 Okay. Welcome back everyone. I have just started the recording of our next second lecture today. All right, so let's take a few moments for some questions and before we continue further, we have a devious question. Can you explain the riches of inheritance mentioned in Ephesians 1-18? So, okay, good question here. So the Bible, especially in the writings of the apostle Paul, he talks about inheritance that we have obtained. So you find this in verse 18, the glory of his inheritance in the saints. But you also find him using this word inheritance on other occasions in the same chapter. So if you look at verse 11, Ephesians 1-11, it says, in home that is in Christ, we have obtained an inheritance. That means we have already received an inheritance. But then he goes on in verse 14, Ephesians 1 verse 14, he says about the Holy Spirit, he is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. So he's talking about two parts of our inheritance. There is the inheritance that we have obtained, which we already have here and now. And then he says the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a guarantee. So the Greek word there is down payment as a guarantee of the inheritance, talking about something we are going to receive. And what is that? It's the redemption of the purchased possession. So we are purchased possession, we are God's purchased possession, but the fullness of that redemption is going to come in the future. So there is a part of our inheritance we enjoy here and now. There is also a part of the inheritance we are going to enjoy in the future. Are you with me so far? Yeah. So that's what he's talking about. That means he says, I want you to, I want the eyes of your understanding to be opened. So you will know the rich inheritance that God has given to us as his people. Part of the inheritance we have already obtained, meaning it's already ours here and now, part of this inheritance is going to come in the future. It is something that God has, which will come in the future when we have our glorified bodies and we will reign with him in eternity and so on. So all those things are still yet to come. Does that answer your question, Divyaan? Yes, yes, Master. Thank you so much. Yeah, and I had just one more, not a follower, but like those who realize this identity in Christ, what are some markers or how do we identify like people who really know this identity? Okay, so the best way I could say it is this, that the whole purpose of God bringing us into Christ is so that we can be like Christ. Okay, the whole purpose of God bringing us into Christ so that we could be like Christ, you know, so how can we identify, you know, and we will talk about this maybe if we have time before we close the class today. How can we identify somebody who has received this revelation? Well, they'll be growing into their likeness of Jesus. There'll be more and more like Jesus. Because that's the whole purpose of God bringing us into Christ so that we can be like Christ. Right? And we keep on growing into that likeness of Jesus. So you could say like, yeah, that person really knows who they are in Christ because they're growing up into that. Yeah, they're growing up into becoming like Christ in every area of our lives. Yes, so is it like saying that you will know them like Jesus when he says, like you will know them by their fruit? Yes, you'll know them by the life they live, the ministry they manifest, you know, by the way they walk and the way they minister, you'll know that they are head. This person knows that entity in Christ, you know. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, so we're still now in Ephesians chapter one, right now, everything I'm sharing with you right now is in the PDF so that we have put in the coursework so you can download it and review it. I'm just speaking to you, but everything is in the PDF there. So some of the things that we want to highlight from Ephesians chapter one and some things we will look at later. First of all, I want us to understand that this whole thing about being in Christ was something God planned before the foundation of the world. Let me look at that in verse four. Ephesians one verse four. It says he chose us in him in Christ. That's what we are studying in Christ. He chose us in him before the foundation of the world. You know, so that means God decided even before he created before the foundation of the world is just a phrase in the New Testament that says before creation. Before God began to create things. Even before he created, God decided that he's going to have people who will be in Christ in him. So when you when we study the scripture, the New Testament and look for the phrase before the foundation of the world, you and I will find we will find that in the mind of God, he finished everything before he started. God finished his work before he started the work. That's what Hebrews chapter three and worse for and we can just cross reference and just digressing a little bit. But sorry, Hebrews chapter four and was three Hebrews four verse three. Somebody could read that please for us. Now we who was believed enter that rest just as God has said so I declared on my own in my anger. They shall never enter my rest. And yet his work have been finished since the creation of the world. So look at the last part of verse three. Thank you. Look at the last part of verse three. It says the works were finished from the foundation of the world or from the creation of the world. Very interesting. His works were finished from the time of creation. Creation started but God already finished the work. His works were finished from before the creation of the world. In what sense in the mind of God, God finished everything. Then he started creation. So in the mind of God, everything that would take place in time was already finished. So time is finite. There's a beginning and there's an end. Everything that was going to take place in time was already finished in the mind of God. Part of that was the death of Christ on the cross. That's why the Bible says he is the Lamb of God slain from before the foundation of the world. Now how was it possible before the foundation of the world? Jesus was already the Lamb of God slain. Because in the mind of God, the work was finished before it was done. Same thing about the book of life. It says our names were written in the book of life, the book of the Lamb of God before the foundation of the world. How was it possible? In the mind of God, it was done before the work started. So what Paul is saying here in Ephesians 1.4 is, we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. So in the mind of God, he already said, I'm going to have a people who are going to be in Christ. That's my plan. I'm going to do it. And he decided this before creating Adam, before creation. So this life that we're talking about, the life that we have in Christ is not an afterthought. It's not Paul, the Apostles idea. It's something God decided before the foundation of the world. And you and I are just trying to understand that revelation. Oh, God help us understand that, right? But God already had it in his minds before the foundation of the world. So first thing, right? Yes, understand. Second thing I want to point out is, as we look at Ephesians 1, we see that many things are in the past tense. Many things are in the past tense. That means it's already done. So Paul is not writing about things that God is planning to do in the future. Or that we sing, okay, you know, someday in the sweet by and by, it will happen. No. In Christ Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, who has blessed us, meaning it is done. It's a past tense thing. You know, if it was going to be in the future, he would have said, you know, thank God in the future, he will bless us. With every blessing. But that's not what he says. What he's saying is, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. It's past tense. So like this, as you read through, you know, what he's writing here, it's all in the past tense. He has chosen us. He's not going to choose you. He has chosen you. That we should be holy and without playing. Verse five, he predestined us. You already decided that he would be adopted as sons. Verse six, you know, end of verse six, he made us accepted in the beloved. It's done. So you've been accepted in the beloved. Verse seven, we have redemption. It's a present tense thing. We have it. So there is a lot that is already ours. Now, some things, you know, we will enter into in the future, like our glorified bodies. We will enter into the millennium. You know, we will reign with Jesus and there's going to be new heavens and new earth. All those things are coming up in the future. But there are things that we can walk in here and now. That's what we must understand. Second thing is, this is a completed work. And like I said in the very beginning, the way God works is this, he completes the work. And he tells us to live out of that completed work. So he's not going, he's not telling us go and save yourself. No, he says, I saved you. Now work out your salvation. That means live out of that salvation. You know, I've given you salvation. Live that. I have justified. I made you righteous. Live out of that. I have sanctified you. Live out of that. I have put you at my right hand in the heavenly places. Live out of that. I have blessed you with every spiritual blessing. Live out of that. He doesn't say, if you do good, I will bless you. Then you'll get something. No, I have given it to you by grace freely. Now by faith, live out of it. So that is how God works. He completes the work for us. And he tells us, I want you to live out of that. So the third thing we see here in this passage, Ephesians one. And this again is in verse three. It says, you know, blessed be the God and father for Lord Jesus Christ was blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. Right. So I want to talk about that in the heavenly realms, meaning this is a reality in the spiritual realm. So what he's written for us here in Ephesians one is reality. It is truth. It is done in the heavenly realms. Now you and I. We live in the natural world. But we're also connected to the heavenly realms because we are in Christ. So there is this duality of our existence. We are living in the natural world, but there is also the spiritual world. And we are also in the spiritual world because we are in Christ. We are spiritual beings. And as spiritual beings, this is truth. So as a spiritual person in the heavenly realms, you are blessed. Now in actual, maybe at the moment you're going, could some of us could be going through a difficult time in the natural. In the natural, maybe some of us could be going through some struggles, but in the spiritual, in the heavenly realms, you are blessed in the spiritual realm. You are in Christ at the right hand of God. Now in the natural, things may be rough, but in the spiritual, everything here in the New Testament, everything is given here. It's true about you. So you and I have to make a choice. And the beautiful truth is this. The spiritual is more powerful than the natural. Everything in the natural is subject to the spiritual because the spiritual created the natural, right? God is spirit and God created the natural world. So everything in the natural is subject to the spiritual. So you and I must look at the natural, that understanding. Hey, maybe in the natural, I am in the natural world. I'm going through some struggles. I'm going through some challenges. I'm going through a difficult time, whatever. But in the spiritual, in Christ, this is who I am. And I'm going to cause that to bear upon the natural. I'm going to cause what God has done for me in the spirit to change the natural world, to change my natural. Because everything in the natural is subject to the spiritual. So in the heavenly realms, but this is truth in the heavenly realms. This also means that in the heavenly realms, every heavenly being recognizes this about you. So think about it. In the heavenly realms, when the devil looks at you, says, whoa, there's a person who is in Christ. There's a person who is seated at the right hand of the Father. There's a person who is the righteousness of God. There's a person who is blessed with every spiritual blessing. There's a person who is accepted and the beloved. So in the heavenly realms, when the heavenly beings look at you, that's what they see. Now in the natural, your friends look at you. They might joke at you. They may laugh at you. They may say all kinds of things about you because they're only seeing in the natural. But in the spiritual, this is truth about you. And so we have to learn, God, this is who I am in the spirit. I'm going to cause that to bear upon my natural circumstances, my situations that I'm going through. I'm going to let these things change and line up with the spiritual. And we do that by faith, by faith in God. It's faith in God that connects us so that the spiritual will change the natural. The spiritual will cause a change for us in the natural. And we're going to learn about faith in another class. So keep that also in mind. This is truth. Whatever we are saying, it is truth in the heavenly realms. Any questions so far? All of you are listening very patiently. But any questions? I was looking at the notes here in the heavenly places. Go ahead. Yeah, I was just thinking about the past tense aspect of it. Like we are already chosen before the foundations of the world. So what about people who reject Christ? So is it like God has already rejected? Or like I was trying to make sense of that. Correct. So that brings us to this whole aspect of predestination, this whole thing. And we will be talking about it a little bit in this course, but we will talk more about it in a second year course on apologetics where we try to discuss this whole thing about predestination. But let me just give a little brief about that, how we understand it. Predestination means God's foreknowledge, but it does not mean God's predetermination. So predestination does not mean predetermination. That means God is not already determining your choice. That choice is what you and I are making. But predestination is God's foreknowledge. He knows ahead of time. Like we said, he's alpha and omega. And he's in the beginning and the end. So he already knows the end from the beginning. So he knows already the choices you and I will make. He already knows it. He's not making the choice for you, but he knows the choice you and I will make. So in his foreknowledge, he can already say, those people who receive Christ, you are the chosen ones. And you are in Christ. And, you know, these are the things that are yours in Christ. So God is not predetermining your choice. He foreknows your choice. But for everybody who chooses, he says, who makes the choices, you are chosen once. And this is what I have for you in Christ. You understood that? Yeah, yes, master. That's just a very brief answer. We will look at that in depth in a second year course and also in a third year course. Good question. All right. Next question here from Sidkin and Robert. If God already knew everything, then why God did not correct the situation? They would not have to sacrifice Jesus Christ. Okay. That's a good question. If God knew everything, you know, why did he let Adam and Eve sin and why is the world become like this? It really tells us this. I mean, it tells us many things about God. First, it tells us that God so desires to have a people for himself who will willingly worship Him that is willing to go through any of these things. These things don't matter. So for us, it seems like that's a long time, so much of pain, so much of all of this. But God says, look, at the end of it, I'm going to have a people whom I've chosen in Christ. This is just the process. And to God, this process is worth it. Second, it also tells us that God has given us a free will and what we do with our free will. You can never, you know, it can never, you know, God has already has a solution to it. So Adam and Eve, he gave them a free will and out of the free will they sinned. But their sin is not greater than God. God says, look, I have a way of redemption and ultimately I will have a people whom I have redeemed who will walk with me out of their own free will. So God knew everything that was going to happen. He knew Adam and Eve would sin. He knew that Satan was going to rebel even before he created him. But God had a plan and that all these things will come together. It says here that verse 11, he works according to the council of his own will and he will gather together everything in Christ. That's verse 10. It'll all come together beautifully. And so God just, you know, he gave us a free will and things are going to come together no matter what. Does that help answer your question, Sid? Yes, Pastor, very much. Okay. Titus, what about the unbeliever? Are they predestined to hell? Then why evangelism? Like, all right, Titus. So like we mentioned, God is not determining the individual's choice, right? He has just said the gospel is the way of salvation. Anybody who rejects the way of salvation, the gospel, the way of salvation, that's the consequence, eternal separation from God in hell. That's what he's planned. But the choice each one of us make, God is not making that choice for us. So our responsibility is to proclaim the gospel, our responsibility to give people the opportunity to make the choice to follow Christ. So that's why we evangelize or we proclaim the gospel. Because God hasn't predetermined which individual is going to make which choice. That's their choice. But what he has said is there is a way of salvation. That's the gospel of Jesus Christ. And without Christ, people are eternally lost. So we need to go and proclaim the gospel. So Afuye, Afuye, I hope I pronounced your name right. We have two types of will, God's will and promise of will. God's will will fill destiny, but promise of will can dent God's predestination. Okay. I'm trying to understand your question Afuye. God's will and promise of will. Okay. Let me respond to that like this. There is the will of God. That's God's will. And then there is what God, you know, what we do, which of course God permits us to do. Right. And yes, you know, when we do things out of the will of God against the will of God, we disrupt God's personal will for our lives. Okay. That means that I may disrupt certain things for my life, but God is bigger than our mistakes. Right. So when a person goes back to God and says, father, I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I did something wrong. I did something I shouldn't do. God can restore us, put us back and he can still fulfill what he intended for our lives. So God's will, but our mistakes, our mistakes are not greater than God. So when we realize we've done something wrong, we go back and he restores us. And we see that even in scripture, we see that, you know, God works in our lives. Right. Okay. Right. So, okay. Any other questions before we go on? Let's look at my notes here. Okay. Let me see. Shani, go ahead please with your question. And Zid can also go ahead. Shani, your question. Oh, sorry. My mic was off. Yeah. I just had a question. So you're saying that we have spiritual blessings, even though we may not be in a certain situation, say financial situation naturally, but I know you said we're blessed spiritually. And you're saying that the way to obtain that is through faith. And I guess meditating on these scriptures about who we are. And then I guess we'll start to believe it and just have faith. And then they'll just, the spiritual blessings will just come. Is that what you're saying? Yeah. So faith is part of that, a very important part of the process. Right. So one is, first of all, we need to recognize or understand what God has done for us. We need to begin to believe it, you know, have faith in that. And, you know, and then let that word of God and the God can create every aspect of our lives. So faith is an important part of that process to see it affect transformation in our lives. So, of course, there are many different areas of life. So for example, let's say, you know, a person is bound in addictions, things like that. And this person becomes a believer in Christ. So the moment this person becomes a believer in Christ, everything here that we read about and which we are going to learn becomes that person's inheritance. It's true for them. All things are passed away. Everything has become new. Right now, but this person needs to know that you don't need to be bound in sin anymore. The thing that Satan does is he tries to keep believers from knowing the truth. And so, you know, Satan would try to tell this person, no, no, no, you have to live like this. You have to live in bondage the rest of your life. But the Word of God, as we will discover, says, you can be free from every bondage. So what should happen? This person should know the truth of the Word of God and let God work in their lives and they will receive freedom. They'll be able to be free in areas of bondage. So that's just one example. Like that, there could be different areas in our lives. Where we want to see God work and we by faith, you know, receive the truth and then let God work in our lives. So this is a process and we will learn. I hope I addressed your question, Shani. Yeah, I'm sorry. So does that work the same way in terms of finances? Yes, in every way. Right. So even in finances, we will learn about our covenant with God and that God does want to, you know, God is our provider and he will provide. And so we look to him and then through faith in God and, you know, blinding his word, we can see the provision of God come into our lives and God meeting all our needs, providing for us. So it works the same way. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Good. All right. Jeff, can I have a question? I don't have a question. I just want to know with an assumption about being chosen as right because I believe Jesus came down here on the earth where we want whether we are a believer or not a believer. He came down for us. Right. So it is our choice. It is our choice. Because true love is never forced. God never wants us to be foes, to be a Christian, to follow him. I just want to know whether it's right. Like there are many unbelievers around me, many of my friends don't believe in God, but I believe Jesus came down for them too. And it's their choice to come to Jesus or not. Yeah. That's what I want to know. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So that is correct. Right. God doesn't force you, offers. Right. He invites. He gives us an invitation. And then we make the choice to say yes. Right. Or some people reject the invitation. That's their choice. Right. And God doesn't say yes. He wants us all to be saved. He invites us. But then make the choice. Okay. Affui. We have a question. Yeah. Good morning, everybody. How are you doing today? Good. Good. Go ahead. Yeah. Affui. I already knew from Nigeria. Wonderful. Thank you for joining us from Nigeria. You're welcome. Yeah. Pastor, you just said something nice. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're welcome. Yeah. Pastor, you just said something now that God gives an invitation. It's our choice to accept the invitation. Now, my question is accepting or rejecting the invitation. Is it not included in the predestined nature of God to mankind? Okay. Accepting the invitation or rejecting the invitation. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. So, Affui, like what we said, God gives us the invitation. God also knows how we will respond. He knows whether Affui will say yes or no. Or, you know, Lyndon will say yes or no. Or Elijah will say yes or no. Or in each one of us, he knows the choice we will make. But he's not dictating the choice. He's not determining that choice. That's a free choice we make, right? So he gives the invitation to every one of us, each one of us, and everybody else in the world. And he says, come. But then each one has to make their choice. God is not predetermining the choice, but he pre-knows. He knows ahead of time the choice. That's what predestination is. That is, he knows ahead of time the choice we will make. And that for all who say yes, he says, look, my plan for all of here is one plan that you become like Jesus. You know? That's predestination. Now, we can go through some scriptures we've needed, but let me just try to quickly answer the questions. All right. Sitkenna, you have a question. Is the same one in the chat? Yes, Pastor. Okay. Afuwe, did I answer your question before I go on to the next one? All right. Yes, Pastor. You have answered my question. God bless you, sir. God bless you, Afuwe. King Saul was ordained by the Lord, but then why and he lost his identity? Yeah. So that shows us that, you know, God gives us gifts and graces, but he works together with us. You know, the Bible says we are co-workers with God. Right? So God gives us gifts, his grace is anointing, but that doesn't suddenly make us robots. We are still free will beings. So even with the gift and the grace and the anointing, we have to work with God. We have to walk in line with this will. So that's where Saul missed it. You know, he was anointed to be king. He was wonderfully blessed, wonderful beginning, but as he journeyed, he started making mistakes and he deviated from what God wanted for his life. That's why it's so important, like we heard yesterday, throughout our journey on earth, you know, we have to stay aligned to the will of God. So we still have a free will. And we use our free will to choose the will of God. Is that okay, Robert? Yes, Pastor, thank you. Thank you. Alright, Nicholson, you have a question. Please go ahead. It's actually very similar to what Sikino just asked. It's more like a follow-up now, but like he said now, we've seen many people living in our DNA where there are big worship leaders who are anointed, suddenly light of a fall back and go back to whatever they were doing and deny Christ. I think you just answered that. So, but to follow up on that, are there consequences there? Like if you look at Moses' life also, when he hit the rock and he didn't speak to it, there were consequences. So does that still apply in our DNA today? Yeah. So Galatians chapter six was eight and nine. It tells us, you know, that whatever we saw, we will reap. You know, it tells us that if we sow to the spirit, we will reap of the spirit, if we sow to the flesh, we'll reap of the flesh. Right? So taking a simple example, let's say a person has been called by God, anointed by God, and they're walking wonderfully with God, and then let's say they go off track, they do all kinds of wrong things. Will there be consequences for the wrong they did? The answer is yes. They'll face consequences. But if they repent, they come back to God, say, God, sorry, I messed up. The Bible tells us there is mercy. What is the mercy of God? So if you want to understand grace and mercy, grace gives us what we do not deserve. Mercy keeps us from receiving what we do deserve. Right? So mercy in that person's life, now that person has done wrong things, there are going to be severe consequences, but mercy lessens that judgment. If you want to look at a scripture, it's in James chapter two. I'll give you the exact words. It says, James 2, and I'm looking for verse 13. James 2, verse 13, it says, the last part of that says, mercy triumphs over judgment. Mercy triumphs over judgment. So this person is going to face severe judgment and mercy triumphs. That means mercy keeps that person from receiving the full, severe, severity of whatever he has done. So that's the mercy of God. Grace gives us what we do not deserve. Mercy keeps us from receiving the full measure of what we do deserve for the wrong we did. That's mercy. Right? So to answer your question, will there be consequences? Yes, but there's also the mercy of God and mercy triumphs over judgment. All right. Good questions. Go ahead, Shawnee, your question, please. Shawnee, sorry, we can't hear your question. Go ahead. I'm sorry, my microphone was off. You just said James chapter, what chapter was that? Chapter two and verse 13. Okay, thank you. Yeah, I'll come. All right. James two 13. Thank you, John Paul. Right. So good questions. Appreciate your interactions. So what we've done today is kind of just laid an introduction to this whole truth about who we are in Christ. And the fact that we need to receive this revelation. And we need to grow in this revelation. So we're going to pick up on this next week. Next Tuesday. Take some time. I have put the course notes on the core coursework sections. Please download the PDFs and just review it. You know, you will be able to go over what we discussed today. And also the video recordings will come up in the coursework. So in case you want to go back and listen to any part of it, you can. And we'll pick this up next week. Start developing it further. But most importantly, right? This truth must grip our hearts. Our identity in Christ. We have to live out of that. You have to understand it. Receive revelation. And live out of who we are in Christ. Okay. We're going to close and prayer and a few more minutes. And then we have to close and then get ready for our next class. So I just want to request somebody to close us in prayer and dismiss the class. Somebody could pray and leave the class. Heavenly Father, thank you. Thank you for speaking to us. Thank you for helping us to know who we are. Lord, I pray that you bless that Lord. We will not just know, but Lord, we will see that you are in Christ. I pray that Lord, that if you bless that Lord, we will not just know, but Lord, we will see that you are living in our life, Master. That other people, they recognize the Lord that we are in you, Master. That our family, they see you in our life, Master. So thank you so much for our beloved class, Lord. And it is a blessing, Lord. And the Lord, he teaches the Lord. Lord, you're a blessing, Lord. So thank you for everything that I think what you have done in our life, Master. Thank you. Praise the Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen. All right. Thank you. Amen. Thank you, everyone. I'm going to stop the recording here. So, have a...