Jesus said in John 6:38 (Amplified), "For I have come down from Heaven not to do My Own will and purpose, but to do the will and purpose of Him Who sent Me."
We see Jesus carrying out the Father's will in the Gospels and we see the Father's will being carried out in the Epistles. Paul writes in Galatians 1:11-12 (Amplified), "For I want you to know brethren, that the Gospel which was proclaimed and made known by me is not a man's gospel (a human invention according to or patterned after any human standard). For indeed I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through a direct revelation given by Jesus Christ (the Messiah)."
Man has put his own ideas and interpretations, into God's revelations that He gave to man. Paul said, "This Gospel was not patterned after any human standards." Men have patterned the Gospel after the Law and human ideas that meet their own ideas. Much of what is being preached in today's churches, is man's ideas of what he thinks God said through Jesus. Most of this has to do with still trying to be pleasing to God. We continue to look at ourselves through man's ideas of righteousness and justification. We fail, because our righteousness and justification comes by Jesus Christ our Lord.
No matter how hard we try or how much we do, we can never be righteous or justified, without placing our faith in the Finished Word of Jesus. We can be saved and not understand this revelation of the Gospel. It seems difficult for some to believe that Jesus has already done everything needed to make us in right standing with the Father. And, because of this, we still struggle to operate in the way of the new creation people of God.
I've heard Christians say, "If only I could be righteous and just in God's eyes, then God might heal me or answer my prayers." Many in the Church have thought this way for centuries. Many feel it's sacrilegious or blasphemous, to say "we are in right standing with God or righteous in God's eyes," even though this is what the Word says. It seems too easy for us to simply believe and accept what the Father says about us, in His Word.
Even though Paul's words aren't written in red (like in some Bibles), but they are Jesus speaking to us from His place in glory with the Father, according to 2Corinthians 5:16 (Amplified) which says, "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a purely human point of view, in terms of natural standards of value, No, even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a Man, yet now we have such knowledge of Him that we know Him no longer in terms of the flesh."
In other words, what Jesus was preaching while He was here, was only a part of what was to come after His resurrection. Satan and mankind had no idea of what was to come after Jesus' resurrection and thus, that was the Mystery. 1Corinthians 2:8 (Amplified) says, "None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of Glory." Jesus could only reveal a small part of the plan of redemption to His disciples and He did much of this through Parables.
While reading the Gospels, we must know and remember that these weren't born-again men, but those who were still under the Law of Sin and of Death. The shadow of death, hung over them like a cloud and only their obedience to the Law, could keep them standing in God's mercy. Under the new covenant family, we live in the Grace that the old covenant people could only obtain under their obedience to the Law. We are required to keep God's Word and standards, but not in order to obtain His Grace or mercy, but because He has given us grace and mercy to do so.
The Holy Spirit doesn't just come down on us for a short time (like in the old covenant), but He lives within us, in order to direct and guide us. This is a concept that those in the Gospels couldn't see by the natural human standards of a Holy God. God was just "God," to the people of the old covenant. He is "Father God," to us. They were a "chosen" people, but we are "family." We've somehow missed this Truth, by trying to become what Jesus has already made us to be.
When we understand this righteousness by faith, we gain the boldness and assurance to come before God, without doubt or reservation. We don't do this with arrogance, but in faith of what Jesus has already done for and to us. Somehow, this doesn't come to us in the way the Holy Spirit has reveled it through the Word and our lack of faith in what Jesus has done, leaves us trying to get close to God. We try dressing the way we believe will get us into God's good graces.
This leads us to the bondage of man-made laws, instead of allowing the Spirit to make us free. We've actually bound ourselves with our own laws and haven't entered into our Blood bought liberty in Christ Jesus. We are to have restraint in what the flesh is doing, but not to the point of law, but by His Spirit. We're left under guilt and self-condemnation. We continue struggling with the old sin in our lives and the condemnation of the past, instead of entering into the Liberty of our new found Hope in Christ Jesus.
This condemnation and self-guilt, results in our lack of ability to set the captives free and do the things of the Spirit. We feel unworthy to be able to lay hands on the sick and believe God cannot use us, because of who we once were. We don't feel like deserving to be used of God. This is a purely human point of view and holds us back from allowing God to be shown Alive to the world.
The world needs to see the Super-natural things of God (especially in this time of Jesus' soon returning), but we lack faith in what Jesus has already done for us and we're not going into the world. Jesus has already made us acceptable and clean in the Father's sight. We can't do it, only believe it. When we do simply believe it, we are doing God's will on this earth. God's will is that each person will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and walk by faith in what Jesus has done for us, not what we have done. This sounds simply, but it's the most crucial thing in the New Testament.
It's hard to make your mind to accept and believe you are righteous, knowing the things you've done, without renewing it by the Word and the Holy Spirit. Every time we change churches, we come under a new set of rules and laws. Some churches even require us to be baptized again, by their laws. Baptism is a form of the burial of the old man and most people only need to be buried once. Many churches require filling out a card and joining their church. No one can "join" the Church by signing a card. You must be born into the Church. We've divided the family of God, by our own customs, instead of enjoying the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in other congregations.
Isn't Jesus Lord over ALL the Church? Why do we make it a personal thing of rituals and laws then? Some in the Church are newborn babies in Christ, while others are more mature. We stunt the growth of many, by teaching God's Word on an infant degree. 1Peter 2:2 (Amplified) says, "Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure unadulterated spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto completed salvation." This growing process can only come by seeking Truth and fellowship of Truth, through the revealed Word by the Holy Spirit. There is so much that our Father wants to do in and through us, but we're not allowing Him to do so. We're not like the early Church and we should be doing things the early Church didn't even know was available to us.
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