App
Picturing the glory of God!
Fred R. Coulter—December 31, 2022
- Video | 
- PDF | Audio | [Up]
Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services from rainy central California!
Let's look at some things today about how we can stay close to God and the relationship that God has with us and we have with God, along with the future prospective of eternal life.
God is doing something that the world cannot understand. Sometimes it's a little hard for us to understand. When you look at all the 'greats' in the world, and all of the brilliant minds that there are, and then here's God's little flock!
Right now, because of circumstances we are scattered perhaps more than at any time. What we need to do is remember this one statement: We are the called the chosen and the faithful! You have to put those three together:
The called—you must answer the call! When you answer the call and are baptized and receive the Holy Spirit, you are chosen!Then we have to remain faithful all the rest of our lives. So, the called, the chosen and the faithful! Let's see who God chooses.
1-Corinthians 1:26: "For you see your calling, brethren, that there are not many who are wise…"
That's true, especially as far as the world is concerned! Let's also understand that whatever we understand about God's Word, He has given us the understanding through His Word and His Spirit! Some of the wisest people in the world can read the Bible and they conclude it's full of lies, when it's actually full of Truth and the Plan of God in a mystery that they can't understand!
"…not many who are wise according to the flesh, not many who are powerful, not many who are highborn among you…. [here's what God has chosen]: …Rather, God has chosen the foolish things of the world, so that He might put to shame those who are wise…" (vs 26-27).
As I've said in the past probably quite a few times, when you look out at a whole group of all the saints and you tell them that they're going to rule the world under Christ…
If we had a whole staff of the smartest people from the smartest universities in the world, and we invited them in and we said, 'I want you meet the future world leaders'; they would laugh us to scorn! But look at what the wise have become because of their sins! We read that recently: professing themselves to be the 'wise' ones, they became the fools!
"…and God has chosen the weak things of the world so that He might put to shame the strong things" (v 27).
With Christ in us we can overcome every one of these apparent difficulties. Another thing that's important, we become relying on God the Father and Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, so we're relying on our own judgment. But rather the Word of God and His Truth!
The rich and the mighty rely on their own judgment, plus Satan leads them! That's quite a thing!
Verse 28: "And the lowborn of the world, and the despised has God chosen—even the things that are counted as nothing…"
If you think just because you're alone, or because it's hard to get together with the brethren, remember Christ in you, God the Father in you, is greater than the numbers of people! Look at how many times God dealt through one man; many times! Who is the one Man to take away our sins? Jesus Christ!
"…in order that He might bring to nothing the things that are; so that no flesh might glory in His presence" (vs 28-29).
Think about that for a minute! Think about what happened to Job and all that he went through. His sin was—even though he kept all the Law of God the way that he should, and everything he did was what God said to do—he accredited all the ability to himself!
God had to teach Job that self-righteousness is not going to do what God wants, because all the power, praise, honor and glory to God! So, after God got done talking to Job and telling him that unless you become like God, you're completely helpless! What did Job conclude? He said, 'Now I know that no thought can be withheld from You! Therefore, I repent in sackcloth and ashes!'
So, the whole point that God wants with all of us is to stay repentant to Him, and rely on Him because He will give us His Spirit and He will lead and help us.
Verse 30[transcriber's correction]: "But you are of Him in Christ Jesus, Who was made to us wisdom from God, even righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption; so that, as it is written, 'The one who glories, let him glory in the Lord'" (vs 30-31).
Further and beyond that, God wants us to know and understand His Plan. One of the most miraculous things about the Bible is that His Plan—called a mystery—is hidden within the pages of the Bible and in His laws and commandments.
Anyone who refuses to keep them, or to believe His Word will never understand what God is doing. That's why the wise of the world can't know. You take this Bible to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and gather a whole bunch of the leading scientists and say to them:
I know that you have discovered many, many thing, and made many inventions, and you've done a lot of thing, but I want to tell you that I have a book here that will tell you:
- what you really need to know
- why you were born
- where you are going
- what you're going to do
- what God is doing
- how He is doing it
Would you like to have a copy of the book? They would probably all say yes! Then you have an attendant over here with a whole stack of Bibles. You say:
All right, I'm going to give you the one single book in the world that has all that you need.
And give them a Bible, each one! Do you suppose that they would begin to understand? No! they would probably scoff, walk out and curse you to your face.
1-Corinthians 2:6: "Now we speak wisdom among the spiritually mature; however, it is not the wisdom of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing."
Wouldn't that be interesting in that meeting with all of these great MIT professors and inventors, and tell them that they are coming to nothing! They might come up and kill you.
Verse 7: "Rather, we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery…"
How do you understand a mystery? God reveals it! But He doesn't reveal it in a certain book, in certain verses. He puts a little here and a little there, and so forth! He takes the most obvious thing that they all reject; actually two things:
- His Word
- Jesus Christ
Verse 7: "Rather, we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom that God foreordained before the ages unto our glory."
How valuable is the knowledge of God to each one of us? The key becomes the Sabbath and Holy Days, the Word of God—all of that!
All the things all around us, especially nowadays look really difficult. Don't be discouraged or get down, because God is with you. Remember what God told Elisha when there was an attack coming upon the Israelites? The attendant of Elisha said they needed to get out of there, and Elisha said: 'No! There are more for us than against us!'
He asked God to open his eyes so he could see, and there was whole host of angels out there ready to do battle against the enemy! Never think, just because you're alone, that God has abandoned you. That's not true, because, as we will see, God's dwelling place is within us by the power of His Spirit!
Verse 8: "Which not one of the rulers of this world has known…"—none of them!
Remember the lesson of Nebuchadnezzar and the head of gold. Read Dan. 4, especially the end where Nebuchadnezzar repented, after seven years of being like an animal, eating grass with the cattle. You can imagine what he looked like after that.
"…(for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory); but according as it is written, 'The eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, neither have entered into he heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him'" (vs 8-9).
That phrase tells us an awful lot! A little later we're going to talk about the glory of God and some of the things that He has that do not appear glorious. But in certain ways can reveal the glory that God has put in it.
In our meeting hall here we have six pictures on the wall; pictures of sand, just regular old sand: white sand, brown sand and red sand. It's magnified 2, 500 times. Guess what? That which appears to be nothing, is filled with glorious colors! A little later we'll show on the video of this message something astonishing.
What is the love of God? For this is the love God that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous!
Verse 10: "But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things—eventhe deep things of God. For who among men understands the things of man except by the spirit of man, which is in him? In the same way also, the things of God no one understands except by the Spirit of God. For who among men understands the things of man except by the spirit of man, which is in him? In the same way also, the things of God no one understands except by the Spirit of God" (vs 10-11).
That is a profound statement! You can't search all over to find it. God has to open your mind to it through His Spirit! What did Jesus say of the Word of God? The words I speak to you, they are Spirit and they are Life!
Just like the sand that looks like what you would just sweep up and throw out if you found it in your house on the floor. It's the same way with us; we're like that sand. What are we made of? The dust of the earth! The only difference is that God has called us, chosen us and if we're faithful we will fulfill the Plan of God and we will see that that glory is going to be absolutely marvelous!
Verse 12: "Now, we have not received the spirit of the world…"—there is a spirit of the world! That is the spirit of Satan the devil! He's going to come on strong with everything that He can do at the end time, as we find in the prophecies of the book of Revelation, and the other prophecies in the Old Testament that tie in with it. It's going to be quite a time, indeed!
"…but the Spirit that is of God, so that we might know the things graciously given to us by God; which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Holy Spirit in order to communicate spiritual things by spiritual means" (vs 12-13).
That's quite a thing, indeed! Let's see what else! We all, in answering the call, have to be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit. As you know, receiving the Holy Spirit is the most important thing that can happen in our physical lives and we must grow in grace and knowledge. Because IF we're to be the wisdom of God to the world, we can't do it in the flesh! We have to be raised, changed and transformed into the sons and daughters of God as spirit beings. This is what we need to keep focus on in our mind: the called, the chosen and the faithful!
1-Peter 1:1: "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the elect strangers scattered in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia; who have been chosen according to the predetermined knowledge of God the Father… [chosen because of repentance] …by sanctification through the Spirit…" (vs 1-2).
You receive the Spirit and that sanctifies you! The Holy Spirit: God wants to work with our spirit now with the Spirit of God united with it. He wants us to grow, develop and use the Word of God for that.
"…unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you" (v 2).
That's what we want from God, grace and peace; so that even in difficult times you can have the peace of God.
Verse 3: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who, according to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again…"
We know that the Bible teaches us that which is born of the flesh is flesh. That's your physical life. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Who was the Firstborn from the dead? Christ! No one has been 'born again' except Jesus Christ!
He was the firstborn in the flesh of Mary, and He was the Firstborn from among the dead when He was resurrected.
"…has begotten us again unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; unto an inheritance incorruptible… [think about what it's going to be] …and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for us" (vs 3-4).
Christ has to bring that, and when the resurrection takes place, then all of these things will become apparent.
Verse 5: "Who are being safeguarded by the power of God through faith… [that's why we have faith every day] …for salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."
1-Peter 2:3: "If you yourselves have indeed tasted that the Lord is gracious. To Whom coming, as to a living Stone…" (vs 3-4).
Remember the many times that Jesus brought out that He was that Cornerstone that the builders rejected.
"…rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, and precious, you also, as living stones…" (vs 4-5).
That's interesting because you're going to see something abut living stones a little later.
"…are being built up as a spiritual house—a Holy priesthood—to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this reason it says in the Scripture, 'Behold, I place in Zion the Cornerstone, chosen and precious; and the one who believes in Him shall never be put to shame'" (vs 5-6).
There we have it! That's quite a thing! Let's see what Psa. 8 says about us.
Psalm 8:1: "O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens!"
That's another thing in praying that we need to understand and let the Spirit of God lead us to understand and grasp what God has done. That He is:
- all mighty
- all powerful
- has grace, love, truth, righteousness
He has called us to have His Spirit, to be in His Kingdom and He's called us so that when collectively all the saints down through all time are resurrected. Then we're all going to be organized to take over the world! In the first resurrection, that will always be a special category in the Plan of God.
The firstborn or firstfruits are always that which is dedicated wholly to God! That's why we've been called!
Verse 2: "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings You have ordained strength because of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and the avenger. When I consider Your heavens…" (vs 2-3).
We're also going to see some things from the James Webb telescope. We showed them once before, but it's good to see it again. It's something that reaches out—they claim—13-billion light years! It is astonishing what is out there in the heavens!
Those in past generations of Christians have never been able to see those, and never been able to see the colors in stones, which is also going to be quite a thing, because we're to be living stones! We're to have glory!
"…the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him…?" (vs 3-4)—man or woman! God is mindful of them!
God has a great plan, as we know, that even later on in His plan that even those figured that there was no hope for anything, and they died knowing nothing about God, God is going to raise them in what we know is called the second resurrection! Think about what time that is going to be!
Verse 4: "What is man that You are mindful of him…?"
Think about that for a minute! How did we get where we are today? The called, the chosen and the faithful!
"…and the son of man that You care for him?" (v 4).
Now, notice v 5; this is one of the most astonishing verses in the whole Bible. The King James and other translations translates it angels, but the reality of it is:
Verse 5: "For You have made him a little lower than God…"
Think about that. It was in Gen. 1 that He made us male and female in the image and likeness of God. He has given us free moral agency, given us minds so that we can think and do. Plus He's given the whole world to mankind as place to live, work and so all things in their lives. That's an amazing thing; and made in the image of God!
To understand the great power of God that He has is to realize that every single human being, other than Adam and Eve are formed in the womb. That's quite a thing! Look at it this way: Just as a child is formed in the womb, and God put everything in there so it would be a complete human being. But needing a mother and father because it:
- needs to grow
- needs to be taught
- needs to know what is right
All babies are sweet and innocent when they're born. Some of them you wonder what happened to them in their lifetime that they turn out the way that they have turned out. Well, that's because it depends on the parents and whether they know of God or not.
"…and have crowned him with glory and honor" (v 5). That's true in the physical realm:
- certain things that are
- certain things that are glorious
But that's also prophetic at the resurrection, because at the resurrection then we are going to join the spiritual Family of God as the spirit sons and daughters of God. That's the whole plan!
Verse 6: "You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands…"—the whole earth!
Sidebar: Do you know where the Scripture is that says that God intended men to drill oil out of the ground? Deut. 32:13! The Green Movement is a lying fraud to enslave all of mankind to Satan the devil!
Let's see some other things that God has done for us and shown us in what we need to do. Col. 1 tells us how God is going to do it. It's quite a thing, really! This is why, when we talk about prayer and study, we need to really do that. God is working with us with His Spirit. The more we study the more we learn.
We have the whole Bible on audio CDs, and for those of you who do a lot of driving, you can put them into your player and listen to the whole Bible from one part to another, everything in the Faithful Version.
Colossians 1:13: "Who has personally rescued us from the power of darkness and has transferred us unto the Kingdom of the Son of His love."
In other words, we are no longer just in the world. We have Christ in us! That's the greatest thing that can happen, and in our relationship with God to draw us to God the Father and Jesus Christ. Every day through prayer and study we have fellowship with God. Think about that for a minute! Think about it this way: You have been begotten again about God the Father!
It's not just a 'religion'… And the more I watch TBN and Day Star, the more you can see that they are of this world. That's is a false gospel that they preach, even though the read some things in the Bible. So, you have to come to God His way!
Verse 12: "Giving thanks to the Father, Who has made us qualified for the share of the inheritance of the saints in the Light." God the Father is the One Who does it!
- you can't earn
- you can't buy it
- you can't tithe for it
It has to come by your love for God and obedience to God. Letting God the Father help you grow in grace and knowledge.
Verse 13: "Who has personally rescued us…"—God Himself!
That's translated that way because the word rescued is a middle voice participle or verb, which means the subject is also the object. God has done this for us, for His Plan for His Family, personally Himself, because the Spirit comes from the Father as a begettal. This is what our new life is, just like a newly conceived life in the womb of it's mother. The birth will be the resurrection! That's why we are called The Church of the Firstborn! Amazing how all of this comes together.
"…rescued us from the power of darkness…" (v 13)—Satan the devil!
We need to be saved from Satan the devil, because he is as slick as can be. That's why all of us as elders especially, we need to really stick with the Word of God the way that God wants it preached and taught, and interpreted according to rightly dividing the Word of God.
Verse 14: "In Whom we have redemption through His own blood, even the remission of sins; Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation" (vs 14-15).
We will see that's the firstborn from the dead, because all of those who are going to be born at the first resurrection are being created in Christ Jesus through the power of God's Holy Spirit within us in our mind.
It says in Gal. 4 that 'I feel endangered about you until Christ be formed in you.' Then He says in:
Philippians 2:5: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." That's what it means to grow in grace and knowledge! Put it all together!
Colossians 1:16: "Because by Him were all things created, the things in heaven and the things on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether they be thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before all, and by Him all things subsist. And He is the Head of the Body, the Church…" (vs 16-18).
This is what we all need to understand, especially all the elders. Christ is the Head of the Church! We are all stewards to serve God and the brethren!
"…Who is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead … [that interprets the verse being the Firstborn of all creation] …so that in all things He Himself might hold the pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell" (vs 18-19).
What an example that is! Everything about His life!
(break 40:19)
We will see the kind of relationship that God wants with us, and it is fantastic, indeed!
Colossians 1:19: "For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell; and having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things to Himself; by Him, whether the things on the earth, or the things in heaven" (vs 19-20).
That's what God wants! That's the whole reason that Christ came, and came the way that He did, in the flesh! He came so that He could become that perfect sacrifice.
Verse 21: "For you were once alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked works; but now He has reconciled you…"
That's quite a thing! Think about it when you're out here in the world like the world is right now, they are enemies of God in their minds!
"…but now He has reconciled you in the body of His flesh through death, to present you…" (v 21).
Notice what God wants from us to be presented to Him! Remember Heb. 2 says that at the resurrection Jesus is going to stand right in front of all the resurrected saints on the Sea of Glass, and He's going to say to the Father, 'Behold, Me and all the children that you have given Me!'
What's that going to be like? That's why there has to be the Sea of Glass. We have to be organized; we're going to have to know:
- what we're going to do
- where we're going to go
- how we're going to rescue the world
"…He has reconciled you in the body of His flesh Holy and unblamable and unimpeachable before Him… [what a marvelous thing that's going to be] …if indeed you continue in the faith grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which you have heard, and which was proclaimed in all the creation that is under heaven; of which I, Paul, became a servant. Now, I am rejoicing in my sufferings for you…" (vs 21-24).
Paul could see what happens when they are converted and really draw close to God.
"…and I am filling up in my flesh that which is behind of the tribulations of Christ, for the sake of His Body, which is the Church; of which I became a servant, according to the administration of God that was given to me for you in order to complete the Word of God" (vs 24-25).
We have it right here in the Bible! Isn't that amazing? There is no other book that goes so far back in history as the Bible that has as much of it preserved as the Bible has had preserved. Not even the great philosophers of Aristotle and Socrates and Pythagoras and so forth.
Verse 26: "Even the mystery that has been hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been revealed to His saints; to whom God did will to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the Hope of glory" (vs 26-27). That's how God does it, with His Spirit!
Let's look at some other things that becomes important. The One Who is the Great Ruler of the universe, the Father and His resurrected Son Jesus Christ have done something so very special in each one of our lives, because we're the called, the chosen and the faithful that we now have this tremendous blessing that we're going to read about in John 14. None of the rest of the world has it, and they don't even now about it.
Those who think they know of the Holy Spirit don't understand it, and what it's supposed to do in our lives.
John 14:15: "If you love Me…"—that's important because we still have choices!
Every day we must choose the way of God! That's why we must have every day we need heartfelt prayer and study! Then we have circumstances necessary for it, we need to fast so we draw close to God and don't get carried away in our own vanity.
"If you love Me…"—that being conditional, what are the conditions?
It's not that you feel something in your heart and you're all emotional. That could be good if you follow through with what you need to do.
"…keep the commandments—namely, My commandments" (v 15).
Remember that He was the Lord God of the Old Testament. So, those are His commandment, too. As I recommended recently—and I hope that you've been doing it—study all through Psa. 119 about:
- the commandments
- the laws
- the precepts
- the understanding of God
everything that David said:
- I love Your Law
- Your Law is the Truth
- Your commandments are the Truth
Now we're going to learn something about Truth, which is important. God is calling us where we have a deceitful mind and desperately wicked above all things; that's the carnal mind! God is going to convert that to the mind of Christ! Talk about a work; that is a spiritual work! Our part is to:
- yield to God
- pray and study
- grow and overcome
Verse 16: "And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that it may be with you throughout the age." As long as you live!
For the Church, the Spirit will always be there with those who are baptized and receive the Holy Spirit.
Verse 17: "Even the Spirit of the Truth… "
The only way you get rid of lies is by replacing the lies with Truth! Since it's the Spirit of Truth, that helps us understand why false doctrine, or false interpretations will never work, because they're not of the Truth!
You can see this if you watch the 'religious' channels. They have a certain amount of, but it's like Paul wrote of:
- there's a veil over their eyes when it comes to reading the Old Testament
- there's a blindness over their eyes when it comes to reading the New Testament
That blindness comes from Satan the devil! So, the world has three things against them:
- a blindness at the reading of Moses
- the deceitfulness of the heart, desperately wicked
- the blindness of Satan the devil
All three of those work against the rest of humanity to not understand what God is doing. That's why being the called, chosen and faithful is important, because of having:
- your sins forgive
- Christ in you
- the Spirit of Truth
Verse 17: "Even the Spirit of the Truth, which the world cannot receive because it perceives it not…"
You don't have to see it to receive it! You can't see the Spirit. That's what God does in the innermost part of our mind with His Holy Spirit to unite with the spirit of man that we have.
- now we have been begotten by the Father
- now we are His children
- now God is dealing with us in a special way
Let's see what that is:
"…nor knows it, but you know it because it dwells with you, and shall be within you" (v 17).
That's something! That is the dividing line between the called, chosen and faithful and the world. The Spirit of God in us!
Verse 18: "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. Yet, a little while and the world shall see Me no longer; but you shall see Me. Because I live, you shall live, also" (vs 18-19).
Imagine what it was like when they were all gathered there on that Wave Sheaf Offering Day, after Christ ascended to the Father and came back. They're all in a room, and all of sudden the two disciples came back and said that they saw the Lord and He ate with us. Then all of a sudden Jesus is standing in the middle, right there in the room.
Think about how they felt, because they all saw Him die! They all saw Him hanging on the cross! They all saw that He was put into the tomb. Some of them didn't even believe when Mary Magdalene said that Jesus was raised from the dead. The only one who believed was John when he went down to the tomb and saw the cloths laying there. Probably in the form of Jesus' body when He was wrapped in the linen. The napkin that he had on His head was folded and put in another place. You know that He had to be alive when John saw that, because napkins don't fold themselves! That showed that He was alive!
Verse 19: "Yet, a little while and the world shall see Me no longer; but you shall see Me. Because I live, you shall live, also. In that day, you shall know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you" (vs 19-20).
This is what we need to know and understand, and really keep in mind, especially the days that we are living in! we can't get wrapped up in the world. All of their troubles are going to come home.
Remember the 'Rev.' Wright the infamous 'rev.' of Barack Obama? He made the statement of America that 'the chickens are coming home to roost.' Well, in that he was correct!
Notice how important the keeping of the commandments of God is:
Verse 21: "The one who has My commandments and is keeping them, that is the one who loves Me…"
Flip it the other way: the one who does NOT keep My commandments does NOT love Me! That's the big fault of establishment Christianity! They want the unconditional love of God, but God's love is not unconditional! There is an IF!
- they never tell you how to love God back
- they never tell you to keep the commandments
Sidebar: I've got a clip of Jonathan Cahn calling Pres. Biden to account for signing the so-called Respect for Marriage Act! I'm going to analyze it and show you that as powerful as that was—and you could feel the power that he had with it—a worthless call to repentance!
A lot of people can't understand or discern it, so I'm going to have part of it played and then I'm going to show why he's missing the mark!
One thing would be very important. I makes you wonder what happens with men like Jonathan Cahn, and why they never really come to the Truth the way that they should.
Verse 21: "The one who has My commandments and is keeping them, that is the one who loves Me and the one who loves Me shall be loved by My Father."
Don't think that you're unwanted, unloved and no one cares for you because you're alone. God the Father and Christ are with you all of the time!
"…and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him" (v 21)—because God does love you!
Verse 22: "Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, 'Lord, what has happened that You are about to manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word…" (vs 22-23).
That means His whole message! The Protestants ought to read:
Mark 2:27: "And He said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man… [and women] …and not man for the Sabbath; therefore, the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath'" (vs 27-28)
The day they hate, and Christ says He's the Lord of! Think about that! Yet, they say that they're worshipping God! They don't have a clue!
John 14:23: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word and My Father will love him…'"
Always remember that God the Father does love you, and we'll see how to love God back.
"…and We will come to him and make Our abode with him'" (v 23).
That means that God, with the Holy Spirit—God the Father and Jesus Christ—Both are dwelling in you through the power of the Holy Spirit! That's what's so important, and the whole key to our relationship with God.
Verse 24: "The one who does not love Me does not keep My words, and the Word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father's, Who sent Me."
Let's see how John expands this and how He shows that our calling and being chosen and being faithful with God the Father and Jesus Christ means that we have direct access to God the Father.
1-John 1:1: "That which was from the beginning… [the One Who commanded everything to come into existence] …that which we have heard…"
They heard all the words of Jesus and everything that He preached wherever He went and they were with Him.
"…that which we have seen with our own eyes, …that which we observed for ourselves… [meaning to carefully securitized everything that Jesus did] …and our own hands handled, concerning the Word of Life" (v 1).
When He appeared to them, He let them handle Him.
Sidebar: A spirit being can appear as flesh and bone; not flesh and blood. It doesn't need blood.
There are some people, even the Church of God, when we're resurrected that we're going to be flesh and bone. That's not true.
However, it will be that we will be glorious spirit beings. But when we—those who will be teaching and ruling over in the Kingdom of God—appear to human beings, we will appear to them as flesh and bone. Why? Because a human being cannot be in the presence of a god spirit being and live!
So, if there's anybody out there preaching that doctrine, I tell you in the name of Christ you better stop!
Verse 2: "And the life was manifested, and we have seen, and are bearing witness, and are reporting to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us; that which we have seen and have heard we are reporting to you in order that you also may have fellowship with us; for the fellowship—indeed, our fellowship—is with the Father and with His own Son Jesus Christ" (vs 2-3).
That's something! All the words of the Bible are powerful, meaningful and are telling us some great and wonderful things.
Ephesians 2:1: "Now, you were dead in trespasses and sins."
Without the Spirit of God, living in the world, and you have all your sins and trespasses, you're as good as dead.
Verse 2: "In which you walked in times past according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience."
We're certainly seeing that right now. Satan working in so many people, they want to change everything, because it's Satan the devil's rule!
Verse 3: "Among whom also we all once had our conduct in the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and by the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest of the world. But God, Who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us… [calling us] …even when we were dead in our trespasses, has made us alive together with Christ.… [through repentance and baptism] …(For you have been saved by grace.)" (vs 3-5)—unearned, unmerited favor, grace and status with God!
To have the Spirit of the Father and the Son in us (John 14) that's the greatest grace. In addition to that, we have the grace of God so that when we pray:
- God hears us
- God answers our prayers
- God strengthens us
- God gives us what we need so we can live in the world and stay close to Him
That's an amazing thing compared to what it was in the world when Satan the devil had a hold of us.
Verse 5: "Even when we were dead in our trespasses, has made us alive together with Christ. (For you have been saved by grace.) And He has raised us up together and has caused us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus… [we're not there, yet, but we will be] …so that in the ages that are coming… [that's when it will be] …He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (vs 5-7).
That's something! Why did God call us? He didn't call us because we were important! He called us because we cried out to Him in our time of need, and we answered God's call!
Verse 8: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this especially is not of your own selves… [your own works] …it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship…" (vs 8-10).
God is creating in us through His Spirit and working in us! That's why
- Christ in us is the hope of glory!
- Christ being formed in us is what is going to take place
- we are told to let the mind of Christ be in us
We are His workmanship! God is currently working with each one of us; that is the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit in our heart and mind. That is the greatest thing that there is!
Verse 10: "For we are His workmanship being created in Christ Jesus unto the good works that God ordained beforehand in order that we might walk in them."
Matt. 22—here's how we are to respond to God. Not only keeping His commandments, but everything needs to be based on the love of God. God's love for us, and our love for Him. You can't have one without the other. Those two must be together and with the Spirit of God. Let's look at it this way, do you include in your prayer every day:
O Lord God, help me to love You with all my heart, mind, soul and being.
Do we? That's important, because that only comes from God! But we have to have our part intricately involved and knitted to that which God has given to us. So, they always have the argument, which is the greatest commandment?
Matthew 22:37: "And Jesus said to him, 'You shall…'"
- What does that mean?
- Is that a suggestion? No! That's a commandment!
- Are these the words that Jesus has spoken? If you love Me, you will keep My words (John 14)!
"…'You shall love the Lord your God… [no reservations, nothing else in between] …with all your heart… [all your emotions] …and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment… [everything else comes from that] …and the second one is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets'" (vs 37-40).
That's how we are to love God! How is God going to respond to us if we do that? Couple that with study! God does something very important. Christ is dwelling within us, the Father is dwelling in us and that's through the power of the Holy Spirit.
What happens to us spiritually when we yield to God, and stay close to God. We pray every day and every day we study. Why is that? Because all eternity is ahead of us, and we want to be there! Here is what is actively happening within our minds to bring us the character and understanding of God:
Hebrews 10:14: "For by one offering He has obtained eternal perfection for those who are sanctified."
That's us; the called, the chosen, the faithful!
Verse 15: "And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after He had previously said, 'This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days,' says the Lord, 'I will give My Laws…'" (vs 15-16).
I wonder why the Protestants don't read this very much? Because they say that the Law has been done away! It's far from being done away; where is being put?
"…I will give My Laws into their hearts, and I will inscribe them in their minds; and their sins and lawlessness I will not remember ever again" (vs 16-17).
Here's what God is going to do; here is the whole goal. We're going to see a clip about the 12 stones that are listed in Rev. 21, which will be the foundational stones of New Jerusalem. No other stones are like this. So, here is what God is going to do:
Philippians 3:20: "But for us, the commonwealth of God exists in the heavens, from where also we are waiting for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will transform our vile bodies, that they may be conformed to His glorious body…" (vs 20-21).
- What does it say in Dan. 12? We will shine like the stars!
- What does it say in Matt. 13? The righteous shall shine like the sun!
That's glory!
"…according to the inner working of His own power, whereby He is able to subdue all things to Himself" (v 21).
You will see the marvelous thing that even in rocks, precious stones God has put glory and honor!
(video shown regarding the stones; and pictures from the James Webb telescope)
Scriptural References:
- 1-Corinthians 1:26-31
- 1 Corinthians 2:6-13
- 1 Peter 1:1-5
- 1 Peter 2:3-6
- Psalm 8:1-6
- Colossians 1:13-15
- Philippians 2:5
- Colossians 1:16-27
- John 14:15-23
- Mark 2:27-28
- John 14:23-24
- 1 John 1:1-3
- Ephesians 2:1-10
- Matthew 22:37-40
- Hebrews 10:14-17
- Philippians 3:20-21
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Daniel 4
- Genesis 1
- Deuteronomy 32:13
- Galatians 4
- Hebrews 2
- Psalm 119
- Revelation 21
- Daniel 12
- Matthew 13
FRC:bo
Transcribed: 1/3/23
Copyright 2023—All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. This includes electronic and mechanical photocopying or recording, as well as the use of information storage and retrieval systems.
