Weekly message: Christ-consciousness will help you find peace and rest (Matt.11:28) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Weekly message: Christ-consciousness will help you find peace and rest (Matt.11:28) 

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce                                                                                                           Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling

 

Ø     Abide in Him 

            God means us to live a fully orbed life in Christ Jesus, but there are things when that life is attacked from the outside, and we tumble into a way of introspection or self-analysis, brooding, showing deep unhappiness of thought which we thought had gone. Self-consciousness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of the life in God, and self-consciousness continually produces wrestling. Self-consciousness is not sin; it may be produced by a nervous temperament or by a sudden dumping down into new circumstances. It is never God’s will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him. Anything that disturbs rest in Him must be cured at once, and it is not cured by being ignored, but by coming to Jesus Christ. If we come to Him and ask Him to produce Christ-consciousness, He will always do it until we learn to abide in Him.

Ø    Keep right spiritually, and oneness with Him   

            Never allow the dividing up of your life in Christ to remain without facing it. Beware of leakage, of the dividing up of your life by the influence of friends or of circumstances; beware of anything that is going to split up your oneness with Him. And make you see yourself separately. Nothing is so important as to keep right spiritually, the great solution is the simple one –Jesus said, “Come unto Me.”(Matthew11:28). The depth of our reality, intellectually, morally and spiritually, is tested by these words. In every scenario we will “dispute” rather than “come”.  

Whenever anything begins to disintegrate (or break up, break apart) your life with Jesus Christ, turn to Him at once and ask Him to establish rest. Never allow anything to remain which is making the dis-peace. Take every element of disintegration as something to wrestle against, and not to suffer. Say-Lord, prove Thy consciousness in me, and self-consciousness will go and He will be all in all. Beware of allowing self-consciousness to continue because by slow degrees it will awaken self-pity, and self-pity is Satanic. You argue, well, I am not understood; this is a thing they ought to apologize for; that is a point I really must have cleared up. Leave other alone and ask the Lord to give you Christ–Consciousness, and He will poise (or balance) you until the completeness is absolute.

Ø      Wherever Jesus comes He establishes rest, turn to Him, ask Him to establish rest

The complete life is the life of a child. When I am consciously conscious, there is something wrong. It is the sick man who knows what health is. The child of God is not conscious of the will of God because he is the will of God. When there has been the slightest deviation from the will of God, we begin to ask – What is Thy will? A child of God never prays to be conscious that God answers prayer, he is so restfully certain that God always does answer prayer. If we try to overcome self-consciousness by any common-sense method, we will develop it tremendously. Jesus says, “Come unto Me and I will give you rest,” (Matt.11:28).  Christ-consciousness will take the place of self-consciousness. Wherever Jesus comes He establishes rest, the rest of the perfection of activity that is never conscious of itself.  

Ø     Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you” (John 14:27)

         There are times when our peace is based upon ignorance, but when we awaken to the facts of life, inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When our Lord speaks peace, He makes peace, His words are ever “Spirit of life”. Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “ My peace I give unto you” – it is a peace which comes from looking into His face and realizing His un-disturbedness.

          Are you painfully disturbed just now, distracted by the waves and billows of God’s providential permission, and having, as it were, turned over the boulders of your belief, are you still finding no well of peace, or joy or comfort; is all barren? Then look up and receive the undisturbedness of the Lord Jesus. Reflected peace is the proof that you are right with God because you are at liberty to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. If you allow anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you, you are either disturbed or you have a false security.

          Are you looking unto Jesus now, in the immediate matter that is pressing and receiving from Him peace? If so, He will be a gracious benediction of peace in and through you. But if you try to worry it out, you obliterate Him and deserve all you get. We get disturbed because we have not been considering Him. When one confers with Jesus Christ the perplexity goes, because He has no perplexity, and our only concern is to abide in Him. Lay it all out before Him, and in the face of difficulty, bereavement and sorrow, hear Him say, “Let not your heart be troubled.”  

Bibliography,

Barker, Kenneth L. NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1985.                   

Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost for His highest. N.Y. Dodd, Mead & Company, 1935.

King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.