Illus. by Wayne Major
There were three people in heaven who decided one day to play a round of golf at the heavenly country club. The first man stepped up to the tee, hit his drive, and watched as it headed straight for the water hazard. Just as the ball was about to land in the water, he raised his club, pointed it out over the water, and the waters parted, allowing the ball to land on dry ground. He walked out between the two columns of water, and hit a perfect second shot, right in the middle of the green. One of his partners said, “Wow, good shot, Moses!”
The second man walked up to the tee, hit his drive, and watched as it took a nearly identical flight path, straight toward the water. But when the ball hit, it landed and stayed right on top of the water. He walked out across the water and hit a second shot which was also identical, landing at the center of the green. Moses told him, “Hey, that’s a pretty good shot yourself, Jesus!”
Then the third man came to the tee box, teed up and hit his drive. The drive took a nasty slice and went straight into the trees, caroming off in the wrong direction, heading for the out-of-bounds marker. Right at that moment, a squirrel who happened to be nearby saw the ball and thought it might be good to eat, so it grabbed the ball and started running towards the fairway. When the squirrel was about halfway across the fairway, suddenly an eagle swooped down out of nowhere and grabbed the squirrel in its claws, flying away with both squirrel and ball. Just as the eagle’s flight took it across the green, it lost its grip on the squirrel and dropped it. The squirrel landed flat on its belly, jarring the ball loose, which then took two bounces and landed squarely in the center of the cup. Moses cast a disgusted glance at Jesus and said, “Must your Father always remind everyone who He is, by using all things impossible to accomplish everything He desires!
Who are you?
Isaiah 53:2-10 MSG
2-6 The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
on him, on him.
7-9 He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn’t say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he’d never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn’t true.
10 Still, it’s what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him.
God's plan for forgiveness and redemption through what Jesus did on the cross so long ago, was only made possible by Jesus unselfishness and Gods act of Love! The Resurrection has changed the lives more than 2 Billion followers, statistics tell us.
And how is it possible, that one man's actions has touched so many people and caused them to want to become believers? Because of Gods immense love for mankind, and His desire and willingness to reconnect with them.
Since the beginning God's plan all along the way has been to reconcile man unto himself and establish an ongoing and loving relationship with his children. A plan that had been waiting since the beginning of time!
He sent his son to be a Savior and Jesus willingly accepted the assignment, to deliver Gods Amazing Gift of Grace to save a lost and dying world!
The unattainable law, that the children of Israel and the world still today looked at with the same self effort. Which was flawed from the beginning and never designed to work.
God knew if there was ever to be a way of relationship, the law would have to be replaced with a more and better way, called Grace!
John 3:16 NKJ
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life
The first step is to believe that Jesus died for you! The next step is the realization of Gods Grace and what grace makes possible in your life and what grace allows you to do and become.
Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJ
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Jesus, God's gift of Grace to the world, the only way to eternal life. Not made possible by our doing, but only by His generous act of Love! If we only can have faith enough to believe?
Hebrews 11:6 NKJ
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Faith, faith is what makes the reality of the resurrection real for millions of believers all across the globe today.
History tells of the event and records it on paper, but it is faith in the miracle that sprang forth from the resurrection that writes our name down in the Lambs Book of Life and let's us proudly proclaim when we accept Jesus and become born again, that;
"There's a new name written down in Glory and it's mine!
With that being said, when we trust Jesus to be our Savior and we become a new creation, what does our act of faith allow us to become?
Who and what are we, based upon our relationship with God, through His Son Jesus?
Ephesians 1:3-23 NKJ
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 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, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He [a]made us accepted in the Beloved.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and [b]prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, [c]both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 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, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[d] is the [e]guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your [f]understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality[g] and [h]power and [i]might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
#1 We have been and most definitely are blessed!
Psalms 68:19
Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation! Selah
We may not always feel like we are blessed, but the word declares because of our relationship we have a Jesus we are blessed and we should expect a blessing!
What kind of blessing? Every spiritual blessing the word declares!
How often? Everyday and all the time is what our expectations should be to be blessed, with God’s goodness!
#2 We have been chosen!
We’re not the last kid on the field at recess to be chosen to be on the team! We were chosen from the beginning to be a part of the kingdom of God!
Jeremiah 1:4-5 NKJ
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified[a] you;
I [b]ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
There’s never been a time you weren’t chosen! You have been chosen from the beginning! The day you accepted Jesus as your Savior was a chosen day. It’s no mistake that you’re here today as well! You are a chosen child of God ordained to be His voice in the darkness, the salt of the earth!
#3 We have been adopted!
Adoption defined; legally take (another's child) and bring it up as one's own.
Just as you’ve been chosen, God has also adopted you and taken on the responsibility of being your heavenly father, bringing you up and calling you his own!
Galatians 4:4-5 NKJ
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
We don’t have a Cinderella relationship with God. God has put us on the same level playing field as his own son Jesus, “according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
#4 We have been accepted!
The word declares “He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Definition of accepted
: regarded favorably : given approval or acceptance
Romans 15:7 New International Version (NIV)
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
There is no better feeling, then to hear the words you’re approved! To be accepted is something that every human being craves and wants in their life. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross He made a way of acceptance, so that we could receive His righteousness and all the benefits available from His act of unselfishness on the cross, with God’s approval!
#5 We have been redeemed!
Vs 7 says “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”
Because of the blood Jesus shed for the remission of our sins, we have been redeemed!
Galatians 3:13-14 MSG
13-14 Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham’s blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God’s life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it.
Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed by the blood of the lamb, His child forever I am! Thanks be to Jesus, for His willingness to pay the price for our redemption and make a way of salvation for us from eternal damnation!
#6 We have been forgiven!
There is nothing more comforting, or that brings relief then hearing the words I forgive you, when have done something bad or something wrong to someone!
Psalm 103:12 The Voice (VOICE)
12. You see, God takes all our crimes—our seemingly inexhaustible sins—and removes them. As far as east is from the west, He removes them from us.
God doesn’t remember our sins when we ask for forgiveness. And God knows our sinful nature, that’s why His Grace allows daily forgiveness and a lifetime supply of forgiveness.
It’s not made possible by our willingness to ask, but by His willingness to to look to what Jesus righteousness has done and continues to do for us on a non stop basis!
#7 We have been enlightened!
Enlighten is a verb, which means it’s a favorite word because it’s an action word! Which means it is ongoing word from God, still on assignment from the moment God spoke it! Enlighten; give (someone) greater knowledge and understanding about a subject or situation.
according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.
God revealed once and for all the mystery of His will towards mankind when He chose to share His Grace and His Son Jesus with the world. The way of Grace and relationship Jesus established is something God wants everyone to know and no one not to have the opportunity to come and know!
#8 We have an inheritance!
Nothing makes someone more excited and glad to hear, then their name being read at the reading of someone’s last will and testament!
“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,”
TBS We not only have a great inheritance coming that we will receive one day in heaven, but we also have the God given right to inherit, possess and walk in our best life in the here and now, called the abundant life!
Galatians 3:28-29 MSG
28-29 In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.
We are an heir just as Abraham was, because of the covenant God made with Abraham! Which brings to my next point.
#9 We are sealed!
“ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory”
God loves us so much that he sent the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of our inheritance until it’s redemption!
History tells us when a kings insignia is stamped and sealed on a document, it means it can never be undone, or altered. God sent his Holy Spirit as a promise, that our inheritance and the promise of our inheritance was sealed and would never be withdrawn!
God would always honor His promise all through out eternity!
#10 We have been given hope!
“that you may know what is the hope of His calling,”
Jeremiah 29:11-13 NASB
11 For I know the plans that I [h]have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
One thing Hope is, Hope is contagious! And God wants your hope to be contagious! God wants the hope He has given to you, to infect someone else and to give them hope for the kind of future you have to look forward too and have been promised!
God wants you to be able to stand up, to be accountable and able to respond when someone asks what your relationship with God really means to you and how your relationship defines who you are in and through Him!
To not give account of what the world around you might think Your relationship with Jesus is, but to be able to give an accurate description of what the word declares....and you have come to know it is....and what it means to you personally!
Who are you? I Am an Overcomer, that’s who I Am!
