Experiencing Christ

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born…

This is the prophecy of Jesus being born. You might notice that this speaks of it as if it has already happened, but we know that it has not happened in the natural yet. That is the way prophecy is.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

One of the things that I have mentioned to you or talked to you about from the very beginning is the steps of change that we go through that are very, very important. Jesus is born a child, but He becomes a son. There is a gap or a space there. This is not only speaking of Him, but we come into Christ as a child. What we want to do is to continue to grow and to experience change until we become a son of God.

The government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful. So, one step in our progression into God is to get to know Him as Wonderful. It's easy to say, "He's wonderful!" But to know Him as wonderful, to experience His wonderfulness is something else. That is a step; that is progression.

Then after Wonderful is to know Him as a Counselor, that you realize as you are making progress in the Lord, as you are facing one particular thing after another, that He is there to counsel you and to give you directions on which step to take, how to take it, and where you are headed. We need to know Him as Counselor.

These are not just, "Well, I know He's wonderful. I know He's a counselor," but to experience it. After that comes the awareness, "Wow! He is the almighty God." Then the everlasting Father.

Each one of these is speaking of a relationship that we have with Him. In that relationship we know Him as Wonderful, then we move into a new relationship where we know Him as Counselor. We continue in our relationship with Him to know Him as The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government…

The increase of His government is the increase of His government in us. As we are changing, as we are moving forward, we have seen this all the way since the beginning of the Bible. The first thing we learned was "Abraham, come out of your country. We're going on a journey." That has happened with each one of us as we have come to the Lord. We find out, lo and behold, we are not just going to accept Christ as our Savior, "I'm saved, I'm ready to go." No, we are on a journey, and we will continue to increase until we become all those things. So, our relationship with the Lord, to know Him as Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace, this is to become as He is.

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end…

There is no end. There will be constant increasing.

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Now, there is a gap between verse 7 and verse 8 that makes you think we are switching here and start talking about something else. No, verse 8 says the same thing in a different way.

Isaiah 9:8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it has alighted upon Israel.

Jacob was a deceiver; that's what the word "Jacob" means. You know how he deceived his brother, Esau. He was a scoundrel. The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it has alighted upon Israel. It created an Israel. What a man he became.

That's what is happening to us. The Lord sends a word, and it lights upon us. The Jacob of our old man begins to change step by step as we learn to know the Lord and become an Israel. I am sure you are quite aware in the Scriptures that Israel is referring to Christ.

Now, let's go to John 14. In these scriptures, we may not have seen them so much as spiritual growth in the past, but that is the way I would like for us to see them today.

John 14:6 Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but [through] Me.

Here again, we are seeing progression. We're seeing the steps of becoming: He is the way, He is the course, He is the journey that we are on. He is the truth, and He is the life. We learn to know Him as the way, and until we learn the Lord as the way, you won't be able to walk in the way. We have to know Him in order to be on the journey. That was the way with Abraham. Suddenly, God was speaking to Abraham and he knew Him. He goes on this journey and he realizes that it was the Lord Himself that was the way, and the truth, and the life. These are steps toward fulfillment. No man comes unto the Father, but [through] Me. In the Greek, the word "comes" is erchomai, "is coming", a progression.

John 14:7 If you had known Me…

All of this is speaking of that one thing - to know Him.

John 14:7 If you had known Me, you should have known My Father also…

When we come into a relationship where we really know Christ, we will know the Father also.

John 14:7-9 …and from henceforth you know Him, and have seen Him.
8 Philip said unto Him, Lord, show us the Father and it suffices us.
9 Jesus said unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known Me, Philip? He that has seen Me has seen the Father…

That is the ultimate of coming into knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. When you know Him, you also know the Father.

John 14:9-10 …and how says you then, Show us the Father?
10 Believe not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?...

It takes some increase in understanding to understand the way the Scriptures speak. You read that, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?" It still sounds like two different individuals. "Well, He's in Me and I'm in Him." No, they are one and the same. I am in the Father, and the Father in Me.

John 14:10 …The words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwells in Me, He does the works.

Where is God dwelling? In the Lord. Where is God going to dwell ultimately? Not only in Christ, but in the many-membered Christ. He is coming forth in us. But we have to stay on the journey, and we must learn to know Him as the way. We learn to know Him as the Counselor, as Wonderful, The mighty God, and the rest - all of these are steps in our progress toward Him.

John 14:11-12 Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the very works' sake.
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes [into] Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father.

That is speaking the same thing as Isaiah was talking about, coming to the place where you know Him as The mighty God. You know Him by experience. The Hebrew word is yada. It means to know by experience.

John 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now.

Why not? Because we are too young in the Lord. We haven't learned enough. This little granddaughter here is learning, isn't she? She is a good example of growing, of changing, of becoming. That is where we have been. We started out as infants, just little Christians, but we're changing and growing and becoming. I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. But as we mature and grow up, the Lord will be able to reveal more to us and we will learn more.

John 16:13-15 Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come.
14 He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you.
15 All things that the Father has are Mine…

How does Jesus mean that? He's not saying, "Now, the Father up there, all things that belong to Him belong to Me also." No, in a strange spiritual way, Jesus is saying, "I am the Father."

John 16:15-16 …therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you.
16 A little while, and you shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and you shall see Me, because I go to the Father.

The Lord is speaking of two separate entities, but He is both. One more scripture and we'll wind it up. Primarily, what we are talking about is spiritual growth, changing from one level to another level. We are moving into God, and we don't ever want stop. Why? Because the increase of His government is without end, and we are His government.

We’re just going to look at three verses in I Corinthians 12.

I Corinthians 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

There are many different kinds of gifts that God has for us, but it will be the same Spirit. Let's not get off on the gifts too far here. The main thing is our first learning experience has to be to know Him as the Spirit.

I Corinthians 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

Now, the Spirit doesn't die and then the Lord comes forth. The Lord is the Holy Spirit. But here is a key: first we must know the Spirit. That is the first step. Then in verse 5: There are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. Administrations, what does that mean? Ministries. The gift doesn't disappear; the gift becomes a ministry.

We start out as just a little person in the Lord. God gives us some gifts to teach us things. He gives us gifts of Himself. We learn how to move in those gifts, but as we do, we begin to know Him as the Lord. It is from gift to ministry. That is the same thing as saying that the Holy Spirit teaches us how to become submissive to His Lordship. That is one of the most important functions of the Holy Spirit.

I know this can be a little difficult to grasp, but the Holy Spirit is not teaching us about the Lord as two separate entities. The Lord is the Holy Spirit; He is God, but we are talking about different relationships with Him. Our relationship with the Lord as the Holy Spirit will teach us to have a relationship that is submissive to His Lordship. That is the second step on this journey.

I Corinthians 12:6 And there are diversities of operations…

These operations are the ways that God in His fullness will function and operate through you when you come to this third level. Have we ever seen anything in the Scriptures about three levels? Continuously, don't we? Yes, so we are not talking about three Gods - Spirit, Lord, and God the Father. There is one God, but our relationship with Him changes as we enter into more and more of Him.