All Things New part 3
I'm really stuck on Revelation 21:5, "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful." I think it's super important. So today let's look at the phrase, "I make." It is number 4160 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "to make or do." Also, "bring forth, abide, agree, appoint." It is compared to number 4238 in Strong's which means, "to perform repeatedly or habitually." And it comes from the idea of a task that IS accomplished. So basically it's like this: I HAVE made all things new, I AM making all things new, and I WILL make all things new." Which is more or less what 2 Corinthians 1:10 says, "Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us." Past, present, and future all rolled into an old rugged cross. That's how the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world, and that's how people can get "saved" in a moment wherever they're at. I once head a question regarding baptism, "If I'm washing away all of my previous sins... what about my future sins? Do I need to get baptized again later on?" And before you chuckle, understand that this was a sincere question from someone trying to turn their life around. And, of course, the short answer is: When JESUS was baptized... when JESUS died on the cross... ALL of your sins were in the future. God wrote the end from the beginning, and He didn't leave anything to chance. But the thing about this finished work is that it doesn't always SEEM finished. And that's why we have sayings like, "I'm not where I need to be, but I'm not where I used to be either." Or, "I may not be perfect yet, but God's not through with me yet." (I actually like the first one a lot and that second one not at all. Because we ARE complete in Him. We are simply on a never-ending life-long journey of discovery. Finding out what it MEANS to be complete in Him. Learning and growing every day.) We seem to understand that a lot of the time we don't act like a finished project. We act like we're under construction. And sometimes that's really frustrating. It feels like one step forward and two steps back. Like we can't get any traction. Like we can't do it on our own no matter how hard we try. Spoiler alert: We can't do it on our own no matter how hard we try! And that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing. God doesn't expect us to do it on our own. If we could... where would HE fit in? His strength is made perfect in weakness, right? When we stop trying to do it without Him... that's when He has a chance to show up and show out. When we be still and know that He is God... that's when He has a chance to BE God. And that's when the things (us, specifically) that He has already MADE new... BECOME new. That's when manifestation happens. That's when what's inside comes out. Naturally. Purely and simply because we know and believe it's in there. So instead of trying to MAKE things new, on our own, which is doomed to failure, we can begin to SEE the change that took place 2,000 years ago. The change from death to life. The change from work to rest. Did you notice that He SITS upon the throne? In a posture of rest? He isn't working anymore, and yet He has, and is, and will make all things new!