Monday, July 31, 2017

God at Work In Us

During a particular encounter that Jesus had with a group of Pharisees, He said to them, "For 
laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men...All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition." (Mark 7:8-9) This brought Jesus to tell them, "...making the word of God of no effect ..." (Mark 7:11) This provokes a question for believers today. "Do we also make the Word of God of no effect by failing to enter into our privileges that the Father has provided us through Jesus Christ?" The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul reveals, "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." (Ephesians 1:19-20)

Is it not true that God worked in Christ and provides an answer to every need and demand of the believer's life? Is it not true that redemption covers absolutely every need of mankind? The answer is yes to both questions. Therefore, should it not be wrong for us to live in spiritual weakness when there is grace to meet every need? Far too many believers have unconsciously put a premium on weakness, and talk about unbelief, doubts, and fears as though they were the typical way of life for the believer. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle John reveals, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13)

The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." (Romans 8:16-17) Because we are sons and daughters of God almighty, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, it would seem as though it were wrong for a believer to confess weakness and failure. Look what David tells us, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1) So, if God is the strength of my life, if He comes into my life and imparts Himself to me, then I have the strength of God!

John reveals, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) Believer, "You are of God!" "You are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." He is a part of you. He has imparted His own nature to you. (2 Peter 1:4) Not only that, but He has actually come into your body
and now lives within you. (1 Corinthians 3:16) He has the same power today that He had when He raised Jesus from the dead. Therefore, every believer has a right to His strength and ability.


God is the strength of the believers life, and He is with us now. His life is our life; His strength is our strength. No wonder the Apostle Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) There is limitlessness to Paul's wonderful statement. This does not only mean physical strength, it also means the ability to meet any kind of need. When Jesus said, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..." (Acts 1:8) A more literal translation would be, "You shall receive the ability of God, when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." 

Again, the Apostle Paul tells us, "that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man." (Ephesians 3:16) If your "inner man" is made strong, then it only stands to reason that the outer man will respond to that strength. In other words, the strength of God for the inner man is the strength of God for the physical man. Therefore, we have the God given ability to enjoy the very fullness of our privileges in Christ. The Apostle Paul goes further and says, "and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." (Colossians 2:10) The believers relationship through new birth has brought each one of us into absolute union with God. Paul also tells us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The new creature is made according to God and His very nature, "and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:24) It is God's nature, God's life, which is imparted to our recreated spirit. We are actually members of the body of Christ, physically and spiritually, "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 6:15) "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s." (1 Corinthians 6:20) Based on these truths, it is absolutely wrong for any believer to consider or think of themselves as being weak and useless. God planned that every believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit, and that the Spirit's ability should dominate our life.

So, with these thing said and in the presence of grace, that is, God's ability at work in us, let us never again talk about, confess or even think that we are empty or weak when every believer can be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:19) Finally, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21) 

Monday, July 24, 2017

The Right Words

When looking at the life of Jesus on earth as the Son of Man, we see that He only spoke the words that He heard from the Father. (John 8:28, 12:49) We see the power of His words through His preaching and teaching (Matthew 7:29); through healing the sick and diseased (Matthew 8:8); and casting out demons and evil spirits (Matthew 8:16). Simply put, Jesus used the Father's Words to do the supernatural in the same way that all things came to be in the beginning, "Then God said...and it was so..." (Genesis 1:3, 6-7, 11, 14-15, 20, 24, 26, 29-30).

After His resurrection, and moments before Jesus ascended to heaven to take His place at the right hand of the Father, He gave His disciples some instructions, "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen" (Mark 16:17-20)  

A closer look at His words reveal that He was basically telling the disciples to "speak" God's Word in His name and that He would confirm it "through the accompanying signs." We also see this revealed in the lives of the seventy (seventy two in other manuscripts) upon their return to Jesus after He sent them out, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." (Luke 10:19) The Apostles Peter also "spoke" the name of Jesus over a man who was born lame and was instantly healed. (Acts 3:1-10) These things were accomplished through words. This is important for believers to fully comprehend and act upon, because words are just that powerful.

Also, along these lines we must recognize that there are only two sources from which words originate. They are from God, His Word, or they are the words of the world, which are actually the words of the devil. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle John reveals this from the reality of people being children of one of two families, "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest..." (1 John 3:10) So, we can clearly see that our words will come from one of two sources.

When we think about being a believer, we must understand that Jesus planned that the believers life in Him should not be kept to themselves, but to be given to the world through God's Word. Testifiers, witnesses and confessors have been the great leaders in the revolutionary life that Jesus gave to the world. The major problem that faces every believer is to know what words are to be spoken or confessed. The believers confession centers around several things: First, is what God in Christ has accomplished for us; Second, what God through His Word and the Holy Spirit, has worked and continues to work in us; Third, what we are to the Father in Christ; Fourth, what God can do through us by us speaking His Word.

We also must keep in mind, no one can speak, confess or witness, about things that they do not know. Naturally, every person can open their mouth and have words come out, but what is meant by this is, in a court of law, it is what you have seen and heard, what you know, that counts. In the same way, it is what you know personally about Jesus Christ as well as, who and what you are in Christ that counts. It is unfortunate how few believers dare to confess to the world what the Word declares that they are in Christ. Take this scripture for instance,  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

What a revolutionary thing it would be for the church to make a confession like this. What a stir it would make in the church today for believers to believe and confess that they are absolutely redeemed, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,." (Ephesians 1:7-9) Just these few scriptures spoken from the lips of faith would mean that Satan's dominion has been broken, that he lost his dominion over the life of every believer. The old habits can no longer lord it over you, because you are a new creation created in Christ.

The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us, "And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak." (2 Corinthians 4:13) This passage is found in Psalm 116:10. When the psalmist uttered these words, he was experiencing great afflicted. In his affliction he spoke to God; he spoke of his confidence in him; he proclaimed his reliance on him; and his having spoken in this manner was the result of his belief, or of his putting confidence in God. Paul, in quoting this, was in circumstances of trial and affliction similar to the psalmist. Speaking or confessing God's Word, "we also believe and therefore speak", will always grow faith in the believer. However, on the other hand, speaking words contrary to God Word, will always erode faith.

So, as we face the trials that may come in this life, "Let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23) Let us be mindful of every word that proceeds out of our mouths, for as the Holy Spirit spoke through Solomon, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:21) Let us speak the Word of God through the lips of faith and love to ourselves, to one another and to the world, which will loose the power of God and bind the powers of darkness.

Monday, July 17, 2017

Free Indeed

Sickness and disease came from the fall of Man. In other words, they are the byproducts of satanic dominion over man. Any redemptive act of God that would redeem us from Satan must also redeem us from sickness, disease, poverty and all manner of bondage, because they come from Satan. However, any redemptive act that fails to redeem us from these things, especially sickness and disease, is a limited redemption at best. So, what is the limit of redemption that God has provided through Jesus Christ? According to the Holy Spirit, speaking through the Prophet Isaiah, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) 

We can see the reality of this in the earth ministry of Jesus as the Son of Man as recorded by the Apostle Matthew, "When evening had come, they brought to Him (Jesus) many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” (Matthew 8:16-17) Then we see a greater revelation of this through the Apostle Peter after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father, "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed." (1 Peter 2:24) Basically, we see that which was to come, Isaiah; that which had come, Matthew; and that which is a finished work that continues to be, Peter.

Here is redemption. God dealt with the sin problem, (Isaiah 53:6) by substitution, through Jesus Christ and as we see in the scriptures shown above, He also dealt with the disease problem. If God laid our sin on Jesus Christ, it would be wrong for us to live in sin. In the same way, if God laid our
diseases on Him, it would be wrong for us to live under the continual dominion of disease. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:11) The Holy Spirit who dwells in the believer will indeed heal these mortal bodies of ours. We see once again that healing is a part of the plan of redemption.

What about our needs? It is wrong for me to need clothing, food, and shelter, and not to have them? Jesus tells us, "For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." (the necessities of life) (Matthew 6:32) Jesus goes on and says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33) The Apostle Paul tells us, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) Paul is also referring to the necessities of life. The word "supply" means, to make full; to cause to abound; to furnish or supply liberally. Therefore, "God shall supply all your need" means exactly what it says.

All of these issues deal with bondage. Bondage is defined as, the state of being a slave; the state of being bound by or subjected to some external power or control. So think about the measures that God took for humanity. God the Word became flesh (incarnate) (John 1:1, 12); He (Jesus) suffered on the cross; spent three days and nights in Hades; satisfied the claims of justice; subdued and triumphed over Satan, (Colossians 2:15) death and hell, (Revelation 1:18); was raised in victory from the dead, (Ephesians 1:19-21); ascended into the presence of the Father where He sat down at the Father's right hand; (Hebrews 1:3), and has made redemption both eternal and available for all mankind. (Colossians 1:13-14) With this in mind, it then seems to be almost a crime for us to remain in bondage, a slave to the devil, in any area of life, especially when we consider the depths of redemption. 

Jesus said, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36) The Apostle Paul tells us, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (2 Corinthians 3:17) and "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1) God declares that we are free! Unbelief does not change these facts. Ignorance of our rights and privileges cannot annul the Word or make it of no effect. God says we are free! Not only did God break Satan's dominion and power over us, He also translated us, (removed from one place to another), by the new birth, out of Satan's family and placed us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love, that is, into His own family. Therefore, Satan has no more right to reign over us than he has reign over Jesus.

So, let us make our confession of these wonderful truths, through the lips of faith. Let us declare, "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption..." (Colossians 1:13-14) Hallelujah!!!

Monday, July 10, 2017

It's Supernatural

Christianity not only claims a supernatural origin, but also is maintained by the same supernatural power that brought it into being. Shortly before Jesus was taken to heaven, He gave the apostles final instructions, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8) The word power refers to miracle working power or the ability of God working through the church, all believers. So, concerning the Bible, to those who love it, it is a miracle book; a spring of life and source of power. (John 6:63; Hebrews 1:3) It is a living message, a revelation of God Himself to humanity. It may appear to be dry, dead and even foolish to those who are not born again, (1 Corinthians 2:14), but it is a supernatural book.

The Holy Spirit through the writer of Hebrews describes God's Word in this way, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) In other words, to the believer, the Bible is the living Son of God in print. Therefore, the Bible is a miracle. The background of the Bible as revealed in the Old Testament is nothing short of a series of miracles. For instance, Abraham is our spiritual father. He was a miracle character. His descendants, the Israelite's, were a miracle people. They were protected and sustained by miracles. They saw the Red Sea opened and approximately two million people escaped from the Egyptian warriors as Israel crossed on dry ground. (Exodus 14)

Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years without any means of support, and yet they were completely provided for by God. (Exodus 16) Their clothes and sandals never wore out. (Deuteronomy 29:5) A cloud led them during the day, and a column of fire led them at night. (Exodus 13:27) They saw the Jordan River obey the voice of Joshua as a servant obeys the voice of his master. (Joshua 3:14-17) They saw the walls of the great city Jericho fall flat at the word of that same man. (Joshua 6) Just as young David said when he stood before the menacing Goliath, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied" (1 Samuel 17:45), we see the miracle-working living God in action, while the Philistine gods of Goliath were dead.

Fast forward, we see Jesus was supernaturally conceived. His public ministry was a series of miracles, culminating in His resurrection from the dead, another miracle. Likewise, the birth of the church was also a miracle, and miracles played a vital role in the early church. (The Acts of the Apostles) Miracles were so interwoven into the early church, it is impossible to even think that the two can be separated. Let's be honest, if you were to take the miracles out of Christianity, all you have left is religion, because in reality, Christianity is a living thing, it is a miracle.  Think about it, God Himself is dwelling in the body of every born again believer. The presence of the Holy Spirit, to save, heal, deliver, that is, transform lives, during our worship services is a miracle. Take away Christianity's spiritual power and you have nothing left but a system of precepts, doctrines and ethics with demands that cannot be met. But let the miracle elements come in, and God becomes a real presence in our midst and Christianity becomes the living force among the nations of the earth as it truly is.

If the days of miracles are in the past, then the days of Jesus Christ's life in the church are also in the past. If miracles are no more, then the things that make Christianity a living religion are gone. If the days of miracles have passed, God's promises exist only to mock us. Likewise, the statements that Jesus made about His name and the power vested in it and given to the church also mock us. If the days of miracles are in the past, then the mighty Name of Jesus is nothing more the a dry cloud to a desert land that is crying out for water. The Bible tells us, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) The truth is, Jesus' name has not lost its power and Christianity is the work of a miracle-working God, through which He is still performing miracles.

So, do not let anyone deceive you by telling you that the days of miracles have passed. If the days of miracles have passed, then God is no longer God, Christ is no longer Christ, there is no need for the Holy Spirit and the Bible is no longer the Word of God. However, the great news is, as long as they are, and they are, miracles will be. "For I am the Lord, I do not change." (Malachi 3:6) PTL...

Monday, July 3, 2017

The Ultimate Freedom

One of the highlights of summer in the USA is the celebration of Independence Day. From 1776 until the present day, Independence Day has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues. Although the United States celebrates Independence Day as a day of freedom from Great Britain's oppression, there is a freedom that is far superior, far greater than any freedom that man can provide. This freedom only comes as one confesses with the mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and receive Him as Savior.

It has been said, "To be born free is a privilege; to die free is an awesome responsibility," yet freedom is never free. It always and only comes at great price. The greatest price ever paid for freedom, was paid at Calvary nearly two thousand years ago by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So, let's take a moment and look at some of the events that took place to purchase mans true freedom. We begin in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus is arrested and taken down to the hall of Caiaphas the High Priest. He is then blindfolded and spit upon, insulted and struck in the presence of the very High Priest of God, and then you witness the long, cold, weary hours until He is taken before Pilate and then eventually to Herod to be mocked and jeered, to be clothed with the mock garment of kingly authority, a mock crown of thorns placed upon His brow, the mock badge of kingly authority placed within His hand, and then the long weary march back to Pilate, where He faces the trial, proceeding with bitterness and jealousy.

We then find Jesus standing calm and quiet with no part in this unnatural scene, except that of the innocent victim of jealousy and hate. We see Him scourged, His back laid open by the awful Roman lictor. Blood flows, and flesh is torn as the cruel blows fall mercilessly upon His bare back. Then His clothes are thrown roughly about Him, and He is started out for Golgotha, staggering beneath His cross. We see Him fall under its weight, and Simon of Cyrene is compelled to bear it. Then we see Him staggering up the mountain side, surrounded by soldiers. He is laid roughly down upon the cross on His back, and the Roman soldiers with cruel hate drive the spikes into His hands and feet; then He is lifted up naked, and the cross is dropped into the socket in the rock. Jesus of Nazareth is crucified!

We watch the mob as it surges backward and forward about the cross. We hear the High Priest hurling his bitter taunts at Jesus, as He suffers unmercifully nailed to the cross suspended between heaven and earth. We hear the mob in their bitter denunciation, led on by their religious leaders, the very priesthood that was looking for their Messiah. It was a hideous and horrific thing that was taking place. The Son of God hanging on the cross was not a sight for angels, nor for men, but for demons only.

However, the vision I want you to have is not of the physical suffering of Jesus, not what man has done as that is only a means to an end, but come behind the scenes and see the agony of the Son of God, and see Him smitten by God, His Father. The Apostle Peter tells us on the day of Pentecost that He was delivered up by the determinate counsel and the foreknowledge of God. (Acts 2:23) It is here that we see Father God taking our sin nature and spiritual death, and placing it all upon Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Jesus has taken man's place, and the whole human race is now represented in Him, as He hangs there under judgment on the accursed tree. God takes your sin and mine, yes, the sin of the whole world and lets it fall upon His Son and as God turns His back to Him, He cries out, "My God, Mu God why have you forsaken Me." (Matthew 27:46) Not only did Jesus go to the cross to acquire mans freedom, but also descend into hell itself to pay the penalty of Man's high treason. He took upon Himself the awful guilt to pay man's penalty, because God could not, nor would not pardon man until an adequate sacrifice had been made. (Romans 3:21-26)

He died as Jesus our Substitute, the Lamb of God who bore the sin of the world. But Peter tells us, (quoting David) "For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption." (Acts 2:27) After three days and nights in hell, Jesus arose as Lord, as Master of death, of hell and of the grave. He speaks to the Apostle John, "I was dead and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Hades and of Death." (Revelation 1:18) The matchless, mighty Christ had gone into the strong mans house and plundered his house and his goods. (Matthew 12:29; Luke 11:21-22) He had conquered Satan completely in honorable combat; He had taken from him his authority, his dominion; He brings it back and offers it to fallen man through His matchless name and grace.

What does this mean to us? It means that every man who confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and takes Him as his Savior, stands legally acquitted in the presence of God. It means Satan is defeated, and man can be free. This is independence, this is freedom and there is no other freedom from the foundations of the world that has or will ever surpass the freedom the our Heavenly Father has provided for all men through Jesus Christ. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17) PTL...

Monday, June 26, 2017

God's Agents

One of the great promises of Jesus in which He spoke prophetically (for the church had not yet come into being) is recorded in John's Gospel, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." (John 14:12) The fact is, we are doing greater works than Jesus did as the Son of Man on earth. He was only one, we are many and by virtue of being born again and filled with the Holy Spirit we can reach more people. We bring to the lost world the Word of Life where they are recreated (2 Corinthians 5:17), where they are delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom is redemption through His blood, and the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)

We are God's agents presenting to all people everywhere, eternal life, as well as showing them through God's Word that they are masters over demons and over circumstances. Through God's Word, we lead people into fellowship and communion with the Father and Son through the New Birth. Though the ministry of Jesus was somewhat limited, our ministry is almost an unlimited ministry. For instances, He raised men from the dead to die again. We show them that they were raised together with Christ (Ephesians 2:6); that in Him they never die (John 11:25-26). He fed the hungry with loaves of bread and fishes. (Matthew 14:13-21) We feed the spiritually hungry with His own wonderful Words. (John 6:63) In other words we help them to pass out of death unto life. We teach them through God's Word how God has made them His Righteousness. Now they can stand in His presence as though sin had never been.

For centuries, believers have been burdened with doctrines and precepts which have actually become laws that have given many the feeling of unworthiness. The truth is, from the moment one is born again, they should be told and taught, who and what they are in Christ; what their rights and privileges are in Christ and their legal right to the use of Jesus' name. They should be taught what it means to receive the Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4) and the Life of God (John 10:10) in their recreated spirit, that has actually made them a new creation. Not only that, but the new created believer has become the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), so they who were once sinners can now stand in the Father's presence without the sense of fear, condemnation or inferiority.

The fact is, every believer has the legal right to stand as a child of God (John 1:12) in the fullness of fellowship with the Father and the Son. (1 John 1:3) When believers truly come to know these things, there will be no struggle for faith, because knowing who and what we are in Christ settles the faith issue. the feeling of guilt, condemnation, unworthiness and or inferiority leave and the fullness of joy takes over. We learn how to take our place in the family of God, how to enjoy our privileges, how to live in the promises of God and best of all, we become intimately acquainted with our Father early in our new life and the great facts of Christ's substitution, the new creation and redemption becomes spiritual realities to us rather than pipe dreams that are unattainable in this life. PTL

You see, if believers do not know who and what they are in Christ and how the Father truly sees them, then God's Word is confusing. However, when believers know who and what they are in Christ, know what their rights and privileges are, then there will be no confusion to their spirit. They will no longer live with fear, doubt or unbelief, but live even as Abraham, "Who did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform." (Romans 4:20-21) So, let us let the Word of God wash over us, transform us, so that Christ can be formed in us, for we are the agents that God has anointed us to be for His glory. 

Monday, June 19, 2017

Better Covenant, Better Promises

During the ministry of Jesus on earth as the Son of Man, His dealings with humanity at that time was  exclusively with the Jews. Though they had a covenant with God, yet He was surrounded by people who were not born again. They had not received eternal life. On one particular encounter that Jesus had with the Jews, He revealed this stark reality to them, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do..." (John 8:44) Though they contended that they were Abraham's children and even the children of God. However, due to the fall of Adam, they were all spiritually dead, and had the satanic nature within like every other person on earth. (Romans 3:23) How hard it must have been for Jesus, whose heart was filled with love, to tell them this unhappy truth. He was able to speak this truth to them, because He was not conformed to the world, His surroundings or to the opinions of man. He always spoke the things that He heard from His Father.(John 12:49)

It is not what people do or have done that separates them from God, it is what they are by nature that
separates them from God. By reason of Adam's rebellion and he being the federal representative of all humanity, all like him, were spiritually dead. As Jesus revealed, they all had the nature of the devil. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle John tells us, "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest." (1 John 3:10) There are only to categories, one of two families, in which every person on earth is connected to. Unless one is born again through faith in Jesus Christ and becomes a child of God (John 1:12-13), they are a spiritually dead child of the devil. 

Due to this, as Jesus walked the earth, He was limited very largely to the physical realm in His contact with people. He healed them of disease, He raised some from the dead, He fed the multitudes, but He could not redeem them or make even one of them a new creation and give them eternal life. Although the Jews had a priesthood and the high priest made a yearly atonement for their sins, Jesus had not yet satisfied justice by paying the penalty of sin through His own sinless life and becoming the ultimate sacrifice for all. (Hebrews 9:11-12) We get a beautiful picture of this revealed in Hebrews.

"For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins." (Hebrews 10:1-4) "And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:11-14)

We get a perfect picture here of the people (Jews) under the Old Covenant whose sin was simply covered, not taken away. Then Jesus comes and puts away all the sin that had been covered under the Old Covenant so that the Jews who put their faith in the atoning blood of animals could be saved and given eternal life by His sacrifice. No more would sin be simply covered, but taken away, removed, blotted out. Before this, there was no High Priest at the right hand of the Father with blood to show that the sin problem was dealt with. Before this, no human being could approach God. Before this, there was no Mediator at the right hand of the Father making intercession. However, Jesus has made these things available to all mankind. To do this, He became sin with our sin. He went to hell for three days and nights. In hell He satisfied the claims of justice and conquered Satan. He was raised from the dead by God's mighty power. He then carried His blood into heaven where it was accepted and then sat down at the Father's right hand making man's redemption a completed thing.

The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us, "For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ they are [all answered] “Yes.” So through Him we say our “Amen” to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 1:20 AMP) "He who did not spare [even] His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32 AMP) "Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3 AMP) The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter tells us, "For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:3-4 AMP) 

Finally, the Holy Spirit through the writer of Hebrews tells us, "But now He (Jesus) has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises." (Hebrews 8:6) What a wonderful thing. For all those who confess Jesus as Lord and take Him as Savior, redemption has been made eternal and available. Hallelujah! We are now new creations created in Christ Jesus and through faith in Jesus Christ, heaven is open and the promises of God are available to all who, "...believe [with confident trust] that you have received them, and they will be given to you." (Mark 11:24)  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you...