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Messages of Jose
Anathanam and the Covenant Ministries from |
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Messages of Jose
Anathanam and the Covenant Ministries from |
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In Christ Jesus
Part IV
| TRUTH REVEALED IN CHRIST JESUS ONLY: JESUS then said to the Jews who had believed in Him, "If you ABIDE in MY WORD (hold fast to my teachings and live in accordance with them), you are truly my disciples. And you will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set you free" (John - 8 / 31-32). From the above words of Jesus, we can understand very clearly: - 1) That THE TRUTH is revealed only to the Disciples of Christ. 2) Only those who abide IN THE WORD are His disciples. 3) Jesus spoke these words to the believers making them understand that there is a difference between just believing with the intellect and Trusting Faith IN HIM, which makes one abide in the Word. Many may believe in Jesus as they did in His time, but Jesus did not TRUST them and so could not reveal the TRUTH to them (See John - 2 / 23 - 25). Hebrews 4/2 - tells us - "For good news came to us just as to them, but the message which they heard did not benefit them, because it did not meet with FAITH (trusting faith) in the hearers". And so they did not understand the TRUTH - for the TRUTH cannot be revealed to those who do not ABIDE in the WORD. 4) Believers need to become disciples of Christ in order to be known and recognized by Jesus as Christians; for the Word of God in Acts 11/26 (b) tells us - "and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians." A person becomes a CHRISTIAN in the eyes of God only when he or she begins to ABIDE IN THE WORD. The enemy of Jesus, the devil, also believes in Jesus. (See James 2/19) and acknowledges JESUS as the Son of God when he says in Mark 5/7 - "What have you to do with me Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" And in Mark 1/24 - "What have you to do with us Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy one of God." But this devil does not abide in the word of God, although he knows the word of God. He quoted Ps 91/11-12 to Jesus Christ Himself. Likewise, many can read, listen, study and preach the word of God and yet not abide in the word! Jesus spoke to those who study the word thus - "You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you REFUSE to come to me that you may have life." (John 5/39-40) Five Hundred and eighty years before Jesus said this in person, this same God spoke through prophet Jeremiah 9/6 (b) - "they refuse to know me" and God continues to say to us through Jeremiah in 13/17 - "if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride, my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock has been taken captive". Colossians 2/8 says - "See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe and not according to CHRIST". That is why Jesus said to those who believed in Him, "If you ABIDE in my WORD, you will truly be my disciples and you will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set you free". (John 8/31-32). Unfortunately, these believers do not seem to understand that they need to be set free. This can clearly be seen if we take time and read John 8/31-51. Once again, let us emphasize the fact that believers cannot know the Truth - only those who ABIDE in the WORD (IN CHRIST JESUS) will know the Truth, for, Jesus is the TRUTH. He said in John 14/6 - I am the TRUTH. He also said in John 17/17 that God's Word is TRUTH. And it is this Word which became flesh (JESUS) and dwelt among us. Hence when we abide (live according to the Word of God) in the Word, we are abiding IN CHRIST, and this makes us disciples. The TRUTH is revealed only to the disciples. He told them in Luke 8/10 - "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others (those who do not abide in the Word), they are in parables; so that, seeing them may not see, and hearing they may not understand." Even in the book of Jeremiah 33/3 the Lord promises - "I will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known". God also promises to reveal the secret treasures of the kingdom of darkness in Isaiah 45/3. As we ABIDE IN CHRIST, the truth about the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan are revealed to us. This is what sets us free!! In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul writes - "I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ". (2 Corinthians 11/3). It is worth considering why Paul is so alarmed when writing to the Corinthians. First of all, let us refresh our memory of some scriptures that tell us God's plan for our creation. a) Even before the world was created, God chose us IN CHRIST. - Ephesians 1/4 b) We are created IN CHRIST JESUS for good works - Ephesians 2/10 c) All blessings of God come to us IN CHRIST JESUS - Ephesians 1/ 3, Philippians 4/19, Galatians 3/13-15 d) Unity is IN CHRIST Jesus - Ephesians 2/20-22 e) Life in all its fullness is only IN CHRIST - Colossians 2/10, John 10/10, 1 John 5/11-13, John 1/4 f) Our existence is only IN CHRIST. - Acts 17/28, John 15/1-11. We were created in such a way that all things that God wants us to have, spiritually and otherwise, were available only IN CHRIST represented by the TREE OF LIFE, and we could have access to it so long as we obeyed God's Word. Disobedience to God's Word would bring death which is a separation from God. The Lord very particularly mentioned the tree of Knowledge of good and evil which represents the desire of man to be independent of God. God warned him never to eat from that tree for that would bring death (separation from God). Genesis 2/17. The Truth of God's Word was - there was LIFE eternally in the TREE OF LIFE (Jesus) and there was death (separation from God) in the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil (autonomy of man). Satan, represented by the serpent, defined as subtle and cunning, offers a better state to man by convincing him that he will be like God if he disobeyed God by taking his hand off from the Tree of Life - in other words, taking away his pure devotion to Christ (represented by the Tree of Life) and putting his entire devotion on self. (Genesis 3/5). A big LIE entered into the world and man began to live under the LIE. He increased and multiplied under the LIE. Genesis 5/3 tells us that Adam became the father of a son in his own likeness. And generations and generations still live under the LIE. Satan - who is called the God of this world by the Word of God in 2 Corinthians 4/4, the Prince of this world by Jesus Himself in John 12/31, the deceiver of the world in Revelations 12/9, and the father of lies in John 8/44. - makes sure that those who are not IN CHRIST are kept away from the TRUTH by blinding them as seen in 2 Corinthians 4/3-4. He even dared to look Jesus in the face and told Him that the whole world - the entire human race, everything in the world, the authority and the glory - belonged to him as they all lived under his big LIE. 1 John 5/19 tells us that the whole world is under the power of Satan. Jesus Himself, looking at the Jews who believed in Him and claimed to have Abraham as their father, told them straight - "You are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and has nothing to do with THE TRUTH, because there is NO TRUTH IN HIM. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a LIAR and the father of LIES (John 8/44). Jesus goes on - "But because I tell the TRUTH you do not believe me _ _ _ _ _. If I tell the TRUTH why do you not believe me? He who is of God, hears the WORD OF GOD (THE TRUTH); the reason why, you do not hear them is that you are not of God" (John 8/45-47) "I am the WAY, THE TRUTH, and the LIFE; no one comes to the Father, but by me". (John 14/6). Jesus is THE TRUTH. In the face of Jesus, we see the Father, for Jesus is God. "He who has seen me has seen the Father". (John 14/9). "He is the image of the invisible God, the first - born of all creations; for IN HIM, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions of principalities or authorities - all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things and IN HIM, all things hold together." (Colossians 1/15-17) IN CHRIST JESUS alone the TRUTH is revealed. IN ADAM - head of the fallen race - Satan keeps man under the LIE! "In their case, the god of this world (SATAN), has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the likeness of God."(2 Corinthians 4/4). When such people read and study the Word, Satan makes sure he blinds them from the TRUTH. "Their minds were hardened, for to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through CHRIST is it taken away. Yes, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a VEIL lies over their minds." (2 Corinthians 3/14 - 15). "And even if our gospel is VEILED, it is VEILED only to those who are perishing." (2 Corinthians 4/3) "But when a man TURNS TO THE LORD the veil is removed." (2 Corinthians 4/16). Let us make sure we are not living under the LIE but we are set free by THE TRUTH. Await our next message!! We keep you in prayer and we do hope you pray for us as well. (To be continued...) |
The Covenant People
P.O. Box: 20, Kanjirapally
Kottayam District, Kerala - India
