And after the sixty and two weeks, cut off is Messiah, and the city and the holy place are not his, the Leader who hath come doth destroy the people; and its end is with a flood, and till the end is war, determined are desolations.

Daniel 9:27 YLT

We are cut off from this world, and we have nothing in it (Galatians 6:14).  In baptism, Jesus was cut off from this world.  While He lived among those of the flesh, and He was perfectly sinless before and after, from the outpouring of the Spirit upon Him, He no longer interacted with the world in the same way.

We too, through baptism into Christ, are baptized into His life and His resurrection, and are cut off from this world and everything in it.  It is a spiritual circumcision in Christ, of the heart, and not of the flesh, but leaves us, not orphans alone in a world with nothing else, but with the greatest treasure, even greater than the whole universe and all of the heavens combined, the great Holy Spirit, God Himself, dwelling in us bodily.

In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

Colossians 2:11

Whether the Daniel (above) passage refers to His baptism or His physical death, both which would have been a “cutting off”, for us, the place of circumcision is the waters of baptism.  We lose the world, and are baptized into Jesus.

Later, as Hebrews 6:1 talks about a multiple baptisms, indicating the baptism of the Holy Spirit separate to water baptism.  While we receive the Holy Spirit at salvation, as Jesus gave the Holy Spirit in John 20:22 as a breath, He subsequently baptizes us with Himself, to be witnesses with power and to be filled, overflowing, and continually being filled with Himself.  This is likened to the mighty rushing wind at Pentecost.  While this is a separate event, it does not need to be a single occurance.

But, we lose the old, earthly life, even as we are properly instructed in Christ Jesus.  Having been circumcised, buried and raised with Him, we are instructed to put off, therefore, everything of the old nature.  All fear, all sin, everything that entangles and weighs us down, that we might run with endurance the race before us (Hebrews 12:1).

Oh, that we might abide in this place always.  Of being cut off from the world. It is only the service done for the King that matters, It is only those that do the will of the Father that inherit the Kingdom.

If we cleanse the insides of our cups, the outsides will be clean as well.

When we are removed from the world, and we can trust in His gracious goodness to sustain us, we need not look to the world or to man to satisfy nor promote us.  Though we are still in it, we are no longer of it.

We must, at all costs pursue this relationship.  Jesus said that if an arm or hand offend us, if our eye offend us, to remove it from our bodies.  The body can never be the true cause for offense, mind you.  If it were that simple, it would be, but it is a matter of the heart.  But, the truth remains, if it is as serious as an eye or a hand, certainly we can and should cut off the parts of our lives that take us away from it.

It is only on the ground that is free from the thorns that produce fruit.  You might be alive, and you might be thriving, but are you producing and abundance of fruit?  It is only the ground free of the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth that does, according to Jesus (Matthew 13).

We are not orphans in this place.  What we might seem to lack on the outside, inside we are built up day after day after day (2 Corinthians 4:16).  He has given us His Spirit, and this life is enough.

Oh, to be lost to this world, and its cares!  What utter freedom and grace have the children of God!

Saints of old were transported from place to place, caught up to heaven, enabled to be understood by people of other tongues and nationalities…  Faithful men and women saw angels, had visions and trances, had food multiply, and experienced a vast array of miracles and were delivered by countless miracles.

When we feast upon the bread of His presence and drink of His love, we are satisfied in His house.  We grow strong and fit for Kingdom service.

We are enabled to be witnesses to and of this place, to abide and live and function in this place.

The reason these things are possible is because we are not of this Earth, we are of the Spirit.

We are not of this World, although we live in it.  As we walk in Him, we are built up in Him.  And, as He is not of the Earth, nor are we.  The secret of being content in any circumstance is to be fully satisfied upon something else, namely Christ.  To have every treasure, desire, and want consumed in one place, upon one thing, with a single eye.  When nothing else distracts us from this place, we are truly cut off from the rest.

And what of the arguments?  What can this life possibly offer?  Jesus spoke to people who loved money more than God, and they objected.  He spoke to people who loved position and to be seen by men, rather than going to the closet to be seen by their Father.  When he spoke in the presence of the lawyers, they spoke up to Jesus saying that He insulted them in it.  His response was more of the same.

One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too. But He said, Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

Luke 11:45-46

He lived for an audience of one.  He lived for pleasing heaven alone.  He did not needlessly offend, and even spoke to His disciples to find money in a fish’s mouth to prevent unnecessary offense (Matthew 17:27), but He lived alone, separate from this life (John 2:24-25, John 16:29).  When He had been plain, they had not been able to handle it (Mark 8:32).

But, His words rang true in the hearts of good and honest men and women (Luke 8:15), because they were the words from God, and the produced faith, for they were the Words of God.

Only a life cut off can produce this kind of fruit, and only in a life grafted into the true vine can a cut off branch survive.  Only in Him is there life, and there is no life in another.

For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.

Habakkuk 2:3