BRINGING JOY TO THE ONE WHO CREATED US FOR HIS PURPOSE
Since the church in general has focused upon “the gospel of salvation” instead of the “gospel of the Kingdom” the result has been the continuation of the central focus upon man’s needs and his benefits. In other words “what does God have to do to continue to make me happy, healthy and prosperous”. Much of the teaching has been upon how to get God to do what you want Him to do. How can I get more and more out of God? If I have “faith” God will have to act in my behalf. All this makes man central and God is thought to revolve around man and his desires and needs. In other words God exists for me and my pleasure. Then if God doesn’t do what I want I will just drop out of church because my feelings are hurt. God needs to repent and be obedient to my wishes.
This selfish and self centered attitude is very carnal and represents the lack of maturity or even growth from baby hood. Not only has this man centered focus been permitted in the church it has even been promoted by the leaders. Many ministries know this is the message that builds large numbers in the pews. Multitudes want to know how can I get ahead and prosper and become successful in my natural life AND still go to heaven when I die at a ripe old age.
Growing up into the fulness of Christ is not some self-serving and selfish activity but a laying down of this life in order to find His eternal life. Maturity demands that we take up our cross and follow Him wherever He goes. We can only take a step toward maturity when we become focused upon the Father’s heart and what will satisfy His eternal purpose in creating this all in the first place. We must focus upon what He will realize through our lives lived wholly for Him by doing His will. Full maturity means that I can not be happy until God is happy and fully satisfied with my life.
We each one must flee from this man centered approach of “what more can God do for me”, repent and re-focus upon “what can my life Be for God”. Ever since the church has neatly projected the Kingdom into some future time that is not relevant today, we have seen very little reason to live wholly for Him or to do His will. The church has side stepped the issue of “doing the will of God” by saying that is just for rewards at the end of time but in no way affects our salvation. However, we learn from scripture that only those who do the will of God can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. MAT 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
The church in general has preached a “salvation” that just has to do with believing something about Jesus. Salvation is said to be ours simply because of what we believe and has nothing to do with what we actually are or how we live our life. MAT 7:22] "Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' [23] "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
These “ministers” certainly were not unbelievers and by faith did mighty works in His name but they were with out law in their personal lives. The Kingdom government was not established in their lives and they must have just been living and ministering for themselves. We will never achieve “full stature” separate from the Kingdom government of God and His laws obeyed. This is completely different from church legalism but every Kingdom person is expected to obey the laws of the Kingdom and walk in all the ways of God.
Many of the prophesies that we are hearing are saying that we have come to another “fullness of time”. One time period has just ended and another time period is now beginning. We are hearing the Spirit saying that a whole new move of God will require a whole new perspective from which to view things. We must be lifted up and seated with Christ in heavenly places in order to see as God sees. From up there we will see from “the eternal viewpoint”. From the throne of God we will see from all eternity past up to eternity future and we will see from God’s eternal perspective. Until we see and comprehend what the Father purposed before creation even began, we will continue to be confused about what role we have in fulfilling His purpose for us.
There is a fervor and excitement with great expectancy concerning the immediate time in which we live. There is a spiritual hunger and yearning hearts for something more of God. The word of God is being searched in much deeper dimension and prayer meetings are blanketing our land and many other nations. God has something tremendous for this generation. This is not just a new time to be blessed or receive something new from God or discover a new way to use God for our own advantage but is a time of fulfillment of a deep desire that has been in the Father’s heart from before the beginning of the world.
THEN WHY HAS GOD, THE FATHER, SET FULL MATURITY AS THE STANDARD HE WILL RECOGNIZE IN ETERNITY FUTURE?
To understand that we must go back to before the beginning of the earth as we know it. We must understand what was in the Father’s heart before man was created. Hidden in the heart of God, the Father, was His plans for all eternity future. In the Kingdom of Heaven there were the Father, the Eternal Son [ the Word of God], and the Holy Spirit. In addition there were the angels who were faithful to God. Outside the Government of heaven there was Satan and the ones that had been cast out of heaven with him. All this was before the beginning of TIME as we know it.
EPH 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, [4] just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love [5] He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.
EPH 1: 9 In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him [10] with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ,
EPH 1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.
, EPH 3:8] To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the
Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, [9] and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; [10] in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. [11] This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, [12] in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.
2 TIM 1:9] who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,
This amazing fact is clear from scripture that God has designed the very end from before the beginning. Not only that but He knew us, called us and saved us before the foundation of the world. All things were granted us IN CHRIST JESUS before or from all past eternity. Therefore we have been predestined exactly according to His eternal purpose. God, The Father, chose us IN CHRIST before the foundation of the world. This means that God chose us IN CHRIST before Adam, before Eve, before sin, before the fall and before there even was a Garden of Eden.
We may respond to these astounding facts with “Oh, well, that is God’s business”. However, what this says to us is that Jesus Christ would have been manifested in the flesh even if man had not sinned. According to what these scriptures teach the incarnation was planned by God before the worlds were and before time began. Why is this so important for us to know? Because this proves that The Word of God, the Spirit of Christ, wasn’t incarnated JUST because of sin but because of God’s eternal purpose. The INCARNATION was planned before the worlds were or time began and certainly before man sinned.
Therefore, the incarnation AND redemption must be related to God’s eternal purpose rather than JUST to man’s need for salvation as is generally taught. The Eternal Word would have become flesh even if Adam had not sinned because that was purposed by God before the foundation of the world. The incarnation was designed and determined by God before the world was created or man was made by God. We were chosen IN CHRIST before the worlds were. WHY? The purpose of the incarnation was to provide a Life giving and a Life sharing union with God, the Father. Before there ever was a man, God had predestined us to adoption as sons. Our predestination goes back to before the beginning. EPH 1:11 clearly says that even our inheritance was predestined according to His purpose. In fact everything was designed to be gathered together and summed up IN CHRIST from before the creation. God’s view in all this was toward an administration, or government suitable to the fullness of times[ or eternity future]. We interpret that to mean the Eternal Kingdom of God and our predestined part in His government. Not only have we been predestined but we must also qualify by being changed and developed to become worthy of such a high calling.
Therefore, we must begin our eternal viewpoint from before time began and see as far back as the Father’s heart and His deep desire for mankind before the worlds were. Man was predestined to become His mature sons. Christ appeared to bring many sons to His same glory. It is a great mistake to “begin” with time and Genesis 1 rather than all eternity past. Before time began we discover that God had a great need to satisfy a deep longing that was in His heart. He was the Eternal Father with one Eternal Son but as a Father He wanted many, many, many sons like the Eternal Son. Therefore, He designed a plan to fulfill His eternal purpose and to satisfy this deep longing in His heart..
His Eternal Son would become flesh as a man and through the incarnation share Himself with man so that there was a union of Life and a synthesizing of the human with the Divine. Jesus said it this way! JOHN 17:22] "And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; [23] I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, V [26] and I have made Thy name known to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them."
John 14:23] Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.
JOHN 14:6] "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may
be with you forever; [17] that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you. [18] "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
We could sum this up by saying that the Eternal Father would share HIMSELF with man through the Eternal Son. He would also send the Eternal Holy Spirit to dwell in man to lead man into all Truth and Reality. That means there is “made available to man” a blending of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit with man. What those who respond to God’s eternal purpose receive is HIS LIFE blended with our life. As we lay down and forsake and lose our human life we can receive more and more of His Divine Life. If we insist upon keeping and saving our human life we will lose His Divine Life. His eternal purpose requires that we receive all of His Life as possible if we will fulfill His purpose and bring joy to His heart. God’s purpose is designed to be fulfilled through an exchange of life. I.E. His for ours. If we hold to ours we can’t receive His.
2 COR 4:10] always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. [11] For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. [12] So death works in us, but Life in you. This LIFE is ZOE and refers to His own eternal life. The life that is common to all is the Greek word Psuche and refers to our natural life that must be laid down in order to receive the Zoe Life of God...
The reason the church has focused upon “the gospel of salvation” rather than “the gospel of the Kingdom” is because her vision has only gone back as far as the fall and the great need that man has to be redeemed. Salvation has been judged according to man’s need rather that according to God’s eternal purpose. While it certainly is true that man’s primary need is “salvation” or redemption that does not yet satisfy the heart of God. The reason God has “saved” us is because of God’s eternal purpose and so that man can fulfill God’s plan that was designed before the worlds were. 2 TIM 1:9] who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,
If we begin with the fall rather than before the foundation, as soon as man’s need is met man has reached the “GOAL” of being saved from hell. If our vision begins before the foundation we will see that once man’s need is met then man is obligated to meet God’s need and fulfill His eternal purpose.
ROM 14:7] For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; [8] for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. [9] For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living .
JOHN 17:24] "Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me; for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world.
The Eternal Word of God had all the glory of Heaven but the Father’s deep desire was to share His glory with many, many “adopted” mature sons. Those are the “sons” who were tested, tried, developed and found worthy to be received into the Father’s Kingdom and able to receive responsibility to rule with Him. Even though the Father had one Eternal Son that was perfect, He also wanted a vast family of grown and mature sons just like His eternal Son. These He would appoint as heirs of an inheritance that was prepared from all eternity past.
God, the Father was able to express Himself through the Eternal Son but He still wanted to express Himself through many, many mature sons. For that reason The Word must become flesh and dwell among us. The Eternal Word had to become incarnate in the body of Jesus Christ, Who was God’s only “begotten Son”. Jesus was the “prototype” of the “many sons” that He would bring to share and see His glory. In the same way that the Eternal Word of God became flesh in Jesus He must also become flesh in us. God’s deep desire is to have a vast family of mature sons that He may commune with man and express Himself through so that the rest of creation may see the Father. The Father will also put these mature sons in charge of His creation and they will rule and reign with Christ over all the works of His hands.
Since the “human” by itself could do nothing to fulfill God’s purpose, God had to share Himself with man in order to equip man to fulfill His purpose. Jesus said “Without Me you can do nothing”. God, the Father, shared Himself or His LIFE with His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Man, Christ was man of very man or we say human just like us. The Eternal Word, the Spirit of Christ being the Divine impartation.
God’s plan reached it’s intermediate stage when “this Son” resurrected, ascended and took His seat at the right hand of God. If we only see man’s great need satisfied rather than seeing God’s unfolding plan in progress we may miss the Father’s heart. The next step in God’s plan would meet His deep need . That is to repeat this same process over and over until He had many sons that could be brought to that same glory. HEB 2:10] For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.
Now this Eternal Life of His only begotten Son can be shared with those sons of man who will receive Him. To those He gives the right or authority to become the sons of God through the impartation of His divine Life. 1 JOHN 1:1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, and concerning the Word of Life-- [2] and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us--
However, God’s design requires that we “grow up in all things into Christ”, Who is the Head. His mature sons must also become like Him and be conformed to His image. Therefore, this is not JUST an impartation but is a process by which man is changed from glory to glory. He is adjusted, developed, matured, and changed into His divine image through trials, testings, sufferings and discipline. Man develops as he walks in obedience. HEB 5:8] Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. [9] And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, This disturbs some when they learn that our salvation involves obedience to Jesus Christ rather than just believing something about Jesus and living for ourselves.
If we only see man’s need for redemption we may think that all this talk of growth is just legalism or man “working for his salvation”. If we see from God’s eternal viewpoint then growth and change is seen as necessary to fulfill His purpose. This has to do with His purpose and not just for rewards.
Since man must be “developed” into Christ’s image and likeness and possess His Divine nature, the Holy Spirit is freely dispersed or poured out upon and within all those who will ask. We must not only “receive” Him but we must be baptized by Him, immersed in Him and be filled with the Holy Spirit and be led by the Spirit. The reason is because the Holy Spirit has this tremendous responsibility of leading us into all truth, of teaching us all things, of taking the things of Jesus and revealing them to us. He also must sanctify or set us apart and consecrate us completely in spirit, soul and body waiting for the coming of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is in charge of our adjustment, development, and discipline until Christ is formed in us. This requires strict discipline and obedience and surrender to the Holy Spirit. He is the one Who is choosing the bride for Jesus.
Knowing and understanding the word of God and recognizing His eternal purpose is essential if we are going to cooperate and participate in the process.
If The Son is only viewed from the perspective of time of about 2000 years we lose the eternal perspective of The Son and the Father from all eternity past. Then there is an understanding of the Eternal Word or The Living Word that transcends time and space and must be viewed from before the foundation of the world. However, the Eternal Word of God [who is the Eternal Son of God manifested in human flesh] must be seen also as the summation of all things. That is the “time” from Revelation 21 and 22 throughout all eternity future. This is the fulfillment of what God purposed before the foundation of the world and is summed up in the New Jerusalem. Still we find this is not just a city but is the bride of Christ in all her beauty and perfection. This “city” is the full grown, mature, developed Bride of Christ, the wife of the Lamb. From the viewpoint of Jesus Christ she is his eternal bride. From the viewpoint of the Father this city is His many mature sons who will share His glory and see His face. [ The bondservants of Rev.22]. From the viewpoint of the Holy Spirit this city is His finished work and bears the mark of His hand for this glorious presentation to Jesus Christ. It is the Spirit and the bride who say “Come”.
Once we recognize the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose as “the New Jerusalem” we will understand that the New Jerusalem was in the Father’s heart before the foundation of the world. Since there can be no question about that fact because the scriptures make it clear, we should see that everything that has taken place since time began has that eternal city in view. Even Abraham went out not knowing where he was going but he was looking for that city with foundations whose builder and maker is God. Abraham never found that city but now God has prepared something better for us.
As wonderful as all this sounds we discover that it is only the “overcomers” that inherit the city of God. Then we discover that it is “the bondservants” that serve Him there and see His face. It is those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes that shall be illuminated by God Himself and it is the “bondservants” that shall reign forever and ever. All this was in the heart of The Father before the foundation of the world.
The fall of man required that redemption be added to God’s plan but the plan itself never changed. Even though redemption was a major breakthrough for man it was a bump in the road for God in fulfilling His eternal purpose. I’m not trivializing our great salvation because without that we are just wood for the fires of Hell. What I’m saying is that we should always view our great salvation from the perspective of God’s eternal purpose rather than our great need. Once we are “saved” we are then standing in the unfolding of God’s purpose for our lives and we can no longer live for ourselves. We can no longer just be the center of God’s mercy and grace but the focus of our lives must be turned to seeking God to fulfill His eternal purpose.
God is not trying to bring us “back to the garden of Eden perfection” but He is trying to bring us forward to the perfection of the New Jerusalem and develop us as the full grown and perfected bride for Jesus Christ. That is the only logical end to the race that is set before us. The terms “overcomers and bondservants” describe the requirements to participate. The transparency, the perfection, the gold and the precious stones of the city describe the subjective work of God in us to bring us to that perfection.
We must always remember that the trials and testings of the present time have been predestined from before the foundation of the world as preparation for that city. What we are experiencing is not some isolated “persecution” but is all part of the Father’s plan to elevate us to the highest position of all eternity future. That is “a little lower than God” but as co-sovereign with Jesus Christ and ruling with Him as His bride. That may be worth a little inconvenience in this life. Paul realized this in ROM 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 2 Tim 2:10] For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. [11] It is a trustworthy statement:
For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him; [12] If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; 2 Tim 3:12] And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
It is amazing to find the multitudes who eagerly seek salvation and deliverance from Hell but have little interest in growth or development toward God’s eternal purpose. I must believe that is simply because the multitude is ignorant of God’s eternal purpose and His requirement to participate. I have to believe that as soon as the revelation is given that all those who have been predestined will respond and begin running the race for the high calling of God. Those who have understanding will certainly consecrate their lives and gladly endure the hardships in order to participate in His eternal glory.
HEB 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The “joy set before us” should be enough reason to endure whatever shame and suffering is predetermined that we should be counted worthy of ruling with Him. We surely can’t take the persecution and suffering personally because it has been designed from before the foundation of the world and is universal for those who will participate in God’s Eternal Purpose.