There is another word that’s gotten lost today in the shuffle, and it means just exactly what it says. Like God. It means a desire to be like your Father. You’re born again now into the family of God. You want to be like your Father, God-likeness. And that doesn’t mean that you’re like God, but it does mean that that’s the desire and aim of your life. What is the goal of your life today? Is it to live for God? And to have these things developed in your life? Godliness? It’s a good word, and it’s a wonderful goal for a child of God.

You might be partakers of the divine nature. That is, you might be a Son of God. What a tremendous truth this is. This is something that’s overwhelming. When you’re born again, you’re given the nature of God, friend. You long for the things of God. Don’t tell me that the Christian life is a series of little do’s and don’ts today, and if you don’t do this and you don’t do that, you’re living the Christian life. My friend, you’re a partaker of the divine nature, and you want the things of God. That’s the thing that’s important.

Epiguōsis means a super knowledge. It means a knowledge that comes by the Holy Spirit, taking the things of Christ and making them real to us. I believe that you can know Jesus Christ better than you can know your closest loved one. I believe that you can know Him so that you can go to Him and tell Him things that you wouldn’t even dare tell your closest loved one. You can talk to Him. May I say to you, to know Him is life eternal. That’s the important thing. Now that comes through a birthborn again, as Peter says, not with corruptible seed, but incorruptible of the Word of God that liveth and abideth forever.

My friend, if you’re not a believer today, don’t say you’ve got some mental reservations. You don’t have any. You’ve got some sinful reservations. It’s when the heart will turn, then God will lift the veil. Anytime you are ready, God’s ready, and He will save you. And I believe that today it’s whosoever will may come and that God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believethand that’s all He asks you to do; doesn’t even ask you to clean up when you come to Him, but He’ll clean you up if you really mean business with Him and come to Him.

A proud person will not be able to experience the grace of God. It’s only when you and I come in humility. And we’re to be clothed with it, Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. And that is anxiety. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden; I’ll rest you. Bring your burden of sin to Him, and He’ll save you. Then come to Him later on, and He will meet you and help you with your problems. Cast your care upon him. We’re to worry about nothing, Paul said to the Philippians, but pray about everything. That is, take it to the Lord in prayer and leave it there. Don’t pick it up again.

I found seventeen separate words in the Old Testament that were translated by the word glory. What is glory? And I have a notion that the average Christian would just have about the foggiest notion about this thing. Well, I found out that glory does have a shape and size. Listen to this: The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork. The size of this universe that they already know about is staggering, and I think we’ve never even gotten out of the front yard of God’s vast universe, it’s so great. That’s glory. The greatness of our God.

Commit the keeping of their souls to him. Have you really trusted Him? I’m sure that many of you have a safety deposit box, and in that safety deposit box you keep your valuables. And you go to sleep at night and you don’t worry about it at all. And friends, I went to sleep last night, and I didn’t worry about Vernon McGee’s soul. I’ve made my deposit with Him, and I trust Him today. Have you made a deposit with Him? If you’ve done that, even when trouble comes to you and the dark day comes and you’re called to go down through the valley, may I say to you, you can do it knowing that He’ll take care of you.

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. Now, they’re to rejoice in what? The fiery trial which is to test you. And it’s going to be normal Christian experience, by the way. Someone has put it this way: God hath not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, peace without pain. But God hath promised strength from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love. And that is a very lovely way of expressing it.

My friend, I don’t think you can go on in sin if you’re a child of God. You’ve got the nature of Christ. You’re joined to Him. He’s suffering no more. He suffered down here once. But He can help youHe sent the Holy Spirit down to indwell, and we’ve been baptized in the body of believers as Peter has pointed out to us. And now, by being filled with the Holy Spirit, we can live for God, and we can’t do it in our own strength. And he says here, Who shall give an account to him that is ready to judge the living and the dead. Now the Lord Jesus is going to judge someday, and the believer knows that he’s to come up before the judgment seat of Christ.

A child of God with a new nature longs to please Christ in all things. And if you don’t, friends, something is radically wrong. And that’s the reason that I believe the study of the Word of God is essential today. It takes the total Word of God today. Not just a few little verses and draw out some little legalistic system by which you attempt to live and if you’ll follow that, why you’ll be able to live the Christian life. You cannot live the Christian life by following rules. You can only live the Christian life by having the mind of Christ and by having the Spirit of God moving in you.