SONS DIE

The entirety of the Old Testament is a prophetic account lived and recorded by prophets who were pointing to something greater that was to come, The Messiah – Christ. Under the revelation of the Holy Spirit that would come upon them, these servants of the Lord wrote things they saw in dreams and visions, things they heard while God sealed instructions in their ears (Job 33:16Job 33:16Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man) and they all came to pass in the New Testament when Christ came on earth. Through faith, the Lord allowed certain chosen men to perform rituals such as baptism through John The Baptist (Mark 1: 4-11Mark 1: 4-11John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins., Matthew 3Matthew 3In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, Acts 19:3Acts 19:3And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”) and Levite priests to make sacrifices inside the Holies of Holies for the atonement of sin (Deuteuronomy 18:1Deuteuronomy 18:1“The priests, the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and His portion.). He called men like Abraham, Moses, David, Gideon and many others to be sent to prepare the way and hearts of men for the Messiah who was, is and is to come.  

Abraham’s Yielded Heart

Abraham is the father of faith. Through him, all the generations of the world were born and through his obedience to God whom we serve as a model for us to look to when we have no clue how to have faith. This man believed in all things our human minds deem impossible. First, there was his wife whom God had said to him will conceive a son and biologically, at ninety years old conception is something unfathomable. Of this son, God also promised him that he would be a father of nations and that his offspring will be as plentiful as the stars in the sky (Genesis 18:1-18Genesis 18:1-18Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.). Abraham, simply wanting to honor his wife Sarah, knew his maid Hagar and she bore him a son Ishmael. Regardless of the human nature also alive in Abraham, that of wanting to take matters in our own hands, God still ensured that his promise was fulfilled and his blessing would come through the promised son. God had given an oath to Abraham, to seal the promise He had made to him (Hebrews 6:13Hebrews 6:13For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself) and because He had swore by himself for there’s none greater to swear by, he couldn’t have denied himself.

 In Genesis 22, our Father Abraham was tried by the Lord: 

“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.” Genesis 22:1-3 KJVGenesis 22:1-3 KJVNow it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Firstly, I want us to see something very important about Abraham, God knew Abraham’s heart inside out. You will notice in scripture that every time God asked Abraham to go somewhere, He always said ‘go into the land I will show you’ or ‘go the mountain I will show you’. Abraham’s going is an important demonstration of his unwavering trust in God. It  was also the determining factor of him getting his next piece of instruction for he knew not where to go, but he trusted that the God that called him will be true to his word and will show up exactly as he said.  The second attribute that we see is that Abraham’s heart completely was sold out to God, for he figured that the same God who gave him a son when his body and his wife’s naturally were past all odds and science to conceive one, might raise him from the dead. 

“And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.” Genesis 22:6-8 KJVGenesis 22:6-8 KJVSo Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.

Abraham therefore put his son on the altar and prepared himself to do as the Lord had asked, and as he raised his knife to sacrifice his promised son, The Lord intercepted him. In this act itself, God once again, through Abraham prophesied the death of Jesus, where He would give His only son as a sacrifice so that we may have life and be forgiven our sins. 

Jesus Given For Us 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJVJohn 3:16 KJVFor God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.)

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, who were notorious for their applied knowledge of the scriptures, comes to Jesus in the night to ask some questions. The Pharisees, although knowers of the scriptures, completely failed to recognize the very one the scriptures talked about, but not Nicodemus. He knew that this man was special, and that no one would perform the same miracles unless they are of God. 

Jesus spoke to the man, and told him the way to enter the Kingdom of God – by being born again. The old man, confused, asks Jesus how a grown man can return into the womb and come out again (John 3:4John 3:4Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”) ? Jesus then explains to the man that ‘that which is born of the flesh is of the flesh and that which is born of the spirit is of the spirit’. In our decision to be born again, we receive the person of The Holy Spirit, which is itself, the Spirit of God dwelling in us, hence being called born again. 

But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. (John 14:26John 14:26But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.)

When Jesus went back to heaven, he promised to send us The Holy Spirit which we receive and give us new life. The life Jesus purchased for us with his blood is one that can never be taken from us because it is not material. At the cross at Calvary, the scriptures tell us that ‘He (Jesus) breathed his last and gave up his spirit, the amplified version tells us that ‘he voluntarily, sovereignly dismissed and released his spirit from his body in submission to His Father’s plan”. The Holy spirit being a comforter, counselor, intercessor, advocate, strengthening, and standby exactly depicts what Jesus did at the cross. He bequeathed to us HIS own Spirit which was Holy. I will break down for us how Jesus in human form was all that the Holy Spirit is to us: 

1. Counselor: Matthew 19:21Matthew 19:21Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”, Luke 10:38-42Luke 10:38-42Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house., John 13:34John 13:34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
2. Helper: John 21:6John 21:6And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. ” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish., Matthew 1:23,Matthew 1:23,“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” John 2:1-11John 2:1-11On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
3. Intercessor: 1Cor 14:141Cor 14:14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
4. Advocate: Matthew 10:19Matthew 10:19But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;, Luke 12:11Luke 12:11“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.
5. Strengthener: Ephesians 3:16Ephesians 3:16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,, Acts 9:17 Acts 9:17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
6. Standby: Acts 4:8,Acts 4:8,Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: Acts 8:29Acts 8:29Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”, Acts 8:19Acts 8:19saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Another attribute of the Holy Spirit that is set apart and very important is that of giving us remembrance. Jesus warns us of the intent of the devil in the account of John 10, it is to kill, steal and destroy – but reassures us that he has come so that we may have life and have it in abundance. The devil is not necessarily here to steal our material belongings, but our memory is a great weapon he can use against us because like the Israelites, the more we forget the goodness of God, the battles he fought for us, the promises he’s made unto us, and the blessings he bestows upon us every day, we easily are robbed of life. The Proverbs poet tells us this plainly by reminding us that hope deferred makes the heart sick.

Believers Witnessing Christ 

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. (Acts 1:8Acts 1:8But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”) 

As a born again believer, you are called simply by the fact that Christ died for you whether you acknowledge it or not. Matthew 22:14Matthew 22:14“For many are called, but few are chosen.”tells us that although many are called, few are chosen. It is frequent to have believers know our bibles well, respect all the precepts that are taught to us by the church, honor Christ by the way we live and represent him as hosts of his Holy Spirit. However, few respond to the call, few accept to be chosen, to get their hands dirty, to partner with Christ as co-heirs, immerse themselves in this invitation and entrust themselves fully and wholeheartedly to serving God with undivided attention. 

Truth is, human beings have always been reluctant to change, and when you surrender your life to Christ, it means there is a constant demand for change and death to self. The Hebrew word for Surrender is tsa’aq and spelled Sade, Ayin, Qof . Sade teaches humility to surrender to God, Ayin means looking beyond the circumstances and seeing the ultimate will of God and finally Qof which is the willingness to make peace with change. Like our Father Abraham, believing precedes seeing and stems from trusting. In the darkness, God commanded light to shine, the same as he did through giving us Jesus who reveals us to God continuously by the Spirit he bequeathed to us and shines from within us by how we lead our lives. The called sons of God therefore understand that to every act of surrender, death to self, is a life brought back unto Christ. The privilege of being called alas comes with a burden, otherwise it would yield to pride (2 Corinthians 12:72 Corinthians 12:7And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.). That is why when you are chosen, the death working in you to perfect you and make you wholly after the things of the spirit, gives life to the believer you witness Jesus to by the very sacrifice of your carnal desires being put to death. That is why, my brother, sons die. 

Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. (2 Corinthians 4:9-12 KJV2 Corinthians 4:9-12 KJVpersecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed)

If you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, and you feel that this is the perfect time, pray this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I thank you because you died for my sins and you were raised for my glory. Today, I receive you as my Lord and Savior. I am born again. Amen.”