Friday, May 24, 2019

Lesson 200 GRACE AND TRUTH-GOD'S WILL

     John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth, came through Jesus Christ."
     Galatians 3:14,15-16 (Amplified) says, "To speak in terms of human relations, brethren, if even a man makes a last will and testament (a merely human covenant), no one sets it aside or makes it void or adds to it when once it has been drawn up and signed (ratified, confirmed). Now the Promises (covenants, agreements), were decreed and made to Abraham and his Seed (his Offspring, His heirs). He, God, does not say, and to his seeds (descendants, heirs), as if referring to many persons, but, And to your Seed (your Descendant, your Heir), obviously referring to One Individual, Who is none other than Christ (the Messiah)."
     Now, let's read the previous Verse 14, which says, "To the end that through their receiving Christ Jesus, the Blessing Promised to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might all receive the realization of the Promise of the Holy Spirit."  We must not limit this Promise of the Holy Spirit, to speaking in other tongues and the Gifts of the Spirit, found in 1Corinthians 12.  The Promise of the Holy Spirit was and still is, the very indwelling of God once again in His people and His Love and Blessing that was pronounced on Adam, from the beginning.
     No one works for an inheritance, but only needs to receive it from someone who did work for it.  Jesus did all the work for us, in order to bring us back into the place of inheritance.  As the Last Adam, Jesus qualified us for this Promise, by His Own payment for us.  Through Him, we are now once again God's children and heirs, according to Promise.  Romans 8:16-17 (Amplified) says, "The Spirit Himself thus testifies together with our own spirit, assuring us that we are God's children. And if we are His heirs also; heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His Glory."
     Paul writes in Romans 4:16 (Amplified), "Therefore, inheriting the Promise is the outcome of faith, and depends entirely on faith in order that it might be given as an act of Grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is thus the father of us all."
     When we don't understand the Father's Love for us and how it's so Great that He gave His Son to die for us, then we feel like we must to earn His Gift of inheritance.  This inheritance is the same Blessing that was on Adam, at the beginning.  Adam lost his inheritance, because of his transgression in the Garden.  Only those who were under the Law could qualify for the inheritance, by adhering to rituals set for by God.  We couldn't qualify, because we were Gentiles, outsiders and strangers from the covenant.  The Blessing never worked to it's fullness in the old covenant, because "all had sinned and came short of the Glory of God."  Romans 3:23 (Amplified) says, "But now, through Jesus, All are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His Grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the Redemption which is provided in Christ Jesus."
     Jesus has already qualified us, by His Own Sacrifice and Blood and when we received Him, we received the Promise by faith.  Now we must understand that we only have to accept it by faith and not by works of the Law.  Jesus' Last Will and Testament has always been valid for us, but our immaturity hasn't allowed us to accept it.  Galatians 4:1-2 (Amplified) says, "Now what I mean is that as long as the inheritor (heir) is a child and underage, he does not differ from a slave, although he is the master of all the estate. But he is under guardians and administrators or trustees until the date fixed by his father."
     Our Heavenly Father can only release the fullness of the Promise, as we grow into maturity and are able to use it.  John 3:34 (Amplified) says, "For since He Whom God has sent speaks to Words of God (proclaims God's Own Message), God does not give Him His Spirit sparingly or by measure, but boundless is the Gift God makes of His Spirit."  Could it be that, God can't open all of His Promise of His Spirit to us, because we are still little children and don't really know how to talk to Him?  If we could only say to the storm, "Peace, be still," then would we use the authority of speech for the Kingdom or would we destroy ourselves by the Words we speak in error?
     Only Love can keep us from destroying ourselves and those around us, if He gave us His Spirit without measure.  We still speak more of the Curse, instead of the Blessing, in our own lives, because we don't understand the power of words.  We're still under the administrators and guardians and trustees, who dole out our Promise as they see fit.  They hold back the fullness of the inheritance, unto we grow up and become responsible enough to handle the fullness of the Promise.
     We're still fighting between the two covenants and don't understand who we've become in Christ Jesus yet.  We keep doing the same things we've always done and expect to reap different results.  Galatians 6:8 (Amplified) says, "For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality), will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap Eternal Life."
     The Kingdom Principal of Sowing and Reaping is still relevant and pertinent to us today.  If some don't believe in this principal, then that doesn't change it.  We're like the child, who even though he's master of the estate, he is under the administrators, tutors and guardians.  Grace has stopped us from destroying ourselves, by the words we have spoken over ourselves and our families.  God's Grace has prevented our loosing every sickness and disease under the Curse, upon ourselves.  Many still believe, "God put these things on me, in order to teach me something," while simultaneously proclaiming that "Jesus redeemed us from the Curse of the Law."  This attitude of double-mindedness is still childlike and immature.    

No comments:

Post a Comment