ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: THE PSALM 23 ADVENTURE, Part 24
January 13, 2017
Happy New Year,
Everyone! I will say what I’ve said
before: for those of you who are walking in union with the Lord – and I don’t
mean simply confessing Jesus Christ as Savior – real intimacy with Jesus
Christ, that is, expect this coming year to easily be the most productive year
you’ve ever known. Expect a year where
you see and experience the outpouring of the Blessing of the Lord in ways you
simply cannot imagine. Expect a year in
which the Lord appears to tens of thousands of Muslims resulting in their
deliverance from Islam. Expect an
ingathering of souls into the body of Christ on a scale hitherto unknown. We are in for some adventures, folks!
Before we return to
our discussion on the 23rd Psalm, let me say thanks to the hundreds
of thousands and actually more than a million readers who’ve stayed with me
throughout the past years. Today’s
Coffee Break begins our 13th year of publication. With the beginning of this year’s writings,
you will see changes and major updates to our websites: http://CapenerMinistries.com; https://RegnersMorningCoffee.com/blogger; http://AnotherCoffeeBreak.com; and http://RiverWorshipCenter.org.
I am deeply
appreciative of all the labors of Rich Hoffman and his crew throughout the past
years for their ongoing work with our websites and attention to detail. There have been an uncountable number of
efforts to hack our websites and take them down, and Rich has been able to
successfully ward off these attacks so that the ministry of the Word continues.
We’ve
been talking about being led in the Paths of Righteousness during the past few
months, and I’ve endeavored to share with you some of the personal adventures
as well as some in the lives of folks I’ve known throughout the years. So far, I believe we’ve covered something
like seven different principles or objectives the Lord has for us in leading us
on these paths – and believe me, I’ve only scratched the surface. I believe that I could almost write an entire
book on the Paths of Righteousness – never mind all the other steps that lead
us from our declaration of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Shepherd to the place
where we dwell with Him “in the House of the Lord” forever – but with today’s
Coffee Break, let’s pick up another principle or purpose before we move on to
the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
Let’s
begin with a couple of Scriptures that highlight this principle:
James 3:13: Who
among you is skillful in the Word, wisely cultivating the presence of the Lord:
let that person exhibit, and give evidence and proof of that Word and presence
through his (or her) virtuous and meritorious behavior, demonstrating those
proofs and evidence wisely in a spirit of meekness and humility. (RAC Translation & Amplification)
II Corinthians 1:12: It’s
because our exulting and rejoicing comes as the demonstrated evidence of a
clear conscience so that our behavior, our attitudes and the way in which we
conduct business are clear and simple, showing God’s sincere, purposed intent –
not with any worldly sophistry and human reasoning – but with the grace and
empowerment [of Holy Spirit], especially towards you (our beloved brethren). (RAC Translation & Amplification)
What
Paul is getting at in these two passages (and we’ll take a look at some others)
is the fact that the resulting change that takes place in and with us as we
walk with the Lord and follow Him in the Paths of Righteousness is that our
lives become the demonstration of Who He is!
Our language changes. The words
that come out of our mouths change. Our
attitudes change. There is a level of
love and mercy and empowering grace that becomes the hallmark of our lives.
That
brings us to our 8th principle or purpose designed by the Lord for
His leading us in these Paths of Righteousness:
8.
Holy Spirit’s purpose and objective in leading us in these paths is to teach
and train us in Kingdom Behavior. That may sound a
bit simplistic but He is teaching us to behave just like Jesus did when He
walked in physical form on the earth – and still walks in us today! In other words, we have to become Jesus to
the world!
The
purpose of our walk – and this is critical – is to literally become the living
Word before all men and women. John
describes Jesus by saying,
John 1:14: And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
THAT’s
what is taking place in us! The Word is
no longer just words and letters on paper in a book: the Word has taken on
physical manifestation in us! The Word
is not just Who Jesus is. The Word is
not just the things that Jesus said and did.
The Word is us! We are and have
become that Word because the anointing of the Anointed One is on visible
display for all the world to see.
You
see, Jesus is described by John as “the only begotten of the Father.” We, on the other hand, have been adopted into
the family of God just as though we had been begotten by Father. We have all the rights, privileges, authority
and power granted to us as “huios” – fully-grown,
fully matured, empowered by Father with the signet ring of His authority. That signet ring, of course, is Holy Spirit
on full display in us.
Consider,
now, the following statements that Paul makes.
Ephesians 1:16-23: (1)
Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in
the knowledge of him: The
eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope
of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the
saints, And what is
the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the
working of his mighty power,
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead,
and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 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: And
hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head
over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him
that filleth all in all.
Embodied
in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is the essence of “He
leadeth me in the Paths of Righteousness for His
Name’s sake.”
The
very character, the personality, the makeup, the very essence of Who Jesus
Christ is, His authority and power are all incorporated in “for His Name’s
sake.” How is it that Paul puts it?
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that
you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what (are) the riches of the
Glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
But
Paul doesn’t stop there! It gets even
better!
“And what is the exceeding greatness of His power
(given) to us who believe, in direct proportion to the working of His mighty
power.”
Now! Take a look at what Paul describes as the
root of the greatness of the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The
example of that power and authority are that which He – that is, God the Father
– energized, developed and accomplished in the anointing of the Anointed One,
Jesus Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right
hand in the Heavens.
And
still it goes on!
When
Jesus was seated at the right hand of Father God, He was given that seat of
authority and power “far above all supreme leaders and rulers – those who originate
laws, rules and policies (principalities), authorities, privileged ones,
magistrates and those who delegate influence and/or rights (power), all
ability, force or miraculous power (might), governments and their rulers or
authorities (dominion), and every onoma
(name incorporating character, personality, makeup, power or position – in
other words, the very essence of who or what they are) that is named or called
out; not only in this world, but also that which is to come!” (RAC Translation & Amplification)
The
natural, unredeemed, carnal mind simply cannot comprehend the height and depth
and width and length of the kind of position, authority and dominion given to
the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, a good
chunk of the church world has so diminished this truth that it is lost upon a
good many folks who call themselves Christians.
As
if that wasn’t enough, Paul takes it yet another step when he says that “(Father
God) has put all (whether that be beings (no matter what realm of life they
represent), activites, the forces of nature or the
universe itself under Jesus’ feet, and gave Him all Creation as the head over
all to the Ekklesia, which is His body, the
completion and full manifestation of Him who furnishes and fills every need to
all.” (RAC Translation &
Amplification)
Now,
go back to where Paul began this extravagant picture!
Paul’s
prayer is that Father God, who is the Father of Glory, would give us the real
revelation of Who Jesus Christ really IS!
His prayer goes like this:
“I never pause or slack up in my thanksgiving for you, at the
same time praying and interceding that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, God
being the Father of Glory, would give, transfer and impart into your being the
Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation so that the nature, the makeup, the character
and the purpose and destiny of Jesus Christ would become part and parcel of you
– [not just intellectually but by the kind of revelation that comes by eating
of the Tree of Life.]” (Ephesians 1:12: RAC
Translation & Amplification)
And
what is the purpose and destiny of the Lord Jesus Christ?
First
of all, WE are HIS calling! WE are HIS
inheritance! His name, His character,
Who Jesus really is, is at stake in us!
Secondly,
the idea that we are His inheritance really gets lost in the understanding of
most believers today. What does the fact
that we are His inheritance mean exactly?
In
the seven letters that John writes to the Ekklesia –
each of which ends with a requirement of overcoming – he lays out the calling
and the purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Each of those letters is a sequential description of the processes
necessary for us to become the inheritance – the completion and fulfillment –
of Jesus Christ.
In
the sixth of the seven letters (and we’ve already discussed this in this series
at some length) John gives us a real revelation of Christ’s purpose, destiny
and inheritance in us.
Revelation 3:12: Him
that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of
my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my
God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which
cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new
name.
Three
distinctive statements occur here which reveal both our purpose and destiny, as
well as Jesus’ purpose, His investment and His inheritance in us.
1. I
will write (Greek:
grapho: to engrave) upon
him the name (Greek: onoma: character, nature, personality, the very
makeup)
of my God!
2. [I
will write Greek:
grapho: to engrave) upon
him] the name (Greek: onoma: character, nature, personality, the very
makeup) of the city of my God which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down
out of Heaven from my God!
3. And
I will write Greek:
grapho: to engrave) upon
him my new name (Greek: onoma: character, nature, personality, the very
makeup)!
THAT,
my friends, is the very essence of the statement that David makes when he says,
“for His name’s sake.” The very fact
that we are His inheritance means that His character, His makeup, His authority
and power, His very personality of love, grace and faith are being worked in us
to the place that we become One with the Lord Jesus Christ.
When
that takes place, Jesus will have received His inheritance. When that takes place, Jesus will have a new
name! That new name – onoma – is the product of Jesus being joined in One with
us. He will be changed just as we will
be changed.
I’ve
talked about this before, but when people who knew me before I was married to
Della saw the change in me after we were married. In fact, Dwain McKenzie (whom I’ve known for
over 60 years) made a comment when he came to visit us one time. His comment was, “Brother, have you ever
changed! You’re not the same person you
used to be.”
Those
who’ve known Della before we were married have made the same comment to
her. Della has been transformed from a
quiet, withdrawn, stay-in-the-background kind of woman, to a bold, forthright
and outspoken woman of Christ.
I
became a new creation when Della and I were joined together. So did she.
And that is exactly what is happening with Jesus Christ as we are being
joined to Him. Its why Jesus could say, “Verily,
Verily I say unto you: he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do
also, and greater works than these shall he do because I go unto my Father.”
Jesus
HAD to go to Father so that Holy Spirit could work His character, His nature,
His personality, His authority and power, His overwhelming love, grace and
faith – His very makeup – in us. THAT is
His function. He is the Paraklete. He is (to
quote the Hebrew definition) “the Keeper of the King’s Women.” He is the preparer of the Bride for the Lord
Jesus Christ. The result of that work is
the evidence of “His name’s sake.” The
result of that work is His new name!
That
is precisely why, “He leadeth me in the Paths of
Righteousness for His Name’s Sake.”
We’ll
move on from here next week to the last of these Coffee Breaks on the Paths of
Righteousness before, Yea, though I walk
through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
I remind those of you
in need of ministry that our Healing Prayer Call normally takes place on the
first Monday of each month at 7:00 PM Eastern (4:00 PM Pacific). Our call-in number is (712) 775-7035.
The Access Code is: 323859#. For Canadians who have
difficulty getting in to this number, you can call (559) 546-1400. If someone answers and asks what your original
call-in number was, you can give them the 712 number and access code.
At the same time, in
case you are missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, our Sunday worship gatherings are available by
conference call – usually at about 10:45AM Pacific. That conference number is (605) 562-3140, and the access code is 308640#. We hope to make these
gatherings available by Skype or Talk Fusion before long. If you miss the live call, you can dial (605) 562-3149, enter the same access code and listen in later.
Blessings
on you!
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Email Contact: Admin@RiverWorshipCenter.org
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