3-30-2018        Deliverance

                  

The angel of the Lord over the defeated Satan       No Greater Love

We’re using the Gospel of Mark 5:1-17 (6-10).

Matt. 8:28-34 and Luke 8:26-39 relate the same event.

Jesus had crossed the Sea of Galilee to the country of the Gadarenes and after getting off the boat He is met by a man possessed by a demon, in fact, by many demons.  This man lived among the tombstones (graveyard) and ran around naked, cutting himself with stones and challenging anybody who crossed his path.  Though the people tried to bind the possessed man, he would break the chains.  So when he saw Jesus, I don’t think he ran down to Jesus just to say ‘hi’ for he asked Jesus if had He come to torment them before their time, that is send them to the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10-15).  They begged Jesus send them into a nearby herd of pigs, which once the demons had entered in, that herd ran down into the sea and drowned.

Jesus had just delivered a man possessed by many demons which called themselves “legion” for they were many.  A Roman ‘legion’ contained between 3,000 to 6,000 foot soldiers, but here, as with the phrase “a day with the Lord is as a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:8)  implies that there were countless demons in the man. 

Note that once the man was delivered, he was clothed and in his right mind and sitting at the feet of Jesus.

In 1973, Frank Hammond published a book called “Pigs in the Parlor”, which was the first book published as a practical guide to deliverance and used as an authority by many.  He defines demonic possession through Biblical examples and personal experience and then how one can be delivered from that influence.

As we see, with the possessed man in the Gadarenes, both mind and body are affected by possession, so both mind and body need to be delivered.

We usually consider that demonic possession only happens to the ‘unsaved’ because they have no protection from demonic attack, but Christians are also prone to demonic attack.  That’s why we put on the armor of God – so we can resist the enemy, keeping him from entering into our beings.  Unfortunately, when we slip from our Christian walk, that is commit sin, we open the door for demonic assault.  First, Satan gets our attention and lets whatever seed he has planted into our minds, fester into our souls.  Once we’ve agreed with the devil, that maybe it’s not such a bad idea to do what he has suggested, we’ve opened the door.  Then we act on that suggestion, and sin is committed (James 1:12-15).  Yet consider what Jesus uses lusting after a woman as an example “The law says don’t commit adultery but if one lusts after a woman in is heart, he has already committed adultery (<att.25:27-28).   So sin is not just doing, but even considering ‘doing’ for Christians, becomes a sin.

The sin is bad enough, but if we don’t confess and repent that sin as soon as we realize what we’ve done, it does fester.  It grows and starts drawing us away from our heavenly Father.  It deadens our awareness of “God in us.”  Once the enemy has our attention, he can then manipulate us, saved or unsaved.  Because we have travelled so far from God, we have given the enemy permission to take up residence – within our souls.  The Greek word used for soul is ‘psyche’.  Our psyche contains our intellect and our emotions (Pigs in the Parlor).  So if a demon is in our psyche, what does he control?  Do you suppose that means that he just may be in our hearts?

‘Pneuma’ is the Greek word translated as ‘breath’ and is used for the word ‘spirit’.  It is also the word used, but with a capital “P” in reference to the Holy Spirit.  And it is the Pneuma that connects us spiritually with God.  It is not the soul or psyche (1 Corinth. 2:14) but the spirit.  When the Holy Ghost comes into our life, He doesn’t live in our soul, but dwells separately in our pneuma.   As we learn to live in His love, our life is spent bringing, or yielding, our soul (psyche)  into agreement with the God’s Holy Spirit (Pneuma).  Our soulish man wrestles to keep that agreement with our spiritual self in obedience to God.  Our wrestling is confessing, renouncing and repenting of any sin that enters into our lives so the door is slammed shut in the enemy’s face so he cannot enter in and stay.

‘Possession’ is any devil, not just influencing our thinking, but taking up residence within our soul (psyche).  ‘Obsession’ is a demonic spirit Impacting how we think and act without actually taking up residence within us.  There’s no indwelling, but that demon still has control over our psyche, our thoughts, our emotions, our will.  The only difference is residency.

Does possession mean we all run around naked, cutting ourselves and screaming like a banshee and chasing people off?  Not necessarily.  , Paul encounters a woman possessed with a spirit of divination.  She followed after Paul and his companions mocking them “These are men of God who show the way to salvation!” (Acts 16:16-19)  If she were texting this I can see the “lol” (laugh out loud) at the end of her statement.  Paul commands the demon to leave her and it does (deliverance).  Unfortunately, for her masters, they realize that they’ve lost their meal ticket, their source of income, and weren’t exactly happy campers.  Too bad.

The disciples couldn’t cure a lunatic boy.  Jesus rebuked the devil and the boy was healed at that very hour.  Jesus reminds his disciples that this takes, along with faith, prayer and fasting to deliver some folks (Matthew 17:14-21). 

When Jesus healed, a common phrase He used was “Go and sin no more.” Which Jesus spoke to a man, who had been unable to walk for many years and sat by the pool at Bethesda.  Jesus also told him to take up his bed and walk, which the man did (John 5:1-14). 

Jesus encountered a man who was blind from birth.  The disciples asked whose sin caused this blindness, the man’s or his parent’s?   Jesus replied “neither …, but this man is like this so the works of God could be manifest in him”.  Jesus told the man to wash in the pool if Siloam, he did and he gained his sight (John 9:1-7).  Even though demonic possession or sin may play a part in things that beset us, this is not always the case.  Some things are so God can demonstrate His glory, His love for us.  Nonetheless, in a healing, whether natural,  possession or obsession, It may be necessary to deal with demonic forces.

So we see examples of violent demonic possession - the man in the graveyard, passive possession - the fortuneteller who taunted Paul, and in illness – the lunatic boy.  We also see where all illness isn’t necessarily brought on by demons as with the blind man.  However we do see where faith is involved in each of these situations, even though there isn’t a demon ‘under every rock’.  This is where discernment from God helps us to determine what is being dealt with. 

There were seven sons of a man named Sceva who apparently had observed Paul casting out devils.  They thought they could do the same.  They approached a demonic possessed man to cast the demon out by Jesus whom Paul preached.  BUZZZZZ!  Wrong!  Confronting the demon possessed man, the demon said “I know Jesus, I know Paul but who are you?”  Seven adult men got their butts kicked by one, possessed man.  Jesus gave the disciples power and authority over devils and sickness (Luke 10:19), by the way, He also gives it to us, all believers (John 14:12).     Knowing what to do has to be accompanied with the authority and power to do it. 

So, once we recognize the need for deliverance, we also need to operate in the power and authority God gives us, coupled with fasting, praying drenched in faith to accomplish any deliverance.

However, the greatest source of our deliverance comes from what this time of the year, this season is all about.

This is Good Friday.  Not because of “what” happened on this day, but because of the results of what happened. 

In the wee hours of Friday morning, those sent by the chief priests and elders came with Judas to the mount and ‘arrested’ Jesus.  He was bought before the Jewish council, then later before Pilate.  Finally, after He was beaten and humiliated, He was taken to the cross to die.  There, on the cross, He shed the last drops of His precious blood to deliver us from our sinful natures and from any bondage to demonic activity.   

The Jewish Sabbath is Saturday which begins at 6:00 P.M. Friday night.  According to Jewish law, Jesus had to be buried before that hour.  And He was. 

But our ultimate deliverance is about to come to pass.  The day after the Sabbath, Sunday, is a comin’!  In the wee hours of Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body for there was no time to do it on Friday.  They figured they could get the soldiers to roll the stone away from the doorway of the tomb.  But when they got there An angel of the Lord had already rolled the stone away.  The soldiers were laid out upon the ground and the tomb was empty (Matt.28:1-7, Luke 24:1-12) !  Halelujah!

All our deliverances are wrapped up in the empty shroud of Jesus – and laid in the tomb.  For in His resurrection, we have victory over sin and death, with and through Him.  We are alive in Jesus as He is no longer in the grave, but is risen and seated at the right hand of the Father, counting the moments until He comes back for us.  All we have to do is live for Him, with Him and in Him.  We must learn to agree with the Holy Spirit which Father gives us as believers, living in the reality of God’s love.  Abiding in the baptism of the Holy Ghost, as Jesus promised us for through Him we have power to combat the enemy (Acts 1:8).  Satan cannot operate where God’s love abounds, or if you will, in Christ’s love we have the right to give that ole devil the “boot”.  There is “no room at the inn” (our inn)

What is deliverance?  Living in God’s love because we have made Jesus Christ, our Lord, as well as our savior and by abiding in that love.  We are strengthened because God’s Holy Ghost lives within our hearts, our pneuma, and gives us the strength to live for Him, day by day.  Strength to stand  firm in Jesus Christ resisting the onslaughts of the enemy.  Will we always be successful?  We are a work in progress so when we do “mess up” we have an advocate with Father pleading our cause (1 John 2:1-3).  When we confess our sins, we will be forgiven them (1 John 1:9).  The enemy cannot possess that in which he has no grounds (sin) to work.

Living in, for and through Jesus Christ our Lord is how anyone attains and maintains true deliverance.

Amen

                     Friday night so if you'er in the general Hagerstown, Md area, come on down!

3-17-2018    Is the Ambassador in?

We are in a season of blessings coming from the Father.  This is a time of restoration and restitution for the church and its people. 

Jesus gives us the parable of the ten virgins to caution the church to not let go of its faith.  And how quickly His words came to pass.  Within thirty years of Jesus’ return to heaven, Paul had to write letters to the churches because they were being side tracked by erroneous teaching and fables.

The seven year period we are currently in basically began January 2015.  If you count the Hebrew calendar, this season may have actually started with Rosh Hoshana, September 2014.

Nonetheless, this period is for church growth.  For various reasons, the church, for centuries, has gradually moved away from its original doctrines and has been serving man’s interpretations and sometimes whims.  Paul warns us that the church would experience a falling away (1) before Jesus’ return.  Because Father does not want any to perish (2), the church, nor anyone for that matter, for a while now, He has been bringing especially His church back around to where it should be.  Just as God tells Jeremiah to warn Israel because of their disobedience He was bringing judgment upon them (3) He also warns today’s church of the same.  Even the ‘righteous’ will die in their sin when they don’t repent (4).  And any righteousness he has done will amount to nothing (5).

So He’s bringing his church back into a true relationship with Himself.  He gives us a warning about what is happening then encouragement about what we need to do to get back into that right relationship which is being a true reflection of His love in this world.

So what about the ten virgins (6)?  The warning goes to the five foolish virgins who took their lamp with oil, but no extra oil.  The oil represents our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Some may argue that the oil represents the Holy Ghost and I won’t disagree, because the Holy Ghost solidifies our relationship with the Lord.  Right?  When we don’t make Jesus Lord of our life and live for Him, we jeopardize any relationship we may have with Him.  When we don’t maintain a relationship, that relationship starts to break up and crumble.  When that relationships disintegrates far enough, it is gone and we fall back into our old habits and don’t even bother to repent of what we are doing.  We begin to excuse our actions or explain them away.  But we don’t take responsibility.  Sinners will not enter into the kingdom of heaven (7).  Without repentance, we fall back into that old person who we were when we started looking forward to God’s eternal kingdom to begin with.  But with no repentance, our sin remains in us.

The time will come, and may even be upon us, when parts of the church will attach themselves to those who tell them what they ‘want’ to hear and not what they ‘need’ to hear.  They will turn from the truth to man-made fables (8).  Some will come preaching another Jesus, other than what the apostles preached (9) and people will listen and follow.

There are those who will get off track and become performance orientated and think that by ‘doing certain things’ is the way to eternal life.  The Jews believed that because they “did” what the letter of the law said and thought they were okay (10).  And Jesus called them hypocrites.  Their hearts were off in left field.  There were seven sons who thought they could cast out devils in the name of Jesus like Paul did, but were rudely brought to their senses (11) discovering they not only needed the authority but the power as well.   Giving “lip service” doesn’t mean our hearts are right with the Lord and it doesn’t give us power with Him (12).  Those who do lip service are like a whited sepulcher, all clean and white and lookin’ good on the outside but with nothing but dead bones and rotting flesh and no real faith on the inside (13).

When we hear about Jesus for the first time, four things could happen.  1) Absolutely nothing!  We totally refuse to receive Him.  2) We receive Him and abide with Him for a while, but then trouble and problems arise, we get discouraged and walk away.  3) We receive Him and abide with Him for a while but then the world looks so good to us, we turn our tails and run back into it.  Sounds a bit like the five foolish virgins, doesn’t it (14)?  They let their oil run out.  They didn’t continue in their lifestyle with Jesus.  Point four, we’ll leave for the next section.

This all leads into what we need to understand about the church.  How many times have we heard the complaint “they’re just a bunch of hypocrites”, “yeah, they look good on Sunday, but you should see them Monday thru Saturday”.  The church is a place of growth and continuing growth.  The good, the bad and the ugly all reside in the church.  They reside in each and all the fellowships and sometimes it’s hard to distinguish a genuine Christian from one who’s there because he’s ‘supposed to be’ or it’s ‘part of being a well-rounded person’.  Or, even a plant from the enemy intended to disrupt the church.  When the time comes, God will separate the righteous from the unjust, the wheat from the tares (15), true believers from the pretenders.

He will take time to separate the good and the bad.  The good, He will welcome into His fellowship because of their faithfulness.  He will cast off the bad like dead branches because their hearts were never really with Him (16).

So what do we do then?

We start with the sower and point four.  When we hear God’s word and understand it we are the seed on good ground.  We hear the word of God and receive it.  We seek God and bear fruit.  That is we grow in our relationship with Him and share what God has given us (14).

God loves us, for He is love (17) and so we ought to love Him.  We show that love by loving Him and loving not only our brothers and sisters in the Lord, but everybody.  We don’t do the works to get saved, but because we have a growing relationship with our Lord Jesus (18) we show our faith through the works we do for others.

How do I show my love for God?  If I love God, I will keep His commandments (19).  I come to understand that the Ten Commandments are a very basic description of love – Love God, no idols, honor God, take time to talk with Him, honor mom and dad, don’t kill, don’t commit adultery or steal, don’t lie and don’t desire the things my neighbor has (20). 

Loving God isn’t easy.  We have to turn from the old, wicked ways and start living life according to God’s plan.  When temptation comes, we have to resist (21).  And that’s not always easy for the Devil is always trying to draw us back into the old nature, away from God.  Yet, it is a narrow path that we walk, resisting the temptations of the world (22) being aware of those people and things that try to drag us away from the kingdom of God.  We have to persevere and stay on course, expecting to win through our determination to follow Jesus (23).  Remember, we don’t have to be first to cross the finish line, but we do have to finish this race and cross that line.  Then we all become winners collecting our prize, that crown of eternal life (24)

I run this race with all my heart, mind, soul and strength showing my love for God by giving Him some time from my life, daily then expressing His love to those around me (25).  For everything I do I remember I do for God (26).  Not pleasing man, but pleasing the Father.  I remember that Jesus tells me that whatever I do to the least of my brothers, I have done to Him (27). 

I need to remember that just because I’m part of a church, I don’t just sit back and reap the benefits, but I have to be doing things, something, for Jesus with a right heart (28).  I also need to remember that there may be those doing the work of Jesus that I’m not aware of so if someone is sharing the word of God and they have a right heart and even though they may not be a part of where I am, I ought not to complain (29). I don’t know ALL whom God has called (30).

Should I encounter someone I’m not sure of, I should try the spirits by the Spirit to see if they are of God.  Every spirit that confesses that Christ is come in the flesh is of God, if it doesn’t, it’s not of God (31).  The Holy Ghost gives us the ability to recognize this (32).  Then I should welcome those whom the Spirit has confirmed, as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. 

We should be comforted because we are knit together in love, understanding the mystery of God, the Father and of Christ.  We should not be drawn away by enticing words but hold steadfast to our faith in Christ Jesus, walking in His love because we are in Him.  We should be thankful that we are not tricked by vain philosophies and deceits of men because we have become grounded in the truth of Jesus for we know He has all power.  We are buried with Jesus in baptism and knowing that God raised Him from the dead, and He will do the same for us, raising us from spiritual death into eternal life.  We were dead in our sins because He nailed those sins to the cross, redeeming us into the kingdom of God, giving us new life in Him.  We are no longer bound by man’s traditions but humbly, with all believers, join the body of Christ (33).  As our head,  Jesus feeds us and helps us to grow in God, so we are no longer bound to man’s ordinances, many which look reasonable, but honor the flesh.  We are bought with a price (34).  But we honor God and as we do that, God will give us favor, even with man (35).

We should rejoice for we are become new creatures in Jesus Christ.  For God has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation.  We should share His love with whomsoever He sets before us.  He who knew no sin and was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God though Him.  And through Him, we become His ambassadors in this world (36).

Amen?

References

1          Thess. 2;1-3                 A falling away first

2          Peter 3:9                     Lord not slack but desires all to repent

3          Jer. 1:14-16                 Lord will bring kingdoms of the north against Israel (the church)   

4          Ezek. 3:20                    A righteous man sins and dies in that sin, he is lost

5          Ezek. 3:20                    … his righteousness will not be remembered …

6          Matt. 25:1-13              10 virgins       

7          1 Corinth. 6:9-10         The unrighteous, fornicators, idolaters, etc. not enter in …

8          2 Tim. 4:1-4                 Turn from the truth to fables

9          2 Corinth. 11:4            One preaches what we didn’t

10        Matt. 7:21-23              Didn’t we prophecy in your name

11        Acts 19:13-167            Brothers of Sceva                                           

12        Matt. 15:6-9                You say the right things but your heart is far from me

13        Matt. 23:27-39            Whited sepulcher                                           

14        Matt. 13:18-23            The sower                                                      

15        Matt. 13:24-30, 13:37-43        Wheat & tares                                               

16        Matt. 31-46                 Sheep & goats                                                

17        1 John 4:7-19               God is love … so let us love

18        James 218-20              I’ll show my faith by my works

19        John 14:15-18              If you love Me, keep my commandments     

20        Exod. 20:3-17              The Ten Commandments      

21        James 4:7                    Submit to God, resist the devil, he will flee  

22        Matt. 7:12-20              Path is straight & narrow      

23        1 Corinth. 9:24-27       Run the race to obtain

24        2 Tim. 4:7-8                 I have fought the good fight to obtain that crown of righteousness

25        Mark 12:28-31                        Love God with all the heart, mind, soul & strength  

26        Col. 3:23-25                 Serve with all heart as unto the Lord

27        Matt. 35:40                 … to the least of my brothers, you have done to Me

28        Matt. 3:7-12                Fruit worthy of repentance                

29        Luke 9:49-50               They aren’t with us should we forbid them   

30        John 3:16                     I have sheep which are not of this fold

31        1 John 4:1-5                 Try the spirits by the Spirit

32        1 John 2:18-28             We know the truth having an unction from the Holy One

33        1 Corinth. 12:12          We are all members of the body of Christ

34        1 Corinth. 6:19-20)      … we are not our own, but bought with a price …

35        Prov. 3:1-4                   … keep my commandments … favor & understanding with God

and man

36        2 Corinth. 5:17-21       We are new creatures in Jesus Christ            and ambassadors

                       

3-3-2018    I Am Israel

    

                

                         Fighting the old nature    to become              a leader

Lying in my bed wrestling with some issues that, off and on, I have wrestled with for some time and doing some repentance, Father put Jacob/Israel on my heart.

If we know anything about these names we have come to learn that Jacob (1) means ‘supplanter’ also, according to Strong’s Concordance, Israel (2) translates ‘rule as God’.

When, in birth, Jacob seized Esau’s heel as they were being born (3).   It was an attempt (yet in the womb) to replace who would be his older brother.  It didn’t work.  Later, Jacob, with his mother’s (Rebekah) help, tricked his aging father (Isaac) into giving him the oldest sons blessing, which, did work.  And by the way, once done couldn’t be revoked (4).  Jacob was basically a wheeler/dealer much of his life but did get some payback in dealing with his father-in-law, Laban (5).  Then one night, as Jacob was returning to his homeland with his wives and family, he wrestled with a ‘man’ (6).  Jacob wrestled with God but did not give up.  He did not quit.  Because of this, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel and changed his character so Israel could rule in the power of the living God.  Interesting note: before “salvation”, while we are still living apart from God in this world, our character is one way but once we receive Jesus into our lives, our attitudes (character) change for the better.  At least, as long as we pursue Jesus, it does. 

The Lord showed me ‘sarah’ (7) and ‘el’ (8) as the root words for Israel.  ‘Sarah’ is to have princely power and ‘el’ is strength, great or Almighty (note the caps). That covers the ‘S’ through the ‘L’ so I asked Father about the ‘I’ and He said that means ‘me’, the individual, each and every believer.  I have the power of the Almighty!  In me!  In us!   As believers, WE have the power of the Almighty God living in us!  WOW!  Being Israel means that every true believer represents God (the Father) here on planet earth.  Because we have received Jesus into our hearts, we represent Him.  We have 

His power abiding in us!  We are the image of the living God as presented to the world.

 Jesus told His disciples that the Comforter dwelled with them and would be in them (9) and the Comforter IS the Holy Ghost (10).  While Jesus physically walked with them, the Holy Ghost abided ‘with’ the disciples through Jesus. After Jesus ascended, the Holy Ghost came and abided ‘in’ the disciples through the baptism.  Through our relationship with Jesus, the Holy Ghost takes up residence within us so, like the disciples, we can do the things Jesus did and greater (11).

Israel (1) means to “rule as God” and a closer look at the root words (Sarah & el) which imply as a prince, we shall have the strength of the Almighty.  Not to rule in the place of God, but rule as His ambassadors as we abide in His power here on planet earth.  To have dominion over that part of the earth He gives us.  We represent His love, in this world because Jesus resides in us through the Holy Ghost!  And in reflecting His love, we reflect His nature to the world. 

What Father showed me this morning is that I am ISRAEL!  All believers are Israel.  Obviously not the man, but just as Father changed Jacob’s nature, through salvation, He changes ours!  Changing our selfish nature to living in His true love (agape).  The indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. 

If you will, Jacob/Israel is Lucifer (12)/Satan’s (13) anti thesis.  Lucifer thought he could raise himself up above God so Father cast him out of heaven and Lucifer became our adversary – Satan.  Jacob tried to supplant Esau from birth keeping Esau from his “birthright”.  But, as we know, Esau’s heart was not right with God and, because Esau had sold his birthright, God brought him down (as with Lucifer) and raised Jacob up to become Israel, the one who would rule in God’s authority because of his obedience. Lucifer was brought down to become Satan because of his disobedience, thinking that he was more powerful than the Almighty God and was cast out of heaven (14, 15, 16).  Because of perseverance to pursue and become obedient to God, Jacob was raised up to become Israel, God’s representative here on earth.  Lucifer was cast down to become Satan because of disobedience and Jacob was raised up to become Israel because of obedience. 

Satan has become the embodiment of man trying to raise himself up (as God) and Israel is become the embodiment of God raising man up to his rightful place.    

Jesus said the comforter is with you and shall be in you, dwelling, abiding, living and so He is through our salvation experience.  The Holy Ghost dwells within us so we are the embodiment of the power of God – in this world. 

Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead as He walked on earth.  Jesus is our head and, as His body, we are complete in Him (17).  So today, we are the power of the living God displayed to the world!  At least, we should be and can be through our obedience to His Word.

So, the power of the eternal God is within us, ergo we have access to His power.  Jesus also tells the disciples (us) that we shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon us (18).  We just have to allow that power to operate in us and through us just as the disciples did over two millennia ago.  We anticipate the fullness of God coming into our lives, just as the disciples did in the upper room and yield to that power when it arrives, just as the disciples did.  And how do we receive that power?  We expect it and receive that infilling through the baptism of the Holy Ghost (19) then follow the leading of the Holy Ghost as we live our lives.

Knowing that the Holy Ghost is living within us and because of that we have the power of the living God within us, three passages begin to make sense.  Satan tells Adam and Eve they will be as gods, knowing good and evil (20).  This was when Adam and Eve were introduced to the concepts of abiding ‘in’ God (good) and rebelling against His authority (evil).  And, of course, all creation fell from innocence along with man. 

The Psalmist cries out to God as he felt God’s judgment among man was not just.  God declares man walks in darkness, even though He calls the children of the most High “gods” (21).  We are not children of the most High God because of disobedience, but because we come back into obedience (22).

Jesus reminds us that the law declares us ‘gods’.  Those to whom the word of God came (23).  In his innocence, Adam was called the son of God (24) but despite the fact Adam came to know the difference between good and evil, man regains his rightful place through obedience by being born again (25)’.  That is receiving Jesus into our heart (26) and then the power of God  comes by receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost, just as the disciples did.

Note, in these passages referring to us, gods is “little ‘g’”.  We are not equal to or better than God, as Satan thought, but we are Father’s representatives here in this world and Father gives us His power and His authority to operate in His stead here in this world (27). 

Every believer, should then be living for Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, because the Holy Ghost is alive, well and operating within our lives (as we are obedient).  As we grow in the Lord, because we are indeed the manifested power of the living God in this world, as true believers, we can all say “I am Israel!” 

References

1          Strong’s 3290              “Yaaqob” (Jacob), supplanter, circumvent

2          Strong’s 3478              “Yisrael” (Israel)  rule as God

3          Gen. 25:24-26             Birth of Esau and Jacob                     

4          Gen. 27:15-30             Rebekah and Jacob trick Isaac

5          Gen. chapters 29-31   Jacob and Laban

6          Gen. 32:24-30             Jacob wrestles

7          Strong’s 8280              “Sarah”

8          Strong’s 410                “el”

9          John 14:16-17              Comforter dwelling in us

10        John 14:26                   Comforter is Holy Ghost

11        John 14:12-13              we can do the works Jesus did and greater

12        Strong’s 1966              “Heylel”, (it’s root “Halal” – 1984) morning star, be clear, boast,

rave    

13        Strong’s 7854              “Satan” withstand, enemy of good,

14        Isa. 14:1-24                 The fall of Lucifer

15        Luke 10:18                   Jesus saw Satan fall from heaven

16        Rev. 12:7-9                  Satan cast out of heaven

17        Col. 2:6-10                   Fullness of Godhead in Jesus

18        Acts 1:8                       Receive power after Holy Ghost has come upon us

19        Acts 1:8-2:4                 To the upper room and receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost

20        Gen. 3:4-5                   … you will be as gods knowing good and evil

21        Psalms 82:1-6             … have I not said you are gods, you children of the most High

22        1 John 1:9                    Confess our sins and God will cleanse us

23        John 10:34-35              … doesn’t the law say you are gods?  … to whom the Word of God

came

24        Luke 3:38                     … Seth was the son of Adam who was the Son of God

25        John 3:5-6                    … born of water and of t he Spirit

26        John 14:6                     … no man comes to the Father but by Me.

27        Luke 10:19                   I give you power … over all the power of the enemy