(Genesis 3:7) And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. (Genesis 3:10) And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
When Adam & Eve sinned they suddenly knew they were naked. They thought by covering up the outside with the fig leaves they could hide the sin that was inside. That was the nakedness they were feeling.
This is what Job was talking about in Job 31:33 “If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:” It didn’t work for Adam and it doesn’t work for us. We can’t make ourselves pure and holy enough for the Lord in our own strength, God sees right through that. It took Jesus’ sacrifice to cover that sin.
(Luke 3:16) John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
After Passover came Pentecost. The Holy Ghost fulfilled Pentecost with the baptism of fire. This purifying fire is the power to purge the sin away. It is a cleansing process. While we are obedient to the Holy Ghost he begins to remove each sin that is within us. He will quicken in our spirits what he is dealing with, he will give us directions to follow and he will ALWAYS give us the strength to obey those directions. So there is never any excuse to not follow his lead. It is painful….being burned with fire is painful, but that is no excuse. We CAN walk in the Holiness that HE commands each day...…day by day.
While this process is going on, the robe of righteousness (imputed righteousness) protects us. Without it separation from God would come from the sins the Holy Ghost has not dealt with yet. We have to understand, while God is love, he is also HOLY and NO FLESH can stand in his presence, we need this robe to cover us.
There is coming a time when that the robe of imputed righteousness will be removed and what remains inside will be exposed. We must be obedient to the Holy Spirit as he cleanses us so that the nakedness of Adam will not be revealed to our shame.
This is what is spoken of in Revelation 3:17-18:
"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”
The Laodiceans thought they were rich and in need of nothing, they were glorying in their own success by their own hands. But they were in need of the fire of the Holy Ghost to purify them as pure gold. This sounds an awful lot like what the prophet Jeremiah spoke of..
Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart. (Jeremiah 9:23-26)
Let us heed the counsel of the Lord and let the Holy Spirit cleanse and circumcise our hearts before it is too late and we are exposed!
No comments:
Post a Comment