The Father's Heart.

John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

When we read this scripture, most of us immediately interpret that Jesus was talking about heaven, as the place he will go and prepare for us. What place then was He talking about?

John 1:18 “…the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, …” In this portion of scripture Jesus indicates, where He is. He is in the bosom of the Father. The place He was going to prepare for us, was a place of intimate dwelling with God the Father. We were created for an intimate friendship with God.

Lets have a closer look at Eph 1:17-18 "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him… that the eyes of our heart (spirit) may be enlightened…to know the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” Note it was His inheritance. You enriched God in fellowship, because you were restored to fellowship with your Maker.
The word glory, is the greek word (doxa). It means a mindset or an opinion, which is reality. So the Father has an opinion of you, He has a mindset concerning you and me. He’s mind is made up but we need a spirit of wisdom and revelation, because you cannot perceive it with the natural five senses.

What is God’s opinion of us?

Matthew: 13-17 “This is my beloved Son in whom I’m well pleased.” The meaning of the word beloved is to be loved or it also means, my beloved one, the one I love deeply, the one I am in love with. I know you are all going yes, amen, Hallelujah! Of course, Father God is deeply in love with Jesus; after all, He is Jesus. However, let see how Jesus prays in John 17:26 “ … that the love that you loved me with may be in them, and I in them.” The Father has no inferior love for us than what he has for Jesus. God restored us in Christ to the same position and quality of relationship that Jesus has and desires that we share the same intimate bosom experience Jesus enjoys with the Father.

John10:10 “…Have eternal life and have it to the full/abundantly” that we may have the God kind of life experience, the very “zoe” life of God. The word abundantly = Superabundant, excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above, more than enough, profuse, extraordinary, above the ordinary, more than sufficient.This leads to the next question.

What is the life Jesus gave us? What is eternal life?

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”1John5: 20 “ And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, that we may know him who is true. And we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.” Jesus came to restore us in order that we may know Him intimately. This is far more than just sense knowledge or something we grasp with our minds, but an intimate experience of the heart of the Father, it is "bosom dwelling".

2 Pet 1:3.4 “ seeing His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory (opinion) and excellence, for by these he has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Eph 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 145: 7-9 “… the memory of your great goodness. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.”

God himself is our exceedingly great reward. Gen15:1 Knowing God intimately is the only way to experience His overflow and extraordinary power towards you, which He worked in Christ Jesus. We are His workmanship. We are a product of His doing. We need to embrace His opinion of us in Christ Jesus. As long as we keep on asking God to do something he has already done, you are training/telling your heart that you don’t have what he says you have IN HIM. Note all the tenses of these scriptures are not for one day in the far distant future. It is a "done deal" Jesus went to prepare a place for you and me to enjoy the Fathers embrace right now.

Proverbs 16:6 “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged from our hearts.”

Righteousness = Straight, right. The opposite of righteousness is iniquity = crooked, crookedness. A crooked heart is one trained to live in a foreign opinion to its original design. People are so trapped in their experiences that they accommodate and suppress the truth of God’s opinion (the truth concerning their identity, as revealed in Christ). Man is either talking himself out or fighting for the right to accept a lessor opinion of himself than what God sees and believes of him. The human race can’t see itself worthy of receiving.
"How lovely are the feet of those that bring good tidings." The gospel is the revelation of mans righteousness on the basis of Christ's finished work on man's behalf. Rom1:16,17 We must learn to receive. It’s a gift, you cannot work for it, or otherwise it will be a reward. God gave righteousness to us as a gift. The giver the determines whether you are worthy enough to receive the gift, that's why He gave you His best, Jesus himself. You are Jesus worth to the Father, because that is the price He paid for you, to enjoy He's embrace.

Pitfalls for not enjoying the Fathers heart.
Unbelief/ Slow in hearing. Dull in hearing. Didn’t mix the word with faith. Heb 4:1-4, Hebrews 5:11 “…of Him we have much to say, but you have become dull of hearing”Matt15: 6 “The traditions of men (human effort and experience contrary to God’s opinion) have made the Word of no effect.”

Summary:

1. Discover the much more gospel/ don’t misinterpret your redemption. Rom5
2. Rom8: 30 & John17: 1 We need to become familiar with our exaltation/glorification, which God worked in Christ on our behalf. Jesus didn’t just do something for you, but with you. It’s only then when we experience his permanent glory in our lives. What you bring about in your life by your own power has to be maintained by your own power and strengths, BUT what God has brought by His doing, He will also maintain by His power, Amen.
3. Pay attention to what the mirror of the word reveals. A mirror reflects. It communicates to you exactly who and what you are, not what you must become. No effort or lack of it on your part, can add or take away, to what the mirror reveals you are. 2Cor3:18, Heb2:1
4. You’re a son that lovingly serves. Stop living and working to gain God’s approval and start to live in His approval of you. Rom5: 8 He knows you far better than the best definition of yourself. Dictionary defines rest as: “to cease from all investigation and find refreshments and recreation.” Rest is the state of realising that God approves of me.
5. Rest in His finished work on your behalf. Matt 11:28 “ …And I will give you rest.” Message bible says: “… we must learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”

For further study.

2Cor 5:17 “…. for behold everything has become new”

2 or3: 18 “For we behold Him as in a mirror”.

Deut 32:4,18 God’s work in you was perfect.

Eph2:10 “You are His workmanship”

Col2:10 You are complete in Him.

This gospel is ALL good news.

There is not an inch of bad news in it. You are all together lovely and the Father loves you deeply.

"My love for you are completely beautiful, devestating, nothing to be improved and totally Ten out of Ten." Songs of Songs, a quote from The Street Bible, Paul Lacey.