PRAYER FOR FREEDOM FOR ALL

Our Father in Heaven, Oh King of the Universe, You, Oh God are the great Liberator of all time. You, Who sent Your One of a kind Son, The Lord Jesus Christ on the greatest rescue mission of all the ages, stand as the Almighty, with Whom there is no question.

We do not question Your Power, Your Majesty, Your Authority.

We do not question Your Grace, compassion and mercy.

We do not question Your ability to see the End from the Beginning – thereby setting in motion plans and purposes which, if we follow them as You intend, will both glorify You and enrich our brief lives on earth.

 

Father, today,  we see the hearts of people – the oppressed around the world, from Cuba to China, from Cairo to Calcutta, from Russia to Peru and Johannesburg – yearning to be free. In most cases, the freedom for which they yearn is due to the sinful heavy hands of evil men and systems. But Lord, You have said in Your Word, that the people living in darkness have seen a great light.

 

That Light came into the world in Bethlehem Ephrathah as prophesied in Micah 5:2 and it was for freedom that He set us free. While it is not the freedom from the demonic tyranny of this world, it is even more glorious indeed.  

 

We thank You oh Lord, that Jesus freed us from the bondage of oppressive sin.

We thank You, that He not only broke the yoke of sin, but killed death at the Cross.

We thank You, that He rescues us from the domain of darkness, that we can walk freely in His Marvelous Light.

Even as more crucial on this side of Heaven, we thank You, that He – King Jesus – sent the Holy Spirit to be our Counselor, our Guide, Our Protector, our Defender and our Seal of Redemption until the day we die.

We thank You, oh Marvelous Father, that he whom Jesus sets free is indeed free and can walk in that solid truth all the days of our lives here on earth.

 

So today, oh Lord, to those to whose ears have received a call to come unto You, may they respond immediately to the liberating truth and freedom of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your offer is open to ALL peoples from every single corner of the almost 8 billion alive on earth today. We pray, that even though precious few will accept Your free gift of eternal life, may their number increase daily, as many around the world march and cry out for rescue. We ask all of this, in the Precious, Beautiful, Liberating and the Most Powerful Name of Jesus, the soon coming King, amen and amen.

 

HOW DO WE PREACH AN EXPOSITORY MESSAGE?

TEXT:  JOHN 3:16 (KJV) - PUBLIC DOMAIN
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

SEVEN QUALITIES OF EXPOSITORY PREACHING BY WAYNE MC DILL
(FROM THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION'S FACTS AND TRENDS - LIFEWAY)

Among evangelicals, the term expository preaching has come to stand for authentic biblical preaching. However, exactly what constitutes expository preaching varies from writer to writer and preacher to preacher.

I have talked with preachers who described themselves as “expositors,” and I believed them until I heard them preach. For many, exposition seems to mean taking a text and preaching on the subject the passage seems to address. For others exposition means defining some of the words in the text. For others expository preaching seems to mean.

The word exposition is from the Latin, expositio, meaning “a setting forth, narration, or display.” As applied to preaching, the word has come to mean the setting forth or explanation of the message of the biblical text. In expository preaching the sermon is designed to communicate what the text says, including its meaning for the contemporary audience.

Here are seven qualities of authentic expository preaching gleaned from definitions of various writers through the generations:

In expository preaching the preacher’s first aim is to discover the text writer’s intended theological meaning in the selected text. We preachers tend to search the Bible for a sermon. We hope for something to leap out at us that will preach. But a program of expository preaching calls for the preacher to aim for a clear understanding of the text writer’s meaning. Only out of that theological message can he properly preach an expository sermon.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE.....

JOHN 3:16, PART 2 - "JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW"

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16)

The previous portion of John Chapter 3 presented the foundational thinking of the Lord, as He reasoned with Nicodemus. Jesus spoke from the Law of Moses to talk about His pending appointment with the Cross, and the wellspring of eternal life which pours from it. This incredible conversation with the Teacher or Head Rabbi of Israel then tops off with John 3:16, the Bible verse which has captured the imagination of millions alive right now. It is more than important for us to examine the verse, not just in its entirety, but phrase by significant phrase to grasp what the Lord is saying. Each word therein, means the world to the salvation of those who put their faith and trust in Jesus, as Lord and Savior. These words are words of life, to us who believe.

JOHN 3:16 - IN DEPTH:

FOR GOD – In this manner or because He (the Lord) set His mind to ….

LOVED SO MUCH – The proof of God’s LOVE – AGAPE- is the many times He says He wishes all to come to repentance and faith. God did not create hell for people. Hell was created for the devil and his angels. People choose to go to hell due to their rebellion and turning away from God. But this love of God, this Agape, means one thing: God so wants the best for us, because He truly loves us, that He did what He did. The essence of God’s love here in John 3:16 is “agape”. This is a love so strong and divine that it only wants the best for another. Therefore if God is so for us, and only want the best for us, there is no one else ever in Creation, who can top this love!

THE WORLD – the world here means ALL the inhabitants of this planet…as in ALL. This renders incorrect the notion that Jesus only died for certain people or the Elect. Jesus gave His life on the Cross for the pagan politician, the dangerous drug dealer, the promiscuous prostitute, the pompous professor and the diabolical dictator as well as the nice, loving grandmother down the street who would not hurt a fly.  Of all of these, the good grandma, or the screaming, yet hardworking soccer mom or football dad, are the most difficult to convince they need to submit their lives to the Lordship of Christ. Even more dangerous for them, is their self-deception of their own “goodness” and that’s all they need, in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the world of free choice, into which God the Father made His free offer of Salvation.

THAT HE GAVE – this is a powerful phrase. Sure, God GAVE, but in this word “gave”, therein contains more than one person “giving” or handing off the baton or a ball to the other person. In this offer, this word specifically implies that the Lord set in place an offer which is open to all, who will believe, from the moment Jesus said it, until the end of time. In terms of language, it is something called the "aorist tense" in the original New Testament language. To paraphrase, it is the gift that keeps on giving....for 2000 years now. This offer was permanently set in place for everyone, and reveals a level of thinking and love which no human, ever born, will comprehend this side of heaven.

HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON – This is no ordinary son. This is the unique, one of a kind Entity of the Universe. He is not a Son like you or I or our sons of our earthly parents. God’s “only begotten Son” is one Who is literally in the likeness and characteristics of our Heavenly Father. You may say that our son or child is made in our likenesses, but the offspring of humans carries the DNA of both mother and father.  Jesus, Who is God, is the Only self-existent Being in all Eternity and Creation, Who ONLY has the likeness of ONE Person – God the Father. This distinction is confirmed in Philippians 2:6 where the Bible reminds us that Jesus the Man, did not consider “equality with God a thing to be grasped”. So we know He Who was born of a woman to fulfill God’s plan of Redemption, was FIRST of all – God.

THAT WHOEVER – Whoever, to the plain eye, means what it says – “whoever”. However, whoever, in this carefully chosen word by the Holy Spirit,  means more. The original word “pas” means a lot more than all people.  It means ALL people on a CONTINUAL basis! That is, until the end of time. As century after century of the past two thousand years go by, this standing offer or order from Heaven than the Free Offer and Gift of Salvation is open, it remains that way.  Whoever (or whosoever in the King James Version) always mean all kinds of people, from all kinds of countries, backgrounds, races, levels of society etc. have the same privilege of this offer – if they wish to accept it.  When we have a chance to ponder this truth, it is absolutely a stunning thing, which only the Divine can engineer.

BELIEVES IN HIM –  A person cannot believe in the Son of God as the Savior, without a knowledge of the Gospel, our own sin and therefore, our need for a Savior. Sin is the common denominator of the equation of confession and salvation. Jesus Himself laid in out in the first gospel ever written, which is the Book of Mark. This gospel was written down by a follower of Jesus – John Mark – who wrote down the words of Peter  - yes, this Peter! In Mark 1:15, Jesus said “the time is here, the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the Gospel”. What He is talking about here, in the word "belief" is complete Trust and Faith in Him – the Son Who is himself, God.

It takes Faith to live daily life in general. It takes faith to deposit all your paycheck in a bank, and then depend 100% on it being there next week if you need to withdraw all to pay for a massive car repair bell. It takes faith to put your key in the ignition of your car, turn it and then expect the car to start. Almost everything in life runs on the engine of faith.  Yet, the most important thing – our destination after this brief life – is giving brief or no attention by the majority of this world.  

We are not talking about tradition, liturgy or religion. Belief and Faith in the One True God is what all of this is about. The Heavens declare the Glory of God. All Creation all around us testify to His power and imagination to create and maintain. We have all of this and the evidence to believe. All that is left is to now, believe in the Creator. The “Whoever”  believes will be called a son or daughter of God, bound for Glory. God has embedded eternity in the souls of EVERY person ever born. That means the atheist as well as believer. The offer is to both…even up to the point of death. Knowing this, it all comes down to Who (or what) do people put all their trust, faith and belief in.

SHALL NOT PERISH -  Everything on this side of eternity has an expiration date. The exquisite, excellent, expensive meal we plan for weeks and prepare so carefully for, when it is time for a celebration, not only is gone within minutes and just a good memory hours later, but is gone from the system within a day.  Food has expiration dates. The Bavarian Motor Works car company has a certain extended period of time where it works before it just stops (BMW).  The fresh bright colors of our hair has a time when it is in its natural color before we ALL turn grey and old. Using expensive hair colors never cover up the fact that there is grey under there. Everything expires, including our bodies. 

The bible says there is a time to be born and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:2). We can work out 4-5 times a week in the gym; bike ride for miles every weekend and eat gluten-free and kale daily…and we are still going to die.  There is another thing about this passing from life and here is where the most serious business resides. It is appointed for men (mankind in general) to die once, and then the judgement (Hebrews 9:27).  This is a big problem for the majority of human beings, who pay no attention to what the Lord actually requires to entire the Eternal Realm after this brief life is over.  It is one thing to permanently leave this fragile earth but this is just the beginning. Every human being is created with eternity in his/her heart and will spend it somewhere. Even the lost know that this world is in the last days, because this is how God made us.  So wouldn’t people want to discover the better place to spend Eternity? 

The reason is simple, yet multi-fold. For reasons known to sinful humans, they do not believe God. They know there was a man named Jesus, but only care about holding Him at an arm’s length and joining in the celebration of Christmas and Easter (observances of His birth and Resurrection). Instead of embracing the Holy Trinity, they come down on the side of the "unholy trinity", which is Me, Myself and I. 

If you ask anyone, in the majority of the population, even INSIDE the church walls, if they’re going to Heaven, the answer would be a resounding YES! If you follow up with the question of WHY they believe they’re heaven-born after this life is over, the response would include things like " it will all work out in the end". There is absolutely no basis for this dangerous (for them) thinking and “belief”. Many say they believe God but not Jesus. Read all four gospels of the New Testament about those who constantly repeated such falsehood, and then see what Jesus said to them. It was all condemnation. Sadly, those who ignore Jesus as Lord and Savior, will suffer eternal separation and punishment from God, for which there is no end.

BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE: They are many baby girls with the name, Zoe, who are not aware that their names mean "life". Think of the exhilaration we feel on a wedding day of a loved one (or others); or the birth of our first baby or when we first came to know the Lord as our Savior. Think of the most exciting thing you have ever done. Now, take this same feeling and multiply it by infinity, plated with the purest of God and divine joy - and you have the basic description of Eternal Life. 

Eternal, by its very biblical definition, is the main characteristic of God. The Holy Trinity: God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have always existed, from eternity past and will always exist, into eternity future. This will only be clearer, as to the how, when and why, when we all get to heaven. What a day of rejoicing that would be. When we all see Jesus, we will shout and sing the victory....the victory of knowing we are partakers in a forever life, which is this unfathomable!

Eternity (from whence we get the word eon) is both inside and outside the time dimension. It is outside in the sense of eternity past. We have absolutely no idea what took place, outside of the pages of Scripture, before the formation of the Earth. All we know is God, in the form of the Trinity, existed. Eternity inside of our time dimension is the present.  

The incredible thing is when at the point of conversion, from lost sinner to redeemed, born-again child of God, we immediately inherit the system which contains both dimensions. We inherit the knowledge and benefits of Eternity Past, to the Present and to Eternity future! We inherit the extremely divine quality of Godly living right here on earth, if we grow in the maturity of the Scriptures and in knowledge of the Lord. This is the process of Sanctification. We possess Christ and Eternal Life NOW, when we are born-again. We are now in the eternal realm of God and the holy angels. Then, at the point of our death, the very Gates of Heaven will open up to us, as the Lord receives us into His Royal and Eternal Home, simply because, we received Jesus Christ and the free gift of Eternal Life, into our own lives. 

None of this would have been possible, if God did not so love the world, that He gave. 

JOHN 3:16 - PART 1...."FIRST, THE BACK STORY"

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).
We have seen it in the end zone at football or baseball games. We see it on the helmets of sports figures or written in permanent marker on their shoes. It shows up on Christian T-shirts, wristbands and all kinds of apparel. It even makes for living room artwork on canvas or matte photographic paper.

It is the most popular Bible verse in the world: John 3:16. It is so, for a very good reason.  It perfectly defines and loudly proclaims, the plan of redemption for a world which got off on the wrong foot, almost from its very beginning.  It is the verse in the Bible which is responsible, most likely, for many a lost and drifting soul to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord. It is the verse which is the epitome of the perfect love (agape) which God has for ALL His people, regardless of our station in life. It is the verse which also delineates the Creator of the world from His sinful creation so that we can all participate in the incredible offer of eternal life.

A closer look at the positioning of John 3:16 by the Holy Spirit reveals the very thought process of God. Our Heavenly Father is One Who has always been reasonable and called unredeemed mankind to come talk to Him and to reason. He said so in Isaiah.

At the opening of the famed Gospel of John Chapter 3, we see the Jesus the Messiah speaking to one of the main religious leaders in Jerusalem. This man, Nicodemus, was not just a priest but was called ‘The Teacher of Israel” by the Lord Jesus. Nicodemus would be similar to a version of the local “big church” pastor in town, whom the weekly newspaper would go to for a quote if something significant happened in the school or town council which affected daily community life. The difference here is that Nicodemus was supposed to not just know the Scriptures, which were only our Old Testament at the time, but to know what God’s Word meant. Back then nobody except the Temple priests and scholars had copies of the Scriptures. The majority of the people were at their mercy at all times, since the Bible was not yet put together in the form it is today.

In John Chapter 3, verse 3, Jesus answered Nicodemus’ compliment of Him as being sent from God, with the bold truth of spiritual rebirth. Today, we know that to become a real Christian is not to be born into a Christian family but to be born again, or saved through seeking God’s forgiveness and accepting/receiving Jesus as Savior and the Lord of our lives. To the Pharisee Nicodemus, it was “keeping the Ten Commandments and all the 613 Hebrew laws of the First Five Books of the Bible (the Torah), PLUS all the traditions and rules added on by centuries of religious leaders, with nothing much to do. He was all religion, all the time.

Into this worldview,  Jesus shot the equivalent of a nuclear missile through the theological hat of the religious. Like many today, the “Teacher of Israel” (who later became a stealth disciple of Jesus), knew the LETTER of the Law, like any other Pharisee. What he and the other priests did not know, was the heart and spirit of the Law of God (The Scriptures, the Oracles of God).

This is how he missed what Moses was talking about. His (pre-converted) heart and those of all the Scribes, Pharisees and the Jewish Supreme Court (Sanhedrin) were all alike. They took the letter of the Law and created hard man-made rules that they themselves could not keep, yet they forced it on their people. Jesus dealt with all of this in Matthew 23. However, for now, in John Chapter 3, the Lord focused on the Message of the Gospel going back to the same Moses whom the Pharisees said they loved. None of them, and none of US, before the Holy Spirit opens our eyes, could begin to fathom one syllable of a Word from Heaven.

This is the background against which Jesus the Lord, shared the most important part of His Mission on earth and the reason for it. Jesus again drew on Moses to draw the visual for future believers and to give Nicodemus an illustration of the reason for stepping off the Throne of Heaven, to come down to earth.

John 3:14 tells us what happened when God told Moses to make a brass serpent and put it on a pole, as a standard. This brass serpent on a pole was decreed by God as the antidote to an epidemic of fiery poisonous snake bites, that was killing a huge amount of Israelites in the desert (see Numbers 21:1-9). Those bitten were rebellious against God and had sinned horribly against Him.  They begged Moses to pray to the Lord that He may relent and not kill them. After this is was accomplished, the Lord said that anyone who looked at the brass serpent on the pole, after being bitten by the fiery serpents, will live.

Jesus drew this reference to the brass serpent in order to give the chief Rabbi of the Jerusalem religious sect THE most important insight on the Scriptures so far – Jesus’ Upcoming Crucifixion and its significance!

The discourse between the Son of God and Nicodemus most likely lasted longer than recorded in the Gospel of John. In fact, Nicodemus used to sneak away many times to speak with the Messiah which would later lead to his salvation. Legend has it that, not too long after the Resurrection, Nicodemus was seen fleeing Jerusalem, after being excommunicated by the Pharisees.

Jesus was showing, from this precursor to the Cross – the brass serpent on the pole – that God’s love to save rebels and ingrates was so strong in the desert that He, (the Father), went WAY beyond that and GAVE His Own Son, Who was also sitting on the Eternal Throne, as a sacrifice for all people, of all time.

Then Jesus said something which would absolutely confuse not just Nicodemus at that time, but all unsaved people of all time, who do not really know what John 3:16 really means. Jesus talked about His own death to a man who most likely could not fathom it. After all, Jesus the popular miracle-working Rabbi was alive and well, sitting right in front of him (Nicodemus). What does all this talk about “the Son of Man being lifted up” (verse 15) mean?

Today, all truly saved biblically-grounded Christians know that Jesus’ “lifting up” or death on the Cross, as the Ultimate Sacrifice, is prophesied explicitly in the Old Testament.  Psalm 22 describes Jesus Christ’s actual agony, from HIS point of view, while He was close to physical death on the Cross. Then,  Isaiah 53 points to the Suffering Savior Who gave it all for us sheep to such a graphic extent (as does Psalm 22) that a true student of the Scriptures could discern them.

A complete understanding of what the Lord meant and still means, until the end of the Age, can only had by comprehending the background against which Jesus paints this stunning, eternal masterpiece, of John 3:16.  We, too, can achieve full knowledge of the very Heart and Mind of God, as to why He allowed God the Son to step off the very Throne of Heaven, in order to give His life as a ransom for many.  This comprehension and understanding can be ours, if we understand the Gift of God, the Sacrifice of Christ and the Purposes of the Father. Amen.

SEVEN FAMOUS BIBLE VERSES #7: LOOK UP - GRACE & LOVE ARE FREE

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life"....John 3:16

You see it in the end zones of football games, from the NFL to the CFL (Canadian Football League) to College and definitely Friday Night Lights at high schools across America. I have seen it at basketball games, music concerts and even secular downtown parades on hand-made signs anywhere. Everyone uses it across Western Civilization. They even quote it in King James English. While "Judge not less ye be judged" is used is a negative defense mechanism, John 3:16 is proclaimed worldwide as the main proof of our Loving God, even by those who don't believe in Him.

This is not criticism because John 3:16 can stand by itself, if the person proclaiming or hearing it spoken, understands even 10% of the full counsel of God as found in the Scriptures. But it is necessary, as in ALL of the Word of God, to grasp context, content and comprehension.

CONTEXT:

John 3:13-18 says: 13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. 14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

CONTENT: 

- Before the Resurrection (which is when the hope of Eternal Life was realized), no one but God, could get to the Throne of Heaven except God Himself, with His Angelic beings. Old Testament saints who slept with their fathers, were in paradise, until Resurrection Sunday. Jesus is the Advocate and Intermediary, in that, He had to come down from off the Throne (as confirmed in Philippians 2:5-11) and if you read this passage from Philippians 2, we will know what all that really means. Without this amazing selfless act of love and grace, we would all be lost forever.

- The example of Moses "lifting up the serpent in the wilderness" was given to us by Christ so we could escape the sting of the second and final death. To go back to the Exodus, the Israelites were getting attacked, bitten and killed by snakes, as a direct warning from God. Moses prayed and God told him to make a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Moses was then to tell the people who were attacked by the sting of the serpent to simply LOOK at the bronze pole and believe and be saved. Jesus is telling us that if we too look up to Him, His Sacrifice, death, burial and Resurrection - all signified by the Cross - we too shall live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven - and be saved!

This is the main thing to be grasped in this passage. We have no choice but to look to the modern day bronze pole of Moses, now called "The Cross". Like the pole, the Cross defeated the serpent. Like the bronze pole, the Cross defeated death. Like the bronze pole, the Cross brought God directly to us - if we would just open our hearts to Him.

COMPREHENSION:

We see the main content is the Cross (John 3:13-15). We see God coming down from Heaven to show the way there to anyone who believes. What we pick up from the verses now, after John 3:16 is the Rationale of the Almighty, found here in John 3:17-18. We really do need to catch this or those who don't, won't or could care less, would fall in the category Jesus warned about in John 3:18...and as the Bible says "it is a fearsome thing to fall into the Hands of the Living God". Only the unredeemed face this scenario 100% of the time.

To wit, we see:

- God loved the world (John 3:16)....His general Grace, love and mercy is for all. Even those who reject and continue to reject Him. Still He loves. What people say and do to and about God daily condemns them daily, yet He lets us live. What a mighty loving God! His Grace is free. His Mercy is free. His Love is free.

- Because He loved, He gave. When God gives, He does not hold back. He gave the most precious only Begotten (which literally means "One of a Kind") Son, the Lord Jesus as part of His plan to redeem all mankind, from sin which destroys forever. He loves us even now, no matter how much we mess up all of that which He gives us to be stewards.

- The offer was/is and will always be there (with an expiration date) that if we confess with our mouth (Godly sorrow leadeth to repentance) and believe with our Hearts that Jesus IS LORD - we too can be part of this Great Plan of Redemption, conceived in Love. We WILL be saved!

- The "Whoever...or Whosoever" believes is the most crucial thing here. There are only two options: reject and perish via eternal separation from the God Whom the majority has and will reject or believe, have Faith and be welcome to the paradise prepared for ALL those who love God, and are called by His Name! It comes down to this.

THE CHOICE:

So what do we do with this knowledge of the most famous and popular verse in the known world? Is it just a happy "saying" for carefree events and then go about our business, with not a care in the world? What God is telling us this - we had better care! Just as people make plans for their older age, buy life insurance or save for retirement, it is very scary to see the majority of people all around us, who care not about the most important thing in the world - their eternal souls. While there is still time, there remains the free gift which avoids us harsh and final judgment where there is no cover for our sins. While there is still time, we can really grab John 3:16, pull it into our heart and run with it, until it becomes a part of us. The latter is the only way we can avoid being eternally separated from the Loving God, Who gave His One of a Kind Son - King Jesus.

(Graphic Credit- PINTEREST)

THIRTY NINE OTHER THINGS GOD GIVES US WITH FREE GIFT OF SALVATION

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the

Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow (James 1:17)

There is no more perfect gift than the free gift of Salvation. If we have confessed our sins and turned to the One True God of Heaven. If we are rejuvenated in the inner man and are born again, having accepted the forgiveness provided freely for ALL humanity for ALL time on the Cross, we will send eternity in the Holy Presence of God the Father.

Another thing to think about this "Perfect Gift" is "Imputation". Romans 5:12-21 reminds us that we are born in the original sin of Adam and we have deserved judgment heavily in our debt column, which we cannot pay. The First Adam's sin is imputed to every single human who has lived since Creation and th Fall. But then comes the Cross of Christ, where the Savior of the Universe willingly gave up His Own Godly Life for you and I personally, and all mankind in general. This Cross is where the Second Adam took His pure and sinless righteousness and gave it to us for free to justify (make us right) in the Eyes of God, when we have become forgiven and born again. 

We know from 2 Corinthians 5:21 that "He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. But it gets even better...and for the following, we must be SO ETERNALLY GRATEFUL! Several years ago, a man names Lewis Sperry Chafer wrote an amazing piece on the incredible gifts God gives to each of His children whom He calls to His side. These 39 things are worthy of yours and my study and eternal gratitude, for which we will continue to praise into Eternity and beyond. As we go through these 39 things, let us remain amazed for the rest of our life, at the Manner of Love and Grace which has been credited (and imputed) to our eternal account, when we did not deserve 1% of it! This should make us humble and cause us to fall to our faces before Holy God, as we sing His Praises:

1. The believer resides in the eternal plan of God. (He shares the destiny of Christ) We are:

a. Foreknown: (Acts 2:23; Rom 8:29; 1Pe 1:2)

b. Elected: (Rom 8:33; Col 3:12; 1Th 1:4; Tit 1:1)

c. Predestined: (Rom 8:29-30; Eph 1:5; Eph 1:11; 1Pe 1:2)

d. Chosen: (Matt 22:14; 1Pe 2:4)

e. Called: (1Th 5:24)

2. The believer is reconciled (Removal of the barrier between man and God)

a. By God: (2Co 5:18-19; Col 1:20)

b. To God: (Rom 5:10; 2Co 5:20; Eph 2:14-17)

3. The believer is redeemed (Purchased from the slave market of sin): (Rom 3:24; Col 1:14; 1Pe 1:18)

4. The believer’s condemnation, (Eternal judgment in the Lake of fire) is removed: (John 3:18; John 5:24; Rom 8:1)

5. All sins are judged by the substitutionary Spiritual death of Christ on the cross: (Rom 4:25; Eph 1:7; 1Pe 2:24)

6. Every believer receives propitiation for sins (God satisfied with the work of His Son): (Rom 3:25-26; 1Jn 2:2; 1Jn 4:10)

7. The believer is dead to the old life, (The old sin nature) but alive to God (Retroactive positional Truth)

a. He is Crucified with Christ: (Rom 6:6; Gal 2:20)

b. Dead with Christ: (Rom 6:8; Col 3:3; 1Pe 2:24)

c. Buried with Christ: (Rom 6:4; Col 2:12)

d. Raised with Christ: (Rom 6:4; Col 3:1)

8. The believer is free from the Mosaic Law. He is

a. Dead: (Rom 7:4)

b. Delivered: (Rom 6:14; Rom 7:6; 2Co 3:6-11; Gal 3:25)

9. The believer is regenerated: (John 13:10; 1Co 6:11; Tit 3:5)

a. He is born again: (John 3:7; 1Pe 1:23)

b. A child of God: (Gal 3:26)

c. A son of God: (John 1:12; 2Co 6:18; 1Jn 3:2)

d. A new creation: (2Co 5:17;Gal 6:15; Eph 2:10)

10. The believer is adopted by God (Placed as adult sons because of positional Truth): (Rom 8:15; Rom 8:23; (Future) Eph 1:5).

11. The believer is made acceptable to God: (Eph 1:6; 1Pe 2:5)

a. He is made righteous: (Imputation) (Rom 3:22; 1Co 1:30; 2Co 5:21;Php 3:9)

b. Sanctified positionally: (1Co 1:30; 1Co 6:11)

c. Perfected forever: (Heb 10:14)

d. Qualified for inheritance: (Col 1:12)

12. The believer is justified (Declared righteous): (Rom 3:24; Rom 5:1;Rom 5:9; Rom 8:30; 1Co 6:11; Tit 3:7)

13. The believer receives the unique availability of Divine power: (2Pe 1:3)

14. The believer is guaranteed a heavenly citizenship based on reconciliation: (Luk 10:20; Eph 2:13; Eph 2:19; Php 3:20)

15. The believer is delivered from the kingdom of Satan: (Col 1:13; Col 2:15)

16. The believer is transferred into God’s kingdom: (Col 1:13)

17. The believer is now on a secure foundation: (1Co 3:11; 1Co 10:4; Eph 2:20)

18. Every believer is a gift from God the Father to Christ: (John 10:29; John 17:2; John 17:6; John 17:9; John 17:11-12; John 17:24)

19. The believer is delivered from the power of the sin nature: (Rom 2:29; Php 3:3; Col 2:11)

20. Every believer is appointed a priest unto God. We are:

a. A holy priesthood: (1Pe 2:5)

b. A royal priesthood: (1Pe 2:9; Rev 1:6)

21. The believer receives eternal security: (Rom 8:32; Rom 8:38-39; Gal 3:26; 2Ti 2:13)

22. The believer is given access to God: (Rom 5:2; Eph 2:18; Heb 4:14; Heb 4:16; Heb 10:19-20)

23. Every believer is within the “much more” grace care of God: (Rom 5:9-10)

a. We are: Objects of His love: Eph 2:4; Eph 5:2;

b. Objects of His grace (1) For salvation: Eph 2:8-9; (2) For keeping: (Rom 5:2; 1Pe 1:5) (3) For service: (John 17:18; Eph 4:7) (4) For instruction: (Tit 2:12)

c. Objects of His power: (Eph 1:19; Php 2:13)

d. Objects of His faithfulness: (Php 1:6; Heb 13:5)

e. Objects of His peace: (John 14:27)

f. Objects of His consolation: (2Th 2:16)

g. Objects of His intercession: (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; Heb 9:24)

24. The believer is beneficiary of an inheritance as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ: (Rom 8:17; Eph 1:14; Eph 1:18; Col 3:24; Heb 9:15; (1Pe 1:4)

25. Every believer has a new position in Christ: (Eph 2:6)

a. We are partners with Christ in life: (Col 3:4)

b. Partners with Christ in service: (1Co 1:9) (1) Workers together with God: (1Co 3:9; 2Co 6:1) (2) Ministers of the New Covenant: (2Co 3:6) (3) Ambassadors: (2Co 5:20) (4) Living epistles: (2Co 3:3) (5) Ministers of God: (2Co 6:4)

26. Believers are recipients of eternal life: (John 3:15; John 10:28;John 20:31; 1Jn 5:11-12)

27. The believer is created a new Spiritual species: (2Co 5:17)

28. The believer is a light in the Lord (Part of the angelic conflict): (Eph 5:8; 1Th 5:4)

29. The believer is united with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are:

a. In God: (1Th 1:1; cf., “God in you,” Eph 4:6)

b. In Christ: (John 14:20; cf., “Christ in you,” Col 1:27) (1) A member in His Body: (1Co 12:13) (2) A branch in the Vine: (John 15:5) (3) A stone in the Building: (Eph 2:21-22; 1Pe 2:5) (4) A sheep in the Flock: (John 10:27-29) (5) A portion of His Bride: (Eph 5:25-27; Rev 19:6-8)

(6) A priest of the kingdom of priests: (1Pe 2:9) (7) A saint of the “new species:” (2Co 5:17) In the Holy Spirit: (Rom 8:9) “the Spirit in you.”

30. Every believer is the recipient of the ministries of the Holy Spirit. He is

a. Born of the Spirit: (John 3:36)

b. Baptized with the Spirit: (Acts 1:5; 1Co 12:13)

c. Indwelt by the Spirit: (John 7:39; Rom 5:5; Rom 8:9; 1Co 3:16; (1Co 6:19; Gal 4:6; 1Jn 3:24)

d. Sealed by the Spirit: (2Co 1:22; Eph 4:30)

e. Given Spiritual gifts: (1Co 12:11; 1Co 12:27-31; 1Co 13:1-2)

31. The believer is glorified: (Rom 8:30)

32. The believer is complete in Christ: (Col 2:10)

33. The believer is possessor of every Spiritual blessing granted in eternity past: (Eph 1:3)

34. The believer receives a human spirit (The basis for Operation Z, along with the Holy Spirit): (Rom 8:16; 1Co 2:12; 2Co 7:13; 1Th 5:23)

35. The believer has scar tissue removed from the soul: (Isa 43:25;Isa 44:22)

36. The believer is the recipient of efficacious grace: (Eph 1:13)

37. The believer is guaranteed a resurrection body forever: (John 11:25)

38. The believer is the beneficiary of unlimited atonement: (2Co 5:14-15; (2Co 5:19; 1Ti 2:6; 1Ti 4:10; Tit 2:11; Heb 2:9; 2Pe 2:1; 1Jn 2:2)

39. The believer has equal privilege and equal opportunity under election and predestination.

BONUS....AND THIS IS A PERMANENT IRREVOCABLE GIFT:

40. The ten problem-solving devices are available to every believer. They are

a. Rebound: (1Jn 1:9)

b. Filling of the Holy Spirit: (Eph 5:18)

c. Faith-rest drill: (Heb 4:1; Heb 4:10-11)

d. Grace orientation: (Jas 4:6)

e. Doctrinal orientation: (Rom 12:2)

f. Personal sense of destiny: (Php 1:21)

g. Personal love for God: (Deut 6:5; 1Pe 1:8)

h. Impersonal love for all mankind: (Jas 2:8)

1. Sharing the happiness of God, +H: (John 15:11)

j. Occupation with Christ: (Eph 3:19)

Compiled by Lewis Sperry Chafer Revised by R. B. Thieme, Jr.