He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him

 Abide in Him and He in you:

 

John 6:56

56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

 

            Some believe that during Communion the elements become Jesus’ flesh and blood. Let’s not argue about whether that’s true or not. Jesus gave His flesh and His blood for us. (The Old Testament talks about the life being in the blood.) Some say that we have a bloody religion. Without Jesus’ blood, there is no Christianity. Without Him giving His flesh for us, there is no hope for us for the future. It’s just here and now. If we continually partake of that giving of His flesh and blood for us, we do abide in Him. If we push it aside, we take the focus off Him and place it on ourselves. We must continually live in Him.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Some people would only want to be in Me when it is convenient or when they need My help; but I want people who will want to stay in Me continually. This comes from wanting Me no matter what the cost. Will it cost you convenience? Will it cost you approval? Will it cost you your life? If you would abide in Me, it will cost you your very soul; for I only want those that will give all for Me as I gave all for them. This is My life. This is My flesh.”

 

            43. I continually abide in Him and He in me.

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest

 Come to Him:

Matthew 11:28

28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

 

John 6:35

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

 

            “The world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away.” Those are the words from a song. The world doesn’t give anything to anyone. It may let you have a taste of something, but it will never satisfy you. The rest that the world talks about is only physical and/or mental. The rest Jesus is talking about is much more than that. It’s spiritual along with mental and physical. With the world, there is always something out there ready to pounce. With God, there is total peace. With the world, it’s rest as long as everything is going my way. With God, it’s rest despite what’s coming my way.

            Our only hunger is for righteousness, never for the physical. We thirst only to know Him better; not for water. His food and His drink satisfy forever.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "There is much concern today about what should you eat and what should you drink. There is much concern for the safety of all that goes within you. There is no fear in what I give to you. There is no concern for the safety of all that is Mine. You shall have food more than enough to sustain you in My realm. You shall have more than enough to drink with Me. What I give to you shall never run dry and shall never lose its taste. What I give you is what will draw all men unto Me. It is the Life within the Bread that draws all men and it is the Life within the Water that will sustain all men. This is that which I give to you to share with all men.”

 

            42. I come to Him and find everything I need to satisfy my innermost needs … rest; bread of life; a river flowing out of my innermost being.

For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

 Entered Heaven for us:

Hebrews 9:24

24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

             We could not enter Heaven on our own. We had no right to do so. Because of our sinful nature, we were not holy and so were forbidden to enter. The high priests were able to enter the holy of holies once a year, but not without sacrifice. They had to offer the sacrifice every year. Also, they couldn’t stay in the holy of holies. Jesus entered the true Holy of Holies … Heaven itself. He offered one sacrifice, Himself, one time. When He entered, He remained forever. He appears in God’s presence to ever make intercession for us. As He stands before the Father, we in Him also stand before the Father. One day we too will literally stand before the Father. That is part of our destiny.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I did not go through all that I did so that you might have life on earth. I did it so that you could also enter into the Holy of Holies within the veil. You cannot go there without Me. You had to have Me pave the way for you. Now that I have, you can enter there too. Come with Me into the Holy of Holies. You shall see what I have seen and go where I have gone. There is peace and joy there forever more.”

 

            41. Jesus has entered Heaven to appear before God on my behalf.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.

 What Jesus does for us:

            Redemption:

Ephesians 1:7-8

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

8 which He lavished on us.

 

            When someone pawns an item, he/she has an opportunity to redeem it at some point in the future. There is a price to pay for that redemption that is more than the person received for it. If the person has the money to redeem it, he/she must decide if the item is important enough to warrant paying the amount received plus the “interest”.

            In a sense, Adam “pawned” us to Satan. God had to decide whether it was worth the cost to redeem us. Actually He decided we were worth it before time began. The redemption price … the blood of His only begotten Son. To redeem us would be extremely costly. God became man and lived on the earth. He then had to lay down His life (no one could take it from Him). Jesus was willing to come and to shed His blood for our redemption. We are pawned no more!

            This redemption through His blood obtained the forgiveness of all our trespasses (past, present, and future). This comes about by His grace. We cannot earn it. None of us is worthy enough to shed our blood for our own forgiveness, let alone everyone else’s.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "There is nothing that you have done or ever could do that I would not forgive you. I did not redeem you from some sins and not others. You are complete in My love, and I have desired that you share that love with others. There is nothing that My blood cannot cover. There is no sin that you have committee that will turn Me away from you.”

 

            40. I have been redeemed by grace through the blood of Jesus. I am pawned no longer!

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them

 Created for good works:

 Ephesians 2:10

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.          

 

            We’re His workmanship. The Greek word translated workmanship is the one from which we get the English word poem. We are God’s poem. Just like the Creation is His poem, so are we. As magnificent as His creation is, we are even more so. God could only write a poem beyond all others.

            He didn’t “write” us just to sit around and be admired. He “wrote” us for good works. We don’t obtain salvation through works, but if you’re saved, you should be doing in good works. Of course everyone has an idea of what is meant by good works. What is yours? Whatever you do, do with all your might to the glory of God … not to impress others or to obtain favor with God. We do them because we love Him and want to please Him.

            These good works don’t just happen. He planned them long ago and prepared them for us. They’re sitting there waiting on us to do them. It says that we are to walk in them. It should be natural for us to do them as we go about our daily lives. It is our destiny to do them.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I created you, My children. When I did, I did not do it hastily. I thought about all that I wanted for you and through you. You are My special treasure, and I desire that you be perfected in My love. I have written a magnificent poem, and that poem is you. You bring delight to My eyes and My heart. You were chosen for a special purpose, and I desire that you fulfill it. You are My special treasure, and I want everyone to know it.”

 

            39. I am His special poem created to do good works which He prepared beforehand that I might walk in them.

 He knows us and we know Him:

 

John 10:14

14 “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,

 

John 10:27-29

27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

29 “My Father, who has given them to Me,  is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

 

            We are not just one among the masses to Jesus. He knows us intimately, and we know Him that way too. We can hear His voice, and know that it is He that is speaking to us. It takes practice to recognize His voice. We can also know that it is His voice by the fact that it will always agree with His Word. We cannot depend on that technique unless we also know His Word.

            He gives us eternal life. We will never perish. This is a strong declaration of never perishing. (In the Greek it is a double negative which is very emphatic.) Not only will we never perish, no one can snatch us out of His hand. We may be weaklings, but He isn’t. The Father, who is greater than all, will make sure that we are safe in His hands.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are Mine, little ones. I have chosen you, and I have redeemed you. You are My special ones. I have chosen you from out of the world. Mine you are, and I have chosen you to do a special work for Me. Others have said they were from Me, but I have not sent them. I would not send someone to receive My children. I have come Myself to receive you into My fold. I have chosen you out from the world. You are Mine, and no one can steal you away from Me. I am stronger than all, and no one can snatch you out of My hands.”

 

            38. I know Jesus and am known by Him. I follow Him, and He has given me eternal life. I will never perish, and no one will ever snatch me out of His hands.

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;

 Apostle and High Priest of our confession:

 

Hebrews 3:1

1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;

 

            An apostle is one who is sent to do a task such as establish a new church. A high priest is one who intercedes on behalf of someone else.

            We are called with a Heavenly calling. We partake of that calling when we confess Jesus as Lord. We activate it with our confession. In a sense we “send” Jesus to establish us as a new “tabernacle” for God. He also becomes our High Priest to plead our case before the Father.

            There is also a “lesser” sense in which we confess our faith in the Word that we have something that the Word promises us. This confession “sends” Jesus to establish the fulfilling of the Word we believed in. He also acts as our Intermediary to the Father for the fulfillment of that Word.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You do not have to worry that you have no representation before the throne of God. You have My Son, who is your High Priest before Me. You do not have to go to some tabernacle or temple in some far off place to receive ministry by your High Priest. He is within you and before Me. He is always making intercession for you before Me. He will always come to your aid. Do not trust in others to come before Me on your behalf. He is the only way to come before Me; and He does so on a continuous basis.”

 

            37. I have Jesus as the Apostle and High Priest of my confession. I can be sure that I have whatever I have asked for that is in accordance with the Word of God.

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?

 He is in you, unless you fail the test:

 

2 Corinthians 13:5

5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?

 

Colossians 1:27

27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

 

            Do you pass the test? Do you know for certain that Christ is in you? If not, then you can know for certain by asking Him to come in and take control of your life.

            This book of course assumes that He is in you and that you don’t fail the test. No student wants to fail the test, and this is one test you want to make sure you pass. Assuming that He is in you, what can we say? That He is your hope of glory. This is not an “I hope I make it to Heaven”. It is a confident expectation that your destination is Heaven.

            It was a mystery to the men and women of old. How could God Himself live inside you? But God said He would put His Spirit within us. The great people of old had the Spirit with them, but we have Him in us. John was told that He upon whom the Spirit came and remained upon that was to be the Christ. They knew about the Spirit coming upon people. He even came upon King Saul after He had strayed, and King Saul prophesied. However, the Spirit didn’t remain with Saul. He stays within us forever.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I am not some God who is far off, but One who is near; even in your heart. Do not look up trying to find Me, but look inward and there you will find Me if you seek Me with all your heart. You are Mine, if I am within you. You have My stamp upon you. My Holy Spirit is the seal of approval upon your heart. You are Mine forever as long as you will have Me.”

 

            36. Christ is within me. Therefore, I pass the test and have Him as my hope of glory.

But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.

 What He Became to Us:

            Head of every man:

1 Corinthians 11:3

3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.

 

            What is our relationship to Jesus? He is the head of every man (or woman in this sense). Since He is the Head, we should be listening to the Head and doing what He says. He it is who will direct the body, His church of which we are a part.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Would you argue with one of your rulers if he were in front of you? Then why do you argue with Me? I am your true leader. I am your true head. There is no one over Me. I am the end of all discussions. There is no way getting around it. I am that I am. You are Mine, and I am your Head.”

 

            35. Christ is my Head, and as such, I will follow His every request.

Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

 Baptism:

             Baptism saves you through the resurrection of Jesus:

 

1 Peter 3:21

21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

 

            Some Christians believe that you must be water baptized in order to be saved. (Remember that we’re assuming that whatever is needed to get to Heaven has or will be done by you.) This verse and the verse in Mark 16 that says “whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved” seem to say that you must be water baptized to get to Heaven. But is it talking about the “born again” experience? After all there are three aspects to salvation: spirit, soul, and body. This verse says that baptism saves you … through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the death of Jesus that saves us spiritually. It is His resurrection that ensures we can live the Christian life (He was delivered up because of our transgressions. He was raised up because of our justification.) Let’s leave it there for now.

            When we are born again, all of our sins are forgiven. Our new man didn’t do them. It was our old man. Therefore, our conscience is clear. We wash away the sins of our old man through baptism as it says in Acts. They no longer have a hold on us. The devil can’t come after us condemning us for something we did before we became a Christian. They are forgiven and washed away.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I have washed you, My children. I have set you free from your past. There is nothing that you have done that is too great for what I accomplished at Calvary. There is nothing that cannot be forgiven you when you turn to Me. You are Mine. You are washed in My blood and cleansed as no cleansing agent on earth can accomplish. Trust in Me. Do not listen to Satan as he tries to bring up things of the past. They cannot affect you in My love. You are Mine, and you are washed clean.”

 

            34. My conscience is clear. Everything my old man did wrong has been forgiven and washed away.

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit

 Died for sins to bring us to God:

 

1 Peter 3:18

18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

             

            Thank God that Jesus does not have to die every time we sin. Nor did He have to die for each of us separately. He died one time for all people for all sins. Jesus didn’t deserve to die. We deserved to die (“in the day that you eat of the fruit of the tree, you shall die.”) We have all eaten of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We did it through our “father” Adam, and we fulfilled it ourselves by doing “our own thing”.

            Because He was willing to die in His fleshly body for our sins, He was made alive in the Spirit. We too, when we accept His work on the cross on our behalf, are made alive in the spirit. We are spirit-beings walking around in fleshly “earth-suits”.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "There was nothing that you could ever do to bring yourself into My presence. It was for Me to bring you into My presence. You could never become good enough nor do enough good things to make you worthy of My Kingdom. It was His sacrifice that brought you near to Me. You can never repay His sacrifice nor would He want you to.”

 

            33. Jesus died for me that He might bring me to God and make me alive in the spirit.

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

                                                                         Chapter 3

 

Jesus

  

            Who is this Jesus and what does He mean to us? What does He have to do with our destiny? What if He hadn’t come? Could we still live the Christian life?

            Jesus is the Son of God. He came to earth to show us the way to live a perfect life and then die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Without Him, we would have no destiny that was good. Our destiny would have been eternal separation from God. We could never live the Christian life without Him.

            The Father had a plan for our destiny. He sent the Son to prepare the way for us to fulfill our destiny. The Holy Spirit helps us to accomplish the destiny the Father had planned for us.

 

What His death accomplished:

 

            Propitiation for our sins:

 

1 John 2:2

2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

 

1 John 4:10

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

 

            What does this big word, propitiation, mean? The people living during the Old Testament days believed that their gods had to be appeased. Something had to be done by the people to get their gods to change their minds about doing something nasty to the people. So, they sacrificed something … sometimes even their own children. This they hoped would cause their gods to look down with favor upon them.

            In the Tabernacle, the mercy seat upon the ark was also known as the Propitiatory. When the High Priest sprinkled blood on the mercy seat once a year, God propitiated … changed His mind … about what He wanted to do to the children of Israel. In fact in the Septuagint, in certain places where The King James says that God repented, the Greek word is the one used for propitiated.

            We deserved to be condemned to eternal separation from God. He wanted to wipe us out. Something had to be done to get Him to change His mind. That something was for His only begotten Son to die in our place. It wasn’t good enough to sacrifice a sinful individual. The Sacrificial Lamb had to have lived a sinless life. When Jesus died on the cross, God’s justice was appeased and He propitiated … changed His mind … about what He wanted to do to us.

            Our destiny was the Lake of Fire, but Jesus’ death changed that destiny into one of eternal life.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My Son died for you. He took your place. It should have been you, My children, who died; but He desired to take your place … to be your sacrifice to bring you into My presence. It is not for you to question why, but to enjoy the benefits He obtained for you. He did it all that you might have life everlasting. It was not His desire that you have to suffer like He did. He felt that it was better for Him to suffer once for all rather than all having to suffer as He did.”

 

            32. Jesus died on the cross for my sins so that God would change His mind about what I deserved. Instead of death I might have eternal life.

How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

 Cleanses our conscience from dead works:          

             

Hebrews 9:14

14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

 

            It wasn’t through the blood of an animal that was physically perfect which was offered for our sins. It was through the blood of the spiritually perfect Son that we were cleansed. The Jews tried to come to God through works, but that was not what He wanted. It isn’t enough to come before God. There had to be the death of someone who had never sinned in order to pave the way for us. Because of that, we don’t have to “do” anything to come to God. Jesus did everything necessary to bring us into the presence of Almighty God. Our conscience is clean. Our old man did the deed. We are new creatures in Christ.

            We do serve the living God in a living way. We do works, not to gain acceptance, but because we have been accepted by Him.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You cannot become good enough to come unto Me. You cannot do good enough to come unto Me. You can come unto Me because of what My Son accomplished for you. You can walk in My ways and talk in My way as you allow Me to control your life. You will accomplish much for Me if you will allow Me full access to your life. I will guide you into the paths of glory for My Name’s sake. You can do much in Me. You cannot do anything worthwhile outside of Me. No matter how much you try, it is all in vain when it is outside of Me.”

 

            31. My conscience is clean through the blood of the perfect Son and I can serve God in the Spirit because I want to please Him.       

     

 

            We have such a special relationship with our Father God. We are truly His children and as we grow in Christ, we take on more and more attributes of our Heavenly Father. We behave like Him because we become like Him. We have nothing to fear from our Father and we can be certain that He will keep and take care of us. It is our destiny as His children. We can have no other life than that of His pleasure.

After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds, And I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people.

 Put His Laws into our minds and wrote them on our hearts.

             

Hebrews 8:10-12

10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel

After those days, says the Lord:

I will put My laws into their minds,

And I will write them on their hearts.

And I will be their God,

And they shall be My people.

11 “And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,

And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’

For all will know Me,

From the least to the greatest of them.

12 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities,

And I will remember their sins no more.”

 

            Students in college are trying to put math formulas into their minds. Sometimes it seems like they just don’t stick. But God said that He would Himself write His laws, not only into our minds but also on our hearts. It won’t be like trying to obey the laws of the land where we live. Sometimes we don’t agree with those laws but we obey them just to keep from getting into trouble. With God’s laws, it’s not just to keep from getting into trouble. We keep them because we want to keep them. They are written on our hearts. We have a heart that is after God … that seeks Him earnestly and desires to do His will and please Him. Some people, even church goers, know about the Lord, but we personally know Him.

            These verses also say that He won’t remember our sins any more. Sometimes people “forgive” those who do something bad to them, but they won’t forget it. In the back of their minds, they are always thinking, “He/she better not do that again to me!” What if God treated us that way? We’d be in real trouble. He not only forgives our trespasses, He also forgets them.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, I have written My heart upon your heart and My mind upon your mind. What you feel is what I feel. What you think is what I think. That is because I planted within you that Holy Seed of My Word and My Spirit. You will know what you are to do when you look within you to My Spirit. He will guide you into all the truth for He will speak to you what I would have you to know and to do. You cannot go wrong by following His direction. What I have written, I have written. It shall prevail in your life as you allow it to.”

 

            30. God wrote His laws into my mind and on my heart. My heart desires to do His will

In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

 Refuge:

 

Hebrews 6:17-18

17 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,

18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

 

            There’s a storm out there and we need a place to take refuge from the storm. God said, “Trust in Me to take care of you in the midst of a storm.” It’s like a dad saying to his child, “Jump. I’ll catch you.” Can we trust Him? These verses say we can. God promised. That should be enough for us. Then He gave His word (interposed with an oath). This is better than pinky swear. He can’t lie. Humans can lie. They have to choose to tell the truth. It’s not even possible for Him to lie. Jesus said that the devil is the farther of lies; so how could God even be tempted to lie about anything? We can take a strong grip on the hope He set before us. We can know, that we know, that we know He will take care of us in the midst of the storm. Come in out of the storm and trust in Him to take care of everything.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You can trust Me, My children. I will shelter you from the storm. You can hide beneath the shadow of My wings, and I will protect you from the evil one. You can trust Me to take care of you in all situations. Do not depend on the world or the things of the world to protect you. You cannot trust the world for it will even turn on its own. But I will never turn on My own. I will always protect My own from the evils of the world. Do not despair. I am on your side and will always be there to protect you.”

 

            29. God is my refuge and my strength. What can man do to me? I can depend on Him to take care of me because He promised He would.

 One who does good is of God:

 

3 John 11

11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

 

            Little children like to imitate their fathers or mothers. Those not born of God imitate their father the devil. We are born of God, so we should be imitating our Father by doing what is good. You can tell who is of God. They are consistently doing good. If someone is consistently doing evil, that person most likely is not born of God. We are not to judge one another, but as someone once said, “We are to be fruit inspectors.” If someone is not bringing forth good fruits, it’s unlikely that person is a Christian. We should be very careful in our association with that person. That doesn’t mean to avoid them, but don’t let your guard down. Those that profess to be Christians but don’t live the lifestyle of a Christian can most easily bring down a true Christian. They can bring temptation that is hard for believers that are not well grounded to resist. Christians aren’t tempted to do “really bad things” like robbing banks, but they could be tempted to take a little something that belongs to the company they work for especially when “everyone is doing it”.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, when you are of Me, then you will behave like Me. I am good, and those that are Mine are also good. There is no one who is of Me that is not good. You will know those that are Mine by the way they act. If they act like Me, then they are Mine. If they act like their father the devil, then they are not Mine.”

 

            28. I am born of God. Therefore I will imitate what is good. I will do what I see my Father doing.

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

 Not slow about His promises:

 

2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

 

            I want it yesterday! Isn’t that the American way? We all want whatever is ours without delay. Sometimes it seems as if God has forgotten us. But as the song says, “He’s an on time God … Yes, He is.” He is never late. We might be late, but He never is. That’s because He knows it’s going to happen before it actually occurs. So, He has everything in place to come to our aid. Have you ever asked Him for something and either never got it or there was a “long” delay? Then something happened, and you realize that it was a good thing it didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to. Either a bad thing would have happened or something not as good as what finally did occur.

            Of course this verse is mainly talking about people getting saved, but I believe it can be applied to our every day life situations.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I have promised much to you, My children; and I intend to bring it to pass. If you say, ‘He’s forgotten about me’, you do not believe what I have told you in My Word and with My voice. I have spoken many times and in many ways to you to try to get you to understand that I only want good for you. You get impatient waiting for Me to do what I said I would do. Do not despair. I will do what I said I would do at the right time. It is not time for despair. It is time for rejoicing. For when you rejoice, you are testifying that you believe that I will do what I said I would do.”

 

            27. My God is on time and never late. He meets my every need at just the right moment.

We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

 More things about our relationship with the Father:

 

            Full of compassion and merciful:

 

James 5:11

11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

 

            Some of us had fathers that were not very compassionate and had no mercy. It is hard to think of our Heavenly Father as being full of both. He never does anything to hurt us. If He disciplines us, it is for our own good; so that we will have the best life possible. If He were not full of compassion and merciful, He would have wiped us off the face of the earth a long time ago. That’s what we deserve. Thank God He gives us what we desire, not what we deserve. He truly does know what is best for us and makes sure we get it. Jesus suffered in the flesh, and so He can sympathize with our frailties. We should never take His compassion and mercy for granted. We should do our best to allow His Holy Spirit to live His life in us at all times.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I have no desire to harm you, My children. I would have all that comes upon you to be good. I would have all that you see to be a delight to your eyes. Trust in Me that I desire that no harm come to you. You are My delight, and I would have all that comes upon you to be good. Trust in Me as I lead you into your destiny.”

 

            26. The Lord is full of compassion and is merciful towards me even when I stumble.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them

 He is at work in us:

 

            His workmanship (poem):

           

Ephesians 2:10

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

 

            First of all it says that we are His workmanship. He did it, not someone else. He didn’t just rubberstamp it either. He took a special interest in making us. The Greek word here is the same one from which we get our word poem. We are His poem! When someone writes a poem, they take special thought and effort to do so. It takes on a part of the author too. When God “wrote” us, we took on a part of Him also.

            Why did He create us in Christ Jesus? It was for good works. Too many times Christians go to one extreme or the other. One side will be all about good works. They are constantly looking for good works to do. It is easy to believe that you’re salvation depends on the good works you do. If you believe that way, you can become obsessed with doing good works to the extent that you neglect the personal relationship aspect of salvation. You must be born again. The other extreme says that we are saved by grace, not works and so a neglect of doing good works sets in. They want to make sure they don’t link the good works to getting saved, so they ignore them all together. What God wants in somewhere in the middle. Our salvation is by grace, not works. However, if we are truly saved, we should be doing good works on a consistent basis. The relationship with Jesus is essential, but with the relationship should come the desire to do good works.

            God prepared these good works before the foundation of the world that we should walk in them. As we go about our daily lives, we should be walking in good works. We should get to the point that we don’t have to look for good works to do. We simply “bump” into them as we go about our daily lives.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My special project, My children. I have planned your present and your future for your good. I have highly anticipated what awaits you. Trust in Me that all will be for your good. I have desired to give you the Kingdom, and that is what I will do. There is no harm that can come to you as you walk in My Word and in My Spirit. I will show you the way to be an overcomer; for that is how I created you … to be one that triumphs over all adversity. You are My special poem. I took special care when I wrote your verses. You will be My special treasure as I await your coming home to Me.”

 

            25. I am God’s poem. He delighted in creating me in Christ Jesus for good works which He planned for before the world began.

For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

 Guards what we have entrusted to Him:

           

2 Timothy 1:12

12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

           

            We can be confident in Him. We don’t have to fear that it is all a hoax and that one day we’ll wake up and find out that we’ve lost what we thought we had. He is trustworthy to keep all that we’ve entrusted to Him (our eternal future). No one can take it away from Him. We should be convinced of this because we know Him. We trust the bank to take care of our money (at least most people do). These are people we don’t even know. How much more should we trust Him whom we know and have believed. He guards what we’ve entrusted to Him … not just with a single guard, but as with an entire garrison surrounding it.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "There is nothing to fear, My children from those around you. There is nothing that they can do that will harm you. I have protected you since the day you invited Me into your heart. I have not left, and I have not left you defenseless. You are protected forever in Me. You are Mine, and I will protect those that are Mine. You shall not fear those around you. They cannot harm you.”

 

            24. I know Him and I am certain that He will guard all that I’ve entrusted to Him.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree

 Redeemed from the curse:

Galatians 3:13

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—

 

            People of the world are interested in spells and curses. What they don’t realize is that they are under a curse. They have not lived up to the Law, and therefore they are under a curse. They might say, “We didn’t know anything about it.” Too bad … so sad. If you break a traffic law, you are still liable for punishment even if you weren’t aware of the law. We all deserved eternal punishment, but Jesus redeemed us from that punishment by becoming a curse for us. He became that curse when they crucified Him. When He died, we died. When He rose, we rose. We no longer live under a curse, but rather a blessing. That doesn’t mean that we can live any way we like. We need to walk in holiness as He walked to enjoy the full blessing of our redemption.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, there is no longer a curse for you. For the world, there is a curse; a curse associated with Adam. He sinned, and all who follow in his footsteps sin also. You are not of the world, and therefore, are not under the curse of Adam. You have been redeemed also from the curse of the Law. You are no longer under a curse of any type for you are under My Kingship and under My Domain. You are under a Law of Freedom; not a freedom to do whatever you please, but under a freedom to do what I please. It is not a hard thing to be under My Freedom. My Freedom brings much joy and peace; for you will know exactly what you should do and I will help you to do it. You are free, My children, and are no longer under a curse.”

 

            23. I have been redeemed from the curse of the Law by Jesus and have been set free.

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

 Not slow about His promises:

 

2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

 

            I want it yesterday! Isn’t that the American way? We all want whatever is ours without delay. Sometimes it seems as if God has forgotten us. But as the song says, “He’s an on time God … Yes, He is.” He is never late. We might be late, but He never is. That’s because He knows it’s going to happen before it actually occurs. So, He has everything in place to come to our aid. Have you ever asked Him for something and either never got it or there was a “long” delay? Then something happened, and you realize that it was a good thing it didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to. Either a bad thing would have happened or something not as good as what finally did occur.

            Of course this verse is mainly talking about people getting saved, but I believe it can be applied to our every day life situations.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I have promised much to you, My children; and I intend to bring it to pass. If you say, ‘He’s forgotten about me’, you do not believe what I have told you in My Word and with My voice. I have spoken many times and in many ways to you to try to get you to understand that I only want good for you. You get impatient waiting for Me to do what I said I would do. Do not despair. I will do what I said I would do at the right time. It is not time for despair. It is time for rejoicing. For when you rejoice, you are testifying that you believe that I will do what I said I would do.”

 

            27. My God is on time and never late. He meets my every need at just the right moment.

Who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father

 Delivered out of this evil age:

 

Galatians 1:4

4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

 

            There is a lot lately in the news about people being rescued from an avalanche, being run over by a train, a sailboat gone awry, etc. While that is great, this is much more “to write home about”. We were rescued from a much greater peril … one that has an eternal consequence. We were destined to spend eternity in hell. But God … two of the greatest words in the universe. But God sent His Son to die on the cross to rescue us from this present evil age and into an eternity in His presence. This was God’s will for us. It didn’t just happen and God said, “Oops.” He knew it, desired it, and willed it to happen from eternity past (Remember we’re not getting into a discussion about predestination). This rescue is not just about going to Heaven. It’s about this age doesn’t have rule over us. We are His not its.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "There is nothing in this world that should attract you, My children. The world has no control over you and none of its most precious things can give you pleasure. It is only through Me that you can have true joy. You cannot succeed as long as you walk in this world. You shall have good success as long as you walk in My Word. Trust in Me to take care of you. You will never fail as long as you walk in My Word. Trust in Me to take care of you, little ones. I will never forsake you. Do not turn your back on My care. I will show you the way to succeed as you never could in this world. I will never allow you to reach the pinnacle of this world’s goods; for I know the destruction of your souls will follow that success.”

 

            22. I have been rescued form this present evil age according to God’s will and will spend eternity in His presence.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

 God watches, listens, and protects:

 

            No one snatches out of the Father’s hand:

 

John 10:27-29

27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

29 “My Father, who has given them to Me,  is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

 

            Talk about security! No one is capable of snatching us out of the Father’s hand. Little boys sometimes brag on their fathers … “My father can (whatever) better than your father.” Well, our Father is so strong that no one can snatch us out of His hand!

            The verses also talk about us hearing Jesus’ voice. Many people, even some Christians, put us down when we say we heard Jesus or the Father speaking to us. But the truth is that we can hear. We just need to train ourselves to recognize when it’s God’s voice and not our soul’s. That is what the Word is for. It divides between soul and spirit. That’s the only way to know for sure who is speaking. We must be in the Word day after day to be able to recognize when He is speaking and when it is our soul.

            These verses talk about following Jesus. We like sheep must follow Him. It’s when we go out on our own that we get into trouble. Following Him keeps us safe. Parents are concerned about what websites their children visit. Well, our Father is concerned about the world-sites that we visit. Just like our children can become prey to online predators, we can become prey to worldly predators. Also just like children can spend too much time online or playing games on the computer when they should be doing schoolwork, we can spend too much time doing things of the world that keep us from doing what God wants us to do. They don’t have to be things that are bad in themselves. They just keep us from doing the best things.

            We also see here that He gives eternal life to us and that we will never perish. This is our destiny. We are destined to succeed, not fail!

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, there is nothing that can take you away from Me. You are Mine forever and no one can steal you away from Me. You can rest assured in My love and protection. The enemy would try to lure you away from Me; but he cannot do anything to you unless you let him. Do not allow him to hold sway over you. He cannot harm you without your consent. Do not trust him and do not allow him to persuade you to fear Me nor to fear that I will turn My back on you. I will never let you go, and he cannot take you away from Me. Your destiny is in your hands, and you have full control over your life … where you will live and where you will die.”

 

            21. I hear Jesus’ voice and I follow Him. He gives me eternal life, and I will never perish. No one snatches me out of the Father’s hand.

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

 God works for us:

 

            Freely gives us all things:

           

Romans 8:32

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

 

            God didn’t give us a little dab of glory. He freely gave us all things. How do we know? If He was willing to give up His only Son to die on the cross for us, surely everything else pales in comparison. Why would He hesitate to give us those things when He gave His Son? He didn’t begrudgingly give them to us. He freely gave us all things. We are poor no more. We are heirs of the King. We have no lack … now or in the future.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I gave all things for you, My children. You do not have to earn them. They are yours to use and to enjoy. You are to share these things with those around you. Then they will want to enter into My Kingdom. You have all that you need to reign in life. You do not have to do anything to earn them. They are yours for the asking. You do not have because you do not believe that I intend for you to have them. If you would believe that I have chosen you to inherit My Kingdom on the earth, then you would see the benefits in your life now.”

 

            20. God freely gave His Son for me and will freely give me all things that I ever need or want.

Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

 Heirs of the Kingdom:

           

James 2:5

5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

           

            We shall be heirs of His Kingdom. It isn’t a worldly kingdom but a Heavenly one. He promised it to us and His promises never fail. We don’t have to be earthly rich nor wise nor special as the world considers people. We just need to love Him. How can we not love Him who gave His life for us?

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You did not have to earn the right to come into My Kingdom. I chose you because I delight in you. I know you and I know that you love Me. I chose you to share in My Kingdom and to enjoy all that is in it. It is not just for tomorrow. It is for today. It will be yours forever. All you need to do is to enter in and believe that what I said is true about you.”

 

            19. I am an heir of His glorious Kingdom which He promised to me who loves Him.

For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

 Promise of eternal inheritance:

 

Hebrews 9:15

15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

 

            We have a new covenant based on better promises than the old. The old was good enough for Moses so it must have been pretty good. This covenant has even better promises. How magnificent it is! Under the old, the death of an animal was necessary when man failed. Under the new, the death of the Son was necessary. How much better is the blood of the Son than that of an animal? How much better then our covenant! We have been called and we shall receive the promise. What is that promise? This verse tells us that it is an eternal inheritance. We shall inherit eternal life. That is His promise. If He promised it, then we can depend on it happening.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You have been chosen, My children. It wasn’t just circumstances or a whim of Mine. I chose you deliberately to be My children. I chose you to inherit the Kingdom. It was prepared for My Son and He chose to share it with you. You shall reap the benefits of His Kingdom. He has done all that is necessary for you to enter that Kingdom and to enjoy its benefits here on earth; not just in Heaven. You are My chosen ones and shall reign on earth. He has done all that was necessary to obtain this Kingdom. It is up to you to step into that Kingdom and to enjoy all the benefits He has obtained for you.”

 

            18. I have been called to receive the promise of eternal inheritance. I can count on it happening because Jesus gave His life that it might come about.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints

 Heirs of the Father:

 

            Hope of His calling:

 

Ephesians 1:18

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

 

            Many people in the world have no hope. We as Christians have an exceedingly great hope. We have that hope because Jesus went before us. We believe that He died and rose again. If He did, then we will. If we don’t believe that He did, then we have no hope and are most to be pitied in the world. However we do believe and through that belief we know that one day we shall rise again. This verse also talks about the riches of the glory of His inheritance in us, the saints. If it is His glory, think what that will mean for us! Anything having to do with His glory is far beyond our imagination. If man could imagine what His glory will bring, then it wouldn’t be a glory befitting the God of the universe. Remember that He didn’t call us just to leave us. He called us to glory.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, there is no hope in the world. There is only hope in Me; and that Hope is the hope of the world; for there is no other way to Me than through that entrance. You have that Hope residing in you; for you have entered into the Kingdom of God. There is no other way to Me than through that entrance. And that entrance is through the blood. That Hope is of glory and honor through Me. You have all glory through Me and all honor through Me. In Me you have all that is necessary for the Kingdom of God. You will walk in glory and honor is this world and the next as you allow Me to bring it about. You will have all peace in Me in this age and in the next. Through Me you will be glorious and will achieve all excellence.”

 

            17. Because He called me, I can have a glorious hope in Him. It is a hope that will not disappoint.