Hebrews 11:11(Amplified) says that, "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses)."
Under the Law, the things hoped for were things that the senses could see. Men walked in the faith of visual sacrifice and offerings that they could realize in the sense realm. Now, faith in what God says is without the visual signs is where we walk in grace. We, the new covenant people, are required to walk by faith in the sacrifice of Jesus over two thousand years ago.
The great Apostle Paul never spoke to us in the epistles like Jesus spoke to the people under the Law. Jesus asked them "where is your faith?" Paul was speaking to people who have already received the salvation of Jesus in this new covenant, by faith. We cannot even by saved without faith in Jesus under this new covenant. Now, everything in this new covenant requires faith in our covenant sacrifice...Jesus.
Now,we realize that we, as the new covenant people, already have faith so faith isn't really a problem. What has been the problem with the Church today is not a faith problem, but a revelation problem. Anyone who believes God must surely know that if He is God (and He is), then there's nothing He cannot do. Do, it's not a matter of believing God can do it, but it's a matter of wondering will He do it.
The biggest problem in the Church of the Lord Jesus is not knowing what God's will is. 1John 5:14-15 (Amplified) says, "And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him; (we are sure) that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His Own plan) He listens to and hears us." Verse 15 goes on, "And if (since) we (positively) know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know (with settled and absolute knowledge) that we have (granted us as our present possessions) the requests made of Him."
This has been a stumbling block to our faith for many years in the Church. We have had a lack of faith in His willingness to do certain things in our lives. We've somehow removed Jesus from the human factor in our lives. Hebrews 4:15-16 (Amplified) says, "For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation. But One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are; yet without sin." Verse 16 goes on, "Let us then (fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners) that we may receive mercy (for our failures) and find grace to help in good time for every need (appropriate help and well-timed help), coming just when we need it."
Also, in Hebrews 3:14 (Amplified) we read, "For we have become fellows with Christ (the Messiah) and share in all He has for us. If only we hold our first newborn confidence and our original assured expectation (in virtue of which we are believers) firm and unshaken to the end."
The "first newborn confidence" that we had in Jesus was far different from what most of us have today. Many of us have replaced "Who we know, for what we know." We've allowed tradition to replace personal relationship with Jesus. What we have allowed to creep into our lives, is a new and misplaced faith. It's not a lack of faith or an absence of faith, but it's simply misplaced faith.
The whole of Christianity is a relationship with God as Father through Jesus. It's not a change in tradition or a new religion or doctrine, but a relationship with Him. This is the subtlety of the serpent to draw us away into our own way of doing for ourselves instead of relying on faith in God. With this faith in our own traditions, we once again, make the Word of God to no effect. Mark 7:8 (Amplified) says that, "You disregard and give up and ask and depart from you the commandments of God and cling to the traditions of men (keeping it carefully and faithfully)."
We've placed our faith much more in traditions than in the Word. In so doing, we've cut short the truth of our new covenant. Each believer has an obligation to seek our God on his own. It's great that we have teachers and preachers in the Body of Christ, but they were never intended by God to take His place in our lives. It isn't the teacher's place in High School to make a way for you in the world. It's the teacher's place to show you how to make your own way.
Nothing in the Church can be more important than the individual relationship with Jesus. Revelations 2:4 (Amplified) says, "I have this (one charge to make) against you; that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first (you have deserted Me, your first love)." Do you remember how simple it was when you were first saved to receive from the Father? That's because all you knew was Him. You didn't have tradition, doctrine and the religious teachings that told us God doesn't do these things anymore.
Am I telling you not to go to church? Am I telling you not to learn the Word of God? Am I telling you that only one person has the truth? No, to all these things. What I am telling you is that nothing takes the place of your own relationship with Jesus. Never replace Jesus with doctrine and never replace fellowship with Jesus for fellowship with people.
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) His (being rooted in Him, knit to Him) just as (His) anointing has taught you (to do)."
This scripture doesn't mean that you're to be a "Lone Ranger" Christian, but that the Holy Spirit Who dwells in you will help you to know what is true and what is not. We're to be led by the Holy Spirit and by the Word. The only way to know God's will is to know Jesus on a personal basis. Jesus was and is the perfect will of God.
Keep you faith on track with Who Jesus is and your faith will work like it did before. Everything the Father has granted us in this new covenant must be received by faith. No tradition, doctrine or religion can give it to you. Only faith by the Father can. Our righteousness, our justification, our forgiveness of sin, our sonship relationship, our healing, our deliverance, our peace of mind, our conscience being free from sin and the past and our final place with the Father when we leave here are through faith.
If we misplace our faith for doctrines or other man-made traditions, then it doesn't mean God doesn't do things anymore. But, it can mean that we may fail to receive them. Many of us in the Church have become frustrated and sometimes bitter or angry with God over things that didin't come out the way we wanted. Mostly, it was because we didn't know any better or were taught wrong and simply missed the will of God.
Faith always works. It worked when you asked for salvation and it works for everything else. By misplacing our faith, we come to a place of not being able to trust God. It's hard having someone that you can't trust. Galatians 5:6 (Amplified) says, "For (if we are) in Christ Jesus; neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love."
When we don't understand what God's will is, we keep off balance with our faith. If we're afraid to trust Him, then we are also afraid to submit to or give ourselves over to Him completely. If I can't trust Him, then I can't completely walk in love with Him. According to Galatians 5:6 (Amplified), "my faith must be activated by love."
1John 4:18 (Amplified) tells us, "There is no fear in love (dread does not exist) but full grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment and (so) he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love (is not yet grown into loves complete perfection)."
The only way to know this love is to personally know Jesus. No doctrine, tradition or message can teach you this. A message about Jesus can introduce you to Him, but learning to know Him is your responsibility. The more you know Him, the more you trust Him. The more you trust Him, the stronger your faith becomes by the perfecting of love. There's nothing wrong with our faith, but only what we put faith in. Place your faith in Jesus as the completion of everything you will ever need. If you want to know what God's will is, then learn to watch and know Jesus like Hebrews 1:3 (Amplified) teaches.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Lesson 7 FAITH
We've believed that somehow the things of God had to be more complicated than what we were reading in God's Word. God went to great lengths to make His Word simple. The carnal mind tried to make it seems spooky and mystical, but Jesus said it was simple enough that a child could understand it.
If you present a child with a flower pot and a packet of seeds and show him how to plant it, then they will, in child like faith, put the seed in the soil. They will eagerly and expectantly watch for the seed to bring forth the sprout, then the plant and then the flower and fruit of the seed. They don't question how, why or if, they simply believe.
Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) says that, "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of the things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses)."
The Spirit says that "Now faith is the assurance of things we hope for." It's no longer the Law, the sacrifices, the works of the flesh; but faith. It didn't say we can't have what we hope for, it just says that ,now, faith is how we appropriate them.
We don't have to be put out of the camp if we have an issue of blood and wait for cleansing. We can walk clean before God, by faith in Jesus, as still being clean and sow the seeds of faith for our healing. As we take the seed of His Word from Isaiah 53:1-12 (Amplified) we can , by faith, sow this seed in our heart and expect it to produce what it says.
When you plant a garden, you buy a packet of seed with the picture of the fruit or vegetable on the front of the packet. It's not the fruit, but only a picture of it. By faith, you plant the seed and expect it to produce what the picture has promised. The same is true of God's Word. Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) says that you, by faith, have a picture of what the results are. You see that "by Jesus' stripes you are healed." You don't see the healing, you only see the promise. He said that "the Word is the proof of what we don't see." We don't see the vegetable, we only see a picture of it. But, if we will plant the seed in good soil, then the proof is in the seed.
We sometimes try reaping the harvest without sowing the seed. We've failed to understand that "Faith is the substance of things hoped for" and we still try receiving the harvest by works instead of faith. You must first plant a seed to get a harvest. Even God demonstrated this when Jesus became the seed that produced a family of children to the Father. God, by faith in His Own Word and confidence it wouldn't return to Him void, sent Jesus to bring sons unto glory. Hebrews 2:10 (Amplified) says that, "For it was an act worthy (of God) and fitting (to the divine nature) that He, for whose sake and by whom all things has their existence in bringing many sons into glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation (should bring to maturity the human experience necessary to be perfectly equipped for His office as High Priest) through suffering."
Jesus had to have faith in what God's Word said about Him when He went to the cross. The only things Jesus had to hold onto was the Word. Psalm 16:8-10 (Amplified) says, "I have set the Lord continually before Me; because He is at My right hand, I shall not be moved." Verse 9 goes on, "Therefore My heart is glad and My glory (My inner self) rejoices; My body too shall rest and confidently dwell in safety." Verse 10 says, "For You shall not abandon Me in sheol (the place of the dead) neither will You suffer Your Holy One to see corruption."
We sometimes forget that Jesus had to walk with the Father by faith in His Word just like we do. The only proof that Jesus would see the fruit of the Word of His promise was by faith in God and His Word. What Jesus was about do on the cross was something that had never been done before...even by God.
You and I are the proof of His resurrection. The world still staggers at the thought of a man becoming sin, dying and being raised up in our place of justification and making us righteous through this one act of faith and obedience. Even the Church still struggles with the full truth of what really happened at Calvary. We cannot get the whole, awful truth of the depth of what Jesus did. We keep trying to make it pretty and obtainable to our senses.
The awful truth is that Jesus, by faith in His Father's Word, gave Himself over into the hands of God's greatest enemy and was willing to do whatever was asked of Him for us. Isaiah 52:14 (Amplified) says that, "(For many the servant of God became and object of horror; many were astonished at Him) His face and His whole appearance were marred more than any man's, and His form beyond that of the sons of men, but just as many were astonished at Him."
According to this scripture, Jesus didn't even look like a man any longer as He hung on the cross. And, even more awful than this, was the fact that Jesus had to be separated from the Father and God would have to turn His back on His Own Son as He became sin an cursed for us. We see this by faith and must receive it as truth.
If God's Word is seed, then we have to look at the seed as proof of the harvest. We can't see the harvest without planting the seed first.
If you present a child with a flower pot and a packet of seeds and show him how to plant it, then they will, in child like faith, put the seed in the soil. They will eagerly and expectantly watch for the seed to bring forth the sprout, then the plant and then the flower and fruit of the seed. They don't question how, why or if, they simply believe.
Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) says that, "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of the things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses)."
The Spirit says that "Now faith is the assurance of things we hope for." It's no longer the Law, the sacrifices, the works of the flesh; but faith. It didn't say we can't have what we hope for, it just says that ,now, faith is how we appropriate them.
We don't have to be put out of the camp if we have an issue of blood and wait for cleansing. We can walk clean before God, by faith in Jesus, as still being clean and sow the seeds of faith for our healing. As we take the seed of His Word from Isaiah 53:1-12 (Amplified) we can , by faith, sow this seed in our heart and expect it to produce what it says.
When you plant a garden, you buy a packet of seed with the picture of the fruit or vegetable on the front of the packet. It's not the fruit, but only a picture of it. By faith, you plant the seed and expect it to produce what the picture has promised. The same is true of God's Word. Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) says that you, by faith, have a picture of what the results are. You see that "by Jesus' stripes you are healed." You don't see the healing, you only see the promise. He said that "the Word is the proof of what we don't see." We don't see the vegetable, we only see a picture of it. But, if we will plant the seed in good soil, then the proof is in the seed.
We sometimes try reaping the harvest without sowing the seed. We've failed to understand that "Faith is the substance of things hoped for" and we still try receiving the harvest by works instead of faith. You must first plant a seed to get a harvest. Even God demonstrated this when Jesus became the seed that produced a family of children to the Father. God, by faith in His Own Word and confidence it wouldn't return to Him void, sent Jesus to bring sons unto glory. Hebrews 2:10 (Amplified) says that, "For it was an act worthy (of God) and fitting (to the divine nature) that He, for whose sake and by whom all things has their existence in bringing many sons into glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation (should bring to maturity the human experience necessary to be perfectly equipped for His office as High Priest) through suffering."
Jesus had to have faith in what God's Word said about Him when He went to the cross. The only things Jesus had to hold onto was the Word. Psalm 16:8-10 (Amplified) says, "I have set the Lord continually before Me; because He is at My right hand, I shall not be moved." Verse 9 goes on, "Therefore My heart is glad and My glory (My inner self) rejoices; My body too shall rest and confidently dwell in safety." Verse 10 says, "For You shall not abandon Me in sheol (the place of the dead) neither will You suffer Your Holy One to see corruption."
We sometimes forget that Jesus had to walk with the Father by faith in His Word just like we do. The only proof that Jesus would see the fruit of the Word of His promise was by faith in God and His Word. What Jesus was about do on the cross was something that had never been done before...even by God.
You and I are the proof of His resurrection. The world still staggers at the thought of a man becoming sin, dying and being raised up in our place of justification and making us righteous through this one act of faith and obedience. Even the Church still struggles with the full truth of what really happened at Calvary. We cannot get the whole, awful truth of the depth of what Jesus did. We keep trying to make it pretty and obtainable to our senses.
The awful truth is that Jesus, by faith in His Father's Word, gave Himself over into the hands of God's greatest enemy and was willing to do whatever was asked of Him for us. Isaiah 52:14 (Amplified) says that, "(For many the servant of God became and object of horror; many were astonished at Him) His face and His whole appearance were marred more than any man's, and His form beyond that of the sons of men, but just as many were astonished at Him."
According to this scripture, Jesus didn't even look like a man any longer as He hung on the cross. And, even more awful than this, was the fact that Jesus had to be separated from the Father and God would have to turn His back on His Own Son as He became sin an cursed for us. We see this by faith and must receive it as truth.
If God's Word is seed, then we have to look at the seed as proof of the harvest. We can't see the harvest without planting the seed first.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Lesson 6 FAITH
We've learned from Romans 10:17 (Amplified) that faith in God comes by hearing the Word of God (or what Jesus preached concerning God). We'll never be able to put faith in what God wants to do until we discover what that is. We are called to know what God's will for our lives is by reading His Word. God's Word is His will. 1John 5:14-15 (Amplified) says, "And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him; (we are sure) that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His Own plan) He listens to and hears us." Verse 15 goes on, "And if (since) we (positively) know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know (with settles and absolute knowledge) that we have (granted us as our present possessions) the requests made of Him."
The Apostle John made those statements by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in order to give us faith to pray and to have faith in what we pray. We've been taught to pray the simple kind of prayer of,"Lord, if this be your will.". This isn't what the scriptures say. John said that we're to have assurance that we have the Father's ear because we know what His will is. Because we've never had faith in understanding what God's will is, we've lacked faith in our prayer life. We've been taught that "you never know what God will do," but that isn't what the Word says about it.
When we discussed the watermelon seed and the mustard seed, we learned you must have faith the seed will produce what it says. Isaiah 55:11 (Amplified) says, "So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void (without producing any effect, useless) but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
Just like the mustard seed will bring forth the large plant or the watermelon seed will bring forth fruit, so will the seed (Word) of God if we will have faith in its purpose. Every farmer must have faith in what is inside the seed in order to ever produce a crop. When you observe the watermelon seed, you don't see the watermelon, but only the seed. When you sow the seed you must have faith that it will produce the harvest. You'll only sow the seed if you have faith in the seed.
This is the simple message that Jesus conferred to His disciples. Everything you desire to harvest is in the seed. Although you cannot see the harvest yet, have faith in the seed. If you already have the harvest, then you wouldn't need the seed. If you don't have faith to sow the seed, then you'll never receive a harvest. When you have faith to sow the seed (the Word), it brings forth more than one seed. How foolish would it be to till the ground, spend the time and effort, put all the labor in your field and sow only one seed, just to have it produce only one seed in return? In the same way, when you take the Word of God (the seed) in faith and by faith, you understand that whatever you're believing for in your harvest is in the seed.
We are faith people. We operate in faith all the time. We just don't apply what we know into the realm of God from which it came in the first place. It seems like when it comes to God, our faith must be a different and we complicate it with religion. Keep your faith simple like Jesus said to do.
We don't have a problem believing that a kernel of corn will produce corn. We don't have a problem believing that a watermelon seed will produce watermelons. This is the simplicity of faith. It works! Why then, do we have a problem believing that God's Word (or this seed) will produce what He said it would produce. 1Peter 1:23 (Amplified) says that, "You have been regenerated (born again) not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God." He said the seed that produced a family of God was the seed or sperm of God was the Word of God.
Jesus Himself said as much in John 12:24 (Amplified), "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains (just by itself, alone); But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest."
Jesus was speaking by faith in the seed (which is Himself) that by His dying (being planted as a seed), He would become the source of a Harvest of family to the Father. At the time Jesus spoke this, He was called "the only begotten Son." In Romans 8:29 (Amplified) we read, "For those whom He fore knew (of whom He was aware and loved beforehand) He also destined from the beginning (fore ordaining them-John 3:16) to be molded into the Image of His Son (and share inwardly His likeness) that He might become the firstborn among many brethren."
This seed, Jesus, the Word of God, was sown into the earth, died and brought forth unto God (the Husbandman in John 15:1) a harvest (or family) just like the first seed. Romans 8:16-17 (Amplified) says that, "The Spirit Himself (thus) testifies together with our own spirit (assuring us) that we are children of God." Verse 17 goes on, "And if we are (His) children, then we are (His) heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (sharing His inheritance with Him) only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory."
This One seed, Jesus, produced a harvest unto God. Every seed produces after kind is the law of Genesis 1:12 (Amplified). We know that that law works in the natural world, but it's also a spiritual law! You would never plant an apple seed and expect and orange tree to grow. An acorn can never produce anything but an oak tree. Corn always produces corn, wheat always produces wheat. The Son of God "the Seed," always produces children of God.
I can plant the same kind of watermelon seed and I will always reap the same kind of watermelon. They're not the same watermelon, but they're the same kind of watermelon. When Jesus became the firstborn of many brethren, I became like Him. I am not Him, but I am like Him. I am not The Son of God, but I am a son of God. This also is a faith seed. If we can believe or have faith in every seed produces after its kind, then we have to believe by faith that the incorruptible seed (the Word of God) produces the same kind of produce every time like1Peter 1:23 says.
Once we receive by faith, the truth of God's Word, then it becomes easier to sow into the soil of our heart (spirit) the seed by faith for healing, joy, strength, hope, long suffering, this is the fruit of the Spirit. All of the things that are fruit, have a seed (or promise of the Word) that can be sown and harvested in the life of the child of God to His praise and glory.
The Apostle John made those statements by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in order to give us faith to pray and to have faith in what we pray. We've been taught to pray the simple kind of prayer of,"Lord, if this be your will.". This isn't what the scriptures say. John said that we're to have assurance that we have the Father's ear because we know what His will is. Because we've never had faith in understanding what God's will is, we've lacked faith in our prayer life. We've been taught that "you never know what God will do," but that isn't what the Word says about it.
When we discussed the watermelon seed and the mustard seed, we learned you must have faith the seed will produce what it says. Isaiah 55:11 (Amplified) says, "So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void (without producing any effect, useless) but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
Just like the mustard seed will bring forth the large plant or the watermelon seed will bring forth fruit, so will the seed (Word) of God if we will have faith in its purpose. Every farmer must have faith in what is inside the seed in order to ever produce a crop. When you observe the watermelon seed, you don't see the watermelon, but only the seed. When you sow the seed you must have faith that it will produce the harvest. You'll only sow the seed if you have faith in the seed.
This is the simple message that Jesus conferred to His disciples. Everything you desire to harvest is in the seed. Although you cannot see the harvest yet, have faith in the seed. If you already have the harvest, then you wouldn't need the seed. If you don't have faith to sow the seed, then you'll never receive a harvest. When you have faith to sow the seed (the Word), it brings forth more than one seed. How foolish would it be to till the ground, spend the time and effort, put all the labor in your field and sow only one seed, just to have it produce only one seed in return? In the same way, when you take the Word of God (the seed) in faith and by faith, you understand that whatever you're believing for in your harvest is in the seed.
We are faith people. We operate in faith all the time. We just don't apply what we know into the realm of God from which it came in the first place. It seems like when it comes to God, our faith must be a different and we complicate it with religion. Keep your faith simple like Jesus said to do.
We don't have a problem believing that a kernel of corn will produce corn. We don't have a problem believing that a watermelon seed will produce watermelons. This is the simplicity of faith. It works! Why then, do we have a problem believing that God's Word (or this seed) will produce what He said it would produce. 1Peter 1:23 (Amplified) says that, "You have been regenerated (born again) not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God." He said the seed that produced a family of God was the seed or sperm of God was the Word of God.
Jesus Himself said as much in John 12:24 (Amplified), "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains (just by itself, alone); But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest."
Jesus was speaking by faith in the seed (which is Himself) that by His dying (being planted as a seed), He would become the source of a Harvest of family to the Father. At the time Jesus spoke this, He was called "the only begotten Son." In Romans 8:29 (Amplified) we read, "For those whom He fore knew (of whom He was aware and loved beforehand) He also destined from the beginning (fore ordaining them-John 3:16) to be molded into the Image of His Son (and share inwardly His likeness) that He might become the firstborn among many brethren."
This seed, Jesus, the Word of God, was sown into the earth, died and brought forth unto God (the Husbandman in John 15:1) a harvest (or family) just like the first seed. Romans 8:16-17 (Amplified) says that, "The Spirit Himself (thus) testifies together with our own spirit (assuring us) that we are children of God." Verse 17 goes on, "And if we are (His) children, then we are (His) heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (sharing His inheritance with Him) only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory."
This One seed, Jesus, produced a harvest unto God. Every seed produces after kind is the law of Genesis 1:12 (Amplified). We know that that law works in the natural world, but it's also a spiritual law! You would never plant an apple seed and expect and orange tree to grow. An acorn can never produce anything but an oak tree. Corn always produces corn, wheat always produces wheat. The Son of God "the Seed," always produces children of God.
I can plant the same kind of watermelon seed and I will always reap the same kind of watermelon. They're not the same watermelon, but they're the same kind of watermelon. When Jesus became the firstborn of many brethren, I became like Him. I am not Him, but I am like Him. I am not The Son of God, but I am a son of God. This also is a faith seed. If we can believe or have faith in every seed produces after its kind, then we have to believe by faith that the incorruptible seed (the Word of God) produces the same kind of produce every time like1Peter 1:23 says.
Once we receive by faith, the truth of God's Word, then it becomes easier to sow into the soil of our heart (spirit) the seed by faith for healing, joy, strength, hope, long suffering, this is the fruit of the Spirit. All of the things that are fruit, have a seed (or promise of the Word) that can be sown and harvested in the life of the child of God to His praise and glory.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Lesson 5 FAITH
This thing called faith, that we all are seeking after, is another thing we've been deceived in. First of all , it isn't something we have to seek after; we already have it. Faith is already in our spirit for the saved and unsaved alike according to Romans 12:3 which says, "God has dealt to every man, the measure of faith."
So, faith isn't something we need to believe God for, but what we need to learn how to grow it into maturity. In Mark 11:22 (Amplified) we read, "And Jesus, replying, said to them, have faith in God (constantly)." If they didn't have faith, then Jesus would never have told them to have faith in God.
It's not that we weren't given "the measure of faith," but we haven't placed our faith in the right thing. In Luke 17:5-6 (Amplified), the apostles asked for the same thing from Jesus that we're still asking for today. The fulfillment of this request is still the same as it was then. Verse 5 says, "And the apostles said unto the Lord, increase our faith." Verse 6 continues, "And the Lord said, If you had faith (trust, confidence in God) even (so small) like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, be pulled up by the roots, and be planted in the sea, and it would obdy you."
In Mark 4 (Amplified), Jesus gave a discourse on the Word of God using the parable of the sower. He declares that the seed is the Word of God and that the soil is the heart (or spirit) of man. Jesus declared that the amount of harvest is dependent on the hearer to produce. In Verses 31-32 of this same parable, Jesus repeated what He said in Luke 17 (Amplified) when His disciples asked Him to increase their faith. In Mark 4: 31 He said that, "The Kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all seeds upon the earth." Verse 32 says, "Yet after it is sown, it grows up and becomes the greatest of all garden herbs and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air are able to make nests and dwell in its shade."
So, the answer to increasing our faith is it comes by the seed, Word, that you hear. Jesus said that it doesn't take any more than what He's already given. Romans 12:3 tells us that it isn't how much faith you have, but what you do with it. Romans 10:17 (Amplified) says, "So faith comes by hearing (what is told) and what is heard comes by the preaching (of the message that came from the lips) of Christ (the Messiah) Himself."
So, every Word of God is a seed of faith and even a small amount sown into a heart of sincerity will produce a large amount of results. When they ask to increase their faith, Jesus simply says to "use what you have and it will produce more." I can take one watermelon seed and plant it, water it, and care for it and it will produce a vine. The vine will produce 4-5 watermelons and each one will have 100-150 seeds which will each produce one more vine. So, the question isn't how much faith we have and how to increase it, but how do we invest our faith.
We shared from Romans 1:17 (Amplified) how the Word or heavenly seed is the source of increase in our faith. More Word; more faith. Each portion of our salvation through Jesus has a different fruit, but all grow in the same soil of the heart. Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) says, "For in the gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith, 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" What is the gift of God? the grace or the faith? Both are gifts of God.
Once you've sown the seed of faith for this grace, it brings forth salvation. What of those who never sow this "mustard seed faith" in their hearts? Even though the grace has been granted to save them, the seed of faith into that grace doesn't produce. Romans 1:17 (Amplified) says that "both springing from faith and leading to faith." Salvation came by your faith in this gospel of grace, but will lead to more faith about your salvation if we will sow it and take care of it in our hearts.
Now that the seed of faith in God's grace has brought forth salvation, do we want being led into more revelation by faith into what the gift of salvation is? Does it just mean that we're forgiven and are going to heaven? Or, is there more involved in this free gift of grace?
This watermelon seed of faith has now produced a vine. Jesus said in John 15:1-2 (Amplified) that "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine dresser." Verse 2 says, "Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit (that stops bearing) He cuts away (trims off, takes away) And He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit." Verse 5 says that, "You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the Word which I have given you (the teachings I have discussed with you)."
Jesus said that the seed of faith you have heard and sown in your heart will produce fruit to the glory of the Father. He said that this vine and branch will work together by faith to produce more and better fruit. Jesus also said that the "pruning and cleansing" will be done by His Word and and teachings and not by sickness, disease, hard times or God rebuking you. Remember how Romans 10:17 (Amplified) said, "So faith comes by hearing (what is told) and pruning comes by listenign to the Word and correction thereby."
Still, the Holy Spirit goes on to says in Romans 1:17 (Amplified) that, "(Disclosed by the way of faith), the mustard seed is spreading branched that arouses more faith." The seed is the increase of your faith, "has brought forth the mustard plant (or herb) now it has grown from the seed, to the plant. And, by way of faith, it has reached out to others (birds of the air) or people of need and brings forth shade and comfort to others (the fruit is to His glory and praise).
Now, this watermelon seed has not only produced a watermelon vine, but has produced fruit. The watermelon vine my faith has hoped for in Hebrews 11:1 has brought forth fruit that pleasing to the Father like in Hebrews 11:6. Not only has it brought salvation to me by the seed of the Word in my heart, but it has brought salvation to others. By the seeds of faith that came from the fruit (the watermelon). This is the increase of faith that Jesus' disciples asked about inLuke 17:5-6.
We now know how to increase our faith... by continually hearing God's Word. Notice that Romans 10:17 (Amplified) didn't say that faith comes by heard, but by "hearing." This is time spent with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This is time listening to revelation about our salvation by God's Word. Just as small seed of faith sown into a good soil (or a hearing heart), will continue to grow and produce not just enough for ourselves, bu enough for many others as well.
So, faith isn't something we need to believe God for, but what we need to learn how to grow it into maturity. In Mark 11:22 (Amplified) we read, "And Jesus, replying, said to them, have faith in God (constantly)." If they didn't have faith, then Jesus would never have told them to have faith in God.
It's not that we weren't given "the measure of faith," but we haven't placed our faith in the right thing. In Luke 17:5-6 (Amplified), the apostles asked for the same thing from Jesus that we're still asking for today. The fulfillment of this request is still the same as it was then. Verse 5 says, "And the apostles said unto the Lord, increase our faith." Verse 6 continues, "And the Lord said, If you had faith (trust, confidence in God) even (so small) like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, be pulled up by the roots, and be planted in the sea, and it would obdy you."
In Mark 4 (Amplified), Jesus gave a discourse on the Word of God using the parable of the sower. He declares that the seed is the Word of God and that the soil is the heart (or spirit) of man. Jesus declared that the amount of harvest is dependent on the hearer to produce. In Verses 31-32 of this same parable, Jesus repeated what He said in Luke 17 (Amplified) when His disciples asked Him to increase their faith. In Mark 4: 31 He said that, "The Kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all seeds upon the earth." Verse 32 says, "Yet after it is sown, it grows up and becomes the greatest of all garden herbs and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air are able to make nests and dwell in its shade."
So, the answer to increasing our faith is it comes by the seed, Word, that you hear. Jesus said that it doesn't take any more than what He's already given. Romans 12:3 tells us that it isn't how much faith you have, but what you do with it. Romans 10:17 (Amplified) says, "So faith comes by hearing (what is told) and what is heard comes by the preaching (of the message that came from the lips) of Christ (the Messiah) Himself."
So, every Word of God is a seed of faith and even a small amount sown into a heart of sincerity will produce a large amount of results. When they ask to increase their faith, Jesus simply says to "use what you have and it will produce more." I can take one watermelon seed and plant it, water it, and care for it and it will produce a vine. The vine will produce 4-5 watermelons and each one will have 100-150 seeds which will each produce one more vine. So, the question isn't how much faith we have and how to increase it, but how do we invest our faith.
We shared from Romans 1:17 (Amplified) how the Word or heavenly seed is the source of increase in our faith. More Word; more faith. Each portion of our salvation through Jesus has a different fruit, but all grow in the same soil of the heart. Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) says, "For in the gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith, 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" What is the gift of God? the grace or the faith? Both are gifts of God.
Once you've sown the seed of faith for this grace, it brings forth salvation. What of those who never sow this "mustard seed faith" in their hearts? Even though the grace has been granted to save them, the seed of faith into that grace doesn't produce. Romans 1:17 (Amplified) says that "both springing from faith and leading to faith." Salvation came by your faith in this gospel of grace, but will lead to more faith about your salvation if we will sow it and take care of it in our hearts.
Now that the seed of faith in God's grace has brought forth salvation, do we want being led into more revelation by faith into what the gift of salvation is? Does it just mean that we're forgiven and are going to heaven? Or, is there more involved in this free gift of grace?
This watermelon seed of faith has now produced a vine. Jesus said in John 15:1-2 (Amplified) that "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine dresser." Verse 2 says, "Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit (that stops bearing) He cuts away (trims off, takes away) And He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit." Verse 5 says that, "You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the Word which I have given you (the teachings I have discussed with you)."
Jesus said that the seed of faith you have heard and sown in your heart will produce fruit to the glory of the Father. He said that this vine and branch will work together by faith to produce more and better fruit. Jesus also said that the "pruning and cleansing" will be done by His Word and and teachings and not by sickness, disease, hard times or God rebuking you. Remember how Romans 10:17 (Amplified) said, "So faith comes by hearing (what is told) and pruning comes by listenign to the Word and correction thereby."
Still, the Holy Spirit goes on to says in Romans 1:17 (Amplified) that, "(Disclosed by the way of faith), the mustard seed is spreading branched that arouses more faith." The seed is the increase of your faith, "has brought forth the mustard plant (or herb) now it has grown from the seed, to the plant. And, by way of faith, it has reached out to others (birds of the air) or people of need and brings forth shade and comfort to others (the fruit is to His glory and praise).
Now, this watermelon seed has not only produced a watermelon vine, but has produced fruit. The watermelon vine my faith has hoped for in Hebrews 11:1 has brought forth fruit that pleasing to the Father like in Hebrews 11:6. Not only has it brought salvation to me by the seed of the Word in my heart, but it has brought salvation to others. By the seeds of faith that came from the fruit (the watermelon). This is the increase of faith that Jesus' disciples asked about inLuke 17:5-6.
We now know how to increase our faith... by continually hearing God's Word. Notice that Romans 10:17 (Amplified) didn't say that faith comes by heard, but by "hearing." This is time spent with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This is time listening to revelation about our salvation by God's Word. Just as small seed of faith sown into a good soil (or a hearing heart), will continue to grow and produce not just enough for ourselves, bu enough for many others as well.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Lesson 4 FAITH
Throughout the old covenant, God was spoke of a new covenant He'd make with His people. In the book of Habakkuk 2:4 (Amplified), we read, "Look at the proud; his soul is not straight or right within him, but the (rigidly) just and the (uncompromisingly) righteous man shall live by his faith and in his faithfulness."
This is one of the scriptures the Lord used to show how even though a man might live by the Law, his pride in keeping it could not make his soul right within him. He could walk in pride by keeping the Law and because of that, could conclude he had earned God's blessing. Even though he could consider himself right before God, still didn't receive him as righteous. Romans 3:10 (Amplified) says that, "As it is written, none is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one."
So, even under the Law, men still fell short of the prescribed righteousness that God demanded and sought after. There needed to be a new covenant that would set men right with God. Because man couldn't remove the sin of his life by just covering them, there had to be a new sacrifice that would remove them completely. Man could never remove sin, but only cover it by the blood of goats and bulls. Now, this new covenant God established wouldn't be something men could glory in by their own works and their obedience to the Law, but a new covenant of obedience to faith. Romans 1:5 (Amplified) says that, "It is through Him that we have received grace (God's unmerited favor) and (our) apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name's sake among all the nation."
This obedience to faith is one of the most misunderstood scriptures in the entire new covenant. Romans 3:26-27 (Amplified) says, "It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time (the now season) that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies and accepts as righteous him who has (true) faith in Jesus." Verse 27 says, "What then becomes of (our) pride and (our) boasting? It is excluded (banished, ruled out entirely). On what principle? (On the principle) of doing good deeds? No, but on the principle of faith."
Now, under the obedience to the faith, no one can boast about his good works, but only boast on Jesus and God's grace. Being obedient to this faith keeps us in the place where only His righteousness is seen and approved.
Faith is the only way to receive what God's doing now in the earth. By being obedient to this faith, we're in the position with our Father to receive everything that grace was given for. As we understand this obedience to faith, we can see that everything in our new covenant is founded on faith. Grace has already provided everything we will ever need in this life on earth, but it all must be received through and by faith.
Everything God has promised by Jesus has already been accomplished at His resurrection. When Isaiah 53 and 54 (Amplified) spoke of our healing and righteousness in chapter 54 he spoke of our peace and how all these things were accomplished on our behalf. We can't be good enough to deserve them and we can't do anything to earn these things. If this could happen, then we'd still be walking in our own righteousness and not that which God ascribes.
In order to actually receive the benefits of the sacrifice, we must be in obedience to faith. How else can we ever expect to be good enough to deserve them any other way? We exercised our faith when we dared believe that Jesus died for us, but we haven't gone on as the Word said in Romans 1:17 (Amplified) which says, "For in the gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith). As it is written, the man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
We, as Christian people, have somehow not allowed our faith to lead us deeper in our faith. We haven't allowed our faith to arouse us to more faith. We let our faith stop at the forgiveness of sin (and even we question that) and going to heaven, but we stumble at being obedient to this faith for the rest of our covenant. We stumble over our own works or lack thereof, to receive the rest of our covenant of grace. Trying to receive from God, anything that isn't of faith, wouldn't be grace but good works. That's why Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) says, "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him, For whosoever comes to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him (God)."
This scripture reinforces what Romans 1:17 (Amplified) about going from faith, leading to more faith, that arouses to more faith. The reward we receive by this seeking God out is by faith in the fullness of His promise. God is not rewarding us for simply seeking Him out because that would once again be by works. The reward He is speaking of is that as our faith reveals more of the finished work of Jesus, we are rewarded by accepting by faith, what was already there.
When man used to prospect for gold, the reward of a gold strike came by much seeking and diligence. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 (Amplified), "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right) and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."
His way of doing and being right is righteousness through Jesus. Now, as you continue seeking after His kingdom by faith, all of these other things will be given besides.
All these things must received by faith in the same way we received our forgiveness by faith. All of the things even "the gentiles seek after," will be given to those who will continue by faith," to go on into the fullness of His grace. When Jesus said this, He didn't say that if we earned this part of the covenant or if we deserved it, then we'd receive these things. He said that "if only we'd seek it our by faith in His grace, then we'd receive.
This is one of the scriptures the Lord used to show how even though a man might live by the Law, his pride in keeping it could not make his soul right within him. He could walk in pride by keeping the Law and because of that, could conclude he had earned God's blessing. Even though he could consider himself right before God, still didn't receive him as righteous. Romans 3:10 (Amplified) says that, "As it is written, none is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one."
So, even under the Law, men still fell short of the prescribed righteousness that God demanded and sought after. There needed to be a new covenant that would set men right with God. Because man couldn't remove the sin of his life by just covering them, there had to be a new sacrifice that would remove them completely. Man could never remove sin, but only cover it by the blood of goats and bulls. Now, this new covenant God established wouldn't be something men could glory in by their own works and their obedience to the Law, but a new covenant of obedience to faith. Romans 1:5 (Amplified) says that, "It is through Him that we have received grace (God's unmerited favor) and (our) apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name's sake among all the nation."
This obedience to faith is one of the most misunderstood scriptures in the entire new covenant. Romans 3:26-27 (Amplified) says, "It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time (the now season) that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies and accepts as righteous him who has (true) faith in Jesus." Verse 27 says, "What then becomes of (our) pride and (our) boasting? It is excluded (banished, ruled out entirely). On what principle? (On the principle) of doing good deeds? No, but on the principle of faith."
Now, under the obedience to the faith, no one can boast about his good works, but only boast on Jesus and God's grace. Being obedient to this faith keeps us in the place where only His righteousness is seen and approved.
Faith is the only way to receive what God's doing now in the earth. By being obedient to this faith, we're in the position with our Father to receive everything that grace was given for. As we understand this obedience to faith, we can see that everything in our new covenant is founded on faith. Grace has already provided everything we will ever need in this life on earth, but it all must be received through and by faith.
Everything God has promised by Jesus has already been accomplished at His resurrection. When Isaiah 53 and 54 (Amplified) spoke of our healing and righteousness in chapter 54 he spoke of our peace and how all these things were accomplished on our behalf. We can't be good enough to deserve them and we can't do anything to earn these things. If this could happen, then we'd still be walking in our own righteousness and not that which God ascribes.
In order to actually receive the benefits of the sacrifice, we must be in obedience to faith. How else can we ever expect to be good enough to deserve them any other way? We exercised our faith when we dared believe that Jesus died for us, but we haven't gone on as the Word said in Romans 1:17 (Amplified) which says, "For in the gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith). As it is written, the man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
We, as Christian people, have somehow not allowed our faith to lead us deeper in our faith. We haven't allowed our faith to arouse us to more faith. We let our faith stop at the forgiveness of sin (and even we question that) and going to heaven, but we stumble at being obedient to this faith for the rest of our covenant. We stumble over our own works or lack thereof, to receive the rest of our covenant of grace. Trying to receive from God, anything that isn't of faith, wouldn't be grace but good works. That's why Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) says, "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him, For whosoever comes to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him (God)."
This scripture reinforces what Romans 1:17 (Amplified) about going from faith, leading to more faith, that arouses to more faith. The reward we receive by this seeking God out is by faith in the fullness of His promise. God is not rewarding us for simply seeking Him out because that would once again be by works. The reward He is speaking of is that as our faith reveals more of the finished work of Jesus, we are rewarded by accepting by faith, what was already there.
When man used to prospect for gold, the reward of a gold strike came by much seeking and diligence. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 (Amplified), "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right) and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."
His way of doing and being right is righteousness through Jesus. Now, as you continue seeking after His kingdom by faith, all of these other things will be given besides.
All these things must received by faith in the same way we received our forgiveness by faith. All of the things even "the gentiles seek after," will be given to those who will continue by faith," to go on into the fullness of His grace. When Jesus said this, He didn't say that if we earned this part of the covenant or if we deserved it, then we'd receive these things. He said that "if only we'd seek it our by faith in His grace, then we'd receive.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Lesson 3 FAITH
Faith may be the most misunderstood topic in the entire New Testament. Because of man's idea of how to be right with God, we still try pleasing Him by works. We try with a carnal, unrenewed mind walking in the Law. We no longer observe the ritual of the Law, but we continue trying to please God by the deeds of the flesh. We have loaded people down with guilt and condemnation for years. We've put such rules as poverty, forbidding to marry and many more upon God's people.
By observing the deeds of the flesh, we've ignored the righteousness of faith. Yet, today in the Church, we have those who oppose the teachings of the new covenant. We've had and still have, those who stand against the Word on poverty, healing, the gifts of the Spirit and the promise of righteousness. These aren't people who don't love God, but people who have no understanding of faith.
When the "renewal of the faith" word came back into the Church in the early 1970's, many went beyond the true word of faith. Still, it was because they had no clear understanding. In Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) we read that, "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)."
We, in the Church,have dismissed the teaching of faith and have stayed as old wine skins in the same traditions that we've always walked in. We still operated in the traditions man made to please God like dressing a certain way, wearing our hair a certain way, not wearing jewelry and make-up and others.
Because the people wished to be pleasing to God and to be right with Him, we subjected ourselves to these laws of man. We read in Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) that "faith is the substance of things hoped for." In the Church, the people's hope was to be pleasing and right with God. The motive was right, but the process was wrong. Since God judges the heart and the motive, He was able to receive the people who had by faith accepted Jesus, but still walked by sight.
The Word of God is wisdom! When you read His Word, it is wisdom. We wrap it in leather, we emboss is with gold leaf and treat it as sacred (which it is), but we still have no understanding of it. With all of our getting, we're to get understanding.
Without the leadership of the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the word of wisdom. Jesus said in John 6:63 (Amplified) that, "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." Verse 64 goes on, "But (still) some of you fail to believe and trust and have Faith."
Many different things have been taught by many different people in the body of Christ for many different motives. Some have been taught to keep the people dependent upon the minister instead of the Lord. The true Word is taught in order to bring each individual person into a relationship with the Father. And it's taught so each and every person in the Church knows how to pray and hear from God on his or her own.
Faith is the only way you can reach, fellowship, receive and be pleasing to God under our new covenant. "Without faith it is impossible to please God according to Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified). The reason it's impossible to pleas Him without faith is because works will exclude the finished work of Jesus and the accepted sacrifice of God and put salvation into the works of man again. Only faith in the finished work of Jesus is pleasing and acceptable to our Father.
In the covenant of grace that we're now under, faith is the most important thing. We read in Ephesians 2:8 that we are "saved by grace, through faith." The grace has been given by God, but must be received by man through faith. Without faith in what God has done through Jesus, man will still be lost. We cannot reach God by any other means. Grace has been given for the forgiveness of sin, for right standing with God, for our justification, for our healing, for our redemption, for deliverance from the curse of the Law, for the blessing of Abraham to come upon us and for our adoption into the family of God becoming joint-heirs with Jesus, Himself. Grace has provided all these things and many more through Jesus. Everyone of these things must be appropriated by faith. Romans 8:32 (Amplified) says, "For in the gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith). As it is written, the man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
This scripture (from the Amplified version) helps us see that in the same we receive Jesus by faith, the unfolding (by understanding) of the whole gospel or Good News and everything else in the covenant is received, by faith. When we receive Jesus by faith, we find that this same faith is the way we receive everything that He did for us.
There's no other way to receive what God has done for us in Jesus other than by faith. We keep thinking that things aren't working because we must be doing something wrong or we aren't praying enough or we're not walking in love. All of the things in our covenant come by our faith in our Sacrifice Lamb. It isn't based on our good works, but in our faith in the Lamb Who was offered and accepted by God on our behalf. When the Sacrifice was accepted, you were accepted. When Jesus was accepted as our Lamb, grace was extended to every man, woman and child who will receive, by faith, what God's sacrifice has done.
In Romans 3:27 (Amplified) we read, "What then becomes of (our) pride and (our) boasting? It is excluded (banished, ruled our entirely) on what principle)? On the principle of doing good deeds? No, but on the principle of faith."
So, you see that everything in our new covenant of grace has already been given and provided for all things. There's nothing left for the believer to do to have all the blessing overcome and be poured out on him, than to by faith, let God be God. We don't seem to understand that faith must be extended into every part of our walk with Him. It already is ours through Jesus, but it must be accepted (like salvation is to all the world) and received by faith. Even the free gift of salvation doesn't profit the lost unless they will accept it by faith.
By observing the deeds of the flesh, we've ignored the righteousness of faith. Yet, today in the Church, we have those who oppose the teachings of the new covenant. We've had and still have, those who stand against the Word on poverty, healing, the gifts of the Spirit and the promise of righteousness. These aren't people who don't love God, but people who have no understanding of faith.
When the "renewal of the faith" word came back into the Church in the early 1970's, many went beyond the true word of faith. Still, it was because they had no clear understanding. In Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) we read that, "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)."
We, in the Church,have dismissed the teaching of faith and have stayed as old wine skins in the same traditions that we've always walked in. We still operated in the traditions man made to please God like dressing a certain way, wearing our hair a certain way, not wearing jewelry and make-up and others.
Because the people wished to be pleasing to God and to be right with Him, we subjected ourselves to these laws of man. We read in Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) that "faith is the substance of things hoped for." In the Church, the people's hope was to be pleasing and right with God. The motive was right, but the process was wrong. Since God judges the heart and the motive, He was able to receive the people who had by faith accepted Jesus, but still walked by sight.
The Word of God is wisdom! When you read His Word, it is wisdom. We wrap it in leather, we emboss is with gold leaf and treat it as sacred (which it is), but we still have no understanding of it. With all of our getting, we're to get understanding.
Without the leadership of the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the word of wisdom. Jesus said in John 6:63 (Amplified) that, "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." Verse 64 goes on, "But (still) some of you fail to believe and trust and have Faith."
Many different things have been taught by many different people in the body of Christ for many different motives. Some have been taught to keep the people dependent upon the minister instead of the Lord. The true Word is taught in order to bring each individual person into a relationship with the Father. And it's taught so each and every person in the Church knows how to pray and hear from God on his or her own.
Faith is the only way you can reach, fellowship, receive and be pleasing to God under our new covenant. "Without faith it is impossible to please God according to Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified). The reason it's impossible to pleas Him without faith is because works will exclude the finished work of Jesus and the accepted sacrifice of God and put salvation into the works of man again. Only faith in the finished work of Jesus is pleasing and acceptable to our Father.
In the covenant of grace that we're now under, faith is the most important thing. We read in Ephesians 2:8 that we are "saved by grace, through faith." The grace has been given by God, but must be received by man through faith. Without faith in what God has done through Jesus, man will still be lost. We cannot reach God by any other means. Grace has been given for the forgiveness of sin, for right standing with God, for our justification, for our healing, for our redemption, for deliverance from the curse of the Law, for the blessing of Abraham to come upon us and for our adoption into the family of God becoming joint-heirs with Jesus, Himself. Grace has provided all these things and many more through Jesus. Everyone of these things must be appropriated by faith. Romans 8:32 (Amplified) says, "For in the gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith). As it is written, the man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
This scripture (from the Amplified version) helps us see that in the same we receive Jesus by faith, the unfolding (by understanding) of the whole gospel or Good News and everything else in the covenant is received, by faith. When we receive Jesus by faith, we find that this same faith is the way we receive everything that He did for us.
There's no other way to receive what God has done for us in Jesus other than by faith. We keep thinking that things aren't working because we must be doing something wrong or we aren't praying enough or we're not walking in love. All of the things in our covenant come by our faith in our Sacrifice Lamb. It isn't based on our good works, but in our faith in the Lamb Who was offered and accepted by God on our behalf. When the Sacrifice was accepted, you were accepted. When Jesus was accepted as our Lamb, grace was extended to every man, woman and child who will receive, by faith, what God's sacrifice has done.
In Romans 3:27 (Amplified) we read, "What then becomes of (our) pride and (our) boasting? It is excluded (banished, ruled our entirely) on what principle)? On the principle of doing good deeds? No, but on the principle of faith."
So, you see that everything in our new covenant of grace has already been given and provided for all things. There's nothing left for the believer to do to have all the blessing overcome and be poured out on him, than to by faith, let God be God. We don't seem to understand that faith must be extended into every part of our walk with Him. It already is ours through Jesus, but it must be accepted (like salvation is to all the world) and received by faith. Even the free gift of salvation doesn't profit the lost unless they will accept it by faith.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Lesson 2 FAITH
Faith. So many things have been said about faith and so many mistakes have been made concerning faith. For years, we've been in pursuit of this somewhat hard to find quality in our lives.
What is faith? Where does it come from? Who has faith? How do you obtain faith? Does faith always work? How important is faith in the life of a believer? Do you need faith in order to be a Christian? Is there any other way to reach God without faith?
Many of these questions have plagued the Church for numerous years and seem to be unobtainable to many. Some have felt like they don't have enough faith to function in the full capacity of the Christian life. Some have simply given up trying to reach the desired walk with our Father because they feel as though they have enough faith to reach this great goal.
To begin our study on faith, let's find out what it is. Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) says that without faith it is impossible to please God. So those wishing to please the Father must know how, why, where,when and seek knowledge about faith.
Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) also says that, "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of the (things) we do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith, perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses)." According to the Word of God, Hebrews 11:6 is the true definition of what faith really is.
It's not some weird thing that can be conjured up by certain persons. It's not something you need to pray for. It is a gift of God given to every man, woman and child who was ever born into this world. Romans 12:3 KJV says,"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, accordingly as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
Some seemingly oppose faith (by thinking of themselves more highly than they should) by continuing to act like they haven't been completely cleansed of sin from their past. It almost sounds like they believe that it wasn't enough for Jesus to die for our sins. And, it almost sounds backwards, doesn't it? We can actually oppose faith by false pride and false humility and make faith of no avail. We can act like we're still sinners and contain faith to this one place in our lives.
If we still feel condemned and guilty over our past, then faith hasn't been able to do it's perfect work. After all, Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified)says that if we still feel condemned in His presence, then we're not in complete faith concerning the cross and this is not pleasing to the Father.
Yesterday's Blog contained Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) which says, "We are saved by grace, through faith, this not of ourselves but is the gift of God." What is the gift of God? The grace or the faith to receive grace? I believe that both are free gift of God. The only way we can accept this mighty gift of His free grace is by faith.
So what is faith? It's what I always wanted...to be pleasing to God, to be able to walk with Him, to fellowship with Him and to be in a place where when I pray I have the assurance that He hears me. In Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified), my faith is the assurance of all these things I've hoped for.
How can I make such a statement about myself being pleasing to God? By faith in God's Word and the sacrifice of Jesus. Is it based on my good works? No. It's based on faith in Him. If it's works, then it's not faith. If it's not faith, then it's not pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6).
How do I understand this faith God gave me? Romans 10:17 (Amplified) says, "So faith comes by hearing (what is told) and what is heard comes by the preaching (of the message that came from the lips) of Christ (the Messiah Himself)." So, the more I hear the Word of grace and truth preached, the greater my faith in Jesus will increase. Romans 1:17 (Amplified) says, "For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the faith and leading to faith that arouses to more faith) as it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live by faith.
Everything in the new covenant is, and must be, received through and by faith. Works are dead, sacrifice is done, pride is excluded and only faith will prevail for the fullness of the cross. We have believed and received a portion of what Jesus went to the cross for, but we've let our faith fail in many other areas of our Christian life. We've struggled trying to have faith for so many promises of God.
Ou faith is to be placed in and only in Jesus. The more we learn about what Jesus did on our behalf, the more faith we will have in our covenant with God. We don't set our faith in healing, but faith in the fact that Jesus bore our sickness and disease. This is a truth in our covenant that only faith can obtain.
We don't try to find formulas that work and rituals that are pleasing to the flesh and make us feel like we've done our part. Our part is simply to believe and have faith in the truth that Jesus did it all. The only way to have faith in the fullness of our covenant of grace, is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. Man-made doctrines got us saved (allowed us to get to heaven when we leave here), but have excluded the benefits of grace while we are here.
Jesus has made us righteous (if we will accept it) by faith in His Sacrifice. There's only one thing that can make us righteous and that's faith in Him according to Romans 3:22 (Amplified).
What is faith? Where does it come from? Who has faith? How do you obtain faith? Does faith always work? How important is faith in the life of a believer? Do you need faith in order to be a Christian? Is there any other way to reach God without faith?
Many of these questions have plagued the Church for numerous years and seem to be unobtainable to many. Some have felt like they don't have enough faith to function in the full capacity of the Christian life. Some have simply given up trying to reach the desired walk with our Father because they feel as though they have enough faith to reach this great goal.
To begin our study on faith, let's find out what it is. Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) says that without faith it is impossible to please God. So those wishing to please the Father must know how, why, where,when and seek knowledge about faith.
Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) also says that, "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of the (things) we do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith, perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses)." According to the Word of God, Hebrews 11:6 is the true definition of what faith really is.
It's not some weird thing that can be conjured up by certain persons. It's not something you need to pray for. It is a gift of God given to every man, woman and child who was ever born into this world. Romans 12:3 KJV says,"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, accordingly as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
Some seemingly oppose faith (by thinking of themselves more highly than they should) by continuing to act like they haven't been completely cleansed of sin from their past. It almost sounds like they believe that it wasn't enough for Jesus to die for our sins. And, it almost sounds backwards, doesn't it? We can actually oppose faith by false pride and false humility and make faith of no avail. We can act like we're still sinners and contain faith to this one place in our lives.
If we still feel condemned and guilty over our past, then faith hasn't been able to do it's perfect work. After all, Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified)says that if we still feel condemned in His presence, then we're not in complete faith concerning the cross and this is not pleasing to the Father.
Yesterday's Blog contained Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) which says, "We are saved by grace, through faith, this not of ourselves but is the gift of God." What is the gift of God? The grace or the faith to receive grace? I believe that both are free gift of God. The only way we can accept this mighty gift of His free grace is by faith.
So what is faith? It's what I always wanted...to be pleasing to God, to be able to walk with Him, to fellowship with Him and to be in a place where when I pray I have the assurance that He hears me. In Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified), my faith is the assurance of all these things I've hoped for.
How can I make such a statement about myself being pleasing to God? By faith in God's Word and the sacrifice of Jesus. Is it based on my good works? No. It's based on faith in Him. If it's works, then it's not faith. If it's not faith, then it's not pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6).
How do I understand this faith God gave me? Romans 10:17 (Amplified) says, "So faith comes by hearing (what is told) and what is heard comes by the preaching (of the message that came from the lips) of Christ (the Messiah Himself)." So, the more I hear the Word of grace and truth preached, the greater my faith in Jesus will increase. Romans 1:17 (Amplified) says, "For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the faith and leading to faith that arouses to more faith) as it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live by faith.
Everything in the new covenant is, and must be, received through and by faith. Works are dead, sacrifice is done, pride is excluded and only faith will prevail for the fullness of the cross. We have believed and received a portion of what Jesus went to the cross for, but we've let our faith fail in many other areas of our Christian life. We've struggled trying to have faith for so many promises of God.
Ou faith is to be placed in and only in Jesus. The more we learn about what Jesus did on our behalf, the more faith we will have in our covenant with God. We don't set our faith in healing, but faith in the fact that Jesus bore our sickness and disease. This is a truth in our covenant that only faith can obtain.
We don't try to find formulas that work and rituals that are pleasing to the flesh and make us feel like we've done our part. Our part is simply to believe and have faith in the truth that Jesus did it all. The only way to have faith in the fullness of our covenant of grace, is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. Man-made doctrines got us saved (allowed us to get to heaven when we leave here), but have excluded the benefits of grace while we are here.
Jesus has made us righteous (if we will accept it) by faith in His Sacrifice. There's only one thing that can make us righteous and that's faith in Him according to Romans 3:22 (Amplified).
Monday, December 30, 2013
Lesson 1 FAITH
Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) tells us, "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him (God) for whoever would come near to Him (God) must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him (out)."
This whole new covenant of grace is based on faith. Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) 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 is the gift of God."
All the things we strive to do on our own will not and cannot bring us what we hope to acquire in God. This covenant we're called to must be and can only be achieved by faith in what Jesus did, from the forgiveness of sin to the healing in your body. Everything that will be made manifest in this earthly realm must be received by faith in the finished work of the cross.
We fail to be healed and receive most of the promises of the new covenant because we still try to earn and deserve them through works and not because God is holding anything back from us. Although we no longer observe the ceremonial parts of the Law, we still try to fulfill the Law by works (whether or not we realize it).
God plainly said in Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) that without faith, it's impossible to please Him. We keep trying to please Him by our performance. We feel like if we pray more, study more, do more or give more then we'll be pleasing to God. NOT TRUE. Though we should do all of these things, it's not to please God, but what we're supposed to be doing as His children.
We don't pray more in order to please God, but to fellowship with Him. We don't study the Word more to please God, but to learn of Him. We don't give more to please God, but to establish His covenant in the world. We don't perform better to please Him, but to reflect into the world the very person of Jesus Himself. All of the things that we're to do aren't done in order to please God, but to reveal to the world around us that Jesus lives in us by grace and faith.
We can't do enough good works to pay the debt of sin removal in our lives. We must, by faith, accept that Jesus did it all. If we try paying for our past and our sins, then we're not putting faith in what Jesus did, but in our own works.
Everything in this covenant of grace must be received as a free gift by faith. We feel that if we do wrong things, we must do something to make amends for them. This isn't faith, but works again.
Does this mean that it makes no difference if we do wrong? No, of course not. When do wrong, instead of trying to make amends for it by works, we should believe by faith that Jesus still removes it in our lives. Sometimes we act like we believe Jesus bore our sins to get us born again, but then we have to cleanse ourselves thereafter. This impossible to do. The same Blood and sacrifice that put sin away when we were saved, is the same Blood and sacrifice that will keep cleansing (by faith) forever.
We've been taught over the years that if things go wrong in our lives, it's because we're doing something wrong. When that thought comes, we being trying to do things in order to make it work. This is, whether we know it or not, trying to obtain whatever it was by works. If something in the covenant isn't working in our lives, then it's because we've never let our hearts (by faith) receive it.
We've come up with many things trying to justify ourselves because of this. But, the bottom line is we have allowed our faith to fail in certain parts of our covenant. If this is a covenant of grace (God's unmerited favor), then it's exactly that...unmerited favor. None of it was earned and none of it can be earned. Only faith in this grace can obtain it in our lives.
Jesus said in John 17:23 (Amplified), "I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and (definitely) recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them (even) as You have loved Me."
In this scripture (if you have faith in it), Jesus said that we are perfectly united with Him and God and one another and that we are just as healed, justified, sinless, righteous and holy as He is. We cannot begin to receive this prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17 (Amplified) unless we receive it by faith. When receiving this by faith, we're not being puffed up with pride and lost favor with God. Contrarily, this means that you've become pleasing to Him because you've come in faith and believed He is the rewarder of those who seek Him out.
What is the reward we seek God for? Is is not that we be clean before Him and be united with Him as one? The only way to achieve this is by faith. When we have faith in all that Jesus did, then this is what pleases God. The reward that we receive is grace to help in our times of need according to Hebrews 4:16 (Amplified) which says that the only way to approach the throne of grace is by faith. It is never approached by works or our own merit, but by the unmerited favor of God.
Everything we receive from God must be obtained by faith. Grace has already been extended to us, but only faith can obtain it. Salvation (by grace) has been extended to the entire world, but only those who put faith in it are saved.
This whole new covenant of grace is based on faith. Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) 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 is the gift of God."
All the things we strive to do on our own will not and cannot bring us what we hope to acquire in God. This covenant we're called to must be and can only be achieved by faith in what Jesus did, from the forgiveness of sin to the healing in your body. Everything that will be made manifest in this earthly realm must be received by faith in the finished work of the cross.
We fail to be healed and receive most of the promises of the new covenant because we still try to earn and deserve them through works and not because God is holding anything back from us. Although we no longer observe the ceremonial parts of the Law, we still try to fulfill the Law by works (whether or not we realize it).
God plainly said in Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) that without faith, it's impossible to please Him. We keep trying to please Him by our performance. We feel like if we pray more, study more, do more or give more then we'll be pleasing to God. NOT TRUE. Though we should do all of these things, it's not to please God, but what we're supposed to be doing as His children.
We don't pray more in order to please God, but to fellowship with Him. We don't study the Word more to please God, but to learn of Him. We don't give more to please God, but to establish His covenant in the world. We don't perform better to please Him, but to reflect into the world the very person of Jesus Himself. All of the things that we're to do aren't done in order to please God, but to reveal to the world around us that Jesus lives in us by grace and faith.
We can't do enough good works to pay the debt of sin removal in our lives. We must, by faith, accept that Jesus did it all. If we try paying for our past and our sins, then we're not putting faith in what Jesus did, but in our own works.
Everything in this covenant of grace must be received as a free gift by faith. We feel that if we do wrong things, we must do something to make amends for them. This isn't faith, but works again.
Does this mean that it makes no difference if we do wrong? No, of course not. When do wrong, instead of trying to make amends for it by works, we should believe by faith that Jesus still removes it in our lives. Sometimes we act like we believe Jesus bore our sins to get us born again, but then we have to cleanse ourselves thereafter. This impossible to do. The same Blood and sacrifice that put sin away when we were saved, is the same Blood and sacrifice that will keep cleansing (by faith) forever.
We've been taught over the years that if things go wrong in our lives, it's because we're doing something wrong. When that thought comes, we being trying to do things in order to make it work. This is, whether we know it or not, trying to obtain whatever it was by works. If something in the covenant isn't working in our lives, then it's because we've never let our hearts (by faith) receive it.
We've come up with many things trying to justify ourselves because of this. But, the bottom line is we have allowed our faith to fail in certain parts of our covenant. If this is a covenant of grace (God's unmerited favor), then it's exactly that...unmerited favor. None of it was earned and none of it can be earned. Only faith in this grace can obtain it in our lives.
Jesus said in John 17:23 (Amplified), "I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and (definitely) recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them (even) as You have loved Me."
In this scripture (if you have faith in it), Jesus said that we are perfectly united with Him and God and one another and that we are just as healed, justified, sinless, righteous and holy as He is. We cannot begin to receive this prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17 (Amplified) unless we receive it by faith. When receiving this by faith, we're not being puffed up with pride and lost favor with God. Contrarily, this means that you've become pleasing to Him because you've come in faith and believed He is the rewarder of those who seek Him out.
What is the reward we seek God for? Is is not that we be clean before Him and be united with Him as one? The only way to achieve this is by faith. When we have faith in all that Jesus did, then this is what pleases God. The reward that we receive is grace to help in our times of need according to Hebrews 4:16 (Amplified) which says that the only way to approach the throne of grace is by faith. It is never approached by works or our own merit, but by the unmerited favor of God.
Everything we receive from God must be obtained by faith. Grace has already been extended to us, but only faith can obtain it. Salvation (by grace) has been extended to the entire world, but only those who put faith in it are saved.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Lesson 15 Prince Of Peace
Isaiah 9:6 (Amplified) tells us that the Prince of Peace is one of the many titles given to portray Jesus Christ in the Word of God. Revelations 19 says that on His head were many crowns. One of these crowns is Prince of Peace.
Though we are free from the Law because by grace you are saved, the Law had and still has a place in the unsaved portion of the world. Romans 2:14 (Amplified) says that, "When Gentiles who have not the (divine) Law do instinctively what the Law requires, they are a Law to themselves, since they do not the Law." Verse 15 says, "They show that the essential requirements of the Law are written in their hearts and are operating there, with which their consciences (sense of right and wrong) also bear witness and their (moral) decisions (their arguments of reason, their condemning or approving thoughts) will accuse or perhaps defend and excuse (them)."
Without the Law being written in our hearts, we would never have realized we were sinners and needed a savior. Some people know they are wrong and excuse their sin by public opinion. With others, we find ourselves in a place of no escape and realize that we need Jesus. This is according to God's plan for us Gentiles and it works perfectly.
The obstacle has been that once conviction comes and we realize we need Jesus, we fail to go from convicting Law to saving grace. We allow the same sin consciences that brought us to Jesus to keep us from fellowship with Jesus. We fail to acknowledge that once you receive Jesus, you are free. Now, this same conscience that convicted you to salvation still works and convicts you in you salvation.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (Amplified) says that, "For our sakes 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 standing with Him), by His goodness."
Because Jesus became our sin bearer and we've become His righteousness, our hearts and consciences that once was our friend and brought us to Christ now has become our enemy and keeps us in condemnation and guilt. Romans 12:1-3 (Amplified) tells us that "We are now to renew our minds to think as we have been approved unto God. Not to be conformed to the world and its external and superficial customs, But to be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of our minds."
We must learn to think according to what the Word says about us and not what the world or our consciences say about us. Romans 12:3 (Amplified) goes on to say, "We're not to think of ourselves more highly than we should, with an exaggerated opinion of ourselves." We've been taught for years that if we declare we're righteous and children of God and sinless, then that implies we're thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. Actually, the opposite is true. When you declare that you're still old sinners who are saved by grace and that none are righteous, no not one, then you have an exaggerated opinion of yourself. You are actually saying that Jesus wasn't enough to make you rgihteous before God even though He died for your sin.
No wonder there's very little peace in the hearts of God's people. If this is the opinion you have of yourself, then you can never be at peace in your heart. Jesus, whom you have received, did His work so perfectly that there isn't even a stain of sin on you. Jesus' sacrifice was so complete that God views you as righteous. Not only are you no longer a sinner in God's eyes, but Romans 8:16-17 (Amplified) says that, "The Spirit Himself (thus) testifies together with our own spirit, (assuring us) that we are God's children." Verse 17 says, "And if we are (His) children, then we are (His) heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (sharing His inheritance with Him) only we must share His suffering if we are to share His Glory."
This suffering isn't the suffering Jesus bore on the cross that could make us free. Jesus' suffering came from the religious people who wouldn't receive Him and the Truth He taught. They preferred the old way and rejected Jesus' teaching on grace. Jesus said that you cannot put new wine in an ole wine skin and that you must be born again in order to even begin understanding the covenant of grace.
This new covenant isn't based on our performance anymore, but on His. It's not based on what your neighbor thinks about you or worldly people's attitudes of "I remember you when..." This new covenant is based on whether you believe that Jesus was enough to cleanse you completely. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:10 (Amplified), "So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities (weaknesses), insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak (in human strength) then am I (truly) strong (aable, powerful in divine strength)."
In all of Paul's sufferings for the gospel, none was something that God had done to him, but what people did to Him because of the gospel. People have been taught for years that God knocked Paul down for his being too proud and boastful. Verse 17 of this same chapter in 2 Corinthians 12 (Amplified) says that it was God Who gave Paul the revelation that I'm teaching now. It was a "messenger of satan" who caused all the persecution in an attempt to stop the preaching of grace.
Satan did everything he knew to do trying to stop the "light of this glorious gospel" from being preached. He still works at it by clouding the minds and consciences of God's children and keeping them from receiving peace with their Father. Every epistle Paul wrote began with the same greeting of "May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ reighn in your life and heart." In one way or another, this is his greeting of Peace.
Though we are free from the Law because by grace you are saved, the Law had and still has a place in the unsaved portion of the world. Romans 2:14 (Amplified) says that, "When Gentiles who have not the (divine) Law do instinctively what the Law requires, they are a Law to themselves, since they do not the Law." Verse 15 says, "They show that the essential requirements of the Law are written in their hearts and are operating there, with which their consciences (sense of right and wrong) also bear witness and their (moral) decisions (their arguments of reason, their condemning or approving thoughts) will accuse or perhaps defend and excuse (them)."
Without the Law being written in our hearts, we would never have realized we were sinners and needed a savior. Some people know they are wrong and excuse their sin by public opinion. With others, we find ourselves in a place of no escape and realize that we need Jesus. This is according to God's plan for us Gentiles and it works perfectly.
The obstacle has been that once conviction comes and we realize we need Jesus, we fail to go from convicting Law to saving grace. We allow the same sin consciences that brought us to Jesus to keep us from fellowship with Jesus. We fail to acknowledge that once you receive Jesus, you are free. Now, this same conscience that convicted you to salvation still works and convicts you in you salvation.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (Amplified) says that, "For our sakes 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 standing with Him), by His goodness."
Because Jesus became our sin bearer and we've become His righteousness, our hearts and consciences that once was our friend and brought us to Christ now has become our enemy and keeps us in condemnation and guilt. Romans 12:1-3 (Amplified) tells us that "We are now to renew our minds to think as we have been approved unto God. Not to be conformed to the world and its external and superficial customs, But to be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of our minds."
We must learn to think according to what the Word says about us and not what the world or our consciences say about us. Romans 12:3 (Amplified) goes on to say, "We're not to think of ourselves more highly than we should, with an exaggerated opinion of ourselves." We've been taught for years that if we declare we're righteous and children of God and sinless, then that implies we're thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. Actually, the opposite is true. When you declare that you're still old sinners who are saved by grace and that none are righteous, no not one, then you have an exaggerated opinion of yourself. You are actually saying that Jesus wasn't enough to make you rgihteous before God even though He died for your sin.
No wonder there's very little peace in the hearts of God's people. If this is the opinion you have of yourself, then you can never be at peace in your heart. Jesus, whom you have received, did His work so perfectly that there isn't even a stain of sin on you. Jesus' sacrifice was so complete that God views you as righteous. Not only are you no longer a sinner in God's eyes, but Romans 8:16-17 (Amplified) says that, "The Spirit Himself (thus) testifies together with our own spirit, (assuring us) that we are God's children." Verse 17 says, "And if we are (His) children, then we are (His) heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (sharing His inheritance with Him) only we must share His suffering if we are to share His Glory."
This suffering isn't the suffering Jesus bore on the cross that could make us free. Jesus' suffering came from the religious people who wouldn't receive Him and the Truth He taught. They preferred the old way and rejected Jesus' teaching on grace. Jesus said that you cannot put new wine in an ole wine skin and that you must be born again in order to even begin understanding the covenant of grace.
This new covenant isn't based on our performance anymore, but on His. It's not based on what your neighbor thinks about you or worldly people's attitudes of "I remember you when..." This new covenant is based on whether you believe that Jesus was enough to cleanse you completely. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:10 (Amplified), "So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities (weaknesses), insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak (in human strength) then am I (truly) strong (aable, powerful in divine strength)."
In all of Paul's sufferings for the gospel, none was something that God had done to him, but what people did to Him because of the gospel. People have been taught for years that God knocked Paul down for his being too proud and boastful. Verse 17 of this same chapter in 2 Corinthians 12 (Amplified) says that it was God Who gave Paul the revelation that I'm teaching now. It was a "messenger of satan" who caused all the persecution in an attempt to stop the preaching of grace.
Satan did everything he knew to do trying to stop the "light of this glorious gospel" from being preached. He still works at it by clouding the minds and consciences of God's children and keeping them from receiving peace with their Father. Every epistle Paul wrote began with the same greeting of "May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ reighn in your life and heart." In one way or another, this is his greeting of Peace.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Lesson 14 Prince Of Peace
Isaiah 9:6 (Amplified) says, "He is to be called the Prince of Peace."
In order to walk in peace, you must receive Jesus as your peace. Many have received Jesus, but have not received His peace. We still try walking under Law and have a difficult time walking in peace. We allow our flesh to keep us under condemnation and therefore we haven't received complete peace.
Romans 14:10 (Amplified) tells us that, "Love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law." John 3:16 (Amplified) says that it was God's love that sent Jesus so we could go free from sin and condemnation. In Matthew 5:17-19 (Amplified) Jesus said that "He came to fulfill the Law." In Luke 2:21-23 (Amplified) we read that, "The first Blood Jesus shed on our behalf was the Blood of circumcision for the Law."
For there ever be peace between God and man, it would have to be perfect love on both parts. God loved enough to become man and the man, Christ Jesus, loved God enough to yield to Him even to the death of the cross.
Now, this Love has fulfilled the Law and brought us into a covenant of grace by total forgiveness on our behalf. Peace can now reign between us and our Father because of His Love. This Love has been given to us by His presence in us by the Holy Spirit according to Romans 5:5 (Amplified).
1 John 4:9 (Amplified) says this is why, "In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we were concerned; in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique (Son) into the world, so that we might live through Him." Now, because Love has fulfilled the Law and the penalty of the Law, we who live in this Love no longer have any fear of penalty. 1 John 4:18 (Amplified) says, "There is no fear in Love (dread does not exist) but full grown (complete, perfect) Love turns fear out of doors, and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment. And (so) he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of Love (is not yet grown into Love's complete perfection)."
We struggle with the fact that we can walk in life today without fear of sin, punishment and separation. This kind of God's Own Love now abides in us by the Holy Spirit Who actually is Love Itself. When Paul said in Romans 8:14 (Amplified) "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God," he was literally saying what John said in 1 John 4:18 (Amplified) that, "He who is afraid has not reached full maturity and hasn't grown up to perfection."
We've always believed that reaching perfection meant that we never make mistakes or sin. What Paul and John both said is that perfection is understanding that Love never fails. And, they said that those who are led by the Spirit understand that this Love is in us by the presence of the Holy Spirit or this Spirit of God's Love.
This Spirit of God's Love will never condemn you, but will always encourage you to walk in peace because of Jesus. The Holy Spirit will always edify, comfort and encourage us to press on. It would be impossible to ever walk in peace with God without the Love that paid the penalty and set us free from the Law of sin and death.
The only way to understand what the Lord said when He called Jesus the Prince of Peace is to accept the fact that it's all paid for now. You can never encounter this kind of Love outside of Jesus. We've never seen is displayed in the lives of men, even Christians for the most part. Jesus said in John 17:23 (Amplified), "I in them and you in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, tat the world may know (and definitely) recognize that You sent Me, and that You have loved them (even as You have loved Me)."
When we come to the Father in prayer or fellowship, this Love must be the forerunner and most prominent thing in our lives. If we enter in with fear or a condemning heart, then we are doubting His Love and have no peace. It's impossible to walk in faith for answered prayer for ourselves or for others when there is no peace in your heart (or conscience) and expect results.
Remember in Mark 11:23-24 (Amplified) Jesus said that "whatever we say ( in prayer or command) we must believe in our hearts?" If we can believe in our hearts that this Love has removed the barrier between us and God once and for all, then we can have peace by the Blood of Jesus. If what John said in 1 John 3:21 (Amplified), "And beloved, if our conscience (our hearts) do not accuse us (if they do not make us feel guilty or condemn us) we have confidence (complete assurance and boldness) before God." Verse 22 goes on, "And we receive from Him whatever we ask. Because we (watchfully) obey His orders (observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us) and habitually practice what is pleasing to Him."
Isn't this what Romans 8:14 says to do? As many as are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. What has the leading of the Holy Spirit taught us about forgiveness, righteousness, justification, reconciliation and grace with peace? If we are led by the Spirit of God's Love, then we will always know and walk in the Prince of Peace.
Only lies of the past that are brought up by an unrenewed mind and a guilty conscience can keep this peace from reigning in your heart. Church, we must believe that what the Word says about us is more true than what our accusing heart says about you. 1 John 3:20 (Amplified) tells us that, "If your heart makes you feel guilty and condemns you, God is greater than your heart."
Receive your forgiveness in peace and let old things truly be passed away. Live in the Prince of Peace.
In order to walk in peace, you must receive Jesus as your peace. Many have received Jesus, but have not received His peace. We still try walking under Law and have a difficult time walking in peace. We allow our flesh to keep us under condemnation and therefore we haven't received complete peace.
Romans 14:10 (Amplified) tells us that, "Love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law." John 3:16 (Amplified) says that it was God's love that sent Jesus so we could go free from sin and condemnation. In Matthew 5:17-19 (Amplified) Jesus said that "He came to fulfill the Law." In Luke 2:21-23 (Amplified) we read that, "The first Blood Jesus shed on our behalf was the Blood of circumcision for the Law."
For there ever be peace between God and man, it would have to be perfect love on both parts. God loved enough to become man and the man, Christ Jesus, loved God enough to yield to Him even to the death of the cross.
Now, this Love has fulfilled the Law and brought us into a covenant of grace by total forgiveness on our behalf. Peace can now reign between us and our Father because of His Love. This Love has been given to us by His presence in us by the Holy Spirit according to Romans 5:5 (Amplified).
1 John 4:9 (Amplified) says this is why, "In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we were concerned; in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique (Son) into the world, so that we might live through Him." Now, because Love has fulfilled the Law and the penalty of the Law, we who live in this Love no longer have any fear of penalty. 1 John 4:18 (Amplified) says, "There is no fear in Love (dread does not exist) but full grown (complete, perfect) Love turns fear out of doors, and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment. And (so) he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of Love (is not yet grown into Love's complete perfection)."
We struggle with the fact that we can walk in life today without fear of sin, punishment and separation. This kind of God's Own Love now abides in us by the Holy Spirit Who actually is Love Itself. When Paul said in Romans 8:14 (Amplified) "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God," he was literally saying what John said in 1 John 4:18 (Amplified) that, "He who is afraid has not reached full maturity and hasn't grown up to perfection."
We've always believed that reaching perfection meant that we never make mistakes or sin. What Paul and John both said is that perfection is understanding that Love never fails. And, they said that those who are led by the Spirit understand that this Love is in us by the presence of the Holy Spirit or this Spirit of God's Love.
This Spirit of God's Love will never condemn you, but will always encourage you to walk in peace because of Jesus. The Holy Spirit will always edify, comfort and encourage us to press on. It would be impossible to ever walk in peace with God without the Love that paid the penalty and set us free from the Law of sin and death.
The only way to understand what the Lord said when He called Jesus the Prince of Peace is to accept the fact that it's all paid for now. You can never encounter this kind of Love outside of Jesus. We've never seen is displayed in the lives of men, even Christians for the most part. Jesus said in John 17:23 (Amplified), "I in them and you in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, tat the world may know (and definitely) recognize that You sent Me, and that You have loved them (even as You have loved Me)."
When we come to the Father in prayer or fellowship, this Love must be the forerunner and most prominent thing in our lives. If we enter in with fear or a condemning heart, then we are doubting His Love and have no peace. It's impossible to walk in faith for answered prayer for ourselves or for others when there is no peace in your heart (or conscience) and expect results.
Remember in Mark 11:23-24 (Amplified) Jesus said that "whatever we say ( in prayer or command) we must believe in our hearts?" If we can believe in our hearts that this Love has removed the barrier between us and God once and for all, then we can have peace by the Blood of Jesus. If what John said in 1 John 3:21 (Amplified), "And beloved, if our conscience (our hearts) do not accuse us (if they do not make us feel guilty or condemn us) we have confidence (complete assurance and boldness) before God." Verse 22 goes on, "And we receive from Him whatever we ask. Because we (watchfully) obey His orders (observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us) and habitually practice what is pleasing to Him."
Isn't this what Romans 8:14 says to do? As many as are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. What has the leading of the Holy Spirit taught us about forgiveness, righteousness, justification, reconciliation and grace with peace? If we are led by the Spirit of God's Love, then we will always know and walk in the Prince of Peace.
Only lies of the past that are brought up by an unrenewed mind and a guilty conscience can keep this peace from reigning in your heart. Church, we must believe that what the Word says about us is more true than what our accusing heart says about you. 1 John 3:20 (Amplified) tells us that, "If your heart makes you feel guilty and condemns you, God is greater than your heart."
Receive your forgiveness in peace and let old things truly be passed away. Live in the Prince of Peace.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Lesson 13 Prince Of Peace
Isaiah 9:6 says that, "His name will be called the Prince of Peace."
Under the Law, no man had peace with God because none were righteous; not one. Romans 3:10 (Amplified) says, "As it is written, none is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no not one."
Romans 3:19 (Amplified) says that, "Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that (the murmerings and excuses of) every mouth shall be hushed and all the world may be held accountable to God."
Those who were under the Law couldn't escape the sin that came from the fall of Adam according to Romans 3:20 (Amplified) which says, "For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His (God's) sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For (the real function of) the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin (not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character)."
Because the continual sacrifice needed to be made over and over for sins, man's conscience was always condemned by sin. Therefore, man could never be right with God because of the Law's always reminding them of who they were. The Law commands man to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. But, the Law of sin and death always reminded them of their lack of ability to do so. In this accord, man always fell short of the perfection of the Law. Romans 13:10 (Amplified) tells us that, "Love does no wrong to one's neighbor (it never hurts anyone)." Love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law.
Now we come to the new covenant of grace with a clear conscience in Jesus by the fulfilling of the Law. In John 3:16 (Amplified) we read, "For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He (even) gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost), but have eternal (everlasting) life." This Love, that is the fulfilling of the Law, was the command Jesus left to the Church. John 13:34 (Amplified) says, "I give you a new commandment; that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another."
This love fulfilled the Law by the truth in the Blood of Jesus. Romans 5:8 (Amplified) says, "But God shows and clearly proves His (Own) love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us." Because Love fulfilled the Law, those of us under grace are free from the Law because of the Love God showed on our behalf through Jesus.
This is what ushers in the Prince of Peace. Because Love set us free, we can now serve God out of a clear conscience by the sacrifice of Love that fulfilled all the Law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-4 (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." Verse 2 goes on, "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." Verse 3 says, "For God has done what the Law could not do, (it's power) being weakened by the flesh (the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit) sending His Own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, (God) condemned sin in the flesh (subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice)." Verse 4 says, "So that the righteousness and just requirement 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 governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit)."
One of the prime ways of the flesh (the standards that dictate the ways of the flesh) is to keep the believer under the guilt and condemnation of the Law of the flesh. Those who are free from the Law of sin and death are those who receive Love as the fulfilling of this Law and walk in complete forgiveness by the sacrifice offered and received by God for our forgiveness. Without doing this and walking in the Spirit, we're still trying to fulfill the Law by works and not by the grace of God. When we receive this grace for forgiveness, then we have "the peace that passes all understanding." Philippians 4:6-7 (Amplified) says, "Do not fret or have anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests) with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God." Verse 7 says, "And God's peace (shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace) which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
It's hard to walk in the Love of the new covenant of grace without understanding your own forgiveness. Without this understanding, we still judge ourselves by the standards of others in order to quiet our own conscience. We judge the nonbeliever in their sin to make ourselves feel better about ourselves because we won't accept the truth of forgiveness.
We can never walk in the peace of grace without receiving our own forgiveness by faith. We read in Luke 7:41-43 (Amplified) that, "A certain leader of money (at interest) had two debtors, one owed him five hundred denari, and the other fifty." Verse 42 says, "When they had no means of paying, he freely forgave them both, Now which of them will love him more?" Verse 43 says, "Simon answered, the one, I take if, for whom he forgave and cancelled more. And Jesus said to him, 'You have decided correctly.'"
For those of us who have been forgiven much (if we receive our forgiveness), we love much because we've seen the love that has freed us when we didn't deserve it. The only way I can have peace in my conscience and walk with God in peace is to let Love set me free. When I know what His Love has done for me, then it's easier to love others who have missed it.
I have peace with God because He declared peace with me. As one man said, "I almost feel guilty because I don't feel guilty." I know in my head what I was guilty of, but I know in my heart it is all gone. Understanding this, I no longer try to atone for my own sins by guilt and condemnation, but rejoice in Him that they are gone. All I could accomplish by standing in condemnation is that it would stop me from being who God called me to be. Only one who believes in our Prince of Peace can feel free to let God use him and not feel unworthy to minister to the needs of others.
Live in His peace and allow that peace to come on others through you. Be able to tell the world how God isn't mad at them, but He's calling them to peace with Himself.
Under the Law, no man had peace with God because none were righteous; not one. Romans 3:10 (Amplified) says, "As it is written, none is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no not one."
Romans 3:19 (Amplified) says that, "Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that (the murmerings and excuses of) every mouth shall be hushed and all the world may be held accountable to God."
Those who were under the Law couldn't escape the sin that came from the fall of Adam according to Romans 3:20 (Amplified) which says, "For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His (God's) sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For (the real function of) the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin (not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character)."
Because the continual sacrifice needed to be made over and over for sins, man's conscience was always condemned by sin. Therefore, man could never be right with God because of the Law's always reminding them of who they were. The Law commands man to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. But, the Law of sin and death always reminded them of their lack of ability to do so. In this accord, man always fell short of the perfection of the Law. Romans 13:10 (Amplified) tells us that, "Love does no wrong to one's neighbor (it never hurts anyone)." Love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law.
Now we come to the new covenant of grace with a clear conscience in Jesus by the fulfilling of the Law. In John 3:16 (Amplified) we read, "For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He (even) gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost), but have eternal (everlasting) life." This Love, that is the fulfilling of the Law, was the command Jesus left to the Church. John 13:34 (Amplified) says, "I give you a new commandment; that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another."
This love fulfilled the Law by the truth in the Blood of Jesus. Romans 5:8 (Amplified) says, "But God shows and clearly proves His (Own) love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us." Because Love fulfilled the Law, those of us under grace are free from the Law because of the Love God showed on our behalf through Jesus.
This is what ushers in the Prince of Peace. Because Love set us free, we can now serve God out of a clear conscience by the sacrifice of Love that fulfilled all the Law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-4 (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." Verse 2 goes on, "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." Verse 3 says, "For God has done what the Law could not do, (it's power) being weakened by the flesh (the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit) sending His Own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, (God) condemned sin in the flesh (subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice)." Verse 4 says, "So that the righteousness and just requirement 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 governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit)."
One of the prime ways of the flesh (the standards that dictate the ways of the flesh) is to keep the believer under the guilt and condemnation of the Law of the flesh. Those who are free from the Law of sin and death are those who receive Love as the fulfilling of this Law and walk in complete forgiveness by the sacrifice offered and received by God for our forgiveness. Without doing this and walking in the Spirit, we're still trying to fulfill the Law by works and not by the grace of God. When we receive this grace for forgiveness, then we have "the peace that passes all understanding." Philippians 4:6-7 (Amplified) says, "Do not fret or have anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests) with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God." Verse 7 says, "And God's peace (shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace) which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
It's hard to walk in the Love of the new covenant of grace without understanding your own forgiveness. Without this understanding, we still judge ourselves by the standards of others in order to quiet our own conscience. We judge the nonbeliever in their sin to make ourselves feel better about ourselves because we won't accept the truth of forgiveness.
We can never walk in the peace of grace without receiving our own forgiveness by faith. We read in Luke 7:41-43 (Amplified) that, "A certain leader of money (at interest) had two debtors, one owed him five hundred denari, and the other fifty." Verse 42 says, "When they had no means of paying, he freely forgave them both, Now which of them will love him more?" Verse 43 says, "Simon answered, the one, I take if, for whom he forgave and cancelled more. And Jesus said to him, 'You have decided correctly.'"
For those of us who have been forgiven much (if we receive our forgiveness), we love much because we've seen the love that has freed us when we didn't deserve it. The only way I can have peace in my conscience and walk with God in peace is to let Love set me free. When I know what His Love has done for me, then it's easier to love others who have missed it.
I have peace with God because He declared peace with me. As one man said, "I almost feel guilty because I don't feel guilty." I know in my head what I was guilty of, but I know in my heart it is all gone. Understanding this, I no longer try to atone for my own sins by guilt and condemnation, but rejoice in Him that they are gone. All I could accomplish by standing in condemnation is that it would stop me from being who God called me to be. Only one who believes in our Prince of Peace can feel free to let God use him and not feel unworthy to minister to the needs of others.
Live in His peace and allow that peace to come on others through you. Be able to tell the world how God isn't mad at them, but He's calling them to peace with Himself.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Lesson 12 Prince Of Peace
Isaiah 9:6 (Amplified) declares that Jesus would be called the Prince of Peace and that He would be our Counselor. If we'd allow Him to be Wonderful Counselor, then we'd be better able to let Him be our Prince of Peace.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He was the Son of God. Jesus didn't become the Son of God at His birth, He had always been the Son of God. Before Mary was His mother and He became flesh, we called Jesus the Word of God. The Word of God, Wisdom, was in the beginning before anything else was according to Proverbs 8:1-36 (Amplified). John 1:1-3 (Amplified) says that, "Jesus, the Word, and Wisdom are all One and the same person.
In Proverbs 3:19 (Amplified) we read that, "The Lord by skillful and Godly Wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding He has established the heavens." Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) says "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)."
When we read the Word of God, Wisdom is always present because His Word is Wisdom. It's not like we, the Church, don't have wisdom. Proverbs 8:1-5 (Amplified) says that, "Wisdom is crying out in the streets, at the gates of the city, on the top of the heights, beside the way and where the paths meet." So, wisdom is here for all who will listen. But, in Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) we are instructed to, "Get wisdom, and with all your getting, get understanding."
It's not a matter of wisdom being present, but a matter of not understanding that holds back the child of God. When Isaiah 9:6 (Amplified) said that His name would be called Counselor, He meant that Jesus would give us understanding of His Word. God sent the Holy Spirit (Who is also God) to impart understanding to us. John 16:13 (Amplified) says, "But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the truth giving Spirit) He will guide you into all the truth (the whole, 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 give 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)."
Jesus spoke about the new covenant's being in the future when He said, "The things are to come, that will happen in the future." He was saying that the crucifixion, the resurrection, the new birth and the new covenant was still in the future. Now, it's up to the Wonderful Counselor to give us understanding concerning this Wisdom. If we will turn to Jesus as Counselor, then He will give understanding about this wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) says, "But it is from Him 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 for sin)."
The wisdom doesn't simply bring peace without understanding. You might read the Word and you're intelligent enough to know what the words mean, but without understanding that the Word is Spirit and truth, it's just words. Without spiritual understanding of what the Bible says, we still walk under condemnation even though we've read the words.
Jesus will set us free from all guilt, condemnation and the burdens of the past, present and future by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Counselor Who gives understanding to the simple. We learn from Psalms 19:7 (Amplified) says that when we allow Jesus to teach us, then we receive the liberty bought for us with His Blood on the cross. We read in God's Word of Wisdom that our sins are forgiven and cleared away. This is the Word of Wisdom. But, because we don't have understanding, we still walk under the burden as though the sin was still there. Wisdom says we are free, but lack of understanding says we're still sinners saved by grace. Understanding of the Word tells you that you cannot be a sinner and be the righteousness of God at the same time.
A sinner will call upon the Lord and be saved. One who is void of understanding will live as though he's still a sinner in God's eyes. Was it that when the sinner called out to God, God didn't receive him? No, of course not. But, because he doesn't understand his salvation, he remains in bondage to guilt and condemnation.
This lack of understanding has kept people from living the life of liberty that is theirs through faith. Jesus, the Counselor, is also the Prince of Peace. He will counsel us in peace and understanding that will set the captives free.
Peace is an obtainable gift from God to the believer. Some would say that you should be conscious of sin in order to serve God humbly. That isn't what wisdom says or what understanding instructs us to do. When you put your hand to the plow; don't look back.
If we will listen to the counsel of our Prince of Peace instead of the voices of men, then we can walk in the peace that His Word has promised. Colossians 1:20 (Amplified) says, "And God purposed that through (by the service, the intervention of) Him (the Son) all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him (the Father), made peace by means of the Blood of His cross."
The Father has made peace by means of the Blood of His cross. Jesus, Who is our Peace, will reveal this peace to us by His understanding and wisdom so that we can truly be reconciled to the Father in all fullness in our own consciences. I am free indeed from all the past by His Blood and resurrection. Now, I live this new life through Him Who is my life, my righteousness, my redemption, my healing, my intercessor, my High Priest and my Lord.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He was the Son of God. Jesus didn't become the Son of God at His birth, He had always been the Son of God. Before Mary was His mother and He became flesh, we called Jesus the Word of God. The Word of God, Wisdom, was in the beginning before anything else was according to Proverbs 8:1-36 (Amplified). John 1:1-3 (Amplified) says that, "Jesus, the Word, and Wisdom are all One and the same person.
In Proverbs 3:19 (Amplified) we read that, "The Lord by skillful and Godly Wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding He has established the heavens." Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) says "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)."
When we read the Word of God, Wisdom is always present because His Word is Wisdom. It's not like we, the Church, don't have wisdom. Proverbs 8:1-5 (Amplified) says that, "Wisdom is crying out in the streets, at the gates of the city, on the top of the heights, beside the way and where the paths meet." So, wisdom is here for all who will listen. But, in Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) we are instructed to, "Get wisdom, and with all your getting, get understanding."
It's not a matter of wisdom being present, but a matter of not understanding that holds back the child of God. When Isaiah 9:6 (Amplified) said that His name would be called Counselor, He meant that Jesus would give us understanding of His Word. God sent the Holy Spirit (Who is also God) to impart understanding to us. John 16:13 (Amplified) says, "But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the truth giving Spirit) He will guide you into all the truth (the whole, 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 give 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)."
Jesus spoke about the new covenant's being in the future when He said, "The things are to come, that will happen in the future." He was saying that the crucifixion, the resurrection, the new birth and the new covenant was still in the future. Now, it's up to the Wonderful Counselor to give us understanding concerning this Wisdom. If we will turn to Jesus as Counselor, then He will give understanding about this wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) says, "But it is from Him 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 for sin)."
The wisdom doesn't simply bring peace without understanding. You might read the Word and you're intelligent enough to know what the words mean, but without understanding that the Word is Spirit and truth, it's just words. Without spiritual understanding of what the Bible says, we still walk under condemnation even though we've read the words.
Jesus will set us free from all guilt, condemnation and the burdens of the past, present and future by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Counselor Who gives understanding to the simple. We learn from Psalms 19:7 (Amplified) says that when we allow Jesus to teach us, then we receive the liberty bought for us with His Blood on the cross. We read in God's Word of Wisdom that our sins are forgiven and cleared away. This is the Word of Wisdom. But, because we don't have understanding, we still walk under the burden as though the sin was still there. Wisdom says we are free, but lack of understanding says we're still sinners saved by grace. Understanding of the Word tells you that you cannot be a sinner and be the righteousness of God at the same time.
A sinner will call upon the Lord and be saved. One who is void of understanding will live as though he's still a sinner in God's eyes. Was it that when the sinner called out to God, God didn't receive him? No, of course not. But, because he doesn't understand his salvation, he remains in bondage to guilt and condemnation.
This lack of understanding has kept people from living the life of liberty that is theirs through faith. Jesus, the Counselor, is also the Prince of Peace. He will counsel us in peace and understanding that will set the captives free.
Peace is an obtainable gift from God to the believer. Some would say that you should be conscious of sin in order to serve God humbly. That isn't what wisdom says or what understanding instructs us to do. When you put your hand to the plow; don't look back.
If we will listen to the counsel of our Prince of Peace instead of the voices of men, then we can walk in the peace that His Word has promised. Colossians 1:20 (Amplified) says, "And God purposed that through (by the service, the intervention of) Him (the Son) all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him (the Father), made peace by means of the Blood of His cross."
The Father has made peace by means of the Blood of His cross. Jesus, Who is our Peace, will reveal this peace to us by His understanding and wisdom so that we can truly be reconciled to the Father in all fullness in our own consciences. I am free indeed from all the past by His Blood and resurrection. Now, I live this new life through Him Who is my life, my righteousness, my redemption, my healing, my intercessor, my High Priest and my Lord.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Lesson 11 Prince Of Peace
Isaiah 9:6 (Amplified) tells us, "For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father (of eternity), Prince of Peace."
Notice in this scripture that this Child is born unto us. It didn't say that unto the Father is born a Child, nor did it say that unto the Father a Son is given, but unto us. This Child, Jesus, was born to us and for us. He is the gift of life and grace and truth for us and to us.
This peace that God spoke of by Isaiah was Jesus Himself. Just as surely as Jesus was born, died, and resurrected, this between God and man was assured! We, in our own mind (carnal minds) have a hard time understanding just what our Father had in mind. I posted and titled one blog, "The Law of the Kinsman Redeemer." This is based on Leviticus 25 concerning Jubilee. Also, Jesus Himself spoke of it in Luke 4:19 (Amplified) where He said He cane, "To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord, (the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound)."
When Jubilee came, a Kinsman who was able, would restore back to the one in debt, everything that had been lost because of his debt. As our Kinsman, Jesus paid the debt all the way back to before the fall of Adam. This peace that Isaiah spoke of was a pre-Adam peace, before anything was out of place between the Father and His family. The Prince of Peace, by God's Own decree, has fulfilled every debt that mankind owed.
God has declared a perfect peace by a perfect sacrifice. When He declared by the angels in Luke 2:14 (Amplified) that now, because of His gift (this Son that was born to us), this perfect payment for all our debts was born to us. Everyone who would expect this Kinsman Redeemer would be wholly restored to perfection: no debt, no penalty, perfect redemption. We would be justified, just as if sin had never happened, by His sacrifice, His blood, His death and resurrection.
For those who would refuse this Child that was given, they have no Kinsman Redeemer to pay their debt. Only Jesus was perfect enough to pay it all. When this debt was paid (for all those who received), John 3:16 (Amplified) says that they, "Should not perish, but have everlasting life."
When Jesus said in John 14:27(Amplified) , "Peace I leave with you; My Own peace I now give and bequeath you," He made a statement that we need to pay close attention to. In John 10:30 (Amplified) Jesus said that "He and the Father are One." Together, these two scriptures tell us that this peace Jesus spoke of was "His Own peace" and it was God's peace that He left to us. That's why this Son was born to us.
By refusing to accept this peace, we are rejecting the purpose of the forgiveness of debt and are still trying to pay it with our own works. Only Jesus can, as our Kinsman Redeemer, deliver us back to perfection in the sight of a Just and Holy God.
When I blogged the "Return to Eden," I was speaking both of the Kinsman Redeemer and this peace of perfect reconciliation to God. Before anything went awry and Adam fell and sin was introduced, he and God walked in perfect fellowship just like God and Jesus did. Now, if we'll receive it, we can also walk in perfect union and fellowship with our Father.
When Isaiah 9:6 said that "unto us this Son was given," He was given to the family of God. This Child was born unto the family in order to be our Kinsman Redeemer. He would restore everything back that the family that had been lost at the fall of Adam. This included total peace with our Father (to those who are in the family).
In our carnal thinking, we still hold ourselves in bondage of our mistakes and under the penalty of our trespasses. But, the Word tells us in Colossians 3:15 (Amplified) , Let the (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts (deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state) to which as (members of Christ's) One body you were also called (to live) and be thankful (appreciative) (giving thanks to God always)."
We are to receive this peace and let the Word rule our hearts and be thankful to God for this peace.
Notice in this scripture that this Child is born unto us. It didn't say that unto the Father is born a Child, nor did it say that unto the Father a Son is given, but unto us. This Child, Jesus, was born to us and for us. He is the gift of life and grace and truth for us and to us.
This peace that God spoke of by Isaiah was Jesus Himself. Just as surely as Jesus was born, died, and resurrected, this between God and man was assured! We, in our own mind (carnal minds) have a hard time understanding just what our Father had in mind. I posted and titled one blog, "The Law of the Kinsman Redeemer." This is based on Leviticus 25 concerning Jubilee. Also, Jesus Himself spoke of it in Luke 4:19 (Amplified) where He said He cane, "To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord, (the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound)."
When Jubilee came, a Kinsman who was able, would restore back to the one in debt, everything that had been lost because of his debt. As our Kinsman, Jesus paid the debt all the way back to before the fall of Adam. This peace that Isaiah spoke of was a pre-Adam peace, before anything was out of place between the Father and His family. The Prince of Peace, by God's Own decree, has fulfilled every debt that mankind owed.
God has declared a perfect peace by a perfect sacrifice. When He declared by the angels in Luke 2:14 (Amplified) that now, because of His gift (this Son that was born to us), this perfect payment for all our debts was born to us. Everyone who would expect this Kinsman Redeemer would be wholly restored to perfection: no debt, no penalty, perfect redemption. We would be justified, just as if sin had never happened, by His sacrifice, His blood, His death and resurrection.
For those who would refuse this Child that was given, they have no Kinsman Redeemer to pay their debt. Only Jesus was perfect enough to pay it all. When this debt was paid (for all those who received), John 3:16 (Amplified) says that they, "Should not perish, but have everlasting life."
When Jesus said in John 14:27(Amplified) , "Peace I leave with you; My Own peace I now give and bequeath you," He made a statement that we need to pay close attention to. In John 10:30 (Amplified) Jesus said that "He and the Father are One." Together, these two scriptures tell us that this peace Jesus spoke of was "His Own peace" and it was God's peace that He left to us. That's why this Son was born to us.
By refusing to accept this peace, we are rejecting the purpose of the forgiveness of debt and are still trying to pay it with our own works. Only Jesus can, as our Kinsman Redeemer, deliver us back to perfection in the sight of a Just and Holy God.
When I blogged the "Return to Eden," I was speaking both of the Kinsman Redeemer and this peace of perfect reconciliation to God. Before anything went awry and Adam fell and sin was introduced, he and God walked in perfect fellowship just like God and Jesus did. Now, if we'll receive it, we can also walk in perfect union and fellowship with our Father.
When Isaiah 9:6 said that "unto us this Son was given," He was given to the family of God. This Child was born unto the family in order to be our Kinsman Redeemer. He would restore everything back that the family that had been lost at the fall of Adam. This included total peace with our Father (to those who are in the family).
In our carnal thinking, we still hold ourselves in bondage of our mistakes and under the penalty of our trespasses. But, the Word tells us in Colossians 3:15 (Amplified) , Let the (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts (deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state) to which as (members of Christ's) One body you were also called (to live) and be thankful (appreciative) (giving thanks to God always)."
We are to receive this peace and let the Word rule our hearts and be thankful to God for this peace.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Lesson 10 Prince Of Peace
Isaiah 9:6 (Amplified) speaks of the birth of Jesus. The Holy Spirit declares in this passage of scripture that Jesus is to be the Prince of Peace. This was a declaration by God setting Himself in a position of peace with mankind through the sacrifice of His Son and His Own Blood.
The problem of this covenant wasn't that the sacrifice wasn't perfect, but that the conscience of men won't allow the Blood to cleanse as it is supposed to. Under the old covenant, the blood of bulls and goats would allow God to overlook the sins of the people , but they still remained in the outer court of the tabernacle.
Hebrews 9:8-9 (Amplified) says that, "By this, the Holy Spirit points out the way into the (true Holy) of Hollies is not yet thrown open as long as the former (the outer portion of the)tabernacle remains a recognized institution and is still standing, seeing that that first (outer portion of the) tabernacle (a visible symbol or type or picture of the present age) in it gifts and sacrifices are offered, and yet are incapable of perfecting the conscience or of cleansing and renewing the inner man of the worshiper."
Only by allowing (by faith in His grace) can the conscience of the worshiper be clean in his own life. The Blood has perfectly cleansed the worshiper, but because we won't permit the Blood in our own minds to cleanse our conscience, we remain in the outer courts of worship. Only by having faith in the Blood's ability to cleanse us of all our sins can we feel that we have access into His presence.
Hebrews 9:14 (Amplified) says, "How much surely shall the Blood of Christ, Who by virtue of (His) eternal Spirit (His Own pre-existent Divine personality) has offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, purify our conscience from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the (ever) living God?"
When we offer worship or gifts unto God in a spirit of condemnation, we remain in the outer courts of worship. It's difficult to think about standing in the presence o f a Holy God and not feel condemned by our own remembrance of who we were or even who we are. This must be done only by faith in the Blood of His Son to cleanse us from all things. When we read Hebrews 4:16 (Amplified), we realize that this grace is help when we need it. This grace cleanses the conscience and allow the innerman (the new creation) the liberty to worship God freely.
Hebrews 4:16 (Amplified) says, "Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners) that we may receive mercy (for our failures) and find grace to help in good time for every need (appropriate help and well times help coming just when we need it)." When would we ever need grace and unmerited favor more than when we want to approach the Almighty God and His throne of grace? This is the throne of grace to us sinners. We knew we were sinners, we knew we didn't deserve what Jesus has done and for most of us, we still remember where we have been. Only faith in His Blood will qualify us to be there. When we understand this, we have to believe that the Blood has done such a perfect job that it will make you forget who you are and remember Who He Is.
Only then, can you stand in His presence with a clear conscience. It seems like we selfishly and ignorantly think more on ourselves than on Him. We must get ourselves off our minds and get our minds on Jesus. It's not about how bad you were (or are), but it's about how good He is. It's not about how dirty you may have been, but about how pure His Blood has made you.
This Prince of Peace has declared a blood covenant of peace between Him and His Father. It's forever established in the heart of God and cannot be broken. Isaiah 53:5 (Amplified) says, "But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement (needful to obtain) peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes (that wounded) Him we are healed and made whole."
Did you notice how the peace offering was accepted before healing came? I believe that because we still have dis-ease in our spirit, we must manifest disease in our bodies. Once we allow this peace to flow freely from our spirit and allow it to cleanse our conscience, then it will begin to produce healing in our bodies as well.
As long as we are at war in our unrenewed minds, we can't walk in peace with ourselves and cannot walk (or dwell) in His presence by faith. This sacrifice was the door for God to bring His children back into perfect reconciliation with Him. If God, Who we have sinned against, can pay such a price to forgive us, then how can we reject it and hold ourselves accountable? This discredits the power of the sacrifice and dishonors God.
I know that your mind will fight against you on this, but we are to cast down imaginations. 2Corinthians 10:5 (Amplified) says, "(In as much as we) refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the (true) knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."
Bring your thoughts into His obedience and not yours. Center in on the true knowledge of God and His Word and not your own thoughts of how God feels about you. According to what was said in Isaiah 53:5 (Amplified), all the chastisement needed for us to obtain peace and well being with God was placed onto our Prince of Peace.
The problem of this covenant wasn't that the sacrifice wasn't perfect, but that the conscience of men won't allow the Blood to cleanse as it is supposed to. Under the old covenant, the blood of bulls and goats would allow God to overlook the sins of the people , but they still remained in the outer court of the tabernacle.
Hebrews 9:8-9 (Amplified) says that, "By this, the Holy Spirit points out the way into the (true Holy) of Hollies is not yet thrown open as long as the former (the outer portion of the)tabernacle remains a recognized institution and is still standing, seeing that that first (outer portion of the) tabernacle (a visible symbol or type or picture of the present age) in it gifts and sacrifices are offered, and yet are incapable of perfecting the conscience or of cleansing and renewing the inner man of the worshiper."
Only by allowing (by faith in His grace) can the conscience of the worshiper be clean in his own life. The Blood has perfectly cleansed the worshiper, but because we won't permit the Blood in our own minds to cleanse our conscience, we remain in the outer courts of worship. Only by having faith in the Blood's ability to cleanse us of all our sins can we feel that we have access into His presence.
Hebrews 9:14 (Amplified) says, "How much surely shall the Blood of Christ, Who by virtue of (His) eternal Spirit (His Own pre-existent Divine personality) has offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, purify our conscience from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the (ever) living God?"
When we offer worship or gifts unto God in a spirit of condemnation, we remain in the outer courts of worship. It's difficult to think about standing in the presence o f a Holy God and not feel condemned by our own remembrance of who we were or even who we are. This must be done only by faith in the Blood of His Son to cleanse us from all things. When we read Hebrews 4:16 (Amplified), we realize that this grace is help when we need it. This grace cleanses the conscience and allow the innerman (the new creation) the liberty to worship God freely.
Hebrews 4:16 (Amplified) says, "Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners) that we may receive mercy (for our failures) and find grace to help in good time for every need (appropriate help and well times help coming just when we need it)." When would we ever need grace and unmerited favor more than when we want to approach the Almighty God and His throne of grace? This is the throne of grace to us sinners. We knew we were sinners, we knew we didn't deserve what Jesus has done and for most of us, we still remember where we have been. Only faith in His Blood will qualify us to be there. When we understand this, we have to believe that the Blood has done such a perfect job that it will make you forget who you are and remember Who He Is.
Only then, can you stand in His presence with a clear conscience. It seems like we selfishly and ignorantly think more on ourselves than on Him. We must get ourselves off our minds and get our minds on Jesus. It's not about how bad you were (or are), but it's about how good He is. It's not about how dirty you may have been, but about how pure His Blood has made you.
This Prince of Peace has declared a blood covenant of peace between Him and His Father. It's forever established in the heart of God and cannot be broken. Isaiah 53:5 (Amplified) says, "But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement (needful to obtain) peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes (that wounded) Him we are healed and made whole."
Did you notice how the peace offering was accepted before healing came? I believe that because we still have dis-ease in our spirit, we must manifest disease in our bodies. Once we allow this peace to flow freely from our spirit and allow it to cleanse our conscience, then it will begin to produce healing in our bodies as well.
As long as we are at war in our unrenewed minds, we can't walk in peace with ourselves and cannot walk (or dwell) in His presence by faith. This sacrifice was the door for God to bring His children back into perfect reconciliation with Him. If God, Who we have sinned against, can pay such a price to forgive us, then how can we reject it and hold ourselves accountable? This discredits the power of the sacrifice and dishonors God.
I know that your mind will fight against you on this, but we are to cast down imaginations. 2Corinthians 10:5 (Amplified) says, "(In as much as we) refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the (true) knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."
Bring your thoughts into His obedience and not yours. Center in on the true knowledge of God and His Word and not your own thoughts of how God feels about you. According to what was said in Isaiah 53:5 (Amplified), all the chastisement needed for us to obtain peace and well being with God was placed onto our Prince of Peace.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Lesson 9 Prince Of Peace
Isaiah 9:6 (Amplified) declares that there was a Messiah coming Who would do away with the Law and begin a new covenant and Who would be called the Prince of Peace. He would be the One Who would bring forth a peace between God and man. There would no longer be this uneasy alliance between God and man. And, man would no longer need to concerned about being sent into exile or bondage to the enemy because of their disobedience.
God continued to speak of this Messiah throughout the old covenant books and the prophets. They waited for so long that it became almost fable-like to most of God's people (like Jesus' return is to some today). This new covenant declares that the Messiah would be the answer to all of Israel's problems. He would make them right in God's sight and without anymore sacrifice. No longer would they have to be afraid of the One Who punished their sins and trespasses. They would be free from all things and have peace with God Himself.
In Isaiah 53(Amplified), "The prophet wrote (by the Holy Spirit) who has believed (trusted in, relied upon, and clung to) our message (of that which was revealed to us), And to whom has the arm of the Lord been disclosed?" Not all of God's people understood the scriptures and not all of them could believe and take in all that it meant to them,. The old ways were familiar to them and change seemed so strange. They were more content to remain as they were rather than chance a new way (even if it was a better way).
Most of us today don't understand that when Jesus was here as a Man in the flesh, the people couldn't understand what He was saying. That's why He spoke so much in parables. These were Old Testament people without the Holy Spirit, without the benefit of the revelation that Paul had, and without the sacrifice that Jesus would later become.
They had a hard time believing in what the scriptures said and were afraid they would be brought into heresy by this new teacher. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul was in the process of delivering all the new converts to this new doctrine to prison.
Today, we find ourselves in the very same dilemma as they were in. We're having a difficult time believing the report that Isaiah spoke. When we speak about Jesus bearing all our sickness and disease, we meet opposition. When we speak about His grace covering all of our past, present and future sins, we meet opposition. And, when we speak about the peace between God and man we meet opposition.
It still seems that some people's eyes are blind to the glory of grace. We still expect God to punish us when we're wrong and to bless us when we're right. We still believe God to tempt and test us to determine if we'll succeed and resist us if we fail.
This was the way the old covenant worked for the people. All of the blessings were based upon their performance. When they were good, then God was good and when they were bad, then God was bad. They couldn't seem to get it in their spirits that this new covenant wasn't based on their performance and obedience, but on Jesus! If they could only believe that Jesus was obedient even unto death and that He is our obedience too.
Jesus came to do what we could never do for ourselves. Jesus didn't merely pay for our sins and iniquities, but for all our shortcomings. Yet, we still try to make up for all these things ourselves and expect punishment when we fail (as we always do).
If we will "believe the report" Isaiah said, then we can walk into a realm with God that we've always wanted and could never achieve. This promise concerning Jesus is that He would become what I was, so that I could become what He is. He would bear my sin and I would bear His righteousness. He would be cast out from God so that I could be reconciled to God. Jesus would have God turn His back to Him so that I could now see His face. Jesus would be forsaken so that I could become a son of the Father. He would bear my sickness and I was to walk in His healing. He became the curse so that I could receive the blessing. Jesus would be tormented so I could have His peace with God. He would call Him God so that I could call Him Father.
Whosoever the Son sets free is free indeed according to the Word. We struggle with all these scriptures and it keeps us from ever being at peace in our hearts because we always feel like we fall short of pleasing God. If we can "believe in the report" like Isaiah said, then we would understand what Jesus said that, "It gives the Father great pleasure to give the Kingdom to His children." Doctrines over time have kept us from ever being in peace or being comfortable in the presence of God. Yet, the scriptures tell us to "Come boldly to the throne of grace." In order to come boldly, we must first believe we have a right )because of Jesus) to be there.
In order to call God Father and stand before Him, we must first believe we are in right standing, righteous because of Jesus, before Him. To ever expect a righteous God to even hear our prayers we must first believe we have been justified (because of Jesus). If we are ever to believe we have peace and are at peace with God, then we must believe He gives us His peace through the Prince of Peace.
People have said for years that "you can't do anything without Jesus." That's a very true statement, but there's a statement just as true that we need to think about. Jesus said that "He will never leave you or forsake you and that He will be with you to the very end of the world and forever." You need to understand that whatever you do, God will live in you and walk in you. He will be our God and we will be His people and greater is He Who is in you than he that is in the world.
This same Jesus Who bore our sin also bore the rest of God's wrath and punishment for us. God will never be angry with you again according to Isaiah 54:9 (Amplified). No wonder Isaiah said these things were for he who has believed our report. To the old covenant people (without the Holy Spirit), this was almost impossible to comprehend. Eve today, in the unrenewed mind of the Christian, it still seems like "it just can't that simple and he needs to do something. Well, we are required to do something...Believe.`
God continued to speak of this Messiah throughout the old covenant books and the prophets. They waited for so long that it became almost fable-like to most of God's people (like Jesus' return is to some today). This new covenant declares that the Messiah would be the answer to all of Israel's problems. He would make them right in God's sight and without anymore sacrifice. No longer would they have to be afraid of the One Who punished their sins and trespasses. They would be free from all things and have peace with God Himself.
In Isaiah 53(Amplified), "The prophet wrote (by the Holy Spirit) who has believed (trusted in, relied upon, and clung to) our message (of that which was revealed to us), And to whom has the arm of the Lord been disclosed?" Not all of God's people understood the scriptures and not all of them could believe and take in all that it meant to them,. The old ways were familiar to them and change seemed so strange. They were more content to remain as they were rather than chance a new way (even if it was a better way).
Most of us today don't understand that when Jesus was here as a Man in the flesh, the people couldn't understand what He was saying. That's why He spoke so much in parables. These were Old Testament people without the Holy Spirit, without the benefit of the revelation that Paul had, and without the sacrifice that Jesus would later become.
They had a hard time believing in what the scriptures said and were afraid they would be brought into heresy by this new teacher. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul was in the process of delivering all the new converts to this new doctrine to prison.
Today, we find ourselves in the very same dilemma as they were in. We're having a difficult time believing the report that Isaiah spoke. When we speak about Jesus bearing all our sickness and disease, we meet opposition. When we speak about His grace covering all of our past, present and future sins, we meet opposition. And, when we speak about the peace between God and man we meet opposition.
It still seems that some people's eyes are blind to the glory of grace. We still expect God to punish us when we're wrong and to bless us when we're right. We still believe God to tempt and test us to determine if we'll succeed and resist us if we fail.
This was the way the old covenant worked for the people. All of the blessings were based upon their performance. When they were good, then God was good and when they were bad, then God was bad. They couldn't seem to get it in their spirits that this new covenant wasn't based on their performance and obedience, but on Jesus! If they could only believe that Jesus was obedient even unto death and that He is our obedience too.
Jesus came to do what we could never do for ourselves. Jesus didn't merely pay for our sins and iniquities, but for all our shortcomings. Yet, we still try to make up for all these things ourselves and expect punishment when we fail (as we always do).
If we will "believe the report" Isaiah said, then we can walk into a realm with God that we've always wanted and could never achieve. This promise concerning Jesus is that He would become what I was, so that I could become what He is. He would bear my sin and I would bear His righteousness. He would be cast out from God so that I could be reconciled to God. Jesus would have God turn His back to Him so that I could now see His face. Jesus would be forsaken so that I could become a son of the Father. He would bear my sickness and I was to walk in His healing. He became the curse so that I could receive the blessing. Jesus would be tormented so I could have His peace with God. He would call Him God so that I could call Him Father.
Whosoever the Son sets free is free indeed according to the Word. We struggle with all these scriptures and it keeps us from ever being at peace in our hearts because we always feel like we fall short of pleasing God. If we can "believe in the report" like Isaiah said, then we would understand what Jesus said that, "It gives the Father great pleasure to give the Kingdom to His children." Doctrines over time have kept us from ever being in peace or being comfortable in the presence of God. Yet, the scriptures tell us to "Come boldly to the throne of grace." In order to come boldly, we must first believe we have a right )because of Jesus) to be there.
In order to call God Father and stand before Him, we must first believe we are in right standing, righteous because of Jesus, before Him. To ever expect a righteous God to even hear our prayers we must first believe we have been justified (because of Jesus). If we are ever to believe we have peace and are at peace with God, then we must believe He gives us His peace through the Prince of Peace.
People have said for years that "you can't do anything without Jesus." That's a very true statement, but there's a statement just as true that we need to think about. Jesus said that "He will never leave you or forsake you and that He will be with you to the very end of the world and forever." You need to understand that whatever you do, God will live in you and walk in you. He will be our God and we will be His people and greater is He Who is in you than he that is in the world.
This same Jesus Who bore our sin also bore the rest of God's wrath and punishment for us. God will never be angry with you again according to Isaiah 54:9 (Amplified). No wonder Isaiah said these things were for he who has believed our report. To the old covenant people (without the Holy Spirit), this was almost impossible to comprehend. Eve today, in the unrenewed mind of the Christian, it still seems like "it just can't that simple and he needs to do something. Well, we are required to do something...Believe.`
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