said it, but I held onto it, over my 82 years of life, a statement someone wisely made that says: “Virtue in distress and vice in triumph makes atheists of mankind,” of course, knowing, as Psalm 14:1 declares, “The ‘fool’ has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’. For, they are corrupt, they do abominable works, none seeks the good,” because all ‘fallen men and women’ want ‘the good’ on their terms, not God’s will, Word, or His Way only in and through the Resurrected, Reigning Christ Jesus, the ONLY “Blood-Atoner”!
Have YOU ever turned to the ONLY “Blood-Atoner”? Of course not, because no man ever has “sought Him” without Him coming to “knock on your heart’s door and the intellect of your mind”, even offering “the gift” of understanding, from which, or out of His graciousness, one discerns the sad estate of his/her life, existence, and affairs, absent of His “abiding Presence”, but He says, “Open the door – and I’ll come in to make your life My “dwelling, My residence, My earthly Temple”!!
Do YOU “wait on the Lord” or continue ignoring Him, living in a self-initiated, fleshly lifestyle, ignoring the “knock”, strongly convinced you DON’T NEED HOLY GOD, because for you “self-determination and self-will” is sufficient to “fill’ your godless life, therefore no need of a Lord or Savior, even learning by biblical revelation, that He “knew” you before He ‘birthed’ you on earth!
One’s “true identity” is wrapped up in the eternal love of God for “coming mankind”, though as yet, you hadn’t even been born! Matthew knew that eternal truth when in his ‘gospel’, the ‘gospel’ according to “Saint Matthew”, in Matthew 1:1-17, there is found the historical record of God’s initiation of His own people and the birth of His Son through Mary! It’s so awesome! Verses 18-25 tells us: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, BEFORE THEY CAME TOGETHER (in holy wedlock!), she was found with child by the Spirit implanting Holy Ghost seed in her womb (though she “never knew any man in a physical, sexual relationship!).
Joseph was so confused: he was a just man and had no desire to expose Mary publicly, and considering his dilemma, Verse 20 says, “behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto yourself Mary as your wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.” Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, GOD WITH US.’
Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took Mary unto himself as his wife; and knew her not till she brought forth her firstborn son: and he called His name JESUS.” Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit who guides us into ALL TRUTH!
Not long after, God raised up John the Baptist to begin preaching “repentance” because, yes, the Kingdom of Heaven was to be established on earth as it is in Heaven, through redeemed prophets, disciples, evangelists, yes, “PREACHING CHRIST AS THE SAVIOR AND LORD OF ALL, AND ESPECIALLY IN AND THROUGH THOSE WHO REPENT, RECEIVE, AND RELEASE THE ETERNAL TRUTH OF CHRIST JESUS AS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS OVER ALL!
EVEN HOLY GOD BEGAN TO SPEAK FROM HEAVEN, SAYING, “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED”, with the continuing call even unto today, “Be clothed in the righteousness, through repentance and faith, that only comes when YOU make Christ Jesus Lord and Savior of your life!!”
T.O.Chisholm and C. Harold Lowden, in the old, “The American Hymnal, (Broadman Press, Nashville, Tennessee)”, wrote a hymn entitle “Living for Jesus” which should have been entitled as “Living IN Jesus”. It says: “Living (in) Jesus, a Life that is true, (yes), striving to please Him in all that I do, Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free, This is the pathway of blessing for me.
Living in Jesus who died in my place, Bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace, Such love constrains me to answer His call (That’s daily, even moment by moment!), Follow His leading and give Him my all.
Living in Jesus wherever I am, Doing each duty in His holy name, Willing to suffer affliction or loss, Deeming each trial a ‘test’ in my cross.
Living in Jesus thro’ earth’s little while, My dearest treasure, the light of His smile, Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem, Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I (moment by moment) give myself to You; For Your, in Your Atonement, DID give Yourself for me; I own no other Master, my heart shall be Your Throne, My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ in You alone.”
But many are so ‘fleshly soulful’ that BONDAGE holds until you know, lean on, and rest in His Word: “As God knocks on my sinful heart’s door, wanting residence in me, so that, through me, an earthly vessel, He can be Himself in Christ’s Resurrection Presence, yes, “guiding me by the ‘Spirit-Teacher’, the Holy Spirit, constantly, day by day, perfecting the Word of God faithfully, receiving, partaking, standing in, obeying the Eternal Word of God, because, the alternative, life without Christ, life without my “Trainer and Equipper”, life apart from being a member of His Holy Body, would be to disgrace God’s promises, deny His Spirit’s work, and shame the “Truth” He gave Himself for, that I might be free from guilt, godlessness, and ‘gory’ fleshly, sinful, imprisoned living under control of Satan and his demon soldiers, denying the blessing of the “gift of Eternal Life” living in the ‘curse’ of self-will, self-pleasures, AND satanic bondage!
Holy God, the true Heavenly Father, has said, and continues to say, “I called, I knocked, I atoned, I overcame the world, your sinful nature, and your devilish chains – but in unbelief and ‘fleshly resistance’ you chose the path of darkness, the deception of Hell’s ruler, the blindness of unbelief, so you could indulge, bow before, entertain, even worship the government of Hellish allegiance – you continue to ‘live’ with no thanks, no appreciation, even blinded to My “Amazing Grace”, – I gave “gifts” and the “gift of everlasting Life in Christ”, but YOU rejected Him, turned inward only, and continue to pursue your ‘own way’, your ‘darkened desires’, and your ‘devilish loyalty to darkness’, not allegiance to Him who IS the “Eternal Light”! You ignored your ‘cleansed ledger’, rejected my ‘deposit’ of Christ’s offer of eternal freedom through His shed blood; I even deposited on your eternal account, “Forgiven through Christ”, but you settled for the deathly participation in self-will, self-determination, and self-glory, REJECTING JESUS’ invitation, “Come unto Me, and I will give you “rest”! Yes! I deposited YOUR NAME in the eternal ledger, “Forgiven through My shed blood!”, but you refused to hear, you shut your ears to My loud
knock, you chose ‘self-indulgence’ over My grace, mercy, and love!” And, yes, sorrowing God has to say, “Good-by”, because YOU chose ‘sinful flesh’ over being His “new creation”!!
Is it for you, “Remaining Flawed”, or “Faithing The Finished Work?” P.P. Bliss, in the old, “The American Hymnal”, published by Broadman Press, Nashville, Tennessee, in 1933, has a song entitled, “Almost Persuaded”. It says: “Almost persuaded” now to believe; “Almost persuaded” Christ to receive; Seems now some soul to say, “Go, Spirit, go Your way, Some more convenient day On You I’ll call.” Really? There are many who never answer the Spirit’s call! Will YOU?
CHAPTER TWO
SETTLING THE REALITY OF JUDGMENT BY ‘FLESH ALLEGIANCE” OR IN “AMAZING GRACE”?