Survey of Firstfruit Fundamentals

Lesson 12:  What does God want from me?  printer-friendly  MP3

"Success is nothing more than a few basic spiritual disciplines, practiced every day."

"Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals."
 

Lessons in Firstfruit Fundamentals – Lesson 12 – What does God want from me?

This particular lesson is as fundamental as one can study.  The entire plan of God and the Word of God is all about our relationship with Him.  The purpose of this lesson is to list all the key scriptures that describe and/or state what God wants from us.

Notice, as we go through these scriptures that God is specific and often gives the benefit and/or the promises of positive outcome for responding to and doing what He wants and/or commands of us.

Deuteronomy 10:12-14
12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
13 To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?
14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD'S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.

Verses linked to verse 12 on what God requires of thee:

Jeremiah 7:22-23
22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

Matthew 11:29-30
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Note: The yoke denotes you laboring for someone [Christ].  There are some bad yokes in the world.  In the latter part of Galatians 5:1, it says, "...and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."  Compared to that, the yoke of Christ IS easy.

1 John 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Now to more scriptures:

Deuteronomy 30:19-20
19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Psalm 105:3-4
3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
4 Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.

The word "seek" in verse 3 is Strong's H1245 and means to "strive after", "desire", as in desire for knowledge, "to ask questions" and "make inquisition."  The work "seek" in verse 4 is Strong's H1875 and specifically means to worship coupled with diligence and inquiry directly with and before Him.  So verse 3 is the firstfruit's attitude and mindset while verse 4 is direct action with God.  You can see this distinction right in the verse.  Verse 3 is talking about one's heart [mind] and in verse 4, after saying, "Seek the LORD", it defines or gives examples of what you specifically seek, i. e. His strength and His face [direct contact].

Isaiah 55:6-7
6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Micah 6:8
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Note:  The phrase, "walk humbly" in the Hebrew means to "Humble thyself to walk."  Notice who it has you walking with...Almighty God.  Would you not humble yourself before meeting Him for that walk?  Would you not be humble throughout that walk?

Zechariah 7:9-10
9 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Mark 12:29-31
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.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

John 3:3-6
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 4:23-24
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

John 6:53-56
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

John 14:15-18
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

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.

John 15:4
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

John 15:7-13
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 17:20-26
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 2:38-39
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Acts 17:24-27
24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

Romans 13:10
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity

Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Galatians 5:22-25
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Ephesians 1:3-7
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 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:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Titus 2:11-12 [see Lessons]
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Hebrews 12:14
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

James 1:27 [see Sermon]
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

2 Peter 1:5-8
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us recap all the items mentioned in these few scriptures that God expects of us.

--Do what God requires of you
--Walk in His ways
--Love God
--Serve God with all your heart and soul
--Keep the commandments and statutes
--Obey God's voice
--Walk in the ways God commands you
--Love mercy
--Take the yoke of Christ upon you
--Choose eternal life.
--Glory in the name of God.
--Strive [seek] after God
--Worship God in and with diligence
--Be in direct contact with God as you seek His strength and His face.
--Forsake wicked ways.
--Rid yourself of negative thoughts
--Humble thyself and walk with God
--Execute true judgment, mercy and compassion with your brothers.
--Oppress not the widow, the fatherless, the stranger or the poor.
--Do not imagine evil against your brother.
--Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
--Love your neighbour as yourself.
--Be born of the Spirit into a new person.
--Worship God in spirit and truth.
--"Eat the flesh of Christ and drink His blood."
--Abide in Christ
--Keep the words of Christ
--Love one another.
--Be one with God, Christ and the brethren
--Be a witness [example] of the gospel and principles of God
--Be repentant
--Manifest love and all the fruits of the Spirit.
--Be holy and without blame
--Have and exercise faith
--Seek peace with all men and women.
--Seek holiness with all people
--Allow Christ to live in and through you.
--Stay in the salvation process
--Immerse yourself in the Word of God
--Live by every word of God
--Keep your religion pure and undefiled
--Manifest maturity

 
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