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Christian Biblical Church of God Biblical Truth Ministries: “…the truth shall set you free” Order Books Online | Sermon Text Index | Sermon Audio Index | CBCG Children The Holy Bible In Its Original Order - Available Now New |
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“…And I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son…” Now you can refer right back to Abraham and Isaac. You can refer back to God the Father and Jesus Christ, raising Him from the dead, and all of that. “Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not” (vs. 16-18). Now let’s come back here to Ezekiel 16. I want you to understand, just as the curses came upon Israel for sin, so are they coming upon the Church because of sin. Just as the blessings of God came upon Israel because of the covenant and what He gave them, so the blessings will come upon the Church and the eternal reward is going to be there because it’s based upon a covenant relationship and it’s not based upon a structured hierarchy. We need to understand that. God has called us into a personal relationship with Him. Now let’s continue on here. Let’s come back to Ezekiel 16:11. “I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.” We just saw about that crown, didn’t we? “Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty…” And the fullness of that was in the days of Solomon. The absolute fullness of the pinnacle of what God gave Israel. What did they do? “…For it was perfect through My comeliness…” In other words God told them, “You are what you are because of what I did.” So likewise with us today, we are what we are and what we are going to be because of what God is doing. “…Which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD. But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by…” (Ezek. 16:11-15). Then He went on to say, “You took the garments, and you took the things that I gave you and you gave to those and committed adultery and fornication with. Destroyed the relationship between them and God, so God had to punish them and send them off into captivity. Now you know the rest of the story there. Let’s come over here to verse 44. Not only did He have to put away Israel, but then Judah played the harlot and did even worse. Did even worse. “Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying As is the mother, so is her daughter. Thou art thy mother’s daughter, that loatheth her husband [hated God, see] and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which loathed their husbands and their children: your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite. And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at hey right hand, is Sodom and her daughters [which Sodom then is Judah]” (vs. 44-46). And Judah did worse. Yes, Judah did far worse. We’ll see why. Now let’s come to Psalm 2, and let’s see about a created relationship, or a relationship that was established by choice. Because there was a time when the two of Elohim, neither One was the Father, and neither One was the Son. But in the day, in the day that Jesus was begotten in the womb of Mary then one of Elohim became the Son and the other became the Father. And we find the prophecy of this here in the second Psalm. This is also a relationship, and then we’re going to examine the relationship of Christ. And then we’ll examine the relationship of the Church and see what we need to be doing. Psalm 2:7, “I will declare the decree; the LORD hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee.” And that’s the very day that the One of Elohim Who became Jesus Christ was impregnated in the womb of Mary. And that established an entirely new relationship between the two of the Godhead. One now is the Father, one was the Son. And let’s see how this developed. Let’s come over here to Hebrews 1 and let’s understand how important this was. And what a profound thing that this was. Hebrews 1, and what God told the angels to do when Jesus Christ was born. And Jesus Christ then was to become the very image in glory of the Father, though He became a human being. And He became a human being so that God could establish a relationship with the other human beings that He called. God also through this relationship with Jesus Christ, was sent to His own unto Judah and they rejected Him. And they killed Him. So they did worse than Israel. Now here in Hebrews 1:2. God, “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person…” That is after He was resurrected. But even while He was on the earth He told Phillip, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.” “…And upholding all things by the word of His power…”, because of the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ. You see all these relationships are based upon love, based upon belief, based upon faith, based upon trust, based upon obedience. All of that. And we’ll see that relationship between Christ and the Father existed in that way. “…Upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself…” Now that’s why the relationship between you and Jesus Christ is so important, because He by Himself “…purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels…” (Heb. 1:2-3). Now maybe you’ll understand why the rebellion of Satan the devil was so bad, because he rebelled against a created relationship that God had made. That’s why no homosexual is going to be in the Kingdom of God unless they repent, because they’re rebelling against the created relationship that God made, male and female. “Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten thee?” So that’s when the relationship became the Father and the Son when Jesus Christ was begotten. “And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son? And again, when He bringeth in the first [born] begotten into the world, He saith, and let all the angels of God worship Him” (vs. 4-6). And they did. All the angels praised God at the birth of Jesus Christ. Now let’s go back and see a little bit more about this relationship that Jesus Christ wanted to have with those of Judea, eventually the whole world, but let’s see what happened. We know the beginning of it. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word created everything. That’s referring to Jesus Christ. Let’s come down to John 1:11. “He came to His own, and His own received Him not.” Now this does not mean just to receive. This means to welcome as in your bosom. This means they did not receive Him in the kind of relationship that God wanted them to be. No, they rejected Him and killed Him. Verse 14, “And the Word was made flesh, and [tabernacled] dwelt among us…”, as it should read. So this is all a part of the Feast of Tabernacles. Now, Christ did this to establish the profound relationship that He wants us to have with Him now. But let’s see the relationship that He had with God the Father. “…(And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” And so we’ve all received of this fullness, and continue to do so. Let’s look at this relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ. Let’s come to John 5, and let’s see that when you are in this special created relationship, which Christ was with the Father through being made a human being after He was God, divested Himself of being God to become a human being, this created a special and different a relationship. And this is the model and type for us. Let’s pick it up in John 5:19. “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily [or that is truly, truly], I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do…” Now that’s very important for us to understand. That’s very important in our relationship with God, that we want to do what God want’s us to do. We don’t want to do our will, or our ways, but we want to do God’s way, and to love God, and to do it with all of our heart, and mind, and soul, and being. “…For what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son…” Now notice the “eth” in the King James. This means the Father “is loving” (present tense participle) the Son on an ongoing basis. So they had a relationship based upon love. And this is the relationship that God wants us to have with Him, and the Son, based upon love. This is the relationship that God wants us to have in our marriages, with the husband the head and the wife the helpmeet, based upon love. And we’re going to see that in a little bit. “…And sheweth Him all things…” Which means that if you love God, God also is going to show all things, and do all things for you, is He not? Yes, He is. “…And He will shew Him greater works than these, that ye may marvel” (John 5:19-20). Now let’s come down here to verse 30. “I can of Mine own self do nothing…” Now let’s understand something that that’s very profound for us to realize as far as human beings go. Because we have nothing we didn’t receive, and so everything we do has to come from God. And if it all comes from God then why do we act as though we have something that didn’t come from God? Everything we have comes from God. Our life, physical. Every physical thing that there is in the world because of God’s creation. Every physical thing that we have because of God’s blessing, with the Spirit of God because of God’s calling. The forgiveness of sin because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Now why then should we be pretentious and presumptuous to go out and do things that God doesn’t want us to do? Jesus didn’t do that because He had this relationship with God the Father. Should we not also have that same relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ? Yes. He says, “…as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me.” And so God expects us to have that kind of great and wonderful loving relationship. Now let’s come over here to John 6:57 and let’s see how we are to live based upon this relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ, Who are now One. And based upon our relationship with Jesus Christ and God the Father. “As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so He that eateth Me, even He shall live by Me.” And that is the covenant, brethren, that we have made. That we will live by Him. That we will walk in newness of life. And we have pledged our death in a covenantal baptism to so do. Now there it is right there. Let’s come over here to John 12:48 and let’s see something else. Now this is especially true, especially true for anyone who is going to be teaching, or anyone who is a minister. People send me tapes all the time and I listen to them, and there are so many false ministers out there who sound so good and use the scriptures in a very clever way, and yet they don’t understand the Bible, they don’t understand the scriptures, and they are not preaching the truth. They are only using and manipulating the truth of God to their own end. And that’s just the way that it is. Now here in John 12 tells us what Jesus did and what everyone who presumes to name the name of Christ in teaching, ought to do. Verse 48, “He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of Myself…” These words in the Bible, brethren, are from God the Father. Are we going to take lightly what God the Father inspired to be in the Bible? How profound the word of God is. How great the word of God is. Do you think anyone is going to receive eternal life that is going to reject the words of Christ, that’s going to deceitfully handle it and deceitfully teach it to use and manipulate? Of course not. They won’t be there. They’ll be part of Matthew 7:21, “Lord, Lord, haven’t we done this, haven’t we done that, haven’t we done the other things?” And Christ is going to say, “I never knew you.” Now notice, “For I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that His commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak” (vs. 49-50). And brethren, let that so be with anyone who pretends to name the word of God. Even if God didn’t send you, if you preach the word of God, God would still honor that. But you see, don’t presume upon yourself to be a teacher, because a teacher is going to receive the greater judgment. And we’re going to see that being executed all along now as we go down the road. No doubt about it. Now let’s come over here to John 13 and let’s understand the relationship that God wanted us to have. John 13:1, “Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.” Brethren, I want you to take that verse where, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever…”, and I want you to put your name there…that you…that He died for you, that you might believe on Him and have everlasting life. God loves you. God want’s a relationship based on love with you. And that’s the only eternal relationship that is going to bring us into the Kingdom of God. Please understand that. Now let’s come over to John 14:3 and let’s look at some of these verses, and then let’s understand what God wants us to do and how we are to be with each other. He said, “If I go I will come again. I go to prepare a place for you that you may be where I am.” (paraphrased). Now let’s come to verse 15, “If ye love Me…” It’s based on a relationship. Relationship is based upon love and there is obedience, “…keep My commandments.” And the Greek here is, “if you love Me, the commandments, namely My commandments”, as Jesus said, “you will keep.” Now let’s come down here to verse 23. “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me…”, again a relationship. A created relationship. A spiritually created relationship. And we are being what? Created in the image of Christ, are we not? Yes. So it’s a created relationship that God is doing. “…He will keep My words…” This is not “I am God, you obey, and this is a hierarchy, and this is the man that I have put in charge and you obey him unto death.” No, no, no. And we’re not going to do that when we rule and reign with Christ. We are going to teach in love. We are going to say the same thing to those given under our charge, that if you love me you’ll keep my words. “…And My Father will love him, and we will come unto Him, and make our abode with Him. He that loveth Me not [the one who loves me not] keepeth not My sayings [is not keeping My sayings]: and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me” (vs. 23-24). Now let’s come over here to verse 31. He said that he did what He did “…that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.” Because He loved the Father, He did what the Father said. It is a relationship. I did two videos on why God hates religion. So if you have that go back and review that and see that again. Let’s come over here to John 15:7. God wants us in a relationship with Him. “If ye abide in Me…”, that is dwelling in Christ. See, Christ in us and the Father in us, now we abide and dwell. “…And My words [live and remain] abide in you…” You must have the words of God living in you. It is the living word of God, you see. And this is what we are going to teach the people in the Millennium. We’re going to teach them the same exact relationship, you see. “…Ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples. As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love” (John 15:7-9). Because it’s a relationship, a created spiritual relationship. Now you see, that’s what’s so important. The Church is not like a church of anything that’s like in the world. The Church is a gathering together of the called out ones of Jesus Christ to have a brotherly fellowship and a brotherly relationship based upon loving God and loving each other. Now that is profound brethren, and we need to understand that. And we need to understand that men and circumstances and Satan has come in to divide, to conquer, to slice, to kill and destroy that love, and to do away with that relationship. Listen, what you need to do is get on your knees and go to God and repent and ask God to help reestablish that relationship with you. Let His love come to you. Let His Spirit come to you. Let His word come to you. Let that relationship be developed. And then, let’s also understand why the Sabbath day is so important. The Sabbath day is the day where we fellowship with God the Father and with each other because of this created relationship that God has made. You see, that puts a whole different perspective on everything, doesn’t it? Yes, it does. Now let’s continue on here. He says, “As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love [because it’s an ever ongoing thing]; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you [because of the relationship], and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you” (vs. 9-12). And brethren, I want you to use that as a theme for this coming year. Let all the fellowship groups, let each other, let husband and wife, let children and fathers and mothers understand this and begin to develop the love that they need to have instead of all of the carnal competition and stupidity that is brought in from the world. Let’s see if we can change that and really understand it in a greater, greater way. Now notice verse 13. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are My friends…” That is a relationship, a created relationship because of God’s calling. Now let’s go a little bit further. John 16:26-27. This relationship is so great, it is so profound, and it is so personal, and it is a personal thing between you and Jesus Christ and God the Father. And our relationship as brethren is a personal thing. That’s why we need to love each other and set aside all the carnal stupidity and things that we have experienced and gone through. Can there be a group of people somewhere on the earth that love God and love each other? Can there be a group of people who want to serve God and love Him with all their heart, and mind, and soul, and being? Can there be a group of people who will respond to the love of God? Hope so. Let it be us. Now here in John 16:26 notice, “At that day ye shall ask in My name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you [in other words God the Father Himself is going to answer that prayer], because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God.” That’s profound brethren. We need to understand it. Let’s come here to the book of Ephesians and let’s see some important things that we need to grasp as we have never grasped before. To understand as we have never understood before. Now we’re going to review one or two scriptures here in Ephesians 2. Let’s pick it up here Ephesians 2:8. “For by grace are ye saved…” And that means you have been saved by the grace of God because of God’s love. And grace is the foundation of the relationship that we have with God. And that foundation of relationship is so great brethren, that God the Father will inpute and give to you the equivalent righteousness of Jesus Christ, Who never sinned, because God wants that relationship. You see, that’s how great the grace of God is. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”, so there can be a profound relationship that we know that God loves us and we love God. “Not of works, lest any man should boast [of anything that a man can do]. For we are His workmanship…” God is working. God is creating in us, developing that relationship and developing that character that He wants us to have. This is profound brethren. I want you to understand that God is working in you. I want you to realize that all of those that have the Spirit of God, please, stir up the Spirit of God as Paul said. Let that relationship be established. Let it be maintained. Understand this is the most precious and greatest thing in your entire life. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10). Now let’s come back to Ephesians 1 and let’s see what God has done to provide this relationship. Let’s see what He has done to make it possible. Now here in Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places [or things with] in Christ.” Brethren, He’s going to give us all the spiritual blessings that be. Think on that. Think on that, because of a relationship. Because God has called you. Now notice, “According as He hath chosen us in Him…” And that’s why it’s a personal relationship because God the Father Himself called you. God the Father led you to repentance. Jesus Christ is the sacrifice. God the Father and Jesus Christ together with the Holy Spirit are in you, as it was there in John 14, you see. Now notice, “…chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world [that was God’s plan], that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” That is a relationship. “Having predestinated us unto the [sonship] adoption of children…”, which then is a family relationship. Look, when we rule and reign with Jesus Christ it’s going to be a family relationship. It’s going to be very similar to what the judges were in Israel. We’re going to be on the sidelines teaching and helping the people. We’re going to be judging them. We’re going to be loving them. We’re going to be serving them. We’re going to be teaching them about the relationship of God the Father and Jesus Christ and with us. They are going to have a relationship with us. And we are going to teach them that relationship with the family of husband and wife, father and mother, children. And the whole world is going to be changed in a new relationship with God. “Having predestinated us unto the [sonship] adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Accepted in this relationship. “In Whom we [did] have redemption…” Because we did have no relationship before we were called. And we were redeemed “…through His blood [even] the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and [patience] prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself” (vs. 5-9). And that is, brethren, that you would have a relationship with Him. Now let’s go to Ephesians 5 and let’s see the comparison between the husband/wife relationship and the Church. And let’s understand how profound this is and how we need to be using this, developing this, looking to it. And I want you to all husbands to ask yourself, are you serving your wife this way? And you wives, are you submitting to your husbands in the way that God says? Now I’ll give a sermon on husband/wife relationships later, but you can just ask yourself the question and begin to start right here with this. Now it says, Ephesians 5:22, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” Now what does that mean? Exactly what it says. As unto the Lord. “For the husband is the head of the wife [by creation], even as Christ is the head of the church [by creation]: and He is the Saviour of the body” (Eph. 5:22-23). So the husband is to have a sacrificial love toward his wife and family. Now if you have that kind of submission to your husband and loving him, and that kind of love to from the husband to the wife, and not to put down, and not to control, and not to ridicule, but to love and to serve, I tell you what, many of your problems will just evaporate. Why have competition and hatred within the family, one toward another? That’s going against God. “Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself up for it” (vs. 24-25). Now are you doing that husbands, in that way? Are you serving and loving, or are you nasty and cantankerous and an oppressive dictator? You see, I heard a minister give a sermon that a marriage is a hierarchy. NO, it’s not a hierarchy. It is a created relationship. Neither is it a partnership. It is a created relationship. “…He gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (vs. 26-27). And that is looking toward the perfect relationship. And the Bride and Christ are going to work down through the Millennium in this relationship and teach the whole world the same relationship. Now, maybe tomorrow when we understand why there’s going to be the wicked in the end and what they do, maybe if you understand about this relationship the way it is you’ll understand why the wicked have to die. It says, “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord [does] the church” (vs. 28-29). Now if you want to be rebellious then God has got to correct you and put you down. But if you love God then God and Christ are going to nourish you and cherish you and be in a loving relationship. He has to correct those who are out of the relationship with God. Please understand that. “For we are members of His body, and of His flesh, and of His bones” (vs. 30). Now this refers back to the very creation of Eve from the rib of Adam, one of his bones. Meaning that Christ is creating us right out of the innermost part of His being, spiritually speaking, that we can have this eternal relationship as the Church being the wife and Christ as the husband forever and ever, and ever, and ever through all eternity, brethren. This is what it’s all about. This is what the Church needs. This is what the world needs, the created relationship based upon the family structure as God has made it evident. Now notice what he quotes here, verse 31. “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall become one flesh.” And God wants us to be one spirit. You see, that’s why it’s so important. That’s why when the Millennium comes the earth is going to be filled with the knowledge of God, filled with the love of God, filled with the truth of God that this relationship can be for all people. Now notice verse 32. “This is a great mystery…” It’s very hard for people to understand. And the mystery is, it is a personal relationship. “…but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Let’s continue on. Let’s go over here to Revelation 19 and let’s see that the Church, being the Bride, is going to be married to Christ. And between Christ and the Church we are going to bring children into the Kingdom of God and then Christ will fulfill that which is said of Him being the everlasting Father. Till this point He has no children. We are all children of God the Father. But then Jesus Christ will have His own children brought in through His own wife through the Church, being the Bride of Christ. Now you see, right here. Let’s pick it up in verse 7. “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.” Now that’s what we need to be doing now, making ourselves ready. Not fighting and arguing and squabbling and going against God and fighting each other and hating each other. Brethren, can we all stop that? Can we all agree with Christ, all agree with God the Father, love each other? And this is why as brethren we need to have that special love for each other, because God loves us. You see how that knocks down a lot of barriers and gets rid of a lot of carnality when you understand that it is a created relationship? “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. And he said unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb” (vs. 7-9). So it’s going to happen. Let’s come over here to chapter 22 and let’s see what we are going to do. This is what we are going to do through all the Millennium. Verse 17, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.” And we will show you the relationship. And we will show you the love. And we will show you the way of God. And we will show you how you are to be one with us and one with God. “And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him [come] take the water of life freely.” And so that’s going to be our message. Now there’s a special prayer that Jesus gave for the Church. Let’s come back here to John 17. And it is a relationship prayer. And it is something that we need to understand that we can make ourselves ready as the Bride. But making ourselves ready, it is Christ in us Who is doing it. And that’s how it’s going to be through all the Millennium. Here in John 17:4, this is very profound for us to understand. Jesus came and He finished the work which He had to do. And He said, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine Own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was” (John 17:4-5). Now God is going to give us that same glory. God the Father is going to give us the glory that we are going to see Jesus as He is. And the glory that God has called us to is so great and so marvelous brethren. And He’s called us to the mission to redeem the world from the bondage and the corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God, and to bring the Millennium to the world, and to bring the truth to the world. And to heal all sickness, all disease, overcome every war, every difficulty. And because we have that relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. So Jesus said, “I pray for them: I pray not for the world” (vs. 9). Now notice over here, verse 20. “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word.” And that’s us. Jesus Christ is praying for you, for all of those that have the Spirit of God for this very thing. “That they all may be one…”, in that relationship with God. See how beautiful and perfect and marvelous that that is going to be brethren. And we’ll see on the Last Great Day when we understand about New Jerusalem how perfect that that is going to be. “That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us…”, in an eternal relationship forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, brethren. I want you to understand that. I want you to grasp that. I want you to realize how important this is. “…That the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me” (vs. 20-21). And we’re going to help the world believe when Christ returns, aren’t we? “And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them…” And yes, if you have the Spirit of God you have been glorified to that extent that you have the Spirit of God. A marvelous thing brethren. “…That they may be one, even as We are One.” In that eternal relationship forever and ever. “I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one [in that eternal relationship]; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me. Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee: but I have known Thee, and these have known that Thou hast sent Me. And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (vs. 22-26). That brethren, is the relationship that we are going to teach the world. May we learn it today. May we grow in that love today. May we serve and love each other and love God with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and being, and love each other as Christ loved us. If we do that brethren, then we will be able to bring to the whole world the glorious liberty of the children of God. |
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