First Hand Revelation
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Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
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What you think of Jesus Christ determines your destiny; I write it often and yet it has not been overstated. Simon Peter had a first hand revelation that Jesus was the Messiah. The Messiah was the one who came to save! Jesus came full of grace and truth and if we are to walk in first hand revelation we must receive according to the divine order God calls us to. It must be personal and individual, we all need first hand revelation that Jesus is Messiah. Without that revelation there is no salvation.
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John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
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With the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah we must understand that He came full of grace and truth. It is only from His fullness we can receive from God and there is no other way to receive from God. We receive from God by divine influence for divine influence. That is what grace is, the divine influence of God upon the heart of the believer.
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Galatians 1:11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,
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The revelation of Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation and there is no other way. Jesus Himself declared I am the way the truth and the life and no man can come to the Father except through Me. God longs to make Himself known to us. It is His heartbeat. God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world to Himself. Every believer has been called to walk in a first hand revelation of Jesus Christ.
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1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
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We need first hand revelation of who Jesus is and first hand revelation of His ways.
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2 Kings 6:11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?" 12 And one of his servants said, "None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom." 13 So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him." And it was told him, saying, "Surely he is in Dothan ." 14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
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Elisha had first hand revelation that God was on his side and could see the armies of God surround. However, his servant did not have the same revelation and the servant was standing in great fear. The prophet prayed for the servants eyes to be opened. At that point the servant gained first hand revelation.
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1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
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Oh that we might walk in first hand revelation, that we have overcome because He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. What you think of Jesus determines your destiny.
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Ephesians 1:15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
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Paul prayed for the Ephesians that they might have a spirit of wisdom and revelation knowledge of the Father. Oh that the church might have a first hand revelation that we might know Him better!
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1 John 4:5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
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Those who are of the world will not hear our testimony. Anyone who truly knows God will hear us. Those who are of the spirit of error refuse to hear our words and live by them. If you have first hand revelation you surrender to the word of truth preached.
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1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
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First hand revelation gives us a revelation of the love God has toward us. The beloved John wrote “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Before we can love God with all our hearts and love our neighbor as ourselves we must have a revelation of how God loved us. This is the perfect love of God that cast out all fear.
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Revelation 2:2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 "and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. 4 "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
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God was bringing correction to the church of Ephesus and He was rebuking them for leaving their first love.
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1 John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.
When we have first hand revelation of God’s love we deny ungodliness and allow His love to compel us into right living
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1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit.
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Living in first hand revelation causes us to rejoice, pray without ceasing and be thankful. Living with first hand revelation knowledge of God causes us to flirt with and hunger to attract the Spirit of God in our lives.
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Psalm 30:4 Sing praise to the LORD, You saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. 5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
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God’s anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life! Revelation of the goodness of God leaves us with expectation of joy coming in the morning!
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Revelations 8:3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand.
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First hand revelation gives you the knowledge that the prayers of the saints are stored up in heaven and poured out upon the golden heavenly altar at the command of God. Saint of God your prayer is mixed with the incense from the throne of God. So pray as you have never prayed before. The fervent prayer of the righteous avails much. Keep on praying and believing; God is moved by your prayer.
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Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
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First hand revelation causes the believer to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first.
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Colossians 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
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First hand revelation causes the believer to allow their speech to always be with grace, seasoned with salt. If our speech is seasoned with divine influence we will have a godly answer in our mouth.
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Psalm 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
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First hand revelation brings us to trusting, delighting, committing, and resting in the faithfulness of God.
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