"To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved." Ephesians 1:6
Do you think of yourself as accepted by God? I mean walk right into the Throne Room without guilt, without fear, and know beyond any doubt that you can be there, welcomed and expected? This is how we should think of ourselves, because we are now accepted in Jesus. We should think that our acceptance is sure because it is God that has insured it, God is the one Who has made us accepted. "Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Our Father has made us accepted, not our works, not our prayers, not our thoughts, not our moods, not our church attendance, no physical action on our part has made us accepted. Our Father has sealed us with Himself, and so my friends we are sealed and accepted and no man or no thing can take that away, including ourselves. Accepting this Truth is not a burden placed solely on us alone. God is our Father and He plays a major role in creating within us a spirit and knowledge of our acceptance. “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” Romans 8:16 Praise Jesus, God has made us accepted!
As a Father I am responsible to raise my children up in the way they are to go. If they doubt that they are my kids, if I don’t provide for them, educate them, or protect them, what type a parent would I be? If I allowed them into harms way, wouldn’t I be held accountable? What if I made them feel that they were not accepted to me, or as so many Christians feel about God, that they cannot be acceptable? I hope you are seeing what I am saying here? Our Father is right there with us, revealing Himself to us, showing us that He loves us, just as He loves Jesus. In nothing are we ever left alone, our Father actively has His hands and His presence in all areas of our lives! Even if it is an area on our life that needs cleaned up; He is the Gardener that prunes off the branches of our lives that do not produce fruit!
Here is another powerful example of God playing a role in our life’s "My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand." John 10:29 No person can take away our acceptance. No man can take our acceptance, but here is a question, can we take it away from ourselves? Can we at one time be accepted, and than remove ourselves from it?
"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you." 1 Corinthians 3:13-16
Do you think of yourself as accepted by God? I mean walk right into the Throne Room without guilt, without fear, and know beyond any doubt that you can be there, welcomed and expected? This is how we should think of ourselves, because we are now accepted in Jesus. We should think that our acceptance is sure because it is God that has insured it, God is the one Who has made us accepted. "Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Our Father has made us accepted, not our works, not our prayers, not our thoughts, not our moods, not our church attendance, no physical action on our part has made us accepted. Our Father has sealed us with Himself, and so my friends we are sealed and accepted and no man or no thing can take that away, including ourselves. Accepting this Truth is not a burden placed solely on us alone. God is our Father and He plays a major role in creating within us a spirit and knowledge of our acceptance. “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” Romans 8:16 Praise Jesus, God has made us accepted!
As a Father I am responsible to raise my children up in the way they are to go. If they doubt that they are my kids, if I don’t provide for them, educate them, or protect them, what type a parent would I be? If I allowed them into harms way, wouldn’t I be held accountable? What if I made them feel that they were not accepted to me, or as so many Christians feel about God, that they cannot be acceptable? I hope you are seeing what I am saying here? Our Father is right there with us, revealing Himself to us, showing us that He loves us, just as He loves Jesus. In nothing are we ever left alone, our Father actively has His hands and His presence in all areas of our lives! Even if it is an area on our life that needs cleaned up; He is the Gardener that prunes off the branches of our lives that do not produce fruit!
Here is another powerful example of God playing a role in our life’s "My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand." John 10:29 No person can take away our acceptance. No man can take our acceptance, but here is a question, can we take it away from ourselves? Can we at one time be accepted, and than remove ourselves from it?
"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you." 1 Corinthians 3:13-16
This verse just teaches it so plainly, that once we are saved, truly saved, we are eternally saved. All of our works may not be so great, but our acceptance is sure and eternal! Our acceptance by our Father has been insured by Jesus Himself, not by us, “He hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Look at the first part of Ephesians 1:6, “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” If our acceptance was based on our personal performance, this verse would have to read, “to the praise of our ability to earn His grace.” Everything we do may not measure up, but if we have truly accepted Jesus as our Lord, God eternally accepts us. This is why we can praise the glory of His grace, it’s a free gift!
Now there will be many which confess salvation, but remember the test, all who say Lord, Lord, are not necessarily saved. "Hereby we know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God." 1 John 4:2 Just because someone says that they are a Christian, test them to see whether they confess that Jesus is in their flesh, that is the test of true salvation. These people may seem religious, but their hearts are far from God, as 1 John teaches, they are the spirit of anti-christ. Jesus teaches such people are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They may appear to be nice and humble, but if they are in any way denying the power of God, they are wolves! Look at how Jesus spoke to Peter in Mark 8:33 when he was just trying to be nice, “But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.” We are accepted by our Father because of Jesus, anything different, regardless of how it may sound, is not of God!
"For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Colossians 3:3 Today we are dead, yet we are so alive in Christ that we are accepted and we are sealed! Walk in victory and power, faith and love, you are accepted by God Himself. Pray for me that I am able to accomplish all that our Father has called me to do, and I will pray the same for you! Pray that we all really come to know this and walk in it, that we are accepted by grace, not by works. The freedom that comes with this is so powerful. “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:21 When we realize that we are accepted apart from works, there goes condemnation, and when condemnation is gone, there is confidence. Confidence that we are pleasing to our Father, because we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to accept what He has provided for us, salvation through Christ! We have been empowered to accept that He is with us, leading us, guiding us, helping us, giving us the spirit, the faith, the hope, and the abilities do so! We are not alone, we are accepted because of Jesus, and this brings confidence, and when we are confident in Him, than are we able to truly serve and truly able to be used by Him to produce eternal fruit! Works do not bring our acceptance, but being chosen and accepted by God sure will bring forth works! Hallelujah, that is good!
Now there will be many which confess salvation, but remember the test, all who say Lord, Lord, are not necessarily saved. "Hereby we know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God." 1 John 4:2 Just because someone says that they are a Christian, test them to see whether they confess that Jesus is in their flesh, that is the test of true salvation. These people may seem religious, but their hearts are far from God, as 1 John teaches, they are the spirit of anti-christ. Jesus teaches such people are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They may appear to be nice and humble, but if they are in any way denying the power of God, they are wolves! Look at how Jesus spoke to Peter in Mark 8:33 when he was just trying to be nice, “But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.” We are accepted by our Father because of Jesus, anything different, regardless of how it may sound, is not of God!
"For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Colossians 3:3 Today we are dead, yet we are so alive in Christ that we are accepted and we are sealed! Walk in victory and power, faith and love, you are accepted by God Himself. Pray for me that I am able to accomplish all that our Father has called me to do, and I will pray the same for you! Pray that we all really come to know this and walk in it, that we are accepted by grace, not by works. The freedom that comes with this is so powerful. “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:21 When we realize that we are accepted apart from works, there goes condemnation, and when condemnation is gone, there is confidence. Confidence that we are pleasing to our Father, because we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to accept what He has provided for us, salvation through Christ! We have been empowered to accept that He is with us, leading us, guiding us, helping us, giving us the spirit, the faith, the hope, and the abilities do so! We are not alone, we are accepted because of Jesus, and this brings confidence, and when we are confident in Him, than are we able to truly serve and truly able to be used by Him to produce eternal fruit! Works do not bring our acceptance, but being chosen and accepted by God sure will bring forth works! Hallelujah, that is good!
1 comment:
Thank you for using your gifts to bless others. God spoke to me a week ago about how I should receive His acceptance in the Beloved, Jesus Christ. I heard this message on the radio from the Alternative, the radio ministry of Dr. Tony Evans in Dallas, Texas. I going to print out your notes and read them and pray that I learn to accept myself because God has accepted me.
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