I believe that most of the rejection of Jesus and His teachings, comes from misunderstanding or ignorance of His true nature.
The purpose of this teaching is to show how Jesus does business. We have been taught errantly that Jesus and God are constantly watching us to catch us in a sin. We have been taught to believe that if we sin even after we have accepted Jesus as our Lord, our sins disqualify us from the blessings of God.
The result of this belief, is that most Christians walk in dis-empowered lives and never accept the inheritance, that Jesus died to guarantee them.
Consider the following teachings carefully. One is an actual event that took place in the earth walk of Jesus. The other is a famous parable that he taught:
“A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that fall to me. (give me my inheritance now.) And he (the Father) divided to them his living.”
“And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.”
“And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country ; and he sent him to feed swine.”
{ So far the young man has screwed up profoundly. He spent his inheritance living riotously among people that the Children of Israel considered unclean. It was a sin to go into the land of the “unclean”. The riotous living was a sin. Feeding pigs was a triple-triple sin. And now he is about to eat pig food which is another triple-triple sin.}
“And he would fain have fed his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave to him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!”
“I will rise and go to my father, and will say to him. Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. And I am no more worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired servants.”
{ Please note that the young man has everything figured out. He will no doubt rehearse this speech all the way home. }
“And he rose, and came to his Father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him.?
“And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called your son. But the Father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on His feet: And bring the fatted calf, and kill it and let us eat and be merry: For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.”
(Luke 15:11-24)
{ Note that the Father totally ignored the confession. The Father met the young man before he arrived at his home, or spoke a word, and celebrated his return.}
Jesus went on to explain that the older brother got crazy jealous because he had been good all of his life and lived by the Fathers rules and by God’s. The Father tells the older brother that he, the elder has always been with him and that all that he has is his. But, the Father explains it is right to celebrate the return to life of the younger.
Jesus clearly meant for us to understand through this parable the true nature of God. He had forgiven the boy at the moment the boy decided to return to him. God does not need all of the excuses and hooey we think up. He searches our hearts not our sins.
This certainly is not our flesh way of doing business. But it is God’s. In the preceding scriptures, Jesus said “Like wise I tell you that there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner that turns to God.”
(Luke 15:10)
Here is a teaching from a real-life incident that happened to Jesus. It is important to know as you read this report, that the whole event was a set up. The Pharisee’s and Saducee’s were trying to catch Jesus in an illegal act so that they could justify killing him.
They put Jesus in a conundrum. It was illegal under Roman law for one Hebrew to kill another. Adultery was a capital offense. The punishment under Hebrew law for Adultery was to stone the Woman to death. They just knew that they had Jesus this time.
So, the Pharisees and Saducees drug a woman caught in the act of adultery into the presence of Jesus. Here is the report.
“And the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in the act of adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but, what say you?”
“They said this tempting Him, so that they could accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground, as though he did not hear them.”
“So when they continued asking, He lifted up himself and said to them, He that is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her.”
“And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.”
{ I believe that Jesus was writing down the sins of each person in the crowd. As each looked at the ground, they saw their own sins. I believe that the oldest saw their sins first because they had the most sin.}
“And they which heard it, being convinced by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even to the last: and Jesus was left alone with the woman.”
{ So, here we have the only person qualified to stone the woman, talking to her. Notice what Jesus does. He is not only qualified, but compelled by the ten commandments and the six hundred attached ordinances to stone the woman to death himself. Did Jesus keep the commandment to stone her”}
“When Jesus had lifted up Himself, and saw none but the woman, He said, Woman, where are those who accuse you” Has no man condemned you” Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”
(John 8:3-11)
{ I believe that Jesus gave her supernatural power to sin no more. Jesus clearly knows that it is impossible for a human to never sin.}
One of our partners recently wrote and asked me about how God deals with those of us who are saved, with regard to sins that we commit. He referenced some frequently mis-taught scriptures from the 12th chapter of Hebrews.
These scriptures speak of God’s chastisement of those whom He loves. The misunderstanding of these scriptures comes from incorrect interpretation of the word chastisement.
The Hebrew word for chastisement is (towkachath) which is the derivation of the words correction, reasoning, and reproof. It is used as, “to convince”. The Greek word for chastisement is (paideutes) which means to train up a child; or to instruct teach or learn.)
The way God teaches us and convinces us and changes us is through His Word.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, as is profitable for doctrine for reproof, fro correction, fro instruction in righteousness”.
(2Timothy 3:16)
I was copied recently on an email blast from a man who wrote that God is punishing America for it’s abortions by bringing a horrible drought to the south eastern states. Many also blamed God for Katrina under the same errant thinking. ??
“Let no man say when he is tempted/tested that he is tempted/tested of God; For God can not be tempted/tested by evil, Neither does He tempt/ test any man:”
“Do not err, my beloved brothers. Every good and perfect gift comes down from above from the Father of lights in whom there is no changing or shadow of turning.”
(James 1:13,16&17)
Does God now judge us by our sins?
“By the which (God’s will) we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
(Hebrews 10:10)
If we have been forgiven and are now under grace, does that mean that we can get away with sin?
Why would we? We are the writings of God known of all men. Why would we want to be a bad representative of a God that loved us so much that He gave His only begotten to ransom us and pay for our sin with His blood?
Sin will destroy the flesh body. Sin has consequences that lead to destruction. The more we sin the farther we remove our selves from the blessings of God. God never moves away from us. We separate ourselves from Him by sin. Sin is a reflection of unbelief. Even though God has already given us our inheritance, unbelief will keep us from receiving it. And the level of sin we have reflects our belief or the lack thereof in God. We are under an honor system with God. When we violate it, we hurt God. We put more stripes on the back of our Lord.
The Jews did not kill Jesus. Our sins killed Jesus. Why would we want to further participate in His beating, if we love Him?
The grace message came from Paul. If we accept the state of Grace then we also need to accept the guidelines he set down in the third chapter of Colossians of what a Godly life looks like.
Pastor Allen Fleming
www.throneofgraceministries.com
My Prayer is that this teaching has blessed you. If you have been blessed, please pass it to another.
Write to me at Throne of Grace, P.O.BOX 669153 Marietta Georgia 30066. Or at the website above.
