Who Are You?

"... as he is, so are we in this world," (I John 4:17).

It is said that children have five instinctive questions they strongly desire to have answered: Who I am?  Where did I come from?  Why am I here?  What can I do?  Where do I go when I die?    If you know the answers to these questions, you are rare among men, for the vast majority of people die without ever knowing why they lived.

Let's just deal with the first question in this blog:  WHO AM I?  

Even Christians who have been saved many years do not seem to grasp the knowledge of who they really are.  David said, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." (Psalm 139:14).  Are you not amazed at your own being? You are a fantastic creation... a conglomerate of systems harmoniously at work to sustain your earthly existence.  Yet, you are so much more.  No research scientists, biology or physiology majors, chemists, or other brilliant minds can discover the source of your morals, love, thoughts, ideas, or personality.  You are not just a beautiful, physical being; you are a spiritual being living in a body that was made mortal by sin, but which shall become immortal by virtue of salvation through Jesus Christ.

You first step to freedom from man-made opinions, ideas and concepts of who you are or who you should be is to discover who God made you to be.  People have expectations of what you should do because of what they believe you are.   Some of those expectations are defined by your occupation in life.  If  you're a janitor, dentist, mother, teacher, banker, pilot, builder, plumber, etc., then people expect you to do a certain job and to have certain skills.  But what you do still does not define who you are...  What you do (especially for a living) may change; but who you are will remain the same.

I have been many things in this life:  a daughter, songwriter and musician, play writer and director,  realtor, occupational therapist,  dean of a school of ministry, office worker, field instructor,  conference speaker, worship leader,  dancer, singer, seamstress, hostess, missionary, wife, mother, student and teacher, investor, independent associate with several major companies, counselor, and now "blogger" can be added to the list.   But, who am I? 

The people of Jesus' day struggled to define him.  "Who art thou?"  "Tell us plainly."  [Jn. 1:22; Jn. 8:25].  It's important to truly believe in Jesus, that He is who claims to be.

"I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins,"  (John 8:24).

Your salvation depends on accepting the testimony of the holy scriptures, of  Father God, and of Jesus Christ himself: that He is the Word of God made flesh.  You must know by faith that Jesus indeed was born of a virgin and that the testimony of John the Baptist and the original apostles are the very truth of God.

Until you believe in Jesus and get to know Him intimately, you will never know who you are.  Who did Jesus say He was?  Let's look at the testimony of  a few scriptures:

1.     "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst,"  (John 6:35).

2.     "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live," (John 11:25).

3.     "Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am," (John 13:13).

4.     "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman," (John 15:1).

5.     "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life,"  (John 8:12).  cp. Jn. 9:5

    

6.    "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things," (John 8:28).

7.  "Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep," (Jn. 10:7).

There is only one Jesus Christ who is, Savior and Lord, Alpha and Omega, Bright and Morning Star, Beginning and End, Son of God and Son of Man, King of Kings and Lord of lords.  Yet, when we receive Jesus, we're destined to conform to his image and likeness.

  

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren," (Ro. 8:29).

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord,"  (2 Cor. 3:18).

If you are being who you were created to be, then you can confess the following:

1.     I am a child of God. (Ro. 8:16)

2.     I am a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17)

3.     I am a partaker of His divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4)

4.     I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ Jesus.  (Ro. 8:17)

5.     I am above only and not beneath. (Dt. 28:13)

6.     I am God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works that God prepared for me to do (Eph. 2:10).

7.     I am the light of the world. (Mt. 5:14).

8.     I am a part of the Body of Christ.  (Ro. 12:5; I Cor. 10:16; 1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 3:6; Eph. 4:12)

9.     I am the salt of the earth. (Mt. 5:13).

Who are you?   How do you want to be known?  When we're gone from this life, how do we want to be remembered?

Remember me as a "woman of the Word".   That's how I want to be known.  My greatest love in this life is the Word of God.  It has fed me and kept me alive. It has strengthened me when I was weak and calmed my fears when I was afraid.  It has lifted me up when I was deeply depressed and it has healed me when I was sick.  I am in love with God's Word.  My greatest joy in life is wrapped up in His Word.  Jesus is the Word made flesh.  He lives in me and we are one.  I love Him, although I do not feel worthy of Him.  I long to be more like Him and to spark others to love Him deeply and to appreciate all that He is. 

Who am I?  I pray that I am a "joint that supplies"  (Eph. 4:16).  I am one who is running this race with patience so that at the end I may receive a crown of life.   I am a testimony to the goodness and mercy of God.  I am a jewel in God's crown and a thorn in Satan's side.  I am a sign and a wonder that only God could have created.  I am a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  I am an intercessor who knows God and is known by God.  I am everything He says I am and so are you.  We are Christians.

Who are you?  "What sayest thou of thine self?"  (John 1:22).  

Who are you?  Jesus stated in Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world...".   Next week we will look deeper into who we are as the children of light.

"... as he is, so are we in this world," (I John 4:17).







Jesus, the Last Adam

     "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven," (I Cor. 15:47).

These few words speak volumes.  The first man, created by God, was called Adam.  The second man, sent by God, is also called Adam.  However, there is a difference between the two.

 "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul;

the last Adam was made a quickening spirit," (I Cor. 15:45).

 

Jesus the Christ, was not always a glorified Son of Man; but, from eternity past he has always been the Son of God.

 

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ," (Acts 2:36).

 

"Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?" (Prov. 30:4). 
(see also  Ps. 90:2, 110:1, John 1:1-3)

 

Some of Jesus' rewards for victoriously completing his assignment on earth is that  (1) he gets to be the Head of over all things to the Church (Eph. 1:22); (2) his name is above all names (Phil. 2:9); (3) the fullness of the Godhead dwells in him bodily (Col. 2:9); (4) he has all power and authority in heaven and earth (Mt. 28:18); (5) he has secured for himself a wife! (cp. Isa. 62:5; Mt. 9:15, 25:1; John 3:29; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:22-32).

 

I will not go into depth here, but please note that the first Adam was not just the "male" man.  Adam is made up of both male and female. 

 

"This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

² Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created," (Gen. 5).

Woman was taken from the side of the man; and so she was called "woman", a shortened version of "womb-man" (Gen. 2:23, "And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man).  It wasn't until after sin entered into the human experience that the man Adam changed his wife's name, "And Adam called his wife's name Eve..." (Gen. 3:20). 

In creating man, God used himself as the pattern (Gen. 1:26-27, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..."     In his original state, man could be fruitful and multiply and his seed would sustain the image in which he himself had been created - the image of God.  However, that pure and holy image was lost because of sin.   Genesis 5:3 tells us that "Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth." 

Therefore, in the last Adam, the Father had to restore a perfect, holy and incorruptible seed in the earth.

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever," I Pet. 1:23).

 

God has always had a Father's heart.  His passion has always been to have a family. 

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren," (Ro. 8:29).

Speaking of Himself as a Seed, Jesus stated, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit," John 12:24.  This was the joy that was set before him (Heb. 12:2).  This is why He was able to endure the suffering of the Cross.  This is what the Sheaf of the Feast of the Firstfruits saw.  The harvest! 

"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb," (Rev. 7:9-10).

 Jesus came in the flesh to destroy that which was destroying us.

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil," (Heb. 2:14).

In the first Adam we all died; but we are made alive again in the Last Adam - Christ (I Cor. 15:22). The Lord from heaven has made us complete in himself (Col. 2:10).  The Potter has restored us to the image of God (Col. 3:10) and has poured out of his fullness into each of us (John 1:16).  

The deeper we have looked into the death of Jesus, the more we have seen life, for that is what He came to win for us.  

 "...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly," (John 10:10b).

Beloved, you can only know that life if you know Jesus.  And you can only know Him if you believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, repent of sins, and invite the Lord from heaven to make his home in your heart.   You may be reading this blog and have never prayed a sinner's prayer.  Just repeat out loud this simple prayer below; believe it in your heart, and you shall be saved.

 

A Sinner's Prayer

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and that I need forgiveness.  I know there is

nothing I can do to earn salvation.  I know that if I don't change my ways

and turn my life over to You that I will die in my sins and go to hell.  But I do believe that You loved me enough and that You are powerful enough that you were able to cause a Virgin to

conceive the Savior, even Jesus Christ. 

I believe Jesus died on the Cross to take away my sins and that He suffered in my place,

even tasting death for me to keep me out of hell.  I believe that He rose
again on the third day, just like it is written.  I believe that He
ascended back into heaven and that He is still alive.  I
believe He will return again and that all true believers will live
forever in the place that He has prepared.

Forgive me.  I repent.  Save me now.  I open my heart to you. 

Come into my heart and change me from within.

By faith I accept that You have heard my prayer and

that I am cleansed and forgiven.

 

Thank you for giving me a new start.  From this day forward I call you

my Savior and Lord.  I now have a heavenly Father watching

over me.

 

Thank you, dear Jesus.   Amen.

 



If you have received Jesus through this blog, please let me know by emailing me at burgessc343@gmail.com.  I look forward to hearing from you.  Want to write a testimony or send financial support?   Our address is "Burgess Ministries", P O Box 27208, Penn Hills, PA  15235.  Please let us know if you need help finding a church home or fellowship of believers, and if you need a Bible to call your own.

Thank you and God bless.

[Please be on the "Church by Phone" call this coming Monday at 9PM EST!  We'll talk about some things regarding this revelation that we'll not take time to put in print now.  The number to call is 503-881-1200 and the access code is 448699#.   If you can't join the live call, you can listen to the recorded playback at 530-881-1299.  The access code remains the same.]

Note:  Burgess Ministries - "Building the Kingdom by Building People" is a "for-profit" kingdom venture.   As such, we will send you a receipt to acknowledge your contributions, but there are not eligible for IRS tax deductions.   This is the way we believe God would have us to operate this ministry.    

Jesus, the Ascended One, Part Two

This is the continuation of last week's blog.

The Ascension of the Incense



Old Testament Levitical sacrificial system are types and shadows that reveal much to us of Jesus Christ, the Sacrifice to end all sacrifices.

When we peer into what ascended, we note that incense was offered. How did it ascend?  Upon fire.

 ^"And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not," (Lev. 16:13).

God "smelled" the incense that was commanded upon the fire and which created a cloud of smoke to cover the mercy seat created by human hands.  How much sweeter the Incense that was Jesus?

"...Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour," (Eph. 5:2).

Can you imagine that day?  Jesus' soul is in hell; his body is in the tomb; and his Spirit alone had returned to the Father.  Yet, while in hell, a smoke began to arise... the Incense upon the fire released an aroma that was well-pleasing to the Father.  

My former pastor once asked our congregation, "Have you ever "smelled" God?"   He had gone to a solitary place along with another pastor for a week, fasting and seeking directions from God for that season of his life.  Towards the end of the fast, an aroma filled the room where they prayed.  No scented candles had been lit; no earthly incense or aerosol sprays.   Yet it filled the room.

My husband and I were alone in our dining room sharing about the goodness of the Lord when we both began to  feel a gently breeze like someone had opened a window; and then, the fragrance of roses filled our nostrils.   At first we didn't say anything; but about fifteen minutes later it happened again.  We knew we were smelling the Rose of Sharon.    Have you ever "smelled" God?

A New Voice in Heaven

 

Jesus' victory on earth and in hell reverberated into the heavens.  His blood never died and His blood never lied.   Jesus' mouth spoke on earth, but he allows his Blood to  speak in heaven.

 

"And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel," (Heb. 12:24).  cp. Gen. 4:10

 

 

Jesus won.  Satan lost.  Hell and the kingdom of darkness have never been the same.

 

 ^"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it," (Co. 2:15).

 

The Apostles Are Witnesses of Jesus' Bodily Ascension

1 "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

² Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
³ To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
⁴ And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
⁵ For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence," (Acts, Chapter 1).

Last week we showed how that, after Jesus' resurrection, he had been seen of Mary.  She was not allowed to touch or embrace him at that time because he had not yet ascended (John 20:17).  Yet, when he appears before his disciples ten verses later, he invites Thomas to touch him (John 20:27).

Somewhere between those verses, Jesus had to have completed an "ascension" process.  How far did he ascend?

"He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things," (Eph. 4:10).

FAR ABOVE ALL HEAVENS! 

Jesus has a place that is "Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come," (Eph. 1:21).

FAR ABOVE ALL OTHER POWERS.  FAR ABOVE EVERY OTHER NAME

This status had been earned by Jesus.

^{8 "}And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth," (Eph. 2:8-10).

After returning in His glorified body, Jesus remained among his apostles for forty days, proving that He was very Christ and speaking to them of the kingdom of God.  Afterward, they witnessed the bodily ascension of Jesus.

^{9 "}And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
¹⁰ And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
¹¹ Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven," (Acts 1).
While we wait for His appearing, we join with the worship of heaven,  "Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing," Rev. 5:12.


Even so.  Amen.  and Amen.





Note:
You are invited to join in on the weekly live call on Mondays at 9PM EST. (530) 881-1200 Access code: 448699#  as we review and share the insights from these weekly blogs.