Jesus said, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9 NKJV). We must see Jesus not as man teaches, but as the Spirit reveals him to us, as God wants us to know and see him! We are to get God’s vision and testimony of Christ, then we will know God as he desires to be known!
The glory of God and the worthiness of his Son are involved in his dealings with us. Hence everything that could possibly stand in the way of our eternal blessedness has been disposed of in such a manner as to secure the divine glory and furnish a triumphant answer to every plea of the enemy.
Is it a question of trespass? He has forgiven us all trespasses.
Is it a question of sin? He has condemned sin at the cross and thus put it away.
Is it a question of guilt? It is cancelled by the blood of the cross.
For anyone to enjoy settled peace, he must cease from self and harken to God’s Word and rest without a single question on its pure, precious and everlasting record. God’s Word never changes. I change; my frame, my feelings, my experience, my circumstances change continually, but God’s Word is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Paul describes the love of God as wide, long, high and deep. “That you…may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19, NKJV).
I want to focus today on the depth of God’s love.
When the children of Israel went through times of testing, were they really supposed to express gratitude and thanksgiving in the middle of them? When they were surrounded and in a hopeless situation, did God really expect them to have that kind of reaction?
Yes, absolutely! That was the secret to getting out of their difficulty. You see, God wants something from all of us in our times of trouble. He wants us to offer him a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
One of the most important verses in scripture is in the apostle Peter’s first letter. He speaks of the necessity of having our faith tested. “That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” (1 Peter 1:7 NKJV).
Why do so many believers experience weakness, despair and emptiness, as if they can’t go on? It is because they do not have the understanding that the Spirit gave Paul. They do not see all the provisions God has made possible for those who would claim them by faith!
Do you fit Paul’s description of a bountiful servant, one who has all he needs and more every day, even in crisis? Have you proved this by drawing on the bank of heaven?
As Jesus spent his last hours with his disciples, he said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you” (John 16:23, NKJV). Immediately following this, he told them, “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).
The Holy Spirit gives us strength when we release all our needs into God's hands and trust in his might. Ruth is an example of this kind of trust. After her husband died, Ruth lived with her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi was concerned about Ruth's welfare and future, so she advised Ruth to lie down at the feet of the wealthy Boaz and ask him to fulfill his obligation to her as her kinsman.
Suppose you came upon Jesus on day forty-one immediately following his temptation in the wilderness. His face is shining. He’s rejoicing, praising the Father, because he’s won a great victory.
You see Jesus exuding life and confidence. Now he’s ready to face the powers of hell, so he sets off boldly for the great cities that lie in darkness. He preaches the gospel, sure of God’s Word. He heals the sick, knowing his Father is with him.