Yes. A believer can inherit Eternal Life by the free gift of the Savior, but he can forfeit his reward and lose his opportunity to rule and reign in the millennium Kingdom:
This compelling study looks at this question and answers it here through many scriptural references.
Let us start with chapter 10:11 of 1 Corinthians. ” These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us” ….. ( I Cor 10: 11 ) as well as verse 6 ” Now these things occurred as examples….
What are these warnings ? And what are these things that were recorded as examples for us? And what does the Word mean by “how not to follow after these things” ?
These are questions that are so important, that the whole understanding of a believers success as a ‘race runner’ to inherit the crown, hangs on the understanding of the ‘warnings’ as written in the passage of Corinthians 10. Verse 11 …’warnings for us on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come’. This is NOT the salvation message… See the teaching on In-Amen “who IS the bride really” ?
Scripture is very clear that salvation is a free gift and no man can work (or ‘race’ ) for it.
Verse 12. “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! ”
Let us look at these warnings and whose example are we to adhered to
Chapter 10 starts with “ For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact , brothers, that our forefathers were ALL under the cloud and that they ALL passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea … “
So here we have a people who just came out of Egypt UNDER THE BLOOD of the Passover Lamb on the doorposts of their homes, now also baptized by water as they passed through the Red sea ( a witness and testimony of ‘being made new’, a sign of being ‘washed by water’ as they passed through the Red sea under the splendour of God )
Now these same people, as it says in verse 3 “ they ALL ate the same spiritual food ( ‘mannah’ ( that witnesses of our Savior who is the bread of life) and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual Rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”
The Word says very clearly that they had partaken of the blood (on the doorposts) , they were baptized/immersed in the Red Sea; they took “communion” of the bread and drink – the manna from heaven and the drink from the Rock that was Christ . It is very clear from these Scriptures that these people were ALL saved, all redeemed from Egypt ( they were God’s firstborn son) and saved by the blood when all the Egyptian firstborn who did not have the blood on their doorposts were destroyed.
They were not “unbelievers” or a people who did not know Him. Yet verse 5 says “ Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, their bodies were scattered over the desert”
Now we come to verse 6 that says “… these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did”
Now before we go into detail as to what that means, let us understand one very sobering point here. These are a people that were saved by the blood of the Passover Lamb and that ate and drank the same spiritual food and drink ( ” for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them and that rock was Christ” verse 4 ) Yet they DID NOT inherit the promised land.
And this is the crux of this message. A promise comes with conditions attached to it. A free gift ( salvation) does not .
It is a warning to us today, that those of us who are under the blood of our Saviour, who are saved from the penalty of sin and death, who are believers, can forfeit our inheritance into the Millennium Kingdom reign and rule.
This is a sobering Kingdom message and NOT a salvation message, as all who are saved by the blood and are reborn by the power of the Spirit, have eternal life. 1 Tim 1: 16 …. those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life”. One of many scriptural references of faith and eternal life, but do not confuse eternal life with inheritance into ‘ruling and reigning’, as the Scripture teaches.
If we DIE with him, we shall LIVE with Him, ( salvation message)
and if we SUFFER ( endure) with Him, we shall REIGN with Him” ( kingdom message; the salvation of the soul) 2 Tim 2:11
This is a huge difference and for this reason has the “example” and “warning” been given for us to adhere to.
Now let us look at the astonishing account of this happening in the First Covenant ( Old Testament) As the Spirit of God opens our eyes, we will see something in these passages that has eluded many. Countless teachings are watered down, feel good teachings that say “the blood of Christ qualifies us for rule and reign” . Not so! A believer who is now ‘under the blood’ , but who continuous to live as the world does and revel in his flesh, undisciplined, partaking of the lusts of the world shall “forfeit his inheritance,” just as the example has proved of the many who came out of Egypt under the blood , yet “short of the promise”. The same is said in the Word of Esau who “despised his birthright” for a pot of lentils ( for things of this world) He was the firstborn to inherit the double portion, but he threw it away due to the lust of the flesh. Let us understand that for those who overcome much is the reward. One does not get rewarded for the blood. It is a costly gift , an unfathomable sacrifice that brought us from darkness into His light. The overcomer is the one that saves “his SOUL” by overcoming ON the Blood AND the power of the Spirit within him, the world and the flesh and the devil. In the Book of Revelations, Christ speaks much of “those who overcome” . Who is He addressing? ! NOT the world. He speaks to each of the 7 “churches” and it is sobering to read His disapproval of most of them and the things He disapproves of. But to the overcomer He says “ great is your reward”
Let us get a full and comprehensive understanding of the difference between the eternal kingdom and the millennium kingdom ,the 1000 year reign of Christ. We will see that from Matthew to Revelation, this message is the passionate teaching of our Savior and of the apostles, as well as from the Old Testament ( First Covenant) where we get the pattern from.
Let us look at the account of the Israelites out of Egypt.
Numbers 13:26 “They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.
27: they gave Moses this account: ‘we went into the land to which you sent us and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendents of Anak there……………
then further in verse 30 “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said ‘ we should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.
31” but the men who had gone up with him said ‘ we can not attack these people, they are stronger than we are’
Are these not the same firstborn son that just saw the Red sea opened? Are these not the same people that saw the astounding account of the judgment on Egypt just a short few months ago that are now reporting ” they are stronger than we ” ?
These are the same people that saw “ YAHUWAH ( The LORD ) sent thunder and hail and lightning flashed down to the ground. So YAHUWAH rained hail on the land of Egypt…….. it was the worst storm in the land of Egypt since it has become a nation……….the only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen where the Israelites were. ( Exodus 9: 22-26)They also saw “ .. total darkness covered all Egypt for 3 days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lives”. Then there was the account of the locusts, the boils, the diseases on livestock, flies and gnats, frogs and water to blood, staff to snake. The same people who stood at the edge of the Red sea with the Egyptian army behind them” and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and on their left !”
A pillar of fire and cloud protected them and with their own eyes they could see it!
And now they say “ we cannot attack these people, they are stronger.” Stronger than who? “ …stronger than we” they replied. Thus they are now TURNING BACK to what which was started in the spirit – in beholding the power of the Creator, to now relying on the arm of their own flesh. Saying “ we seemed like grasshoppers in our OWN eyes and we looked the same to them” verse 33. Gal 3: 3 says “ Are you so foolish !? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?”
Continuing from Chapter 14 “they cried out aloud that whole night, they grumbled and then said in verse 2 “if only we had died in Egypt ! or in this desert!”
They then decided to go back to their OLD way of life, “back to Egypt” they said.. Going back to ‘the old life’ is a grievous sin to our heavenly Father. It is like a dog ‘returning to its vomit’ 2 Peter 2:20-22 ” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were in the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed down to them. Of them the proverbs are true ‘a dog returns to its vomit ‘ and ‘a sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud’ ( This corresponds with Hebrews 6 verses 4-8)
Joshua and Caleb spoke all they could, of how the LORD HIMSELF will fight for them, but v.10 “ the whole assembly talked about stoning them”
Now here comes a very important part. V11 “ YAHUWAH said to Moses ‘ How long will these people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them…..”
Now we will come back to Moses standing in the gap here. But first let us look at verse 39 of chapter 14 “ when Moses reported this to all the Israelites” (meaning, the reply of the LORD ) and they saw the 10 spies ‘ were struck down and had died’ except for Joshua and Caleb), “they MOURNED BITTERLY” and said in verse 40 “ WE HAVE SINNED”
And we know of the account of them trying to go up against the enemy and then were defeated. V 44-45
Now in the previous verse 18, what was Moses’s petition before the LORD ? He pleaded for these people even with his own life. He now stood in the gap between the wrath of the Almighty and the sinful ‘firstborn son’ , saying “ YAHUWAH is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished” v.19 “in accordance with your great love, FORGIVE the sin of these people, just as You have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now”
V 20 “ YAHUWAH replied “I HAVE FORGIVEN THEM”
V21 “NEVERTHELESS. AS SURELY AS I LIVE AND AS THE GLORY OF YAHUWAH FILLS THE WHOLE EARTH, NOT ONE OF THE MEN WHO SAW MY GLORY AND THE MIRACULOUS SIGNS I PERFORMED IN EGYPT AND IN THE DESERT, BUT WHO DISOBEYED ME AND TESTED ME TEN TIMES, NOT ONE OF THEM WILL EVER SEE THE LAND I PROMISED ON OATH TO THEIR FOREFATHERS”
Let us see the corresponding verse in Exodus 32:32 “ but now please forgive their sin, but if not , then blot me out of the Book You have written”
v 34 “ now go lead the people to the place I spoke of and My angel will go before you. However when the time comes for Me to punish, I will punish them for their sin”
Psalm 89 v 31 “ if they violate My decrees and fail to keep My commands, I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging. v33 , BUT I will NOT take My love from Him, nor will I ever betray My faithfulness” – This correspond much to 2 Tim 2:11-13 !
We see the forgiveness of sin ( because of the blood ) and the punishment of sin.
Let us look at 1 Cor 3: 11 “ for no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which Jesus Christ” (YAHUWshuah)
But what does the preceding verse say?……… Yet let each man be careful how he builds on it!
And in v 12 “ If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day ( the day of judgement / the light of Christ) will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss, he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. ( Note that the Foundation we stand on , the Blood, cannot burn , only the works)
Malachi 3 verse 2 ” but who can endure the Day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiners fire or a launderers soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver ; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver”
2 Cor 5 : 10 “ For we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive, what is due him for the things done while in the body whether good or bad”
Romans 14 : 10 also speaks of believers standing before the Judgment seat. The emphasis is on “believers”
There is a separate judgment for unbelievers, as they do not have the FOUNDATION as spoken of in Corinthians. Thus the judgment is different, as written in Revelations. And we will expand on this teaching at a later stage.
Now what will we be judged for ? As the Blood , which is the Foundation, cannot be judged, but only that which is built on that foundation.
We are born again and are as a “baby” at first, which is on “milk” ( see 1 Corinthians 3: 1 “Brothers ( NOT “unbelievers”- let us note that), I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly, mere infants in Christ”
V 3 “you are still worldly” ! We see here that believers covered under the blood and who are saved, can be “babies” and “worldly” ! Thus the words in Philippians 2: 12 “ work OUT your salvation with fear and trembling” A believer cannot work FOR his salvation as it is a free gift , it is by grace, through faith, so no man can boast ( Ephesians 2: 8 ) Any man who do righteous works by the flesh can boast, or any “law-ful works”. That is why all have the same Foundation, by grace, a free gift by faith. There is no “keeping the law to gain salvation” otherwise man can boast of his greatness by “keeping” this or the other, more than another brother ( that is SELF –righteousness) but The Father calls us to HIS righteousness, and His righteousness is His Son, the Word, that becomes our righteousness, the Foundation of our faith on which we built. Are the WORDS of the Law righteous and eternal? Yes it is . But what does the Word say about where eternal life come from? Look at 1 John 5: 11 ” ” and this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son” Where does death come from? Death comes from sin. Where does the sin come from? From the law. Look at Rom 7 : 7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! For I would not have known what sin was except through the law For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said ‘ do not covet ‘ But sin seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead”
v 24 ………who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to our God, through Jesus Christ our Lord”
From the preceeding verses we cleary see that the SIN defined in the law causes eternal death- thus the law itself is holy
And who overcame both sin and death? Christ did! Rom 8: 2 ” because through Christ the law of the spirit of life, set me free from the law of sin and death ” It does not say that he has made me free from the righteousness of the law. No He set me free from the power of sin that came through the eternal law. ONLY the Blood of our Savior could do that. No amount of good law keeping and confessing on our behalf could save us from eternal death.
Rom 6: 11 “ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Jesus Christ”
It is clearly depicted in scripture that we only know sin , because the law has made it visible and the only way to be redeemed from the curse of the law which is death and remains death for ALL who does not fall under the Blood of Christ. v 23 says “for the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”
John 3: 18 ” he who believes in Him is not condemned... ( the same is Romans 8:1) It does not say ” he who does the 10 commandments and the whole law is not condemned” Chapter 8 : 25 The Savior said to her “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE….” Thus eternal life is IN THE SON and NOT in a command, though we will not inherit any position in the millennium kingdom if we do not keep the righteousness of the law. And we will show that further through this teaching.
And when we sin , what do we do? We can repent! Yes praise our Savior that when we repent , we fall on the Blood. But brothers and sisters in Christ, heed the scripture in 1 Corinthians 3 of works of ‘hay, straw and stubble’. Note, that when you keep on erring and keep on repenting, each time that you do, you go back to hay , straw and stubble and that is as unacceptable for a reward, as is NO works. Let us thus spur each other on as long as it is today, to do HIS works of righteousness for such will build on your foundation gold, silver and precious stones. For those who OVERCOME by the power of the Spirit over sin, they build with gold, silver and precious stones.
Now what are these “warnings” that are spoken of to believers in the Letter to the Corinthians? And why are they examples for us today ?
A key element was their unbelief. Their unbelief in His promise.
They believed in Him as their God and Savior . They saw His works with their very own eyes! God says of them “…. generation that SAW my miraculous works…..”. And did they know His name? Yes , they believed He was the Almighty Creator and Saviour to them; they called on His Name ! Why then “unbelief”?
Let us first look at Psm 99 : 8 “ O Yahuwah our God, you answered them, You were to Israel a FORGIVING God, THOUGH You punished their misdeeds”
The Word says that Israel is the apple of His eye, the root which He has planted Psm 80:14 “watch over this vine, the root Your Right Hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself”
Psm 106 : 12 “ Then they believed His Promises and sang His praise
v.13 but they soon forgot what He had done, and DID NOT WAIT FOR HIS COUNCIL
v14 In the desert they GAVE IN to their cravings, in the wasteland they put God to the test… (v.16) “they grew envious ”
v23 “ So He said He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him, to keep His wrath from destroying them
24 Then they despised the pleasant land ( as did Esau , and even thought Esau wept , he could not bring about a change of mind), they did not believe His promise ( saying it twice in this Psm )
they grumbled in their tents and did not OBEY Yahuwah ( the Lord)
And as we read further it accounts also for the other things they did.
So, are we any more righteous today than they were? No, as the Scripture says “ ALL have sinned and fallen short”. As Moses stood in the gap before Him, so does our Saviour stand in the gap for us; to protect us of the PENALTY of sin, but NOT of the righteous, set-apart/ holy commands of the law. Otherwise , why is there ANY judgment? The Blood cannot be judged, then what is to be judged? Our works will be judged “ for we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ , that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body whether good or bad” 2 Corinthians 5:10
Our reward will be for works of obedience , works of righteousness, works of self-lessness. Works that the Spirit within us can bare THROUGH us / doing HIS works of righteousness through us. That is our reward. And those not having such works, will suffer loss ( loss of reward , not of salvation ) 1 Cor 3 : 15
Psm 107 is another example. It talks about 4 kinds of believers . Those ‘wandering in the desert’, ‘those who sat in darkness’, those who ‘became fools through their rebellious ways’ and those ‘who went out on the sea’ . All of them cried out to God and repented and he restored them.
Those in the world who have rejected Him or do not believe, have a different judgement from us who stand of the Foundation of the blood of Christ.
But when believers who stand on His Foundation fall into temptation and sin, God is merciful and when we repent, will forgive us of our sins, trespasses and transgressions against Him and He will restore us. But what did such a person do during his rebellion/ disobedience/wickedness? He added MUCH wood,hay and straw to his foundation . And the purifying fire will test each mans work says the Scripture in 1 Cor 3 : 14 ” if what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (as the foundation cannot burn, but ones works can.)
Isaiah 33:11 ” you conceive chaff, you give birth to straw… ”
Let us build with gold, silver and precious stones! Laying down our lives so that the Spirit of God can work righteous works through us to the glory and splendour of our Creator.
Psm 78:17 “ but they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. They willfully put God to the test, by demanding the food they craved, they spoke against God saying ‘can God spread a table in the desert”? “When He struck the Rock water gushed out and streams flowed abundantly. But can He also give us food?”
V 22” For they did not believe in God or trust in His deliverance” YET He gave a command to the sky above and opened the doors of the heavens.”
It is enlightening to read all of this Psm.
They did not believe in God as to who He is, because they know they were purchased by the Blood of the Passover Lamb out of Egypt, but their unbelief and rebellion was against His WORD and His promises.
Psm 78: 6 … ‘teach your children… so that the next generation would know them’ ( His wonders/laws/commands/deeds- see the verses above 1-5)
V7 “ THEN they would put their TRUST in God ( not in the flesh) and would not forget His deeds. They would not be like their forefathers , a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to Him. V 10 “ They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law”
Read all of Psm 78
It says in the above verse “ whose hearts were not loyal to Him” In Matt 6: 24 it says “ ……you cannot serve both God and mammon”
Numbers 14 : 28 “so tell them, as surely as I live, declares Yahuwah, I will do to you the very things I HEARD YOU SAY. In this desert your bodies will fall.. v30 “ not one of you will enter the land…” v 31 ( but for Caleb and Joshua) “ I will bring them into the land that you have rejected. V 33 speaks of “ suffering for your unfaithfulness” v 35 calls them a “ wicked community”
During prayer on this subject, God gave us this word:
“Follow through on everything that you have been shown, says YAHUWAH Each step will lead to the next step so complete the first steps first. There is much excitement ahead and great blessings, but they can only be found through focus and harvested with gratitude. A man who writes down his goals and then does not fervently measure his progress will never know how close he is. The Israelites could have known where they were if they had focused on their ultimate goal instead of complaining about the circumstances of the day. Keep moving forward at all times and convey to others that this will be what you will continue to do, with them or without them.”
The Word above was given to us by The Spirit to emphasis again on not following the examples of our forefathers.
The Prophet Isaiah (YashaYahuw ) 63: 8 “ surely they are My people, sons who will not be false to Me and so He became their Saviour. 9. In all their distress, He too was distressed and the angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and mercy He redeemed them, the lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. 10 YET they rebelled against Him and grieved His Holy Spirit, so He turned and became their enemy
v. 11 then His people recalled the days of old………
v12 who sent His glorious arm of Power to be at Moses’s right hand
v16 “ ……you oh Yahuwah are our Father, our Redeemeder from of old, is Your name”
So again we see time and time again that they believed in WHO He is, they were His sons, they were ‘of HIS household” . Yet they were in unbelief toward His WORD and rebelled against His WORD”
Isaiah says in 42:19 “ who is blind , but My servant” .
Unbelievers are lost and blind, it is not needed to say to them “blind you are” , but a SERVANT who is blind ( to the righteous Law of the Creator and rebellious to His Heavenly Father) is the subject of many parables. In these parables Christ calles certain SERVANTS “ wicked”, “unprofitable” and “lazy”. Other servants He calls “GOOD” and “ FAITHFUL”.
There are virgins He calls “foolish” ! and there are virgins He calls ” WISE ” ( notice they are all 10 CLEAN, thus virgins) He calls only 5 of them“ WISE” !
Again He teaches on SHEEP that He says are LOST. ( sheep = believer )
“ these are rebellious people, deceitful CHILDREN, children unwilling to listen to Yahuwah’s instruction. saying in V. 10 … .. “give us no more visions of what is right, tell us pleasant things” ! ( Isaiah) 30: 9
See also Deut 1: 25-36 . Quoting here only v 30 “Yahuwah your God who is going before you, will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt before your very EYES , AND in the desert. There you saw how Yahuwah your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went up until you reached this place. V32” In SPITE OF ALL THIS, you did not TRUST in Yahuwah your God”
It says in 1 Cor 10 v 6, as we mentioned earlier as well “ now these things occurred as examples”…
We see above the many things that they did to displease the Father, and in Corinthians it adds more for us to heed to , so that we will not fall short; not disinherit our reward in the Kingdom reign of Christ ( meaning that the Blood , our Foundation, gives us eternal life, but ruling and reigning depends on our submissive will to the Spirit, to work THROUGH us works of righteousness that will result in gold, silver and precious stones)
It adds the following “ to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things” and “do not be idolaters as some of them were”
Now let us interject here for a brief moment “ idolatry” you say? Well we in the “modern age” , as believers in Christ , we do not have idols, or better phrased “ we in the ‘church’ do not have idols such as a ‘golden calf’ or a ‘statue with many arms’ etc. so at least that one we can say proudly “ we do not do”
Let us see what it says in 1 Sam 15: 22 ( after King Saul was disobedient to the command The Lord gave him to kill Agag the king of the Amalekites) “Does Yahuwah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of Yahuwah?
To OBEY is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams, v23 : for REBELLION is LIKE the sin of witchcraft and ARROGANCE ( stubbornness) LIKE the evil of IDOLATRY. Because you have rejected the WORD of Yahuwah, He has rejected you as king”
Also Colossians 3: 5 “ Put to death ( an action WE are to do by asking the Spirit to enable us with His power to do so) therefore whatever belongs to your earthly nature, sexual immorality, uncleanliness, depraved passions, evil desire and covetousness, ALL OF WHICH are IDOLATRY.”
Other warnings in Corinthians are “ testing Him and grumbling. Even grumbling!
Look what is says in Acts 7:39 ” But our fathers refused to obey Him. Instead they rejected Him and in their hearts returned back to Egypt“And again, in Heb 3: 9 he gives further warnings of the “things they did”…. v.9“ do not HARDEN your heart, as in the rebellion, as in the years of the testing in the wilderness, where your fathers tested me by their FORGETTING again of Me and I had to teach them My works for 40 years” KCT
Christ says to His OWN in Revelations 2: 3 “ You have persevered and have endured hardships for My name and have not grown weary” Yet I hold this against you. You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent!”
There is a committed love that we have ( perseverance/endurance), but ‘first love’ is recognized by ‘joy and worship’. Worship is not praise. It is seeking Him solely for who He is – speaking words of adoration, speaking His Word to Him- Words of His nature and character. Worship is speaking our love to Him. We speak praises to His name and we sit in His Presence until the fullness of His Presence manifests. That is what brings joy. Worship brings joy, and this joy ushers in and maintains ‘first love’ It is an act of the will and once you enter in and subdue the flesh, the Spirit within you takes over and you get filled up with this love that brings joy , that exudes “first love”
And it is good for us to again study what He says to the other of the 7 Covenant families ( ‘churches’)
The Word says that ANYTHING that is NOT of FAITH, is sin.
So let us build on our Foundation with His righteousness and bring forth His fruit ,which is the works of His Spirit within us, resulting in much gold, silver and precious stones. As it says further in the chapter of 1 Corinthians 10 : 12 “ so if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall”
Let us keep our hearts pure and pray and seek the presence of the Spirit every moment of each day to keep us standing firm and to hear His voice and follow His guidance so that we will be FULL of His WORD and be careful to do all He desires. To study carefully the Scriptures to find His will and desire.
YermiYahuw (Jeremiah) 17 : 10 “ I, Yahuwah search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve”
To conclude with this study, we have seen through Scripture the warnings to us not to follow the example of those in the wilderness who did not inherit the land.
Now those of the majority that did not inherit the land, what happened to them? To those who came out of Egypt under the blood of the Passover lamb. Did their Heavenly Father just abandoned them? No! He forgave them, for it also says in the Word
AND for those 40 years they had food from heaven!. They had water in the desert! They still had the pillar of cloud and fire!
Deuteronomy 8:4 . “Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. !!
Neh. 9: 19 ” Because of Your great compassion ,You did not abandoned them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor did the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20. You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths and you gave them water for their thirst. 21 For 40 years you sustained them in the desert, they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen”
Deuteronomy 29:5
5 During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. !!
But with the majority of them” He was not pleased”…yet He looked after them.
“ for without faith it is impossible to please Him” says the Word.
And what is the guideline for running this race and not forfeit the inheritance?
HIS WORD
Psm 19 : 7
“ The Law (Torah /instructions) of Yahuwah is perfect, REVIVING the soul”
The witness and testimony ( statutes) of Yahuwah are trustworthy, Making WISE the simple
The Orders (Precepts) of Yahuwah are RIGHT , Giving JOY to the heart
The Commands of Yahuwah are radiant, Giving LIGHT to the EYES
The fear of Yahuwah is pure, Enduring forever
The Right-rulings ( ordinances) of Yahuwah are sure ( true) and altogether righteous, They are more precious than gold, much gold . They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. BY them YOUR SERVANT is WARNED. In KEEPING THEM there is MUCH REWARD”
Let us again remind ourselves that our Saviour stood in the gap for us , as to the PENALTY of sin that came through the Law. That is what it means when the Word says ” you are not under the law” but of faith. For if the law could give a man life, then Christ did not have to die! Then all man had to do was keep the commandments and he is saved! In breaking the Law/ the Covenant Words (ALL of the set-apart/holy righteous requirements of the law ) is sin and the penalty thereof is death and separation eternal from the Creator, our Father in heaven. But Christ took the curse of the law in our stead. He IS the law, because He IS the WORD. Thus the righteousness of the Law is now a requirement for our inheritance. Psm 19 “BY them YOUR SERVANT is WARNED, In KEEPING THEM there is MUCH REWARD” We are speaking of REWARDS (NOT salvation) and that is something we have to WORK on by submission to His law and commands and to subdue the flesh so that HIS SPIRIT can bear the fruit ( works) through us. He has taken the penalty of the law upon himself, He took the curse , but the RIGHTEOUSNESS and “holiness” of the law NEVER did He “do away with” . Never did he nail THAT to the cross. Only that which was AGAINST us, was nailed to the cross. Thus, it does not give us license to say ” well, I am NOT under the law, so I need not keep it” Absolutely not. 2 John 5 ” and this is love, that we walk in obedience to His commands” . So we keep His law , because we are under LOVE , so as to PLEASE Him. And why is it possible for us to keep His law? Because it says in Romans that we are NO LONGER a SLAVE to sin. That does not mean we can no longer sin, but that we have a CHOICE . Only a slave has no choice. So when we, because of the Blood of Christ , are no longer slaves to sin, we can OVERCOME it by the blood and the power of the Spirit within us.
Knowing His commands, law, statutes, orders, precepts, ALL of His requirements as set out in His Word, and then falling short of doing them and keeping them, we will forfeit our reward. ALL His instructions are important. NOT for eternal Life, as eternal life is ONLY in the Blood not in the law, but ALL mans rewards are in the righteous fruitfulness of submitting to Him, laying down one’s life to the will of the Spirit, keeping His commands, doing His Word.
But what happens to those who are disobedient to His Word? Or to those who do not repent? What does the Word say about the “wicked servant”? The slothful ? The unfaithful SERVANT ? The unwise, the foolish, the lazy, the unprofitable? These are NOT unbelievers, as the Word does NOT speak of unbelievers as “servants”.
In the parables, our Saviour tells of those who did not inherit the position of rulership or to reign with Him. Nevertheless they were IN the Kingdom, but OUTSIDE of the light . As He says “ throw the wicked servant outside” ( ****************************************
Likewise, the 5 foolish virgins were OUTSIDE of the door of the banquet. All they did was being foolish! An in-depth study of what that means, are under ” who is the Bride of Christ really” in the teaching section of this website.
There are un-repented sin ( wicked servants) and there are servants who are characterized by ‘laziness and foolishness’. Some servants are in outer darkness, some are just outside of the banquet door. We have only the examples as are written in the Word. I am sure there are countless, countless! things that righteous servants have done and are doing, that will be rewarded. Things we never remembered we even did, but when a servant walks in humility and love and in opposite direction of the world’s agenda, such a servant is “minding the business of His Commander and not getting involved with civilian affairs” as Paul writes. The reason for the Word giving these warnings are so that we can be mindful of the THINGS OF THE SPIRIT at ALL times. That we will not lose hope or give up.
The Blood gives us the right to stand IN the Kingdom by His mercy and His grace, but our FAITHFULNESS to the very end of the race is to perfect our souls, ( 1 Peter 1: 9 ” for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” ) He is able to do that in us as we submit to Him and we will hear the words “ well done, my good and faithful servant” , come into your Masters place and receive from Him a DOUBLE portion.
You see, the Firstborn is the one ( as the pattern of the First Covenant establishes ) who inherits the double portion, but we see that MANY a firstborn we rejected from that position, just as Esau and Ruben are examples of . Therefor let us be alert and awake, taking up HIS armour as in Eph 6 and fight the good fight of FAITH, so that our love does not grow cold in the fight against unbelief, fear and doubt which war against our souls. For GREATER is He that is in us and we can overcome the one in the world, the evil one , and the worlds desires and the flesh, by His power. As He says , it is ” not by might , nor by power, but BY MY SPIRIT” says YAHUWAH of Hosts of the armies of Heaven”
Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up. Gal 6: 9 emphasis on REAP (reward in the Kingdom) For only those who are ALLREADY on the Foundation of the Blood , has ANY hope of reaping.
In conclusion of this study we can pray “My Father Yahuwah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, I thank you for purchasing my redemption with the Blood of your Son and may I rather suffer in the flesh here in the ‘land of the living’ for your righteousness my Father, than in the darkness outside of Your Light in Your Kingdom, so I may behold Your glory at your throne forever and ever. May Your perfect set apart Spirit wrought righteousness in us as you work powerfully through our subdued will and flesh to not seek after the things of this world anymore, but only to seek Your will , your desire, Your Word which is Christ in us, our hope and glory”
AmaniYAH ! which means ” we believe and serve Yah”