To Know Him is to Love Him

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To Know Him is to Love Him

Welcome to Christianity Oasis Purity Publications. This E-book is titled To Know Him is to Love Him written by Author Diane Jurino. Christianity Oasis in association with Purity Publications proudly presents you with this To Know Him is to Love Him E-Book free of charge for your enjoyment.

Table of Contents

About the Author
Disclaimer
Dedication
Preface
Introduction

Chapter Outline

Chapter 1 - God is Love and Kindness
Chapter 2 - Goodness and Mercy
Chapter 3 - The Source of All Wisdom, Truth and Knowledge
Chapter 4 - Hope, Peace and Joy in the Lord
Chapter 5 - The Power and the Glory
Chapter 6 - Grace, Justice and Judgment
Chapter 7 - Holy and Perfect - The Promise Keeper
Chapter 8 - To Know Him is to Love Him

About the Author

Diane Jurino is a Spirit-filled Christian who resides in Erie, Pennsylvania. She is the mother of three grown children, and four grandchildren. Her professional background is in Copywriting, Sales, Advertising, and Marketing. She has developed and conducted custom training courses in Human Relations, Communications, Personal and Professional Development.

Disclaimer:

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in this volume are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Dedication:

Job 22:26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.

The more we know and understand Him, the better we will love and serve Him!

Preface

1Chronicles 16:27 "Glory and honour [are] in his presence; strength and gladness [are] in his place."

Ours is a great and glorious God; to know Him is to love Him. He is not distant or forbidding; He is not to be feared or dreaded. He created us in His very own image and likeness to fellowship with Him in love and intimacy for all eternity. While we may have enjoyed our relationship with Him all our lives, we have yet to see His face or experience the personal closeness that He has promised us. However, all that is about to change. He is drawing us closer than ever before, and we must prepare to meet Him as He is.

This book will examine the many divine attributes of God and how they affect us in our relationship with Him, now and for the future. We will study the love and kindness of God, and examine His mercy and goodness to us. He is the source of all truth and wisdom, and gives us hope, peace and joy as fruit of His Spirit. We will develop a new appreciation for His power and glory, justice and judgment. And we will revel at the fact that He takes vengeance on all our enemies and restores what has been taken from us.

1Chronicles 29:11 "Thine, O LORD, [is] the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all [that is] in the heaven and in the earth [is thine]; thine [is] the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all."

The Lord knows the end from the beginning. As we approach the end of the ages, we can look forward to actually dwelling with Him in His Kingdom right here on the earth. He has promised us that He will be a personal God to us, that we will see Him face-to-face. He will anticipate all that we require even before we ask. The Lord will wipe away all our tears and sorrow, and give us immeasurable joy and gladness instead. He will provide all of our needs in abundance, and make certain that we enjoy peace and prosperity for all eternity.

Our God is strong and almighty. He is the ultimate source of all power in the universe. We will be perpetually safe and secure in His presence. No evil will ever enter into the Kingdom of God. He will protect and guide us, and we will give Him all the thanks and glory that He so rightly deserves. He is the Supreme Being and we exalt Him over all others. Our children and our children's children will all know the Lord, and rejoice in what He is and all that He does for us.

Psalm 140:13 "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence."

If we will live forever in the presence of a holy and perfect God, we should prepare ourselves through sanctification of our bodies, souls and spirits. We must crucify our fleshly lusts and soul's ambitions. We should strive for spiritual maturity and lay down everything that would interfere with our enjoying our relationship with God. We should practice walking in love and righteousness, and aspire to a closer relationship with Him than we have ever known before.

We should let nothing stop us from receiving our eternal rewards. Life in the Kingdom of God will be paradise on the earth. All of creation will be re-created and restored to its original beauty and balance. We will have dominion over the plant and animal kingdoms, as well as all natural elements. Glorious, resurrection bodies that are impervious to disease and death will be given to us. We will have the heathen for our inheritance and rule and reign with Christ in honor and glory. And most important of all, we will dwell in the presence of our loving God for all eternity!

Introduction

Deuteronomy 30:6 "And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live."

We know that there is a power higher than ourselves in the universe, a Supreme Being that created all things and watches over us to guide and protect us in all our ways. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all things. He expresses Himself as three distinct and different personalities - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our hearts and spirits cry out to almighty God with a deep yearning, even though we are not personally acquainted with Him. Only He can fill the void that exists in many of our lives.

God cares for us with a total unconditional love. He is always generous and kind, and never fails to meet our needs in the abundance of His riches. He is worthy of all our love and respect, despite the fact that we have never seen Him face-to-face. Even though we may not be intimately acquainted with Him, we should show Him deference and respect. We are obligated to give Him honor and glory, and all the praise and thanks that He deserves. Loving God is not an option for us if we are believers.

Deuteronomy 6:5 "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."

We are commanded by Jesus Christ Himself to love the Lord God with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The law of love should be of utmost importance to us and affect us in all our relationships. It is a summation of the ten commandments of the law, and it is critical that we obey it. Our future welfare for all eternity will be determined by how well we love and serve the Lord in His plan and purpose in the days ahead, as we usher in His Kingdom on the earth.

It will be much easier for us to love God and serve Him, if we develop a better understanding of His character and personality, His attributes and qualities, and His way of doing things. If we examine the scriptures, we will discover that He is loving and kind, merciful and good. The Lord is ever wise and the source of all knowledge, truth and understanding. He exudes joy, hope and peace in His very essence. He is also holy and perfect, glorious and powerful, fair and just, and He will take vengeance on all our enemies.

Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with singing."

God loves us with an everlasting love. He created man in His very own image and likeness, and desires nothing more than to have a close personal relationship with us. Through prayer and meditation, we communicate with God. He wants to be our source for all good things, and generously supply all our needs. His goal is to bear our burdens and share our victories. He will save us from all our pain and sorrow and replace it with His joy and peace.

The Lord takes pride and pleasure in His people; we are a great source of joy to Him. We are members of His very own family. He delights in our prayers and encourages us to reach out to Him with our requests. He is infinitely kind and merciful to us in our time of need. He has compassion for us when we are afflicted, is patient with us when we sin, and boasts in all our successes. He has saved us from eternal condemnation, and has a glorious plan for our lives.

The Lord keeps all of His promises to His people. All that is required of us, in return, is to have faith in God and the faith of God. We should believe that He is capable of doing what He says He will do. He is not a man that He should lie; He will never leave us or forsake us. He will be with us all the days of our lives, and show Himself strong on our behalf. God rewards those who diligently seek Him, and He will never cause us to be ashamed for our faith in Him.

Romans 15:13 "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."

We have a real hope and confidence for the future. The Lord has promised us that He will bring heaven to the earth and unite all things in His Son, Jesus Christ, with the coming of the Kingdom of God. If we repent of all known sin, believe that Jesus died for us and was raised from the dead, we will remain continuously righteous in God's eyes. If we walk in love and do His will, we will be overcomers who inherit God's Kingdom and all of its promises.

Instead of our former shame and guilt, we will know peace with God through righteousness. We will experience life in His very presence, and He will supply all of our needs in abundance. We will dwell in love and unity with all men, and enjoy blessings and prosperity. We will have safety and security in the Kingdom of God; nothing evil or defiling will mar its perfection. The Lord will take vengeance on all our enemies and restore all that has been taken from us.

Isaiah 65:17 "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind."

Life in the Kingdom of God will be perfect, just as it was in the Garden of Eden, only bigger and better. All the blessings of heaven will be available to us right here on the earth. All of creation will be re-created and restored. We will walk in total dominion over nature, plants and animals. There will be no death or destruction in God's Kingdom. We will have perfectly healthy, glorious, resurrection bodies that are perpetually self-sustaining.

All believers will enjoy prosperity and life in abundance, under fair and equitable Kingdom standards of justice. Christ Himself will rule and reign to make certain that everything is peaceful and orderly. The nations of the world will all join together in worshipping the Lord and giving Him thanks for His infinite mercy and loving kindness for generation after generation. So will we all be together with the Lord for all eternity!

Chapter 1 - God is Love and Kindness

1John 4:7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love."

The very essence of God is love itself, what the Greeks call "agape." His love nature is a spontaneous overflow of goodness, kindness and benevolence. He has an intense, passionate and everlasting affection for mankind. He created us in His own image and likeness to be His beloved children. He knew us and called us from the very foundation of the world. We are able to love others because He first loved us and gave us His very own example.

Regardless of whether or not we love Him in return, God has a total unselfish, unilateral love for us that defies logic and reason. He has only our best interest at heart and wants to freely supply us with all good things that enrich our lives. He is ever giving and pours out His kindness to us in all abundance. His love is unconditional and indulgent, and is not based on our deserving His attention or reciprocating it in any way.

The Lord loves us with a deep, abiding devotion. He longs for our fellowship, and desires a close relationship with us. He created man to be His intimate companion for all of eternity, and has a wonderful plan in place that will guarantee that. He will actually reside with us in the Kingdom of God on the earth in the fullness of days. All that being said, if we do not love God as He loves us, we have no knowledge of Him and the love of God is not in us.

1John 2:5 "But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him."

If we do love Him as He loves us, we are literally born of God and know Him intimately as He knows us. We actually dwell in Him and He dwells in us in all His fullness. If we love others, as He has commanded us, His love nature is perfected in us and we walk in the divine realm. The love of God requires that we put others' needs on an even plane with our own, and treat them as we ourselves would like to be treated. This determines our righteousness in His eyes.

It is the Lord's heart-felt desire to reveal His character and personality to us. He wants to share all that He is and all that He has with us. He wants to give us His very own divine attributes to help us succeed in all that we do. God will provide us with every good thing in our lives; He wants us to be healthy, joyous and prosperous in all our ways. He longs for us to know Him intimately and walk in a close relationship with Him on a daily basis.

How God Showed His Love for Man

Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

We are formed and fashioned in the very image and likeness of God. We have the potential for the divine in us. The Lord knew us from the foundation of the world and created mankind to fellowship with Him in loving intimacy for all time. He anticipated all of our needs and kindly provided for them in abundance. All that was required of man to enjoy God's blessings for all eternity was perfect obedience to His will.

God created Adam to be in close fellowship with Him and to have dominion over the entire earth. But the first man was lonely for his own kind, and God gave him Eve to be his helpmate. Her role was to love and encourage him in his efforts to care for the paradise that God had given them. The Lord told Adam and Eve to be fruitful, multiply and subdue the earth. They enjoyed life in abundance, and every plant and animal was subject to their will.

The Lord took great pride in Adam and Eve and provided for all of their needs, but there was a condition to their continuous enjoyment of His kindness and generosity. There was a tree in the Garden that they were not to touch - the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Lord told them that they would surely die if they came in contact with it. This was a test to see if they would indeed obey God and trust His love and judgment in all things.

1John 3:8 "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."

The devil was a fallen angel who had once enjoyed a privileged relationship with the Lord, but fell from grace due to his disobedience. He had been expelled from heaven and came down to the earth in great fury. He was jealous of man and his intimate relationship with God. It was his primary mission to steal, kill and destroy all that the Lord had created. He deliberately interfered with God's plan and purpose for mankind, and enticed Eve to disobey God and defy His one command.

Satan told the woman that if she and Adam ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that their eyes would be opened and they would be more like God, and that they surely would not die. Eve was tempted to sin and told all this to her husband. Spirits of lawlessness and rebellion entered into Adam, and he transgressed God's law. He desired to know all things as God did; he set himself up to be equal with God, which proved to be his undoing.

In partaking of the forbidden fruit, Adam betrayed God's trust and disobeyed His wishes. He revoked his own divine rights and privileges with his sin, and relinquished them to Satan. While Adam had original dominion over the earth given to him by God Himself, he transferred that authority to the devil with his disobedience. He gave the enemy power to oppress and destroy him, and he sealed his fate for the rest of his life.

It is interesting to consider what might have happened if Eve alone had transgressed God's law. Perhaps only females would have been cast out of Eden. As it was, she was successful in enticing her mate to sin as blatantly as she had. Adam also chose to transgress the Lord's commandment and was punished accordingly.

Genesis 3:22-23 "And the Lord God said, Behold the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken."

Adam and Eve had once known loving kindness and divine privilege, and freely enjoyed God's providence. However, their disobedience brought hardship and heartache on them. They were ultimately expelled from paradise and subjected to punishment and hard labor. God was deeply saddened and disappointed by this turn of events, but man himself had given Satan legal entry to his life through his own free will. There was nothing that the Lord could do to change that.

While the Lord loved Adam and Eve with all His heart, He was unable to excuse them for their sin. God is not only loving but also just, and justice requires payment for violation of God's commands. The wages of sin are death, the Bible tells us. Adam paid a high price for his transgression, even though the Lord did not take his natural life from him. Instead, he experienced spiritual death and separation from God. That affected him and his seed for many generations.

Genesis 6:5-8 "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."

Men were cold and corrupt without fellowship with God, and they repeatedly offended Him with their sinful pride and arrogance in the generations after Adam. They were evil in their thoughts, words and actions. They deliberately and purposefully defied the Lord and were severely punished for their disobedience. The Lord will not tolerate evil in His presence; He is a holy and perfect God and requires man to be humble and contrite in heart.

The Lord has always looked for a man that he could trust to walk with Him in love and obedience.

Noah found favor with God; he alone was righteous in all his generation. Our Creator was forced to destroy all of mankind except Noah and his family, and begin again in His relationship with mankind. He promised Noah that He would re-establish him on the earth and never destroy creation with floodwaters again.

However, men soon became corrupt again, and worshipped other gods. They abandoned their love of their Creator, and sought solace from man-made idols and pagan deities. The Lord sent them prophets to warn them of their sin, but they ignored these holy men. Repeat transgression and flagrant disobedience in God's people caused them to suffer plagues and pestilences, droughts and famines, wars and exiles for many generations.

Genesis 9:9 "And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;"

There were a few righteous individuals like Abraham and Joseph, with whom the Lord cut a special covenant. Abraham believed God, and that faith was accounted as righteousness to him. He was blessed due to his obedience and became the father of many nations. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, but he never forgot his God. The Lord positioned and protected him in the court of Pharaoh in Egypt, and used him to save his people from poverty and famine.

By and large, God's people never quite recouped their close relationship with Him. They vexed Him with their complaints, and never yielded their lives to Him. He was not able to provide for them as He wanted due to their disobedience, and they continually suffered from the serious repercussion of their sin. Once again, God and man were at an impasse, and He was compelled to intervene to save them from total destruction.

Merciful Kindness

Psalm 119:76 "Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant."

God was merciful and compassionate to their plight. A man named Moses found favor with the Lord and was chosen to lead millions of God's people out of captivity in Egypt, to begin life anew in a land that the Lord had specifically chosen for them. Moses was respectful, humble and obedient to the Lord. He entered into the very presence of God on several occasions and actually conversed with Him in all His glory and survived the encounters.

Exodus 32:15 "And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony [were] in his hand: the tables [were] written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other [were] they written. And the tables [were] the work of God, and the writing [was] the writing of God, graven upon the tables."

The ten commandments of the law, which God gave His people through Moses, were meant to keep them on track and sin-free so that they could commune regularly with Him and enjoy His blessings on their lives. They were intended to prevent men from digressing from His will, so that they could enter peacefully and orderly into the promised land that He had chosen for them. They were meant to establish guidelines and boundaries for successful living.

Men still disregarded God's commandments, although they were simple and specific. They continually violated His will for their lives. They were rebellious and ungrateful, and challenged all authority. They were a stubborn, hard-hearted group that repeatedly ignored His wishes and openly defied Him throughout their history. But the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. He kept His covenant with Moses despite the bad behavior of His people.

1Samuel 15:23 "For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king."

As time progressed and men became increasingly rebellious, the Lord gave them more stringent guidelines for their worship, obedience and service. He was grooming them to be His chosen people, a nation of priests and kings. While His intent was to perfect them in holiness, the people still remained lawless. The Israelites had to offer burnt offerings and animal blood sacrifices in remission for their sins at various times during the year.

Their priests would enter into the Holy of Holies and plead the people's case before God, and invoke His grace and mercy on their sin offerings. They were hoping for forgiveness of their sins and total restoration in His sight. The Jewish people instinctively knew that their blessings were tied to their obedience. However, they were weak and ongoing sin was their major problem; total and complete reconciliation with God was out of the question.

The law that the Lord ultimately gave them was so specific and detailed, that it was all but impossible for them to attain to its standards. It was comprised of rituals and ceremonies to assist them in cleansing themselves, but it held no power in it for forgiveness of their sins. Yet the Lord was compelled to enforce the law because men were flagrantly disobedient and lacked reasonable limits and boundaries to their behavior. (See the Book of Leviticus)

1Kings 2:3 "And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:"

In His infinite wisdom, the Lord set up judges and kings to rule over His people, to lead and guide them and settle all their disputes. While this was moderately successful, the people were a stubborn lot and still strayed from God. King David and his son, King Solomon, were righteous men after the Lord's own heart. They loved and obeyed the Lord and found favor in His sight. The people thrived under their leadership, and their hearts were drawn back to the Lord.

However, Solomon's descendants were for the most part weak kings or corrupt in and of themselves. They intermarried and their people soon violated the law again, and began worshipping other gods. They forgot the Lord, abandoned His law, and everyone did what was right in his own sight. The Lord wanted nothing more than to fellowship with men, but His relationship with them had been permanently broken.

Man had relinquished all of His rights on the earth from the fall of Adam, to include His right standing with God. None were consistently righteous in His sight, and He longed for the day that He could be reconciled with them on a permanent basis. The Lord had a plan that would rectify this situation once and for all, and restore mankind to right relationship with Him for all time.

A New Plan

John 3:16-17 " 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

God loved men so much that He sent His very own Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to redeem them from sin and restore what had been stolen from them through Adam's transgression. Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but rather, to save it from destruction. His primary goal was to visit mankind, teach them God's way of doing things, and reinstate them to right standing with God for all time.

Jesus did not come to the earth realm as God, however. He laid down His deity; He was actually born of a woman through the power of the Holy Spirit, flesh of our flesh. He experienced everything that we do, but He remained sinless and perfect during His earth walk. He was the pattern Son of God, the first born of many sons and daughters, and He served as our role model for righteousness in every area of His life.

Christ was always did the will of the Father and made God's eternal redemption plan His top priority. He was human in every respect, yet He was perfectly obedient to all that the Lord directed Him to say and do. Jesus received the anointing power of God Himself - a full impartation of the Father's own power and glory - to do good and overcome evil on the earth. He proved that a human being could indeed be perfectly obedient and totally righteous before God.

Romans 8:39 "Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Jesus mirrored the very love and kindness of the Father in all things. He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. He taught us principles for righteous living; He gave us the law of love. He said that we are to love the Lord with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength and others as we love ourselves.

Christ demonstrated the law of love in His own life on the earth. He healed the sick, raised the dead and set men free of demonic oppression. He willingly took on our transgressions and suffered the penalty for our sins. He bore all our infirmities and carried our diseases, and by His suffering we were healed. He provided us with a divine exchange - sin for righteousness, sorrow for joy, and death for eternal life.

Despite the heavy cost in agony and shame that He was forced to bear, Jesus assumed our sin burdens and made them His own. He was rejected by His own people and betrayed by an intimate friend. He was the object of public derision, tried and convicted for treason and blasphemy against God, and sentenced to death on the cross. He was humiliated, brutally beaten, and made to carry the very instrument of His own death.

Christ was sinless and righteous; He was also the Son of God and He could very well have escaped His fate. But instead, He willingly laid down His life as the perfect unspotted Lamb of God, so that we might be made free through His personal Blood sacrifice. Because of His obedience unto death, all men were set free from the penalty of sin for all time. The sin debt was finally paid and it was the turning point in history for all of mankind.

Victory Over Evil

Colossians 2:15 "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it."

Jesus made an open show of Satan with His victory over sin, death and the grave. He stripped him of his power, took back dominion and control over the earth, and transferred it back to all men who believe in Him and the power of His resurrection. The enemy was defeated for all time at Calvary. We who believe in Jesus Christ and the power of the cross were made joint-heirs with Him to all the promises of God.

Christ's atoning death not only saved us from our sin penalty, but it also restored us to right standing with the Father. We now have the possibility of intimate fellowship with Him as it was intended from the beginning of time. In fact, we enjoy sonship rights and privileges and are actually seated with Christ in heavenly places. Jesus was the first born of many sons and daughters. The Lord communicates with us on a regular basis as His very own children.

We are actually seated with Christ in heavenly places, at the right hand of the Father. We are able to go boldly to the throne of His grace with every thought or concern. The Lord hears all our prayers and answers every petition. We don't have to wail and whine to get God's attention. We know in confidence that we have what we ask of Him. The Lord shows us love and kindness, mercy and compassion, and always meets our needs in abundance.

A New Paradise

1Corinthians 2:9 "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

While we do not yet enjoy life in paradise, we will one day enter it as the Kingdom of God comes to the earth. It will be Christ's eternal reward and He will share it will all those who believe in Him. It will be a new and improved version of the Garden of Eden, only bigger and better. There will be no evil, no death or destruction in God's Kingdom. Our bodies will be changed into glorious, incorruptible ones that are impervious to pain, disease and death.

All of creation will be re-created and restored to its original beauty and balance. Plants and animals will be in harmony with one another and subject to man's dominion once again. The climate will be regulated and all of nature will be tamed; there will be no natural disasters that frighten and harm mankind ever again. All evil and defilement will be expelled and banished from the Kingdom for all time.

Life will be idyllic and the Kingdom of God will be a perfect home for both God and man for all eternity. We will experience love, unity and joy in the very presence of God Himself. He will anticipate all of our needs and supply them in abundance. We will have peace and prosperity, and long enjoy the works of our hands. There will be safety and security for all men; no one will cause us fear or harm of any kind.

Get Ready for the Promises

Micah 6:8 "He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

However, only those who walk in love and do the will of the Father will enter into Christ's Kingdom. We must purposefully renounce all known sin, crucify our flesh and walk after the Holy Spirit. We must strive for spiritual maturity, holiness and perfection, even as the Lord Himself is holy and perfect. Righteousness will be required of all men if they would dwell in the presence of almighty God.

We should be humble servants of God and others. We should glorify our God in all that we say and do. We must be willing and obedient to do all that the Lord requires of us, and present our bodies as living sacrifices to Him. We have to be loving, merciful and compassionate to one another. We should judge all matters, great and small, as the Lord Himself judges, and treat others fairly and equitably, as we would hope to be treated.

1 John 4:11-12 "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us."

The Lord insists that we love others as we love ourselves. We should always be polite and courteous, warm and affectionate, in our dealings with others. We should put their needs on an even plane with our own. We should be at peace with all men wherever possible, and be ready to forgive and forget all offenses committed against us. If we walk in love, we dwell in God and He dwells in us. His love is perfected in us as we practice it in our lives.

We should desire God's way of doing things and being right more than we desire life in the world as it is today. There is only sin and evil, death and destruction surrounding us now. We must take the high road and look to the future. That will require that we renew our minds, think like God thinks, and act like He acts. His is the standard of excellence that we should imitate in all matters pertaining to righteousness.

1John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."

We should follow God's commandments to us. They are never heavy or burdensome; they are meant for our ultimate well-being. We should always walk in love for Him and with others. We must strive for peace and unity in all of our relationships, as Christ Himself commanded us. Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law by which no man could be made perfect, and He taught us His law of love instead. It is essential that we follow it in all that we do.

If we keep it simple, we will love God and one another as we ourselves hope to be treated. We will not sin, because sin hurts God and others. We must strive for spiritual maturity and cultivate divine attributes like those of God Himself as we develop our relationship with Him. We should be loving and kind, merciful and good, hopeful, peaceful, joyous and wise. All of these traits will enable us to serve God and one another more effectively.

1John 3:1 "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."

We are the very sons and daughters of the Creator of the universe. We are to walk in love and peace with all men wherever possible, just as God Himself does. That means that we have to purposely overlook all offense, forgive and forget all wrongs done to us. We should be living examples of God's righteousness and love in all that we think, say and do.

The world today is covered with gross darkness and the deceitfulness of sin. We are responsible for walking in the knowledge that we have and sharing our faith with others. The church should witness to the Lord's great love for us, by loving others as we love ourselves. We should tell them the good news of the Kingdom of God, and persuade them to repent and be baptized into knowledge of the truth.

If we walk in love and keep His commandments we will please God and demonstrate our obedience to Him. We should share our faith with others even though it may be difficult. While those in the world may reject us as they have rejected Him, we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God approves of us. Righteousness has its own rewards and staying in the love of God is more important than being popular with those in the world.

Imitation of Love

Romans 5:5 "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

The ability to love is a divine attribute, and one that we should imitate for ourselves. It goes without saying that we should always love and revere God. We have the power through the Holy Spirit to love all men at all times, regardless of how they might behave towards us. We can purposely choose love as a way of life, and enjoy eternal rewards for our efforts.

In the days ahead, the people of God will shine brightly in the world. We will be filled with God's very own power and glory, and have immeasurable strength and wisdom given to us. All men will gravitate towards us in hopes of learning our secret to happiness and well-being. We should not send them away empty handed, or disappoint them in their search for truth. We are responsible for bringing in the end-time harvest of souls.

We should be quick to share the good news of the Kingdom of God and persuade them to repent of their sins, and be baptized into the faith. The Lord loves each of us totally and completely and it is not His will that anyone would perish. All those whose names are written in the Book of Life will be called into the Kingdom of God, and benefit from the blessings that He has in store for us.

Jude 1:21 "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

We should be living testimonies to the power of God at work in us through love. We have been mercifully spared destruction by the merits of the Blood of Jesus Christ. We should renounce all known sin in our lives, overcome our souls and crucify all fleshly desires. If we have consecrated ourselves to His plan and purpose for mankind, the Lord will empower us to walk as Jesus Christ walked on the earth and give us a full measure of His anointing power to do good.

We will have the distinct privilege of preaching the gospel, laying hands on the sick so that they recover, and even raising the dead back to life as Christ Himself did. We will set all captives free of demonic oppression and destroy strongholds that keep men in bondage. We will even rule and reign with Christ as kings and priests in His Kingdom, and become loving, merciful and just rulers of God's people for all eternity.

Topics for Discussion

1. God's Essential Nature
2. How God Showed His Love for Man
3. What happened to interrupt His plan?
4. The New Plan - Redemption
5. What Jesus Did for Us
6. Our Future in the Kingdom
7. Imitation of Love

Chapter 2 - Goodness and Mercy

Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

We see tangible evidence of God's goodness and mercy in every area of our lives. He created us; He redeemed us from our sin; and He fellowships with us in love and intimacy. The Lord provides for all our needs in abundance, and never leaves us without guidance and direction. He loves us deeply, and will actually come to live with us for all eternity in the Kingdom of God.

When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, the Lord could have abandoned us for all time. But in His infinite mercy and goodness, He relented in His punishment. His eternal redemption plan is nothing short of genius. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world as the perfect unspotted Lamb. Christ's Blood sacrifice served as the total covenantal expiation for our sins, and His resurrection from the dead paved the way to bring us eternal life.

1Peter 2:10 "Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."

As a result of Christ's victory over sin, death and the grave, we have our fellowship with God restored for all time. He became the propitiation for our sins and restored us to righteousness in Him. As if that weren't enough, we also have inherited better covenant promises than our forefathers had. We are actually joint-heirs with Christ to all the honor and glory promised to Him for His part in our redemption.

We are seated with Him in heavenly places, sons and daughters of the living God and members of His very own family. We surround the very throne of God and communicate with Him at will. Though we were once estranged from God and wanderers on the earth, we now enjoy royal blood and are called His people after His very own heart. The Lord wants nothing more than to bless us in all things and to fellowship with us for all eternity.

Compassion and Longsuffering

Psalm 86:15 "But thou, O Lord, [art] a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth."

We experience God's grace and generosity in every area of our lives. Although we have not earned it, we enjoy unmerited favor in His eyes. When God sees us, He sees the righteousness of Jesus, and we have manifold blessings as our reward. He not only meets our needs, but supplies our hearts' desires, as well. He is a God of "more than enough," and always shares His abundance with His people.

The Lord is patient and longsuffering, merciful and compassionate. He puts up with a great deal in mankind. We are often ungrateful and distracted in our relationship with Him. Although we go astray, He is a good God that never hurts or punishes us, as some would have us think. He never brings distress on us to teach us anything. He is not to be feared or dreaded, but rather loved and appreciated, admired and imitated.

God is infinitely kind to lead and guide us into all truth with gentleness and persuasion, rather than harsh, dictatorial commands that hurt us. It is His desire that we remain sin-free and obedient to His commandment to walk in love and compassion for others. He sees that as being in our best interest. However, He has given us free will, and we must purposefully choose to walk in His ways, rather than our own.

Mercy for Our Sins

Psalm 51:1 "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions."

The Lord knows our human frailties and understands our limitations. He is always willing to forgive us when we miss the mark. If we sin and fall short of His glory, He is ever ready to forgive and forget our transgressions. He is moved with compassion for our weakness, and shows mercy and kindness towards us. He always restores us to right relationship and reinstates our blessings as they were before.

Deliberate lawlessness and rebellion subject us to potentially harsh penalties, however. God is not mocked. Whether our offense is grievous or slight, sin is sin and justice requires payback. When we repent and turn from all unrighteousness, the Lord is quick and ready to forgive us. In His mercy, He forgets our sin as if it never occurred. We always get a fresh start in our relationship with Him, and He is ever willing to restore our right standing with Him.

It should be noted that God is under no obligation to forgive us again and again - particularly if it is the same offense that we commit repeatedly. There may come a time in the future when He draws a line in the sand that no man can cross, and simply stops giving us second chances. That is His prerogative. We should never try His patience or take advantage of His loving kindness and mercy towards us. His judgment will be final and permanent.

Micah 7:18 "Who [is] a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth [in] mercy."

We were once heirs to unrighteousness and subject to spiritual death for all eternity. However, the Lord forgot His anger towards mankind, and pardoned us in His mercy and goodness. He totally blotted our transgressions from His memory, through the Blood of Jesus and His victory over sin on our behalf. We have been restored to our fellowship with Him, and all our blessings are secure.

Although we did nothing to earn it in and of ourselves, the Lord reinstated all our rights and privileges as His people. He forgave and forgot the iniquity of our ancestors and began again with us. We enjoy unmerited favor in all our dealings with Him, instead of guilt, shame and condemnation. We are highly privileged to be free of our transgression, and we should be grateful for the mercy He has shown us.

Goodness of God Leads to Repentance

Romans 2:4 "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"

Even though we may not deserve it, the Lord is ever ready to lift us up rather than allow us to be destroyed in the deceitfulness of our sin. He convicts us by the power of the Holy Spirit and urges us to seek His presence again. His very goodness and mercy are what lead us to repentance and righteousness. We know in our hearts that He is worthy of our obedience and devotion, because of all that He does for us.

We should follow God's example and treat others as He treats us. Whenever we are offended or injured by someone, we should be merciful and quick to forgive and forget whatever has been done to us. We should completely blot the episode from our memory, just as the Lord does with us. We should continue our relationship with a clean slate, and be ready and willing to walk in love and unity with our neighbors again.

Merciful Deliverance From Our Enemies

Psalm 57:3 "He shall send from heaven, and save me [from] the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth."

The Lord is compassionate to our needs for safety and security. He created us to be strong and have dominion over everything in the earth, but we are sometimes overwhelmed in the face of our enemies. Satan wants to attack us to the point that we are tempted to sin and overcome by shame, guilt and condemnation. He wants us oppressed and depressed, so that we cannot serve the Lord. It is his primary goal to steal, kill and destroy man off the face of the earth.

However, God will not permit that to happen. In His infinite wisdom and mercy, He has provided a way of escape for us in every demonic battle. He reminds us that we have full authority over all of our enemies, and that we need to take back control in every situation. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can bind Satan and all his efforts to destroy us, and loose blessing in our lives instead. We can overcome evil with good and prevail in every demonic encounter.

Psalm 59:17 "Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God [is] my defence, [and] the God of my mercy."

So too, the Lord supernaturally protects us from evil when we seek His face and continually dwell in His presence. The closer we become to Him, the better off we are. If we make Him our source in all things, He will give His angels charge over us to protect us in all our ways. (See Psalm 91) He will deliver us from all evil and surround us with Christ's very own hedge of protection that no devil in hell can penetrate.

The Lord delights in protecting and defending His people. He is our God and is eminently capable of guarding us from harm. He will not allow Satan to utterly destroy us, nor will He permit us to be overcome by anything destructive or defiling in our lives. He will convict and guide us through the power of the Holy Spirit, supernaturally intervene and deliver us from all evil that threatens our welfare.

Isaiah 54:10 "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee."

The Lord keeps all of His promises; He never lies or misleads us. If He tells us that He will always be with us to show His mercy and kindness, we can rely on His covenant word. It is reassuring to us that the Lord will never leave us or forsake us. Despite what we may encounter in the days ahead, He will show Himself strong on our behalf.

Regardless of what happens on the earth, we have divine promises of protection and blessing. The Lord will dispatch His angels to assist us in all that we are asked to do. We will walk in supernatural peace and experience the very anointing power of God Himself to overcome the flesh, the world and the devil, and pave the way for the coming of His Kingdom on the earth.

Mercy in the Time of Need

Psalm 4:1 "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me [when I was] in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer."

We enjoy a highly favorable position with God when it comes to our prayers being heard. As believers in Christ, we are seated with Him in heavenly places. We are seated at His right hand in the very throne room of heaven, the Bible tells us. We don't need to beg and grovel, or weep and wail, to have the Lord hear our petitions; we are permitted and encouraged to go boldly to the throne of grace with every need.

Whether we have a need for healing or financial breakthrough, or deliverance from any number of human problems and challenges, we can take them to the Lord. He is ever ready to hear our complaints and discuss all our thoughts and concerns. Our welfare is of the utmost importance to Him. He is merciful and kind, and compassionate to our needs. We should believe that God hears every word and is indeed able to meet all our requests.

So too, we know that we have what we ask, if it is according to the will of God for our lives. He wants us to enjoy life in abundance and be free of all anxiety. He has the answer to every perplexity that we face. It delights the Lord that we depend on Him, and He is ever ready to answer our prayers according to His loving goodness. If we seek God's guidance and direction for our lives, we will be assured of His continual blessings.

Goodness for Obedience

Romans 11:22 "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in [his] goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off."

The Lord is under no obligation to provide for those who deliberately disobey and defy Him. If we continue to remain in right standing with Him, He will provide us with protection from all our enemies and supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory. He seeks to do us good, not harm. He has beneficial plans for us, plans for our welfare and not for evil. The Bible tells us, that He will withhold no good thing from those who walk righteously before Him.

If we are willing and obedient to His guidance and direction for our lives, the Lord will continue to supply all of our needs. His generosity abounds for those who walk in His ways and keep His commandments. So too, if we are righteous and obedient, we will enter into the Kingdom of God and dwell in His very presence. His goodness will surround us as we enjoy peace and prosperity, health and wellness, safety and security for all eternity.

1Kings 8:23 "And he said, LORD God of Israel, [there is] no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:"

The more we love and serve God and imitate His divine qualities in our lives, the more He will do for us. He is highly flattered when we walk in His ways; we simply cannot do too much to please Him. If we remain humble and of contrite hearts, He will always bless us. He delights in our righteousness and is ever ready to reward us for our efforts.

In the days ahead, the Lord will encourage us to walk as Christ Himself walked on the earth. He will anoint us with His very own power and authority to do good works and attract men to our faith. We will heal the sick, set captives free of enemy oppression and even raise the dead. If we are willing and obedient to serve Him and others unselfishly, we will enjoy many blessings and rewards in His Kingdom.

We walk in a covenant relationship with the Lord, but ours is a better covenant than our forefathers had. We are under the Messianic covenant. We are joint-heirs with Jesus to all the promises of God for His very own righteousness and obedience. We have sonship rights and privileges. We will be kings and priests unto our God and rule and reign with Christ in His Kingdom. We will actually share in His honor and glory for all eternity.

Psalm 136:26 "O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy [endureth] for ever."

We should always give the Lord the honor, glory and thanks that He so rightly deserves. He is a loving and generous Father, and a kind and just ruler of all men. He is ever compassionate to our complaints, and merciful and kind in our time of need. His goodness is evident in every area of our lives. We walk in blessings every day, and have glorious promises for our future.

God is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. He is no respecter of persons. What He does for one of us, He will do for all. He is consistent in His goodness towards us, and merciful in our time of need. It is not His will that any man should perish; His heart-felt desire is for all of mankind to repent and turn to Him in these last days. He wants to fellowship with us for all eternity in the Kingdom of God when it comes to the earth.

Mercy and Kindness

Psalm 117:2 "For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD [endureth] for ever. Praise ye the LORD."

Mankind has come full circle thanks to the loving kindness of God towards us. We now have favor with Him and enjoy a renewed intimacy with Him as our Father. Through our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, we have better promises than our ancestors had. We enjoy sonship rights and are heirs to all the promises of God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we have guidance and direction and are able to develop all the attributes of God Himself.

We will be eternally rewarded for our righteousness and obedience in the Kingdom of God when it comes to the earth. The Lord will take vengeance on all our enemies. We will share in Christ's own honor and glory, and rule and reign with Him for all eternity. He will boast of us to all creation, and we will dwell in love and unity with our God just as He intended from the very foundation of the world.

Topics for Discussion

1. Goodness and Mercy of God
2. Compassion and Longsuffering
3. Mercy for Sin
4. God's Goodness Leads to Repentance
5. Deliverance From Our Enemies
6. Mercy in Time of Need
7. Goodness for Obedience

Chapter 3 - The Source of All Wisdom, Truth, Knowledge and Understanding

Romans 11:33 "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out!"

The Lord is the source of all wisdom, truth, knowledge and understanding; we see tangible evidence of that all around us. It was His genius that created the universe and everything in it. The sheer majesty of God was at work in His creation; we are surrounded by beauty and awesome wonders throughout the cosmos. Everything is distinct and unique in its own way, yet systematic and orderly, purposeful and planned. The greatest wonder of all is that the Lord merely had to speak forth His words and everything came into being.

When you think of the intricacy of life in all its many forms, it staggers the imagination. The entire creation is interdependent, yet ultimately dependent on God's very own sustaining power for its existence. It is absolutely amazing that one Supreme Being could be so wise as to actually conceive all that exists and have it operate so smoothly. The Lord was not only able to design life in all its beauty, but also execute it perfectly according to His plan and purpose.

In His infinite wisdom and power, God mapped out a plan for all life so that it would be perpetually self-sustaining. He designed the cosmos with all the stars and planetary systems. He created the angelic realm to worship and serve Him in the third heaven. He formed the earth and actualized all of nature, including the plant and animal kingdoms. Man is His ultimate creative masterpiece; our bodies alone are perfectly and intricately made. (See Genesis 1)

Our creation was planned from the very foundation of the world. The Lord formed us in His very own image and likeness to share in His unlimited resources for all eternity. He supplies all of our needs, both temporal and spiritual. We have the potential to acquire every divine attribute that God has available to Him - including wisdom, truth, knowledge and understanding. He is complimented that we want to be like Him in all respects. We need only ask Him, and He will richly supply all that we lack in and of ourselves.

Wisdom and Understanding

James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

Human beings are capable of having divine attributes and God-like character in their own lives. We have been given dominion over the earth and everything in it. That requires that we have the wisdom to manage and organize things and knowledge of how they operate. We should seek eternal truth to help us maintain our priorities, and understanding to help us apply wisdom and truth to our situations and circumstances.

Wisdom, truth, knowledge, and understanding are all interconnected, and as we acquire one attribute, the others will manifest in our lives, as well. They are provided to us by the power of the Holy Spirit of God that indwells us. We should be consecrated to the will of God, and He will give us spiritual discernment in all matters pertaining to life. As we practice our discernment, it will become sharper so that we continually demonstrate it in our everyday lives.

Proverbs 4:7 "Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding."

Divine wisdom and knowledge into all truth are accessible to us by the power of the Holy Spirit of God that works in us. King Solomon chose wisdom above every other gift from God. We should imitate that desire; acquiring wisdom should be our primary goal. It is a highly practical gift that will serve us well in many areas. We don't have to grope around for answers to the perplexities of life. We have God's very own wisdom available to each and every one of us.

Human understanding is critical; it helps us apply what we have learned. We need to develop our comprehension and understanding to interpret the wisdom, knowledge and truth that we receive. That will enable us to apply it in our everyday lives, and relate it to our own individual situations and circumstances. It will help us to develop practical solutions to our problems and successfully implement them.

For example, if I am faced with a particularly difficult task and require additional insight, I can always pray and ask God to give me wisdom and creative knowledge to solve the problem. He will answer my prayer and provide me with what I request. However, it may very well be that He gives me so much information that I become confused.

If I do not have sufficient understanding to comprehend all wisdom, knowledge and truth - and apply it to my particular situation - the task will still be challenging for me. When we pray for wisdom, we must also pray for understanding. That makes us capable of interpreting the information we receive and using it appropriately.

2Timothy 2:7 "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things."

If we do not understand something, the Lord will always take the time to explain it to us in light of His eternal truth. He delights in our reliance on Him and will never leave us empty handed. He gives us practical insight and even reveals deep mysteries and complex intricacies to us. If we request His help, He will give us a fresh anointing in His Holy Spirit to be able to comprehend and apply our knowledge in all matters pertaining to life.

The Lord reduces complicated information into simple, understandable terms for us. He is a proud and pragmatic God who delights in having His people outshine those in the world. He often gives us brilliant creativity and supernatural wisdom to solve highly complex problems. He facilitates our human understanding, so that we can apply His wisdom and truth to our real life situations and be successful in everything we say and do.

Job 12:13 "With him [is] wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding."

Perhaps I am faced with a serious decision in my personal life that requires the Lord's assistance. I can pray for wisdom and understanding, and seek counsel from Him for every perplexity that I face. He is ever ready to offer His help and wants only the best for me. If I will be attentive to His response and meditate on His words, I will have all the practical information I require to make the correct choice and spare myself much aggravation.

While all this may seem convoluted, with God all things are indeed possible. He wants us to be dependent on Him for everything we need. He will give us wisdom, truth, knowledge and understanding if we only ask Him. He wants us to know all things and will reveal them to us. He makes the complex simple if we pray for His wisdom and understanding, and apply proper discernment to our particular circumstances.

Wisdom of the World

1Corinthians 3:19 "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness."

There are those who are proud and wise in their own eyes, yet lack supernatural wisdom and knowledge of the truth that God has made available to us through His Word and the Gospel of the Kingdom. The Lord reveals His way of doing things and being right and sets them up as a standard for us to follow. This is true wisdom, and all earthly wisdom is secondary to God's truth.

He debases the proud and arrogant, and confutes all worldly wisdom. He confounds those who think they have all the answers, but are ignorant of His discernment. He alone is the source of all wisdom and truth for total success in every area. He will share His wisdom with the humble and manifest His omniscience in the lives of ordinary men and women who seek the truth.

2Timothy 3:7 "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

Some people have an answer for everything, but no inherent wisdom. While they may pursue extensive education and multiple degrees, they lack common sense. They are foolish in God's eyes, and ever searching for what is relevant and meaningful in life. There is no point in acquiring worldly knowledge if it never brings us closer to the truth.

God resists the wise, but always exalts the humble. We need not be highly skilled, particularly talented or well educated for Him use us in His divine service. We must only make ourselves available, and be willing and obedient to His lead. We can be consecrated and dedicated vessels for His holy purpose, if we remain teachable and pliable.

The Lord will provide us with all the resources that we need to excel in everything we do. He is our divine empowerment even in practical matters. His wisdom is all that we need to shine His light in a darkened world. He is the source of all truth, and if we walk in close fellowship with Him we will be wise in all things.

1Corinthians 1:21 "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

Those who are wise in the ways of the world are usually ignorant of the things of God. They may be proud and arrogant and sure of themselves, but they are grossly deceived if they think that they can prosper without the Lord in their lives. What they desperately need is someone to preach the gospel and share the truth with them.

The Lord will often use us to spread the knowledge of Him, for the benefit of those who will ultimately repent and be saved. Men in the world system think they have all the answers, but they are drastically mistaken if they don't know God. The Lord is the source of all wisdom and truth; without Him, men know nothing.

The Beginning of Wisdom

Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding."

Ours is a loving and generous God, but as we will see, He is also to be feared if we are rebellious, disobedient and transgress His law. The reverential fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom and understanding in the truth. We should always have deference and respect for God. He is almighty and powerful, and capable of destruction as well as creation. We need only take a look at Bible history to prove that point.

The Lord destroyed the very world that He had so lovingly created because His people had become lawless and corrupt in their sin. Noah alone was righteous before God. He was used as an instrument to save what could possibly be salvaged. Only he and his family, plus the plant and animal species that he was able to carry on board the ark, were spared in the catastrophic flood that covered the entire earth. (See Genesis Chapters 6-9)

Deuteronomy 32:4 "[He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he."

The chosen people walked in fear, doubt and unbelief after their release from captivity in Egypt. They quickly forgot all that the Lord had done for them, and they could not visualize life in the promised land, because they had never seen it. They mistrusted God and their leaders; they lacked wisdom and understanding, and failed to ask for it.

Their grumbling and complaining vexed God; they were ungrateful and rebellious. They disputed among themselves and openly defied the Lord and the leaders He appointed to guide them. The Lord brought a fearsome judgment on His people, despite the fact that He deeply loved them. He chastises those whom He loves if they fail to walk in His ways.

Under ideal conditions, their journey should have taken them only a few weeks, but it ultimately lasted forty years. They brought chaos and confusion in their midst through their errant ways and ignorance of the truth. The chosen people kept re-hashing the same old complaints and they wandered around like lost souls, despite the fact that the Lord Himself directed the way.

There were no sick or feeble among them when they started on their journey. However, the Lord allowed them to become sick and die on their way because they displeased Him. He smote them with plague, and destroyed an entire generation of His chosen people in the Sinai desert, because of their lack of faith and understanding. (See the Book of Exodus)

Knowledge of the Truth

1John 5:20 "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

The Lord sent His only Son into the world, not only to save us from our sins, but also to lead us into all truth in Him. Christ went about doing good to all men and preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God. He wanted men to be set free through knowledge of the truth. The truth is that with God all things are possible, but without Him nothing is possible. If we fail to walk in His ways we are doomed for all eternity.

God's ways are not burdensome and they are only meant for our benefit. Jesus came to fulfill the law, by which no man could be made perfect. It was impossible to attain to all its precepts. He simplified the law and summed it up into two basic precepts. We should love the Lord our God above all things and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Our love walk assures us that we are righteous before God.

This is the wisdom that the world lacks without it being taught to them. However, whether God or man tries to teach them, many still reject the wisdom of God. Without spiritual understanding, the wisdom of God is foolishness to them who perish. They are doomed to eternal damnation and perpetual bondage if they continually reject His truth.

1Timothy 2:4 "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

The Bible tells us that men perish for lack of knowledge. The Lord does not want a single soul to be lost that is destined to spend all eternity with Him. He needs our help to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God and preach the gospel to all the world, so that men everywhere have an opportunity to repent and be baptized in the knowledge of the truth.

As we approach the end-time harvest of souls that is coming on the earth, it will be critical that every believer shares the eternal truth with his fellows. There is a full number of souls that must be brought in before the Kingdom of God can come on the earth, and that will require aggressive evangelization and mighty demonstrations of the power of God for good.

We will have an anointing of God's very own power to do good works and attract all men to Him. We will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. We will set captives free of enemy oppression and loose blessings in their lives. We will even raise the dead back to life as Jesus Himself did when He walked on the earth.

What we may lack in head knowledge, we compensate for in heart knowledge of the truth. If we genuinely love God and others, we will be happy to serve Him by spreading our faith. When we tell others about Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our sins, their hearts will be touched and their lives will be empowered for change with His promises.

We Are Responsible for the Truth

Hebrews 10:26 "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,"

Once we are saved and baptized in Christ, we are redeemed from all unrighteousness and our right standing with God is restored. If we purposely sin, we are guilty of lawlessness and rebellion for our flagrant disregard of the truth. We are responsible to walk in the light that we have at any given time, and to carefully guard our salvation.

To deliberately disobey God means that we run the risk of losing our salvation altogether. Our consciences can become so seared and our hearts so hardened, that we are oblivious to the truth and choose to walk in total defiance of God. He is under no obligation to forgive us unless we repent from the heart and turn again toward righteousness.

Knowledge of God's Will

Colossians 1:9 "For this cause we also, since the day we heard [it], do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;"

Paul prayed that His followers would be filled with the knowledge of God's will for their lives. He wanted them to seek wisdom and spiritual understanding for His specific plan and purpose, rather than their own ambitions. We all have divine destinies to fulfill. We should pray for one another in the church to receive knowledge of God's will for our lives.

It is important to note that there is an express will of God for our lives and a permissive will. It is His express will that we walk in love for Him and others, and follow His commandments. His permissive will involves our own free will to a greater extent, and allows us to do things that are not necessarily sinful, but may not be according to His perfect will for us.

In the days that lie ahead before the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth, it will be critical that we walk in God's express will for our lives and discover our specific calling and divine purpose. We will need wisdom and understanding to fulfill our destinies. Some of us will be members of the Bride of Christ, while others may be called out as His Body on the earth.

Whatever our particular function is in establishing the Kingdom, we have to be quick to obey the Lord's lead, and willing to fulfill our role. We should function as one, under Jesus Christ's leadership. We must walk in love and unity and do the will of the Father. That way we will be guaranteed a place in His Kingdom for all eternity.

Wisdom, Truth, Knowledge and Understanding

Proverbs 2:6 "For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."

Wisdom, truth, knowledge and understanding are key attributes of God that we should desire if we wish to be successful in every area of our lives. He will endow us richly with all of these, if we will remain righteous and humble before Him. All we need do is come boldly before the throne of grace and petition Him for these gifts. He will respond as He did with King Solomon's request, and grant us all that we require to be successful.

We need the wisdom of the Lord to discern all things and to exercise righteous judgment in all natural and spiritual matters. We need a full impartation of the truth to keep us on track and show us the deeper mysteries of God. We require knowledge and keen insight to know His will and plan for our lives, and we should develop heightened understanding to practically apply all that we have learned.

Topics for Discussion

1. God's Wisdom Evidenced in Creation
2. Wisdom and Understanding
3. Wisdom of the World
4. The Beginning of Wisdom
5. Knowledge of the Truth
6. Knowledge of God's Will

Chapter 4 - Hope, Peace and Joy in the Lord

Ecclesiastes 2:26 "For [God] giveth to a man that [is] good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to [him that is] good before God. This also [is] vanity and vexation of spirit."

God gives good things to the righteous. We don't need to struggle to make our way in this world. The Lord will come to our aid; He is ever compassionate and concerned about our welfare. He shares all that He is and all that He has with us freely and generously. He will bestow all of His resources and His very own attributes on His people, so that we might enjoy life in abundance and be successful in all our endeavors.

Hope, peace and joy in the Lord are our birthrights in Christ Jesus. They are rewards for our righteousness and given to us to enhance our lives and improve our effectiveness as the sons and daughters of God. We should desire these divine attributes in all their fullness in the days to come as we face the ultimate challenge and bring heaven to the earth realm.

We will require hope and confidence to endure all the trials and tribulations that we face. We need the very peace of God that passes understanding to remain calm in the midst of trouble and confusion. We should desire the joy of the Lord to keep us strong and healthy, well balanced, optimistic and enthused in our service for Him and others.

Romans 15:13 "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."

We know that we can always pray in faith and receive every good thing from God. He loves us with an everlasting love, and wants to supply all that we need in abundance. When He sees us approach the throne of grace, He sees Jesus coming to Him with a need. Our righteousness is our guarantee of His favorable response.

Believers are joint-heirs to all the promises of Christ. He is our Redeemer and our Benefactor. We can develop in Christ-like character if we walk in love and humility. We experience His peace in our present situations and circumstances; we have hope and confidence for the future; and we possess the supernatural joy of the Lord to endure in all things.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit of God, we can acquire all the divine attributes that we desire, including hope, peace and joy. They are fruit of the Holy Spirit that manifest in our lives, as we crucify our flesh and lay down our soul desires. As we mature spiritually, these characteristics grow in us and are demonstrated in our godly behavior towards others.

Hope in God

Psalm 42:11 "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance, and my God."

The Lord is our eternal hope and confidence. We can trust Him in every situation; He will never leave us or forsake us. He created us to be in close, intimate relationship with Him and wants us to rely solely on His providence for our lives. He will always answer our prayers and supply all that we need to overcome the challenges that we face in serving Him and others.

When the burdens of life become heavy and threatening, we can hope in our God who has the answer to all our perplexities. If we need strength and stamina to endure hardship, He will supply it in abundance. If we require supernatural healing or financial breakthroughs, He will be our source for all that we lack. If we need guidance and direction, we can trust the Lord to provide it.

He will never ignore our needs or minimize their importance. He is ready to share our innermost thoughts and feelings. We can discuss all of our dreams and concerns with God. He wants intimacy in our relationship more than anything else, and He will always respond with loving kindness towards us. He meets all our needs, both spiritual and temporal, and is always generous in sharing His abundant resources with His people.

Romans 5:5 "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

It is comforting to know that the Lord is always there for us. We have the Holy Spirit of God itself to lead and guide us in all truth. That keeps us looking up at Him, rather than at the darkness that surrounds us. Hope fuels our faith and stimulates our love for God. It gives us peace in our present circumstances and confidence in our future. So too, we have a blessed hope for the coming of God's Kingdom on the earth.

We will have all our needs met in abundance in the Kingdom of God. The Lord will take vengeance on all our enemies and root out all evil in our midst. We will enjoy long life in healthy, incorruptible bodies that never decay or die. We will have peace and prosperity, safety and security for all eternity. We will dwell in the very presence of God in supernatural love and joy.

Hope of Eternal Life

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Just as the sin of one man doomed all of us, so did the obedience of one man make us all righteous. All we must do to gain eternal life is to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, who died for our sins and was raised again from the dead. His resurrection set the precedent, and is our assurance that death has lost its sting for all time.

The eternal redemption plan is one of the greatest gifts of God to us since creation itself. While we were once lost in sin and doomed to eternal damnation due to Adam's transgression, we have been made righteous again by the merits of Christ's atonement on the cross. His Blood sacrifice is our guarantee of right standing with God, and our hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:7 "That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

We have unmerited favor with God through the Blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We abound in His grace, and are privileged to be in right standing with God. Christ's victory over sin, death and the grave brought us eternal righteousness, and made us heirs to better promises than our forefathers had.

We have the hope of eternal life, both in the spirit and in the flesh. We will have our decaying, corruptible bodies changed in the twinkling of an eye, into glorious, resurrection bodies that are impervious to disease and death. We will dwell in the presence of almighty God for all eternity in the Kingdom of God when it comes to the earth. We will experience joy, peace and hope as never before!

John 17:2-3 "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

Christ's sacrifice provided us with a divine exchange. We have the promise of eternal life through His suffering death. All believers in Christ are justified by their faith in His Blood, and the power of His resurrection. His victory over sin, death and the grave makes us righteous and eligible for life in the Kingdom of God for all eternity.

No man that believes and trusts in the Lord will be disappointed. We will be sanctified by the purging fire of God Himself, and glorified with Christ in His coming Kingdom. We are joint-heirs with Him to all the promises of God. We will be priest and kings, rulers and judges. The Lord will boast of us to all creation, and we will live forever in the actual presence of God Himself.

Hope of Glory

Romans 5:2 "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

We are blessed beyond measure and enjoy an abundance of God's grace. We have unmerited favor with Him because of our faith in Christ and His atonement. We are heirs to all the promises of God, and can experience intimate fellowship with Him. We enjoy many rights and privileges and will inherit eternal rewards for our obedient service.

The Lord trusts us with all His secrets and gives us revelation concerning the future. He delights in partnering with man and He relies on our active assistance in performing His will on the earth. He wants our lives to be a continual demonstration of His love for all mankind, and a testimony of His mercy and goodness to us.

So too, we have important roles in His eternal redemption plan. If we are willing and obedient, we have hope and confidence of His power and glory manifesting in and through us, as we approach the end of the ages and the end-time harvest of souls. He will perform miraculous feats through His people that are yielded to His purpose.

1Thessalonians 5:23 "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

We must sanctify ourselves, crucify our flesh and all its desires, and lay down our soul lives in consecration and dedication to the Lord's holy plan and purpose for mankind. As we do this, we will experience a full anointing of Christ's very own power and authority to help us usher in the Kingdom of God on the earth.

We will have supernatural strength and endurance to overcome all obstacles in our path. We will tear down demonic strongholds that interfere with our efforts. We will take back total dominion over the earth. All of our authority will be restored as we defeat Satan and all his minions, and deliver the Kingdom to Jesus Christ at His coming.

Colossians 1:27 "To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:"

We will walk as Christ Himself walked on the earth in power and glory, and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the nations of the world. We will have the distinct pleasure and privilege of sharing our faith and our love with all men. We will baptize them unto repentance and possess the heathen for our inheritance. We will bring in the full harvest of souls that will enter the Kingdom on the earth.

The Body of Christ will demonstrate god's very own love and mercy to all men in the days to come. We will partake of the divine when we lay hands on the sick and minister healing to their minds and bodies. We will set men free from enemy oppression and affliction of all types and change lives as never before. We will even raise the dead back to life and give them and their loved ones hope for the future again.

1Thessalonians 1:3 "Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;"

Reorganization and restructure of world governments will be another important task for us. We will teach the nations of the world Kingdom principles for justice and right judgment. There will be no more wars and insurrections. We will help to restore all of creation to its original beauty and balance. We will take dominion over the plant and animal kingdoms so that nothing defiles or destroys. We will subdue all of nature and the climate to prevent natural disasters from occurring.

In return for our efforts, we will experience all the benefits of Kingdom life plus eternal rewards for our service. We will dwell in the actual presence of God; He will generously supply all our needs. We will enjoy peace and prosperity, joy and unity. We will rule and reign with Christ and be kings and priests to our people. We will share in all His honor and glory.

We wait patiently for the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with hope and confidence in our future. We know that Christ will destroy all the ungodly and their ungodliness in the wrath of His coming, and take vengeance on all our enemies. He will banish all evil from the face of the earth, so that men will have a safe and secure future for all eternity. We have peace with God and experience joy in all that He will do for us.

The Peace of God

Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

The Kingdom of God will be ushered into the earth realm with all divine power and glory, as the Lord's eternal redemption plan is consummated. It will be a new and improved version of the Garden of Eden, a virtual paradise for both God and man to enjoy for all time. It will be characterized by righteousness, peace and joy for all who dwell there.

The peace of God will permeate the entire atmosphere in His Kingdom. Men will dwell together in love and unity, with a sure hope for their future. No one will oppress or exploit his neighbors; all evil will be rooted out and destroyed. Everyone will be treated fairly and equitably. There will be no poverty and lack, no insurrection and unrest, no strife or division of any kind in the presence of our almighty God.

Philippians 4:6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

The Lord Himself will anticipate our every need, and generously provide all things in abundance for our pleasure and enjoyment. We will not be anxious about what we will eat or drink, nor give any thought to what we should wear. We will experience total health and wellness in our glorious, resurrection bodies and enjoy eternal life.

We will build habitations on the earth and dwell with our families for generation upon generation. We will long enjoy the works of our hands; everything that we touch will prosper. We will have the peace that passes understanding, which is totally incomprehensible to our finite minds. The Lord will receive all the glory and praise that He deserves as we worship and thank Him for His love, mercy and generosity to His people.

Philippians 4:9 "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."

All we must do to be eligible to enjoy life in the Kingdom of God is to have faith, and act on it. We should be loving, obedient and do the will of the Father. We have to follow the law of love, and love the Lord and others as we love ourselves. We must be quick to hear the Lord's direction for our lives and immediately obey Him.

We should forego our own short-term plans and agendas and make the Lord's eternal plan and purpose for mankind our very own. We must continue to sanctify ourselves on a daily basis, and cleanse ourselves of all defilement of spirit, soul and body. We ought to strive for holiness and spiritual maturity by walking in the Spirit instead of our flesh.

The Lord will be pleased and proud of us as we spend our days in service to Him and to all mankind with the coming of His Kingdom. He will be with us in all that we do to promote the gospel and bring in the end-time harvest of souls. He will glorify us with His very own power and authority to be Christ's hands and feet on the earth, as we perform miraculous signs and wonders in His Name.

2Corinthians 13:11 "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you."

Love and unity are no longer optional for us. We must be of one mind in Christ to do all that we are asked to do in the critical days ahead. We should pray for one another and encourage ourselves in our faith. We should be living testimonies of God's hope, peace and joy to all the nations of the world, and godly examples of His love and goodness towards all men.

Whether we are asked to serve in the Body of Christ, or act as His Bride is irrelevant. We should be ready and willing to do all that the Lord requires of us in the days ahead. He may arrange for us to meet new people that require us to minister to them; we will need to be above and beyond reproach in all that we say and do. Eternal lives will depend on our faithfulness.

The Lord will enable and empower us to be His ambassadors for the Kingdom of God. He will give us a full impartation of Christ's very anointing to serve others. We will preach the gospel and lay hands on the sick. We will do spiritual warfare and release all captives of enemy oppression. We will even raise the dead back to life and give them hope again.

The Joy of the Lord

Matthew 25:23 "His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

The Lord will infuse us with His very own joy as a reward for our righteousness and unselfish love for others. Joy is supernatural optimism, zeal and gladness. The joy of the Lord will empower us to be healthy and well balanced in every area of our lives. It stimulates good hormone production in our bodies and enhances our sense of well-being. It improves our mental performance and optimizes our emotions.

The joy of the Lord is a tremendous gift from God, a fruit of the Holy Spirit itself. Together with love, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, the joy of the Lord will promote spiritual maturity in us so that we are better able to relate to others. It will enable us to walk in the Spirit, rather than our fleshly way of doing things. It will produce zeal and enthusiasm in us as we serve the Lord.

Joy stimulates love for God and others, brings peace and confidence to us, causes hope for the future, and propels our faith into action. While it has many spiritual benefits, joy also makes us more attractive on a human level. It is characterized by exceeding gladness, positive exuberance and supernatural optimism. It is expressed in our eyes, our smiles, in our words and gestures towards others. When we have joy, we can be most effective in our service to others.

Nehemiah 8:10 "...for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

When we have the joy of the Lord we seem to have a secret weapon in life. We are positive and optimistic, enthusiastic and strong. We have the stamina and endurance to face any trial and tribulation that we experience with an upbeat attitude and confident hope for success. We are a real threat to the enemy, who cannot penetrate our defenses. We always overcome his efforts to oppress and destroy us when we are joyous.

Our joy in the Lord will be our greatest strength for the future. We will enthusiastically serve Him as we usher in His Kingdom and attract many to the gospel. We will be able to persuade them in our faith and encourage them to repent and be baptized. So too, we will rejoice as we minister to the needs of God's people for healing and deliverance. Our joy will be at its peak when we raise the dead back to life again and deliver the Kingdom to Jesus Christ at His coming.

Fullness of Joy

Psalm 16:11 "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore."

We will have joy unspeakable and the peace that passes understanding in God's Kingdom. Life in His presence will be heaven on the earth for all those who believe. He will show us His way of doing things and being right. Strict adherence to Kingdom principles will ensure us peace and prosperity, love and unity, safety and security for all eternity.

The Lord will supply all of our needs in abundance and we will long enjoy the pleasures that He provides for us. There will be no poverty and lack in the Kingdom of God. There will be no death and disease, as we trade our corruptible flesh for glorious resurrection bodies that live forever. There will be no strife and division among us; all men will be treated fairly and equitably.

Habbakuk 3:18 "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

We will dwell in love and unity with one another for generation after generation. We will build homes and raise happy, healthy families. No evil will enter into God's Kingdom; nothing that defiles will harm us in any way. We will walk in dominion over all nature and the plant and animal kingdoms. The earth will be a veritable paradise once again.

The Lord has been faithful and generous to us. We should rejoice in all that He is and all that He does for us. He deserves all our praise and honor for all eternity. He will meet all our needs even before we ask. We will be appointed as kings and priests unto our God, and just rulers of His people. We will receive eternal rewards for our service and He will boast of us to all creation.

We will long enjoy heaven's blessing right here on the earth!

Topics for Discussion

1. Inherited Hope, Peace and Joy
2. Hope in God
3. The Hope of Glory
4. Peace of God
5. Peace That Passes Understanding
6. The Joy of the Lord
7. Fullness of Joy

Chapter 5 - The Power and the Glory

2Chronicles 20:6 "And said, O LORD God of our fathers, [art] not thou God in heaven? and rulest [not] thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand [is there not] power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?"

While the Lord has a soft side - particularly for His people - He is also strong and eminently powerful. He created the entire universe and everything in it with raw, dynamic, explosive power that the Greeks call "dunamis." He is the source of all power and authority. It was His very own power and glory that He used to overcome death and the grave, to resurrect His Son, Jesus Christ, for all eternity.

The same creative power of God will also manifest in the end times with the resurrection of the righteous dead in Christ. The Bible tells us that we will all be "changed in the twinkling of an eye." The Lord will intervene, and there will probably be an atomic reaction of sorts or a molecular transition of our corruptible bodies into glorious, resurrection forms. Our new bodies will be impervious to death and disease, and we will live forever in the very presence of God.

Power in His Words

Isaiah 35:2 "...they shall see the glory of the LORD, [and] the excellency of our God."

The Lord's power is both creative and destructive in its capability. He is so mighty and powerful that He was able to create everything that exists in the heavens and on the earth, merely by speaking it into existence. He took a concept that resided in His wise and omniscient mind and meticulously actualized it into being. He spoke the entire cosmos and every form of life into its systematic order. He Is a God of detail, intricacy and perfection.

His words themselves are potential dynamos and hold the seed of all possibility. They cause a tangible demonstration of His almighty and glorious power. They contain the very substance of His nature within them. When God speaks, the impossible occurs. The entire universe lines up and obeys His will in whatever He says. His judgment is final and immutable and nothing can undo His powerful words.

Our words that line up with the Word of God are virtual powerhouses, as well. We are created in God's image and likeness. We should speak only positive words that we want to see manifest in all our situations and circumstances. We should decree what we would have happen; we should never speak negatively. We put our faith into action, by speaking it forth with all divine power and authority, as the Lord Himself has taught us to do.

The Power and Glory of God in Nature

Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."

Since the Lord is loving and kind in His very essence, He created the universe in perfect beauty and balance to specifically bless all creatures. The earth is a masterpiece of His creative genius, and man is its ultimate expression. The Bibles tells us that our bodies themselves are "fearfully and wonderfully made;" the Lord Himself designed us in His very image and likeness. We have all the potential capabilities of the divine contained within our bodies, souls and spirits.

All of nature manifests God's glory and expresses His majesty with infinite variety. The plants and animals are all unique and different, yet interdependent upon one another for their sustenance. The beauty and intricacy of life in all its various forms, demonstrates the Lord's almighty capability for establishing peace and order in the utmost complexity of things.

Psalm 29:3 "The voice of the LORD [is] upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD [is] upon many waters."

The Lord has the ability to uphold or defy the very laws of nature that He created. His power is evidenced in the wind and the weather; His voice is heard in the thunder; and His glory is demonstrated with the lightning that brightens the earth in the midst of darkness. We see His love of beauty and variety in every snowflake that falls to the earth.

He controls the climate and can withhold the rains in drought, or cause a deluge to occur. He is the power source of cyclones and tornadoes, tidal waves and tsunamis. He causes the planet itself to subside with earthquakes, avalanches and volcanic eruptions. He can move mountains and control the seas.

God is able to initiate or prevent every climatic disturbance or natural catastrophe that ever occurs. He either vents His wrath or expresses His pleasure on the face of the earth. He makes His presence known in a grandiose way, and gets our attention with dramatic expressions of His awesome glory, power and might.

Habbakuk 3:3 ... His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.

The Lord is in control of the entire universe. He created angelic hosts to worship and serve Him. He knows the function and path of every celestial body. So too, every terrestrial being is dependent on His benevolent will. He intervenes in the natural order of things to suit His own plan and purpose, and to protect and benefit mankind.

God controls the stars and the planets, and prevents them from colliding with the earth. He has even halted the sun and the moon in their natural progression, and stopped time as we know it to aid His people in overcoming their enemies. He overrides the laws of gravity and natural physics as if it were commonplace. He has even supernaturally transported human beings from one place to another to suit His needs, as He did with Jesus.

Manifestations of the Power and Glory

Ezra 8:22 "... The hand of our God [is] upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath [is] against all them that forsake him."

The Lord is able to bless His people or utterly destroy His enemies. He is good and loving, merciful and kind, but is also a supremely autonomous entity. He has His own set of standards and ways of doing things, and decides Himself who will be rewarded and who will be punished. There is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun, and our God is sovereign in all of His operations.

While the Lord is kind and beneficent, He is also a righteous and just God. He destroyed all of creation when it became corrupt in the generations after Adam. The catastrophic flood of Noah's day was total and complete in its power and scope. All life on the earth was obliterated, and the very structure of the earth was altered. Only the supernatural mercy and providence of God spared a few righteous men, plants and animals from utter extinction for all time.

Psalm 66:3 "Say unto God, How terrible [art thou in] thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee."

So too, the Lord is able to perform any type of miraculous sign and wonder to support His plans and purposes, and to bless and protect His people. He got the Egyptian pharaoh's attention in a big way with His dramatic show of power. He brought horrific pestilence and plague on the nation when the leader refused to release His people from captivity.

Pharaoh finally relented and set the Jewish people free, but he underestimated the Lord when he sent his armies to bring them back into captivity. God was able to supernaturally part the Red Sea so that His people could cross dry-shod to the other side. Yet when the Egyptian armies went to follow them, they were all drowned and destroyed in the floodwaters that ensued. This mighty intervention in nature is both common for the Lord, yet unfathomable to our finite minds.

The Lord brought disease and death on His chosen people in the Sinai desert when they rebelled against Him in their journey to the promised land. He has championed the cause of His anointed ones in their battles for thousands of years. He can effect spectacular victories or cause agonizing defeats, many times without a drop of blood being shed. His battle strategies are themselves so excellent and powerful, that the enemy always concedes.

Unusual Manifestations

Ezekiel 1:4 "And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire."

The Lord's power and glory often manifest in unusual ways. We are sometimes privileged to witness evidence of His very presence. It defies natural logic and eludes accurate description in human terms. The power and glory of God are tangible when He shows His face to His people, yet He has to conceal Himself to protect us from destruction through the very force and magnitude of His almighty power.

The prophet Ezekiel described the glory of God in great detail in Ezekiel, Chapter 1. He had visions of the Lord's presence appear to him repeatedly. His descriptions are filled with sound, color and action that characterize the way God move from place to place in all of His awesome power and glory. He was purposeful and systematic and was usually accompanied by strange angelic escorts, called cherubim.

Ezekiel 43:2 "And behold the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory."

The glory of God that Ezekiel described that entered and departed from the temple, was tangible and real. The Lord appeared to enter in one way and depart from another, leaving a flurry of activity in His wake. His glory manifested in brightness on the earth, and His voice was audibly heard as a multitude of rushing waters, and in the moving wings of His angels.

Exodus 13:21-22 "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, [from] before the people."

The chosen people perceived God's glorious presence in a pillar of fire by night to light their way, and a pillar of clouds by day to lead and guide them. The Lord Himself went before His people on their journey to the land He had promised them, and manifested His power and glory to their leader, Moses, on more than one occasion.

Almighty God was able to supernaturally provide for the people's needs and rained down bread from heaven in huge quantities to feed them along their way. He sent them flocks of quail to be their meat, in such abundance that they grew tired of eating this delicacy. He brought forth water from rocks when they were thirsty and sated every one of them.

Deuteronomy 5:24 "And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth."

Moses entered into the presence of God on several occasions, while He led the chosen people on their journey to the promised land. He would have to climb up on a mountain to speak with the Lord, because God's presence was too powerful for the people themselves to endure at close range. The Lord would speak with a thunderous tone and manifest Himself in fire and smoke.

The mountain itself would catch fire from the very presence of God. The Lord would appear as a burning bush, in a pillar of fire or as a cloud of smoke. He had to mask Himself to prevent utterly destroying the man of God. Moses' face even became burned and discolored as a result of his experience in the light of God's awesome power and glory.

The Anointing Power of God on Jesus' Life

Acts 10:38 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him."

Authority is simply delegated power. God gave His Son, Jesus Christ, the same powerful capabilities that He has in and of Himself. He gave Jesus the authority to do His will in the earth realm, even though Satan had been made the god of this world due to man's disobedience. While Jesus walked as a mere man on the earth, He had the full anointing power of God resident within Him to overcome the devil and take back dominion over the earth for mankind.

Christ was able to heal the sick of all their afflictions, set captives free of demonic oppression and even raise the dead back to life. He transported Himself on water and spoke to all of nature, and it obeyed Him. He was able to spontaneously slip away from the crowds and reappear in another location miles away. He was able to read men's minds and know the inner secrets of their hearts.

Jesus Christ was the physical manifestation of all divine power and authority in the earth realm.

1Corinthians 1:18 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Jesus bore our infirmities and carried our diseases, and by His agonizing passion and death, we were healed. His victory over sin, death and the grave set us free to enjoy eternal life. The divine exchange of sin for righteousness occurred so that all men who believe in Christ are restored to right standing with God. Our relationship secure, we are able to approach the Father in petition and know that we receive what we ask of Him.

We now enjoy close, intimate fellowship with the Lord as was intended from the beginning of the world. We are actual sons and daughters of the Creator of the universe, and joint-heirs to all the promises of God. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places, at the right hand of God Himself and we share in His honor and glory for all time.

Christ's resurrection from the dead was the single most powerful demonstration of God's might and glory that has occurred since the creation itself. The Lord invested all of Himself in this act, and the Bible tells us that the stone tomb was split open and filled with the light of God's glory. Christ's ascension into heaven was both spectacular and miraculous; it consummated His first appearing with a mighty show of God's power and glory.

Preparation for the Anointing

Psalm 79:9 "Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake."

If we believe in Christ, and the power of His resurrection, we will live forever and share His rewards in the Kingdom of God when it is ushered in on the earth. But first we must sanctify ourselves, and submit to the Lord's chastening for our lives. We should ask for the purging fire of God in our lives to overcome our souls, bad habits and all unrighteousness.

We should judge ourselves so that we will not have to be judged. We have to crucify our fleshly desires and lay down our personal goals and agendas in favor of God's way of doing things and being right. We should walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh and overcome all efforts of the enemy to deter us in our quest for spiritual maturity.

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

We should strive for holiness and spiritual perfection, by developing the Lord's very own divine attributes, which are available to us by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. These include love, joy, hope, peace, temperance, meekness, and longsuffering. The Lord will empower us to be more like Him as we grow and develop in His divine nature.

Christ commanded us to walk in love for God and for one another. We should have the joy of the Lord that permeates our very being. We need hope and confidence for the future, and the peace of God that passes understanding. Men should lead temperate lives and be meek, patient and longsuffering in their dealings with others. We should be gentle and kind, patient and good.

We ought to be wholly consecrated and dedicated to the Lord's eternal redemption plan for mankind in the Kingdom of God. We can and should imitate the life of Jesus Himself and do the works that He did on the earth in the critical days to come. We must be willing and obedient, sanctified vessels for the Lord's holy purpose, and look to Him alone for our direction.

The Kingdom and the Power and the Glory

2Corinthians 4:6 "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

Jesus told His followers that they should do what He did in the world. While we will never be called to actually lay down our physical lives in His service, we do have to present our bodies as living sacrifices and do the will of the Father in all things. That will require that we consecrate and dedicate all our efforts to His plan and purpose in the days to come.

It is the Lord's will that we help to usher in the Kingdom of God on the earth. We are responsible for sharing our faith with all men and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to the entire world. We will persuade them to repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus, and help bring in the end-time harvest of souls that is required to populate the Kingdom.

1Corinthians 4:20 "For the kingdom of God [is] not in word, but in power."

Man was created for total dominion and authority on the earth. Christ restored that to us at Calvary. We will be given a full impartation of God's very own power and glory - the same raw, explosive power with which He created the universe - to accomplish all that He assigns us to do.

The anointing will facilitate our effectiveness in destroying all demonic efforts to prevent the coming of the Kingdom to the earth.

The people of God will overthrow all of Satan's strongholds that oppress and afflict mankind. We will set men free from demonic captivity, heal the sick from all the diseases that plague them, and even work creative restorative miracles that require new body parts so that men might be made whole. We will demonstrate the ultimate power and glory of God by raising the dead back to life.

We will help to restructure and reorganize all world governments to line up with Kingdom principles of fairness and justice. We will help bring peace on the earth, so that there is no war and unrest of any kind. All men will learn to dwell in love and unity or be expelled from God's Kingdom for all eternity.

The Anointing Power of God on Us

Ephesians 3:20 "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,"

We are the Lord's hands and feet on the earth, consecrated vessels for His holy purpose. He will imbue us with all His divine power and glory so that His Name is made a praise on the earth. We will work miraculous signs and wonders to attract all men to the Lord and His Kingdom principles of love and righteousness.

The Lord Himself will supernaturally empower us to discern men's hearts and persuade them to believe in the God of all truth. We will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom in all its power and authority, so that men are baptized into our faith. Demonic powers will acquiesce as we heal the sick, deliver the oppressed and raise the dead.

We will help to re-create and restore all of nature to its original beauty and balance prior to the fall of Adam. We will exercise total dominion on the earth so that nothing will hurt or destroy in all of God's Kingdom. There will be no more natural disasters as we take back control of the climate. All plants and animals will be inherently changed to live in harmony with man and with each other.

The earth will be a veritable paradise again, and we will long enjoy the works of our hands. The Lord Himself will come and take up residence with His people. He will fellowship with us as He intended from the very foundation of the world. He will wipe away all our tears, and share His supernatural joy with us. God will supply all our needs even before we ask Him, and all men will dwell in love and unity, peace and prosperity for all eternity.

Topics for Discussion

1. Power in God's Words
2. The Power and Glory of God in Nature
3. Divine Manifestations of Power and Glory
4. Unusual Manifestations
5. The Anointing Power of God on Jesus' Life
6. Power and Glory in the Kingdom of God
7. The Anointing Power on Us

Chapter 6 - Grace, Justice and Judgment

Deuteronomy 32:4 "[He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he."

Ours is a great and glorious God, just and fair in all His ways. He is no respecter of persons and judges all, both great and small, by the same fair and equitable standards. Sin is sin, and justice requires pay back. Whether it is a grievous offense against God or a small one is irrelevant, we still owe God recompense in penalty for our transgression.

His ways are not our ways, the Bible tells us. The Lord has His own set of standards for righteousness and justice. His way of doing things and being right is the only way permissible in all of His creation. He is omnipotent and will render eternal judgment for anything and anyone that does not line up with His perfect will.

The Lord has granted the righteous judgment of both men and angels to His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ will return to destroy all the ungodly and their ungodliness in the wrath of His coming, the Bible tells us. He will judge both the living and the dead to see whether or not they will be allowed to enter the Kingdom of God for all eternity.

2Chronicles 6:23 "Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness."

The Lord will no longer blink the eye at evil on the earth. He will intervene from heaven and restore peace and order, justice and fairness for all men. His Son, Jesus Christ, is not returning as a meek and mild Lamb this time. He will destroy all evil off the face of the earth, and wreak vengeance on all our enemies.

We must be quick to repent from all known sin and turn from all unrighteousness, with a firm resolve never to offend God again. If we do His will and walk in love for Him and others, He is merciful to forgive us all of our sins, and we are restored to right standing with Him. If we refuse to acknowledge our sin debt, He has just cause and every right to bring severe judgment on us.

Not all men will be saved, despite the Lord's wishes to the contrary. There are some who will always continue in sin and unrighteousness. They will be forever banished from the rewards and blessings in God's Kingdom. They have had their rewards on the earth, but will be on the outside looking in for all eternity. They will gnash their teeth and lament having been stubborn and evil.

The Grace of God

Romans 5:15 "But not as the offence, so also [is] the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, [which is] by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many."

The Lord has His own perfect values and ideals. He sets high standards for obedience and righteousness. If we do not believe in Christ and the power of His atonement and resurrection, we are subject to eternal damnation for our sins. The wages of sin are death, physical and spiritual demise. It is that simple and a topic not open to argument or discussion.

Fortunately however, He doesn't give believers in Christ the punishment that we deserve for our sins. We are covered by the Blood of Christ's obedient sacrifice. When the Lord sees us, He sees Jesus in all His spiritual perfection. He judges us by our righteousness in Christ, and always gives us grace - His unmerited favor - in all matters.

We all miss the mark from time to time, and fall short of the glory of God Himself. If we do make a mistake and sin after having received such a great salvation from Christ, we must be quick to repent and renounce our sin. If we do so, the Lord will be merciful and compassionate to forgive us our transgression. He will blot our sin from His memory and restore us to right standing with Him. He will reinstate our promises in Christ and our blessings for righteousness.

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:"

Salvation is God's gift to us. Our faith in Christ's atonement for our sins is our guarantee of right standing with God. We cannot only approach Him for all of our needs, but we do so from a most favorable vantage point. We are joint-heirs with Christ to all the promises of God; we are actually seated with Him in heavenly places, the Bible tells us. We can go boldly to the throne of grace and have all our petitions heard at any time.

So too, if we have faith and confidence that God hears us, we know that we will have whatever we ask. Christ is ever ready to make intercession for us. By the Blood and the Name of Jesus, we enjoy great favor with God. He always blesses us and provides our needs in abundance. If we do His will in all things, we will continue enjoy His grace and favor in our lives.

Justice For All

Deuteronomy 16:20 "That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

The Lord hates sin; he is holy and perfect and cannot abide in the presence of evil. He neither tolerates nor excuses sin in any of us. He is a just and fair God, and demands that we comply with His way of doing things and being right. His is the standard by which all human and angelic behavior will be judged throughout the entire universe.

Only perfect obedience will save us from eternal damnation. We have to walk in love and do the Lord's will in all matters. We must be living examples of His very own righteousness on the earth, so that all men will imitate our ways and be spared from punishment. We will enjoy eternal life in the Kingdom of God when it comes to the earth, and have manifold blessings and rewards for our righteous service to the Lord and to others.

The Judgment of God's People

1Peter 4:17 "For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first [begin] at us, what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the gospel of God?"

We have reached the end times, the period of judgment of the very household of God. All believers in Christ are being scrutinized and appraised to see that their behavior is above reproach as we enter into the Kingdom of God. We are being held to much higher standards of accountability than ever before. We should judge ourselves so that we do not need to be judged by Christ; we must make any necessary alteration to our behavior quickly and permanently.

The judgment of the nations of the world will soon take place, as well. Nothing that defiles will be tolerated in God's Kingdom. We will help to reorganize and restructure world governments to line up with Kingdom principles of justice for all. We will be ruling and reigning with Christ Himself. We will judge both men and angels and we need to learn principles of righteous judgment, in order to be fair and equitable in our dealings with others.

Romans 2:1-3 "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?"

While we have been made righteous by the Blood of Jesus, and enjoy grace in our own lives, we have no right to look down on, criticize or condemn others. We may have a tendency to become proud and arrogant because of our right standing with God, but this is a trap of the enemy and will lead us into disobedience of the law of love. We are all important to the Lord's plan and purpose. None of us is more righteous or more deserving of forgiveness than another.

If we hypocritically judge others when we have the same faults as they do, we bring ourselves under judgment for the very same sins that they have. If we judge at all, we should use the righteous judgment of God and be fair and just. We should always hold ourselves to the same standard of accountability that we use in judging others.

In the days to come, we will indeed judge both angels and men as we rule and reign with Christ for all eternity. This is a grave responsibility. Eternal destinies will lie in our hands. We must see things as the Lord does and be just, fair and equitable in our dealings with others. There will be safety and security for all men in the Kingdom of God; we must learn to be fair and just rulers.

Justification of the Believer

Romans 2:13 "(For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified."

We should judge ourselves so that we will not need to be judged by God. We know the truth of His law, and are accountable for acting on it. All believers must be walking in righteousness and love for God and for one another at all times. There must be no strife and division among us; we are to be one with each other and with the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must renounce all known sin and repent of it from the heart. We should purge ourselves of all filthiness of the flesh and willfulness of the soul. We are required to be spiritually mature and strive for holiness and perfection. We should be doers of the law and humbly consecrate and dedicate ourselves to the Lord's plan and purpose for our lives.

The Vengeance of the Lord

Hebrews 10:30 "For we know him that hath said, Vengeance [belongeth] unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people."

The Lord has a sure judgment in mind for both the believer and the unbeliever. He has given that responsibility to His Son as His reward. Jesus Christ is not returning as a meek and mild Lamb of God this time. He will be coming with all vengeance to do the will of His Father and defend His people from all their enemies. He will judge both the living and the dead with the same fair and equitable standards.

Jesus Christ will determine who is eligible to enter into the Kingdom of God. Only those who walk in love and do the will of the Father will enjoy life there. Those who deny Christ and refuse to walk in His ways will be excluded. They will not be given another opportunity to get it right. Their judgment will be final and permanent, as they are banished from entering God's Kingdom.

Isaiah 63:4 "For the day of vengeance [is] in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come."

The angels of God have already been dispatched to rid the earth of evil. There is war being waged in the heavenlies right now between the angels of God and the minions of Satan. Its fallout often extends down to the earth, as we do spiritual warfare here to prevent the devil from oppressing and attacking us in backlash.

Satan is technically already a defeated foe; Christ made an open show of Him with His victory over sin, death and the grave two thousand years ago. The devil knows that his time is short, so he will try to do as mach damage as possible. He will harass and oppress God's people as never before, and attempt to prevent heaven from coming to the earth realm as the Lord plans.

He will not succeed in his efforts, however. The people of God will overcome him by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimonies. We will use the same awesome power of God that was used to form the universe in our combat with him. We will bind him with our faith-filled words and cast him out of our affairs on the earth for all time. The Blood and the Name of Christ are our assurance of victory.

The scriptures tell us that Jesus Himself is returning to destroy all the ungodly and their ungodliness in His coming wrath. He will banish all evil from the Kingdom of God for all eternity. Satan will be captured and bound in the bottomless pit where he belongs, so that he can no longer accuse or oppress God's people.

Deuteronomy 32:43 "Rejoice, O ye nations, [with] his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, [and] to his people."

This will be our greatest hour. No longer oppressed or scorned for our faith, we will share in Christ's very own honor and glory. He will take vengeance on all our enemies and avenge all wrongs that have been done to us. The Lord will boast of us to all creation and give us our eternal rewards for righteous service to Him and to others.

He will appoint us to be kings and priests unto our God. We will rule and reign with Christ for all eternity in fairness and equity for all of God's people. We will be given the heathen for our inheritance and dwell in the very presence of God Himself. He will provide all our needs in abundance for all eternity.

The Lord will have mercy on His people and provide them with blessings of love and unity, peace and prosperity, safety and security in His Kingdom. We will have glorious resurrection bodies without disease or affliction of any type. We will long enjoy the work of our hands and be in harmony with all of nature; the earth will be a paradise for all men. We will give thanks and praise to the Lord for all generations.

Topics for Discussion

1. The Lord's Standards of Justice
2. Justice for All
3. Judgment of God
4. Grace of God
5. Judgment of the Household of God
6. Justification of the Believer
7. Vengeance of the Lord

Chapter 7 - Holy and Perfect - The Promise Keeper

1Samuel 2:2 "[There is] none holy as the LORD: for [there is] none beside thee: neither [is there] any rock like our God."

The Lord is holy and perfect; there is none to compare with Him in the entire universe. He sets a high standard for His people to imitate with excellence in all His thoughts, words and actions. While we will never be able to attain to the holiness and perfection of God Himself, we certainly can strive for increased righteousness, and follow His example in all that we think, say and do.

If we will fellowship with God for all eternity in the Kingdom of God, we must remember that no evil can abide in His presence; nothing defiling can come in contact with Him. Therefore, we must be holy as He is holy. We should lay down our fleshly desires and soul ambitions, and walk in the Holy Spirit of God.

We ought to seek the express will of God in all matters. If we know His divine character and attributes, we can better understand His wishes and adapt ourselves to His standards. We should always follow the commandments of God. They are not burdensome, but intended for our happiness and well-being in every area of our lives.

Holiness and Perfection in God's People

1Kings 8:61 "Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day."

Keeping God's commandments is not an option for us as believers. If we strive for holiness, we must be perfectly obedient to walk in His way of doing things and being right. Christ did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Jesus Himself taught us that we are to love the Lord with all our mind, heart, soul and strength, and love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

The Lord wants us to bear one another's burdens in all mercy and compassion. He delights in the fact that we share each other's joys with love and enthusiasm. So too, we have to develop our sense of fairness and justice, so that we can be effective judges and patient rulers of His people in the Kingdom of God.

We should try to perfect our spiritual maturity, so that we have some basis for intimate fellowship and communication with the Lord when we enter into His presence. The fruit of the Spirit must be fully developed in us, so that we walk in love, peace, joy, hope, meekness, temperance, gentleness, and longsuffering. We should imitate God in all respects, and think like He thinks.

Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Jesus told us that not everyone will enter into the Kingdom of God, but only those who do the will of the Father. We have to renew our minds and consecrate our hearts. The Lord insists that we walk in unselfish love and unity with one another. No strife or division will be tolerated in God's people. We are to be at perfect peace with God and with all men wherever possible.

It is the Lord's express will that we be happy and healthy, prosperous and blessed in everything that we do. All that is required of us is obedience to His perfect plan and purpose for our lives. He has plans for our welfare and not for evil. We have divine destinies and He is anxious that we fulfill them - for His benefit as well as ours!

We must walk in God's way of doing things and being right. We should desire His companionship over popularity and prestige in the world. We should take a strong stand for our faith, and persuade all men to come to knowledge of the truth of the gospel. We should be anxious for nothing, but rely on the Lord's very own empowerment to serve Him and others.

The Lord Empowers Us to be Perfect

2Samuel 22:33 "God [is] my strength [and] power: and he maketh my way perfect."

Almighty God will purge us of all filthiness of the soul and the flesh and sanctify us for His service, so that He might be glorified in us. He has known us from the very foundation of the world. He called us specifically to respond to His promise of eternal life. We are justified by our faith in Christ, sanctified by His Blood and we will soon be glorified with Him for all eternity.

The Lord wants us to be humble servants of all men, sharing our faith and our gifts with all the nations of the world. We give Him high praise and honor when we walk as living gospels of the Kingdom of God and its righteousness. We are His hands and His feet on the earth, and we demonstrate His love for all mankind by unselfishly serving others.

We have a high calling and a divine purpose for our lives. The Lord desires that we minister to the weak and afflicted among us, heal the sick and set captives free of enemy oppression. It is not His will that any man should perish. He will endow us with supernatural power and authority to destroy all the works of the devil, and change men's lives as never before possible.

2Corinthians 13:11 "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you."

The Lord will be with us in all that we are called to do in ushering in His Kingdom in the days ahead. He will be our strength and our capability. All we must do is be willing and obedient to serve Him and others. We should walk in love, peace and unity with one another at all times, and be quick to follow the lead of Jesus Christ in all that we do.

The Lord may ask us to do things that seem impossible in the natural, but He will enable us to fulfill His wishes. If we are willing and obedient, we will indeed see the power and glory of God manifested in our lives for the benefit of others. We will walk in the divine, as we usher in God's Kingdom, and take hold of our eternal destinies.

We should have hope and confidence in our future rewards, and comfort ourselves in the knowledge that heaven will indeed come to the earth. We will dwell in the very presence of our holy and perfect God and be suitable companions to Him. We will experience peace and prosperity, love and unity, safety and security in the Kingdom of God for all time.

Promised Rewards

2Corinthians 7:1 "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

Our God is a holy and perfect deity - He deserves all of our deference and respect. We should have a reverential fear of Him, because He is capable of creation and destruction, blessing and cursing. If we are obedient to His will and cooperative with His plans and purpose for our lives, we can expect many promised rewards, as well as Kingdom blessings.

If we have fear, doubt or unbelief and shrink back from His calling, we will endure eternal punishment for our disobedience. If we deliberately sin and transgress God's law, we will be excluded from His presence in the Kingdom of God altogether. We will be on the outside looking in for all eternity. Hell was not made for man, but as an abode for the devil. It is not the Lord's will that any man should perish and be eternally condemned.

Psalm 18:30 "[As for] God, his way [is] perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he [is] a buckler to all those that trust in him."

The Lord always keeps His promises and will never leave or forsake us. He is with us in all that we face in the days ahead. He has given us His very own Spirit to comfort and encourage us, to lead and guide us into all righteousness and unselfish service to others. He will imbue us with a full impartation of His power and authority to perform miraculous signs and wonders to attract all men to our faith.

We now have a better understanding of God's character and attributes. We know that He is trustworthy and reliable, and that we can count on Him for many blessings and eternal rewards. The Lord will fellowship with us for all eternity and share His glory and honor with His people. He will boast of us to all creation, and eliminate our former shame. He will take vengeance on all our enemies, and protect us from all evil.

He will give us the nations of the world as our inheritance. We will serve as kings and priests in His Kingdom, just rulers and able teachers of all men. The Lord will meet all of our needs in abundance and give us peace and prosperity in every area of our lives. We will have healthy bodies that live forever, and long enjoy the work of our hands. We will give Him praise and thanks for all generations.

The Promise Keeper

2Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

While it may appear that the Lord is not quick to keep His promise of our blessings and rewards in the Kingdom of God that is not really the case. The full number of souls must first be brought in before the Kingdom itself can be ushered into the earth realm. It is not the Lord's will that any man should perish or be denied eternal life.

We are all responsible for preaching the good news of the Kingdom and sharing our faith with all the nations of the world. We may not be able to travel abroad as ministers of the gospel, but we can reach out to those in our workplace and neighborhood, to our friends and family members. We can share the truth of our faith with all with whom we come in contact.

Believers will attract many to the Gospel of the Kingdom in the days ahead through a dramatic display of God's almighty power and glory. There will be many supernatural manifestations as we heal the sick, deliver the captives and raise the dead. God will be with us in all that we are called to do, and will show Himself strong on our behalf.

Acts 2:39 "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call."

The Lord will empower us with an anointing of Christ's very own power to do good and attract all men to Him. We will be living testimonies to the power and glory of God in the days ahead. We will lay hands on the sick and perform miraculous wonders; we will set men free of all sorts of demonic oppression and affliction; and we will even minister to the dying and restore their lives.

God created all men, and has called them to eternal salvation. But if the gospel is not preached, how will they learn the truth? We must share our faith and bring in the full number of souls that will repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. After the end-time harvest is brought in, there will be nothing to stop heaven from being ushered in on the earth.

Numbers 23:19 "God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"

While human beings are not honest and trustworthy, we can always rely on the Lord to keep His word. He is all powerful and eminently capable of doing all that He has promised us. He is loving and good, merciful and compassionate. It is His heart's desire to bless us, and fellowship with us for all eternity. He has promised us that He will bring heaven itself to the earth realm, so that all things may be united in His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Lord is faithful and true to His word. We can look forward to our future with hope and confidence, excitement and anticipation. We will share in His very own honor and glory. He will be a God to us, and we will be His people that walk in His ways, in all holiness and perfection. We will overcome all evil and bless humanity with divine love and benevolence for all eternity.

2Peter 3:13 "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

We are promised new heavens and a new earth. We will enjoy life in the Kingdom of God as our eternal reward. There will be love and unity, peace and prosperity, safety and security for all men who believe in Jesus Christ and do the will of the Father. All evil will be expelled from God's Kingdom for all eternity.

The Lord Himself will blot out all pain and sorrow from our memories. He will give us peace, hope and joy instead. He will anticipate all our needs and provide for them in abundance. We will build habitations and dwell there with our families for many generations. We will have new resurrection bodies that live forever in the very presence of almighty God.

All of creation will marvel at the children of God as they restore the earth and establish peace and harmony in all of nature. We will walk in divine power and authority, and judge both men and angels. We will help to establish Kingdom principles of fairness and equality, and assist Christ in ruling and reigning over all the nations of the world.

Topics for Discussion

1. The Lord is Holy and Perfect
2. Holiness and Perfection in God's People
3. The Lord Empowers Us to be Perfect
4. Promised Rewards
5. Promise of the Kingdom
6. The Promise Keeper

Chapter 8 - To Know Him is to Love Him

Ephesians 4:6 "One God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all."

Our Father is the God of love and goodness, and His very essence permeates all of creation and sustains life in all its forms. He is everywhere at one and the same time in all of His majesty and fullness. He is a God of "more than enough," and His presence covers the entire universe with awesome glory. His character and personality are evidenced in all of nature and in every creature that He has made, particularly man.

The Lord is above us, in us, through us, and all around us. He is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. His very nature is so complex that it eludes human understanding, yet He yearns to disclose Himself to us in all intimacy. He reveals His secrets and all His mysteries to those who deeply love and appreciate Him. We are privileged to get glimpses of the Lord's personality and character from time to time. To know Him is to love Him!

Job 11:7 "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?"

God is above us in every respect; He is the ultimate perfection. His is the sovereign authority and highest standard for excellence. He is holy and perfect and infallible in all His judgment. His word is immutable and His character is beyond reproach. He lives in us to do His perfect will in our lives, and works through us for the benefit of all mankind. His love perfects us and motivates us to be better than ourselves, to be more like Him in every way.

The Lord is everywhere at all times; He is omnipresent. He is all around us and never leaves us or forsakes us. He defies logic and overturns all natural laws. The Spirit of God has no confines of time or space; it is limitless and infinite. The Lord is able to meet your needs and mine, every time and on time. He is capable of multi-tasking to the highest mathematical degree, and His power and authority never diminish in strength or energy.

Romans 11:33 "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out!"

The Lord is omniscient; He created all things and has a total comprehension of how they operate separately and combined together. He is the source of all wisdom and truth, in finite matters and spiritual mysteries. He is all knowing and has perfect understanding. He has a solution for every problem and an answer for every perplexity. He reduces the most complex matters into their least common denominators for our human understanding.

Almighty God is the omnipotent source of all power and authority. He is capable of both creation and destruction. His power upholds all that exists in the cosmos, and is dramatically displayed in all of nature. The Lord delegates His very own awesome power to those whom He trusts, and He imbues them with His anointing to do good and overcome evil.

The Lord Is, Was and Always Will Be

Revelation 11:17 "Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned."

Our God has existed for all time, and will last for all eternity, as well. He was the prime mover, the creator of all things. He is now, was yesterday, and always will be the same great and glorious deity that we have come to know and love. He has prevailed in all things and reigns over the entire universe. He is a perfect God and a just and glorious King; all of His creation acknowledges His greatness and sovereignty.

The Lord created us in His very own image and likeness to have a strong and lasting relationship with Him. It is His greatest desire to fellowship with us up close and personally. He will actually tabernacle with His people for all time with the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth realm. He wants to enjoy intimacy with us for all generations, and we will give Him all the love, thanks and praise that He deserves. We will dwell in God's presence and finally see Him face-to-face.

The Godhead

Acts 17:29 "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device."

Our God is not an idol made out of wood or stone. He is not a fable or a man made myth. He is a Supreme Being, the Creator of the universe - a real personality, with characteristics and personal attributes that are amazing and inspirational, and worthy of all our honor and respect. We are His very children, created in His image and likeness; we come from His royal bloodline, grafted in by the Blood of Christ Himself.

The Lord has a distinct, multi-faceted personality that is simultaneously loving and gentle, yet powerful and just. His character is above and beyond reproach; He is perfect and holy in every respect. The Lord is capable of doing all good and destroying all evil. He sets the standards for excellence in every area and is a God above all others.

Romans 1:20 "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"

The very nature of God is demonstrated in His creation, which is an awesome complexity of creatures and systems that interconnect and support one another. If we observe life in all of its forms and develop an understanding of its function in the universe as a whole, we can grasp an idea of what God is like. He is attentive to the minutest of details, without losing the perspective of the whole. He is in all things and over all things, to work His perfect will in every life form.

Our God is a versatile genius and a master builder. He engineers major infrastructures down to the very last specification. He is almighty by His very nature, and sustains all creation through the power of His glory. The Lord is attentive to even the minutest details. His wisdom is manifested in all the intricacies that He has created, and suggests His ability to establish systematic order within the scope and magnitude of utter complexity.

The Lord demonstrates His character and personality in all that He touches. He has empathy for every life form. He shows Himself strong and powerful for good. His love and passion are displayed in His works. His fondness for beauty and balance are evidenced in all the universe. His majesty governs the operation of the entire cosmos. Man is His ultimate creation and the epitome of His meticulous attention to detail. Our bodies are masterpieces of craftsmanship; our souls and spirits are distinctively like God's very own.

The Holy Trinity

John 6:45-46 "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father."

It is possible to know and understand God in all His complexity. However, we cannot develop a full understanding of His nature and all of His characteristics, unless we comprehend the concept of the Holy Trinity. God is three distinct and different personalities in one integrated godhead - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - all at the same time. He is one Being with three separate manifestations depending on the level of function that is required of Him at any specific moment.

All the divine characteristics and attributes intertwine and are consistently demonstrated in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit simultaneously. For example, God the Father is the ultimate source of all love, peace and hope, and His Son, Jesus Christ, also exhibits these characteristics in His thoughts, words and actions. These qualities are also fruit of the Holy Spirit of God, and available as resources for all believers to acquire.

The Hebrew word for Lord is "Elohim;" it is a plural noun, suggesting more than one aspect to God's character and personality. Every man can know the Lord and understand Him in all of His various roles. As we develop a relationship with God the Father, we will acquire a better understanding of God the Son who was sent to save us from our sin. If we know Jesus, we will be better able to comprehend the Holy Spirit that He sent us after His resurrection and ascension.

1Corinthians 8:6 "But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [are] all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all things, and we by him."

God is a unified whole with three very different aspects to His character. We are in Him and He is in us in all His fullness. God the Father is the Creator of the universe and our provider. He hears our prayers and meets all of our needs.

His Son, Jesus Christ, is the Word of God who was present at creation, and by Him all things were made. Christ also took on human form and came to the earth to teach us all things and save us from our sins. Through Jesus, we have our relationship with God secured for all time.

The Holy Spirit of God is His ethereal personality that actually comes on us in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It indwells us, comforts and encourages us, and convicts us of sin. The Holy Spirit leads and guides us, and enables us to imitate divine attributes.

God the Father

John 16:27 "For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God."

Our Father God loves us with a deep and everlasting love; we are the apple of His eye, the masterpiece of His creation. He formed us in His very own image and likeness; the nature of God Himself lies resident within mankind in all it potential.

The Lord called us from the foundation of the world and wants nothing more than to provide all our needs and fellowship with man in love and intimacy for all eternity. He will bring heaven to the earth realm and actually dwell with us in all His fullness in the Kingdom of God.

One reason that the Lord loves us is because we love His Son, Jesus Christ. We believe that He was sent to the earth as the expiation for our sins. Our faith hinges on the fact that we do indeed believe that Christ was God made man for our specific benefit.

Galatians 1:3-4 "Grace [be] to you and peace from God the Father, and [from] our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:"

God's plan for relationship with us was thwarted by Satan in the Garden of Eden, when the first man fell short of God's glory and disobeyed Him. Adam traded his dominion over the earth to the devil. Man lost his covenant relationship with God and was expelled from paradise. He no longer enjoyed the favor of God and was forced into hard labor to provide for his needs.

The Lord was deeply saddened by this outcome, and He was compelled to develop a plan to redeem mankind from the transgression that separated us from Him. It was His express will that we be saved from eternal damnation and restored to right standing with Him. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth realm to teach us His ways and to atone for our sins with His very own Blood. God Himself visited the earth in the form of Jesus; He was Emmanuel - God with us.

God the Son, Jesus Christ

Colossians 2:9 "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

Jesus is the Word of God incarnate - God in the flesh. He is God in every respect and has the very same divine characteristics and personal attributes of His Father. He came to the earth as a dramatic demonstration of God's love for us. He laid down His deity and operated as a mere man, so that He could actually be one with us in all that we experience. Christ was empowered in His earthly ministry by the anointing power and authority of God to do good and overcome all evil.

Although Jesus was human in every respect when He came to the earth, He was perfect and sinless in every way. He was the pattern Son of God and serves as our role model for all righteousness. He taught us godly principles for living and actually laid down His life as a perfect sacrifice to save us from our sins. He suffered, died and was buried to give us eternal life, in the spirit and in the flesh.

1Corinthians 1:30 "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:"

Christ's victory over sin, death and the grave was the climax of the Lord's redemption plan for mankind. Jesus defeated Satan for all time and took back dominion of the earth for men. His Blood was the ultimate legal sacrifice necessary to atone for our sins; it was a fulfillment of the law. We are actually in Christ and He is in us. He restored us to right standing with the Father again, and He made us joint-heirs with Him to all the promises of God.

We will enjoy eternal life with many blessings and rewards, as heaven is ushered into the earth realm in the days ahead. The Lord will provide all our needs in abundance. We will have joy instead of our former sorrow. We will experience peace and prosperity, and walk in love and unity with all men. The Lord Himself will come to live with us in His Kingdom. We will be elevated to the position of kings and priests, and rule and reign with Christ for all eternity.

Acts 2:33 "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear."

Jesus' resurrection from the dead was a supernatural manifestation of the Father's very own creative power and glory. It was God's greatest feat since the creation itself. It assures us that we too will overcome death - spiritually and temporally. Christ's ascension into heaven was also miraculous in nature; He transcended the confines of time and space and was lifted up from the earth to the third heaven, where the throne of God currently resides.

This was necessary so that He could be exalted to glory, and seated at the right hand of His Father to wait for the fulfillment of all things both in heaven and on the earth. Jesus made arrangements to send us the Holy Spirit of God as our Comforter and Counselor at the feast of Pentecost as was promised. We are never alone in our earth walk; the Holy Spirit is in us to accomplish all things and to do God's will in our lives.

Colossians 3:17 "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

In the days ahead, we will walk as Christ Himself walked on the earth, with all divine power and authority. We will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to all the nations of the world in His Name. We will persuade men to repent and be baptized in our faith. We will be living examples of God's righteousness, love and mercy.

A full impartation of Christ's anointing power to do good will be given to us. We will heal the sick of all their diseases and afflictions, and they will be made whole. We will deliver all captives of enemy oppression and change men's lives as never before. We will even raise the dead back to life, and give them hope and confidence for the future.

The people of God will help to restructure world governments to line up with Kingdom principles of righteousness. We will restore peace on the earth, and reinstate love and unity among men. We will aid in the re-creation of all nature and the plant and animal kingdoms. They will be in harmony with each other and with mankind.

We will overthrow demonic strongholds that try to deter the coming of God's Kingdom, and take back dominion over the entire earth, as was intended from our creation. We will put all Christ's enemies under His feet and deliver the Kingdom to Him at His coming. We will help to destroy all evil and banish it for eternal punishment.

The Holy Spirit of God

Luke 11:13 "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"

As born again believers, we have the responsibility of being baptized in water for the repentance of our sins, just as Christ Himself was baptized. We then become eligible for the baptism in the Holy Spirit of God. All that we must do is ask the Lord to send His Holy Spirit to us, and receive it with thanksgiving and gratitude. The mighty Counselor and Comforter will then take up residence deep within our spirit man.

One of the signs of our baptism in the Holy Spirit is our newly acquired ability to speak in other tongues using our supernatural prayer language. Praying in the Spirit will enable us to communicate more directly with God without any threat of enemy interference. Our prayers are encoded when we pray in the Spirit and they ascend immediately to the throne room of God.

The Bible tells us that the Spirit of God always makes intercession for us according to God's will, often with sighs and groaning too deep to be heard. When we pray in the Holy Spirit, we can be assured that the Lord always hears us and intervenes on our behalf. He also discloses the deeper things of God to us - His secrets and mysteries - through revelation of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"

The Holy Spirit convicts us of all sin, and causes us to repent and renounce it. If we crucify our fleshly desires and forego our soul ambitions, we will be purged of all unrighteousness and sanctified for the Lord's use. So too, the baptism in the Holy Spirit assures us that we will have all the fruit of God's very own Spirit available to us in our own lives.

The fruit of the Spirit - God's very own divine attributes and characteristics - will manifest in us as we grow in the things of God. We will become more like Him and develop in spiritual maturity. As we walk in love and peace, we will experience hope and joy. Meekness, gentleness, temperance and longsuffering will all emerge as traits in us, and they will enhance our relationships with others.

Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."

We should never grieve the Holy Spirit by being willfully disobedient or blaspheming God in any way. That is blatant sin and we are called to total righteousness. We must repent of anything that interferes with our fellowship with God. We should walk in the Spirit instead of our flesh, and strive for holiness and spiritual perfection, so that we will be qualified to dwell in the presence of almighty God in His Kingdom.

We are sealed by the Holy Spirit until our redemption is complete. When Christ returns to receive His Kingdom, He will raise the righteous dead back to life. He will also change our decaying, corruptible flesh into glorious, resurrection bodies that are impervious to disease and death. Our redemption will be consummated, as we all dwell together in love and unity in the Kingdom of God for all time.

Knowing and Loving God

Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose."

We have examined the different aspects of God's character and personality in an effort to know and understand Him better. Now that we have learned how we can acquire divine attributes for ourselves, we should have a new appreciation for our God and all His gifts to us. He is loving, merciful and compassionate to all of our needs. He is fair and just, and judges all matters in righteousness. It is His deepest desire to fellowship with us, and share all that is in His heart.

God is everywhere; He is all knowing and all powerful. We see evidence of His glory and excellence in all of creation. He is now, was and always will be the same - today, yesterday and tomorrow. We understand how He operates through each person of the Holy Trinity. We know and comprehend His function as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We interact with Him at every level and love Him for all that He is, as well as all that He does for us.

We have divine destinies, and we know that all things work together for good for us. The Lord will empower us to do His will in the days ahead so that we will not be found lacking in any good work. We will preach the gospel, minister healing and deliverance and raise the dead. We will reorganize world governments and restore all creation. Christ Himself will lead and guide us in all that we are assigned to do.

2Thessalonians 3:5 "And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ."

We should acknowledge the Lord in all that we are and in all that we do. Everything that is good and pure in us comes from God Himself. He is our source for every good thing in our lives, and our divine empowerment to be holy and perfect just as He is holy and perfect. With God all things are possible to us; without Him we are powerless and incomplete. The Lord is behind every success in our lives; He never leaves us or forsakes us.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we must purge ourselves of all known sin, crucify our fleshly desires and abandon our personal soul ambitions. We ought to consecrate and dedicate all of our efforts to God's eternal plan and purpose. We should be willing and obedient to serve God and others at all times. We must walk in love for Him and for all men. The Lord's own anointing power and benevolence will permeate our very being, to overcome all evil with good in the days to come.

The Beginning and the End

Revelation 22:12-13 "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."

We should eagerly await the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to consummate all things in heaven and earth and unite them to Himself. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He is the Word of God made flesh that dwelt among us.

Christ is both Creator and the Lamb of God. He was our Blood sacrifice and is our Benefactor. He is the Prince of Peace and Mighty Counselor. Jesus is God in every respect, and will soon return to receive the Kingdom of God as His inheritance for perfect righteousness.

He is the Faithful and True who will lead the armies of heaven, and destroy all the ungodly and their ungodliness in the wrath of His coming. He will banish all evil to the bottomless pit. The Lord of Lords and King of Kings will bring vengeance on all our enemies.

Jesus will raise the righteous dead and change our bodies into glorious, resurrection forms that live forever. He will judge both men and angels and give us our just rewards. He will share His honor and glory with us for all eternity and boast of His Bride and His Body to all of creation.

Our Savior will bring peace and order on the earth and establish Kingdom principles of fairness and justice for all. He will rule the nations with an iron rod, to ensure that the Kingdom is a fit habitation for both God and man.

All men will dwell in love and unity; there will be no strife and division among us. We will enjoy peace and prosperity, instead of poverty and lack. There will be safety and security; nothing will in any way harm us. We will have joy and pleasure instead of our former pain and sorrow.

The Lord will provide all our needs in abundance. We will give Him all the praise and glory that He deserves for generation after generation. We will enjoy the blessings of Kingdom life for all eternity in the very presence of our awesome, loving God!

Topics for Discussion

1. Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent
2. The Godhead
3. The Holy Trinity
4. Father God
5. Jesus Christ
6. The Holy Spirit
7. Divine Attributes
8. Know and Love God

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