If you have been reading my teachings, you know that my entire ministry is about teaching all people that their relationship with God is based on grace. Grace is God’s willingness ability and power to do those things for us that we can not or will not do for ourselves.
” For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus.” (John 1:17)
“For by grace are you saved through faith, and that is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8&9)
Grace and Truth are the keys to the New Covenant, which is our unbreakable promise from God, of a relationship with Him based on our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord; and the promises that He guaranteed us with His blood, and not on our performance. The only thing we must do to receive our inheritance is:
” That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes and is made righteous, (comes into right standing with God)… and with the mouth confesses (speaks) and is saved.”(Romans 10-9&10)
Scripture makes it clear that God hath (past tense) through the blood of Jesus:
Chosen us in Him (Jesus) before the worlds were framed, to be holy and blameless before Him in love: Having predestined us to be adopted as His children through Jesus. (Ephesians 1:4&5) Freed us from a performance based relationship with God. (Galatians 3:13) Given us all things that pertain to life and Godliness. (2 Peter1:3) Dealt to all men…THE MEASURE of faith. (Romans 12:3) Blessed us in heavenly places with ALL spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3) Borne our Griefs (illness, disease, weaknesses and infirmities) and carried our sorrows (woes, worries, fears, insanities, problems…). (Isaiah 53:4) Defeated satan and given us dominion over all of his powers. (Luke 10:18 & 19, Matthew 18:18 and Mark 16:17)
Made us joint heirs with Jesus. (Romans 8:17) Made us more than conquerors in every situation. (Romans 8:37) Made us a chosen generation,a royal priesthood, and holy nation, and a peculiar people. (1Peter2:9)
The New Covenant promises us many more things. It is clear through these scriptures that we are blessed and highly favored in this life, and in the life to come. There are however things that separate us from this grace relationship with God:
They do not separate us from His love or from salvation which once given is irrevocable except in the case of apostasy (Once having accepted Jesus as our Lord, to openly, seriously and intentionally reject him publicly as in the case of a Christian who joins a religion that denies the deity of Jesus).
They do however cause us to live a life minus the favor of God in this life, unless we let go of them and repent. In other words, having sorrow for, and turning away from them.
The first is unbelief: Unbelief is the one sin that is eternally terminal. By unbelief in Jesus, one is condemned to eternal damnation and separation from God. After having “been saved”, unbelief will stop us from receiving the promises of God. Belief is the one thing that God can not do for us.
The second is placing ourselves under the works of the law. “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse (Deuteronomy 28:15-67): for it is written. Cursed is every one that continueth not; IN ALL THINGS, that are written in the book of the law to do ( the ten commandments and all of the 600 plus attached ordinances).”
“But that no man is justified (found not guilty before God) by {keeping} the law is evident; for (it is written) the just (those found not guilty by God do so by…) shall live by faith.”
“And the law is not of faith but the man that does them (trusts in doing good works to establish his relationship with God) shall live in them, (shall by his own decision place himself under an impossible standard of trying to please God by his behavior). Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the law (if we trust in adhere to and rely on His Performance and not ours) for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree.” (Galatians 3:10-13)
The next is UNFORGIVENESS. The power of unforgiveness is it’s opposition to the very thing on which we depend for our eternal salvation. We all sin and come short of the glory of God. And the wages of sin is death. But, the gift of God is everlasting life. The price of that everlasting life is a decision to believe in Jesus. Once we make a decision to believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and we confess with out mouths that He is Lord, we are saved and forgiven of our sins. Forgiveness is the key to salvation.
Jesus forgave us while we were still sinners. ” But God proved His love for us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. How much more then, being justified (found not guilty before and by God) by Jesus’ blood we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, how much more, shall we be reconciled by His life.” (Romans 4:8-10)
This is one of the models that God gave us for how we are to forgive others. We are to use the example of God’s forgiveness in all of our affairs. God forgave us at no expense to ourselves, completely and unconditionally. Here is a teaching from Jesus to us.
“Then Peter came to him, and said, Lord how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him” Till seven times” Jesus said to him, ” “I say to you, At least seven times. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven like a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to count, one of them was brought to him, which owed him ten thousand talents.”
“But because he could not pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and worshiped him, saying Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.”
“Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him and forgave him the debt.”
” But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him 100 pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what you owe me. And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and begged him saying, Have patience with me and I will pay you all. And he would not: but went and threw him into prison, till he should pay the debt.”
“So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, and said to him, O you evil wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me: Should you not also have had compassion on the fellow servant, even as I had on you?”
” And his lord was crazy mad and delivered him to the tormentors until he should pay all that was due to him. SO LIKEWISE WILL MY HEAVENLY FATHER DO YOU, IF YOU WILL NOT FROM YOUR HEART FORIVE ONE OF YOUR BROTHERS HIS TRESPASSES.”
(Luke 18:21-35)
Here is another teaching from Jesus on deliberate unforgiveness:
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “It is impossible but that offenses (things that make you trip and fall) will come; but woe to him through which they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he be thrown into the sea than he should offend (cause to trip, stumble or fall) one of these little ones (disciples, ministers, teachers, Christian brothers).”
“Take heed (pay attention) to yourselves: If your brother trespasses against you, rebuke him; and if he repent (feels sorry, asks forgiveness, turns from his ways) forgive him.”
“And if he trespasses against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turns again to you, saying, I repent. YOU SHALL FORGIVE HIM.” {If you refuse then to forgive your brother, it would be better for you to have a millstone tied around your neck and be thrown into the sea.} (Luke 17:1-4)
Jesus was never ambivalent or ambiguous in any of His teachings. He made the negative power and consequences of unforgiveness absolutely clear. Here is another direct teaching on this subject, from God come to the earth in the flesh, in the person of Jesus:
“And when you stand praying, FORGIVE, if you have ought (resentment, bitterness or unforgiveness) AGAINST ANY: So that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. BUT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE, NEITHER WILL YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN FORGIVE YOUR SINS.”
(Mark 11:25&26)
I just do not know how Jesus could be more clear in His warnings to us. I do not want to walk through this life as one who has a millstone tied around his neck, and has been cast into the sea; or as one whose sins have not been forgiven. Especially, because I was too stiff necked and self-oriented to let go of the sins of another.
That said, I know how hard it is to forgive. I have been hurt and cheated and taken advantage of many times in this life. My scorecard if I carried one would be very long. But, I can not afford to carry a scorecard or refuse to forgive a brother who asks me to forgive him, because I need to be forgiven much. How then, do we forgive people who sin against us, when our flesh is so strong in this area? We simply must ask Jesus to forgive them for us and to drag our thick skin with us. Isn’t it interesting that when it comes to being offended we have such thin skin, but when we are challenged to forgive, our skin is thicker than the armor on a tank?
Jesus in the following teaching, which many people mistakingly think is about money, teaches about the blessings of forgiveness.
“Be merciful, as your Father is also merciful. Judge not and you shall not be judged: condemn not that you shall not be condemned; forgive and you shall be forgiven: Give (forgive), and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over men shall pour into your bosom. For with the same ruler that you use to measure others, you shall be measured.”
And He spoke a parable to them, “Can a blind man lead the blind; will they not both fall into the ditch. The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why do you study the mote (small particle of dust) in your brother’s eye, but can not perceive the beam (bright ray of light) that is in your own eye?”
“Or how can you say to your brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote from your eye, when you yourself can not see the beam that is in your own eye? YOU HYPOCRITE! First cast the beam from your eye, then you shall see clearly to pull out the mote that is in your brothers.”
(Luke 6:36-42)
All of the three things which separate us from God are managed by decisions that we make. Unbelief is a decision. Placing ourselves under the law is a decision to believe that we are smarter than God and that our system works better than His. Unforgiveness is a pride based decision that we make, generally based on the pleasure it gives us. But we can change! We just have to become willing to change and ask God (honestly) to change us.
You are blessed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Make a decision to forgive. Let go of bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness!
Pastor Allen
www.throneofgraceministries.com
I pray that this teaching has blessed you. If you have been blessed, please pass it to another who will be blessed.
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