OUR COVENANT, Part 10

 

 

December 6, 2019

 

My hope and plan is to wrap up this part of the series on Covenant today.  We’re into this subject now for two and a half months, and we still have a long ways to go!  My objective is to now begin sharing on the Covenant that our founding fathers made with the Lord for the establishing of America as a land – a country – dedicated to the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is a subject which has long been left out of our public education.  When I was in public school back in the late ‘40’s and early ‘50’s, the foundation of our country was mandatory education.  We had to know what those pioneers did, what they stood for, what they were persecuted for, and what they refused to give in to in the way of opposition.

That persecution and opposition has given way in this age to so-called “political correctness,” and I prefer to call it cowardliness – never mind the fact that some people – a minority, to be sure – absolutely do not want to hear anything about the Lord Jesus Christ, or the principles of walking with the Lord.  And that has nothing whatever to do with what church or denomination or religious group one belongs to.

Anyway, let’s finish up our discussion on the Covenant we have with Jesus Christ.

There's NOTHING like fresh revelation from the Holy Spirit!  The Word simply comes alive in you.  It's almost like the Lord is breathing into you His life in that moment.  The Word leaps to life as you begin to make connections between passages in Word you've never considered in that light before.

Before I share with you some fresh revelation the Lord gave to Della not long ago, better get that cup of coffee poured first.  OK, tea for some of you!  Think there's some of those maple bar "vitamins" over on the table, too.

Today being what we generally refer to as "Good Friday," I thought it would be appropriate to share something that is germane to that which we celebrate: the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ -- especially since this is something that the Lord just dumped into Della.

Let me start at the beginning.

I'm sure this problem isn't limited to just a few women in the body of Christ, and Della certainly hasn't been the exception.  There is a common misconception among Christians -- and it sure isn't limited to Christians -- that women are "the weaker vessel."  That misconception is predicated on a phrase that occurs in our English translations of I Peter 3:7 which reads (in KJV), "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."

This is the ONLY place in Scripture where this phrase occurs, and yet folks read this and contrive all kinds of screwy doctrines out of this one verse.  When you read this verse in the Greek text, it actually renders out like this, "giving honor and esteem unto [your] wife, treating her as if she were the weaker vessel..."

Understand?  This phraseology is important because it doesn't refer to the wife as being "the weaker vessel."  Peter's instruction was for husbands to honor their wives and give place to them, deferring to them as if they were weaker, when in fact they are not.

Put this in the context of what Paul writes to the Ekklesia in Galatia:

Galatians 3:28-29:  "For there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed according to the promise."

So what does this have to do with anything?  Simple.  The body of Christ has been permeated with this idea that women are of lesser value spiritually; that they are of lesser value in a natural sense, that they are weaker mentally, and that they lack power and authority.  No joke!  This mindset exists almost universally.  If Christians actually understood the covenant enacted by Jesus on the Cross, they'd realize that women were redeemed from that lesser place.

Part of the universal mindset stems from the fact that it was Eve who first partook of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  It was Eve who first responded to the "hath God said?" doubt, unbelief and questioning of the Serpent.

If women were so weak in God's eyes, why then did He make a point of emphasizing the lives of people like Sarah, like Rebekah, like Tamar, Ruth, Rahab, Esther?  I've just picked a few names at random.  The fact is that women have NEVER been the "weaker vessel" in a spiritual sense.

Sure, women are created generally smaller in stature and physical size than men; and when it comes to accomplishing certain physical tasks, there simply are some things that men can do better because of their physical mass and muscles.  That doesn't equate to women being of lesser value.

Let me digress for a second.  Della is probably roughly one-half my size, weight and mass, and considering that she stands 5'1" and I stand 6'2", there is a huge difference between what I can lift or move physically and what Della can lift or move.  So, in that sense, she is the weaker vessel.

But that's where it stops!  When it comes to character and integrity, I'd stack her against any man or woman on the face of the earth.  When it comes to spiritual sensitivity and hearing the Lord, she's the match of any man or woman who has walked with the Lord for the bulk of their lives.  When it comes to gifts and talents, she falls behind no one.

The fact is, there are many areas in which Della is stronger and better-equipped than me.  What differentiates us -- apart from the fact that she's a woman and I'm a man -- is the fact that our gifts and talents differ from each other.  We complement each other.  What I lack, she has.  What she lacks, I have.  Together, we make up one whole person.  Minus Della, I'm a sunk duck!

Here's where the rub comes in.

Because of the contaminated doctrine in the body of Christ concerning women and their place, Della has often refrained from sharing critical truths or input from the Holy Spirit because of the lies of the Enemy that tell her to keep quiet.  After all, she's a woman!  It was Eve who first fell prey to Satan's wiles.  That means women are more susceptible to deception.  If that's true, then she needs to not say anything lest she lead me (or someone else) astray in error.  I have one thing to say about that:  Bahhh, Humbug!!

You've got the picture, I'm sure.

This has been -- until recently -- a lifetime battle with Della.  Fact is, I believe this has been a lifetime battle with many Christian women who have the genuine goods and refrain from sharing because of the accusations of the Enemy.

We've talked at length about the meaning and significance of covenant, and I don't want to cover that ground again, but it is important to look at a couple of aspects as they relate to today's discussion and the celebration of Christ's death and resurrection.

It was a tree (or rather the fruit thereof) -- the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil -- the eating of which brought death and destruction to the human race.  It was the eating from that tree that took women from their co-equal status with men to a subservient role.

Consider what John the Baptist said of Jesus when he baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, "And now also the ax is laid to the root of the tree.." (The word is singular in the Greek text, not plural. The translators made it plural because of the statement that followed.) (see Matthew 3:10)   To what tree was Jesus laying the axe?  Why would John make such a statement?

It was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that brought death, destruction, sickness and poverty to the human race.  Jesus came to put an end to that tree.  And how did He do it?

Remember all of our discussions on Covenant?  You remember the covenant that God made with Abraham?  How He made a covenant of blood between the broken bodies of those animals?  How that covenant provided Abraham with the promise of seed and generations that would have the curse (of the Tree of Knowledge) broken in their lives, and how they would be blessed, and how all those who blessed Abraham's seed would in turn be blessed?

Got the picture refreshed in your mind?

Good.

Jesus first laid the axe to the root of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil by once again providing the previously lost communication and union with the Lord God through the dimension of worship.  What was it that Jesus said?

John 4:24:  "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." 

Because death was the result of eating of that tree, Jesus had to die on that tree.  That's exactly what happened when He went to the Cross.  He took the knowledge of good and evil and all that it brought to the human race with Himself to the Cross and put it to death.  Then He exercised the authority that had always been His over death, and -- as He had promised -- rose from the dead on the third day, thus providing new life and permanent redemption from the curses for all those who would receive His covenant and walk in it.

Some time ago, Della was listening to Kenneth Copeland share on agape love when the Holy Spirit showed her Jesus, hanging on the Cross.  She saw the spear thrust into His side and watched as the blood and water poured forth.  Then came the revelation.

The spear entered Jesus' side right where the rib had been removed from Adam from which Eve was created.  Here's what is fascinating about this revelation.

The Hebrew word to describe "rib" is òìö tsela'.  This is a word which describes "a rib, a supporting member; a beam -- as in a timber or plank which keeps a building structurally sound."

Eve was not created as the lesser person: she was created to be his strength, his support, that which made him "structurally sound."  Thus, Adam and Eve were co-equal.  Genesis 5:2 tells us that "[He] blessed them, and called their name, Adam."  Adam, therefore, without Eve could not be Adam.  Eve without Adam could not be Adam.  They were One!

You remember that a part of the curse that came upon women had to do with childbearing: pain!  So what happens during childbirth?  Blood and water come forth.

What happened when the spear was thrust into Jesus' side at the same place where Eve was taken out of Adam's side?  Blood and water poured forth.  There are several significant things represented by that event.

(1) A birth was taking place: the birth of the long-awaited Bride of Christ.

(2) Redemption from the curse that hit women as it pertained to childbearing took place, freeing all those women who would receive that redemption from pain in childbearing.

(3) Wives were redeemed from their lesser status and returned to the place of being the "structural support" and co-equals of their husbands.

There are, no doubt, more revelations to come of all that took place, but these are the pictures that the Lord gave to Della.  Once she realized that she was redeemed from that curse, the accusations of the Enemy that her sharing and spiritual input was of little or no value began to fall on deaf ears.  She was free to be who she was in Christ Jesus!

I have, for many years, encouraged Della to be free to share all that she hears in her spirit; and in fact, told her that because she is my counterpart and other self, I desperately need her sharing and input.  It is critical to both of us.

Ladies, are you hearing this?

Men, are you hearing this?

Good!

That said, as we celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection during these next few days, ladies, I trust you will have a fresh revelation of who you are, and the liberties you have in Christ Jesus.  Husbands, I trust you will have a fresh revelation of just how important the Lord has made your wife, your counterpart, your other self in your growth and walk with the Lord.

We live under a new and better covenant; and that covenant -- made on the Cross with Jesus' shed blood and broken body -- redeems us from every curse that ever came upon mankind with the eating of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  So long as we resist the temptation to eat of the very enticing knowledge of good and evil, and partake of the Tree of Life in Christ Jesus, we have available to us a covenant that knows no bounds!

Christianity is simply nothing more and nothing less than God and His family being manifested in the earth.

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 10:30AM Pacific.  That conference number is (712) 770-4160, and the access code is 308640#.  We are now making these gatherings available on video using ZOOM.  If you wish to participate by video on ZOOM, our login ID is 835-926-513.  If you miss the live voice-only call, you can dial (712) 770-4169, enter the same access code and listen in later.  The video call, of course, is not recorded – not yet, anyway.

Blessings on you!

 

           

Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES

RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Temple, Texas 76504

Email Contact: CapenerMinistries@protonmail.com

 

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