Lam 3:21-23; I recall this to my mind, and it gives me confidence. Because The Lord's mercy never fails; His grace provisions never cease, they are renewed every morning; Great is Your faithfulness... Therefore I have hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait silently on Him.
In our study of the doctrine of the winner believer. Heb 12:2; Rev 2:7; We have noted that winner believers are the unknown, unsung heroes of history. 2Cor 6:9; who are the targets of God's grace imputations that support all of mankind.
We are presently noting the supergrace blessings that God imputes to winner believers who have advanced to spiritual maturity. We noted that the Biblical nomenclature for "supergrace" comes from the phrase "megas charis" that is translated "greater grace" in James 4:6;
Last time we noted that a major characteristic that is exhibited by the supergrace believer is happiness that is rooted in contentment and expressed in thanksgiving to God for His grace system that they have deployed into their life from their study of God's Word of truth. John 8:31-32; Luke 11:28;
This happiness is not based on pleasant circumstanced or stimulation it is based on the believer's cognizance of God's integrity love that results in having reciprocal love for God. 1John 4:19; 1John 5:3;
This means that the supergrace believer's happiness is related exclusively to the essence of God rather than to the details of life that are a product of the devil's world. Col 3:2-5;
God always has and always will possess perfect happiness because He has perfect integrity. God's happiness is not only a part of His integrity love it is also the result of His integrity love. Integrity love is the sine qua non of happiness.
It is impossible for God to be unhappy because it would be incompatible with His perfect essence. Deut. 28:63; Psa. 43:4; God possesses a perfect and eternal happiness because He is perfect integrity. 1John 4:8;
Not only does God possess perfect happiness but He is also the source of perfect happiness for advancing believers.
God's happiness is acquired in four stages starting with the filling of God the Holy Spirit. Rom. 14:17; Gal. 5:22; 1Thes 1:6;
God's happiness comes from perception, metabolization and application of God's Word of truth. Jer 15:16; 1John 1:4;
Happiness is the product of the problem solving devices arrayed in the soul, Phil 4:4a; and their application to life and circumstances under the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit. Phil4:4b;
Happiness is related to God and his plan that are revealed in His Word of truth. In eternity past God created a system that when deployed would share His perfect happiness with mankind.
It is impossible to work up happiness or acquire it from pleasant circumstances from the details of life. The things in this life that normally make you happy can in the wrong circumstances make your life more miserable.
True happiness cannot be acquired apart from God and His Word. Psa. 5:11; Psa 9:1,2; Psa 97:12; Hab 3:18; Zech. 10:7b); this means that the entrance into the plan of God at salvation is related to happiness Psa 9:14; Psa 51:12;
This is because happiness is accomplished through God's grace that always targets God's Word of truth aka doctrine or faith. Psa. 31:7;
In grace God found a way to share His perfect happiness with man in time. Every benefit from God to man comes through grace Psa. 21:1;
This means that God's happiness is exclusive to believers in Jesus Christ Luke 11:28; Eph. 2:8,9; Unbelievers cannot understand or possess it.
God's happiness is a privilege that belongs exclusively to members of the Royal Family of God but even though it belongs to every believer not every believer has it during their life on the earth in time.
In unglorified sin infused human bodies in the devil's world in time God's happiness belongs only to winner believers because it comes exclusively from God's Word of truth.
Grace is God system of administering salvation, and grace is God's means of administering His happiness. This means that grace-happiness can only be acquired through doctrine Psa 32:10-11;
God's perfect happiness is confined to God's plan of grace. Man enters God's plan exclusively by faith in Christ. John 3:16; 18, 36; John 20:31; Acts 16:31;
However, being saved does not imply instant or automatic happiness because possessing God's happiness during one's life in sin infused bodies in the devil's world during the course of time is only a potential. A potential that the winner actually receives.
Salvation is often accompanied by a transient happiness Psa 51:12; but this is not God's perfect happiness that comes from the persistent reception, retention and recall of His Word of truth.
Believers can't grow up spiritually by simply reading a chapter in the Bible every day or reading a daily devotional. If they could, there would be no need for the communication gift of pastor-teacher. Eph 4:10-15;
The acquisition of God's happiness requires believers to consistently learn God's Word that is communicated systematically in an isagogical, categorical and exegetical, dispensational manner by the spiritual gift of pastor teacher under the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit.
This process creates and maintains God's perfect happiness as a problem-solving device that is arrayed as part of the defensive perimeter or FLOT line in the believer's soul.
This is why believers are commanded follow the lead of Jesus Heb 12:1-2; and by using God's power have happiness as they deal with every circumstance of life. Phil 4:4-8; 2Cor 12:9-10;
This brings us to a study about the ultimate winner in God's plan our Lord Jesus Christ. The passage in Heb 12:2; establishes Jesus as the pioneer and perfecter of faith (the doctrine) who is our role model for the application of faith (doctrine).
The words "pioneer" or "author" are translated from the Greek word "archegos." "Archegos" is also translated leader; ruler; prince; originator; and founder"; it is translated, "captain" in the KJV and "author" in the NAS and the NIV.
It is a compound noun made up "arche" that means "ruler, "ago" that means "leader."
This indicates a person of high rank who has been designated to be king. Since Jesus Christ has been crowned but has not yet been established as the ruler over His kingdom He is the "Crown Prince."
He is the ultimate winner who is presently seated at the right hand of God who is waiting for God the Father to finish making His enemies a footstool for His feet. Heb 10:11-12;
In our Christmas study we noted His unique title " Lord Jesus Christ" that identifies Him perfectly.
We noted that Lord is translated from the Greek word "Kurios" that means deity or God in both Greek and Latin.
Jesus is transliterated from the Greek word "Iesous" that is itself transliterated from the Hebrew "Joshua" that means savior.
Christ is transliterated from the Greek "Christos" that is translated from the Hebrew word "Messiah" that means "anointed one".
"Lord" refers to His deity, because Jesus Christ is God. "Jesus" is the title for His humanity, meaning Savior. "Christ" is the title of His second royalty as the Son of David, the Messiah. So His title means "God Savior Anointed one."
Even though the Jews don't recognize it, the words of Deut 4:6; SHAMA JISRAEL, ADONAI ELOHENU, ADONAI ECHAD, translated "Hear O Israel, the Lord [Jesus Christ] is our God, the Lord (Jesus Christ) is unique" refer to the Lord Jesus Christ.
As a result of the virgin birth, Jesus Christ is true humanity and undiminished deity in one person forever. He had to become true humanity in order to be judged as a substitute for our sins.
In Rev 1:8; 21:6; 22:13; Jesus Christ is called the Alpha and the Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Alpha refers to His deity; Omega refers to his Hypostatic Union with emphasis on His humanity.
So in the words of the title of the second person of the Trinity, "Lord" refers to the deity of Christ. "Jesus" refers to the humanity of Christ. "Christ" refers to His Messiahship as the legitimate and eternal king of Israel.