Faith Produces
What moves you to act?
There are many videos out now that show how someone pranks another person to get a reaction. For instance, in one video, someone secretly pins a fake snake to a person’s shirt tail. The person suddenly notices the snake and reacts by trying to get away from it. They bring an action based on what they believe in that moment. In this case, it is to try to outrun the snake.
In the Bible, Abram believed he had heard God tell him to leave his country and his family and go to a land that God would show him. God promised to make Abram a great nation and to bless him. He promised to make Abram’s name great and to make Abram a blessing. He also promised to bless those who blessed Abram and curse whoever cursed Abram and that in Abram, all the families of the earth would be blessed.
What did Abram do with this faith in what he heard? He packed his things and went on a pilgrimage. We know that God rewarded him. Here we are talking about him all these many years later. He is known throughout the world. His greatest challenge of faith came when he was tested by being told to offer his only son Isaac. Because he believed he had heard God, he acted on it. He put Isaac on the altar he had built and raised the knife to kill him. That was when God stopped him and declared he had passed the test of faith. Once again, God spoke amazing promises over Abraham.
One of the first acts that follow on the heels of faith is the act of speaking.
2 Corinthians 4:13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,
In the kingdom of God, it is not seeing that is believing. It is speaking according to what isn’t yet seen, which is believing. The step that follows the speaking is an action in the direction of the declared faith.
James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Like the person who believes a snake is after them will react, someone who takes God at His word will also react to it. Faith produces the fruit of a response in step with whatever is believed. The claim of faith becomes suspect if it doesn’t produce the fruit of an action in the direction of the belief.
James 2:9 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
James is making the point that even rebellious demons who oppose God believe He exists and, therefore, know they will one day be judged by Him. This causes them to tremble. They tremble at believing in His power, might, and authority to do as He says He will. Their belief that there is an almighty God brings action.
Faith first produces confession and then moves on to producing action. To say I believe in Jesus and not confess Him as Lord is to bear witness that I do not really believe. To confess Him as Lord and neglect following Him as His disciple demonstrates a shortcircuited faith.
To claim a promise but fail to declare it and act on it reveals doubt rather than faith. True faith always produces the fruit of the evidence of that which is unseen yet believed.
Pleasing God
Who do you seek to please?
It can be healthy to please another when it isn’t rooted in manipulating or meriting anything. A truly healthy desire to please another is rooted in loving and respecting them.
Colossians 1:9 For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
One key characteristic of a love that respects is the fruit of a desire to please. When someone resists the idea of pleasing someone who rightfully deserves it, we call that rebellion.
1Thessalonians 4:1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;
Jesus modeled the importance of living to please God by being in total surrender to Him and making the following declaration,
John 8:29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
Jesus always did what pleased the Father! That was the expression of His love and respect for the Father. Love and respect work hand in hand.
There’s something powerful about knowing that the one you love and respect is pleased with you. When someone from a place of glory declares they are pleased with you, it is called being given honor and glory.
2 Peter 1:17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
This declaration came after Jesus submitted Himself to the baptism of John. John’s baptism of repentance was controversial to many in the culture of the time but was ordained by God, and when Jesus submitted to it, even though he had not sinned, He was acknowledging the wisdom, authority, and will of God for it to exist and be submitted to in that time and context. The Father made sure everyone knew of His being well pleased by the Son in this act of obedience. The knowledge of the Father’s pleasure gave Jesus the strength to endure the wilderness temptation. The joy of the Lord is a powerful thing.
Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Israel had just found the books of the law again and discovered the truth regarding their context. It brought grief upon them to discover they had displeased God. But they were being called to return to Him and told that in being shown the way, they should take heart in His joy in their submission to the truth. Notice it says the joy of the Lord, not my joy. His joy is my strength. Knowing He is pleased is powerful fuel for endurance and perseverance in life. If it can empower those who were under the law, imagine what it can do for you and me now that we are under the New Covenant of Grace.
His will for you and me is for us to believe in the One He has sent! Believing and taking Him at His word brings Him great pleasure. Our trust in His goodness empowers us to follow His will even in times of uncertainty in the natural. Desiring to please Him by how we walk in this life is not bondage. It is empowerment! After all, we have the DNA of the One who declared, “I always do those things that please Him.”
A Promise Of Provision
Want provision?
Did Jesus make a very clear promise of provision?
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
He stated this after talking about how the Gentiles are driven and make it their priority to seek after earthly things like shelter, food, and clothing.
Jesus is saying that choosing to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness will automatically bring these necessities into your life because, as the Psalmist stated, “I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken, nor their seed begging for bread.” God provides for His children.
But it is His kingdom (His rule and reign), and it is His righteousness, not a righteousness we manufacture by means of keeping rules that we are to seek.
Jesus said that unless someone is born again, they cannot even see the kingdom of God. Jesus also said that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and Sadducees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus is not saying that you will be righteous if you keep the law better than the Pharisees and Sadducees did. This statement involves obtaining righteousness from a better source than they had. The righteousness of the Pharisees and Sadducees was based on trusting in and keeping the law.
Jesus was speaking of a more powerful and reliable righteousness, God’s own righteousness.
Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments into just two. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the essence of the Ten Commandments given through Moses. No one ever kept them perfectly until Jesus came along.
Jesus loved God perfectly, even to the point of submitting Himself to the will of the Father by going to the cross. He also loved His neighbors perfectly, giving His life for them to pay for their sins and offer them redemption through His death on the cross. He did this for His neighbors’ past, present, and future. Jesus now lives in me, and I live in Him.
My hope, faith, and trust are in His obedience, not my own. I get to live a life of surrender to His rule and reign in my life and have the righteousness of God as my own through faith in Him. I fulfill loving God and my neighbors perfectly through my position in Jesus. Not that I get to ignore the practice in my flesh. However, I do not measure myself according to my flesh. My confidence comes from trusting in His obedience on my behalf. When I embrace and embody this faith life in Jesus, I get to enjoy the promise of provision that comes with it.
Everyone should honestly answer the simple question: Am I seeking His rule and reign and His righteousness in my life, or am I trying to make things happen with the strength of my flesh and resolve? The promise points us to Him, not ourselves. Guaranteed provision comes from seeking His kingdom and His righteousness.
Too Heavenly-Minded?
What do you dwell on?
Have you ever heard that old saying that goes, “Don’t be so heavenly-minded that you’re no earthly good?”
It was used to convince believers that they needed to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground and their thoughts in touch with what they could see so they could identify with it rather than something they couldn’t see. This seems so logical, and many thought it was wise.
It’s surprising the things many can embrace as wisdom when, in fact, it is contrary to the counsel of the Word of God. To step into who God says we are to be and to do requires faith, and faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
I may not always appear to be the completed work on the outside that I already am on the inside, but I am still a completed work and need to believe that to be true so I can move forward into it as a believer in a Jesus I have never seen and yet believe. The heroes of faith that went before us believed in a Messiah yet to come that they had not seen, and the hope of it shaped their lives. We believe in a Savior who has already and will come again and whom we have not seen, and the hope of it shapes our lives.
My hope gives birth to faith in something I cannot yet see, but I choose to believe nonetheless. Although it cannot be seen, it is very real to me. It occupies my thoughts and empowers my choices and actions. My faith paves the way for living life from a place of expectation. Faith is not just some static state of being; it is a force that motivates and moves me into action in life. In the Bible, James said it this way,
James 2:17 Thus, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works, faith was made perfect?
We’ll never escape faith’s activating nature because it is in its DNA to do so. Hope and faith offer us something to expect, and that expectation moves us to pursue the object of the hope. The Bible conveys this idea when Paul wrote to the church at Colossae.
Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Doing this by faith is what motivates us to put to death and put off specific things that manifest in our lives, and then put on the things we find are the characteristics of Jesus in whom we have our hope and faith. Read Colossians 3:5-17, and you will see what I am referring to. The fact is no one is too heavenly-minded to be any earthly good. We are meant to have our minds set on the things above where Christ is seated in the heavenly places. We need to identify more with our heavenly reality according to hope and faith so we can identify with who He says we are more than what we think about ourselves based on what we see, feel, and think in the natural. Faith-based new creation thinking is meant to replace the way we used to think about ourselves and about others.
Go And Make
What matters to you?
Every born-again person on this planet has Jesus’s DNA. Just as a baby shares the DNA of its father, we who have come to Christ by grace through faith have His DNA.
The more time a child spends with their father, the more of his characteristics they tend to pick up. The same is true when it comes to knowing Jesus. Scripture indicates that the more time we spend with Him, the more like Him we become.
2Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
There are a couple of things about Jesus that stand out to me—first, His closeness with the Father, and second, His desire to do His Father’s will. It was the DNA of Jesus to make doing His Father’s will a number one priority in His life here on earth. He desired to reflect His Father in all that He spoke and all that He did. Through this desire, we witness the heart of the Father toward us. Jesus understood that during His time on earth, His Father had all authority, and He submitted Himself to His Father out of love for Him.
After embracing death on the cross, being raised from the dead, and preparing to ascend to heaven, Jesus revealed that there had been a shift in who has authority in heaven and on earth. He then revealed His heart to His disciples.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Jesus understands the idea of being sent because He was sent from heaven to earth to do the Father’s will. The Father, possessing all authority, sent Jesus to destroy the works of the devil by making Him a perfect sacrifice and to bring eternal life to all who would believe in Him. In doing His Father’s will and dismantling the power of the enemy, Jesus was given all authority in heaven and on earth.
A centurion soldier who wanted healing for his servant asked Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus was willing to go to his house to heal the servant, but the man explained that he understood authority and felt unworthy of Jesus coming to his house. Therefore, if Jesus simply spoke the word, he knew his servant would be healed. To this, Jesus declared,
Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
This shows me that great faith is that which understands who is truly in authority and is, therefore, prepared to trust what that authority says and act on what it decrees. Jesus exemplified this by submitting to the will of His Father, even to death on the cross. We see this kind of faith in the centurion, who understands how authority works, and it is attributed to his great faith. Jesus, having received all authority, has made known His desire for His disciples. It is to go and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that He commanded. Disciple-making is His DNA, and it is supernaturally supported by Him according to His authority. This is the mandate of the church in every generation. It is the vision for the church according to the one who is the head of the church. I want to be in step with the One who has all authority in heaven and on earth because I love Him and trust Him. I want to be a disciple-maker like He was.
Jesus Is The Way
Still trying?
Jesus Is The Way
Romans 3:19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.
This verse reveals how the law is to be used. When the law is used properly, as it is intended, it is good. The law came with glory under Moses for a purpose: to show the world just how sinful it is and reveal the great need humankind has for a Savior.
Romans 3:20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
The Law was never intended to make a person righteous. As Romans 8 reports, the Law was weak because it relied upon the strength of the flesh, which is weak.
There needed to be a sure way of making people right with God. A foolproof way planned in eternity past before the creation by the Trinity. That plan, “The Plan,” was that Jesus would come in the fullness of time and offer Himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for sin. Once Jesus’ work was finished, the Law was no longer needed to govern the people of God, who became children through their faith in Jesus and could now receive the Holy Spirit and live according to the Spirit. Jesus fulfilled the law on our behalf. If Jesus failed to fulfill, then none of us would be saved because His sacrifice would have fallen short of the requirement. Scripture confirms these thoughts.
Romans 3:21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
Because this is so true, there’s no way that even one of us could boast about our position in the faith. Not one of us can boast about what we have freely received as though we did anything to earn it or deserve it. It is a free gift. But when people think in terms of performance or think the Law is still a way of gaining God’s attention or affection, they then make the mistake of thinking they can compare their walk with others in the faith to measure their progress or the lack thereof. Such comparisons are rooted in wrong thinking and result in a wrong perspective about God and the way He is relating with His children today. They need to cast down any idea that the Law can in any way make them righteous to start with or keep them righteous going forward. They need to learn to walk by faith in the Son of God.
Romans 3:27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
Law-based thinking is wrong-based thinking for a New Covenant believer in Jesus. Jesus is the one who condemned sin in the flesh and paid for sin past, present, and future. His death paid for the sins of the whole world. His blood was enough to pay for sin from the beginning of mankind to the end of mankind. Only by faith in Jesus is my sin, or your sin in its entirety, completely removed so that we are now clean and righteous. Only by grace through faith in Christ can we be made the very righteousness of God in Christ and have a relationship with God with strong confidence and assurance.
I encourage you to look to Jesus today and find strength and hope in Him alone. In Jesus, there is no longer condemnation, but if you go back under the law to ascertain whether or not you are okay with God, you bring yourself under the ministry of death, and you will find that in your flesh, you do not measure up. Jesus is the only way!
Right Expectations
What are you expecting?
Psalm 27:13 I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Psalm 27 reveals the potential for despair turned to praise based on seeking the Lord with expectation despite all that is happening in the natural to discourage. It speaks of being forsaken by father and mother, being pursued by haters who wish him great harm, having his reputation assaulted by false witnesses and an army encamped against him.
In other words, the circumstances threaten hindrance, opposition, assault, and potential for destruction.
“I would have lost heart unless.” What prevents the psalmist from losing heart? He expects to see the goodness of God in the land of the living!
What is your expectation today?
Is there something in your thoughts being allowed to hinder you from coming before Him as you should?
“I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”
God gives us a way to keep expectations of His goodness alive and active. It begins with taking every thought captive to the obedience Christ performed on your behalf and applying His obedience to your reality. Christ’s obedience is the means by which we have been given acceptance and the right to draw near with great boldness to the throne of grace. By faith, take hold of what Jesus did and let it bring you before the Father with an expectation of His goodness. Jesus said in,
John 16:23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 24 Until now, you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive that your joy may be full.
What does it mean to ask in His name? It means asking based on Jesus’ obedience, not on our own actions.
“I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”
Jesus established a kingdom that is full of life, hope, joy, and peace! It is the land of the living the psalmist spoke of. Jesus is the goodness of God! You do not have to lose heart! You do not have to live a life of settling for things the way they are right now! You can believe that the goodness of God will show up on your behalf!
Coming to Jesus established you in a New Covenant of better things. If you’ve received Jesus, you get to live with an expectation of the goodness of God!
The Power Of Him
Want help?
The Power Of Him
In my home, there are what are called electrical outlets. I know that if I plug in an electrical device, it will have power to operate.
I also know that if I were to touch the outlet inappropriately, I could receive a shock that tells me that there is power present in that outlet.
Electrical current is the essence of that outlet, which would be useless without the flow of electricity.
We expect that if we plug something into an electrical outlet, it will draw on the essence of that outlet. Things meant to draw on the essence become empowered for the purpose for which they were created when they draw on the essence.
Luke 8:46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”
A woman who had been bleeding for twelve long years touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, and (Power) His essence went out from Him into her, resulting in her healing.
For a woman to have an issue of blood meant a life of isolation. Women during their time of bleeding under the law were to be separated from the community. Under the law, they were not to come into contact with others during that time.
For this woman to be anywhere near a crowd, let alone someone who is a respected teacher, is a direct violation of the law. But she had suffered at the hands of doctors for many years and felt the isolation of her condition. She had heard about the power and goodness of Jesus. How He had healed and set free so many, and she imagined that if she could just touch the hem of His garment, she would be healed. She determined to sneak in through the crowd and get what she needed.
But she did not know that Jesus would perceive it if power went out from Him. Just as your electrical meter knows every time you use electricity in your home, Jesus knows when a person draws on His power.
To draw on His power, she first had to believe in His goodness. It all starts there because unless He is good, there’s no capacity for believing in the possibility of something needed being available to me. It is the draw of His goodness that overrides a sense of shame and unworthiness!
That woman perceived His goodness and somehow knew that she could be healed just by touching the hem of His garment. She was healed, and Jesus told her, “Daughter, your faith has made you whole.”
Her faith. Faith in what? Faith in His love, goodness, and power to heal, save, deliver, set free, affirm, love, and be joined with Him.
It is this kind of belief in who He is that results in drawing on the power that He is. A faith that draws on Him often manifests in real, outward, tangible solutions that cannot be explained except that it was the supernatural power of Jesus at work. It was the Holy Spirit accomplishing His will according to His goodness.
I want a faith that knows how to draw on Him all the time. A faith that doesn’t think it to be too much to expect His goodness in the land of the living! To lack such an expectation means losing heart. To live with such an expectation leads us to tap into the power of an abundant life He has already promised to us.
Oo Oo That Smell
Do you smell?
When I was young, I liked a song by Lynyrd Skynyrd titled “Oo Oo, That Smell.”
It’s a song about party life and addiction and how it has the smell of death on it. It’s a wake-up call song meant to get rockers to think about what they’re doing for a pleasure-filled life. The smell of death used in the lyrics of this song is metaphorical, no doubt, but it makes a strong point.
The Bible speaks of smells. It speaks of smells that believers are. That’s right; Scripture says you have two different kinds of smells about you when you are in Christ and representing Him to others.
(NLT) 2 Corinthians 2:14 But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now, he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this? 17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.
We refer to attitudes with reference to smell. That attitude stinks, or that idea stinks, or someone might say that smells sweet! It’s a way of describing something as being pleasant and good or unpleasant and bad.
The truth is that you can live according to the Spirit, secure in Christ and full of peace and joy, and be accused of smelling bad. You can also do that and be appreciated for smelling good.
Preaching for profit and popularity is not the right fragrance to wear—it’s a fake perfume of sorts. Preaching with sincerity and Christ’s authority is the only type of preaching that really counts and carries the true fragrance. Getting the gospel right, getting it in, and then getting out really does matter. Doing it from the right motive is also of great importance.
All Powerful
What if you couldn’t lose?
Power is multifaceted. Everyone knows a little something about it.
Two hundred forty volts of electricity is powerful enough to power strong motors, appliances, and other devices that yield significant results. However, when we see lightning, we realize that the power in a lightning strike far exceeds 240 volts. We understand that there is much greater electrical power in nature.
A 60-mile-an-hour wind can be powerful and cause some damage, but a tornado with 200-mile-an-hour winds is far more destructive due to its much greater power. We respect a hurricane’s power far more than a 60-mile-an-hour wind.
The idea of power can be subjective based on what kind of power we are discussing and what situation it is applied to. We witness isolated expressions of power in some way every day of our lives. The matter of powerful things or people is important to all of us. So what would all-powerful look like? How would the idea of someone being all-powerful impact us? Is there such a person?
Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
Psalm 62:11 God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.
Power belongs to God. Power is not outsourced to Him. He doesn’t pay the local power company for His supply.
God is not just mighty, as if He is slightly stronger than other things or His enemies. He is almighty and all-powerful. Nothing can even come close to His power. God is the only one who can truly say that nothing is too hard for Him.
You can try to put your trust in a man or someone you think has power, but only God can say nothing is too hard for Him. We define this attribute of God by using one word - Omnipotent - meaning all-powerful. You can spend every day fighting for yourself and trying to be tougher or smarter. Or you can run to your Father, who has all power, knowledge, and wisdom and can impart what you need in any situation. But to be inclined to run to Him, you need to believe He is good and has the power to help you and will use His power to do so.
Believe He is for you and not against you, and believe that He will use His power to help you. If God be for us, who can be against us? I encourage you to turn to Him, who has all power in any and every situation, regardless of how small or big it might be. Let Him lead and help you today.
The Final Three
It’s time to finish
Jesus commanded His disciples to go and make disciples, teaching them to observe all that He had commanded them. In a previous devotion, I covered two of the seven I am aware of. Today, we’ll look at two more.
Today, I will review Jesus’s final three important commands. These commands are incorporated into the New Covenant and are meant to be taught to those who come to know Christ Jesus as Lord.
5. Love One Another
John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 15:17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
John 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Loving one another is a pinnacle foundational kingdom value. It characterizes the citizens of His kingdom and sets them apart from those who are of this world. John would say in his epistles that if we fail to love our brothers in Christ, we are not of God. Love is a litmus test of sorts as to whether or not we are truly in Christ and growing.
6. Lord’s Supper
Luke 22:19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 Likewise, He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
1 Corinthians 11:25 In the same manner, He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Some have concluded that every time believers come together, they should observe this privilege of communion. However, the wording Paul gives it “as often” implies that it was not every time they came together. There would have been a fairly decent frequency to it, but it is doubtful that it was practiced at every gathering. However, I will say it should not be ignored, nor should it be thought of as an insignificant command.
7. Give
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Mark 12:41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans (means one-fourth. It was the lowest valued coin in all of Rome.) 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
This widow’s ability to give was not based on her abundance. It was rooted in her desire to share in the privilege of trusting God with her provision, which enabled her to give to the temple. Amazingly, she did not give from the place of her abundance but rather all she had to live on. The practice of giving was important enough to Jesus that He watched it taking place at the temple and even invited His disciples to watch and explain what was unfolding to them. Giving is still an important part of the New Covenant.
Three & Four Of The Seven
Want more?
Jesus commanded His disciples to go and make disciples, teaching them to observe all that He had commanded them. In a previous devotion, I covered two of the seven I am aware of. Today, we’ll look at two more.
Today, I will review two more important commands Jesus gave. These commands are incorporated into the New Covenant and are meant to be taught to those who come to know Christ Jesus as Lord.
3. Pray & Believe
Command: Matthew 6:5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
This is not a “repeat after me prayer.” It involves an attitude toward prayer and an outline of prayer motivations. We do not pray to be seen by others; prayer is not a show. Using lots of words and repeating phrases does not make a prayer more effective. Prayer should begin with acknowledging your relationship with the Father and reverencing His greatness. It should be motivated primarily by a desire to see His kingdom come and include any specific known areas that require His aid in seeing it come to pass. A yearning for His will to be accomplished affects what we pray. We bring anything that currently appears to be outside His will to Him, desiring that it be brought into submission to His will. It’s not just His will in the passive sense, either. It is His will to be done like it is in heaven, without dispute, without question, and joyfully so. Then prayer can progress to daily needs, and any behavior that gives us a sense of needing His forgiveness. All our sins were paid for at the cross—all past, present, and future sins. So we are forgiven in the atonement, no doubt, but our souls register any disobedience or sense of falling short, and thus, we wash the soul clean with our request for forgiveness and our faith to receive it. Then, knowing that we are so easily forgiven, we ought to as well forgive others who have wronged us. Finally, we ask for His protection against the wiles of an enemy who desires to steer us in the wrong direction continually, and we cap it off with praises in faith, acknowledging that it is our Lord who has all authority and power and who rules this kingdom we’ve been made a part of. This model of praying means nothing, though, without faith.
Mark 11:24 Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Faith is and will always be the way we please God. Therefore, faithless prayer is like not praying at all.
4. Make Disciples
Command: Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
God has not called us to make mere converts. He does not say, "Go out and get someone to pray a prayer and then move on. " No, this desire communicates an intentional and invested endeavor not just to see someone accept Jesus as Lord but to go even further and invest in making sure they are His disciples. It involves a process that brings that person into your community of faith to grow in Christ and contribute to fulfilling His desire for their lives and His kingdom’s purposes. They are to receive instruction on the things Jesus taught the first disciples so they might observe them.
Two Of The Seven Commands Of Jesus
Do you know?
Jesus commanded His disciples to go and make disciples, teaching them to observe all that He had commanded them.
Today, I will review two important commands Jesus gave that are incorporated into the New Covenant and are meant to be taught to those who come to know Christ Jesus as Lord.
1. Repent, Believe in the Gospel & Follow Jesus
Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
We are meant to have an awakening of realization that leads us to see the futility of doing life on our own terms that leads us to change our minds and renounce the former things and those things that are of this world's value system in order to embrace the values of His kingdom. In other words, we change our minds to agree with what Jesus says, believe in who He is and what He has done, and receive how it applies to us.
We are to let go of our own way of thinking and embrace the good news and way of the gospel and His kingdom. This is the starting point for every disciple. We are to look to Jesus, put all our trust and hope in Him, and walk by faith in Him. We are expected to receive His mercy, grace, and love, which He offers so freely, with the aim of knowing Him more fully.
2. Be Baptized
Matthew 28:19 ………, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Acts 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
If someone struggles with the idea of following Jesus in the obedience of being water baptized, how will they reckon the old man dead when it comes to other issues in the flesh? Water baptism is like a first act of obedience to Christ.
Jesus Himself was water-baptized by John the Baptist. This practice was so prevalent that when Philipp was joined to the chariot of the Ethiopian Eunuch and shared what Isaiah was saying concerning Jesus with him when the eunuch believed and then saw a little water, he asked to be baptized by Philipp.
Romans 6:3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life.
I’m not saying water baptism saves a person, but just because it isn’t the means of salvation doesn’t diminish its significance in a disciple’s life.
These are just two of the seven commands Jesus gave to His first disciples. We know they stand because the disciples practiced them and because they were taught to new disciples in the New Covenant.
The Heart Desire Of Jesus
Do you care?
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Who has all the authority? Jesus. Where is His authority? In both heaven and here on earth.
Now, when someone has all authority, it means they are in charge, and what they say goes. Their word is to be uncontested. They get to call the shots, so to speak. They have the final say. As the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus communicated His heart's desire to His disciples when He commissioned them after telling them He had been given all authority.
Jesus wants disciples to be made in all nations. A disciple is someone who learns to master their subject. In Greek, it means becoming a pupil and enrolling to become a scholar. In other words, this idea of disciple-making is taking those who are teachable and making sure they are equipped with the truth of the gospel and what it looks like to observe what Jesus had commanded His original disciples.
The love of Jesus for His disciples is tremendous and deep. In a similar way, the love of a loving parent is great and deep for a child. However, we must not think that tremendous deep love means all expectations and desires are dismissed. A loving parent has desires for a child who is deeply loved and seeks to train that child to attain those desires.
In the passages just read, Jesus communicates this desire: He wants His disciples to make disciples for Him.
The way this is presented to the disciples has the tone of a command. Desires can often carry that type of tone. Deep desires can often be communicated in such a way as to be a command as opposed to just merely a good idea. The reason this carries the tone of a command is because Jesus leads off with the fact of His authority. His authority establishes His position and right to communicate and establish expectations that are meant to be fulfilled by those who are His disciples.
The exercise of His authority does not take away from His love in any way. It is part of His love. What loving husband or wife lives with no expectation of faithfulness and loyalty from the other who has entered into a covenant of marriage with them? I have never heard a marriage vow at a ceremony that said, “I know you will cheat on me with others, and I know at times you will be a no-good lazy bum of a person, but that’s okay with me because I have no expectations of you.”
If you attended a wedding and heard something like that, you would be shocked. Vows speak of loving each other and promise to bring something to the union that establishes expectations. Jesus did not leave His disciples in the dark about what He wanted them to do.
Again, Who has all the authority? Jesus. Where is His authority? In both heaven and here on earth. Jesus wants disciples who go and make disciples and teach them to observe all He commanded them. He will be with us as we go and make and teach. He will never leave us alone. He will never abandon us. This is not a desire rooted in numbers; it is rooted in right relationship and an acknowledgment of who He is in His authority. It is the furtherance of His calling to bring many sons into glory—the glory of the New Covenant He established with His blood. Do you know the seven things Jesus commanded His disciples?
The Source Of Transformation
What changes you?
Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
Jesus wanted to know what the disciples had heard about Him for a reason. Notice how wrong the testimonies of some people were. Some had speculated that Jesus was merely one of the prophets. They drew wrong conclusions because they did not really know Him. But we see a different testimony from Peter. “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
All of a sudden, Peter knew Jesus as who Jesus was, and it captivated him with awe. Merely hearing about Jesus does not change you. You need a real revelation of Him that exalts His worth and greatness in your heart and imagination. Peter would have never concluded who Jesus was on his own, just as others had already proven they couldn’t get it on their own.
It is why the Holy Spirit is so important to us. His ministry is to reveal Jesus to us.
Having Holy Spirit revelation as to who Jesus is matters. Jesus is not just an ordinary man. He is the Son of God! He is God the Son! He is Almighty God! He is the Word of God! He is the Great High Priest of our confession! He is the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world! He is the One who was, and is, and is to come! He is the Great I am! He is the first and the last the Alpha and the Omega! He is the Prince of peace and the King of kings and Lord of lords!
Unfortunately, some prefer having a certificate of accomplished studies about Jesus to truly knowing Jesus. That is religion. The Holy Spirit desires that we know and encounter Jesus so that we are captivated in awe of Him. The Holy Spirit wants to transform us by revealing Christ in His glory to us.
2Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
We need to see Jesus in ways that captivate our hearts and imaginations based on who He truly is. Failing to grow in a revelation of Jesus risks becoming lukewarm and indifferent. It can lead to forfeiting the continual transformation meant to be experienced by beholding Him. It can also forfeit the drive to bear witness of Him to others. The sure pathway to being lukewarm is to put off allowing the Holy Spirit to wash the soul by bringing fresh revelation concerning Christ Jesus and His greatness.
There’s no devil, no sin, no circumstance, no problem, and no past too big or too powerful for Jesus to overcome. The greater Jesus is in the imagination of the soul, the freer you become from all the things that would threaten your victory, peace, and witness for Him.
It is also very important that people see and hear of your very alive relationship revelation, not religious information. I encourage you today to look to Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to give you an even greater revelation of Him to run on.
The Right Glorying
What do you glory in?
When my youngest son was a little boy, he had a dream that seemed real. He spoke of having been at his mother’s and my wedding. We laughed about it and then helped him understand that he had seen pictures of our wedding and dreamed of such a thing, but it was impossible that he could have been at our wedding.
Sometimes, our minds can imagine things so vividly that they seem real. However, not every perception can be trusted.
What would you think if I were to tell a story that claimed that before I was conceived, I willed to be born? I would be worried about you if you didn’t think that claim was absurd. No baby ever willed to be conceived. There is nothing there until conception occurs. If I were to try to take credit for my natural birth in any way, you would be justified in thinking of me as being deceived.
If I were to take credit for my natural birth, I would be glorying in myself. I would be glorying in myself by taking credit for something I had nothing to do with. The same is true when it comes to my spiritual birth. I am not created to glory in myself in His presence.
1 Corinthians 1:29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
This declaration is meant to remove the idea that anyone should imagine they had anything to do with their salvation.
1 Corinthians 1:26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
We did not choose ourselves for this amazingly wonderful gift. We did not qualify ourselves for it either. God chose us on purpose for a reason. He chose us when we were nothing, spiritually dead in our sins and trespasses. He did this to bring to nothing the things that are. In other words, to end any boasting on anyone’s part of having merited being selected. If we read the Scripture about this further, we discover why.
1 Corinthians 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
All boasting in ourselves should end and be replaced with giving glory and honor to Jesus!
My belonging to Jesus had nothing to do with me being smart enough to choose Him. I was not wise. It had nothing to do with my pedigree in the natural. I did not have one. By bringing someone foolish like me to Christ, He shames the wise in this world who trust in their wisdom and cannot seem to get it. By choosing a weak person such as myself, He shames the strong, self-made people. He chose me! He saved me! It was all by grace; even the faith I employed to turn to Christ was His gift. I can only boast in Jesus and the love of the Father!
All glory to Jesus! All praise to the Father! Thank You, Holy Spirit, for opening my eyes, heart, and understanding when You made me alive in Christ! Thank You for Your great love and mercy towards me and Your wonderful grace in Christ.
Voiceless
Do you have a voice?
Luke begins by telling us about Zechariah and Elizabeth—a man and woman who walked uprightly before the Lord and were said to be blameless. We discover Zechariah was serving in the temple one day, offering incense and prayers, when Gabriel, the angel of the Lord, appeared to him. Gabriel spoke of wonderful things in answer to Zechariah’s prayers regarding a son. However, Zechariah struggled to believe the report, challenging the news with facts and reason. Then Gabriel said to Zechariah the following,
Luke 1:19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
Zechariah’s doubt of the goodness of God promised to him and his wife cost him his voice until the time it would be fulfilled.
There is the powerful voice of faith, and then there is the horrifying silence of doubt in life. Doubt leads to losing one’s true voice and renders a person subject to seeing the fulfillment before they can speak about it. But it would be so much more powerful to have spoken of it in faith, and then it is fulfilled, and all are made to marvel even greater at the power of God to fulfill His word of promise.
Now, let’s contrast Zechariah with Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Like Zecharias, the angel appears to her, and like Zecharias, she is initially troubled and intrigued by the greeting. Just as with Zecharias, a promise of a wonderful fulfillment of the word of the Lord is given to her that goes against all reason and factual understanding. Notice Mary’s response,
Luke 1:38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Afterward, Mary went to visit Elizabeth. The way Elizabeth greets her is astoundingly prophetic. Elizabeth recognizes Mary as the mother of her Lord.
Keep in mind that Mary has not had her baby yet, nor has Elizabeth, but look at what Mary is empowered to say in her heart.
Luke 1:46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. 50 and His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.”
Mary’s faith in what the Lord spoke to her empowered her to give thanks prophetically and magnify the Lord according to His promise. Zechariah’s doubt kept him in silence until the manifestation occurred and broke it. Zechariah forfeited nine months of the ability to magnify the Lord and proclaim His goodness, all because he struggled with believing such a good report. Mary, on the other hand, was able to magnify the Lord and speak of His goodness even while she was being judged unjustly by others who misunderstood her condition.
Doubt seeks to render a follower of Christ voiceless until something manifests. God is still praised, but He is not magnified as powerfully as He would have been had the declaration of faith gone before it. I strongly encourage you today not to allow doubt to render you voiceless concerning the wonderful promises of God for your life. Believe and speak according to His promise and trust that the manifestation will come in its own good time.
The Power Of Perspective
What do you think?
How You View Is How You Do. The perspectives of abundance and scarcity can both be correct. One brings joy! The other can produce want. Perspective matters. It will affect one’s sense of well-being or the lack thereof.
A father put a gold watch in one son's stocking and manure in the other son's...
The first son responded, “Dad, I'm unsure what to do with this watch. It's fragile, and I don't really wear watches." Minutes later, the second son came running to his father excitedly and said, "Dad! I think Santa brought me a pony! Now I just have to go find it!"
At Christmas time, perspectives vary among people. Some are sad this time of year as it reminds them of what they feel they lack, according to the nostalgia associated with the holiday. Many others enjoy giving and receiving gifts according to the tradition of Christmas. For others, much will be said regarding the greatest gift. But Jesus coming as a baby is just the beginning of the greater reason for His appearance. Our perspective needs to go further than just the manager to the place of understanding His finished work at the cross. Otherwise, you can celebrate the birth and still have a sense of lacking.
Perspective is a powerful tool! However, it can be dangerous to build one on assumptions and worldly nostalgia, as perspectives can become strongholds if they remain unchecked by the truth of the gospel.
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Wrong perspectives can become strongholds. They can shape opinions and behavior. They affect how we relate to God and others. We should subject our perspectives to the right gospel. The New Covenant gospel. Thoughts need to be taken captive to the obedience OF Christ. Embracing thoughts that are contrary to the obedience of Jesus as our means of righteousness by way of the cross is how disobedience is given birth. It moves us to attempt to be righteous in the power of our flesh and think it is the means for our relationship with the Father.
The enemy wants believers to have more confidence in their strength and willpower than in Christ’s finished work.
The two-letter word “OF” in 2 Corinthians 10:5 is very important. Many read that passage as saying bringing every thought into captivity to an obedience to Christ. But that is not what it says. It should be read more carefully.
When we read that, we will punish all disobedience when our obedience is full. What obedience? The obedience of faith in Christ. It does not speak of our getting our act together and finally obeying the law. It means that when we learn to filter everything through the filter of Christ’s obedience and stand firm in the security of the righteousness of God Jesus made us to be, we punish all disobedience by eliminating its power over us through faith in Jesus alone. We put to death faith in ourselves as though we are our own savior. Sin, shame, and condemnation lose their foothold over us when we know the power of His righteousness at work in us.
Just think of this. Scripture testifies that He who knew no sin was made to be sin! He didn’t just take on sin. He became it! Why? So that we might become the righteousness of God in Him! “He became sin so that we could become righteousness.” But not just any brand of righteousness. It is God’s righteousness, and knowing this is significant.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
It is the great exchange at the cross! Jesus became what we were so we might become what He was. He was righteous by nature. We were sinners by nature. He was made sin at the cross so that we could become the righteousness of God! We get to live our lives from the source of a new nature now that we are in Christ!
If you lack this view presented by Scripture, you lack the power to do. How you view is how you do. I encourage you to make certain you view things through the lens of the New Covenant Gospel of Jesus, where His obedience is magnified, His finished work is rejoiced over, and we are complete in Him. Perspective has power. We must make sure Jesus is at the core of our perspective on righteousness and our relationship with the Father. This is why He is the greatest gift of all and always a good reason to celebrate any time of the year. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know!
5 Grace Benefits Of Being In Christ
Did you know?
The New Covenant is centered on the reality of being in Christ and having Christ in you. The pinnacle of the good news is that it is centered on the reality of Christ in us as our source of eternal life. There are many benefits; in fact, they are all amazingly wonderful to consider. Here are five primary benefits of grace to think about.
Faith & Love
2 Timothy 1:13 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
Hope of Glory
Colossians 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Being a Son
Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Being One With All Who Are In Christ
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Possessing Wisdom, Righteousness & Sanctification
1Corinthians 1:30 But of Him (God) you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—
So consider again:
1)You have received faith and love in Christ
2)You have the hope of glory in Christ
3)You are a son of God in Christ
4)You are one with all who are in Christ
5)You have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption in Christ
Five is the number for grace. This is the grace you have received from Him! It is yours to walk in freely and fully. It is yours to rejoice over and be thankful for. It is not based on what you do. It is based on Who He placed you in.
Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Great Boldness
How bold are you?
A person can have what I call fading boldness. That boldness exists until they encounter someone with a superior argument to the one they sought to defend.
When someone becomes absolutely convinced that what they have come to know is true, right, and good, they cannot be argued out of it. They become very bold in their ability to speak out about what they believe and why they believe it. They can’t help but unapologetically speak about it. They are not ashamed of what they are convinced of. Persuasive words and eloquence of speech will not sway them.
2 Corinthians 3:12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Moses hid his face behind a veil to hide the fading glory. It was a fading glory because the glory of the Law was unsustainable.
Only those who know what it means to be in Christ can see the Laws’ fading nature. The Old Covenant’s glory was nothing compared to the glory of the New Covenant Christ Jesus established with His blood. Yet many preachers today preach the Old Testament as though its glory is still to be envied. They pine away for the former days of old as though that glory was something to be jealous of. That kind of ministry only serves to make people more aware of themselves and look to themselves for change.
Whenever someone truly turns to the Lord, the veil is removed, and the diminished glory of what was becomes clearly evident and no longer appealing. Those who are in Christ are privileged to look with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord as in a mirror. We get to see a glory that does not diminish. A glory so wonderful and appealing that even when it is revealed as a reflection in the mirror to us, it transforms us into the same image we are beholding. Only Christ’s glory has transformative power.
We are taken from one glory to another glory. We have moved away from the diminished faded glory to that of an ever-increasing glory. Change does not come to the believer by means of the law with its faded glory. It comes to the believer through beholding Christ. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to reveal the glory of Christ to us. He will teach you all things pertaining to Christ. He has not been given to us to teach us about the wrong covenant and the fading glory of that covenant. He is very aware of our context and the Covenant that God is respecting and honoring at this time.
That is why where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Timidity, fear, apprehension, and doubt are demolished. Boldness is the fruit of truly knowing Him and having His glory revealed through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. When this type of relationship encounter is active in the life of the believer, the fruit of endurance and active faith is manifested.
2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Paul did not lose heart! Notice what it was they were ministering. It was the gospel! Paul describes it as the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. It is not truth in general that is light Paul was interested in. It was the light of the truth of the gospel of the glory of Christ. The true knowledge of the glory of God can only be found now in the face of Jesus Christ.
The New Covenant glory is the greatest of all the covenants because it is the glory of Christ, as he prayed in John 17. The veil is removed to reveal that glory to us so that we might be transformed into His image as we behold Him. The kind of transformation it produces is not of the religious brand and, thus, of an inferior nature. The New Covenant glory produces the fruit of great boldness by revealing Christ in all His glory to our hearts and thus showing us who we are now that we are in Him. This produces the fruit of great boldness!