Neh 3:6 Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
In the Book of Nehemiah, after the Sheep Gate and the Fish Gate comes the Old Gate. The spiritual meaning is death of the old person (i.e. our old sinful nature/flesh). The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit kills deeds of our flesh. The Old Gate signifies the demand of Jesus that the old nature must die, and one must be reborn to enter the kingdom of God. How can this happen? The Holy Spirit gives the believers the power to do so. By this miraculous transformation, Jesus’ followers have the ability to walk and live according to the will of God.
Yes, Jack had the first breakthrough today as he worshipped God and sought to hear God’s voice. He still did not know that he was hearing from God but he decided to obey the prompting of his heart (Holy Spirit) during his morning worship at home. He was urged to read Chapters eight and nine of the book of Ezekiel. He read about how the prophet Ezekiel was brought by the Holy Spirit to see the reality of the false religion of the elders of the church of Israel.
Jack was supposed to carry on reading the Book of Matthew, but he was led to read the above two chapters instead. He merely obeyed. When he read through them he was led to see the scenes of horror. Ezekiel was sitting with the elders quietly socializing, just like any other normal days. But he saw what God saw, their sins and all the abominations done within the house of God, worshipping idols and following superstitious religious practices of the unbelievers, land full of bloodshed, city full of perversity. God sent six angels having charge over the city to go round and utterly slay with their battle axes, starting with the elders of the church (before the temple). Only those who sighed and groaned over all the abominations committed in the midst of it were spared.
Ezekiel’s vision shocked Jack to the core and he interceded for the city he lived in for the first time with conviction and fear.
When he finally got down to reading Matthew, he had a breakthrough in the spirit. his old self must die because Jesus has given him a new self! The following is a record in his journal of living Biblically.
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DAY EIGHT-THIRTEEN: A BREAKTHROUGH IN LIVING BIBLICALLY ACCORDING TO JESUS
I had started this practice with zeal but not with sufficient knowledge. When I read the Gospel of Matthew, I realized that what Jesus taught was hard to impossible to do. As I progressed in reading I soon reached a point when I thought my efforts were futile. How could I be rejoicing in practice when being bullied? How could I not break any of the Law consciously or unconsciously? How could my righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees?
What Jesus demanded was beyond any human reach. For example, getting angry with your brother is same as murder. Looking at a woman and getting attracted to her is same as adultery. Plucking out your right eye if it causes you to sin. Cutting off your right hand if it causes you to sin. Divorcing your wife is causing her to sin (commit adultery). Not swearing any oath. Giving in to someone who bullies you, even to the extent of loving your enemy!
I regretted in choosing to start with this Gospel. So I stopped for a few days and read other parts of the Bible. Yesterday I re-read the verses and had a breakthrough! How blind I had been! The following is a summary of what I discovered about what Jesus was saying in Matthew 5: 17-48.
1. Verse 17: Jesus declared that he came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. It is Jesus who fulfilled and not us. Indeed he had already done so.
2. Verse 20: the righteousness (of God) that Jesus has imputed to His believers definitely exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. We received the righteousness by faith and not be works (just as Abraham did). (Romans 4)
3. Verses 21-37: when Jesus talked about the Law He pointed out the real causes of sins. For example, anger leads to murder; lust leads to adultery; covetousness of the eye leads to stealing; breaking of the marriage covenant leads to further breaches of the covenant; dishonesty leads to false swearing of oath. Therefore, what we need to watch out and deal with are the causes of sin and take preventive moral measure (Biblical inoculations and daily cleansing by the Word). Jesus was concerned with the sinful causes and not the Law because without the causes there would be no need for the Law.
4. Verses 38-48: Jesus contrasted the legitimate duty or right of a person with relationship-focus and service-attitude (far superior in value and worth in God’s eyes). God Himself after all is our role model. He needs not provide for us and yet He does it out of love, even for the unlovely. He has every legitimate reason to judge and sentence us but He has chosen to pardon and forgive.
My application: continue to seek God’s presence and read His words daily, to receive His cleansing and working into me continuously. Watch my mouth and behavior. Examine my motives before acting.
AAA Jack
2009-03-10
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