Tag: Isaiah 6:8

The Unity of God – Part Two

The Unity of God

Part Two
(See Part One)
(See Part Three)

The Tri-Unity of God

In Genesis we see in the creation of the cosmos the unity of God speaking, creating and bringing forth the establishment of a whole new realm of matter and life.

1 “In the beginning God (see note) created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved (preparing, brooding and affecting) upon the face of the waters.
3 And God (see note) said (The Word-Christ Himself), ‘Let there be light’: and there was light…”
Genesis 1:1-3

NOTE: God – אלהים – ‘ĕlôhı̂ym – One of the names of God used in scripture (which intimates plurality) shining forth the Oneness and magnificence of His being. The same wonder is revealed in the New Testament in Matthew 28:19. The Greek Word for “Name” is singular: “In the NAME of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost” is presented to us as ONE NAME setting forth the unknowable and unsearchable riches of our God. (See more notes on Elohiym  at the end of Part Three of this series).

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the NAME (singular) of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”
Matthew 28:19

We see this same expression of God in the creation of man who is made in the image of God.

“And God (Elohiym) said,
Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness…”
Genesis 1:26

Indeed, humanity bears this corporate image within; even in the fall there remains the unmistakable likeness of God in the constitution of man.

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body
be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”
Thessalonians 5:3

To consider the very nature of God, one must in some form or other begin to comprehend the tri-unity of their own self. Within the mystery of our own being (which we are unable to solve) there lies spirit, soul and body; where each of these begin and end in us is a deep mystery. How beyond our capacity is it to unravel the greatest mystery of all: God Himself!

The consistency of this unveiling of the nature of God is expressed in the judgment of Nimrod and the arrogancy of man at the tower of Babel.

“Come, let Us go down
and confuse their language
so that they cannot understand
one another’s speech”
Genesis 11:7

Again, in the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 6, we see the inner workings of God in the heavens preparing, cleansing, and sending Isaiah forth with words of Power which still reverberate in our hearts today:

“And I heard the voice of Jehovah, saying,
Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”
Isaiah 6:8

There is a three-fold manifestation of this wonder at the Baptism of Jesus (Luke 3:22), where we see the Father bearing witness to the Son while simultaneously the Holy Spirit appears as a Dove. This is a confirmation of the great mystery of Christ who, in type and shadow (by His Baptism), testified of His  submission to the cross (prophetically speaking to us of His death and resurrection yet to be fulfilled). Such things are too high and too deep for us, yet may they ignite a heart of worship and gratitude for all that Christ has accomplished for us!

“Hear, O Israel:
The Lord our God is ONE Lord”
Deuteronomy 6:4

Some may think that the above scripture presents a contradiction (which is an impossibility in the Word). The Hebrew word for “ONE” (see note below) used here is the same Hebrew word in Genesis 2:24:

“Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother,
and shall cleave to his wife and they shall become ONE flesh”
Genesis 2:24

NOTE: ONE – אֶחָד  “Unite co: ab: Unity: A uniting together. All things are a unity with something else (one man is a unity of body, breath and mind, one family is a unity of father, mother and children, one tree is a unity of trunk, branches and leaves, one forest is a unity of trees).” Source: “Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible”

Rather than presenting a contradiction, this confirms with great clarity the majesty and glory of our God! See also Genesis 5:2: “He created them male and female, and blessed them, and called their name (singular) Adam” (Adam – Man – singular). This same unity is to be the presentation to us of the mystical union which exists between Christ and His Church.

“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother,
and shall be joined unto his wife,
and they two shall be ONE flesh.
This is a great mystery:
but I speak concerning
Christ and the church”
Ephesians 5:31

To Be Continued…

Brian Troxel

This is Part Two of a multi-part series. For the sake of brevity this writing has been broken into short segments and as with all things it is necessary to read all the parts to appreciate the wonder and glory of our God.

PODCAST – Revelation 4:1 – Part Two – Patmos

Podcast – Patmos – Revelation 4:1

The Isle of Patmos
God’s Purpose
for the Revelation of Himself

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The Invitation – Who Will Go For US?

The Invitation

PART TWO

“Who will go for us?”

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,
Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
Then said I, here am I; send me”
Isaiah 6:8

In other words, who will represent Me (God) in godliness, righteousness and show forth my character in all their ways. It is one thing to have a dream, a word or a gift. It is another thing entirely to reveal the very character of God Himself.

True Leadership in God’s house exists when His call is fused with character and quality of being. Had David rejoiced in Saul’s death he would not have been a “man after God’s heart”. Had Moses, when God tested him to stand aside while God destroyed Israel to make Moses a great nation, agreed to such a proposal he would have utterly failed to represent God’s heart. Had David slain Saul when God presented the divine opportunity to seize the Kingdom by carnal means he would have failed to represent the heart of God. Those who are called to places of authority will know of such testings and it is in knowing His heart that the approval of God is gained. The Gifts of God without the character of God will always lack His authority and His approval. The gifts may bring a vessel honor and fame in this world but they will never gain the approval of God. There will always be an emptiness which will haunt the disobedient and gifted one.

Within God’s House there are vessels of honor and dishonor.

“But in a great house
there are not only vessels of gold and of silver,
but also of wood and of earth;
and some to honor, and some to dishonor”
2 Timothy 2:20

In the verse preceding this one Paul states… “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity”. This is the true test of the authentic vessels of the Lord. Saul prophesied and Balaam prophesied an infallible word of God yet they were perverse in heart and spirit.

“Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots”
Jude 1:11-12

These are blemishes within the assembly of God’s people. They may function in gifts, ministries, and places of leadership and yet be utterly false in the eyes of the Lord (Matthew 7:21-23). They may see and hear right things but it is by their fruits they are known; how they conduct themselves and whether or not they seek the welfare of God’s people even in the face of adversity and rejection.

“Giving no offence in anything, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” 2 Corinthians 6:3-10

The true ministrations of God approve themselves by their conduct in all phases of life.

“Who will go for us?”

This is a far more penetrating question than many realize. It is a question which has more to do with who we are than what we do or say.

“Blessed are the pure in heart
for they shall SEE God”

Ω

“God’s plan is to make much of the man,
far more of him than of anything else.
Men are God’s method.
The Church is looking for better methods;
God is looking for better men”
― E.M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer

Brian Troxel
www.aword.info

The Invitation – Whom Shall I Send?

The Invitation

PART ONE

“Whom shall I send?”

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,
Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
Then said I, here am I; send me”
Isaiah 6:8

God uses men. In His hidden wisdom He delights in His strength being made perfect through our weakness. Isaiah, having been broken by the seeing of God’s glory, his lips purified by the coals of the heavenly altar, was now able to hear the Word of the Lord.

“Whom shall I send…”

An unbroken and impure heart will never hear this word. It is the pure heart which sees God; one free from agendas and self-seeking motives. God sends those who serve Him (Romans 1:1). This invitation came to Isaiah in the midst of seeing his wretched condition and the true condition of all men. The invitation came to Isaiah expressly. For the Word of God to be filled with power and authority it must be to the individual; it must be specific and personal. The vessel to whom it comes must know it to be a transaction of life for life. The Call is costly and absolute; to the one who receives it there is no “plan B”. What was Isaiah’s reward in this world? He was sawn asunder (cut in half). What was John the Baptist’s reward? He was beheaded. What was Paul’s reward? He was beheaded; Peter’s reward, crucified.

God’s question goes forth again:

“Whom shall I send…”

Only those who have seen His glory are able to answer such a call. While many love to discuss end-time teachings and deliberate over visions and prophecies (as good as those may be) there is a Word going forth which only a few can hear; “whom shall I send”? God is not looking for contributions. He is looking for sacrificial hearts. The invitation is “whom shall I send”? There is no clarification as to what the call will look like. It may be to the multitudes or it may be to a prison cell where no one sees. It may be to a life of loneliness, seemingly set aside from all the religious activity of the day, or it may be to confront the earthly powers of the world (religious and political). The call is not to a position; it is to God Himself to send and use us as He sees fit.

The second question is… “who will go for us…” (see Part Two)

Brian Troxel
www.aword.info

A SOLDIER OF CHRIST

A SOLDIER OF CHRIST?

“No one serving as a soldier
entangles himself with the affairs of this life,
so that he might please the one enlisting* him”
2 TIMOTHY 2:4 (LITV)

Great is the need for soldiers of Christ in our land these days. The degree to which His people are free to serve Him is relative to their entanglement with the affairs of this world. The affairs of this world are many and far reaching; employment, social clubs, politics and connections and commitments of time to a myriad of other things. Men need to provide for their families but that does not include excesses or many of the things that our society considers “essentials”.

The CALL of God is calling us out of this world. We are not here to become entangled in the politics of this world. Paul and the Apostles lived in a day where literally thousands of Christians were being murdered savagely, systematically and mercilessly for entertainment! Yet not once did the Apostles mention these things in terms of political involvement for the Kingdom of God is NOT of this world. We are called by name* (see note below) OUT of this world to please and serve Him. We must order our steps rightly so we do not become encumbered by debt thereby forcing us to be servants to the financial institutions of this world.

“No one serving as a soldier entangles themselves”. This is a statement not a teaching. If we are entangled, we are not free to be soldiers of Christ. Jesus said that we cannot “serve God and Mammon”. We are to be faithful to provide for our families and others in the Body of Christ but never to the point that we are unable to fully serve our King. The Body of Christ has been exposed to the horror of a “Gospel of Prosperity”; a lie from the pit of hell itself. Worldly men teach God’s people to embrace the things of this world, love the things of this world and strive for them because God wants us to be wealthy! He has called us OUT of this World not into it.

“Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world.
If any man loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him”
1JOHN 2:15

Multitudes of Christians are caught up in politics and current events while His house is anemic and scattered. So many expend their emotions, time and money into the “saving” of America or some other country’s way of life rather than being the Light that speaks of HIS KINGDOM.

“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world:
if my kingdom were of this world,
then would my servants fight,
that I should not be delivered to the Jews:
but now is my kingdom not from hence”
JOHN 18:36

The Army that God has called us to is not a carnal one and does not seek by carnal means to change the spiritual condition of a nation; it will not resort to carnal weapons and anger! The weapons of His Army are Light, Goodness, Forgiveness, Mercy, Truth and Love. These are the weapons that no army on earth can contend with. Those who know of the coming Kingdom of God need not concern themselves with the strategies and politics of men. We are receiving a Kingdom which cannot be defeated for it is Eternal, Spiritual and Real. This army knows no particular race. It is free from the creeds and doctrines of men for it is founded in Him, sustained by Him and His Soldiers are obedient to His commands. They hear ONLY His Voice and they will not follow another.

The CALL is going forth in this hour. Who will answer Him from the depth of his heart “send me” (Isa. 6:8)? It is in the occupation of serving Him that men CHOOSE to be untangled from this world. Love brings men and women to choices; men love what they serve and they serve what they love.

“And that sown into the thorns is this:
the one hearing the Word,
and the anxiety of this age, and the deceit of riches,
choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful”
MATTHEW 13:22 (LITV)

Love is the only motive that will enable us to respond truthfully and rightly to the CALL.

Ω

In heaven we shall appear,
not in armour, but in robes of glory.
But here these are to be worn night and day;
we must walk, work, and sleep in them,
or else we are not true soldiers of Christ.
William Gurnall

*NOTE: στρατολογέω (4758) (stratologeo from stratos = warfare/army + lego = in this instance lego means “to be chosen”) primarily means to gather or select as a warrior or choose to be a soldier and is used here in the active verb participle form to describe the soldier’s commander calling him by name into this Army.

Brian Troxel
www.aword.info