Sit...

213. Power to finish the race

The Cross
Our life in Christ is not an experience, but a race.

It is good to start a race, but we need to know how to finish. Many people start and never finish. We need the power to finish the race otherwise we will lose. Hebrews 12:1 says, ˆ¨Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.ˆÆ

The Scriptures tell us that the power we need is found in:

1. The Cross or the blood of Jesus. ˆ¨For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of GodˆÆ (1 Corinthians 1:18).

2. The delivering power of God. ˆ¨And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God.ˆÆ (Luke 9:42,43a). (Refer to the ˆ¨StandˆÆ ISOB Lesson ˆ¨Devils, demons and Satan.ˆÆ)

3. The fullness of the Holy Spirit. ˆ¨But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earthˆÆ (Acts 1:8). (Refer to the ˆ¨SitˆÆ ISOB Lesson ˆ¨Baptism in the Holy Spirit.ˆÆ)

The Cross of Jesus is what defeated Satan and gave us victory. That is power. The truth of the Cross acted on by us gives us power. I submit however, that the truth of the Cross cannot be fully appropriated in our lives without the power spoken of in Acts 1:8, the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

For example, the power to operate lights in a building originates in the generator that is creating the electricity. You could stand there and look at the electric outlet in the wall and admire it, and know that it has power in it, but until you plug the light into the socket, you have not appropriated the power for yourself. It is the same with the Holy Spirit.

The power of the Holy Spirit must be a personal thing for you in order for you to receive all the benefits of the Cross.

We are going to find out about the truth of the power of the Cross, and we are going to find out how it is possible to make it personal in your life.

Letˆ‚s first focus on the Cross and the blood of Jesus.

The Cross of Jesus Christ has been spoken about by Christians for thousands of years, yet so very few really comprehend its full meaning and how it relates to their lives. Many people have heard about the blood of Jesus, but have not fully understood its value and true meaning.

In John chapter 6, Jesus saw the multitudes of poor people, and with compassion He fed them with a miracle of loaves and fishes. This was great for the people. So great that they decided to follow Jesus all the way to the other side of the lake so that they could eat again with another miracle.

Jesus refused to perform the same miracle the next day. He told the people that He had a permanent cure for their poverty. He indicated that they needed to get rid of their poverty through a blood covenant. They needed to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Many became offended, thinking that He was asking them to actually become a cannibal and eat His physical body. He then told them that they would be even more offended if He left and they could not find Him to eat of Him.

Then He made the transition to the spiritual He said, ˆ¨The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are lifeˆÆ (John 6:63). He was saying that if you want to partake of the blood and the life of God, you must do it through His Word. Read the story in John 6.

Our deliverance from every kind of ˆ¨povertyˆÆ in life is provided for in the blood covenant with God. The Cross and the blood of Jesus represent the blood covenant.

Satan tries very hard to hide the true message of the Cross. Galatians 3:1-3a says, ˆ¨You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.ˆÆ

Galatians 3:10 says, ˆ¨All who rely on observing the Law are under a curse, for it is written: ˆ´Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of The Law.ˆ‚ˆÆ

Paul was telling these Galatian believers that they had been bewitched by Satan into ignoring the Cross and paying attention to two things:

1. Legalism. Living by rules and not by a relationship with Jesus.

2. The power of their flesh or old nature. Trying to do it in their own power.

Witchcraft is the power that attempts to manipulate and control you and puts you under the wrong authority. It always controls and manipulates. In this case, the Galatians were put under the authority of a demon who had convinced them that their own soulish nature (the flesh) and legalism were the way to please God. This was obscuring the real Gospel and the power of the Cross.

If you were Satan, and Jesus had totally defeated you at the Cross, and you knew that Godˆ‚s people could be tricked into not knowing about your defeat and their victory, what would you do?

Would you spread a lie that says, ˆ¨you need to keep all these laws to be right with God, and you have it in you to perform everything that God requires. You donˆ‚t need to know about the power of the Cross and the Blood of Jesus. That is just a bunch of religious tradition?ˆÆ That is the same lie that the Rich Young Ruler was bewitched with in Matthew 19. Look it up and read it.

Paul was so upset with this teaching that he said something very radical in Galatians 1:8 which is, ˆ¨But even if we or an angel from Heaven preach a gospel to you beside what we preached to you, let him be accursed.ˆÆ

The Apostle Paul preached only the Cross. According to Galatians 6:14-15, Paul indicated that keeping the laws was not something to be preached. Instead, Paul preached the Cross, which resulted in the new birth.

Satan spends his energy keeping us from the truth of the Cross because it represents a blood covenant between God and man.

The Cross is what defeated Satan.

We are going to focus on two aspects of a blood covenant:

1. The law of exchange.

2. Intimacy.

1. First, we will discuss the law of exchange.

God set up some laws before the foundation of the world that are the basis for the law of exchange.
They both operate by blood.

They both make up the law of exchange.

1. The Law of Exchange in a blood covenant.
(two parts)
Part 1-A is the law of inheritance.

Part 1-B is the law of substitution.

1-A The law of inheritance.

We inherit blessings and curses from our family going back many generations.

God set up the human race where the life is in the blood. Leviticus 17:11 says, ˆ¨For the life of the flesh is in the blood. And I have given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your souls. For it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.ˆÆ John 6:56 says, ˆ¨He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me and I in him.ˆÆ

We inherit blessings and curses from our forefathers. Exodus 34:6-8 says, ˆ¨And The Lord passed by before his (Mosesˆ‚) face and called out: The Lord! The Lord God! Merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and great in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and not leaving entirely unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on sons, and on sons of sons, to the third and to the fourth generation. And Moses hurried and bowed to the earth and worshipped.ˆÆ This statement seems like a paradox. How can God forgive and still not leave unpunished?

We create blessings and curses with our own sin. Romans 6:23 says, ˆ¨For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.ˆÆ Galatians 5:7 says, ˆ¨Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he also will reap.ˆÆ

Where does the law of inheritance live? Is it in the body or the spirit?

Both. That is why people look like their parents. The invisible part of what is inherited in the spirit fools most people. There are two parts of a person that can have life or family inheritance.

John 3:5-6 says, ˆ¨Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.ˆÆ

The physical life. The physical life carries the looks and build of the body.

The spiritual life. The spiritual life is the life that carries the inheritance of blessings and curses.

That does not seem fair, but there is a solution.

This is the Good News!

1-B The Law of Substitution.

Example. The law of gravity keeps an airplane on the ground. But when the airplane taxies down the runway fast enough another law takes over and nullifies the law of gravity; that is the law of lift. In the same way, the law of substitution nullifies the law of inheritance.

This law means that people may be born into a certain family and from that family lineage they will receive blessings and curses as their inheritance, but the curses can be changed. Tribes in Africa, in American Indian culture and some Asian societies have always looked for ways to swap or trade blessings and curses with other people. They would trade weapons, coats, and other important articles as a sign that they were committed to each other and would protect one another to the death. In some African cultures, if a family adopted a child, the father would shed blood and put it on the hands of the child to make the child his own.

Since ancient times, people have drank blood which was offered to their god, so that they could be like God.

Before the Foundation of the World, God prearranged to have Jesus crucified according to the ETERNAL Spirit, which means that the substitution principle was in effect before any man was created.

Revelation 13:8b says, ˆ¨....in the Book of Life of the Lamb having been slain from the foundation of the world.ˆÆ

A good example of the law of substitution was the Passover. Exodus 12:13-14 says, ˆ¨And the blood shall be a sign to you upon the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And the plague shall not be upon you for a destruction when I smite in the land of Egypt. And this day shall be a memorial to you. And you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by a law forever.ˆÆ The life of the lamb, represented by its blood, was the substitute for the first born in the family. The lamb died instead of the first born child. The Passover lamb needed to be without blemish, it had to be perfect.

This is the reason Jesus needed to be born of a virgin, unspotted by the sin of the Adamic race. The only way He could be our Passover Lamb was to be unspotted and perfect. His Father was God, his mother was Mary. He is all God and all man. He is the second Adam, without sin, and capable of taking our sin.

This explains the paradox (on the previous page) in Exodus 34:6-8. The only way God could extend mercy to humans and still not leave their sin unpunished would be to punish Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God in their place.

God foretold that the law of substitution would take place in the new covenant. Jeremiah 31:29-34 says, ˆ¨In those days they shall not say any more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the sons are dull. But every man shall die in his iniquity. Every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be dull. Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I cut with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant of Mine they broke, although I was a husband to them, says the LORD; but this shall be the covenant that I will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, says the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall no more teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know the LORD; for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.ˆÆ

Galatians 2:20 says, ˆ¨I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself on my behalf.ˆÆ

Isaiah 53:4-12 says, ˆ¨Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.ˆÆ

People for ages have endeavored to change their spiritual life by changing physical blood.

Many cultures still make blood covenants.

However, this does not really work because they are just dealing with the physical life. They may be committed to each other, but nothing inside them has really changed; their spirit is still the same. Hebrews 9:13-14 says, ˆ¨The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!ˆÆ There are many counterfeits used by primitive cultures and occults.

What does the Cross or the blood covenant exchange for us?
What did it give us, what did it give Jesus?

First, it gave Jesus everything we are. He died a criminalˆ‚s death because we were rebels.

We were all rebels and criminals before God redeemed us. Adamˆ‚s and Eveˆ‚s sin was rebellion (i.e. not obeying Godˆ‚s voice and Word). We were born into rebellion or sin.

Ephesians 2:1-6 says, ˆ¨And He has made you alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience; among whom we also had our way of life in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.ˆÆ

The Story about Barabbas. Matthew 27:16 says that Barabbas was a notorious prisoner. There were three crosses on Golgotha. The two on either side were made for criminals. Who was the middle cross made for, Jesus? No, It was made for Barabbas. Jesus took his place. Isaiah 53 says that Jesus took our place.

Isaiah 53:4-6 says, ˆ¨Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.ˆÆ

Second, it gave us everything God is and God has.

Listed here are some of the major exchanges Jesus made for us that we may enjoy. (Check out the opposites!) Some of these are weights, some are sins. A weight is something that is oppressing you, a burden, most likely imposed upon you by another (Hebrews 12:1). (Many of these examples were taken from the teachings of Derek Prince.)

1. Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven

(Isaiah 53: 4-5, Ephesians 4:32, Colosians 2:13).

2. Jesus was wounded that we might be healed (Isaiah 53:4-5, Matthew 8:16-17, 1 Peter 2:24).

3. Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness (Isaiah 53:10, 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Righteousness means to be in good standing with God (Romans 3:22, Romans 4:6, Romans 10:10).

4. Jesus died our death that we might share His life.

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23, Hebrews 2:9, John 8:52).

5. Jesus was made a curse that we might receive the blessing (Galatians 3:13-14, Deutoronomy 21:22-23, Deutoronomy 28:1-13).

Some curses:

Mental and emotional breakdowns.

Repeated or chronic sickness and disease - especially hereditary.

Repeated miscarriage or female problems.

Breakdown of marriage and family- marriage to wrong partners.

Continued financial insufficiency, especially when income appears to be sufficient.

Accident prone.

Suicides or unnatural deaths.

Addictions, such as alcohol and drugs.

Rebellion to authority.

Unnatural sexual tendencies.

Appropriating the power of the Cross will deliver you from these and many more curses. Get ready!

6. Jesus endured our poverty that we might share His abundance (2 Corinthians 8:9 and 9:8).

Sufficiency is just enough, abundance is more than enough so that we can bless others. Jesus was hungry, thirsty, naked and in need at the Cross.

7. Jesus bore our shame that we might share His glory (Matthew 27:35-36).

Hebrews 2:10 says that Jesus brings many sons to glory (not shame).

We can receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit counteracts shame.

Sexual abuse causes shame.

We obtain the slavery mindset through shame.

We get self esteem problems through shame.

8. Jesus endured our rejection that we might have His acceptance with the Father (Matthew 27:45-51). The Father hid His face from Jesus and rejected Him for us. Ephesians 1:6 says we are accepted by the Father.

People are hungry to be accepted,to feel as if they belong, as if they matter to someone. Only Jesus can give this. His Church is the place for belonging.

Children need their father's acceptance.

Love must be openly expressed.

Divorce causes rejection (Isaiah 54:6).

Jesus died of a broken heart.

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God" (Romans 15:7). God accepts us in our sinful condition (Ephesians 1:3-6).

9. Jesus was cut off from the Father by death that we might enjoy God's presence eternally (Matthew 27:46, Isaiah 53:8, Hebrews 10:21-22, Jude 24, Colossians 1:27, Ephesians 3:16-20).

Our need for emotional security is satisfied.

The fullness of the Holy Spirit is available to give us God's presence (Acts 1:8).

10. Our "old man" (sin nature) was put to death in Him, that the new man (Christ's nature) might come to life in us (Romans 6:6, Galatians 2:20).

Forgiveness of sins is great, but doing away with the person that sins is greater.

11. Jesus experienced our sorrows and bore our griefs that we might have gladness and joy (Isaiah 53, Isaiah 35:10, Isaiah 51:11).

Death of a loved one, loss of some kind, pending disaster, overwhelming worry and sadness can cause hopelessness in your life, even a potential for suicide. The Holy Spirit brings us joy.

12. Jesus kept the law for us so that we could live by grace (Romans 7:6 and 8:1-4, Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 3:1-3).

Living by legalism is promoting the power of the flesh (1 Corinthians 15:56). It leads to frustration, failure, addictions, condemnation and backsliding.

13. Jesus was tormented that we might enjoy peace (Isaiah 53:5, Philippians 4:7).

14. Jesus was made insignificant that we might have significance. He was sold for the price of a slave (Matthew 26:15,

1 Peter 1:18-19). The price God paid for us makes us significant.

15. Jesus was captured by the world, so that we could be delivered from the world, this present evil age (Galatians 1:4 and 6:14). The world has been crucified to us and we have been crucified to the world.

16. Evil was conquered. Jesus (appeared to have) suffered defeat by evil that we might enjoy victory over evil .

The Cross Was Absolute. It disarmed and defeated Satan and every evil that ever existed. Even the evil that looks as if it is coming on you. No matter what hits you, it must turn into a blessing. Colossians 2:14-15 says, ˆ¨[Jesus] blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, [all the right that Satan had to do evil to us] which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. Having stripped rulers and authorities [demons and Satan], He made a show of them publicly, triumphing over them in it.ˆÆ See also Mark 16:15-19 and Romans 6:9.

All things have been reconciled through the Cross. Not just people, but all things. ˆ¨And through Him having made peace through the blood of His cross, it pleased the Father to reconcile all things to Himself through Him, whether the things on earth or the things in HeavenˆÆ (Colossians 1:20).

ˆ¨ReconcileˆÆ is a powerful word. Strongs Concordance defines it ˆ¨to bring back a former state of harmony.ˆÆ It is defined ˆ¨to repair, to put back into working order, making peace between two opposing views or groups.ˆÆ

Vines Bible Dictionary defines it as ˆ¨to change from enmity to friendship.ˆÆ The Cross of Jesus Christ takes all of our enemies, whether they be people, demons, circumstances, sickness, poverty, everything bad and changes them into a friend.

2 Corinthians 5:18 says, ˆ¨All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.ˆÆ This is our ministry here on earth; to take all the enemies of our lives, dip them into the blood and Cross of Jesus Christ and turn them into friends. I can tell you by the Word of God and by my own experience that this is true. It works if you stand.

ˆ¨And He said to all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever will save his life shall lose it, but whoever will lose his life for My sake, he shall save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses himself, or is cast away?ˆÆ (Luke 9:23-25).

Here is a test of your willingness to take up YOUR cross. Mark each item yes or no.

Do not check these items without a lot of thought and commitment. These are serious life and death issues. Do not lie to God; do not lie to yourself. It is better to pass and not check these off if you do not mean it.

____ I am willing to be honest with my condition (weight or sin) - totally honest!

____ I am tired of my weight or sin and I want to be free.

____ I am tired of trying to make life work on my own. I turn to the Word of God to bear fruit, His way.

____ I repent, (go the other direction) and I ask for God's help.

____ I turn my back on the things of this "world."

____ I believe what the Word says about Jesus taking my weight and sin.

____ I make Jesus Lord (boss) and I make a decision to follow Him through His Word and Spirit.

____ I exchange God's will for my will. I forgive those who hurt me.

____ I exchange my mind for God's mind.

____ I exchange my emotions for God's emotions.

____ I am willing to experience persecution and I am not be ashamed of Jesus.

____ I am willing to step out from the crowd and not care what they think of me.

____ I am willing to be faithful with what is in my hand right now.

____ I will live by His Word every day and spend much time in it.

____ I will continue to believe by continuing with Jesus and the Word as my Lord. I will make it a priority to take time to build a relationship with God.

____ I will stand against all the lies of the devil, no matter how long it takes.

____ I will step out from the crowd and become lost in God.

____ I will drop my pride about what others think and ask God to give me all He has.

Instructions:

IF you marked YES to all of the above, then proceed. If you did not answer YES, then you should ask God to change your heart. He can do that.

1. Then turn back to the exchange section where the 16 exchanges are listed. Circle the ˆ¨light bulbsˆÆ that apply to you.
2. Look up the Scriptures and confess them with your mouth.
3. Write them on a piece of paper and read them out loud daily.

Now thank Jesus for what He has done for YOU.

2. Now we will deal with intimacy in a blood covenant.

I believe that a majority of people do not truly understand intimacy. God created every person with the desire for intimacy. We all crave it, but we do not understand the proper way to pursue it and express it. People have perverted intimacy in many ways.

Most people, when they think of intimacy, think of sex. Sex is only a small part (and the result) of some types of intimacy, it is not the main factor however.

Intimacy as a child. Doctors have discovered that if babies do not have intimacy, they will die. Even as children we are designed to have intimacy with our parents. It is something that is required; it is Godˆ‚s design. So many parents bruise their children for life by not giving them intimacy. They teach them that hugging and crying is not proper. They teach them to bury their needs, not knowing that their needs will appear in a perverted form.

Intimacy with spouses. So often we gain intimacy with our future spouse while we are courting, but after marriage many treat them like slaves.

Intimacy with God. God wants intimacy with us. He gave us the Song of Songs or Song of Solomon as His example of this. Look at verses 2:14, 7:13, 8:6-7. Luke 10:39 tells about Mary who spent time at the feet of Jesus, listening to His Word. Jesus thought this was extremely valuable!

Intimacy is originated through words, eye contact and through time spent with one another.

Exclusiveness is one key element of intimacy. Both parties need to know that there are no others involved. They need to know that they are exclusive and that the other party is devoted only to them. Some call it a single eye. The marriage relationship is likened to our intimate relationship with the Lord.

Intimacy requires taking time to talk and to listen. There is a desire to spend time with the other person. Take as an example the woman with the alabaster box in Mark 14:3. Jesus thought that this kind of ˆ¨wasteˆÆ was not waste at all. He said that it was part of the Gospel and that the Gospel should produce this action.

Intimacy requires stepping out from the crowd. It requires becoming lost in another person. The Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19 did not really want intimacy with God, he was only interested in religion. He wanted his other possessions more than a relationship with God. Look at the contrast with blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46. He also had something to trust in. However he gave up his beggarˆ‚s robe that he trusted in and cast himself completely upon Jesus.

Moses wanted intimacy with God. Moses, at the burning bush, got a taste of Godˆ‚s presence. Later in Exodus 33 he begged God to let him see His glory again. He wanted to see Godˆ‚s glory at any cost. We need to become lost in the Lord and be dead in Christ, to no longer care about ourselves or what others think.

Psalm 91 describes the Secret Place of the Most High. Song of Solomon 2:14 talks about the same secret place as a place of intimacy where the two people see each otherˆ‚s faces and hear each otherˆ‚s voices.

The 120 people in Acts chapter 2 devoted themselves, wasted themselves in and for His presence.

ˆ¨YadaˆÆ is a strong word for intimacy. Genesis 4:1 says that Adam knew Eve and she conceived. The word knew is yada, a Hebrew word that means knowing at a level of intimacy. It is used again in Proverbs 3:4-5 when it tells us to acknowledge Him in all our ways and He will direct our paths. The word acknowledge comes from yada. Jesus said in John 17:3 that eternal life is knowing (yada) Him and the Father.

Intimacy with God and your spouse should lead to oneness, the two actually change and become one. Jesus changed and became sin for us, we can change and become one with Him.

We need to step out from the crowd. Take up your cross to denominations, friends, family, customs and pride. Worship God in humility, and with reverence, bowing down before Him.

In the Flowing River lesson we took up our cross for moral sins, for our will and our intellect. This is going deeper in all three areas. It is bearing the shame of the Cross, becoming lost in God.

When intimacy is originated by God, our only response is worship. Holy, Holy, Holy (Revelation 4:8-11).

In 1 Samuel 1-2 Hannah risked humiliation and was indeed humiliated because she was hungry for God. She was desperate. The woman who touched the hem of His garment was humiliated, but she was desperate (Matthew 9:20).

Intimacy is Godˆ‚s design for the transfer of the blood covenant.

Intimacy involves the exchange of words between two parties. It involves listening to one another. Remember what Jesus told the people in John 6:63. ˆ¨It is the Spirit that makes alive, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and are lifeˆÆ (John 6:63).

We practice intimacy with God by giving Him our words and by taking in His Word. This automatically transfers more of the blood covenant to us.

We practice intimacy with God by giving Him our words and by taking in His Word. This automatically transfers more of the blood covenant to us.

Luke 4:4 says, ˆ¨And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written that ˆ´man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.ˆ‚ˆÆ

Hebrews 4:12 says, ˆ¨For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.ˆÆ

Jesus is the Word. He was and is the bridge. John 1:1-3 says, ˆ¨In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and without Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.ˆÆ

John 15:7 says, ˆ¨If you live in Me, and My Words live in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you.ˆÆ

John 8:51 says, ˆ¨Truly, truly, I say to you, If a man keeps My Word, he shall never see death.ˆÆ

The Power of God is within our reach!

Romans 10:8-11 says, ˆ¨But what does it say? ˆ´The Word, is near you, even in your mouth and in your heartˆ‚; that is the Word of faith which we proclaim; Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ˆ´Everyone believing on Him shall not be put to shame.ˆ‚ˆÆ

ˆ¨For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemnedˆÆ (Matthew 12:37).

Make time with God and give His word a priority. It will give you both intimacy and exchange!

Jesus conquered all evil at the Cross, but the lie is powerful. Satan will do his best to steal what you have coming. You will win if you have patience and stand!

It takes time and faithfulness.

Most of the time, receiving the benefits of the Cross includes a trial of time, patience and some sort of mental suffering where you feel that God is not going to come through.

James 1:2-4 says, ˆ¨My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.ˆÆ

Luke 8:8 and 15 says, ˆ¨And other fell on good ground and sprang up, and bore fruit a hundredfold. And when He had said these things, He cried, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (15) But those on the good ground are the ones who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.ˆÆ

Revelation 12:11 says, ˆ¨And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their soul to the death.ˆÆ

The waiting purifies us.

1 Peter 1:6-7 says, ˆ¨You should be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations, so that the genuineness of your faith may be tested, which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. This proving of your faith is intended to rebound to your praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ the Messiah is revealed.ˆÆ

The Cross is absolute, but the lie is powerful.

We need Wisdom.

Wisdom is knowing and relying on the fact that the Cross of Jesus absorbed all the evil and every situation must turn out to be a blessing. The law of gravity says that whatever goes up MUST come down. The law of exchange and the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) says that all evil has been disarmed and now must be a blessing, IF you believe.

Wisdom is knowing that Satan has been defeated by the blood of Jesus. ˆ¨Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of deathˆÆ (Hebrews 2:14,15).

We are to change our problems into profit. We are to take the raw materials of problems and do business with them by producing blessings. Another word is reconcile, which means to turn something from an enemy to a friend (reconcile).

Waiting on God is the script of life. We need to recognize where we are in the script. It will make suffering more compatible. Yes, Jesus is returning to Earth someday, but He will also return for you now to turn your problem into a blessing.

What is our guarantee that this will work?

The Resurrection is our guarantee. If Jesus had not been resurrected, you would have no hope. The fact that He was resurrected is conclusive evidence that your problems cannot hurt you if you are willing to be a change agent for God.

Jesus is our guarantee. What is our confidence for inheriting promises that look as if they cannot be fulfilled? He swore by Himself! Hebrews 6:15-20 indicates that God took an oath that He could not lie. Not only did He give us a promise, but He took an oath, which in effect is saying, ˆ¨I swear on my own life and with my own life that I will perform this promise. You can count on it since you ran to my Word for hope. This hope is your anchor to cling to, and is grounded in my very presence.ˆÆ

This is our confidence. This is how we know that the promises of God will come to pass. God swore by Himself, having no higher being to swear by. He said that if the promise did not come to pass, that He would die.

He did die, through Jesus on the Cross. Jesus took our curse that we could inherit all He is and all He has. I encourage every reader to study Hebrews chapter 6 in this context.

ISOB Discipleship Training Manual. Larry Chkoreff ( SIT ) (Power - Cross)

This lesson is the sole property of ISOB. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this lesson must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright (C) 1999 by ISOB."). This lesson may not be used without the permission of ISOB for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold.