ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED
By Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
“Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as He hath Chosen us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
before Him in love:
“Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath
made us Accepted in the Beloved, in Whom we have Redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace.” (Eph. 1:3-7)
Ernest and Mary Mountain were gloriously converted
to Christ at the Edmonton Revival Centre on 149 Street and Jasper Avenue in
1970. They were unmarried with four children. Ernest had worked in the Yukon on
the Big Boats, as well as other large projects. They had moved to the west end
of Edmonton and were getting ready to separate. Ernest had purchased a new
automobile, but had lost his driver’s license because of drinking alcohol.
As he and some friends were
driving past our church he saw the big billboard sign with the words, Get
Right with God! He was a Roman Catholic, and those words began to speak to
him. One morning, he got dressed and was heading out the door, when Mary asked,
“Where are you going?” He said, “I’m going to that church on 149th
Street and see if they can help us.” She said, “Wait, I’m coming with
you.”
It was a ten-minute walk.
They asked to see the Minister and were ushered into my little office. I asked
if I could help them with something. They said, “No.” I asked, “What
do you want?” They said, “We want God!” I said, “You
have come to the right place. Please sit down.” Then, I gave them the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, crucified for their sins, buried, and risen from the
dead for their justification.
They fell to their knees in true repentance and asked Jesus to come into their hearts and in faith received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. On Sunday morning they were in Church with their beautiful family. Shortly thereafter, I had the privilege of performing their wedding ceremony with the entire congregation rejoicing together with them!
ACCEPTED
IN THE BELOVED
Several years later God
revealed Himself to Ernest. While walking from the house to his Water Truck, he
heard a voice saying to him, “Accepted in the Beloved.”
Immediately, he knew it was the Holy Spirit informing him that God had accepted
him and he was a born-again child of God! He went to the Bible and found the
scripture to confirm that!
For these many years Ernest
and Mary Mountain have faithfully served the Lord and have been a great testimony to
many people. Ernest is powerful preacher and an Ordained Minister of the
Gospel!
What a glorious truth!
The Creator of the universe knows all about us and loved us so much that He
sacrificed His only begotten Son to purchase our Redemption! Christ’s vicarious
death on Calvary’s Cross purchased our Redemption and deliverance from Satan.
When Jesus cried, “It is finished!” that was Satan’s defeat! (John 19:30)
The word that Jesus uttered
was ‘tetelestai’ from the Greek verb, teleo, which has
three essential meanings: “to finish something and make an end of
something; to fulfill something; to pay that which is owed.”
Jesus had finished His work
of Redemption for mankind. He had brought to end Satan’s power over the human
race. Jesus had fulfilled all the Old Testament Scriptures (more than 300) about the
Messiah. He had paid for all our sins, sicknesses, and diseases!
GOD KNOWS
ABOUT US
St. Paul enumerates what
happens when sinners believe the Gospel and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and
Saviour. He discloses the amazing fact that God knows about us and that He claimed us
for Himself before the foundation of the world. Jesus knew about us when
He hung on the Cross and took our place there as our substitute!
It is so awesome, that it is
impossible in the natural to understand God’s mercy and grace for us. By adopting us as His own children through Jesus Christ our Saviour, He shows us His immense Love. It is beyond a Wonder and Miracle!
The Bible says: “But God
commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. Much more then, being now justified by His Blood, we shall be saved from
wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by
the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His
Life.
“And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the Atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have Sinned.
"For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners,
so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.
“Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, Grace did much more abound: That as sin has reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 5:8-11; 20,21).
YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
“Jesus answered and said unto
him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see
the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus sayeth unto Him. How can a man be born when he is
old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb and be born?
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye Must be Born Again. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so Must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16,17)
“Forasmuch as ye know that
ye were not Redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, from your
vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the
precious Blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot;
“Who (Jesus) verily was foreordained
before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Who by Him do believe in God who raised Him from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith
and hope might be in God. Being Born Again, not of corruptible seed, but of
Incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
“But the Word of the Lord
endureth forever. And this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.”
(1 Peter 1: 18-25)
The Bible says: “That the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give unto you, the Spirit of Wisdom and
Revelation in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your understanding being
enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling and what is the
riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.
“And what is the exceeding
greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to the working of His
mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and
set Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality
and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in
this world
“But if we walk in
the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the
Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we confess our
sins (to Him), He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
“My little children,
these things I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
Advocate with the Father the Righteous: And He is the propitiation for our
sins; And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 1:7,9; 2:1,2)
The Bible says: For by Grace
are ye Saved by Faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the Gift of
God: Not of Works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them.
“And this is the record
that God hath given us Eternal Life, and this Life is in His Son. He that hath
the Son hath Life: and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. These
things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God; that
ye may know that ye have Eternal Life, and that ye may believe on the Name of
the Son of God.
“And this the confidence
that we have in Him, that if we ASK anything according to His will, He Heareth
us; And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we Know that we have the
petitions that we desired of Him.” (1 John 5: 11- 15)
St. Paul stated: “There
is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of Life in
Christ Jesus hath made me Free from the law of sin and death. For what the law
could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending
His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the
flesh:
“And if Christ be in
you, the body is dead because of Sin: but the Spirit of Life because of
righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that Raised Jesus from the Dead shall
also Quicken (make life) your mortal (weak, sick) bodies
by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.
“The Spirit Himself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that
we suffer with Him, that we also may be glorified together. For the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
“Likewise the Spirit
also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we
ought: but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings that
cannot be uttered. But He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of
the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will
of God.
“What shall we then
say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that Spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him
also freely Give you all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s
elect? It is God that justifeth.
“Who is he that condemneth?
It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, Who is even at the
right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more
than Conquerors through Him that loved us.
“For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord.” (Rom.8: 1-39)
THE FAITH
OF GOD
“Therefore being justified by Faith, we have Peace with God through Jesus Christ: By whom we also have access by faith into this Grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
"But God commended His
LOVE for us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ DIED for us. Much more
then, being now justified by His BLOOD, we shall be saved , from wrath through
Him.
“For if when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the DEATH of His Son, much, being
reconciled, we shall be SAVED by His life. And not only so, but we also joy in
God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the ATONEMENT.
Whereby, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by SIN’ and so
death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Rom. 5:1,2, 6-12)
St. Paul writes: "Jesus gave Himself for our sins, that He might Deliver us from this prresent evil world according to the will of God our Father." (Gal. 1:4)
