Free Podcast downloads, no signup What we know about God is from the Bible The Bible is the source of all knowledge about God, and one of the things we learn from the Bible is that God and His Word cannot change. Our confidence in God is based upon this simple truth! Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Now what's important to understand is that in the Old Testament (or Covenant) and the New Testament (or Covenant), God gives his word that he will not lie, nor will he change. This means all the promises that God makes He will keep. The basis for faith in both the Old and New Covenant is that we believe that God always keeps His word. 

Pastor Vic's Nuggets of Truth

127 – God Does Not Change!

Free Podcast downloads, no signup Jesus is the Gospel! One of the most important words in the Bible is the word Gospel. The word gospel translated means “Good News” Jesus came preaching the Good News, and the point I want to make today is that Jesus is the Gospel. He is the Good News. Sometimes our focus is on what the good news of Jesus brings; He indeed brings health, healing, wholeness, prosperity, and sound relationships; all these things are important. However, if we miss the provider of all these things, Jesus, then we are pursuing what Jesus can provide rather than Jesus himself. You see, if you have Jesus, you have it all! 

126 – Jesus is the Gospel!

Free Podcast downloads, no signup Outline No Jesus no peace; Know Jesus know peace! ----- 

125 Jesus, Lord and Savior!

Today I'd like to spend some time talking about the Bible, the importance of the Word of God in which we place our faith. Our faith is based on the truthfulness of God's word. There is no substitute for the Bible for no other book is spiritual in nature and must be spiritually discerned or understood. 

124 The Bible – “Seeing the Forest for the Trees”

Let’s review the first three principles of Romans chapter eight. 1.. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. It is worth repeating that you must accept the truth and believe by faith that you are loved by God, totally forgiven, and the Holy Spirit lives in you.  The Holy Spirit is your helper to overcome temptation and break old unrighteous habits. You can't do it without Him; He is your helper and comforter. When you stumble and fall into sinful behavior, the Holy Spirit will not abandon you because He is in you! The Holy Spirit will convict you, strengthen you and urge you to repent and turn away from that behavior that displeases the Lord. You can't do it without His Help! 

123 God’s Never-Ending Love!

 Click here for free downloads. As I have said in the last two messages, Romans 8 gives us four essential principles to receive by faith, and if we learn to walk by these four principles, we will indeed be able to say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” because He loves me and at the same time, He’s not finished with me. Show More Let’s review the first two principles. The first principle is that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. It is worth repeating that you have to accept the truth and believe by faith that you are loved by God, totally forgiven, and the Holy Spirit lives in you. The Holy Spirit is your helper to overcome temptation and break old unrighteous habits. You can’t do it without Him; He is your helper and comforter. When you stumble and fall into sinful behavior, the Holy Spirit will not abandon you because He is in you. The Holy Spirit will convict you, strengthen you and urge you to repent and turn away from that behavior that displeases the Lord. You can’t do it alone! The second principle is that we need to recognize that we have a new position in our relationships with the Lord, “we are sons!” The story of the “prodigal son” found in Luke 15 demonstrates how it is impossible to lose our position as a son even we stray from God’s plan for our lives. Once a son, always a son. You may recall the prodigal son who took his share of his inheritance, left home, and lived a wild ungodly life. It didn’t take long for him to lose all his inheritance, all his friends, and end up feeding the pigs for employment. He eventually came to his senses and decided to go back to his home, repent before God and his father and beg for a position as a hired servant. On his return, the father patiently waiting for the son’s return saw him afar off. The father ran to the son, hugged, kissed the son, had his robe, ring, and sandals brought to the son, and finally called for a party. Even though the son tried to convince the father that he was only worthy of being a servant, the father insisted, “rejoice for my son who was dead is now alive and returned to me. You see, a son is a son forever in the eyes of a father. Your heavenly Father sees you as a son— forever. So, walk and live as a son the Father would be proud of! Today’s message is about the third principle in Romans; life is a struggle, and the Lord calls us to persevere!  Life is sometimes hard and often unfair; however, you are never alone. We prefer that the Lord deliver us from trouble, but the Lord doesn’t always do that. There are times when you must go through the storm, but always remember when you are going through the storm, Jesus is with you. You are never alone; Jesus promised that He would never leave you nor forsake you. He is present in and with you through the Holy Spirit. So, no matter what you are going through, there is always hope in the knowledge that the Lord loves you, and nothing is impossible with Him! Why do I have to suffer troubles? Remember what Jesus said in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Life is filled with challenges, and there are many reasons for life’s difficulties. We live in a fallen world. Some troubles are caused by others, and some we cause ourselves. Every decision anyone makes has consequences. It is like throwing a stone into a pond; the stone “plops in,” then it causes ripples to flow out from it. Good choices produce blessings, and obviously, bad choices have harmful consequences. Our choices, in a sense, are like seeds planted in our lives they are supposed to bear fruit. When it comes to the bad choices in our lives, we sometimes need to pray for “crop failure.” Now before we look at some consequences, I want to make clear that in Christ, your past decisions don’t define you. You are a new creation in Jesus Christ, the old has passed away, and all things have become new. The Blood of Jesus can wipe away every and all sin; we should never take on guilt and shame because of the past, but the past can produce consequences to work through. Remember, you are loved, forgiven, and accepted! Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). This means that the Lord can take that “which is meant for evil and turn it to good,” as it says in Genesis 50:20. Let’s look at some examples of areas where we may have to deal with troubles. Dealing with the consequences of choices by others such as spouses, parents, teachers, friends, and employers. None of us live in a vacuum; we are all influenced by the decisions of others.Dealing with the consequences of our own past behavior such as lying, stealing, sexual behavior, abortion, drugs, and alcohol. All of these unrighteous behaviors can produce consequences long after the events took place.The struggle of living under the control of corrupt governments, cultures, and societies who embrace a secular world view vs. a Biblical world view and dealing with laws and policies contrary to the Word of God. If we are not careful, we can accept the world’s standards as normal when in fact they are against God’s best for us.Struggle with the temptations of the Devil. As Believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to obey the teachings of Jesus. The Devil’s objective is to get us to disbelieve His teachings and disobey. When we do what the Devil tempts us to do, he will immediately heap guilt and shame upon us. All of this to try and separate us from the love and grace of God that brings healing and wholeness. The temptations can be summed up in the following three areas: The lust of the eyes (material things), the lust of the flesh (improper sexual desires), and the pride of life (pride of position, authority, or control). When the Holy Spirit brings to our attention some of these areas in our lives we need to repent to the Lord, learn to forgive others for their bad judgment; ask for forgiveness when we were the guilty party, make restitution wherever possible; and finally, to forgive ourselves. You need endurance. My wife, Dee, recently made the following statement, “We are redeemed in a moment, but we are renewed over time!” Christianity is about being born-again through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ; this takes place in an instant of time. What follows is a gradual renewing of the mind to conform to the teachings of Christ. Because renewal of the mind is a process that takes time, we must be willing to persevere and not give up when we stumble and fall. Pick yourself up and press into your relationship with the Lord. Like the Father of the prodigal son, He is waiting for you to return to Him. Pass the test. Some of the challenges we face are put there by God. These struggles are called tests. They are opportunities for our faith to be tested. Not that the Lord needs to know what we would do when we face trials, but so that we would know what we would do in the face of a test. Listen to what the Lord said to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 8:2, “And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” Here is a question, did God need to know what was in their heart? Of course not! The Lord knows all things, even the secret things of the heart, but the people of Israel need to see what was in their own hearts! Some might argue that God does not test, but then I refer you to John 6:4, “Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.” Jesus wanted Philip to see that he was trusting in the availability to buy food instead of trusting in Jesus to make a way. It’s easy to say that we will obey the Lord- words are easy, but the truth comes out in the test. As I heard someone say, “we are legends in our own minds.” It is only by testing that we can determine if we are legends or committed followers of Christ. As a final note on the testing of God, remember the example in school, when you fail the test, there will be a retest! The Lord cares too much about you to allow you to be defeated. Romans 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” My peace I give you… John 14:25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Finding peace through Jesus means putting your faith in Him and trusting that He will make a way for you. 

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 Click here for free downloads 121 What does God think of me? Hi, and welcome back to another Nugget of Truth.  To start, I want to perform an experiment with you. I’m going to ask a question, and then for ten seconds, I want you to remember the first thing that comes to your mind. So here we go with the question. “When God looks down on you, what do you think He sees?” Show More If you thought of any of the following, you are wrong. If you thought I’m a failure, I’m ashamed, I’m unworthy, I’m no good, I don’t deserve God’s love or forgiveness. Let me say this is not what God sees when He looks down upon a person who has accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. What God sees when He looks upon a Believer is the Blood of Jesus, which cleanses and redeems a son or daughter. You are the beloved child of God and forever in the family of God! One of the great challenges of being a Christian is trying to live a sinless life. Living a sinless life is a lifelong struggle and at times, a very difficult challenge. While a sinless life is impossible to achieve in this life, we should always strive for that goal! Living righteously is the sure path to peace, success, and love in your life. We understand that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross has erased all of our sins, and we are new creations in Him; however, we still deal with temptation and sliding back to our old ways. I heard someone say recently, “we may be done with sin, but sin is not done with us.” In other words. we still have to deal with temptations and trials of the flesh; we know that they come from the enemy of our soul Satan. The Devil’s purpose is to cause us to feel defeated and condemned! When we feel condemned and defeated, we often pull away from the Lord; that is the Devil’s strategy. We feel so unworthy of God and ashamed, we spiral into a downward fall that draws us away from the love, forgiveness, and acceptance of Jesus Christ.  Romans 8 gives us four essential principles to receive by faith, and if we learn to walk by these four principles, we will indeed be able to say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” because He loves me and at the same time He’s not finished with me. The first principle is that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. It is worth repeating that you have to accept the truth and believe by faith that the Holy Spirit lives in you. The Holy Spirit is your helper to overcome temptation and break old unrighteous habits. You can’t do it without Him; He is your helper and comforter. When you stumble and fall into sinful behavior, the Holy Spirit will not abandon you because He is in you. The Holy Spirit will convict you, strengthen you and urge you to repent and turn away from that behavior that displeases the Lord. You can’t do it alone. The second principle is that we need to recognize that we have a new position in our relationships with the Lord, “we are sons!” Sonship will be the subject of today’s message. The third principle is that life is a struggle! It is sometimes hard and unfair; however, you are never alone. Jesus promised that He would never leave you nor forsake you. He is present in you through the Holy Spirit. The fourth principle is the fact that nothing and no one can separate you from the love that God has for you! The Lord’s love is total and absolute. You are unconditionally loved! Let’s Look at the second principle, What it Means that We are Viewed as Sons by the Lord! Romans Chapter 8:12-17 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”  16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.  The Seal of The Father is the Evidence of Our Adoption. The evidence of our salvation is the Holy Spirit of God living in us. Christianity is not a religion of rites, traditions, and formalities, but a living relationship with our Lord. The Holy Spirit is the evidence of our “sealing” by the Lord.  2 Corinthians 1:21 “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” Ephesians 1:13” In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Our Position as Sons The Apostle Paul states in clear terms who his faith is in. His faith is not in a church building, a denomination, or the beliefs of some leader. Instead, Paul’s faith is in one person- “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1Corinthians 2:2). We are adopted as sons. “Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,” (Ephesians 1:5).“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Jesus is The Son of God, and we are His brothers. “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He (Jesus) is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Hebrews 2:10-11). Because of our sonship position, we have access to God.“For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). Son vs. Stranger          Remember the question at the beginning “When God looks down on you, what do you think He sees?” The Apostle Paul did not define himself by what he did or thought, but he defined himself by what God said of him. God said he was a son, and therefore Paul chose to live as a son! Paul saw himself as a son who decided to serve his Father. Isn’t this what Jesus demonstrated for us throughout His life in His obedience to Father God? “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). Let’s take a closer look at God’s idea that we are sons in Galatians 3:26-29. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 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. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”. Notice in verse 28 God makes no distinction of position, gender, status, or reputation. All that is required is to be in Christ. Notice also that God does not distinguish between male or female. That means that sonship is not about gender but position in Christ. It may seem odd to us, but it is perfectly acceptable to God that a female can be a son in position!In verse 29, sons are declared to be heirs. That means we have access to the promises of God because only sons inherit. Paul continues to teach about sonship in Galatians 4:4-7 “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts,   crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ”. Success as a Christian happens when you understand that your identity is to live by faith as a son!You are not defined by what you do but by what God says of you… you are a son!  An illustration of believing God- Private Chauvin   In the early 1800s there was a story about Nicolas Chauvin, a private in Napoleon Bonaparte’s army.  Private Chauvin was standing at attention while King Napoleon reviewed the troops riding on his white horse. For some reason, the horse became startled, Napoleon dropped the reins, and the horse ran out of control with Napoleon still on the horse. Immediately Private Chauvin ran after the King, grabbed the reins, calmed the horse, and brought Napoleon to safety. Napoleon said, “What is your name soldier”? To which Chauvin said, “My name is Private Chauvin, sir.” The King then said, “Thank you Captain Chauvin.” Immediately Chauvin went to his quarters, took off his enlisted uniform, and replaced it with an officer’s uniform, that of a Captain! His fellow soldiers began to ridicule him and challenged his right to wear the uniform of an officer. To which Captain Chauvin said, “I have the right to wear this uniform because My King called me Captain”! Your King calls you son! As a son, you inherit the promises of God. Write down these scripture verses and study them to strengthen your faith and walk in the Lord!Your Father is God (Matthew 5:16, Matthew 5:48, Matthew 6:1, Matthew 6:8, Mark 11:25, Luke 6:36).You have access to the Throne Room of God (John 14:6, Ephesians 2:18, Ephesians 3:12).God’s Holy Spirit dwells in you (Romans 8:9, Romans 8:11, 1Corinthians 3:16, 1Corinthians 6:19, Ephesians 5:18, 2Timothy 1:14).Supernatural power and authority are available to you to fulfill God’s ministry, mission, or assignment(Luke 10:19-20, John 16:7, Acts 1:8, 2Corinthians 12:9, 1John 4:4).You are anointed for service (2Corinthians 1:21) Jesus Christ purchased your Position as a son. His death on the cross of Calvary opened a door into a New Covenant that describes our new relationship with God. 

121 What Does God See!

 Click here for free downloads Father God gave us two important gifts for salvation and deliverance from sin. The first was Jesus (John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”), and the second was the Holy Spirit who came down to live in us (John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever). Jesus came to provide salvation for all who would believe in Him, and then He released the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to live in us so that we would be able to live a victorious life conquering sin, walking in righteousness, which brings about Gods abundant blessings. Show More One of my favorite chapters in the book of Romans is chapter 8. Remember, the entire book of Romans is doctrinal. The word doctrine means truth or truths. Jesus proclaimed the truths of the Kingdom; the Apostle Paul explained how to apply the truths, how to live in the Kingdom while on earth. Four Principles of Romans 8 There are four important principles that we can learn from Romans 8 that will help us to understand how we are to become victorious in this life: The only way we can successfully overcome temptation and sin is to recognize that as a believer in Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit lives in. The Holy Spirit is available to teach us, lead and guide us, and most importantly, empower us to do what is right in God’s eyes which brings the blessing!The presence of the Holy Spirit (seal, and awareness) confers upon us a new relationship with the Lord, and that is sonship. We are, in reality, sons and daughters of God through adoption and therefore brothers with Christ and heirs of all that the Father has. In other words, we get to inherit.The Holy Spirit encourages and gives us the confidence that we will overcome and see the victory no matter what we are going through now. In the end, we win!As Believers, we can be sure that God’s love for us will never fail. Never think that your behavior can cause God to love you less. We live in a “fallen” world consumed by sin. (Isa 5:20, Rom 1:18-23) and the enemy of your soul, the devil wants you to reject the Love of the Father, the sacrifice of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Today we only have time to cover the first principle; we will continue with the others next time.  Romans Chapter 8:1-13 Free from Indwelling Sin Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” If you are in Christ, you are not condemned. Condemnation is a sentence to punishment in the same manner as an earthly Judge sentences a criminal to prison or death. Condemnation means guilt, shame, separation, and does not come from God. Satan is called the “accuser of the brethren,” and he tries to condemn us before God, but Jesus is our intercessor who sits at the right hand of the Father, and Jesus claims us as His own. Furthermore, Jesus says that no one can “snatch us out of His hand”, John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.” Now, the evidence that you are in Christ is that you behave in a manner that reflects God in you. That means to walk in the Spirit, notice that the Spirit has a capital “S,” which refers to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. Christianity is not about belonging to a Christian organization or institution; it is about a relationship with the living God! Remember, when Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection, He went to sit at the right hand of the Father to make intercession for us. When Jesus went up, the Holy Spirit came down to dwell in the believer just as Jesus promised in the Gospel of John. John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” As a side note, don’t fall into the trap of “self-condemnation” or let others heap condemnation on you! Feeling condemnation will only cause you to separate yourself from God. Instead, pick yourself up, run to Him and repent. Be assured that the Holy Spirit lives in, and you are loved, forgiven, and accepted.  Romans 8:3 “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” The Law, or the Law of Moses, was given so that we would know what sin is. It also was given so that we would know what God expects from us; the law is like a set of train tracks to keep us going in the right direction. God’s desire is to bless His creation, and when we live to please Him, we have access to the abundant life. The problem is that we don’t want to stay on the “tracks”; we want to go to the left or the right, and when we do, we sin. So, the temptation to sin is powerful because we all want our own way; we want what we want! All of this is because of what Paul calls the “Sin Nature” that all of mankind acquired due to the “Fall” in the Garden of Eden. Paul makes the case in Romans 7 that we wind up doing what we don’t want to do or unable to do what we want to do. The problem is that we operate in the flesh, that is, doing what we think is right in our own eyes or opinion. What Jesus did was to fulfill the Law through His final sacrifice once and for all on the Cross; now who ever accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior has been delivered from condemnation and receives the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit knows the mind of the Father and is able to lead us into righteousness! Romans 8:5 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” What you set your mind on, you will follow. The Scriptures say that who you obey is master over you. Obey the carnal desires, and the flesh is your master and death will be your outcome; obey the Holy Spirit’s promptings, and God is your master resulting in life and peace. Something I’ve learned in life is that if your focus is on sin, it will lead you to sin, but if you focus on righteousness and grace, it will lead you to righteousness. So, instead of concentrating on avoiding sin, focus on doing right, and temptation will fall away! Romans 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. If you have been a Christian for any length of time, it should be obvious that without the Spirit of God working in us, it is impossible to avoid sin and do the right thing. It is so difficult to rely on your own self-control to please God. That’s what “those who are in the flesh cannot please God” means. You need the Helper; the Holy Spirit helps you overcome temptation and sin! Romans 8:9 “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you”. When you allow the Spirit of Christ to empower your life, you won’t be controlled by the flesh. By the way, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t live in you, you can’t belong to Jesus! You cannot pick and choose your doctrine! On a positive note, now that Christ lives his life in you even though your body may be dead because of the effects of sin, his life-giving Spirit imparts life to you because God fully accepts you. Yes, the Father raised Jesus to life! And since God’s resurrection spirit lives in you, He will also raise your mortal body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you! Romans 8:12 “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”.  Therefore, brothers and sisters, the flesh has no claims on us, and we have no further obligation to live in obedience to it. For when you live controlled by the flesh, you are about to die. But if the life of the Spirit puts to death the corrupt ways of the flesh, we then taste His abundant life. Let me close this section with the words of Paul in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” 

120 No Condemnation in Christ Jesus!

 Click here for free downloads Romans Chapter 7 poses two dilemmas for anyone trying to live righteously. The first is “how to be dead to sin and alive to God.” In other words, how do I stop sinning so that I might live for God? I try to be good, but no matter how I try, I can’t be good enough, can I? The second dilemma is realizing that the “Old Testament Law can’t deliver you from sin.” If the Bible teaches us anything, it’s knowing what the Lord expects from us (the Law) doesn’t empower us to live according to the Law of righteousness. Knowing is not the same as doing! At the same time, we know that the Law is good. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”This quote begs the question, what is the purpose of the Law? Show More The Purpose of the Law. The purpose of the Law is to show us the character of the Lord and what He expects from us. His expectation of us is to obey Him so that He can bless us and fulfill His purpose. Galatians 3:19-25 “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions (Adam and Eve), till the Seed (Jesus) should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now, a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.” The Law was given because of the transgressions of Adam and Eve. As a result of the Fall, mankind had a conscience, discerning good from evil. In the Garden of Eden, after the Fall, the Lord made a promise to provide a Seed or Messiah. A Savior to deliver mankind from sin and the transgression that released the sin-nature. The beauty of Jesus is that He mediates for us; a mediator intercedes between two parties. Because Jesus is God, He is also one with the Father. When we come to Jesus, there is no better mediator because when we come to Jesus, we come to the Father as well. Galatians 3:21 “Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”  The Law is not against the promises of God, but the Law cannot give life. Therefore true righteousness cannot be through the Law. The scriptures clearly state that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” However, faith in Jesus Christ releases the work of the Messiah or Savior to deliver from the hold of the sin-nature. Galatians 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor (the Law). Before faith came the Law showed us what was expected of us and the knowledge that by our own strength or efforts, we could not keep the Law. The Law was a tutor or teacher showing us what was expected of us until the message of Faith came in the New Covenant. Now that the Gospel has been revealed and the gift of Grace is released by Faith in Jesus alone, His righteousness is transferred or imputed to us by faith. “For by Grace we have been saved through Faith, it is a gift of God not of works (of the Law), lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Romans 7 In Romans 7 1-6, Paul puts forth the argument that the only way to be free from the Law is to be dead to the Law. He uses the illustration of a married woman. As long as her husband is alive, she is bound to her husband for as long as he lives. However, if the husband dies, she is free to marry another and not be called an adulteress. In verse 4, Paul says, “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.” In other words, we need to be spiritually Born-again! To be Born-again means that the old has died and all things are new (2 Corinthians 5:17). You have died to sin and now re-born to live for God. Romans 7:7-12 points out that the Law actually creates a desire for what is forbidden but not the power to resist temptation. As Believers, we know that it is foolishness to resist God, but Proverbs 9:17 states a truth: “17 “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” 18 But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell.” The very temptation that seems so sweet and pleasurable turns around and causes guilt, shame, and condemnation! Romans 7:13-25, Righteousness in a sin filled world. The realization that although I want to do the right thing very often, something comes over me, and I wind up doing the very thing I don’t want to do. Has that ever happened to you? It certainly has happened to me, and the Apostle Paul acknowledges that he had to deal with that as well. The way Paul puts it, there seems to be a battle between my will or mind and my flesh. This is a real problem for the Christian even today. The conflict between what I know is right to do and the ability to do what is right often escapes me. I think if we are honest with each other, we would all admit that we all face times when we know what is right and yet we do the opposite, then afterwards we wonder why we did it? The Apostle Paul calls this the sin nature of man, which is opposed to the Spirit of God. Remember, the Devil is the author of lies, half-truths, and temptations. He makes the temptation so attractive and pleasant-looking, then once you have fallen into his trap, he accuses you and heaps guilt, shame, and condemnation! Satan or the Devil is called the accuser of the brethren in the Bible (Revelation 12:10), and he does his evil work very effectively. Conclusion In Romans 7:24 Paul cries out,” O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Perhaps you have felt this way too, the good news is found in the beginning of Romans 8, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”  Paul is saying that because of what Jesus accomplished at the Cross of Calvary, I am not condemned. I’ve been set free of the control of the sin nature, and I am empowered by the Holy Spirit to resist sin and temptation. My attitude is gratitude for the Lord in that He took all of my sins and “remembers them no more.” I now choose to be guided by the Holy Spirit because I am loved, forgiven, and accepted. Choosing to follow Jesus is a journey, but in time I will be able to submit to God and resist the Devil (James 4:7) in all areas of my life.  When I stumble and fall, I know that I can come to the Lord repent, and He will pick me up. He will never reject me! 1 John 1:5 says the following: “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Finally, remember that the Lord is much more interested in the attitude of the heart than outward appearances. His grace is sufficient; in 2 Corinthians 12:9 Jesus said to the Apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” What is true for Paul is true for each one of us who desires to follow Jesus! In your weakness, be quick to repent. You are His, and He is yours. He will never leave you nor forsake you. More on the glorious promises of victory found by walking in the Spirit in Chapter 8 of Romans, the next time we meet. 

119 Dead to Sin, Alive to Christ!

 Click here for free downloads The New Testament is divided into three parts: the four Gospels- Matthew Mark, Luke, and John, the 22 Epistles, and finally the Prophetic book of Revelations for a total of 27 books. The word Epistle is Greek for “letter” as in a correspondence. The only difference between an epistle and a letter is that a letter is written to an individual, whereas an epistle is written to a group of people. Most of the epistles of the New Testament were written to the various churches at that time and were passed from church to church.  The original epistles were long letters. To make the reading easier, the letters were broken up into chapters in the early 1200s, whereas the verses were added in the mid-1500s. The point I want to make is that while God inspired the entire Bible, the placement of the chapters and verses were man’s invention to make reading the Bible easier. I say all of this to make the point that it is important to read and understand the chapters and verses in context. To get the full understanding of what God intended, you must read what goes before and after the chapters. Show More We have been looking at the book of Romans, which the Apostle Paul wrote We need to understand that the entire book was actually a single letter or epistle. The natural tendency is to begin at the beginning of a chapter and then read to the end of the chapter as if it were a single letter, but a chapter is just part of a letter. Keep in mind that all of the scriptures are made available to us because of God’s great love for us. So far, we have looked at Romans Chapter 5 (Episodes/Posts 114 – 115), which dealt with grace, righteousness, and justification. Romans 4 (Episodes/Posts 116 – 117) examined the importance of faith in receiving the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Again, never lose sight of God’s love for you as you read and study the scriptures. Today we will look at Romans 6, which deals with the difficult challenge of living a righteous life in the world today. There are two crucial issues in Romans 6 for the Believer, the first is the concept of “being dead to sin,” the second is the idea that “who you obey is master over you!”  Let’s look at the first issue, being dead to sin. The first verse in Romans 6 states, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” This statement only makes sense if we look at the end of Romans 5, “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” The Apostle Paul was trying to avoid a false idea that the more one sinned, the more grace would abound or that it was ok to sin because grace was available. However, when we read the end of chapter 5 and the beginning of chapter 6 together, it makes sense, “5:20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not (or of course not)! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Here the principle of being dead to sin is introduced. You must choose to see yourself as dead to sin. If you are dead to sin, then sin can’t have any control over you! Before you knew Christ, you did not have the Holy Spirit to guide you. The Holy Spirit makes the Bible, the Word of God, come alive and have meaning for you. The Holy Spirit also battles with the flesh to lead you into righteousness instead of sin, but you must make choices every step of the way. Remember 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” The spiritual reality is that the “old you” is dead, and you are now alive in Jesus Christ. Romans 6 says, “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.” Let’s jump to Romans 6, beginning in verse 12. We’re told that we have to decide to make sure that sin doesn’t control our bodies and that we don’t find ourselves in situations and circumstances that will lead to unrighteousness or sin. We must choose to present ourselves to God as being alive from the dead and our actions and words reflect the righteousness of God. Because we’re given this promise in verse 14, sin will not have dominion over us because we’re not under Law (legalism) but under Grace (relationship). In other words, we don’t have to let sin control us. God is at work in you to desire and to empower you to please the Lord, which means dying to sin. (Philippians 2:13) Because of the Holy Spirit in us, we can always choose to say and do the right thing as difficult it may seem in the beginning.  The second issue in Romans 6 is the issue of who has control over your life? You can serve the Lord, or you can serve the “flesh.” The flesh, in this case, are the natural urges of humankind, the philosophies of the world. The flesh also includes as the hurtful habits or ways of thinking, that we have learned, that are contrary to the will of God. Listen to what Romans 8 tells us about the flesh and Spirit, “5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Paul makes this major point in Romans 6:16, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”The brutal truth is that Satan wants to enslave you into doing his will. Satan’s desire is to steal, kill and destroy, but the Lord’s purpose is that you would serve the Lord and experience the abundant life! (John 10:10) A life filled with love, peace, and joy. Finally, Romans 6:23 ends with a verse that we should all memorize, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The Benefits of Grace. The benefits of grace, righteousness, and faith only apply to a believer in Jesus Christ. A true believer is one who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior! Now, what does the phrase “Lord and Savior” mean? Let’s take the word Savior first. Accepting Jesus as Savior means that you believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose again to be alive with the Father in Heaven. In other words, your place in Heaven is assured, and your confidence is in Jesus that you will rise again. Death has no “sting” which means we don’t fear death. Don’t get me wrong, we are all human, and we naturally don’t look forward to death, but death doesn’t produce terror because we know that no matter what happens, our destination is Heaven. We have peace with God! The word Lord, in Lord and Savior, means that we voluntarily submit to Jesus as our King. As our King, we do all that is in our power to obey Him and His teachings. Now, we don’t have the strength or power to obey the Lord in our own natural strength and ability; as much as we try, we always fall short. However, Jesus in His wisdom gave us the Holy Spirit to help, comfort, teach and guide us in overcoming the attractions of the flesh and the world! Every true believer has the Holy Spirit, whether they believe it or not. It is a matter of learning to discern His voice and then to obey. I’ve been using the term “true believer” as one who is truly redeemed or saved. How does one become a true believer, Romans 10:5-13 says it best: Then starting in Romans 10:8, But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” True faith is a Commitment, not just a Statement!  Calling on the Lord means that you have confessed with your mouth and believed in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Confessing with your mouth is that act of repentance, recognizing that your sin has separated you from God and that you truly want to see that relationship restored. Believing in your heart is that act of commitment to follow Jesus wherever he may take you! It’s not enough to just say the words the words must be followed up with the desire to follow Jesus.  For some people fulfilling the commitment to Jesus is easier than for others. All of us have different backgrounds and “baggage” to overcome in life. We are not to judge the progress of another Christian as long as they are moving forward in their relationship with Jesus Christ. We should be encouraging them. As in all things in life, when you encounter something new, there is a learning curve, that process where you take baby steps in the beginning and then move forward into maturity. As one matures, they are able to take the greater steps that we often associate with a strong believer.  We should be thankful that God is patient, loving, merciful, and kind and he accepts us right where we are and brings us into places that we could never imagine. The Lord is gracious, his love boundless, and his desire is that you would walk with him, knowing that you are never alone because His Holy Spirit is with you leading and guiding you into the abundant life. 

118 Who you obey is master over you!

 Click here for free downloads As we continue our series on grace, law, and faith I want to continue on our focus on faith. Faith is such an essential aspect of the Christian life; faith opens the door to heaven’s blessings and provisions. Faith is how we “connect” with the Lord. Show More Defining Faith When I use the word faith, I’m not talking about faith as in belonging to a particular church, denomination, or group…  as in Pentecostal, Evangelical, Baptist, or Catholic. The faith that the Bible talks about is faith in the one who makes the promises in the Bible. Too often, our faith is in the promise and not in the one who makes the promise. Our faith in the one who makes the promise can only come as we seek a personal relationship with the Lord. I know that relationship is often spoken of, but I don’t think relationship is fully understood by many. Jesus is as real as the person who may be standing next to you, it’s just that He’s in the spiritual realm, and because we are spiritual, we must learn to develop our spiritual eyes, ears, and heart to comprehend spiritual things. (1 Corinthians 2) All that matters to God is “do you know Him, meaning Jesus?” There is no substitute for knowing Him; sacrifices, self-imposed religion, false humility, and acts of piety will not move the Lord. The Apostle Paul warns us against this kind of deception in Colossians 2:4-10, “Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words… 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” How to Please God There is only one thing that will please God, and that is faith scripture says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6. In this single verse, we find the key to having access to God, it is by faith! Then we learn what faith looks like; we “must believe that He is” and that “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Let’s look at these principles. Must believe that He is… one must believe that Jesus is real. Jesus is not some ancient person. He is not some historical figure, a statue, or icon. Jesus is God in the flesh and now sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. One must believe that He died for our sins and that we are completely and totally forgiven of ALL our sins, past, present, and future. We have been made righteous and justified by His shed blood, and finally, that because He rose again, we will one day rise up to be with Him forever.Rewarder… God gives good gifts to His children. The most important gift, of course, is the gift of Jesus, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. Jesus is the gift, and Jesus also gave us a gift, the gift of the Holy Spirit as a seal that we belong to Him and the Helper or comforter to help us live a Christ-centered life on earth. Then because of the extravagant love of God, the Holy Spirit gave us “the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23) and spiritual gifts outlined in 1 Corinthians 12.Diligently seek Him… This means that we are pursuing a relationship with our Lord. We are not casual, absent-minded, or careless about our relationship with the Lord. The phrase “diligently seek” can also mean to worship Him. True worship is to live a consecrated life to the Lord. Which means we are 100% sold out to Jesus.  Romans 12:1 states, 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (or worship). You accept that you are His and He is yours, and you live to be pleasing to Him. That is what true worship is.Romans 12:2 says, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. You are committed to breaking the old sinful habits you’ve developed of a lifetime, with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in you and exchanges them for righteous living which you were created for. Believer’s Faith – Practical Everyday Faith Two kinds of faith, Saving Faith and Believer’s Faith.Saving Faith is that kind of faith that the Holy Spirit puts in a non-believer as an opportunity to come to know Christ. In John 6:44 Jesus says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Apparently, the Holy Spirit draws a person to accept the truth of Christ, that Jesus came to save and not condemn! Believer’s Faith is the faith that the believer has because of the word of God (Bible) and because the person has put his/her trust in Him, the promise keeper, Jesus Christ. Listen to what Jesus said in Mark 11: 22-24, So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Keep in mind that Jesus is speaking to His followers or disciples. Jesus is saying that followers have the authority to speak to situations and circumstances, and if they will believe without doubting, they will have what they ask for. The key is to speak in faith without doubting! The disciples in Mark 11 were with Jesus, you have Jesus in your heart; this entire story or parable is about the Believer’s faith! Acts 1:8 says that we have received power because of the Holy Spirit in us, that is supernatural power… do you believe it?! Faith and Works The three most common areas in which we seek God’s blessings are health, relationships, and finances. God promises us that all of our needs will be met in Christ Jesus (Matthew 6:31-34), but we must come to Him in faith, that is, trusting that He will provide. We are trusting in Him to deliver what He has promised because He is faithful and true. We sometimes get off-track and put our trust or faith in the promise and forget about the one who made the promise. We should hope in the promise which produces an expectation, and faith in Jesus who gives us the assurance. The point that faith requires doing something is well made in the book of James. First, look at James 1:6, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways”.  We must not doubt or waver in our faith! We must be steadfast in our faith in God. If our faith is in the promise, then circumstances will cause our faith to waver, but if our faith is in Jesus and our relationship with Him, then we will be steadfast. It is very much like being a passenger on a plane, is your trust in the advertising promise that you will have a safe flight or in the pilot to make it a safe flight? Become a Doer of the Word! The second point is found in James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” If we are not doing or responding according to the Word of God, then we are hearers only! Don’t deceive yourself in thinking that you have faith if there is no outworking of that faith. It is like the person who believes it will rain but doesn’t bring an umbrella along. Let your actions correspond to what you believe! Justification is by faith, not works! The third point is found in James 2:24-26. This section of scripture is sometimes misunderstood in particular verse 24, which says, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” It is a tragic mistake to think that James is saying that salvation or any other area of spiritual life is by works and faith. In the context of verses 24-26, James is saying that faith must have some evidence or outworking that points to faith in God. Just doing good deeds or good works, while noble and should be encouraged, by itself will not justify you. However, believing in Jesus and as a result, you are led to do good deeds… well, that is the evidence of Faith! Now there will be times when we must wait upon the Lord to do His part, but this by no means suggests that we do nothing. Resisting the temptation to sin is an important faith action. Resisting doubt and fear is also an important faith action. The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:13, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Too many interpret this to mean I do nothing, and God will do it all. Yet Proverbs 16:9 states, “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” We need to walk it out, or as the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “we walk by faith and not by sight.” The Influence of Emotions and Experiences The Bible Dictionary defines faith as persuasion, credence, moral conviction, assurance, belief or, fidelity. The Bible’s definition of faith is: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Hebrews 11:1 EmotionsNotice that in both definitions, there is no mention of feelings or emotions. Faith is a decision and commitment to believing, not a feeling. If you rely on feelings, you will be “tossed” about by doubt. One moment you will feel like you are in faith, then the next you will doubt. Remember, James 1:6-8, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways“. You must actively avoid those people and circumstances who weaken your faith in life. ExperienceThe same is true of experiences. They can be misleading. I am sure everyone has experienced disappointment when you were believing for something to come to pass, and it didn’t! A sick person doesn’t get healed or even dies! A relationship is not restored! Or a financial disaster actually comes to pass!  Faith is easy when everything you pray for comes to pass. True faith comes through the trials and tribulations of life. We live in a “fallen world.” The scriptures are clear that Satan is the ruler of this world in the sense that the world is still characterized by sin. Jesus said. “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over Me” (John 14:30). This title of “ruler of this world” suggests that Satan is the major influence over our world. Scripture teaches that the whole world is in his power. “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Sometimes bad things happen to good people, but despite the evil that sometimes befalls Christians our position must be a position of faith, which is to not doubt God’s Word. We should never succumb to the temptation to “rewrite” the Word of God based upon personal experience.  Conclusion Finally, what happens when what we are believing for doesn’t come to pass. Sometimes it is just a timing issue. God is always at work, and the promise is on its way. Remember God is not limited by time and space. However, it could be that as it says in James 4:3, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures”. In other words, God can’t bless those things that are contrary to His nature of love, forgiveness, and acceptance. I pray that you will be able to say, in the words of the Apostle Paul at the end of his life, in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 

117 Faith that pleases God!

116 Faith, Grace and Works Click here for free downloads. Since faith is essential in our relationship with Jesus Christ, it is important to understand what faith is and what it is not. Also, we need to understand the connection of faith to Grace and Works. Faith in the original Greek is “Pistis,” and a Bible Dictionary defines faith as; persuasion, credence, moral conviction, assurance, belief or, fidelity. Show More Faith is Spiritual As stated in Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” So, faith for a Christian is believing in the spiritual or unseen. You put your faith in Jesus and your hope in His promises. Again, it is not faith in faith or even faith in the promises found in the Bible, but faith in the One who made the promises in the Bible. So, faith is not wishing, hoping, or wanting something to be. Instead, it is the confidence and assurance that because of the love of God, He will not leave you or abandon you to your circumstances. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Do you believe that… that nothing can separate you from God’s Love? It is your faith in the Lord that causes you to behave or act in a manner that shows you have already received that for which you are believing. Now that was a mouthful! Let me put it this way; the world says, “Show me and then I will believe!” God says, “Believe in Me and then I will show you!” Genuine faith believes in the promise even before the promise is fulfilled! Faith For some Christians, faith is seen as something to employ in order to get God’s attention. We may have a need, desire, or some impending health crisis. Don’t get me wrong; when we have needs, we should bring them to the Lord. We are encouraged in the Word to bring our issues to the Lord. But faith is not something we turn to only when we are in trouble. Faith is the continual manifestation of our righteousness before God. In other words, I am trying to live in a way that is pleasing to God. It is because of my fellowship or intimacy with God that I am confident, sure that He hears me and will answer me in my time of need. He is my help as I walk by faith in Jesus.  “Paul says in Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure”. As in the Garden of Eden, before the Fall, God wants to walk with you and fellowship with you. As you see your relationship with Him in this manner… you will find that your faith will grow, and all of the promises that faith brings will be yours. Romans 4 I can think of no better book of the Bible than Romans 4, that speaks to the three concerns that we have today. Those three concerns are grace, Law, and faith. The Apostle Paul uses examples that the Jews of the time would be very familiar with, Abraham and King David. Abraham because he truly is the father of Israel in the sense that God had promised Abraham that out of his loins would come a great nation, and of course we know that is Israel, but also that a multitude of people would come from his loins. Clearly, the Jews of the day we’re very familiar with the promise of God to give this Israel a land of their own and prosperity. King David, of course, is the one whom God used to bring the struggling nation of Israel to power and prominence.  Listen to what the Apostle Paul writes about Abraham beginning in chapter 4; Paul wrote that Abraham discovered the things of the flesh or what later became known as the works of the Law really meant nothing to God. Verse three says, “for what does the scripture say Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness”, now that’s a powerful statement in itself. What Paul was saying was that it was faith that brought righteousness to Abraham. Remember Abraham believed God, and that’s what faith is. Faith is simply believing in God and then doing according to what you believe. He goes on to say in verse 4, “now to him who works the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.” In essence, Paul is saying that if you’re trying to work for your Salvation, then it can’t be by grace. Grace is a gift of God and is not earned or deserved. He then goes on beginning in verse 5 to recount the words of King David in Romans 4:5, “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” Notice that David was not believing in a system, ritual, or organization… he believed in Him! David was a man who believed God and God’s righteousness was imputed to him, verse six says, “just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works,” and the keys here are “that David believed in God” and “apart from works.”  There were many in that day that believed that because of circumcision and the covenant of the Law, they automatically were heirs to the promises of Abraham. Let me put it another way they believed that all they had to do was follow the rules and regulations of the Law, and the fact that they were Jews meant that they had earned the right to the promises of God. However, beginning in verse 9, Paul makes the case that Abraham was declared righteous because of faitheven before circumcision was instituted. This fact alone meant God was not only the God of the Jews but also non-Jews if they just simply believed in the Lord and acted accordingly.  To be a doer of the Word is what God is looking for. Doing the Word is the evidence that you truly believe in Him. Many are content to just understand the Word, and they believe in an intellectual sense, but their lives do not reflect what they believe. Intellectual belief alone is not sufficient to have the righteousness of God imputed to you! What the Lord seeks is a relationship, not just following rules and regulations. A true relationship will produce a desire to please the One who has rescued and delivered us, our Lord Jesus Christ! The rest of Romans 4 is an illustration of the faith that Abraham had in his Lord. In verse 16 Paul writes, “therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace so that the promise might be sure to all the seed not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are the faith of Abraham who was the father of us all.” I hope you can see that Paul was saying that the promise was not simply for the Jews but for anyone who would believe in the Lord and trust him.  Verse 19 begins a very powerful section of this chapter, and it begins with, “and not being weak in faith he did not consider his own body already dead since he was about 100 years old and the deadness of Sarah’s womb”. Remember, the promise was that they would have a son, and they waited patiently for the fulfillment of that promise. Here they were beyond the age of childbearing, and they still believed. Verse 20 says, “Speaking of Abraham he did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief but was strengthened in faith giving glory to God 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform 22 and therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness”. Can you see it? It’s by faith that we come to God. It’s by faith that we appropriate or receive the promises of God; it’s faith in the One who made the promises found in the Bible.  The Lord is the one from whom all blessings flow. In verse 23, Paul writes, “now it was not written for his sake (meaning Abraham) that it was imputed to him but for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification”. Hallelujah, he took away our sins, his righteousness was imputed upon us, and in God’s eyes, we are justified! Grace and Faith In my opinion, the following verses speak so clearly to the importance of grace and faith. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Remember, grace is receiving something that you don’t earn or deserve; it is a gift. Salvation is offered as a gift from God, and we receive that gift by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and him alone. Notice, that the gift is not based on works, which simply means it has nothing to do with your own efforts to make yourself worthy or to make yourself good enough. After all, how good is good enough? Grace doesn’t end with the gift of salvation, what grace does it creates a desire to please the One who has extended grace to us. As the scripture clearly says, “we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Simply put, God has a plan for your life, and as you walk out his plan, then you will see the blessings of God poured out on your life.  Remember you can’t please God without faith, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) As you go through life bring to remembrance, or remind yourself that, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Or as another translation puts it, Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” (TPT) 

116 Faith, Grace, and Law!

As we continue to look at the difference between Grace and Law, let me begin with the last message’s conclusion. “As human beings, we focus on the act of sin, which is the breaking of the Ten Commandments, but the breaking of the individual commandments reveals a deeper issue… disbelieving God and what He has […]

115 Grace, Law and Righteousness!

The title of this teaching is “Law or Grace what’s the difference?” I’m describing these two terms as mutually exclusive. Simply put, it is one or the other, but both cannot apply at the same time. The Apostle Paul makes a strong case that if you believe salvation is due to the observance of the […]

114 Grace and Law, What’s the Difference?

The Apostle Paul makes a strong statement to the Believers in Philippi, “being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” Philippians 1:6 What is the good work that He has started in you? Jesus makes this good work clear when He addressed the […]

113 He will Complete it!

Nuggets of Truth about Christ, Christians, and Christianity

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Pastor Vic's Nuggets of Truth

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