The real purpose for the Law!

The law was given by Moses,but Grace and truth came by Jesus. As a new creation in Christ, we are no longer under the law, but grace. The law (which included the Big 10) was given to reveal sin,protect us and show our need for Christ, but once we see our need for Christ and place our faith in Christ,then the law has accomplished its purpose. New covenant believers are not against the law, but we are for the law for the reason the law was given.

Galatians 3:24-27
But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

So people then ask “if we don’t have the law then what is going to keep us from sinning?” Well first of all the law never did keep anyone form sinning, in fact it did the opposite! The law gave strength to sin! It aroused sin.

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

Romans 7:7-9 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.

The greatest way to have a revival of sin is to preach the law!

The best way to see people free from the power of sin, is to preach the reality of being married to Christ, dead to the law and to point people to the finished work of the cross, grace and righteousness through faith in Christ and Gods incredible Love for them.

Romans 7:4 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.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Today we are under a new Law and its called the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ. Christ in you is your new way to live, not the letter but the Spirit of Life.

Romans 8:2-4 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

As a minister I am called to minister the new covenant of grace, forgiveness of all sin, the new creation in Christ and righteousness that only comes through faith in Christ. Hebrews 8 and 10.

If we want to see the greater glory manifest in the church then like the stone that was rolled way from the tomb, the law needs to be rolled away from the church!

2 Corinthians 3:7-11 The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!

Honoring the Finished Work

To honor the finished work of the cross there are some things we need to stop believing and other things we need to start believing .

First we need to stop believing that it is all about us! right standing with God is not about what you do, its about what Christ has already accomplished for you. When Jesus died he did not say” its half finished” No! He said “it is finished!” In other words everything that needed to be done to save us , forgive us and to redeem us has already been done! Its a done deal! Its not what we do, its what we believe.

Our part is to believe that He did it ! and to receive all that God wants us to receive. (Romans 5:17)

Grace is a Gift, Righteousness is a Gift, Forgiveness is a Gift even Holiness is a gift from God. We honor Jesus by receiving what He has already bought and paid for. You can’t buy it, you can’t work for it and you can’t earn it, its all free to us, because Jesus paid it all ! Our part is to receive.

The main difference between the true gospel and the counterfeit gospel is that the real gospel is Free and it Works when believe! The counterfeit gospel always comes with a price tag and it does not work! Anytime you hear a gospel that adds to the finished work of the cross then you need to run the other way! Galatians 1 and 3. speaks of other gospels and bewitchment !

We honor the cross by agreeing with God about the finished work of the cross.

We honor the cross by proclaiming that the one time sacrifice of Jesus was enough to forgive all of our sins once and for all time. Forgiveness is not an on going perpetual process of remembering sins and then confessing our sins before God will then forgive us of sin! No! If that were the case then it becomes all about us again! or what we do in order to get forgiven. We need to remember once again that any doctrine that leads us away fro Christ and the cross and back to us is not the gospel of Christ.

Forgiveness of all sin is a gift that we receive and can never be achieved.

The doctrine about the ongoing confession of sins for the forgiveness of sins really came out of one scripture in 1 John 1:9

John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

When John wrote these words, he was addressing certain gnostics during that time who said that they did not believe in sin, nor did they believe they had ever sinned and if it stands to reason that If a person claims that they have no sin and have never sinned, then how can they receive forgiveness of sins?

This scripture was never meant for believers who had already confessed that they were sinners in need of forgiveness, but it was for those who had not yet seen their need to be forgiven.

The way we honor the finished work of the cross is to confess our need for forgiveness, but once we confess and believe then we are forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness.

We do not need to continually repeat the process over and over in order to stay saved or to stay forgiven. I mean if the forgiveness of sin is based on our ability to remember each sin and then confess each sin then what happens if we forget one or miss one? Are we then not forgiven?

We need to understand that Jesus blood and not our great memory or confession is what forgives all sin. Jesus offered His blood once and for all.

Hebrews 9:11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come.]He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

We honor the Cross by acknowledging that it worked! We are indeed forgiven. all our sin.

Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

Hebrews 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

The other way that we honor the cross is by sitting down with Him. The word says that after jesus offered His blood, He sat down and that we are now seated with Him in heavenly places in Christ.

Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Sitting does not mean that we will be spiritual couch potatoes, but it means that we cease from all our works for righteousness and justification. Remember its not about what we do, but its all about what Christ has already done for us.

We honor the cross by believing that all redemptive work has been finished and now we enter into the Rest of God. God loves it when we believe him and enter into His Rest, we dishonor God when we do not believe in the finished work and we continue to work our way into the Gods presence.

Hebrews 4
Therefore, since a 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,

One of the greatest ways to honor the cross is to rest and give thanks for all that He has done.

Walking After the Flesh

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

What does it really mean to walk after the flesh? or to walk after the Spirit? I use to think that walking after the flesh was all about doing all those bad yucky fleshly things, you know things like smoking, drinking, chewing and hanging out with those who do! or that walking after the flesh was about having a bad fleshly attitude, but did you you that there are actually two kinds of flesh?, yes there is the more obvious yucky flesh, but there is also that more subtle flesh that does not look yucky at all! I call it the good ole USDA prime flesh!

We need to understand that flesh does not always look yucky, sometimes it looks very good, moral, righteous, holy and sincere!

Did you know that there are many today who may be abstaining from all the so called yucky flesh, but they are head over heels in self righteous USDA prime flesh!

The apostle knew all about walking after this USDA self righteous prime flesh because at one time he had been completely and thoroughly immersed and deceived by it.

Philippians 3:4-9
If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.

So what does it mean to walk after the flesh?

Here is one definition of walking in the flesh. Walking after the flesh is when your body and soul ( mind,will,emotions and appetites) are operating Independently from the Holy Spirit . You could also say “that walking after the flesh is walking Independently from Gods grace. When we choose to walk Independently from Gods leading then we are walking after the flesh. Walking after the flesh also means to seek justification and right standing with God by your own self effort and performance.

Today many believers are walking in the flesh and in a lot of condemnation because they are still trying to seek and maintain their right standing with God by what they do, instead of believing and resting in what God in Christ has already made them to be 2 Corinthians 5:21

As born again believers we are now called to walk after the Spirit and not the flesh.

Walking after the flesh is also trying your best to live for Christ and become like Him through your own will power, determination and self effort.

Many of our book stores are filled with how to books that teach christians how to live for God or maintain their right standing with God by the good ole USDA flesh.

It may surprise you to know that we as believers are not called to live for God, but we are really called to let God live in us!

You can read all about this in Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Yes, we are all still in the flesh, that is the real us is Spirit who has a soul and who lives in a body, but the way God created us was to be led from the inside out! We are called to live life by the Spirit.

Jesus was the word who became flesh, but Jesus was not led by His flesh, He was not led by His own mind,will and emotions or fleshly appetites, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit who lived in Him. John 1:14

But how do I walk after the Spirit? Walking after the Spirit really begins by resting in who you now are in Christ, it happens as we learn to Rest in the only true righteousness of God that only comes through faith in Christ and not in our own self effort.

The Apostle Paul speaks about this righteousness in Romans 10

Dear brothers and sisters,the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. Romans 10:1-4

The way to end all USDA flesh activity is to believe, receive and rest in the only true righteousness of God that comes through faith in Christ.

The USDA flesh will keep you on the hamster wheel of trying harder and doing more in order to become what God in Christ has already created you to be. 2 Cor 5:17

Rest and Be Healed

The Hebrew word for healing is “rapha” which means to mend, cure , repair, or to thoroughly make whole. We know that when Jesus came, He not only came to deal with our sin, but He also came to make us whole. Now its also interesting to know that the root word for “rapha” also means to “sink down into” and “relax”. I really do believe the main way that God heals us and makes us whole is when we sit down and rest in the finished work of Christ.

When we know that we have been once and for all time, forgiven and created new in Christ and that there is now no more condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1) we are then able to stop striving and start relaxing. (1Corinthians 5:17)

When we know that it is by grace that we have been saved through faith and that not of ourselves, it is a gift from God and not of works lest any man should boast, we can then again cease from all our striving, lie down in green pastures and start relaxing. Ephesians 2:8-9. Psalm 23

In much of the church today, there is way too much striving and not enough resting.

One day as Jesus stood by observing all the crazy religious activity going on in the temple, He cried out and said :

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28-30

I believe that Jesus is still crying this same thing out today! ” Come to me and I will show you how to take a real Rest” ” I will teach you how to walk in the unforced rhythms of grace”.

Jesus came to bring us out of religious stress, condemnation, fear and shame and bring us back into rest and His rest is the only place that we can truly be restored made whole.

In the very beginning man lived in rest and walked in rest, in fact mans very first day was on the day of rest. God had finished creating everything in six days and saved man for the very last. The seventh day was the day of rest, for God had finished creating everything that needed to be created, so mans first full day was on the seventh day or the day of rest and rest is the place that man was created to live,walk and enjoy all that God had already created.

Yes, we do know that Adam did have responsibilities, to tend the garden and to name the animals, but all of these things were accomplished from a position of rest, not stress and not fear that God was going to judge him, if he did not have a productive day. It wasn’t until after the fall that all the sweat and stress came into the picture. Before the fall man lived in rest, walked in rest and everything he did was from a position of rest. After the fall man became driven by condemnation, fear, guilt and shame. Man went from being a restful living being to a frantic, fearful, stressful living doing!

One of the main reasons that God sent Jesus was to restore man back into His rest, but we must believe that God has already finished redemptions work in order to enter into His rest.

The difference between those in rest and those who are not in rest is a matter of faith in the complete work of Christ. God is calling us all to rest in the finished work of Christ and to rest in who we are now In Christ. Many today fall short of entering Gods rest because of unbelief.

Therefore, since a 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, as He has said:
“So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest,’”[
although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”

Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”
For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 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 (Hebrews 4:1-11)
The Gospel is the Gospel of Rest! Not Stress, but Rest!
To enter into the rest of God then we must stop trying to be a co-saviour with Jesus!, Jesus does not need any help in saving us.

Jesus knows how to save those to the uttermost who simply come to Him! (Hebrews 7:25)

This is the way it works, we come to Him and He saves us! What He began, He will finish!

The question is this, can we rest in Jesus doing what He promised that He would do?

When we rest thats when grace works. When we work thats when grace rests.

The bible says that our flesh only frustrates grace!
Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

So the best thing that we can do is to stop striving and start resting. The more we sink down into rest, then the more we will see grace work in our lives.

The main struggle that most christians have today is with the flesh ! The flesh desires glory for what it can achieve, but the flesh will never receive glory for what Christ has already accomplished. When Jesus cried out ” it is finished!” He was saying that all the work that needed to be accomplished to redeem man is finished! There is nothing man can do to add to what has already been done! The only thing that man can do is to receive the gift of grace and right standing with God and rest in Christ.

So today if you really desire to see God working in your life then stop striving and start reading.

Boldly go where few have relaxed before!

The Gospel of Rest

The Hebrew word for healing is rapha which means to mend, cure , repair, or to thoroughly make whole. Jesus came to make us whole. Now its also kind of interesting to know that the root word for rapha also means to sit down and relax.

When we know that we have been once and for all time, forgiven and made new in Christ, we can then sit down and relax. 1Corinthians 5:17

When we know that it is by grace that we have been saved through faith, that it is a gift from God and not of works lest any man should boast, we can then again sit down and relax. Ephesians 2:8-9

Jesus came to make us whole, the main way that He does this is through getting us to turn from our religious activity for righteousness and to instead rest in Him. The main thing that Jesus came to do was to bring us R&R, You know Rest and Relaxation.

One day Jesus stood by observing all the various religious activity going on that was mostly driven by condemnation, guilt and shame and this is what He cried out to them.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus came to bring us out of stress, condemnation, fear and shame and back into rest. His rest is the only place that we can truly be made whole.

In the very beginning man lived in rest and walked in rest, in fact mans very first day was on the day of rest. God had finished creating everything in six days and saved man for the very last. The seventh day was the day of rest, for God had finished creating everything that needed to be created, so mans first day was on the day of rest and rest is the place that man was created to live,walk and enjoy all that God had already created.

Yes Adam did have responsibilities to tend the garden and to name the animals, but all of these things were accomplished from a position of rest, not stress and not fear that God was going to judge him. It wasn’t until after the fall that all the sweat and stress came, which was part of the curse for man going rogue! before the fall man lived in rest and everything he did was from a position of rest. After the fall man became driven by his own condemnation, fear, guilt and shame. Man went from being a restful living being to a frantic, fearful, stressful living doing!

And God sent Jesus to restore man back into His rest, but we must believe that God has finished redemptions work in order to enter in and enjoy the rest that God has for us in Christ. The difference between those in rest and those who are not in rest is a matter of faith in the complete work of Christ.

It is kind of interesting to note that the first word in restore is rest. when we rest, God restores.

So we see that the main promise God is calling us back into is the promise of Rest.

Therefore, since a 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, as He has said:
“So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest,’”[b]
although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”
Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”
For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 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
Do you see this? The Gospel is the Gospel of Rest! not Stress, but Rest!

If we have truly believe the Gospel then we will be in Rest, if we have in fact believed another gospel that is not the gospel of Christ then we will not be in rest, but in uncertainty and fear.

God is telling us to believe Him and to not harden our hearts, but to enter into rest His Rest

To enter into the rest of God then we must stop trying to be a co-saviour with Jesus! Jesus does not need any help in saving us,
He knows how to save those to the uttermost who simply come to Him! (Hebrews 7:25) We come to Him and He saves us! thats how it works.

When we Rest thats when God works the Best.
Our flesh will never receive glory for what Christ has already accomplished. (1 Corinthians 1:29-31)

In fact our flesh will just get in the way of the process!
Your flesh only frustrates grace! ( Galatians 2:21)
So stop striving and start resting. A new testament command is to Rest in what has already been done.
No longer striving, no longer stressed in you my Jesus Ive found my Rest.