Joy and Peace Accompany Us

"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." (Isaiah 55: 12)

This verse was fulfilled when Jesus rebuked the religious leaders during His earthly ministry:

"37And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

38Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
 

39And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

40And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." (Luke 19: 37-40)

 

This passage is fulfilled today and forever because of what Jesus did at the Cross, fulfilling the Old Covenant and establishing the New.

 

"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee." (Isaiah 54:10)

 

It's all about the grace of God, revealed to us by Paul (Galatians 1: 6), through Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth (John 1: 14).

Today, we who are in Christ must recognize that all of creation is groaning, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of men to stand out:

"For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." (Romans 8: 22)

Now, what will cause of all of creation to rejoice?

That we are led with joy - and joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith," (Galatians 5: 22)

Also, the Kingdom of God within us is defined by joy, and also peace:

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14: 17)

We have joy and peace accompany us, then, because of God's gift of righteousness, granted (and still being given to us) because of Jesus:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

Do you hear the mountains and the trees clapping and singing? Get ready, because you have His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5: 21), joy and peace accompany you!

Come to God Without a Doubt

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10: 22)

When we come to God about any need in our lives, we need to come without a doubt.

What is the root of doubt about our Daddy God?

It all comes down to the notion that our sins have not bee put away forever.

Jesus was there to save Peter before he drowned in the stormy sea:

"And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matthew 14: 31)

Peter would rest assured in God's saving power once again during the early ministry of the Church in the Book of Acts:

"And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews." (Acts 12: 11)

In the Book of Hebrews, we learn at length about the need to believe in Jesus, that He has completed the work:

"16For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?" (Hebrews 3: 16-18)

Let us not doubt that God has accomplished the Perfect Work through His Son Jesus:

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" (Hebrews 1: 3)

Why should we be surprised or put aside this revelation? The prophets foretold that the Messiah would come and put away our sins forever:

"4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

 

"5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53: 4-5)

and in the Psalms:

"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)

and

"But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." (Psalm 130: 4)

Paul quotes another verse from the Psalms of David:

"Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." (Romans 4:8)
 

Come to God your Daddy (Romans 8: 15), and come boldly!

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

and then

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4: 16)

Let us come to God without a doubt, therefore, and believe that in our times of need, we will find His grace ready for us!

God is Faithful: He Delivered on His Promise

"Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised." (Hebrews 11: 11)

Sarah, the lawful wife of Abraham, did not conceive a child until she was will into old age.

In fact, the Bible writes explicitly what her condition was:

"Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women." (Genesis 18: 11)

What is the importance of recognizing the physical impossibility for Abraham and Sarah to have a child?

They could not have the child on their own. They needed the miracle-working grace of God:

"[Abraham] against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be." (Romans 4: 18)

It's all about believing what God said, not taking our circumstances or feelings as the final authority.

Now, back to Sarah. She judged God faithful to fulfill His promise.

We have a more sure certainty of God's promises in our life.

Why? We have Jesus!

"16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. " (John 3: 16-17)

He was promised to come from the beginning, after the fall of man

"14And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

 

"15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3: 14-15)

 

And

 

"24But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Romans 4: 24-25)

 

And then

 

"Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." (1 Peter 1: 10-12)

 

We can trust that God is faithful, because He fulfilled the greatest promise, to send the Messiah, Jesus, to be our Savior.

He Knows Where We Are Going

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." (Hebrews 11: 8)

Abraham may not have know where he was going, but he trusted Him who was leading:

"

1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12: 1-3)

 

The LORD, who had created the heaven and the earth, who had assured the promise of the Messiah to defeat sin and restore man, even to promote him in His Son, reached out to Abram (later Abraham)

 

"4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran."

 

Of course, we need to recognize that God had already determined in advance where Abraham was going.

 

First, the LORD revealed to Abram the account of the Gospel:

 

"4And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15: 4-6)

 

There, we also read how Abram received righteousness: he believed the LORD.

 

Then, about the land which Abram's descendants would inherit:

 

"

17And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

 

18In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

 

19The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites." (Genesis 15:17-21)

 

Today, all of these promises are achieved for us in Christ Jesus:

 

"13For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: 15Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression." (Romans 4:13-15)

 

and

 

"That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Galatians 3: 14)

 

Most importantly, though, He knows where we are going because He is our Shepherd (Psalm 23: 1), and Jesus Himself could not have stated it more clearly for us:

 

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14: 6)

 

Don't worry about where you are going. He knows the way and He promises to take you to a good place!

The Holy Spirit is Our Witness

"Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before," (Hebrews 10: 15)

Many people rely on strings tied their fingers, or sticky notes on their desk to remind them of important events or responsibilities.

Today, because we are in Christ, we have His Spirit, which reminds us of our standing before God:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

and also

"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." (Galatians 4: 6)

The Holy Spirit also prays within us, and invites us to pray with Him:

"26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8: 26-28)

The Spirit also reminds us of all the things which Jesus has taught us about who we are in Him:

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14: 26)

And then

"20But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." (1 John 2: 20)

and then

" 27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (1 John 2: 27)

Today, we have the Holy Spirit within us, our witness of all that we have and all that we are in Christ.

Perfected!

"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10: 14)

Men and women in the body of Christ will say "No one is perfect", then resign themselves to struggling with painful memories and bad habits.

The truth is that our lives are not a calling to self-improvement, but recognizing the graceful power of Jesus transforming us from glory to glory to be more like Him:

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3: 18)

and also

"1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3: 1-3)

Let us revisit Hebrews 10: 14, and recognize what has been perfected specifically, then we can understand how Jesus' perfect work sanctifies us.

"Perfected for ever" refers to our conscience:

"1For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins." (Hebrews 10: 1-2)

To be perfected indicates that we no longer feel guilty for our sins, for any sins.

In order for the Spirit of God to operate in our lives, we must recognize the following:

"1Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1, NASB)

When we recognize that every sin has been forgiven, and sin in our flesh has been condemned (Romans 8: 3), we are then free to walk in His Spirit and let His life live in us.

When His life pours forth, His glory is manifested in us:

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" (Colossians 1: 27)

and also

"Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God." (1 Peter 1: 21)

Now, we have been perfected in our conscience, no longer to feel a sense of guilt or condemnation about our sins. From this sense of perfection, we can see Jesus perfecting us in our thoughts and actions.

We are perfected in Christ, and this recognition perfects us in our walk, because we continue to "grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord" (2 Peter 3: 18).

The Spirit of Christ Reminds Us of Our Status

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:" (Romans 8: 16)

Today, for those who believe in Jesus, we have His Spirit living in us:

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;" (John 14:16)

Now, in case someone claims that this Comforter is not Jesus, our Savior clarifies very clearly:

"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14: 18)

Jesus even told His disciples to wait for His Spirit to come to them:

"And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." (Luke 24: 49)

This Spirit reminds us that we are Sons of the Living God:

"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God." (Hosea 1: 10)

Then:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

Why are we able to receive this new spirit of sonship?

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8: 1-4)

All our sins, and sin in the flesh, has been paid for and condemned because of Christ Jesus, the Holy Son of God, in whom we receive sonsship before God our Father.

Jesus shared this very good news the first time He spoke to Mary Magdalene:

"16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." (John 20: 16-17)

Today, we do not have to run to someone else to remind us of who we are in Christ, for His Spirit now lives in us, grants us His life and standing:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

The True Nature of God: Compassion and Comfort

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort," (2 Corinthians 1: 3)

Most people have a hard view of God.

They seem Him as punitive, arbitrary, uncaring, looking for every opportunity to punish people when they fail.

That is just not true.

The most notorious account in the Old Testament, the global flood, does not show a God who wanted to wipe out man, but rather a Father who wanted to protect the true stock of man, so that the Serpent-Slayer, the Messiah, would come into the world and bring salvation to all:

"

1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

5And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6: 1-5)

 

These mighty men were not human beings, but mutants, half-angel and half-man, demonic creatures waging nothing but evil.

 

Then God found Noah, the only human being left:

 

"8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6: 8-9)

 

In this passage "perfect" speaks of physical perfection, in that Noah was not contaminated, not of mixed "fallen angel" heritage.

 

Even the rainbow which appeared in Genesis 9 appeals to God's true nature:

 

"11And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. 12And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." (Genesis 9: 11-13)

 

God was actively seeking to make a covenant, to make peace, to create a means for prospering all of mankind, which He continued with Abraham:

 

"1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12: 1-3)

This promise speaks of Jesus!

 

Throughout the Old Testament, we find the picture of God as gracious, compassionate, and comforting:

"The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy." (Psalm 145: 8)

"He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion." (Psalm 111: 4)

and

"For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." (Isaiah 51: 3)

and

"I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;" (Isaiah 51: 12)

God's true nature is compassion and comfort, perfectly presented to us through His Son, Jesus!

"Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace," (2 Thessalonians 2:16)

Trust Him With Your Life (It's His, Anyway!)

"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 4)

One preacher told me "Give your life to Christ."

However, the Bible teaches us that man is dead in his trespasses to begin with:

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;" (Ephesians 2: 1)

and

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;" (Colossians 2: 13)

Jesus did not die on the Cross to make bad men good.

He came to make dead men live!

We see this promise, this type in the Parable of the Loving Father (traditionally referred to as the Parable of the Prodigal Son):

"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry." (Luke 15: 24)

and

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

Jesus chastised the Jews during His earthly ministry:

"And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." (John 5: 40)

Today, let us recognize that we are not giving our lives to Christ.

We have nothing to give, for we need life.

Instead, let us believe and receive His life, and therefore trust Him with our days.

For it's His life in us, anyway!

Fatherhood: Growing in Grace, Seeing Him Who Has Been from the Beginning

The grace of God, His favor in our lives, teaches us all things:

"11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2: 11-14)

Grace is all about having something good to look forward to, as well: "Looking for that blessed hope."

We have this confidence because of Jesus, who lives in us, too!

"27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." (Colossians 1: 27-29)

Christ Jesus lives in me. I want to be more interested in who He is, not in who I am, or what I am lacking.

"And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:" (Colossians 2: 10)

We are complete in Christ, which means we need to see more of Christ Jesus in our lives:

"4I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, 5Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; 6That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother." (Philemon 4-7)

Our faith works as we see more of Jesus.

For this reason, John describes maturity thus:

"13I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. 14I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning." (1 John 2: 13-14)

Fatherhood is not based on how old we are, but that we know the Father of the Ages. Fatherhood is not a function of how many children we have, or how many of those children have grown up into functional, productive adults.

Fatherhood, growth in grace, maturity in the faith, is all about seeing Jesus. See Him as your Savior today, not just as God made flesh who saved you two thousand years ago when He died on the Cross.

Married to Christ, Freed from the Law

"So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man." (Romans 7: 3)

In one in depth discussion about law and grace, one person shared that she did not like "the grace message", because she felt that to be free from the law meant that people would go out and sin with abandon.

Many people misunderstand that grace is more than freedom from the law.

It is all about receiving new life, Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1: 27).

No longer straining and striving in ourselves, we receive a new heart, a new self, a new life.

Paul explicitly explains that we are taken away from the law, not because the law is removed, but rather we are made dead to the law, and made alive to Christ Jesus:

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Romans 6: 11-14)

 

There is nothing wrong with the law, for the law has an intended purpose:

 

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." (Romans 3: 19)

 

and

 

"But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." (1 Timothy 1: 8)

 

The law is not bad:

 

"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." (Romans 7: 7)

 

But the law does not do us any good beyond showing us how bad we are:

 

"13Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

 

14For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." (Romans 7: 13-14)

 

Yet the law is only a shadow of good things to come:

 

"For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect." (Hebrews 10: 1)

 

That "good thing" is Jesus!

 

"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3: 24)

 

and thus

 

"1Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. 2For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11: 1-2)

 

Today, we are married to Christ, His life living in us (Galatians 2: 20-21), His grace teaching us to live godly lives.

 

Freedom from the law, married to Christ, we have life and that more abundantly!

Christ Promised You His Promise

"29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3: 29)

We have the Promise of Abraham, because of Jesus.

In fact, throughout the Gospels, we find a number of promises from Jesus to all of us:

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12: 32)

and

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

and

"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14: 18)

Paul writes that Abraham never wavered about God's promise to him:

"He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;" (Romans 4: 20)

and

What else do we receive in these promises?

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1: 4)

We also have this wonderful promise because of all that Jesus has done for us as is for us today!

"5Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

 

"6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." (Hebrews 13: 5-6)

 

All of these promises, of course, are wrapped up in the Promise of His Spirit:

 

"And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me." (Acts 1: 4)

 

and finally

 

"1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2: 1-4)

 

Christ promised you the promise of His Father, and you never have to wonder if He will fulfill every promise which He offered, for all was fulfilled at the Cross.

 

 

Scripture is About Righteousness -- His!

"16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3: 16)

When most people read this passage, they think of righteousness as something that you do.

Yet the harmony of Scripture is clear - righteousness is not something that we earn, but something that we receive as a gift.

Isaiah prophesied of this gift of righteousness from God our Father:

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54: 17)

Jesus taught the disciples and fans of His days to seek God's righteousness, not their own:


"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6: 33)

Paul writes that this righteousness is accorded to us as a gift in Christ Jesus!

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

and

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

So, whenever you read the following passages, think of His righteousness, not your own!

"These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6: 9)

and

"And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation." (Genesis 7:1)

and

"And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15: 6)

and

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee." (Isaiah 54: 14)

The whole Scripture is about righteousness, His righteousness granted to us!

The Law is Not for the Righteous

"8But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; 9Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners." (1 Timothy 1: 8-9)

The law is not for righteous people.

Righteousness does not come from the law, but by faith:

"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1: 17)

and also

"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5: 18)

Paul explains why the Jews of his day did not receive this gift of righteousness, compared to the Gentiles:

"30What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;" (Romans 9: 30-32)

The law is not of faith:

And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them." (Galatians 3: 12)

How do righteous people live, then? By grace!

"13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Romans 6: 13-14)

The law is not for us to live by, but rather the law shows us how dead we are, and in need for life.

Once we have been delivered from sin and death to grace and life, we are no longer under law:

"23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." (Galatians 3: 23-25)

Because we have been the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5: 21), stop trying to live under law, for the law is not for righteous people.

His Word Guides and Protects Us

"And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." (Matthew 2: 13)

In this passage, Joseph receives word from God through His angel to flee Bethlehem and stay in Egypt until Herod passed away.

The Word of God guides us and protects us:

"NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119: 105)

and then

"Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word." (Psalm 119: 154)

Today, the Word is made flesh:

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1: 14)

Jesus, the Word made alive and living in us, guides us today through His Holy Spirit:

"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14: 18)

Paul wrote:

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

We have the promise of his guidance and protection, because of all that Jesus did at the Cross:

"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28: 20)

We also can expect nothing but good from Him:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29: 11)

and

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

 

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

 

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

 

Joseph was both guided and protected by God's Word. Today, because of the Word made flesh, we have the full assurance of both guidance and protection, in which He is our God, guiding us from within and protecting us from without!

Worship Jesus, and Jesus Alone

"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." (Matthew 2: 11)

The wise men knew who to worship.

They worshipped Jesus, born King of the Jews.

They did not worship Mary, nor Joseph, or anyone else.

There is one Savior, one baptism, and only one way to eternal life: and that is through Jesus Christ:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)

and

"Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." (1 Timothy 6: 16)

Paul was very clear about the supremacy of Christ Jesus:

"1I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Ephesians 4: 1-6)

and

"15[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Jesus laid out the fullness that God alone is to be worshipped:

"8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him." (Matthew 4: 8-11)

Jesus Christ was Lord at His birth, and He was Lord during His testing in the wilderness. Of course He would not bow down to Satan: He was, is, and always will be Lord.

Worship Jesus, and Jesus alone, for there is no other Savior:

"I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior." (Isaiah 43: 11)

and

"Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me." (Isaiah 45: 21)

and

"Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me." (Hosea 13: 4)

Not Celebrity, Not Teacher, But SAVIOR

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1: 21)

When the Angel prophesied to Mary about the baby to be born to her, he called Him "Jesus" which means "God saves" or "Savior".

I remember reading one book about Jesus' earthly ministry, and the first chapter declared:

"Jesus came teaching".

The departure point for this reference? Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

The first two sentences in the verse below outline that Jesus was facing two types of people: fans and followers.

1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying. . " (Mathew 1: 1-2)

There were multitudes from all over the region, wowed by His power and word of mouth about Him:

"24And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan." (Matthew 4: 24-25)

However, the first thing that Jesus taught His disciples, they could not do:

"3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthre 5: 3)

In fact we are all power in spirit, because we all enter this world dead in out trespasses (Genesis 3:1-7; Ephesians 2: 1).

Disciples usually seek lessons on how to live, and what to do. Jesus was teaching the fullness of the God's law, the Ten Commandments and all the rest, to dissuade the fans from seeing him as some idle passing fancy, and to show the disciples that He was not an example to follow.

No one could follow the example He was setting out:

"20For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5: 20)

and then

"But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." (Matthew 5: 22)

and then

"28But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. " (Matthew 5: 28)

And who can forget:

"And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." (Matthew 5: 30)

No one can keep these commandments. No one can be perfect like our Father in heaven, because we are dead in trespasses, in need of a Savior (Matthew 5: 48)

Today, we need to see Jesus as our Savior, just as the leper did following Jesus' Sermon (Matthew 8: 1-4). Jesus did not come to show us what a great life He had, or how to live, but rather He came to give His us life, and that more abundantly (John 10: 10)

Righteous People Do Not Shame Others

"Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily." (Matthew 1: 19)

Because Joseph was a righteous man, he did not want to expose Mary as unworthy or sinful on account of the fact that she was pregnant.

Righteousness is all about grace, and being gracious:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

Notice that the abundance of grace comes before the gift of righteousness.

Righteousness guarantees us protection from hatred and shame:

"7No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54: 17)

Righteous people do not shame others publically, but rather seek to restore them privately:

"1Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." (Galatians 6: 1)

Jesus explained to His disciples during His earthly ministry the importance of rebuking privately before confronting people publically:

"15Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 18Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 18: 15-18)

Because we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ, we do not go out of our way to shame others, since He has already seated us in heavenly places (Ephesians 2: 4-6). Instead, just as Joseph was declared righteous and the rightful husband of Mary regardless of what he did, so too we remind our fellow believers who they are in Christ:

"15Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." (1 Corinthians 6: 15-17)

He Calls You What You Are

"Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily." (Matthew 1: 19)

In the account of Jesus' birth, we find the work of God's grace fully at work, not just in the genealogy of Jesus, which named three Gentile women as well as the adulterous wife of Uriah, but also in the account of Jesus' adopted earthly parents.

The passage above acknowledges Joseph as Mary's husband, even before they were married, and even when he was about to put her away because she was pregnant.

God calls us what we are, even before we know, and even when we attempt to change it:

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1: 5)

and

"(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were." (Romans 4: 17)

Now, we also see in the above passage that Joseph was " a just man", meaning he was righteous.

He was called righteous not because of what he did, and righteousness is not about what we do, anyway.

It is the gift of God:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

and then

"8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

Today, God calls us righteous because of His Son Jesus:

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

He also calls us His children because we are in Christ:

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 14-15)

and then

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

Instead of looking at ourselves, or what other people say about us, let us take God's Word for who we are, because He has declared it.

Not Our Will or Strength, But His Grace

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all." (Ecclesiastes 9: 11)

Solomon the Great King, blessed by God with incredible wisdom, because a jaded cynic toward the end of his life, recognizing that for all the things that he had, it was empty:

"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 1: 2)

Man needs life more than anything else, yet when Adam disobeyed God, he forfeited life for all mankind in turn:

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2: 17)

And yet:

6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves." (Genesis 3: 2-7)

Jesus, God made flesh, explained why Solomon, and the world at large, ends up so empty in the vain pursuit of things:

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16: 26)

Yet He provided the answer then:

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

And more specifically:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)

Now, when Solomon saw life under the sun, that is before man's eyes. Yet because we are in Christ today, we reign in life with Him (Romans 5:17)

Now, people may construe Solomon's remarks about "time and chance" as unfair. The truth is, we receive all things not because of our strength, speed, or will, but because of the grace of God:

"12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which 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)

Indeed, in Christ we have won the race, because He has made us sons of God:

"For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." (Hebrews 2: 10)

and

"So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." (Romans 9: 16)

Today, we should not fear that God is arbitrary and the final outcomes are out of control. We have a living, loving God who grants us grace upon grace (John 1: 17; Romans 5: 17) because of His Son Jesus:

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted (highly graced, favored) in the beloved." (Ephesians 1: 6)

. . .Of The Living God

"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God." (Hosea 1: 10)

This prophecy is for us today, not just because we are now sons of the Living God.

Just as important, He is a living God.

He is alive!

David did not face off with Goliath, trusting in a figment of his imagination:

"And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (1 Samuel 17: 26)

and then

"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." (1 Samuel 17: 45)

God is alive, and alive to us because of Jesus:

"Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood," (Revelation 1: 5)

He lives in us:

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

He is our life:

"3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 3-4)

He is working within you to do what He wants you to do:

"12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2: 12-13)


Today, He is not sitting far away, uninterested or unconcerned about the problems we face. He lives to intercede on your behalf:

"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7: 25)

and

"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8: 34)

Sons. . .

"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God." (Hosea 1: 10)

Many Christians do not have the full revelation of their sonship in Christ.

They rest in the identity of fans or followers, yet never embrace the truth of their new family status with God.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." (1 John 3: 1)

Paul expressly preached this revelation to the pagan Athenians:

"For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring." (Acts 17: 28)

Why is this not preached?

Still don't believe it?

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

and

"6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Ephesians 4: 6-7)

It is very important for us to understand our sonship in Christ, which we receive through His Spirit living in us:

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." (1 Corinthians 2: 12)

and

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (1 John 2: 27)

Do not settle for knowing that you are saved. Learn more about your sonship before God the Father because of Jesus:

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8: 29)

and

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." (Colossians 1: 18)

Half-Baked -- Half-Believing

"Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned." (Hosea 7: 8)

During his prophetic ministry, Hosea (whose name means "Savior") married a prostitute named Gomer, and even purchased her from slavery when she continued to sell herself.

God asked Hosea to do this as a type of what He experienced in trying to love His people Israel:

"2The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD." (Hosea 1: 2)

It would not end in such tragedy, however:

"10Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

 

"11Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel." (Hosea 1: 10-11)

 

Now, in the above verse, we read about Ephraim, the chief tribe for the now-divided northern part of Israel.

 

They had forsaken God's law, no longer sacrificing to the LORD, but following after idols and other demonic rites:

 

"5Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.

 

"6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." (Hosea 4:5-6)

 

Today, we have greater knowledge of Him through His Son Jesus:

 

"If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." (John 14: 7)

 

and

 

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3: 18)

 

What do we make of this "not turned" cake? Here we have a picture of men and women engaging in mixture. Let us not just rest on the bankrupt watering down of God's standards, the law, but also the attempts of Christians to live under law, after being saved by grace:

 

"8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

 

Paul warned the Galatians about going back to law after receiving the Gospel of Grace (Galatians 1: 6):

 

"7Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." (Galatians 5: 7-9)

 

Today, let us not be half-baked, believe that Jesus saved us from death, but that we have to save ourselves from that point onward.

 

We are called to live by faith, not by works:

 

"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17)

 

Let us not be like Gomer then, married to Christ, but running back the law (Romans 7: 1-4). Let us be "fully baked" and rest fully in Christ.

Jesus Prayed and Prays for Us

"Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53: 12)

When Jesus was dying on the Cross, He prayed for the very people who not only persecuted Him, bu set Him up die on the Cross:

"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." (Luke 23: 34)

Let us not forget, however, that Jesus did not release everything only to be left without.

His death on the Cross gave way to His resurrection and glory at the right hand of God the Father:

"20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." (Ephesians 1: 20-23)

And

"9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2: 9-11)

More importantly, though, even while Jesus' persecutors were trying to destroy and remove Him, they helped Him fulfill all prophecy, restoring all of us who believe on Him, and granting us greater glory through His glory!

"15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 15-17)

and

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" (Galatians 3: 13)

Just as Jesus prayed for those who persecuted Him, so too He prays for us, even when we had no desire for Him, and even today as we grow in grace and knowledge of Him and all that He has done:

"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8: 34)

and

"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7: 25)

Jesus prayed for all of mankind, including those who had crucified Him. How much more He prays for us, who have been justified by Him through His blood! (1 Corinthians 6: 11)

Persecuted because of the Promise

"28Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." (Galatians 4: 28-29)

Whenever we face persecution, especially from religious people, or other Christians still trying to earn rather than receive righteousness, let us never forget that are inheritors because of the promise made to Abraham:

"1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

 

3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12: 1-3)

 

and then

 

"And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee." (Genesis 17: 7)

 

Today, we who believe on Jesus are also Abraham's seed:

 

"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatias 3: 29)

 

Jesus prophesied this blessed standing for us on the Sermon on the Mount:

 

"11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matthew 5: 11-12)

 

We are inheritors of great and precious promises:

 

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1: 4)

 

So, even when people attack us, it does not matter, for in Christ Jesus, we are blessed with all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1: 3), and through Him we freely receive all things (Romans 8: 31-32)

 

Not only that, but these attacks only cause His favor to fall more on us:

 

"9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10)

 

We are persecuted because of the Promise of our Father, granted to us through Jesus. Since God is for us, it really does not matter who is against us, now, does it? (Romans 8: 31)

He Fights For Meek People

"1And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. 3(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)" (Numbers 12: 1-3)

In this passage, Moses' own family rebels against their brother and leader.

Moses, the man whom God called out the wilderness to be the mouth and figure for His people, was not only under attack from the very people whom the LORD had delivered out of Egypt, but now he was enduring disrespect from his own family.

First, before anyone gets the notion that God speaks out of people just because, all of it has to do with His Spirit living in us:

"20But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." (1 John 2: 20)

and also

"7But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (1 John 2: 27)

There is no Word without His Spirit, and at this time, the Spirit of God was fully resting on Moses, but was also dispensed to other humble people:

"26But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. 27And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. 28And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. 29And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!" (Numbers 11: 26-29)

Now, one of the fruits of the spirit is meekness. Meekness is defined:

Meekness: humble, teachable, and patient under suffering, long suffering willing to follow gospel teachings;

To believe the Gopsel (Acts 12: 38-39) is the essence of the Gospel, that God has done all things for us through His Son Jesus, not we ourselves (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

By the way, meekness is a fruit of His Spirit in us:

"The fruit of the spirit is. . .Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Galatians 5: 22-23)

and then

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." (Galatians 6: 1)

Another blessing of the Spirit of God in our lives? Our God fights for us:

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14: 26)

"Comforter" more accurately is "Advocate", and Jesus today seated at the right hand of God the Father intercedes for us:

"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8: 34)

And He is also our avenger:

"O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself." (Psalm 94: 1)

and

"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." (Romans 12: 19)

Moses rested in the Spirit of God, and God avenged him for the wrong things his family spoke against Him.

Rest in your Savior and Lord today, and know that He is fighting for you.