Follow On To Know The Lord                                    

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. You know, Jesus said, Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who can receive it: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love be multiplied.

Today we’re going to start off with a song. I learned this song when I was a baby Christian, back in Estes Park, CO. I was over at Paul and Evalyn Merkle’s house; they were having a prayer meeting, and Evalyn introduced the song by saying, ”This song is called, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”; she said,”but we like to say, Keep Your Eyes Upon Jesus”. I think it is a very appropriate song for the message that God has given me to share with you, so here we go:

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. 

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

Keep your eyes upon Jesus.

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

Let’s turn to Eph 1:3-6, 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, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Do you know that you are accepted in the Beloved? If you believe in Jesus; if you believe in Him; if you believe what he’s done for you when He suffered for you on the Cross at Calvary, and you’ve confessed Him as your Lord, confessing your sins; calling upon Him; believing in Him; did you know that His righteousness is imputed to you because you believe in His sacrifice for your sins; because you believe that He rose from the dead? Do you know, that if you’ve done that, you are accepted, or when you do that, you are accepted in Him; you’re accepted in the Beloved. Jesus is called the Beloved Son of His Father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Amen. So God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ. Let’s turn to verses 17-23, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Praise God! Just going back to verse 17,  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. 

Let’s move on to Eph 2:4-8, But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, Do you know that? Do you know the Father loves you? Do you know Jesus loves you? You know it says in John 3:16, that God so loved the world… That’s the truth; that’s not just a religious, famous scripture; that’s the truth: God so loved the whole world that He gave His only Beloved Son, that whosoever lives and believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Amen. Going back to Eph 2:4-8, But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. God gave His Son: He so loved you that He gave His Son for you to die on the Cross for all of your sins.

Let’s turn to Hosea 6:1-3, KJV, Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight.  Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. Verses 2&3, After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord… This is so important! If you have come to know Jesus, or if you have known Jesus for a long time, and He is visiting you, and He is reviving you, and He is bringing you to repentance, and bringing you back to Himself, just like the prodigal son came back to his father, and his father ran and kissed him and embraced him and pulled him into his bosom, and he prepared a feast for him; if you are experiencing revival in your own life, I believe the Lord wants me to share with you: don’t set your heart on your revival, but set your heart on Him; keep your eyes upon Jesus; set your heart on Jesus and follow on to know Him.

Let’s turn to Mat 11:28-30,  Jesus said, Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. So we come to Jesus; we take His yoke upon us, and we learn from Him. In the KJV it says, learn of Me: Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me. So that’s what we need to do: we need to follow on to know Him; take His yoke upon us and walk with Him. When you’re yoked together with Jesus, He’s leading you by the Holy Spirit, and you’re walking with Him, and you’re doing a work: you’re doing the work that He wants you to do, and you’re learning of Him, as you work together with Him. 

Let’s turn to Php 3:7-12, the Apostle Paul said, But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. This is what we need to do: we need to press on with Jesus and come to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. As we experience these things, as He leads us, we experience the fellowship of His sufferings. If you're a Christian and you love Jesus, and you follow Him, you’re going to experience the fellowship of his sufferings to whatever degree He has ordained for you. He’s not going to allow you to suffer more than you can bear with Him. But you’re going to have to trust Him as you go through those sufferings, and you are being conformed to His death. When you are conformed to His death, you will die to yourself, to your old, selfish, sinful ways; to your self-centered ways: the love of pleasure, the love of money, the love of self; you will be dying to those things, being conformed to His death, that you may be changed into His likeness: more and more like Jesus.  

In John chapter 8, Jesus was speaking with the Jews, and He said, in verses 31&32,  If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed, in the KJV it says, If you continue in My Word, you will be My disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. This is how we will follow on to know the Lord: if we continue in His Word, with the Holy Spirit guiding us into all truth; giving us understanding and teaching us. In 1 John 2:27&28, the Apostle John said, But the anointing which you have received from Him ( the Holy Spirit), abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 

Let’s pray together:

Father, in Jesus’ name, thank you for this day. Thank you for every person that is reading this program; thank you for everyone who is able to receive your Word by your Spirit, and I just pray that you would establish the truth of your Word in their hearts, and that you would minister to their every need going forward; that everyone who is reading this, and everyone who is experiencing revival in their lives would continue; that that work would continue in their lives, and that they would follow on to know you. I just ask you to help everyone reading this to follow on, Lord, and to know you; to come to know you and the power of your resurrection, and the fellowship of your sufferings, and be conformed to your image, because you’re coming back for a spotless bride. We thank you Father in the name of Jesus. Amen.