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Been considering recently one of the most important concepts ever
One that vitally affects our outlook, attitudes, and indeed our entire relationship with our fellow man … its that important !
I recall a book by JB Phillips entitled YOUR GOD IS TOO SMALL published in 1961 that was a best seller at that time. Its basic premise was that our view of God mightily influenced our lives and likewise our outlook, attitudes, and relationships with others.
T I M E is an earthly commodity, confined to this planet and our universe.
But as we look out into space, years, decades, centuries soon become inadequate to measure limitless outer space. So we use light years to measure distance through the universe – the distance that light travels – 300,000 kilometres (186,000 miles) per second which is 10 million million (1 trillion) kilometres in one year
Our nearest neighbour in space, Alpha Centura is a mere 4 light years away !
A colossal staggering distance that defies human comprehension.
Now we're starting to comprehend something of infinity and the vastness of our environment.
But scripture declares that GOD is outside our earthly TIME ZONE … He dwells in a zone called ETERNITY … where there is NO TIME at all … only the eternal N O W
Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.Psalm 90:2 (NKJV)
And considering this concept, think on these statements …
All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8
knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 1 Peter 1 : 18-20
Jesus … “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8
and
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.Revelation 22:13
GOD is the great I AM Exodus 3:14... and so is Jesus !
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” John 8: 56-58
Quite mind boggling to get ones head around this concept of eternity
That Jesus as God, as the second person of the Trinity, pre-existed his appearance on earth, and with his resurrection … he simply returned to the Godhead
NO Past, Present or Future with God … only the eternal N O W
Our earthly TIME ... Past, Present, and Future compacted into the 1 dimension … NOW
So Scripture records Jesus as saying about believers …
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you … John15:16
We have been chosen ... pre-selected … pre-destined to become believers …
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth — in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, Ephesians 1 : 4-11
elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: 1 Peter 1:2
But this is only half the personal impact !
When we consider the question of personal sin !
Jesus sacrifice … planned and in God ... outside of time … before the foundation of the world …
Before God all our sins are happening to Him outside of time … NOW
So ….
and this is the big point ... that preachers generally forget to tell us !
ALL OF OUR SINS … PAST PRESENT and FUTURE have happened, are happening, will happen, all as NOW to God
and ALL are under the BLOOD of JESUS … now and forever
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?Hebrews 9:14
'Has the penny dropped” as they used to say ?
Has this realisation happened to you ?
If it was told by Roman Catholic priests to the penitent in their confessionals … it would empty such … their confessionals would be deserted, and their priests would soon be out of business !!
ALL MY SINS …. past, present and future known to God and
UNDER THE BLOOD OF CHRIST !!
Instead of taking each sin, each time we sin, to Jesus to be forgiven and washed
and what about our misdeeds that we aren't even aware of … what about them ?
we can live with our whole lives UNDER THE CONSTANT FOUNTAIN of JESUS BLOOD
Whoever has been born of God does not (habitually practice) sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot (habitually practice) sin, because he has been born of God. 1 John 3:9
So Jesus, just a few hours before Peter was to deny him 3 times with an oath, cursing and swearing, could tell Peter that he was 'completely clean' John 13:9
Let me ask a question ….
can a person by doing a good deed become MORE righteous before God ??
Answer … of course not ... Galatians 2:16 Ephesians 2:8,9
so how then can a persons misdeeds make them LESS righteous before God ??
think about it … from Gods viewpoint !
NO CONDEMNATION Romans 8:1
HOLY and without BLAME Ephesians 1:4
Not FREEDOM to sin but FREEDOM FROM SIN ... vastly different
Not sin conscious as much as JESUS CONSCIOUS
And the sheer JOY that it brings, in spite of our humanity, shortcomings and frailties
as we follow and serve Him in gratitude
That's the life for a true believer that Jesus died to bring !
W O W now that's amazing GRACE |
