Sunday, September 11, 2016

KINGDOM LIVING - THE ABUNDANT LIFE

Dear One,
     Jesus never stopped using parables to teach about My kingdom and My righteousness.  Remember that Jesus used the parables to compare incidents about earthly life to truths about spiritual life or kingdom life.  In one teaching session He taught about good shepherds and bad shepherds and their influence upon My sheep. 
    First of all, in that story Jesus identified the true shepherd and the false shepherd.  Since the people were unschooled in the works of the devil, they didn't know anything about that to which He was referring, but when My Holy Spirit is allowed to be the tutor from the inside of a person that person is able to know the truth contained in that parable.  He introduced this truth by saying "verily" meaning that what you are about to hear is indeed true.  In fact, to emphasize the importance of the truth Jesus said, "verily, verily"  to emphacise that hearers should listen intently and believe what He was about to say. 
    Jesus told the people the difference between Himself and the devil and how each one entered the world.(John 10:1)  The devil used deception to enter, deceiving Adam to allow him entrance into the world that I had created for people.  Deception from the devil blinded Adam's eyes to who the devil really was, and Adam yielded his will to the devil by believing the devil's words as well as believing some of My truths which were used by the devil to deceive Adam.  That is identified as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  So all humanity was then cursed by the devil by his having their spiritual eyes blinded so that they cannot recognize what is of Me and what is of the devil.  Jesus called the devil a thief and a robber, robbing My children of a relationship with Me and as a result robbing them of all of their inheritance that I have for them.  (Genesis 2:1-7)  
    Jesus entered the world legally, as far as the heavens are concerned,
Jesus, My son, entered the world through being born of a woman.  His authority in the world was established because I gave the earth to people, giving them dominion over the earth and everything in it.  So when He was born of a woman, He entered the earth legally and is the real shepherd of My sheep, My children.   (John 10:2)  He said that the porter opened the door, meaning My Holy Spirit impregnating Mary and opened the door to the earth through whom Jesus was born and made Him legally the Savior of the world. (John 10:3) 
    My voice is again recognized by My children who have received My Holy Spirit, just like Adam knew My voice in the beginning before he allowed the devil to deafen him to My words. Jesus said that His sheep know Him and know His voice, and they follow Him wherever He goes before them.  They follow Him because they know His voice.  The voice of a stranger, one who entered the world through deception, My children will not follow that voice; instead, they will flee that voice of deception, death and destruction. 
    The parable only confused the people more.  so Jesus explained it more clearly to them. (John 10:6)
    He said that He is the door of the sheep because He came into the earth legally, through being born of a woman. So He has legal right to redeem the world from sins, death and destruction. (John 10:7-9)  He said that all who came before Him, the religious laws, rules and regulations, were also thieves and robbers also because the devil used the laws to condemn and heap guilt upon My children. (Romans 7:5-6; Romans 8:2-4)  Jesus said that the religious laws were only a hireling, given to try to keep My children on the right paths, but He said when the wolf, the devil, comes that the laws leave because of their weakness and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  That is what happened with religious rules, regulations and laws. He said that they scattered because they didn't care for My sheep. (John 10:12-13)
    Jesus declared His legally entering the world through being born of a woman, being My Son, because My Holy Spirit overcame Mary and she became pregnant with My Son.  Jesus, the Savior, entered the world legally, being Son of Man/Son of God.  Jesus, the good shepherd, according to the parable, entered the sheepfold legally and My sheep know His voice and He knows them. (John 10:14-18)   Because of His being a Son of Man, he could die for the sins of the whole world, accepting the punishment for all the infractions of the religious laws of all people which were tempted by the devil. (John 10:17-18)
    Jesus declared that there were others of My children that were not of their fold and that they would also be brought into My kingdom to receive My blessings.  He prophesied that there would be one family with One Shepherd. He was speaking of the inclusion of the Gentiles, or unbelievers.   Then He also declared that He would lay down His life and take it up again of His own free will because He had been commissioned to do it by Me.
    That parable told the history of the devil, of the law, of sin, and of redemption because of Jesus coming into the world legally in order to die for the sins of the world. 
    This parable made some of the Jews so angry that they called Him a demon, a mad man.  Other people disagreed and said how can a demon heal a blind man? (John 10:19-21)
     It is the same in your world today.  Some believe and some find it hard to believe.  Pray for the unbelievers that they might believe and learn to live My kingdom life in the world and in the world to come.  Jesus said that He came to earth so that you might have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)  You can facilitated it by the power of My Holy Spirit.
     Your Loving, Shepherding Father   
           

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