The author of Hebrews in 8:7-13 included quotes from the Old Testament to
show the weakness of the Old Covenant and the superiority of the New Covenant,
the new and better way. Notice that the new way that “they” (men) shall teach no
more. In the Jesus way...the new way...man is not the spiritual “Teacher” when
it comes to godly living. God puts His passion upon the hearts of, and makes
known the oracles of God to yielded believers.
As long as the people of
God succumb to the teachings of passionate men who has great denominational and
religious passion and interpret the Bible to verify those passions Isaiah’s
prophecy that “all your children shall be taught of Yahweh; and great shall be
the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13). Is it possible the peacelessness,
frustrations and unfrutfulness of God’s people is because they have sold their
alligence to man-made systems who have appointed men to teach that which
puritans to that system usurping God’s appointed teacher?
The Galatian
believers were returning to those “weak and beggarly elements” of the old
covenant. Paul, the receiver of the Grace Gospel of Jesus, made it very clear to
them that to do so was to desire again to be in bondage, to be led about like a
child that cannot be trusted to be out of sight (See Gal. 4:1, 9). To be
governed by the Old Covenant way of doing things is to revert back to being
controlled as children by the child-harness of the Mosaic Law and religious
rules (v. 1 of chap 4). To revert back to this pre-cross system is spiritual
immaturity because of refusing to be taught by God’s appointed teacher in favor
of man-appointed teachers and Romans 8:4...the teaching of mature sons by the
indwelling Spirit within cannot be realized.
The difference between
children and sons is that children require external restraints by looking to the
law written on tablets of stone. Sons are endowed with the Spirit and heart of
their loving Father. His passion and will is a son’s desire because the Spirit
of God dwells in them. Sons no longer do the do’s out of duty like slaves, but
allow Christ to work through them...in the doing of God’s will. Slaves focus on
striving to keep the law. Sons in the Community of the Redeemed, focus on their
relationship with their loving Father and express Him to the Community of
Humanity. The Spirit of the son inspires sons to focus upon God our Father not
upon themselves, their “ministry,” or their interests.
The essential
truth of the post-cross way...the Jesus way...as opposed to the pre-cross
way...the Law way...is that we have received the Spirit of adoption and are no
longer bound by external devices of Law control (see Gal. 5:18). Conversely
those who strive to keep the Law have “fallen from grace” (See Gal. 5:4).
Monday, April 7, 2014
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Useless Striving
In striving to maintain your relationship with God you are insinuating
that what Jesus did on the cross to redeem man was not enough because you are
making the maintaining of your relationship with God dependent on your doing. By
allowing your actions to declare to the community of Humanity that people’s own
effort and ability is a means to becoming a "good Christian", is paramount to
refuting that Jesus did not know what He was saying when He said “It is
finished.”
You cannot know God and continue to strive...Cease striving and know that I am God so that God will be known in the earth and be exalted. See Psalm 46:10.
The Hebrew word that is translated "Be still" or "Cease striving" as the NSAB translates it, is 'Raphah' it means: to sink down, to sink, drop, to relax, withdraw, idle, to let drop, abandon, refrain, forsake, to let go, to refrain, let alone, to be quiet.
Being a “good Christian” is not about our doing nor is it about us, it is about His doing and about Him. Therefore relax in His doing, enter His rest, stop struggling, cease striving, be still, abandon ourselves to God...we need to stop living in the old covenant and live in the Jesus covenant.
To trust God’s action in us we must operate by God’s Spirit in us. Any obsession with self in maintaining spirituality is Jesus defying. Focusing on ourselves in our doing is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self-doing ignores God and ends up thinking more about self and what they think more than the reality of knowing God. It is ignoring God, what He has done and what He is doing. Do we think God is pleased with our ignorance of Him? Not according to Romans 8: 5-8.
If we would swallow our pride and take a good look at ourselves, we would realize that on most days through our actions, we lie to the world and ourselves about the freedom that is found in Jesus Christ and the transformational power of His grace because of our self doings.
Why do we constantly strive to be a “good Christian?” Why do we act on our your feelings feelings rather than God’s promises and truth? Why do we struggle to keep a Christian-checklist of Do and Don’t rules to live up to? Are we not testing God by making sacrifices in order to get closer to Him and find His favour?
Our struggling is no more than vain “religiosity” because it’s not by our works or good deeds that will enable us to represent Christ in the earth. It is not by how we follow the rules, that makes makes us special or chosen to be in the Lord's favour. No amount of “religiosity” can bring us closer to God because Jesus does not love us any more than He loves the sinner, who is not striving to gain His favour.
In our struggling we miss the truth of the gospel. We have been deluded into thinking that it’s about what we can do for God, that makes us good people and have a more intimate relationship with Jesus. But that is deception's lie.
We have diminished the gospel to a to-do list, a Christian score card we are constantly striving to to attain 100% on. To the world, we are saying that being a believer is about doing the do's and not doing the don'ts of a man-made standard.
God gave us the Mosaic Law to show us our inability to measure up to its standards and show us our desperate need of a Mediator....Jesus. He knew we couldn’t keep keep the rules and that would fail miserably at trying. But because of our innate arrogance and pride, we keep striving to keep them! The mirror of the law was to show us that keeping rules was not in our ability to do.
In Jesus, God personally took on the human nature, entered the muck and mire of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The Mosaic Law, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that.” (Romans 8: 3-5)
It is time to stop striving and take rest in the victory of the cross...for indeed the cross was a victory, we need to stop acting like it was a partial victory!
It is done, the great transaction is done there is no more payment to be made because Jesus paid it all.
- Glenn Regular
You cannot know God and continue to strive...Cease striving and know that I am God so that God will be known in the earth and be exalted. See Psalm 46:10.
The Hebrew word that is translated "Be still" or "Cease striving" as the NSAB translates it, is 'Raphah' it means: to sink down, to sink, drop, to relax, withdraw, idle, to let drop, abandon, refrain, forsake, to let go, to refrain, let alone, to be quiet.
Being a “good Christian” is not about our doing nor is it about us, it is about His doing and about Him. Therefore relax in His doing, enter His rest, stop struggling, cease striving, be still, abandon ourselves to God...we need to stop living in the old covenant and live in the Jesus covenant.
To trust God’s action in us we must operate by God’s Spirit in us. Any obsession with self in maintaining spirituality is Jesus defying. Focusing on ourselves in our doing is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self-doing ignores God and ends up thinking more about self and what they think more than the reality of knowing God. It is ignoring God, what He has done and what He is doing. Do we think God is pleased with our ignorance of Him? Not according to Romans 8: 5-8.
If we would swallow our pride and take a good look at ourselves, we would realize that on most days through our actions, we lie to the world and ourselves about the freedom that is found in Jesus Christ and the transformational power of His grace because of our self doings.
Why do we constantly strive to be a “good Christian?” Why do we act on our your feelings feelings rather than God’s promises and truth? Why do we struggle to keep a Christian-checklist of Do and Don’t rules to live up to? Are we not testing God by making sacrifices in order to get closer to Him and find His favour?
Our struggling is no more than vain “religiosity” because it’s not by our works or good deeds that will enable us to represent Christ in the earth. It is not by how we follow the rules, that makes makes us special or chosen to be in the Lord's favour. No amount of “religiosity” can bring us closer to God because Jesus does not love us any more than He loves the sinner, who is not striving to gain His favour.
In our struggling we miss the truth of the gospel. We have been deluded into thinking that it’s about what we can do for God, that makes us good people and have a more intimate relationship with Jesus. But that is deception's lie.
We have diminished the gospel to a to-do list, a Christian score card we are constantly striving to to attain 100% on. To the world, we are saying that being a believer is about doing the do's and not doing the don'ts of a man-made standard.
God gave us the Mosaic Law to show us our inability to measure up to its standards and show us our desperate need of a Mediator....Jesus. He knew we couldn’t keep keep the rules and that would fail miserably at trying. But because of our innate arrogance and pride, we keep striving to keep them! The mirror of the law was to show us that keeping rules was not in our ability to do.
In Jesus, God personally took on the human nature, entered the muck and mire of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The Mosaic Law, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that.” (Romans 8: 3-5)
It is time to stop striving and take rest in the victory of the cross...for indeed the cross was a victory, we need to stop acting like it was a partial victory!
It is done, the great transaction is done there is no more payment to be made because Jesus paid it all.
- Glenn Regular
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Faith In The Finished Work of Christ
Hebrews 11 – 6 - But without faith
it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
My faith in the finished work of Jesus is what pleases God. The substance of faith is my positive response to all Christ has provided by grace.
I cannot please God in my human strength, by my wisdom, by my effort, by my self-righteousness, by my own understanding; I cannot live my life by trying to get God’s approval.
I have a heavenly father who is pleased with me, because when he looks at me he sees Jesus. Deep inside my spirit is the fullness of Christ and my faith releases all that is given to me by grace to overflow in my life.
Christ’s death on the cross changed everything, the Old Covenant laws and regulations were made obsolete and Christ through his death opened a new and living way to God. No longer was it all about looking forward to a day, now the day had arrived and God was fully united with man.
I have a perfect mediator between God and me, Jesus Christ and by His grace he has placed in me His faith. Grace has given me the faith of Christ. I have not obtained this by my effort, or by my doing, nor by my works, it has been placed inside me when I received Christ. Christ’s faith is a free gift, given and received by grace.
Christ lives in me, I am holy, I am righteous, I am sanctified, I am redeemed. God sees me as “In Christ”, perfect, secure and rooted in the power of the kingdom of God.
The only limitation I have on my faith is the limitation I choose to give it. God has given me all the riches and blessings of heaven, and can either accept and receive these or reject and miss out.
If I believe for nothing, I will get nothing. If I believe that God only accomplished some things at the cross, I will get some things. If I believe that God accomplished everything at the cross and that he fulfilled every promise God has given, I will start to see that evidence in my life, by grace, through his spirit. It may not be instant, it may take time, it may be little by little, but God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him.
Grace is ‘God riches at Christ’s expense’, faith is my positive response to grace. Pleasing God comes effortlessly as I am overwhelmed and praise him for everything that he won for me at the cross.
My faith in the finished work of Jesus is what pleases God. The substance of faith is my positive response to all Christ has provided by grace.
I cannot please God in my human strength, by my wisdom, by my effort, by my self-righteousness, by my own understanding; I cannot live my life by trying to get God’s approval.
I have a heavenly father who is pleased with me, because when he looks at me he sees Jesus. Deep inside my spirit is the fullness of Christ and my faith releases all that is given to me by grace to overflow in my life.
Christ’s death on the cross changed everything, the Old Covenant laws and regulations were made obsolete and Christ through his death opened a new and living way to God. No longer was it all about looking forward to a day, now the day had arrived and God was fully united with man.
I have a perfect mediator between God and me, Jesus Christ and by His grace he has placed in me His faith. Grace has given me the faith of Christ. I have not obtained this by my effort, or by my doing, nor by my works, it has been placed inside me when I received Christ. Christ’s faith is a free gift, given and received by grace.
Christ lives in me, I am holy, I am righteous, I am sanctified, I am redeemed. God sees me as “In Christ”, perfect, secure and rooted in the power of the kingdom of God.
The only limitation I have on my faith is the limitation I choose to give it. God has given me all the riches and blessings of heaven, and can either accept and receive these or reject and miss out.
If I believe for nothing, I will get nothing. If I believe that God only accomplished some things at the cross, I will get some things. If I believe that God accomplished everything at the cross and that he fulfilled every promise God has given, I will start to see that evidence in my life, by grace, through his spirit. It may not be instant, it may take time, it may be little by little, but God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him.
Grace is ‘God riches at Christ’s expense’, faith is my positive response to grace. Pleasing God comes effortlessly as I am overwhelmed and praise him for everything that he won for me at the cross.
You Are Complete in Him
“You are complete in Him. What words are these, from the same man who says,
‘In me dwells no good thing?’ May we learn to rejoice in Christ Jesus, while we
learn, also, to have no confidence in the flesh.
It was so with the apostle. He felt that anything was too hard, the simplest thing too difficult, without Christ; the work before him only became possible—easy—when the promise was fulfilled—‘My grace is sufficient for you; and my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Then he could confidently say, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’
Yes, Christian, although in your daily course you seem to struggle in your duty, and though nothing seems to go on satisfactorily, be assured of this, so long as you are really looking to Christ and relying upon Him—so long is He working in you by His Spirit—however difficult may be your tasks, you will make progress. You perhaps may never perceive it—you may not appear to make a step in advance—but, be not discouraged. Remember, ‘All the promises of God in Christ are yes, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God;’ and these promises are yours.
”
— John MacDuff
It was so with the apostle. He felt that anything was too hard, the simplest thing too difficult, without Christ; the work before him only became possible—easy—when the promise was fulfilled—‘My grace is sufficient for you; and my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Then he could confidently say, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’
Yes, Christian, although in your daily course you seem to struggle in your duty, and though nothing seems to go on satisfactorily, be assured of this, so long as you are really looking to Christ and relying upon Him—so long is He working in you by His Spirit—however difficult may be your tasks, you will make progress. You perhaps may never perceive it—you may not appear to make a step in advance—but, be not discouraged. Remember, ‘All the promises of God in Christ are yes, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God;’ and these promises are yours.
”— John MacDuff
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
The Fear of God in the New Covenant
The Fear of God in the New Covenant by Ryan
Rufus
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy1:7)
We need to keep this scripture in mind when we talk about the fear of God. God doesn’t want us to have a fearfulness of Him. Our relationship with Him, and consequently our relationship toward others, is one of power (God’s empowerment), love (God’s love) and a sound mind (a supernatural sound mind).
“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because He first loved us.” (1John 4:15-19)
According to this scripture it is wrong to fear God’s judgments! If we fear God’s judgments it means we don’t understand His love!
“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)
Let us have grace to serve God acceptably. What’s acceptably? It’s faith! It takes faith to acknowledge who He is. A reverence and a godly fear is about seeing God – the magnitude of His being and ascribing that greatness to His name. It’s not taking the greatness for yourself and it’s not playing down who God is. That would be the opposite of grace – i.e., self righteousness.
The fear of God that the Self Righteous have is that God will judge them for not being righteous enough. The fear of God that the Christ-righteous have is that God has qualified them to share in the Kingdom and that He is on their side and they therefore cannot be shaken or moved and that this awesome God will judge their enemies with fire! It’s not saying let us serve God because if you don’t He will judge you with fire, but let’s not be afraid to serve God because God is on our side and will judge our enemies!
The context of Hebrews 12 is that the saints were being persecuted for their faith and feeling like giving up because the opposition was too much. But the writer is saying, see who God is, how great He is, that He is on your side, that you’re in an unshakable kingdom, that your God is a consuming fire.
You’ve got God and heaven for you, backing you! When you see that, you will have the boldness to serve God the way that He has called you to serve Him – with boldness and confidence in His grace and power and authority. To see this is to “fear God.” To not see this is to have no “fear of God.”
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy1:7)
We need to keep this scripture in mind when we talk about the fear of God. God doesn’t want us to have a fearfulness of Him. Our relationship with Him, and consequently our relationship toward others, is one of power (God’s empowerment), love (God’s love) and a sound mind (a supernatural sound mind).
“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because He first loved us.” (1John 4:15-19)
According to this scripture it is wrong to fear God’s judgments! If we fear God’s judgments it means we don’t understand His love!
“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)
Let us have grace to serve God acceptably. What’s acceptably? It’s faith! It takes faith to acknowledge who He is. A reverence and a godly fear is about seeing God – the magnitude of His being and ascribing that greatness to His name. It’s not taking the greatness for yourself and it’s not playing down who God is. That would be the opposite of grace – i.e., self righteousness.
The fear of God that the Self Righteous have is that God will judge them for not being righteous enough. The fear of God that the Christ-righteous have is that God has qualified them to share in the Kingdom and that He is on their side and they therefore cannot be shaken or moved and that this awesome God will judge their enemies with fire! It’s not saying let us serve God because if you don’t He will judge you with fire, but let’s not be afraid to serve God because God is on our side and will judge our enemies!
The context of Hebrews 12 is that the saints were being persecuted for their faith and feeling like giving up because the opposition was too much. But the writer is saying, see who God is, how great He is, that He is on your side, that you’re in an unshakable kingdom, that your God is a consuming fire.
You’ve got God and heaven for you, backing you! When you see that, you will have the boldness to serve God the way that He has called you to serve Him – with boldness and confidence in His grace and power and authority. To see this is to “fear God.” To not see this is to have no “fear of God.”
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Jesus Was Willing
“The shattered relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at the cross
provides the basis for our reconciliation. No other relationship ever suffered
more than what Father, Son, and Holy Spirit endured when Jesus hung on the cross
and cried, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Jesus was willing to be
the rejected Son so that our families would know reconciliation. Jesus was
willing to become the forsaken friend so that we could have loving friendships.
Jesus was willing to be the rejected Lord so that we could live in loving
submission to one another. Jesus was willing to be the forsaken brother so that
we could have godly relationships. Jesus was willing to be the crucified King so
that our communities would experience peace.”
— Paul David Tripp
— Paul David Tripp
Forgiveness
According to Jeremiah 34:15, the acceptable year of our Lord, the year of
Jubilee in which liberty was proclaimed “every man to his neighbor. All debts
were forgiven. All land was restored and every one who had been sold into
servitude through debt was released. All bondage that held people captive was
null and void and people were to be set free. The sad part is that this was the
fast that Israel refused to keep.
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:6)
The Lord’s fast is a celebration of freedom in which bonds are loosed, heaven burden lifted and the oppressed go free. Ir is not enough for the bonds to be broken also every yoke must be broken and every means of external control and manipulation must be put away with if we are to celebrate the freedom that Christ brings.
Freedom begins or ends with forgiveness. Without forgiveness there is no freedom. Forgiveness is more than a pardon...true forgiveness is letting the oppressed go free. Forgiveness sets people free from the expectations of the controller's manipulations.
Unforgivers have an acute sense of justices, they feel they have the right to condemn and judge the offender to an eternity in hell fire.
To forgive as Jesus forgives is to let the guilty go free and actively bring them into a relationship with God. forgiveness is not about justice...it is about mercy trumping over judgement and condemnation.
Without forgiving as Jesus forgives you will not love as Jesus loves.
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:6)
The Lord’s fast is a celebration of freedom in which bonds are loosed, heaven burden lifted and the oppressed go free. Ir is not enough for the bonds to be broken also every yoke must be broken and every means of external control and manipulation must be put away with if we are to celebrate the freedom that Christ brings.
Freedom begins or ends with forgiveness. Without forgiveness there is no freedom. Forgiveness is more than a pardon...true forgiveness is letting the oppressed go free. Forgiveness sets people free from the expectations of the controller's manipulations.
Unforgivers have an acute sense of justices, they feel they have the right to condemn and judge the offender to an eternity in hell fire.
To forgive as Jesus forgives is to let the guilty go free and actively bring them into a relationship with God. forgiveness is not about justice...it is about mercy trumping over judgement and condemnation.
Without forgiving as Jesus forgives you will not love as Jesus loves.
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