“Gather ye to Me My saints, making covenant with Me over a sacrifice.” (Psalm 50:6, Young’s Literal)

Covenant – a Hebrew word that means – a league, an eating.  It speaks of partaking together, that vital COMMUNION, “He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood”, so partaking of Him that our life is changed and merged into one with His life.  Such a covenant can only be made over a sacrifice.  Many have made their vows, their covenants with God, only to break them in due time.  He had blessed them and they rejoiced and made their vows, but as time passes the world draws them into its mesh, and they forget the vow they made unto the Lord.

Therefore, this covenant is made OVER A SACRIFICE.  It is painful, it goes deep into the marrow of our being, and it costs us everything.  Just as that merchant went seeking goodly pearls, and finding that pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had to buy that pearl, so also it will cost us everything of self; our ego, our own will, ambitions, plans, wishes.  All is laid out before Him, consumed upon the altar of sacrifice.  Indeed, we come to know what it means to offer ourselves “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, your reasonable service,” (Romans 12:1).

Continue reading →

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became Him, for whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Heb. 2:9-10)

Although God has ordained that man should fill a position of rulership over all the works of His hands, presently we do not see all things in subjection to man, but we see JESUS, Who, by the grace of God, did fully conquer all, and HE is bringing many sons into this same glory.

When in the process of the unfolding of His purpose God would reveal Himself to mankind, it was in the form of man; the creaturely form of His own creation, and this expression of Himself is called JESUS. “The express image of His person”, (Heb. 1:3). God, in the totality of His omnipresence cannot be confined to one form of expression, nor can He who is Spirit be limited only to the material, physical realm. But in the glorious revelation of His expressions to mankind, we find Him in various dimensions and manifestations. ONE GOD, yet revealed as SON, then as the “indwelling Comforter, the holy Spirit”, and yet to be more clearly revealed, as THE FATHER. Lesser forms of revelation are never lost, nor cast aside; they are swallowed up into the more complete revelations of our God. Our transition cannot be made in just one grand leap, nor can our understanding grasp and comprehend the whole when we have just begun our walk into spiritual realities. But “then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord”, (Hosea 6:3).

The idea has been expressed that to ‘go on’ means leaving behind the ‘Jesus realm’, but let it be clear, the ministry of Jesus is not complete till He has not only brought many sons unto glory, but until SALVATION “TO THE UTTERMOST” (Heb. 7:25) has been brought to EVERY CREATURE. Thus He is “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever (for all ages)”, (Heb. 13:8).

“Gather My saints unto Me, those that have made a covenant by sacrifice. (Psalm 50:5)

The qualification of those presently being gathered unto Him is found in this word “saints”, from the Hebrew “chasid”, also given as good, godly, holy, and merciful. Thus we read, “Know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for Himself”, (Psalm 4:3).

There are two kinds of separation these days. There are those who “separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit”, (Jude 19). These are ego-centered, soulish people who desire to go their own way, build for themselves and will not submit to the deeper inworkings of the cross in their self-life. But, there are, also, those whom the Lord sets apart, apprehends them for His own purpose, draws them away from the crowds that He might work into them the perfections of His own will. These are in contra-distinction to those that “went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have no doubt continued with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us”, (I John 2:19).

What a powerful message. Once you have ‘come out from among them”, and left the Babylonish, religious system behind, to be totally joined unto the Lord, to become His will, from thereon those who are not of one spirit with you will go out from you, separating themselves from you. Do not grieve over it all; see it as a work of the Lord, that actually HE HAS SET YOU APART FOR HIMSELF. For when God sets you apart, it is because there is a difference, you are not of this world. You now belong to Him, to His kingdom. Even if you try to mingle with them, you find yourself a mis-fit. You are not of them any more than they are of you. You are marked to be gathered unto Christ. This is the handiwork of God, conforming His called ones to His image, that in them He might be glorified.

“O Thou Spirit Divine, all my nature refine,
‘Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.”