Phil Beach Jr. emphasizes that God's desire has always been to reveal His character and nature through humanity, culminating in the person of Jesus Christ. He explains that Jesus manifested God's name, embodying the fullness of God's attributes, and that believers are called to reflect this image in their lives. The sermon highlights the importance of understanding our identity in Christ and the transformative process of being conformed to His likeness, which is the ultimate purpose of salvation. Beach encourages the church to be a living testimony of Jesus, showcasing His glory and character to the world.

Now, there's so much about this that is in the Bible. Do you remember, some of you might, others might not know the Bible as well, but do you remember way back at the beginning when the Lord was dealing with Israel? He wanted a place to put His what? His name. Now, in light of this, what was God looking for? God was looking for a testimony on the earth that would reveal to the world what He was like. See, God always wanted men to know what He was like. Always wanted men to know what He was like. You see, at the very beginning, how did God create man? Image and likeness, alright? Now, these signify being representative and a revelation of likeness. See, God's lofty plan for man was to create a man who would not reveal himself, who would not become a sovereign entity in himself, meaning that he would become a god himself. That's where the sin came in. But see, God's lofty plan for man, and this is only man, not angels. It wasn't angels that God had this purpose for. It wasn't the plants or the trees. God wanted man to represent Him and to reveal what He was like. See? In other words, we can say this whole concept can be gathered up in this. God wanted a testimony of Himself. Now, does this word testimony sound familiar? Sure, the testimony of the ark. Remember? Not the ark of Noah, but the ark inside the temple where God's presence dwelt. See? God was always looking for a testimony. He was always looking to place His name somewhere. And when the Bible says God wants to place His name somewhere, He's wanting His character and His nature to be revealed. In other words, He wants to gather up into something. He wants to gather up into something all the parts. Now, this little piece of pie here, that's the Old Testament revelation of God. It was all in part. It was all in part. To Abraham, God revealed Himself as, I am the Lord that provides, or I am the Lord that does this. And then, as Israel multiplied in Egypt, and God brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt, He revealed Himself to Moses in various different ways. Then, when Israel got into the land of Canaan, He revealed Himself a little bit more. I am the God that heals you. And each one of these parts were aspects of God's character, which He always wanted to be as a testimony of Himself to the world. See, that was God's real intention for the nation of Israel, to reveal to the world what God was like. See, this is what the Lord wants. So, all these different aspects of the Lord, as we said, God gathered up all those aspects and placed them in the person of His Son, so that when we see the Lord Jesus Christ, we see the fullness of all that God ever is and ever will be as it relates to humanity, as it relates to a revelation of Himself, and we see it in the person and character and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, we see that Jesus becomes the true revelation of God's image and God's likeness, the man Jesus Christ. Isn't that marvelous? See, and that's where God found Himself, a man, after His own heart. Remember, that's what the Lord wanted to do, and King David, but see, David was only a picture and a type. Now, David loved the Lord, but David wasn't that man after God's own heart. If he was, he got himself in a little trouble up on top of the house when he looked at Bathsheba, because that certainly didn't reflect God's heart, did it? No. God often spoke about people in the Old Testament and used them as types and shadows, just like Solomon being king and will reign forever. Well, we know that the greater Solomon, the greater David, is the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that Abraham gave his only son, but that typifies, that pictures that God giving His only son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So, everything that God wanted to reveal has all been gathered up. His image, His likeness, representative, revelation of His likeness. This is the testimony that God sought to find in the Old Testament, and that's what all the temple and the tabernacle and all that represents, a place where God dwelled, where you can go and meet God. Now, we don't have to go to buildings. Now, we don't have to go to literal things, but all that's fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the testimony of God, the revelation of God. What is God like? Okay? So, here we go now. John 17, chapter 6, I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest to me. Now, it would be interesting to go through John chapter 17 and find out how many times the word name is mentioned there. And each time Jesus mentions the name of God, He's referring to the testimony of God. He's referring to the character and nature of God. He's referring to what God is like. This is God's passion that He would be revealed. Now, watch this. Now, take your Bibles and go to Revelation chapter 19, or Revelation, I think, chapter 22, I'm sorry. Revelation chapter 22, verse 4. Now, somebody read that out loud. Nice and loud so everyone can hear. Revelation 22, verse 4. Anybody? Okay, nice and loud, Bill. His what? His what? His name shall be on their forehead. Now, what does that signify? Huh? Huh? What was it now that we just taught? What does the name signify? Uh-oh, so at the very end, what is the church going to reveal? Huh? And of who? Huh? Right, of the Father. See, because Jesus embodied in Himself a whole new kind of character and nature. Totally, totally different from the kind of nature we got in the new birth, in the old birth. See, in the natural birth. That's why we're born again. See, being born again is receiving a totally new different kind of life. What kind of life? The kind of life that Jesus has. The kind of life that reveals the character and nature of who? Of God. Whereas in our first birth, we get a kind of life that reveals whose nature? The devil. That's exactly right. The devil. That's what sin is. See, that's what we got, a twisted nature in the flesh. But God comes and says, I'll give you a whole new heart. Isn't that what Ezekiel says? I'll give you a brand new spirit. I'll give you a brand new heart. And I'll write my law where? On your heart and on your mind. See, when God says I'll write my law on your heart, He's not signifying a code, following a code. But He's signifying what? A nature, a new life, a new kind of character. See? And in that nature is the what? The law of God. See, in Jesus is the law of God. The very life of Jesus produces that which God is pleased with. So see, this is a much bigger than just a little thing, a much bigger thing. This is the greatness of our salvation. Now, I'll show you something else, all right? Let's go to Revelation chapter 1. Now, remember here, the testimony, this is all the same. When you speak about, when you hear about the testimony of the ark or the testimony of God, you're not talking simply about a verbal thing where you just say, Jesus, that's the testimony. No, it's got to be more than that. It's got to be the testimony that's coming out from the very new heart, the very new character, the very new life, the very new nature, which is Christ in us, the hope of glory. He brings to us what we don't have in ourselves. Thank God for that, amen? So, now, all of this, all of this here, the character, the nature, the newness, the name of God, Jesus Christ fulfills, and He brings it to us. So, now, God has a testimony in the earth. All right, Revelation chapter 1, verse number 9. Okay? Now, watch this. I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and what? And for the testimony of Jesus Christ. So, what is the testimony of Jesus Christ? The testimony of Jesus Christ is that the living Christ, the life of Christ, living His life through us. That's the testimony of Jesus Christ. See, the testimony of Christ is the testimony of God's character and nature in the earth. See, that's what God wanted. He wanted a temple. He wanted a place where people can come and say, there's where God dwells, there's where I can hear from God. That was fulfilled in Jesus. He is the place where men can go to meet God. But now Jesus, if I can use this word without being misunderstood, has deposited Himself, where? In the church. So, now, the church is to reveal the testimony of Jesus Christ, the testimony of God's lovely Son. And that's why we're here. Okay, now, you remember back in Revelation chapter 22, we have, and they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their forehead. All right? His name, His character. They shall bear His character, they shall bear His nature. Now, go to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. Let me ask a question. What is the character of God? What is the nature of God that the church has now and will display for all eternity? Romans chapter 8, verse number 28 through 30. Now, watch this. Remember what we're looking at. They shall have His name. All right? On their forehead. Now, what did Jesus say in John chapter 17, verse number 6? Jesus said, I, meaning Himself, I have revealed Your name to them. I have manifested Your name. Don't ever separate the name of God from the person of Jesus Christ. Don't ever do it. You'll get in trouble. There is no revelation of God. There is no self-revelation of God outside of His dearly beloved, only begotten, blessed forever Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus said, I have revealed Your name. I have manifested. I believe that word is something, I think it's the word where we get epiphany. Epiphany, which means an appearing. Appearing and appearing. In other words, Jesus made known. Jesus appeared. Jesus caused who God was and what He was like to be made known to men. All right? Now the Bible says that name, that name, or listen, that character, that kind of life that Jesus manifested, that name shall be on the foreheads of who? His servants, all those that are washed in the blood. And now we say, well, what does this mean? What does this mean? It means more, let me tell you, than just an iron brand. And that's what some Christians think. An iron brand, you know. Well, if we have His name on our forehead and He has a hundred names, which name won't be? See, it's not a literal thing. It's not where you're going to be branded and we're going to walk around with eternity with neon lights on our forehead, you know. One will have Jehovah. The other will have Jesus. The other will have Shalom. They're all God's names or they're all aspects of His character. So the name gathers in itself something beyond that you're right. It signifies image. It signifies likeness. It signifies the law on the heart, the nature, the life, the character. It signifies this, all right? Now, the name on the forehead, Romans chapter 8. We know that all things work together for good. Now, I'll tell you right now, beloved, do you know what the good is that the Bible's speaking of right here? Does that mean the good for our sake? Or does that mean that all things work together for good, meaning everything that happens in our life makes us feel happy and good? What's the good here that God's talking about? We know that all things work together for good. Well, what's the good thing that God is doing right now in the life of the believer? Right now, the good thing that God's doing in the church is He is securing in them the testimony of Himself. That is the testimony of Jesus Christ. That's what John said He was on the island of Patmos for. It wasn't the testimony of John. There's too much self-testimony in the church today. There's too much personality testimony. There's too much testimony going forth. But it's not the testimony of Jesus Christ. God wants the church to bear the testimony of Jesus Christ, and not just in word, but in life. So the good thing that God's doing is not to make us happy always, not to always work things out according to our purposes, but the good thing that God is doing is revealing the splendor of His Son in us. The treasure. He's breaking the vessels so the treasure can be seen. The testimony that He typified in the Old Testament, but now is all fulfilled in Christ and the church, which are inseparable. Body, head. He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit. The church now is to draw her character from and be transformed into the image of her head so that the church is a revelation of the beauty and splendor of the head. And they're the testimony of Jesus Christ. Okay, now the name of God is related to the Lord Jesus Christ and His person in nature. And now watch what the Bible says. And we know in verse number 28 that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called, according to His purpose. All right, now let's stop right there. This basically is saying that everything happening in your life if you're a Christian is working together for good. All right? Now if you interpret good as how successful you are in fulfilling your own desires and your own plans, you're going to stumble. Because that's not the good God's talking about here. Now watch this, how easy this is to understand. Watch this, it's very easy. It's working together for good to those who are called according to His purpose. Now you notice the word His there isn't in the Greek. You know, you could tell that because it's italicized in the King James Version. All the words in the King James that are in italics signify that the translators added them because they felt that it would help the context. And at times it does, but at times it throws it off. So really what it's saying is this. All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to purpose. To purpose. Now the question is, what's purpose? The word purpose there indicates or signifies intention. Intention. It signifies the intention of someone after contemplating. And therefore I've determined that this is the intention that I have. God has an intention for you. Christian, child of God, God has an intention for you. And until we understand God's intention, the devil has a lot of power over us. And you know how come he has power over us? He lies to us. You see, if God loved you, He never would have let that happen to you, Barbara. Now how many have had the devil whisper that in your ear? I mean, he didn't say Barbara if he was talking to you. Right? If God really loves you, then how could he let this happen to you? Oh! So I thought the Lord is watching over you. Did he fall asleep? Now see, if there was really a God, Mitch, that never would have happened. That's what the serpent does. And you know why he's able to do it? Because we don't understand God's purpose. If we understood God's purpose, and understood some things, the enemy would have no power to lie. How many here worries about whether or not Jesus is somehow going to be harmed in heaven? Do you ever lose sleep over it, thinking, well, maybe Jesus is going to get harmed. Maybe something will happen to Jesus, and He'll get hurt. That's ludicrous to think like that, isn't it? Well then, how come we think that we're going to get hurt? Let me ask a question. Does the Bible say that the Christian's life is hid with God in Christ? Colossians chapter 3. Now think. Think. Think. If this light shines on you, I promise you by the authority of God's Word, in 24 hours, you will shed like a snake layers of unnecessary worry, trepidation, and anxiety, if you get this by the Lord. The love the Father has for Christ, He has for you. You say, oh, brother Phil, now God loves His Son. I don't know whether He loves me like that. The Bible says that you are included in Christ now. When God puts His arms around His Son in heaven, He's putting His arms around you. Listen. According to purpose. Now, here's the beautiful thing. What's the purpose of God that He is striving toward, which assures me that no matter what happens to me, that purpose will be accomplished? Alright, you want to know what that is? Just read the next verse. That's all you have to do. It's not a mystery. Now watch this. For whom He did foreknow, that simply means those who God foresaw in eternity, who would trust in His beloved Son, those whom God foreknew, God saw the whole thing from the beginning. Listen. He did predestinate, that is, those who He foresaw would believe, in believing the fact of being saved, the fact of becoming saved, predestinated them unto something. You see, God just doesn't save us for the sake of saving us. Just like if you became, listen, if you became an employee at a company, alright, which ultimately takes all of their employees and makes them scientists, alright, that would signify this. If you got the job, you could say, I got the job and by getting the job I was predestined or I became predestined to become a scientist. Because the fact of becoming that, becoming an employee in that job is a job unto purpose. There's an intention. There's a scheme that your employer has. If he hires you, the position signifies predestination. It signifies there is a purpose of why you now are in this company and the purpose is I will make you a scientist. And God says all He foreknew, He also predestined, because to become a son of God, a child of God, is to be predestined to be conformed into the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. There's nothing in heaven or earth that can frustrate God's purpose with those who love Him, those who cry out to Him day and night, Oh Lord Jesus, I want to know You with all my heart. There's nothing that can frustrate that. So you want to know what that purpose is that God is working toward in His church? You want to understand why you're a Christian and you know you're a Christian, but yet things happened and you can't understand why? Because God has a purpose and He's working toward it. And here's the purpose, that we might be predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. Beloved, look up here. And on their head is what? His name. The name of God is the image of Jesus Christ, His character and His nature. It is the image and likeness of God. That is where you and I are heading. To put off the image of Adam. To put off the image of sin. To put off the image of corruptibility. To put off the image of mortality. To put off the image of that crooked, perverse heart that is deceitful and wicked. And to bear the image and likeness of the one and only blessed Son of God. What a plan God has. What a plan. And even now, inwardly, God is working secretly to the eye, but manifest to Him. He's working on the renewing of the inner man. What is the renewing of the inner man? The renewing of the inner man is a process where our spirits are taking on the character of Christ. The fruit of the Spirit coming forth in our lives. But the treasure is where? In earthen vessels. See, listen, it's not a physical image. God's not making us like Jesus in that physically. No, no. It's not the Lord's intention for us to look at Jesus after the flesh. Didn't Paul say that we don't even know Jesus after the flesh anymore? It's not a natural thing. It's a spiritual thing. And when Christ comes, His appearing will be Him coming, and then those that are longing for Him, they're going to put off these bodies of death, and guess what's going to be revealed in them? You know, we sang the song, glorify yourself. Huh? How's it go? Glorify thy name. How's God glorifying His name? Now wait, let's not get ahead of ourselves. All right, I'm going to write these down, so I don't forget. Glorify thy name. All right, that's John 17 somewhere. It's there. And also 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. We're going to look them up, and we're going to see exactly how God's glorifying His name. But before we do, let's finish this verse. There is nothing more exciting in Christianity than Jesus Christ. Amen? Now, I know nowadays there's a lot of things going on apart from Him, but let me tell you something. Christianity is Christ being unveiled to His people and being revealed through His people, plus zero. Zero. Nothing. That's what Christianity is. It's the testimony of Jesus Christ in earthen vessels. Isn't that marvelous? But you know what's happening? What did the children of Israel do when God gave them manna? Do you remember? They grumbled. What did they say? This isn't enough for us. We want quail. We want quail. You know what quail represents? Flesh. We want something to tickle our flesh. In other words, manna is not enough. Now, you know what manna was a type of? Jesus, in John chapter 6, said, I am the bread that came down from heaven. So what does that story in the Old Testament teach us? It sounds like irony. It's a paradox. But here's what it is. Everybody listen. Everybody listen. Please, listen carefully. The story in the Old Testament teaches us this, that God's people aren't content with just Him. Just Him. God says, I'll rain manna down from heaven. It was a picture of God teaching His people they don't need anything but Him. Nothing but Him. Then when they got the manna, they looked at it and they said, What's this? It's boring. It's tasteless. It doesn't thrill our souls. See? Our soul life. It doesn't make us excited in the flesh. We want quail. We want meat. We want something that will minister to our flesh. God, we're not content with You alone. We're not content with Your provision, Lord. We want something more. God says, You want something more, children? You mean I'm not content? You mean I'm not sufficient? And now today, we have a Christianity where God's people are having manna, the true manna, Jesus Christ. This is it. They're having Jesus presented to them, and you know what they're saying? What's this? What's this? It's boring. I need something more than Jesus. I need something more. I want something that will make me feel good. Something that will excite my flesh. And here the Son of God, the true manna from heaven, is being scorned, just like Israel scorned Him in the Old Testament. May God grant us hearts that say, Father, Thy manna, the Lord Jesus Christ, is altogether sufficient for me. May God grant that. Amen? Amen? I'm glad I wrote that. Alright, good. Listen. Verse number 30. 29, the last part. That He might be the firstborn among what? Many brethren. Many brethren that will what? Bear His image and likeness. Now listen. I'm going to say this. Listen. Christianity is an imitating Christ. It's not imitation. It's not me trying to be like Jesus. No, no, no, no. Beloved, it's not that at all. If Christianity was imitation, then we would never make it. I'll tell you what Christianity is. Christianity, listen, beloved, it's not imitation. It's assimilation. You say, what in the world is assimilation? I'll tell you exactly what it is. In the new birth, we receive a new life. Alright? That new life is implanted into us. That new life brings forth after its own kind. So when we become a Christian, we have the very life of Christ in us. And as we abide in Christ and become subject to the Father's wise discipline, that life comes forth and it brings forth the character and nature of the one it came from, the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen. It does not reproduce Jesus in his person. It does not reproduce a god. It doesn't reproduce Christ in his deity. No, not at all. That is a terrible lying doctrine that is just going across Christianity like wildfire. People think that God is reproducing Jesus in the earth and that we're little gods. And I say very clearly, very candidly, that is not true. It's a lie. And that is not what the Scriptures teach. That's not what the Holy Spirit is teaching. And that is not what we're teaching. Okay? Everybody hear that? It is not a reproducing of the deity of Jesus Christ in his church, but it is a reproducing of that holy, lovely character that Christ possesses in himself because that's the only character that God will accept in man. It is not becoming gods. No. See, that's why Jesus remained a man. He is God, but he's a man. He's a man signifying that because of what he did and because of the character that he brought into humanity, he touched humanity. He became a man. He was born of a virgin, but he was without sin. But he touched humanity, and he brought it to the cross, and he judged sin, and he condemned sin in the flesh, and he cleansed it so that now all who trust in him can yet remain human. We don't become deity by becoming Christians. We're human, and we'll always be human. But we're humans with a new kind of life, the life of Christ. It's God's plan. What it is is God has rescued man out from under sin and now has put in man his character, which was what? Which was in and now is in and is coming from his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So therefore, it is not imitation. We're not imitating Jesus. Oh, I've got to be like Jesus. I've got to try. No, no, no. No, you don't try. You trust. You trust in the living God who says, He who has begun a good work in you shall perform it. You look to Christ for the strength to do what God wants you to do by His power. So it is not imitation. It is assimilation. It is transformation, 2 Corinthians 3.18. Being transformed into the same image. That's what it says, 2 Corinthians. Alright? So he's the firstborn among many brethren. Alright? Keep your finger there. Go to 1 John. Remember, we're dealing with purpose. The purpose. In light of this purpose, all things work together for good. Because somehow God, through what He's allowing to come into your life, is making you more like Jesus Christ. Not physically. You don't become Jewish when you get spiritual. It's not a physical likeness. It's a spiritual thing where your very spirit is drawing its life and character from the indwelling Christ Himself, the Lord Jesus. 1 John 3. Watch this. 1 John 3. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. See, to be called sons of God implies bearing the character of the only begotten Son. What a high calling. See? Remember, son, father. What does that signify? Son, father. The son, if it's a true son, is what? Like his father. We've said this many times. You ever see a little kid and say, Oh, he's just like his daddy. There's a biological sameness there. Well, spiritually speaking, when Jesus came, He had in His character the very life, the very likeness of God so that Jesus' life as a man, He never ceased from being deity, but that's the mystery. God became the man that He longed to have in the earth so that that man, the Lord Jesus Christ, could die for the sins of the world, could pay the sin penalty, could be resurrected, be seated at the right hand of God, and then He could give that life now to fallen humanity. God did it all. It's all glory to Him. So you see, that's it. In Jesus Christ, we have been given, spiritually speaking, a biological relatedness to God. Now, we have in Christ the very life of God Himself, the very nature, the very character of God, so that the goodness that's in God can be manifest in us through Jesus Christ. Oh, how beautiful. How beautiful. Now watch this. Verse 2, Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it does not yet appear what we shall be. Now notice, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for whom He foreknew, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. For we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him. What's the likeness that we're going to share when He appears? Are we going to all look like He did as a man? No, absolutely not. It's going to be the likeness. Hold on to your seats now. It's going to be the likeness of His glory. It's going to be the likeness of His glorified state. Not as eternal God. We'll never become that. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to become that. I like being in Christ, worshiping my Father forever. But see, Jesus is not only eternal God, He's the man. There's the mystery. He pictures in His manhood what we shall be. Wow! What we shall be. The splendor, the beauty. Listen, it's not quantity, but it's quality. We'll never be what Jesus is in all of who He is as eternal God. But the quality of life, the quality of character, the two shall become one. There it is. Beloved, are you seeing? Are you seeing? Oh, if God could open our eyes, this would change your life forever. Ever, ever, ever. You couldn't scream at someone without getting on your knees and crying. Because you'd see that you have been called to show forth the testimony of Jesus. And what does that have to do with the testimony of Jesus? That rotten attitude. You'll not criticize people. People have often said, you know, Brother Beach, teach practical things. I get on my knees, I say, God, how much more practical can it be? What do they want to hear? If you're not getting practical from this, I don't know how to preach practically, beloved. You might want to go and find somewhere else. How much more practical can you get than to be told, God has called you to be like Jesus? You bring that right down into your home and ask yourself, what would Jesus be doing now if He was coping with this situation? You can't get any more practical than this, beloved. We shall be like Him. We shall see Him. In other words, we're going to bear His what? His name. His name. 2 Corinthians 3. Verse 18. 2 Corinthians 3. Verse number 18. But we all, that's referring to all, we've been quickened. We're not dead in sin anymore. We've been given spiritual eyesight. Open face. Open. We see the Lord. In part, but we see Him. But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord. What are we beholding? The glory of the Lord. Where is the glory of the Lord? It's in the face of Jesus Christ. As we see Jesus, as we see Him glorified, as we see Him bearing the image and likeness of God, as we see that man, Jesus, revealing the beauty and splendor and character and likeness of Almighty God. We see that glory. We praise Him. We worship Him. We fall down on our knees and cry out, Holy is the Lord! But that's not the whole picture. Because right after we do that, the Bible says that we behold this glory and then we are changed into the same image. The same image, Bill. We see the perfection of His holiness and then we realize that that very life, that very one that we see is in our spirit, transforming us into the very image of who He is. We have to fall down and say, God, how can this be? How can this be that You've bestowed such favor upon us, such love, such generosity, such kindness? We were Your enemies. We cursed You. We slandered Your name. We followed after the ways of this world. We were liars and thieves. We were deceivers and con artists. But yet, O God, You did not reward us according to our iniquities. You deserve hell, beloved, and I do too. We don't deserve this place of being in Christ where for all eternity we will bear the very image of God in the person of Jesus Christ. We don't deserve this. You can't offer something to God and have Him give it to you because of what you are in yourself. This is grace. This is kindness. This is unspeakable mercy. This is unspeakable loving kindness. God has considered our lowly state and He's called us in Christ to bear the image of the One that heaven and earth worship. It's unspeakable. Human words cannot communicate these things. We shall bear the image of the One who created the world. How can we doubt God's love? How can we doubt it? You say, Christ is on the throne. But the Bible says, He that overcomes, what? Shall sit on my throne even as I overcame and sit down on my Father's throne. Did you know that was in the Bible? When we see Jesus, we see God. We see our Creator. But we also see a man. The man who reveals what God's people shall be. Accepting His deity. There's forever a cleft. There is forever a distinction. We're being brought into a union with God that Jesus Himself has with His Father. That's what John 17 is all about. When we get these things by the Spirit, we are given grace to endure whatever the Father in heaven sees as necessary. Because remember, for Jesus to come forth, the cross has to be applied to our life. We have to be removed. We have to be brought into the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus... These things are so wonderful. God has called the church to be like Jesus. We shouldn't be looking for anything else. We shouldn't be chasing after this and that and this one and that new thing. We should just be saying, Oh, dear God, give me a greater vision through Thy Word of the Savior, the Christ, my King. We are changed into the same image from glory to glory and this by the Spirit of God. By the Spirit of God. Do you see what you are destined unto, child of God? If you're not a child of God, you're destined to hell, damnation and eternal separation. But if you're a child of God, if you've seen your need, if you have seen that you are lost in sin, but Jesus Christ paid your sin debt and you can come to Him and cry out for mercy and be saved. If you are a child of God, if God dwells in you, if you know that you've been born again, do you see what you are called to? Turn from sin. Forsake the world. Cry out, Oh Lord, what fellowship do I now as a Christian indwell with the very character that you possess through Jesus Christ? What fellowship do I have with the works of darkness? For we who are God's children to flirt with the world is asking God to come back again and flirt with the world because Jesus said we are bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh. We are part of His very body and for the body to engage in that which is unclean is to actually be asking Christ to engage in it. Oh, how we need to turn from the world and from sin and from iniquity and pray, Oh dear God, give me a revelation of Thy holiness. Do you see, child of God, what you are called to be? You are called to be a reflector. You are called to be a vessel that will reveal the glory of God in Jesus Christ. This is what you are called to be. I cannot communicate the things that God has in my spirit. God wants us to see that we are called as the church of Jesus Christ to bear the image and likeness of God through Jesus living in us, changed into the same image, transformed, transfigured. It is not imitation of Christ. It is assimilation. It is bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh. It is branch of vine. The vine is the branch. The vine is the whole thing. The branch reveals what the vine is. And God's intention at the beginning was to create man and then to reveal Himself through man. Man failed, but God found Him another man, Christ Jesus, the man of God's own choosing. And now that man alone and the character that is in that man and the nature that is in that man can only reveal the image and likeness of God. And it's only as that man, that man finds ascendancy in the church. It's only as that man comes forth in your life as a Christian. No, you don't lose your individuality, but you do lose all the sin that expresses itself through your individuality. So it's not the sin life expressing itself, but it's the man. It's the character. It's the nature. It's the beauty. It's the holiness of who Christ is seen in. Those who are called bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh, Christ in the body is one. The body and Christ together make up the revelation of God. Christ remaining distinct as head. Christ remaining distinct in His person as the God-man. But the body and Christ being one in character and nature. That's God's scheme for the body of Christ. That's what He has now for you and I. Why? What are we going through this for, Lord? We're being prepared. Prepared for what? For the manifestation of God's sons. When Christ comes again, there will be those who were subject to discipline. Subject to the child training. Subject to God's scourging. Emptied of themselves. Stripped of what was not like Jesus. And every single child of God that said yes by the grace of God to God's discipline in their life. When Jesus comes, they will be revealed along with Him. But it won't be them. It will be Him coming and revealing not only Himself in His person, but what He is will be revealed through all those. You say, well, where's that in the Bible? Second Corinthians. Second Thessalonians. Oh my Lord, the enemy. All of his power right now working against the church is intended to steal this very thing from the child of God. If he can get you running around doing anything that will turn your eyes from the splendor and glory of Jesus Christ and that as your goal to be transformed so that the beauty of who He is can be revealed through you. It's always His. It always comes from Him. And it always belongs to Him. And when it's finally revealed at the last day, every single person that reflects His image will fall down and worship Him because He alone is God. He alone is worthy of praise. And they will signify and they will indicate and they will cry out, You alone are worthy! And they'll take the crown of gold, which signifies sharing in the same life as Christ, and they'll throw it at His feet. They'll never ascribe the beauty of what they become as a result of something inherent in them. But they will ascribe the beauty to the one who alone is the author of that beauty. And the reason why God does such little things in our life is because the minute He does something with significance, we take the glory. We ascribe it as to our personality. We think that it's the product of something being generated out of ourselves. God can entrust us with so little because of the weakness of our flesh, because of the inherent propensity, the inherent inclination within what we are as fallen humans to want to steal what belongs to Christ. So God gives you a good prayer life for a month and you start walking around as if you did it because you're a strong person. So the Lord opens up the Word to you and you start seeing wonderful things from the Word and then you get going to bed at night saying, boy, I must be one of God's special children. What do the kids do? They go, makes you sick. I don't want to come across as being scathing. But these things need to be said. People say, I want power, God. If God ever showed them the motive in their heart for power, they want power because they have visions of grandeur. They want to be seen of men. Thank God the Lord is merciful. Amen? I'll tell you, there's only one person God gives power to and that's His Son. And only to the measure that His Son is formed in you can He entrust power to you. Because as the character of Christ comes forth in your life, then God knows that character will not abuse power. But as long as you are yet in ascendancy, God says, right, I'll give you power and we'll have another rebellion. Don't seek power. Seek Jesus. Don't seek glory. Seek the cross. And when God is satisfied with a sufficient working of death in you, He'll give you Christ. And then when you find Jesus and His measure and His splendor being formed in you, you don't want power anymore. Jesus didn't want power. That's why God gave Him all power. Jesus didn't want nothing for Himself. That's why God gave Him everything. It's a paradox. It's irony. Only as we are emptied and have only the glory of God in mind, can God then entrust us with something. But now let me ask you a question. Where can we find that place of being emptied so we only have God's glory in mind? We can only find that place in the Lord Jesus. So the only hope of the Christian to be brought to where they don't want anything but the glory of God is to find a union with that Christ and deeply become one with His life. Because you won't find it apart from Him. If you did, then God has someone else that He's pleased with in addition to His Son. Then maybe you can go up to heaven and sit next to Jesus. And both of you then can intercede for me. Now I'm using foolish analogies to get the point across. You won't find it in yourself. You'll find it abiding in the vine. Abiding in Christ. Little children, John said, abide in Him. Abide in Jesus. Second Thessalonians. And then John 17, and we're going to close. Glorify Thy Name. Verse 7, chapter 1. Second Thessalonians, verse 7. Second Thessalonians, chapter 1, verse 7. And to you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. That's what's going to happen to the unbeliever. If you're not a Christian this morning, that's a fearful future. Verse 10, read it slowly and carefully. How is God going to glorify His Name? Where is His Name? God glorifies His Name through manifesting His Son. Now, read verse 10 slowly with me. You to yourselves, I'll read it out loud. When He shall come to be glorified, where? Where? In His saints. And to be admired, where? What does it say? In all them that believe. Oh, do you see it? Jesus is not only going to come in His person, but when He comes in His person, He is going to fully reveal Himself in His body at the same time. So that when you see Him in His person and then look at His body, you see the same thing, a revelation of the beauty and glory of God. How does God glorify His Name? Through one person, Jesus Christ. And that one person communicates that one life to the body. And that one life by the Spirit of God produces the character and image of the One that it came from, Jesus. So that when that life is in full manifestation, which is the manifestation of God's sons when Christ comes back again, that one life will reveal the splendor of that one person, the Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore, we indeed will be bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh and the head and the body will enjoy a unity, a union throughout eternity that men cannot speak of now. It's too glorious. It's too wonderful. It's too marvelous. And it will all be to the glory of Christ. Galatians 4.17, remember that? Paul was in travail, what for? That Christ might be formed in the Galatians. Same thing. Now, alright, you can turn to that. I think it's 4.17, is that it Norm? Okay, we'll find it real quick here. Alright, 4.19. What does that say there, beloved? Somebody read that real nice and loud. There it is. Christ. The only way God can be glorified in the church is that Christ would be manifested in the church. Remember, it's the testimony of Jesus that John was exiled for. The testimony of Jesus that John was exiled for. Listen, God is not glorified with lip service. God is not glorified with religion. God is not glorified when people get religious and make a lot of noise. The only time God is glorified, I say again, the only time God is glorified is when He secures in a people the testimony, the living testimony of His Son and the life of His Son living through a people. Religion rapes the church. Religion steals from the church the vision of the living Christ. Religion makes people try and act like Jesus in themselves. Religion gets people all worked up over nothing. But Christianity is Christ expressing the beauty of His Father through a redeemed people who are cleansed by His spotless blood. John chapter 17, verse 9. I pray for them. This is Jesus now praying. I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine. And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine. Now look it, and I am glorified in them. When Christ is glorified in the church, the Father is glorified in the church because Christ always glorifies the Father. And when the Father is glorified in the church, the Son is glorified because the Father has given all His glory to the Son. It is so incredible. Verse 11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. And I come to Thee, Holy Father. Keep through Thine own name. There's that word name again. What's He saying? Keep through Your name. Who was God's name? Jesus Christ. Keep them through... Jesus was really saying, Keep them through Me dwelling in them, Father. Keep them through the holy presence of who I am in them. Let them find a haven in Me. Because in Me, Jesus says, the wicked one has no power. In Me there is no sin. In Me there is a humble and meek heart. In Me there is a disposition that says, Father, I've come to do Thy will. In Me there is light and no darkness. Oh, do you need a place today where you can find peace? Don't go to Colorado. Don't go to Maine. Don't go to Quebec. Don't go to the Caribbean. Cry out and say, Father, help me to find rest in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Keep them through Thine own name, dear Father. So there you have it, beloved. God's name. He longed in the Old Testament to put His name somewhere. Then He found Him a temple. And there, when we see Jesus, we see God's name. Everything that God is gathered up in Jesus. And now the church... I'm sorry, I said I was going to close, but this is a better scripture to close on. Ephesians 4. We've read it so many times, but I'm prepared on reading it for another 87 years. God has found the place of His dwelling in His Son. And now His Son has found the place of His dwelling, His church. And now the church has found the height of her calling to be conformed to the image of the head. And here it is, Ephesians 4. Verse 13. The goal, the purpose, the intention of God for His redeemed company. Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the recognition and knowledge of the Son of God. Now don't think that this refers to just an acknowledging. Oh yes, I acknowledge Jesus. No, it's much deeper. It has to do with the conforming into image and likeness. It has to do with the nature and character and life being manifested. It has to do with Christ being glorified in us. We come to the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God. Listen, unto a perfect man. Or you could read that as some manuscripts do, unto perfect manhood in Christ. Manhood in Christ. Not physical manhood. Not what He was in His physical body. But in the manhood of who He is now in the splendor of His beauty. It starts out inwardly. But it's going to end with what? These bodies will be like His. The whole thing's going to be completed. God's goal is manhood in Christ. That is, listen to me, please church, listen. That is not finding your potential. It is not finding your potential. It is not human potential. It's not finding your potential. But it's finding His fullness manifested in you. It is not human potential. It is Christ's beauty. Christ's fullness being formed in the church. And I'll prove it. Read the very next word. Perfect manhood in Christ to the measure of the stature of the fullness that belongs to Christ. There it is. You see it? To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We have to get these things by the Lord. But you pray. There is a wicked spirit right now seducing Christianity. It's called human potential. And it is anti-Christ. Anti-Christ. It is causing the Christian to delve into what he is in himself and discover his potentials and bring them out and the Bible's being used. But I say to you that it's not God's plan. God's plan is to discover the riches of who Christ is and beg God that that might be what lives in us all. How can it be, Father? How can it be? Now, let me ask a question. Where do you stand today? Where do you stand? I know we said a lot. But it's been four weeks. Nobody should get upset. It's been four weeks. Although I've been very blessed with Brother Norman's messages. See, I get the tape. Greatly blessed. Where do you stand, beloved? Do you want to be enlarged? Do you want the Lord to enlarge you so you can see the significance of Christ? I have to sit. I drained my strength. Where do you stand, beloved? Don't you want to come to Jesus this morning? Be honest. Put away sin. Cry out to Him. Thank Him for these things. By faith, say, Lord, I believe you to bring forth in me the beauty of your Son. Are you prepared by God's grace to pray, Lord, whatever it takes, that I want you to do. Whatever it takes. Are you willing to say, Lord, help me take the conditions off of serving you. Now, Lord, you know that I'm completely dependent on you to bring me through whatever you do. But that's all right, Lord. That's where I want to be. Let's bow our hearts, Father. We beg you, Lord, by the Holy Spirit of God, to convict, to draw, to bring us to where we are sure that our soul is saved. I pray for each person here, Lord, if there's one or more who as a result of your dealing today recognizes they're lost, I pray for that soul that they'll cry out to you for mercy. They'll cry out to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and know that He is faithful and will not cast aside anyone who comes to Him. And now, Lord, for the Christian, I pray you'll give us a passion for Jesus Christ, that you'll give us through the Word a vision of the splendor of Jesus and then, as Paul had, a passion to know Him and be conformed to that. Thank you for the blood that ever cleanses. We trust in you, Lord. If you feel comfortable this morning that the Lord is ministering to you, in your seat, fine. But if you need special prayer, come. We'll pray for you. God will touch you.