God tells us in Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified), "The beginning of Wisdom is, get Wisdom, skillful and Godly Wisdom! For skillful and Godly Wisdom is the principal thing. And with all you have gotten, get understanding, discernment, comprehension, and interpretation."
So many things that skillful and Godly Wisdom have delivered to us have been lost, because of the lack of understanding. Understanding Wisdom comes from Revelation knowledge and Spiritual discernment. The Word of God is Wisdom and God has made Jesus to be our Wisdom, according to 1Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified), which says, "But it is from Him (God) that you have your Life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, revealed to us a knowledge of the Plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as our Righteousness, thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God, and our Consecration, making us pure and holy; and our Redemption, providing our Ransom from Eternal penalty for sin."
Included in our salvation through Jesus, we also received our Wisdom, our Consecration, our Righteousness, and our Redemption. Most of the Truth of this has been lost to the Church, because of a lack of understanding the Truth of God's Word. We still struggle believing we've been made righteous through Jesus' Righteousness and we have little faith that we've been consecrated and are pure and holy in God's eyes. Some believe it's blasphemous to think this way. Proverbs 4:7 tells us that understanding it "discernment, comprehensive insight and interpretation. These are Spiritual terms for understanding and come from Revelation by the Holy Spirit. We can read this scripture and understand it by our educated minds, but this doesn't bring understanding from the Holy Spirit.
Jesus gave "The Parable of the Sower," in Mark 4 and said, "They have ears, but don't hear and have eyes, but don't see." They could hear what Jesus was saying, but had no understanding of the Spiritual application of what He said. Today's Church has lost so much, because we don't understand by Wisdom. If we preach beyond going to Heaven when we die, then we're still met with the same lack of understanding, that those who heard Jesus preach had.
1Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) tells us that, "Salvation" is the "Revelation manifested by God's Divine Plan, where Jesus "made us right with God and gave us the right to come before God and in His Presence, because Jesus became our Righteousness." It also tells us that, "Jesus was our Consecration and made us pure and holy" and that "Jesus was our Redemption, redeeming us from the Curse that came on us by Adam's transgression." We've been brought back into God's family and His Blessing, through the Seed of Abraham, Who is Jesus Christ. The benefits of God's Grace are lost to the Church, without Spiritual insight or Revelation knowledge and understanding.
The Church has failed to accept and believe the fullness of what Jesus completed at Calvary, because the enemy has clouded our true identity in Christ Jesus. Every believer in the Body of Christ, has received son-ship rights, being heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus. Jesus didn't go to Calvary's cross for Himself. Jesus always has been the Word of God, the Son of God, the Righteousness of God, pure and holy before God, separated from the Curse, superior over satan and never under satan's authority. Jesus did everything He did, in order to bring us back into the Position He has with the Father, including the filling of the Holy Spirit and having God's Love abounding in our our hearts.
Jesus did all of this for us and not Himself. When we deny what Jesus did and fail to partake in it, then we're denying God's Love that brought Jesus to the cross for us. God's Grace and mercy has made made them available to us. None of the benefits Jesus brought to us, can be brought into our lives, without God's Grace, according to Psalm 103:1-5 (Amplified) which says, "Bless (Affectionately, gratefully), praise the Lord, O my soul; and all that is deepest within me, Bless His Holy Name. Bless (Affectionately, gratefully), praise the Lord O my soul and forget no one of His Benefits, (do not forget) Who forgives everyone of all your iniquities, Who heals each one of all your diseases, Who Redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with Loving Kindness and tender mercy Who satisfies your mouth, your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation with Good so that your youth renewed is like the eagle, strong, overcoming and soaring."
We're instructed first of all to "Forget not one of all His Benefits." We weren't supposed to get caught up in the world's ideas or carnal teachings that say, "God doesn't do these things anymore" or that believing these things is, "Taking advantage of our relationship with God." God has given these Benefits by His Grace and His Love, so we can enjoy them and be thankful to Him. We receive these Blessings and Gifts by faith in God's Word and His covenant.
Who forgives every one of my iniquities? Who heals each one of my diseases and redeems my life from the pit and corruption? Who beautifies, dignifies and crowns me with Loving Kindness and tender mercy? Who satisfies my mouth, my necessities and desires at my personal age and situation with Good, so that my mouth is renewed like the eagle, staying strong, overcoming and soaring? All these Benefits are God's Promise and come to us in Jesus. God's Promises and Blessings include more than these.
We don't confess that Jesus was made our Righteousness, our Consecration, our Sanctification and our Redemption and that we're pure and holy in God's eyes, in conversation with others. We're to know and see ourselves the way God sees us. We're not to forget any of His Benefits. Christians have been taught for so long that, "None are righteous," causing us to see ourselves after the world and the ideas of carnal men/women, instead of how God's Word portrays us. We're not supposed to go around saying, "I'm righteous, pure, holy and sanctified to others, but we're not to go around saying, "I'm an unworthy, unrighteous old sinner." Jesus never made it a point to tell others Who He was, unless it was to declare His ministry to them. Paul never beat his chest, telling everyone about his own righteousness. Neither did he refer to himself in the past tense, unless he was placed in a position by them to do so. Even then, Paul said, "It was speaking like a fool, to refer to his own righteousness" and that, "By the Grace of God I am what I am and I magnify my office." Paul writes in 1Corinthians 4:3-4 (Amplified), "But as for me personally, it matters very little to me that I should be put on trial by you on this point, or that you or any other human tribunal should investigate and question and cross question me, I do not even put myself on trial and judge myself. I am not conscious of anything against myself. I am not conscious of anything against myself, and I feel blameless: but I am not vindicated and acquitted before God on that account. It is the Lord Himself Who examines and judges me."
It's paramount that we know who we are in Jesus, so that we can have confidence in our prayers being heard and so we can receive what the Father desires for us. Anyone would know that if you're not right with God, then there are very little chances of our prayers being answered. 1John 3:20-21 (Amplified) says, "Whenever our hearts in tormenting self-accusation make us feel guilty and condemns us, For we are in God's hands. For He is Above and Greater than our consciences (our hearts), and He knows, perceives and understands everything, nothing is hidden from Him. And beloved, if our consciences (our hearts) do not accuse us (if they do not make us feel guilty and condemn us), we have confidence, complete assurance and boldness before God. Because of this we receive from Him whatever we ask."
When we know, understand, perceive, discern, and interpret God's Wisdom and apply it, then we can overcome our past and live in the "Now Faith that is the substance of things hoped for," in Hebrews 1:1. It's difficult to have faith that God's hears and answers our prayers, when the enemy constantly reminds us about our failures and things we did before receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We must understand who we are in Christ Jesus, so that we came come boldly before God's Throne of Gracce.
Friday, May 29, 2020
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Lesson 17 The Church's Identity Crisis
Religion has caused God's Church to lose sight of Who He has created us to be, by making us look on the negative. Instead of seeing Paul's success in proclaiming the Gospel in the face of great persecution and seeing the victory over hardship, we've been taught to only focus on the hardship. The Apostle Paul was the only enemy satan had at that time, who knew the Truth of the new creation Jesus had brought into being. If satan could silence Paul and prevent him from spreading the Revelation he received from Jesus, then the Church would never know who Jesus had made us to be.
No man was righteous under the Law, because Jesus hadn't come yet. The idea of unrighteousness has continued to keep today's Church without confidence in God's hearing and answering our prayers. Paul preached about "being made righteous in Jesus," which caused God's Church to pray with confident expectancy. This change made it possible for God to move in the early Church and the cities around it. The Church had tried mixing the new covenant with the Law. They continued sacrificial rituals in order to please God, until Paul received the Revelation from the Lord and taught them the Truth of the new covenant.
Paul taught about the new creation and how we're no longer servants under the Law, but are sons and daughter in God's family. Paul taught believers that we are now God's children, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Paul later wrote in Hebrews 4:16, that we have the privilege of "Coming boldly into God's Presence and before His Throne of Grace, as His family, without sacrifice or shame, to receive Grace and mercy anytime we need it" (which really is all the time).
In Paul's letter to the Church in Corinth, we learn that, "Our bodies have become the temple of God" and that God no longer abides in a building, but in His people. Paul taught about our being raised together with Jesus and seated together with Him in Heavenly places and about our having the authority over spirits in high places through the Name of Jesus.
None of these things were known to the Church, until Paul received the Revelation from God. Satan has clouded this awesome Revelation and blinded the eyes of the Church, causing us to believe God still deals with us like He did with the old covenant people. We've been deceived into thinking God teaches His Church by disease, plagues and hardship, instead of with His Word, His Holy Spirit and the five-fold ministry. We've been deceived into believing that "only certain people are anointed and hear from God," instead of knowing that God's sheep hear His Voice.
1John 3:2 (Amplified) tells us, "Beloved, we are even here and now God's children; it is not yet disclosed and made clear what we shall be hereafter, but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall as God's children resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He really is." I don't know what we will look like after we're fully in His Presence, but this natural body will be put aside and our glorified bodies will be manifested in full. Elijah and Moses seemingly looked much like they did while on earth, when they appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, so we'll still know one another and our family members. We've lived much more by our flesh and senses or carnal minds and bodies, instead of our new creation spirit. We've never learned to walk in and by our born-again spirit.
We've been taught by carnal minded men and women throughout the centuries, which have pushed us into rituals and traditions and the enemy's deceptions. We've been taught that "being Spiritual," means we stop drinking and swearing and start going to church. We've been taught that most of the Spiritual things of God are for when we die and go to Heaven. We see God's Power illustrated in His Word, but not so much in His Church on earth.
John is writing to believers in the Lord and not just to those in the five-fold ministry in the above scripture. His writings are still true for us today. This isn't to say that we don't need teachers, but Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:11, that, "Teachers are Gifts unto men by the Holy Spirit." Paul tells us that all who are born-again have the right standing with God and have the Holy Spirit Who will expound and reveal things to us, on an individual basis. 1John 2:27 (Amplified) says, "But as for you, the anointing, the sacred appointment, the unction, which you received from Him, abides permanently in you: so then, you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His anointing teaches you concerning everything and is True and is no falsehood, so you must abide in, live in, never depart from, Him Being rooted in Him, knit to Him, just as His anointing has taught you to do."
This is a personal invitation to "Come boldly to the Throne of God's Grace" for yourself. You must seek God's Word and listen to His Holy Spirit, instead of relying on the opinions and teachings of others. Several years ago, I preached a sermon titled, "How Far Is Too Far," about how many things I learned from others, didn't settle right in my spirit. I refused to stay at the level of faith that those people stayed at and went on in my personal quest for God and His Truth. At every step I took into the deeper Truth of God's Word, I heard others say, "You've gone too far." Some believed that speaking in tongues was "too far," while others thought that laying hands on the sick was "too far.' Every time I drew closer to God, others would be right there saying, "You've gone too far," to where I began wondering, "How far is too far?"
I discovered that those on Faith's Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11, were those who were told by everyone that they had gone too far. God didn't tell them that though. Not many are listed in this chapter, but they were those who set their hearts on God and His Word. They simply believed that if God said it, then He could and would do it. Caleb and Joshua were the only two out of nearly two million people in the Wilderness, who believed God would do what He said. They all worshiped the Same God, but only those two entered into God's Promised Land. Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) tells us, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God."
Just because others don't believe, doesn't mean you must settle for their faith. You can go before God for yourself and the Holy Spirit (the anointing) will lead you to a deeper walk with Him. Your Father created all things and is still the One Who decides how far is too far. He will show you and teach you His Truth, no matter how many oppose you. I'm not talking about being foolish and trying to create your own thing, but don't stop because others say, "We can't take the Land" and stay in the wilderness. Believe God and you will never be disappointed. Like Jesus, Paul, Peter and John, you will suffer persecution, but it's worth it!
The cry of Paul's heart was to know Jesus and the Power of His Resurrection. Other than Jesus Himself, this man probably suffered more persecution than any other person, but he never stopped. The Jews who refused Jesus, refused Paul, so he went into the Gentile nations. Thank God he did. Satan tried everything to shut Paul up, but he refused to be silent. Most of the Revelation we now have, came through this one man who fell in love with Jesus and wouldn't stop preaching. We've centered on Paul's persecution, instead of identifying with the Truth Jesus gave him. If you wish to identify with the persecution, instead of the Truth, then there's no need for persecution from the enemy, because you're harmless to his kingdom of darkness. Hearing that the Spiritual things of God have "passed away," has never brought persecution to anyone. It just pleased the people and left God's Church helpless.
We're not called to fight the devil, because he's already been defeated. We're called to, "Fight the Good fight of faith." Having faith in God's Promises will be a fight, but we have the God kind of faith and are overcomers. Every time you step out into the arena of faith, the enemy will try to put you back into your place, because you've become a danger to his kingdom.
Without faith in the Super-natural things of God, we're just another religion to the devil. Satan can't prevent unsaved persons from being born-again and led into salvation, but he can try keeping them from become mature Christians and being a problem for him. We only have to believe that God will do the things He said He will do and that's all. We must allow God's Word and His Holy Spirit to teach and lead us. Just prior to His Ascension, Jesus said in John 16:13 (Amplified), "But when He (the Spirit of Truth, the Truth Giving Spirit), comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole Truth, full Truth). For He will not speak His Own Message on His Own authority, but He will tell whatever He hears from the Father; He will the Message that has been given to Him and He will announce and declare to you, the things that are to come (that will happen in the future)."
No man was righteous under the Law, because Jesus hadn't come yet. The idea of unrighteousness has continued to keep today's Church without confidence in God's hearing and answering our prayers. Paul preached about "being made righteous in Jesus," which caused God's Church to pray with confident expectancy. This change made it possible for God to move in the early Church and the cities around it. The Church had tried mixing the new covenant with the Law. They continued sacrificial rituals in order to please God, until Paul received the Revelation from the Lord and taught them the Truth of the new covenant.
Paul taught about the new creation and how we're no longer servants under the Law, but are sons and daughter in God's family. Paul taught believers that we are now God's children, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Paul later wrote in Hebrews 4:16, that we have the privilege of "Coming boldly into God's Presence and before His Throne of Grace, as His family, without sacrifice or shame, to receive Grace and mercy anytime we need it" (which really is all the time).
In Paul's letter to the Church in Corinth, we learn that, "Our bodies have become the temple of God" and that God no longer abides in a building, but in His people. Paul taught about our being raised together with Jesus and seated together with Him in Heavenly places and about our having the authority over spirits in high places through the Name of Jesus.
None of these things were known to the Church, until Paul received the Revelation from God. Satan has clouded this awesome Revelation and blinded the eyes of the Church, causing us to believe God still deals with us like He did with the old covenant people. We've been deceived into thinking God teaches His Church by disease, plagues and hardship, instead of with His Word, His Holy Spirit and the five-fold ministry. We've been deceived into believing that "only certain people are anointed and hear from God," instead of knowing that God's sheep hear His Voice.
1John 3:2 (Amplified) tells us, "Beloved, we are even here and now God's children; it is not yet disclosed and made clear what we shall be hereafter, but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall as God's children resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He really is." I don't know what we will look like after we're fully in His Presence, but this natural body will be put aside and our glorified bodies will be manifested in full. Elijah and Moses seemingly looked much like they did while on earth, when they appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, so we'll still know one another and our family members. We've lived much more by our flesh and senses or carnal minds and bodies, instead of our new creation spirit. We've never learned to walk in and by our born-again spirit.
We've been taught by carnal minded men and women throughout the centuries, which have pushed us into rituals and traditions and the enemy's deceptions. We've been taught that "being Spiritual," means we stop drinking and swearing and start going to church. We've been taught that most of the Spiritual things of God are for when we die and go to Heaven. We see God's Power illustrated in His Word, but not so much in His Church on earth.
John is writing to believers in the Lord and not just to those in the five-fold ministry in the above scripture. His writings are still true for us today. This isn't to say that we don't need teachers, but Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:11, that, "Teachers are Gifts unto men by the Holy Spirit." Paul tells us that all who are born-again have the right standing with God and have the Holy Spirit Who will expound and reveal things to us, on an individual basis. 1John 2:27 (Amplified) says, "But as for you, the anointing, the sacred appointment, the unction, which you received from Him, abides permanently in you: so then, you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His anointing teaches you concerning everything and is True and is no falsehood, so you must abide in, live in, never depart from, Him Being rooted in Him, knit to Him, just as His anointing has taught you to do."
This is a personal invitation to "Come boldly to the Throne of God's Grace" for yourself. You must seek God's Word and listen to His Holy Spirit, instead of relying on the opinions and teachings of others. Several years ago, I preached a sermon titled, "How Far Is Too Far," about how many things I learned from others, didn't settle right in my spirit. I refused to stay at the level of faith that those people stayed at and went on in my personal quest for God and His Truth. At every step I took into the deeper Truth of God's Word, I heard others say, "You've gone too far." Some believed that speaking in tongues was "too far," while others thought that laying hands on the sick was "too far.' Every time I drew closer to God, others would be right there saying, "You've gone too far," to where I began wondering, "How far is too far?"
I discovered that those on Faith's Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11, were those who were told by everyone that they had gone too far. God didn't tell them that though. Not many are listed in this chapter, but they were those who set their hearts on God and His Word. They simply believed that if God said it, then He could and would do it. Caleb and Joshua were the only two out of nearly two million people in the Wilderness, who believed God would do what He said. They all worshiped the Same God, but only those two entered into God's Promised Land. Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) tells us, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God."
Just because others don't believe, doesn't mean you must settle for their faith. You can go before God for yourself and the Holy Spirit (the anointing) will lead you to a deeper walk with Him. Your Father created all things and is still the One Who decides how far is too far. He will show you and teach you His Truth, no matter how many oppose you. I'm not talking about being foolish and trying to create your own thing, but don't stop because others say, "We can't take the Land" and stay in the wilderness. Believe God and you will never be disappointed. Like Jesus, Paul, Peter and John, you will suffer persecution, but it's worth it!
The cry of Paul's heart was to know Jesus and the Power of His Resurrection. Other than Jesus Himself, this man probably suffered more persecution than any other person, but he never stopped. The Jews who refused Jesus, refused Paul, so he went into the Gentile nations. Thank God he did. Satan tried everything to shut Paul up, but he refused to be silent. Most of the Revelation we now have, came through this one man who fell in love with Jesus and wouldn't stop preaching. We've centered on Paul's persecution, instead of identifying with the Truth Jesus gave him. If you wish to identify with the persecution, instead of the Truth, then there's no need for persecution from the enemy, because you're harmless to his kingdom of darkness. Hearing that the Spiritual things of God have "passed away," has never brought persecution to anyone. It just pleased the people and left God's Church helpless.
We're not called to fight the devil, because he's already been defeated. We're called to, "Fight the Good fight of faith." Having faith in God's Promises will be a fight, but we have the God kind of faith and are overcomers. Every time you step out into the arena of faith, the enemy will try to put you back into your place, because you've become a danger to his kingdom.
Without faith in the Super-natural things of God, we're just another religion to the devil. Satan can't prevent unsaved persons from being born-again and led into salvation, but he can try keeping them from become mature Christians and being a problem for him. We only have to believe that God will do the things He said He will do and that's all. We must allow God's Word and His Holy Spirit to teach and lead us. Just prior to His Ascension, Jesus said in John 16:13 (Amplified), "But when He (the Spirit of Truth, the Truth Giving Spirit), comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole Truth, full Truth). For He will not speak His Own Message on His Own authority, but He will tell whatever He hears from the Father; He will the Message that has been given to Him and He will announce and declare to you, the things that are to come (that will happen in the future)."
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Lesson 16 The Church's Identity Crisis
Believers have lost sight of who we are in God through Jesus, over the years. We've been from the world and not from God's Word, with such teachings as, we are "nothing" and are "worthless" and of "no value to God." We're afraid of being seen as prideful in religious circles, so we've established a false humility in our relationship with God. If someone in the world shouted to you, "You're worthless and unrighteous," then would you become offended or even angry with that person?
We were unrighteous, before we were born-again as God's children. We were of little value without God, according to Ephesians 2:12,13 (Amplified), where Paul writes, "Remember, that you were at that time separated, living apart from Christ, excluded from all part in Him, utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation, and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the Messianic Promise, with no knowledge of or right in God's agreements (His covenants). And you had no hope, no promise; you were in the world without God."
Paul goes on in Verse 13, "But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were so far away though, by and in, by the Blood of Christ have been brought near." God never saw us as being "worthless" or "useless," even before we were born-again. God considered us to be important enough that, "He sent His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on Him, should never perish, but would have Eternal Life," according to John 3:16.
God never thought of you, the way the world and the enemy would try portraying you. We were separated from God, by Adam's transgression in the Garden and we were no longer in right standing or righteous with God. But, we were still precious enough to God, that He sent Jesus to restore us into His Own Righteousness and make us in right standing with Him again. As fallen men and women, our own righteousness was "as filthy rags" to Him, but God didn't leave us in our own righteousness.
When mankind was in a place where God could use us or consider us as righteous, God sent His Only Son to make us Righteous in His Righteousness and make us able to be used for His Kingdom. Some might wonder why this change of heart is so important to the believe. Let's read what the Holy Spirit inspired James to write in James 5:16 (Amplified), "Confess to one another therefore your faults, slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins, and pray also for one another, that you may be healed and restored to a Spiritual tone of mind and heart. The earnest heartfelt, continued prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available dynamic in its working." James continues telling how Elijah prayed and stopped the rain for 31/2 years and then he prayed for it to return. James tells us that Elijah was a man with the same faults and weaknesses of his flesh, that we still experience.
God requires righteousness, in order to stand in His Presence and to be accepted by Him. Our righteousness could never qualify us to do these things, so God gave us His Own Righteousness, when we received Jesus. We don't approach God in our own righteousness, but the Righteousness of Jesus Christ Himself. This is a Truth in God, that must be accepted by faith in God's Word and in the Finished Work of Christ. If we don't understand this Truth, then we will have little confidence that our prayers will be heard or answered. James tells us that our prayers should be "dynamic in their working."
Many believers are still more conscious of who we once were, instead of who God has made us to be in Jesus. We're more conscious of our own weaknesses, instead of the Power of His Might. We are righteous before Him in Jesus, but if we don't acknowledge this by faith and walk by the feelings of our flesh, then we won't have confidence in our prayer lives. It's not a matter of "Are you righteous," but do you have faith in Him, to accept this righteousness? If you're born-again, then you've been the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, according to 2Corinthians 5:21 (Amplified), which says, "For our sake He made Christ virtually to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him, we might become endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of the righteousness of God, what we ought to be approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him by His Goodness."
Whether you "feel" righteous or not, has no bearing on what Jesus has done for you. Jesus made you righteous, whether or not you "feel" righteous. We don't feel like we're righteous, because we still remember who we used to be, instead of accepting who God has made us to be in Jesus. We don't have any confidence in God's hearing or answering our prayers, so we derive lame excuses why our prayers weren't answered. We should have faith, that Jesus made us righteous, acceptable and qualified to have our prayers answered.
John tells us that our hearts will accuse us of our past lives, but we can be calmed by our faith in God's Love for us, in 1John 3:18-23 (Amplified). Verse 23 specifically speaks about our having confidence in God saying, "And this is His order, His command, His injunction: that we should believe in, put our faith and trust in and adhere to and rely on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and that we should love one another just as He commanded."
John writes about our hearts condemning and accusing us of our past, which leaves us without confidence that God hears us. Then, in Verse 23, He commands us to stop listening to our condemning hearts and "Believe in, trust in, have faith in, rely on, and adhere to, the Name of His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah)." We are directed to have more faith in God's Son Jesus, instead of our own "tormenting, self-accusation, and guilty condemning fleshly feelings." We are to trust in the Name of Jesus for our righteousness.
God says that "Your sins and iniquities I remember no more." We must have faith in His Word and Trust in His Righteousness, rather than relying on our own feelings and so we will have the dynamic working of prayer in our lives. James 5:6 (Amplified) says, "A condemning heart will never allow faith to work in prayer and accept His Righteousness." WE MUST PUT OUR TRUST IN HIM, instead of our feelings. Romans 8:1-2 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation, no adjudging guilty of wrong for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live and walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus (the Law of our new being), has freed me from the Law of Sin and of Death."
Which is dictating to you about your righteousness? The dictates of the flesh or the dictates of the Spirit? The one you listen to, is the one that will lead you. 1John 3:23 commanded us to, "Believe in the name of God's Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah)." We're not only to love one another, but we're to believe on Jesus' Name. When we believe on His Name and in His Righteousness, while listening to the dictates of the Spirit, we can stop a condemning heart and the dictates of the flesh.
Our feelings aren't greater than God's Grace and Truth. We must understand that our carnal mind is still an enemy of Spiritual things, so we must renew our minds by God's Word and faith in Jesus' Name. Romans 8:7 (Amplified) says, "The mind of the flesh with its carnal thoughts and purposes, in hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot."
We were unrighteous, before we were born-again as God's children. We were of little value without God, according to Ephesians 2:12,13 (Amplified), where Paul writes, "Remember, that you were at that time separated, living apart from Christ, excluded from all part in Him, utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation, and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the Messianic Promise, with no knowledge of or right in God's agreements (His covenants). And you had no hope, no promise; you were in the world without God."
Paul goes on in Verse 13, "But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were so far away though, by and in, by the Blood of Christ have been brought near." God never saw us as being "worthless" or "useless," even before we were born-again. God considered us to be important enough that, "He sent His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on Him, should never perish, but would have Eternal Life," according to John 3:16.
God never thought of you, the way the world and the enemy would try portraying you. We were separated from God, by Adam's transgression in the Garden and we were no longer in right standing or righteous with God. But, we were still precious enough to God, that He sent Jesus to restore us into His Own Righteousness and make us in right standing with Him again. As fallen men and women, our own righteousness was "as filthy rags" to Him, but God didn't leave us in our own righteousness.
When mankind was in a place where God could use us or consider us as righteous, God sent His Only Son to make us Righteous in His Righteousness and make us able to be used for His Kingdom. Some might wonder why this change of heart is so important to the believe. Let's read what the Holy Spirit inspired James to write in James 5:16 (Amplified), "Confess to one another therefore your faults, slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins, and pray also for one another, that you may be healed and restored to a Spiritual tone of mind and heart. The earnest heartfelt, continued prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available dynamic in its working." James continues telling how Elijah prayed and stopped the rain for 31/2 years and then he prayed for it to return. James tells us that Elijah was a man with the same faults and weaknesses of his flesh, that we still experience.
God requires righteousness, in order to stand in His Presence and to be accepted by Him. Our righteousness could never qualify us to do these things, so God gave us His Own Righteousness, when we received Jesus. We don't approach God in our own righteousness, but the Righteousness of Jesus Christ Himself. This is a Truth in God, that must be accepted by faith in God's Word and in the Finished Work of Christ. If we don't understand this Truth, then we will have little confidence that our prayers will be heard or answered. James tells us that our prayers should be "dynamic in their working."
Many believers are still more conscious of who we once were, instead of who God has made us to be in Jesus. We're more conscious of our own weaknesses, instead of the Power of His Might. We are righteous before Him in Jesus, but if we don't acknowledge this by faith and walk by the feelings of our flesh, then we won't have confidence in our prayer lives. It's not a matter of "Are you righteous," but do you have faith in Him, to accept this righteousness? If you're born-again, then you've been the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, according to 2Corinthians 5:21 (Amplified), which says, "For our sake He made Christ virtually to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him, we might become endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of the righteousness of God, what we ought to be approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him by His Goodness."
Whether you "feel" righteous or not, has no bearing on what Jesus has done for you. Jesus made you righteous, whether or not you "feel" righteous. We don't feel like we're righteous, because we still remember who we used to be, instead of accepting who God has made us to be in Jesus. We don't have any confidence in God's hearing or answering our prayers, so we derive lame excuses why our prayers weren't answered. We should have faith, that Jesus made us righteous, acceptable and qualified to have our prayers answered.
John tells us that our hearts will accuse us of our past lives, but we can be calmed by our faith in God's Love for us, in 1John 3:18-23 (Amplified). Verse 23 specifically speaks about our having confidence in God saying, "And this is His order, His command, His injunction: that we should believe in, put our faith and trust in and adhere to and rely on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and that we should love one another just as He commanded."
John writes about our hearts condemning and accusing us of our past, which leaves us without confidence that God hears us. Then, in Verse 23, He commands us to stop listening to our condemning hearts and "Believe in, trust in, have faith in, rely on, and adhere to, the Name of His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah)." We are directed to have more faith in God's Son Jesus, instead of our own "tormenting, self-accusation, and guilty condemning fleshly feelings." We are to trust in the Name of Jesus for our righteousness.
God says that "Your sins and iniquities I remember no more." We must have faith in His Word and Trust in His Righteousness, rather than relying on our own feelings and so we will have the dynamic working of prayer in our lives. James 5:6 (Amplified) says, "A condemning heart will never allow faith to work in prayer and accept His Righteousness." WE MUST PUT OUR TRUST IN HIM, instead of our feelings. Romans 8:1-2 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation, no adjudging guilty of wrong for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live and walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus (the Law of our new being), has freed me from the Law of Sin and of Death."
Which is dictating to you about your righteousness? The dictates of the flesh or the dictates of the Spirit? The one you listen to, is the one that will lead you. 1John 3:23 commanded us to, "Believe in the name of God's Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah)." We're not only to love one another, but we're to believe on Jesus' Name. When we believe on His Name and in His Righteousness, while listening to the dictates of the Spirit, we can stop a condemning heart and the dictates of the flesh.
Our feelings aren't greater than God's Grace and Truth. We must understand that our carnal mind is still an enemy of Spiritual things, so we must renew our minds by God's Word and faith in Jesus' Name. Romans 8:7 (Amplified) says, "The mind of the flesh with its carnal thoughts and purposes, in hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot."
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Lesson 15 The Church's Identity Crisis
For too many years, the Church has only seen ourselves after the world's viewpoint, instead of what God's Word says about us. We've accepted and adopted the teachings that were handed down to us, which came from man's ideas and carnal thinking. Thankfully, the Truth about salvation and being born-again, have been preserved, but the full knowledge of who we became at the new birth, has been suppressed. We've cleaned up our lives and try our best to live pure lives for God, but we still don't know who God's made us to be on this earth.
Paul writes to the Church in Corinth in 2Corinthians 5:16-17 (Amplified), saying, "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. Therefore, if any person is ingrafted in Christ (the Messiah), he is a new creation (a new creature altogether), the old previous moral and Spiritual condition has passed away. Behold! the fresh and new has come."
We've been taught and have worked hard to be acceptable to God. We try being good enough for the Father to accept us in our weakened and mortal state of being. Our failures and weaknesses are magnified by others and by the memories we have of our lives prior to being born-again. The remembrance of our old lives and condemnation that brings, still lives larger in our minds than the Truth of what Jesus did for us on Calvary's cross. Others in the Church still point out who were once were, instead of who Jesus made us to be.
Too few of us have ever really seen ourselves after the Truth of being new creations in Christ. The new creation person isn't some repaired, worked over, repainted thing (like an old house), but is created a new creature. The First Adam didn't have a past life and didn't need repairs. He was a new creation that never existed before. When we were born-again in Christ Jesus, we didn't just get forgiven, but were created new beings that never before existed. God said that, "Your sins and iniquities I remember no more." He didn't forget our sins, but He complete removed them and sees us with no past lives. We're a completely different creature in His eyes.
We've mostly believed that these things will change when we get to Heaven. The Truth is that everything changed the moment you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You became a new creation child of the Most High God. The First Adam was a Super-natural being, made in God's Own Image and Likeness, from his first breath.
We've thought that the early Church and those who wrote The New Testament, were the only persons who walked in the Super-natural things of God. The Truth is that they were the ones Jesus trained in the Super-natural, in order to teach us what He taught them and to carry on His earthly ministry. Every teacher is trained to teach others how to continue in what Jesus taught and did.
Satan has done his best, in order to destroy God's children. God's Church has suffered death, prison, and torture for over two-thousand years. We've identified more with what the enemy has done to destroy us, instead of God's Plan to exalt us. We've lost sight of who we're supposed to be in God's eyes and have accepted the world's view of our identity. Paul's life was composed of teaching the Church our true identity in Christ. We've focused on Paul's struggles and suffering to teach us, instead of the Revelation he received directly from Jesus about who we are in Christ.
The Apostles from the early Church endured what they did, in order to spread the Truth of the Gospel and so we could walk in what they taught. Jesus spent 31/2 years training His followers to carry on His ministry, after His ascending to the Father. Every born-again believer is supposed to walk in these things. You might not be called to be an Apostle like Matthew, John and Mark were, but you're just as much a child of God as they were. Jesus taught the Apostle to teach others, so that the teaching of the Gospel would continue until Jesus returns for His Church. The same ministry that Jesus needed to teach His disciples, is still required today, in order to set the captives free. The same devil who held people with sickness and bondage in Jesus' time, is the same devil we deal with today. The Same Holy Spirit Who led Jesus, is the Same Holy Spirit we must rely on today, to fulfill the job done like Jesus instructed and commissioned us to do.
We were all taught math in school, but not all of us became math teachers. We all needed to learn math, so we could function in daily life. You might not be called into a part of the five-fold ministry as a teacher, but you're to be trained to set free all those who are bound around you. You should be as proficient at casting out devil that Paul, Peter and Jesus were. Just prior to His Ascension, Jesus spoke about the new creation family of God in Mark 16:17-18 (Amplified), saying, "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe; in My Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages. They will pick up serpents and even if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick and they will get well." This is what the disciples were to teach others, so that if the people believed their teachings, then they would carry on those teachings.
Believers are doing what we've been taught, but we apparently haven't been taught like the Apostles. We've been taught from denominational teachings and traditions. If our denomination doesn't believe the things Jesus commissioned, then we didn't learn them. We haven't been taught by the Word and the Holy Spirit, but by the ways of others.
If you're born-again, then YOU ARE A BELIEVER! Today's students are being taught a new math called Common Core math. The basics are the same, but the process is different. Many of us are older and don't understand this new math. We compute the same math problem and come up with the correct answer, but we get there in a totally different way. The early Church learned by Jesus' example and didn't need to rely on what others said.
Today's Church is supposed to walk by God's Word and the Holy Spirit. The Super-natural things of God are supposed to be normal to those who are born-again of a Super-natural God. This is who we really are in Him. It's not that these things are "passed away," but that we haven't been taught them.
Two plus two equals four, even if someone doesn't believe it. If someone doesn't believe what the early Church taught, then that doesn't make the teachings of the early Church any less Truth. We've listened to those who don't know who they were and taught us to doubt our identity as new creations in Christ Jesus.
Paul writes to the Church in Corinth in 2Corinthians 5:16-17 (Amplified), saying, "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. Therefore, if any person is ingrafted in Christ (the Messiah), he is a new creation (a new creature altogether), the old previous moral and Spiritual condition has passed away. Behold! the fresh and new has come."
We've been taught and have worked hard to be acceptable to God. We try being good enough for the Father to accept us in our weakened and mortal state of being. Our failures and weaknesses are magnified by others and by the memories we have of our lives prior to being born-again. The remembrance of our old lives and condemnation that brings, still lives larger in our minds than the Truth of what Jesus did for us on Calvary's cross. Others in the Church still point out who were once were, instead of who Jesus made us to be.
Too few of us have ever really seen ourselves after the Truth of being new creations in Christ. The new creation person isn't some repaired, worked over, repainted thing (like an old house), but is created a new creature. The First Adam didn't have a past life and didn't need repairs. He was a new creation that never existed before. When we were born-again in Christ Jesus, we didn't just get forgiven, but were created new beings that never before existed. God said that, "Your sins and iniquities I remember no more." He didn't forget our sins, but He complete removed them and sees us with no past lives. We're a completely different creature in His eyes.
We've mostly believed that these things will change when we get to Heaven. The Truth is that everything changed the moment you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You became a new creation child of the Most High God. The First Adam was a Super-natural being, made in God's Own Image and Likeness, from his first breath.
We've thought that the early Church and those who wrote The New Testament, were the only persons who walked in the Super-natural things of God. The Truth is that they were the ones Jesus trained in the Super-natural, in order to teach us what He taught them and to carry on His earthly ministry. Every teacher is trained to teach others how to continue in what Jesus taught and did.
Satan has done his best, in order to destroy God's children. God's Church has suffered death, prison, and torture for over two-thousand years. We've identified more with what the enemy has done to destroy us, instead of God's Plan to exalt us. We've lost sight of who we're supposed to be in God's eyes and have accepted the world's view of our identity. Paul's life was composed of teaching the Church our true identity in Christ. We've focused on Paul's struggles and suffering to teach us, instead of the Revelation he received directly from Jesus about who we are in Christ.
The Apostles from the early Church endured what they did, in order to spread the Truth of the Gospel and so we could walk in what they taught. Jesus spent 31/2 years training His followers to carry on His ministry, after His ascending to the Father. Every born-again believer is supposed to walk in these things. You might not be called to be an Apostle like Matthew, John and Mark were, but you're just as much a child of God as they were. Jesus taught the Apostle to teach others, so that the teaching of the Gospel would continue until Jesus returns for His Church. The same ministry that Jesus needed to teach His disciples, is still required today, in order to set the captives free. The same devil who held people with sickness and bondage in Jesus' time, is the same devil we deal with today. The Same Holy Spirit Who led Jesus, is the Same Holy Spirit we must rely on today, to fulfill the job done like Jesus instructed and commissioned us to do.
We were all taught math in school, but not all of us became math teachers. We all needed to learn math, so we could function in daily life. You might not be called into a part of the five-fold ministry as a teacher, but you're to be trained to set free all those who are bound around you. You should be as proficient at casting out devil that Paul, Peter and Jesus were. Just prior to His Ascension, Jesus spoke about the new creation family of God in Mark 16:17-18 (Amplified), saying, "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe; in My Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages. They will pick up serpents and even if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick and they will get well." This is what the disciples were to teach others, so that if the people believed their teachings, then they would carry on those teachings.
Believers are doing what we've been taught, but we apparently haven't been taught like the Apostles. We've been taught from denominational teachings and traditions. If our denomination doesn't believe the things Jesus commissioned, then we didn't learn them. We haven't been taught by the Word and the Holy Spirit, but by the ways of others.
If you're born-again, then YOU ARE A BELIEVER! Today's students are being taught a new math called Common Core math. The basics are the same, but the process is different. Many of us are older and don't understand this new math. We compute the same math problem and come up with the correct answer, but we get there in a totally different way. The early Church learned by Jesus' example and didn't need to rely on what others said.
Today's Church is supposed to walk by God's Word and the Holy Spirit. The Super-natural things of God are supposed to be normal to those who are born-again of a Super-natural God. This is who we really are in Him. It's not that these things are "passed away," but that we haven't been taught them.
Two plus two equals four, even if someone doesn't believe it. If someone doesn't believe what the early Church taught, then that doesn't make the teachings of the early Church any less Truth. We've listened to those who don't know who they were and taught us to doubt our identity as new creations in Christ Jesus.
Friday, May 15, 2020
Lesson 14 The Church's Identity Crisis
Many things the Father has brought to Light in the last several decades has been lost to the Church, because of tradition and deception. Many things have been misused, misunderstood and invalidated, because of tradition and deception. The message about the power of believer's words, has been misused and misunderstood in the Church, to where we think they're only a means of communication, instead of creativity. We can see the power of spoken Words, when we go to God's Word. God spoke the entire planet and universe into existence and they're still ruled by Words. Man's words have fashioned great outlines for our conduct, in such documents as the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Geneva Convention.
Words start wars, change nations, destroy or build and are still the most powerful force outside of the Holy Spirit, on this planet. In all of God's creation, only mankind has the ability to speak, because he is made in God's Image and Likeness. God's Word begins with the Words that create. We know that Jesus is the Word, according to John 1:1-5 (Amplified) which says, "In the beginning (before all time), was the Word, Christ, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He (the Word) was present originally with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him, and without Him, was not even one thing made that has come into being. In Him was Life and the Life was the Light of men."
The above scriptures tell us how very important words are and should be more than enough to give us understanding. Many have misused this Revelation, so we shouldn't simply accept another person's words as being the "end all," without going to God's Word for ourselves. We can miss the Truth of God's Word, when we accept popular opinion of the day. Different denominations believe different things, but we need Bible belief.
Some believe that it's "prideful" to say "We are the righteousness of God." It's not pride, but is Truth. Jesus didn't walk in pride, when He said that, "The Father and I are One." He was speaking Truth. I realize there's a place where we can go wrong on this, but the Holy Spirit will keep you and teach you all things. When you say, "I'm not righteous," then you're speaking against God's Word and the Truth. When you say, "God doesn't do these things any longer," you're closing yourself from the Truth of God's Word and causing it to not work in your life. Jesus taught us to "Believe and have faith in God."
Healing has not passed away today and neither has the speaking in tongues. Mark 11:22-23 (Amplified) says, "And Jesus said unto them, Have faith in God, constantly. Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him."
If you truly believe in your heart and continue saying that "Tongues aren't for today," then Jesus said in the above scripture that you will have what you believe and say. If you truly believe in your heart and continue saying that, "Healing isn't for today," then you will have what you say and believe. Our unbelief and confessions have stopped many of the things the Father has sent to us, from ever getting to us. Our words don't only work for the positive, but also in the negative.
Romans 10:9 tells us that, "If we believe in our heart and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, then we will be saved." Are you saved is you don't believe and confess Jesus as your Lord? we must believe and confess God's Word, in order to speak our salvation. We haven't had a faith problem, but an unbelief problem. You have faith if you've received Jesus as your Lord, because you must have faith to believe that. We've been saved by Grace, through faith, according to Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) which says, "For it is by free Grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved, delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation, through your faith. And this salvation is not of yourselves (of your own doing, it came not through your own striving), but it is the Gift of God."
John 3:16 (Amplified) tells us, "For God so Loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son so that whosoever would believe in Him, should not perish but have Ever Lasting Life." We know this is God's will for humanity, but what if you don't believe? Are you still saved? God sent Jesus to Calvary's Cross, so we should be saved, redeemed, healed, filled with the Holy Spirit, made Righteous and made sons and daughter of God and joint heirs with Christ. God's Word tells us this, but what if you don't believe and accept them? Is God's Word still True?
God has offered all this to His people, but it still must be received. We say, "If God wants me to have it, then He will do it." Does God want everyone to be saved? Why doesn't He then, just DO IT? You must believe and accept God's Promises by faith and speak out your salvation (speak the Truth in agreement with God). You can't speak directly opposition against God's Word and still receive and believe His Truth.
God speaks about believing and speaking in Proverbs 4:20-24 (Amplified) saying, "My Son, attend to My Word, consent and submit to My sayings Let them not depart from your sight, keep them in the center of your heart. For they are Life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh. Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of Life. Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you."
What is false and dishonest and willful and contrary talk? Whatever is contrary to what God has said!. If God says that, "The Word (Jesus) is healing and health to all your flesh," then is this True? Of course it is. We must line our words up with God's Word and have faith in what He says, so He can bring it to pass in our lives. Speaking contrary to the Truth of God's Word, will bind God from bringing it to pass in your life. Do you believe that what you say will come to pass? Jesus says we musts change the words we speak, which are contrary to God's Truth. We must line up our words, with His Words, accepting and believing His Truth. Jesus said in John 6:63 (Amplified), "It is the Spirit Who gives Life (He is the Life Giver); the flesh conveys no benefit whatever (there is no profit in it). The Words (Truths) that I have been speaking to you are Spirit and Life."
This isn't teaching the "Name it and claim it" teaching. This is Biblical Truth from God's Own Word, that is enforced by the Holy Spirit. The concept of "Name it and claim it,' came from people who were ruled by the flesh and who refused to believe what God has said. They've limited the Holy One of Israel, like those in the Wilderness did in Numbers 14:1-35. God led them out from under Egypt's bondage, as a cloud by day and fire by night. God provided food and water for them, when there wasn't any. They though, wouldn't enter into God's Rest and His Promised Land, because they were unwilling to adhere to, trust in and rely on God. Unbelief had shut them out and they died in the Wilderness.
Words start wars, change nations, destroy or build and are still the most powerful force outside of the Holy Spirit, on this planet. In all of God's creation, only mankind has the ability to speak, because he is made in God's Image and Likeness. God's Word begins with the Words that create. We know that Jesus is the Word, according to John 1:1-5 (Amplified) which says, "In the beginning (before all time), was the Word, Christ, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He (the Word) was present originally with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him, and without Him, was not even one thing made that has come into being. In Him was Life and the Life was the Light of men."
The above scriptures tell us how very important words are and should be more than enough to give us understanding. Many have misused this Revelation, so we shouldn't simply accept another person's words as being the "end all," without going to God's Word for ourselves. We can miss the Truth of God's Word, when we accept popular opinion of the day. Different denominations believe different things, but we need Bible belief.
Some believe that it's "prideful" to say "We are the righteousness of God." It's not pride, but is Truth. Jesus didn't walk in pride, when He said that, "The Father and I are One." He was speaking Truth. I realize there's a place where we can go wrong on this, but the Holy Spirit will keep you and teach you all things. When you say, "I'm not righteous," then you're speaking against God's Word and the Truth. When you say, "God doesn't do these things any longer," you're closing yourself from the Truth of God's Word and causing it to not work in your life. Jesus taught us to "Believe and have faith in God."
Healing has not passed away today and neither has the speaking in tongues. Mark 11:22-23 (Amplified) says, "And Jesus said unto them, Have faith in God, constantly. Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him."
If you truly believe in your heart and continue saying that "Tongues aren't for today," then Jesus said in the above scripture that you will have what you believe and say. If you truly believe in your heart and continue saying that, "Healing isn't for today," then you will have what you say and believe. Our unbelief and confessions have stopped many of the things the Father has sent to us, from ever getting to us. Our words don't only work for the positive, but also in the negative.
Romans 10:9 tells us that, "If we believe in our heart and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, then we will be saved." Are you saved is you don't believe and confess Jesus as your Lord? we must believe and confess God's Word, in order to speak our salvation. We haven't had a faith problem, but an unbelief problem. You have faith if you've received Jesus as your Lord, because you must have faith to believe that. We've been saved by Grace, through faith, according to Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) which says, "For it is by free Grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved, delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation, through your faith. And this salvation is not of yourselves (of your own doing, it came not through your own striving), but it is the Gift of God."
John 3:16 (Amplified) tells us, "For God so Loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son so that whosoever would believe in Him, should not perish but have Ever Lasting Life." We know this is God's will for humanity, but what if you don't believe? Are you still saved? God sent Jesus to Calvary's Cross, so we should be saved, redeemed, healed, filled with the Holy Spirit, made Righteous and made sons and daughter of God and joint heirs with Christ. God's Word tells us this, but what if you don't believe and accept them? Is God's Word still True?
God has offered all this to His people, but it still must be received. We say, "If God wants me to have it, then He will do it." Does God want everyone to be saved? Why doesn't He then, just DO IT? You must believe and accept God's Promises by faith and speak out your salvation (speak the Truth in agreement with God). You can't speak directly opposition against God's Word and still receive and believe His Truth.
God speaks about believing and speaking in Proverbs 4:20-24 (Amplified) saying, "My Son, attend to My Word, consent and submit to My sayings Let them not depart from your sight, keep them in the center of your heart. For they are Life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh. Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of Life. Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you."
What is false and dishonest and willful and contrary talk? Whatever is contrary to what God has said!. If God says that, "The Word (Jesus) is healing and health to all your flesh," then is this True? Of course it is. We must line our words up with God's Word and have faith in what He says, so He can bring it to pass in our lives. Speaking contrary to the Truth of God's Word, will bind God from bringing it to pass in your life. Do you believe that what you say will come to pass? Jesus says we musts change the words we speak, which are contrary to God's Truth. We must line up our words, with His Words, accepting and believing His Truth. Jesus said in John 6:63 (Amplified), "It is the Spirit Who gives Life (He is the Life Giver); the flesh conveys no benefit whatever (there is no profit in it). The Words (Truths) that I have been speaking to you are Spirit and Life."
This isn't teaching the "Name it and claim it" teaching. This is Biblical Truth from God's Own Word, that is enforced by the Holy Spirit. The concept of "Name it and claim it,' came from people who were ruled by the flesh and who refused to believe what God has said. They've limited the Holy One of Israel, like those in the Wilderness did in Numbers 14:1-35. God led them out from under Egypt's bondage, as a cloud by day and fire by night. God provided food and water for them, when there wasn't any. They though, wouldn't enter into God's Rest and His Promised Land, because they were unwilling to adhere to, trust in and rely on God. Unbelief had shut them out and they died in the Wilderness.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Lesson 13 The Church's Identity Crisis
The enemy has used the same attack on God's people, from the First Adam to the Last Adam, Jesus. In the Garden of Eden, satan said, "If you are" and he continues causing God's people to question their and who the Father says we are today. The enemy suggested that God was holding out on Adam and Eve, so that Eve wasn't fulfilled in her identity. In Genesis 3:5 (Amplified), satan told Eve , "For God knows that in the day you eat of [the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and evil] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and Blessing and calamity."
Adam and Eve were already in God's Image and Likeness, according to Genesis 1:26-27,28 (Amplified) which says, "God said, Let Us (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), make mankind in Our Image (after Our Likeness), and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, and over all the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth." Adam and Eve already had God's Blessing upon them according to Verse 28, which says, "And God Blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful (multiply, and fill the earth), and subdue it, using all its vast resources in the service of God and man, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth."
Adam and Eve were both already made like God and were Blessed by Him, so what could they gain by believing satan's lie and eating from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil? They already knew the good and Blessing, so their only "gain" could be their knowing evil and calamity. Satan tried using the same tactics on Jesus in Luke 4:6 (Amplified), which tells us, "And [satan] said to [Jesus], To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory (all their magnificence, excellence preeminence, dignity, and grace), for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will." Jesus knew that Adam turned the authority and dominion God gave to him, over to satan. Jesus knew Who He was in the Father, knew that He already had everything satan had offered to Him and knew His True Identity.
If today's believers know who we are now in Christ Jesus, then we shouldn't be tempted to question our identity, just like Jesus didn't question His Identity. Adam delivered everything God had given him, over to the enemy. Jesus was without sin, so He wasn't subject to the Law of Sin and Death. Jesus had absolutely nothing to gain from satan's temptation. All things were still under the Blessing to Him, according to Hebrews 1:2 (Amplified) which says, "But in the Last of these days, He has spoken unto us in the Person of a Son Whom He appointed Heir and Lawful Owner of all things, also by Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time, He made (produced, built, operated) and arranged them in order."
Jesus held onto His true Identity and didn't give into satan's temptation, because He understood Who He really was. Jesus didn't fall into the same test that Adam and Eve gave into, but He retained "All power and authority over all creation," including over satan. The new creation family of God has been made joint heirs with Jesus and everything Adam lost in both Heaven and earth, has been restored to us. We've never truly understood the Full impact of what Jesus has done for us. We don't know our true identity in Christ, causing us to yield to the same thing Eve fell under when satan told her, "You will be like God and know the difference between good and evil and Blessing and calamity, if you eat the fruit." I've had all the calamity and evil that I want to know and I'm ready to know the good and Blessing, through Jesus!
When we truly understand our identity as the new creation children of God, we can forgo the Curse, the calamity, the evil and everything that resulted from Adam's fall. We can partake of the good and Blessing that God intended and has now restored to His children through Jesus. It doesn't do any good to have authority over all these things in Heaven, because there's nothing there to take authority over. There is no calamity, evil, Curse or satan to take authority over, in God's Presence. We're to take authority over these things here on earth.
In Hebrews 2:13-14 (Amplified) Paul writes about Jesus not being ashamed to call us brothers and sisters saying, "And He again says, My trust and assured reliance and confident hope shall be fixed in Him. And yet again, Here I Am, I and the children whom God has given Me. Since therefore, these His children share in flesh and blood (in the physical nature of human beings), He Himself in a similar manner partook of the same nature, that by going through death He might bring to naught and make no effect him who had the power of death, that is the devil." Jesus was a Man, filled with the Holy Spirit. He was without sin and overcame satan at every turn. Jesus gave the new creation people that power to overcome through His Resurrection and restored God's children back into the place before Adam's fall. He has opened up the way back into God's Presence again. Jesus has given the new creation the full authority and dominion by His Name and Blood.
Satan had clouded the minds of God's children, so we don't know our true identity in Christ Jesus. There's an old saying that says, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Why should satan change his strategy, when it's worked so well? If God's new creation people could see ourselves as children of the Most High God, in Jesus, then we could break the darkness around us.
We've remained outside God's Throne of Grace, standing in the outer courts and performing works to curry God's favor, because we've continued seeing ourselves as old sinners and like the old covenant saints. We don't belong in the outer court, but remain there, because we focus on our past lives and sins. We live under satan's condemnation, because we don't see ourselves through the Father's eyes. God sees us as pure, holy, justified, Righteous, and accepted. He see us as His Own children, without a past life.
If we are new creations, then we don't have a past, but we are in Jesus and made new. We are like newborn babies, who have no past lives. The sin we were born because of Adam's fall, is no longer there, because we were born of God, in Christ. The new creation children of God are born without sin altogether and are created in God's Own Image and Likeness again. Many believe that it's "prideful" to confess who we've been created to be, in Jesus. They say, "How dare we declare that we are righteous and without sin." We're cleansed daily from the world and sin, by the Power of Jesus' Blood. Not just once, but forever. Does this mean that we never make mistakes or mess up? No, of course not, but the Blood of Jesus isn't like the blood of animals under the old covenant. The blood of goats and bulls could only cover sin, but the Blood of Jesus has eradicated and totally removed the stain of sin from us. Satan can only condemn us and make us feel guilty, by bringing up the past sins of our lives. We must know our true identity in Jesus and renew our minds with God's Word, in order to hold fast to our new identity and not give into satan's lies.
2Corinthians 3:18 (Amplified) says, "And all of us, as with unveiled face, because we continue to behold in the Word of God as in a mirror the Glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His Very Own Image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of Glory to another; for this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit." Paul is writing to the Church in Corinth in 1Corinthians 6:9-11 (Amplified) saying, "Do you not know that the unrighteous and wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled), neither the impure and immoral, nor idolators, nor adulterers, no those who participate in homosexuality, not cheats, swindlers and thieves, no greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foul-mouthed revilers, slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the Kingdom of God. And such some of you were once, But you were washed clean, purified by a Complete Atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin, and you were consecrated, set apart hallowed, and you were justified, pronounced Righteous, BY TRUSTING IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST and in the HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD."
Paul is writing about our identities before being born-again in Christ Jesus and the identity we now have in Christ. We all were sinners once. The people under the Law had their sins covered by the blood of animals, which allowed the Father to Bless them to a degree, but they were still stained by the sin and death that came through the First Adam's fall. Jesus Christ shed His sinless Blood, so that our sins weren't just covered. Jesus' Sacrifice meant that our sins were completely removed and no stain of sin remained. We are to see ourselves in the mirror of God's sight and see ourselves as being cleaned by the Blood of Jesus Christ.
It can be difficult to forget who we once were and to see ourselves the way God' sees us. The unrenewed minds think it's arrogant and haughty to call ourselves righteous. We're not righteous in ourselves, but in His Righteousness. Jesus knew Who He was and never allowed the enemy to deceive Him. Many around Jesus, believed Him to be "arrogant," because He told them, "I am the Son of God" and "The Father and I are Once." Jesus wasn't being prideful. He was speaking Truth.
It's not prideful to see yourself as the Father sees you. It's Truth. When we deny our identity in Jesus, we're not speaking Truth. We're being deceived by the same lie satan used against Adam and Eve. We're either who the Father has created us to be in Jesus, or we need to get saved for real, because we didn't believe it when we got saved. You are a new creation altogether in Christ Jesus.
Adam and Eve were already in God's Image and Likeness, according to Genesis 1:26-27,28 (Amplified) which says, "God said, Let Us (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), make mankind in Our Image (after Our Likeness), and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, and over all the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth." Adam and Eve already had God's Blessing upon them according to Verse 28, which says, "And God Blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful (multiply, and fill the earth), and subdue it, using all its vast resources in the service of God and man, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth."
Adam and Eve were both already made like God and were Blessed by Him, so what could they gain by believing satan's lie and eating from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil? They already knew the good and Blessing, so their only "gain" could be their knowing evil and calamity. Satan tried using the same tactics on Jesus in Luke 4:6 (Amplified), which tells us, "And [satan] said to [Jesus], To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory (all their magnificence, excellence preeminence, dignity, and grace), for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will." Jesus knew that Adam turned the authority and dominion God gave to him, over to satan. Jesus knew Who He was in the Father, knew that He already had everything satan had offered to Him and knew His True Identity.
If today's believers know who we are now in Christ Jesus, then we shouldn't be tempted to question our identity, just like Jesus didn't question His Identity. Adam delivered everything God had given him, over to the enemy. Jesus was without sin, so He wasn't subject to the Law of Sin and Death. Jesus had absolutely nothing to gain from satan's temptation. All things were still under the Blessing to Him, according to Hebrews 1:2 (Amplified) which says, "But in the Last of these days, He has spoken unto us in the Person of a Son Whom He appointed Heir and Lawful Owner of all things, also by Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time, He made (produced, built, operated) and arranged them in order."
Jesus held onto His true Identity and didn't give into satan's temptation, because He understood Who He really was. Jesus didn't fall into the same test that Adam and Eve gave into, but He retained "All power and authority over all creation," including over satan. The new creation family of God has been made joint heirs with Jesus and everything Adam lost in both Heaven and earth, has been restored to us. We've never truly understood the Full impact of what Jesus has done for us. We don't know our true identity in Christ, causing us to yield to the same thing Eve fell under when satan told her, "You will be like God and know the difference between good and evil and Blessing and calamity, if you eat the fruit." I've had all the calamity and evil that I want to know and I'm ready to know the good and Blessing, through Jesus!
When we truly understand our identity as the new creation children of God, we can forgo the Curse, the calamity, the evil and everything that resulted from Adam's fall. We can partake of the good and Blessing that God intended and has now restored to His children through Jesus. It doesn't do any good to have authority over all these things in Heaven, because there's nothing there to take authority over. There is no calamity, evil, Curse or satan to take authority over, in God's Presence. We're to take authority over these things here on earth.
In Hebrews 2:13-14 (Amplified) Paul writes about Jesus not being ashamed to call us brothers and sisters saying, "And He again says, My trust and assured reliance and confident hope shall be fixed in Him. And yet again, Here I Am, I and the children whom God has given Me. Since therefore, these His children share in flesh and blood (in the physical nature of human beings), He Himself in a similar manner partook of the same nature, that by going through death He might bring to naught and make no effect him who had the power of death, that is the devil." Jesus was a Man, filled with the Holy Spirit. He was without sin and overcame satan at every turn. Jesus gave the new creation people that power to overcome through His Resurrection and restored God's children back into the place before Adam's fall. He has opened up the way back into God's Presence again. Jesus has given the new creation the full authority and dominion by His Name and Blood.
Satan had clouded the minds of God's children, so we don't know our true identity in Christ Jesus. There's an old saying that says, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Why should satan change his strategy, when it's worked so well? If God's new creation people could see ourselves as children of the Most High God, in Jesus, then we could break the darkness around us.
We've remained outside God's Throne of Grace, standing in the outer courts and performing works to curry God's favor, because we've continued seeing ourselves as old sinners and like the old covenant saints. We don't belong in the outer court, but remain there, because we focus on our past lives and sins. We live under satan's condemnation, because we don't see ourselves through the Father's eyes. God sees us as pure, holy, justified, Righteous, and accepted. He see us as His Own children, without a past life.
If we are new creations, then we don't have a past, but we are in Jesus and made new. We are like newborn babies, who have no past lives. The sin we were born because of Adam's fall, is no longer there, because we were born of God, in Christ. The new creation children of God are born without sin altogether and are created in God's Own Image and Likeness again. Many believe that it's "prideful" to confess who we've been created to be, in Jesus. They say, "How dare we declare that we are righteous and without sin." We're cleansed daily from the world and sin, by the Power of Jesus' Blood. Not just once, but forever. Does this mean that we never make mistakes or mess up? No, of course not, but the Blood of Jesus isn't like the blood of animals under the old covenant. The blood of goats and bulls could only cover sin, but the Blood of Jesus has eradicated and totally removed the stain of sin from us. Satan can only condemn us and make us feel guilty, by bringing up the past sins of our lives. We must know our true identity in Jesus and renew our minds with God's Word, in order to hold fast to our new identity and not give into satan's lies.
2Corinthians 3:18 (Amplified) says, "And all of us, as with unveiled face, because we continue to behold in the Word of God as in a mirror the Glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His Very Own Image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of Glory to another; for this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit." Paul is writing to the Church in Corinth in 1Corinthians 6:9-11 (Amplified) saying, "Do you not know that the unrighteous and wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled), neither the impure and immoral, nor idolators, nor adulterers, no those who participate in homosexuality, not cheats, swindlers and thieves, no greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foul-mouthed revilers, slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the Kingdom of God. And such some of you were once, But you were washed clean, purified by a Complete Atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin, and you were consecrated, set apart hallowed, and you were justified, pronounced Righteous, BY TRUSTING IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST and in the HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD."
Paul is writing about our identities before being born-again in Christ Jesus and the identity we now have in Christ. We all were sinners once. The people under the Law had their sins covered by the blood of animals, which allowed the Father to Bless them to a degree, but they were still stained by the sin and death that came through the First Adam's fall. Jesus Christ shed His sinless Blood, so that our sins weren't just covered. Jesus' Sacrifice meant that our sins were completely removed and no stain of sin remained. We are to see ourselves in the mirror of God's sight and see ourselves as being cleaned by the Blood of Jesus Christ.
It can be difficult to forget who we once were and to see ourselves the way God' sees us. The unrenewed minds think it's arrogant and haughty to call ourselves righteous. We're not righteous in ourselves, but in His Righteousness. Jesus knew Who He was and never allowed the enemy to deceive Him. Many around Jesus, believed Him to be "arrogant," because He told them, "I am the Son of God" and "The Father and I are Once." Jesus wasn't being prideful. He was speaking Truth.
It's not prideful to see yourself as the Father sees you. It's Truth. When we deny our identity in Jesus, we're not speaking Truth. We're being deceived by the same lie satan used against Adam and Eve. We're either who the Father has created us to be in Jesus, or we need to get saved for real, because we didn't believe it when we got saved. You are a new creation altogether in Christ Jesus.
Monday, May 11, 2020
Lesson 12 The Church's Identity Crisis
Believers must by faith, accept what God's Word says about us, in order to know who we've become in Christ Jesus. We've become new creations by God's Grace. The Father's Grace has birthed us into the new creation, by His Word. There has never before been a people, like the Church. God created everything on the earth and in the earth, giving dominion and authority over them to the First Adam and God didn't create again, until sending Jesus into the earth. By His Grace and His Great Love, God created again new creation people, who are just as new as Light was in the beginning. God created the new creation people, just like He created the Heavens and earth in the beginning. We are the new creation family of God and are a product of His Love and His Grace.
Paul explains where mankind was after Adam's transgression and before the new creation was brought forth by our Heavenly Father. Thus, he writes in Ephesians 2:12 (Amplified), "Remember, that you were at that time separated, living apart from Christ, excluded from all part of Him, utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the Messianic Promise with no knowledge of or right in God's agreements (His covenants), And you had no hope (no Promise), you were in the world without God."
Because the Church doesn't know who we really are, we have accepted the age-old attitude, saying, "You never know what God will do" and "It may not be God's will." The Church has split into many different camps, where some believe "we are all covered no matter what we do, because of God's Grace." Another camp believes that faith means we can "make things happen on our own." The simple Truth is that faith will not produce anything, that Grace has not already provided.
The Father gave me several things to minister, concerning His children. He told me, "My Grace has provided much more than their faith has ever obtained." I entitled the Message, "The Unclaimed Riches of Grace." Faith doesn't "make" God do anything. Faith only allows God to do what He has already made available, by His Grace. God has already provided everything we'll ever need, by the Sacrifice and Resurrection of Jesus. We don't need to rely on sacrifices, rituals, tradition or works, but only have faith in Jesus' Sacrifice.
We must simply accept in faith, what Jesus' Sacrifice has already provided by Grace or God's unmerited favor. This means that we don't need to ask the Father for so many things, because He's already provided them. We've done nothing to earn God's Grace and we don't need to follow the Law, to obtain them. We must only believe.
We've used man's Wisdom and the world system, creating our own set of laws to follow, in order to obtain and receive from the Father. We've created many reasons for why things don't work the way we thought they should. We make excuses saying, "According to His will," when God's will was made perfectly clear in the Life and ministry of Jesus. If Jesus did it, then it was God's will. If Jesus didn't do it, then it wasn't God's will. Jesus said, "When you see Me, you see My Father. It's not Me but the Father in Me, Who does the work." How much more clearly can the Father's will be, than that?
If Jesus was healing the sick, then it was the Father in Him Who did the work. That means that healing is the will of God. If Jesus taught the Blessing, instead of the Curse, then it was the Father in Jesus Who was preaching the Blessing. If Jesus provided bread and fish for those who were without, then it was the Father providing for the people's needs, through Jesus. We think that God deals with the new covenant people, like He did the old covenant people. When we don't know the difference between the Law and Grace, we don't receive what God intended for us, in the new creation covenant.
Matthew 5:17 tells us that, "Jesus fulfilled the Law." This means that those who are in Christ Jesus, have fulfilled the Law too. Grace provided a way to fulfill the Law, that only Jesus could do. When we have faith in Jesus' doing what we could never do, then we've been redeemed from the Curse of the Law, by fulfilling it. Those who are under the new covenant in the Blood of Jesus, have only two Laws to keep. They are, "Love the Lord" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." By Grace, the Father has shed His Love in our hearts and the Holy Spirit fulfills this and demonstrates the Father's Love to the world.
Grace doesn't give as license to live any way we wish. Grace has provided the covering while we grow in Christ. We still make mistakes when we first come to Christ, because we lived our entire lives in the carnal realm before knowing Him. We still have the habits that need changing. Grace covers our entire former lives and faith in this Grace, gives us confidence to hold onto the Father's Righteousness, while we learn how to walk in His Kingdom. If we were to live in our righteousness, then we are always wrong.
We read about Grace through faith, in John 1:16-17 (Amplified), which 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."
When you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you received the entire package of Grace and Blessing. It's His Righteousness, His Grace, His justification and His sanctification. The Blessing of Abraham came upon us through Jesus, the Seed. Through Jesus' stripes, we received healing. Jesus became the Curse for us, so that we could receive the Blessing. His Blood paid for our sins and iniquities. Through His Resurrection from death, we were made new creations and became heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus. We became sons and daughters of the Household of the family of faith and are "Called by His Name."
The only thing believers must do to receive these things, is put faith in the Finished Work of Christ Jesus. Pride keeps us from accepting the Free Gift of Righteousness, so we continue trying to earn it by our works. We know that we don't deserve all the things that Jesus gave us. Our natural pride makes us try to earn it, before we can accept it. The harder we try though, the more we miss it, because we're putting more faith in our own ability, instead of His ability. It's hard to accept the Truth of what He has done for us. We still don't understand that our sins have been removed and still deal with the condemnation and guilt of our old man/woman who died with Jesus and was raised a new creation.
There was nothing left undone, in the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Not one thing was left to point to, for anyone who receives Jesus has our Substitute and puts faith in His Sacrifice. The only thing holding us back from entering the Father's Presence, is our own natural mind of guilt. Paul instructed us to "renew our minds with God's Word and His Spirit." Paul said we're to learn to see and speak and think, like new creation people and not be continually looking at our past.
Paul tells us to see ourselves "In the Light of Jesus," in 2Corinthians 3:17-18 (Amplified), saying, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, There is Liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). And all of us, as with unveiled faces, because we continue to behold in the Word of God as in a mirror, the Glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His Very Own Image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of Glory to another, for this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit."
We change into His Image, by faith in His Grace!
Paul explains where mankind was after Adam's transgression and before the new creation was brought forth by our Heavenly Father. Thus, he writes in Ephesians 2:12 (Amplified), "Remember, that you were at that time separated, living apart from Christ, excluded from all part of Him, utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the Messianic Promise with no knowledge of or right in God's agreements (His covenants), And you had no hope (no Promise), you were in the world without God."
Because the Church doesn't know who we really are, we have accepted the age-old attitude, saying, "You never know what God will do" and "It may not be God's will." The Church has split into many different camps, where some believe "we are all covered no matter what we do, because of God's Grace." Another camp believes that faith means we can "make things happen on our own." The simple Truth is that faith will not produce anything, that Grace has not already provided.
The Father gave me several things to minister, concerning His children. He told me, "My Grace has provided much more than their faith has ever obtained." I entitled the Message, "The Unclaimed Riches of Grace." Faith doesn't "make" God do anything. Faith only allows God to do what He has already made available, by His Grace. God has already provided everything we'll ever need, by the Sacrifice and Resurrection of Jesus. We don't need to rely on sacrifices, rituals, tradition or works, but only have faith in Jesus' Sacrifice.
We must simply accept in faith, what Jesus' Sacrifice has already provided by Grace or God's unmerited favor. This means that we don't need to ask the Father for so many things, because He's already provided them. We've done nothing to earn God's Grace and we don't need to follow the Law, to obtain them. We must only believe.
We've used man's Wisdom and the world system, creating our own set of laws to follow, in order to obtain and receive from the Father. We've created many reasons for why things don't work the way we thought they should. We make excuses saying, "According to His will," when God's will was made perfectly clear in the Life and ministry of Jesus. If Jesus did it, then it was God's will. If Jesus didn't do it, then it wasn't God's will. Jesus said, "When you see Me, you see My Father. It's not Me but the Father in Me, Who does the work." How much more clearly can the Father's will be, than that?
If Jesus was healing the sick, then it was the Father in Him Who did the work. That means that healing is the will of God. If Jesus taught the Blessing, instead of the Curse, then it was the Father in Jesus Who was preaching the Blessing. If Jesus provided bread and fish for those who were without, then it was the Father providing for the people's needs, through Jesus. We think that God deals with the new covenant people, like He did the old covenant people. When we don't know the difference between the Law and Grace, we don't receive what God intended for us, in the new creation covenant.
Matthew 5:17 tells us that, "Jesus fulfilled the Law." This means that those who are in Christ Jesus, have fulfilled the Law too. Grace provided a way to fulfill the Law, that only Jesus could do. When we have faith in Jesus' doing what we could never do, then we've been redeemed from the Curse of the Law, by fulfilling it. Those who are under the new covenant in the Blood of Jesus, have only two Laws to keep. They are, "Love the Lord" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." By Grace, the Father has shed His Love in our hearts and the Holy Spirit fulfills this and demonstrates the Father's Love to the world.
Grace doesn't give as license to live any way we wish. Grace has provided the covering while we grow in Christ. We still make mistakes when we first come to Christ, because we lived our entire lives in the carnal realm before knowing Him. We still have the habits that need changing. Grace covers our entire former lives and faith in this Grace, gives us confidence to hold onto the Father's Righteousness, while we learn how to walk in His Kingdom. If we were to live in our righteousness, then we are always wrong.
We read about Grace through faith, in John 1:16-17 (Amplified), which 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."
When you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you received the entire package of Grace and Blessing. It's His Righteousness, His Grace, His justification and His sanctification. The Blessing of Abraham came upon us through Jesus, the Seed. Through Jesus' stripes, we received healing. Jesus became the Curse for us, so that we could receive the Blessing. His Blood paid for our sins and iniquities. Through His Resurrection from death, we were made new creations and became heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus. We became sons and daughters of the Household of the family of faith and are "Called by His Name."
The only thing believers must do to receive these things, is put faith in the Finished Work of Christ Jesus. Pride keeps us from accepting the Free Gift of Righteousness, so we continue trying to earn it by our works. We know that we don't deserve all the things that Jesus gave us. Our natural pride makes us try to earn it, before we can accept it. The harder we try though, the more we miss it, because we're putting more faith in our own ability, instead of His ability. It's hard to accept the Truth of what He has done for us. We still don't understand that our sins have been removed and still deal with the condemnation and guilt of our old man/woman who died with Jesus and was raised a new creation.
There was nothing left undone, in the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Not one thing was left to point to, for anyone who receives Jesus has our Substitute and puts faith in His Sacrifice. The only thing holding us back from entering the Father's Presence, is our own natural mind of guilt. Paul instructed us to "renew our minds with God's Word and His Spirit." Paul said we're to learn to see and speak and think, like new creation people and not be continually looking at our past.
Paul tells us to see ourselves "In the Light of Jesus," in 2Corinthians 3:17-18 (Amplified), saying, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, There is Liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). And all of us, as with unveiled faces, because we continue to behold in the Word of God as in a mirror, the Glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His Very Own Image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of Glory to another, for this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit."
We change into His Image, by faith in His Grace!
Friday, May 8, 2020
Lesson 11 The Church's Identity Crisis
The Body of Christ has lost our Heavenly identity, because of the carnal teachings of the world. We've been taught to think of ourselves as "just old sinners saved by Grace." This is True, but we didn't remain old sinners, after being saved. 2Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is ingrafted in Christ (the Messiah), HE IS A NEW CREATION (A NEW CREATURE ALTOGETHER); the old previous moral and Spiritual condition has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come."
Paul also writes to the Church in 1Corinthians 3:1-2 (Amplified), saying, "However, brethren, I could not talk to you as to Spiritual men, but as to nonspiritual (men of the flesh), in whom the carnal nature predominates, as to mere infants in the new life in Christ unable to talk yet. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough to be ready for it, but even yet you are not strong enough to be ready for it." Paul wrote this two-thousand years ago and here we are today, two-thousand years later, living as mere infants and nonspiritual men/women.
We've allowed the enemy and the world to talk us out of our new creation identity. We've remained as mere infants, like the Church in Corinth and are waiting to become new creatures in Christ Jesus after we get to Heaven, instead of walking as new creation people here and now. Paul writes in 1Corinthians 4:15-16 (Amplified), "After all, though you should have ten-thousand teachers, guides to direct you in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers. For I have become your father in Christ Jesus through the glad tidings (the Gospel). So I urge you and implore you to be imitators of me."
There are many teachers and guides to direct us in Christ, but if their directions don't match the Revelation Jesus gave Paul, then we should follow what Paul said and imitate him. We believe that in the year 2020, we're smarter than previous generations and discard Paul's writings, even though Paul received this Revelation by the Lord Himself. After all, we're more educated than those "primitive people."
The Super-natural things of God are scoffed at by many today. The casting out of devils is "foolish." We have Wisdom, but no understanding. We've looked upon God's Word with only the natural eyes of men and have understood it by the same carnal minds that we had before being saved. Jesus said in John 6:63 (Amplified), "It is the Spirit Who gives Life (He is the Life-Giver), the flesh conveys no benefit whatever, there is no profit in it. The Words (Truths), that I have been speaking to you are Spirit and Life."
You can't receive the Revelation of Spiritual Truths from God's Word by the carnal mind. They must be Spiritually discerned. We can read the Words and distinguish what they're saying, but still not understand what they're saying to us, by the Spirit. Jesus was the Greatest Teacher the world has ever seen and He tells us in Mark 4:22-23 (Amplified), "Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to Revelation. For there is nothing hidden except to be revealed, nor is anything temporarily kept secret except in order that it may be made known. If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend."
Many only hear with the physical ears on the side of their heads, while others hear with the ears of the Spirit and are able to perceive, understand and comprehend the Spiritual Wisdom of Jesus' Words that are Spirit and Life. It's not that we don't have Wisdom, because God's Word is Wisdom. 1Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) says, "But it is from Him, God, that you have your Life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, revealed to us a knowledge of the Divine Plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as our Righteousness, thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God, and our Consecration, making us pure and holy, and our Redemption, providing our Ransom from Eternal penalty from sin."
God has provided His Wisdom for and to us by Jesus Himself, Who is the Word of God. Jesus is our Wisdom. Paul asked the Church in Corinth, "How be it brethren, I could not talk to you as to Spiritual men, but as to nonspiritual, men of the flesh in whom the carnal nature predominates, as to mere infants in the new Life in Christ, unable to talk yet."
Paul was writing to born-again people, who were Christians by the new creation Power of God. But, Paul needed to hold back Revelation knowledge from them, because they didn't have Spiritual understanding, but only had a head knowledge of the Truth. This is sadly prevalent in today's Church. We can only converse with them with the milk of the Word, because they don't understand the Spirit and Life in their spirit, but only understand with their carnal minds.
Many of the Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Importations are lost to the Church, because of carnal preaching and teaching. The Super-natural Importations of the Holy Spirit are what sets us apart from the world, natural men and religion. Prior to Jesus, no other religion manifested demonstrations from their gods. Only Jesus could portray His God and Father, before the eyes of man. Many preachers from other religions brought their gods before mankind, but all of them failed to show any different life. Only the demonstration of the Holy Spirit could and can bring mankind into a new creation being.
Rituals and traditions have no power to change or restore, but Jesus Christ and His being Risen from the dead does! When Jesus departed this earth as a new creation Being, He sent the same Holy Spirit Who demonstrated our God in His Life, so that we can demonstrate Him in our lives. Like Jesus, we are to demonstrate the Holy Spirit to a dying world, as the Proof of our Risen Savior. Satan has talked us out of much of the Super-natural demonstrations of the Holy Spirit. The world sees us as just another religion, because we're without Proof that the God we serve is different than the gods of the world.
We've listened to the voices of those who are carnally minded and have accepted satan's lies that, "God no longer does these things" and "These Gifts were only for the early Church and are not for us today." These teachings have kept us carnally minded and without the demonstration of our God and Father's Power.
The Lord is raising up a people in this Year of Understanding, who will come to Him with open hearts, seeking understanding that will usher in Jesus' Return. Many will be people we've never heard of before, but are those the Father has anointed and who've accepted the Revelation of who He's made us to be through Jesus Christ. This new creation people will show forth mighty exploits and demonstrations of the Almighty God Who. The world will see that there are no limits to His ability, because these people will dare to believe Him and will accept who they really are in Christ Jesus. They will walk in the identity of the new creation family of the Most High God, as His ambassadors.
Paul also writes to the Church in 1Corinthians 3:1-2 (Amplified), saying, "However, brethren, I could not talk to you as to Spiritual men, but as to nonspiritual (men of the flesh), in whom the carnal nature predominates, as to mere infants in the new life in Christ unable to talk yet. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough to be ready for it, but even yet you are not strong enough to be ready for it." Paul wrote this two-thousand years ago and here we are today, two-thousand years later, living as mere infants and nonspiritual men/women.
We've allowed the enemy and the world to talk us out of our new creation identity. We've remained as mere infants, like the Church in Corinth and are waiting to become new creatures in Christ Jesus after we get to Heaven, instead of walking as new creation people here and now. Paul writes in 1Corinthians 4:15-16 (Amplified), "After all, though you should have ten-thousand teachers, guides to direct you in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers. For I have become your father in Christ Jesus through the glad tidings (the Gospel). So I urge you and implore you to be imitators of me."
There are many teachers and guides to direct us in Christ, but if their directions don't match the Revelation Jesus gave Paul, then we should follow what Paul said and imitate him. We believe that in the year 2020, we're smarter than previous generations and discard Paul's writings, even though Paul received this Revelation by the Lord Himself. After all, we're more educated than those "primitive people."
The Super-natural things of God are scoffed at by many today. The casting out of devils is "foolish." We have Wisdom, but no understanding. We've looked upon God's Word with only the natural eyes of men and have understood it by the same carnal minds that we had before being saved. Jesus said in John 6:63 (Amplified), "It is the Spirit Who gives Life (He is the Life-Giver), the flesh conveys no benefit whatever, there is no profit in it. The Words (Truths), that I have been speaking to you are Spirit and Life."
You can't receive the Revelation of Spiritual Truths from God's Word by the carnal mind. They must be Spiritually discerned. We can read the Words and distinguish what they're saying, but still not understand what they're saying to us, by the Spirit. Jesus was the Greatest Teacher the world has ever seen and He tells us in Mark 4:22-23 (Amplified), "Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to Revelation. For there is nothing hidden except to be revealed, nor is anything temporarily kept secret except in order that it may be made known. If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend."
Many only hear with the physical ears on the side of their heads, while others hear with the ears of the Spirit and are able to perceive, understand and comprehend the Spiritual Wisdom of Jesus' Words that are Spirit and Life. It's not that we don't have Wisdom, because God's Word is Wisdom. 1Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) says, "But it is from Him, God, that you have your Life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, revealed to us a knowledge of the Divine Plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as our Righteousness, thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God, and our Consecration, making us pure and holy, and our Redemption, providing our Ransom from Eternal penalty from sin."
God has provided His Wisdom for and to us by Jesus Himself, Who is the Word of God. Jesus is our Wisdom. Paul asked the Church in Corinth, "How be it brethren, I could not talk to you as to Spiritual men, but as to nonspiritual, men of the flesh in whom the carnal nature predominates, as to mere infants in the new Life in Christ, unable to talk yet."
Paul was writing to born-again people, who were Christians by the new creation Power of God. But, Paul needed to hold back Revelation knowledge from them, because they didn't have Spiritual understanding, but only had a head knowledge of the Truth. This is sadly prevalent in today's Church. We can only converse with them with the milk of the Word, because they don't understand the Spirit and Life in their spirit, but only understand with their carnal minds.
Many of the Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Importations are lost to the Church, because of carnal preaching and teaching. The Super-natural Importations of the Holy Spirit are what sets us apart from the world, natural men and religion. Prior to Jesus, no other religion manifested demonstrations from their gods. Only Jesus could portray His God and Father, before the eyes of man. Many preachers from other religions brought their gods before mankind, but all of them failed to show any different life. Only the demonstration of the Holy Spirit could and can bring mankind into a new creation being.
Rituals and traditions have no power to change or restore, but Jesus Christ and His being Risen from the dead does! When Jesus departed this earth as a new creation Being, He sent the same Holy Spirit Who demonstrated our God in His Life, so that we can demonstrate Him in our lives. Like Jesus, we are to demonstrate the Holy Spirit to a dying world, as the Proof of our Risen Savior. Satan has talked us out of much of the Super-natural demonstrations of the Holy Spirit. The world sees us as just another religion, because we're without Proof that the God we serve is different than the gods of the world.
We've listened to the voices of those who are carnally minded and have accepted satan's lies that, "God no longer does these things" and "These Gifts were only for the early Church and are not for us today." These teachings have kept us carnally minded and without the demonstration of our God and Father's Power.
The Lord is raising up a people in this Year of Understanding, who will come to Him with open hearts, seeking understanding that will usher in Jesus' Return. Many will be people we've never heard of before, but are those the Father has anointed and who've accepted the Revelation of who He's made us to be through Jesus Christ. This new creation people will show forth mighty exploits and demonstrations of the Almighty God Who. The world will see that there are no limits to His ability, because these people will dare to believe Him and will accept who they really are in Christ Jesus. They will walk in the identity of the new creation family of the Most High God, as His ambassadors.
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Lesson 10 The Church's Identity Crisis
Many believers won't or can't accept the Truth of God's Word about Righteousness, because they've been taught that it's prideful. It's impossible for some to think of themselves as being righteous in God's eyes, because they're under condemnation and still feel guilty about their prior lives. We've been rightly taught that being prideful is against God' Word. Accepting God's Word though isn't pride, but Grace.
Our unrenewed minds continue holding onto the sinful lives we lived before receiving Jesus as our Savior. God Promises in His Word that, "Your sins and iniquities I will remember no more." We can't stand in faith on what God's Word says about us, while clinging to the things our unrenewed minds say. James 1:8 (Amplified) says, "For being as he is, a man of two minds, hesitating, dubious, irresolute, he is unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything he thinks, feels, decides."
The "man of two minds" is someone who has received Jesus as our Lord, after living in the world. He/she has the mind of Christ, but still has an unrenewed mind of the world and the past. This persons reads God's Word which says "we've been made righteous in God's eyes, through Jesus," but the old sense ruled mind refutes that Truth, by carnal thinking. We know that we're not righteous in ourselves. Satan tries condemning and shaming us about our former lives, leaving us to feel hypocritical about being righteous. The righteousness we've received through Jesus' Sacrifice, allows us to come boldly and stand in peace before God's Throne of Grace. The enemy tries stealing the peace with have with the Father, by making us feel unworthy.
If you've truly received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you've been made righteous in the new creation being and born into God's family. Denying this righteousness, doesn't make you unrighteous. Righteousness has already become your Spiritual DNA, through the new birth. Denying righteousness will keep your from confidently fellowshipping with the Father and standing in faith that He hears and answers your prayers. Being double-minded and believing you're unrighteous and unworthy, will prevent your faith to fully work on your behalf. Reading God's Word which says you are righteous and knowing you're unworthy, is being double-minded.
Your faith must be established in Grace, in order to receive Truth instead of condemnation. Your faith must be established in Grace, in order to walk in what Jesus provided, instead of what we think we deserve. We don't deserve to be righteous, but Grace didn't give us what we deserve, Grace gave us what God chose for us.
Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) says, "For it is by FREE GRACE (God's unmerited favor), that you are saved, delivered from judgment and make partakers of Christ's salvation, through your faith. And this salvation is NOT OF YOURSELVES (of your own doing, it came not through your own striving), but it is the Gift of God." Romans 5:17 (Amplified) says, "For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense), death reigned through that one (Adam), must more surely will those who receive God's overflowing Grace (unmerited favor), and the FREE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, putting them in right standing with Himself, reign as kings in life, through the One Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."
Listening to the dictates of the flesh and rejecting God's Gift of Righteousness, will result in your not having the faith it takes to "reign as kings in life." We can't overlook the Truth that we're not just forgiven sinners, but we were created new in Jesus. The new creation man/woman doesn't have a past life. If we don't renew our minds by God's Word, then our unrenewed minds will continue holding us under condemnation and shame, which keeps us from enjoying our new place of right standing with the Father and from reigning as kings and queens in life. Righteousness is our doorway into God's Presence and since Jesus became the Door, we can't enter God's Presence or receive His Promises. If we don't have faith that we're righteous in the Righteousness of Jesus, then we won't have the confidence to come boldly before God's Throne Room of Grace.
Our minds, will, emotions and flesh weren't changed when we were created new in Jesus. Our dead spirits were created in the Life of God. It's up to us to renew our minds with the Truth of God's Word and His Spirit. Your mind was trained by the world and will resist the Truth of God's Word and cause you to draw back from that Truth. Romans 8:7 (Amplified) says, "That is because the mind of the flesh, with its carnal thoughts and purposes, is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot."
Your new creation spirit delights in its new found relationship with the Father, while the carnal mind will not change and will stand against the Truth of God's Word. The carnal mind will fight against the Truth, using carnal weapons of guilt, shame, condemnation, rebellion and pride. The old shame and pride will keep us from having unbroken fellowship with the Father. These things must be put under subjection of our new creation person. Righteousness is a Gift and must be received. God will never force it upon you. You must by faith, receive this Awesome Gift in humility, in order to enter into God's Presence.
Our pride will keep us from receiving what God has done for us, by Grace. The reality of the Spirit tells us it's not prideful to confess the Righteousness we've been given, but it's pride that makes us unwilling and unable to receive the Gift. Everything Jesus did for us, must be received in humility and faith. How do you humble yourself to God's will and Grace, when your carnal mind is hostile to what you're trying to accept and become the Truth of what God's Word says about you?
Renewing our minds isn't a religious things we're to act out. It's accepting what the Father says about us, rather than what the flesh says about us. This is a personal relationship with the Father, instead of a denominational relationship. It's relationship and not religion. We can't believe what others and other denominations say, if these things are contrary to the Truth of God's Word.
This is exactly what the people in the Wilderness did in Numbers 13, when twelve men went to spy out the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb believed God, while ten spies didn't. Nearly one million people believed the ten spies and never entered into God's Promised Land, but died in the Wilderness. We can't allow the opinion of others, to prevent our entering the Father's House, as His family. Let's dare to see ourselves as our Heavenly Father sees us, through Jesus. He sees us as being Righteous, pure, holy, sanctified, justified and bought back by the Blood of Jesus. Colossi ans 1:22-23 (Amplified) says, "Yet now has Christ (the Messiah), reconciled you to God in the Body of His Flesh, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His (the Father's) Presence. And this He will do provided that you continue to stay with and in the faith in Christ, well grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting and moving away from the Hope which rests on and is inspired by the glad tidings (the Gospel), which you heard and which has been preached as being designed for and offered without restrictions to every person under Heaven and of which, I Paul, became a minister."
The Church has been taught to focus more and to point out our faults and misgivings, instead of being taught what Jesus has done and who the Father created us to be. We still have things to work on in our Christian walks, but it's much easier to work on them from God's viewpoint, instead of the world's carnal viewpoints. Our spirit man/woman is perfect in the new creation. Our flesh and carnal minds will still oppose the Spirit, so long as we're here in these bodies. We must use the weapons of the Spirit and bring the mind and flesh into subjection.
Our unrenewed minds continue holding onto the sinful lives we lived before receiving Jesus as our Savior. God Promises in His Word that, "Your sins and iniquities I will remember no more." We can't stand in faith on what God's Word says about us, while clinging to the things our unrenewed minds say. James 1:8 (Amplified) says, "For being as he is, a man of two minds, hesitating, dubious, irresolute, he is unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything he thinks, feels, decides."
The "man of two minds" is someone who has received Jesus as our Lord, after living in the world. He/she has the mind of Christ, but still has an unrenewed mind of the world and the past. This persons reads God's Word which says "we've been made righteous in God's eyes, through Jesus," but the old sense ruled mind refutes that Truth, by carnal thinking. We know that we're not righteous in ourselves. Satan tries condemning and shaming us about our former lives, leaving us to feel hypocritical about being righteous. The righteousness we've received through Jesus' Sacrifice, allows us to come boldly and stand in peace before God's Throne of Grace. The enemy tries stealing the peace with have with the Father, by making us feel unworthy.
If you've truly received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you've been made righteous in the new creation being and born into God's family. Denying this righteousness, doesn't make you unrighteous. Righteousness has already become your Spiritual DNA, through the new birth. Denying righteousness will keep your from confidently fellowshipping with the Father and standing in faith that He hears and answers your prayers. Being double-minded and believing you're unrighteous and unworthy, will prevent your faith to fully work on your behalf. Reading God's Word which says you are righteous and knowing you're unworthy, is being double-minded.
Your faith must be established in Grace, in order to receive Truth instead of condemnation. Your faith must be established in Grace, in order to walk in what Jesus provided, instead of what we think we deserve. We don't deserve to be righteous, but Grace didn't give us what we deserve, Grace gave us what God chose for us.
Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) says, "For it is by FREE GRACE (God's unmerited favor), that you are saved, delivered from judgment and make partakers of Christ's salvation, through your faith. And this salvation is NOT OF YOURSELVES (of your own doing, it came not through your own striving), but it is the Gift of God." Romans 5:17 (Amplified) says, "For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense), death reigned through that one (Adam), must more surely will those who receive God's overflowing Grace (unmerited favor), and the FREE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, putting them in right standing with Himself, reign as kings in life, through the One Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."
Listening to the dictates of the flesh and rejecting God's Gift of Righteousness, will result in your not having the faith it takes to "reign as kings in life." We can't overlook the Truth that we're not just forgiven sinners, but we were created new in Jesus. The new creation man/woman doesn't have a past life. If we don't renew our minds by God's Word, then our unrenewed minds will continue holding us under condemnation and shame, which keeps us from enjoying our new place of right standing with the Father and from reigning as kings and queens in life. Righteousness is our doorway into God's Presence and since Jesus became the Door, we can't enter God's Presence or receive His Promises. If we don't have faith that we're righteous in the Righteousness of Jesus, then we won't have the confidence to come boldly before God's Throne Room of Grace.
Our minds, will, emotions and flesh weren't changed when we were created new in Jesus. Our dead spirits were created in the Life of God. It's up to us to renew our minds with the Truth of God's Word and His Spirit. Your mind was trained by the world and will resist the Truth of God's Word and cause you to draw back from that Truth. Romans 8:7 (Amplified) says, "That is because the mind of the flesh, with its carnal thoughts and purposes, is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot."
Your new creation spirit delights in its new found relationship with the Father, while the carnal mind will not change and will stand against the Truth of God's Word. The carnal mind will fight against the Truth, using carnal weapons of guilt, shame, condemnation, rebellion and pride. The old shame and pride will keep us from having unbroken fellowship with the Father. These things must be put under subjection of our new creation person. Righteousness is a Gift and must be received. God will never force it upon you. You must by faith, receive this Awesome Gift in humility, in order to enter into God's Presence.
Our pride will keep us from receiving what God has done for us, by Grace. The reality of the Spirit tells us it's not prideful to confess the Righteousness we've been given, but it's pride that makes us unwilling and unable to receive the Gift. Everything Jesus did for us, must be received in humility and faith. How do you humble yourself to God's will and Grace, when your carnal mind is hostile to what you're trying to accept and become the Truth of what God's Word says about you?
Renewing our minds isn't a religious things we're to act out. It's accepting what the Father says about us, rather than what the flesh says about us. This is a personal relationship with the Father, instead of a denominational relationship. It's relationship and not religion. We can't believe what others and other denominations say, if these things are contrary to the Truth of God's Word.
This is exactly what the people in the Wilderness did in Numbers 13, when twelve men went to spy out the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb believed God, while ten spies didn't. Nearly one million people believed the ten spies and never entered into God's Promised Land, but died in the Wilderness. We can't allow the opinion of others, to prevent our entering the Father's House, as His family. Let's dare to see ourselves as our Heavenly Father sees us, through Jesus. He sees us as being Righteous, pure, holy, sanctified, justified and bought back by the Blood of Jesus. Colossi ans 1:22-23 (Amplified) says, "Yet now has Christ (the Messiah), reconciled you to God in the Body of His Flesh, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His (the Father's) Presence. And this He will do provided that you continue to stay with and in the faith in Christ, well grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting and moving away from the Hope which rests on and is inspired by the glad tidings (the Gospel), which you heard and which has been preached as being designed for and offered without restrictions to every person under Heaven and of which, I Paul, became a minister."
The Church has been taught to focus more and to point out our faults and misgivings, instead of being taught what Jesus has done and who the Father created us to be. We still have things to work on in our Christian walks, but it's much easier to work on them from God's viewpoint, instead of the world's carnal viewpoints. Our spirit man/woman is perfect in the new creation. Our flesh and carnal minds will still oppose the Spirit, so long as we're here in these bodies. We must use the weapons of the Spirit and bring the mind and flesh into subjection.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Lesson 9 The Church's Identity Crisis
The enemy has blinded the minds of God's people, so that we no longer see ourselves through God's Word and through God's eyes. We've been taught to see ourselves as the world and religion portrays us, leaving us without faith to walk in what the Father has now created us to be. If you declare yourself to be "righteous," then it causes persecution and anger in the Church. Righteousness was never given to God's people for pride or to exalt oneself, but so we would be able to come into the Father's Presence again.
Most Christians recognize or can quote Romans 3:10 (Amplified) which says, "As it is written, None is righteous (just and Truthful and upright and conscientious), no, not one." This scripture was True under the first covenant, but it's not True for those in the Last Covenant, according to Romans 3:21-22,26 (Amplified) which says, "But now the Righteousness of God has been revealed independently and altogether apart from the Law, although actually is attested by the Law and the prophets. Namely, the Righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and it is meant for all who believe, for there is no distinction." Paul goes on in Verse 26, saying, "It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time (in the new season), that He Himself is Righteous and that He justifies and accepts as Righteous him who has true faith in Jesus."
In Romans 4:13 (Amplified) God speaks about Abraham's righteousness and calls Abraham, the "father of our faith." thus, it says, "For the Promise to Abraham or his posterity, that he should inherit the world, did not come through observing the commandments of the Law, BUT THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH." The purpose of Righteousness, is so the Father could be with His children and His children could come back into His Presence again. Unrighteousness meant that mankind couldn't stand in the True Presence of a Holy God. Those under the first covenant, weren't righteous, even after offering up a sacrifice. They depended on the blood of bulls and goats, to cover their sins and so they could be heard by God. They had no right standing or righteousness on their own, but depended on animal sacrifices and the blood of animals to cover them.
Isaiah 54:13-14 (Amplified) says, "And all your Spiritual children shall be disciples taught by the Lord and obedient to His will, and great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of your children. You shall establish yourself in Righteousness (rightness in conformity with God's will and order). You shall be far from even the thought of oppression or destruction, for you shall not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you." This Righteousness that comes from the Father, by faith in Christ Jesus, will "establish" us in Jesus' Righteousness, so we will "have peace and undisturbed composure by His Righteousness." We are to be "far from even the thought of oppression or destruction, for we will not fear."
Righteousness brings us back into a face-to-Face position with the Father, Who Loves us so very much. What would son-ship be worth, if we didn't have Righteousness? The Father wouldn't have pleasure in His children, because we would be shrinking, cowardly, and fearful beings, afraid and unable to come near Him. We must "establish" ourselves in this Righteousness and dismiss the condemnation of the carnal minds, which will continually remind us of our past. You can't have faith in God's Word, when you're under condemnation.
"Righteousness" is not a "Bible word," but a Bible position we've inherited through Jesus. No redemption would be complete, if it didn't include righteousness. The new creation and son-ship would be worthless, if it didn't include righteousness. God's heart brought about Redemption, right standing and even more, it brought the right to stand in His Very Presence again and the right for God to come into His family's presence again, through Jesus' Sacrifice.
The Righteousness God gave, isn't a matter of carnal pride, but a matter of understanding the Father's Great Love and Grace, which restored us, when there was no other way back to to Him. I keep this at the front of my mind, when praising God. I know that through Jesus, I'm no longer separated from God. Jesus' Sacrifice made me not just covenant, but family.
Through Jesus, we can now stand in God's Presence without fear, condemnation, guilt or shame and when God looks upon us, He sees sons and daughters. The Father's Love is ours again. We've patterned ourselves after the old covenant people, instead of after Christ Jesus. We keep expecting the Father to treat us like He did the old covenant people, when the Father wants to Love us as His Own children.
Most believers have focused on salvation, as having our sins forgiven and going to Heaven when we die. This would be more than enough to sing praises to God forever for, but He didn't stop there. God wouldn't be satisfied, until He could live among His children once again and until His children could flourish and grow under His Mighty hand of Grace again. This Righteousness is the bond that holds us in His Love for eternity. If we didn't believe in this Gift of Righteousness, then we would have a clouded understanding about God's Love for us. Only God's Love would do what He did to bring His children home to Him. Only God's Love would never leave us in the outer court, like the old covenant, with the veil separating us from Him. The veil has been torn down and the outer court is no longer there. The Love God has for us, is so transparent that we can see into His Heart. God can now live in us and we can boldly proclaim that we've become "the temple of the Holy Spirit." Can you actually conceive the Truth that we've become the living, breathing, walking, talking and breathing Ark of the Covenant? Can you actually conceive that God's Living Word and Spirit are housed in this temple of flesh, making us holy in God's eyes?
I'm overwhelmed with thanks, when I think of the privilege we've inherited through Jesus. I praise God that I'm welcomed to stand in the Presence of the One Who spoke everything into creation, as His son. I praise God that He walks and talks with me, like He did with Jesus, during His earthly ministry. I praise God that He can direct my very life, by His Presence. Just prior to going to the Cross, Jesus prayed in John 17:22-23 (Amplified), saying, "I have given to them the Glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in me, that they may be perfected and completed into one, so that the world may know (without any doubt) that You sent Me, and [that You] have Loved them, just as You have Loved Me." Our mind couldn't conceive the Truth of Jesus' Words about God's Great Love for us, without having them renewed by God's Word and His Holy Spirit.
Most Christians recognize or can quote Romans 3:10 (Amplified) which says, "As it is written, None is righteous (just and Truthful and upright and conscientious), no, not one." This scripture was True under the first covenant, but it's not True for those in the Last Covenant, according to Romans 3:21-22,26 (Amplified) which says, "But now the Righteousness of God has been revealed independently and altogether apart from the Law, although actually is attested by the Law and the prophets. Namely, the Righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and it is meant for all who believe, for there is no distinction." Paul goes on in Verse 26, saying, "It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time (in the new season), that He Himself is Righteous and that He justifies and accepts as Righteous him who has true faith in Jesus."
In Romans 4:13 (Amplified) God speaks about Abraham's righteousness and calls Abraham, the "father of our faith." thus, it says, "For the Promise to Abraham or his posterity, that he should inherit the world, did not come through observing the commandments of the Law, BUT THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH." The purpose of Righteousness, is so the Father could be with His children and His children could come back into His Presence again. Unrighteousness meant that mankind couldn't stand in the True Presence of a Holy God. Those under the first covenant, weren't righteous, even after offering up a sacrifice. They depended on the blood of bulls and goats, to cover their sins and so they could be heard by God. They had no right standing or righteousness on their own, but depended on animal sacrifices and the blood of animals to cover them.
Isaiah 54:13-14 (Amplified) says, "And all your Spiritual children shall be disciples taught by the Lord and obedient to His will, and great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of your children. You shall establish yourself in Righteousness (rightness in conformity with God's will and order). You shall be far from even the thought of oppression or destruction, for you shall not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you." This Righteousness that comes from the Father, by faith in Christ Jesus, will "establish" us in Jesus' Righteousness, so we will "have peace and undisturbed composure by His Righteousness." We are to be "far from even the thought of oppression or destruction, for we will not fear."
Righteousness brings us back into a face-to-Face position with the Father, Who Loves us so very much. What would son-ship be worth, if we didn't have Righteousness? The Father wouldn't have pleasure in His children, because we would be shrinking, cowardly, and fearful beings, afraid and unable to come near Him. We must "establish" ourselves in this Righteousness and dismiss the condemnation of the carnal minds, which will continually remind us of our past. You can't have faith in God's Word, when you're under condemnation.
"Righteousness" is not a "Bible word," but a Bible position we've inherited through Jesus. No redemption would be complete, if it didn't include righteousness. The new creation and son-ship would be worthless, if it didn't include righteousness. God's heart brought about Redemption, right standing and even more, it brought the right to stand in His Very Presence again and the right for God to come into His family's presence again, through Jesus' Sacrifice.
The Righteousness God gave, isn't a matter of carnal pride, but a matter of understanding the Father's Great Love and Grace, which restored us, when there was no other way back to to Him. I keep this at the front of my mind, when praising God. I know that through Jesus, I'm no longer separated from God. Jesus' Sacrifice made me not just covenant, but family.
Through Jesus, we can now stand in God's Presence without fear, condemnation, guilt or shame and when God looks upon us, He sees sons and daughters. The Father's Love is ours again. We've patterned ourselves after the old covenant people, instead of after Christ Jesus. We keep expecting the Father to treat us like He did the old covenant people, when the Father wants to Love us as His Own children.
Most believers have focused on salvation, as having our sins forgiven and going to Heaven when we die. This would be more than enough to sing praises to God forever for, but He didn't stop there. God wouldn't be satisfied, until He could live among His children once again and until His children could flourish and grow under His Mighty hand of Grace again. This Righteousness is the bond that holds us in His Love for eternity. If we didn't believe in this Gift of Righteousness, then we would have a clouded understanding about God's Love for us. Only God's Love would do what He did to bring His children home to Him. Only God's Love would never leave us in the outer court, like the old covenant, with the veil separating us from Him. The veil has been torn down and the outer court is no longer there. The Love God has for us, is so transparent that we can see into His Heart. God can now live in us and we can boldly proclaim that we've become "the temple of the Holy Spirit." Can you actually conceive the Truth that we've become the living, breathing, walking, talking and breathing Ark of the Covenant? Can you actually conceive that God's Living Word and Spirit are housed in this temple of flesh, making us holy in God's eyes?
I'm overwhelmed with thanks, when I think of the privilege we've inherited through Jesus. I praise God that I'm welcomed to stand in the Presence of the One Who spoke everything into creation, as His son. I praise God that He walks and talks with me, like He did with Jesus, during His earthly ministry. I praise God that He can direct my very life, by His Presence. Just prior to going to the Cross, Jesus prayed in John 17:22-23 (Amplified), saying, "I have given to them the Glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in me, that they may be perfected and completed into one, so that the world may know (without any doubt) that You sent Me, and [that You] have Loved them, just as You have Loved Me." Our mind couldn't conceive the Truth of Jesus' Words about God's Great Love for us, without having them renewed by God's Word and His Holy Spirit.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Lesson 8 The Church's Identity Crisis
God's people haven't dared to believe what His Word says about us, allowing our carnal minds and reasoning to determine who we are in Christ Jesus. The carnal mind cannot understand how the new creation people can be righteous, justified and acquitted of sin, while still living in our flesh and blood bodies. We will must renew our minds with God's Word, so we can see ourselves after the Truth of our salvation, instead of seeing ourselves after the flesh and the senses.
Paul speaks about the weakness of his flesh, which is in direct opposition to his born-again spirit in Romans 7:23-25,28 (Amplified). Paul says that his flesh, carnal mind and his soulish parts want to continue observing the external rituals of the Law, which he had grown up under. He tells us that the Law of Liberty of the Spirit expels the external rituals and things of his flesh, saying, "For I endorse and delight in the Law of God in my innermost self. But I discern in my bodily members, in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh, a different Law, rule of action at war against the Law of my mind; my reasons and making me a prisoner to the Law of Sin that dwells in my bodily organs in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh. O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from the shackles of this body of death? O thank God! He will through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord! So then indeed I, of myself with the mind and heart, serve the Law of God, but in the flesh the Law of Sin." Paul goes on in Romans 8:1-2 (Amplified), "Therefore, there is now no condemnation, no adjudging of guilty of wrong for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus (the Law of our new being), has freed me from the Law of Sin and of Death."
Many go onto to read Verse 28, which says, "All things work together for the Good to those in Christ Jesus." Those who read it with a carnal mind will get this out of it, "Whatever comes must be God's will" or "God is doing all these things (no matter what they are) for my good." The Holy Spirit is actually telling God's children, "The body is wanting to go one way and the Spirit the opposite way, but God has given us deliverance from this body of death and has raised us up to His Own standards of righteousness, by conferring son-ship rights on us, while we're still struggling with this body."
Paul tells us in Romans 8:4-5,15,17 26,29-30 (Amplified), "So that the righteousness and just requirements of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh, but in the ways of the Spirit, our lives not governed by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by it's unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the spirit."
Paul speaks about the things we've gained by the Spirit, saying in Verse 15, "The Spirit producing son-ship in the bliss of which we cry, Abba, Father" and in Verse 17 saying, "We are now His children and heirs and fellow heirs with Jesus." In Verse 26, he says, "We have also the Holy Spirit Who bears us up in our weaknesses and prays for and through us even when we don't know how to pray for ourselves." Verses 28-30 tell us, "We know that even in our weakness we have all these things working together in us for our good, for those who love Him and are called to His Purpose are molded into the Image of His Son and share inwardly His Likeness. And those whom He has ordained, He also called, and those whom He called, He also justified, acquitted, made righteous and put in right standing with Himself, and those whom He justified, He also glorified, raising them into a Heavenly dignity and condition or state of being."
We will have victory in the Spirit, when we're struggling in our flesh, because God will overturn the bad things, so that all things work together for our good, when we love Him and are called to His Purpose. Romans 8:37 (Amplified) says, "Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who Loved us."
The harder satan pushes, the more determined we are to stand on God's Word and His Spirit. The more we stand on God's Word and His Spirit, the stronger we will become and the more trust we will put in Him. If we've stood, then we will receive the Promises by faith and gain the victory, in Jesus. The things satan meant to destroy us, become an exercise that built up our faith and trust, so we inherit God's Promises. All things have now worked together for our good. God didn't send the problem, but through the Holy Spirit, He sent the Answer for our good.
Satan will test, try and push us, so long as we're on this planet, trying to steal God's Word, like Jesus taught in Mark 4, "The Parable of the Sower." When we depend on God's Word and His Holy Spirit, we will bring forth 30,60 and 100 fold, despite the world and the enemy. God doesn't have to test our faith, because it's His faith we're using and His faith created the heavens and the earth. God knows what our faith can do. Satan knows what faith in God can do. He saw it operating through Jesus, Paul, Peter, James and other followers of Christ. Satan saw it operate when Jesus rose from the dead. This is why satan "Comes immediately to take away the Word from us, by force," like Jesus said in Mark 4.
The Holy Spirit, the Power of God's Word, the force of Righteousness, the power of Redemption, the legal force of Justification, the perfect acquittal, the son-ship rights with God's inheritance, the sanctification, the reconciliation of us back to God, and the Power of Attorney to use the Name of Jesus Christ will all work together for the good of those who are in Christ Jesus and are called according to His Purpose!
Paul speaks about the weakness of his flesh, which is in direct opposition to his born-again spirit in Romans 7:23-25,28 (Amplified). Paul says that his flesh, carnal mind and his soulish parts want to continue observing the external rituals of the Law, which he had grown up under. He tells us that the Law of Liberty of the Spirit expels the external rituals and things of his flesh, saying, "For I endorse and delight in the Law of God in my innermost self. But I discern in my bodily members, in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh, a different Law, rule of action at war against the Law of my mind; my reasons and making me a prisoner to the Law of Sin that dwells in my bodily organs in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh. O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from the shackles of this body of death? O thank God! He will through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord! So then indeed I, of myself with the mind and heart, serve the Law of God, but in the flesh the Law of Sin." Paul goes on in Romans 8:1-2 (Amplified), "Therefore, there is now no condemnation, no adjudging of guilty of wrong for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus (the Law of our new being), has freed me from the Law of Sin and of Death."
Many go onto to read Verse 28, which says, "All things work together for the Good to those in Christ Jesus." Those who read it with a carnal mind will get this out of it, "Whatever comes must be God's will" or "God is doing all these things (no matter what they are) for my good." The Holy Spirit is actually telling God's children, "The body is wanting to go one way and the Spirit the opposite way, but God has given us deliverance from this body of death and has raised us up to His Own standards of righteousness, by conferring son-ship rights on us, while we're still struggling with this body."
Paul tells us in Romans 8:4-5,15,17 26,29-30 (Amplified), "So that the righteousness and just requirements of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh, but in the ways of the Spirit, our lives not governed by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by it's unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the spirit."
Paul speaks about the things we've gained by the Spirit, saying in Verse 15, "The Spirit producing son-ship in the bliss of which we cry, Abba, Father" and in Verse 17 saying, "We are now His children and heirs and fellow heirs with Jesus." In Verse 26, he says, "We have also the Holy Spirit Who bears us up in our weaknesses and prays for and through us even when we don't know how to pray for ourselves." Verses 28-30 tell us, "We know that even in our weakness we have all these things working together in us for our good, for those who love Him and are called to His Purpose are molded into the Image of His Son and share inwardly His Likeness. And those whom He has ordained, He also called, and those whom He called, He also justified, acquitted, made righteous and put in right standing with Himself, and those whom He justified, He also glorified, raising them into a Heavenly dignity and condition or state of being."
We will have victory in the Spirit, when we're struggling in our flesh, because God will overturn the bad things, so that all things work together for our good, when we love Him and are called to His Purpose. Romans 8:37 (Amplified) says, "Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who Loved us."
The harder satan pushes, the more determined we are to stand on God's Word and His Spirit. The more we stand on God's Word and His Spirit, the stronger we will become and the more trust we will put in Him. If we've stood, then we will receive the Promises by faith and gain the victory, in Jesus. The things satan meant to destroy us, become an exercise that built up our faith and trust, so we inherit God's Promises. All things have now worked together for our good. God didn't send the problem, but through the Holy Spirit, He sent the Answer for our good.
Satan will test, try and push us, so long as we're on this planet, trying to steal God's Word, like Jesus taught in Mark 4, "The Parable of the Sower." When we depend on God's Word and His Holy Spirit, we will bring forth 30,60 and 100 fold, despite the world and the enemy. God doesn't have to test our faith, because it's His faith we're using and His faith created the heavens and the earth. God knows what our faith can do. Satan knows what faith in God can do. He saw it operating through Jesus, Paul, Peter, James and other followers of Christ. Satan saw it operate when Jesus rose from the dead. This is why satan "Comes immediately to take away the Word from us, by force," like Jesus said in Mark 4.
The Holy Spirit, the Power of God's Word, the force of Righteousness, the power of Redemption, the legal force of Justification, the perfect acquittal, the son-ship rights with God's inheritance, the sanctification, the reconciliation of us back to God, and the Power of Attorney to use the Name of Jesus Christ will all work together for the good of those who are in Christ Jesus and are called according to His Purpose!
Monday, May 4, 2020
Lesson 7 The Church's Identity Crisis
The Church stands as the children of the Most High God, but we've failed to see ourselves through the Father's eyes. He sees us as, "holy and pure, righteous with His Own Righteousness, without blame, and justified in Jesus. We've mostly seen ourselves after the world, with it's carnal nature. We're not just forgiven sinners, but we're God's new creation family. We've become new creations in our spirits, by the Holy Spirit and the Incorruptible Word of God.
Just as surely as the Father created the heavens and earth, He has created a new species of being, the Church. Our soulish man/woman has suppressed our seeing the True identity we've become in Christ Jesus. Our emotions, mind, and will that come from our soulish man/woman, prevent our believing that our old selves are no longer relevant in God's eyes because He has made us new. We've been taught that it's "prideful," to believe we've been made the righteousness of God, but the scripture says that we indeed have been made the righteousness of God in Jesus.
Jesus didn't think it was proud or boastful, when declaring, "The Father and I are One" and that He "Only says and does what the Father says." John 3:34 (Amplified), "For since He Whom God has sent speaks the Words of God (proclaims God's Own Message), God does not give Him His Spirit sparingly (by measure), but boundless is the Gift God makes of His Spirit."
Jesus declares several times in the Gospels that, "The Father and I are One." Is this boastful or is it Truth? Many would answer, "Yes, but that was Jesus." Is it Truth that we are sons and daughters of God and are the Temple of the Holy Spirit? 2Corinthians 6:16 (Amplified) says, "What agreement can there be between a Temple of God and idols? For we are the Temple of the Living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
The above scripture doesn't remove the responsibility we have to deny sin in our bodies and live any way we desire to live, but if we're truly in Love with Jesus, then we won't be looking for ways to sin. We are now bringing our body and soul into subjection to the new creation man/woman, by obedience to God's Word. Before coming to earth, Jesus had never been flesh and needed to learn to walk in the flesh, while being led by the Spirit. We though, had never known anything other than being led by the flesh and must now learn to walk in the Spirit.
While Jesus walked as a Man on earth, His flesh was subjected to the same things we are. Jesus had to bring His flesh into subjection to the Word and the Holy spirit, just like we must do. You can bet your last dollar that satan didn't give Jesus a break, because He was Jesus. If anything, then satan pressured Jesus, more than any other person before. Jesus had to make a stand on Who He was, by the same Word that we are subject to. Moreover, Jesus was born under the Law and was subject to the Law. No man had ever completed the Law, but He did it perfectly for us, according to Matthew 5;17 (Amplified), where Jesus says, "Do not think I have come to do away with or undo the Law or the prophets; I have come not to do away with or undo but to fulfill them." Jesus fulfilled the Law of Sin and of Death, which had the Curse attached to it. Jesus Redeemed us from the Curse of the Law and in God's eyes, we have also fulfilled the Law.
We must see ourselves the way God sees us, instead of the way the world and our carnal minds dictates. Jesus was the Only Man Who has ever fulfilled the Law. If we try walking by the Law, without fulfilling it, then we place ourselves back under the penalty for not completely fulfilling it. James 2:11-12 (Amplified) says, "For whosoever keeps the Law as a whole, but stumbles and offends in one single instance, has become guilty of breaking it all. For He Who said, You shall not commit adultery, also said, You shall not kill, if you do not commit adultery, but do kill, you have become guilty of transgressing the whole Law." Galatians 5:4 (Amplified) says, "If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so severed from Christ. You have fallen away from Grace (from God's Gracious favor and unmerited Blessing)."
This is a serious indictment against our trying to perform works, in order to become what God has already made us to be. It's not by works, but by God's Grace. Grace is a Gift in Jesus, that qualifies us to receive by faith in His Sacrifice. Trying to obtain God's Blessing, aside from Grace, is being subject to the Curse again. Does this mean we can kills, steal, or commit adultery by Grace? Of course not, but God's Grace will hold us and keep us in righteousness, while we grow in our salvation.
There is no person who has walked in these flesh and blood bodies, without sinning and deserving punishment for that sin. God, by His Grace though, has made our spirit man without sin and has made us perfect in His eyes. God looks on the heart or spirit, not the outer-man. We're to take God's Word in our new creation spirit and bring the soul and body into subjection to God, by faith in His Word and His Holy Spirit. Only God's Grace and faith in His Grace, can keep us above the Curse that still operates in this world.
This is still a fallen planet and the world system is designed by the god of this world. Only Grace and faith in God's Grace, can keep us in the place of righteousness in the Father's eyes. The enemy can't hold us under the condemnation of our old sinful lives, once we understand and have faith in the Righteousness that Grace provided through Jesus' Sacrifice. It's not that we didn't deserve punishment and the Curse of the Law, but faith in Jesus Christ activates the Grace that holds us in God's Blessing, as we grow from the milk of the Word to the meat of the Word.
No baby, spirit or natural, came into existence fully grown. Luke 2:51-52 (Amplified) tell us, "And [Jesus] went down with [Mary and Joseph] and came to Nazareth and was habitually obedient to them and His mother kept and closely and persistently guarded all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in Wisdom (in broad and fully understanding), and in stature and years and in favor with God and man." Even Jesus had to learn and grow before God and man. We are not to remain babes in Christ. Things that were permissible when we were babes, aren't permissible when we become adults. You can't expect someone else to feed you for the entirety of your Spiritual life, but you're expected to read God's Word, heed the Voice of God's Spirit and grow in the Father's Presence.
Paul directed Timothy to "Rightly divide the Word of Truth" and not to eat everything that is placed on the table before him. God's people aren't to consume everything that is said. There are many things that sound "Good," out there, but they don't all come from God's Word. There are so many voices in today's world that try to get out attention, so we must insure we know what we are hearing. Jesus admonished His followers in Mark 4:24 (Amplified), "Be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the Truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you-and more besides will be given to you who hear."
Jesus was giving, "The Parable of the Sower," in the above scripture and tells us that "All words are seeds and all seeds will produce, in they're received in good soil." Your spirit, through the new creation, has become good soil and will produce whatever seed you allow to be sown in it. We must know the True Seed and allow only that, to be sown into our hearts. 1Corinthians 3:2-3 (Amplified) says, "I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough to be ready for it; but even yet you are not strong enough to be ready for it. For you are still unspiritual, having the nature of the flesh, under the control of ordinary impulses. For as long as there are envyings and jealousy and wranglings and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh? (behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere unchanged men?)"
Just as surely as the Father created the heavens and earth, He has created a new species of being, the Church. Our soulish man/woman has suppressed our seeing the True identity we've become in Christ Jesus. Our emotions, mind, and will that come from our soulish man/woman, prevent our believing that our old selves are no longer relevant in God's eyes because He has made us new. We've been taught that it's "prideful," to believe we've been made the righteousness of God, but the scripture says that we indeed have been made the righteousness of God in Jesus.
Jesus didn't think it was proud or boastful, when declaring, "The Father and I are One" and that He "Only says and does what the Father says." John 3:34 (Amplified), "For since He Whom God has sent speaks the Words of God (proclaims God's Own Message), God does not give Him His Spirit sparingly (by measure), but boundless is the Gift God makes of His Spirit."
Jesus declares several times in the Gospels that, "The Father and I are One." Is this boastful or is it Truth? Many would answer, "Yes, but that was Jesus." Is it Truth that we are sons and daughters of God and are the Temple of the Holy Spirit? 2Corinthians 6:16 (Amplified) says, "What agreement can there be between a Temple of God and idols? For we are the Temple of the Living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
The above scripture doesn't remove the responsibility we have to deny sin in our bodies and live any way we desire to live, but if we're truly in Love with Jesus, then we won't be looking for ways to sin. We are now bringing our body and soul into subjection to the new creation man/woman, by obedience to God's Word. Before coming to earth, Jesus had never been flesh and needed to learn to walk in the flesh, while being led by the Spirit. We though, had never known anything other than being led by the flesh and must now learn to walk in the Spirit.
While Jesus walked as a Man on earth, His flesh was subjected to the same things we are. Jesus had to bring His flesh into subjection to the Word and the Holy spirit, just like we must do. You can bet your last dollar that satan didn't give Jesus a break, because He was Jesus. If anything, then satan pressured Jesus, more than any other person before. Jesus had to make a stand on Who He was, by the same Word that we are subject to. Moreover, Jesus was born under the Law and was subject to the Law. No man had ever completed the Law, but He did it perfectly for us, according to Matthew 5;17 (Amplified), where Jesus says, "Do not think I have come to do away with or undo the Law or the prophets; I have come not to do away with or undo but to fulfill them." Jesus fulfilled the Law of Sin and of Death, which had the Curse attached to it. Jesus Redeemed us from the Curse of the Law and in God's eyes, we have also fulfilled the Law.
We must see ourselves the way God sees us, instead of the way the world and our carnal minds dictates. Jesus was the Only Man Who has ever fulfilled the Law. If we try walking by the Law, without fulfilling it, then we place ourselves back under the penalty for not completely fulfilling it. James 2:11-12 (Amplified) says, "For whosoever keeps the Law as a whole, but stumbles and offends in one single instance, has become guilty of breaking it all. For He Who said, You shall not commit adultery, also said, You shall not kill, if you do not commit adultery, but do kill, you have become guilty of transgressing the whole Law." Galatians 5:4 (Amplified) says, "If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so severed from Christ. You have fallen away from Grace (from God's Gracious favor and unmerited Blessing)."
This is a serious indictment against our trying to perform works, in order to become what God has already made us to be. It's not by works, but by God's Grace. Grace is a Gift in Jesus, that qualifies us to receive by faith in His Sacrifice. Trying to obtain God's Blessing, aside from Grace, is being subject to the Curse again. Does this mean we can kills, steal, or commit adultery by Grace? Of course not, but God's Grace will hold us and keep us in righteousness, while we grow in our salvation.
There is no person who has walked in these flesh and blood bodies, without sinning and deserving punishment for that sin. God, by His Grace though, has made our spirit man without sin and has made us perfect in His eyes. God looks on the heart or spirit, not the outer-man. We're to take God's Word in our new creation spirit and bring the soul and body into subjection to God, by faith in His Word and His Holy Spirit. Only God's Grace and faith in His Grace, can keep us above the Curse that still operates in this world.
This is still a fallen planet and the world system is designed by the god of this world. Only Grace and faith in God's Grace, can keep us in the place of righteousness in the Father's eyes. The enemy can't hold us under the condemnation of our old sinful lives, once we understand and have faith in the Righteousness that Grace provided through Jesus' Sacrifice. It's not that we didn't deserve punishment and the Curse of the Law, but faith in Jesus Christ activates the Grace that holds us in God's Blessing, as we grow from the milk of the Word to the meat of the Word.
No baby, spirit or natural, came into existence fully grown. Luke 2:51-52 (Amplified) tell us, "And [Jesus] went down with [Mary and Joseph] and came to Nazareth and was habitually obedient to them and His mother kept and closely and persistently guarded all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in Wisdom (in broad and fully understanding), and in stature and years and in favor with God and man." Even Jesus had to learn and grow before God and man. We are not to remain babes in Christ. Things that were permissible when we were babes, aren't permissible when we become adults. You can't expect someone else to feed you for the entirety of your Spiritual life, but you're expected to read God's Word, heed the Voice of God's Spirit and grow in the Father's Presence.
Paul directed Timothy to "Rightly divide the Word of Truth" and not to eat everything that is placed on the table before him. God's people aren't to consume everything that is said. There are many things that sound "Good," out there, but they don't all come from God's Word. There are so many voices in today's world that try to get out attention, so we must insure we know what we are hearing. Jesus admonished His followers in Mark 4:24 (Amplified), "Be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the Truth you hear, will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you-and more besides will be given to you who hear."
Jesus was giving, "The Parable of the Sower," in the above scripture and tells us that "All words are seeds and all seeds will produce, in they're received in good soil." Your spirit, through the new creation, has become good soil and will produce whatever seed you allow to be sown in it. We must know the True Seed and allow only that, to be sown into our hearts. 1Corinthians 3:2-3 (Amplified) says, "I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough to be ready for it; but even yet you are not strong enough to be ready for it. For you are still unspiritual, having the nature of the flesh, under the control of ordinary impulses. For as long as there are envyings and jealousy and wranglings and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh? (behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere unchanged men?)"
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