ABUNDANT LIVING - Part 2 Lets look at the second half of John 10:10 again, Jesus said, I have come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly. The word abundantly speaks of, exceeding some number or measure or rank or need; over and above; more than is necessary; exceeding abundantly; supremely; something further or more, or much more than all; superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon. There are some who believe that the abundant life, that was paid for by Jesus Christ, is only in a spiritual sense, and nothing in a natural, physical or material sense. We need to understand that the spiritual will have an effect on the natural order of things and the natural will have an effect on the spiritual order of things. It is a two-way street. But the spiritual, is by far, more prevalent or dominant. Everything begins in the realm of the spirit (Hebrews 11:3), but there is also a strong hint of material blessing and prosperity in Scripture, as well! God blessed Abraham materially because of his obedience to God, and His obedience to God was the basis for his relationship with God. Galatians 3:6, Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. The fact that he was willing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, is proof that Abraham was willing to do anything God asked of him. And he trusted God to the point where he even believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). Now that is strong faith! Now look at this next passage from Genesis 14:21-23, Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself. But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, I raise my hand to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow that I will take nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, It is I who made Abram rich. Abram did not want anyone to think that his material wealth came from man! Which means what? Obviously, that all the material wealth he attained in life was bestowed on him from God alone. But there is something else that needs to be addressed here. Genesis 14:20 says, Worthy of praise is the Most High God, who delivered your enemies into your hand. Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. Abram refused to receive any of the spoil from his victory over the kings, and yet he gave a tithe of everything to Melchizedek king of Salem, priest of the Most High God. What can we possibly learn from this? Melchizedek was a type of Christ, serving both offices of priest and king. The priestly role, mentioned for the first time in Scripture, was one who acted in sacred things on the part of others. He was a mediator between God and man, representing God holding out the hand of mercy, and man reaching forth the hand of faith. The business of the priest was to offer sacrifices and to intercede, appealing to the mercy of God, as mediator between man and God. This had to do with the spiritual aspect of mankind. The role of king however, was the administration of civil affairs; the constitution of a theocracy form of government and the laws by which it is administered. This had to do with the natural aspect of mankind. Here we see the role of Jesus who was both priest and king, mediating between man and God, in the spiritual, as well as the natural. The dual role, of priest and king, covered both spiritual things, as well as natural or civil things, which meant dealing in the ordinary affairs of life or dealing in the condition of social order. In presenting the tithe of all the spoil of victory, Abram made a practical acknowledgment of the absolute and exclusive supremacy of God and of the authority and validity of the priesthood, which Melchizedek represented. Presenting tithe was a very significant act! Another significant act can be seen in Genesis 14:19, And he (Melchizedek) blessed him (Abram), and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. By blessing Abram, it is clear that Melkizedec was acting not only in a civil capacity as king, but also in a sacred capacity as priest. In the form of benediction, we see a blessing, or asking of good things for Abram, both in a spiritual sense, and also in a natural sense. We see this in how Melkizedec, as a priest and king, first appealed to God on behalf of Abram, and then addressed Abram on behalf of God. Thus, he performed the part of a mediator, in both the spiritual and natural aspects of priest and king. This should show us Gods plan of prosperity for all who believe. Abrahams relationship with God was so strong that there wasnt anything Abraham would not do for God. And in return, there wasnt anything God would not do for Abraham. Abraham was and is our example of complete and undeniable obedience. God expects this level of obedience from all of us, but He does not force us to obey Him. When we tithe, as in Abrams case, we are making a practical acknowledgment of the absolute and exclusive supremacy of God and of the authority and validity of the priesthood, which is represented by our church leaders. And for those who believe that tithing was first implemented by God through Moses, the story of Abraham is the first account of tithing long before the Law was given to Moses. Abraham, as he was called later, is our example, because he was strong in faith! From Romans chapter four, he is referred to as the father of our faith. Why? Because he exemplified the strongest faith of anyone in Scripture! Lets think about this for a moment. One purpose for abundantly blessing the children of Israel in the land of Canaan, was so they could be a witness to all the Gentile nations, that the God they served was the true and living God. In other words, their prosperity was to be used as a witness to the Gentile nations, as a way to direct them away from false gods, to the true and living God. This same example is expressed in the story of Abram, as described above. Abram did not want anyone to think that his material wealth came from man, but from God alone! His material wealth was a witness that he served the true and living God, who had bestowed it upon him. The story of Abram is a story of blessing that comes from God, based on obedience to God. Salvation is all-inclusive or comprehensive. The well-being of our triune being is a contented state of being happy and healthy and also prosperous, in every sense of the word. But also keep in mind, that ABUNDANT LIVING REQUIRES ABUNDANT GIVING!
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 01:47:30 +0000