Started writing 28 March 2017
INDEX to Volume One(1)
1. Introduction to Volume 1(1)
2. My sheep knows My voice
3. The promise of life in Christ
4. Live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God
5. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness
6. I am the resurrection and the Life
7. You will eat from the fruit of your mouth
8. The fruit of the spoken word
9. Receive the Holy Spirit
10. Walk in the Spirit
11. Drink of the Fountain of Life
12. From His fullness we have all received
13. Forgive and forget
14. Not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for His sake
1. Introduction to Volume 1(1)
My wife and I both had the same desire since our childhood days, and that was to do the will of our Father in heaven. The Bible was always a book different from all other. I always believed every word in it but I was not aware of the fact that God wanted to speak personally to me through it. To me it was wonderful to hear David saying “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” But could I say it? The minister preached on Sundays about all the conditions on which I could relate to those words and promises. But, alas, it was not easy. It was actually impossible to me because “the good I will to do, I do not, but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Rom 7 : 10-25) . I also considered myself unworthy because I didn’t deserve it. That based my whole relationship and communion with Father on merits. I had to deserve His mercy and grace. Therefore I could not appropriate Jahweh’s promises for myself because who on earth could ever deserve it? Not me for sure! Until one day He gave me a word in 2 Cor 1 : 20 “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” Then I realized that it is not only important for me to have His promises fulfilled in my life but also for Him. It glorifies Him when His word, or promises, are fulfilled. That is why He is always ready to perform His word (Jer 1 : 12; Isa 55 : 10-11) .
His Name is higher and greater than all names but He has magnified His word even above His Name. Please read Ps 138 :2. Can you ever grasp the greatness of His Name? Then you will also be able to understand the greatness of His word and how important it is for Him to fulfil His word through us. It is pure glory to Him, and also to us because he wants to fulfil His word through us. Read 2 Cor 1 : 20 again.
This concise record of all Gods promises and words to us we write unto you with the greatest love, sharing these truths with you which you are going to need every day in this nearby future.
Daily we are hearing reports on killings, rapes, robberies etc. However we are not going to concentrate on that. We want to be busy with the light. The light drives out all darkness. Love drives out all fear (1 Joh 4 : 18) . If He tells you not to be afraid for He gave His angels charge over you (Ps 91) , and the Holy Spirit quickens that Word in your heart, exciting it in your spirit and soul it becomes a “Living Word” from Jahweh to you. That changes your whole life. Then His peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart (Phil 4 : 7). A faith that you always desired will fill your heart and mind and also a thankfulness, joy and happiness in Jahweh.
We are sitting here today in the Drakensmountains in one of the most beautiful sceneries. We are thinking about the words of promise our Father gave us through many years, making notes of it and thanking Him for the privilege having them. And when He instructed us to write them all in a book, from the beginning, we just trembled before Him. Whe are not at all linguists or writers. Languages were never my strong point at school and university. Science was always my passion. But now I must write again. I need my Fathers grace and mercy. I need his Spirit to do it through me, not to impress scholars, but to bring his promises to you in a time that you need them, a time of trouble but also of glorious victories.
If He does not protect us it will be the end of His people that He sent to this Southern tip of Africa. We will have to rediscover His original plans for us. Now what must we do? Well, He gave me instructions to write. If it is only my wife and I that are going to benefit from that, it will be good. But it will be much better if you can also share these great truths and promises, yes, it will be glorious!
We had the Word in Philip 3 :16 “Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained…”. At the end of this year I turn 75. As in my case , my wife was also seeking the face of Jahweh. And it was not in vain, though at times I wondered until my Father rebuked me one day through Malach 3 : 13 “ Your words have been harsh against Me. You have said, It is useless to serve God; what profit was it to keep His ordinance…” By this I doubted His faithfulness that He who has begun a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Jashuah Messiah). And that was a promise that I already had from Him (Philip 1 :6).
Through many toils and snares He lead us both until we came together almost 17 years ago. Since then we are seeking His face together. Here we begin today, sharing our lives with you, referring to all His promises for your sake and your spiritual edification in order that you will be able to be strong in Him while you are weak in yourself . Please read 2 Cor 13 :4.
Jer 9 :23-24 says that we must not pursue human wisdom, power and might, nor riches of this world. But that we rather pursue the personal knowledge of Jahweh, that He is Jahweh who exercises loving-kindness, judgement and righteousness in the earth. For in these He delights. Thus to know Him is the greatest of all knowledge (Philip 3 : 7-12). His eyes are on those who fear Him and wait on Him. That means that we cannot have one eye on Him and the other on the help of the flesh (Ps 39 : 5) .
Through the years we received lots of promises from our Father for different needs and situations: Promises for physical as well as spiritual healing, provisions in our material and spiritual needs, protection against attacks from spiritual as well as physical enemies, promises to His people, their infilling with His Spirit, the remnant in our country and also over the world, the promise that He will give us grace and mercy in dark times to come, also the strength to endure and persevere, the promise that He saves us by His grace and not by any merits or good works.
However, before you pay attention to all the promises mentioned above, it is important that you will be sure that you are a righteous man/woman because most of Jahweh’s promises is made to the righteous. If you claim to be a righteous person, on what grounds are you claiming it?
Matt 4 : 4 says that “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. Thus there is life in His word (Joh 1 : 4; Joh 6 : 63; 1 Joh 1 : 1). Pray now that God will reveal His way by which He wants to speak to you, while you read the following promise.
NOTE : It is very important that you read every Scripture prayerful and attentive. It is imperative because without doing it you will lose a major part of the Word (Remember that I use the “New King James version by Thomas Nelson” unless otherwise informed). Also read the Introduction to Volume 2 regarding the difference between a Word that you receive from your Father and a promise by Him. For the purpose of these promises they are the same thing.
2. My sheep knows My voice
Throughout the ages Jahweh spoke in different ways to our ancestors (Heb 1:1). But can we know His voice today? He promised that His sheep shall know His voice (John 10 : 1-5.). Thus it is a promise. Have you accepted Jashuah as your personal Saviour ? Then you are a child of God (Elohim) and He is your Father according to His Word (John 1: 12; 1 John 3 : 1). If you truly believe that you are His child, even if you are bad and still committing sins but desiring to do His will, you are one of the sheep of Jashuah and you know His voice. If you believe it, you will experience that He speaks to you in different ways, sometimes through people and at other times through situations and events. Many times however, He will speak to you through the Scriptures. He speaks to me on a daily basis through His Spirit and also through the Scriptures. And what a wonderful experience it was through the years to hear His voice in many matters, cases, difficulties and even crisisis. Even in very small matters He spoke to us because He is good, He is love and He is gracious. He is faithful and merciful. He is the God that forgives all our sins but never let it go unpunished (Exod 34 :5-7). To be righteous He therefore had to punish His Son for our sins (Isa 53 : 4-5). About His promises I will write later. At this stage it is more important to know that He speaks to you personally through the Scriptures. Here we must see and realize that there is a difference between the Bible as such and the Living Word.
Elohim (God) has created all things through His Word (John 1:1-3) in the same way that every living thing sprouts forth from seed (Mark 4:14 ; 1 Peter 1:23). His Word has power over creation. He does not need material to create something. He created everything out of nothing by simply speaking a word (Heb 11:3). To man’s mind this is just as inexplicable as the sprouting of seed (Mark 4:26-28). His Word abides forever (1 Pet 1:23) and He Himself accomplishes it (Isiah 55:10-11; Jer 1:12). What He says will happen – He cannot lie (Num 23:19 ; Heb 6:18 ; Tit 1:2).
3. The Promise of Life in Christ
Before you can receive His life you must first die with Him (2 Tim 2 : 11; Rom 6 : 1-11). The saints through the ages believed it. To them it was a great truth. Even in some traditional churches they believed it and it was also written in their articles of faith and creeds. I quote from their “ Heidelbergse Kategismus” Sunday 88 (I translate) : How many parts are there in true repentance? The answer: Two parts : The death of the old carnal man and the resurrection of the the new man. Late Dr Andrew Murray, for whom they erected a statue in Wellington, Cape Province (South Africa), explained it in his book Die Heidelbergse Kategismus: “The expressions in this creed is taken from the Bible. It speaks of an old man for whom there is no other cure than getting rid of him by death. It teaches us that we died with Christ (In Him), that we are now dead to sin and the old carnal, fleshly man. It also speaks of a new person who is already created in Christ, with whom we cloth ourselves”. Unfortunately I don’t have the time and space here to quote the whole chapter from Dr Murray’s book and there are also many other old books from saints who recognised and believed the same truth from the Scriptures. They believed it and lived it ! This is the word of the cross the apostle Paul is referring to in 1 Cor 1 : 18.
The word of the cross is foolishness to those who perish, but to them who are saved, it is the power of God (1Cor 1:18 ;1:22-24). Without the word of the cross you remain without the power of God and it is impossible to experience a life of victory. This is a keyword that opens up the life of Jashuah, the life that He received through His resurrection from death.
You too will receive exactly the same life – His resurrection life and glory (Rom 8 : 11). This will take place if you are willing to share in the same death (Gal 2:20). It has already happened because we have been nailed to the cross with Him (Col 2:9-11; Rom 6:3-11). We have also been buried with Him (Col 2:9-11; Rom 6:4) and also together with Him we have been resurrected to a new life (Eph 2:5-6 ; Rom 6:4 ; Rom 6:8-11). This is a historic truth. It is the gospel – the joyful message – the good tidings. (2 Tim 2:11)
You may ask: “but why do we not experience His resurrection life – His faith, His love, His wisdom, peace and glory?” Why do we not experience the working of His death in us? (2 Cor, 4:10-12). Why do we not die from sin (Rom. 6:3-11) ? Why do we not manage to bury the flesh, the “ego”? Why do we still sin? A dead person cannot sin. Why have we not yet died regarding to the world if we have been crucified with Messiah? (Gal. 2:20; Gal 6 : 14). Why are we still so eager to please Father through good works (the law) if we are dead to the law? (Rom. 7:4-6). Surely a dead person cannot do good or obey a law! We also then expect it from other people!? i.e. We measure them according to their deeds. Col. 1:5-6 says that the word of the truth of the gospel “bringeth forth fruit since the day you heard it and knew the grace of God in truth”. The revelation of the dying with Messiah and the experience of His risen life and glory in you, takes place only when you have learnt the grace of God in truth. Years of Bible study cannot give this to you. A good, perfect church-going life is not the answer either. To obey the laws of God (excluding the “law of the Spirit” in Rom 8:1-3), church and society laws and even your own laws, accomplishes nothing. The resurrection life comes through grace and not by one’s own efforts. God has to work the dying as well as the life of Messiah in you. The flesh is of no use (John 6:63). No matter how sincerely you may try in your own fleshly power, it can never please Jahweh (Rom. 8:5-13). Jashuah has to work it through His Spirit in you (Phil. 2:13). Without Him you can do nothing (John 15:4-5). If you do try by doing good works (by trying to earn it), you then have neither Messiah nor His grace (Gal. 5:4). To get to know His grace, He has to speak the word of His grace to you (Act 14:3). Read in Acts 20:32 what this word of grace works in you!
The question now is: to whom does God speak the word of grace? The answer is: to those who have ears to hear! Read Matt. 13:9-18; John 8:42-47. Why then can some hear and others not? (Matt. 19:11). It all depends on the willingness to do Fathers will – completely and with all your heart – to love Him and obey Him. To these He reveals His grace (Eph. 6:24). It is also these to whom the promise of life which is in Christ, becomes a living word (2 Tim 1 : 1 ).
4. Live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God
Note: This chapter should be read together with the one in Volume 3: “A new concept of the Word of God”. It is so important and also blessed if the Word of God is not merely “Verses from the Bible or Scriptures” anymore, but rather “The Word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt 4 : 4). In the world where we live today it is rather an important matter of “by whom something is said”. We are quick to ask : “Who said so?”. The person who said it is important, VERY IMPORTANT. If we then hear that it is somebody unreliable, we quickly question or reject it. The trustworthiness of the person who says something is thus crucial and determining. Is God trustworthy and dependable? Yes, and a thousand times Yes!! His Name is “The Holy One who is Faithful” (Hos 11 : 12) . Read in Ps 89 : 1-8 how He couples His loving-kindness with His faithfulness.
Thus, when the word proceeds from His mouth it is totally different from a word being said by man. How many nations were deceived by the words of leaders who promised many things and eventually they had to realize that they can not rely on the words of man. On the contrary Jos 23 : 14-15 says that of all the words being spoken by God not a single one word was not fulfilled. Why? Because He is the God that can not lie ( Num 23 : 19; Heb 6 : 17-20) . He is the faithful God (1 Cor 10 : 13) . If you could pray right now in the Name of Jashuah that your Father would give you an entirely new concept of His Word, the Bible will have a new meaning to you. It wont merely be a good book with history, nice moral lessons, teachings, admonishments etc., which it also surely is according to 2 Tim 3 :16. But it will be more than that! It will be Jahweh speaking to you. You will then discover that His word is your life. Yes there is life in His word (Joh 6: 63; Joh 1 : 1-5) . Read these Scriptures and ask Jahweh that He will reveal Himself to you through His word.
5. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness
When we look at the three volumes of these promises to the “Quiet in the Lands”, the second volume, “The requirements of God”, is like the top angle of a tri-angle. The first and third volumes form the bottom two angles of the tri-angle. Quickly take a piece of scrap paper and draw a triangle. You will then notice how “The requirements or rights of God” is above all things. It is above the living word that He speaks to us and it is also above our rights that we have in Christ. In fact, if we put His rights and requirements first in our lives, we will find how He speaks to us, how He lets us discover and obtain all His riches in His Son, Jashuah Messiah.
Jashuah is the “Word that became flesh and dwelt among us”(Joh 1 : 1- 14). He is our very life (Col3 :4). He says: “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believe in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (Joh 11 : 25-26). Gods method by which He gives His life to you is by giving you the Living Word in order that you can eat it (Jer 15 :16; Rev 10: 9-11). The Word is also the Spirit of life (Joh 6 : 63; Rom 8 : 11). To “eat” the word means to make yourself part and parcel of it. Or, if you will, make the word part and parcel of you. Whatever, you can not become part of His resurrection-life if you did not die with Him first. Please read Rom 6 : 1-12, Gal 2 : 20-21; 2Tim 2 : 11.
To seek His kingdom and His righteousness first in your life (Matt 6 : 33) means that you put His kingdom above all other kingdoms. That obviously includes your kingdom. It means that the kingdom in which you call the shots, normally your home, family, your job, sports and recreation, your money that is the single thing everybody pursues, and everything that your soul desires. That is your kingdom. You will have to put God’s kingdom above yours and seek it with your whole heart. David says : “ With my whole heart I have sought You” (Ps 119 : 10). Also read Matt 22 : 34-40.
You will also have to put His Righteousness above your own. Just think for one moment about you own righteousness, that is “the right thing to do in this life according to your views”. Is it to pursue the things that 1 Joh 2 : 15-17 refers to, not only for yourself but also for your husban/wife and children: “ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever”. Are these the things that are right in your eyes? That is thus righteousness in your eyes? But God reveals His righteousness in His Son. Read 1 Cor 1 : 30; Jer 23: 6. Is it not the case with you as described in Rom 10 : 3 : “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God”.
Therefore, you will find that you will not be able to receive the life in Christ as long as you chase after the tangible things and the things that are important to this world. But if you seek the things of our Father’s kingdom first, and His Righteousness – that is Jashuah Messiah – you will obtain a richness, and a glory that the resources of this world will never be able to give you (2 Cor 9 : 8-11).
6. I am the resurrection and the Life
When our Father promised many believers throughout the ages that their loved ones, who were sick and on the verge of death, that they won’t die, He in many cases gave them the promise through John 11:25,26. They then understood, at that point in time, that the loved one won’t die physically. But they did eventually die and they obviously could not understand it. Didn’t they hear the Word properly? However, at a later stage the Holy Spirit explained to them the word that says: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, He shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
But the assurance by Jashuah that He holds the keys of Hades in His hands: “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of death”. (Rev 1 : 18), comforted them. The assurance that He planned every living creature on earth’s birth and death, on the day and even second, was a consolation to them. Read Job 12 : 10 and Job 14 : 5. But the greatest comfort and consolation was that God fulfilled His promise though they didn’t understand it.
There is life in His Word! There is life in Him! And it is exactly this which causes the enemies of the believers to become desperate: they realize that even if they kill us physically, they are not able to kill the Christ, our life, in us. He was dead but is alive now for eternity. In Him and Him alone, there is life. I don’t speak about physical life now, I’m speaking about spiritual life, eternal life. This life is in Him only available.
When His Word comes to you as a living Word, you will experience how His life pours into your heart. He says in John 6:63: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life”. But the terms and conditions to receive His life was a hard word to His listeners. They complained: “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” (verse 60). The worst of His words to them was because He said: “No one can come to me unless the Father who send Him draws Him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (verses 44 and 65). He also said to them that if they don’t eat His flesh and drink His blood, they will have no life in them (verses 47 – 56). Surely they did not understand what Jashuah meant with this. Do you understand it? Do you
understand what it means to eat His flesh and drink His blood? Pray Him now that He will explain this to you, because without it you cannot receive eternal life, even if you are a regular Church-goer and also have an impeccable life.
If this truth opens up in your spirit you will experience that you cannot live from bread alone, but that you need every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt 4:4), the Word which is one with His Spirit (John 6:63). And that is exactly the same Spirit that God poured out in His Son when He raised Him from the dead (Rom 8:11). But there is something important in the next chapter. Prepare yourself for it in prayer.
7. You will eat from the Fruit of your mouth
(PROV 18: 20-21)
Today we have a Word from our Father which is indispensable and essential for you if you desire to obtain His promises. There is a great truth that many believers have discovered early in their lives: There are great things locked up in words, and when you speak the Word in Jashuah’s Name it releases unprecedented power – His power! Many insincere Christians have turned the use of Bible verses into clichés. They readily quote them, whether the time is right or not. I do not know if they wish to make an impression by doing this. Perhaps they think that, because Jashuah said that we must not be ashamed of Him or His Word, they must behave in such a manner. One thing is certain this does more harm than good. There is no better way to proclaim what we believe in, than a quiet display of His love, power, self control, peace, patience, faithfulness and all the other fruits of the Spirit. Paul says that he does not want to hear the puffed up words of the Corinthians, but the power. “For the kingdom of God is not in words, but in the power” (1 Cor 4 : 19, 20). Now it would appear that what I have said first in regard to words and what I said last, are contradictory. Now are words good or not?
There are words spoken by carnal man and there are words spoken by the Holy Spirit (Matt 10: 19-20). There are idle words, (Matt 12: 33-37), and there are words that carry great power (Job 6: 25). These are sincere words. In Proverbs Solomon speaks many times of the words of the wise and the righteous in contrast to the words of the fool and the foolish. But Jashuah says that man will have to give account for every idle word that he speaks, on the day of judgement (Matt 12: 37). If I read what Paul says about: “… profane and idle babblings, their message spreads like cancer.” (2 Tim 2: 16-17), then I am deeply dependent on Jashuah, who resides in me, that He, who is my righteousness, will completely free me from the words that are not spoken through Him (Math 4 : 4).
It is however so that you eat from the fruit of your mouth (Prov 18: 21). If you are someone who tends to talk a lot of nonsense, you will never bear the fruit of the Spirit. Also you will not be capable of revealing your faith if you continually speak words of fear and disbelief. You can also not forgive or have love if you speak words of bitterness and hate. You are in reality what comes out of your mouth. Because these words come out of your heart (Matt 12: 34-35). “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? (verse 34). James calls the heart a fountain. Read James 3: 1-12 and take note of what verse 9-12 says. He says that no man can tame the tongue (verse 8). Only God can, if we ask Him in prayer and believe.
So if you frequently sit and listen to the empty words of people, you can never be filled with the Spirit. But if you, like Mary, sit at the feet of Jashuah, and listen to His words, you shall experience that you have chosen the best part, that cannot be taken from you (Luke 10: 38-42). Then you will speak words that can move mountains (Mark 11: 22-26). But it is important that you not only speak the words, but couple them with belief (verse 23). Rom 10: 8-10 states very clearly that you must belief with your heart and confess with your mouth. Then things will happen! There is fruit. From the fruit of your mouth, you eat well. There is much to be said about this truth, but it will have to wait until later. In the meantime pray that the Father fills you with His Words, as Peter says: “If anyone speaks let him speak the oracles of God” (1 Pet 4: 11). While you now go and earnestly pray to the Father about this matter, please read Prov 18: 20-21, and beg Him to cause it to live in your heart.
READ IT RIGHT NOW! Verse 21 : “Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And those who love it will eat its fruit.” Do you desire to bear fruit, to the glory of your Father? This is then what you should do: “Speak each man the truth to his neighbour; render the truth.. give judgement in … truth …” (Zec 8:16). What does this mean? This means to live in truth and by practicing this, you will be in a better position to replace the falsehood in your life with the truth. “Your Word is truth” (John 17: 17). This is why He says: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (Col 3: 16). Therefore let the truth – the Word – richly dwell in you. Pray and ask the Father to do this for you.
8. The Fruit of the spoken Word
(1 PET 4: 11)
Well, did you go and pray? Did you earnestly call to the Father, in Jashuah’s Name, that He will let you speak His words? The Scripture that was referred to yesterday (1 Pet 4: 11), says that our words must be like the oracles of God. But there are translations, like the Amplified Bible, that omit the word like. Then the words will not be “like” the oracles of God, but will be His oracles (words). If you speak His words, it does not mean that you are God. No, you are still a human, who is redeemed by grace. But your Father has said that you must speak His words and therefore you do so. In time to come I will share with you the wonderful revelation regarding : to speak in His Name.
O, if only we could realise the indescribable power that is locked up in the WORD of Elohim(God) and that BELIEF, coupled with the SPEAKING OF THE WORD, produces the fruit thereof. Thát could turn the whole life-history into a glorious direction. This is indeed how He created everything – by speaking a Word. At the beginning of creation there was no light. “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light; and there was light.” (Gen 1: 2-3). As easy as that! He spoke and light appeared out of nothing, and shone in the darkness! For Him it is easy, but for us impossible. But if He says to you: Speak My Word to this mountain and say, “Be removed and cast yourself into the sea …” then the impossible will happen, just as on the day that He said: “Let there be light.”
Faith is absolutely essential to the fulfilling of a Word. Firstly the faith in His Name. Acts 3: 16 has an important key to this: “And His Name, through faith in His Name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given Him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” 1 John 3: 22-23 also adds something of importance: “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the Name of His Son Jashuah and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” Can you see that there are certain requirements from God, for the fulfillment of His Word? It does not mean that you deserve this miracle just because you have met His requirements. Here is an example: Last week a young man asked me for work. My answer to him was: “Yes I can help you, but there is one thing that you should know and that is: It is a privilege, not a right, to work here. My rules are that you start working at 7 o’clock.” The rule that he must obey does not mean that he now deserves the job. It remains a privilege and therefore grace, because he asked me for a job. Having a job is a privilege. Let us not display a mentality of unthankfulness. If Jahweh says that you must believe in His Name, and must love your brothers in order to obtain answered prayers, then these are His conditions. And it still remains grace and not merits. There is indescribable power in the spoken Word. The written word has the same power, but it is latent, until it is spoken. It is like the seed of the cedar tree, which lies in a container for years, waiting to be put in the ground. The potential of the mighty cedar is locked up in that little seed, but remains latent until it falls to the ground and begins to germinate. It is like the spoken Word that lies in the Bible – the container – waiting for you to speak it. Then wonderful things happen! Remember there are conditions. Ask the Father now, in the Name of Jashuah, that He will reveal His Name to you (John 17: 6, 26), and that He will pour the love for your brothers into your heart (Rom 5: 5). Also the faith that comes through Him (Acts 3: 16). Pray that He will lay in your mouth the Words that you should speak. And that you should never stop praising Him and thanking Him.
9. Receive the Holy Spirit
(John 20 : 22)
In the last chapters of the “Gospel according to John” there were many precious moments when the disciples were together after the resurrection of Jashuah and He then appeared in their midst. In chapter 20 : 21-23 we read about one of those precious moments. As I sit here this morning early, writing this Word to you, my heart is stirred with emotion, wishing I could share those moments when the doors were shut, Jashuah just suddenly stood in our midst saying : “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” And when He had said this He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Before I am writing any further I want to tell you what the Father urged me to write to you while I am sitting here : My son/ daughter, you can experience the same event as the disciples did, if you continue seeking My face. Some day, some moment you will sense the presence of Jashuah in His great love, saying to you: “ Peace be to you ! As the Father has sent Me, I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit.”
First and foremost and of paramount importance, after you repented to God, is the question: “How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?” The following thing to make out in your own heart, after this question, is the answers to the following questions : Am I really convinced that I am sent by Jashuah as the Father had sent Him? Am I really answering that calling, saying “Yes Lord I obey”? Do I really want to do Gods will, pleasing Him in all things, obeying Him in everything, loving Him, fearing Him, thanking and praising Him in the Name of Jashuah Messiah and worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth?? The reason you need to get clarity about this is because you need to realize that none of these things I mentioned, you can do without the help of the Spirit. That is why Jashuah said to the disciples in Luke 24 : 48-49: “And you are witnesses of all these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high”. Just before He said this He spoke about His death and resurrection and their calling to be witnesses of all that. In order to be witnesses of His death and resurrection we need the Holy Spirit being poured out in our hearts.
Some people want to be filled with the Spirit but with no purpose. They don’t have that strong desire for the things I mentioned above. And there are many more things that I did not mention. Make this out in your heart: Why do I want to be filled with the Spirit? What do I need the Spirit for? What must the Spirit do for me, and for others through me? Is the infilling with His Spirit essential and imperative for you to such a degree that you cannot go on without Him (the Spirit) in your life, it is impossible.
How to be filled with the Spirit: Why do you think did God inspire the writer to write the words in Ephes 5 : 18: “ And do not be drunk with wine, …but be filled with the Spirit”? Do these two things have something in common? Being drunk with wine and being filled with the Spirit? On the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured out, the onlookers thought that those who were filled with the Spirit were drunk with wine (Acts 2 : 1-13). Did Paul say that being filled with the Spirit will cause you to look like a drunk person? I don’t think so because Christ was full of the Spirit of God and nowhere in the Bible I read that He gave the impression of a drunk person. However, what I do believe is that if you are filled with the Spirit you will not be yourself anymore. Your self life died with Christ on the cross and somebody else lives within you. That is the new man of Ephes 4 : 22-24. Also 2 Cor 5 : 17 refers to this new creature. And this new man is controlling your life completely as intoxicating wine lets you do things that you would never do in your flesh, if you give Him a chance. Look at Peter. Before Jashuah’s crucifixion he was afraid to admit that he is one of Christ’s disciples. But after he was filled with the Spirit he spoke boldly without any fear (Acts 2 :14). Later, if Father leads me, I can write more about the change the Spirit brings in your life when you are endued with the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24 : 48-49). As alcohol takes control of your life, so the Spirit takes control of your life, letting you say things that you never would have said before, speaking the word of God boldly. On the other hand the Spirit causes you to keep your silence and hold your peace, also not as you formerly did. I said enough for now. You will, however, experience this Spirit-filled life for yourself.
There is a warning that I must give to you : Be careful for people who are talking you into an easy and fake “Baptism in the Spirit”. Fortunately you will, just as it happened to me, realize that it is fake because you don’t experience the power, fearlessness ( 2 Tim 1 : 7), and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5 : 22).
The moment the Word of God becomes alive to you, not being mere letter of history, teaching, consolation and admonishing, but rather as it actually is: Jashuah speaking to you, you will one day experience that you open the Bible, while you are in prayer, and suddenly read: “Receive the Holy Spirit”. In that moment you will feel that this Word is a living Word to you and you accept it with a belief in your hart that He is filling you now with His Spirit. At first this won’t be a very strong feeling. It will rather be quite soft but convincing. The more you begin to praise your Father for it, the more you will realize that you are filled with His Spirit!
First read John 1 : 1-5. In verse 3 He says : “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” In Hebrews 1 : 3 and 2 Pet 3 : 5 -7 you will read that all things are created and upheld by the Word. In the same way the new birth is given to us : By the living Word (1Pet 1 : 23). You have enough now to ponder and pray about. We pray for you that you will be filled with the Spirit soon !
10. Walk in the Spirit
The day when you turned your back on the world of darkness to face God and His Son as your Saviour, your life with the Spirit of God in you began. He who took all your sins on Him, He who was punished for your iniquities obtained the New Life on your behalf. It is the same life that He obtained when God raised Him from death and hell (Rom 8:11) that He poured out in you. He who had no sin was made sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor 5:21). When you accepted Him as your Saviour you became a child of God (John 1:12). This is repentance as we were learned from childhood days. However it is very important that this repentance will be accompanied by faith. You could very easily accept Him with a mental faith and not with a faith that was worked by the Holy Spirit. Is there any difference? Yes, indeed! And you will soon discover it if you had the wrong type of faith, when you start looking for the fruit of repentance, and find nothing else than ‘plastic’ fruit – artificial fruit!
From the very day that the Spirit begins to work in you, you will experience a conflict in your inner being. We read about this in Gal 5:16-18: “I say then: walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are lead by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” And then this Word is summarized in verse 25: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. We then come to this conclusion: if we live by the Spirit, we do not necessarily walk in the Spirit yet. And this is a common phenomenon in Christianity today. Believers draw their life from the Spirit, but they do not walk in the Spirit. In other words: they have the Spirit of God in their spirit but they did not allow the Spirit to take control of their carnal soul yet. Thus they live in the soul and not in the Spirit yet. The soul (carnal flesh) dictates their lives and not the Spirit. They are fleshly (carnal) believers and not spiritual children of God who are controlled by the Holy Spirit.
We look at this great question: How will we be able to walk in the Spirit? The answer is very simple in Rom 7:25: “I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!”. This answer we find in the next passage:
11. Drink from the Fountain of Life
You need to drink more from Him that ‘intoxicates’ you. In this case it is not alcohol but ‘the water of life’. In John 4:14-15 Jashuah is telling a woman about the water of life which will quench her thirst forever. She replies: “Lord, give me this water…”. But she didn’t understand that it was actually the Holy Spirit that Jashuah was speaking about. In John 7:37-39 Jashuah says: “If anyone thirsts let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me as the Scripture has said, out of His heart will flow rivers of living waters. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive …”. You ask: But how will I draw this water and from where?
A story was told about a ship which was drifting on the ocean with a broken mast. They were waiting for help, but their greatest need was fresh drinking water. Obviously they could not drink the salty seawater as that would just aggravate their thirst. A small boat approached them and the crew signaled the small boat: ‘we need water to drink’. The replied signalling them: ‘draw water and drink’. They did not realised that they were surrounded by sweet drinking water for the water from the mouth of the Mississippi river was flowing miles deep into the ocean. You are surrounded by the water of life. The fountain is a person. His Name is Jashuah and He is very close to you. Jer 23:23 “Am I a God near at hand says the Lord, and not a God afar off?” He says: “If anyone thirsts let him come to Me and drink”. Please note: the solution does not lie in Bible Study. In John 5:39 and 40 we read: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life”. In Rev 21:6 we read: “I will give of the fountain of the water of Life freely to him who thirsts”. Also in Rev 22:17 He says: “And let Him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”
In the previous paragraph I told the story of the fresh water that was so close to the crew of the ship without them being aware of it, while they were dying of thirst! Don’t you realise that you are closer to the Water of Life than you ever imagined? Rom 10:8 and also Deut 30:11-14 says that the Word is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart. You must only believe it and speak it (Verse 9 and 10 of Rom 10). It is not over the sea or far of by any means. It is close to you! Does it makes you excited? It surely should be the effect of this Word on you!
12. From His fullness we have all received
(John 1: 16)
What a wonderful Word! This is probably one of the most wonderful words in the Bible because it is the heart of the New Testament. As the Old Testament’s nucleus was the Law, so the New Testament’s central truth is the Word of grace. Grace is certainly one of the things mentioned most in Christianity but the least lived. Paul says in Colossians 1: 6 that the Word of the truth of the gospel is fruit-bearing from the day you know the grace of God in truth.
Paul commends the believers in Ephesus to the Word of God’s grace in Acts 20: 32 when he greeted them and finally announced that they will never see his face again. It was the most important words he spoke to them, after all the words of God he has shared with them in the past. Finally he commends them to God, and to the Word of His grace. The reason for this is because, as he says, it is able to build them up and give them an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. So if you desire an inheritance among all the saints, it is a very important Word you need, the Word of God’s grace. At some time in your life this Word of grace needs to be spoken to you by someone who is anointed by God, or by yourself, if you speak it to yourself in the Name of Jashuah.
We will look at what grace really means. I have already said, in a previous passage, about the judge who was about to deliver verdict on a man who committed murder. He asked, before going to pronounce the death penalty, if the man has something to say. The accused said: “Your honor, I ask you please to have mercy with me. In response, the judge said: ‘You do not deserve mercy! ‘ The accused replied ‘Your honor, this is exactly what grace means: grace means that I do not deserve it’. And this is the best explanation for the word grace or mercy, it means: ‘I do not deserve it’. To deserve something plays no role with God. He sent His Son to save you from sin, and sent His Son to go burn in your place in Hell. He gave the penalty for your sins to someone else (Jashuah), and therefore there’s no punishment for you. Jashuah was punished for your sins, and also deserved eternal life on behalf of you. God cast our sins in the depths of the sea, and He does not think about it anymore. Something to be thankful about throughout your life, isn’t it?
In John 1: 16 Scripture says that we have all received from Jashuah’s fullness, grace for grace. As the Amplified Bible says: ‘…one grace after the other and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and favour upon favour’. It is grace upon grace. He is willing to prove to you for thousands of times His grace every day. In fact all you have is given by His grace. The breath you take is by His grace. Your heart beat and organs that work is by His grace. It is by His grace that the sun shines on you and the sweet rain is also grace. You did not deserve anything of this. You only deserve eternal Hell because, like all people, you also sinned.
When it comes to the grace of God, there are many things playing a role. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, the very last verse, he speaks a very important Word when he says that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all who love Him in sincerity.There is also another Word with regard to the grace of God and that is linked to forgiveness. If you do not forgive others God will not forgive you, nor can He show mercy to you. This is why a very important part of the ‘The Lords Prayer’ is that I pray that the Lord will forgive me as I forgive my debtors. We have now come to a very important issue and it is namely that Christianity on earth has but little mercy for other people and therefore can not forgive those who sinned against them. It is encouraging that lately there are so many messages out from different churches about forgiveness. Forgiveness is one thing to talk about but is another thing to apply it in practice. Also, it’s easier to forgive people in your church or to forgive your own religious group or denomination, but still walking around with unforgiveness toward other churches and people who think differently, although they also confess that they are children of God in Christ. The question is asked by Peter in Matt 18 : 21-22: ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven”. In Mark 11 : 25-26 He says that you must forgive wholeheartedly anyone you have something against. It sounds almost impossible!
13. Forgive and forget
There is an important Word in Ephesians 4 verse 32 regarding forgiveness: It says: “forgive one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” The question now is: how did God forgive us in Christ? The answer is clear: God has forgiven all mankind on earth their sins, because Christ has taken all people’s sins on Him and through that gained forgiveness before God on their behalf. The forgiveness is ready for every person on earth, but it is for a man to want to go and get the forgiveness. And that by his free will. It lies ready for you to pick up but before you can collect, you will have something to realize. You will have to come to the conviction of sin. It is a work that the Holy Spirit is doing according to John 16 : 8-9. The Bible says that it is the Holy Spirit who will convict you. He also says that the all-inclusive sin is unbelief. The question is: Does He convict everyone of sin or only some? Here again is a very important answer: God knew in advance who would be willing to do His will. Note: He did not preordain some to be saved, because then man would not have had a free will. The great truth is that God has given man a free will. That is clearly written throughout the Bible. There are doctrines that do not believe it and believe that God decides who will be saved and who not. If you ask God the question if He predetermined those who will be saved He will say ‘Yes’. If you ask Him on what grounds did He predestine them to be saved He will say: “By My foreknowledge of those who will be willing to do My will”. He thus knew beforehand those who are willing to do His will (1 Pet 1 : 2), those whom He predetermined that they would be saved. Those He calls “His elect”. The rest He knew would not be willing to do His will. Therefore He have left them in their sin that they could be lost. The people He knew in advance and pre-chose, He convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit. The rest may never come to a conviction of sin. Yet they have no excuse. Romans 1: 18-20 has a very clear Word by which He says that God gave a general revelation of Himself in nature to everyone. In nature everyone is able see that there is a God who created everything. If you have so realized, and then start looking for God, this good and great God, who created all the wonderful things: the whole universe, the earth and everything on it, the plants, the animal kingdom and also man, who He created it for Himself, He will reveal Himself to you. If you are willing to do God’s will says John 7: 17, He will reveal His Son to you. And if His Son is revealed to you, you will also receive His grace, because Jashuah is full of grace and truth. John 1: 14 : “And of His fullness we have all received, yes, grace upon grace” ( John 1: 16).
Last week we had an experience with two young people who are estranged from their mother for 20 years because she divorced their dad! The reasons for this is besides the point now. They argue that their mother confessed to them but not to their dad. If you know the circumstances you will understand the whole case but, again, that is besides the point. The question is now: should these children, who are practicing Christians, forgive their mother even if she did not confess her transgression at all? The answer is ‘Yes’. Will ‘forgiving her children’ should also be accompanied with forgetting? The ‘forgetting’ is not something you should do, because the Holy Spirit works it spontaneously in you. Several weeks ago, a man said something ugly to me, right in my face. I wanted to pray about it the next day, but when I wanted to do it I have forgotten what it all was about. When I mentioned it to someone else, who was also aware of it, he refreshed my memory. But when again wanted to pray about it, I forgot it again! This is how the Spirit makes you forget the things which are behind. Phil 3 : 14 : “But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15Let us therefore, are perfect, be thus minded: and if you think otherwise, God will also reveal to you. “. You still remember the first passage above? “Forgive one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4: 32). I mentioned that God has forgiven everyone on earth their sins but that they should go and fetch that forgiveness from God where it lies in wait. If you do not take it , it’s your fault and you will never be saved. If you collect your forgiveness you will find that God never thinks of it again (Heb 8: 12). Now the question to me is, Eugenius, you have forgiven the man who wronged you, and you have also forgotten what he said to you? My answer is ‘yes’. But that only justifies me not him. He must still go to God and fetch his forgiveness from Him, otherwise he is not forgiven, even though I had already forgiven him. So it only justifies me but not him. You see, Eugenius also sinned, but God not. Therefore, I should immediately forgive and forget, but God do not forget, although your forgiveness already lies with Him and wait for you to come and pick it up. And then He will forget. When you come to fetch your forgiveness, it must of course, be accompanied by a heartfelt confession (1 John 1: 9). Read Matthew 18: 21-35. It is very important!
14. Not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for His sake
“And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake; 30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me” (Philip 1 : 28-29). The 1953 Afrikaans translation renders it: “Because it has been given to you on the behalf of Christ by the grace of God, not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for His sake…”. That means that not every believer will be receiving the grace of God to suffer for His Name’s sake. Why? I cannot tell at this stage. But let us say, just because God decided it to be like that. Thus, if you must suffer for His Name’s sake, you should consider yourself to be fortunate and blessed. That’s why Christ said in Luke 6 : 22 : “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. 23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets”. Col 1: 23“…whereof I Paul am made a minister; 24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body’s sake, which is the church…”. What has Paul said here? He says that the afflictions and sufferings of Christ is not finished yet. There are still afflictions to be suffered by us who are part of His body, until His sufferings are completed. So, we must consider ourselves blessed and happy if we are chosen to suffer for His Name’s sake.
But, if you are suffering for your own wrongdoings, don’t dare to say that you are persecuted for His Name’s sake as Peter says in 1 Pet 4 : 11 : “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter”.
There are many people who are going to suffer and also to be murdered in these days. But are they all going to be killed for the Name of Jashuah? Surely there are those whose spirit are filled with the Spirit of Jashuah and are hated by the evil spirits of darkness in the murderers. That is why Paul says that our wrestle is not against flesh and blood but against evil spirits (Efes 6 : 12-19). Those evil spirits also hate the Name of Jashuah and His blood, and that hate will drive them to kill the saints of God. In my own experience it would have been better sometimes to be killed physically than to be tortured by the community when they tell all bad stories about me in the newspapers, calling me a “sect” (Acts 24 : 14; 24 : 5; 28 : 22), and even a “cult”. But eventually, when I sat at the feet of Jashuah, listening to His words and enjoying His presence, all the pain and hurt vanished and His glory filled my heart. But, I must emphasize one very important aspect of the glory that filled my heart: I first had to forgive them as Jashuah did as well as Stephan (Acts 7 : 60).
In other cases it will be God that gave some of the people, that He had sent to South Africa with a divine mission, over into the hands of the adversary because they turned their backs on Him and served the idols, their own lusts and this world (1 John 2 : 15-17). This was done by Jahweh to Israel in many cases. Judges 2: 14 : “And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15 Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed”. You can ask Him to speak to you further regarding this through His Word.
I must then emphasize that some of these people that we hear about almost every day, some tortured and some killed, went through this because of there wrongdoings. Others went through it for the Spirit of Christ in them. If you know the voice of your Shepherd, you can ask Him about it.
But what is the message of our Lord, Jashuah Messiah to us? He says: “Return to Me with all your heart (Isa 1 : 18). Forgive one another (Ephes 4 : 32) and confess your sins committed against your fellow country-men (James 5 : 16-18). Pray that I make you one as My Father and I are one (John 17 : 19-26), that I can fill you with My Spirit of love (Rom 5 : 5)