Thank you Lord that by the gift and power of Your grace lavished through Your Son Jesus, Ian lives even though he died. Thank you that Ian is now
experiencing the living hope provided through the resurrection of
Jesus, where faith becomes sight to what no eye has seen, or ear heard, or
mind imagined - the eternal blessings You have prepared for those who love You. Thank you that today Ian fully
experiences the inheritance of a son of God, a joint heir with Jesus,
an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, unfading and reserved in heaven
for Ian and all your children who were sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit as
a down payment of this promised inheritance and are being conformed
into Your image Jesus through Your action in the midst of life, and
even its suffering. Ian was not just chosen and predestined by You to this inheritance, but called,
justified and now glorified in Your very presence where he is eternally safe in
Your hands, experiencing the fullness of Your presence and glorious character.
Ian is, as all believers are, part of Your eternal inheritance, Your eternal
family, Your eternal plan summing up all things under one head, Jesus. Ian's
experience is that of all the saints of old and will be the experience of all
believers yet to be united in Your presence. The question is when in Your plan
do we join Ian. I am ready ...
Faith, connecting the now to eternity:
Heb. 11:1, 6
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and
certain of what we do not see...And
without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him
must believe that He is and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Mark 9:24
Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"
I get this father's response - seeing the situation that his boy is in, the audacity of Jesus' promises, and the limitations of my faith. My faith is limited only until it is set upon the limitless One. But that is a challenge for people such as myself ... I miss my music man!
Eternal facts for weary faith to rest upon:
John 10:27-30
[Jesus said] "My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from my Fathers hand. The Father and I are one.”
John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live a even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Ephesians 1:3-6
Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as hechose us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the
purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has
blessed us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:13-14
And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your
salvation)- when you believed in Christ - you were marked with the seal of the
promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the
redemption of Gods own possession, to the praise of his glory.
Galatians 4:5-7
to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be
adopted as sons with full rights. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit
of his Son into our hearts, who calls “ Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a
slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God.
Romans 8:14-18
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of
God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but
you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit
himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God's children. And if
children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ) -
if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him. For I
consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that
will be revealed to us.
Romans 8:28-31
And we know that all things work together for good for those
who love God, who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he
foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his
Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined,
he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified,
he also glorified. What then shall we say about these things? If God is
for us, who can be against us?
1 Peter 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By
his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance
imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, who by
God's power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time.
1 Corinthians 2:9-10
But just as it is written, “Things that no eye has seen, or
ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love
him.” God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all
things, even the deep things of God.
Ephesians 1:18-20
- since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened - so
that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his
glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the incomparable greatness of
his power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of his immense
strength. This power he exercised in Christ when he raised him from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms...
Ephesians 1:4-6
For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world
that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love. He did this by
predestining us to adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the
pleasure of his will - to the praise of the glory of his grace a that he has
freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son.
Ephesians 1:9-10
He did this when he revealed to us the secret of his will,
according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, toward the
administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ -
the things in heaven and the things on earth.
In all my sorrows, Jesus is better - make my heart believe
In all my victories, Jesus is better - make my heart believe
Than any comfort, Jesus is better - make my heart believe
More than all riches, Jesus is better - make my heart believe
Our souls declaring, Jesus is better - make my heart believe
Our song eternal, Jesus is better - make my heart believe
(AustinStone Worship)
Thanks to Matt Carter, Pastor at the Austin Stone for wisdom and messages on this topic
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