1Ti 3:16 "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:" The message is, is that God was made manifest in the flesh.
1Ti 3:16 "...God was manifest in the flesh" Christ the son of God walked the earth with all power and authority as God! There is no controversy in the matter. In-fact if you disagree you are being the controversial one.
Col 2:9 "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." So if all the fullness of the God lived in Jesus while he walked the earth and the Spirit of Christ dwells in you and I, then surely the more we believe this, the power we will see operating amongst normal believers like you and me.
Who is the Word? God is Word.
Joh 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
What happened to the Word/God? He (the Word) became flesh.
Joh 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh,"
The same seed that was placed in Mary, the incorruptible seed became flesh who is the Word and so to those who believe, that very same seed that was placed in Mary has now been placed in you.
1Pe 1:23 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."
I am in Christ, I have the fullness of Christ living in me.
I have the fullness of the Godhead living in me.
I have all power and all authority.
I am I am because He did He did He did.............The power of the Cross
So examine yourselves, except ye be reprobates. 2Co 13:6 "But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates."
There is no controversy.
Pucky
Glen Paterson
- Pucky
- Our Position and where we stand in Christ is the most neglected and misunderstood truth in the church today. I'm learning more. My friends are learning more. Lets learn together as we go from revelation to revelation unwrapping this glorious Gospel hidden for ages yet revealed through Jesus Christ. I'm a normal dude who wants to learn more about the Grace of God, the freedom found in the message and seeing more and more miracles as we go from revelation to revelation...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The Runner, the Walker and the Worker Part 2
By, Wayne Duncan
The prodigal son.
Luke 15:8
11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, `Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. 13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17"When he came to his senses, he said, `How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21"The son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. ' 22"But the father said to his servants, `Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. 25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27`Your brother has come,' he replied, `and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' 28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, `Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' 31"`My son,' the father said, `you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"
Lets just look at this story for a while and paint the picture a but fuller.
We have a father and his sons. In this picture the father is God. And although this parable is about how happy god is when someone return to him, or becomes saved, or repents, that is the primary meaning, I also believe that there is a strong secondary issue that comes through.
And we will unlock that as we go on.
So we have the father.
Then we have two sons, the on e son comes and asks for his inheritance. The father gives it to him. He divides the land up and gives the portion to the son. We need to see the practicality of this giving. Imagine a farm. It must be divided. Maps would be brought out. And the land divided. The son would then have sold off the land, and taken the money. This would create new neighbors for the family.
We have the son, then takes the money and spends it on wild living, drinking, prostitutes, hotels, travel and friends. Eventually the money runs out.
A great famine breaks out and his poverty starts to hurt. The effects of his folly begin to take toll. He found a job feeding pigs. An ugly dirty job, hard smelly work.
The son became so hungry that he wanted to eat the pigs food, he had hit the low of lows. This is the result of moving away from god, and the place that will be reached if we move continually away from him.
He finds his thoughts wondering home. To his fathers house. He remembers the good ol days. Being In the house, the wealth of the family. He remembers that even the servants in his dads house lived better that he was living now. He comes to his senses and decides to head home.
He decided to humble himself, tell his dad he has no right any longer to be a son. He planned to ask for forgiveness and a job. He quit his job, I suspect he would simply have quit it and set off home.
Now consider the dad for a moment.
Imagine how the father felt when the son lost everything, which meant that all the money from the property division was lost. His share of the land was sold, and…he blew it all on wild living and sleeping with prostitutes. The father now lived on smaller land. The land that he bought or it was passed down through generations, now squandered. How would you feel if your child did this?
Yet what is the fathers reaction?
He sees him from far off. Note here that he sees him before anyone else does. Almost as if he were on a tower watching and waiting. The story almost implies that the father was expecting his return. I wonder if the father had lay awake dreaming of his son. Was he alright. No doubt report had reached him concerning his Childs wild living, and the father must have been devastated. I’m sure any father like this would have said many a prayer, and had many a concern about his son. The father here was waiting and hoping, expecting the return of his son.
The son says sorry. He has come home.
Watch what the father does here.
After embracing him, hugging him and kissing him, destroying and notion of judgment or rejection.
He does four things.
Firstly he called for the best robe. The rags the son was in would do, the father would still accept him, but the father had much in store for his son. Not a coat, but a robe. A robe is a sign of royalty. Bring forth the royal robes. A sign of a prince. It bears the mark and approval of the king. The father was fully endorsing his son as a son.
The son might have rejected it if the father offered it to him, ( this is so often the case with us, god forgives us, but we feel bad and want to stay in our rags, god clothes us with a robe despite our feelings)so the father ordered it to be put on Him.
We are clothed in the garment of righteousness, we are in right standing with God, the Father makes us so!
Secondly the ring
Look at this commentary from the Matthew Henry
put a ring on his hand, a signet-ring, with the arms of the family, in token of his being owned as a branch of the family." Rich people wore rings, and his father hereby signified that though he had spent one portion, yet, upon his repentance, he intended him another.
This was actually a sign that he re-qualified for an inheritance.
This is truly amazing. The father reinstated the inheritance. When the father would die, or get old , this son would again get an inheritance. We see a full reinstatement. What an amazing father. Our father in Heaven, is like no father on earth.
We have the inheritance of the saints. The glorious inheritance in the saints.
Every Spiritual blessing Eph 1:3
Everything we need for life and godliness
The same power that raised Christ from the dead.
The indwelling Holy Spirit 1 Cor 3:16
Healing 1 Peter 2:24
Forgiveness 1 John 1:7
Life Abundant John 10:10
Protection Eph 6
Acceptance in the beloved.
Heirs and co-heirs of Christ
All the promises of Abraham Gal 3
Thirdly the shoes
He came home barefoot, his feet perhaps sore with travel, and therefore, "Put shoes on his feet, to make him easy." Thus does the grace of God provide for true repentance.
Have you ever worked around bare foot on a hard floor. My feet and back eventuality get sore, but when I put the shoes on there is relief. Shoes also give confidence, I would not go out to some places with out shoes, but with them I’m more confidant.
It’s about dignity!
Fourthly he kills the fattened calf.
This animal was prepared and kept for special occasions. This was the highest honor.
This not only met the basic need of hunger, but went way beyond…they feasted.
The father could have said, bring some leftovers, bring some food from the fridge, but no he ordered a celebration feast. The fattened calf was a symbol of celebration, an occasion of great joy.
A celebration in a rich home would have included dancers, musicians and singers…the son has returned!!
It was a festival for the whole family.
Why all this to have a party..no the father was celebrating the presence of the son.
The father celebrates you, he loves your presence!
Do you ever say “oh lord where are you?” or “you seem so far” or “lord will you come to me”.
When you see the fathers heart, you need never long for Him, you can rest in the knowledge that He celebrates our presence.
God is always on..He does not turn off or turn away.
Do you know that at the cross Jesus said “my father my father why have you deserted me?”…when Jesus became our sin the father looked away.
The perfect trinity was broken for a time.
The father rejected our sin in Christ, so that He would have the privilege to never turn or look away from us.
One commentary stated this:
“Note, There is excellent food provided by our heavenly Father for all those that arise and come to him. Christ himself is the Bread of Life”
All this speaks of and reflects the father s heart towards us.
This is true for the Christian that has been far from god. But this mercy is here for us every time we sin.
Friend if you are far from God, he is on a tower waiting for you to begin the run home. His loving arms will embrace you. He will hug you and kiss you.
Please leave the pigs pit and the mud. If your not yet that far gone as to be in the pigs pit, please return to the father before you get there.
We need to constantly go to the father. When we sin, and we truly return to god and repent, he forgives us fully, we then become established as sons, with full rights.
Now let us remain in the father’s mansion. The father is pleased to have the son in the house. Let us stay with the father in his house.
The prodigal son.
Luke 15:8
11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, `Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. 13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17"When he came to his senses, he said, `How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21"The son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. ' 22"But the father said to his servants, `Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. 25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27`Your brother has come,' he replied, `and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' 28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, `Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' 31"`My son,' the father said, `you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"
Lets just look at this story for a while and paint the picture a but fuller.
We have a father and his sons. In this picture the father is God. And although this parable is about how happy god is when someone return to him, or becomes saved, or repents, that is the primary meaning, I also believe that there is a strong secondary issue that comes through.
And we will unlock that as we go on.
So we have the father.
Then we have two sons, the on e son comes and asks for his inheritance. The father gives it to him. He divides the land up and gives the portion to the son. We need to see the practicality of this giving. Imagine a farm. It must be divided. Maps would be brought out. And the land divided. The son would then have sold off the land, and taken the money. This would create new neighbors for the family.
We have the son, then takes the money and spends it on wild living, drinking, prostitutes, hotels, travel and friends. Eventually the money runs out.
A great famine breaks out and his poverty starts to hurt. The effects of his folly begin to take toll. He found a job feeding pigs. An ugly dirty job, hard smelly work.
The son became so hungry that he wanted to eat the pigs food, he had hit the low of lows. This is the result of moving away from god, and the place that will be reached if we move continually away from him.
He finds his thoughts wondering home. To his fathers house. He remembers the good ol days. Being In the house, the wealth of the family. He remembers that even the servants in his dads house lived better that he was living now. He comes to his senses and decides to head home.
He decided to humble himself, tell his dad he has no right any longer to be a son. He planned to ask for forgiveness and a job. He quit his job, I suspect he would simply have quit it and set off home.
Now consider the dad for a moment.
Imagine how the father felt when the son lost everything, which meant that all the money from the property division was lost. His share of the land was sold, and…he blew it all on wild living and sleeping with prostitutes. The father now lived on smaller land. The land that he bought or it was passed down through generations, now squandered. How would you feel if your child did this?
Yet what is the fathers reaction?
He sees him from far off. Note here that he sees him before anyone else does. Almost as if he were on a tower watching and waiting. The story almost implies that the father was expecting his return. I wonder if the father had lay awake dreaming of his son. Was he alright. No doubt report had reached him concerning his Childs wild living, and the father must have been devastated. I’m sure any father like this would have said many a prayer, and had many a concern about his son. The father here was waiting and hoping, expecting the return of his son.
The son says sorry. He has come home.
Watch what the father does here.
After embracing him, hugging him and kissing him, destroying and notion of judgment or rejection.
He does four things.
Firstly he called for the best robe. The rags the son was in would do, the father would still accept him, but the father had much in store for his son. Not a coat, but a robe. A robe is a sign of royalty. Bring forth the royal robes. A sign of a prince. It bears the mark and approval of the king. The father was fully endorsing his son as a son.
The son might have rejected it if the father offered it to him, ( this is so often the case with us, god forgives us, but we feel bad and want to stay in our rags, god clothes us with a robe despite our feelings)so the father ordered it to be put on Him.
We are clothed in the garment of righteousness, we are in right standing with God, the Father makes us so!
Secondly the ring
Look at this commentary from the Matthew Henry
put a ring on his hand, a signet-ring, with the arms of the family, in token of his being owned as a branch of the family." Rich people wore rings, and his father hereby signified that though he had spent one portion, yet, upon his repentance, he intended him another.
This was actually a sign that he re-qualified for an inheritance.
This is truly amazing. The father reinstated the inheritance. When the father would die, or get old , this son would again get an inheritance. We see a full reinstatement. What an amazing father. Our father in Heaven, is like no father on earth.
We have the inheritance of the saints. The glorious inheritance in the saints.
Every Spiritual blessing Eph 1:3
Everything we need for life and godliness
The same power that raised Christ from the dead.
The indwelling Holy Spirit 1 Cor 3:16
Healing 1 Peter 2:24
Forgiveness 1 John 1:7
Life Abundant John 10:10
Protection Eph 6
Acceptance in the beloved.
Heirs and co-heirs of Christ
All the promises of Abraham Gal 3
Thirdly the shoes
He came home barefoot, his feet perhaps sore with travel, and therefore, "Put shoes on his feet, to make him easy." Thus does the grace of God provide for true repentance.
Have you ever worked around bare foot on a hard floor. My feet and back eventuality get sore, but when I put the shoes on there is relief. Shoes also give confidence, I would not go out to some places with out shoes, but with them I’m more confidant.
It’s about dignity!
Fourthly he kills the fattened calf.
This animal was prepared and kept for special occasions. This was the highest honor.
This not only met the basic need of hunger, but went way beyond…they feasted.
The father could have said, bring some leftovers, bring some food from the fridge, but no he ordered a celebration feast. The fattened calf was a symbol of celebration, an occasion of great joy.
A celebration in a rich home would have included dancers, musicians and singers…the son has returned!!
It was a festival for the whole family.
Why all this to have a party..no the father was celebrating the presence of the son.
The father celebrates you, he loves your presence!
Do you ever say “oh lord where are you?” or “you seem so far” or “lord will you come to me”.
When you see the fathers heart, you need never long for Him, you can rest in the knowledge that He celebrates our presence.
God is always on..He does not turn off or turn away.
Do you know that at the cross Jesus said “my father my father why have you deserted me?”…when Jesus became our sin the father looked away.
The perfect trinity was broken for a time.
The father rejected our sin in Christ, so that He would have the privilege to never turn or look away from us.
One commentary stated this:
“Note, There is excellent food provided by our heavenly Father for all those that arise and come to him. Christ himself is the Bread of Life”
All this speaks of and reflects the father s heart towards us.
This is true for the Christian that has been far from god. But this mercy is here for us every time we sin.
Friend if you are far from God, he is on a tower waiting for you to begin the run home. His loving arms will embrace you. He will hug you and kiss you.
Please leave the pigs pit and the mud. If your not yet that far gone as to be in the pigs pit, please return to the father before you get there.
We need to constantly go to the father. When we sin, and we truly return to god and repent, he forgives us fully, we then become established as sons, with full rights.
Now let us remain in the father’s mansion. The father is pleased to have the son in the house. Let us stay with the father in his house.
The running father, the walking son and the working son!
The Running Father
Wayne Duncan
Who you think God is, is the most important thing about you.
Our view of God will determine how we live as Christians.
How you view God?
God wants us to see Him as a loving father. He wants us to feel like well loved Children.
He does not want us to see Him as master.
He does not want us to be obedient slaves.
He wants us to be free loved children.
Galatians 4:1
4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
We are redeemed from the law, and God no longer relates to us through obedience to the law. Now He relates to us as a loving father. Under the law we were rejected for disobedience to the law. Now under Christ we are accecpted even though we are dissobediant to the law.
It’s this acceptance that emboldens and empowers us to live the life we never could under slavery.
Slaves work for approval.
Children have approval.
Slaves have a master.
Children have a loving father.
But Wayne “God is the Sovereign Lord Almighty, not just our Daddy”.
That’s true...consider Jesus words.
Jesus taught on prayer. What did he say?
“our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name”
First it’s our father, then it’s Lord Almighty.
That’s what makes the fact that He is our father so amazing, our Father is the Lord almighty.
He does not want us to relate through His majesty, but through His love as a father. It’s an invitation to intimacy and love.
What motivates a slave?
Fear and reward.
What motivates a son? Love.
What motivates a master? Desire for better performance.
What motivates a father. Love!
A desire to provide, care, help..love.
Delivery from law and slavery to son ship and love, is the journey back to Love.
Under law God resisted us.
Under grace, Father runs to us!
Luke 15
Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons. 12The younger son told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 13"A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living. 14About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. 16The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. 17"When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! 18I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man."' 20"So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. ' 22"But his father said to the servants, 'Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. 23And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, 24for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.' So the party began. 25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27'Your brother is back,' he was told, 'and your father has killed the calf we were fattening and has prepared a great feast. We are celebrating because of his safe return.' 28"The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him, 29but he replied, 'All these years I've worked hard for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the finest calf we have.' 31"His father said to him, 'Look, dear son, you and I are very close, and everything I have is yours. 32We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'"
This teaches us many things.
2 sons one working and one walking..
One working for what he already has, one walking away from what he already has.
Are you a worker or a walker?
You don’t have to work or walk!
Did the son ever loose His son ship?
Did the father ever reject the son?
Our father in Heaven never moves away from us!
We move away from Him, and every time we return, we find Him running to us!
Two sons...
One working for the love..one squandering his love...as for the father...always loving!
God wants us to know that everything He has is ours.
He wants us to be secure in His love.
We need never doubt His love or fear rejection.
We don’t need to work for His love. We don’t earn our love. He does not want us to elate to Him as a master..we are not slaves, we are sons.
God is so committed to this that He has assigned the Holy Spirit the special ministry to minister this truth to us.
Rom 8
14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family-- calling him "Father, dear Father." 16For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. 17And since we are his children, we will share his treasures-- for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too.
The Holy Spirit tells us that we are Sons.
The Holy Spirit gets all the most important tasks in man.
The calling to salvation.
The regeneration.
The reassurance that we are sons!
Let’s open our hearts to the Father, receive the ministry of the spirit, and let Him lead us to a life of freedom from slavery, into love acceptance and security.
Wayne Duncan
Who you think God is, is the most important thing about you.
Our view of God will determine how we live as Christians.
How you view God?
God wants us to see Him as a loving father. He wants us to feel like well loved Children.
He does not want us to see Him as master.
He does not want us to be obedient slaves.
He wants us to be free loved children.
Galatians 4:1
4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
We are redeemed from the law, and God no longer relates to us through obedience to the law. Now He relates to us as a loving father. Under the law we were rejected for disobedience to the law. Now under Christ we are accecpted even though we are dissobediant to the law.
It’s this acceptance that emboldens and empowers us to live the life we never could under slavery.
Slaves work for approval.
Children have approval.
Slaves have a master.
Children have a loving father.
But Wayne “God is the Sovereign Lord Almighty, not just our Daddy”.
That’s true...consider Jesus words.
Jesus taught on prayer. What did he say?
“our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name”
First it’s our father, then it’s Lord Almighty.
That’s what makes the fact that He is our father so amazing, our Father is the Lord almighty.
He does not want us to relate through His majesty, but through His love as a father. It’s an invitation to intimacy and love.
What motivates a slave?
Fear and reward.
What motivates a son? Love.
What motivates a master? Desire for better performance.
What motivates a father. Love!
A desire to provide, care, help..love.
Delivery from law and slavery to son ship and love, is the journey back to Love.
Under law God resisted us.
Under grace, Father runs to us!
Luke 15
Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons. 12The younger son told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 13"A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living. 14About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. 16The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. 17"When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! 18I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man."' 20"So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. ' 22"But his father said to the servants, 'Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. 23And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, 24for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.' So the party began. 25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27'Your brother is back,' he was told, 'and your father has killed the calf we were fattening and has prepared a great feast. We are celebrating because of his safe return.' 28"The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him, 29but he replied, 'All these years I've worked hard for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the finest calf we have.' 31"His father said to him, 'Look, dear son, you and I are very close, and everything I have is yours. 32We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'"
This teaches us many things.
2 sons one working and one walking..
One working for what he already has, one walking away from what he already has.
Are you a worker or a walker?
You don’t have to work or walk!
Did the son ever loose His son ship?
Did the father ever reject the son?
Our father in Heaven never moves away from us!
We move away from Him, and every time we return, we find Him running to us!
Two sons...
One working for the love..one squandering his love...as for the father...always loving!
God wants us to know that everything He has is ours.
He wants us to be secure in His love.
We need never doubt His love or fear rejection.
We don’t need to work for His love. We don’t earn our love. He does not want us to elate to Him as a master..we are not slaves, we are sons.
God is so committed to this that He has assigned the Holy Spirit the special ministry to minister this truth to us.
Rom 8
14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family-- calling him "Father, dear Father." 16For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. 17And since we are his children, we will share his treasures-- for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too.
The Holy Spirit tells us that we are Sons.
The Holy Spirit gets all the most important tasks in man.
The calling to salvation.
The regeneration.
The reassurance that we are sons!
Let’s open our hearts to the Father, receive the ministry of the spirit, and let Him lead us to a life of freedom from slavery, into love acceptance and security.
Forgive To Be Forgiven?
At the risk of sounding critical, it remains a sad reality that the Bible Society chose to combine the Old and New Testaments into one single book. This single decision has caused widespread confusion within the ranks of believers throughout the world. Many of the writings in the Bible before the cross portray God to be a harsh, cruel being, set on destroying and punishing people if they dared to disobey the set of moral standards represented by the 10 Commandments and the other laws.
On the contrary, after the cross we see Paul and the other apostles preach a message of unconditional love, grace and mercy to all who place their faith in Christ. In fact, the way that God relates to believers under the New Covenant is so vastly different from the way He treated Israel under the law (remember this was a result of their own doing), that it can’t be even remotely compared. The rules of the race have changed, and trying to run according to the old rules while competing in a new race will only cause confusion, condemnation and fear. We’ll look at one of these changed rules, namely how God has changed the way He forgives people and what that implies for us.
Without a proper understanding of the context of His words, some of Jesus’ statements (before the cross) may seem contrary to what Paul the apostle preached (after the cross). Let’s look at an example:
Jesus said the following: [Matt 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors] and in another place [Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses”]. This implies that God’s willingness and ability to forgive us is directly related to our ability to forgive others, which means that if we refuse to forgive others, God won’t forgive us either. And of course we know that nobody can go to heaven without having their sins forgiven... Take a moment and think about this scenario: It entails that if there is even a single bit of unforgiveness in our hearts, even if it’s unintentional, it can condemn us to hell.
On the contrary, Paul made the following statements: [Eph 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you] and also [Col 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do]. The apostle John also added his voice to this chorus, saying: [1 John 2:12 I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake].
Before the cross (even when Jesus walked the earth), the house of Israel lived under a different set of rules than what we now have. This was called the Old Covenant and it mainly stated that God’s faithfulness and His blessings were dependent on Israel’s ability to obey all the rules. If they failed (to forgive, to obey, to sacrifice, etc.) they would not be forgiven either and be punished for their transgressions. Jesus also lived under this Covenant, which in essence consisted of the laws that were given to Moses and the Israelites. [Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law]. Jesus knew He still had to follow this old set of rules so that He could later offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice for all transgressions and free mankind from its demands: [Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes]. But while He was alive (before the cross) He still had to obey the old rules.
Our sins did not pass through the cross. Under the New Covenant God considers those who believe in Him as spotless and blameless in His sight. [Heb 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more”].
[Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses]. In the dictionary the word “all” pretty much means what it says: ALL. God has forgiven us all our trespasses, which means all past, present and future sins. Now most preachers don’t have a problem with our past and even our present sins being forgiven, but they have a big problem with someone saying that all our future sins have been forgiven as well, because this implies we’ve been given a licence to sin. However if the Holy Spirit lives inside a person, such a person will not want to indulge in the works of the flesh but strive to live a life worthy of the calling they’ve been given!
Under the New Covenant we don’t need to forgive others in order to receive our own forgiveness anymore, as we’ve just seen. This however does not make it right to walk in unforgiveness. In the ancient times of the Romans, when a person was murdered, the dead body would literally be tied to the murderer’s back with ropes and left to rot. The decomposing flesh would then begin infecting the flesh of the living person and the murderer would die a horrible death within a few days. When we carry around offence in our hearts, it does not affect to a great degree the person who has offended us. It does however eat away at us like a cancer, and that’s why we need to forgive: It’s for our own good.
Our last example shows that God took it even a step further: The only difference between a believer and a non-believer is that the believer has placed his faith in God’s forgiveness, in other words he’s chosen to accept God’s free gift of grace. The unbeliever also stands forgiven, but he has not accepted it yet. We have to accept a gift before it becomes our own.
[2 Cor 5:19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation].
There are two distinct groups in this verse, namely “them” and “us”. God through His Son has already reconciled the world (“them”) to Himself, which means He’s already done everything from His side that mankind will ever need to be saved. All that’s left is for believers (“us”) to get the good news out to “them” so that when they hear it, they will believe it, accept God’s forgiveness and be saved.
There is no limit that can be placed on the completeness of God’s forgiveness. Each and every dark little secret, from the smallest right up to the most hideous act of violence or depravity has already been covered by Jesus’ blood. Let’s start acting as though we believe we’ve been forgiven!
Yours in Grace
Andre van der Merwe
On the contrary, after the cross we see Paul and the other apostles preach a message of unconditional love, grace and mercy to all who place their faith in Christ. In fact, the way that God relates to believers under the New Covenant is so vastly different from the way He treated Israel under the law (remember this was a result of their own doing), that it can’t be even remotely compared. The rules of the race have changed, and trying to run according to the old rules while competing in a new race will only cause confusion, condemnation and fear. We’ll look at one of these changed rules, namely how God has changed the way He forgives people and what that implies for us.
Without a proper understanding of the context of His words, some of Jesus’ statements (before the cross) may seem contrary to what Paul the apostle preached (after the cross). Let’s look at an example:
Jesus said the following: [Matt 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors] and in another place [Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses”]. This implies that God’s willingness and ability to forgive us is directly related to our ability to forgive others, which means that if we refuse to forgive others, God won’t forgive us either. And of course we know that nobody can go to heaven without having their sins forgiven... Take a moment and think about this scenario: It entails that if there is even a single bit of unforgiveness in our hearts, even if it’s unintentional, it can condemn us to hell.
On the contrary, Paul made the following statements: [Eph 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you] and also [Col 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do]. The apostle John also added his voice to this chorus, saying: [1 John 2:12 I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake].
Before the cross (even when Jesus walked the earth), the house of Israel lived under a different set of rules than what we now have. This was called the Old Covenant and it mainly stated that God’s faithfulness and His blessings were dependent on Israel’s ability to obey all the rules. If they failed (to forgive, to obey, to sacrifice, etc.) they would not be forgiven either and be punished for their transgressions. Jesus also lived under this Covenant, which in essence consisted of the laws that were given to Moses and the Israelites. [Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law]. Jesus knew He still had to follow this old set of rules so that He could later offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice for all transgressions and free mankind from its demands: [Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes]. But while He was alive (before the cross) He still had to obey the old rules.
Our sins did not pass through the cross. Under the New Covenant God considers those who believe in Him as spotless and blameless in His sight. [Heb 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more”].
[Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses]. In the dictionary the word “all” pretty much means what it says: ALL. God has forgiven us all our trespasses, which means all past, present and future sins. Now most preachers don’t have a problem with our past and even our present sins being forgiven, but they have a big problem with someone saying that all our future sins have been forgiven as well, because this implies we’ve been given a licence to sin. However if the Holy Spirit lives inside a person, such a person will not want to indulge in the works of the flesh but strive to live a life worthy of the calling they’ve been given!
Under the New Covenant we don’t need to forgive others in order to receive our own forgiveness anymore, as we’ve just seen. This however does not make it right to walk in unforgiveness. In the ancient times of the Romans, when a person was murdered, the dead body would literally be tied to the murderer’s back with ropes and left to rot. The decomposing flesh would then begin infecting the flesh of the living person and the murderer would die a horrible death within a few days. When we carry around offence in our hearts, it does not affect to a great degree the person who has offended us. It does however eat away at us like a cancer, and that’s why we need to forgive: It’s for our own good.
Our last example shows that God took it even a step further: The only difference between a believer and a non-believer is that the believer has placed his faith in God’s forgiveness, in other words he’s chosen to accept God’s free gift of grace. The unbeliever also stands forgiven, but he has not accepted it yet. We have to accept a gift before it becomes our own.
[2 Cor 5:19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation].
There are two distinct groups in this verse, namely “them” and “us”. God through His Son has already reconciled the world (“them”) to Himself, which means He’s already done everything from His side that mankind will ever need to be saved. All that’s left is for believers (“us”) to get the good news out to “them” so that when they hear it, they will believe it, accept God’s forgiveness and be saved.
There is no limit that can be placed on the completeness of God’s forgiveness. Each and every dark little secret, from the smallest right up to the most hideous act of violence or depravity has already been covered by Jesus’ blood. Let’s start acting as though we believe we’ve been forgiven!
Yours in Grace
Andre van der Merwe
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
A sacrifice was made -we are now blessed, holy, righteous, prosperous, pleasing to God, healed, at peace, have the mind of Christ -wise, full of life, totaly forgiven, FREE! As He IS so are we in this world (now)! We are not striving to become. We are! And because we are "good trees" we cannot help but bare good fruit. Its who we are!
Brandon Flynn
Our Purpose!
Well what is it??
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Col 1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
The purpose of preaching is to "present every man perfect in Christ". He says this is done by warning every man by making him aware of who and what he is in Christ.
Have Faith, thats it. Believe in the finished work of the cross. understand that we are now citizens of heaven, members of Gods household. Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
You are perfect, when you believe. You stand perfect before God. Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
The perfect believer is free from his old sin nature and all of his sins, past, present and future (Rom. 6:6-8). Humans have already had their sins forgiven and put away never to be remembered against them again. But first they must believe in Christ and accept His life as their own life in order to be receivers of the joy that is in so great a salvation.
The perfect believer knows that he is the son of God now (John 3:2) and know that you are in Christ and Christ is one with the father. Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Thats what we preach!! You are perfect in the eyes of God because ", I am the Son of God" John 10:36
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Col 1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
The purpose of preaching is to "present every man perfect in Christ". He says this is done by warning every man by making him aware of who and what he is in Christ.
Have Faith, thats it. Believe in the finished work of the cross. understand that we are now citizens of heaven, members of Gods household. Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
You are perfect, when you believe. You stand perfect before God. Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
The perfect believer is free from his old sin nature and all of his sins, past, present and future (Rom. 6:6-8). Humans have already had their sins forgiven and put away never to be remembered against them again. But first they must believe in Christ and accept His life as their own life in order to be receivers of the joy that is in so great a salvation.
The perfect believer knows that he is the son of God now (John 3:2) and know that you are in Christ and Christ is one with the father. Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Thats what we preach!! You are perfect in the eyes of God because ", I am the Son of God" John 10:36
Monday, August 2, 2010
" A Matter of Life and Death."
"IT WAS DEATH BUT HAS NOW COME ALIVE!!"
"WHAT YOU TALKING ABOUT PUCKY?"
"THE BIBLE"........Wayne helps unwrap the bible and brings it to "life" by revealing what the modern day church has been teaching which ultimately leads to "death"
duncansportedward@telkomsa.net
Wayne Duncan's new book 'A Matter of Life and Death' is an insightful look at how to read the Bible through New Covenant lenses. Packed with revelation and solid grace-based theology, this is another sequential building block in the grand masterpiece that God is unveiling across the world today - His grace revolution!
This book will effectively show you how to distinguish between the two ministries of the old and new covenant, and equip you to read the Bible in a whole new way. It will bring you into a deeper understanding of who Jesus is, what He did and who you truly are as a result.
Steve Wheeler -"In 'A Matter of Life and death' Wayne Duncan does a superb job of unpacking the Bible as a 'dangerously' powerful book."
duncansportedward@telkomsa.net
"WHAT YOU TALKING ABOUT PUCKY?"
"THE BIBLE"........Wayne helps unwrap the bible and brings it to "life" by revealing what the modern day church has been teaching which ultimately leads to "death"
duncansportedward@telkomsa.net
Wayne Duncan's new book 'A Matter of Life and Death' is an insightful look at how to read the Bible through New Covenant lenses. Packed with revelation and solid grace-based theology, this is another sequential building block in the grand masterpiece that God is unveiling across the world today - His grace revolution!
This book will effectively show you how to distinguish between the two ministries of the old and new covenant, and equip you to read the Bible in a whole new way. It will bring you into a deeper understanding of who Jesus is, what He did and who you truly are as a result.
Steve Wheeler -"In 'A Matter of Life and death' Wayne Duncan does a superb job of unpacking the Bible as a 'dangerously' powerful book."
duncansportedward@telkomsa.net
Monday, July 26, 2010
A Steve McVey Gift
If I offer a starving man food with the only condition being that he can do nothing to earn it, but must receive it purely as a gift, and he takes the food and eats it, has he worked for it? Did he do anything that could be considered work? Of course not. That's how it is with our salvation. Some say that faith itself is a work and that everybody goes to heaven the moment they die, whether they believe on Christ or not. Faith isn't a work. It's simply receiving the gift. If faith in Christ is a work, then the Bible is wrong when it says, "For by grace are you saved through faith, and THAT not of yourselves. IT is a gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast." What is "that" and "it?" Faith. It too is a gift and not a work on our part.
By Joel Brueseke
Do you keep the Ten Commandments? Are you willing to give away all you have and give to the poor? Do you think you are able to be righteous like God is? Do you love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? If your answer to these questions is "No," you are closer to heaven than you think!
Friday, July 16, 2010
A "Nick Bass" Quote.
Only Christians know how to take a free gift and make it into something that has to be earned. Righteousness is a free gift. I don't go to church to be challenged to be better, but to be reminded of how amazing the 'Gift-giver is'
Remember our foundational truth?? Eph 1:4, In Him! Well to those who believe, Christ is in You. Jesus and all His perfection has been given to you as a gift.
The one single act of Christ dying on the cross made way for all of us to receive this gift of righteousness. It was Gods intention, It was Gods final plan.
No more do we have to perform these ceremonial religious rituals in order to gain righteousness.
Its done it's finished. So come on guys lets remind each other about this gift which has been freely given. Remind folk that it is not how much you pray or read the Word or even go to church. Remind folk that no act is going to get you righteousness and a ticket to heaven. It is the simple act of "believing"
So be "reminded" and remind others to believe and live free from trying to earn the gift that is freely given, Your Right Standing with God!
For all sin and fall short of the glory of God.
Pucks
Thursday, July 15, 2010
THE PURPOSE OF THE NEW COVENANT
The main purpose of the New Covenant was not primarily for God to come and change our external behaviour; the primary purpose was that God changed the way He related to mankind, resulting in an spontaneous change in behaviour due to mankind receiving revelation about God’s vast and infinite love for them.
Under the Old Covenant God dealt with people on the basis of their external behaviour, namely their level of obedience to the law. Under this system God left people to their own devices and judged them according to their works. People were punished and cursed when they broke the law. But then came the New Covenant and God dealt with the internal problem, namely mankind’s fallen sinful nature. Those who put their faith in Christ were changed from the inside; God bestowing them with the very nature of his Son, Jesus Christ. He also credited the perfect obedience of Jesus to their account.
The believer’s old sinful nature has been crucified with Christ [Rom 6:6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin] and their spirit made 100% righteous: [2 Cor 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].
This is the way He now sees believers: blameless and fully righteous in His sight: [Col 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight].
Before we were born again, we were enemies of God and we were alienated from Him in two ways:
1) We had a sinful nature inside us and we were slaves to this sinful nature, running after every evil thing that gratified its desires: [Eph 2:3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others]. We were alive to sin (because of our sinful nature) and dead towards God.
2) We were also under the law, which utterly condemned us and showed us how sinful we were: [Rom 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin].
But Romans 6:6-7 (above) says that we've now become dead to sin. We’ve become the friends of God and we were also united with Him in two ways:
1) Our sinful nature was crucified with Christ and our spirit made alive towards God; in other words: we were born again. The perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ was imputed to us and all the benefits and blessings of His obedience have been credited to us because of our faith in Him: [Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life] (KJV).
2) The law has been nullified, nailed to the cross with Jesus [Col 2:14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross] and God now relates to believers on the basis of the obedience of Jesus Christ. God does not attribute their sins to them, but instead delights in them with the love and passion of a proud Father. Now God doesn’t just see us as if we’ve never sinned – He sees us as if we have perfectly obeyed all the laws our entire life!
But how can all of this be true when none of us could ever deserve to be given a gift like this? That’s exactly it: Nobody deserves grace. It is a free gift from God, given to those who believe in Him. If we were ever able to earn it, it wouldn’t be called a “gift” anymore, would it?
[Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God].
Yours in Grace
Andre van der Merwe
andre@newcovenantgrace.com
Under the Old Covenant God dealt with people on the basis of their external behaviour, namely their level of obedience to the law. Under this system God left people to their own devices and judged them according to their works. People were punished and cursed when they broke the law. But then came the New Covenant and God dealt with the internal problem, namely mankind’s fallen sinful nature. Those who put their faith in Christ were changed from the inside; God bestowing them with the very nature of his Son, Jesus Christ. He also credited the perfect obedience of Jesus to their account.
The believer’s old sinful nature has been crucified with Christ [Rom 6:6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin] and their spirit made 100% righteous: [2 Cor 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].
This is the way He now sees believers: blameless and fully righteous in His sight: [Col 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight].
Before we were born again, we were enemies of God and we were alienated from Him in two ways:
1) We had a sinful nature inside us and we were slaves to this sinful nature, running after every evil thing that gratified its desires: [Eph 2:3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others]. We were alive to sin (because of our sinful nature) and dead towards God.
2) We were also under the law, which utterly condemned us and showed us how sinful we were: [Rom 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin].
But Romans 6:6-7 (above) says that we've now become dead to sin. We’ve become the friends of God and we were also united with Him in two ways:
1) Our sinful nature was crucified with Christ and our spirit made alive towards God; in other words: we were born again. The perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ was imputed to us and all the benefits and blessings of His obedience have been credited to us because of our faith in Him: [Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life] (KJV).
2) The law has been nullified, nailed to the cross with Jesus [Col 2:14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross] and God now relates to believers on the basis of the obedience of Jesus Christ. God does not attribute their sins to them, but instead delights in them with the love and passion of a proud Father. Now God doesn’t just see us as if we’ve never sinned – He sees us as if we have perfectly obeyed all the laws our entire life!
But how can all of this be true when none of us could ever deserve to be given a gift like this? That’s exactly it: Nobody deserves grace. It is a free gift from God, given to those who believe in Him. If we were ever able to earn it, it wouldn’t be called a “gift” anymore, would it?
[Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God].
Yours in Grace
Andre van der Merwe
andre@newcovenantgrace.com
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Cross.
Well here goes, my very first blog post, where I hope to learn, share and understand this incredible inheritance we have in Christ. So why not start at the cross! To some the cross is a mere symbol but to those who believe it is salvation.
One of the most wonderful moments ever lived was the moment when Jesus on the cross said,"It is finished." It was not only the great moment for sinners and their needed salvation, but it was a long expected and needed moment for all who believe in the Scriptures. The most crucial moment in God's eternal plan had come to a finished conclusion.
What exactly was finaished? Certainly the ordeal of His death was finished. But that was not what so important. He was born to die. His earthly living and the persecution He had endured here was finished. But that was not what prompted the words "it is finished". What was behind the statement "it is finished" were two most important events; in fact, possibly the two most important events in the Father's eternal plan.
Both of these events were prophesied in a time before the world was created, before there were humans, before there was a devil working against God's plan and before there was sin.
The first of these events is stated by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians, chapter 1 verse 4: "According as He (the Father) has chosen us in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world." This event could not take place until Christ died and finished the work that would be necessary for the Father to place humans in Christ.
Finished were all the other methods God had used in the Old Testament to get people saved and holy before Him. Now, in one moment, Christ had made it possible for the Father to put Christ in humans and have the kind of family He had always wanted. All other means for humans to please God were finished.
The other event that was finished was what Christ accomplished by His death on the Cross. This event was the second thing that was prophesied before the world was created (Peter 1:19-20). No more sin offerings had to be made by humans; no more self -improvement would be acceptable to God. The sin of Adam was finished once and for all, never to be passed on from one human to another. The work of Satan in lying and deceiving humans that they had to pay for their own sins was finished, done away with, banished and nullified.
The final blood offering had been made and now there was eternal life for all who believed. The power of death, Hell and the grave were finished and the two major factors in God's final gospel were complete. The cry of Christ on the cross,"it is finished," is the ultimate victory for every human who believes. The simplicity of salvation for hell bound sinners is to simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31).
Believe what happened at the cross! The cross is good news! We preach Christ crucified. (1Cor 1:23)
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