Special Message: True Fellowship with God

By this shall everyone know that you are My disciples—if you love one another

Fred R. Coulter—March 21, 2020

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Greetings, brethren! This is a special message, true Fellowship with God. What does that mean?

It's important for us to realize that God's plan goes way back, and that God has planned this for who knows how long. We're part of it because:

• we have God's Spirit
• of what Jesus Christ has done
• of what God is doing with us

We're going to see some things in 2-Tim. that we've covered before, and just about all of the Scriptures that we have covered we have read before. There's something about the Word of God and the Spirit of God in understanding things that we grow in grace and knowledge and understanding even when we go re-study and re-study.

2-Timothy 1:7: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of sound-mindedness." That's the overall goal!

Conversion is in the mind, and we still—all of us—have a long way to go with that.

Verse 8: "Therefore, you should not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner; but jointly suffer with me for the sake of the Gospel, according to the power of God."

This is how we are to approach difficulties and trials that come. Because they will come!

Verse 9: "Who has saved us and called us with a Holy calling…"

What God is doing is not like the Protestants have, where if you go to church you're just fine. God wants fellowship with you!

"…not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace…: (v 9).

John 6:44: "…the Father, Who sent Me, draws him…"—to Christ! And Christ draws us to the Father. That's a tremendous thing.

You need to understand that God the Father Himself, and Jesus Christ Himself, are directly involved spiritually in our lives.

2-Timothy 1:9: "…which was given us in Christ Jesus before the ages of time." Contemplate that! That's a tremendous and awesome thing to understand! Yet, God is dealing with each one of us individually, because of:

• His love
• His Truth
• His purpose
• His plan

Verse 10: "But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, Who has annulled death…"

Sidebar: When something is annulled, it is as if it never happened.

Now you understand why those who went to the persecution, execution and slaughter for believing in Jesus Christ did it with joy!Death will be annulled!

"…and has brought to light eternal life and incorruptibility through the Gospel" (v 10). That's something really important to understand and to really realize!

Now let's see what Paul wrote; Ephesians 1:3: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly things with Christ." The blessings are:

• to know God
• to know Jesus Christ
• to understand the Word of God, which is a spiritual blessing
• to look forward to eternal life

And all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm at the resurrection is going to be astounding, indeed!

I want you to think about this, and especially if you've been going through a trail or difficulty and problem and you feel discouraged, and you think everyone is against you, and you don't even know about God. I want you to understand what God says about your calling:

Verse 4: "According as He has personally chosen us for Himself…"

God has His plan and purpose before the ages of time, and God does the calling and the choosing, and those who answer the call are chosen. When we get down to the very last, there's a world and Satan and all that is out there, and the called, chosen and faithful. That's us, brethren!

• He has chosen us for Himself!
• He's our Father!
• We will become the sons and daughters of God!

That's an amazing thing to contemplate! I want you to really think and understand, and with God's Spirit, grasp the meaning of what we are going to cover today.

"…before the foundation of the world in order that we might be Holy and blameless before Him in love… [in His plan; you have to put this together] …having predestinated us for sonship to Himself through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His own will" (vs 4-5).

This is why we need to really stop and think about this, especially with the Passover, Unleavened Bread, an Pentecost coming up here very quickly.

Verse 6: "To the praise of the glory of His grace… [because it's by grace that we have been saved, and not ourselves] …wherein He has made us objects of His grace in the Beloved Son… [Jesus Christ] …in Whom we have redemption… [purchased back from the devil by the price that Christ paid] …through His blood, even the remission of sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He has made to abound toward us in all wisdom and intelligence; having made known to us…" (vs 6-9).

What is it that you know about the plan of God? We understand that that's revealed by His Sabbath, Passover and Holy Days! His plan, not only for us, but for all of mankind, because all human beings have been made in the image and likeness of God. The Bible tells us that we will be after the Family of God, the God-kind!

• that's why we're here
• that's why we're doing what we're doing

Verse 9: "Having made known to us the mystery of His own will, according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself"—before the ages of time!

Verse 10: "That in the Divine plan for the fulfilling of the times, He might bring all things together in Christ, both the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth." Reconcile it all to God in His marvelous and beautiful plan!

Verse 11: "Yes, in Him, in Whom we also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestinated according to His purpose, Who is working out all things according to the counsel of His own will; that we might be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in the Christ" (vs 11-12). How does God do this?

Verse 13: "In Whom you also trusted after hearing the Word of the Truth…" Remember that it's always the Truth of God, the Truth of God, the Truth of God and the love God, the love of God, the love of God! And our love back to God!

"…the Gospel of your salvation; in Whom also, after believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (v 13).

We have all received the Holy Spirit, and many times we wonder how that works. Let's compare it to a cell phone or a computer. It works!

• How does it work? There are microwaves that carry everything on it and bring it to your phone so you can see it, hear it, record it, and keep it!
• Did you ever see any of the microwaves? No!
• Did you ever feel any of the microwaves? No!

That's much like how the Holy Spirit of God works in our mind. We have been sealed by His Holy Spirit for the day of the resurrection!

Verse 14: "Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." That is awesome, indeed, to contemplate!

1-John 1 tells us something tremendous that God wants us to have with Him. This comes with prayer, study, living God's way, having our trials and difficulties come upon us. These things are all part of living in this world, and we will see how we overcome it. Again, I want you to understand that God's plan goes way back, as Paul wrote, before the ages of time!

1-John 1:1: "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our own eyes, that which we observed for ourselves and our own hands handled, concerning the Word of Life"

John is talking about everything to do with how they were taught by Jesus, lived with Him almost day and night for over three years, to be the called apostles. John was the apostle that Jesus loved. It's interesting that John writes more about the love of God and our love to Him than any of the other apostles.

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."

Remember that Peter, James and John went with Jesus to the Mt. of Transfiguration and saw the vision of what it was like to be a spirit being. They always remember this, and this what John is referring to here.

Verse 3: "That which we have seen and have heard we are reporting to you…"—and they wrote it down!

We are going to see that John had the blessing of writing down some of the very words of Christ that none of the other apostles were able to write down, which are directly related to our calling and what God is doing.

"…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."

That's a tremendous thing to understand. This fellowship is a spiritual fellowship through:

• prayer
• study
• meditation
• living God's way
• everything connected with what we are doing

Verse 4: These things we are also writing to you, so that your joy may be completely full." A joy that gives you peace of mind, regardless of the circumstances!

It's not a joy that you're jumping up and down and all this sort of thing. It is peace and joy, and remember that's what Paul wrote in the introduction of every single one of his epistles: peace, love and grace from God the Father and Jesus Christ!

Verse 5: "And this is the message that we have heard from Him and are declaring to you: that God is Light, and there is no darkness at all in Him. If we proclaim that we have fellowship with Him, but we are walking in the darkness, we are lying to ourselves…" (vs 5-6). Darkness is:

• the way of the world
• the way of Satan the devil
• the way of manipulating the Scriptures
  • falsifying what it says
  • telling lies that are absolutely untrue

Yet, are promulgated in fake Christianity!

"…and we are not practicing the Truth" (v 6).

• living by
• thinking by
• having our mind reoriented and converted this way

Jesus said, 'Your Word is the Truth; sanctify us through Your Truth.' Sanctify means to make Holy! That's why we are called 'Holy brethren.' But what happens? We're still carnal and still have things to overcome! Though we've been delivered from the law of sin and death, God has not yet removed it from us.

What do we do? Remember that conversion in the mind! There's still a lot of things in our mind that we have to get out. Also, everything that we have ever done in our whole life is recorded somewhere in our mind! That's why at the resurrection all of the things of the flesh will be gone! But we have to get there!

Verse 7: "However, if we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, then we have fellowship with one another… [with God the Father, Jesus Christ and each other] …and the blood of Jesus Christ, His own Son, cleanses us from all sin." The cleansing of the sin is a day-by-day thing!

Verse 8: "If we say that we do not have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the Truth is not in us. If we confess our own sins…" (vs 8-9).

Just like Jesus said in the model prayer, 'Forgive us our sins, our debts, as we forgive those who sin against us and are indebted to us. How do we confess our sins? That is called repentance! Notice what we are to do:

"…He is faithful… [always will] …and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (v 9). That's quite a thing to really understand!

How are we going to accomplish this? Living the way of God is called the way of God! We walk in:

• the way of God
• the way of the Lord
• the way of Jesus Christ
• the way of God the Father

2-Corinthians 10:3: "For although we walk in the flesh… [we're still human beings] …we do not war according to the flesh."

• we have a warfare
• we have a fight
• we have to resist
• we have to overcome

That's what that means!

Verse 4: "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the overthrowing of strongholds"—it is spiritual!

That's why where we first began in 2-Tim. 1 we are to 'stir up the Spirit' that is in us, because God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and sound mindedness!

What are the strongholds? They're all mental, right here in the mind! We're not out here sinning and breaking the Ten Commandments in an observable way, but overcoming the lust and the law of sin and death that is within! This is the conversion that is ongoing, and here's how we do it:

Verse 5: "Casting down vain imaginations…"

• we get rid of it
• we repent of it
• we ask God for forgiveness

"…and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God…" (v 5). Anything that goes against:

• the Way of God
• the Truth of God
• the Word of God
• the Bible

That's why we have it!

Today we have a particularly harder time with it, because we have with all of the hi-tech things that we use, the television that we watch, and the smart phones that we use, we have these things bombarding us all the time. You can't even drive down any highway and not see a billboard that has some sort of sinful lustful thing on it to try and sell something, or get you to do something. Here's what we are to do:

"…and bringing into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ" (v 5). That's why we have the Spirit of God! We can overcome it and it can be cleansed.

Verse 6: "And having a readiness to avenge all disobedience… [in thoughts] …whenever your obedience has been fulfilled." In other words, you do it God's way to overcome it!

Let's see how this is explained in Eph. 5. this is why we have the Passover every year and the Feast of Unleavened Bread every year. This is why we look at our lives and see that we have a lot to overcome and we need to get rid of it, but it's only gotten rid of by the power of God's Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:25: "…that Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it; so that He might sanctify it… [make it Holy] … having cleansed it…" (vs 25-26).

That's what it is when we bring every thought into captivity to Christ, cleansing our mind, and that is a daily thing we need to do.

"…with the washing of the water by the Word" (v 26). This tells us that God's Holy Spirit is likened unto water. That's what Jesus said in John 7, that the one who is converted, 'out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' He spoke of the Holy Spirit in that regard.

Verse 27: "That He might present it to Himself as the glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it might be Holy and without blame." That's the whole process of conversion, and this is what God has designed for us!

So, don't be discouraged when you're fighting things in your mind that you need to overcome. Get on your knees and ask God to forgive you, cleanse your mind, do Bible study on the topic—whatever it may be—go through the Psalms and Proverbs or whatever part of the Bible you need. That's why in that process, that cleansing, that purifying comes from Christ with His Spirit as part of the New Covenant, because He said that He would 'write His laws and commandments'—the Word of God—'into our heart and inscribe them in our mind.

Let's see how to deal with sin. We've already covered a good measure of it, now here is how we get rid of it spiritually.

1-John 2:1: "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin…. [he didn't say we would sin] …And yet, if anyone does sin… [which we do] …we have an Advocate with the Father; Jesus Christ the Righteous; and He is the propitiation… [the atoning, the forgiving, the redemption] … for our sins; and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (vs 1-2).

Understand this: Every Word of God that has been written down, which is the Truth, is for all people:

• to know God
• to know Christ

especially for those who have been called, chosen and faithful:

• to grow in grace and knowledge
• to grow in the love of God

Verse 3: "And by this standard we know that we know Him: if we keep His commandments." Isn't it something that we know God; we know:

• God the Father
• Jesus Christ
• the Word of God

How do we know the Word of God? IF we:

• study it
• live by it
• keep His commandment
• apply it to ourselves

There are a lot of fake ones out there!

Verse 4: The one who says, 'I know Him' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him. On the other hand, if anyone is keeping His Word…" (vs 4-5)—that encompasses the whole Bible! Today we have the whole Bible, and that's an amazing thing to understand.

 "…truly in this one the love of God is being perfected…. [a process] …By this means we know that we are in Him."

1-John 4:8: "The one who does not love does not know God because God is love. In this way the love of God was manifested toward us: that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this act is the love… [the greatest love of all] …not that we loved God; rather, that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also are duty-bound to love one another" (vs 8-11).

Now let's see how we are to love God. All the world wants God's love to them, but they are not willing to love God back.

Mark 12:29: "Then Jesus answered him, 'The first of all the commandments is, "Hear, O Israel. Our one God is the Lord, the Lord. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart… [not part, not some, not most, but all] …and with all your soul… [your whole being] …and with all your mind… [we've seen how to overcome the sin within through the Spirit and Power of God by the washing of the water by the Word] …and with all your strength." This is the first commandment. And the second is like this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."….'" (vs 29-31).

In John 13, Jesus gave the example of foot-washing. He said, 'I have given you an example that you are duty-bound to do, to wash one another's feet.

John 13:16: "Truly, truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, nor a messenger greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (vs 16-17).

Then after Judas Iscariot left, He gave a hint as to what was going to happen. When He was gone, Jesus said:

Verse 31: "…'Now has the Son of man been glorified, and God has been glorified in Him.'"  Think about that!

The bloody crucifixion and scourging He was going through was going to glorify God! That's an amazing thing to understand!

Verse 32: "If God has been glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall immediately glorify Him." That's true because God raised Jesus from the dead!

Verse 33: "Little children, I am with you yet a little while. You shall seek Me; but as I told the Jews, "Where I am going, you cannot come," I am now telling you also. A new commandment I give to you…" (vs 33-34).

This is what is important for us as brethren intermingling with each other.

"…that you love one another in the same way that I have loved you, that is how you are to love one another. By this shall everyone know that you are My disciples—if you love one another" (vs 34-35).

John 14—we go through this every year at the Passover. We study it during the year. We read it, it's part of us, but these next things we are going to read are those things that you learn more of and experience more of with God's Spirit as you read it, think about it and understand what Jesus said.

This is the Word of God directly spoken of by Jesus—and this is not written anywhere else in the Bible—and God gave this to John who wrote more about love and was the disciple that Jesus loved, so he could convey these things to us. We're going to learn the example of Christ.

John 14:1: "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me."

He knew what He was going to go through. He knew what was going to happen to the disciples, that they would all be scattered after He was arrested and taken off.

Notice that Jesus has His mind on the overall goal, the goal of the completion of God's plan. This is how we keep our compass. This is how we know that we can stay the course. Jesus gave us the example and this promise:

Verse 2: "In My Father's house… [Where is the Father's house? New Jerusalem!] …are many dwelling places; if it were otherwise, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; so that where I am, you may be also" (vs 2-3). That's something!

Think about that! Being with Jesus Christ and God the Father! This is how we go through our trials. We keep our mind on the goal, and the goal is New Jerusalem!

Verse 4: "'And where I am going you know, and the way you know.' Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where You are going; how then can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. But from this time forward, you know Him and have seen Him.' Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and that will be sufficient for us'" (vs 4-8).

Verse 9: "Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long a time, and you have not known Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; why then do you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I speak to you, I do not speak from My own self; but the Father Himself, Who dwells in Me, does the works'" (vs 9-10).

That's how we overcome! We will see that God the Father gives His Spirit to us!

Verse 14: "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it…. [the condition is on us] …If you love Me, keep the commandments—namely, My commandments…. [Jesus is telling that He's going to give them the Holy Spirit] …And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that it may be with you throughout the age" (vs 14-16).

What is working in our mind to expose the sins that are still there? The Truth of the Spirit of God! The Truth of the Word of God! So that we can repent and get rid of it!

Verse 17: "Even the Spirit of the Truth, which the world cannot receive because it perceives it not, nor knows it, but you know it because it dwells with you, and shall be within you." In us! We have that!

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… [and you have fellowship with Him] …and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him." That's a spiritual manifestation starting with the calling of the Father to draw us!

Judas (not Iscariot) (v 22) didn't understand it, but Jesus gave this answer:

Verse 23: "'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word… [His whole message] …and My Father will love him, and We… [the Father and Christ] …will come to him and make Our abode with him. 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" (vs 23-24).

John 15:1: "I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. He takes away every branch in Me that does not bear fruit; but He cleanses each one that bears fruit, in order that it may bear more fruit" (vs 1-2). That's why we have trials and difficulties!

Verse 3: "You are already clean through the word that I have spoken to you. Dwell in Me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit of itself, but only if it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you are dwelling in Me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. The one who is dwelling in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; because apart from Me you can do nothing If anyone does not dwell in Me, he is cast out as a branch, and is dried up; and men gather them and cast them into a fire, and they are burned" (vs 3-6).

Verse 7: "If you dwell in Me, and My words dwell in you… [living in your mind] …you shall ask whatever you desire, and it shall come to pass for you. In this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be My disciples. As the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; live in My love. If you keep My commandments, you shall live in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and live in His love" (vs 7-10).

Verse 11: "These things I have spoken to you, in order that My joy may dwell in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment: that you love one another, as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends, if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants…" (vs 11-15).

Verse 16: "You yourselves did not choose Me, but I have personally chosen you… [tie in Eph. 1, God the Father and Jesus Christ together] … and ordained you, that you should go forth and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; so that whatever you shall ask the Father in My name, He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another" (vs 16-17).

John 16—Christ tells us to pray directly to the Father, and that He has overcome the world. In the world we will have tribulation, but in Him we have peace.

I don't know how John got these words in John 17, but Peter, James and John went with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane—where He was praying before He was arrested. He was praying so that great drops of sweat with blood, He was so intense in it, and they were sleeping. So, these words are what Jesus gave especially to John to write. This is one of the most marvelous parts of the Bible for us.

John 17:1: "Jesus spoke these words, and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, 'Father, the hour has come… [right down to the hour] …glorify Your own Son, so that Your Son may also glorify You; since You have given Him authority over all flesh, in order that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. For this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God … [Jesus was God manifested in the flesh, but with human flesh He was not true God] …and Jesus Christ, Whom You did send. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work that You gave Me to do'" (vs 1-4). That is the preaching and teaching of the disciples!

Now this goes back to where we started in 2-Tim. 1, v 5: "And now, Father, glorify Me with Your own self, with the glory that I had with You before the world existed." That's a tremendous thing!

Verse 11: "And I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, those whom You have given Me, so that they may be one, even as We are one."

Notice that Jesus always kept His mind on the goal! That's what we need to do!

Verse 13: "But now I am coming to You; and these things I am speaking while yet in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in them. I have given them Your words, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You would take them out of the world, but that You would keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in Your Truth…" (vs 13-17)—make them Holy!

What we have covered today with the fellowship between us and God the Father and Jesus Christ, that is making us Holy.

"…Your Word is the Truth" (v 17). Now here is a personal prayer by Jesus for you, before you even existed and for all the saints down through all time.

Verse 18: "Even as You did send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, so that they also may be sanctified in Your Truth. I do not pray for these only, but also for those who shall believe in Me through their word"(vs 18-20).

That is a prayer to each and every one whom God has called from that time clear to the return of Jesus Christ. A personal prayer for you by Jesus Christ to the Father!

Verse 21: "That they all may be one, even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You…"

That's quite a statement! That's what God wants, for you to be in the Family of God, the sons and daughters of God! Those who are going to bring peace to this world during the Millennium.

"…that they also may be one in Us…" (v 21). Think about that, to be one with God the Father and Jesus Christ all the saints together, being in New Jerusalem, living there doing the will of God. That is awesome indeed! This is what He's praying about here.

"…in order that the world may believe that You did send Me. And I have given them the glory that You gave to Me, in order that they may be one, in the same way that We are one: I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one; and that the world may know that You did send Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me" (vs 21-23).

Verse 24: Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me may also be with Me where I am, so that they may behold My glory…"

• What is that going to be like?
• What kind of glory does Jesus have?

"…which You have given Me; because You did love Me before the foundation of the world…. [before the ages of time] …Righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You, and these have known that You did send Me. And I have made known Your name to them, and will make it known; so that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them'" (vs 24-26).

• That's how we have fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ!
• That's how we overcome the sin within!
• This is how we are inspired to understand that the plan of God and our calling!

All of these things are going to be fulfilled!

Now let's see Paul's prayer, very similar to this one.

Ephesians 3:9: "And that I might enlighten all as to what is the fellowship of the mystery…"

Think about what Paul has written, that all the brethren down through time with the Word of God had this:

"…that has been hidden from the ages in God, Who created all things by Jesus Christ; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the Church to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places" (vs 9-10).

Even they are awed at what God is doing with human beings. How can you take us in a condition that we are and make us Holy? That's a mystery to them!

Verse 11: "According to His eternal purpose… [notice how Paul always goes back to the purpose of God] …which He has wrought in Christ Jesus our Lord, in Whom we have boldness and direct access with confidence through His very own faith" (vs 11-12).

• through prayer
• through study
• through living

Verse 13: "So then, I beseech you not to faint at my tribulations for you, which are working for your glory. For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" (vs 13-15).

Brethren, we are part of such a great and marvelous and wonderful thing. That's why everything we go through is worth every bit of it. Everything that we struggle with, all the joys, all the wonderful things that God blesses us with, understanding of His Truth.

Verse 16: "That He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man… [in the mind that we have to overcome the law of sin and death within us] …that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; and that being rooted and grounded in love, you may be fully able to comprehend with all the saints…" (vs 16-18)—the whole plan of God!

Brethren, those of us who are living in the end-times have the capacity, the time, the Word of God, the things that we have to comprehend with all the saints. Notice that this goes on to the resurrection and beyond.

"…what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses human knowledge…" (v 18-19)—which surpasses human knowledge:

• this is the goal
• this is the purpose
• this is why you were called

"…so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (v 19). There can be nothing greater than what God has promised!  

May God the Father and Jesus Christ help us understand and realize this and really go forth in a way that God wants us to.

Notice that this is a guarantee that it will happen; v 20: "Now, to Him Who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that is working in us, to Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all generations, even into the ages of eternity. Amen" (vs 20-21).

Brethren, this is the great fellowship that we have with God the Father and Jesus Christ. May this help you, inspire you and draw you closer to God the Father and Jesus Christ in every way!

Scriptural References:

• 2 Timothy 1:7-9
• John 6:44
• 2 Timothy 1:9-10
• Ephesians 1:3-14
• 1 John 1:1-9
• 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
• Ephesians 5:25-27
• 1 John 2:1-5
• 1 John 4:8-11
• Mark 12:29-30
• John 13:16-17, 31-35
• John 14:1-10, 14-17, 21, 23-24
• John 15:1-17
• John 17:1-5, 11, 13-26
• Ephesians 3:9-21

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• John 7
• John 14:22
• John 16

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 4/26/20

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