December 2000

[Part Fifty-three]

“SEALS OF GOD”

[-L-]

               What is so priceless, so precious that God would set His Seal on it? What could be of such great value He would fortify it with impregnable security from all prying eyes and thieving hands? Only one commodity meets this criteria: His own dear Word of Truth, His Son of Promise full of Resurrection Life! Jesus Christ is the living expression of God’s Divinity hid in humanity! He is depicted as the only true“Foundation” of Life on which the House (lit. family) of God can be built! Paul said, “No man can lay any other foundation for his life than that which has already been laid- which is Jesus Christ! If any man builds on this Foundation (during his night season) his work shall be clearly, openly exposed as gold, silver and precious stones; or as wood, hay and stubble- when the “Light (of the world) Who is called DAY” (Ge 1:5) [as well as, “Daystar” (2 Pe 1:19), “Bright and Morning Star” (Re 22:16), and “Sun of Righteousness” Mal 4:2] shall test every man’s work to reveal what sort it is! And if the work a man has built on this Foundation is able to endure the all-consuming Fire of God’ s Inviolate Presence, that man shall receive a reward! But if a man’s work is burned to ashes, he shall suffer loss- nonetheless he, himself, shall be saved by that Holy Fire! [For Is 61:3 says that God gives “Beauty for ashes”.] (1 Co 3:11-15) We must establish that the “Foundation” of every man’s existence is, in fact, JESUS CHRIST! 2 Ti 2:19 says: “This Foundation of God stands sure and immovable- and BEARS THIS (twofold) SEAL:

THE LORD KNOWS THOSE THAT ARE HIS
(ALL THOSE WHO BELONG TO HIM BECAUSE
THEY PARTAKE OF HIS OWN NATURE); AND

LET EVERYONE WHO NAMES THE NAME OF THE LORD
(THAT CONFESS, CALL UPON, AND IDENTIFY THEMSELVES BY
THE LORD’S NAME) ABSTAIN FROM WICKEDNESS!”

                Here is the SEAL to end all seals; and it is set on Jesus Christ, alone! No one else can bear this Sovereign Seal- except those who are born again into the very Nature of Jesus Christ! It is not enough to simply “call ourselves” Christians if we do not even know or believe in CHRIST and His finished Work at Calvary! It is not enough to attend regular meetings- adhering to the rules and rituals- of a religious sect that names itself by the Name of Christ when you do not know or trust in CHRIST ALONE! As we saw above, our religious works are deemed by God to be just so much “wood, hay and stubble” that will all be consumed by His Holy Fire! Outward appearances do not impress or fool God Who looks in our hearts and knows the real condition! When God looks deep into the recesses of our hearts, He seeks but one thing: the “Silver, Gold and Precious Stones” of His Christ Nature! No good works produced by the union of soul and flesh have any eternal value whatever! Feed the poor, if you like, and by this, God will indeed bless the poor; but as for yourself, you have not earned one iota of heavenly reward! Remember, beloved, “The flesh profits nothing” (Jn 6;33) and attaching our soulish intellect, emotions and will to any fleshy work does not validate it in God’s eyes! His Works originate in the Spirit of Christ; are performed by the Spirit of Christ; and bring Glory to the Spirit of Christ! THE LORD KNOWS THOSE THAT ARE HIS! Let all who bear the Seal of Christ, and are called by His Name, abstain from all wicked, fleshy works!”

[TO BE CONTINUED]