Feb 21 2026 Saturday Teachings
Okay, we’ve been talking about the programs of the Gospel.
Let me start by asking a question.
What is wisdom?
And what is the major essence of the Gospel programs?
Who has an idea? What is the goal of the programs of the Gospel? Why were they instituted? What are they meant to achieve?
Every program of the Gospel reveals something. And every program makes something.
There is always a target. There is always an expectation.
So what is the expectation at the end of the day?
Okay. Who are the sons of God?
The people of God — the elect.
Now you see. The programs of the Gospel reveal and make the people of God.
Who are the people of God? The elect. The called. The chosen. The faithful.
According to the program of God in their time, they are called, chosen, and faithful.
That is what every program of the Gospel does — it reveals the elect and forms them into what God intends them to be.
They are chosen based on the program of their generation. And they remain faithful to it. They do not depart from it.
As Joshua said, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night.” Faithfulness means remaining in it consistently — not moving away from it.
Now, let us look at one of the elect.
In every age, you do not know who the elect are until the program of the Gospel comes. When the program comes, it reveals the elect of that age — those who are chosen to work with God.
The Lord Jesus said that all who were given to Him by the Father would come to Him. These are people chosen in their spirit even before they were born. They are marked to work for God in their age. They are different — very different — yet they may not even know it themselves until the program of the Gospel reveals them.
In every age, there are such people.
Let us go to Scripture and see how this works.
Genesis Chapter 6
When men began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, and they took wives for themselves.
But there had been an instruction — a command — that the sons of God should not intermarry with the daughters of men. Those who belonged to God were not to marry from the other side. Yet they saw that these women were beautiful and forgot the commandment of God.
That is why the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he is flesh. His days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
There were giants in the earth in those days, and great wickedness filled the earth. Every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually evil. It grieved the Lord that He had made man.
Then the Lord said He would destroy man from the face of the earth.
But the Scripture says: Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Why? Because Noah remained faithful in his generation. He did not depart from God’s instruction. He was called, chosen, and faithful.
The program revealed Noah as the elect of his time.
When God looked at the corruption of the earth, He did not leave His elect in darkness. God does not leave His elect without information. He reveals His plans to them.
He said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me.” Then He gave him a program:
“Make an ark of gopher wood.”
Specific instructions followed — the length, the width, the height. There was a blueprint. A clear assignment.
When Noah was revealed as the elect, was he elected to sit idle? No. A program was committed into his hands.
The elect are always given a program. That is where their faithfulness is tested and judged.
Just as when the Lord Jesus said, “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.” That instruction was given to the elect of that time.
Every elect is found within the program of God for their generation.
That program becomes the standard of their judgment. That is why Paul said he did not want to preach to others and then become a castaway himself. The Gospel program given to him would judge him.
The sons of God are the elect of God.
At the end of the day, heaven’s focus is on the elect.
Any city that does not have an elect of God cannot endure. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because there was no sufficient righteous presence there.
Lot and his household were spared because of Abraham. God had revealed His plan to Abraham, saying, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?”
God does not hide His intentions from His elect.
Abraham asked, “If there are fifty righteous, will You spare the city?” God said yes. He brought it down to forty, thirty, twenty, ten.
You see how seriously God regards the elect. He can spare a city because of a few. The earth itself remains today because of the elect of God.
The day the elect are removed, the world as we know it ends.
Now let us go to Matthew 24.
The Lord spoke of great tribulation — unlike anything since the beginning of the world. And He said:
“Unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect’s sake, those days shall be shortened.”
See what God is willing to do because of the elect.
He also warned that false christs and false prophets would arise, performing great signs and wonders, so convincing that, if it were possible, even the elect would be deceived.
But it is not possible.
Why? Because the elect have conviction and revelation. They serve God in spirit and in truth. They are not casual or inconsistent. The Gospel is the center of their existence.
They are not struggling with it. The Gospel is their life. To be without it is like being without food.
Everything they do revolves around it — marriage, decisions, pursuits. They do not function outside the Gospel.
The program of the Gospel reveals the elect — the called, chosen, and faithful.
And from among the elect, sons of God are manifested. Their election is proven through faithfulness.
In every age, there have been elect of God — from the Law and the Prophets to the time of the apostles.
In the days of Jesus, many thought the Pharisees were the elect because they were leaders. But when the Lord came, He bypassed them and called fishermen — uneducated men.
He said to them, “I will make you fishers of men.”
That is how the elect are revealed — not by status, but by response to the program of God in their generation.
They were not even educated. They were ordinary men — fishermen. Yet those were the ones He called. And He said to them, “I will make you fishers of men.”
They were no longer fishers of fish, but fishers of men.
The program of the Gospel was committed into the hands of the nobodies of the world. Those were the ones the Lord picked and exalted.
That is what the Gospel program is about.
Even in our own age, there are elect of God. The question is: are you part of them? Are you one of them?
The elect of God are the ones who will shine like stars, because they carry out the work of the Gospel and bring souls to the Lord. They will shine with Him.
Now it depends on you. Do you want to shine with the Lord, or shine for the world?
If I were you, I would ask myself:
Who am I?
Am I part of the elect?
Where do I fall?
What is my mission?
What is my purpose on this earth?
Praise the Lord.
That is one of the major reasons for this course — to understand the essence of the Gospel program.
There is restoration. There is salvation. But it is strictly toward the elect of God.
Everyone who follows and endures to the end will be saved. It is not about how you started. It is about whether you endure to the end.
The Gospel program is the design and activity of heaven toward the salvation and restoration of man back to God — but it manifests in the elect.
Scripture says He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. Anyone who rejects Him shows they were not of the elect. Because the elect do not reject God.
“My sheep hear My voice, and they follow Me.” A stranger’s voice they will not follow.
The identity of the elect is clear: they do not reject the truth.
An elect lives on truth. They search for truth. Even when miracles, signs, and wonders are displayed, they are not moved by spectacle. They may acknowledge it, but what they desire is the truth of the Word.
Truth is what sets free.
They are not enticed by outward manifestations. What moves them is truth. That is why they go to any length searching for it. When truth is suppressed, their spirit is agitated. When truth is spoken by the Spirit, their spirit is energized.
How do you recognize the elect?
Let me give you an illustration.
If you are blindfolded and placed in a room with a dog, a cat, and a sheep — all camouflaged to look alike and silent — how would you know which one is the sheep?
You test what they eat.
Bring grass. The sheep will eat it. The dog will not. The cat will not.
The sheep eats grass.
Likewise, the elect feed on truth. They do not feed on miracles or excitement. They feed on truth, even if it is hard or bitter.
That is why in John chapter 6, when Jesus said, “Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you,” many said, “This is a hard saying. Who can hear it?”
But He explained, “It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I speak to you are spirit and life.”
The elect desire truth because they know freedom is in truth.
What is truth? Who is truth?
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Truth is the Lord Himself. To know Him is for His Word to grow and expand in you.
You may receive a miracle — healing in the body — but if the truth does not grow in you, your spirit remains bound.
But when you know the truth, even in weakness, His strength is perfected in you. That is true freedom.
The elect desire spiritual freedom and connection. They desire the Word — because the Word is Christ Himself.
The Spirit gives life, and that Spirit is in His Word.
Jesus also said, “No man can come to Me unless it is given to him by My Father.”
That speaks of election.
The elect have a natural affinity for truth because truth is the nature of God. God cannot lie. His Word is life — eternal life.
When we classified the Gospel programs, we spoke of the Law — the commandments and ordinances of God. The Law is spiritual and true. But man is flesh.
Then we spoke of grace. And we speak now of truth.
In John 6, He first multiplied bread — five loaves and two fishes. That was grace. But then He gave them truth. And when He gave them truth, many left.
Grace attracts crowds. Truth reveals the elect.
That is the difference.
The elect remain when truth is spoken.
When He multiplied five loaves of bread and two fishes, that was grace.
The people came back the next day. Why? Not because of truth — but because they had eaten for free. They did not spend anything. They were looking for more bread.
Jesus told them plainly: “You are not seeking Me because you saw the truth. You are seeking Me because you ate and were filled.”
That miracle — the five loaves and two fishes — was grace. It was free. They did nothing to earn it.
That is what grace is. In grace, we are saved freely. The only thing we do is believe by faith. That faith becomes our justification to receive the grace of God.
Grace is revealed in the redemptive work of Christ — everything He did when He left His throne in heaven and came to earth.
Scripture says He was made a little lower than the angels for our sake. Think about that. The Creator of the universe humbled Himself. He walked among us. He ate our food. He drank our water.
And that was not all.
We arrested Him. We flogged Him. We humiliated Him. We crucified Him.
The One who made us was crucified by us.
Yet He endured it. Because if He had abandoned the process at any point, the sacrifice necessary for our salvation would not have been completed.
But when it was finished, He declared: “It is finished.”
What was finished? The sacrifice required to establish the grace of God.
Because of that finished work, man can now come before the throne of God to obtain mercy and forgiveness. Our sins are forgiven because Someone paid the price. Someone laid down His life. Someone set aside His majesty.
Grace reveals the love of God.
As Scripture says, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
But why did He die? That is where truth comes in.
In grace, He fed the multitude. But when truth came, He said, “That bread you ate ends up in the stomach and passes away. If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life.”
This is why the elect are not moved by miracles, signs, and wonders.
After He spoke that truth, Scripture says in John 6:66:
“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him.”
Why? Because they heard truth they did not like.
They preferred the bread and fish.
Here is something important: You are saved by grace — but you enter the Kingdom through truth.
Grace saves you. Truth matures you and prepares you for the Kingdom.
If you do not know the truth, you cannot walk in the fullness of the Kingdom.
When many left Him, Jesus asked the twelve, “Will you also go away?”
Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
That is the elect.
They are after eternal life.
Not everyone follows the Lord for eternal life. Some follow for healing. Some for marriage. Some for career progress. Some for personal benefits.
But the elect follow Him because He has the words of eternal life.
The Gospel program reveals who the elect are — and it makes them.
A person may be elect and not even know it yet. But every elect must be built up through Gospel education. They must grow. They must be rooted and established in Christ.
Grace pampers. Truth trains.
In grace, we know in part. We see in part. Everything is partial.
But when that which is perfect comes, that which is in part is done away.
Truth brings perfection.
Grace cannot make you perfect. If you want perfection, you must swallow the truth — even when it is hard.
Grace makes you a child of God. Truth makes you a soldier of Christ.
Grace gives milk. Truth gives strength.
Grace reveals the love of God — “For God so loved the world that He gave His Son.”
We are saved by grace through faith.
Where was that love revealed? In His sacrifice. In His suffering. In His humiliation. In His death.
Isaiah 53 tells us:
He was wounded for our transgressions.
He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him.
By His stripes we are healed.
He endured suffering so that we could be redeemed.
If He had not died, the yoke of sin would not have been broken. But because death could not hold Him, we now have assurance of eternal life.
Our hope is not only in the crucified Christ — but in the resurrected Christ.
His life is now our life.
Grace brings justification.
Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are justified — redeemed by His death and resurrection. It counts on our behalf.
“As many as received Him, to them He gave power to become sons of God.”
Through faith, we have access to the throne of God.
Under the Law, only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies. But in grace, the Spirit was poured out on all flesh.
Because of faith in Christ, we can now come boldly before the throne of grace to obtain mercy.
Grace brings:
Forgiveness of sins
Reconciliation with God
Justification
Access to the throne
Eternal life
We have a living hope because He is alive.
Without faith in Christ, there is no access to God. But because of grace, we can draw near.
We come to receive mercy — forgiveness.
We receive grace to grow.
We are reconciled to become children of God.
That is grace.
But grace is the beginning.
Truth is what builds sons.
And the expectation of heaven in our age is the manifestation of the sons of God.
God became clear to us and good toward us. He gave us mercy and gave us strength to grow in Him. That is powerful.
There is a justification that allows us to draw near to God. That justification gives us the right to receive the Spirit of God.
No one who remains in sin can receive the Spirit of God. A person living in sin is not qualified to have the Spirit of God. The reason we can receive the Spirit of God is because we have believed in the Lord Jesus through faith. That faith becomes our justification.
To receive the Spirit of God means that we are justified for the Spirit of God to be born in us. It is what makes us children of God.
When we receive the Spirit of God — the Word of God, the seed of God — that seed is planted in us. The Spirit of God in us is the seed of God. That is what makes us a child of God.
So if someone says they are a child of God, but the Word of God — the seed of God — the Spirit of God is not in them, how can they truly be called a child of God?
If you have not completed the program of grace, then you must go back and complete it properly.
Reconciliation and Becoming Children of God
Reconciliation brings us into sonship.
God gave us mercy and strength to grow in Him. Through justification, we draw near to God and receive His Spirit.
Again, the Spirit of God is received through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That faith is our qualification.
Receiving the Spirit of God means the seed of God is born in us. That seed makes us children of God.
But now that you are saved — what next?
After receiving the Spirit of God, what is the next step?
Grace brings you into sonship, but growth requires truth. Grace alone cannot take you into the fullness of the Kingdom. It is impossible.
When an individual receives the Spirit of God, that person becomes a child of God — born again by the Holy Ghost. The seed of God in that individual makes them a saint. It makes them part of the Church.
One born-again believer is the Church. When two or more gather together, the Church is manifested corporately.
We read about churches such as the Book of Revelation churches — the church in Laodicea, the church in Philadelphia — but these first represent individuals before they represent assemblies.
Membership is one thing. Citizenship is another.
Truth does not create membership — it produces citizenship.
You are not a “member” of a country. You are a citizen. In the same way, the goal is not to make church members but citizens of the Kingdom.
Truth produces sonship — adoption into maturity.
Being a member of a church does not automatically make someone a mature son of God.
Just as natural citizenship requires education and examination, Kingdom citizenship requires gospel education. You must learn of Christ. You must grow into His fullness.
The Scripture speaks of growing into “the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ.”
The Seed Must Grow
In grace, Christ in you begins as a seed (see First Epistle of Peter, chapter 1, verse 23).
Jesus in heaven is complete — full measure. But Jesus in you begins as a seed.
If Jesus in heaven measures “12 feet,” Jesus in you may not yet measure one foot. That seed must grow.
You cannot be a Kingdom citizen while Christ in you is still mixed with:
Anger
Malice
Gossip
Lust
Quarreling
Fighting
Bitterness
Christ may be present, but not yet fully formed.
Sometimes He is Lord in your life.
Sometimes you move Him to the guest room.
Sometimes you push Him out completely.
Growth means Christ increases in you until He measures fully — 100%.
As He is glorified in heaven, so He must be fully formed in you — steady, unwavering, without rising and falling.
That is perfection: growing up into Him.
Children by Faith, Promise, and Adoption
Some are called children of God by promise (as with Israel).
Some are children of God by faith — this is the Church.
There is circumcision of the flesh, and there is circumcision of the heart.
Truth works on the heart — perfecting it, sealing it.
To become a true citizen of the Kingdom, you must be converted. Conversion means you drop your former citizenship of the world.
There is no dual citizenship in the Kingdom.
You must be converted (see Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18).
After conversion comes recreation — the old man crucified with Christ, the new man resurrected.
“I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me.”
The recreated man does not entertain evil. He walks in righteousness.
The Churches in Revelation – Individual Condition
When Scripture speaks about the churches being hot, cold, or lukewarm (again in the Book of Revelation), it speaks first about individual spiritual conditions.
You may think you are rich, yet spiritually poor.
You may think you see, yet be blind.
That is why we pray: “Lord, expose me.”
Exposure is a mirror — revealing whether we are:
Lukewarm
Wretched
Naked
Faithful
Overcoming
The promise is always personal:
“To him who overcomes…”
Not to a denomination. Not to a group.
To the individual.
Holiness — Instant or Process?
Accepting Jesus begins the process.
Faith in Christ is your first act of righteousness — just as Abraham believed and it was counted to him as righteousness.
Holiness, however, is the result of continued obedience.
Holiness is the reward of righteousness practiced consistently.
When you obey the Word of God, holiness increases.
Just as physical growth requires nourishment, spiritual growth requires righteousness. If you are malnourished in righteousness, you will be poor in holiness.
Salvation begins at faith.
Sanctification grows through obedience.
Holiness matures through continued righteousness.
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