Principles of Position Lesson 19 week 3

Alright, we are in the position class and we are on lesson 19 and we are starting with question 6. So position class, lesson 19, question 6. How much influence are our condition and our feelings to have on our rest? Zero. Anybody else? Well, I'll be with you. Just sat down and she's ready to go. Well, when our feelings affect our condition, it also affects our rest and our decision. Perfect. Excellent. That's exactly right. As we, as our feelings or our condition, as we look to those rather than our position, It affects our relationship, everything, because our focus is not on Christ. The whole class is think position and keeping our focus on Christ.

So we're not to be influenced by our feelings and our condition, but rather by his written word. In spiritual growth, the eye of faith is slowly transferred from our own point of view to his, from condition to position. By means of intelligent faith in the scriptural facts, we are to turn boldly from sinful darkness to the rest in his holy light. So as new believers, what generally is our focus as a new believer?

Our condition. Our condition, or what? I think it's on Christ and how relieved we feel. Well, okay, there is some of that and the euphoric nature of now being saved. But I think usually the thing we usually is our condition. I need this, I want this, I have this, I want, you know, and it's focusing back on our position, or not our position, but our condition or here.

As new believers, we ask for everything. Our main point is to bring Christ to our situation, to our life on earth. So, we're always trying to bring Him here. Like, get me out of this. I need this. I need that. I'm a new believer. I want to be witnessing to everybody, Lord. Come down here. I need this and I want that. Help me here and help me there. I need this.

All of our focus is usually brought on a new believer, typically, is about our needs and Him answering our needs here. And that's not unusual or something as you're a new believer and you don't know all the facts of your position and condition and all those different things. So you have this euphoric, you know, I'm saved now. I have eternal life. I'm excited about it. But our typical focus as a new believer is around our surroundings.

So, what is the focus of a growing or mature believer? Our position? Our position or on Christ. So, the focus of a mature believer or growing believer is on Christ and where He is located. So, you know, in our early days, you know, our typical is here, but as we grow and mature, what is our focus?

It's on Him and where He is, because that's where we are positionally seated. So as you grow and mature in Christ, you tend to get away from all the distractions of this world and focus on Him. I bring to the verse which we went through in the Colossians study, which I always think is a great one, Colossians 1-3, Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, or since, this is what we were talking about last week, therefore, if or since you've been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above. Where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, set your mind on things above, not on things that are on the earth. So, getting back, how much influence are our condition or feelings to have on our rest? Because where's our focus? If we follow Colossians, it's to be on Christ. Set your mind on things above. So on November 8th, where is our focus going to be? Well, what is it right now? Yeah, well, that is true. Right now or any day, but I know there's a lot of angst and things on November 8th, but again, where should our focus be?

Our citizenship's in heaven. Our position is seated with him in heaven. So all this distraction, all our conditions, all our anxious, all those things are based on things down here. Are we anxious when our focus is on Christ in the heavenlies? No. Peace and rest. So, with that, the question about having our rest, If our focus is on Him, what did He promise us?

And it comes in Matthew 11, 28-30. Come to me. So again, focus or come to me. And this is Christ speaking. Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Again, does the world give you rest? Does anything, you know, if you're a gazillionaire and you buy everything, and you have everything, and you do everything, is that going to give you rest ultimately? No. You know, that's why when you look at a lot of the, I think of this with the pro athletes who have everything, and yet they go out and do stupid things. You know, they've reached the top, and what else is there?

And they find empty. They're empty. They've gotten all the worldly pleasures, but they found it's not satisfying. It doesn't satisfy them. And so they either find the Lord, or they go off to the deep end. So again, the rest is in Christ, not in the world. And he told us, come to me. That's where rest is. Don't seek it out in the world. So, where is the focus of our rest? On our condition, weary and heavy laden? Is that where it's supposed to be? No, it's on Him.

And then, in Hebrews 4.10, For the one who has entered HIS rest, has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. So as he enters his rest, we have rest. So again, in all the distractions, all the stuff going on and our conditions, our condition and our feelings, those are very fickle and not where we should be focused. Our focus should be on Christ. Any other thoughts? Yeah.

I think sometimes we try to make feelings the bad guy. and rest in Christ is a feeling, which is fine, but the information has got to be correct. And sometimes if I have a feeling about something spiritual, I should go to the Word and find out if I'm accurately feeling, and if not, walk away. But what I'm saying is, I guess what I'm saying is, I don't want to say, oh, I can't do it. I can't do this in person because it's got to be academic, knowledgeable. It's so weird, because this is my argument to you 99% of the time. Excuse me, I'm hyperventilating here for just a moment. Yes, I agree totally with you. 100% I agree with you, yes.

Because when you look at the fruit of the Spirit, peace, gentleness, rest, all those things are proclaimed as the fruit of the Spirit, which is a feeling, love, joy, peace. Those are feelings. So feelings are not bad. It's what they're based on. If they're based on the world and the world system or anything about what's going on here, they're false. But if they're based on Him, yeah. He's promised us joy, peace, and all these things.

It's not just a horrible life in Christ. There are trials. We are to have trials. But I also go to James, consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. Wow. He even says in trials we're to have joy. Well, the only way you can do that is when you're focused on him and realizing that he's in control and he has an eternal love for you. That's the only way, because if you're trying to do it by worldly system or by trying to justify it, I don't think you can, in a trial, have joy. But understanding that he is in control and he is the one who is allowing that trial to what? Draw you to himself, to draw you to that fellowship. Then you can have joy because you know whatever you've gone through, it's for his purposes.

So yes, I agree 100%. That's the train on the tracks. Yeah, it is. If you can do it, you can say it. It is. Who knows when the facts on the tracks come before the whatever. Someday I'll get a little plaque and I'll memorize that. But that is true. Seven, what are the results if we attempt to walk in our own resources? Useless and empty. Yup. Anything else? What did he say? Useless and empty. Anything else?

Failure. Failure. Well, then our condition weakens our position. Our position doesn't change, but our condition, we can lose fellowship, but yes, we're more looking at our condition rather than our position, I think is what you... So it doesn't... Nothing weakens our position. Never touches it. Right. No matter what we do, if I go out and kick a dog, shoot a horse, slap somebody, I can do anything. I may have worldly consequences if I go out and shoot my neighbor's horse. I may go to jail, but they're earthly consequences.

But my position in Christ will not change. So, our walk is a result of the source of our life. If we attempt to walk as Christians in dependence upon our own resources, there is self-centeredness, self-righteousness, and darkness. And just what we said in the last question, is there any rest? No. So, we also see this in Romans, with Paul, in Romans 7. when we see him attempting to do it in his own power, and I think that's a great chapter for us. You understand who Paul is, and what he is, time with the Lord, and all the time, and all that, and yet he struggled with this very thing in Romans 7.

In Romans 7.24, wretched man that I am, who will set me free from the body of this death?

He knew the answer, and it came in the next verse. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then on the one hand I myself with my mind are serving the law of God, but on the other with my flesh the law of sin. He recognized it, and in the end he knew the only solution was Christ. So, again, there wasn't any rest for him. He was struggling.

And you see that in Romans 7 where he's trying to do what's right. And this is what we've been talking a lot about is how we try and do what's right. We try. First of all, we're trying. We've got to have the focus on Him and reliance upon His Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide and direct us in our actions. Uh-oh. I got one good one. Now he's going to slap me. Yeah, here it is. He's smiling, that's never a good thing.

I don't think the next verse is the answer. Thanks be to God? Yeah, I think the answer is 8-1 or 8-2. Therefore, there is no... I guess the point is, the direction, he turned from his flesh to God. In his mind, he was serving God, but in his flesh, something else. He had to come to the point that there was this source, this principle of life in him, who is the Spirit of God. And that's what that verse is. And that's what I'm saying, the source is he turned to God. The realization is 8-2, therefore there is now no condemnation. And that's why I said the source was, he pointed to the right source at that point,

25. So, we're not in disagreement, I don't think. So, you know, it's to his source was he turned to God at that point rather than the flesh. He realized that his efforts in the flesh were not getting him anywhere. And the frustration It's when he turned thanks be to God, he went back to the source. And then in Romans 8.2 we see, therefore there is no condemnation. He realized there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

That's what I thought, I said. There's a new principle of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus that has already set me free. So he recognized that there was this principle of life. which is the resurrected life of Christ, that had already freed me. Oh, the life versus the freedom. I had to struggle in terms of the Lord. And then he realized, I think, that it's not only an intellectual apprehension. Yeah, I know that in my mind I serve the law of God, but boy, the principle is there too. The principle of life in Christ has already freed me. Yeah, so this is the life in verse 2. Yeah, 1 is, therefore there is no condemnation. You're talking about the life, the freedom of the life that we have in Christ. Okay. Let's see here. So,

8. In our estimation, which is looming larger, our sins or His blood shed for those sins? Explain. Explain that. I think in the lesson the question was asked, are we looking at our sins from his side or ours? Exactly. And that was going to be my question. Are we viewing our sins from his side or ours? That's the real question. If we're viewing from our side, our sins loom large. You know, if we look at it from our side, it's just, well it's Paul in 7. What can I do? I can't do anything. We're looking at it from our side.

If we view things from our position in Christ, seated in heaven at the right hand of God, His bloodshed for our sins is sufficient. If not, then Christ's death on the cross was not enough for payment of our sins. So, we've talked about that a bunch, where if you think you just have to do something else, what you're saying is Christ's payment was not enough. His life is not enough. bad place to be.

You don't understand your position at that point. You don't understand the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and His Word and the earlier questions about what the Holy Spirit's job is. Convict us and convince us of who we are and point us upward, not downward or earthly. I have an example, I've talked to a woman this week who is dealing with another woman who is a fairly new Christian and involved in a Calvinist Bible study and she's being taught that she can lose her salvation.

And it's really interesting because it puts the total focus on my performance and not an inkling about what God has done what the complete work of Christ is, and that's always the issue. The issue is, well, how good is this work? And who really is the offended party when it comes to sin? Who's the one that really needs to be satisfied? Is it me or is it God? And is He looking to me?

I mean, if He was looking to me to satisfy any sort of payment for my sins, I'm in big trouble. We're toast. Yeah, we are. We're totally toast. And so, when the focus of reform covenant theology is legal in its basis. It always leaves something for the person to do.

And then if they don't measure up, well they're told they were never one of the elect. Or maybe they were never a believer. I know even the Plymouth Brethren used to teach that there was was those who just really weren't believers. Well, I think that got later in the closed and some of those were.

The sad part of that one is, and I think I've talked many times about how my original belief was, I always there'd be this doubt would come up about my salvation. Some doubt would come up and I'd go back to John 10, 28. You're in God's hand and you can't get out. That was my rock when I worried about my salvation. I couldn't climb out because God had his hand on me. But I would always get nervous, you know, not always, but there would be doubt about my salvation.

I was doing something stupid or how can I be just like Paul? How can I be a believer? How can I do this when I'm a believer? I'm in his hand, okay, thank you, Lord. Got me through that afternoon. And until really the identification truths, I've never ever doubted my salvation since the identification truths. Because once you realize you're dead, you've been crucified, how do you come back from that? You don't. There is no way to jump back on that cross and put it in reverse. You can't.

It's a new life in Christ. And if I ever doubted being placed into Christ, then I'm worried about Christ. Is He sufficient enough? Is my position in Him not secure enough? So, ever since the identification, I've never, ever had a doubt about my salvation. Never had that.

And as you, as we're talking about, as you know His life and our position, and He's dealt with all the sins, then you start growing that relationship. I mean, your focus becomes more on the Colossians. I'm focusing on up above, not on my condition, not the crud that I do, not the things that I fail at. I'm looking at Him. And that's the key, is the whole class is looking at where our position is. Because if we look at that, then all this other distraction go away.

So, like I said, mine is identification truths are the one thing that I think obliterate anything about your doubt of losing your salvation. Nine, are we letting God be God in this matter? So when you fail, what is your reaction? Like that, you're all silent, right? Oh wait, you guys don't fail. That's right, you guys are all perfect. I saw you walking on the pool water the other day, right? If we confess.

So, but I mean, when we fail, What is our reaction? Or are we sin? What is our reaction? First 719 is the explanation. Yes? Just disgusting, disgusted with myself, I guess. I failed and then you confessed and you restored the fellowship and you realize where your source is. Yeah. And what is it that Sanford said about if we feel we have something in ourselves to trust in. That was new. If we have trusted in ourself in the first. How does it go in the first place to be disappointed in myself is to have trusted in myself.

Yeah. You know what's interesting about that? I think every growing believer goes through that. We have to go through that because, you know, oh I did and I, I, I, I. And it's all about me and my performance and why am I still doing this song and dancing. And it takes a spirit time.

One, I think he allows it so we aren't disappointed. And two, search out the real answer, which is not being my disappointment, but realizing that God had all of that in play when He crucified His Son and included me in it. Well, I think, you know, that's why I go back, really, the Lord's been pushing on my heart just this, He's in control and He has an eternal love for me. He allows me to do stupid things. But I realize it's a stupid thing, and I'm drawn...

Well, we're going to get to that, about the self-defeating, or what Satan is self-defeating. Maybe we did that on an earlier question. He tries to make us fail. Well, God allowed that to happen to draw us to him. Because we look at our dependence on ourself, and it's not good. So what do we do? We turn and we focus back on Christ. So all of Satan's efforts are, in the end, self-defeating.

So, he allows it. So, you know, let God be God. I'm always drawn back to this, to Job, when Job thought he was pretty hot stuff and, you know, and then God lays three little speeches on him. I'm always drawn to that one when I think I've got a better plan. When I've got a better plan, I go back to that one, you know, and it's where were you when I created it? Where were you when I, oh, were you there when I, Did you help me?" And humbles Job in his position, or his thoughts, of where he was such a great guy and had better plans than God. A lot of times when I think of it, why did you let me fail?

Well, that was his plan. And I go back to the all things. He's using all things to draw us to himself. You know, and that needs to be thought of come November also. Oh, yeah. Well, that's what I said. I'm very political junkie. But I realized that on November 8th, it doesn't matter. Again, I use the football analogy because I remember this was the startling thing back to me.

And I think it was the Broncos first Super Bowl. And was it Walter Cronkite or somebody was there on the thing? And it was, man, the Broncos were in the Super Bowl. Yes, the world is good, you know. And Walter Cronkite was there. I think I'm pretty sure it was him. He was one of the main newscaster guys. And, you know, yes, this is a great thing, but it means nothing. My Broncos? It was who?

He said, in the scheme of the world, it means nothing. And I thought, I was just heartbroken. How could this man say that we were in the Super Bowl? And yet, I realized that it meant nothing. After the Super Bowl was done, did it change anything of the condition of this world? Not at all.

That's why I bring my analogy to the politics. It means nothing, because he's the one who's going to put who he wants in, regardless of what we think or do. So, I mean, I still encourage you to go out and vote, but again, ultimately he's going to put the person in that he wants.

So, you know, letting God be God. Do we have a better way to do this, to accomplish his purposes? I take that by no. It is for us to thank God's thoughts after Him. He has graciously and justly placed us in His Son, the very light of the earth and heaven. So He has placed us in that. He knows the way to do it, not us.

And I like in 1 Corinthians 2, 14 through 16, But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things. Yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct him?" The following one is the tougher verse for me.

But we have the mind of Christ. He's told me that, and that's the truth, and I need to have faith in that. So when I fail and I do stuff, am I using the mind of Christ at that point? No. But I do have the mind of Christ. So, who is not in the mind of the Lord that He will instruct him? Obviously we have no better plan than Him, but He has promised us that we have the mind of Christ.

What I do often is, probably multiple times a day, is sort of like create God in my own image. That I expect Him to react or be the way I would be in a situation or whatever. And of late, it has come to my mind so often, the verse that says that His ways and His thoughts are so far above. We can't even begin to imagine what he has in store for us, or what he's like, I'm sure. It's just so far beyond. He's not like me. Although the beautiful part of that, he's given us his word to tell us who he is.

And that's the thing, that's what I was saying last week too, is that how much time do you spend in football, or being with your friends, or being with whatever, versus time with the Lord? And that's, you know, I listened to it last week, it's not a law, it's just a principle. If we spend more time with somebody, you get to know them more, you trust them more. And as we go through a day, we're spending all our time with our family or whoever or that, which is good, and we should. But how much time do we spend personally with the Lord and His Word?

And that's where we know Him and that's how we Going back to yours, too, also. What you're doing, too, is bringing him down here, instead of setting our minds on things above. And that's what we tend to do. Bring him down here. Get me out of this mess. That's because we haven't seen him yet. We haven't been up there yet. So, it's like, we can't really imagine, but we keep trying to imagine what it's like up there and what he's like. And like you say, without the word, we would have no clue whatsoever, but he has given us what we need in order to have faith in him and believe.

But what was that? Flipped my mind. That I think what's been really good for me is to really realize once and for all that he isn't like me, so therefore my salvation is assured. He's not going to say, well gee, what a crackpot you are, or whatever, you know, and throw me over because I failed him. As if he didn't know how bad I was.

I think the thing you said, you can't see, I see more and more, it's the living word. The more I see, the more I look at the word, the more I see, it's a living word. You know, I read two passages I've read a thousand times, and the thousand and first time, it's new. And I needed the first thousand to get me to the thousand and first one to get to where I, wow, wow, you know, it's taken me to that point.

Wouldn't you say that positional truth is the mind of Christ? Yeah. So if I know positional truth, guess what? I've got the mind. See, that comes back to the faith part. You know, it's still roulette ridden. JD and all of us, after the faith class, how much that really is the crux and the key. Do you believe it? Do you believe? You know, I said, do I believe that? Do I have the mind of Christ?

Well, it's interesting because you see verses like 2 Corinthians 3.18 that we behold Christ as in a mirror, which is the word of the unveiled face, that we get transformed while we're still here on the earth into one state of glory to the next, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Where is the Lord Jesus right now? He's in the heavenlies and He's glorified. So I think when we get to be with Him, we're not going to look around and say, oh, this is all new. I mean, a lot of it will be, we should know now, we should be learning now, as the Spirit of God reveals Christ to us in the Word, what the environment is like in him and his mind. I mean, he went through all these pains to write these letters to us to tell us. Seek those things which are above, because you are resurrected."

And he said, I can't do that, because there's no reason not to do that. He told us to. Like I said, it comes down to faith. Do you believe this? And that's again, to me, knowing him in such an intimate fashion that I know him and trust him. He tells me this. I believe it. I don't doubt it, because I know him.

So, you know, there's just so many things that, you know, with that, you know, our focus as we mature, we start, you know, pointing up and looking and then all this distraction starts to mean little, little and less. But it's hard, you know, because we get so, I'm distracted all the time, you know, but it's getting back to time with him.

Can our sins come between our Father and His glorified Son, who is our life? He is born of all in His body on the tree. He is our risen Advocate, Jesus Christ the Righteous. By means of His atoning blood, He maintains eternally our relationship with the Father in unbroken integrity. I don't know if we have time, but there was a Hungry Heart on 10-4 that was good in some of the paragraphs in there. I'll go back to that if we can get through these true-false and these verses.

True or false? Satan's most apparent victories all contain the seed of his own defeat. True. An honest but self-centered believer is oppressed and hindered by the darkness of his sinful condition. Sneaky words in there. True? False? True? Self-centered believer is the operative word there. Last one, although the Holy Spirit as convictor puts the heart in agony of conviction of sin, he never points upward. False. False. What is the wrong word there? Upward. Upward. He never points. Or never. Never. Yeah, he does. It's a negative of that.

Decide whether the following verses are positional or conditional. 1 John 1.7 This is the message we have heard from him and announced to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But, if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. Positional or conditional? That's because you read too many verses. You're not answering the question. Wow. What's your position? Okay, let's just stick to seven. Let's just go to seven. I'm calling a tight game today. So, let's take this out.

But if we walk in the light, as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Positional or conditional? Positional. Positional? We know that his blood cleanses, but if we walk in the light. I think that means since we're walking in the light. Is that a first class conditional? Yeah. I don't know, I didn't check that one. Who says, where are you getting the positional part from? Jesus Christ, his blood cleanses us from all sin. Is that our position?

That was payment, you know. Well it is true. It is true. Yeah, I guess. Mine was, this was conditional about our walk. Yes, it mentions about the cleansing, but I took that as the payment, our position about being placed into him or the position of truth. I can see, yeah, I can see it too.

So are you saying it's impossible to walk in your position? No, she's saying... No, I'm talking about what you're saying. Oh, I'm saying no, walking is conditional. Walking is always conditional? Yes, it is conditional. Walking is the conditional part. There is reference to cleansing of the blood, which Joanne is saying, that may be positionally based. So what is it? Conditional. I said conditional. So, with reference to the, you know, I can see where your point is. I can see that. That there is a positional portion of that. But the reference is basically about walking, which is a conditional. Okay. First Peter, oh boy. Second Peter. Oh, did I? Did I write the wrong one? No, it's all right. Now, is that as obedient children?

No. Somebody read 2 Peter 1.16. Oh, I think I had a question on that one. I went to 1 Peter. I think it's supposed to be 1 Peter.

1 Peter 1.16. I think so. Because I didn't think that 2 Peter had anything to do with it.

Yeah, it's 1 Peter 1.16. So, is that the first or second? First one. First? Yeah, number one. Okay.

I think it's 1 Peter 1.14. As obedient children, do not, well, and, sorry, Carol, I'm going beyond the verse. 14 through 16. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in your behavior. Because it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy.

Positions or conditions? Positions. And 16, just 16. Positions. Positions, yeah. You shall be holy for I am holy. That is positional. And then Ephesians 8. 5, 8. 5, 8, excuse me. 5, 8. I'm losing it here. Therefore do not be, and I'm going to read 7 for context. Therefore do not be partakers with him. For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." Conditional, positional, or both? You are now in both. That's positional. Right. Positional, you are. And then conditional, walk as. So it has both position and condition in there. Then Hebrews 12, 6.

For those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives. Positional or conditional? Read it again. For those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives. Positional or conditional? That's right. Conditional. Oh, we have it both. Sons. It's positional. Okay. We'll take that. We'll take that as late breaking. But the gist of the verse is conditional, yes. Yes, our position in him. It's positional. Well, no, it's conditional. The gist of the verse is conditional, but he's referencing the son, being placed in the son, that we are sons. So let me go back on that one on the Hungry Heart 10-4. And this was in answer to that last question about are we letting God be God in this manner. This is Hungry Heart 10-4. We enter the Father's presence when we believe He has already positioned us there in His Son. The Lord Jesus' work on the cross gave us present entrance into holiest of all.

What removed our sins rent the veil and those who believe are positioned in the innermost sanctuary even now. Boldness to enter there on any pretense of our love or holiness or nature or even divine ordinance would be shameless presumption. In Hebrews 10 it is commonly claimed for believers who are exhorted in the strongest term to approach by faith the Father's presence without a doubt or cloud now. Again, just dealing with the sin and our failures and all that, but we now enter because we're positioned in Him. Boldness to enter the Father's presence is due to the shed blood of the Savior. Only unbelief hinders. It is a new and living way which He dedicated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh.

We honor Him by abiding there in the fullest confidence that pleases the Father. Being born of the Father, we are abidingly His children. As such, we have the right to take our place before Him. It is our privilege to think of ourselves according to what we are as being one spirit with the Lord Jesus, and this is ever maintained by Him. What are we by grace as in Him before the Father is unchangeable, and our interests are in His hands. Beloved, Do our failures, our sins, in any wise alter what He is there before the face of the Father? What He is there is what we are, not, of course, in ourselves, but as being in the Lord Jesus, who is our life. There are two basic things that a believer has to learn.

One is, you are not to have the man here in the place where he is. The other is, you do not have another man in the place where he is. Again, it's trying that position, bringing it down to us. Are we bringing him down to our level? Or are we looking up to him and seeing where we are positioned? But again, it's the thought of the one is what we are by grace as Him before the Father is unchangeable and our interests are in His hands. Beloved, do our failures, our sins in any wise alter what He is there before the face of the Father? Does it change anything about who Christ is? Where are we positioned? We can't do anything to change that position and how He sees us in Christ. peace, rest, joy, all those things.

All right, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for today. Thanks for, again, just another time to open up your word. We thank you for who you are and, again, just the relationship that we have with you. Father, we have that relationship because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, and that is an intimate relationship, one that you know everything about us. You know our weaknesses, our strengths, and again, you allow these trials and different things to come in our life, not to punish us or to push us down, but it's to point us upward.

And again, we thank you that it is your plan and not ours in any way, shape, or form. We rest in the fact that these are all your plans, and you're the one who is sovereignly in control of these things. And again, you have an eternal love for us, an eternal love that we cannot be separated from. There is nothing we can do to separate us from your love. And we thank you as we realize that, that we can come before you at any time, any place, in any trial, in any blessing.

And again, you enjoy our company. You want us to be with you and to have that personal fellowship with you. And we thank you for that, again, as being provided only through your son. So we just, we thank you again for this time. We pray as we get the message with Vern that you'll prepare hearts to receive it. And again, that he'll provide the word accurately and according to your word and your will. We thank you for all these things in Jesus name. Amen.