New Wine for New Wineskins October 2013


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goingforwardGoing Forward!

 

1 Corinthians 10: 1 – 4

1 FOR I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that our forefathers were all under and protected by the cloud [in which God’s Presence went before them], and every one of them passed safely through the [Red] Sea,  
2 And each one of them [allowed himself also] to be baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea [they were thus brought under obligation to the Law, to Moses, and to the covenant, consecrated and set apart to the service of God];
3 And all [of them] ate the same spiritual (supernaturally given) food,  
4 And they all drank the same spiritual (supernaturally given) drink. For they drank from a spiritual Rock which followed them [produced by the sole power of God Himself without natural instrumentality], and the Rock was Christ.  


The history of God’s people in the Old Covenant has been left to us as an example so that we will not allow unbelief to cause us to fall short of God’s glory as they did!

They were baptised in the cloud and in the sea, and so they were cut off from the enemy behind them that represented their past,  and they had God’s manifest presence with them to deal with their present and their future!

Those of us who are born again and baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins need to know that our enemy has been cut off, and that our past has been dealt with!  And now – particularly those of us who are baptised in the Holy Spirit – have God’s manifest presence with us to deal with our present and with our future!

Exodus 14: 10 – 31

10 When Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked up, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and the Israelites were exceedingly frightened and cried out to the Lord.
11 And they said to Moses, Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this way and brought us out of Egypt?
12 Did we not tell you in Egypt, Let us alone; let us serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.
13 Moses told the people, Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again.


Moses was basically telling the people, “You are about to be cut off from the power of the past to harm you!

14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest.
15 The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to Me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward!


God is the God of FORWARDS – not BACKWARDS!  There is never anything behind us but bondage and death.

16 Lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the Israelites shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
17 And I, behold, I will harden (make stubborn and strong) the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go [into the sea] after them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and horsemen.
18 The Egyptians shall know and realize that I am the Lord when I have gained honor and glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.
19 And the Angel of God Who went before the host of Israel moved and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before them and stood behind them,
20 Coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. It was a cloud and darkness to the Egyptians, but it gave light by night to the Israelites; and the one host did not come near the other all night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea dry land; and the waters were divided.
22 And the Israelites went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24 And in the morning watch the Lord through the pillar of fire and cloud looked down on the host of the Egyptians and discomfited (troubled, confused)[them],
25 And bound (clogged, took off) their chariot wheels, making them drive heavily; and the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians!
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and horsemen.
27 So Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength and normal flow when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled into it [being met by it]; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians and shook them off into the midst of the sea.
28 The waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that pursued them; not even one of them remained.


What should have been the Israelites grave became the Egyptian’s grave!  When we are baptized we are cut off, and so what should have been our grave has become the grave of our enemy.  We have passed through the valley of the shadow of death into eternal life and our enemy’s fate is sealed!  No wonder Paul said, “O death, where is your sting?  O grave, where is your victory?

We need to fully appropriate the supernatural power of baptism!

We can go forward!  We can take the high praises of God in our mouths and the two-edged sword of God’s Word in our hands and go forward!

29 But the Israelites walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore.


If you are born again then you have experienced supernatural deliverance from the bondage of the world system. You have seen and experienced God’s power, even though you may have experienced the enemy pursuing you, unwilling to let you go!  

The truth is, that if you have been through the waters of baptism, you have seen the enemy cut off in your life and you have experienced complete deliverance from the threats of a pursuing enemy so that the past can no longer hurt you!  

31 And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did against the Egyptians, and the people [reverently] feared the Lord and trusted in (relied on, remained steadfast to) the Lord and to His servant Moses.


Sadly, their steadfastness was short-lived!

1 Corinthians 10: 5 – 14

5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with the great majority of them, for they were overthrown and strewn down along [the ground] in the wilderness.  


Without faith it is impossible to please God!  Only faith can take you forward!  And it is always God’s will for us to go forward!  God is still saying, “Tell my people to go forward!”

The children of Israel had the glorious opportunity to go forward!  They couldn’t blame Pharaoh or the Egyptians any more because they had seen them being cut off!

We are the same!  We can’t blame the devil or his demons any more because they are cut off!  Any problems we have will originate in ourselves as a result of whatever dregs of unbelief and its attendant symptoms and side-effects we have allowed to remain!

GUILT – with all of the condemnation attached – is what will keep us bound to  the PAST!  This isn’t just guilt associated with our pre-Christian lives or sins committed and failures experienced since being born again.  Sometimes God’s people can feel guilty for even considering abandoning and leaving behind the un-Scriptural traditions of their fathers and so they remain bound by the past.  Just like Paul, our desire to press onward and upward must exceed our allegiance to faulty systems of religion.

ANGER – with its offspring of offence, frustration, discontentment, etc – is what will keep us bound to the PRESENT!  There is no going forward until we are willing to let go of our anger and offence, and so we can find ourselves trapped in a miserable cycle of defeat as we carry into every new day burdens that we are not equipped to live under.

FEAR – with all of its attendant insecurities – is what will keep us bound and paralysed as we are presented with the opportunity to embrace our FUTURE!  

6 Now these things are examples (warnings and admonitions) for us not to desire or crave or covet or lust after evil and carnal things as they did.  
7 Do not be worshipers of false gods as some of them were, as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink [the sacrifices offered to the golden calf at Horeb] and rose to play.  


There was still idolatry in their hearts – they allowed the idolatry they had been subjected to, and influenced by in the past to remain even though they had witnessed their past being CUT OFF!
 
8 We must not gratify evil desire and indulge in immorality as some of them did—and twenty-three thousand [suddenly] fell dead in a single day!  

Immorality and infidelity were still present in their hearts, as anger and offence with envy and self-seeking are a breeding ground for every evil work.

9 We should not tempt the Lord [try His patience, become a trial to Him, critically appraise Him, and exploit His goodness] as some of them did—and were killed by poisonous serpents;  
10 Nor discontentedly complain as some of them did—and were put out of the way entirely by the destroyer (death).


They were still bound by fear and insecurity – leading to the murmuring, grumbling, and complaining of discontentment!
 
11 Now these things befell them by way of a figure [as an example and warning to us]; they were written to admonish and fit us for right action by good instruction, we in whose days the ages have reached their climax (their consummation and concluding period).
12 Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands [who feels sure that he has a steadfast mind and is standing firm], take heed lest he fall [into sin].
13 For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.
14 Therefore, my dearly beloved, shun (keep clear away from, avoid by flight if need be) any sort of idolatry (of loving or venerating anything more than God).


Idolatry is allowing something to get between us and God and so it prevents our going forward in Him!

But the good news is that those of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus have seen the enemy cut off in our lives!

There is no way to go now but forward in faith!  Remember – the only hindrances to our advancement are the things we allow to remain!

John 14: 30

30 I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]

Does he still have anything in you?  Remember, we can’t blame the devil any more because as far as God is concerned he has been cut off!  If you have been struggling in your ability to go forward then take these simple steps:

LET GO of GUILT and CONDEMNATION that bind you to the PAST

LET GO of ANGER and OFFENCE that bind you to the PRESENT

LET GO of FEAR and INSECURITY that bind you and prevent you from embracing your destiny and advancing into the FUTURE

13 Moses told the people, Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again.
14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest.
15 The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to Me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward!


It is time to go forward in faith!  The manifest presence of God is with us to deal with all of the enemies of the present and the future, just as he has already proved his faithfulness and his power in dealing with our past!

HALLELUJAH!!!

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