Robert Houk Hitchcock

Romans 10:9-10
   That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
   For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

   The new birth, and all things associated with it, is the greatest gift that you will ever receive.  The magnitude of the new birth should not just be measured in this life only, but throughout all eternity.  God has blessed His children richly, and we should remember what God has done for us.

John 10:10
   The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

   Jesus Christ came that we might have a more than abundant life!  One would certainly need to call a life that is eternal "more than abundant!"  One would certainly need to call a life that is filled with all the fullness of God "more than abundant!"

Why is this a more than abundant life?

   It is more abundant because of the spirit of God is born within us.  It is more abundant because of our sonship rights.  It is more abundant because of the love of God in our lives.  It is more abundant because of the fellowship with God we enjoy.  It is more abundant because of the abilities of the manifestations of holy spirit.  It is more abundant because we are no longer citizens of the world, but of the heavenlies.

We are remembering what God has done.

Ephesians 1:3-6
   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
   According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
   Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
   To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

   Blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies - remember what God has done!  Chosen in him before the foundation of the world - remember what God has done!  Holy and without blame before Him - remember what God has done!  Accepted in the beloved - remember what God has done!

Truly, the born again one is what the Word of God says that he is.
Truly, the born again one has what the Word of God says that she has.
Truly, the born again one will be what the Word of God says that they will be!

Ephesians 2:11-19
   Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
   That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
   But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
   For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
   Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
   And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
   And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
   For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
   Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

 God's Word says to remember also where we were before the new birth:
 

Everything that we once were is now made new, and completely opposite:

      But we who were A FAR OFF are now made NIGH (next of kin)
      We now have PEACE with God.
      We now are RECONCILED with God.
      We now have ACCESS to God.
      We are no longer strangers and foreigners, but we are FELLOWCITIZENS
          and of the HOUSEHOLD of GOD!

We are remembering what God has done!

John 5:24
   Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

   We have heard the Word.  We have believed on him that sent him.  We shall not come into condemnation.  We have passed from death (no spirit) unto life (holy spirit.)

   Death is not an entity of itself; it is the absence of life.  In the physical realm, there really is not such thing as "cold" (try to tell that to my friends in Minnesota).  Cold is merely the absence of heat.  Darkness is the absence of light.  Death is the absence of life.

   We were dead in sins.  We had no spirit, and no way to have access to God.  God did for man what man could not do for himself:  God sent His only begotten Son into the world to reconcile man to God.  Jesus Christ accomplished redemption in full, and man may now once again acquire the spirit by believing.

We are remembering what God has done!

Colossians 1:13
   Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

   God has delivered us from the power of darkness. We have been literally "rescued."  Who of us can count the number of times God has rescued us?

   Who of us can count the number of times God has delivered us?  How awesome has God's power been in pulling us out of the dangers of the world?  How wonderful has the power of God been in pulling us out of some incredible needs that we've had?  It really is challenging to remember all of them, but we do remember some of them.

We are remembering what God has done!

Philippians 4:19
   But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

   God has supplied, and will continue to supply, all of our need according to His riches in glory!  Who of us can recall all the many times that God has come through for us?  Who of us can even remember all the "big" ones, much less all of the small ones?  This verse is directed to the church, to all of the born again ones.  This is our proper relationship with God.  He does the supplying.  We do the giving, and the praying and the believing.

   God is rich, in case you didn't pick up on that.  He continues to supply as we have need!  What a great big wonderful God.

We are remembering what God has done!

Romans 8:1-4
   There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
   For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
   For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
   That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

   Formerly, all we had in this life was condemnation.  The world breeds condemnation for man is unrighteous and knows it.  He continues to endeavor to establish his own righteousness, but to no avail.  All we had before the new birth was error and more error.  All we had was weakness and inability.  All we had was no peace, and no lasting love.

   But we have been made free from the law of sin and death. And we have received the righteousness of God rather than the condemnation of the world.

We are remembering what God has done!

2 Corinthians 1:9-10
   But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
   Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

God has delivered us. (past)
God is delivering us. (present)
God will continue to deliver us. (future)

   The question now is:  "If God be for us, who can be against us?"  The question is no longer, "Is God on my side?"  He has delivered us, He is delivering us, and He will continue to deliver us.

We remember what God has done!

Mark 8:36
   For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

   We have gained far more than the world could ever have provided us.
   We have gained in our lives so much more that we ever could have dreamed.

   If God be for us, who can be against us?  No, not everything in this life is perfect.  But everything in the next one will be!

      We are more than conquerors through him that loved us!
      We are rescued from the darkness of this world.
      We have been seated in the heavenly places in Christ.
      We have been made the righteousness of God.
      We are AS HE IS.

We are remembering what God has done!
Have a prosperous and blessed New Year 2001.