FAITH AND BELIEF

A WISE AND PRUDENT GOD

2 Peter 1:2-3

2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

God has given to us all things which pertain to life and godliness. God is now making a statement and making it very clear. All the promises He made to the Church pertain to life and godliness. God did not promise His Church natural things or promise them things which would cause them to cleave to this world. He did not even make promises or guarantees that the Church would have an easy life in this world. In fact, He said the opposite.

Godliness is how to exhibit that life God has given. Godliness is the manifestation of that life and how that life is put on display. It is walking in the heart and mind of God and expressing it through our own bodies. God had a plan He called manifold wisdom. The scriptures declare that He is not only wise but prudent. He accomplished so many things by one act. His prudence means He ties up all the loose ends. Whatever way we come, God has already thought about it. When God put His plan in motion He had already designed it so whatever happened there was already a remedy. God has manifold wisdom and has considered all things. He has considered everything in our lives. 2 Peter 1:2-3 promises that peace will be multiplied to us through the knowledge of God. Knowing God for ourselves will bring us peace. Although truth will oppose our flesh, truth will always create peace in our inward parts.

Prudent – Using good judgment or common sense in handling practical matters (Webster’s Dictionary).

Manifold – 1. Of many kinds: MULTIPLE. 2. Having many features or forms (Webster’s Dictionary).

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

He has even considered all the opposition to us manifesting His life and has already made provisions for our foolishness and unbelief. God has already dealt with our failures and lack of confidence in Him and will give us an opportunity to take advantage of His remedy.

The end of our journey is love, and when we walk in the Spirit we are walking in that love. If we are not beginning to love with agape love, we are not moving with God. People desire to fall in love with Him, however, we cannot fall in love with Him without first falling in love with His people.

PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE

2 Peter 1:4

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Peter is explaining to us what the promises are and by these promises we were made partakers of His divine nature. Becoming partakers of that divine nature causes us to escape the corruption that is in the world. If God is our Father, then we have His divine nature. The devil does not want us to believe that we are partakers of the divine nature. The fleshy minds will always oppose the truth we hear. However, the knowledge of God that we are continually receiving is renewing our minds and causing our minds to begin to accept that we are divine. Therefore, the flesh is beginning to fall in love with truth and prefer godliness. When we walk in the Spirit we are walking in love. The Word of God will always oppose the will and desire of our flesh.

Oppose – 1. To be in conflict or contention with. 2. To be in disagreement with or resistant to. 3. To place in opposition or be in opposition to. 4. To move so as to be opposite something else (Webster’s Dictionary).

God is trying to teach us how to walk in this new life. Our new life goes beyond the affections of our flesh, for we are now divine in nature.

WE ARE OF GOD.

1 Peter 2:5

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

We, the Sons of God, are lively stones, a spiritual house and a holy priesthood. Through Jesus Christ, Melchisedec was provided with descendants, He now has a priesthood. We are Melchisedec’s priesthood, by Jesus Christ. This priesthood is royal and brought continuance to Melchisedec’s priestly office. The scripture says Melchisedec (God, Himself) is a priest continuously, who had not descendants in the Old Covenant but brought forth His Son, who beget more Sons, birthing a continual priesthood. Therefore, if Melchisedec’s priesthood is continuous then we, too, are continuous. Order means divine in nature and divinely appointed character. This priesthood of Christ is set in the Order of Melchisedec and is divine in nature and character.

We are the Sons of God, and are divine in nature and must come forth with divinely appointed character. There are other attributes Melchisedec possessed and we, as His descendants do too. Let us look at “That Life” that is never-ending.

Death no longer has more power over this new life we have been given. Even if our flesh goes in the grave, “That Life” will continue to live. “That Life” that has apprehended us has overcome sin and already paid the penalty for sin. So, death has no power over us because there is no sin in us because our life is hid in Christ. The Sons of God are: Divine in Nature, Lively Stones, A Spiritual House, A Holy Priesthood.

Romans 6:9 “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.”

Romans 6:14 “ For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

CHRIST IS THE EXPRESSED RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.

This makes us the same. The devil does not want us to confess this. It does not matter what it looks like, we are the expressed righteousness of God. We are not to judge anything before their time because after a while we will see them as they really are. “That Life,” if in them, will be coming forth. Right now, we are what and who God says we are. We are His holiness. We are now sitting in the Godhead. Jesus was speaking and said He was the One who came from heaven and is in heaven. We are in “That Life” and “That Life” is omnipresent. Wherever God is, that is where we are. This flesh is just the form by which we now see ourselves and others in. But if we can see past the form, past the clouds, beyond the stars and make it to the third heaven with our vision, we would see a throne and see ourselves sitting right next to the Father. We are in “That Life.” Wherever He is, we are. Right now, we are seated with Him in heavenly places.

II. THE FATHER DOETH THE WORK

St.John 5:17-18

17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus is saying that whatever we see Him doing, it is not He but His Father doing the work. In verse eighteen above, why were they so mad with Jesus that they wanted to kill Him? First of all, they said He broke the Sabbath by healing a man who had an infirmity for thirty-eight years (St.John 5:2-16), and secondly He called God His Father, making Himself equal with God.

Omnipresence – The fact of being present or in existence everywhere at once (Webster’s Dictionary).

Whenever Jesus spoke, life came into bodies and healed the infirmities. The impotent man found strength in his body and was able to rise up and walk. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. Sabbath is the day of rest and the Sabbath has come to us. When we enter into Christ, we enter into the Sabbath (rest). Guess who will question whether or not we have God in us? It will not be the impotent ones, or the ones who need a healing or a deliverer, but will be the keepers of the house. The keepers who are fighting for their positions, and trying to secure their livelihood by merchandising God’s people in the church; will be the ones who question if God is in us.

St.John 5:19-20

19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

Jesus was telling the Jews that everything they saw Him doing was His Father working through Him. Not only would His Father do these works but even greater works, so they may marvel. Jesus was a radical by church society’s definition because He knew the mind of the Father. He was in the will of His Father and had no agenda of His own. He had no message of His own and did no deeds of His own. Everything He did was what the Father was doing. He had become one with the Father with no division between them. Jesus could walk in that certainty because He knew nothing could happen to Him before the time.

There have always been conspiracies to stamp out “That Life.” “The Life” that came out of heaven was different from the life that came out of Adam. Because man fears that which is not like him, “The Life” of the Father was threatening to the life of those who came out of Adam. Jesus did not come in the form or purpose the Jews expected Him to come, so they could not accept Him. Although they knew who He was. They found Him guilty for being the Son of God and killed Him for that acclaim.

ALL JUDGMENT COMMITTED UNTO THE SON

St.John 5:21-22

21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

If we are going to be judged, Jesus is going to do it because the Father has given Him that power. How do we judge ourselves? Scripture tells us to examine ourselves. We have to listen to the counsel of our hearts. The Jesus in us will judge us.

St.John 5:23-26

23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Just as the Father has life in Himself, so has He fashioned Jesus to have life in Himself. The Father has given Jesus the authority to give “That Life” to whomever He will. Jesus is showing us His make-up. Not only was He the Son of God but He was also the Son of Man. Because of Mary, Jesus’ mother, Jesus was the seed of Abraham and Mary fashioned Jesus a body, a body which had a soul. Jesus could not be related to man without being in an earthen vessel too. God planted Jesus’ soul in the Holy Ghost at His conception in Mary’s womb. The same thing that happened to us at salvation was done to Jesus from His conception. Jesus came forth already in the Spirit.

Ephesians 1:11-13

11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

We obtained an inheritance through Jesus Christ. The Father is the One who predestined us according to His own purpose and the counsel of His own will. In other words, He was doing what He wanted to do. The reason the Father did this was so we could be to the praise of His glory. The Father first trusted in Christ and we, too, have trusted in Christ. Jesus could not be related to man without being in human form. God took the life of the Son of man, Jesus, and put it in Himself, in God. As a little boy, Jesus began to learn who He was. As He read the scriptures, He discovered that they were about Him. Once He realized who He was, He made a conscious decision to leave His life hid in the Holy Spirit. He decided to never seek for His own life, for the Bible says the one who seeks to save his life shall lose it (St.Luke 17:33).

God trusted Jesus to never go searching for His own life, will or way. Jesus was the Son of man, too. He could have sinned. The same access Satan had to Adam, he had with Jesus as well. After Jesus’ baptism at the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit drove Him to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. God’s whole purpose was put on the line. With every temptation the devil brought, Jesus said, “It is written.” Jesus was not going to do anything that would satisfy His flesh. Jesus, the Son of man, stayed hid in God and did not want anything from this world, although He had a choice and could have chosen differently. Just as the Father has life in Him and gives it to whom He will, now the Son, too, has life in Him and can give it to whom He will. He will give it to anyone who believes on Him. Not only was all life given to the Son but all judgment was committed to the Son as well.

Romans 5:8-11

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

God trusted Jesus to never go searching for His own life.

11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

This is the love God had for us. While we were sinners, Christ died for us. We are going to be saved from the wrath of the Father through Jesus Christ, for we, because of Jesus Christ, have received an atonement for sin. We were made one with His sacrifice. God made us at one with Jesus. We are reconciled back to God and it was done while we were sinners. Jesus came and died for the whole world.

Romans 5:12-13

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Death came in by Adam and was passed down to everyone. Until the law, sin was not identified. Sin was not imputed which means it was not laid to their charge. There was no judgment because there was no law.

THE ATONEMENT WAS BY JESUS CHRIST. ETERNAL LIFE IS BY JESUS CHRIST.

Atonement – 1. Amends made for an injury or wrong: EXPIATION. 2.a. The redemptive life and death of Christ. b. The reconciliation of God and man thus brought about by Christ (Webster’s Dictionary).

Reconcile – 1. To re-establish friendship between. 2. To settle or resolve, as a dispute. 3. To bring (oneself) to accept (Webster’s Dictionary).

1 Peter 3:18

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

It was Christ who was going to bring us to God.

1 Peter 3:19-20

19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

God preserved eight souls by water, but there were many who died before the ark was prepared. Many souls were disobedient and regardless of what Noah said they just would not listen. Since God had not yet set a law in motion, when those souls died before the Law, the Bible says they were put in prison but God withheld judgment until He sent Jesus. It was not fair for only those after the disciples to have privy to the atonement, so during those three days after Jesus’ crucifixion, God sent Jesus to the underworld to preach to the souls who had not been under The Law. God sent “That Life” down into the prison. Some repented, but some still did not believe.

“That Life” is the Lord of the heavens, the earth and everything under the earth. All power in heaven and in earth has been given unto Jesus. And His is the only life God trusted. Jesus’ life is the only life that did not fail God. We can make the same decision Jesus made at twelve years old. We can decide to leave our soul hid in God and seek nothing for ourselves but only to do the will of the Master.

God bless you, Apostle Mary Banks