A Prepared Place

A Prepared Place 

2 Corinthians 2:9-10: But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 

·       This was God’s purpose for Israel all along. He would bring them into the land to possess what He had promised them.

·       He could not give them this land “while they were still in Egypt,”

·       I believe that God’s purpose in Christ is the same for us today; He wants to give us a glorious inheritance.

·       We have these things; these things are already ours; they are ours because of Jesus.

·       Unfortunately, we cannot receive our inheritance while we are still wandering in Egypt. Egypt is a picture or type of the world. Egypt was a land of bondage. You want the blessings of the Promised Land… then leave Egypt!

·       This explains why many cannot experience the promises of God; they are still at home in the world.

·       It’s important to understand that God saves us “out” to bring us “into.” God saved the children of Israel out of Egypt to bring them into the Promised Land where their inheritance was… it wasn’t in Egypt.

·       It is true that God saves us “out of” our sins by the blood of Jesus, and we are saved from an eternity in hell, therefore, many Christians think, “I don’t have to worry about those things; I’m not going to hell when I die, I’m going to heaven!

·       We can glory in that, but I need to know what I’ve been saved into, and that’s not automatic. It’s like once we are out of Egypt and we say, “Well, I’ve arrived.” This is why so many people are stuck in the desert…they’re out but not in!

·       Christians will not try to enter into a land of which they have not heard. How can I go somewhere I have never heard about? How do I get there?

·       What is it that God has set before us; how do we receive all of His promises?

·       This land of promise has been secured by God’s oath and His covenant. All of God’s power and resources are part of this covenant, He is God. It’s waiting for us…Let’s enter in!!!!!

2 Corinthians 2:11-12:  For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

·        The Lord did not give the children of Israel a land that was a “fixer upper.” It was not a primitive land that needed to be developed. No, it was a land that was already fully prepared for His people… by others

·        We must understand that God had given them this land “righteously.” It already had large houses, deep wells, orchards, and vineyards. All of it was ready for them.

·        The people that lived there were evil and a moral plague upon the land. They buried their children alive in their fields to please their gods so their gods would give them a good harvest. Because of their immorality, they had forfeited their right to live there. The Lord had given them 400 years to repent while the children of Israel we in Egypt, but they refused.

·        As Christians we need to remember that our inheritance is a “gift” from God. He has opened up the treasures of heaven for us. He has done this not based on who we are but on who He is. He has done this righteously for us. He does not wink at our sin, or pretend we’re innocent, no, it was paid for by the blood of His Son Jesus! Our Promised Land was prepared for us by another.

·        Because of how good He is… we have all of creation, we have the image of God, we have the name of Jesus and we have the Holy Spirit who is leading us into our Promised Land.

·        God has not left one thing short of His glory. Everything He has is available to us. And so as we take our spiritual inheritance, we do so by His good pleasure and by His authority. This place is “ordained” for us, and if we enjoy our inheritance it is pleasing to God. Let’s go back to the Promised Land.

Joshua 1:8-9: This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

·        Israel is at the edge of the Jordan River. Moses was gone. Israel has wandered in the desert for 40 years, unnecessarily. All of the children of Israel that came from Egypt are gone except Joshua and Caleb, the two spies that believed God’s promises. Joshua knew God and trusted God, and knew he wasn’t going forward alone.

·        As God was with Moses, so He would be with Joshua, and so He will be with us. He is with us wherever we go. This is the promise of His Presence. The Lord chose Joshua to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. Moses was the Law giver, the Law cannot get us into the Land. God chose Joshua to lead them in.

·        God commanded Joshua to speak the word, meditate on the word, and do the word and He would be successful. God was not withholding anything from Joshua. He was commanded to be courageous, and not to be afraid.

·        For us, He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. God is not withholding anything from you. We can have as much of God as we can take. But we have to believe God to experience His promises

Romans 4:20-22: He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

·        Abraham believed God’s promises. He believed the promises were for him, here and now. He took them by faith. He seized them.

·        This is the “Law of Acquiring.”  To “acquire” means to make something your own. There is no limit in God, and therefore, there is no limit to how far we can go in His grace, His love, and His mercy.

·        It’s similar to having a gift certificate to given to you to eat anything you want, and as much as you want, in the world’s best restaurant. Everything is prepaid for you. The menu is wide open to you. But out of your own mentality of poverty, because your wallet is empty… you just ask for a glass of water and leave unsatisfied.

·        However, to receive freely from Him, I must realize my poverty and look to His abundance at the same time. His abundance will flow into my poverty when I come to the realization that I have nothing and He has everything; and He wants to give it to me.

·        But if I am trying to live out of my own abundance, I will not look to Him and take freely out of His abundance because I’m trying to get everything on my own.

·        The deeper Christian life is learning to take from Him by faith. 

Matthew 14:15-20: “Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 

·       Jesus understood the Law of Supply and Demand. His disciples saw the demand for food of so many people and thought they should send the people away to get food for themselves (the world’s way).

·       It’s like He’s saying to us, “I have so much to give you, why do you take so little?” In fact, I believe the more we take the more there is available to us! This is how grace works. It is the Law of Supply and Demand.

·       In the world, supply and demand means that the more demand there is the shorter the supply. But in the kingdom, the more the demand… the greater the supply!

·       Jesus did not look to the demand but looked to the unlimited supply. In fact the supply was so much more than the demand that there was much left over… and they all ate till they were full.

Luke 6:38:  Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

·       Here’s another law; the Law of giving. The same measure you use to give will be measure back to you.

·       Our God is a giver. We are made in His image; therefore we should be givers too. Giving is foundational to the kingdom because giving does not put the emphasis on self, it focuses on others.

2 Corinthians 9:8,10-11: And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality (overflowing), which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

·       There are ways that grace flows. It’s not through selfishness. Nothing will stop the flow of God’s grace for you quicker than greed. The ultimate goal for us in grace is to be a conduit for His blessings.

·       You can look at it like a hose for water. As the water flows though the hose, the hose itself never dries out, the hose is never thirsty. The hose never tries to keep the water for itself. The hose is more interested in keeping the water flowing!

·       If we want to draw on our own strength, God will allow us to go that way to our own detriment. On the other hand, if we want to tap into to the great grace and mercy of God… we have an open door before us.

·       God has put before us the great Land of Promise. He did not lead us here to leave us on the outside looking in, but to bring us fully into his amazing grace. He’s looking for those who will believe.

Hebrews 11:6:  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

·       This is the Law of Faith; there is only one way to receive freely from God, it’s to believe that He is a giver.

·       He wants to give all He has to us; if he gave us Jesus will He not freely give us all things? There’s nothing wrong with God and there is nothing wrong with you, therefore just enter in!!!!

·       I believe that those that fail to enter into God’s Promised Land, fully, do not please God.  My worst enemy is myself.

·       If I could let go of my past-- and grab ahold of what God has for me now—the provisions and the access to heaven—I would begin to experience the kind of Christian life that is full of Joy, praise and honor to God.

·       God wants to lead us and guide us, he has already provided everything we will ever need. As we walk with God, we will access strength and grace, enabling us to rise above our circumstances and our enemy.

·       God did not lead us out of Egypt so that we could be burdened the rest of our lives. God led us out to lead us into a land flowing with milk and honey; joy and praise.  There are people who think they have everything under control, but there are those of us who desire God to lead us and guide us.