Sermon on Numbers 21:4⁠–⁠9

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to proclaim good tidings, but only to those who are oppressed, to those who are weak, to those who are needy - sinners. If you're not a sinner today, I don't know what you're doing here. Maybe you're here to feel good about going to church. Some people do try to absolve their consciences. Under the law it is good for children to go to church, but will it penetrate? Will it do today what He said?

Luke 4:18-19 (KJV) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, [19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

You're wasting your time trying to preach the gospel to anyone who isn't poor - needy. Jesus is always sent to the brokenhearted. If you're not broken hearted; and don’t try to break your heart because you can’t, you won't hear the Gospel today. Is anyone captive this morning? The fallen will of man turns in on itself continually and knocks Jesus off of the center. He sends his spirit to preach deliverance to the captives and the recovering of sight to the blind. If you're blind today then the Word of the Lord, the Spirit of God, the proclamation, will come to you. 

Bruised is a big word and it goes beyond the outer, into the heart. Bruised as a result of our sins, not our parents - bruised even because of the sin of judging our parents. 

All those who have been humbled, will hear. The humble hear and will be glad. There were two sons in Luke 15 - one proud and one humble. The proud one had no need of his father, his brother, or anyone else. He only stayed in the religious world of his father's house so he could use his father.

John 3:6 (KJV) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 3:14 (KJV) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

If you read this and it isn't about you today, you'd be better to go to a church today that will give you some practical help in your practical world today. 

Numbers 21:4 (KJV) And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

The way, as you know, is Jesus. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). No one comes to the Father, or Heaven, or to the Kingdom of God by any other way." There is only one way and it is a narrow way that is naturally repulsive to the natural man. 

The Children of Israel had just come out of Egypt where there was bread, fish, onions and most of all Hollywood - the flesh pots of Egypt - the Egyptian deities. 

Numbers 21:5 (KJV) And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

Why is this written, and why does Jesus make reference to this? They were discouraged. Men became like faint-hearted women. "It's so hard. It's Moses' fault." God let them become this way. They blamed Moses and then they blamed God. Moses, a prince, becomes the most humble man on earth. God doesn't mess around with princes of Egypt, does he? He has a way to get at things, and I'm not that way. Now, any one of you, your tongue could be an instrument for edifying.  

God does not take lightly that they spoke against God and against Moses. If there’s one thing God hates it is those who are spreading discord among the brethren. I don't care if it's my son or my daughter, God hates it. Don't worry about it, just pray, "Thy will be done, O Lord." I can cry out for help, "Lord, how long?" If you've been in the throws of this prayer you're the people who glad tidings will come to.

Numbers 21:6 (KJV) And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

God takes this people out of Egypt and now he sends serpents to bite them. They bit the people and much people of Israel died. Moses was an intercessor, a priest, between them and God; they couldn't come to God directly.

Numbers 21:7 (KJV) Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

If there are any serpents around you God may not take them away, but let the poison of asps be in their lips, behind their smile. 

Numbers 21:8 (KJV) And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

Jesus is saying in John 3:14, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:´ Imagine right now that the poison of an asp has entered your bloodstream and it's going towards your heart. I will affect your children too. It's the poison, the poison of Adam. What a death it would take to do something as absurd as to look at a man, crucified on a cross as a criminal between two thieves. 

If the cross isn't saying to you today, I'm wrong, and whoever I'm judging, is a joke compared to what I've done, and that all my great god-projects, all my good works, are just works of vanity to save my life. If it's saying, "I have no need of you. Leave me alone. Don't bother me now; I'm about my god-project,” this is despising the means of Grace God has provided for the Church. This will work. Your own wickedness will correct you. I didn't say it - it's in the Bible. The wickedness that scares me is the kind that looks real good, and has no fear of God. 

Whoever looks shall live. What are you looking at? "You don't know my problems. I don't have a husband yet. I don't have a wife yet.. I have no money." These things have nothing to do with the Church. If it's in your power to do good, I would say to do it, but I can't always judge what is good and what isn't good. You might think that giving someone some money would be good, but there are times when it might just continue their god-project; or perhaps you would give them a sweet answer or an agreement. 

What about suffering? What is the poison? What are the snakes? This is God's wrath against sin, but it's also, and who could hear this, His solution. There is no way I'm going to look at an absurdity. Look at the mirror, and look at the absurdities around you. God has placed his Spirit in each of you. That which is born of flesh - you've never quite dealt with it yet - the flesh is under wrath, the law. By the flesh, I mean your natural, carnal way of viewing life: "I'm the center. I'm on the throne. Don't tell me. I'm busy." Well, what am I saying, that you should start being lazy? No.

If I believe, my believing was a gift that came from hearing of the Word through you, or whatever means God has chosen: The Bible, Men of God, the Church, even gifts in the world. What helps is poison. But you live in a denial of death. You think that if you can just keep things going the way they are, you will scathe through it all and your family will make you look good and everything will be great. The humble will hear.

Isaiah 53:1-3 (KJV) Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? [2] For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. [3] He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Genesis 3:1 (KJV) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:4 (KJV) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Genesis 3:8 (KJV) And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

They hid themselves from the presence of the Lord. God said the snake is under a curse. When Jesus said, as when the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, it was repulsive to the Jews of his days. His being lifted up on a cross was repulsive to the Jews because it was a curse to be crucified. Jesus was the crucified curse that was hated and despised and rejected of men. Wouldn't you like a God who would meet all your needs? Actually, God makes sure you have more needs in your life, because he loves you.

There are too many holes in the dam. You only have ten toes, ten fingers and one nose, and the water will poor through. We'd like to live in the denial of death and save what we call our life, our controlled life. We're wise in our own eyes and think we have some insight others don't have and we revel in it. This is an abomination because the Scripture says we know nothing as we should. "Are you saying we should remain ignorant?" This too becomes sin. Ignorant of evil? It's good to not know any evil about everyone.  

Isaiah 53:3 (KJV) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

He says to look to him and we hide. If we look to Him, to the Gospel, our faces would be radiant.

OBATOC Pg 60-63

In the disputation God helps us obtain grace by humility, not by doing what is in one. It's acquired when we are so completely humbled by God's alien work of law and wrath and “fall down and pray for grace and place your hope in Christ.”

We are humbled by the alien work of God. It isn't as if God wants to send really bad things to you. What he's interested in is one thing - the thing that would poison you and is poisoning you. He sends his alien work (serpents that bite). How many of you have been angry and bitter - the poison of asps? When that anger comes it's like a spitting cobra. God in his mercy sends the fiery serpents to bit the Israelites, but he sends a provision. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. This is the Cruciform Old Testament. 

Imagine if you were one of those Israelites who were discouraged because of the way (Jesus) - all you seem to get lately is dry manna. He is a God who sets us up. He sets Job up. Some of you fathers are pretty proud of your children, but you're not even close to being in Job's league. Job was a man who was truly righteousness, so much so that he sacrificed for his children every day. Some of you work 40-50-60 hours for the kids. But some of you do this not for the kids, but for clothes - fig leaves.

1 Samuel 2: The Lord killeth and the Lord maketh alive. First he kills and then he makes alive. God repented that he had even made man - he grieved, and he drowned everyone except Noah. Every day you could get drowned. Baptism is daily. It is the water of the Word that renews and refreshes us. If you keep away from the means of grace that God has given us through being tired, busy or sick, you won't be refreshed. You're snake-bit. 

Snake-bit - everything you try to do goes nowhere. God loves you! God's ways are not our ways. Grace comes through humility, but we can't humble ourselves so God humbles us through his alien, strange work - wrath. The waves and billows, troubles and tribulations roll up in your life. If you could only use your brain to get out of it all. In America, nobody dies and everybody is happy. There are some people who are broken-hearted, blind, and poor in spirit; people who lived in Psalm 107 and have come to where they don't trust what they think for one second. Those people, you will find like Paul, are pressed out of measure on every side. Love for God's Church, Zeal for God's House has brought Paul to the place where he loses all hope in himself. If anyone could hope in their abilities, it would be Saul. Read Phil 2-3. If any man had a right to boast, here is my pedigree, my PhD’s in theology. He called them all excrement - dung. 

So people work for the kids 40-50-60 hours a week, sometimes both parents, and they are working for clothes. The whole consumer culture comes down to, "What are we working for? Why do we do this or get that?" "You wouldn't let your children go to school looking like that? “Those sneakers are cheap, they only cost $60. You should have gotten Nikes." It's a matter of who is king. 

Israel, after they had beaten the Philistines, wanted to be like other nations. They told Samuel to make them a king. Samuel knew that if they were to have a king they would be at war with other nations, and war is about lust and consuming. Their daughters would become confectioners. Your children will think they're here to consume. 

What does my grandmother think of me today? If a man thinks this, he never had a name. Somehow he got talked out of who he already is. He has a wrong understanding of God, that he has secret knowledge, power and control and you want that. This is the poison of the serpent in Genesis 3. "Now I want to be like God so I'll partake of secret knowledge, have control of my life and finally get some respect." 

Babylon - confusion, two. There are people right here in this church who have two things going. It won't work. You can't serve two masters. You will end up hating one of them. How many of you know this to be true? Who are you telling your children to serve? God and Mammon? It is a right thing to want good things for your family, but if it takes 40-50 hours per week, for both parents, just to get clothes... The pressure in this country is to keep the economic pressures so great you won't have a father. He'll either leave under the pressure, or be so consumed that he won't be around.

Men who worked hard had this for their righteousness:

Genesis 11:4 (KJV) And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

They tried to make a name for themselves so they built this city - Babylon.

Daniel 4 – Nebuchadnezzar. Metaphor - find law/gospel and find yourself in the King. I've seen men driven from men and they dwell with beasts, right here in this church. Their whole goal is to tear down and they have no peace because they are driven by spirits. They didn't take heed to what God was saying. 

Daniel 4:30 (KJV) The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

Pride comes before a fall - it's a promise. He’s building something that outwardly draws admiration to him. The real thing we're dealing with every single day is glory. Adam didn't listen, except to the serpent. He forgot his name - Son of God. He was created in the image of God. It's like buying something that was already yours - your whole life is wasted. People want the praise, Doxa, of men. "I want my grandmother's praise. I'm going to show her yet that she was wrong about me." Jesus said a person's enemies would be of their own household. I don't think people believe this. Grandma will always find a question to ask. How many of you actually believe what Wingren said; People have devil in their heart along with God. Simul iustus et peccator - Simultaneously righteous and sinner.

Try to imagine Babylon: The king comes into his court, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom of the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty." The glory of man is what he sought.

Daniel 4:34-37 (KJV) And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: [35] And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? [36] At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. [37] Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

Now, after God has humbled me and I've been as a beast, as David said, now I honor the king of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment and all those that walk in pride he is able to abase. If you know someone walking in pride, don't worry about them ever again. God knows how to abase the proud. Read Hannah's prayer - this is exactly what he does. "Are you calling me proud?" I do not have to call you proud, do I? 

OBATOC

God's alien - he makes alive by killing - takes to heaven by bringing through hell.

What are you building and what for? How many of you have built a business for your own security? You realize there is a whole world going on that we're not usually aware of. We don't always know what's behind the motives and intents of human hearts. What God is after is the pride of man because he knows it is destroying you and poisoning you, sure as hell. That sure. "Well, I don't believe in hell, literal hell." That's your business. 

Isa 57 What kind of house are you building? A House for your glory and honor?

Isaiah 57:15 (KJV) For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

How many of you need your spirit to be revived every day? How can you be contrite if you haven't sinned? One of the enemy’s great tricks is to convince us that we're righteous. "Oh I'll admit I was bad yesterday, but today I haven't been proud." One of the enemy’s tricks is to convince us that we have not sinned. Love God with all your heart mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. How are you doing with this? God will not lower his standards to cultural moralities. Look at all the people you unconsciously compare yourself to that you're not as bad as. “Well, I'm not a terrorist”. How many of you are indifferent toward some of your neighbors? Indifference is hate. In fact, you'd be better off to be angry at them - at least you care enough about them to be mad at them. How often do you need forgiveness, 7 x 70 times? In Hebrew means 7 means total, complete, full forgiveness. "O happy day - today!" 

Adam and Even hid from His presence. If we're around anywhere without the presence of God, we're left wide open to darts and accusations. You may think they're meant for someone else, but they will ultimately turn back on you because you're uncovered. 

The enemy can come in very sweetly, appealing to your pride; “You could be like God - make a name for yourself - get some respect - get some people at least to give you a little praise." This is the problem. Paul said he was pressed out of measure so much that he despaired of life, natural life, that his hope would no longer be in himself. This then is what God is after: my hope in my abilities, which is a plague of this world in this life. When your parents left you, God allowed it. The Bible said when your father and mother desert you, God becomes your father. Consider it. My Father is God and I will exalt Him.  

Luke 21:17 Contrary to what you've always wanted, what you've always lusted for, Jesus said you will be hated of all men for my sake. How many of you are balancing me out already? There are some people who will hate the proclamation of the cross. What is so offensive about that is that it knocks you totally out, in the first inning, before you were even born. God has done something for you and that's offensive. What has he done for you? Something the Bible calls everything. It is finished. He will not withhold any good thing from you. 

God won't give you a thing that is not good for you. As the son grows up and is old enough, then it's safe to give him the keys to the car. There are obviously things it's not safe for me to have right now, but God is not withholding things from me. He may allow alien work in me because he wants to give me good things. 

Three year olds will take candy over a $300,000 check every time. We don't know what's really valuable. We're all like 3 years olds who want the glory and praise that comes from men. How many of you here don't do that? Your whole life could be predicated on some puny little honor, waiting for the day people tell you what a good job you've done. You may be waiting for someone to tell you that they were wrong about the church all along, but it was really worse than that. 

Man is not meant to rob glory from God. How do we rob God? Not tithing – not giving back to God what belongs to him. This points to something far greater than tithing - back to who is the center of your world and who you're building a place for. When the Lord comes will he find a place to lay his head, or will you be too busy, like Martha, getting some new clothes? I'm talking metaphor here. Try to be at least compassionate on the people of this world - the tragedy that men and women have to work. They drop their children off every day. It's not a question of pointing the finger but of crying out to God for grace, mercy, and to restore and revive the heart of man - to turn the hearts of the fathers to you, Lord, and to the children.  

The means of Grace God provides, one of which is the church - you. You are a means of grace. Let your tongue be for edification. I'm exhorting you, but I also have no hope in you doing anything I'm saying. I know you'll do everything that I'm saying, in Christ. Before the cock crows I'll deny Him. We are incapable in ourselves. God does bring us to his passive work; we're passive and he is humbling us. Daily you leave the cistern that you’ve hone out for yourself and come to the fountain, the living water, the washing of the water by the Word, and be renewed, daily. 

When you come to the cross, the most offensive thing, you're given initial forgiveness and then the righteousness of Jesus, a new robe, and then eternal life. We should spend the rest of our lives telling others what God has given. He gave himself to us while we were yet his enemies, sinners. Christ died for the ungodly. Did he die for you? The message today, the gospel, isn't for you if you're not a sinner, but I want to thank you for your patient indulgence of me. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach good news to the captives, the humble, the blind, and the poor, those of a broken heart. Who are they?

1 Cor. 1:23 (KJV) But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

To preach Christ crucified is to preach all that you receive when you receive Christ as your sacrifice to God. The offensive thing is that it knocks Adam out of the box because you do absolutely nothing. This offends us because we are would-be gods and want to do something, but all we can do is mess it up – make things worse. "Are you saying we're puppets then?" Wrong question. What I'm saying is that there is nothing left to do for righteousness - God has done it all. "What if I sin?" He’s covered that too. "What if my heart condemns me?"

1 John 3:20 (KJV) For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

1 John 1:9 (KJV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Faith is not another law you have to keep, something to do. Faith is a gift. Who here hasn't broken every single law If you break one point you've broken it all. Why is this such good news? Because it's time to give up and give it over and say, "Oh, you mean, I receive all this as a gift?" Yes. But who will receive it? The poor. Jesus came for sinners. Did he come for you? He comes today for sinners? Has he come for you? He can't come to the righteous because they don't need him.  

It is sad if you're not a sinner to have to sit here and indulge me. I want to thank you for your patience. 

1 Cor. 1:23-24 (KJV) But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; [24] But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

The preaching of the cross is foolishness. The cross is an image that points to something. Every one of us could talk for the next 100 years and we could not exhaust what the cross is. We can start out by realizing that what we get in the cross is everything - eternal life. But how much of it have you received? How much forgiveness will you receive, or will you try to sweat and worry a little more, work a little harder? There are two of you and they are both total states; one totally depraved, and one totally righteous. Depravity is thinking about me all day long and where that leads, which we don't have to get into. I also have Christ and he can never be improved upon. 

What's born of the flesh cannot help but sin, from now until the day you die. You can cover it up and get some perfume to cover the stench. You got a dead man living in you called Adam (Romans 7). Forget about that - you've got a new creation called Christ. Luther said you should be little Christs in this world. The fullness of Christ indwells the Church - the church militant and the church triumphant. Christ leads you from glory to glory; from faith to faith, and he never stops. If you're unfaithful he remains faithful. Aren't you glad! What a husband - he didn't divorce me for my unfaithfulness. 

When he has you in his hands, in his wounds, no power can pluck you from Him. You'll find him everywhere. If you're a shepherd, if you have a family and are attending your flock, you'll find Christ in a babe in a manger. If you look to the cross you'll see the absurdity of the brass snake, on a cross. The curse to Israel was being crucified on a cross, between two malefactors - thieves. 

You wouldn't rob God, would you? If you don’t' receive From God, to give, you rob Him. “Why do I need more grace, I'm not giving to anyone but myself. What matters every day is my glory. I built this house as a place for my glory and my majesty." 

When He comes will he find a place of rest in you? Will there be room in your heart, in your inn, when he comes today? Yes - because of Him. If you've been poisoned, look and live. "I can't." I know. That's why He put you in a church - so you can't escape these weird people, if you love them. 

If our heart condemn us he's greater than our heart. 

1 Cor. 1:23-25 (KJV) But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; [24] But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. [25] Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

I'm a thief next to Jesus on the cross, "If you're God, get me out of this situation. The poison is rising." All he saw was poison, not Jesus. Are you turned in on yourself today? Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh. Look to the serpent on the pole. They looked to him and they were radiant. You look into the perfect law of liberty when you look into the gospel and you are transformed into what you look at. Don't make this a work. It is finished. He has already placed you somewhere.

How many of you get mad at one another from time to time? It's part of the program. You'll get over that. You'll learn to say, "Yes dear." But no everyone will know what you mean by that. But it will eliminate a lot of unnecessary things. “Don, do you like our new wallpaper?” “It's the best I've ever seen.“ What do I care about that anymore? When I was first married I never liked anything. I always figured it cost money and I didn't like it. Women want to change everything. I walk in the house, sure as heaven she wants to change something. If you get married, you walk right into the book of changes. 

You see too much to see this - you're not blind enough. 

1 Cor. 1:26 (KJV) For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

How many of you think yourself wise in the natural? Let's grade everyone on a curve and find out where you or I reside on the chart. How mighty were you? 

1 Cor. 1:27 (KJV) But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

If you're dumb enough to love anyone, you're one of the foolish of this world and are asking to be broken-hearted. Like C.S. Lewis said, if you don't want to be hurt, don't love anyone or even get a dog. Whoever you love may hurt you. Why? Because they're human beings, with all their failings and glory projects. It's like the doctor in Life is Beautiful. Guido finally saw that it wouldn't matter what you told him, to the doctor, you didn't exist - you're not on his radar screen.

You're not one of the weak things, are you? If you're weak it’s because God had mercy on you. These are the chosen that sit around you, the weak, base, foolish, despised things, and the things that are not. The people who aren't are not on the wisest's radar screen. They written off as are nots who don't even exist because they are not useful. In the world you exist if you're useful. If you work, you don't belong to you.  

1 Cor. 1:28 (KJV) And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

God had chosen fools for Christ's sake. For you to say that you have no need is to despise the means of Grace God has given you because you're on your god-project, seeking glory. I know all this and more about you, but I love you and none of this matters to me. What matters least is the thing you’re going to do for Him. There are churches who actually ask, "What have you done for the Lord this week?" Shut up! I didn't do anything for the Lord this week, I died and what did you expect from a corpse. You are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 

So what? This is always the great question. Now that you're justified, what would you like to do, in this minute, the next minute, today? For instance, what would you like for lunch? You could have whatever you want. 

Gerhard Forde: There is nothing for you to do - just receive. It's almost too good to be true. You mean to say that I've inherited eternal life, I'm justified, I'm forgiven, and God is looking for ways to bless me no matter how hard I try to keep him out?