Jesus Paid Fine Ministries

Babies automatically go to heaven

Babies automatically go to Heaven

King David reveals this to us when his baby died.

David fasted and prayed while his child was sick, but once the child went home to heaven, David resumed his life, knowing he would see him again in heaven.

2 Sam 12:22-23

He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ' Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.'

"But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again?

I will go to him, but he will not return to me."

Your baby is overjoyed right now in Heaven, in the presence of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ!

REV 21:4-5

…and He (the Lord Jesus Christ) will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."

After losing his 10 children in one day, Job said this:

JOB 1:21-22

“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.

Blessed be the name of the LORD."

Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

The answer is clear…

Prov 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

And whoever BELIEVES in the Lord Jesus Christ will go to heaven and see your baby again!

Acts 16:31

They said, " Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Father, we thank You for the gifts you have given us, and we trust in your divine timing in taking them Home.  May we trust You know the end from the beginning.

Doctrine of the Winner

Introduction...

All believers in Christ are saved by grace through faith. JOH 3:16-18, EPH 2:8-9, ROM 3:24; ROM 6:23.

The scriptures are very clear that a person is saved by faith alone in Christ alone. Acts 16:31, JOH 5:24, GEN 15:6

But the faithful believer who daily studies the Word of God and is daily filled with the Holy Spirit, he will receive great rewards from the Lord, both in this life and for all eternity.

Many pastors do not know about the 2 different judgment seats mentioned in the Bible:

The Great White Throne Judgment is for unbelievers only in REV 20:11-15, where the sins of unbelievers will not even be mentioned, and their deeds will not be good enough to please our perfect God and get into heaven.

The Bema Seat Judgment is for believers only, and this is actually an evaluation seat! 

The works of believers will be tested to see if they were performed in human power or divine power; and if by divine power then eternal rewards will be bestowed upon the believer.

In 2CO 5:10 and 1CO 3:11-15, winner believers who lived their lives for the Lord will be rewarded.

And loser believers who performed their works in human power will not receive rewards, but they will still be saved, as they were saved by the grace of God at the moment of the faith in Christ.

2 Cor 5:10

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

1 Cor 3:11-15

11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

A.  Definition.

1.  Both in time and eternity, believers are classified as either

winners or losers.

2.  Winners are believers who live in the pre-designed plan of God, learn Bible doctrine, pass momentum tests, advance to maturity, fulfill the plan of God, and glorify Jesus Christ.

3.  Losers are believers who live in the cosmic system, are servants of Satan, are constantly under the control of their old sin nature, are involved in both motivational and functional evil (cosmic 1 and cosmic 2), and cannot be distinguished from unbelievers.

Cosmic #1 refers to the arrogant religious believer who lives for himself and not for God.

Cosmic #2 refers to the immoral believer who lives in carnality and never rebounds and recovers to get back into the plan of God and word of God.

4.  Losers are Christians who fail in time, but they do not lose their salvation.  They have an inferior place in heaven, have no authority in the Millennium, and have no impact on history.

5.  Winners are described in Rev 2-3 by the present active participle of NIKAO, as in REV 2:7,11,17,26 and 3:5,12,21.  In each case, the participle is translated like a noun, "the winner."

6.  All historical blessing and prosperity in the Church Age results from unknown and unnamed believers who are living in the pre-designed plan of God and advancing to spiritual maturity, thus forming the pivot of invisible heroes.

This is why many nations don't prosper; because the believers in the nation have rejected Bible doctrine as their #1 priority, thus cursing the nation.

As goes the believer, so goes the nation.

7.  The mature believers we call “winners”.  They provide blessing by association and historical uptrends, but are never recorded in any human history book.

8.  Therefore these believers are the unknown, unsung heroes of history during the Church Age.  They have used the hidden manna of Bible doctrine and logistical grace from God to advance to spiritual maturity.  The winner is the secret to national blessing.

9.  Winners have a prominent place in the Millennium.  At the Rapture, they receive a white pebble, that is, a resurrection body with a new name of knighthood. 

These believers have the greatest and most permanent of all fame for all eternity.

B.  The Principle of the Winner.

1.  The winner or mature believer receives distribution of his escrow blessings for time.

a.  Eph 1 teaches that billions of years ago in eternity past, God the Father, as the Grantor, deposited greater blessings into an escrow account for every believer, i.e., greater blessings for both time and the eternal state.

b.  Our Lord Jesus Christ as the escrow Officer makes distribution of escrow blessings in time and in eternity at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

c.  Therefore, the winner has phenomenal impact and blessing in time as well as reward in eternity.

2.  The invisible hero is a mature believer who has a dynamic impact in history.

a.  During the times of the Gentiles, the Church-age in which we live, the greatest historical impact is not recorded in man's history books.  Instead, impact is invisible and directly related to mature believers.

b.  Mature believers have a tremendous influence on every area of our life.

(1)  They have an influence on the establishment principle of freedom through military victory.

(2)  They have an influence on law enforcement, from the judge on the bench to the police officer on patrol.

(3)  They have an influence on the economy.

(4)  They have an influence on the general life and culture.

(5)  They have an influence in Christianity, e.g., in

evangelism, Bible teaching, and missionary activity.

c.  But when the pivot (core) of mature believers shrinks, the cycles of discipline begin in a nation.  Then the only solution is found in an enlarged pivot of believers who attain spiritual maturity and execute the pre-designed plan of God.

3.  Invisible God plus invisible assets plus invisible power equals invisible heroes.

4.  No one can become an invisible hero apart from post-salvation epistemological rehabilitation (the believer's mind being renewed or rehabilitated by the New Testament letters written to the Church). 

This means the daily perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine. (we must listen, believe, and apply the Word of God)

5.  The mystery doctrine of the Church Age cannot be perceived or metabolized apart from residence in your very own palace, the pre-designed plan of God for your life; through your personal relationship with God through the filling of the Spirit (or spirituality).

6.  No believer can execute the pre-designed plan of God and become an invisible hero and glorify God apart from the teaching ministry of the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher.  EPH 4:11-12

This shows the importance of the I.C.E. Principle: the pastor's  Isagogical (historical context), Categorical (comparing scripture to scripture), and Exegetical(original languages) expository teaching of the mystery doctrine which specifically belongs to the Church. 

7.  In a nation, visible heroes are related to the laws of

divine establishment, while invisible heroes are related to the pivot of mature believers.

8.  As goes the believer, so goes the client nation to God.

C.  The Winner in the Future.

1.  The winner will be at the Rapture, 1 Thes 4:13-18.  All believers are resurrected at the same time. 

The voice command of the archangel is for living believers.  The trumpet command is for dead believers (1 Cor 15:22), "corruption takes on incorruption."

1 Cor 15:40-42

40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 

1 Cor 15:51-53

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,

52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 Thess 4:13-18

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

2.  The winners and losers will both be there together at the rapture. Winners have great happiness in time and even more in eternity.

3.  The winners will also participate in the Big Genuflex, Phil 2:9-11; ROM 14:11-12.

Phil 2:9-11

9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

ROM 14:11-12

11 For it is written,

"AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD,EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD."

12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

D.  The winner believer is decorated at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

1.  2 Cor 5:10, "We must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, that each one of us may receive what is due him for the things accomplished while in the body, whether good [winners] or evil [losers]." 

The winner believer is "good" because he fulfilled the plan of God.

The loser believer is “evil” because he lived his life for himself, but he will still be saved. 1CO 3:15, 2Tim 2:13.

2.  The winner is not ashamed at the Judgment Seat of Christ as is the loser.

a.  ROM 5:5, "And hope [3] does not make us ashamed at the Judgment Seat of Christ."

b.  2 Tim 2:15, "a workman who does not need to be ashamed."

c.  Phil 1:20, "According to my earnest expectation and hope that I shall not be put to shame in anything [at Judgment Seat of Christ], but with all confidence, Christ shall even now as always be glorified in my body, whether by life or by death."

3.  The loser does have shame at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

a.  Phil 3:18-19, "that they are the enemies of the cross . . .

whose glory is their shame [at Judgment Seat of Christ]." 

b.  1 Jn 2:28, "that if He should appear, we might have confidence and might not be put to shame by Him in His presence."

4.  Two major decorations are given to the winner at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

a.  The crown of life is given for living life in the pre-designed plan of God, REV 2:10.

b.  The order of the morning star is the highest decoration for living the Christian life.  REV 2:28, the Lord Jesus said "I will give to him the order of the morning star."

(1)  The name is derived from the title of our Lord.  In His strategic and tactical victory He is called, "The Morning Star."

NUM 24:17, "A star shall come from Jacob [First Advent]." 

2 Pet 1:19, "With reference to which you perform honorably by habitually concentrating in your right lobes on the lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns [Second Advent] and the morning star [Jesus Christ] has come."

(2)  The uniform of glory worn by Jesus Christ as the Morning Star was displayed at the Mount of Transfiguration. 

This uniform of glory is the translucent robe of light which Christ wears over His resurrection body. 

The uniform of glory was modeled by Christ for Peter, James and John, Mt 16:28-17:2, "His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white, like light." 

This uniform is now constantly worn by the humanity of Christ.

E.  The Order of the Morning Star.

1.  REV 2:28, "I will give to him the order of the morning star."  This is a decoration for life in the pre-designed plan of God.  It is the highest decoration God can give a human being.

2.  It includes the privilege of wearing the uniform of glory, a

uniform of translucent light over the resurrection body. 

REV 3:4, "But you have a few in Sardis, who have not soiled their clothes, in fact they will walk with Me in whites [the uniform of glory], because they are worthy."

The winner wears the uniform of honor in time and the uniform of glory in eternity.

3.  The decoration includes presentation in the court of heaven to God the Father!

REV 3:5, "Thus the winner shall be clothed in a white garment, and I will never blot his name [the new knighthood] out of the book of life, in fact I will acknowledge his name in the presence of My Father and before His angels." 

While this occurs in the third heaven for all winners, the

losers will wait in the second heaven.

There are 3 heavens mentioned in the Bible; the earth's atmosphere, outer space, and then beyond space (where God's throne is).

The loser believer will not be in attendance for the winner's ceremonies.

4.  The order of the morning star includes a new knighthood.

REV 2:17,

"To the winner I will give him blessing from the hidden manna [blessing in time from maximum Bible doctrine in the soul] and I will give him a white pebble, furthermore on that pebble [resurrection body] has been written a new name [title of knighthood] which no one knows except he who receives

it." 

Each winner alone knows his place in the eternal order of chivalry.

F.  The winner returns with Christ at the Second Advent.  All Church Age believers return with Christ at the Second Advent.

1 Thes 3:13, "with all His saints," but the winners come wearing their uniform of glory and order of the morning star!

COL 3:4, "On the occasion when Christ our life shall become manifest, you also shall become manifest with Him in glory [wearing the uniform of glory]."

G.  Winners are involved in operation footstool and our Lord's triumphal procession.

1.  Ps 110:1, "The Lord [God the Father] said to my Lord [Jesus

Christ], `Sit down at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.'"

2.  Operation footstool begins at the Second Advent and includes the termination of the Armageddon campaign, the baptism of fire, the overthrow in which Satan loses the rulership of the earth, and the imprisonment of Satan and all fallen angels for 1000 years.

3.  Ps 110:1 is quoted in the New Testament in Mt 24:22; Mk 12:36; Lk 20:43; Acts 2:35; HEB 1:13; HEB 10:13.

Obviously “Operation footstool” is a major event in which God the Father honors His Son like no other time. 

It is the Lord honoring the Lord, one member of the Trinity honoring Another who stepped out of heaven for the salvation of His creation.

4.  “Operation footstool” includes the three phases of the triumphal procession.  Our Lord's triumphal procession relates to our Lord's victories over angelic and human enemies.  Unbelievers are dealt with in the baptism of fire.

a.  The prisoners, Satan and fallen angels are marched in disgrace in the front of the column.

b.  Next comes the triumphant ruler, the Lord Jesus Christ.

c.  Then follows the army, the Church Age believers.

5.  All the demons are disarmed for public exhibition,

COL 2:15, "And having disarmed demon archons [generals], and demon commissioned officers, He [Jesus Christ] made a public display of them, having celebrated a triumphal procession over them by means of it [the strategic victory of the cross]."

6.  At the end of the procession the prisoners were imprisoned, Zech 13:2; COL 2:15, or executed, 1 Cor 15:23-25.  The last one to be imprisoned is Satan,REV 20:1-3.

7.  Then Christ gives the rulership of the world to God the Father, who in turn gives it back to His Son through a coronation.

H.  The Winner at the Coronation of Christ and the Wedding Supper, REV 19:6-9.

REV 19:6-9

6Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,

"Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

7 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."

8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

9 Then he said to me, "Write, "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of God."

1.  Winners have prominent places at the coronation and the  wedding supper!

2.  Verse 6, the "great crowd" is Church Age believers; the "many waters" are Old Testament believers; the "mighty thunderings" are Tribulational believers who survive the Tribulation.

3.  Verse 7 is the wedding supper.

4.  Verse 8, the "fine linen" includes all believers of the Church Age; and refers to their imputed righteousness from God parlayed into ultimate sanctification at resurrection. 

"Bright" refers to the winners of the order of the morning star.

"Unsoiled" refers to winners exchanging their uniform of honor for their uniform of glory.

I.  The Authority of the Order of the Morning Star in the Millennium,

II.   REV 2:26-28.  "And so the winner, even he who keeps My assignments until the end [of his lifetime], to him I will give authority over the nations; and so He will rule them with an iron scepter as pots made of clay are shattered [capital punishment], so I also have received authority from My Father.

Furthermore, I will give to him the order of the morning star."

J.  The Function of the Morning Star in the Millennium, REV 20:4.  "And I saw thrones; and they that sat on them and rulership was given to them."

They will rule for 1000 years on the earth.

K.  The Privilege of the Morning Star Decoration in the Eternal State, REV 2:7. 

REV 2:7

' He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.' 

Only winners who have the order of the morning star have the privilege of access to the gazebo garden and tree of life.

The gazebo garden is the party place in heaven where only winner believers will have free access.

L.  Other Special Rewards for the Winner.

1.  A special pillar in the temple, written in gold, which tells the

winner's story.  His name remains in the temple of God as a permanent history record of who was really important in human history. (invisible heroes will become visible in heaven)

2.  He has a coat of arms, REV 3:12, which allows him to enter the New Jerusalem.  Only the winner can enter the New Jerusalem.

3.  The mandate to the winner is given in REV 3:11, "I will be coming suddenly; seize [hold, master, attain, grasp] what you have [your portfolio of invisible assets], that no one may take away your crown [military decoration]." 

The winner is ordered to hold on to, master, grasp, attain doctrine in his soul. 

Maturity from Bible doctrine in the soul is transformed into crowns in the eternal state.

This is a demand to learn the mystery doctrine of the Church Age, now while on earth, so that the believer can attain spiritual maturity.

The crown is a part of the escrow blessings of the eternal state.

There are at least 5 crowns mentioned in the scriptures...

a.  The crown of righteousness, 2 Tim 4:7-8, is awarded to winners who execute the pre-designed plan of God through maximum Bible doctrine circulating in the stream of consciousness.

2 Tim 4:7-8

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

b.  The crown of life, JAM 1:12; REV 2:10, is awarded to invisible heroes for maximum production of divine good through the execution of the pre-designed plan of God with emphasis on invisible impact.

James 1:12

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord  has promised to those who love Him.

REV 2:10

'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

c.  The crown of Rejoicing (Joy), 1Thess 2:19-20, REV 4:10-11, awarded to believers for soul-winning.

1 Thess 2:19-20

For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.

REV 4:10-11

the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 " Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."

The wise believer wins souls and is a tree of life to those he reaches.  Prov 11:30

d.  The incorruptible crown (for controlling the Old Sin Nature) 1 Cor 9:25-27

1 Cor 9:24-27

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

e.  The crown of glory, 1 Pet 5:4; Phil 4:1, ROM 12:7, is awarded to pastors and teachers who are faithful in teaching the word of God.

1.  This crown is awarded to pastors who faithfully study and communicate Bible doctrine to their congregation, doctrine by which the pastor and some members of the congregation will attain spiritual maturity. 

There are four categories of pastors in the Church Age...

a.  The cosmic pastor who lives in cosmic one and cosmic two is distracted by social action, crusader arrogance, and is totally disoriented to reality.  He is very arrogant, self‑righteous, and ignorant of Bible doctrine.

b.  The baby pastor high-profiles his own personality while low-profiling the Word of God.  All he does is evangelize and give little moral lectures.

c.     The adolescent pastor teaches some truth but is distracted by various forms of high profile.  He is selling his own personality (rather than teaching doctrine) by visiting the sick, calling on the congregation, and conducting programs. 

c.   

He can be a pseudo‑intellectual, a crusader, a bleeding heart, self‑righteous, a pleasing personality, or arrogant. 

He appeals to those with negative volition toward Bible doctrine. He doesn't have the time to study.

d.  

2. d.     The mature pastor through personal study and teaching advances to spiritual maturity in the pre-designed plan of God and is leading his congregation there. 

He has fulfilled the principle of rightly dividing the Word of Truth in 2Tim 2:15; therefore, he receives the crown of life and the crown of righteousness as well, HEB 6:10. 

2 Tim 2:15

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

HEB 6:10

“For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

3. He emphasizes doctrine and is a prepared person academically, knowing where he stands theologically.  He focuses on the message, not his personality.

2.  The motivation for the pastor is occupation with the Lord.  1 Pet 5:4, "And when the chief shepherd appears [Rapture], you [faithful pastors] will receive the unfading crown of glory."

3.  Phil 4:1 personalizes this concept.  "Therefore, my brethren, loved ones [congregation who is respected for their faithfulness], deeply desired ones, my happiness and my crown, keep on being stabilized [winners of the crown of righteousness]."

d. 4.  1 Thes 2:19‑20, "For who is our hope or happiness or crown of boasting [glory]?  Is it not you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?  For you are our glory and our happiness."

At the Judgment Seat of Christ, those who have attained spiritual maturity are the crown of glory for the pastor.

5.  The pastor's boasting or crown of glory is received because certain members of his congregation do two things by listening to the teaching of the Word.

a.  They take the giant step to spiritual self-esteem.

b.  They take the victory step to spiritual maturity.

6.  

So the happiness of the pastor comes from the positive response of those faithful to the teaching of the Word of God. 

The pastor's happiness is different from that of anyone else.

7. Believers who lived in the pre-designed plan of God are the basis for the pastor receiving the crown of glory.

4.  The order of the morning star is the highest decoration that can be awarded to a Church Age believer, REV 2:26, 29. 

This is awarded for the ultimate in impact through Bible doctrine.

5.  The winner also receives the uniform of glory, REV 3:4, 18.

6.  There is a new order of knighthood for winners, REV 2:17ff.  This includes a special royal title written in the Lamb's book of life along with the divine good he produced in time.

7.  There is a coat of arms of glory for the winner, REV 3:12.

8.  The miscellaneous privileges include:

(a)  A pillar in the Temple, REV 3:12; this is a record of great deeds of the winner.

(b)  The name of the winner appears on the honors list, so that he may be presented in the court of heaven in a resurrection body, REV 3:21, 5.

(c)  Winners will rule with Christ on earth during the

millennium, REV 5:17; 2 Tim 2:12; REV 2:26; 3:21; 20:4.

(d)  The winner is a member of the Paradise club forever.  This includes three special privileges: eating from the Tree of Life, access to the gazebo in the Garden, access to the Paradise of God, REV 2:7.

REV 2:7

7' He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.' 

All believers will be saved by the grace of God, but not all believers will receive these incredible rewards.

God is not shy about rewarding those who serve Him.  He will do exceedingly beyond all that we ask or think, if we choose to live for Him instead of ourselves.

EPH 3:20-21

20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

2 Peter 1:10-11

10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly  supplied to you.

The believer who rests in Him, who lives one day at a time relying on God and His Word, God will transform him into the Winner, and all these rewards will be granted him by the grace of God!

Phil 1:6

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Phil 2:13

13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Wisdom says in Prov 8:17-18

17 "I love those who love me;

And those who diligently seek me will find me.

18 " Riches and honor are with me,

Enduring wealth and righteousness.

This is the destiny of the Winner Believer; the one who lives this life for Christ.

Our Solid Rock Foundation

What is our foundation in our relationship with God?

Do we have a rock to stand on, that will not move or be shaken?

Religion doesn’t offer a positive answer. There is no security in religion.

But in Christ we have the stability of eternal life.

Our God and Savior Jesus Christ is called the Rock.

The Lord is our Rock who cannot be moved; He is the Rock of our salvation.

Part of our personal sense of destiny is our Eternal Security!

Eternal Security is part of our double destiny as believers in Christ.

As members of the Royal Priesthood, we have a destiny in time, and a destiny for all eternity: seated with Christ is heavenly places. EPH 2:6

How do we know this? Because of principles such as 'The Rock'.

As believers, we stand on HIM, even when we fall.

Deut 32:4

4 "The Rock! His work is perfect,

For all His ways are just;

A God of faithfulness and without injustice,

Righteous and upright is He.

NASB

2 Sam 22:2-3

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

3 My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;

My savior, Thou dost save me from violence.

NASB

2 Sam 22:32-36

32 "For who is God, besides the LORD?

And who is a rock, besides our God?

33 "God is my strong fortress;

And He sets the blameless in His way.

34 "He makes my feet like hinds' feet,

And sets me on my high places.

35 "He trains my hands for battle,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36 "Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation,

And Thy help makes me great.

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2 Sam 22:47

47 "The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock;

And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,

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The Lord is also our shield, and it means He is our Protector.

He not only gives us salvation, He PROTECTS our eternal salvation!

And the horn represents power, we are protected by His power for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last days. 1PE 1:5

I love the Eternal Security we can see in 1PE 1:3-5.

1 Peter 1:3-5

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (what an eternal security passage!)

4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

He is the horn, or the power, of my salvation.

Ps 18:31-35

31 For who is God, but the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God,

32 The God who girds me with strength,

And makes my way blameless?

33 He makes my feet like hinds' feet (swift),

And sets me upon my high places.

34 He trains my hands for battle,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation,

And Thy right hand upholds me;

And Thy gentleness makes me great.

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ISA 26:4

4 "Trust in the LORD forever,

For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.

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Salvation is strictly the work of the Lord, and it is as solid as standing on a mountain of rock.

Our salvation is an accomplishment of the Lord, not our own accomplishment.

And therefore our foundation is the Lord, the Rock, and His gift to us. It is not our own works.

Religion lies to us. Religion says our salvation depends upon our works, or even worse, upon our faithfulness.

The Bible says our salvation depends on Jesus Christ, our Rock and our Savior.

HE is the One who purchased our salvation, and by faith alone HE is the Rock we stand on forever, the “everlasting Rock”.

ISA 28:16

16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD,

"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,

A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.

He who believes will not be disturbed.

(why won’t you be disturbed? You are sitting on the perfect Rock)

This costly cornerstone, the Lord Jesus Christ, is our foundation that has been firmly put in place by God Himself.

He who believes in Jesus Christ will NOT be disturbed.

The believer can stand on the tested stone, on the costly cornerstone forever.

Matt 16:13-18

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter (a piece of rock), and upon this rock (a mass of rock, TLJC Himself) I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.

This is why Peter is not the first Pope. The church was not built on the little rock, but on the mass of rock, TLJC.

1 Cor 10:1-4

10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

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GOD is our immovable Rock! Upon HIM our salvation depends! Not upon ourselves!

Why did He bother to come and die??

So whoever believes in Him can have eternal life.

He came to rescue us from our sins.

And when our perfect God does a job, He does it completely.

Thus the picture of the immovable Rock.

1 Peter 2:6

6 For this is contained in Scripture:

"Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,

And he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed."

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EPH 2:19-20

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, 20 having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

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The work of Christ on the Cross is our spiritual cornerstone, the solid Rock of our salvation.

The apostles and prophets are other rocks that make up the foundation, but only because they are attached to the immovable cornerstone.

This is how we know the gifts of apostle and prophet are no longer for today, they were part of the foundation of the church, that's why only these two are mentioned in EPH 2:20. (not Pastor and Evangelist as in EPH 4:11)

But without a solid cornerstone, everything else would move. There would be no certainty and no security.

The cornerstone of a building is the main rock upon which everything else depends.

A cornerstone is a stone at the corner of a building uniting two intersecting walls.

Dictionary.com gives 4 definitions for a cornerstone...

1. a stone uniting two masonry walls at an intersection.
2. a stone representing the nominal starting place in the construction of a monumental building, usually carved with the date and laid with appropriate ceremonies.
3. something that is essential, indispensable, or basic.
4. the chief foundation on which something is constructed or developed.

All other stones are placed upon the foundation of the cornerstone, which brings strength and stability to the building.

And we have a cornerstone that is perfect and cannot be moved, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so HE is our foundation.

He is the foundation of our spiritual building,

that’s why He is called the Rock of our salvation.

The foundation of our spiritual building IS Jesus Christ, Who purchased the gift of eternal life with His own blood (Acts 20:28), and then He freely offered every man to stand upon HIM as the Rock of his salvation.

And whoever believes in Him will NOT be disappointed.

Not “might not” but “will not”.

Our foundation is the Rock, and the Rock gave us the Gift!

The foundation of our salvation is a Gift!

Let’s take a walk through the New Testament, stopping at the places that reveal our foundation; this gift of life that came from the Rock.

Let’s start in Matthew ch. 1.

Matt 1:18-25

18 Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly. (human good, but not divine viewpoint)

20 As he considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22 All of this happened to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet: (we find this predicted in ISA 7:14, 700 years before the birth of Christ)

23 "Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son,

and he will be called Immanuel

(meaning, God is with us)."

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded. He brought Mary home to be his wife, 25 but she remained a virgin until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

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The gift of baby Jesus, born to die; God became human so He could take the judgment of sin upon Himself.

That’s how great His love is for His creatures.

Jesus said in

John 15:13

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

No matter how unfair life seems at times, or how much evil you see in this life, you cannot blame God.

God has proven He loves us beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Evil is a result of free will; not a lack of God's love for you.

He died for all for us, so we could jump on His back.

So we could jump on the immovable Rock.

In Mat 7, we see the analogy of building your house on a rock, not on sand.

This speaks of building your spiritual life on Christ, not on false gods or false hopes.

Matt 7:24-25

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. 25 "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.

NASB

Is it your house that keeps your house up?

Or is it the rock that keeps your house up?

You stand before God JUSTIFIED.

You have eternal life, because you believed in His Son, the Rock.

Your very life has been “founded” (foundation!) upon the Rock!

Let’s look at a famous verse about the gift of eternal life…

John 3:16-18 (in the New Living Translation)

16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.

18 "There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God.

NLT

So we see that faith is the issue, and there is NO judgment awaiting the man who trusts in Christ.

Why? How can we know?

Because our God and Savior is the ROCK.

He cannot be moved, and He cannot be changed.

If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, there is no eternal judgment for you, but you have eternal life.

This is the gift that we receive by faith alone in Christ alone, according to the Bible.

Our foundation is the Rock, and the Rock gave us the Gift.

Look at JOH 5:24

Again I like the New Living Translation here…

In John 5:24, Jesus said…

24 "I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. (a reference to eternal life)

NLT

The foundation for our salvation has already been established by Christ.

Our works are not the issue, our FAITH is the issue.

Faith is how we accept the gift of God; giving Him credit for all the work involved in our salvation.

John 6:28-29

28 They said therefore to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."

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Let’s take a walk to the book of Acts; Acts 16 where we see the same principle of faith alone to accept God’s salvation; to accept the work of the Rock.

We are not our own rock. We cannot please a perfect God!

That’s why we must rely on THE Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ.

HE makes us stand before a holy and righteous God.

Acts 16:25-31, here we see the apostle Paul when he was in prison for his faith in Christ… (New Living Translation)

25 Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, "Don't do it! We are all here!"

29 Trembling with fear, the jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 He brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

31 They replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with your entire household."

NLT

If something is a gift, you don’t have to pay for it.

In fact it is no longer a gift if you pay for it.

If salvation were not completely a gift, then we would be asked to be part of the cornerstone.

But we are not, thank God.

So again we see the nature of our foundation as we continue our walk in the New Testament letters, as in ROM 3:24…

Notice we are visiting the books in order, so we can see how a simple walk through the New Testament reveals the Gift of eternal life from the Rock who is our foundation.

ROM 3:21-24

21 But now apart from the Law (incl. The 10 Commandments), the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

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The Greek word for ‘gift’ here refers to 'a gratuity'.

It also refers to 'a present; especially a sacrificial present.'

The foundation of our salvation has been laid by Jesus Christ; once for all in HEB 10:10.

He has sacrificially given Himself so that we could be justified freely, by His grace.

That’s why the Bible says anyone who believes in Him has eternal life, because the cornerstone has already been laid.

This is why salvation is a gift that can only be accepted by faith, not by works.

Look at Romans 5:15-17. I want you to notice that the word “gift” is used here 5 times.

If salvation were not a gift, then NONE of us would be saved.

I’ll also try to give you the cliffnotes as we go through this passage…

ROM 5:15-17

15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. 17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

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Who are those who receive the gift? Those who believe in the Lord Christ.

You see, we all deserve death, no doubt about it.

We are all sinners, and we all deserve to be separate from our perfect God.

But the Rock changed all that!

ROM 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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2 Cor 9:15

15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

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EPH 2:4-9

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.

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Thank God HE is the ROCK of our salvation!