FULLY PERSUADED: To be completely certain beyond the shadow of a doubt.
When the people asked Jesus who was God in the flesh, ” THE FATHER AND I ARE ONE”… what they needed to do to do the works of God, Jesus answered them saying…”THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, THAT YE BELIEVE ON HIM WHOM HE HATH SENT.” ( John 6:29 )
Unfortunately, many Christians and most non-Christians are busy leading lives of desparation trying to get God to bless them based on their behavior. Which, we know is impossible to do. ” BUT THAT NO MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW (performance/behavior) IS EVIDENT; FOR, THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”(Galatians 3:11) “BUT WITHOUT FAITH, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE HIM: FOR HE THAT COMETH TO GOD MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS, AND THAT HE IS A REWARDER OF THEM THAT DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.” ( Hebrews 11:6)
The New Covenant is very simple. As our friend and partner Loyd Skidmore teaches, the essence of the Gospel of Jesus is “BELIEVE AND RECEIVE/ DOUBT AND DO WITHOUT”.
Everything about our relationship with God is based on believing, beginning with salvation. ” FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM WOULD NEVER PERISH BUT WOULD HAVE EVER LASTING LIFE.” ( John 3:16 )
Here is how Paul the teacher, to we the gentiles, used scriptural examples of faith and belief, to demonstrate the standard of being “FULLY PERSUADED”:
“FOR WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURE? ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD AND IT WAS COUNTED UNTO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. NOW TO HIM THAT WORKETH IS THE REWARD NOT RECKONED OF GRACE BUT OF DEBT.”
“BUT TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, BUT BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT JUSTIFIETH THE UNGODLY, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
I just do not know how you can make it more clear. If you are trying to relate to God based on your works, you will always fail because any sin, even a sin of thought, will separate you from God. On the contrary, Abraham made a decision to believe God, and his belief was counted unto him as righteousness by God who justifies (finds not guilty) the un- Godly, ( everyone, because all sin and come short of the standard of perfection required by a holy God). (Romans 4:3-5) You may be asking yourself what specific thing Abraham believed that made him righteous, ( put him in right standing with God.) as you are about to read, it was harder than anything that you have been asked to believe:
Just to set the stage, get this picture; Abraham was “about one hundred years old”. God told Abraham that he was going to be the Father of many nations. Here are the scriptures:
“THEREFORE IT IS OF FAITH, THAT IT MIGHT BE BY GRACE; TO THE END THE PROMISE MIGHT BE SURE TO ALL THE SEED; NOT ONLY TO THAT WHICH IS OF THE LAW, ( The Jews ) BUT TO THAT ALSO WHICH IS OF THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM ( Those who like Abraham, make a decision to live by faith… making a decision to live one moment at a time with joyful expectation of the things that we can not see…Hebrews 11:1) WHO IS THE FATHER OF US ALL” (Jews and Gentiles alike who choose to live as he/Abraham did, by faith).
“AS IT IS WRITTEN, I HAVE MADE THEE A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS, BEFORE HIM WHOM HE BELIEVED, GOD, WHO QUICKENETH (Makes Alive) THE DEAD, AND CALLETH THOSE THINGS THAT BE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE,” (For more on this teaching, see Jesus’ dissertation in Mark 11:23. Because we are created in His image, and He is the God that brings the dead to life and creates the seen from the unseen by speaking it into existance, God has given those of us who are fully persuaded the power to speak things into existance.)
“WHO (Abraham) AGAINST ALL HOPE, BELIEVED IN HOPE, THAT HE MIGHT BECOME THE FATHER OF MANY NATIONS, ACCORDING TO THAT WHICH WAS SPOKEN, SO SHALL THY SEED BE.”
“AND BEING NOT WEAK IN FAITH, HE CONSIDERED NOT HIS OWN BODY NOW DEAD, WHEN HE WAS ABOUT AN HUNDERED YEARS OLD, NEITHER YET THE DEADNESS OF SARAH’S WOMB; HE STAGGERED NOT AT THE PROMISE OF GOD THROUGH UNBELIEF; ( Wow! I don’t mean to be gross, but if you are tracking this report correctly, you have to feel for old Sarah who probably was no more excited about the prospects of a romantic interlude with old Abe than he was. As Dwight Keith says, she probably wasn’t moved by what she saw either.)
At this point, Ask yourself if you have ever, or do now “STAGGERED AT THE PROMISES OF GOD THROUGH UNBELIEF.” Overcoming unbelief is a moment by moment decision. It is not all that hard, you just have to make a decision to believe what you do not see more than what you do see. ” While we look not at the things that which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal and subject to change, but the things that are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)
“BUT WAS STRONGIN FAITH, GIVING GLORY TO GOD……………AND BEING FULLY PERSUADED THAT WHAT HE (GOD) HAD PROMISED HE WAS ABLE TO PERFORM. AND THEREFORE IT WAS IMPUTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now pay attention… Here comes the good part:
“NOW IT WAS NOT WRITTEN FOR HIS SAKE ALONE , THAT IT WAS IMPUTED TO HIM, BUT FOR US ALSO, TO WHOM IT SHALL BE IMPUTED, IF WE BELIEVE ON HIM WHO RAISED UP JESUS OUR LORD FROM THE DEAD; WHO WAS DELIVERED FOR OUR OFFENCES (SINS), AND FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION.” (To find us not guilty). Hang on, it gets even better!!!!!!!!!!
“THEREFORE BEING JUSTIFIED ( FOUND NOT GUILTY) BY FAITH, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, BY WHOM ALSO WE HAVE ACCESS BY FAITH INTO THIS GRACE ( The state of living under God’s willingness, ability and power to do those things for us, that we can not or will not do for ourselves.) WHEREIN WE STAND, AND REJOICE IN HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD! ” ( The scriptural base for this teaching is Romans chapter 4:17-5:2)
Brothers and Sisters if what you just read does not fire you up, your charcoal has been at the beach!
If you want to walk into the promises of God and claim the guaranteed inheritance that Jesus paid for with His blood, all that is asked is that you make a decision, to live one moment at a time with joyful expectation of the things that you can not see. God is asking us to make a decision to accept the Gospel of Jesus and not stagger at the promises of God through unbelief, but be FULLY PERSUADED THAT, WHAT HE HAS PROMISED HE HAS PERFORMED.
The saddest scripture in the Bible to me came from a man consumed with pride. His name was King Agrippa. After listening to Paul’s testimony of how God and Jesus converted him from being a Jesus and Christian hater named Saul of Tarsus; to being Paul the teacher to the Gentiles, Agrippa said to Paul ” Paul, almost thou persuadeth me to be a Christian”. ( Acts 26:28 )
There are many, many disempowered Christians who believe Jesus died to save them and are going to heaven, who live disappointing unfulfilled lives on earth, because; Jesus ” almost persuadeth ” them that He meant what he said. They have great blessings that have been guaranteed to them by Jesus. Yet, through ignorance or stubborn religious tradition or many other reasons refuse to take Jesus literally. Here are a few promises from Jesus and God to consider. Try to be fully persuaded… CERTAIN BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT!
“GOD HATH DEALT TO ALL MEN THE MEASURE OF FAITH”. (Romans 12:3)
“GOD HATH GIVEN US ALL THINGS THAT PERTAIN TO LIFE AND GODLINESS” (2 Peter 1:3)
“GOD HATH BLESSED US IN HEAVENLY PLACES WITH ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS”. (Ephesians 1:3)
“THE THIEF COMETH NOT BUT TO STEAL, AND TO KILL AND TO DESTROY: I AM COME THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE LIFE, AND THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY.” (John 10:10)
“WHO HIMSELF BORE OUR SINS, IN HIS BODY ON THE TREE, THAT WE, BEING DEAD TO SIN MIGHT LIVE UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS BY WHOSE STRIPES WE HAVE BEEN HEALED.” (1Peter 2:24)
“SURELY HE HATH BORN OUR GREIFS AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS YET, WE CONSIDERED HIM STRICKEN, SMITTEN OF GOD AND AFFLICTED, BUT HE WAS WOUNDED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, BRUISED FOR OUR INIQUITIES; THE CHASTISEMENT OF OUR SINS WAS UPON HIM AND BY HIS STRIPES WE HAVE BEEN MADE WHOLE.” ( Isaiah 53:4and5)
“VERILY, VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME, THE WORKS THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO; AND GREATER THAN THESE SHALL HE DO; BECAUSE I GO TO MY FATHER. AND WHATSOEVER, YE SHALL ASK IN MY NAME, THAT WILL I DO THAT THE FATHER MAY BE GLORIFIED IN THE SON. IF YOU SHALL ASK ANYTHING IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT. (John 14:12-14)
“THEREFORE I SAY UNTO YOU, WHATSOEVER THINGS YOU DESIRE, WHEN YOU PRAY, BELIEVE THAT YOU RECEIVE AND YOU SHALL HAVE THEM. (Mark 11:24)
I pray that you will make a decision to be completely certain that the Word of God is true. Jesus said, ” YOU ERR BECAUSE YOU KNOW NOT THE SCRIPTURES NEITHER THE POWER THEREOF.” The power of the scriptures is to make a decison to believe them.
You are blessed, Pastor Allen
