"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have Life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)
"...and let him who is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of Life freely." -(Rev. 22:13)
Imagine standing in a howling desert wasteland, with jackals, wolves, scorpions, predators of every sort. And it is hot and dry, so bone dry that you would give ANYTHING (even your whole life savings) for just one glass of ICE COLD WATER. You've lived in frustration for quite some time now, for you've done everything in your power to find any water to quench your thirst. And now you sense that the end is near; You have come to "the end of yourself". You need water NOW, or you will DIE! Your vision becomes very blurry as you fall to your knees in exhaustion on the hot sand and begin to lose consciousness. You cry out, "GOD, PLEASE HELP ME! THERE'S NOTHING MORE I CAN DO!"
Suddenly, you feel a hand on your shoulder; Strength enters your body and you stand to turn and see who just touched you. And there stands a man dressed in white, but your vision is still blurry that you cannot see his face. He says to you, "Fear not, follow me." So he leads you on towards what appears to be a CROSS. Your vision begins to return, and as you look closely, you notice that the Cross is stained with blood. You ask the man in white, "What does this mean? Why have you brought me to this?" He answers, "Your only hope of the water you seek is for you to cease from all your own efforts to earn it or to find it. You must place your complete trust, not only now but ALWAYS, in the Man Who died on this Cross, and what He did for you here. You see, this is where he paid the penalty for your sins." "Where is He now?", you ask. The man replies, "He rose from the dead so you would have the water you seek: a NEVER-ENDING SUPPLY!"
Tears fill your eyes, and you ask the man, "You mean, He did this for... me?" "Yes.", the man replied. "Do you trust, and will keep trusting in what He did for you here?" "Yes, with all my heart.", you reply. Then, suddenly and miraculously, everything surrounding you changes! The man and the Cross were still there, yet instead of being in a desert, you find yourself in a lush OASIS (like Hawaii)! And... the sound of an ABUNDANCE OF WATER! "Where are we?", I asked the man. "Congratulations; Through no merit of your own, but only by the merits of what the Man did for you on the Cross, you are... "IN CHRIST", he replied. You turn and look to see a waterfall cascading from a huge Rock above you, and forming a River of crystal-clear Water. "This is the 'River of Life', which has a supernatural heavenly Source, from God 'the Fountain of Living Waters'. Nowhere upon this earth and its desert wastelands can this Water be duplicated (for the waters thereof are from broken worldly cisterns polluted by the evil one). The 'Water of Life' is reserved only for those like you, the thirsty, who have willingly lost their 'self''-life, only to gain a new Life through faith in God's Way: Christ and what He did on the Cross."
Almost before the man's words left his mouth, you run and dive into the water, immersed into it's cool and refreshing billows, and you drink, and drink, and drink! Slowly as you get out of the river, you begin to fully comprehend where you are at: A place of great beauty and delight; Peace and joy seemed to permeate the very atmosphere, causing you to feel light and free. "I never want to leave here!", I exclaimed to the man. "You never have to", replied the man. "Beware, though, of the seductions of the lord of the desert, and of his followers who dwell therein. As you know, there be many desert-dwellers, and although the way of the righteous is more excellent than his neighbor's, yet the way of the wicked seduces him! The main seduction is for one to take his eyes off of the Cross, and to try to EARN water once again. This is a great insult to God's Way: the Sacrifice that His Son paid to obtain these Living Waters for man. Here, look back out into the desert, and you shall see." So he takes you to a door-way, and you look out of the window, only to see thousands of people dressed in tattered rags, with picks and shovels in their hands, feverishly pounding and digging at the soil in an attempt to get the Living Waters out there, their own way! "Why are they dressed in tattered rags?, you ask. "...while I'm dressed in the white apparel which you gave me?" "This represents their own righteousness, which is as filthy rags", the man replied. "Yet they cannot see their apparel as such; They believe what they're wearing is just fine; And they believe, mistakenly, that they are rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; That they are a guide to the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes. All the while not knowing that they are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Such is the state of those who by pride, rebellion, and self-will choose their way, rather than God's! Beware of these men, for they will perceive YOU to be evil, even as you do that which is good. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! WOE unto them that are wise in their OWN eyes, and prudent in their OWN sight!" "But what shall I do concerning them?", I asked. "Leave them alone. They be the blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Look for those who are as you, who are ready to surrender ALL to the Lord of the Oasis, and lead them to the CROSS, as I have led you there." "You mean I have to leave this wonderful place?, I asked. "Yes, but only in a sense", the man replied. "...in order to rescue others also. But do not fear. The same one Who supplied your Water now is the Same Who will be with you always to supply you with Living Waters on your journeys. And... as you continue to look solely to the Cross as your object of faith, you will continue to be "in Christ", and have (as it were) a protective Covering, a "Shelter" from heat, wind, and hail; You shall be hid in the secret of His Presence from the pride of man; kept secretly in a Pavilion from the strife of tongues;
" Yea, ALL those in The Hiding Place shall live THE ABUNDANT LIFE if they only believe that which is written in "the Book". I will now reveal to you the full blessings, that ABUNDANT LIFE found "in Christ". Behold, this is ...
a Place ....
- that is a REFUGE. (Psa. 9:9; 14:6; 46:1; 91:2; 142:5; Deut. 32:27; 2 Sam. 22:3)
- of identification with Christ in death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation. (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:12-13; Mk. 16:19)
- without sin; The "righteousness of God without the law". (1 Jhn. 3:5; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 1:17; 3:21; Philip. 3:9; Dan. 9:24)
- of bold access to God the Father in prayer. (Eph. 2:13; 3:12; Heb. 4:15-16)
- of God's Presence: the Holy Ghost" (Psa. 31:20; 91:1; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 2:22; 1 Jhn. 4:133:24; John 14:16-17,23,26; 15:26; 16:7-11,13-14; 17:23) ... Who is Divine supernatural Life. (Rom. 8:2; 2 Cor. 3:6; Jhn. 6:63; 1:4; 1 Cor. 15:22; 1 Jhn. 5:11-12)
- of power, grace that makes one strong and vigorous, (Eph. 6:10; 2 Tim. 2:1; Psa. 68:35; Eph. 1:19; 3:16; 6:10; Col. 1:11; 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Cor. 12:9; Zech. 4:6-7; 10:12) ... with no fear (Psa. 91:5; 1 Jhn. 4:18; Prov. 3:24; Isa. 43:1-2; Psa. 23:4).
- of completeness, where the LORD is your "Portion", and you are satisfied. (Col. 2:10; Lam. 3:24; Psa. 16:5; 73:26; 119:57; Jer. 10:16; Psa. 27:4; 107:9; 23:1; Philip. 4:11; 2 Pet. 1:3)
- of Light. (Eph. 5:8; John 8:12)
- of liberty. (Gal. 2:4; John 8:36)
- of simplicity. (2 Cor. 11:13)
- of peace and fulness of joy. (Ex. 33:14; John 14:27; Psa. 16:11)
- of love and faith. (1 Jhn. 4:16; 1 Tim. 1:14)
- free of evil, harm, and sickness. (Psa. 91:10; Prov. 1:33; 12:21; 2 Thes. 3:3; 2 Pet. 2:9; Isa. 53:5; 1 Pet. 2:24)
- of deliverance and honor. (Psa. 91:15; 1 Sam. 2:30)
- of long life. (Psa. 91:16; Prov. 3:1-2)
- of salvation with eternal glory. (2 Tim. 2:10)
Hallelujah!!!!!
Now some would say... "Well, most of those things are dependent upon our obedience to the Word". Well, yes but... when the object of our faith is upon us and our obedience to the Word, we will not have the ABILITY to obey as we ought, for we are making a "law" out of our obedience; And "the strength of (the) sin (nature) is the law (or... legalism)"- 1 Cor. 15:56. But "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one who believes" -Rom. 10:4; So as the object of our faith is Christ and His Work on the Cross ALONE, we will obey the Word naturally from our heart, and consequently live "the abundant Life", because that is "who we are"... "IN CHRIST"! When we fall short in any area of obedience, the Holy Spirit will convict us of that and set us properly in line; Then we do not need someone in our face telling us "Do this", or "Don't do that" !
To the Lord Jesus Christ be glory for ever and ever! Amen!
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