Identification Truths Plus 2012
1 John 4:12, 16 · Courtney Hemenway · Mar 18, 2012
Identification Truths Plus, No. 11
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/49263703694

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

We are in lesson, yes, for those of you who have been gone for weeks, we're still in lesson 8. We're zooming along. Did we get to, we're in question 8, I think? Was that where we left off? Yeah, we were going to 9, right? Well, I don't know if we got through all the verses. I don't think we got through all the verses. I think we're in C, I think, Ephesians. I think we got to the Romans 8, 17. I think that's about all we got. Anybody remember or put a note?

Ephesians 2.18. Alright, so again identification truths lesson 8 about John 17 verses 6 through 26. We're on question 8 and looking at the verses There are consequences flowing from our union with Christ. So look at the verses and see what those consequences are. I'll read them so we can kind of keep going here. Ephesians 2, 18. I'll do 2, 18 and 19 actually.

For through him we both have our access in one spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God's household." So, what is the consequence of our union with him from these verses? We're united. We're united.

What else? Access. Access to what? To him. To one spirit. No, in one spirit. In one spirit, excuse me. In one spirit. Sorry. The in one spirit. So we talked a little bit about that before in some of the how the unity between all of us and how when you're traveling and you run into another believer, you kind of have that instant bond. And I think it's the one body, the one spirit. So we have access in one spirit to who?

The Father. Again, the intimacy. And then what about in 19? We're now citizens. Citizens. And joined. In God's household. Right. Okay? So we have access to the Father through the Spirit and we are of His household. We have citizenship in Heaven with the Father. Right.

Do you think that way? Sometimes. Sometimes? Honest person? Do you think that? Day to day? Well, sometimes you think of things that are unimportant. Well, do you think that we're of God's household and the place that we truly belong is in the Father's household? Time to time. Time to time. On a good day, right? Yeah. You know, this is that thing that I brought up last week that I really think we struggle with. Do you feel worthy to be in the household of God? Yes. Yes. I know. I know.

Whose nose? I know he's going to be on a technical issue. I'm not worthy, but he accepts me because I believe in him. Through his, through him, through his word, through his, through his sacrifice on the cross, we are worthy. Thank you. And that's the technical that he was going to get at. In ourselves, no. That's right. But in Christ, yes. I think that's what you were aiming for.

My lawyer friend here, I mean, he doubles as a real estate agent. Again, in Christ, is there anything more you need to add that Christ didn't provide to make you worthy to be in his household? No. So, that should change you as you're conformed to his image. as you grow spiritually in your knowledge of Him, I think we lessen that unworthiness. As we know who we are in Christ, positionally we're there now, right now.

So I think we beat ourselves up, and I think it's the old man that keeps beating me up. You're not worthy. He's the one saying, come on, do something. You're not worthy. You're not worthy. He's the guy always trying to convince you that you're not worthy. And in Adam we're not.

But he's the guy trying to stay alive, trying to keep us focused on our unworthiness in Adam and not keeping us focused on who we are in Christ and our worthiness because of what he did and where we are in him to be able to have this access to the Father.

I think there's an awareness though as we recognize our intimacy and our ability to approach God. that there is an unworthiness in me alone. One of those, in the Newell's Commentary on Romans, at the end of chapter 6, there's those things on grace, and one of the things that he said was, I thought was cool, was to recognize you're increasingly aware of your unworthiness, but expecting God to bless you in spite of that is a great secret. So I think there's a, like Paul could say, I think you're aware of that. I don't think you'd positive think your way over that. You're aware of that, but you also at the same time, and I think why grace has such an effect on a person as they grow, they are accepted and beloved. They can approach, and their personal unworthiness isn't the issue anymore. Yeah, and I take exception to the fact of positive thinking. It's not positive thinking, it's knowledge of Him. That's what conforms us. That's what transforms us from glory to glory. That's our growth process, is knowing Him.

I didn't accuse you of being a positive thinker. It's not just I'm thinking really flowery thoughts. I'm feeling good about things. When I ask this question in most of the classes, do you feel worthy? Think of what we've been going through on this intimacy in John 17. That's why I think it's so important to go through this. And I'm glad we've gone through it in great detail.

Did he put a lot of stipulations on this? And I'm going to get to one question. Did he put stipulations on this intimacy? No. No. So why do we? Why do we do that? You know, the other issue here is, am I to live based on how I feel or what the facts are? Exactly. But that's what I'm saying. I think we do it on our feelings. And that's where I always get to this question. Do you feel worthy?

I can't go before the Lord. And my little request, I can't do that. Or my big request. Is it too big for God or too little for God? When you have a request. The little ones you don't need to bother him with. Why? Because I can handle them. Because you can handle them. Thank you. Because you can handle them.

OK. You know where that one's going. You know where you're ending up on that one. So no. But this is that, you know, that you kind of touched on it, Mike, the feeling. It's not a feeling. Go to the facts. And that's why I say when you look at what John 17 is saying, there wasn't a stipulation on this intimacy. You can have intimacy, you can have this union with me, only if you study your Bible four times a day, you memorize 52 scriptures, and this. Is there any qualification on that?

No. I'll get to one, but yes. And that's probably why, like, when you say, do you feel worthy, that's why sometimes we can feel worthy, and sometimes we don't feel worthy, because our feelings are always going like... Good question, but, you know, so I should stipulate the question being, are you worthy? Yeah. Yes, in Christ. So if you are worthy, your position and your condition start matching those, as you understand you are worthy in Christ. That's why I say most people always beat themselves up on the sin. You know, there's a sin and, oh, I'm not worthy because I sinned. Did God know about that? Did God allow that? Did He take care of that?

Well, you could go the opposite way, too. I feel worthy because I did something good. Oh, and that's just as wrong. Just as wrong. Yeah. But it gets back to that feelings in fact. Yeah. Okay. But see, and that's that thing, you know, we try and go on the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If we're in that tree, what are we doing? If we're doing something good, we scurry over to that side of the tree. And we do something bad, oh, we realize we're over in this. We're just going this way. Where are you placed now? In Christ. We're not scurrying back and forth here. So there's good and bad. But what I see with most people is that I don't feel worthy and so I'm always down. I'm always beating myself up and all that sin that I did. Well, you know, go through all those things. Did God know about it? Did God allow it? Did He take care of it? Yes. That's why the first John 1, 9 all says you're agreeing with Him.

I'm not acting as who I am in Christ. I did that out of the old man. I'm not acting as who I am in Christ. So, I just go to that, the intimacy that is spoken of in John 17 does not have qualifiers on it. He is requesting, so who is the one pushing back on this intimacy? Us!

So that's why I'm saying that, you know, understand where your position is, where you are positionally, you're in Christ, you're seated in the heavenlies, in Christ, right next to the Father. That's where you're positionally. Understand that. All those sins that you have done or will do, two o'clock today when you sin, God knew about it, took care of it, you're done. You know, I find it so hard to separate the Adamic nature from the Christ nature because physically you're so used to doing things and if you want something done, Do it yourself, you know, I mean, as the saying goes. And it's hard. You feel that somehow you've got to earn your way. And who's the one wanting to earn your way? The old man. That's true. You know, the hardest weeding project you're going to have is weeding out self. Yeah.

Because you do good things. And I feel so proud that God is going to smile just a little bit more because I did this. He really needed me. put it in perspective, and all those things, it's solely of Him. Yeah, you do better things because you have Christ in you. Because you transform yourself without realizing it. It's the conforming. It's that spiritual growth.

And that's where I say, you remember I was saying last week, I think, that as you're in Christ, Christ didn't get up every day to do the Father's will and have the checklist. He didn't say, I've got to take care of these five things to do the Father's will today. You never see that. He had a life. He just did the Father's will because of who He is.

That's ultimately where we get to when we step out of here and get rid of this shell. We should, as we conform, more of these things will happen because of who we are. know who we are. And as that becomes more manifest in us, it's not a burden, it's who we are. We just do it. And it's not because I feel better about doing it, you know, that I feel good. It's just, I do it.

As you have that intimacy, and that's why I say, of all the things, Inger and I were talking about this on the way in, of all the things, I really think about this more, that John 17, as you really look, as I said last week, it's really hit me more. As I talked to somebody here two weeks ago about the identification, how important they are, and they said, well, you know, other things are more important than some things. And it really hit me that I thought, you know, Christ in John 17, his last intimate conversation with God, the most important thing on his mind wasn't service.

It was sons. It was not to serve. It was to be a son, to be intimate with him. That was the most important thing he did before he went to the cross. So how do we take that? That should be the most important thing for us, is intimacy. We're sons before servants. We have that intimacy before we're ever going to be a great servant. You have to have that intimacy. And that's what he said, not what I'm saying. The intimacy was first. That's the union. All this stuff, so he can share his glory, so we can have the union. Go and know him. As we said, to know him is eternal life. To be transformed.

2 Corinthians 3.18. Conform from glory to glory.

That's what all these things are to have us have intimacy. Before you get into an incredible service, I think you have to have that intimacy. Because that, it's just who you are and what you're doing. Yeah, and just thinking like even like today and coming here, it's like, well, if you come here because you think like, oh, I have to come in and, you know, that's what God wants and I have to earn it versus like, you know, well, good. I get to learn more about God and be with other people who love God. It's the intimacy, you know, our bond. What did we just say? Accessing one spirit to the Father? all of us, and you know, you should come here, yeah, because you want to know about him. Not because you have to, not because it's Sunday. You know, it should be every day.

And, you know, I guess I just, I stress that, you know, the identification truth, because the one saying you have to be here because you have to, is the old man. As you start understanding the old man in this, That's the whole purpose of this class, is to understand the identification. Identification in Adam, and who Adam is, and then our identification who we are in Christ. That's the important thing. And as you come to know Him, I think, in our growth, those, I've got to come here because I've got to do something, start to fade away. Because you're so enamored with who He is. That becomes the focal point.

I read it, it was on 310 out of the Hungry Heart, it was from Andrew Murray, and I thought it was good. A superficial acquaintance with God's plan leads to the view that while justification is God's work, we all understand, oh yeah, that's God's work, by faith in Christ, then sanctification is our work to be performed under the influence of the gratitude we feel for the deliverance we have experienced and by the aid of the Holy Spirit. So it's us and we have to be a part of that.

But the earnest Christian soon finds how little gratitude can supply power. When he thinks more prayer will bring it, he finds that, indispensable as prayer is, it is not enough. Often the believer struggles hopelessly for years until he listens to the teaching of the Spirit as he glorifies Christ again and reveals Christ, our sanctification, to be appropriated by faith.

You know, I thought that was really good. That, you know, I can do this, I can do it with a little help from the Holy Spirit. That's who's going to do it. You know, me and the Holy Spirit. Yeah, He needs me. Yeah. Uh-uh. It's Him living through us. The Holy Spirit living in us and manifesting our life in Christ. So, I thought that was good. Okay, moving on. 1 John 4, 12, 13, and 16. No one has seen God at any time if we love one another.

God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. Then verse 16. We have come to know and believe the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him. So what do you get out of this union? We love that you can say it for us. Abiding. And other things in there? Verse 12, last part. His love is perfected in us. Interesting.

But we have interest in God which the union. So we have interest in Him. We have this union with Him. backing up what is in John 17 with this union and what it means, and he abides in us. Remember all in John 17, he and I, we and us, all this linking, he's saying it again here. Alright, 1 Corinthians 13, 12. For now we see in a mere dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known. We get a mirror out of this. No? No? Full knowledge. Full knowledge. Perfect knowledge. Wow. Just contemplate that one a little bit. Sometimes you don't want to be fully known, though. But, you know, you're perfect. Who doesn't want to be known? It's the old man. I know. In Christ. I am fully accepted. All those things, you know, the 34 things and all that. It's the old man who keeps dragging us back. It's the old man who keeps us from wanting this intimate fellowship. Okay, John 1, 16.

For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. I think one thing we forgot to put in context is the question itself. There are consequences flowing from our union with Christ, and that's what we're looking at. Because of our union with Christ, From our abiding, our union, all this, these are positional truths about us. So what is this? For of His fullness we have all received, in grace upon grace. What are the consequences of our union?

His fullness. And what does that mean? But what does fullness mean? What is the fullness we got? There's nothing else we need. We're complete. We're complete in Him. We have everything. Again, do you believe in the fact that what He just said, all the fullness has been.

And then the back half is grace upon grace poured upon us. It triggered in Colossians chapter 2 verses 5, 6 and 7. 8, 9, and 10. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him who is the head of all principality and power. That's something. Yeah. You know, that's what we talked about. I think there was a friend of Nick's who said, you know, Christ wasn't fully God. What does that verse say? in him dwells all the fullness.

And then, by association, see, just start pondering upon these facts. These are facts. And all he's called us to do is believe in these facts. Just believe it. It's not a feeling. It's a knowledge of him, growing the grace and knowledge. Start just picking one or two of these and just start contemplating and see how you begin to understand how blessed we are. Grace upon grace. Grace is unlimited, unmerited blessings. We have that compounded. Grace upon grace. It's infinite times infinite. It doesn't get much better than that.

9. In verse 21, do you think he is praying for a union to be created that didn't exist, or the realization of one already in existence? So in verse 21 he says, that they all may be one, even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me." Do you think this is something that didn't exist, or the realization of something that already was in existence? It was already in existence.

Okay. Any others? Not? No brave ones go the other way, huh? I will. I'll go the other way. Why? Because of the sin issue, we were not able to be in that. So Christ died on the cross to deal with the sin issue so that now we can be. Moses and all of them were never able to. They could come as close as they could come, but there was never a perfect sacrifice. Okay. So? Did it exist in Adam before he sinned? Ooh, interesting. Well, it's really the relationship we're looking at. This union that he...

So, the answer to that is no, in that As I said before, remember I always couldn't understand how God said, you're alone when he's walking in the cool of the garden and all that. They didn't have that same intimate fellowship. There was a difference between the creator and the creation. And Christ wasn't there. Yeah.

Well, Christ is there, or he's been I never could put that together, how he said, it's not good for you to be alone. Who am I walking with? But then when you start realizing, that's why I can't express how important it is about this identification and what our identification is. How could he have said that? Because there was a relationship. I said this I think last week or a couple of weeks ago. It's like a dog. I love Spike. He's a great dog. I love him.

But I don't have that same relationship. I can't have a relationship that's on the same par. So that's why in Genesis where it says it's not good to be alone, there was a span between them. But now, look at John 17. What do we have? intimacy. I want you, Father, that relationship that you and I have had for an eternity, I'm sharing it with these guys. I am going to be one with you. And why is that? Because we're placed into Christ. That's our identification. That's the important part. That we're placed in him because now he is what? The firstborn of the new creation. He's the federal head of this new creation.

So as in Adam, like we are fleshly on the same par, now in Christ, access in one spirit to the Father, all these unions, all these things, we're now on a par. So we have that relationship now that we could never have had before. So you could say that the union that existed between the Father and the Son has always been. But what he's asking is that we would be included in that.

Right. So the plan was always there, the eternal covenant and what he wanted to do, but the realization of it is now, where he is saying, now, you who are in Christ, we're in this new creation, we can have that union. Okay? Tenth, what is the highest blessing God can bestow upon us? Is it that we now share in his glory? No. Yeah. Okay, that's the highest, okay? Okay, any others? I just said resolve our sin problem, share his glory, and be our true friend. That Christ came. That Christ came? Because our sins have been forgiven because of him if we believe. And then we can go to heaven.

Isn't that the greatest? Is our goodness the greatest blessing? I was going to let him answer his question. What is the highest blessing? Intimacy with God. Union. Yeah, that's right. He, by grace, gave us salvation. But by doing that, what did he do? The highest thing he gave us now is we have a one-to-one relation. I mean, an intimate personal crawl out, cry out, daddy.

We have a union now. And that's why John 17, when you look at all these things that are now brought out, remember what I keep saying, that the most important thing he was talking about right before he goes to his death on the cross was what? Animacy. Animacy.

This union that we have now with Him is the greatest blessing we could ever have. And then there are places in the Bible where God says, I won't share my glory with anyone. But Jesus and the Father share the same glory. And it says we can share that glory too.

That is crazy. Crazy cool. I mean, you just start to understand He's sharing His glory with us. Just ponder that this afternoon. Ponder the fact that He wants that same union between the Father and Him. And you see the intimacy in this prayer, the beginning of the prayer especially, just where He is saying, I'm doing Your will. This is just pouring out of His heart. And now we have that intimacy with Him.

The same that the Father and the Son have, and the Spirit. We have that same union. Why is this relationship important today? this union. Well, shouldn't it be all the time, not just today? Well, yes. Let me put this metaphor, this question that I have. Tomorrow on the next day. Tomorrow on the next day of the week. Not only today, not only today, but as we live. Why is it important today, or as we live? We're not from around here anymore.

You know, and Monique and I get on our politics, like I said, we get charged up by the politics, but at the end of the day, it means nothing. You know, as we were talking the other night about politics and stuff, whether your political persuasion or whatever, whoever, if you like this president or not, whatever, if, you know, there's very polarized differences on, we keep the president, we don't keep the president, all this stuff. In the end, does it matter? Yeah, I'd certainly like a certain political persuasion, way to go, but in the end, if it goes the other way, did God know about that? Did God allow that? Absolutely. So the biggest thing is our citizenship isn't here. Once we realize this union, where is our position now? In Christ, in the heavenlies. That's our citizenship.

So all this stuff that goes on around us today, even though we're to be salt, we're to be a light, we're to be all these things, we're not from around here anymore. We're not from around here. So, you know, this gives us this intimacy where we can cry out, Abba, Father. It's not that he, remember he said he wasn't going to take us out, in John 17, he said he's not going to take us out of the world. He's leaving us here. But he's given us this union, this intimacy, moment by moment, anytime, anyplace, anywhere, uninhibited, a union that we have with him.

So, when the trials come and all that, are you alone? No. You have the spirit, you have the intimacy. And if you understand that he's in control of all these things, how does that impact you when the trial comes? Do you curse him? How could this be happening? How could this president?

But we do lose fellowship through sin. True. And that's really what draws us back. As you have that fellowship with him and you develop this intimacy, when you sin and you pull away, it becomes much more drawing back because you lose that fellowship, the intimacy. I don't want to lose that. I don't want to be pushing away from God and losing that intimacy when I'm sinning, when I'm in the flesh. Because I desire that fellowship with Him, that intimacy. when in chapter 16 Jesus was talking to the disciples and he says that you guys are going to leave me, but I'm not going to be alone because the Father is always with me. And then followed by that is he's beaten, whipped, just crucified, spat on, but in all that the Father was with him the whole time. I don't know as far as Why have you forsaken me? How that fits into you're always with me.

Well, he knew that at that point, and that's the hardest thing he knew coming out, that that was the first time the Father would turn his back on him. Because Jesus became sin and God can't look at sin. And he had to deal with the sin. You know, I was talking with, we were up at the Eccles Bible Study the other night, and you know this intimacy?

And there's another example that I really, I really like. Because we're going through first Peter up there, or second Peter, whatever, second Peter, excuse me, second Peter 2. And we're going through all this stuff. And remember about Peter. What did Peter do at the crucifixion? Three times. Remember, Peter's the guy who went and, you know, I slice off his ear. I'm the guy, man. I'm impetuous as ever.

I'm going to do, you know, and then the Lord crushes him basically by saying, you're going to deny me three, before the cock crows three times, you're going to deny me. before the cock crows, you can deny me three times. Peter, I'm in front of the army, I sliced up guys here, are you kidding me? What does he do? He denies him three times when the cock crows.

And I can't remember which of the Gospels it is, but it says during that time, and this is the intimacy, and this is what I, it just nails it to me. I'm emotional about it. In one of the Gospels, and I can't remember which one, but it says that during this time, remember Christ is being beaten. He's going to be crucified. He's going through all the trials. And during that, when the cock crows, one of the translations says, Christ looked at Peter.

What do you think that was? What kind of look do you think that was? Was that a condemning look? No. That to me was utmost love. You know, it's, Peter, do you understand now? Do you understand this intimacy? It was the, I think it was the look of utmost love.

Do you understand, Peter, what I want for you? You know, I just, I look at that and I think, you know, I'm a Peter a lot of times, you know. I run out and I, like I said, I'm a type A, slay the world. I think the Lord's looking at me a lot of times with, you know, Courtney, what the heck are you doing?

You know, but it's in love. It's in utmost love because He wants this intimacy. Just what you said, Holly. When you fall away, you fall away from that intimacy. That is the most important thing. The highest blessing is that we have this union with Him. This intimacy. That's the key.

Like I said, I was talking about that with Peter. It was just like, yeah, that was a total look of love, not of condemnation. People sometimes think it's like, Peter, I don't think it was anywhere that. I think it was just like this. Peter, now do you understand what I want? I want this intimacy with you. All right, going on. Question 12. We will actually get done today on Lesson 8.

Now, who are the two agencies mentioned in the Gospel of John whose testimony and witness in the earth are to result in the conversion or the conviction of all mankind? What? Christ and the Spirit. Christ and the Spirit? And the Spirit. Any others? Christ and the Father. Christ and the Father? No. Yeah, Mike's giving it away for all you who are there. Who? What are the two today? The Spirit's one of them. The Spirit's one of them. What did He say in John 17?

Oh, come on. Us? Yeah. Hey! Hey! What does he say? That the world may know. Through us, that the world may know. So it's mankind and the Spirit? No, not mankind. No. Believers. Believers and the Holy Spirit. But they're not separate, right? Isn't it like the Holy Spirit using believers? Working through us, yes. Right. Verse 21. You want to read that? That they may all be one, even as you, Father, are in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. Yep.

So, us and the Spirit. are the two instruments, okay? Now, how's that make you feel? God is using us. Again, I just think of the intimacy and how worthy He is. He's using us to tell about Him. Awesome. I'm always to say all the time that you may be the only Bible that a man gets to read. Yeah. Well, that's why that song that I record a lot of times, I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day. I think that us living is an important piece, and that's what he says here at 21.

Seeing us manifest in Christ. Because it catches. Because it can be catching to others that don't. You'll be drawn. And that's why I told you sometimes, you know, when I'm in the drill rig and I was out Peter, you know, screaming out and giving them verses and doing everything. It was like, yeah, yeah.

But as I backed off that and just didn't engage in what they were doing and being different from them, I just wouldn't participate in a lot of, you know, or just, you know, when they were making crude things or whatever, I just wouldn't acknowledge it. You know, just living, being different. I wasn't engaging in their worldly activities. I wasn't condemning them. I just wasn't participating.

Well, versus pounding them with scripture, And this is just one example. You need scripture. You need to get that out. I don't want to discount that. But I got more responses by people going, how come you're not? Well, it's just not who I am. What do you mean, not who you are? La, la, la, la, la. So I think this is what he's saying.

Our testimony is to be used of God, to draw people to Him. Let's move on, because I want to read one more thing on the position papers before, and I'll try not to do after the second bell. Yahtzee! We made it to Lesson 9! All right, Lesson 9, and this is on John 17, verses 22 through 26.

I'll read those. beginning in verse 22, the glory which you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, just as we are one, I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that you sent me and love them, even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you have loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, although the world has not known you, yet I have known you, and these have known that you sent me. And I have made your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which you love me may be in them, and I in them.

I mean, just ponder these things. Ponder longer classes. No. OK. I'll do a couple of the questions and then I want to read one thing. It's a little, you know, Mike said he was worried about some of the media stuff. This one may be a little media than last time, but it's just, I think, about knowing him. It was another good one in that spiritual anthology or the position papers by Miles. What would you say is a source and spring from which all blessings flow to us? Come on, after three or four weeks on this.

What? Identity. But what? Union. Union. Union with Him. And what is that because of? Our identification with Him. So the source is because our union with Him. It all stems from our union with Him, our being placed in Him. That's the source of all of our blessings. It's not anything we've done.

Okay, what has Christ bestowed upon us that was given Him by the Father? Christ's glory. Glory. Verse 22, the glory which you have given me I have given to them that they may be one just as we are one, I in them, you in me, and they may be perfected in unity. So, He's given us His glory. Again, ponder that one. He has given us his glory. That's what he's bestowing upon us, isn't it? Question three, is there anything beyond glory? Oneness, complete unity. Okay. Others?

I had a note that said that the glory of the Father he has given him He is bestowing on us that it may be the element in which we are to be qualified for union and communion with the Father Himself. So it seems like in order to have His glory precedes the union, because of who God is, what His characteristics and character is, in order to understand and be able to apprehend what union is, you have to have a glory to start with. Well, I think that again goes back to redemnification. We've got to be here on a level with him because we can't understand it if we're not on that same level. We can't understand, you know, it's like Moses, you know, got to hide behind the rock and you've got to do all this, or excuse me, hiding behind the rock, you know, and he had the veil on. Now, we can see him face to face. I want to get to this last one before I read the thing.

What then is glory? What then is this glory that he's given to us? Because we take that and then what is the glory he's given to us? What is that? The union. What is the glory he's given to us? You know, I said, that's awesome, that's great glory. What is it? Intimacy? Well, it's the same as union. Okay, tell us.

The glory that the Father and Jesus shared? Yeah, see that's using the definition, the word in the definition. So what is that glory? Because he is, the glory the Father had with the Son he's sharing with us. So what is that? Complete love. You know, I have some things from Zodiatis and the definition of glory from this, you know, glory therefore is the true apprehension of God over things. The glory of God must mean his unchanging essence. Okay, and then he also goes on, what is meant by the glory and the glorifying of Jesus Christ, it means the revelation of his essential deity that which he is in the mind of the Father, though veiled from man by the limitations of the incarnation. So it's basically all of who he is, the essential essence of who he is.

What was the answer to number three? You're going too fast. No, no, no. It's the union. That's okay. Yeah. It's union. Again, our intimacy or union with him. I'm trying to get through it so I can read it, and I'm probably going to go right up to the bell on this last thing, but I want to get to the glory.

Isn't there a final glorification that's only available in heaven? That you only attain in heaven? Yeah, we'll have the final glory because we can't now absorb it all, I mean, what the glory. When we step out of this we'll have the glorified body to be able to be face to face with him in glory and share that in a way that we can't, I mean we have it but we can't I think fully absorb it right now.

We have a position that will be a condition when we leave here. Because the manifestation of the glory of God is done reflectively here, as in a mirror, but then face to face and so the glory of God will be manifested to us and through us unobstructed. Yes, when we step into eternity, position and condition align. Right now, we have these positions, that's all those things we see, the 34, that's what we have right now. And our condition, as we grow in the grace and knowledge and conformity to Christ, our condition starts to align more with our position.

But until we step into eternity, they're not going to be perfectly aligned. OK, last thing, I just want to read this again. This is one of these things from the Miles positional papers. I just thought this reading, it was good. It was, Know to grow, that I may know him.

Again, Philippians 3.10.

It is of the greatest importance for the Lord's own to recognize fully that above all other things, his object is that they should know him. This is the all-governing end of all his dealings with us. This is the greatest of all of our needs. It is the secret of strength, steadfastness, and fruitful service. The primary objective of the Father's dealing with us is that we may know His Son. This explains all our trials, sufferings, perplexities, weaknesses, predicaments, bafflings, and pressures. While the refining of the spirit, the development of the graces, the removal of dross, all are purposes of the fires, yet above and through all is the one object. that we may know the Lord.

Our minds are so often occupied with service and work, we think that doing things for the Lord is the chief object of life. We are concerned about our life work, our ministry. We think of equipment for it in terms of our study and knowledge of things. Soul winning or teaching believers or setting people to work for the Lord are so much in the foreground.

Bible study and knowledge of the scriptures, with efficiency in the matter of leading in Christian service as the end as the end in view, are matters of pressing importance with all. And this is all well and good, for these are important matters. But, back of everything, the Lord is more concerned about our knowing Him than anything else.

It is very possible to have a wonderful grasp of scriptures, a comprehensive and intimate familiarity with doctrine, to stand for cardinal verities of the faith. to be an unceasing worker in Christian service, to have a great devotion to the salvation of men, and yet, alas, to have a very inadequate and limited personal knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

So often He has to take away our work that we may discover Him. This is the only thing that will remain when all else passes. It is this that will make for the permanence of our ministry after we have been taken home. While we may help others in many ways and by many means, so far as their earthly life is concerned, our real service to them is based upon our knowledge of the Lord Jesus. We want instructions and commands. The Lord intends for us to have a mind. Have this mind in you. We have the mind of Christ. The inspired statement is that His anointing teaches you concerning all things.

We are not servants, we are sons. Galatians 4 There is an appalling state of things amongst the Lord's people today. So many of them have their life almost entirely in that which is external to themselves. Personal, inward spiritual intelligence is a very rare thing.

To know the Lord in a personal way means steadfastness when others are being carried away. Steadfastness through times of fiery trial. Those who really know Him do not put forth their own hand to try and bring things about. inevitable fruit of this knowledge. And in those who know Him, there is a quiet, restful strength which speaks of a great depth of life. In the Lord Jesus Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden. And the Father's will for us is to come to an ever-growing realization and personal appreciation of Him in whom all the fullness dwells."

Colossians 119. That was from T. Austin Sparks. I thought that was good. All right, let's close. Heavenly Father, we thank you again just for this time. We thank you again just to focus on your Word and your Son. Father, we realize that above all things, you want us to have intimacy with your Son, the Lord Jesus. We thank you that you've provided that way by placing us into Christ, that our life is His life. We thank you for that position that we have, that identification with the Lord Jesus Christ. And Father, we just thank you.

This is all by grace. that you have done this. And we live in the operating system of grace, unmerited, unlimited blessings. As we rest in the facts, the only thing you've called us to do is to believe. And that is an unmeritorious act, to have faith in the facts. And it's not rest in any of our faith. There's no work in that. It is believing in what is already true of us in Christ.

Father, we just thank you again for the ability to come before you, cry out, Daddy, intimately tell you what we have in this relationship and what you desire for us. We just thank you for that. We thank you again for all that you do in Christ. In his name we pray. Amen.