Article of the Month

November

Our Becoming Transparent
Wade  E  Taylor

“Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.”  Revelation 4:6 NKJV

This speaks of those who are in the midst of, and round about the Throne.  These are seen as being as a “sea of glass,” or as being totally transparent in the presence of the Lord.

“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”  Revelation 3:21 NKJV

Those who overcome are also seated, in “the midst of the throne.”  Thus, the “four living creatures” who are in this same position can be considered as being these overcomers.

An “overcomer” is one who has risen above any desire for expression of the earthly, and is capable of giving expression to the heavenly.

There is a foundational “quality” which relates to our becoming an overcomer.  It is “transparency” in our lives.  The Lord is calling those who earnestly seek Him, into this experience of becoming transparent in His presence.

It has been said that the “Sermon on the Mount” applies to the Millennium, rather than to the Church Age.  This is because the requirements are so strict that few can live up to them, as the Sermon on the Mount goes beyond the act, and deals with the motive behind the act.  Rather, it is for our day and time, as it sets forth the method by which we become an overcomer.

In the Sermon on the Mount, if someone were to slap us on our face, we are to turn to have the other side slapped also.  And, we are not to become angry or retaliate in any way.  This relates to an inner purity within our lives, and to a high level of sacrificial giving in which we have totally died to ourselves.  Within ourselves, we are totally incapable of this.

We are not called to just become “polished” on the outside (religious).  But rather, to be so changed within, that we become the expression of the life of Jesus (spiritual).  If we squeeze a grape, grape juice results.  When we are squeezed, Jesus should result; not an angry response or a threat.

Those who have unconditionally submitted their lives to the Lord are being prepared for the Kingdom.  This requires that we become so transparent, that Jesus will be clearly seen.  Thus, the Sermon on the Mount is the basis for our becoming an overcomer, as the corporate expression of the life of Jesus in the end-time.

A persons “goat” cannot be gotten, unless they have one.  If we were teased by other children when growing up and we reacted, others enjoyed the reaction and sought to produce even more reaction.  But, if there was no reaction, they sought out another to tease.

The Lord is taking all this out of us.  In order do this, these things must be exposed.  The Lord has unique ways to bring these things to the surface and expose them, so we can become transparent in His presence.

Thus, on the human level of life, we are in “the midst of, and round about” many pressures and problems, so our need might surface and be dealt with.  When we rightly respond to these things, we will be lifted into the place where, as an over-comer, we will be in “the midst of and round about” the Throne.

“His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter into the joy of your lord.”  Matthew 25:23

Recently, I am very specifically asking the Lord about my life in relation to this “sea of glass.”  I am giving the Lord permission to so work in my life that I might become as transparent as this sea of glass.  There are yet “things” that cause me to react, but I am encouraged, as I see the Lord at work in order to remove them.

In each of us, reactions will come, but we must realize that these are intended to expose the deeper need in us.  The Lord is not after the person who wronged us, rather, He uses that person to bring the necessary correction.  We will never be able to rule over others, until the Lord has first been able to rule us.

When I was in the army in 1943, there was a common term that related to many officers.  They were called “ninety-day wonders.”  This meant that they had gone through a short time of training and became officers, but they had never been under authority within the army.  The enlisted men knew this and despised them.

The Lord is making us unto our God, “kings and priests, and we will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10).  But before we will ever be able to rule others, we must first qualify.

The Sermon on the Mount expresses the rules of qualification for the Kingdom Age, which must be experienced at this present time, in preparation for the coming Kingdom Age.