The_Greatness_of_His_Design_Chapter

Chapter I

The Greatness of His Greatness

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. Ps 145:3

I am aware that no matter what is written on these pages it will fall short of expressing the Greatness of God. For how do we express in words what is eternal, immeasurable, incalculable and without end, in order to describe Him? We simply cannot. Why? Because we do not possess the ability or the capacity to know all of His completeness. The truth is that we cannot even perceive Him, unless He by His grace reveals Himself to us, for no man can command Him to reveal Himself to him; we are truly helpless until He decides to open our spiritual eyes. His person, His works and “His Ways” are immeasurable and hidden, until He decides to reveal them.

There are those that He calls, giving grace to them to perceive Him, as He reveals Himself to them, so that they may know Him and “His Ways." Though no man can know all there is to know of Him, because He is never ending, those who respond to Him and His call with their whole heart find themselves engulfed in the revelation of Him that moves them beyond this temporal world and into His Eternal Person and Presence.

David was such a man, responding with his whole heart to the revelation, call and grace that was granted to him, by the Lord. He is described by the Lord in Acts 13:22 “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will.” Note, what the Lord says, “I have found David." In other words, God sought him out. God sought David out, because David sought Him. David was a man who set his heart to know his God. How did the Lord respond to David? He responded by revealing Himself to him on many occasions and in various measures.

King David of the Old Testament shares with us his understanding of the greatness of the Lord as revealed to him in Psalm 145:3 as he states “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” David reveals to us that the greatness of the Lord is “unsearchable” as the King James version reads. However, the Douay Rheims Version reads, “of His greatness there is no end." David knew by revelation that the Lord’s greatness is immeasurable, unending, inexhaustible and incalculable.

There is a mystery here for those who care to search it out. The mystery is why does God seek us out to reveal Himself to us? Why does the One who is above all, answers to Himself only and is all powerful seek out men? Why indeed? David asks the Lord the same question in Psalm 8:4 “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?”

The Greatness of His Covenant

How is it that the Lord revealed His person to David when he was a man just like us, subject to passions and desires that led him to make mistakes. Yes, there were times when David, by his own actions, disobeyed the Lord and suffered judgement because of his actions. Still, he would be granted repentance and the Lord would reveal Himself in perhaps greater measures than before. How could this be?

Well, there are several factors involved in the matter. First, there is the love of God, as God is love, 1John 4:16 “God is love." When we depart from our earthen vessels of this world, we will spend an eternity witnessing His love manifested by His person of love, and we will never exhaust the truths concerning His Person of love.

The second reason is connected to love, as well, and that is David’s love of God. David’s setting his heart upon God was due to the deep love for God within himself. Yet, his heart never lost the hunger that was deep within him to know his God, even during the arduous days of suffering, as he passed through the chastening judgements of the Lord for his disobedience.

The third reason is also grounded in love and is the “Eternal Everlasting Covenant”; which is the manifestation and out workings of the person of God as love. Because He is love, He created man, so that man may know Him, by being in union with Him. But, He could only do so through covenant. A covenant whose operative parties consists of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Like David, we are privileged and blessed to witness the revelation of Him, because of the “Eternal Everlasting Covenant” that He instated by His Person of love.

All things that pertain to man and this created universe are contained within this covenant. Being ordained in eternity before the creation of this earth, it will exist throughout eternity after this earth is destroyed, and the new earth is created. Thus, it is termed the “Eternal Everlasting Covenant." It is through this covenant that God’s love is manifested to man, the entire universe, His heavenly realm and its subjects.

As previously mentioned, one of the purposes of this “Eternal Everlasting Covenant” is that He created man so men may know Him through a covenantal union with Him. This covenantal union is the basis of one being led by the Spirit of God, so that they may experience the revelation of Him and know Him intimately in every measure that the Lord determines. It is God revealing His person to a man on a personal level.

David was one of many who experienced the knowing of Him, by the out workings of this covenant. But, the question is what pleased God about David so that He opened David’s eyes and allowed him to enter into this experience? Better yet, what would please Him that He would open our eyes? For us to understand this we must consider two very important aspects or truth of the “Eternal Everlasting Covenant."

There are two primary aspects or truths that were determined, by the “Eternal Everlasting Covenant." These govern who will be given grace and understanding to experience the person of God, by covenant. Both were determined by the Godhead and set forth in the “Eternal Everlasting Covenant," as essential characteristics of those who are to experience Him, by union. Both reveal what He seeks for in us, as they reveal or prove the heart of every man. Without them no man will find faith to believe and enter into this covenantal union with Him, which is better termed as “His Ways."

They both are brought to light in John 14:23 by the Lord, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

The first truth is to love Him. “If a man love me” No one can really know Him without loving Him. One may know of Him, but to know Him on an intimate personal level we must first love Him in the measures that He expects. Look at verse 21 “and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” The word “manifest” means to openly show. He will, by reason of His love for us, reveal His person to us in response to our loving Him. In short, it takes His revealing of Himself to us for us to truly know Him, and who among us can command Him to reveal Himself? He only reveals Himself to those who truly love Him, and He knows who truly loves Him. Of all the treasures of this world none are so valuable as His revealing Himself to us, so that we may know Him on an intimate level.

There is another portion of scripture that should be noted, when considering love in Mark 12. It is the account when the Lord was questioned by one of the scribes who overheard Him answering the Sadducees who were looking to discredit Him, as a teacher. Mark 12:28-30 “And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”

He did not hesitate to respond and the answer concerning the first commandment which is “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength." Why? Because He lived and loved the Father every day in that manner. It was not a doctrine to Him, but His life.

Everything, beloved, hinges on our love of Him. But, please, note that the love He speaks of involves the entire being of the believer; his heart, soul, mind and strength. Nothing can be reserved for oneself. It must be a complete surrender of our entire being or it is lukewarm, and He does not reveal Himself on an intimate level to the lukewarm. (Revelation 3:16) This complete surrender of ourselves is an absolute, when one desires to enter into “His Ways” or union with Him, by His abiding or indwelling within us. This love of Him that requires a complete surrender is not demanded by Him, either. The choice is ours. However, it is demanded by our love of Him. What I mean is that, if we are going to love Him fully, doing so requires our complete surrender, and if we stop short, it proves that our love is not a complete love.

Beloved, make no mistake about this, He gave all of Himself for us in more ways than we can imagine, and we will spend an eternity learning of them. He has every right to require us to give all of ourselves to Him, but He does not demand it. The choice is ours. If we hope to know Him on an intimate level, by way of His abiding in us, then we must surrender to the love that abandons all else and plead for grace to do so. Then we must trust that He will reveal Himself to us, because He loves us. The treasure of knowing and experiencing Him in union is the most costly gift we will ever receive, as it cost Him everything. There is nothing that we can give or do to deserve it. All He asks of us is love.

The second truth is “he will keep my words." The reality of this truth is demonstrated, by our Lord, during His temptation in the Wilderness. In Matthew 4:4 he said “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." “To keep His words” is to live by them, but not simply as a set of rules. They must be the life of our life. Our every move and thought must be subject and drawn from His Word. Again, this was not a set of rules or a doctrine to Him. He lived by every word that He received from the Father, and they were the life of His life.

We are given the same directive by covenant. We must live by “His Word” both the written “logos” word and by what He speaks to each of us personally or the “rhema” word. What makes one “keep His words” and live by them as the life of their life, so that all they do is governed by “His Words”? Well, some keep the commandments by order or doctrine. Some keep the law, because they are coerced to do so. Some choose to adhere to them, because they believe that they are holy for doing so. Some choose to adhere to them as a way of earning a reward. But, what is He really looking for?

Let us turn again to the words of the Lord in John 14:23 “if a man love me, he will keep my words." As the Lord says, our love of Him is why we will live by His words. It is not demanded of us, as it is our choice. Our love of Him will be the source of our love of His Words. We will follow both the Lord and His Words, if we live in total abandonment to Him and our love of Him.

When a believer lives by these two truths, they serve as the catalyst of Him bestowing the blessing of His indwelling in us, as prescribed by the “Eternal Everlasting Covenant." As we have read, in John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” This indwelling presence of Him is of upmost importance, as it is the very presence of God within us. It is the secret place that Psalm 91 speaks of, the hidden place, the place where the storms of life cannot reach.

Here we come to an understanding of His greatness, by realizing that everything in this universe was created, so we may know and be in union with Him, by His indwelling. Truly, His actions are simply astonishing! Perhaps, we, like David, will ponder the question that David asks in Psalm 8:4 “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” Putting the question on a more personal level, “what am I that thou art mindful of me?"

The Greatness of His Person

But, the completeness of His greatness and the greatness of His “Eternal Everlasting Covenant” is not fully revealed merely by the creation and union that He will accomplish with man. No! The vein of His greatness runs much deeper than this. He knew in “eternity before” that, because of who and what He is, man could not enter into His fellowship, by union and the knowing of Him, unless He made the way; as He knew, by His omniscient knowledge that Adam would transgress, resulting in our being hopelessly lost, unless He Himself repaired the breach.

He knew, by His knowledge, that we would be found in such a condition, because of Adam’s choice. Yet, He determined and ordained that He would intervene on our behalf, and this was determined before He created the dust of the universe in “eternity before." By His omniscient knowledge, He ordained in the “Eternal Everlasting Covenant” that through the sacrifice of His Son, He would intervene. But, His intervention was beyond that of restoring us to Adam’s original condition. He determined to lift man to a higher plane than that of Adam’s original condition, by His indwelling presence. By His indwelling, He would transform and conform men to Himself, if they were willing and allowed Him. This transformation and conformity can only be accomplished by a man entering into “His Ways," which He alone makes possible.

Once more, every item and work pertaining to men is determined and contained in the “Eternal Everlasting Covenant." This allows us to see that there is no measure of Him from His knowledge, to His love and His mercy. His person is unending, inexhaustible, and incalculable in every manner. The greatness of His “Eternal Everlasting Covenant” is found and truly rests in the greatness of Him!