We are in the middle of our study of the 14th Grace Gift Given at Salvation.  This Grace Gift— Identification with God the Son - is one of the forty gifts given to every believer at Salvation.  At the moment you believe in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that you have eight special relationships with Him.  The first two relationships we looked at last week.  The first one is our relationship to the One we call the last Adam (Jesus Christ).  Because of this relationship we are a new spiritual creation.  The second relationship is between the Head (Jesus Christ) and the body of the Church (believers).  Here are the other six relationships:

(3) The Great Shepherd and the sheep: Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord. (HEB 13:20)

4) The True Vine and the branches: I (Jesus Christ) am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (JOH 15:5)

            5) The Chief Cornerstone and the stones in the building: you (believers) also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” (1PE 2:5-6)

6) Jesus Christ is the Great High Priest and believers are members of the Royal Priesthood: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1PE 2:9a.)

            7) The Groom and the bride. As we have studied, our wedding takes place in heaven while the Tribulation is going on, on planet earth. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb (Jesus Christ) has come and His bride (all believers) has made herself ready. (REV 19:7)

8) The King of Kings and the Royal Family of God. The Royal Family of God is defined as every Church-age believer, no matter what his or her background, race, or worldly status is.  All differences are erased at the point of salvation and the believer becomes royalty forever. Our Lord’s title “King of Kings” is found in REV 19:16 which reads: And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

            The next Grace Gift (number 15) is The Indwelling of God the Father. The Church-Age believer receives the Indwelling of God the Father at the moment of salvation. This is taught in JOH 14:22-23: Judas (not Iscariot) *said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. It’s also taught in EPH 4:6: one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. 1JO 4:15 is a verse which says it beautifully: Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  The Indwelling of God the Father guarantees:

            1) His Personal Ministry to us in time and eternity. We don’t know what tomorrow may bring or what our needs will be but God does! Always remember that!

            2) We have a  Portfolio of Invisible Assets. A portfolio is like a briefcase in which you keep important things. As a believer, you have a portfolio of blessings that you can’t see yet. The only way you can  get the blessings in your portfolio is by using your time, talent, and treasure to glorify God. He created these blessings before you were even born. If you follow His plan, the blessings will become yours!

            3) Our Escrow Blessings for time and eternity. You will begin to receive your escrow blessings when you become a spiritually adult believer no matter what’s going on in the rest of the world! Escrow blessings are available to every Christian in time and will continue through all eternity.

            4) He guarantees that we have our own spiritual life.

            5) His creates a plan for our lives  in time and eternity.

The purpose of the Indwelling of the Father is the glorification of His plan. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (EPH1:6)

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1CO 3:16) Well, if you’re a believer, it’s true - God the Holy Spirit indwells the body of every Church-age believer at the moment of salvation. This makes The Indwelling of God the Holy Spirit gift number sixteen. The purpose of the Indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is to provide a temple for the Lord Jesus Christ.  In the Old Testament, Jesus Christ was the Shekinah Glory of Israel where He lived in the Holy of Holies. His presence was noticeable by a cloud above the tabernacle by day and a pillar of fire by night, so that the Jews could always tell when He was present in the tabernacle. In the Church-Age, every believer is the holy temple of God and because of this, Jesus Christ - as the Shekinah Glory - indwells every believer. The fact that He indwells us also allows us to use His Divine Power and enables us to carry out His Plan for our lives.