People have said, "we've heard about or read your outlines and stepped into the Grace of God." And listen folks, for those who have been under the heavy hand of legalism, to step into the Grace of God is something that you cannot comprehend. It is total freedom from all the weight of a works religion. So this is why we constantly proclaim that God is only looking for those who are willing to believe, and to exercise their total trust in what God has done. We’ll be looking at that a little later on. So now the problem then has been from day one, that:
Hebrews 4:2b
"…the word preached was not mixed (or united with what?) faith in them that heard it."
Faith! Paul uses the word faith which is a living trust or a conviction of the truth when heard or received within one. Again, lets go back to Kadesh, because that’s what the Scripture is always doing. And here we have Israel at the gates of the Promised Land at Kadesh, and God has told them in plain language, "Go in and take it, there’ll be no opposition, you don’t have to fear the Canaanites, because they’ll be gone. You don’t have to worry about starving to death, because you’re going to take over their farms and their vineyards. You don’t have to worry about the elements, because you’re going to be able to take over their dwelling places, it’s all ready for you. I’ve let them work for four hundred years to get it all ready for you." And now because of the Canaanites’ abject wickedness, God in all fairness says "I will drive them out and let you come in."
That’s what God told them. But they didn’t mix all of that with what? Simple trusting. All they would have had to do is believe what God said, but they couldn’t. And you see it’s the same way when we proclaim this Gospel of the Grace of God. We can show from the Scriptures how it’s so simple that you just simply say, "Yes God I believe it with all my heart," and expect God to respond and He will. Today what does God expect us to do? Place our self will and self love (sin, covetousness and lawlessness) into His hands. How, you may ask? For that answer we'll have to turn to the disciples prayer that Jesus taught them found in Matthew chapter 6 verse 10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Then what did Jesus say in in Matthew 26:42? “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” We're the earthen vessel through which God seeks to do His Will. When and only when we've surrendered our will into His hands. The every thing Israel could and did not understand and still doesn't, nor does the church world as we know it understand. Why? Unbelief!
II Corinthians. Let’s turn to it so that we don’t just let it go in one ear and out the other. What you see, you’ll remember a lot longer than what you hear. II Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17. All right, listen to it.
II Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if any man (now of course, that is a generic term, means women, boys, girls, etc.) be in Christ, he is a new creature: (or creation) old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Now we're going to ask a question. How many of us profess to be a Christian? Please read the verse again.
II Corinthians 5:17
"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; (or creation) old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
How many of us are in Christ and have been made a new creation? Can you see only a true believer ever becomes in Christ, because the simplest believer is in Christ. But you see the vast majority of Christendom has no concept of what it means to be in Christ and to become a new creation. We’re talking about one who is not resting on self, one who is not resting on his denomination, one who is not resting on his local church. He’s not resting on his good works, he’s not resting on how much money he gives, he’s not resting on anything that he can do in the flesh, but rather he’s resting only on that finished work of the Cross. And this is the BIG one the Last Supper and no through Christ's return to the heavenliest. Then when we believe that, we become a member of Christ. We are then in Him! By His faith we're in Him and action taken by God, that we are required to except by trust a lone.
See, our whole prerogative of teaching is to bring people out of their lethargy of thinking they’re a Christian because of something they have done or some act that they have precipitated, but they have never trusted Paul’s Gospel. There are legions of people in the church like that. That’s why it behooves us to just simply teach the truth. You see in this ministry we're not trying to get church members, we're not trying to twist people’s arms, and we're not trying to build an organization. All we're trying to do is to get people ready for eternity. And the best way to get ready for eternity is to study this Book. With an open heart ready to receive of the Lord what He alone can instill within the receptive one.
People, can argue out of their ignorance, and out of their tradition, but once the Lord truly saves them, then this Book becomes the Living Word of God, then they can see, yes, they’ve been wrong. His Life restored to us, in us makes all the difference in the world. And that’s all we try to do is just simply make it as plain as God’s Word does. All right, so all of these opportunities for salvation, whether it was back there in the Garden of Eden, whether it was Abel, whether it was Abraham, whether it was Moses, whether it was Peter, or whether it was now someone in this Age of Grace, it always had to be mixed with trust. Always.
Let us show you. Come back to Hebrews chapter 11. We think most of you, if you’ve had any church background at all, know that this is called the what? The great faith chapter. The whole chapter epitomizes the word Faith. Starting with verse 1 of Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith (taking God at his Word, trusting Him) is the substance (what is substance? It’s the meat. It’s the very crux of the matter. It’s the core. Alright, Faith is the substance) of things hoped for, the evidence of things (what?) not seen."
In the invisible. The only way you can comprehend it is by trust and don’t ever lose sight of our definition of faith. What? Taking God at his Word! Don’t believe what I say, believe what God says. Next verse.
No comments:
Post a Comment