The risen
Lord with two disciples on the road to Emmaus
~ The New Jerusalem ~
The risen
Lord with two disciples on the road to Emmaus
~ The New Jerusalem ~
 ..PDF Version |
Chapter:# 48
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| James The Son Of Alphaeus – The New Mind |
“Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The
first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of
Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the
publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus whose surname was Thaddaeus;
Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. These twelve Jesus
sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go
not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye
not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of
“Did then that which is good become death unto me? God
forbid. But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, by working death to me
through that which is good; - that through the commandment sin might become
exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold
under sin. For that which I do I know not: for not what I would, that do I
practise; but what I hate, that I do. But if what I would not, that I do, I
consent unto the law that it is good. So now it is no more I that do it, but
sin which dwelleth in me. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth
no good thing: for to will is present with me, but to do that which is good is
not. For the good which I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that
I practise. But if what I would not, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but
sin which dwelleth in me. I find then the law, that, to me who would do good,
evil is present. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I
see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and
bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.
Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of the body of this death? I
thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I of myself with the mind,
indeed, serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” Romans
7:13-25 ASV
“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak
through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and
for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be
fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they
that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are
after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death;
but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is
enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can
be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the
flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if
any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in
you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he
that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by
his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to
the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall
die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall
live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:3-14
KJV
“And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great
river
“From the place wherein I was
held and supported I could see “I AM THAT I AM” upon the Throne with Jesus at
His right hand by looking to the left. Jesus wore the garments of the High
Priest with the Ephod. As I turned my head to the right and looked down I could
see the earth, both were in front of me. Before the Throne were lamps of fire
and an altar filled with coals. I heard the Lord say “I will give but a measure
of My judgment in the earth….” (This next part I am told to leave out.) (Now
continuing.) I saw then an Angel (Holy Seraphim – guardian of the Glory of the
Lord) take a coal off of the altar with tongs and cast it into the earth. The
coal of fire rolled as a ball of fire across the surface of the earth and
across the dust in the seas. As it rolled my heart trembled in fear and I cried
unto the Lord concerning the fire of this coal, “Lord, would you save any flesh
alive?”. My heart wondered at the extent of this fire for it seemed as though
it would destroy all flesh in the earth. I cried unto the Lord that this was more
than I could bear to see. But then while beholding this on the earth the Angel
which was with me bid me to see and I looked and I saw the Army of the Lord –
this which shall be – marching forward upon the earth as though they were but
the size of a man’s hand. Before them was a massive billowing of fire, behind
them a flame that kindled and burned. But what I noticed encouraged me greatly
for I saw that under the feet of this Army flowed forth rivers of livings
waters. These waters flowed unabated over the parched earth, flowing with a
continued velocity to soften and heal the earth and the places that the fire
had burnt were covered after by this living water that flowed as though it were
a spring of water, unlimited, out from under the feet of the Army of the Lord.
My tears were turned to tears of joy as I saw the answer of the Lord in healing
and restoring all creation outside the curse of the fall.”
( End Vision )
James,
the son of
This foundation layer of James the less, one of low stature, is to be worked in a slowness of time in the lives of they that overcome by a life lived, learning to base the experience of life to a continued growth in learning to ‘think’ with the mind of the Lord. This is VERY IMPORTANT. There is in us the need to know that we must abandon the carnal mind, the mind that protects itself in the life of this world, and to take on the mind of Christ, the mind that walks, talks and speaks according to the Spirit of the Lord. As one learns to overcome all things day by day through daily trials and testings, they will also learn to discern the carnal mind from the spiritual mind. For the Overcomer has this ability, to know the difference of ‘minds’.
This is a very important thing to learn. One cannot overcome every area of this life and of our life in this present world unless they learn how to walk in the mind of Christ. This is not a “word of faith” doctrine, where you glibly believe for something and therefore you have it. This is the practical outworking of the nature of the Lord in our very thinking, something that is tangible and evident, even though it comes by faith. The mind of Christ in the earth is extremely rare to find and even harder to keep. But it happens as one GROWS UP INTO THE LORD. The mind of learning to think as Jesus thought is the goal of daily overcoming.
So then James Cleopas
represents overcoming the carnal mind and replacing it with the mind of Christ.
I see in scripture 4 areas that are in the life of a believer. Depending upon
your faith, these areas need to be overcome and submitted to respective of the
calling of the Lord to “put off the old man and his deeds”. “If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by
him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former
conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:21-24 I see that we have more than
just a ‘dual nature’, we actually have 4 parts in us that need to be seen for
what they are. Anyone who is desiring all that the Lord has for their lives
will in time confront all 4 of these areas in themselves. This is a true working
of the Spirit of the Lord and it gives us all we need to overcome the carnality
we bear in our natural thinking and the impetus needed to overcome that
carnality with the actual thought structure of the mind of Christ.
Overcoming is not just
conquering sinful tendencies, the world, the devil or the mind of carnality.
Overcoming is also held in equal balance by taking ON the mind of the Lord.
Just as the nature of the beast in our flesh needs to be conquered, so the
Overcomer needs to “overcome” and take on the nature of the Lord in every
respect. Just as the Overcomer learns to conquer the mark of the beast, 666 in
the thoughts and works of iniquity in their lives, so the Overcomer also learns
to take on the inscribed name of the Father into their thoughts, replacing
bestial thoughts with Godly thoughts. Overcoming therefore works in these two
realms.
You have read of the
For these 4 things will endear
themselves to you as the mainstay of your faith, you will admit your need for
the Lord to keep you, then you will at the same time learn to walk in obedience
as a verbal action to see your faith practically made whole.
Here are the 4 things in the
life of a believer, and in the life of an Overcomer, they are worked out day by
day.
1) The mind of Christ. “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he
himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he
may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 2:15-16 KJV
2) The carnal mind. “The unspiritual man rejects the
things of the Spirit of God, and cannot attain to the knowledge of them,
because they are spiritually judged.”
1 Corinthians 2:14
“Because for the mind to be given up to
earthly things means death; but for it to be given up to spiritual things means
Life and peace. Abandonment to earthly things is a state of enmity to God. Such
a mind does not submit to God's Law, and indeed cannot do so. And those whose
hearts are absorbed in earthly things cannot please God.” Romans 8:6-8
3) We have a heart that is deceitful above all things. “The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD
search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his
ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. As the partridge sitteth on
eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall
leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool. A glorious
high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. O LORD, the hope
of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me
shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the
fountain of living waters. Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and
I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.”
Jeremiah 17:9-14
4) We have the power of CHOICE, yielding to whomever we choose to
obey. “so also ye,
reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to the sin, and living to God in Jesus
Christ our Lord. Let not then the sin reign in your mortal body, to obey it in
its desires; neither present ye your members instruments of unrighteousness to
the sin, but present yourselves to God as living out of the dead, and your
members instruments of righteousness to God; for sin over you shall not have
lordship, for ye are not under law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin
because we are not under law but under grace? let it not be! have ye not known
that to whom ye present yourselves servants for obedience, servants ye are to
him to whom ye obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?
and thanks to God, that ye were servants of the sin, and--were obedient from
the heart to the form of teaching to which ye were delivered up; and having
been freed from the sin, ye became servants to the righteousness.” Romans
6:11-18 Young’s Literal Translation
Amazing that this duality
seems to be outdone by flesh rather than spirit. Have you ever known a time
where the flesh does not rule and you wonder where your new created nature
actually resides? You look in the mirror and you see that there is nothing of
the new nature present. It all seems to be that which is carnal, that which is at
enmity against God, that which you HATE.
This is where faith comes in. When James Cleopas walked with the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus after Jesus resurrection, he did not know it was Jesus until they got to the end of the road. Why? Because this same clouding of not knowing where the life of the new nature is was present in his mind at that time. He practically shared the entire story of Christ’s passion with Christ himself, not knowing that it was actually Jesus whom he spoke with. “And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from
Luke 24:13-31
He was hidden from their eyes. There is the crux of this writing. That we are held back from beholding the fullness of our risen Lord because of the nature of flesh we bear. To deny you have a flesh nature disannuls any further work of overcoming. To say you have one sets you into the daily trial of scourging and testing to see this carnality overcome. If you are aware of it or not, it is still a fact that the Mystery of Iniquity is going to work in your flesh until He appears. Or rather, until He makes Himself known to you IN YOU. This is an all out conflict of the righteous confessor verses the ragings of the bestial nature, all happening within those 4 points above and all happening in the faith of the Overcomer. Will there be an end? MOST CERTAINLY. For the end will be when the Lord Himself comes, both by appearing in you in a Holy Myriad of Himself, and by His actual appearing in His Glorified, raised body, that body which is alive now and remains. That body which stands at the right hand of the Father. When HE COMES, your duality will be over and point 1 above will be all that remains.
To be continued...............
Kenneth B Visscher
Copyright