Righteousness Part III

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:22-23

The Truth is that we are freely justified by our Father's Grace through Jesus our Lord. Freely, we just can’t hear that enough. Sure we all have fallen short of His glory, we can’t help it.

For God has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all [alike]. Romans 11:32

We all have been made to mess up, which is why Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would have His glory, because ours isn’t enough, it never has been enough and it never will be. 

I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: John 17:22

We all need to move on past the principle of Christ that says we have forgiveness of sins, so many of us dwell there. We need to move on to perfection, walking in the victory and love of the righteousness that has been freely bestowed on us! Freely, without any works, we have been made righteous, virtuous, morally upright, free from the guilt and sin. We are now approved and accepted by God, and through Jesus we are now faultless. Jesus has saved us to the uttermost, Hebrews 7:25. We are now one with the One Who is sanctified and Who sanctifies, and He is not ashamed to call us His brethren, Hebrews 2:11. The power of our sanctification solely lies on our Lord and Savior Who He ever lives to intercede for us so that we are absolutely and completely saved to the uttermost. Jesus is greater in us than anything or anyone in this world!

Righteousness Part II

May you abound in and be filled with the fruits of righteousness (of right standing with God and right doing) which come through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One), to the honor and praise of God [that His glory may be both manifested and recognized]. Philippians 1:11

Our righteousness only comes from Jesus and His righteousness brings praise and glory unto our Father. We have no ability on our own, or through our own strength to be faultless; yet for those of us who have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus as Lord, His Blood makes us faultless, Hebrews 13:2. Man has no ability on his own to be sinless, yet for those of us who have been chosen and born again, who have God’s Seed within us, and because of our Fathers power, we cannot sin, 1 John 3:9. Man apart from God cannot be upright and virtuous, but God has given us a new heart and has placed His Spirit within us, and He causes us to walk virtuously and uprightly in the power of His might, Ezekiel 36:26-30. Righteousness and all that it means can only be had by Jesus freely given it to us. We can’t will righteousness into our lives, we can’t even come close to accomplishing righteousness; our righteousness is as filthy rags.

Thank God that we are no longer required to operate in our own righteousness. Through Christ we are now filled with the complete and full power of our Saviors righteousness and since we are, it brings praise and glory unto our Father. If we were righteous on our own, if we conformed to God’s will through our own efforts, it would bring praise and glory to us, because we did it. But since we can’t do it, yet righteousness is still the measure of if someone is saved, it brings glory to our Father. Every bit as much as the Israelites had no ability to part the Red Sea and escape the Egyptian Army, yet it happened and they did escape, so it is with us regarding righteousness! We have escaped the death of sin, by the act of righteousness bestowed on us by God! Through Jesus the righteousness requirements of life have been fully met within us. 

So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met within us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit.] Romans 8:4

Righteousness

If you know (perceive and are sure) that He [Christ] is [absolutely] righteous [conforming to the Father’s will and purpose, thought, and action], you may also know (be sure) that everyone who does righteously [and is therefore in like manner conformed to the Divine will is born (begotten) of Him [God]. 1 John 2:29 

As we begin this study on righteousness, let’s first look at what righteousness actually means. According to the Dictionary and Strong’s Concordance righteousness means to be morally upright, virtuous, without guilt or sin, innocent, faultless, approved and accepted by God, one whose thinking, feeling, and acting is conformed to the will of God, and finally to have integrity. So we can take these meanings and replace them for righteousness and be saying the exact same thing.

With that in mind, we can accurately say for us to know that someone is born again of God they must be morally upright, virtues, guiltless, sinless, innocent, faultless, accepted by God, and one whose thoughts, actions, and feelings are conformed to God’s will. All of these things must also be in a like manner to Christ’s righteousness! Our Father had John write it, so it’s Truth! 

Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe that most Christians have this mind within them. But as we have done so many times before with these studies, we are going to look at our Father's Word and we are going to see what the Truth is, and faith will come to us by hearing and studying the Truth of the Word. The Word will give us hope that extends past our own abilities and it will transcend us into the reality of God’s abilities. So get pumped up because we are going to see that because of Jesus’ success, we are righteous, even as He is righteous. 

What Exactly Is Sin's Power?

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of the letter. Romans 7:6

THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:1-2

Many believe that the strength of sin is the devil or our flesh. But our Father tells us that the strength of sin was the Law. The strength of sin was the Ten Commandments. It was the Law that made sin strong. Our Father knew that we could never even keep the least of the Law and that is why He delivered us completely from it. That’s right, we are delivered from the Ten Commandments. We are delivered from keeping one day holier than another. We are delivered from our thoughts and amen we are even delivered from our actions. Through Christ we no longer serve by the oldness of the letter of the Law.

There is no longer any condemnation for you and I. Jesus has delivered us from the Law. So there is no more death for us, we have passed on to life. We now have life and we now have it more abundantly in Christ. We now serve by being one with our Father through our Lord and Savior, Jesus. The Law that said do this wrong and there was death has been removed from us. It has been removed as far as the East is from the West. We now have liberty in Christ, complete and total freedom in Him.

To the unsaved, who have a form of godliness, but who deny the power of it, 2 Timothy 3:5, this is a scary thing. But for those of us who have been called and chosen it is a glorious thing. It is glorious because we have been allowed to know the Truth that has set us free. We know that Jesus is our Head. We know that our Lord is our Shepherd and that He now leads us in everything. We have not been given a spirit that fears our freedom in Christ, but one that celebrates it. Our Father is not passively sitting by when it comes to us. He is active and directly involved and empowering in every detail of our lives. So we now have complete and total freedom and we no longer have to fear death.

Does God Want Us To Do Things On Our Own?

Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. John15:4-5

There is a very religious statement that is right out of the sermon of the anti-christ and it is this: God helps those who help themselves. I received an email once stating that the President was mocking God by denying that God wants us to help ourselves. The Truth is that our Father doesn’t want us to ever, under any circumstance, do anything without Him. Jesus tells us very plainly that we can do nothing without Him. It is a flat out lie, and it will be used mightily by the anti-christ, that we are to do things on our own. Jesus tells us that He will actually deny that He ever knew people who claim that they have done things on their own, even when they say that they are doing it in His Name.

Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name? And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands]. Matthew 7:22-23

Jesus tells us that it is a wicked thing to say that we have done anything on our own, even if we say that we are doing it for Him. The Truth is that greater is He that is in us. The Truth is that we are only more than conquerors because of Christ working through us. The Truth is that we can do absolutely nothing on our own. A confession of anything other than the Truth is wicked! We never, and I mean ever, do something first on our own, so that our Father can then do something for us or through us. Our Father never leaves us and He never forsakes us. He is 100% of the time our Head, our Vine, our Gardener, our Potter, and our Shepherd. If our Father doesn’t first cause us to do it, it will never be done. 

Hope Is Never Disappointing

Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given us. Romans 5:5

Hope in the Truth of our Father never disappoints or shames us! Wow! Hope never disappoints us! I don’t know about you, but it is far easier for me to hope for something then to believe for it. I can easily hope for the winning lottery ticket to be given to me by a stranger, while it is hard for me to believe it. It is easy to have a hope for our Father to use us and will never disappoint us or shame us to have such hope. We won’t ever be disappointed because our Father has poured His love into our hearts. We are told in the Bible that faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things not seen, and hope in God’s Word never disappoints us! Satan has crept into religion; He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and he has tried to delude this awesome Truth.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Matthew 7:15

Satan uses false prophets who speak so softly, they profess things like perfection in Christ is arrogance and cannot be enjoyed by mere humans. They teach that we are only men and that our free will’s drive our lives. This is why our Father is having us going over scripture after scripture that proclaim His Truth that has set us free. Because God’s Word says something entirely different about who we are now in Christ.

So if we can get people to hear the Truth of who we are now in Christ, hope will come, then faith, true faith, Authored and Finished by Jesus Himself! Jesus will Author His faith through us that will allow Him to transform the world, faith that will set the captives free. The Truth will allow our Father to do His works through us just as He did through Jesus. The Truth will go even farther and allow our Father to do greater works then He did through Jesus, because Jesus has been raised from the dead, John 14:12!

This is why our Father keeps us writing and talking about His Word, because He wants people to hope for the Truth. As Paul wrote, how can we hear the Truth without a preacher, and how can we preach the Truth without the Word, Romans 10:14? Praise God we are all able bodied ministers through the strength of our Lord and Savior Jesus! So hope for greatness in Christ. Hope to be used today to do great works. Hope for perfection, wisdom, peace, joy, faith, and love today, you will not be disappointed and you will not be shamed. Hope for greatness today!

But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides. So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:33-34

We HAve Been Given The Best Of God

But it is God Who confirms and makes us steadfast and establishes us [in joint fellowship] with you in Christ, and has consecrated and anointed us [enduing us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit]; [He has also appropriated and acknowledged us as His by] putting His seal upon us and giving us His [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as the security deposit and guarantee [of the fulfillment of His promise]. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

The Anointing of our Father, which is Christ, has established us. Our Father's anointing has sealed us and because it has, we are able to be taught all things and be used by our Father to do all things! We can now be used to do all things by our Father through Christ Who strengthens us! We are now strong in the Lord with the power of His might! The earnest of our Father and all of His fullness now abides within us! We have the best of God, we have His all, and we are sealed with it until the Day that Jesus returns!

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).Ephesians 4:30

The Holy Spirit has sealed us until Jesus returns! Our Father has strengthened us with His earnest until Jesus returns! We now have the mind of Christ and we are now confident through it. We are confident in Jesus’ abilities and we don’t grieve the Holy Spirit by denying our Father the ability to use us to do all of His good works through! We can’t deny our Father, because we are now crucified with Christ, and nevertheless we live, yet it is not us who is living, it is Christ within us Who is living, Galatians 2:20! Jesus has never denied God and He never will and we are now His body. We also have been given Jesus’ mind and with His mind comes His thoughts, through Christ we now think like Jesus thinks, 1 Corinthians 2:16!

I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. John 15:5

Our Father began all of this within us and He will continue to produce abundant amounts of fruit through us! Our Father is a God of action. When He called the heavens and stars into existence He never said stop and to this day the Universe is still growing! Our Father's first miraculous work through Jesus was to turn hundreds of gallons of water into wine! Jesus called upon God and fed thousands of hungry people with only table scraps and when they were full there were basketfuls of leftovers! Our Father worked through the Apostles to heal the sick and whole cities turned to Jesus! God has always worked abundantly through those who He empowers to believe and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, so He always will!

We Are Filled With The Knowledge Of Who We Are

For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [^[special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things— That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].  [We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy, Colossians 1:9-11

This prayer is the Divine inspiration of our Father. So this prayer is what our Father wants for us and it’s what He has provided for us through Christ! Just look at the Words of this prayer: all, worthy, knowledge, joy, might, strength, wisdom, understanding, and power! These are the things that God has provided completely for us. Every bit as much as the prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17 is the Word of God, so is this prayer of Paul’s the Word of God! You want to see some real power, go and read the prayers at the beginning of the Epistles. As you read them watch the power of the Holy Ghost strengthen you as Jesus Authors and Finishes the faith within you to accept and walk in the Truth of them. Sow these prayers that we are shown in the Bible for others and watch those who you pray for and yourself actually begin to live and experience them. There is so much awesome power in the prayers that we are shown in the Word!

We are one with all of Jesus’ knowledge, all of His wisdom, and all of His spiritual understanding. Through the power of Jesus’ might we are every bit as pleasing to God as Jesus is! We are one with all of Jesus strength, all of His might, all of His glorious power, all of His patience, and all of His joy. There is nothing that Jesus is, and nothing that He has, that we are not one with, as He is, so are we in this world, 1 John 4:17. We are now members of His body and greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world! And today is the day that we have all of this, for today is the day of our salvation!

Mercy Saved Us And There Is Mercy For All

He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Titus 3:5

This is an awesome Truth and one that is so often overlooked: we are only saved by our Father’s mercy. We are not saved because we work for it, or because we belong to a certain church, or because we on our own believe. We are only saved because our Father has mercy on us. 

So the question is: does our Father just have mercy for those of us who believe? Is God’s mercy only reserved for those of us who have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to know and understand the glory of salvation? Why would we be the only ones; or are we? Let’s look at a couple of other verses and see what we are told about our Father’s mercy.

For God has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all [alike]. Romans 11:32

And Peter opened his mouth and said: Most certainly and thoroughly I now perceive and understand that God shows no partiality and is no respecter of persons, Acts 10:34

We are shown that our Father saves us because of His mercy. We are also shown that He has mercy on us all and finally we are shown that He does not respect any of us over another. So if these verses are true, how can only a few of us be saved, while the majority of people aren’t? That just cannot be the case, because if it were, our Father would not have mercy on all and He would respect certain people over others.

The Truth is greater then what most preach. Our Father does have mercy for all and because of the success of Jesus we are all saved from Hell. We all may not be the Bride of Christ, Revelation 22:17. which means that we may not all be called to serve in the full power of Christ. Some of us may be the guests of Christ, which means some of us will be served. But all, both good and bad, are invited and allowed to stay at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Matthew 22:10.  Look at Israel, not all were of the Tribe of Levy, the only Tribe chosen by our Father to serve, yet all Tribes were Israelites. Not everyone is called to be a Pastor, but all are members of the Church. Some are called and chosen to serve and some are called to be served, but mercy is applied to all, 1 Corinthians 3:15. 

We Have An Abundant Holy Spirit

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost: Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:5-7

Look at what we are shown here in Titus: our Father has shed His Spirit on us abundantly, praise God, abundantly! We didn’t get just some little smidgen of our Father’s Spirit. No, He has shed Himself on us abundantly!

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. A-men." Ephesians 3:16-21

Everywhere we turn in the Word of our Father, Old Testament or New Testament, He writes to us that He has given us all of His completeness and fullness through Christ. And He doesn’t say that He has just given us them, but that we are actually one with them, just as Jesus is One with them! We never read that we are limited and we never read that our Father asked us to go it alone. When God talks about us, He uses Words like abundance, completeness, perfection, glory, preservation, pure, justification, and perfection! According to our Father we are all of these things, because Jesus came and He came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. The Truth for us is that we now have life as Jesus has life and as He has life abundantly!

Christ Gives Us All That Jesus Has

That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:7

We are saved by our Father’s mercy. His Holy Spirit has renewed and regenerated us. God has Paul write in Romans 6 that our old self has been crucified with Christ. In Galatians Paul writes that we are crucified with Christ, yet nevertheless we live, because it is now Christ living within us. So of course we are justified, how could we be anything but justified? If we are alive and one with Christ, how could we be unjustified? Jesus isn’t unjustified, and we are now alive with Him and united with Him, so neither are we! We are filled with the fullness of God and we are abundantly supplied with and one with His Holy Spirit and that means something! These Truth’s pass all knowledge, they give us strength, ability, and they ground us and settle us. We need to share these glorious Truth’s daily, because it is the Truth that sets us all free!

Now we are not only supplied with the abundance of Christ, we are heirs with Jesus. Our Father looks at you and I and He sees us in the exact same way that He sees Jesus, which is One with Himself! How many times have we studied that our Father loves us exactly as He loves Jesus, John 17:23?

When God sent Jesus to this world, He fully equipped Him to complete the task, and He has done exactly the same thing for us. We lack absolutely nothing needed to be as Jesus is on this earth. We are heirs and that means if Jesus has it, so do we. 

Everything that the Father has is Mine. That is what I meant when I said that He [the Spirit] will take the things that are Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you. John 16:15

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20

For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

Let's Move To Perfection Part II

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment." Hebrews 6:1-2

Look at what the Holy Spirit has Paul write to us: that faith towards our Father is considered to be a beginning principle of Christ. Our Father tells us to move on past this basic belief to perfection. Let’s move on past baptisms; let’s move on past the laying on of hands, and move past eternity? These principles are the main focuses of many churches today, and obviously they were over a thousand of years ago as well. But there is more and our Father wants us to go there and through the power of Christ He will take us.

Our Father is taking us to perfection through Jesus, plain and simple, Jesus is our example of perfection. So let’s consider Jesus, let’s move on towards His standard. The first thing to remember is our example of perfection repeatedly said that it was God within Him doing all of the works. The people talked about the miraculous works that Jesus did and He said that it was God within Him Who did the works. They called Jesus good, and He said none was good but God, Mark 10:18. Jesus, our example of perfection, was perfect because God made Him that way. Jesus never spoke of Himself as the Author of perfection. He also never spoke of His own efforts allowing Him to be perfect.

Jesus was perfect only because our Father made Him that way and God made Jesus perfect by making Him of Himself! The two were and are One! Now, who are we one with? Who are we born of? Whose body are we? Who gave us a new heart? Whose Spirit abides within us, and Whose mind do we now have? Whose seed are we born from? When we are born again, we were born just as Jesus was, of a woman and of God! Jesus is perfect because of God, and God loves us just as He loves Him! And through Christ we are now one with God, as Jesus is One with God.

Let;s Move To Perfection Part I

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment." Hebrews 6:1-2

Did our Father just say that we should leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ? Wow, can you imagine standing up in church today and saying let’s leave the doctrines of Christ and move on to perfection? I believe the congregation would pick up stones and bring to a swift end such heresy, or at least politely ask you to leave. Yet God had it written hundreds of years ago, and the real question is why? Stop and really think about it, why did the Holy Ghost have this written: that we should leave the principles of Christ?

Look at what our Father was saying here in Hebrews, they were continuing to lay the foundation of repentance from dead works. Now think of today’s churches. Most people don’t believe that we actually can walk without dead works. The do not have any hope for such greatness because the foundation of such power in Christ has never been laid, yet alone re-laid, so that it can be left. How many alter calls have you seen where the preacher goes beyond calling the lost to calling anyone who has fallen short that week? I was involved in a Bible Study where the preacher actually would start the studies with reading a verse, then follow it up by asking who failed at it. There is little to no hope to be found in most of religion that dead works can be done away with on this earth and perfection can be obtained. This is because religion focuses on us, not on Jesus; the One Who will bring perfection to us. When you are empowered by the Holy Spirit to look at Jesus, perfection is easily accepted, because the burden of perfection has been cast on the One Who it should be.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 J

Jesus is perfection and He ever lives to intercede for us so that we may be saved to the uttermost, Hebrews 7:25. The Word of our Father teaches us that as Jesus is, so are we in this world, 1 John 4:17. Our Father tells us to consider ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to Him, just as Jesus is dead to sin and alive to Him, Romans 6:11. And our Father tells us that faith is the evidence of things hoped for, and that faith comes from hearing the Word. So we need to encourage each other with the Truth that sets us free and the Truth is that Jesus is our power of perfection. We serve God with Jesus’ abilities, not with our human ones. Faith is actually our Lord’s ability to believe, not ours, because Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith! Through Christ we can actually live without dead works and we can live as one in the full and complete power of our Father, just as Jesus does!

We Are Strong In Jesus

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10

Think about Jesus’ might and power for a minute, and as you consider His immense abilities, think about the Truth that we are now strong in it. Also remember that we are now one with all of Jesus' power and abilities! We are strong in the power of Jesus’ might each and every day, it never leaves us or forsakes us!

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

Jesus told the weather to be what He desired and it happened. Our Lord, Who we are now one with, told water to be wine and it obeyed Him! Our Savior, Whose body we now are, told the dead to live and they did! Jesus was hated and yet He loved, and He now Authors and Finishes our faith! He spoke with God and heard from God and never doubted what He heard, and He is now our Head! Jesus endured the brutal death of the Cross for the joy of being able to serve us and we are now members of His body and flesh of His flesh! Our Lord raised Himself up from the dead! He ever lives to intercede for us. He is the Alpha and the Omega, He is the First and the Last, He is the Great I Am, and we are now strong in the power of His might! We have been Anointed with the power of the Creator of it all and we are now strong in the power of His might!

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Romans 8:37

We are now strong in Jesus, because Jesus is now strong in us! We are one with Him and He is One with God. Jesus is in us, through us, above us, and behind us. We are strong because we have God's very Spirit dwelling within us. We are strong because God is for us and nothing can ever be against us.

For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:29-31

We are strong in Jesus because our Father, Who is God, loves us!

Now in the knowledge of this Truth we are able to be used by our Father to serve a world that so desperately needs to see the glory and power of the Living God! Our Father can now use us to do the works that He did through Jesus and He can use us to do even greater works because Jesus went to the Cross and empowered Him to. We will be used to cause the blind to speak, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the dead to live, the lost to be found, and we will be used to speak specific prophesies that will strengthen the body and glorify the Kingdom! Today is the Day of our Salvation and now is our appointed time!

Jesus Controls All Flesh

[Just as] You have granted Him power and authority over all flesh (all humankind), [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. John 17:2

For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him. Colossians 1:16

For in this city there actually met and plotted together against Your holy Child and Servant Jesus, Whom You consecrated by anointing, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and peoples of Israel, To carry out all that Your hand and Your will and purpose had predestined (predetermined) should occur. Acts 4:27-28

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. Romans 8:28

It is easy for us to accept and believe that Jesus is active in controlling the flesh of those who have been empowered to accept Him. But the glorious Truth is that Jesus controls all flesh. He even controls the flesh of those who do evil. The worst of the worse, Jesus is in control of them as well. Look at what the Holy Spirit tells us, our Father anointed and consecrated both Pilate and Herod to carry out His will of torturing and killing Jesus. We also read in the Old Testament that our Father was in control of Pharaoh and hardened his heart to keep on attacking the Israelites. 

The peace of the Truth of Jesus being in control of all flesh is this: everything works out for our good. Hardships bring a faith and trust in people like nothing else can.

Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. Romans 5:3

The Truth that Jesus even controls the evil people of this world also brings us great peace. It brings us peace because the wicked can only do what our Lord permits and allows them to do. Even satan, the father of the wicked, is controlled completely by Jesus. When the devil wanted to attack the Apostles, Jesus told him no, Luke 22:31. Jesus will never allow us to be tempted above that which we can stand, 1 Corinthians 10:13. So relax in the peace that Jesus is even in control of the evil people.

Grace For All

And all mankind shall see (behold and understand and at last acknowledge) the salvation of God (the deliverance from eternal death decreed by God). Luke 3:6

Well then, as one man's trespass [one man's false step and falling away led] to condemnation for all men, so one Man's act of righteousness [leads] to acquittal and right standing with God and life for all men. Romans 5:18

For God has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all [alike]. Romans 11:32

For the grace of God (His unmerited favor and blessing) has come forward (appeared) for the deliverance from sin and the eternal salvation for all mankind. It has trained us to reject and renounce all ungodliness (irreligion) and worldly (passionate) desires, to live discreet (temperate, self-controlled), upright, devout (spiritually whole) lives in this present world, Awaiting and looking for the [fulfillment, the realization of our] blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One), Who gave Himself on our behalf that He might redeem us (purchase our freedom) from all iniquity and purify for Himself a people [to be peculiarly His own, people who are] eager and enthusiastic about [living a life that is good and filled with] beneficial deeds. Titus 2:11-14

Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth. 1 Timothy 2:4 

For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God [acknowledge Him to His honor and to His praise]. Romans 14:11

We are plainly told by our Father that all of mankind will understand and acknowledge salvation. We are told that Jesus has given life and eternal salvation to all mankind. We are told that our Father will have mercy on all men. We are told that our Father has now given us grace, so that all of mankind can be saved from sin and enjoy eternal salvation. We are told that our Father wishes for all men to be saved and we are told that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. 

People, Jesus was and is very successful. He was far more successful at providing Grace then Adam was at causing damnation. Just read what our Father had written and enjoy the freedom that has been provided to us through Christ. We may not all be one with Jesus as His Bride, but we sure are all saved from the Lake of Fire. Some may have to lose their reward of being the Bride, but they will be saved, even as one who has passed through the fire, 1 Corinthians 3:15.

Relax, Our Father Is In Complete Control

And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land I gave your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleanness’s: Ezekiel 36:27-28

When we were chosen by our Father and empowered with His Holy Spirit to make Jesus Lord, God took over our lives completely! At the moment of our re-birth our Father placed His Spirit of serving others within us. From the very moment that we were empowered to say yes to Jesus, our Father was directing our paths in the ways of righteousness! From the very moment that we were chosen and born again we were eternally made one with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! At that very moment our Father saved us from all of our uncleanness and He Anointed us with all of His glory! We are now God’s Temple and we are the instruments of His righteousness. We are now used to lay our hands on the sick, so that they may recover. The Holy Spirit uses our lips to proclaim His Truths, so that the captives will be set free! Our bodies are used to go into all of the world to preach the Gospel and all of the time it is our Father Who is working within us!

Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works. John 14:10

Jesus teaches us in John 15:5 that He is the Vine and that we are the branches. When we were born again we became part of and one with the greatest thing there is: God! Just as a branch is part of a Vine, so are we part of Christ. And through that unity our Father now uses us to perform His good works!

Bride Of Christ Part II

The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. Matthew 22:2 

And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself. Acts 2:38-39 

And the children were yet unborn and had so far done nothing either good or evil. Even so, in order further to carry out God's purpose of selection (election, choice), which depends not on works or what men can do, but on Him Who calls [them], It was said to her that the elder [son] should serve the younger [son]. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (held in relative disregard in comparison with My feeling for Jacob). Romans 9:11-13

When Jesus spoke this parable of the Marriage Supper, the tradition of the people that He told it to was that the father of the groom chose the bride for his son. The glorious Truth for us is that we did not first call on Jesus to be our Lord, our Father first called and chose us to be saved. We were called and chosen to be the Bride before the world ever was created.

But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased Galatians 1:15

This is so powerful, because it means that our Father knew all of our faults and weaknesses before He ever chose us. None of that matters to Him, only the grace of our Father matters. We have been given God’s free grace as He has called and chosen us to be His Son’s Bride. We have been called to be one with our Father through Jesus. We have been called to be new creatures and serve a world that desperately needs service. 

The Bride Of Christ Part I

The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. Matthew 22:2

The King here in this parable is God and the King’s Son is Jesus. Jesus tells us n His parable that our Father is going to throw a party for Him and His Bride. The question here for us is: who is Jesus’ Bride?

Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching, That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me. I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me. John 17:20-23 

Let us rejoice and shout for joy [exulting and triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has prepared herself. She has been permitted to dress in fine (radiant) linen, dazzling and white--for the fine linen is (signifies, represents) the righteousness (the upright, just, and godly living, deeds, and conduct, and right standing with God) of the saints (God's holy people). Revelation 19:7-8

The Bride of Christ is all of us who have been chosen by God to be one with Jesus. The important thing to remember as we study about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is that those of us who are the Bride, were chosen by God to be the Bride. Just as our Father chose Jesus to be the Groom, we have been chosen by God to be the Bride.

And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new life and raise [them all] up at the last day. John 6:39

No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me, and [then] I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day. John 6:44

For many are called (invited and summoned), but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14

And He said, This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted him [unless he is enabled to do so] by the Father. John 6:65

Our Father Always Works Through Us

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. Philippians 1:6

The Holy Spirit has Paul tell us that our Father will perform His good works through us. If that doesn’t give you peace, I don’t know what will. All of the pressure of success is now on Him, the burden is His. We are told that our Father will continue to cause His good works to flow through us until the day that Jesus returns! The power of Christ is what makes us confident and strong in this Truth. So amen, as long as we are on this earth, our Father will perform His good works through us!

That means as long as evil is allowed to be here on the earth, our Father will be within us performing His good works. God will absolutely use us to sow His works of love, faith, hope, healing, prophecies, and miracles as long as He has us here! Our Father never leaves us or forsakes us and He will never stop performing His good works through us! Our Father is more then capable and willing to perform all of the miraculous things that we have studied. We also have Jesus Authoring and Finishing our faith to believe His Truth and that sets us free! 

 

The Truth is that our Father wants us filled with all of His fullness as He works through us; He wants us to be part of them, actively involved in them, and one with them as He does them. God wants us strong in His might and He has Anointed us with the same Anointing that He gave Jesus, so that we can be! Our Father has sanctified us, glorified us, perfected us, and called us. Our Father is for us, so who or what can be against us! The Alpha and Omega now lives vitally united and permanently united with us! We are now His flesh, His bones, and His body. No weapon formed against us will ever prosper and we are now more than conquerors through the power of Christ Who loves us. Our darkness is as the noonday, we are blessed beyond expression, and in Him we are above only and we are not beneath. Today is the day of our salvation and God strengthens us and allows us to rejoice and be glad in it!

Devine Medicine

Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap. Galatians 6:7

One of the first things that happens when we are sick is that we want the focus of others to be on us. We want helped, we want a doctor, we want medicine, chicken soup, but most of all we want attention. The exact opposite of this self directed attitude is the secret of Devine Medicine. When we get sick, the first thing that we should do is focus all of our attention to others and to their needs. When sickness comes, through the power of Christ that is in us, we should sow the gift of laying our hands on others. The secret to an abundant life of health and peace is achieved by our Lord causing us to lay our hands on others to release our Fathers Divine Medicine on them. Jesus will cause us to love people who are sick and in His glorious Name tell sickness to leave them. This act of love releases Jesus’ health on them, it binds demons from them, and it empowers them to be whole. The act of laying on of hands does all of this because greater is He that is in us and through Christ we are always more than conquerors. The power that flows from us is a Living River of Life. The Spirit that abundantly flows from us heals the sick, forgives sin, and covers a multitude of sins. 

The Truth that sets us free is not to focus on ourselves when we are sick, but to focus on others and we will reap what our Father causes us to sow. Our Father will not be mocked about this Truth. Look at how Jesus acted on the Cross. He had been tortured and was about to die and He was telling John to take care of His mother. He was praying for the forgiveness of those who had done and supported His death sentence. Paul had been beaten and was wrongfully imprisoned and he was only concerned about the jailer and his family. Stephen was being stoned to death and as he was he was seeking the well being of those who were killing him. 

Our medicine is not carnal, it is spiritual and it is mighty to the bringing down of strongholds. Our medicine heals all sicknesses and even raises the dead. Our Father will cause us to lay hands on the sick and they will recover and He will cause us to reap His healing power as well. Everyone wins! 

Satan Will Never Win Against Us

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, Who also will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Paul, Peter, John, all of the Apostles, and all of the Prophets in the Bible suffered persecution. Jesus teaches us that we will suffer it too, but we have the peace that our Father will deliver us from every evil work. I hear it preached all of the time about the struggles that we have with satan. People there is no struggle with satan! If we have been chosen by God and empowered with the Holy Spirit to say yes to Jesus as the Lord of our life’s, then satan is no longer a threat to us! If he were a threat than he would have to be a threat to Jesus, Who is our Head! 

Through Christ we have been sealed with the Holy Ghost, so how could satan penetrate the Holy Ghost to harm us, Ephesians 4:30? If Jesus is our Shepherd; how is it that satan can get by Him to us, John 10:11? How is it that if our Father is preserving us and keeping us from evil until Heaven, that He can fail by letting satan defeat us? Satan is not an issue for the believer, he wants to make you think that he is, but if he is, than all of these verses of Truth are lies! We will wrestle with satan, Ephesians 6:12, but it will be as the conquerors that we are through Christ, Romans 8:37! We will go into all of the world and run satan and evil off from every area that we are led in! From the sidelines satan will attempt to stop us, but there is no weapon that he has and there is no one that he is in control of, that can come against us as we stand anointed and united with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!

Will we be persecuted for the testimony that we are used by our Father to share, absolutely we will, but our Father will deliver us from it and we will win. Our Father will receive the praise and glory through the victories; others will see it as well and God will be praised! Death has no victory over us, to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:8! Persecution has no victory over us, we are more than conquerors through Christ Who loves us. We win, each and every time. I know it’s not often preached, I mean we hear sermons that ask why do bad things happen to good people? But through persecution we grow in the strength of the Lord. When we are weak, our Father is strong and His strength is perfected in our weakness! The Truth is that through Christ we win each and every time. No one who has been chosen by God, and who has truly been empowered by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus as Lord, ever looses, ever! All things now work for our good! 

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28