Lekki Soul Centre (19th May, 2021)
Topic: Death, through the Commandment of Love
Minister: Pastor Thompson Ehima
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:” (John 3:14). The colon indicates that this statement is not complete without the next statement. The next verse reveals the essence of lifting Jesus up and what this is meant to achieve. The word “lifting” does not refer to the literal raising of Jesus on the cross. According to Ephesians 4:9-10, Jesus had to descend into hell in order to be lifted up. Although Jesus was lifted up with the cross at Gethsemane, that was not what John was referring to.
Being lifted up just like Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness does not refer to the physical event of the cross. Rather, it refers first to His descension into the lower parts of the earth, where the activity of hell and death were couched. This was prophetically captured by the event of Jonah in the fish’s belly for three days and three nights. He offered prayers up to the temple of God and he was lifted out of the belly of hell (Jonah 2:7-10). In summary, the lifting-up of Jesus in relation to how Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness does not refer to crucifixion but resurrection. “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (Johb 3:15). This verse shows us that the Jesus was lifted into reward (Eternal Life).
God judged murmuring among the children of Israel by sending fiery serpents to bite them and many of them died. They broke the hedge by murmuring and were therefore bitten by serpents. The operation of the serpents was against their entrance into the promised land. Satan kept on attacking the children of Israel with all sorts of things such as murmuring, unbelief etc. Therefore, they tempted God several times (Num. 14:22).
It is Satan who made the children of Israel to be tempted of evil; he made them to murmur and sin against God. “But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?” (Heb. 3:17). The falling of their bodies was not ordinary. It means that they disintegrated. The power of corruption broke them down.
Just like when the children of Israel looked at the serpent and were delivered from death, the children of God would likewise need to believe in the Son of God to be delivered from death. The phrase “believeth in him” in John 3:15 does not refer to the believing required for the New Birth experience but the art of looking for the reward of Eternal Life.
Many of the children of Israel perished in the wilderness by the attack of the serpents on them. The enemy destroyed them using the conversation on their souls – murmuring (1 Cor. 10:10). Murmuring is more of an inward sin than outward. It is a sin of the heart. This is why some of those who will not have a part in the City of God are murmurers (Jude 1:16). If murmuring was potent enough to cause the children of Israel to perish, then it means that it is program of second death.
Sins of the heart are very dangerous; that was the sin of the beginning. When a man who has the formation of Christ in his soul begins to murmur, it is a sin that results into departure from the living God. A Christ must believe unto everlasting life so that he will not perish.
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:17-19). The scriptures did not say that light “came” because it is not referring to the coming of Jesus physically in the flesh. Rather, the scriptures said that “light is come”. This light is not Christ light, but everlasting and eternal light. This light is not the light that came into darkness.
“Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.” (1 John 2:8). The true light refers to the life of the begotten Son of God. The Son of God is constituted of everlasting and eternal Life. A sign that a man is still in darkness is that he would hate his brother (1 John 2:11).
A man cannot be concluded to be in condemnation until the true light comes to him and he rejects it. We must believe that this true light is coming to us now and that the words we are hearing are not being made up by a man. A man must have used or obeyed the light of Christ before he can be qualified to use the true light.
It is when iniquity works on a man’s heart of Charity that he will develop hatred for his brother. When true light begins to shine, it will move a man who has unfeigned love into fervent love (1 Pet. 1:22-23). Cain hated his brother Abel and was therefore said to be of the wicked one (1 John 3:12). Wickedness is an operation of the fallen Cherub. Whosoever hates his brother has the seed of the wicked one inside of him. The mystery of iniquity has advanced in such a person because its work is to cause the love that is in the heart of a man to wax cold (Matt. 24:12). The mystery of iniquity is an activity of hell and death (2 Thess. 2:7).
When a man who has Christ formation in his soul allows the mystery of iniquity to advance in his heart, he won’t be able to agree with the true light. Therefore, works that have been done in him cannot be unturned.
“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:” (1 Pet. 1:22). The first work of the true light is to move men who have been exercised in the unfeigned love of the brethren (Charity) to a fervent love. The love of God is birthed through fervent love. It is only a man who has acquired a heart of flesh through obedience to Charity that can love fervently. The commandment of loving fervently is that of laying down one’s life for the brethren (1 John 3:16).
Things that are true are both everlasting and eternal Life. The whole conversation of John in the synoptic gospel and epistles is that of the true light. The true light is the communication of the matters of everlasting and Eternal Life to us. Though this light is shining, some people may still be in darkness through sins of the heart.
(Message ends)