Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 4,387
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:11-12 NASB1995)
The subject matter is the gospel of our salvation and what that means for us personally who have put our faith in Jesus Christ, who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and as servants of righteousness. We are the faithful in Christ Jesus who have died with Christ to sin, and who have been changed in heart and mind away from living in sin to now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands.
For God chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before him. And to be holy means to be pure of heart and mind in Christ Jesus, to live righteously, faithful in Christ Jesus to the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles which are for all of us who believe in Jesus. And it means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus, as we cooperate fully with his work of grace in our lives.
For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)
And to be blameless is to be righteous, morally clean, upright, and godly people, by genuine biblical faith in Christ Jesus, by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives in purifying our hearts and in making us to be more like Jesus. And this is of God, but it requires our full cooperation and participation with God and with his plan and purpose for our lives. And this doesn’t mean that we will never sin (1 John 2:1-2), but that sin must no longer have mastery over our lives, but we are now to live holy unto God.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
Therefore, faith in Jesus Christ which saves us from our sins, and which promises us eternal life with God, is not just words we repeat after someone else in a prayer where we “invite Jesus to come into our hearts.” It is not just a verbal profession of Christ as Lord and a belief in his death and resurrection for the salvation of our sins. But it is dying to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in practice, by the grace of God and in the power of God, in submission to God’s will and purpose for our lives.
For we learn in 1 John 1-3 that if we claim that we have fellowship with God, but yet we walk in darkness (sin), we are liars. If we claim that we know God, but we do not obey his commandments, in practice, we are liars. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.
And this is according to God’s purpose who works all things after the counsel of his will, that we who hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. This is what he predestined that his followers should do, and how we should live. For it is for his praise and his glory that we should submit to him as Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives, that we should surrender to his will and purpose for our lives, and that we should die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness in obedience to his commands and in holy living.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
Caution: This link may contain ads
According to God’s Purpose
An Original Work / November 3, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
The subject matter is the gospel of our salvation and what that means for us personally who have put our faith in Jesus Christ, who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and as servants of righteousness. We are the faithful in Christ Jesus who have died with Christ to sin, and who have been changed in heart and mind away from living in sin to now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands.
For God chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before him. And to be holy means to be pure of heart and mind in Christ Jesus, to live righteously, faithful in Christ Jesus to the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles which are for all of us who believe in Jesus. And it means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus, as we cooperate fully with his work of grace in our lives.
For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)
And to be blameless is to be righteous, morally clean, upright, and godly people, by genuine biblical faith in Christ Jesus, by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives in purifying our hearts and in making us to be more like Jesus. And this is of God, but it requires our full cooperation and participation with God and with his plan and purpose for our lives. And this doesn’t mean that we will never sin (1 John 2:1-2), but that sin must no longer have mastery over our lives, but we are now to live holy unto God.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
Therefore, faith in Jesus Christ which saves us from our sins, and which promises us eternal life with God, is not just words we repeat after someone else in a prayer where we “invite Jesus to come into our hearts.” It is not just a verbal profession of Christ as Lord and a belief in his death and resurrection for the salvation of our sins. But it is dying to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in practice, by the grace of God and in the power of God, in submission to God’s will and purpose for our lives.
For we learn in 1 John 1-3 that if we claim that we have fellowship with God, but yet we walk in darkness (sin), we are liars. If we claim that we know God, but we do not obey his commandments, in practice, we are liars. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.
And this is according to God’s purpose who works all things after the counsel of his will, that we who hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. This is what he predestined that his followers should do, and how we should live. For it is for his praise and his glory that we should submit to him as Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives, that we should surrender to his will and purpose for our lives, and that we should die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness in obedience to his commands and in holy living.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
Caution: This link may contain ads
According to God’s Purpose
An Original Work / November 3, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
