Law and Grace : Two Men Two Different results

In Luke 18 and Luke 19 we see the difference between law and grace in two different men with two different results.

Luke 19: 1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
First, why did Jesus suddenly stop and look up at Zacchaeus? I mean there were scores of people all around Christ but here is one little man that suddenly drew the attention of Jesus among the entire crowd. What drew Christ’s attention to this little man in a tree? The answer is found in the words sought to see. The words sought to see in the original Greek implies more than just a casual seeker, Zacchaeus was more than just a casual curiosity seeker. He was one who was very determined to see Jesus because he had head that this man was changing people’s lives and Zacchaeus was looking for an answer to a changed life. He knew that his life was a mess that he was out of control bound by greed and selfishness. I mean everyone who knew him saw him as a sinner. A tax collector was seen as a very greedy person in that day who cared for nothing but himself, but Zacchaeus in his heart was looking for change and the Lord who searches and knows the hearts of all men knew this. Men look on the outward but God always looks at the heart, but no matter how hard Zacchaeus tried to change he could not the more he tried the more he failed.. So Zacchaeus was not just a casual curiosity seeker as someone would be to see a movie star in town but he was seeking for change.
This reminds me of a story about a trip I once took to New York City. I was staying in a hotel right off of Time Square and one morning I stepped out of the hotel and across the street was a crowd of people, so of course my curiosity was aroused and I wanted to go over and see what the crowd was all about. As I got to where the crowd was I peaked over the heads of the crowd and low and behold it was Beyonce . My first thought was wow this is cool! You don’t see this everyday and it was one of those moments that you don’t forget but this moment does not even compare to the moment that I first met Christ! Nor does it compare with my desire to still see Jesus every day.
So Zacchaeus was more than just a casual seeker he was a man on a mission looking for change and anyone seeking Jesus for change will always cause him to stop in his tracks and draw His attention. Jesus saw the cry of Zacchaeus heart and that’s what drew Jesus to Zacchaeus
The crowd however didn’t see what Christ saw they saw a sinner but Jesus saw a seeker.
But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner. Again people always have a tendency to judge on the outside but God always sees the heart
Now the main thing we want to notice in this story is how that it was the unconditional love, acceptance and grace that changed the heart of Zacchaeus and not law. After Zacchaeus received Christ into his house Zacchaeus makes a remarkable statement.
Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
I mean there was no law that told Zacchaeus to do all these things except one law and that was the law of love that touched and changed his heart. I mean all of a sudden we see a sinner changed into a saint! And the only thing that took place to make this happen was when Jesus said I want to come in to your house and dine with you.
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Zacchaeus again represents a heart that is seeking Christ because he knows he needs a change in his heart and this change cannot come through the law or self determination but it can only come by grace through faith.
Now we see the young rich ruler who like Zacchaeus had abundance but unlike Zacchaeus the young rich ruler boasted in the law and his ability to keep it and we know when we trust the law we will always fall short.
Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler
Luke 18:18
Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’
And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
Notice the difference in the two men. Zacchaeus who admitted he was a sinner and who knew he needed Christ for change suddenly had a change of heart and was willing to sell everything and make amends for all his wrong doings where as the young rich ruler who put his trust more in his self and boasted about keeping the law had little to no change of heart. Love and Grace is the only thing that has the power to change a person rom the inside out! The law has no power to produce change. The law was given by God to us, not to produce change but to show us our desperate need for Christ
Notice when Jesus simply extended his love and grace to Zacchaeus and not law that love caused Zacchaeus heart to radically change and he was than willing to give up everything .. Gods love and grace and not law is the only thing that can produce this kind of change in your heart
Two men Two different results.
Both men were well off but only one had a change of heart.
In closing we are to always preach Gods unconditional love and grace and not Law..

Faith Righteousness

We are either in faith righteousness or in works righteousness but we cannot be in both. We need to understand that there is really only one type of righteousness that will ever be acceptable to God and it’s not a righteousness that comes by what we do but what has been done for us. The free gift of righteousness from God  only comes through faith in Christ and the finished work at the cross. Faith righteousness does not come by what we do but in what’s already been done for us.

Many years ago as a young pastor,  I often felt the Lord speaking to me about this subject of righteousness and knew that there was far more to what I was seeing about righteousness, the cross, grace, the law and rest , but I just could not grasp the full revelation of  these truths. It’s almost like there was a veil over my eyes that kept me from seeing and understanding the full truth of these realities. I also felt that the only way to remove this veil was through a continual persistent hunger, determination and seeking to know these truths, but what I’ve also learned in this process of seeking is that seeing and understanding truth does not always come as easy or quick as we may think but often comes only through a process of time and of digging, seeking, studying and meditation. This brings new meaning to what Jesus said about those who hunger and thirst for righteousness would be filled and also that we should as believers should not only ask, seek and knock but that we should keep asking ,keep seeking and keep knocking until the door of revelation is opened to us.

As believers we should not settle for anything less then the truth and nothing but the truth for its only as we know and continue in truth that we will be made free.

Now as I look back on my walk with God and even at the many sermons that I preached while pastoring and even often preached with great passion I admit there are  times I think “boy I wish I could retract some of those  sermons!” in the light of what I know now. and then I remember how Saul  once driven by the law  had a great zeal for God  all that he did he did with great sincerity and passion believing that he was even doing God a great favor by even imprisoning and even killing  Christians! But after His encounter with Jesus and His revelation of the gospel of grace I’m sure he too wished that he could often retract many things that he preached and did in the name of God , but I love what the Apostle Paul says about his past life as a Pharisee “I forget those things that are behind me and reach forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”.  We must understand that just because we have zeal and passion for God that does not always mean we are right or even walking in truth.

The Apostle Paul makes this statment to his own country men in light of his own conversion and revelation of Gods grace

Rom 10:2  

for I bear them record that they have a zeal for God but not according to knowledge for they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and seeking to establish there own righteousness have not submitted to the righteousness of God, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes”.   

 Notice what Paul says here” the righteousness that is of God does not come through the law or by self effort or determination, but only comes through faith in Christ.

Paul in essence was saying listen guys Ive been there done that! The law is not the answer, Christ is the only answer now and righteousness is a free gift.

Now In times past I use to read scriptures like this through my Pentecostal glasses and I kind of knew what the Apostle Paul was talking about here but was not real clear on it,  First of all I always believed that Paul was speaking about ceremonial law here and never really saw myself under the ceremonial law so I could never see how much of this really applied to me as a Christian? And second I always thought this was speaking mainly to all those who did not know Christ or all those in other religions under the law until I realized that the letter of Romans was really written mostly to the church who had been saved by grace through faith and then through wrong deceptive teaching were subtlety drawn back into the law of works and self effort for salvation.

The other thing that I began to realize is the fact that most of all the letters that the apostle Paul wrote to the church were actually dealing with this deception. The deception of mixing the law of self effort and works with grace and what’s amazing is that we are still dealing with this same deception today! The main root for all division, immaturity, and frustration in the church today has to do with faith righteousness and works righteousness or Law and Grace.

So I recently asked the Lord why is there is so much appeal for works righteousness? or for man to feel like he must always try his best to do something to either earn favor or maintain favor with you through his own performance and good works? And why is it when those who preach grace and the free gift of righteousness through faith seem to always fall under great accusation and persecution? And this is what I believe the Lord has shown .First it’s because the flesh loves glory or feels the need to take credit for doing something. The fallen flesh or the carnal man always wants to feel like he has to achieve or do something to earn his way back to God. But God says flesh cannot do enough to find its way back to me and no flesh will glory in my presence. The only way to be in right standing with God and to fully experience God’s favor is to receive it as a free gift through simple faith.

From Fig Leaves to Faith!

You see when man fell the first thing that he did was to make fig leaves to try and cover him self up. This was mans first attempt of trying to do something to deal with his shame, guilt and condemnation and man is still trying to cover himself with his religious fig leaves today! Its like man has a stronghold in himself that says I blew it and somehow some way, somehow I must fix it! Or at least feel like that I have participated in fixing it, but the only thing that can fix man is God and Gods grace and grace is a free gift.  No amount of fig leaves could ever fix mans problems. Fig leaves are a bloodless religion.  Remember God, then took away the fig leaves from Adam and replace the fig leaves with animal skins.  The only thing that could bring man back from his fallen state was a blood sacrifice.  This was est. in the very beginning.  The Bible says that Jesus was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and when Jesus did finally come it was John the Baptist that said, behold the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world, and notice he didn’t say sins but sin.  This is important for us to understand or the sin that Jesus took away was the sin nature that we inherited from Adam.  We need to understand that man needs more than forgiveness of sins man needs and the nature man sins because of his sin nature. Fig leaves could never remove the sin nature.  The only thing that could ever remove sins and deal with the sin nature was a blood sacrifice.  The blood and sacrifice of the son of God was mans only solution to his dilemma and its only through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus that we are saved from our sin.  Fig leaves could never save us the only thing that man can do to be saved is to receive all that God has already done through His Son.  God wants to move us from fig leaves to faith because it’s only by grace through faith that we are saved plus, nothing else. So why is it that when we preach faith and grace that the flesh always wants to rise up and say “O yes I know that we are saved by grace through faith but we must still do certain things to stay righteous before God. We must strive try to do our best to keep His commandments in order to maintain our right standing with Him!. I mean God wont like us very much unless we attend church every Sunday morning , Pay our tithes and do our very best to live for Him by keeping the 10 commandments.  But all this we must do something is still more fig leaves or mans effort to cover up his own guilt.   Let me ask you a question what did Adam do before the fall to maintain his right standing with God? The answer is absolutely nothing! And why is that?, because he was already in right standing with God right? So then the real question comes down to this. Do we really believe that right now we are in right standing with God like Adam was before the fall?  Do we really know what justification means?  To be justified means, just as we had never done something or to be declared innocent!  Romans five says being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Now we either believe this or we don’t.  If we continue to try and do something to be justified before God and we doubt God’s word.  Righteousness means to be in right standing with God and righteousness is a gift from God.  As we receive this free gift of righteousness by faith, then we are in right standing with God.  We are declared innocent and not guilty when someone is declared not guilty.  Then the trial is over, and they are free to go they no longer have to wonder will I be tried for this again, because that would be in legal terms, but is called double jeopardy you cannot be tried for the same crime twice.  Yes, because of sin.  We were sentenced to death.  But Jesus came and took our place.  He was declared guilty on our behalf.  There was a great exchange that took place when Jesus died on the cross he who knew no sin became sin that we would become the righteousness of God through him through Christ.  We are completely free from the sentence of death.  We have been declared innocent.  We are just as innocent now as Adam was before the fall Adam did not have a sin conscience Adam did not have a guilty conscience Adam did not wonder am I right with God or am I doing enough to please God no.  The only thing that Adam had was a God conscience Adam simply walked with God, and enjoy God.  Adam enjoy God’s presence every day.  Adam was filled with peace and joy.  This is the kingdom of God and this is what God wants for us.  He wants us to be blessed.  He wants our lives to be full of peace and joy, not dread or fear of impending judgment at peace.  The Bible says that the kingdom of God is righteousness joy and peace in the Holy Ghost.  If we are not experiencing these things through the word that we have been embracing, then we need to look at what kind of word we have been embracing the gospel means good news when the Angels of God appeared at the birth of Christ.  They begin to cry out joy to the world, peace on our and goodwill to all men God has never been out to condemn man not only wants to save man from himself from sin that has brought a great curse on this Earth and man the we must understand that righteousness or right standing with God is never something that we can earn righteousness is a free gift.  And we’re going to see in Scripture that grace can only work as we receive this free gift of righteousness.  We must always resist the temptation to pick up fig leafs fig leaves represent self righteousness.  God cannot work through self righteousness grace cannot work through self righteousness.  This is one of the main reasons that God gave us the law or the 10 Commandments to set us free from self righteousness to show us that no matter how hard we tried to keep the law for righteousness we could never do it and why could we do it because of our sin nature.  Our sin nature would not allow us to fully keep the law, anyone that says they have kept the law is not being honest with himself he is in deception.  There is only one that has ever The law and that one gave his life for us.

Remember when Jesus found the young rich ruler that said, I have kept all the law, then Jesus said yes but there is still one thing you have lacked go and sell all that you have and give it to the poor and the Bible says that the young rich ruler went away sad because he had great possessions. We need to understand  that Jesus  was dealing with this young mans deception in keeping the law, for no one has ever kept the law in its entirety, neither can any man keep the law.  The law was not given for us to keep it was given by God to show us that we could not keep it and to show us that righteousness or right standing with God can only come through faith apart from the law.  The Bible says that the law was our tutor to point us to Christ to show us our need for Christ.  But once Christ has come we no longer need the law.  We are going to look at all the reasons the law was given and what the law does, but this is one thing I can assure you of the law was never given to make us righteous before God.  Righteousness can never earned it’s the unmerited favor of God.  God gave us the gift of righteousness, because of his great love for us.  My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will convict you to receive the free gift righteousness by faith, so that you may experience the full grace of God in your heart and in your life.

The Gift of Righteousness will only work apart from our own works.

If it’s not free it’s not from God and it will not work! We are not righteous and never will be by any thing we do. No amount of bible reading or tithing or church attendance can make us righteous or keep us righteous before God! We don’t read the bible or attend church to stay in Gods good graces. No we do these things because we realize that we are in Gods favor and that we are righteous and that we have done nothing at all to deserve it. All of our doing is because we love the Lord! And we Love Him because we know how much He has first loved us!

So all this preaching about how God is not pleased with you if you don’t do your best has got to stop. The gospel not based on what you do , Its not even based on your obedience but its based on the obedience of Christ!  We must remove our selves from the deception that we have something to do with our own salvation. Our only part is to believe what has been done for us. It’s really all about Christ. Its all about the Cross and what was done at the cross and we must give all glory to Jesus and Him alone

On that day we will not say glory be to Christ and Me… because I attended church, read my Bible, and did my best to keep the 10 commandments. No! It will only be glory be to the one who sits on the throne! It will only be worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom and strength, and honor and glory and blessing. All of heaven and every created thing in and above the earth will set there full attention and focus on Jesus and this is where our full should be now! Our full attention should not be on Jesus and me or in the Am I doing enough?, But only in Jesus, Jesus, Jesus who has done enough!  We cannot do one thing to ad to what has already been done in Christ, so stop listening to sermons that say “well now that you a Christian you need to do all these things to stay pleasing to God  that may sound good to the flesh because flesh still seeks glory! but the fact of the matter is that if you are in Christ the you are already pleasing to God! You are complete in Christ and your life is now hid in Him! I like how the amplified version says it.

2 Corinthians 5:21

For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [^[endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

Most of the righteousness by works deception does not come into the church before salvation but after salvation.  Across denominational lines we have always preached a gospel that says you are in essence saved by grace through faith but then we say “after you are saved then you must do certain things in order to keep or maintain favor with God. In other words grace is just for the initial salvation experience but not for the long haul. Many of the things we tell the young convert that they must do is to attend church, pay tithe, and win souls and not that we are against all of these thing for these things will come but none of these thing whether you do them or do not do them will make you any more or less righteous before God.

The maintenance program for salvation through good works and through self effort is not the gospel of grace in fact it is another gospel that brings Gods people back underneath condemnation and the curse of the law .This gospel causes Gods people to shift there faith from the finished work of the cross back to themselves or to a religious system of works and once this happens its all downhill from there. We must always understand that grace and righteousness are free gifts from God with no strings attached! and that’s before we are saved and after we are saved. Gods promise does not change.

As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian church and said O foolish Galatians who has bewitched you? Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?  Are you so foolish having begun in the Spirit and now are made perfect by your flesh?    Flesh could not save you before you were saved and flesh can’t keep you saved neither can flesh crucify flesh!

Now I know when I say this the flesh will immediately rise up and say” Well are you saying that we don’t have to do anything for God?  That we don’t have to go to church? Or Pay our tithe that we can just do anything that we want to do? That we can just go out and live in Sin and run wild without any consequences? Well first of all I’m not saying that you can just willfully sin and not experience some consequences because sin is like fire if you stick your hand in fire whether you are saved or lost you’re still going to get burned! But what I am saying is yes once you are saved and embrace the free gift of grace and righteousness you in fact can do anything you want to do! But because of the influence of the Spirit of Grace on your hear you will ot want to do some thing you once found pleasure in because you know they have no benefit to you spiritually. Why drink from an empty well when you have a river of Life flowing through you!

Now many say but if you preach a radical  grace like this where nothing is required but faith wont people just quit coming to church, stop giving, and quit witnessing. Not at all because grace again changes the heart and people will actually do more , give more and serve more and not because they have to for fear of impending judgment but because they want to. They are motivated now more by Grace and Love then fear. It was the apostle Paul who said that it was the Love of God that constrained him now .. not Law but Gods Love..

God wants to set us free from the law of self effort and condemnation so that we can freely love and enjoy Him and others .

I heard someone say once “I love you because God commands it!”

What kind of love is this? True love comes from the heart and the only one that can change our hearts to not only love those who love us but to love our enemies is Jesus. This is the Grace we speak of. Grace that is free that is freely received that changes our old mean and nasty hearts to love everyone like Gods loves them.

If you love just because you fear judgment if you don’t then this is not the true love of God. This love is a fleshly love that has limits but Gods love is unlimited and unconditional. This is the kind of Love that only works only through Grace.

Did you know that when Jesus told the Pharisees that according to the Law The greatest commandment was to Love God with all there heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love there neighbors as themselves that He was telling them something that by the flesh apart from Grace was impossible to do?

Why because of mans fallen state it is not possible for man to even muster up enough love to love God more then man loves himself! The only way for us to love like this is for God to put His love through His Grace into our hearts. We only Love God because we know how much He first loved us! To the degree we understand Gods love for us will be the degree that we will be able to Love God and others and Gods love for us has demonstrated through the Cross. John 3:16.

Now I want to stop and say that in writing I am going to use as many scripture references as possible and leave my own opinion out, because I believe the word can and will speak better for it then I could ever speak for it.

Also I want to say that it is crucial for us to understand the difference between faith righteousness and works righteousness because it is the very foundation for our growth and quality of life and victory in this world as a Christian. Many Christians today do not glory from glory to glory by the spirit of the Lord but rather go from glory to failure and defeat and then back to glory and Many Christians are what the bible calls wilderness wanderers that is they spend there entire Christian Life just going around in circles ! They are complainers and doubters instead of passers and over comers and the Bible is very clear about why this is taking place. The main reason has to do with the Gospel of faith righteousness and the Law of works righteousness and entering His rest.

Entering His Rest

Entering His Rest

Hebrews 4: 1-3

Therefore, since promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest.

Hebrews 4:9-11

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.

Now as I began to read these scriptures I began to realize that when God was speaking of entering His rest that He was not only speaking of us ceasing from our own works for righteousness but  God was also speaking of leaving the place of wilderness wandering and possessing the Promised Land. The Promised Land not only represented Gods blessings and walking in the fullness of God, but the Promised land also represents us entering into Gods rest.  What does all this mean? It means that in order for us to really walk in all that God has called us to that we have to believe the full Gospel which says “It is finished!” There is nothing left for us to do for salvation or righteousness except to believe and enjoy the Promised Land and if we insist on trying to earn Gods favor through our works then we will fall short of all that Jesus died for!

We cannot ad one thing to what’s already been done for us in Christ!

We must cease from all our own works and fleshly activity for righteousness and rest in the finished work of the cross.

When my wife and I moved into our new Condo there was picture on the wall that describes the main lesson that God is trying to teach all us and it says.

“To boldly go where no man has relaxed before … Now that’s the place to be!”

Why is it so hard for man just to receive grace without works? Why does man insist that he must do something to earn Gods grace or at least maintain it?

Again it’s the fallen nature of man to want to do something. Religion is about doing but Christianity is about believing.

Remember the encounter that Jesus had with the Pharisees they said what must we do to do the works of God? Jesus said this is the Work of God that you believe in the one that God has sent. That’s all just believed? Why couldn’t they just do that because believing does not make sense to the carnal religious mind? The religious mind cannot equate resting with activity and righteousness. Righteousness to the religious mind is something that must be earned. But we will see that the only righteousness that is acceptable to God is faith righteousness and righteousness that says I am not righteous by what I do but what’s been done for me and its this righteousness’ we are to stand in, rest in, and seek. It is also this faith righteousness that grace is made active and Grace is Gods influence on our hearts to transform us. So if we are under a righteousness of the law and works we will prevent Gods grace from working in our lives.

There is a reason we need so many revivals in the church today and the biggest reason is at the very core of the churches believe system. Did you know that the actual word for revival means to bring back to life? It’s kind of like when someone has a heart attach and you have to perform CPR on them to bring them back to life. Why are we in a constant state of performing CPR on the church? It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad revivals like this shouldn’t even be needed if the church was embracing grace and walking in the truth. We should not have to have CPR performed on us several times a year! Anyone that would need this kind of attention in the natural would be seen as a very sickly person. Also what’s up with this word retreat? Why does the victorious church always have to go to a retreat? Did you know retreat is a term used when an army is being over come by the enemy? Why does the enemy have so much power in the church? I thought Jesus stripped him of his power two thousand years ago? And why is the church shut up inside of a building. Jesus did not tell the world to go into every church and hear the gospel, no! He told the church to go into the entire world and preach the gospel. Where is our faith? Where is our power? And where is our confidence? Our boldness and why do we have to go from one conference to another conferance just to keep ourselves going? Why are so many Christians living a depressed, defeated life? And know matter how many how to be a better Christian books they study they still cannot go beyond where they are, it’s almost like they are stuck in the mud. Many are doing what I call the two step, two steps forward and two steps backward and I believe much of the answer to all the Christian confusion and frustration lies in the lack of our understanding concerning  the cross, faith righteousness, the law, grace and the power of Christ.  Over the years I learned that many Christians seem to be in a state of confusion.  If you were to ask the average Christian, what they believe and why they believe it.  Most could not tell you that I feel like the Lord had shown me in these last days and he is bringing his people out of Babel, which means confusion and in truth that will set them free.  My prayer for writing this book is that God would use it in this process of freedom.  One thing that I’ve learned over the years is that if you have a real desire to know the truth and people cross your path.  And even placed books in your hands that will help you in your quest years ago someone put two books in my hands and asked me to read them, at that time I knew that these books contain vital truth, and then I needed to understand, although at the time.  I did not really understand what the writer was saying because of where I was doctrinally.  One of these books was called the gospel of peace by Jim Richards; I would encourage anyone to get a copy of this incredible book online

To many Christians are living by the Am I rather than the I Am, and what do I mean by this.  Many Christians are in a continual place of doubt and condemnation always thinking and wondering Am I right with God?, Am I really doing enough to please God . Am  I praying enough? Am I  reading my Bible enough ,Am I giving enough, Am I serving enough, and the list goes on, Am I Am I…  The born again believer should not be asking Am I but  declaring  I Am ! I Am righteous, I Am holy.  I Am blessed I Am pleasing to God, not because of who I am but because of who Jesus is! He is the I Am and what I am now I am because of Christ and the grace of God. Listen works righteousness will always have you wondering Am I ?  Am I worthy enough, Am I holy enough, Am I right enough, but faith righteousness declares with confidence.  I Am worthy.  I Am holy and is not because of my work but because of the work of Jesus at the cross plus, nothing else any teaching or preaching that you hear or embrace that makes you question your position in Christ is not the gospel of Christ.  Any teaching that implies performance for righteousness or to be in right standing with God is not the gospel of Christ.  It may sound good, it may get a lot of a men’s but in less it points to the finished work of the cross and the reality that we are saved completely by grace through faith in Christ and apart from works then we need to question that teaching.  Far too many Christians live in torment and turmoil always fearful that things are not right between them and God.  The world is right when it says.  Religion will drive you crazy.  Religion will drive you crazy because there is no peace in religion.  There is no peace and self righteousness, true peace only comes.  As we look in faith to the finished work of the cross Romans 5:1 says being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to experience His peace  we must believe that we have been completely justified through Jesus.  Apart from our own works.  The righteousness of God by grace is a free gift a free gift cannot be earned if it’s earned then it’s no longer a gift

 One of the biggest problems we have in the church is that we say it’s all free and then we preach you must do something, or earn it to keep it.  A free gift is no longer a free gift.  If you work for it, or do something to earn it, but the only righteousness that is acceptable with God is the free gift of righteousness.  If it’s not free then it’s not of God. Many people who initially come to Christ and get born-again and experience the wonderful joy of salvation are placed back into bondage because the church they attend preach and teach messages that say, now that you’re a Christian, you need to do all these things to maintain your right standing with God and although this may sound good it is not the gospel.  This gospel is actually the other gospel that Paul referred to in the book of Galatians when he said, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you, as crucified.  This only I want to learn from you.  Did you receive the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith are you so foolish, having begun in the spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Paul was saying that perfection does not come by the flesh.  It comes by the spirit as we believe in what fully took place at the crucifixion! So what took place at the cross? A great exchange took place.   If we would just get a hold of this truth that once we come in Christ, we are then perfected by the spirit grace is the work of the spirit, not of the flesh.  Too many in church today are trying to could perfect by themselves through fleshly effort and self determination to live the Christian life.  The true Christian life is not you, trying to live the Christian life, but is Christ in you living his life through you and perfecting you by the spirit of God as you place your full faith in him.  For it is God.  That’s at work in you both to will and to do his good pleasure.  The spirit of God is the grace of God, and then what is your responsibility?  Your responsibility is to respond to his ability.  Yes, it takes faith.  to actually believe that God has called me to is to rest, and trust in his spirit in me actively working in me, influencing  my heart to perfect me, but this is grace.  God has called us to sit in the passenger seat and allow Jesus do all the driving!  Religion will say you can’t just stand there.  You must do something, but true Christianity says don’t just do something, stand there.  God has called us into rest, and in Hebrews it says all those that have ceased from their own works have entered into his rest.  We need to learn to boldly go where no man has relaxed before.  This is grace.  This is what God has called us to and the Bible says that grace works or is through activated through faith righteousness, not works righteousness, but His righteousness, the righteousness that is the free gift from God.

Romans chapter 5, verse 17 it says for if by the one man’s offense death reined through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.

God has called us as Christians to rein and not only in the next life, but in this life. God has not called us to be defeated to be downtrodden is called us to be more than conquerors through him to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, at this only comes.  As we by faith, but on the whole armor of God and a big part of this armor is the breastplate of righteousness that is His righteousness, the free gift of righteousness through faith in Christ.

Romans 4:3-5  the apostle Paul speaks of this faith righteousness.                                                                             What does the Scripture say Abraham believed in trusted in God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness that is right living and right standing with God, not to him labors for then his wages are not counted as unmerited favor or a gift but as an obligation that is something owed to him, but to the one who refuses to not work by the law but instead trusts and believes fully in him who justifies the godly his faith is credited to him as righteousness( that is the only right standing that acceptable is to God.

 

The Bible is very clear that the only acceptable righteousness to God is the righteousness that is not earned by the law but received only as a gift by faith.  This includes before we are saved and after we are saved, we do not start out by receiving the free gift of righteousness, and then after we receive it try hold on to it through some kind of maintenance program.

America and the Titanic

Remember what they said about the Titanic? they said God Himself couldn’t even sink this ship!… Well I believe 911 Is when America( the Titanic of the world) hit the ice berg and its been sinking ever since.  Now many still do not believe that the Titanic is sinking and have tried there best to bail it out ! but the fact is the water of debt is coming in so fast now that to bail  is of now no avail  and by the way have you seen the national debt counter latley? . Now I am no gloom and doom preacher but this really does put all of us in the same boat together and I believe that God our creator and our maker has placed us all in a great position! and we now have a couple options . First we can either continue by our own efforts  apart from God to try and bail our own ship out, Second, we can just give up  and just go down with the  sinking ship or we can choose to  get on the life raft..and guess what the Life raft is? well here is a clue its not the democrates or republicans.and  it is not in this present worlds goverment system dominated by greed and the lust for power , Listen even those  in charge (The Captains of the Ship) really  do not know what to do..but  can I suggest  trying something new and diffrent that may not be too politically correct but just may work ? how about going back down to that little stone church  where ground zero is now located and once again re-dedicate this nation back to God and the B.I.B.L.E.? as Geoerge Wadshington and the collective goverment did on Apr 30 1789.  How about going back and reading and doing 2 Chronicles 7:14 .. Its just an Idea but it just may work

Dream about 911 and humpty dumpty

In May of 2001 I had a dream and in the dream I heard the Lord  say 911 , now at the time I had no Idea about the  911 tragedy  that would come later on that year. So I asked the Lord in the dream what 911 ment and I felt like He reminded me that 911 was of course the number to call in case of emergencies but then I felt like God said that he was preparing the church now for incredibly hard times ahead and just like the 911 emergency responders are well-trained to remain calm to communicate to those in panic on the other end that  we also were going to have to know Gods great peace in order to be able to deal with a lot of panicked  people in the years to come. After I received the word about 911 I then heard an old familiar nursery rhyme ” humpty dumpty sat on a wall humpty dumpty had a great fall all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn’t put humpty back together again”. I then asked the Lord what this ment and I felt like he said that humpty dumpty was the economy that was getting ready to have a great fall and all the kings horses and  all the kings men represented the governments of the world that would try to put it back together again but no matter how hard they tried they would never be able to fix it..

Now on September 11,2001 I remember  sitting in a place ironically called Manhattan Bagel having coffee when someone came in and said something about a small plane hitting the world trade center and at that time I did not realize it was actually 9/11.  after hearing the report I drove home and turned the TV on and that’s when I saw another plane hit the second tower. Im not sure at what point I realized it but The Lord reminded me of the dream He had given me a few months before about 911 and Humpty Dumpty.. The Twin Towers actually sat near wall street and had a great fall. The fall of the twin towers was the beginning of the fall of our economy and all the governments have tried their best to put it back together again but to no avail. I believe we are living in a very different time now and as Christians we must know the seasons and times that we are living in. This is the time to know Gods peace as never before. There are very troubled times ahead and mens hearts will fail for fear of what they see coming on the earth. I also believe that the war on terror is the last war we will see before Christ returns..

Faith without works is dead

What about the scripture in James 2:20   that says “Faith without works is dead?” This scripture is often used to try and give balance to the grace message but what did James really mean by faith without works is dead? First James was not speaking of salvation or righteousness or justification before God that comes by works for this would be completely contrary to the rest of gospel for we know and it is very clear in scripture that we are saved not by any of our works but solely by Gods grace.

Romans 4:1-5

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?   For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God for  what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Now at first glance these scriptures and the scripture in James almost seem to contradict each other but as we receive greater revelation from God  on this truth we see they do not contradict and often times its good to put these scriptures right next to each other so that we can glean the truth of what God is saying

First James was not speaking of good works for salvation but because of salvation.  James was saying that there would eventually be an outward expression that comes from right believing that would be seen before man. James was saying if we really believe God and His love and goodness toward us and that we are made righteous by faith that this right believing will cause change in our hearts and bear fruit for right doing or you could say “right believing will always lead to right living” or doing or fruit.. But we need to understand that this fruit does like natural fruit does not always come immediately but over a process of time with learning to rest, abiding in the vine and with the renewing of the mind.

We do not want to make the grave mistake of judging ourselves or that  someone else is either lost or saved based on his or her own works, because once we go down this path we turn from grace and back to the Law and works for salvation and  this is far from faith..  The Bible says in Gal 3:12 that the Law is not of Faith!   

          

The Law we know is a system of doing for justification that could never ever justify us!  And If It couldn’t justify us before we were saved it cannot justify us after we are save. Justification comes one way and one way only by believing that God justifies  the ungodly through the cross plus nothing else and as we believe and rest in this truth works will be a byproduct or an outward expression of this right believing but these works are not works of the flesh but are works of the Holy Spirit called the fruit of righteousness.                                                                                                                              

We need to understand that Abraham was made righteous years before he laid Isaac on the altar. Laying Isaac on the alter was the fruit or by product  of Abrahams faith or right believing but make no mistake Abraham was not made righteous by his works but Abraham was made righteous because he believed God.. We cannot move away from this truth.

 Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.           

What did Abraham believe? Abraham believed what God said that He would do apart from Abraham’s efforts or works. God was going to make Abraham a great nation and that through him all the nations would be blessed. Abraham simply believed what God promised that God would bring to past and because Abraham believed this it was accounted to him for righteousness

New Testament is about right believing and confession of what’s been done which then leads to the fruit of right doing. The New testament is not about us changing by doing our best to keep the law.. noooo it is about believing in the finished work of the cross and believing that God is now in you both to will and to do His good pleasures we are His workmanship and God is now by His Spirit at work in us both to will and to do His good pleasure and yes we are as born again Christians are called to cooperate with this inward work . Gods desire is to express His love through us to the rest of the world.

Gal 3:11-12    The Law is not of Faith!                                                                                                                                                                                If we are trying to please God by doing our best to keep the law then we are not in faith we are in law and the bible then says we are back under a curse! Obedience to the faith is not by us doing our best to keep the law but by believing that God justifies the ungodly through the cross. Many have a hard time with this message because it does not appeal to the flesh. The flesh always desires glory or credit for what flesh does.. but the Bible is clear that no flesh will glory in God’s presence.. We are not changed or redeemed by any fleshly effort on our part but by grace are we save through faith in the finished work of the cross and the resurrection of Christ..

 

We should never forget the process of Gods work is from the inside out!

 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

For it is God that works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure…. Pay close attention to the word IN this is very . We criticle to understanding the work of Gods grace.

1 Thessalonians 2:13
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. Wow this says alot!

As we recieve the word of truth and believe truth of Gods word it will effectually work in us to produce fruit unto the Glory of God.

 

The Law,Grace, Righteousness and Faith

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

The Bible says that law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ.. Now we need to understand that In the original greek  grace and truth are actually an expression of one word , not two or you could say  grace and truth  came as a package together by Jesus Christ .. In other words grace,truth and Jesus are all one in the same.. You cannot have truth without grace and you cannot have grace without truth and when we speak of grace and truth we are really speaking of the one person of Jesus Christ.. However the Law was not so. The law was written on separate stone tablets and was given to Moses to give to the people

Romans 1:5  By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations

Romans 16:26  But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

Now  one thing I began to notice and I felt like the Holy Spirit was drawing my attention to in the above verses was the expression obedience to the faith.. And I began to realize that under the new covenant when the Bible spoke of obedience that it was mostly speaking of being obedient to the faith ! So what is this faith that we are called to be obedient too? We know its not speaking of the Law because in Gal 3:12 it says that the Law is not of faith! but the faith is to believe in the finished work of the cross and knowing that we are righteous by faith alone apart from works..

We are made righteous by believing and receiving and not by our doing and achieving. The doing  comes out of the believing or you could say right believing leads to right doing..

So how did the Bible say that  Abraham was made righteous? by doing or believing? The Bible says that  he believed Gods covenant promise toward him..and then he was given righteousness . We need to understand that Abraham lived before the law and the 10 commandments and Abraham was far from perfect In fact one time  he actually lied about his wife being his wife to a heathen king  yet Gods blessing continued to flow into Abrahams life and the heathen king is the one who actually suffered judgement and why? because Abraham was strong in the faith..or Abraham was obedient to the faith and therefore he was blessed by God

We too as Abraham are also made righteous through faith and obedience to the faith means we stand firm in the finished work of the cross for righteousness and not be moved away from it back into a dead system of law and works.

Today many  are  not being obedient to the faith and are still trying to establish there own righteousness before God by there own works and performance but this righteousness will never be acceptable with God.. Righteousness is a gift from God that was purchased fully at the cross and the only righteousness acceptable to God is the one that is not earned but received as a gift by faith. This is what it means to be obedient to the faith

Romans 4:1-5

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

It is clear the only ones to enjoy the gift of Gods righteousness are the ones who actually refuse to work or earn it and simply believe and receive it.

Romans 10:

1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

² For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

³ For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

⁴ For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

⁵ For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

⁶ But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

⁷ Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

⁸ But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

⁹ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

¹¹ For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Notice righteousness again does not come by doing or by works or by  keeping the law but by believing and confession of what Christ has already accomplished. We must turn off our religious mind set and simply believe the word to receive this free gift of righteousness..and we must stop living by the self righteous buts! What am I saying.. Anytime we see grace as free  gift we have a tendency to  keep grace from being misused by using the word but.. I know were saved by grace…But….. and usually the But is then followed by a long list of things we must do to maintain our salvation.. We must stop this! What man calls balance God calls mixture and the problem we have had in the church is a whole lot of unholy mixture..

Now many of us who have lived a life of doing find it hard to believe that we can receive such  great promises simply by believing and receiving but  make no mistake these are the terms of the new covenant and we must come into agreement with this new covenant truth to be free.. This is being obedient to the faith.. Keeping the law is not being obedient to the faith.. Many think that being obedient to the faith is about keeping the law it is not! It is believing that righteousness is a gift to us through the finished work of the cross.. The law was never given to us to justify us but it wa given to show us that we could not keep the law.. and that we needed a new nature through the born again experience.

Now  again in  Galatians we see the real purpose and function of the Law.

7 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

² For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

³ So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

⁴ Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

⁵ For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

⁶ But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

⁷ What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

⁸ But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

⁹ For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

¹⁰ And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

¹¹ For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

¹² Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

¹³ Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

The Law was never intended to produce righteousness in us but to show our true nature and point us to faith in Christ. . The law was to show us our exceeding sinfulness . The law was given to completely convince us of our need for grace. To show us we could never save ourselves. To show us we could never do enough to make us holy and righteous before God. It was given to deliver us from the deception of “well Im a good person Iv never hurt,killed or cheated anyone.. we must understand that the very best person and the most moral person  still needs Gods grace.Why because we are by nature sinners  so that even our best effort is no better then a filthy rag next to a Holy God.

The law came to convince all people, the good, the bad and the ugly about there need for Christ. but once we come to Christ we are no longer in need of the law for our trust now is in Christ.. and we know by faith we are made to be the righteousness of God in Him

Gal 3 Paul sends a strong rebuke to a church who began in the faith but had moved back into performance mode.

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

² This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

³ Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

⁴ Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

⁵ He therefore that ministered to you the Spirit, and worked miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

⁶ Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

⁷ Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

⁸ And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

⁹ So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

¹¹ But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

¹² And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

¹³ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hanged on a tree:

¹⁴ That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

¹⁵ Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

¹⁷ And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

¹⁸ For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

¹⁹ Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

²⁰ Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

²¹ Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

²² But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

²³ But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

²⁴ Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

²⁵ But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

²⁶ For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁷ For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

²⁹ And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The Law was our school master to point us to Christ but once we put our faith in Christ we are no longer in need of the school master. Now its very important for us to understand that when the Bible speaks of the law it is not just referring to the ceremonial law but the law written on stone tablets which were the Big 10..When we preach the 10 commandments we are not preaching the new covenant but old covenant law that has been taken away in christ. To mix the two only frustrates the grace of God.. More to come

The Dream of Keys to Kingdom Revelation

One night I had a dream and in the dream I found myself standing in a long hallway that seemed to go on forever. I also noticed  that on each side of the hall were doors to what I thought led to rooms. As I looked closer at the doors I did notice that none of the doors had door knobs and I found myself wondering how I could open the door without a door knob. As I began to ponder this I looked down and in my right hand was a large ring of hundreds of keys. I asked the Lord what the keys were  for and He said the keys were to unlock the doors. He said the keys would give me access to each room on the other side of the doors. As I took a key and unlocked the first door I found myself in a magnificent room. I had never seen a room like this before and it was hard to even describe its beauty. I then asked the Lord what this room was for and what it ment. He said the room was a revelation of His kingdom. He then reminded me of the encounter that Peter had with Jesus when Peter answered Christs question correctly about who He was..  and  while some said some said he was john the Baptist, Elias , Jeremiah or maybe  one of the prophets it was Peter  who said He was the Christ the son of the living God. Jesus then said that flesh and blood did not reveal this to him but the father revealed this and that  it would be on this revelation that Christ would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it .  Jesus also told Peter  that He would give him the keys to the kingdom and whatever he would bind on earth would be bound in heaven and whatever he would lose on earth would be loosed in heaven. So the Lord revealed to me that these keys were to rooms of vast revelation. Each room is magnificent in its own way and each room would reveal a different incredible aspect of  the King and His Kingdom. It was also be through these unfolding revelations that we would receive authority in the earth to bind and loose .

Why the Holy Spirit was Sent?

Who is the Holy Spirit and Why was the Holy Spirit Sent?  As Christians we must get a firm understanding on what we believe.  Sad to say, many Christians today really do not understand what they believe; but to the degree we understand will  also be the degree that our minds will be renewed and we will know  what the will of God is and be transformed into His likeness.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The Holy Spirit was given to help us find our way back to Eden. We must understand that when man fell, that the fall was so severe  that man literally forgot who he was. I call it Spiritual Amnesia. Let’s read the definition of amnesia.

Amnesia (from Greek Ἀμνησία) is a memory condition in which memory is disturbed. In simple terms, it is the loss of memory.

Another effect of amnesia is the inability to imagine the future. A 2006 study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that amnesiacs with damaged hippo-campus cannot imagine the future.^[2] This is because a normal human being, imagining the future, uses past experiences to construct a possible scenario. For example, a person trying to imagine what would happen at a party, set to occur in the near future. would use past experience at parties to help construct the event.

We have a condition called spiritual amnesia and it’s hard for us to remember why we were created and to imagine a future with God. This is why the Holy Spirit was sent to us. He is our Helper and our Guide. He is also the one to help bring things back to our memory. He is the One who gives us the grace we need to guide us all the way back to Eden. In the book of John, Jesus speaks to the disciples about His need to go so that the Holy Spirit could come.

John 16:7-15

⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. ⁸ And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. ¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.^[c]

^{The Bible teaches us why the Holy Spirit was sent. Jesus said He was sent to first to convict or convince the world of sin. Many do not yet believe in God because they don’t see their need for God .  They do not see themselves as lost in sin.  Why? Because they are deceived. The God of this world has blinded their minds.}

^{2Cor 4:3-4}

³But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

⁴In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The Holy Spirit first convinces us through the preaching of the Gospel about our fallen condition and our need for Christ. Without Him we would all still be lost. Why? Because we cannot find our way back to Eden without the Holy Spirit. The Holt Spirit is the one who draws men to Christ and who anoints the preaching of the Gospel. He is also the one who opens our eyes to see our need for Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is also sent to convince us concerning righteousness. Righteousness only comes one way and that is through faith in Jesus Christ and the finished work of the cross. Righteousness does not come by works or by the law. It comes only through faith. The Holy Spirit is sent to convince us of this truth. Why? Because He set us free to enjoy God. He restores us from all of our insecurities and many of the other issues that we deal with in life. Man must abandon his own efforts to try and please God and get right with God. The only thing that pleases God is faith.

The Holy Spirit also came to convince us of Judgment because the god of this world has already been judged. Satan has no legal right to those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ. When Jesus said, “it is finished”, it was  also the end for the god of this world. Satan has lost his authority and has  already been judged. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our teacher and our guide. Just as man needs a guide to show him the way, we need the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth.

What is Bible Faith?

What is Bible Faith? did you know everyone in the world has faith? . It does not matter if you are a christian or an atheist you still have faith. Faith by definition simply means what you have chosen to believe or what you have been persuaded to believe . Many have been persuaded to believe that God  really does not  exist and that the Bible is just a good story book written by men, while others believe that God is the creator  of all things and the Bible is the Word of God. So where do most get their faith from ?  Most of our natural faith comes from what we have been exposed to or taught through out our lives growing up and what we have been persuaded to believe.  My first real encounter with the Bible didnt come until I was 18 years old  although I do remember reading a book in high school once called the “Late Great Planet Earth”  this book scared the begebees out of me. The Late Great Planet Earth was mostly written about the last days according to the Book of Revelation. I remember after reading this book I began to believe that just maybe their was something to the Bible beyond what I was seeing. I believe as christians it is vital  for our growth to understand what faith is according to the Bible .  The  Bible says that the just should always live by this  faith and in Hebrews 11:6 it says  that without this faith it is impossible to please Him , for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarded of those who diligently seek Him

Many have been persuaded to believe through wrong teaching that God is a harsh, strict and angry God that gets more pleasure out of judging us then He does from blessing us but this is not the God of the Bible and this is not the kind of  faith that God finds pleasure in. This kind of faith is actually contrary to the Bible . The Bible actually teaches that God loves us like no one else loves us and that it is always His utmost desire and will to bless us , forgive us, pardon us, reward us and to give us fullness of Joy and Abundant life.In John 10:10 the Bible says  it is the thief  that comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy but Jesus said I have come that you may have life, and that you may have it more abundantly.    So you see how important  Bible faith is ?  Often times religion  has painted a very dismal picture about God and faith that has caused many to actually draw back from God instead of drawing near to God. Many churchs preach more about the wrath of God and the judement of God then on the Love of God and the Mercy of God. The faith according to the Bible teaches that we should always feel free to run toward God  and not from Him. How can we walk with God if we feel He’s always somehow angry with us? Those who teach this kind of faith do not have a proper revelation of the cross, righteousness and the goodness of God. When the prodigal son came back home after his life of debauchery what did God do? The Bible says God ran to him, embraced him and completely restored him. This is the kind of faith that God is most pleased with. A faith that draws near to God a faith that believes God is a God who is abundant in love and mercy. In fact the Bible says His mercies are new every morning! So guess what if you blow it one day you have the next day to start all over again.  Again the definition of faith is simply this (It’s a firm persuasion about what you believe )  so you see everyone has a type of faith. Atheists even have faith! but Atheists do not have the Bible kind of faith. Atheists believe or have been persuaded to believe that there is no God. Many others believe or have faith in the Big Bang theory that is all of creation just kind of happened on its own fruition through a Big Bang event and that God had really nothing to do with it but this  is not what the Bible teaches . The Bible teaches that God had everything to do with creation. In fact the Bible teaches that God is the Creator of all things. Did you know that it actually takes more faith to believe that all of creation just kind of Bang happened on its own then to Believe that God designed it  and brought it all together for His Glory.  If you had all the pieces of a watch spread out on a table and believed that one day all those pieces would somehow just come together over time on their own to form into a watch wouldnt you think that would take a lot of faith? But thats exactly what the Big Bang theory teaches  that all these things just kind of came together on their own but the Bible teaches that God  designed and created it all even the Heavens and the Earth by the power of His Word

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him

There is one thing we can all agree on; when you stop and look at creation it is far beyond amazing in fact words cannot even describe the wonders of creation. I remember as a young boy looking up at the stars and just thinking wow where does it all end? It goes on forever and then I remember hearing a scientist say that they still have not yet found the end to even the smallest particle in life. So whether you look up into the heavens  with the most powerful telescope our you look down through the most powerful  microscope man has  still not found the beginning or end of all things. At least the Bible has an expanation for it all.                            Genesis 1 : 1   In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

So Faith is what we Believe and as Christians we firmly believe that the Bible is the inspired  word of God  from Genesis to Revelations.

.                                                                                                                                                                  2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,                                                                                                                                                         We also believe that God  is the creator of all things and that the God of the Bible is a Good God a God that desires we always  draw near to Him and not shrink back from Him ; A God that wants to pardon us, forgive us, to bless us and a God that wants to walk with us , talk with us, spend time with us and enjoy  us everyday.  Listen , If your children or grand children ever shrank back from you when they saw you because they were afraid of you how would that make you feel? probably sad right? This is how God feels when we do not draw near to Him it saddens the heart of God.  God finds no pleasure in those who shrink back from Him . God has provided the way through Jesus Christ  for us to draw near to Him with full assurance of faith and enjoy a fruitful,blessed and joyful life knowing and walking with Him.

Heb 10:19-23

¹⁹ Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.