Everlasting Love
From: ‘The Gift of Jesus’ by Charles Stanley
The greatest gift God has ever given:
Himself.
The greatest thing that exists.
The history-changing day when
‘God became flesh and dwelt among us.’
John 1:143
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The awesome wisdom and simplicity of the name Jesus.
Even a child can say it. It means God’s deliverer.
When you learn about Jesus you are interacting with your Living Savior,
'who took the form of a servant’ to have a relationship with you.
Philippians 2:7
God’s love sent His Son into the world
‘that we might live through Him.’
1 John 4:9
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The invention of the airplane changed the course of history.
How much greater the gift of Jesus
to transform every life into peace and love and bursting joy
for all eternity?
God loves each person with a ‘love so deep
to know would break your heart.’ J. McGee
He wants to heal your body, soul, and spirit,
and fill your life with every wondrous possibility.
We grow weary when we focus on our circumstances instead of Him.
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In the beginning the Word was with God,
The Word was God.
He was made flesh, Jesus, and dwelt among us.’
John 1:1,14
He set the sun, moon, and stars in place,
created all living things, breathed in His breath of life,
and sustains it all perfectly
from the smallest particle to the vast workings of the universe.
He stood in the highest place,
the right hand of the throne of heaven.
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He traveled every distance,
sacrificed everything to be with you
forever.
Absolute holiness, infinite power, unfailingly faithful,
glorious splendor, infinite love.
The beautiful, powerful, majestic, and mysterious
is seen kind, loving, and approachable.
Almighty hands that formed mountains
touched blind eyes to restore their sight.
Three persons of the Trinity in perfect union and essence,
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are bringing all who will back to His very heart.
Jesus, the radiance of the Father’s glory,
shows us what it looks like when the incomprehensible
God interacts with us.
In Him we see endless mercy, love, holiness,
wisdom, creativity, justice, healing, beauty, and power.
Christ said, ‘He who has seen Me has seen the Father.’
John 14:9
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God arranged history to prepare for this event.
The law was given through Moses
(to show us God’s standard of holiness
is far beyond our reach).
What He requires of us is overwhelming, s
o we will trust Him for it, not ourselves.
The most glorious mystery is
‘Christ in you.’
Colossians 1:27
Because Jesus is alive in us,
we can be filled with His grace and power.
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And personally guaranteed:
‘nothing will be impossible with God.’ Luke 1:37
And they will call His name Immanuel,
which means God with us.’
Matthew 21:23
He wasn’t born in a royal setting
as would be fitting for the eternal Son of God,
but on the ground in a smelly stable
to connect with the lowest place.
The infinitely perfect and beautiful One was
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looked down on, despised, rejected, betrayed,
and totally forsaken,
so He knows every place you might be or have been.
Your life has the greatest value to Him.
He gave His life to buy you for Himself.
You are never alone or helpless.
‘Don’t be afraid or discouraged, I am with you.’
Isaiah 41:10
Always with you at your best and worst
to lift and make new.
In your darkest times
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He draws you closer.
Shepherds, a lowly smelly job,
treated as outcasts,
were watching over their flacks at night
when an angel of the Lord stood before them,
and the glory of the Lord surrounded them. saying,
I bring you good news of great joy for all people,
for today, born for you is a Savior who is Christ the Lord.
Then a vast host of majestic angels appeared
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saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace, (delight, pleasure ) to men.’
Luke 2:10-14
This awesome, loving Savior
was coming to take them from the lowest place in society
to the highest.’
‘He that overcomes will sit with Me on My throne.’
Revelation 3:21
And this is ‘the victory that overcomes,’ our faith. 1 John 5:4
Our Divine warrior has already won every
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battle for us: All powerful, He never loses.
‘Glory to God in the Highest and earth peace, to men.’
Eden, the name of God's garden where He put the man
before the fall
means pleasure, delight,
telling us this astounding Savior
was coming to undo 'the works of the devil.’
1 John 3:8
All the suffering and unspeakable horrors of time and eternity,
to be forever reversed.
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‘For unto us a child is born,
a Son is given.
And the government will be on His shoulder:
and His name will be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,’
Isaiah 9:6,7
He will be great.
He will be called the Son of the Highest.
The Lord God will give Him the throne.
And of His kingdom there will be no end.’
Luke 1:32, 33
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Every Wondrous Possibility
The Infinite Perfection of God
Can you find the perfection of the Almighty?
Job 11:7
www.streets-of-gold.info
Perfection: free of flaws or defects
The heavens declare the glory of God;
firmament shows His handiwork.
Day to day it speaks,
and night to night shows knowledge.
All God’s message was first written
in word pictures in the stars:
from Virgo, the virgin,
the birth of the Savior
to Leo, the lion,
the King who will rule forever.
There is no speech or language,
where their voice is not heard.
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In them He set a tabernacle for the sun,
which is as a bridegroom
out of His chamber.
Psalm 19:4
Return to Me. backsliding children,
says the Lord;
for I am married to you.
Jeremiah 3:14
The law of the Lord is perfect,
converting the soul back to God.
The statutes of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart:
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes:
the judgments of the Lord are true
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and righteous altogether.
(Not one hint of a flaw, imperfection,
or error can be found in God, ever.)
Moreover, by them is Your servant warned:
and in keeping them there is great reward.
Psalm 19
Those that overcome
will inherit all things
and I will be their God,
and they will be My Son.
Revelation 21:7
Ah Lord God! Behold,
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You made heaven and earth by Your great power. Nothing too hard for You.
Jeremiah 32:17
We see God’s infinite perfection
in the stars that show in word pictures,
the whole truth of life.
And we see His infinite perfection
in the tiniest flower, the birds,
bees, butterflies, the miracle of birth,
and the laughter of children.
You show Your faithful love
to countless thousands,
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and repay iniquity: the Great,
the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts,
is His name.
Great in counsel and mighty in work.
Your eyes are open on all the ways
of the sons of men to give everyone
the fruit of his doings.
Jeremiah 32:18,19
The Lord is good to all.
His tender mercies are over
all His works.
Psalm 145:9
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The angel Gabriel was sent by God
to a virgin named Mary,
engaged to a man named Joseph.
The angel said, The Lord is with you;
you are blessed among women.
You will conceive in your womb
and bear a Son and call His name Jesus.
He will be great, the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord God will give Him
the throne
and He will reign forever.
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His kingdom will never end.
That holy One born of you
is the Son of God.
For with God nothing is impossible.
She said, He that is mighty
has done great things for Me;
holy is His name.
His faithful love is on those that fear Him
from generation to generation.
Luke 1:46-50
The angel told Joseph,
that which is conceived in Mary is
from the Holy Spirit.
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She will bear a son,
and you will call His name Jesus:
for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21
Mankind, made in the image of their Creator, following evil, fell from that height:
the love of God made the way back.
Jesus, made a little lower than the angels,
to suffer death for us,
(the eternal can't die).
is now crowned with glory and honor,
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that He, by the grace of God,
would taste death for every man.
For it became Him,
for whom are all things,
and by whom are all things,
in bringing many sons to glory,
to make the Captain of their salvation
perfect through sufferings.
Hebrews 2:9,10
Who His own self bore our sins
in His own body on the tree,
that we, being dead to sins,
would live to righteousness:
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by whose wounds we are healed.
1 Peter 2:24
We love him, because He first loved us.
1 John 4:19
This fulfills His first and great command
to love Him with all our heart and being
because that’s how He always has
and always will love us.
From His love, the sufferings in life
humble our hearts to show us our need of Him.
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But the God of all grace,
who has called us into His eternal glory
by Christ Jesus,
after you have suffered a little,
makes you perfect, establishes, strengthens, and settles you.
1 Peter 5:10
The high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says,
I dwell in the high and holy place,
with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit. Isaiah 57:15
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Since, of ourselves, we aren’t infinite
and eternal beings,
In this God showed His love toward us, because He sent
His only begotten Son into the world,
that we might live through Him.
1 John 4:9
He gave us Himself to be our perfection.
Looking to Jesus who,
for the joy that was set before Him,
endured the cross and
is set down at the right hand
of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2
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And we are being changed into His image from glory to glory,
by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:18
And you are complete in Him,
who is the head of all principality and power.
Colossians 2:9,10
For your Maker is your husband;
the Lord of hosts is His name;
and your Redeemer
the Holy One of Israel;
The God of the whole earth.
Isaiah 54:5
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Glorious perfections without end
Eternal Warrior
The Battle is the Lord’s
As Jesus was casting out a devil that made a man unable to speak, some said, He casts out devils through the chief of the devils. Jesus exposed that lie, and then said,
If I, with the finger of God cast out devils, the kingdom of God has come to you.
Luke 11:15, 20
Since the first sin in Eden the Lord has been at war against evil.
His name ‘Lord of hosts,’ hosts means armies.
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He is rules over all the countless armies of beautiful angels of light in the heavens:
In making mankind in His image,
Genesis 1:27, from His love, 1 John 4:8),
not willing that any perish,
but that all turn back to Him,
and sit with Him on His eternal throne,
ruling with Him through endless ages to come, (Revelation 1:5,6)
God is displaying to all the universe what evil is.
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The Lord sent man from Eden
to work the ground for his food
to humble his heart
so he would turn back to God,
who alone is life.
Some follow evil and just steal.
In Abraham’s day, 4 kings rampaged,
killing and stealing.
When Abram heard his brother,
Lot, was captured, he armed his 318 trained servants, pursued, and recovered all.
Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God brought bread and wine
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and blessed him, saying, Blessed be Abraham of the Most High God,
possessor of heaven and earth,
Who delivered your enemies into your hand. Genesis 14:14-20
When Joshua was by Jericho
a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand.
Joshua went to Him and said, Are you for us, or for our enemies?
He said, No, but as Captain of the army of the Lord I have come.
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Joshua fell on his face to the ground and worshipped saying, What do you say
to your servant?
He said, Take off your shoes
for the place you stand is holy.’
Joshua 5:13-15
At Jesus’ birth, in that country shepherds were staying in the field, guarding their flock by night. And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord surrounded them:
and they were terrified.
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The angel said, Don’t be afraid,
I bring you news of great joy for all people.
For to you is born today a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord,
i.e. the one who has all the power in the universe. Luke 2:8-11
The Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8
When Mary was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit the Lord appeared
to Joseph in a dream saying,
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that which is conceived in her is
of the Holy Spirit.
She will bring forth a son,
and you will call His name Jesus
for He will save His people from their sins.
Matthew 1:18-21
Who His own self bore our sins
in His own body that we, being dead to sins, would live to God. 1 Peter 2:24
But this Man,
after He had offered one sacrifice
for sins forever,
sat down on the right hand of God,
having perfected forever
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those that believe.
Hebrews 10:12-14
The night before His arrest Jesus said,
Now is the judgment of this world:
now the prince of this world will be cast out.
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, (crucifixion and ascension)
will draw all men to Me.
John 12:31,32
He that is not with Me is against Me;
and he that doesn’t gather with Me scatters.
Matthew 12:30
In the near future,
the stars of heaven will fall,
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the powers that are in heaven will be shaken.
Then all will see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven
with great power and glory.
Mark 13:25-27
Heaven opens and behold, a white horse;
and He that sits on him
is called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness
He judges and makes war.
His eyes are as a flame of fire,
and on His head are many crowns:
King over all kings.
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And out of His mouth goes
a sharp two edged sword, the word of God;
and with it He strikes the nations.
He will rule them with a rod of iron,
infinite strength;
and He treads the winepress
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, against all the harm and ruin of evil.
His name written:
King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
Revelation 19:11-16
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Then He will send His angels
and gather His own from the four winds,
from the farthest part of heaven.
Matthew 24:31
I saw thrones, and those sat on them,
and judgment was given to them;
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Revelation 20:4
The evil ones will be bound
in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years
and then loosed a little season (to test the hearts of those born during the 1,ooo years).
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They gather a great worldwide army
to go against the Lord,
but fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them. Revelation 20:9
And the devil that deceived them
will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, tormented day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 20:10
Why do the nations rage?
The kings of the earth set themselves against the Lord, and against His anointed.
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He that sits in the heavens laughs at this.
Then He speaks to them in His wrath.
I have set My king on My holy hill. The Lord said to me,
You are My Son.
I will give You the nations for Your inheritance.
Be wise therefore, you other kings.
Serve the Lord with fear. Rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son so He won’t be angry and you perish. Blessed are all that put their trust in Him. Psalm 2
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The Lord is King forever: the evil have perished out of His land.
Psalm 10:16
Those that overcome
will sit with Me on My throne.
Revelations 3:21
In Eternal Glory