My Purpose, His Message

In Matthew, Jesus Christ revealed “The kingdom of heaven is like a [very precious] treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field [securing the treasure for himself]. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, and upon finding a single pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. (13:44-6, AMP)” The kingdom of heaven often used interchangeably with the kingdom of God, in other versions, is wherever the will of God is done. Due to our sinful nature, none of us is able to do His perfect will without the reconciliation that came through Christ’s death on the cross. “The [appointed period of] time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life] and believe [with a deep, abiding trust] in the good news [regarding salvation] (Mark 1:15, AMP).” Jesus came to make the kingdom of God accessible to all. Citizenship in this kingdom is not merely about accessing eternal life following the death of our mortal bodies, but it is about the life that we live now, presently. We must intimately know the Father, His character and His work. As we seek to commune with Him, the mysteries of the kingdom are revealed. “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. (Proverbs 25:2, AMPC)” Please journey with me as I explore these mysteries, treasures of inordinate price.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty and majesty of His holiness [as the creator and source of holiness]. (Psalm 29:2, AMP)

Jesus Christ, The Son of God: The Second Person of the Trinity

Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death on the cross is the only way to access eternal salvation with God, The Father. We have all been born into this world with a fallen and sinful nature. As a result, there is now no one who is truly righteous before God, The Father. We are all in need of a Savior to redeem us from our sins. God, The Father, in His infinite love, sent His one only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to earth in the flesh so He could then be crucified on a cross for our sins. Jesus has now paid in full the penalty of sin when He died on the cross – and unless a person is willing to admit that they are a sinner in need of Jesus’ saving grace, they will then die in their sin and fallen state before Him.

Just as Moses lifted up the [bronze] serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life [after physical death, and will actually live forever]. “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him]. (John 3:14-8, AMP)

Saved by Grace Through Faith, Not by Works

The gift of eternal salvation with God, The Father, can only be received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by any works, no matter how holy or pure those works may appear to be. Each of us has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; none is truly righteous before God. The gift of eternal salvation has been given freely to all by the Lord; it is simply received by grace through our personal faith in Jesus.

For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8, AMP)

Yet we know that a man is justified or reckoned righteous and in right standing with God not by works of the Law, but [only] through faith and [absolute] reliance on and adherence to and trust in Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). [Therefore] even we [ourselves] have believed on Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law [for we cannot be justified by any observance of the ritual of the Law given by Moses], because by keeping legal rituals and by works no human being can ever be justified (declared righteous and put in right standing with God). (Galatians 2:16, AMPC)

 For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character]. Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. (Romans 3:20, 23, AMPC)

The Bible: The Inspired and Infallible Word of God

The Bible has come to us directly from God, The Father, inspired by Him through the Holy Spirit, as such, all of it is infallible and inerrant since both God, The Father, and The Holy Spirit are perfect in Their actual personalities. The Bible is the real Word of God. The Bible is God’s direct Word to all of us. God has ensured all of it completely reliable, trustworthy, and truthful so we can be wholly dependent upon it for our daily living in Him.

All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16-7, AMP)

[Yet] first [you must] understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of any personal or private or special interpretation (loosening, solving). For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so—it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit. (II Peter 1:20-1, AMPC)

Renewed and Regenerated by The Holy Spirit

Once we receive The Holy Spirit into our human spirits at the moment of our conversions, our human spirits are immediately and instantaneously regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

 But when the goodness and kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared [in human form as the Man, Jesus Christ], He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy, by the cleansing of the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we would be justified [made free of the guilt of sin] by His [compassionate, undeserved] grace, and that we would be [acknowledged as acceptable to Him and] made heirs of eternal life [actually experiencing it] according to our hope (His guarantee). (Titus 3:4-7, AMP)

Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.” Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:3, 5, AMP)