Sermon – Fix Your Eyes On Jesus

Sermon – Fix Your Eyes On Jesus May 29, 2005

Intro
Thank you Chuck for giving us the opportunity to speak to our familiar church home. This is very special for me and so I want to use the time talking about my favorite person. Not Jaden, not even my wife, but about Jesus. In John 17 Jesus said:

John 17:24
Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

What does He mean? What is the glory God has given Him? We are going to look at a few Bible passages to better understand what it is we will see when we see His glory.

Firstborn
We’ll start at the beginning. Colossians tells us Jesus was the first created being:

Col 1:15
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

1 Corinthians makes it clear that after the Creation of Christ, God caused everything else to be under Jesus, except God Himself:

1 Cor 15:27-28
For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

Creator
So Jesus was there at the beginning of time and then everything else was made through Him:

John 1:1-3
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, (Jesus is the Word) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Col 1:16-20
16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

John 1:3
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Trinity
Understanding the relationship of Jesus to God the Father and within the trinity is difficult or impossible for our small pea-brains. This chart may help a little:

.

While they are clearly three separate entries, they overlap into a singular Godhead. As we go through the passages pertaining to Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit we can see how they fit into different circles and overlaps on this chart. For instance, when Colossians 1:15 says Jesus is the firstborn over all creation, that would go into the Jesus circle, outside any overlap. But when Jesus says:

Matt 28:20
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

That would go into the part of the chart where Jesus overlaps the Holy Spirit because Jesus now lives in us by the Spirit. In John 17 we have a passage which belongs in the overlap between Jesus and God:

John 17:21-23
21 …Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me.

Another passage that should go into this overlap between God and Jesus is:

John 8:58-59
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

The Jews flared at this reply because when Jesus said, “I am”, He was applying to Himself the first name of God given to Moses at the burning bush. God told Moses to call Him, “I am that I am.” Here Jesus shares the same title.

John 10:29-30
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."

Verse 29 belongs in the Jesus only circle, while verse 30 is where they overlap.

Divine
Many passages belong in this overlap and they prove the divinity of Jesus. Here are a couple more examples:

Titus 2:13
while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,


Isa 9:6
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

New age adherents and cults say Jesus is just another of many self-made gods. Hindus would agree. Buddhists say Jesus is a wise teacher. Islam says He is a prophet. The problem is they neglect His divinity. Let me read one of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. “ That is the one thing we must not say. The man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic-- on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg-- or else he would be the devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or he is a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Attributes of Jesus
What else can we learn about Jesus? Here are a few words that describe Him:

Omnipotent
Omniscient
Omnipresent

That is a fancy way of saying Jesus has might, insight, and is all around us tight. A couple of weeks ago we met a man in Africa who named his two children Omnipotent and Omniscient. When Judy Ervine pointed out to him that it bordered on blasphemy it came out he didn’t really understand the meanings of the words. In case you are considering these as birth names, let me go over the meanings.

Omnipotent means Jesus is all powerful.

Matt 28:18-19
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Phil 3:20-21
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Everything is under His control. He is all powerful.

Omniscient means Jesus knows all things.

Mark 2:6-8
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things?”

Rev 2:1-2
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your deeds…

He knows our deeds as He knows all things.

Omnipresent means Jesus is everywhere. We have already seen on our chart how the Holy Spirit brings Jesus’ presence everywhere.

Incarnation
Another fancy word we use to describe Jesus is incarnation. This means Jesus is God stuffed into a human body. The reason for this is so we can better understand Him. If you and I wanted butterflies to understand us, the best plan would be for one of us to become a worm, go into a cocoon, and hatch out as a butterfly. The other butterflies would see the incarnation and identify with a fellow butterfly. The human/butterfly could then use butterfly talk (rub antennae or whatever they do) to explain as best as possible the world of humans. So the incarnation is Jesus coming into our world to explain God.

Heb 1:1-4
1:1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.

Compassion
So what is it we learn about God through Jesus? The most important lesson is God’s compassion and fatherly yearning to see His children made whole.

Isa 40:11
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.

Isa 42:3
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

Matt 8:16-17
16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

"He took up our infirmities
and carried our diseases."

The parable of Jesus that gives us the most insight into God’s heart is about a self-centered, wayward son who later returns to His father. Jesus ends the beautiful story like this:

Luke 15:20
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

Jesus demonstrates, in the flesh, God’s compassion. He demonstrates all God’s power and all God’s compassion in the same package.

Col 1:16-20
16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

It is simply amazing to me that Jesus is responsible for holding all things together. There are six billion people in the world. Jesus knows every hair on their heads and every hurt in their lives. There are 10 to the 21st power stars in the universe. That is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 and Jesus holds every quark of every atom together. This is what Jesus spoke about when He said He wanted us to see His glory in heaven.

Conclusion
These are amazing facts. But just knowing about Jesus won’t do us any good. The demons for whom hell is reserved know these facts far better than any of us and yet it has done them no good.

James 2:19
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.

The difference is we can do more than know about Jesus, we can know Him as the lover of our soul and best friend. This great God, this holder of all things, this compassionate One is my best friend and He can be yours as well.

Col 3:4
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Indeed, Jesus is our life.

Heb 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…

I pray we can all do just that.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are so beautiful and incredible. I want a full and rich relationship with You for eternity. I cannot settle for a shallow belief in you. I want to love You and be loved by You. I want to be like those young lovers that get all gooey-eyed and can’t get enough of each other. They tune out the rest of the world. That is the relationship I want with You.

Lord, I want to fix my eyes on You.

Eden Orphan 

Zimbabwe - Part 2

Our missions trip to Africa is made up of bits of broken memory-tiles. Some of the fragments are cheerfully bright, a few hopelessly bleak. Many of the patterns are exotic; like nothing experienced in our culture. During the plane ride home, the five of us are trying to sort the bits into some sort of mosaic that makes sense.

Don-
The first piece of tile I hold is inky black on the left edge but it blends toward vibrant colors on the right. We received word the wife of one of Rory and Judy’s employees lay sick. A demon was speaking through her ranting threats and boasts of oppression. As they say in Africa, we ‘made a plan’ to visit the troubled woman.

The ride out was a delightful adventure in its own right. Judy drove the old Landcruiser along a rutted track deep into the bush. We went left around a reed lined lake, up to the brown-green savanna, and inched between mufti trees. The canopy of the mufti tree is a few deft lines drawn horizontally in artists’ charcoal against a broad horizon. Time was gauged by changes in the sunset. The last amber rays threaded and danced through clouds of every shape and color. While watching that sunset nothing else mattered. Owls, doves, and a diker antelope sprang up before our cattle guard as it nosed its way through the grasses. Half-dozen black pastors bounced along in the truck bed chattering in Shona. They had come along in hopes of acquiring tools for defeating their unseen enemies.

It was dusk as we pulled up to a family gathered around a cooking fire beside their thatched roundoval. The husband brought us inside immediately. One of the many comical African inconsistencies met us. Inside the hut were: 1) a fire pit, 2) a grass mat, 3) the sick woman, and 4) eight folding plastic chairs in neat rows. If we hadn’t been on dire business I might have burst out laughing to see folding chairs miles into the bush where they don’t have a frying pan or a doormat. The husband quickly explained that goblins (his word) had been troubling his wife for nearly a month. “They beat her and say horrible things and then leave her ill. Just now she has pain in her head and cannot rise.”

On the trip out I was frightened into desperate prayers in anticipation of what we would face. Once we arrived at ground zero, a holy determination took over. I was ready to charge the enemy. Triage was simple. Through the interpretation of the husband we learned his wife had already been baptized into Christ at age 19. Further questions got to the heart of the matter. Bitterness and witchcraft were portals through which the demon entered and stayed. One year before, another woman hired a witch to send evil spirits against our patient’s father. The father shrank from life until he died and our troubled gal harbored hatred. Further, she herself had depended on a witchdoctor for medicine for her child. Hatred and reliance on evil power are two breeches strictly forbidden to the follower of Christ, no matter what the circumstances. Serious demon oppression, perhaps even possession, had followed. This is a lesson to us all.

We began to loosen the demon’s hold by leading a prayer for forgiveness in accordance with:

I John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Next, Pastor Bester and I knelt on either side of the suffering woman to pray the demon away. As I touched her listless shoulder it was hot with fever. I moved my hand to her forehead for confirmation as I silently mouthed to Nurse Judy, “She is burning up.” Bester began praying in Shona, “I command you evil spirits to leave in Jesus’ name.” I followed ordering the demons of hate, fear, and jealously to depart and calling on the Holy Spirit with anointing oil in accordance with James 5.

During the 15 minutes of prayer, we saw no manifestation but there was a supernatural result. The fever immediately left. We gave follow-up exhortations to the husband on assuming his appointed role as priest to protect his family through the power of Christ.

The surprising shades of this tile come from the fact the husband was a Methodist minister. The Lord demonstrated how badly Zimbabweans need spiritual training. Even church leaders are blinded by fear. Rather than proactive action they are quickly defeated by the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12). Our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe need our help in many ways and we have been neglecting them. The family expressed gratitude by offering warm roasted peanuts as we came out of the roundoval.

Dani-
My favorite tiles were collected over dinner with the orphans. We were invited into two of the thatched cottages to join the children for evening sudza and relish. Sudza is a blob of sticky cornmeal eaten as the daily staple. A ball is pinched off, rolled in the right hand, then dipped into relish made of rape (like collard greens), onions, and gravy. A little chicken fresh from the Eden farm balanced the meal out. The Shona language flowed liberally and by the tones and gestures it was easy to guess what was said. “Krispen dear, please do sit up straight and show our guests your best manners.” “Agnes, could you help young Anyway to wash the sudza from his face? Thank you for being a big sister in God’s family.” It was deeply reassuring to witness how our resources, and yours, are making a real difference, in real lives, around real dinner tables.

After dinner the kids included the American guests in their nightly tradition. Everybody circled up to participate in a brief Bible devotion and prayer time. For me, the contrast in tile colors is what I’ll remember most. Right in the tiny township of Doma, seven people, mostly children, died during our time there. Children dig for roots, are abused, sleep in fields, and never know Jesu (Jesus). A few steps away inside Eden Children’s Village, rescued kids are healthy, giggling, and filled with the love of God.

Lindsey-
The fragments I discovered fit not only in Africa, they were also pieces missing from my mosaic back home. Some holes in my faith are now filled-in. I learned the God I love is a warrior. I clearly saw the work of Satan but also how weak Satan is compared to the greatness of God. We have abundant power available to us in Christ. I will no longer fear the work of the enemy but will take hold of God’s supremacy over all things.

I have a renewed passion for the spread of the gospel to the lost. There were many physically desperate people. That spoke to me about how much worse off are those who are spiritually desperate. Where there were blank voids in my understanding of God, there are now two vivid pictures. One is of God’s awesome power; the other is of God’s sadness over the lost. I am hanging on to these tile fragments. They are mine to keep forever.

We also played a lot of tennis on dirt courts. I’m not sure where these fragments fit into the mural, but it sure was fun.

Denise-
I could show you many beautiful, enchanting tiles I collected. But, the ones that will stay in my memory were collected as we traveled through the capital, Harare. They are sharp, jagged, and grim. Thousands of people, destitute and walking randomly, were along every street. They had nothing to eat, nowhere to be, no one to love. My heart breaks every time I pick up these chips and look at them. It is hard to believe there are so many desperate souls in this big world. Tears dripped from my eyes onto these tiles. I wondered what could possibly be done for the people. Then I looked at Eden Children’s Village and said, “That’s what”.

Steve-
My contributions to the African mosaic each have a graphic line running through them. They all line up, connected by a singular theme. One tile is the green organic garden with all kinds of vegetables and herbs. Lining up the ends of the graphic it is easy to fit in the next piece, which is also green. It is the banana, citrus, avocado, and papaya trees. Next to that belongs the dairy operation: black cows, yellow butter, thick white cream. Then there is the chicken operation and the rabbit hutches. The same line runs through the corn harvest underway during our visit. Soybeans, seed flowers, grain storage, clothes distribution, equipment maintenance, sewing, a medical clinic, thatching grass, housing construction, brick making, teacher and housemother training; they all share the same amazing line that connects God to orphans. God has protected each of these fragments, blessed them, and caused production because He promised to look after the widow and the orphan.

Colorful bits and pieces. Separately they are treasured memories, but only when they are arranged together does a cohesive image emerge. When we stand back to take in our mosaic what do we see? It is a picture of God cradling a hurting and bent nation while frenzied enemies swirl about. From God’s countenance, we can see He has a decided plan and He will love his people through to its completion. And so, we will simply name our picture, Future Hope.

Prov 23:17-18
Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.
There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.

Safe in Zimbabwe

We arrived in Zimbabwe like Seth. He is the Fry’s* Yorkshire terrier. Teenager that he is, Ian Fry will hold Seth a few inches off the ground and get him worked up by pretending there is a mouse loose. Seth’s little legs run frantically in the air, Ian drops the dog to the waxed floor and he scampers in place like crazy before shooting forward. It is hysterically funny.

We hit Zimbabwe running in place then shot forward. After 48 hours of travel, we spent an hour or two attempting to locate missing luggage, drove to the orphanage in time for dinner, and went right to work praying over a boy troubled by a demon. The thing threw him off his bed, choked out his voice, and left an oppressive weight on the teen’s chest. He was better for a few days but still needs your prayer. Pray Lazarus will learn how to assume his spiritual authority in Christ over this evil presence.

The next morning, Dani began working at the clinic. Nurse Judy was away so Dani has been working directly with two nationals who understudy. Dani comes in each evening tired and emotionally spent after seeing 50 patients. It is hard to see the suffering up close and not be affected. One patient fainted in the examine room from hunger, another had herpes so advanced they had to maintain a flow of aerosol deodorizer so they could work on the rotting flesh. Another patient, Susan, had been living with a Nonga, a witchdoctor. By his influence she became host to a demon who goaded her into wrapping a tunicate around her breast. The result was a gruesome abscess devoid of skin. Dani and the medical team called for prayer back up. Don and a black pastor, Bester, explained the Gospel and the power of Jesus to deliver. The demon attempted to agitate the woman so she could not hear the truth and be set free. Dani and the nurses kept up a steam of prayer to mute the spirit while baptism was explained. Before Susan entered the water the demon railed again. The prayers blocked any verbal abuse but her face contorted, her tongue worked wildly, she pointed at the Americans in our party and made lewd and sneering gestures. The demon was attempting to plant fear in our hearts which we dealt with by reading John’s words concerning spirits:

1 John 4:4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Susan was baptized and became a child of God on May 13. How ironic that a victory should be snatched from Satan’s hands on Friday the 13th.

The Bol family that came with us are all fitting in famously. Denise has been sewing for the orphans, teaching one orphan to sew, and making a great many friends among the nationals. Denise has an irrepressible good will that bridges any cultural separations.

23-year old Lindsey has done everything from passing out toys at the clinic, to making bandage strips from bed sheets, to painting the church, to restoring playground equipment. In spite of a raging cold acquired during the long flights, Lindsey is working hard at her primary assignment of spreading joy.

Steve is setting up the satellite internet system. He could use your prayers. We had a rough start when the five-foot dish was lost by the airlines for six days. This was apparently Father’s way of clearing all the equipment through customs. Thanks to your prayers, 700 pounds of equipment, medical supplies, and Bibles made it through. The oversized dish was eventually found while Susan Fry was on hand back in Harare attending a teachers conference. Susan was able to exercise her spiritual gift of stubbornness to free the captive dish from customs with several visits and $38 in fees. She is our heroine. The dish arrived at the orphanage within hours of when the mast was completed and it was time for installation. If you prayed with us for this, please join us now in praise.

Sunday was a blessed day. The English service was a time of reunion with dear friends and great encouragement from the Holy Spirit where much was needed. The Shona service pulsed with loud colors, zeal for Jesus, and African harmonies. Don preached both messages and we celebrated many decisions for the Lord including five baptisms. But there were surprises down at the lake.

The first two baptisms were beautiful. An older man and a young woman were asked, “Do you believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and do you accept Him as your Lord and Savior?” They enthusiastically said yes and were briefly lowered back into the water to symbolize death to the old self. They were resurrected to a new life. The next two women shocked us.

The Bible promises when a person is baptized the Holy Spirit moves in. The baptisms went fine, but when the Holy Spirit showed up He found the house still occupied by evil spirits. The evection was not pretty. As these came up out of the water they began to writhe and scream as though they were burned with fire. We had two men raising these small women out of the water yet the demons caused their bodies to leap out of our grasp and flop madly like fish. Steve caught some of the action on video. I’m anxious to show it to folks back in the States who question the efficacy of baptism. A holy transaction takes place and the other side does not take it casually as we often do.

We pray you are blessed and safe even as we are. You are part of our trip by your prayers. Thank you for joining us.

Blessings in Jesus,
Don & Dani



*Kevin and Susan Fry founded Eden Children’s Village orphanage.

Sermon – No More Slavery (Zimbabwe 5/15/05)

Sermon – No More Slavery May 15, 2005- Africa


Intro
I want to tell you why I am here today. I mean to present you perfect, without a flaw or a single or shortcoming. This is why I am here:

Col 1:28
We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ…

I want you to be perfect because that is what Jesus wants. Listen to the words of Jesus:

Matt 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

You may be thinking, “This man wants me to be Perfect. Mister you better wake up and look around you. There is no one perfect here; no one without sin; no one with out errors and mistakes. Man, we are in a drought and the farms are closed. There is no food. All around us is turmoil, hunger, and sickness. People have done evil to us and we have done evil to others. Mister, if you want perfect you better stop preaching, walk out that door, and go someplace else.”

Be Perfect
In spite of all that, I am here to tell you how you can be perfect. First, we need to understand this word perfect. Translations often lose some of their accuracy. The Apostle Paul wrote this word “perfect” in Greek. It meant a perfect of machinery. All the parts of a machine were there and working together perfectly. So when the Bible tells us to be perfect it is telling us to be complete, with all our parts perfectly in place.

The first and most important part to have in place is the salvation gear. As Colossians 1 puts it, to be brought from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of the Son.

Col 1:13
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Acts tells us how to put the salvation gear in place.


Acts 2:38-39
"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Repent and be baptized. Be sure you have done those things to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Don’t Stop Now
You could stop there, and honestly many do. But you would be not be perfect or complete. You may enter heaven, but with very little reward to share with Jesus for eternity. Eternity is a long time to go without blessings to bring before the One our souls will long to glorify.

1 Cor 3:12-15
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Four More Gears
We don’t want to narrowly slip into heaven with our tail feathers smoking from the fire of hell. We want to be complete; and we can. In addition to the main gear of salvation, there are four others that make the machine complete so it can work perfectly.

§ Worship (Sunday service, daily prayer, singing)
§ Fellowship (Small group, discussing Christ with brothers and sisters)
§ Disciplines (Bible study, prayer, meditation)
§ Service (Telling others of Christ, loving people)

These five gears make a complete and perfect machine of faith. Are you doing something about each of these gears? Can you honestly look at your life and say you have:

The gear of Salvation?
The gear of Worship?
The gear of Fellowship?
The gear of Discipline?
The gear of Service?

I am not talking about doing all of these perfectly. We all slip up. But are you growing in these five graces? Are you in a better place this year than last? The point of our theme verse, Col 1:28, is that we are to be complete in our growth toward Christ, not that we ourselves are perfect. We are only perfect when the perfection of Jesus is transferred to us. This is no small truth because Jesus is absolutely perfect. Listen:

Col 1:15-20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him…

And to have His perfection transferred to us is huge. Listen:

Heb 10:14
because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Jesus has made us perfect.

Col 2:9-10
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

Friends, this is remarkable. First, the gear of salvation transfers the perfection of Christ to us, then we are made complete when the salvation gear turns the other four gears.

Do you remember the story I told last year about the man who inherited an enormous estate. He had a letter to claim his wealth. On his way to make the claim many evil things happened to him. But, he did not mind because he had the paper and he knew he was already rich.

That is just like us. We have already inherited perfection in heaven. We are wealthy beyond imagination. If you are baptized into Jesus, the deposit is sitting in your account in heaven right now. And it doesn’t have to sit there until you get home. Whenever you call home through prayer and ask Him, God will advance some of your funds to your traveling account so you can use it to make your way through this life. The perfection we have stored up in heaven can be transferred bit-by-bit into our earthly account.

Move Out of the Poorhouse
Why live like a spiritual pauper? You say you are poor and your life a mess, but I tell you, in Christ, you are rich. You have at your disposal more assets than the World can ever imagine.

Why do we worry when we have His peace sitting in our account?
Why to we trust earthly belongings when we have God’s promises in our account?
Why do we get help from witchdoctors and talismans when we have the power of God in our account?
Why do we fear many threats when the King of the universe has deposited His love into our account?

When we fear, we show we have not checked our passbook to know the wealth we own. Do you know which command is most often repeated in the Bible? Here is a hint. It is what the angels said nearly every time they appeared to humans.

It is what Gabriel said to Mary:

Luke 1:30
Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
KJV

It is what the angel of the Lord said to Abraham:

Gen 15:1
15:1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram.”

What the angel said to Hagar:

Gen 21:17
17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid;

What Moses said to the Israelites:

Ex 14:13
13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.

What Elisha said to his servant when they were surrounded by enemies:

2 Kings 6:16-17
16 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

What David told Solomon as he transferred the throne:

1 Chron 22:13
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

What David said when the philistines attacked:

Ps 56:3-4
3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

Ps 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation —
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life —
of whom shall I be afraid?

What Jesus said to the Apostles:

Jn 14:[27] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

What Jesus said to the church:

Rev 1:17 "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. [18] I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

It is what God says to us, the true Israel, today:

Isa 41:8-10
8 "But you, O Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, 'You are my servant';
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isa 41:13-14
13 For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
14 Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob,
O little Israel,
for I myself will help you," declares the LORD,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Fear not! It is repeated over 400 times.

Rom 8:15-17
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,

1 Peter 3:14-15
"Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

1 John 4:18
18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

If you are complete in Christ, you have no reason for fear. You are rich. You are perfect. With all the suffering and problems in your life you may not feel safe and rich, but I declare to you today that you have all the wealth of the God and Christ in your account. Stop cowering. Stop fearing. Stop worrying. Go and make withdrawals from your account and spend your spiritual inheritance lavishly. Enjoy it. Spread it around. You are no pauper. No human can harm your soul, no demon can torment your life. You have spiritual authority. Jesus has God and you have Jesus. Go live like you know what is in your account and rejoice at your good fortune.

Prayer