Deeper Insights
When reading and contemplating scripture you will find that
some teachings contain deeper insights than others. Though all are important, some
touch on fundamental subject matter, issues that are more simple to conceive
and understand. However, sometimes you will come across scriptures that do
compel one into deeper contemplations. These require more attention and
consideration in order to grasp the full meaning and see the totality of
instruction associated with them and the diversified and far-reaching
implications of the revelations they promote. Some ideas conveyed are simple
and straight forward. They are less expressive and easier to understand. While
others are more profound, thought provoking and contain deeper insights.
In the epistles of Paul, particularly in 1 Corinthians 3 and
Hebrews 5, you will find how Paul makes reference to fundamental teachings and concepts
as well as advanced teachings and concepts as milk and meat, respectively. We
see this in the following.
1 And I, brethren,
could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto
babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with
milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet
now are ye able.
3 For ye are yet
carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are
ye not carnal, and walk as men?
4 For while one
saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
Hebrews 5: 4-14
4 And no man taketh
this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
5 So also Christ
glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him,
Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
6 As he saith also in
another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
7 Who in the days of
his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying
and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that
he feared;
8 Though he were a
Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made
perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
11 Of whom we have
many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
12 For when for the
time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be
the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of
milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that
useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat
belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have
their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
1 Now the Spirit
speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in
hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron
2Timothy 4: 1-4
1 I charge thee
therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and
the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be
instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall
they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn
away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
We see also in scripture where many who were supposed to be advanced in their understandings could not grasp the deeper meanings of what Jesus was conveying. Because of this, their simple mindedness seamed to cause them confusion and, in their confusion coupled with arrogancy and pride, they found grounds to rebel against the Christ and bring into question the validity of His teachings. We can also find that because of some of His teachings and requirements many of His disciples that were to follow Him in depth and truth decided not to. They decided that to follow Jesus would just be too difficult a feat for them. We see evidence of these things in the following.
John 6: 51-66
51 I am the living
bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live
for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the
life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore
strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said
unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son
of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my
flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the
last day.
55 For my flesh is
meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my
flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living
Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he
shall live by me.
58 This is that bread
which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead:
he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59 These things said
he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of
his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can
hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in
himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend
you?
62 What and if ye
shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit
that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some
of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that
believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said,
Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given
unto him of my Father.
66 From that time
many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.
Some just do not want to abide in God, and, they do not want
others to, so they preach to collect friends and associates to join them and
comfort them in the spiritually decrepit condition of the world. His true
disciples preach to instruct others in purity and obedience to make friends of
God and join them in the heavenlies, in spirit and in truth. This despite the
condition, standards and requirements of the world.
In His teachings, Jesus makes it clear that the only path to
the Father is through Him. To walk in Him, through Him, one must consume Him
and be nourished by Him. You have heard, “you are what you eat.” One will
become what they consume. To become like him, one of the many brethren of
which, He is the first born, is the condition all followers should strive for.
It is written, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk,
even as he walked.”
The Apostle John teaches us that Jesus is the word from the
beginning. He is the light and the word that became flesh. Jesus tells us that
even before Abraham was, He was. He is “I am”. It is written, “Your father
Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews
unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus
said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then
took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the
temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”
Yeshua Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have
known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.” To
find the way to the Father through the Son one must come to know Him. To find
the Father through the Son means to eat Him. To eat means to receive and
consume Him, the word from the beginning. From Genisis through Revelation, you will find
Him. This is Him, this is the word, the full gospel of God. One must receive,
consume and abide in, in obedience to God. Through the word is our path to God.
The Son is the word that brings life.
We began this discussion speaking about scriptures that
contain revelations needing deeper contemplation than others because they touch
on diversified and far-reaching issues. To me, one such teaching can be found
in the following.
2nd Peter 3:
This is particularly because Peter points out very important
information about how the scriptures are twisted by unlearned and unstable
minds. This is in order to lead others astray from fundamental teachings of the
full gospel of God. In this Peter compels us to be steadfast in what we already
know. What we know should come from a well-seasoned understanding of scripture,
“all scripture.” The more we study all scripture, the easier it becomes to spot
teachings not in line with them. This enables us to toss out bad food and
maintain a diet of Yeshua Jesus, the Christ child of Nazareth. We have gone
over the following scripture many times but it bears repeating until fully
understood and the revelations contained therein enlighten and expand your
understandings.
2nd Peter 3: 1-17
1 This second
epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds
by way of remembrance:
2 That ye may be mindful
of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the
commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
3 Knowing this first,
that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where
is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things
continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they
willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and
the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world
that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and
the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto
fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be
not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering
to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance.
10 But the day of the
Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the
earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that
all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in
all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and
hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire
shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we,
according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein
dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore,
beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found
of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 And account that
the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul
also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his
epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be
understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also
the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17 Ye therefore,
beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led
away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace,
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both
now and for ever. Amen.
Now, as an example of what it is I am attempting to convey is this, here. In Luke 17
Luke 17: 33- 35
33 Whosoever shall
seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall
preserve it.
34 I tell you, in
that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the
other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be
grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Another example.
Colossians 2:16
16 Let no man
therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of
the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow
of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Many teach that this is Paul releasing believers from having to eat clean, drink clean and keep the feasts and sabbath days. Do you really believe that God gave Paul the authority to set aside His statutes and ordinances to appease those who do not want to follow them? He warns that this is a shadow of things to come but also reminds us that the body is of Christ.
The truth is this is actually Paul teaching the emerging church in Colossae that as they convert or become proselytes from paganism to following the gospel of peace, Yeshua Jesus, they should not let others around them condemn them for keeping the commandments of God. This as they pertain to keeping the sabbaths, this is weekly as well as those high sabbaths associated with His appointed feasts. Also, not to allow themselves to be condemned for eating clean. The scriptures instruct followers of God on how to eat clean. The scriptures instruct the followers of God to remember the sabbath days and to keep them holy. There are many more sabbath days than the seventh day that occurs weekly. How can you know these things without knowing the scriptures? How can one follow the commandments of God without knowing what they are? We come to know Him and how to follow Him through the word of God. Yeshua, Jesus is that word and He has been since the beginning.
In Matthew 23 verses 1-12 we find the following.
1 1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his
disciples,
2 2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in
Moses’ seat:
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, {phylacteries: pieces of parchment containing sentences of the law}
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
In this, Jesus is instructing his followers to observe and do as they are instructed by the scribes and Pharisees but only as their instructions pertain to those of Moses’, not the instructions that are made up by the scribes and pharisees themselves.
In John 5: 46-47 we find
Jesus telling the Pharisees this.
46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.
47
But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
The first words recorded in the holy scriptures bore witness to the existence of Yeshua, Jesus from the beginning.
Moses was not the author of the book
of Genisis or the other books of the Torah; he was the scribe who took the
dictation and transcribed it into letter form. Likewise, the other prophets and
apostles were not the authors of the instructions they convey.
Throughout time the ultra-religious either deny the instructions written in the Old Testament scriptures or refuse to believe in the revelations of Yeshua Jesus. Even today many from other religions and Jews in modern day Jewry refuse to recognize the eternal and divine nature of Yeshua Jesus. They do so when even the demons truthfully declare him to be the holy one, the Son of the living God. The devils know and they tremble.
You can’t claim to accept and stand fervently upon the written word of God yet at the same time reject the author. You can’t claim to follow instruction while refusing to hear the instructor.
In the book of Nehemiah, we are taught that the Israelites suffered because they had not read or been made aware of the writings and instructions of Moses for around nine hundred years. They suffered because they did not have the teachings contained within the word of God. They suffered with out having the guidance of Jesus, Yeshua, the Christ child of Nazareth, the word from the beginning.
Study to shew thyself approved. Don’t be taken in by strange fire/ errant theology. Stay steadfast, you knew before, you know better!
Be blessed
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