Grace Fellowship Church Pastor/Teacher Jim Rickard Tuesday, April 5,

Doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.— Amen.

Memory Verse 1 Cor 13:13 “ ” Memory Verse 1 Cor 13:13 “But now abide in faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

John 16:5, “But now I (Jesus) am going to Him (God the Father) who sent Me, and yet not one of you (the disciples) asks Me, ‘Where are you going?’”

John 16:6, “But because I have said (taught) to you all these things, sorrow (inward stress) has completely filled your heart (right lobe of the soul).”

Doctrine of Occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ A. Definition of Occupation with Christ (O.C.).

1. O.C. is personal love for our Lord Jesus Christ through max. metabolized Bible doctrine circulating in the stream of consciousness of the heart of your soul by means of the filling of GtHS.

a. O.C. is personal love for God the Son caused by post- salvation renewing of your mind…

… manifested by the fact that God’s Word has been and continues to be the #1 priority in your life. 1 Peter 1:8; Rom 16:25-26; 1 Cor 2:7-8, 16; Eph 1:9-10

1 Peter 1:8, “And even though you have not seen Him, you love Him (Occupation with Christ); and though you do not see Him now but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with inexpressible happiness (+H) and full of glory.”

You cannot love Jesus Christ until you know how He thinks, for He is invisible. PMA of the Mystery Doctrine of the Church Age is how we come to personally love Jesus Christ.

Having the thinking of Christ results in O.C. in contrast to preoccupation with people or self.

O.C. fulfills the concept of 1 Cor 13:13, and is developed under the principle of 1 Cor 2:16.

1 Cor 2:16, “For who has known the thinking of the Lord that he should instruct Him? But we, (Church Age believers under the function of post-salvation epistemological rehabilitation), have the thinking of Christ.”

b. Those who love Christ have made a role model out of our Lord. These are the believers with true happiness, and are spiritually self- sustaining.

c. This believer is full of glory, an invisible glory to man, but very visible to the angelic creatures.

2. There are two Divine mandates with regard to Occupation with Christ. Heb 12:2; 1 Peter 3:15

1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify (set apart as more important than anything else) the Lord Christ in your hearts.”

God makes a direct positive demand on your will and volition to be occupied with Christ, which is a mandate to be consistent in the PMA of His Word.

3. Occupation with Christ is also defined as fellowship with the Son. 1 Cor 1:9

1 Cor 1:9, “God is faithful, through Whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

a. The fellowship with the Holy Spirit is necessary for the execution of these mandates. 2 Cor 13:14

2 Cor 13:14, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love for God (the Father) and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”

b. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit is another way of describing the filling of the Holy Spirit, which is required for O.C. Phil 2:1-2, 5

People seek encouragement from many people for many reasons, but we are to seek encouragement from Christ. Your spiritual life depends upon encouragement in Christ.

At spiritual maturity, your dependence on people ceases to exist, your dependence is on God, and you have made a role model out of the person of Christ.

You are to think the same things as God thinks; for thought is the basis for happiness, love, and virtue.

Grace Fellowship Church Tuesday, April 5, 2011 Tape # Doctrine of Occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ Upper Room Discourse, Part 492 John 16:6; 1 Cor 2:16; 13:13; Heb 12:2; 1 Peter 1:8; 3:15 James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2011