Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus,
We continue looking at Isaiah 61 to see what The Holy Spirit prophesized, through Isaiah, about Jesus’ mission and ministry on this earth and then about our ministry, the Believers, on this earth. As mentioned in previous messages of this series, Isaiah 61:1-2(a) are the “works” Jesus spoke of in John 14:12. Isaiah 61:2(b) – 4 are the “greater works” which are performed through Believers by The Holy Spirit. Jesus, Himself, performed the “works” with the anointing of God. We perform the “works and the greater works” with the anointing of Jesus.
One thing, among so many things, I love about our Father God and His Son, Jesus, is if we’re willing and obedient, God blesses us well beyond our investment. Why do I call it an “investment?” Because we have a choice. We have a choice to do it or not to do it. God is a Gentleman and has given us free will. He does not force us to do anything. God certainly counsels us, warns us, and encourages us to obey His Word cheerfully. If we do so, we walk in The Spirit, and we experience the best God has for us in this earth. As Jesus said in Mark 10:29-30, God keeps the books, and He is not a debtor to any man.
Mark 10:29-30
29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My sake, and The Gospel’s,
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Religion will teach you that Jesus is not referring to God reimbursing you one-hundredfold for whatever you’ve given up for The Gospel’s sake in this life, on earth, while you are here. And, as usual, religion is wrong and doing the one thing Paul warned religion and pulpits about in Galatians 1:8-9. Paul gives apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelists a warning. If you preach or teach, without repentance, The Word of God wrongly, you will be accursed. This means not just cursed, but doubly cursed, in this earth. You don’t mess around with God’s Word, no matter your station in life. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) and doesn’t tolerate what satan did – twist or pervert The Word of God – which led to the downfall of mankind. And the root of it is pride.
What is God’s intention in blessing us one-hundred-fold in this life and in the life to come (Heaven, eternity)? It always goes back to fulfilling Genesis 12:2-3 – being a blessing to others. If we obey the two great commandments, to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, then we will yearn, burn with desire, and take great joy in blessing others Spiritually, physically, materially, and financially. You can’t be a blessing if you are not blessed. I don’t want to address it in this message, but I will in future messages. What did Jesus spend A LOT of time teaching us about The Kingdom of God? About the Spiritual Law of the Seed. Jesus, Himself, came into this earth as The Seed. You and I are here today, writing and reading this message, because God The Father planted The Seed of Jesus Christ in the earth and The Seed sprang up and has produced INCREDIBLE harvests of Believers through the ages. Praise God for The Seed and for His Kingdom. This is exactly what Jesus is saying in Mark 10:29-30. When we give into The Kingdom, seed, we reap a hundredfold harvest. And Jesus goes on to say in Mark 10:30 that the hundredfold will come with persecution. Do you know who will be the main persecutor? Believers in the church. Why? Because the church, through the years, has largely been taught to be mediocre, to expect no harvest, and that to have an expectation and to bring in the harvest is evil. Do you think for one second that God planted Jesus, The Seed, with no expectation of a harvest of souls? We better be glad our Father had, and has, an expectation or else we would be hell bound for all eternity! Unless one lives in a parallel universe that operates differently, it takes money to spread and serve The Gospel of Jesus Christ and The Kingdom of God around the world. One thing Dianne and I have learned is you can’t outgive God no matter how hard you try if you HAVE an expectation of a harvest. And not just a harvest but a bountiful and overflowing harvest.
Isaiah 61:6
But ye shall be named the Priests of The LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
Isaiah 61:6 is a powerful reminder of the identity and mission of God’s people, both in the context of ancient Israel and in the broader Spiritual and physical sense for all Believers.
“But you shall be named the Priests of The Lord“: “Priests” is the Hebrew Word “kohen,” which means, “one officiating, a priest, or an acting priest.” However, there is an even deeper meaning for how the word “kohen” is used in this Scripture. It means, “king-priest” and Melchizedek is given as an example.
Let’s look at the relationship of God calling us “Priests of The Lord” and Melchizedek as the “King-Priest.” What does The Scriptures say about us in Revelation 1:5-6:
Revelation 1:5-6
5 And from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus has made us, as Believers, kings and priests unto God and His Father. Hebrews 5:5-6 and 5:10 tell us Jesus is the Great High Priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 5:5-6
5 So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made an high priest; but He [God] that said unto Him, Thou art My Son, to day have I begotten thee.
6 As He [God] saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec. (Psalm 110:4)
Hebrews 5:10
Called of God an high priest after the Order of Melchisedec.
Psalm 110:1, 4
1 (A Psalm of David.) The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.
4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent [will not change His mind], Thou art a priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedek.
These verses, alone, are proof Melchizedek was Jesus preincarnate. Preincarnate means, “of, relating to, or having existence before incarnation.” Jesus was not Jesus until He came into the earth of a virgin birth. Prior to this, He was The Word or The Angel of The Lord in His appearances on earth. You will see some postulation that the Melchizedek that met Abram in Genesis 14 was Shem, Noah’s son. This is impossible for one reason, alone. The Order of Melchizedek is an eternal priesthood that has existed since the beginning with God. A fallible, corrupted (by the fall of Adam) man of flesh could never be a priest in the Order of Melchizedek. Only Jesus, Himself, could fulfill this role before and after His virgin birth into this earth because He is eternal and never sinned. Jesus is eternal, infallible, and incorruptible. Only He can qualify for this role of King and Priest to the Most High God.
Through Jesus Christ, to Whom we, as Believers, are joint heirs, we receive the role of kings and priests after the Order of Melchizedek. We take our authority, our power, and our direction from The Great High Priest, after the Order of Melchizedek, Jesus Christ. This is our identity as Believers in Christ Jesus and His, and our, Father God. We’re not weak, inferior, or subject to anything but our Father God through Jesus Christ, our King, our Lord, and our Great High Priest. We’re seated, in Christ Jesus, in the position of authority and power at the right hand of The Almighty God, our Father. We don’t beg; we give commands. We don’t pray for victory; we pray FROM victory.
“Men shall call you the Ministers of our God“: This emphasizes the honor and privilege of serving God. Being called “servants” is not a mark of subjugation but of devotion and purpose. It underscores the idea that God’s people are set apart to carry out His will and represent Him to the nations.
“Ministers” is the Hebrew Word, “Sharath,” which means, “to minister, to serve, to attend to or to wait upon.” The deeper meaning is we are in this earth as priestly representatives of King Jesus with a commandment to serve or minister to others in The Kingdom of God. As “Ministers,” we are to use the Spiritual Laws of The Kingdom to serve others:
Two great commandments that form the foundation of The Kingdom of God:
- Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
- Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Three Spiritual Laws of The Seed that build upon the foundation of the great commandments:
- Law of The Seed.
- Law of Sowing and Reaping.
- Law of Manifold Return.
What are we to “minister?” Yes, the works and the greater works as outlined in Isaiah 61:1-4.
“You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles“: This Scripture symbolizes the blessings and abundance that will come to God’s people. It suggests that the wealth and resources of other nations and sinners (unsaved) will be shared with them, reflecting a time of restoration and prosperity.
In previous messages over the months, we’ve read about the wealth transfer God has ordained for His children. God gave us a great example of it when the Children of Israel left Egypt. God told them to go to the Egyptians, their slave masters, and ask them for their gold, silver, jewels, and expensive raiment (clothing). Now, we need to take a minute about this. Do you think any Egyptian master in their right mind is just going to hand over their gold, silver, jewels, and expensive clothing to their slaves because they asked for it? Of course not. Why, then, did they do it? Very simple. God put it in their hearts and minds to do so. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What He did then, He will do now. He’s trying to get this point across to us through His Word.
Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
Ecclesiastes 2:26
For God giveth to a man that is good in His sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner He giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that He may give to him that is good [righteous] before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
This is just two of several verses where God states the wealth and labor of the heathen or sinners (unsaved) is for God’s Children. But, Larry, I’m not experiencing the wealth transfer. We must first believe, have an expectation, and call (decree) for it. But, before we even do this, are we bringing God His tithe? Are we giving offerings as God directs us? If not, we don’t qualify for the wealth transfer. Why? Because money is our god. God can’t trust us with money. He doesn’t want our families and us destroyed in this life by the love of money. But Larry, if we had more money we could tithe and give offerings. Jesus destroyed this excuse right away in Luke 16:10-12.
Luke 16:10-12
10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?
Jesus makes it plainly clear if we won’t do right with a little, we certainly won’t do right with a lot. He goes on in verse 11 to specifically point out money, or mammon. What Jesus is saying in this verse is if we can’t handle money, or mammon, according to His commands, we will not be trusted with the true, or greater, riches of The Kingdom of God. God would be a terrible Father to give more to a weak child and have it destroy him.
“And in their glory shall ye boast yourselves“: This indicates that God’s people will take pride in the recognition and blessings they receive from the nations and sinners. It is not a boastful pride but a celebration of God’s faithfulness and the fulfillment of His promises to us.
The word “glory” in this Scripture means “wealth.” Yes, it is material and physical wealth. The word “boast” means to “exchange positions.” So, God is saying His Children, Israel, and the Spiritual Children of Israel, us as Believers, if we are faithful to God’s commands on how to handle mammon, and we decree the faith-filled Words of wealth transfer, the riches of the gentiles, the glory of the sinner, shall come to us. Again, why? To fulfill Genesis 12:2-3, to fulfill the two great commandments charged us by Jesus, the King of The Kingdom, and to fulfill the works and greater works spoken of in John 14:12.
I know for many of you this is hard to accept, to swallow. As I always say, don’t EVER take my word for it. We are instructed in I John 4:1 to test or try the spirits, the words. Take this to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to show you the Word and help It become Truth in your heart. I always jokingly, but also in all seriousness, say in the classes I teach, if you don’t believe and ask for yours, I will. God can trust Dianne and me with His money. Our heart’s desire is to give MORE and MORE into The Kingdom. And God is giving us more and more because He knows He can trust us.
In closing, I urge all my Sisters and Brothers in Christ to reject religion and to seek a daily, close, intimate relationship with the King of kings. To my awesome and precious Brother James, the victory was yours 2000 years ago. I stand with you in agreement of The Word and The Truth of God. We will stand in your pulpit together and shout praises, thanksgiving, glory, and honor to He Who Reigns Over All!! I love you Brother!
In Christ Jesus,
Larry