Derek Prince - God Wants To Share His Throne With Us
I’d like to go back and just take some Scriptures that cover this whole purpose of God that we should share the throne. I’ll turn, first of all, to Exodus 19, and read, from verse 3, through verse 6. In these words, the Lord instructs Moses, as to His vision for Israel, what He had in His mind when He redeemed Israel from Egypt. I believe that... In fact, it’s very clear as I’ll show you in a moment or two: This vision, is reaffirmed for the church. So, it’s not something that’s just remote, and related only to the history of Israel, but it’s something that is for every one of us who are believers today. And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to myself...’
I never can read that verse without pausing to point out that the primary purpose of redemption is to bring God’s people to Himself. Everything else is secondary. God had a law, He had a covenant, He had a Promised Land; but all that was secondary. And I believe the same is exactly true in the redemption in Jesus Christ. God has many wonderful blessings and privileges and inheritances for us. But His primary purpose is to bring us to Himself. And it seems to me in the Old Testament that Israel, for the most part, never appreciated that. They were very interested in the Law, in the covenant and various other things. But I think very few of them ever really saw that the primary purpose of redemption is a personal relationship with the Lord.
And I’m inclined to think the same is true of multitudes of Christians. They’ve been redeemed, they know the Lord, they’ve experienced many of His blessings; but they haven’t really grasped the fact that His primary desire, is for a personal relationship with each one of us. He brings us to Himself. And then He goes on in Exodus 19 verse 5: Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant... And there again, those are the two basic requirements of God from His people in every dispensation. To obey His voice, and to keep His covenant. That hasn’t changed; it’s precisely the same in the New Testament. Those are the two basic conditions.
Jesus said in John 10, My sheep hear my voice and they follow me. That’s the mark of true Christians. Jesus doesn’t speak about Catholics or Protestants or Baptists, he says, My sheep. Who are my sheep? They are those who hear His voice and follow Him. That’s the primary requirement of the Lord in all dispensations. And then to keep His covenant: to be faithful and loyal to our covenant commitments. God says if you will do that, then going on in the middle of verse 5: ...you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people. All the earth is Mine, and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
So that was God’s vision for Israel. After He brought them to Himself and laid down the basic requirements for an ongoing relationship with Him: to hear His voice and keep His covenant, Then He said, You will be a special treasure to Me, you will be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Now, there were some wonderful saints of God in Israel who entered into that inheritance. But I would say the nation as a whole failed to enter into what God offered them. However, in due course, when Jesus came and initiated the New Covenant, those purposes were reaffirmed. I’ve said sometimes that sin and satan can delay the outworking of God’s purposes; they can never ultimately frustrate them. I like that statement that Job made at the end of his long... of the dealings of God with him. At the beginning of Job 42 he said very simply: I know that you can do everything, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
That’s good news. I think it would be good if we said that. It’s very simple. Don’t say it with me, say it after me. We’re addressing it to the Lord. I know that You can do everything. And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. The devil may rage and roar, the world may oppose; but God’s purposes will be fulfilled. I really didn’t expect you to follow me in all that but I’m glad you did! So we look now in 1 Peter chapter two, verse nine. 1 Peter 2:9. And you’ll see that Peter is quoting from Exodus 19, but he’s applying it to New Testament believers. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation... Where Moses said a kingdom of priests, Peter says a royal priesthood. But royal is kingly, it’s the same vision reaffirmed.