Good day, Mdm!
Well, what a journey! We've come a long way. We've been sharing quite a bit and I thought this week we should just go through quickly the key points. There is no point we flood ourselves with thousands of points (7 ways to be..., 10 secrets to ...., 5 steps to...),. All these could be well and good, but the moment when we start to focus on all these points, we are re-directing the focus on ourselves (self-conscious). Our focus should always be on Jesus and Him alone as a Christian. And I believe being a Christian should not be so complicated to the point of knowing the 7 steps or 10 ways or whatsoever. Focus on Jesus, plain and simple. Amen!
Our foundation is when we believe in Jesus, we are made righteous with God. His blood (free from tainted sin, we talk about this last week) was shed so that our sins are cleansed. We are make righteous because our sins were bored by Jesus at the cross. Sins were removed when we accepted Jesus as our Savior. So that, today we can stand boldly before God and receive His unmerited, undeserved favor and blessings. Amen! And when we look at the cross, we see how God is deeply in love with us. Because He did not withhold His Son, His only Son, the Son that He love to die on the cross for us. The Bible says that if God who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all--how will God not also, along with Jesus, graciously give us ALL things? Amen! Hallelujah!
But I don't feel good today? I've just scolded the taxi driver for making such a huge detour.... I don't feel right, I think God is not happy about this... Let's not confuse ourselves about our standing with God and our state. A baby who will inherit the wealth of his father may not be in the state of growing or investing or running a business with the wealth, but the standing still remain he will inherit the wealth of his father.
Our standing with God will NEVER change. Jesus has FINISHED the work. He alone has bored ALL our sins past, present & future. God no longer look at our sins today, He can't. If He punished us for our sins today, He will be unjust! How can our sins be punished when ALL have been dealt with at the cross 2000 years ago? Assuming, just assuming there is this possibly for someone to go to jail on your behalf for committing a crime. Assuming, that person went to jail on your behalf for 5 years. After 5 years, that person was released from prison. Question: Can the judge come to you and put you in prison for another 5 years for the same crime you committed 5 years ago? Of course NOT, because that will make the judge unjust since he is trying to punish the same crime twice, one on that person and one on you!
Likewise, today, when God look at us , He see Jesus. All our sins were punished on the cross. We may feel lousy today or feel sinful (our state), it does not change our standing as righteous in God's eye! Won't we sin more when we known we are forgiven? No, because when we know we are forgiven , we are empowered not to sin. The Bible says those who knew they are forgiven much, LOVE much (and NOT sin much).
Let's look at this story... John 8:2-11
2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Here, it talks about this woman caught in adultery. The Pharisees purposely brought her before Jesus to test Him. If Jesus said stone her, it would defeat His purpose of preaching Grace and if He said don't stone her, the Pharisees would accused Him of not following Mose's law.
Look how Jesus (of great wisdom) answered to them:" He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." And then, one by one left the scene.
Only Jesus and the woman left. But we know Jesus was qualified to throw the stone at her! Notice the Pharisees "They would if they could but they could not." And Jesus "He could if He would but He would not!" Hallelujah!
Now watch carefully what Jesus said to the woman:' Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more." Jesus offered her the forgiveness first (Grace) and told her to sin no more. Very often in the world today, they will tell you go and sin no more then they will forgive you. They got it upside down!
God want us to forgive first and then sin no more. Those who know they are forgiven much, LOVE much! God knew Grace is the answer to the fallen world. Grace is the antidote to bondage and sins. That's why He sent His Son (Grace) so that His blood cleansed our sins (forgiven) and empowered us to sin no more! Because whoever know they are forgiven much, love much! Amen! Hallelujah!
With that,I leave you with this verse 1 John 2:15-16
"15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. "
Notice this phrase "love of the Father" and not "love for the Father". That mean it is not about how much we love God, but it is about knowing how much He love us! When we focus on our love for Him, we become self-focus. When we focus on how much He love us, it is Jesus-focus.
Grace & peace be with you!
Shalom,
Bro
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Week 32: The Blood of Christ
Good day, Mdm!
Last week, we talk about the love of our Heavenly Father. And that unconditional love is forever displayed at the cross. Amen! Whenever we look at the cross, we know God is for us, His undeserved favor is with us, His love for us is everlasting. Amen!
Have you ever wonder, apart from Jesus, can anyone whom decided to go the cross be able to save mankind and accomplished the work which Jesus did by dying at the cross? The answer is no, of course. But why? Why only Jesus can save the world and nobody else is qualified?
The reason is because He is the Son of God. But this reason is not enough to explain why His death is justifiable to have the power to redeem every single soul and made them righteous before God.
To understand this, we need to understand what happen at the garden of Eden. In Genesis, when Adam sinned against God, his blood was tainted with sin. The entire human race is thus known as sinners because all the off-springs are tainted with sins and the original source is from Adam. (We discussed this before in previous discussion based on the verse Rom 5:19; another reference will be Rom 5:12).
Roman 5:12
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
With that in mind, imagine before the birth of Christ, if anyone, be it Abraham or David or Jacob or anyone, who was griefed with the fallen world and decided to sacrify his life to save the world, his blood would not have any redeeming power. Why? because his blood was tainted with sin.
What about Jesus? Isn't He born of virgin Mary whose blood was tainted with sin as well?
Here's an extract taken from this website :
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=38172
It explain God's foolproof strategy for bypassing the tainted blood of Adam :
"........conception occurs when the female ovum is united with the male sperm. Only after fertilization does life and embryonic growth commence. Cardiovascular development occurs soon after fertilization. Without fertilization there could be no blood.
Mary was unfertilized; meaning she didn't know a man in the biblical sense. She conceived the Son of God by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. The virgin birth produced a human being with sin-free blood that was not of Adamic origin.
Yet, Christ did have blood, didn't He? Therefore some form of fertilization must have taken place. She was impregnated by the Word of God through the Holy Spirit!
John 1:14 says, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth."
It is a biological fact that Mary could not have independently furnished Jesus with her blood. What she did supply was an egg that God would use to prepare Jesus' earthly body. Mary carried in her body the egg, which contained all the chromosomes to grow the fingers, toes, hands, ears, eyes, and nose, but she did not contribute directly to His blood; that was the work of the Holy Spirit.
As a baby develops in the womb, it is separated from the mother by the placenta. The mother's blood comes to the placenta, but stops there. It bathes the outside of the placenta, then through the process of osmosis, diffusion, and capillary attraction, the necessary nutrients and oxygen flow through the membrane that separates mother from child, and eventually pass into the baby's bloodstream through the umbilical cord. the infant's umbilical cord is attached to the placenta, not the mother. The mother's blood circulates on one side of the placenta. The baby's blood circulates on the other side.
The baby's blood, which is a self-contained cardiovascular system, doesn't mingle with its mother's blood. It receives nutrition and oxygen indirectly from her blood, but does not receive her blood itself. In fact, the child's blood is often a completely different blood type than the mother's.
The significance of the virgin birth means that because Jesus was truly born of a virgin, there is only one place His blood could have come from, and it wasn't of this earth! He had His Father's blood!"
Brilliant plan, isn't it? Come to think about it, it make no sense if God is after human sacrifice in the old testament. This is because the human blood were tainted with sin. How can a sinner be cleansed of sin by another human sacrifice whose blood were tainted with sin as well? That's why in the old testament, the sacrificial objects were always animals and never human being.
And the entire Bible voice down to ONLY one human sacrifice for the remission of sin. Not only His blood is not tainted with sin at birth, His entire earthly ministry was without sin. As much as He was tempted to sin, He kept His holiness. So that at the cross when He cried out "It is finished!", we know there is power in this divine blood He shed. It is no ordinary blood, it is not blood tainted with sin, it is the blood directly from our Heavenly Father! Amen! Precious as it is, the divine exchange took place as described in 2 Cor 5:21
2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Hallelujah! Now that you look at the cross, do you see a deeper meaning to this entire grace of our Lord and the love of our Heavenly Father?
The work is completed at the cross and therefore, there is nothing else we need to do but to believe our standing before God is righteous in Christ. Amen!
The next time when we take holy communion, remember when Jesus shed His blood, that blood is without blemished. That blood is more than qualified to cleanse us from our sins. And when we partake our communion in such manner, we are partaking in a manner worthy of His sacrifice. Amen!
Grace & peace be with you!
Shalom,
Bro
Last week, we talk about the love of our Heavenly Father. And that unconditional love is forever displayed at the cross. Amen! Whenever we look at the cross, we know God is for us, His undeserved favor is with us, His love for us is everlasting. Amen!
Have you ever wonder, apart from Jesus, can anyone whom decided to go the cross be able to save mankind and accomplished the work which Jesus did by dying at the cross? The answer is no, of course. But why? Why only Jesus can save the world and nobody else is qualified?
The reason is because He is the Son of God. But this reason is not enough to explain why His death is justifiable to have the power to redeem every single soul and made them righteous before God.
To understand this, we need to understand what happen at the garden of Eden. In Genesis, when Adam sinned against God, his blood was tainted with sin. The entire human race is thus known as sinners because all the off-springs are tainted with sins and the original source is from Adam. (We discussed this before in previous discussion based on the verse Rom 5:19; another reference will be Rom 5:12).
Roman 5:12
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
With that in mind, imagine before the birth of Christ, if anyone, be it Abraham or David or Jacob or anyone, who was griefed with the fallen world and decided to sacrify his life to save the world, his blood would not have any redeeming power. Why? because his blood was tainted with sin.
What about Jesus? Isn't He born of virgin Mary whose blood was tainted with sin as well?
Here's an extract taken from this website :
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=38172
It explain God's foolproof strategy for bypassing the tainted blood of Adam :
"........conception occurs when the female ovum is united with the male sperm. Only after fertilization does life and embryonic growth commence. Cardiovascular development occurs soon after fertilization. Without fertilization there could be no blood.
Mary was unfertilized; meaning she didn't know a man in the biblical sense. She conceived the Son of God by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. The virgin birth produced a human being with sin-free blood that was not of Adamic origin.
Yet, Christ did have blood, didn't He? Therefore some form of fertilization must have taken place. She was impregnated by the Word of God through the Holy Spirit!
John 1:14 says, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth."
It is a biological fact that Mary could not have independently furnished Jesus with her blood. What she did supply was an egg that God would use to prepare Jesus' earthly body. Mary carried in her body the egg, which contained all the chromosomes to grow the fingers, toes, hands, ears, eyes, and nose, but she did not contribute directly to His blood; that was the work of the Holy Spirit.
As a baby develops in the womb, it is separated from the mother by the placenta. The mother's blood comes to the placenta, but stops there. It bathes the outside of the placenta, then through the process of osmosis, diffusion, and capillary attraction, the necessary nutrients and oxygen flow through the membrane that separates mother from child, and eventually pass into the baby's bloodstream through the umbilical cord. the infant's umbilical cord is attached to the placenta, not the mother. The mother's blood circulates on one side of the placenta. The baby's blood circulates on the other side.
The baby's blood, which is a self-contained cardiovascular system, doesn't mingle with its mother's blood. It receives nutrition and oxygen indirectly from her blood, but does not receive her blood itself. In fact, the child's blood is often a completely different blood type than the mother's.
The significance of the virgin birth means that because Jesus was truly born of a virgin, there is only one place His blood could have come from, and it wasn't of this earth! He had His Father's blood!"
Brilliant plan, isn't it? Come to think about it, it make no sense if God is after human sacrifice in the old testament. This is because the human blood were tainted with sin. How can a sinner be cleansed of sin by another human sacrifice whose blood were tainted with sin as well? That's why in the old testament, the sacrificial objects were always animals and never human being.
And the entire Bible voice down to ONLY one human sacrifice for the remission of sin. Not only His blood is not tainted with sin at birth, His entire earthly ministry was without sin. As much as He was tempted to sin, He kept His holiness. So that at the cross when He cried out "It is finished!", we know there is power in this divine blood He shed. It is no ordinary blood, it is not blood tainted with sin, it is the blood directly from our Heavenly Father! Amen! Precious as it is, the divine exchange took place as described in 2 Cor 5:21
2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Hallelujah! Now that you look at the cross, do you see a deeper meaning to this entire grace of our Lord and the love of our Heavenly Father?
The work is completed at the cross and therefore, there is nothing else we need to do but to believe our standing before God is righteous in Christ. Amen!
The next time when we take holy communion, remember when Jesus shed His blood, that blood is without blemished. That blood is more than qualified to cleanse us from our sins. And when we partake our communion in such manner, we are partaking in a manner worthy of His sacrifice. Amen!
Grace & peace be with you!
Shalom,
Bro
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Week 31: His Perfect Love
Good day, Mdm!
In a few days time, we are celebrating the Good Friday! Hallehlujah! Our Lord, Jesus, He came 2000 years ago to give us life and more abundantly. The very fact that He rose on the 3rd day after He was crucified, signify that God was fully satisfied with what Jesus had done on the cross. He raised Jesus from the dead. Amen! Today death is no longer a threat to us when we are in Christ. Amen! Therefore, we can speak boldly to our circumstances which may seem death, but in the name of our Lord, Jesus, it will be resurrected. Amen!
If our job is heading to a dead-end, with our identity in Christ, we can speak forth a resurrection to our career.. If our health is deterioting, with our identity in Christ, we can speak forth healing and health to our body! Amen!
What He did 2000 years ago is so powerful even till today, under the new covenant of Grace, we can enjoy the blessings and favors of God as long as we believe in Jesus and His finished work. Amen! This is Good News!
Now let's take a step back and examine John 3:16, we know all these blessings and favors are possible because we have a God who love us so much.
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is one of the most famous verse among Christian. Sometime, when we are so familiar with a verse like this that we may miss the point.. Let's take a moment to examine this verse.
The word "so" speaks of intensity. e.g. I so loved the "char kuey teow" that I could have it every night for supper. We are so loved by God! But then, we can never know how much God love us until we know how much He love His Son.
The day when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist at Jordon river, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
And when Jesus together with Peter, James and John were at the Mount Transfiguration, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
From here, we can see that God is truly pleased with His Son. On two seperate occasion, He spoke and gave affirmation about His Son. Such affirmation cannot be found anywhere else in the Bible. Yet, God gave His one and only Son for us because He so loved us!
Last week, we talk about God hate sin and in order for men to have good standing before God in the old testament, a sacrifice was inevitable. But, of all the sacrifice then, God was not after human sacrifice. The only time He asked for a human sacrifice in the Bible is in Genesis 22.
God told Abraham to take his son, his only son Isaac, whom he love and offer him as a burnt offering. Even then, He was just testing Abraham and Isaac was not sacrified. And God said to Abraham "...now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Instead, today when we see Jesus at the cross as our sacrificial Lamb, we can say to God" ...now I know that You love me, since You have not withheld your Son, your only Son, the Son that You love, from me." Hallelujah!
We know God is just. And because He is just, He need to punish sin. Yet, God is love. To fulfil His judgement on sin and be reconciled with men, He sent His Son to be our sacrificial Lamb. Every punishment, every indignation fell upon Jesus and when Jesus exhausted every single drop of judgement for our sins, He cried out "It is finished!" Hallelujah! That shout is a victory proclamation!Satan is defeated and we are justified before God. Amen!
Today, we can no longer doubt if God love us. If we ever have such doubt, look at the cross. The cross is the sure symbol of God’s love for us. It is at the cross that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
As we come for the Easter celebration, let's come with a heart filled with His love and not doubt anything less. It will probably take us our entire life to truly understand the depth, the width, the length and the height of His love. But one thing is for sure, God’s love for you and I is displayed forever at the cross. Amen!
Happy Easter Day!
Shalom,
Bro
In a few days time, we are celebrating the Good Friday! Hallehlujah! Our Lord, Jesus, He came 2000 years ago to give us life and more abundantly. The very fact that He rose on the 3rd day after He was crucified, signify that God was fully satisfied with what Jesus had done on the cross. He raised Jesus from the dead. Amen! Today death is no longer a threat to us when we are in Christ. Amen! Therefore, we can speak boldly to our circumstances which may seem death, but in the name of our Lord, Jesus, it will be resurrected. Amen!
If our job is heading to a dead-end, with our identity in Christ, we can speak forth a resurrection to our career.. If our health is deterioting, with our identity in Christ, we can speak forth healing and health to our body! Amen!
What He did 2000 years ago is so powerful even till today, under the new covenant of Grace, we can enjoy the blessings and favors of God as long as we believe in Jesus and His finished work. Amen! This is Good News!
Now let's take a step back and examine John 3:16, we know all these blessings and favors are possible because we have a God who love us so much.
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is one of the most famous verse among Christian. Sometime, when we are so familiar with a verse like this that we may miss the point.. Let's take a moment to examine this verse.
The word "so" speaks of intensity. e.g. I so loved the "char kuey teow" that I could have it every night for supper. We are so loved by God! But then, we can never know how much God love us until we know how much He love His Son.
The day when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist at Jordon river, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
And when Jesus together with Peter, James and John were at the Mount Transfiguration, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
From here, we can see that God is truly pleased with His Son. On two seperate occasion, He spoke and gave affirmation about His Son. Such affirmation cannot be found anywhere else in the Bible. Yet, God gave His one and only Son for us because He so loved us!
Last week, we talk about God hate sin and in order for men to have good standing before God in the old testament, a sacrifice was inevitable. But, of all the sacrifice then, God was not after human sacrifice. The only time He asked for a human sacrifice in the Bible is in Genesis 22.
God told Abraham to take his son, his only son Isaac, whom he love and offer him as a burnt offering. Even then, He was just testing Abraham and Isaac was not sacrified. And God said to Abraham "...now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Instead, today when we see Jesus at the cross as our sacrificial Lamb, we can say to God" ...now I know that You love me, since You have not withheld your Son, your only Son, the Son that You love, from me." Hallelujah!
We know God is just. And because He is just, He need to punish sin. Yet, God is love. To fulfil His judgement on sin and be reconciled with men, He sent His Son to be our sacrificial Lamb. Every punishment, every indignation fell upon Jesus and when Jesus exhausted every single drop of judgement for our sins, He cried out "It is finished!" Hallelujah! That shout is a victory proclamation!Satan is defeated and we are justified before God. Amen!
Today, we can no longer doubt if God love us. If we ever have such doubt, look at the cross. The cross is the sure symbol of God’s love for us. It is at the cross that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
As we come for the Easter celebration, let's come with a heart filled with His love and not doubt anything less. It will probably take us our entire life to truly understand the depth, the width, the length and the height of His love. But one thing is for sure, God’s love for you and I is displayed forever at the cross. Amen!
Happy Easter Day!
Shalom,
Bro
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Week 30: We Are Forgiven
Hebrews 10:2
"... For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. "
What are we more conscious of today? Our sins or the fact that we have been forgiven? In the New Covenant, God do not want us to be sin-conscious. Instead, He want us to be conscious of Jesus and His finished work. The Lamb of God has taken away all our sins at the cross, so count on the fact that we are forgiven child of God!
No matter what has happened or what we have done, God want us to know that because of His Son’s finished work, He will be merciful to our unrighteousness, and our sins and lawless deeds He will remember no more. (Hebrews 8:12). Amen!
For that reason, we should not be conscious of our sins. In fact, when we are sin-conscious, the devil brings in condemnation, and the more we receive it and condemn ourselves, the more we will find ourselves unforgiving toward ourselves and even others.
A lady, who had cancer on her face, asked for prayer for healing, the Lord revealed to her that it was self-hatred that was keeping her from receiving her healing. She could not forgive herself and was full of self-condemnation.
When she realized her problem, she counted on the fact that God was merciful to her unrighteousness and that she was already forgiven. She received the love of God. Then, right before the pastor’s eyes, her whole face changed — she received her healing that very moment!
Something happens when we believe that we are forgiven. There is peace in our conscience. With that peace conscience, we do no try to please God with our doings. Instead, we set ourselves free from our own doings. We are no longer under the bondage of our own efforts, That is why God says “I want you to believe that all your sins I will remember no more. I want you to believe that you are My child enjoying My mercy and that you can always count on My forgiveness.”
Week 30: It Is Finished!
Good day, Mdm!
Last week, we talked about the old covenant & new covenant. It is important we ,as a believer, know what is installed for us in the new covenant because it will dictate how we carry ourselves as a Christian and live out our lives. Right believing produce right living.
Then, we went on to talk about Adam & Jesus. One who disobey God and brought sin into this world. The other One who obey God and became the sacrificial Lamb , shed His blood so that our sins are forgiven forever and our standing before God are ALWAYS righteous. Amen! And most importantly, we need to know this as a believer, we CANNOT un-do this righteousness. Because it is a gift, not self-righteousness but the gift of righteousness. The moment we receive Christ Jesus in our lives, we are given this gift of righteousness. The Bible says this in:
Romans 5:17
17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
and when we continue Roman 5:18-19
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
All these abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness are only for the new covenant believers. Just because it is free, don't walk away thinking "cheap grace". Just because it is free, don't treat this gift lightly. Jesus paid the price at the cross!
Unfortunately, today in this world, people tend to use this word "grace" loosely and cheapen the meaning. E.g. when we drive to a car park, a signboard at the entrance state " 10 minutes grace period". Even the word "redeem". E.g. If you collect ten stickers, you can redeem a water bottle (limited edition).
Worst of all, people start to use/curse our Lord's name when something bad happen in their life. This is how they value our Lord.
But, if we know the value of this Man, we will not say "cheap grace". "Redemption" is a BIG word and is more than just a limited edition water bottle.
The value of this Man is so great that even when He said "It is finished" at the cross, that work of His (redemption) is still effective 2000 years later for you and I. Hallelujah!
Now let's be clear with this. Jesus WAS NOT murdered! He laid down His life willingly. He chose to be led like a lamb to the slaughterhouse. He had so much favor that when He stood before Pontius Pilate, Pilate actually tried various means to release Jesus. Jesus had to keep His mouth shut in order to have Himself crucified!
He had the power at any time to stop the soldiers who held Him. In fact, the men who had gone to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane fell to the ground when He said,"I am..." Jesus had to wait for them to get up to arrest Him!
Jesus CHOSE to be subject to the beatings, abuse and scourging. He CHOSE to be crucified on the cross at Calvary. Through it all, He endured every act of torture, so that He could wash away all our sins and reconcile us to God. How can we help but love and worship our Savior, who paid such a heavy price for our salvation?
With such understanding, our posture as a Christian today is no longer about trying to focus on what must we DO to please God...All need to be done have already been DONE at the cross. That's why Jesus said "It is finished."
If I come to you and ask you "Do you need any help on baking that "kueh lapis"? You said "It is DONE." Question: Do I go to the kitchen and whip up more eggs & flour or do I sit down and enjoy the "kueh lapis" you made? If I go to the kitchen and whip up another "kueh lapis", I am literally saying your "kueh lapis" is not good enough, I am insulting your work.
Likewise, today, as a Christian, we sit down (rest) and enjoy on His finished work. We no longer try to do more righteous deeds to "earn" our healing or favor from God. If we try to put in our own effort to receive healing, we are literally saying Jesus finished work is not good enough, we are insulting His work. Amen!
Therefore, the focus is not on what to DO but on what is already DONE. Does His finished work include healing? Yes, then we confess healing & health over our body because of His finished work. Does His finished work include depression and taking away worries in our lives? Yes, then we confess deliverance from depression and worries because of His finished work. Does His finished work include favor from God? Yes, then we confess favor from God because of His finished work. Amen! Hallelujah!
Wow! I don't about you, but I am in love with Jesus. Not that I should boast in my own effort, the Bible say we love because He first love us. The fruit (result) of touching Grace is love, joy, peace.... Loving Jesus is out of the fruit of the Spirit (Christ-focus) and not out of the effort of flesh (self-focus). Only the fruit can sustain such love.
Do you know what is Jesus doing today at His Father right hand? I'll leave you with this passage to meditate:
Hebrews 10:11-14 (NKJV)
11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,
13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
Hebrews 10:11-14 (AMP)
11 Furthermore, every [human] priest stands [at his altar of service] ministering daily, offering the same sacrifices over and over again, which never are able to strip [from every side of us] the sins [that envelop us] and take them away—
12 Whereas this One [Christ], after He had offered a single sacrifice for our sins [that shall avail] for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,
13 Then to wait until His enemies should be made a stool beneath His feet.
14 For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed and perfected those who are consecrated and made holy.
Remember, Jesus has finished all the work. Our attitude today should be like Jesus today sit down (rest) with a throne attitude. Today, when the enemies come against us, we fight from victory and not for victory. Today, we behold His glory and not strive for His glory because we already have, we behold. That glory left at the garden of Eden when Adam sinned against God. That same glory is with us today because Jesus at the cross has purged ALL our sins. Amen! Hallelujah!
Grace & Peace be with you!
Shalom,
Bro
Last week, we talked about the old covenant & new covenant. It is important we ,as a believer, know what is installed for us in the new covenant because it will dictate how we carry ourselves as a Christian and live out our lives. Right believing produce right living.
Then, we went on to talk about Adam & Jesus. One who disobey God and brought sin into this world. The other One who obey God and became the sacrificial Lamb , shed His blood so that our sins are forgiven forever and our standing before God are ALWAYS righteous. Amen! And most importantly, we need to know this as a believer, we CANNOT un-do this righteousness. Because it is a gift, not self-righteousness but the gift of righteousness. The moment we receive Christ Jesus in our lives, we are given this gift of righteousness. The Bible says this in:
Romans 5:17
17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
and when we continue Roman 5:18-19
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
All these abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness are only for the new covenant believers. Just because it is free, don't walk away thinking "cheap grace". Just because it is free, don't treat this gift lightly. Jesus paid the price at the cross!
Unfortunately, today in this world, people tend to use this word "grace" loosely and cheapen the meaning. E.g. when we drive to a car park, a signboard at the entrance state " 10 minutes grace period". Even the word "redeem". E.g. If you collect ten stickers, you can redeem a water bottle (limited edition).
Worst of all, people start to use/curse our Lord's name when something bad happen in their life. This is how they value our Lord.
But, if we know the value of this Man, we will not say "cheap grace". "Redemption" is a BIG word and is more than just a limited edition water bottle.
The value of this Man is so great that even when He said "It is finished" at the cross, that work of His (redemption) is still effective 2000 years later for you and I. Hallelujah!
Now let's be clear with this. Jesus WAS NOT murdered! He laid down His life willingly. He chose to be led like a lamb to the slaughterhouse. He had so much favor that when He stood before Pontius Pilate, Pilate actually tried various means to release Jesus. Jesus had to keep His mouth shut in order to have Himself crucified!
He had the power at any time to stop the soldiers who held Him. In fact, the men who had gone to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane fell to the ground when He said,"I am..." Jesus had to wait for them to get up to arrest Him!
Jesus CHOSE to be subject to the beatings, abuse and scourging. He CHOSE to be crucified on the cross at Calvary. Through it all, He endured every act of torture, so that He could wash away all our sins and reconcile us to God. How can we help but love and worship our Savior, who paid such a heavy price for our salvation?
With such understanding, our posture as a Christian today is no longer about trying to focus on what must we DO to please God...All need to be done have already been DONE at the cross. That's why Jesus said "It is finished."
If I come to you and ask you "Do you need any help on baking that "kueh lapis"? You said "It is DONE." Question: Do I go to the kitchen and whip up more eggs & flour or do I sit down and enjoy the "kueh lapis" you made? If I go to the kitchen and whip up another "kueh lapis", I am literally saying your "kueh lapis" is not good enough, I am insulting your work.
Likewise, today, as a Christian, we sit down (rest) and enjoy on His finished work. We no longer try to do more righteous deeds to "earn" our healing or favor from God. If we try to put in our own effort to receive healing, we are literally saying Jesus finished work is not good enough, we are insulting His work. Amen!
Therefore, the focus is not on what to DO but on what is already DONE. Does His finished work include healing? Yes, then we confess healing & health over our body because of His finished work. Does His finished work include depression and taking away worries in our lives? Yes, then we confess deliverance from depression and worries because of His finished work. Does His finished work include favor from God? Yes, then we confess favor from God because of His finished work. Amen! Hallelujah!
Wow! I don't about you, but I am in love with Jesus. Not that I should boast in my own effort, the Bible say we love because He first love us. The fruit (result) of touching Grace is love, joy, peace.... Loving Jesus is out of the fruit of the Spirit (Christ-focus) and not out of the effort of flesh (self-focus). Only the fruit can sustain such love.
Do you know what is Jesus doing today at His Father right hand? I'll leave you with this passage to meditate:
Hebrews 10:11-14 (NKJV)
11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,
13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
Hebrews 10:11-14 (AMP)
11 Furthermore, every [human] priest stands [at his altar of service] ministering daily, offering the same sacrifices over and over again, which never are able to strip [from every side of us] the sins [that envelop us] and take them away—
12 Whereas this One [Christ], after He had offered a single sacrifice for our sins [that shall avail] for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,
13 Then to wait until His enemies should be made a stool beneath His feet.
14 For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed and perfected those who are consecrated and made holy.
Remember, Jesus has finished all the work. Our attitude today should be like Jesus today sit down (rest) with a throne attitude. Today, when the enemies come against us, we fight from victory and not for victory. Today, we behold His glory and not strive for His glory because we already have, we behold. That glory left at the garden of Eden when Adam sinned against God. That same glory is with us today because Jesus at the cross has purged ALL our sins. Amen! Hallelujah!
Grace & Peace be with you!
Shalom,
Bro
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Week 29: Foundation of Truth
Good day, Mdm!
Last week, we talked about Law & Grace. The Law which was written on stone is cold.Although it is just, it cannot justified you before God. It is righteous but it does not empower you not to sin. The law, also known as the old covenant, focus is on you — Thou shall not... Thou shall not... Thou shall not...
It is all about your performance, your obedience, your works.
But under the new covenant or Grace, God says, “I will put My laws in their mind... I will be their God... I will be merciful to their unrighteousness... their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” It is no longer you working for God, but God working for you, in you, through you!
When we buy insurance, we want to know what we are buying into, isn't it? What is the coverage, the amount insured, the premium paid, terms & conditions, etc..And when something happen, we would refer back to our insurance to see if it covers the accident and to what extend it covers.
Likewise, as a Christian, we want to know what covenant we have with our God today This is important, if our concept of God is an angry God, then we will always feel fearful especially when we sin.
Let's take a look at the covenant in Hebrews 8 (AMP)
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.
8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—
9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds[b] I will remember no more.”[c]
13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
From here, we understand that God find fault with the old covenant. This is because despite the goodness of law (do good get good, do bad get bad), men were unable to cope with the law. Instead of spending more time receiving God's blessing, man spend more time under the curse of the law. That also explain why when we flip to the last page of the old testament, God penned-off the word "curse."
And then, God introduce the new covenant, In this new covenant, God is merciful, God is gracious to our sins & God will not remember our unrighteousness deed.
What happen? Why is there a switch from old to new? Has God gone soft? Has God loosen His justice so that man can cope with His holiness? Why suddenly He become so merciful??
As much as we love this new covenant, has God bend His rules? If He does, He is no longer just. And if He is no longer just, He is no longer God. As a believer, we won't want a God who "happy, happy" turn soft or change His covenant, or else we will never have a sense of "security". We can never trust His words, let alone having faith in Him. Agree?
To really understand what this is all about, we have to go back to the beginning... Adam.
In Genesis, we know that Adam sin against God because he did not listen to God and ate of the tree of knowledge of good & evil. Sin entered the world and death become part of human life.
Today, we are associated with sin not because we sin but because of Adam's sin. No matter how many good works we do, it cannot change our status as a sinner. Just like a dog, no matter how many times the dog "meow", it does not change its status from a dog to a cat.
God hate sin. And because men have sin, none can come before God. In the old testament, sacrifice was the mean to atone (cover) one's sin and made him rigteous before God. In the Day of Atonement (Spiritual spring cleaning), the sinners would go through a sacrifical ritual to be justified (cleansed) before God. Such ritual involved sacrificing animals like lamb, the sinner laid his hand over the innocent animal (spotless, without blemish) and all the sins are transfered to the animal. At the same time, the innocence of the sacrified animal is trasnsferred to the sinner. The animal was then sacrified, blood shed and the sinner walked away cleansed by the blood, making him righteous before God.
If you want to have a more thorough understanding of this, go to Leviticus 16. But, I'll just highlight this verse Leviticus 16:30
30 For on this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the Lord.
So as you can see, for a sinner to come before God, someone has to be sacrified, blood has to be shed. This is called sin offering. God is just. Once a sacrifice take the place of sinner, the sinner is justified righteous before God. The sin in the sinner are cleansed by the blood of the sacrifice. In other words, God cannot judge the sinner anymore because that judgement was done on the sacrifice.
With that understanding, we know in the new covenant, our sacrifical lamb is Jesus. He shed His blood so that our sins are forgiven. Today, we can stand righteous before God not because of our righteous deed, but it is through His sacrifice, our sins are judged. Today, we walk away sinless because our sins are bored by Jesus at the cross and in exchange we receive His righteousness.
"How can that be possible?" This is the foundation of a Christian. We believe when we were sinners because of Adam's sin and no matter how many good deeds we do, we cannot un-do the fact that we were sinners. "That's so unfair??"
Now that we are a believer, our standing before God is righteous in Christ. Our identity in Christ before God is righteous and no matter how many sinful deeds we do cannot un-do our righteous standing before God. "Are you sure?" "You mean I can go out and sin and still God consider me righteous?"
I believe this is the area most believer are struggling. Now, let put the two "Adam" together and compare...Adam & Jesus
We said that in Adam, we were sinners. No matter how many good deeds we do, we cannot un-do the status as a sinner.
Now, in Christ Jesus, we become righteous before God. And then, we sin. Does that make us unrighteous before God now? If it does, we are saying that Adam is more powerful than Jesus?? Because as a sinner, we cannot un-do our sinner status. But as a Christian, we can un-do our righteousness before God??? What Jesus did on the cross can be un-do and yet what Adam did at the Garden of Eden cannot be un-do. Something is terribly wrong here, isn't it? How can Adam's act be greater than the finished work of Jesus? If that's the case, we don't even need to have new testament in the Bible. God would have sent Jesus to this earth in vain.
The truth is Jesus's finished work redeem us from sin. Today, we do not need to do anything but to believe. "But, how can God forgive us and not be angry with us even when we sin after being saved?"
God cannot and will not punished us when we sin. If He does, He is saying the punishment He did on His Son at the cross is not enough. If He punished us, He is no longer just because He cannot punish sin twice (this is called the Law of double jeopady), once on Jesus and the other on us.
"With this established truth, isn't Grace make people to sin more since God no longer judge our sin as believer?" No, Grace is the antidote to sin. Grace will produce the fruit in us joy, peace, love.... Grace will empower us to overcome sin.
With this, let me stop here and leave you with this passage. This passage is the very foundational verses for us as a Christian. Please take time to slowly chew on it. Once this foundation is established in your heart, it will bring forth the truth, the faith, the right believing and right standing before our God. Only then, we can experience His unmerited favor and be empowered to live a victorious life!
Romans 5:19-21(NKJV)
19 For as by one man’s disobedience (Adam) many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience (Jesus) many will be made righteous.
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.
Romans 5:19-21(AMP)
19 For just as by one man’s disobedience (failing to hear, [k]heedlessness, and carelessness) the many were constituted sinners, so by one Man’s obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with Him).
20 But then Law came in, [only] to expand and increase the trespass [making it more apparent and exciting opposition]. But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God’s unmerited favor) has surpassed it and increased the more and superabounded,
21 So that, [just] as sin has reigned in death, [so] grace (His unearned and undeserved favor) might reign also through righteousness (right standing with God) which issues in eternal life through Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) our Lord.
Shalom,
Bro
Last week, we talked about Law & Grace. The Law which was written on stone is cold.Although it is just, it cannot justified you before God. It is righteous but it does not empower you not to sin. The law, also known as the old covenant, focus is on you — Thou shall not... Thou shall not... Thou shall not...
It is all about your performance, your obedience, your works.
But under the new covenant or Grace, God says, “I will put My laws in their mind... I will be their God... I will be merciful to their unrighteousness... their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” It is no longer you working for God, but God working for you, in you, through you!
When we buy insurance, we want to know what we are buying into, isn't it? What is the coverage, the amount insured, the premium paid, terms & conditions, etc..And when something happen, we would refer back to our insurance to see if it covers the accident and to what extend it covers.
Likewise, as a Christian, we want to know what covenant we have with our God today This is important, if our concept of God is an angry God, then we will always feel fearful especially when we sin.
Let's take a look at the covenant in Hebrews 8 (AMP)
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.
8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—
9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds[b] I will remember no more.”[c]
13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
From here, we understand that God find fault with the old covenant. This is because despite the goodness of law (do good get good, do bad get bad), men were unable to cope with the law. Instead of spending more time receiving God's blessing, man spend more time under the curse of the law. That also explain why when we flip to the last page of the old testament, God penned-off the word "curse."
And then, God introduce the new covenant, In this new covenant, God is merciful, God is gracious to our sins & God will not remember our unrighteousness deed.
What happen? Why is there a switch from old to new? Has God gone soft? Has God loosen His justice so that man can cope with His holiness? Why suddenly He become so merciful??
As much as we love this new covenant, has God bend His rules? If He does, He is no longer just. And if He is no longer just, He is no longer God. As a believer, we won't want a God who "happy, happy" turn soft or change His covenant, or else we will never have a sense of "security". We can never trust His words, let alone having faith in Him. Agree?
To really understand what this is all about, we have to go back to the beginning... Adam.
In Genesis, we know that Adam sin against God because he did not listen to God and ate of the tree of knowledge of good & evil. Sin entered the world and death become part of human life.
Today, we are associated with sin not because we sin but because of Adam's sin. No matter how many good works we do, it cannot change our status as a sinner. Just like a dog, no matter how many times the dog "meow", it does not change its status from a dog to a cat.
God hate sin. And because men have sin, none can come before God. In the old testament, sacrifice was the mean to atone (cover) one's sin and made him rigteous before God. In the Day of Atonement (Spiritual spring cleaning), the sinners would go through a sacrifical ritual to be justified (cleansed) before God. Such ritual involved sacrificing animals like lamb, the sinner laid his hand over the innocent animal (spotless, without blemish) and all the sins are transfered to the animal. At the same time, the innocence of the sacrified animal is trasnsferred to the sinner. The animal was then sacrified, blood shed and the sinner walked away cleansed by the blood, making him righteous before God.
If you want to have a more thorough understanding of this, go to Leviticus 16. But, I'll just highlight this verse Leviticus 16:30
30 For on this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the Lord.
So as you can see, for a sinner to come before God, someone has to be sacrified, blood has to be shed. This is called sin offering. God is just. Once a sacrifice take the place of sinner, the sinner is justified righteous before God. The sin in the sinner are cleansed by the blood of the sacrifice. In other words, God cannot judge the sinner anymore because that judgement was done on the sacrifice.
With that understanding, we know in the new covenant, our sacrifical lamb is Jesus. He shed His blood so that our sins are forgiven. Today, we can stand righteous before God not because of our righteous deed, but it is through His sacrifice, our sins are judged. Today, we walk away sinless because our sins are bored by Jesus at the cross and in exchange we receive His righteousness.
"How can that be possible?" This is the foundation of a Christian. We believe when we were sinners because of Adam's sin and no matter how many good deeds we do, we cannot un-do the fact that we were sinners. "That's so unfair??"
Now that we are a believer, our standing before God is righteous in Christ. Our identity in Christ before God is righteous and no matter how many sinful deeds we do cannot un-do our righteous standing before God. "Are you sure?" "You mean I can go out and sin and still God consider me righteous?"
I believe this is the area most believer are struggling. Now, let put the two "Adam" together and compare...Adam & Jesus
We said that in Adam, we were sinners. No matter how many good deeds we do, we cannot un-do the status as a sinner.
Now, in Christ Jesus, we become righteous before God. And then, we sin. Does that make us unrighteous before God now? If it does, we are saying that Adam is more powerful than Jesus?? Because as a sinner, we cannot un-do our sinner status. But as a Christian, we can un-do our righteousness before God??? What Jesus did on the cross can be un-do and yet what Adam did at the Garden of Eden cannot be un-do. Something is terribly wrong here, isn't it? How can Adam's act be greater than the finished work of Jesus? If that's the case, we don't even need to have new testament in the Bible. God would have sent Jesus to this earth in vain.
The truth is Jesus's finished work redeem us from sin. Today, we do not need to do anything but to believe. "But, how can God forgive us and not be angry with us even when we sin after being saved?"
God cannot and will not punished us when we sin. If He does, He is saying the punishment He did on His Son at the cross is not enough. If He punished us, He is no longer just because He cannot punish sin twice (this is called the Law of double jeopady), once on Jesus and the other on us.
"With this established truth, isn't Grace make people to sin more since God no longer judge our sin as believer?" No, Grace is the antidote to sin. Grace will produce the fruit in us joy, peace, love.... Grace will empower us to overcome sin.
With this, let me stop here and leave you with this passage. This passage is the very foundational verses for us as a Christian. Please take time to slowly chew on it. Once this foundation is established in your heart, it will bring forth the truth, the faith, the right believing and right standing before our God. Only then, we can experience His unmerited favor and be empowered to live a victorious life!
Romans 5:19-21(NKJV)
19 For as by one man’s disobedience (Adam) many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience (Jesus) many will be made righteous.
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.
Romans 5:19-21(AMP)
19 For just as by one man’s disobedience (failing to hear, [k]heedlessness, and carelessness) the many were constituted sinners, so by one Man’s obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with Him).
20 But then Law came in, [only] to expand and increase the trespass [making it more apparent and exciting opposition]. But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God’s unmerited favor) has surpassed it and increased the more and superabounded,
21 So that, [just] as sin has reigned in death, [so] grace (His unearned and undeserved favor) might reign also through righteousness (right standing with God) which issues in eternal life through Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) our Lord.
Shalom,
Bro
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