Daily Bread - April 2, 2018

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Monday, 02 April 2018 10:05

Romans 6:4 - Therefore, we were buried with Him by baptism into death; that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, in this way also we may walk in newness of life. Before we can ever have a resurrection there must first be a death. God in His great love for us experienced the sorrow of death so that we could experience the joy and the glory of the Resurrection. Being buried is the certification of death, and surely the Resurrection is the surety of a miraculous and supernatural life. The first part of the resurrection we receive is the spiritual resurrection, or the inward resurrection (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12, 3:1). We were raised up by the glory of the Father when the Spirit of God came upon us and made us a new creature, and gave us a new heart and a new spirit, and put His Spirit within us. When we were born from above, we were given a fresh new life. The Greek word used here, 'kainoteti', (in combination with the kind of life Jesus had when He was raised from the dead) speaks of a new form of life. The life that was crucified with Christ and buried was entirely sinful, but the new one that is raised up together with Christ is to be entirely holy (Ephesians 2:1-5; 1 Peter 1:15-16, 2:5; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:21; Romans 6:22; 2 Peter 1:9-11; 1 John 3:6). We now live the life of the Spirit, or the life of the Heavenly realm, instead of a carnal and earthly life (Ephesians 2:6, 1:3; Romans 8:5-9; Philippians 3:20; John 3:5-6). Through living this Heavenly life, we are guaranteed that one day we will also have a physical resurrection. Whereas, we were once separated from God because of sin, we are now separated (dead) from sin because of the life we have received in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:6,11,18, 22; 1 John 3:6; 2 Peter 1:9-11). If we would only enjoy the full benefits of this life and allow the Holy Spirit to continually fill us with this realm, then we would be raptured into the Heavenly and not find it strange to be separate from the evil. We should give ourselves over completely to the ability to walk in this new sphere of life. If we take hold of everything God has said about us in His Word and accept it as ours, then faith will take us into the experience of what He has spoken (2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). We may all now say in agreement with His Word: I am crucified with Christ, I am buried with Him by baptism into His death, I am raised up together with Him, I am alive together with Him, And I am seated together with Him in the Heavenlies! (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:3-11; Ephesians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:12, 3:1-4)

 

Daily Bread - March 31, 2018

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Saturday, 31 March 2018 14:30

Daily Bread - March 31, 2018 Romans 6:4 - Therefore, we were buried with Him by baptism into death; that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, in this way also we may walk in newness of life. Before we can ever have a resurrection there must first be a death. God in His great love for us experienced the sorrow of death so that we could experience the joy and the glory of the Resurrection. Being buried is the certification of death, and surely the Resurrection is the surety of a miraculous and supernatural life. The first part of the resurrection we receive is the spiritual resurrection, or the inward resurrection (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12, 3:1). We were raised up by the glory of the Father when the Spirit of God came upon us and made us a new creature, and gave us a new heart and a new spirit, and put His Spirit within us. When we were born from above, we were given a fresh new life. The Greek word used here, 'kainoteti', (in combination with the kind of life Jesus had when He was raised from the dead) speaks of a new form of life. The life that was crucified with Christ and buried was entirely sinful, but the new one that is raised up together with Christ is to be entirely holy (Ephesians 2:1-5; 1 Peter 1:15-16, 2:5; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:21; Romans 6:22; 2 Peter 1:9-11; 1 John 3:6). We now live the life of the Spirit, or the life of the Heavenly realm, instead of a carnal and earthly life (Ephesians 2:6, 1:3; Romans 8:5-9; Philippians 3:20; John 3:5-6). Through living this Heavenly life, we are guaranteed that one day we will also have a physical resurrection. Whereas, we were once separated from God because of sin, we are now separated (dead) from sin because of the life we have received in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:6,11,18, 22; 1 John 3:6; 2 Peter 1:9-11). If we would only enjoy the full benefits of this life and allow the Holy Spirit to continually fill us with this realm, then we would be raptured into the Heavenly and not find it strange to be separate from the evil. We should give ourselves over completely to the ability to walk in this new sphere of life. If we take hold of everything God has said about us in His Word and accept it as ours, then faith will take us into the experience of what He has spoken (2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). We may all now say in agreement with His Word: I am crucified with Christ, I am buried with Him by baptism into His death, I am raised up together with Him, I am alive together with Him, And I am seated together with Him in the Heavenlies! (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:3-11; Ephesians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:12, 3:1-4)

 

Daily Bread - March 30, 2018

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Friday, 30 March 2018 17:54

Psalms 101:2 - I will behave myself wisely in a way that is blameless. When will you come to me? I will walk in the midst of my house with a perfect heart. The Hebrew text actually says, "I will set no thing of Belial before my eyes..." Belial is a synonym for Satan and lawlessness. Paul uses this word to describe everything that belongs to the satanic realm in 2 Corinthians 6:15, "What agreement does Christ have with Belial, or what does a believer share with an unbeliever?" The Septuagint translates Belial with the Greek word 'anomias' which is the word to describe the "man of iniquity" and the "mystery of iniquity" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3,7. Those who are of Belial have cast off the yoke of God, and they have become lawless (Psalms 2:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:7). Although, we are not under the law of Moses in the New Testament, we are still under the law of God and the righteousness of God (Romans 3:21,31, 8:2,4,7; 1 Corinthians 9:21; Hebrews 8:10). We are bound to the law of moral and ethical codes of godliness, righteousness, and holiness (Romans 8:4; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Titus 2:14; Romans 6:19; Hebrews 12:14; Ephesians 4:24; Romans 14:17; Isaiah 62:1; 2 Timothy 2:19,22). There are far too many people who are suppose to be the saints (holy ones) of God who both live and confess lawlessness, and by definition this is the apostasy; this is lawlessness and iniquity (Luke 13:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:3,7; Matthew 24:12; 2 Timothy 3:1-7; Hebrews 3:8). Therefore, we must recognize that just as there were sons of Belial among those of the First Covenant, there are now sons of Belial in the midst of the Church of the New Testament. Be certain that you are one who follows Jesus and are lead by the Spirit (1 Peter 2:21-22; Galatians 5:16; Romans 8:14; 1 Corinthians 5:11, 11:1; Ephesians 5:11). Walk in the Spirit with a blameless heart! (Romans 8:14; Psalms 101:2)

 

Daily Bread - March 29, 2018

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Thursday, 29 March 2018 11:14

Psalms 25:4 - Yahweh, cause me to know Your ways; teach me Your paths. Before we call, God has already answered. He has proactively sent the Holy Spirit to teach us His ways and to lead us in His paths of righteousness (John 14:15-18, 16:12-15; Psalms 23:1-3). If we would all allow God to give us a revelation of the majesty and splendor of the way in which He conducts Himself, we would be overwhelmed as was the Queen of Sheba in the presence of Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-13). We would be awe struck with desperation for a greater manifestation of His Person as was Moses; and we would find ourselves unwilling to depart from the place of His manifest presence as was Joshua (Exodus 33). It was by the desperation Moses had to know God's ways and to see His glory that He began to shine with the radiant glory of God's own presence (Exodus 34:29-35). God desires that we should arise and shine with His glory and be filled with the manifestation of His presence so all the world might see the Light and Life of God (Isaiah 60:1; Matthew 5:14; Ephesians 5:8; John 17:21-23; Romans 8:28; Hebrews 1:2). Teach us Your way, O Lord! (Psalms 86:11)

 

Daily Bread - March 28, 2018

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Wednesday, 28 March 2018 12:42

Ephesians 6:12 - Because we are not wrestling against flesh and blood; but against principalities, against the authorities, against the rulers of this world, the darkness of this age, against the spiritual iniquity in the heavens. Part 3: Freedom From The Darkness Of This Age Darkness is a place of judgment. When Satan rebelled against God, he was cast out of the presence of God. This realm of darkness and chaos is where Satan rules. The judgment of darkness also came upon men when Adam and Eve listened to the voice of Satan and died (Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13). The death that came upon Adam and Eve at the point of their disobedience separated them from the Life and Light in God; and they found themselves confined to a realm where iniquity ruled supremely. The darkness hides the glory of God, and blinds the eyes and minds of men from seeing and knowing God (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; John 12:35; 1 John 2:11). In this darkness, God is absent and His goodness unseen. Mankind has grown so accustomed to the darkness that when the Light, Christ Jesus, came into the world, men loved the darkness rather than the light, because they loved evil (John 3:19). Jesus came to deliver mankind from death and darkness, inviting all to come and follow Him into the Light of Life (John 8:12). Through Christ Jesus, we are given power over the darkness and the ruler of the darkness, so that mankind's eyes can be opened; and they can be turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:18). We must recognize that darkness is a realm of the demonic, a holding place for those whose judgment is eternal death (Matthew 8:12, 22:13, 25:30; Jude 13). With joy and resolve, we should cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12). There should be nothing more precious to us than knowing and exercising our freedom to walk in the Light of Life. Fellowship with the darkness of death should be the last thing any liberated child of God should want to return to (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Those of us who were once in darkness, but are now Light, must be willing to walk in the Light (Ephesians 5:8; 1 John 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:5; Matthew 5:14). We must decide whose side we are on, and what realm we will live in. God has translated us from the power of darkness into the Kingdom of the Dear Son; but if we say we know Him and have fellowship with Him, yet we walk in darkness, we lie (Colossians 1:13; 1 John 1:5-7). We should rejoice in our liberation from death and darkness, and have no desire to return to the prison of condemnation (1 Peter 2:9; Jude 12-13; Galatians 5:1)! Whoever the Son sets free is free indeed. (John 8:36)