Covered
Let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its lusts. (Romans13: 13-14)
The Spirit of the Lord has been highlighting a truth to the
Body of Christ at this hour which will be absolute dynamite when this truth is
actualized in our daily living. Here it
is:
We have been called, as sons and
daughters of Heaven, to function in two places at once.
1.
We are to live in the unshielded presence of the Living God.
2. We are called to dwell in the
unmodified presence of human anguish.
A lot of people want to walk in the presence God, but they
don't want to get near human pain. They
talk about healing, but they don't want to get near the sick.
When the day comes that we are spending ourselves in these
two places,
we will see the kingdom of God as we
have never seen it before,
we
will have power to minister the Kingdom
so effectively that
chains
will break,
captives
will be set free,
eyes
will open to the glory of God.
Of course, it is much easier to talk about coming into the
presence of God than to actually get there. And, to truly reach out and touch the human anguish involves a great deal more than walking
through a convalescent home or sitting in a skid row bar.
In order to
come into God’s presence and, at the same time, touch the human heart where it
hurts, we have to have the “covering” that protected
the prophets of old.
We need a covering
when we step into God’s presence.
In His mercy, and for our protection,
God has set an angel with a flaming
Sword at the doorway to the garden of Paradise, because, if we were to go in
there in our natural state,
our
very bodies would be seared with the intensity of the light,
our
minds wither,
our
spirits would faint.
After their rebellion, Adam and Eve became conscious of
their nakedness. So
they covered themselves with fig leaves.
But when the Lord drew near to them in the cool of the day, they
realized that the covering they had put on themselves was not enough. Trembling with fear, they ran into the
bushes.
If we are having difficulty getting near to God,
It’s probably God’s mercy holding us at
a distance until we are properly covered.
Only when we are covered can we safely
come into his presence and
boldly approach his Throne of Grace and
find help
in time of need.
The Old Testament saints understood this. They would never even dare to approach Yahweh
without some kind of covering - a kafar, an
atonement. And they knew that the atonement had to be blood.
Nor can we draw near to God without that covering.
We also need a
covering when we walk through the Valley of Human Anguish.
God, in his mercy, is watching over our movements out in the
world among men. Because the minute we
begin to open our hearts to human need, we are exposed to seen and unseen
danger:
-
physical danger
-
hatred
-
discouragement
-
the temptation to jump down into the “mud bath” ourselves.
“For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the world rulers of this present darkness,”( Ephesians
6: 12)
We
need to be shielded, protected, covered.
It is dangerous to draw near to God, or the heart of human
need without a covering. The priestly robes that were worn in the Old Testament
were symbolic of this.
They weren't getting all dressed up to
prove that they were priests.
They were wearing this clothing at the
command of God as a sign that they had to come into his presence clothed with a
righteousness which was not their own.
They also wore this garb as they came
out from God’s presence and ministered God’s mercy to the people again as a
sign that they were clothed in a righteousness which was not their own.
This
covering which was symbolized in those Old
Testament priestly robes became actual the day Jesus came up out of the Jordan
River from his baptism and began to minister as the Messiah. Jesus was under a threefold covering as he
went off into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan and as he came forth to
reveal the Living God to Israel.
He was covered first
of all with the water of his baptism.
He who was without sin and yet became
sin for us commanded that he be baptized to fulfill all righteousness.
He was covered with the Holy Spirit
who came down upon him as he emerged
from those waters, making him the Anointed One, the Messiah.
He was also covered with blood -
His own blood. And that blood was effective every time he forgave sin or touched somebody for healing.
“For he entered once for all into the
Holy Place, not with the blood of calves goats but with his own blood, thus obtaining
eternal redemption.” (Heb 9:12)
So covered, our Lord came as the Son of Man into the
presence of the Holy God for us. And now, through the Spirit he comes out from
God’s presence to minister
eternal peace for those reading these words who will receive his
word.
But what about our covering?
What do we put on, as we approach God, and as we move out among men?
We
also need the water, which is a symbol of our death in Christ.
We
need the Spirit who is the sign of our life in Christ.
We
need the blood - our
forgiveness in Christ.
This threefold covering becomes ours when we take Jesus
himself to be our protecting Rock.
He that dwelleth in
the secret place of the Most High shall abide under
the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm
91:1
Most of us have no conception of how completely we can be
enveloped in the reality of Jesus, how necessary it is for us to be covered by
his abiding presence.. As Paul says, we are to be dead
- hid with Christ in God - so that our lives are truly wrapped up in him,
before God and man.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation/ she is a new creation; the old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.”
(2 Corinthians 5:17)
We are to put on Christ..
“Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Now this covering,
this
enveloping ourselves,
wrapping ourselves in the reality of
Christ,
is not something we obtain by
mysterious spiritual exercises, or long periods of fasting, or reading certain
wonderful books on the deeper spiritual life.
This awesome blessing is obtained by an act of faith in each
of four situations:
1. By
faith we cover ourselves with Christ as we draw near to the Father.
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (John 14: 5-6)
He’s not just talking about coming to
the Father after our death,
or when the trumpets sound, but now.
“If you ask the Father anything in my name, He will give it to you.” (John 16:23)
To ask something of the Father in
Jesus’ name,
is
to come under the covering of Jesus,
to
be wrapped in him,
enveloped
in his life.
“Lord God, I make bold to draw near to you, not on the
strength of anything I am or have done, but on the strength of your Son, Jesus,
my Lord. Covering myself in his
righteousness, I now make bold to ascend into deep heaven; into the place of
eternal life, and worship your holiness, and lay my petitions before you.”
And the more totally we are permeated with the Spirit of
Christ, the more direct and swift is our approach to
the Father.
2. By faith we cover ourselves with
Christ as we move out among each other - and among people out there in the
world beyond.
“When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” ( 1Corinthians 2:1-2)
Paul approached those Corinthians absolutely wrapped up in
the Crucified Jesus – this was an obsession with him.
This was a passion with him.
So much so that one could say, “This
man is out of his mind.”
And from this obsession flowed life everywhere Paul went.
Notice how his epistles are filled with
the passion of Christ.
Paul makes clear that it is impossible to move out among men
with any effectiveness, except as we are covered with Christ.
“I am crucified with Christ; it is no
longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the
flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20
“For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:3
The problem with many of us is that we don’t take that
covering with us as we leave the assembly.
Maybe we experience a taste of it when we are at the Lord’s
Table,
but then when we go out, we leave it behind –
we
forget to take it into our jobs,
or into our homes,
or out on the highway,
or visiting in the hospital.
“Put on the whole armor of God
that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11
What is the armor of God?
“Having your loins girded about with
truth” – the truth is Jesus.
“Putting on the breastplate of
righteousness” – who is that but Jesus?
“Taking the shield of faith”
– “the helmet of
salvation”
-
“the sword of the Spirit”
–
“feet shod with the gospel of peace”
–
all of these things are Jesus himself.
We are to be wrapped in the Person,
the Presence ,
the Living Reality of Jesus himself so
that we can then go out with something real to offer the people.
We are to practice that Presence day
and night everywhere we are.
3. By faith we cover ourselves with Christ when our minds come under the assault of temptation.
“Not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its lusts.”
And the mind loves to make provision for the flesh;
to think ahead,
to scheme,
to plan,
to worry,
to fret,
to fantasize,
to dream dreams - good and bad.
When this happens, it’s necessary to clothe our minds in the
sanity which is Jesus himself - to bring order into our mental chaos.
It’s a matter of choosing his Presence instead of the flaky
thoughts we indulge in.
“Lord, come into my mind. Flood me with
your light. Fill me with your reality again. Take me away from these inmost
lies.”
4. By faith we cover ourselves with Christ as we approach the reality of our own death.
No matter how near the Lord's return may be, don't forget
that your death might precede his coming.
“For we know that if this earthly tent
we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made by human
hands which is eternal in the heavens. Here indeed we groan, and long to put on
our heavenly dwelling, so that by putting it on we may not be found naked. For
while we are still in this tent, we sigh with anxiety; not that we should be
unclothed, but that we should be further clothed, so that this mortal might be
swallowed up in life.” (2 Corinthians 5:1-4)
So that this naked spirit might be clothed in a new body
which is the body of Jesus himself.
So that the same covering that
- takes me into the presence of God,
- takes me safely out among human beings
with
something good to give them,
- protects my mind against the lies that constantly bombard it,
now also takes me through the door of death.
“Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”
When I take to myself the covering of Christ, the anxiety,
and dread, and terror of death leaves me.
I begin to see death as something,
which is far better than what I now have.
I begin to say that with my heart, not
just with my mouth.
“That
I might depart and be with Christ which is better by far.”
If it should be the Lord’s will that we remain until the
King comes back, good.
If it should be the Lord’s will that we should be taken in
the meantime, praise God, provided we’re covered with his life.
In order for
us to live a life that makes sense, we have to take
the covering…
Help us, Father,
- that we may clothe ourselves, with
the presence of your Son,
- that we might truly come up into his
presence and touch his throne,
- that we might go out among men and
women and touch their
broken
hearts with healing,
- that we may conquer the enemy as he
attacks our minds,
- that we may approach our coming death
with holy joy.
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)