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Psalm 62: Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

² He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

³ How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.

⁴ They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

⁵ My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

⁶ He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

⁷ In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

⁸ Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

⁹ Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

¹⁰ Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

¹¹ God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.

¹² Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

God is my rock and my salvation, my salvation and my Glory, my strength and my refuge–that we might trust in Him.  Such a beautiful scripture.  Yet, then I came to the last verse and sat in wonder as to what David meant.  Why does David say that God is merciful and then in the next part of the sentence says that he renderest to every man according to his works.  Since we have all sinned and are worthy of only God’s wrath and eternal damnation, then what part of rendering upon to me my just punishment would have in God’s mercy.  There must be more to this verse than originally meets the eye.  That answer I believe comes in two parts.  First, if one goes in search of the Hebrew words found in this verse they are

כְּֽמַעֲשֵֽׂהוּ׃  (to his work).  This word then when searched leads first to the following verse:

Exodus 28: ⁸ And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

The ephod was a garment that was to be worn to go before God, mostly worn by the High Priests.  We too have a garment of fine works that covers our sin when we go before the heavenly Father and that is the shed blood of Christ which covers our sins. We are covered by His finished work upon the cross.  Secondly, as you read Galatians you will find:

Galatians 2: ¹⁶ Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

So, now faith is the key to our being justified before a Righteous and Just God.  It is God’s mercy that looks upon sinful man and then through faith in Jesus Christ, God takes our sin and imparts to us His righteousness and His Glory.

Romans 4: 9 …faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

Does that mean that I then take sin lightly and desire to continue in it.  A thousand times NO.  Indeed, when I understand the love and grace which God has provided; I will abhor the sins that are in myself.  The more I see Him and His Glory the more I desire to follow after and be like Him.  He continually is about the work of transforming me, so that one day I will be the bride without spot or blemish.  One day I will look like Christ.  Though that day may not have fully arrived; but, I know that He has promised to finish that work in me.  Whatever cross or fire it takes to complete His purifying work in me, I eagerly accept; because I now seek Him above all else.  This has been His act of mercy to step by step work in me to transform me each day, sifting and purifying my works so that they are His; as I surrender by faith daily to His Will. 

Ephesians 2:¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t2Evnpn1do

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV

John 17: ²⁰ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

²¹ That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

²² And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

²³ I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

²⁴ Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

²⁵ O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

²⁶ And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Oh that you might grasp the significance of this the prayer of Christ as He headed for the Garden of Gethsemane heralding His approach to the cross.  His prayer was that the power of the Father might so penetrate our hearts and minds that we might become one with the Father and Son and by thus doing we might grow in our sanctification, becoming perfected so that our lives would shine forth as a testimony of the perfect love that the Father had for the Son and overflowing to fill each heart of those who would believe.  Let our love overflow in like manner to a world in need of a Savior.  Let our love overflow to a brokenhearted,  sorrow filled world. He has not only shared His love and His Joy; but desires to share His Glory.  Let us Christian world become united in this one passion to display the Love and Glory of Christ.  Lay aside your selfish, covetous, fleshy desires that you may be one with the Father and Son.  Let us declare His Splendor, His Glory and His Joy.  Though it may be a cross we must bear to show His Glory more, let us carry that cross with the joy that we find in a relationship united with God.  Not laden down or downcast; but, through keeping our eyes focused on Jesus we know that whatever cross we are carrying, He is there with us and never forget that all things work together for good to those who love God.  The chance we have to communion with Him, to walk with Him, to talk with Him and to study the truth He has provided in His word for us is Joy Abounding.  Circumstances come and Go, but He never leaves us. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOAlmLDi3m0

 

 

John 17:  ¹¹ And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

¹² While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

¹³ And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

¹⁴ I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

¹⁵ I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

¹⁷ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

¹⁸ As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

The moment was approaching in which Christ would be rejected, accused, spit upon, beaten horribly, and then die upon a cross.  The righteous, sinless Son of God had known before Creation that this moment would come.  Adam’s choice had not taken the God-head by surprise.  Omniscience knew that Adam would sin; but also knew that there would be many born who would accept God’s gift of salvation wrapped within His desire to share His love, His Joy and His Glory with those whom by free will would accept His offer of salvation and choose to seek Him.  So the moment had come that Christ must bare the penalty of sin for all of mankind upon the cross with the one thing most terrifying and painful for Him, that He must be separated from God the Father (His very soul) and God the Holy Spirit (His very spirit) and He would be plunged into Hell.  If Hell is eternal separation from God’s love, joy, and glory; then Christ was plunged into a hell that He could never have prepared for and could never have experienced brefore.  That torment was the greatest for Him.  The soul of God (the Father) could not look upon sin for He is perfect righteousness and could not have any part with sin; so as Christ took on man’s sin, man’s guilt, and man’s suffering–God was forced to forsake His son–until the work was finished.  Yet, on His way to the Garden where only hours later He would be betrayed and the walk toward the moment in which that very dark hour would begin; Christ prayed for all who would accept this gift of salvation.  His desire is that they know the truth and be sanctified through the truth of the word of God.  When one knows the truth, that the only true joy that our hearts, minds, and souls can truly feel is based upon a relationship with our creator.  All other joys are merely counterfeit.  All conflict, sorrows, pains, and trials on this earth become meaningless trivialities when we recognize that they cannot steal the Joy we have: founded upon a relationship with our creator and our Savior.   What Joy is mine because I know Him!  What Joy is mine to know that He loves me, unconditionally!  What Joy is mine to know that His love is so great that He cannot leave me in the regenerate state in which He found me; but rather is always about the work of my Sanctification, that I may become the beautiful bride for Christ that He already sees me to be.  He sees my greatest potential and is ever about the work of my reaching the point that I will realize them.  He sifts out the chaff, removes the blemishes, destroys one by one the strongholds of sin that my heart desires and rips from my hand the counterfeit joys that I tend to cling to; that I might find this wondrous Joy that I know in Him alone.If I may, I would like to quote two statements from the writing of Jonathan Edwards who is able to express this much better than I can, though these truths have become glaringly evident in my heart. 

Jonathan Edwards > Quotes

“God is the highest good of the reasonable creature. The enjoyment of him is our proper; and is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Better than fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of any, or all earthly friends. These are but shadows; but the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean.” 
― Jonathan Edwards, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 17: Sermons and Discourses, 1730-1733

“God’s purpose for my life was that I have a passion for God’s glory and that I have a passion for my joy in that glory, and that these two are one passion.” 
― Jonathan Edwards

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQJ1zb-HcEk&playnext=1&list=PL492D7877FFA036D3&feature=results_video

As we continue through Christ’s prayer as he approached the Garden of Gethsemane,

John 17: ⁴ I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

⁵ And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

⁶ I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

⁷ Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

⁸ For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

⁹ I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

¹⁰ And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

Deuteronomy 5: ²⁴ And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork

John 7:³⁸ He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

³⁹ (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

So what does all this mean?  Christ who had the fullness of Glory which was His being God, laid it aside to humble Himself, be born in a manger, work as a carpenter, teach the apostles, and then to take upon His shoulders the sin of the world so that the Righteousness of God and God’s full justice against the sins of mankind might be paid in full.  There was a huge sin debt and Christ would have to bare the full wrath of God–a terrible price to pay beyond what we can even imagine.  He would then be restored to His Position of Glory seated on the right hand of the Father.  Even more so, that Glory now was more fully magnified by His Glorious demonstration of love, obedience, and sacrifice.  The ultimate of Glory was now magnified.  He did this that I might be saved.  He did this that you might have the opportunity to be saved so that you might share in His love, His Joy and His Glory.   Do you know Him?  Do you believe that there is only one true God and that Jesus Christ (His Son) died for your sins? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymrZO1PZbU4

 

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John 17: These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

² As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

³ And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Jesus on His way to the Garden of Gethsemane where He knew that His betrayal, His persecution, and His death on the cross were imminent.  He had known since before creation that this day would come.  He along side the Father and the Holy Spirit had created man that they might share the love, the glory, and the joy that was theirs with someone.  That joy could not be fully realized if they did not allow freewill.  Omniscience had known that man would choose the creation over the creator; yet, they knew that would be a people who would choose to accept the gift of salvation.  All of the years that had passed from the moment of creation to the cross; God had provided a way of salvation through symbolic sacrifice.  That Salvation was to be provided by the death, burial and resurrection of His son.  Christ would have to bare the full wrath that perfect righteousness would demand so that Justice would be fulfilled; that would be the only way that man would be able to regain a relationship with their Righteous, Holy Creator.  With that relationship, man’s heart is left empty; no hope and no lasting joy could be found.  The hour was approaching and a humble servant was about to obey the will of the Father; yet, He had a compassionate prayer for all that would believe.  He began that prayer by restating His purpose that was to give eternal life to all that would believe so that they might know the only true God and Christ with intimacy, no doubts, no fears, and no turning back. This was their only hope of Joy, Love, Light and Life.  What a compassionate Savior we have, unselfish and giving; willing to take our place.  Do You Know this Savior?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQhLa7TPoR8