Greetings. I hope you enjoyed my first post “A Peculiar People”. If you haven’t read it, it would be great if you do before you dive into this one. I also encourage you to read “Suddenly, Part Two, The Parable of the Ten Virgins.”
I pray this post clearly conveys to you Christ’s delight and passion for you. And I pray your heart receives the truth of the deeper things Jesus has just for you.
The mystery of the Gospel is an unfolding revelation. Catch the vision and apprehend what Christ has apprehended you for.
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I did not hear of God’s delight and passion for me as a child. My experience was the opposite. And the message at home was amplified in church as a young boy. Repentance was a time of anxiety and fear instead of an embrace by my heavenly Father.
But the Lord does not leave you and me as orphans. Jesus is here to shine his light in the dark places of our heart and soak us with love and grace. (1 Peter 1:13)
Devices Set Against Us
Many are vying for our affections in this age of consumerism. The “world” is intent on converting us to its system of beliefs and practices with the ultimate goal of destroying Christ in us. (John 10:10; Ephesians 6:12, 1 John 2:15 – 17)
The world is keenly aware of our fleshly weaknesses, appetites, longings and susceptibilities, determined and aggressive in its attempts to take advantage of us whenever and wherever it can. But God…
John 14:1– 4
Shortly before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion, Jesus said, ‘“1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”’( John 14:1-4 NIV)
This is an amazing passage. It is a prophetic revelation of the plan of God, Christ’s ministry, and our part. (I encourage you to read this passage in an interlinear.)
In essence Jesus is saying:
“I have done and completed everything the Father has asked me to do for your redemption, except… There is one more price I must pay for you. After I conclude the price with my life, bearing the marks of your sin in my body, I will have the ‘rights – legal entitlement’ to you and you to me.”
“Presently, I cannot unite myself with you in holy union, as I desire and you long for, without preparation. As you begin your journey My father and I will come to you by the power of the Holy Spirit and begin a process of preparing you for connection and union with me.”
“There is much preparation you must undergo in your house, ‘your temple of God.’ Through the workings of the Holy Spirit in and through various resources I send your way (church, fellowships, parachurch ministries, deliverance, inner healing, counseling, personal prayer and walk with me, etc.) I will prepare a measure of Christ in you.”
“When you’ve gone as far as you can go in your journey using those resources and in accordance with the measure of faith and expression of my Spirit in your generation, I will come to you and take you unto myself in a deeper work of healing and restoration.” (quotes are mine) (Matthew 24:40; John 14; John 21:18; Acts 3:20 – 21(see interlinear); 1 Corinthians 4:5; Ephesians 4:13; Hebrews 9:28; Revelation 3:11) (1)
At Great Cost and Price, Jesus Christ
In economics, the more valuable something is the more it costs. And typically, the more valuable, the greater the costs in creating value. In contrast, a common item has little cost going in and a lower purchase price.
You and I associate cost with value and naturally cherish and protect those things most important and valued. If we pay little for something, we will think of it as having little value and will not go to much effort to protect it.
How does this apply to this post? I’m glad you asked.
It is generally understood Jesus started his ministry at about age 30. What did he do those 30 years before his ministry?
The book of Hebrews is a great read about Christ’s life before his public ministry. It does not go into a lot of detail but what it does cover is essential to understanding the life and testimony of Jesus Christ.
For one, it records and describes the great price Christ paid in learning obedience – his complete giving of himself to his Father, that his Father’s word, will, and plan, would be accomplished in and through him. (Hebrews 5:7 – 10) This is the plan for you and me as well.
The Heart of the Gospel
Having purchased the “right” for us to hear and embrace the gospel of righteousness, shedding his blood, reconciling us to God, gracing us with his Holy Spirit and presence, fighting for and on behalf of us, and cleansing and healing us, what can we offer him in return?
In verse 4 of John 14 Jesus is in essence saying, “We’ve been together for over three years, you know my story, and if you want to follow in my footsteps and be one with my Father and me, you will need to drink the cup I drank, pick up your cross, and permit me to prepare you as my Father prepared me.”(quotes are mine)
Treasured Possessions for Jesus
Jesus desires to renew us in the deepest part of who we are. With our permission and engagement, he will prepare you and me to be “like” him, multiplying the great price he paid.
He’s here to give us an easy yoke and a light burden. To offer a new chapter for the church. When Jesus takes you into deeper intimacy, he’ll lead you into rest where there was striving and strife, peace where there was chaos, repentance where there was unforgiveness, quietness where there was turmoil, and trust, confidence and faith where there was condemnation and works.
The great cost for us is the battle over our hearts and our journey to spend the time, money, disruption and vulnerability for Christ – to learn obedience. But ‘oh, these costs, though seemingly great in our small little worlds, pale in comparison to the extravagant riches waiting for you and me in Jesus.
Who can put a price tag on cleansing and healing? What would it be like to be free of addiction, fear, or codependency? What would it be like to experience and know the delight and love of God in the deepest part of your being?
What would it be like to know and be known? What would it be like to have the sense of abandonment, loneliness and emptiness removed from your life?
And how about freedom from anxiety? And what about the deep things Jesus wants to heal you don’t even know about or cannot put to words?
There is a deeper measure of cleansing and healing Christ is offering today. How far and how deep is his determination. But, why not apprehend everything that’s available?
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20)(NIV)
God’s love and blessings to you.
- (1) Please note, there are many references in the New Testament to Jesus coming and appearing, etc. Many of those references have nothing to do with what we traditionally think as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Keep in mind the New Testament is written for you and me, here and now, for each generation, to prepare and equip us to know Jesus in a more intimate way.
- Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblical, Inc.™
