Over the last few weeks, we have been asking a reoccurring question: Do you know? Do you know that you have an inheritance in Christ? Do you know that you are safe and secure in His hands? Do you know that He loves you beyond measure? While countless blessings have been given to you in Christ Jesus today, if you do not know them or receive them, they will not do any good in your life.
So today we will be studying the goodness of God, because it is when we truly see His goodness directed towards us in all things, that we can have the belief necessary to receive all of His provision for us.
Our first scripture text today is going to be John 6:69:
“And we believe and are sure that you are that Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Quite a number of people when asked, will claim that they believe that Jesus Christ existed. But not very many are sure that He is the Christ, the son of the living God. Do you see the difference there? One believes that someone simply exists, while the other is confidently sure that he is who he says he is.
Turn now to 3rd John 1:2:
“Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.”
This scripture right here, runs counter to what many churches are teaching today. They say that health and prosperity are worldly and evil doctrines, and that we should have our minds on other “more spiritual” concerns. However John here says that he wishes above all things that you prosper and be in health. Now why? One clue is in the very first word of the verse… Beloved. You are the beloved of God in Christ Jesus today, and like any good and loving father, God never desires that any of His children be sick, poor or suffering in any way.
Now John even goes a step further and tells us a secret of how to receive these things at the end of the verse. He says prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. Your soul is your mind and your thoughts, and the phrase “even as” means to the same degree as or in the same measure as. The principle is this: to the level at which your soul is prospering, so too will you prosper and be in health to the same degree. To the level at which you allow Jesus to set you free in your thinking and believing, you will also be set free in the other areas as well. As Jesus said, you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32) – it starts with knowing the truth.
In order for us to understand fully what our verse in 3rd John 1:2 is telling us, we must examine the original Greek text closer, because there are some details here for us to see. One thing about the Greek language which the New Testament was originally written in, is that it is a very detailed and descriptive language. For example, when Jesus said “It is finished!” it is one single Greek word, tetelestai. In the Greek tetelestai is in the perfect passive indicative. The Greek Perfect Tense indicates that the progress of the action has been completed once and for all, and never is to be repeated. And the result of that action is ongoing and in full effect. The Greek Passive Voice indicates that the subject of the sentence is what is being acted upon. The Greek Indicative Mood, signifies an actual event or occurrence from the writer’s perspective. In other words, this was not an allegory or mere imagery, but an actual event, a statement of fact. So Jesus doesn’t need your help! Just your acceptance.
As for our verse in 3rd John 1:2, the word “prosper” is in the Greek Present Passive Infinitive. It is in the Present tense – that means now. Passive, as we have just looked at, means it is being done upon you, you are receiving it. However that phrase “be in health” is in the Present Active Infinitive – which means that if you don’t reach out for it, it is possible for you to be prospering, but still be sick. Now this “reaching out” is not referring to all of the diets, exercises and latest health fads and trends of the world. Some of those might be okay but many of them are not… always remember that is “man’s wisdom” and the Bible says in Jeremiah 17:5 that cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm. – one day the world will tell you something is good, and the next day it is bad. Always remember that fear comes when you listen to the words of men, but faith comes by hearing the words of God.
The “reaching out” that we are discussing here is reaching out to God. And this is an area where many believers have trouble believing. They have trouble reaching out to God for their healing because of erroneous teachings about God. They have wrong ideas about His goodness and His love for them. They have either been taught that their sickness is from God as some form of divine punishment, or that first they must clean themselves up before they are ask God for healing; both of which are not taught in scripture. No He wants us to reach out for Him now, just as we are. But if it is not by your arm of flesh; if it is not by our arm of self-effort and human strength, what arm is it? Do we have another arm by which we can reach out and touch the hem of Jesus’ garment? Yes. Luke 11:20:
“But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come on you”
Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit is the finger of God, and in several other places in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is called the “Hand of God” (Isaiah 1:25, Ezekiel 3:14). The hand with which we reach towards God is not our own! It is His own Spirit which allows us to make contact with Him – it is not of ourselves, we can boast in nothing.
And what is our part to play in this reaching? 2Nd Corinthians 3:18 has the answer:
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD.”
Our part to play in this reaching is to behold the glory of the LORD, to behold Jesus.
So are you ready to do some beholding? Turn with me to Luke 15:11-32:
“And he said, A certain man had two sons:
And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. And he divided to them his living.
And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave to him.
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you,
And am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of your hired servants.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight, and am no more worthy to be called your son.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
And bring here the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
And he said to him, Your brother is come; and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.
And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him.
And he answering said to his father, See, these many years do I serve you, neither transgressed I at any time your commandment: and yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
But as soon as this your son was come, which has devoured your living with harlots, you have killed for him the fatted calf.
And he said to him, Son, you are ever with me, and all that I have is yours.
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this your brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”
This story is so powerful, and so necessary today, because Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship. And that’s what this story is ultimately about. It’s not about keeping rules in order to be blessed by God, but it is all about the relationship that you have with the LORD. It’s about believing right, not doing right. Now believing right will lead to doing right… having a right relationship with God will lead to doing right, but the doing in itself is not the focus here – the relationship with God is, and you can not have a relationship with someone that you do not truly know, and this is why wrong believing about God is so very dangerous.
When you see God rightly, it will affect every area of your life in powerful and amazing ways, divine ways. If you have a fear about some area of your life today, or you have worry or anxiety about some part of your life, it is in that area that you are not seeing the glory of Jesus in that area. You are too busy seeing the problem and not the solution, which is Jesus.
Many times we think “when God shows up and solves my problems, then I will rest and behold His glory afterward.” But no, my friends, we read it tonight, we are transformed by the Spirit as we behold Him.
So it is primarily the last part of this parable told by Jesus that we are going to examine today, because many believers still have an “older brother” mentality when it comes to God, and this mentality is stopping many from beholding and receiving from God.
We know that the younger son, in a very disrespectful manner, demanded his inheritance from his father, and went off and wasted it all on what the Bible calls “riotous living”. Then when all of it is spent and gone, he returns home. And the father still showed him Grace, because it is the goodness, the mercy of God that leads people to repentance, not the judgment of God. (Romans 2:4) And the father gave the returning son gifts, killed the fatted calf and there was music and dancing. Then in verse 25, the older son came in from the field, and hears music and dancing and in verse 26 he asks what these things mean. There are people today who do not understand music and dancing in the house of God.
Verse 27, the servant explains what has happened about the younger brother coming home and the father throwing a party and killing the fatted calf – and in verse 28 we see that the older brother was angry. The older brother stayed outside and would not come in. And the father came out and entreated him. You see, the father is the hero of this story. That word “entreat” means to call near, to invite to come in, and to comfort. Amazing isn’t it, such grace shown by the father here. And in verse 29, the older son answers with Lo! Which in the Greek is an imperative, the son is answering his father with Look! Which is rude to begin with, and then look at what he says next… all these years I have served you, and I have never transgressed your commandments. This son has a performance mentality, this son has a mentality that he must earn his rewards. The son continues… And yet you never even gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends. The son’s heart is not even for the affections and company of his father, but on the riches themselves so that he can celebrate with his friends. And the son continues in verse 30… but as soon as this son of yours returns, who wasted his money on harlots, you kill the fatted calf for him. Notice that he did not even call the youngest son his brother, but this son of yours. Not only does he have a performance-mentality, feeling like he has to earn blessings, but what often follows on the heels of such a mindset is an orphan-spirit. When your focus is on your performance, you will never be good enough.
Then in verse 31, the father responds, and in the Greek he does not say just “son” but teknon, “little child” – this is not a mature son, but a child as far as discernment and spiritual maturity goes, but he is getting a loving lesson here from the father now. The father says you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.
You see the son could have killed the young goat whenever he wanted, it was already his, but he didn’t perceive it as his. Many times we take this mentality towards God, we are waiting for Him to give us something that is already ours in Christ Jesus today. It’s possible to be near God, because Jesus has finished the work for us to be, but not be near to God due to our own performance-mentality and orphan-spirit. This son was with the father all the time, he never left home, yet he never enjoyed the love or blessings of the father due to his wrong believing. Stop waiting. Reach out in faith and receive what is already yours, it’s the goodness of God for you.