Are You Prepared?

HEAVENLY CITIZENSHIP

It has been a very fulfilling weekend; Although my own Christmas is not just on 25th of December (the pagan date) but everyday; everyday I remember what a favoured person I am to have God come down in my nature just to save me from my debt of sin, as Charles Wesley rightly puts it in “And can it be that I should gain” (first 3 stanzas)

And can it be that I should gain

An interest in the Savior’s blood?

Died He for me, who caused His pain—

For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love! How can it be,

That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Amazing love! How can it be,

That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:

Who can explore His strange design?

In vain the firstborn seraph tries

To sound the depths of love divine.

’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,

Let angel minds inquire no more.

’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;

Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above

So free, so infinite His grace—

Emptied Himself of all but love,

And bled for Adam’s helpless race:

’Tis mercy all, immense and free,

For O my God, it found out me!

’Tis mercy all, immense and free,

For O my God, it found out me!

What a Master Planner He is to have seen from the foundation, the very beginning that I (in the first Adam) could make a mess of things and jeopardise the original plan of the Eternal Purpose and made a PLAN B . We will come to this later.

Now still on the original eternal purpose the plan A which is:

PLAN A – The Glory of God - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the 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. (Eph. 1:3-6)

I was privileged to listen to a series of messages from a retreat conducted by Pastor W.F. Kumuyi at the weekend and was blessed by them all; but one message that I really think should be played continually in the ears of every man and more importantly Christians is the one titled ‘HEAVENLY CITIZENSHIP’. (Click here for video or follow this link): http://dclm.org/NewsEvents/EasterDecemberRetreats/2009DecemberRetreat/tabid/222/Default.aspx

Here is an outline of the message:

INTRODUCTION

The ultimate goal: God having Children that will live with Him forever.

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren. (Heb. 2:10-11)

Greatest glory here on earth is not enough.

For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Heb. 11:10).

SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE WHO MADE IT INTO THE FAITH HALL OF FAME


They knew God has prepared a city that will only accommodate those who are prepared and that this world is just a temporary home: Even more glorious and everlasting is Heaven

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (Heb. 11:13-16).


SECURING THIS HOPE CALLS FOR UNCOMPROMISING PURSUIT OF PURITY

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. (1John 3:1-6).

PASSION AND PURSUIT OF THE HEAVENLY CITY

What is my No. 1 desire? What is the flavour of your prayer?

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. (Psalms 27:4).

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (1Cor. 15:19).

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:36- 38).

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith. (Phil. 1:21-25).

That I may know Him

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:10-14).

Keeping self under control like an athlete

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (1Cor. 9:24-27).

Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. (Heb. 13:12-14)

PROMISE AND PREPARATION FOR THE HEAVENLY COUNTRY

Where He is; we will be also

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:1-3).

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. (1Pet. 1:3-4).

Heavenly preparation – What are you willing to do to make it?

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. (1Pet. 1:14-16).

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (1Pet. 1:22-25).

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. (John17:24).

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling

Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. (Luke 13:23-30).

LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved. (Psalms 15:1-5).

Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (Psalms 24:3-5).

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. (Matth 5:3-11).

PURITY AND PERSEVEARANCE OF HEAVENLY CITIZENS

Pursuit of purity borne by hope

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1John 3:1-9).

We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. (1John 5:18).

Give diligence to make your calling and election sure

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. (2 Pet. 1:3-12).

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. (Heb.12:14-16).

THAT IT MAY BE IN COPENHAGEN ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF BABEL – And the saints say: Amen!!!!!!!!!

THAT IT MAY BE IN COPENHAGEN ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF BABEL – And the saints say: Amen!!!!!!!!!


Brethren, although we can all see the devastation being done to the earth through the greed of mankind (in the name of capitalism - For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1Tim. 6:10.):

We also have to look at the other side of the “SATANIC COIN” the leftists whose ideologies; as good as they may sound, aim and are well engineered to control every aspect of our lives and bring in the one world government through fake peace.

Bush, Blair, multi national corporations to destroy things THEN comes in the Obama(s) of the world to put it right (And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech) obtained through the “SATANIC COIN”. (Hegelian Dialectic).

THAT IT MAY BE IN COPENHAGEN ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF BABEL – And the saints say: Amen!!!!!!!!!

Genesis11:1-19 (KJV with comments).

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech {GLOBAL WARMING; ONE RELIGION etc}{You see The whole rational behind this is the ploy of the enemies of God to make man “WORSHIP THE CREATURE RATHER THAN THE CREATOR”. They have in the last few decades been working on convincing us the creator does not exist; it’s now time to move to phase 2 - WORSHIPPING THE CREATURE. (Romans 1:25)} ( See FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER- God’s Purpose in Creation and Man's Obligations As Regards The Eternal Purpose.).

THAT IT MAY BE IN COPENHAGEN ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF BABEL – And the saints say: Amen!!!!!!!!!

…….Gen.11:4 - And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language {GLOBAL WARMING; ONE RELIGION etc}; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. {AND THE SAINTS SAY – Amen!!!!!!!}.

So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. {SERIOUS EVANGELISM STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE}

THAT IT MAY BE IN COPENHAGEN ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF BABEL – And the saints say: Amen!!!!!!!!!

Therefore is the name of it called Babel {COPENHAGEN}; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. {AND THE SAINTS SAY – Amen!!!!!!!}.

THAT IT MAY BE IN COPENHAGEN ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF BABEL – And the saints say: Amen!!!!!!!!!

FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER- Man's Obligations As Regards The Eternal Purpose

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto The Gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead”. Romans 1:1-4



INTRODUCTION

PLAN A – The Glory of God - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the 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. PLAN B - The Gospel of Christ - In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: PLAN B2 –Back on Track - That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (Eph.1:3-12 emphasis added)

MAN’S OBLIGATIONS AS REGARDS THE ETERNAL PURPOSE.

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. (1Thes. 2:12)

For this eternal purpose of (The glory of God being passed unto His children) to come to pass; there needs to be some obligations that should be fulfilled by all parties – that is God and man just as in any contract; the duties of the parties involved must be clearly understood.

The principal task of man is obtaining the obedience of Faith as specified later on in chapter 16 of Romans.

Now to Him Who is able to strengthen you in the faith which is in accordance with my Gospel and the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ (the Messiah), according to the revelation (the unveiling) of the mystery of the plan of redemption which was kept in silence and secret for long ages, But is now disclosed and through the prophetic Scriptures is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, [to win them] to obedience to the faith (Rom.16:25-26 amp)

Charles Spurgeon observed-

“Obedience—what a blessing it would be if we were all trained to it by the Holy Spirit! How fully should we be restored if we were perfect in it! If all the world would obey the Lord, what a heaven on earth there would be! Perfect obedience to God would mean love among men, justice to all classes, and peace in every land. Our will brings envy, malice, war; but the Lord's will would bring us love, joy, rest, bliss. Obedience—let us pray for it for ourselves and others!”


Man, right from the very first one, Adam have struggled with this command ‘obey’; just as Lucifer did from the beginning as his ‘Hercules hill’ pride will always lead to disobedience. Satan knew the root of his own fall and used the same to deceive Eve. What would have been the case if Adam had adequately instructed Eve on the instructions God gave Him about the tree in the Garden of Eden?


“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)

In other words,

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

"He that is down need fear no fall,

He that is low no pride;

He that is humble ever shall

Have God to be his Guide."

Eve like any man today in the 21st century; being furnished with this information would have been equipped to align her thought life to obey God as “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Charles Spurgeon further observed that:

“Faith is the fountain, the foundation, and the fosterer of obedience. Men obey not God till they believe him. We preach faith in order that men may be brought to obedience. To disbelieve is to disobey. One of the first signs of practical obedience is found in the obedience of the mind, the understanding, and the heart; and this is expressed in believing the teaching of Christ, trusting to his work, and resting in his salvation. Faith is the morning star of obedience. If we would work the work of God, we must believe on Jesus Christ whom he hath sent.”

Disobedience by man stems from and is always in line with wanting to do it “apart from God”. In describing Eve’s experience in SOUL AND SPIRIT, Jessie Penn-Lewis said:

“The gilded bait held out to Eve in the temptation was " Ye shall be as God " (Genesis 3: 5). This was God's very purpose for the sinless pair before they fell. It seems that the word " likeness " in Genesis 1:26 signifies to " become like ", indicating that the wonderful potentialities breathed into Adam constituting the image of God, were meant to be developed in a process which would " end in man being like his Creator "* in dominion and rule over all things. How tragic, then, that God Who alone could rightly develop and guide the use of these powers, should be shut outside the wonderful being He had created, and more terrible still that the very potentialities inherent in Him should now lie open to the hand of His enemy.”

She goes on to say:

“We cannot now trace through the centuries all that has followed in this particular aspect of the Fall. We see references in the Scriptures again and again which indicate that the Arch-Enemy of God and man knew how to use the resources he had gained, and how "sorcerers" and "magicians" with abnormal powers were to be found linked with the powers of evil. It was reserved for the " Time of the End " in which we live, for Satan's objective in Eden, to be brought to its full manifestation. His purpose is to obtain the rule of the whole inhabited earth, and we are told that for a brief period he will be allowed to obtain his desire through a super-man he will endow with abnormal powers. Therefore the words are strikingly true of the present hour that "THE ` FORCES ' OF PSUCHE ARE MASSING AGAINST THE 'FORCES' OF SPIRIT". For it is through the fallen soul powers of men that the whole world will be prepared, and made ready to accept the rule of the Anti-Christ.


It means that for a time God will be ruled out of the universe. The potentialities given to sinless man in Eden, which when developed would have made him `like God' in power of rule and dominion, will be brought out into activity in such a degree that man in his fallen condition, will believe he is " like God " and exercise these powers under the control and instigation of the devil. Spiritists already boldly say that" Man possesses all the attributes hitherto ascribed to Deity . . . ", and Dr. Gratton Guinness wrote years ago that the apostasy would "take the perverted form" of "the fallen life of Adam", assuming what "belongs only to partakers of the Divine Nature".


This throws light upon the present time in a remarkable way. How rapid has been the spread of the Apostasy from the faith of the Gospel, among the leaders of the professing Christian Church-the result of the use of the fallen "soul-powers" under the unsuspected instigation of the enemy. In other directions the great theme is" Psychology ", with " discoveries " of " psychic " forces undreamt of by mortal man, so filling the minds of men that they are indeed like " children blown round by every shifting current of teaching ", led " cunningly toward the snares of misleading error " (Ephesians 4:14, Conybeare), little thinking that they are helping to fulfil a great world-wide scheme of the devil.”


The story of the great plot of Satan the Master Strategist, to capture men of science, men of business and men of religion, must be left to another paper. Suffice it to say that the scheme was to lead men to " discoveries " of " natural phenomena " under the name of " Psychic Science ". A list of some of these " discoveries " is given by a writer* on Prophecy to which many more recent ones could be added. How they counterfeit in the soul realm the wondrous life of God in the spirit, cannot but strike those who know anything of the latter, and it is in this present development, and increase of the use of the powers of the soul, that peril lies for the children of God who are really " spiritual ", and ignorant of these latent powers in the human frame.

The Churches ordained task as stated in Romans 16:25-26; is the obtaining of the faith among all the gentiles. This is to be done by faith that is nurtured and harvested not by the patronizing, casual, quick-fading faith that is characterised in our modern day witness. But one that is can be described by the Lord’s job spec for Apostle Paul in (Acts 9:15-16):

“But the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the descendants of Israel; For I will make clear to him how much he will be afflicted and must endure and suffer for My name's sake.” (Acts 9:14-16)

Andrew Murray describes the core of Apostle Paul’s job spec as follows:

“Faith is regarded as an act of obedience, of commitment to the gospel of Christ. Hence the implications of this expression ‘obedience of faith’ are far-reaching. For the faith which the apostleship was intended to promote was not an evanescent [quickly fading] act of emotion but the commitment of wholehearted devotion to Christ and to the truth of his gospel. It is to such faith that all nations are called.”

So man’s principal obligation to the eternal purpose of God is simply “ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE TO THE TRUTH” as given and presented in the word of God. This advice Apostle Pauls gave to Thessalonians:

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. (1Thes. 2:12).

GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE - Foresight of The Master Planner

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto The Gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead”. Romans 1:1-4

INTRODUCTION
PLAN A – The Glory of God - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the 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. PLAN B - The Gospel of Christ - In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: PLAN B2 –Back on Track - That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (Eph.1:3-12 emphasis added)

God’s Purpose in Creation

In days like ours, when we are daily bombarded with news of announcement of different and ever new plans by our governments as to how to better run the nations; plans that are never made to see the light of day talk less of being implemented before they are being replaced by yet another plan. There is a Master Planner who is before any government and will outlast any government; whose plan has existed before creation began and whose Son’s government will outlast all governments. He had all eventualities factored in right from the beginning with back up plans for whatever went wrong (The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Rev.13:8b).

When witnessing, I have often been asked the question – Why do God have to judge us for sins we commit, when He could have in the first instance created us in a way that we cannot commit sin? In a sense - Is he just a tyrant who sits up there and uses us as pawns on His computer game?

In reality, what such enquirer wants to know really is: what is God’s purpose in creation and what is His purpose in redemption?

The answer to this firstly is, “The glory of God” (Romans 3:23): And Secondly, “The glory of the children of God” (Romans 8: 21).

Watchman Nee puts it this way:

“In Romans 3:23 we read: “All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God”. God’s purpose for man was glory, glory, glory,  but sin thwarted that purpose by causing man to forfeit God’s glory. When we think of sin we instinctively think of the judgment it brings; we invariably associate it with condemnation and hell. Man’s thought is always of the punishment that will come to him if he sins, but God’s thought is always of the glory man will forfeit if he sins. The result of sin is that we forfeit God’s glory: the result of redemption is that we are qualified again for glory. God’s purpose in redemption is glory, glory, glory.


The Lord Jesus was the only begotten Son, and as the only begotten He had no brothers. But the Father sent the Son in order that the only begotten might also be the first begotten, and the beloved Son have many brethren. There you have the whole story of the Incarnation and the Cross; and there you have at the last the purpose of God fulfilled in His “bringing many sons unto glory” (Heb. 2:10)”.

To understand the purpose of God in creation, we need see what provision he has made for us to do this. H. Grattan Guinness in The Approaching End of the Age captures this well:

“GOD’S REVELATION OF HIMSELF TO MAN HAS BEEN A PROGRESSIVE ONE.- TRUTH IN GENERAL HAS BEEN REVEALED PROGRESSIVELY. PROPHECY, THE DIVINE HISTORY OF THE FUTURE, CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF PROGRESSIVE REVELATIONS.- PRACTICAL RESULTS OF THE COMPREHENSION AND APPLICATION OF THIS PRINCIPLE.


GOD has been pleased to make three great revelations of Himself to man: his Works; his Word; and his Son, and these revelations have been progressive in character. Nature, the Law, the Gospel; a silent material universe, an inspired Book, a living God-man; these are the three great steps that have led from the death and darkness of sin to that knowledge of the true God which is eternal life.


A fourth revelation of God, fuller and more perfect than any, is yet to come. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, who is the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, who "declared Him" when He came the first time in grace and humiliation, will declare Him yet more fully when He comes a second time in righteousness and in glory. Then the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.


Each of these revelations is in itself progressive. The earth and all that is therein, attained perfection by six distinct stages, during the six days of creation. The angels followed with adoring wonder the fresh unfoldings of Divine wisdom, goodness, and power, presented in the gradual formation of this great globe, and in its myriad mysteries of vegetable and animal life, though to human eyes nature was presented perfect and complete. But human eyes could see at first the surface of things alone; every advance in true science, enabling men to penetrate more deeply into the hidden wisdom of the work of God, has been a progressive revelation. And we have only begun, even now, to understand the glory of God, manifested in the universe. To us, more than to our ancestors, “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the earth showeth his handiwork; and to our children they will do so even more.”

God has done this because as the Psalmist says:

"Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face." Psalm 89:14

So Apostle Paul buttresses this when He says in this verses of Romans 1

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:18-20

Romans 1:18-20 contains tree important concepts, which together explain why the wrath of God against men and women is justified. The first is wrath itself. It is being revealed from heaven against the ungodly: The second is suppression of the truth about God by human beings: The third is God’s prior revelation of Himself to those very people who suppress the truth about Him.

These three concepts really need to be seen in reverse order – revelation, suppression, and then wrath. They teach God has given a revelation of Himself in nature sufficient to lead any right thinking man or woman to seek Him out and worship Him, but that, instead of doing this, people suppress this revelation. They deny it so that they can justify their immorality, if they are able to make themselves believe that there is no God who sees all things; then they do not have to follow where the acceptance of His existence will lead them.. It is because of this intentional and immoral suppression of the truth about God by human beings that the wrath of God comes upon them.

Just last week it was reported that a cabal of climate scientist who invented the so called “global warming” deception have be doctoring their figures to convince us that ocean temperature was rising at an alarming rate such that an apocalypse is just at the doorstep.

This people have been carrying out their research with such impunity that they have refused to disclose the data that justifies their claims. How did we get to this point? How have they been able to string the people along up to this point? This point of the road that leads to Roman 1:25

“Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” (Romans 1:25)

You see The whole rational behind this is the ploy of the enemies of God to make man “WORSHIP THE CREATURE RATHER THAN THE CREATOR”. They have in the last few decades been working on convincing us the creator does not exist; it’s now time to move to phase 2 - WORSHIPPING THE CREATURE.

“Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north” Ezekiel 21:4

The prophet, Ezekiel here views the mere outward aspect of the indiscriminate universality of a national calamity. But really the same pestilence to the "righteous" would prove a blessing as a wholesome discipline, which to the "wicked" would be an unmitigated punishment. The godly are sealed with a mark, not for outward exemption from the common calamity, but as marked for the secret interpositions of providence, overruling even evil to their good. Although the message here is not just the salvation of the godly but the universality of the judgment that is to be brought into place.

“The righteous” – All righteousness will be tested either (as described in the dictionary) righteousness characterized by uprightness or morality - a righteous observance of the law: or morally right or justifiable - righteous indignation: or acting in an upright, moral way; virtuous - a righteous and godly person:

As politically incorrect as it might sound, only the righteousness of God which he imparts unto us through His Son Jesus Christ will count as we see in Romans 5:

But then Law came in, [only] to expand and increase the trespass [making it more apparent and exciting opposition]. But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God's unmerited favour) has surpassed it and increased the more and super-abounded, So that, [just] as sin has reigned in death, [so] grace (His unearned and undeserved favour) might reign also through righteousness (right standing with God) which issues in eternal life through Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) our Lord. Romans 5:20-21 (amplified Bible version)

We will come back to this question of wrath of God later on in our study

Meanwhile, seek to be set free from God’s wrath today and seek the righteousness that really counts:

The Spirit of God is working; in all the devastation we see before us, the love of Christ remains a constant tangible presence of compassion and love. He sends His angels to comfort us, a gift from the Father above. So rest in the comforting knowledge in the promise that always rings true: That God the Father is ever present, protecting and ministering to you.

You might say – "Why do I have to know and experience this Father you are going on about" Here is why, when and how you can be ready by getting to know Him.

Admit your spiritual need.

We all are sinners: nobody likes that title “SINNER”, but the bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.

What is the result of sin?

In Romans 6:23 we read “The wages of sin is death…” in other words, every sin is another step towards death. One thing that we need to remember is that God never sends anyone to hell; one can send himself there by rejecting the truth.

Since we can never measure up to God’s standards by our own strength; God has reached out to mankind.
John 3:16-17. In Romans 5:8 we read, “God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. It is Jesus, after all, who is the source of life’s greatest high.

What must a person do to accept this gift?

Simply receive it! Matthew 11:28 states –“come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.

Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks, seeking entrance into your life to give you peace, change you for the best. John 1:12 says: “For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God”.

If you haven't already received Christ as your Saviour, don't put it off another day! Take time right now to invite Him into your life. Confess your sins. Receive His forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. You might pray something like this:

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Thank You for giving me eternal life. Help me to live my life in a way that pleases You, for whatever time You give me here on earth. I look forward to living forever in Heaven with You. Amen.

LIFE OR DEATH; WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE

I had a long conversation with a friend of mine a couple of days ago; and that conversation brought back to my remembrance the need to be very cautious of what we focus our mind or thoughts on; because there is an incredible transformational power in what we set our focus on. It is very easy to look at our past and then focus who we are or desire to be today on the experiences of our past. When they are negative, focusing who we are on these experiences can be extremely damaging; but if these experiences are good and favourable, then it can be worth our while as they become virtues that we develop with time.


Better still, is the need to have a high standard than we can deduce from our past experiences; a standard that does not fluctuate due to circumstances around us such as other peoples expectations, political correctness etc. That standard for me is the glory (some may call it beauty or splendour) of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is the essence of life; it is the very purpose of our creation by God, so that we may be like Him and His Son. The Bible, on the first day of creation says:

“God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26 Amplified Bible).

This cautiousness also applies to what we say about ourselves. The Bible says:

“A man's [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil]. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].” (Proverbs 18:20-21 Amplified bible).

A sequence of experiences can also make a person start to characterise and describe him or herself by past experiences; if they are good you hear the person come up with phrases like I’m rich; I’m famous; I’m intelligent etc; this is not a bad thing to do. But when the experiences are not favourable, one can be drawn into using his or her tongue to make matters worse – they say “when you are in a hole don’t dig” vocalising ones past bad experiences with that distinct negative sense of ownership can sometimes count as a curse. The dictionary reference of the word ‘curse’ as seen below shows that the essence of it’s (curse) existence is the tongue.

–noun
The expression of a wish that misfortune, evil, doom, etc., befall a person, group, etc; a formula or charm intended to cause such misfortune to another; the act of reciting such a formula; a profane oath; curse word; an evil that has been invoked upon one; the cause of evil, misfortune, or trouble;

–verb (used with object)
An ecclesiastical censure or anathema; to wish or invoke evil; calamity, injury, or destruction upon; to swear at; to blaspheme; to afflict with great evil; to excommunicate.

–verb (used without object)
To utter curses; Swear profanely.

But even when this is the case, all we need to remember and appropriate is the fact that Jesus Christ, at the Cross of Calvary has made Himself a permanent substitute for anything that represent a curse in our lives. I used the word ‘Appropriate’ because if we do not know what He has provided for us we will naturally not avail ourselves to it. Just as it can be impossible to spend money left to you in the will of a distant uncle you never knew existed and nobody ever told you about him or the money.

But today I can confirm this to you as the Bible says in (Galatians 3:13-14 Amplified bible):

“Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified); To the end that through [their receiving] Christ Jesus, the blessing [promised] to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might [all] receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit.”

So let us see ourselves as God sees us and not as “fallen” man which we all are, sees us. The Bible says:

“I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life; that you and your descendants may live.” (Deut. 30:19-20)


WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?