Identifying the cosmic system, part 6; John 15:19; 7 expressions from the cross.

Title: Identifying the cosmic system, part 6; John 15:19; 7 expressions from the cross.

 

1 John 2:13 I am writing to you, fathers [first believers, probably eye witnesses of Christ and mature believers], because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one [poneros]. I have written to you, children [new converts], because you know the Father.

 

1 John 2:14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong [divinely powerful], and the word of God abides [meno - abides = divinely virtuous] in you, and you have overcome the evil one [poneros].

 

“I have written” refers to John’s extensive ministry as a non-resident pastor. He has written and continues to write as a non face to face PT. Geographical location is not important. Identification of your right PT is what is important.

 

The children category is left out because John is back on the subject of the poneros of the cosmos, the evil deception of the cosmos and the ruler or evil one that promotes it. The infant believers have to gain more of the meat of the word of God in order to be ready to get off the bench and overcome the system.

 

The fathers are described in the exact same way, as spiritually mature.

 

The young me have overcome the evil one. They have done so in one way and one way only, executing the PPOG by plugging with doctrine.

 

Divine virtue overcomes the cosmos, especially virtue love. You don’t lose your virtue by sinning; you lose your virtue by being negative towards doctrine.

 

This was the battle cry of our Lord and the legacy that He left behind for us as He spoke His last words in the upper room, in His priestly prayer, at His unfair trials, and even on the cross.

 

Therefore we parallel this passage by examining the heritage of the Church Age, the heritage of the royal family of God, as given in the will of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.

 

On the cross the Lord Jesus Christ made a verbal will. It is composed of seven expressions, they are all one way or another related to the conflict of the plan of God and the cosmic system.

 

The PPOG is the Christian way of life for the royal family.

 

First expression:

 

Luke 23:34 But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."

 

This is a statement made from impersonal unconditional virtue love.

 

Virtue love is a part of the royal family heritage. Impersonal love is the integrity, the royal family honor code, the solution to all the personality conflicts of life, the basis for your own peace of mind and the only Millennium you will ever have on this earth which is inside your own soul.

 

All problems in life must be solved from a stabilized base, and that stabilized base is impersonal love.

 

Personal love, no matter how romantic or emotional; no matter how much it involves, physical, mental, and even spiritual attraction, cannot be self-perpetuating.

 

Personal love cannot rely on itself because it is not a stabilized base. It is emotional and weak since it depends on the response of the object of attraction. It often makes for two unstable people.

 

It is impossible to perpetuate any form of human love no matter how noble, honorable, or great. It is impossible to perpetuate any form of love or honor apart from your own personal function in impersonal love. Impersonal love is the basis for every great thing in life.

 

Legacy #1 - be stabilized and perpetuated with My impersonal, unconditional, virtue love.

 

Second expression:

 

Luke 23:39 And one of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!"

 

He is demanding that Christ save him from physical death, but that is not his biggest problem by far.

 

Israel had a similar demand at Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

 

Mark 11:9-10

And those who went before, and those who followed after, were crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!"

 

This wasn’t a cry for saving them from their sins, from their spiritual death, it was a cry to save them from the Romans and to establish the kingdom promised to David. They wanted the crown and not the cross. The thief on our Lord’s left wants physical life but not spiritual life.

 

Luke 23:40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

 

Luke 23:41 "And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."

 

Luke 23:42 And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"

 

Luke 23:43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

 

In the midst of intense personal suffering impersonal love still thinks of others.

 

Impersonal love is divinely powerful and overcomes all personal suffering. It’s so easy to get your eyes on yourself in suffering, but here our Lord’s will to us, the heritage He leaves to us is that we will be persecuted in this world, the world will hate, but agape, virtue love overcomes all of it to the extent that even in the most intense personal and undeserved suffering we continue to think of the needs of others.

 

In the midst of intense personal suffering impersonal love does not condemn sin in others - operates in grace and not justice.

 

Jesus Christ does not condemn the negative man; in fact He will soon pay for all of the negative man’s sins. The judgment of him is with the Father. The issue of salvation is clear to him and his free will has the right to choose.

 

It’s so easy to condemn and devour others when we are in personal pain. Impersonal love is divinely powerful to operate in grace and not justice.

 

Legacy #2 - live for others, do not condemn or judge or operate in justice; live and be witnesses of My grace.

 

Third expression:

 

John 19:25 Therefore the soldiers did these things. But there were standing by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

 

John 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" 

 

John 19:27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

 

It is the expression of impersonal love’s integrity and responsibility.

 

Impersonal love carries maximum expression of a sense of responsibility in the function of integrity. Impersonal love is the only approach to mankind whether you know the person [personal love] or whether it is just another face in the crowd.

 

The principle should be quite obvious.

 

Impersonal love has the strongest expression of human integrity, and from this human integrity comes responsibility. It is only as we have a sense of responsibility that we as believers thoughtfully use our freedom.

 

In other words, we properly use our freedom inside the plan that we have inherited from Christ.

 

Legacy #3 - Fulfill your responsibilities dictated by My integrity. Take care of the body of Christ in grace and love.

 

Fourth expression:

 

Matt 27:45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.

 

Matt 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, " Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? "that is," My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? "

 

This is an expression of spiritual death and therefore the expression of substitutionary atonement by which we become members of the royal family of God and enter the divine plan of heritage.

 

The plan is His heritage to us. By means of believing in Christ we enter it. This plan is a working out of what He has done and all that He is. We have it because of spiritual death.

 

Spiritual death was the most excruciating pain that the Lord ever faced. He had no idea what it would be like, yet He did it for us. The ultimate happiness that He always had was gone. It was replaced with ultimate misery. He could have ended it at any time but He waited, for what I’m sure for Him seemed like an eternity, for it all to be finished. Not one person would be lost, not one sin would go unaccounted for. This is His heritage to us.

 

Any time you are guilty, condemned, full of self-pity, etc. you are saying no to that heritage.

 

Legacy #4 - I have willingly suffered spiritual death for you. You will never die spiritually, so don’t live in guilt, condemnation, or self-pity. You are free from the bondage of sin.

 

Fifth expression:

 

John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I am thirsty." 

 

John 19:29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop, and brought it up to His mouth.

 

Impersonal unconditional love is able to think doctrine under severe pressure and physical pain.

 

He was ready to fulfill scripture before He left. The work is done. All things had been accomplished. His thirst indicates His intense suffering. Dehydration attacks the brain first and makes one disoriented and confused, but impersonal love is divinely powerful. Scripture must be fulfilled and the Lord has that in mind.

 

Part of His last will and testament - think My doctrine, My truth, my word always!

 

Ps 69:21

They also gave me gall for my food,

And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

 

Legacy #5 - You will find yourself under physical and mental pain which you didn’t deserve. Don’t stop thinking with My word in these times.