Ephesians 1:4-6 “According as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of
the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the
beloved.”
The Lord
knew and loved us from the foundation of the world. We were created in
His very own image and likeness to spend all of eternity in close,
intimate fellowship with Him. However, Adam’s sin changed all that; it
interrupted our relationship with God and condemned us to spiritual and
physical death. We were left without hope and permanently separated
from Him.
Our God
was in anguish at the loss of His people and was compelled to develop an
alternate plan. He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to
redeem us from our sins and to restore our right standing with Him.
Christ died so that we could be set free. There should never be a
separation between man and God ever again. He loves us as His very own
sons and daughters.
We all
have the opportunity to be saved and baptized in the one true faith.
That decision can mean the difference between eternal life and
condemnation. If we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior and are
baptized in His name, we will be eligible to enter into the Kingdom of
God. We must additionally walk in love, obey all His commandments and
fulfill His will for our lives.
2Timothy 1:9 “Who hath saved
us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works,
but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began,”
The Lord
not only has saved us from our sins and the penalty of death, but He has
also elevated us to sit with Christ Himself in heavenly places. We are
joint-heirs with Jesus to all the promises for righteousness. We have
unique privileges and responsibilities. We have been given an
opportunity to make a dramatic difference in this world and we cannot
permit fear, doubt or unbelief to deter us in any way. We will be given
divine power and authority to function just as Christ did.
Our
lives have to be fully consecrated to the Lord in humble service and we
must lay down all our carnality and selfish soul ambitions. We cannot
be doing our own thing or be willful and disobedient in any way. We are
vessels of the Holy Spirit of God to be used as ambassadors for good.
There are eternal ramifications for our actions, and we should be well
aware of them. We have to be very sensitive to the leading of the Holy
Spirit and comply with all that He instructs us to do.
We
should say and do only what the Lord tells us in the days that lie
ahead. Our faith-based words that line up with the Word and will of God
will make dramatic changes in the world around us. All of creation is
anxiously awaiting the revealing of the sons of God to set matters
straight on the earth. We will establish peace, order and stability and
eliminate all chaos and destruction. The entire world will be shaken to
the core, renewed and restored to prepare for the return of Jesus
Christ.
Colossians 2:6-7 “As ye have
therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him: Rooted
and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been
taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
We are
the Body of Christ on the earth – His hands, feet and voice. We should
walk as He walked, in humble service to all of mankind. Our lives are
not our own; we were bought with a dear price. We have a sacred
responsibility to fulfill our divine destinies and usher in the Kingdom
of God with power and glory. We must serve the Lord and one another
willingly, not out of obligation or constraint. We should be eternally
grateful for all that has been done for us, and eager to share what we
have with others.
The Lord
has an eternal redemption plan that requires our help in
implementation. He wants us to partner with Him in saving others, so
that they can be set free. We should share our faith and spread the
Gospel of peace, so that all of mankind has an equal opportunity to
inherit eternal life. In the days ahead, we will see many converted,
saved and baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. We will make the
Kingdom of God available to men, women and children all over the world
who are willing to believe and receive it.
Christ
has restored our dominion on the earth to us, and we must learn to
exercise it. We cannot be passive or lax in our duties; the fate of all
humanity is at stake. We should heal the sick, cast out devils and even
raise the dead back to life, just as Jesus did during His public
ministry. We must destroy all demonic strongholds and establish Kingdom
principles as a way of life. We will correct all social injustice,
eliminate poverty and lack in our midst, and treat all men with genuine
love, mercy and compassion.
Ephesians 1:18-19 “The eyes
of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the
hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the saints, And what [is] the exceeding greatness of his power to
us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,”
We must
be uncompromisingly righteous in the days ahead and sanctify ourselves
totally and completely, so the anointing power of God can work through
us to overcome all evil with good. If we come up higher in our
spiritual walk now, we will become all that we were intended to be from
the very beginning of time. We will fulfill our divine destinies as the
sons and daughters of God. We will take back the earth and everything
in it for our Lord and Savior and establish the Kingdom of God, as we
are ordained to do.
All
world governments and their economies will be restructured to align with
Kingdom principles of fairness and justice for all mankind. War,
violence, civil unrest, oppression and exploitation will all be
eliminated through our efforts. There will be no more greed, poverty
and lack to keep men subservient to those in power over them. Cruelty,
despotism and domination of all types will soon be eradicated. We will
teach others to walk in love and righteousness and prepare the hearts of
all men to receive their King.
This
will be the climax of our Christian walk. We will destroy all the works
of darkness and drive out Satan and all his minions. The human race
will be rescued from the demonic oppression and bondage to sin that they
have suffered. The entire creation will be restored and renewed to its
original beauty and balance. Man will take dominion over all of nature
and the world will never be the same. We are returning to the Garden of
Eden in its new, improved form and it will be a perfect abode for both
God and man.
Colossians 3:24 “Knowing that
of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve
the Lord Christ.”
The
return of Jesus Christ is imminent and we will be privileged to share in
it. He will soon begin judgment of the living and the dead, the church
and the nations, all men and even angels – to
determine who has been righteous and who deserves punishment. He will
mete out eternal rewards to the faithful, and cast the unrighteous into
the lake of fire. The Lord will take vengeance on all our enemies and
destroy all evil. He will bind Satan in the abyss and vindicate His
people.
Christ
will rule with a rod of iron to make certain that Kingdom principles of
fairness and justice are continually enforced. There will be blessings
for all of God’s people, with no downside. We will dwell in love and
unity in the very presence of our God. All men will be righteous; His
laws will be written in our minds and hearts. He will even blot out all
pain and sorrow from our memories. Our redemption will finally be
complete, and we will have new, glorious, resurrection bodies that live
forever.
There
will be peace and prosperity, safety and security, health and longevity,
joy and freedom for all those who enter the Kingdom of God. We will
share in all the vast resources that the universe has to offer us. The
Lord will meet all of our needs in abundance, even before we ask Him.
He will lavish His love on us and take a personal interest in all the
details of our individual lives. We will enjoy an intimate relationship
with Him and He will be a Father and God to us for all of eternity.
The Lord
will not forget our unselfish devotion to Him in ushering in His
Kingdom. He will boast of us to all creation, as we share in Christ’s
own honor and glory. We will be appointed kings and priests of God and
even judge both men and angels. We will receive the heathen for our
inheritance in the uttermost parts of the earth. We will rule and reign
with Jesus Christ over all the nations of the world. All men will look
up to us, and we will be glorified as the very sons and daughters of
almighty God Himself!
