October 18

JESUS, THE PATTERN SON / PART 2

THE OPEN HEAVENS

According to Bill Britton:

-"Remembering now that everything about the life of Jesus is a pattern for His Body, let us look at the order of events that happen when Jesus came to be baptized of John …

1. There had been a prophetic ministry in the land for some time now.

2. In the fullness of time Jesus was ready and came forth to meet His destiny.

3. Jesus, the Pattern, was recognized by the true prophetic ministry as God's Son.

4. Jesus submitted Himself to God's ministry for this hour.

5. In a figure, He died in Jordan's water and rose again to a new realm in God.

6. The heavens were opened unto Him.

7. He saw God the Holy Ghost in a bodily shape.

8. He received an anointing of the Spirit beyond what He had previously had.

9. He heard the voice of God announcing Him as the Son of God.

10. He was led by the Holy Spirit into a wilderness place where He battled Satanic forces hand to hand, face to face, and defeated and overcame Satan.

11. He began a 3-1/2 year ministry of love, life, and power such as the world had never seen, not even from the greatest of the prophets.

Matt. 3:16: "And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him. . " Mark 1:10: "And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened.. " Glory to God! Something happened here that began the fulfillment of Jacob's dream of the ladder. You remember that Jacob dreamed as he lay there at Bethel with his head on a stone for a pillow and saw in his dream the heavens opened, and a ladder set up on the earth, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the ladder. Jacob awoke out of his sleep in fear and dread and cried: "How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:17). So he changed the name of that place from Luz to Bethel because Bethel signified "HOUSE OF GOD". He had actually seen, in a type, the true house of God, the fullness of the Son of Man in Christ and His people." ( Jesus, The Pattern Son, Bill Britton )

-After having been called, recognized, and placed as a son of God, we will then have the heavens opened to us ( spiritually speaking ), being dead to our old life and anointed with the new life of Christ. We are now to be led by the Holy Spirit of God. It is quite interesting where the Spirit first leads us on this journey of SONSHIP. It is not the most desired place, but it does bring about the most desired results. It is …

-THE WILDERNESS!-