God is appeased Forever in Christ

Christianity is becoming a faith that tries to appease a god that cannot be appeased.  He has become much like the Greek gods, capricious and fickle.  One time He is happy because you are acting in a manner consistent with His law; and other times He is full of rage, hell-fire, and brimstone because you have missed the mark.  If this were the case He would be happy in the morning and then raging mad in the afternoon.  His moods would rise and fall on the behavior of His follows.  God would not even be in charge of His own emotions; who then would be the god?  We often justify this notion with the "just" God argument; declaring that because God is just He must punish sin. 
Actually Jesus became the Just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in God.  There is only one way to appease God and that is by blood.  Not the fickle and temporal blood of bulls and sheep but of the eternal blood of His Son.  Hebrews says that, "by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified."  That means that Jesus' blood appeases God forever.  FOREVER.  Therefore God is not angry with you anymore based upon the blood of Jesus. 
There is a five dollar word that describes this total appeasing and it is propitiation.  This word literally means the satisfying or appeasing the demands of God and the law.  "He himself IS the propitiation for our sins; and not of ours only, but also for those of the whole world." (1 John 2:2 NASB)  Sometimes we stress the first part of this verse; he himself is the propitiation for our sins.  And yet we fail to recognize the second and third clause; and not ours ONLY, but of those of the whole world.  Christ has paid the full price for all of the world.  Every man can now stand before a God who is not angry with them.  All we need to do is believe. We don't have to do anything to appease God; He has been appeased in the doing of His Son.  Our simple response is faith. 
God is looking for people who will trust in Him and His provision totally.  It is not dependent upon us to make God happy by our deeds; we are called to believe in the deeds of Christ. 

HIs Righteousness on Your Record

I do background checks and drug screenings as a part of my job.  God chose to use this as a teaching point for "imputed righteousness."  See I take the information of a candidate and input it into the screening program of a system that tracks all kinds of records for citizens.  It tracks criminal, driving, and financial activity that could be detremental to a company's welfare and provides it to them.  All the records are available you punch in the name and up comes the information about the person.
When we confess and believe God deletes the record we have collected, and then "uploads" the information of His Son onto our account.  So that when He or anyone else accesses our record they will only see the record of His Son.  Marvelous, simply marvelous. That means there is no longer anything to be ashamed of; the past has been erased, the present righteous, and the future only goodness, faithfulness, and joy.  Paul tells the Romans, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus."  If you do a background check on me, all you see is Him. 

Faith is the Victory

You cannot fight sin.  It's true.  A man can't defeat, beat, or overcome his own sin.  God told Cain when he brought the sacrifice that wasn't as acceptable as his brother Abel, "sin is crouching at your door, but you must master it."  We know from the scriptures that he could not master it; it mastered him and he killed his brother Abel.  God also commented on humanity as he was speaking to Noah about the rainbow, saying they were only capable of evil from their childhood.  We cannot therefore, defeat sin by will-power, intestinal fortitude, self-abasement, or posting of law.  What then is the hope?
Paul told the Romans, "What the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did sending His own...comdemning sin in His flesh."  Jesus defeated sin tor us.  The victory is not by something we do to try and defeat something we can't; it is all in trusting the provision of Christ.  The manifestation of the victory is realized when we believe.  That is it all. 

Affliction working out what's inside

I was reading 2 Corinthians 4:16-17, and I realized that afflictions are producing anything, they are bringing out what is already present.  Let me explain from the word.  Paul begins the text by saying that our outward man is decaying but the inward man is being renewed day by day.  Then he says that the "lightness of momentary afflictions,"work out for us.  He is saying that the "light" afflictions are working out what is already in us.  It is not us working out, it is being worked out in and through us.
He uses a literary device that ironically compares what we think is heavy to what really has weight.  Our temporary light afflictions can't compare with the more and more surpassing "eternal" weight of glory.  He is comparing what we think to be such a long duration of suffering to what is really eternal.  Our afflictions will end but what is brought forth is eternal and is heavy.  What the apostle is doing is tearing down one paradigm and constructing another.  He wants us to look past the pain and see the coming forth of glory.
We have pushed the result to an after-life reward beyond death as a reward for our patient endurance.  But eternal is not automatically defined by an after-life application.  It is just defining the everlasting results and not passing it off to a future age.  But rather the afflictions are uncovering more and more surpassingly, an eternal weight of glory.  That means that what is brought forth in the affliction will not only last for eternity but will also be weighty with the glory of God in the present.  It is much like when Paul says that God's grace was sufficient; power is perfected in weakness.  When we are in the midst of afflictions it is the weight of His glory that guides us and empowers us through.  It is a now and later glory that never ends. 
Don't worry when the outward man weakens; there is an eternal weight of glory being worked out for us as each new day dawns. 

Trust the Righteousness of Jesus!

Romans 5:19

Paul teaches that Adam's disobedience caused everyone born of him to be made sinners. His work was indeed a powerful one that had a long term result. His one act of disobedience instilled within man an unrighteous nature before God.  Everyone was affected by it.  We say confidently in the church that "everyone's a sinner." This teaching is correct but it is only part of the whole reality of the life of mankind.  We know that Adam's effect was immense, incompassing, and held men in slavery for years, but it was never eternal.
The Work of Jesus however, His one act of obedience brought many to righteousness.  He became our sin so that we could become His righteousness, and His righteousness cannot fail.  Think about how powerful His work is in making a man righteous before God by new birth.  Everyone born into Jesus is righteous as He is righteous.  Just like everybody born into Adam is a sinner.  Jesus tramsforms people out of the lineage of Adam and places them in the family of Christ: the chosen of God.
The disobedience of Adam took a righteous man and made into a sinner.  Right?  This work of Adam took the righteous nature of Adam and turned it into the flesh.  And we believe that no amount of good works can undo that nature of Adam.  It doesn't matter how much good you do you are still a sinner. (I am on the right track here?)  The "sinner" by his own power of moral goodness can change what he is; we would say it is not about his doing but his being.
However, the obedience of Jesus is not given its due.  See, the righteousness of Jesus took a sinner and made him into a righteous man; exactly opposite the work of Adam.  He took the sinful nature of Adam and turned it into spiritul nature.  And yet, many believe that bad acts can jeopardize that new nature.  I am not suggesting we do bad that good may come.  I merely am pointing out that our righteousness is not not based upon how much good we do; but by who we have been made to be in Christ Jesus. 
To say that we still possess a sinful nature is to suggest that Adam's work is more effective than Christ's.  Let me explain.  We believe that when Adam sinned he was no longer a righteous man but a sinner.  He was not some creature with a dual nature; on one hand a spirit and on the other carnal flesh, he was just flesh.  Yet, we often fight the concept that we are not a dual man in Christ Jesus.  Saying that we are part flesh and part spirit is to say that Jesus didn't finish the work.  He got us half way out of sin and half way into the spirit, and now we are subject to either side we give more power to. By this we suggest that Adam's was finished, we were righteous and now we are sinners; not half way out of righteousness and halfway into sin.  Shouldn't we give more credence to the power of Christ than to Adam? It was Jesus who said "It is Finished!"  He brought us completely out and absolutely in.
Last thought!  Do we trust righteousness of Jesus?  Is it to us more powerful and more permanent than what Adam first gave us?  The effect of Adam's work was temporal; the work of Jesus is forever.  "By one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified."  Out of one act of Adam's disobedience we were made effective sinners (we just couldn't help it).  Should we not be effectually righteous because of the Obedience of the GREATEST MAN Jesus? (We just can't help it?)

Pure Grace Preaching Keep People From Sinning?

There is a fear that when we teach pure, unadultered grace it will give people an excuse to sin.  They contend that if we say God is not angry with you, then they will not fear God.  There will be no way to stop men from sinning; we would be giving them license.  If God has forgiven us all our sin then people will think "I might as well sin, it is forgiven already!"  And because of these fears and simple logic men are leary of teaching an absolute grace.  Rather we combine the Old and New Covenant together believeing that if we present a Gracious God men will abuse His good grace.  They are quick to remind that God is a God of Wrath as well as love. (The bible does not say God is Wrath, but it does say God is love.)
Paul contended with this view in Romans the 6th chapter.  He was quoting an argument much like the one men use today, "Should we not continue to sin so that Grace may abound?"  Paul maintains that no we should not continue to sin that grace may abound, how can we who died to sin live any longer therein."  Grace doesn't encourage men to sin or give them an excuse to do it; it's plan is to eradicate sin.  Paul says that Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires (Titus 2:11&12).  Law based teaching gives power to sin and stripes the believer of his. 
Pure Grace teaching demonstrates that the power of sin is no more.  Really sin can become irrelevent in the life of the believer.  After all it has been condemned in the flesh of Jesus and we are dead to it.  Now I know that in the world we see sin all around, but we are dead to it.  Think of it like this.  (excuse my morbidity here) A dead man in the town grave yard is dead to the world still thriving all about him.  Life in the world continues on but he is untouched by the happenings about him.  He doesn't feel the crunch of the economy or the pleasures of the pits of human depravity.  Really all that is in the world has become irrelevent to him.  It still exists, but he doesn't exist in it.  Sin still goes on in the world but the believer is truly dead to it and it to him.
 Grace teaches death.  No, not like the law teaches death.  See the law teaches that if you sin you are going pay for it; this is the law of sin and death, you sin you die.  But Grace teaches that one absorbed your sin and died as you; therefore you have died.  And Grace also teaches that you have been raised up and are no longer alive to sin.  Paul says reckon yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God.
We are so afraid of people abusing grace; what we ought to really fear is offending the gospel.  To teach that God's Finished Work was not acheived is a more frightening proposal.  To say that we need to scare the "hell" out of people with wrath, blood, and guts, beating the "hell" out of people week after week so they will not sin is a waste of time.  No one stopped sinning completely because they got beat up by the preacher, in fact church becomes a weekly "wood shed" for some people.  That is a shame because  Hell was defeated soundly when God raised up Christ.  Jesus got the "hell" beat out of him so that sin would cease in you.  So, why don't you trust in what He did, and stop trusting in what you can do. 
Don't worry about abusing grace; true grace will guide, guard, and glorify you. 

Greatness Possible?

God is showing me how much He wants to be involved in our lives.  We have reserved Him into the "Churchy" things of life and have not accessed His amazing presence in every sphere of existence.  Peter says that He has granted to us "everything pertaining to life and godliness."  He has not just granted to us salvation and future inheritence.  He has granted us everything that pertains to life.  Too much of our lives are independent of the one in whom we are yoked together.  And a life lived like this is just a tragedy.
I like Olympic beach volleyball.  There is a player named Phil Dalhauser and he is amazing.  I love to watch him take out opponents with his incredible height and ability.  If I was ever in a beach volleyball tournement and could have anyone in the world on my team; you better believe it would be Phil.  Now, I know that Phil would be doing most of the work, but that would be okay for me.  To stand in his presence and watch him hit ball after ball back, well Wow.  It would be foolish for me in the tourney to say, "Phil sit back I got this, and if I need help I'll just yell out!"  No way.  I would be, "Hey Phil you do your magic and if you need my help just yell, but really I think you got it."
Paul says the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.  So, I figure it is alot like me and Phil only greater.  In life who better to partner with than Christ Jesus. And not just partner but be fused with.  Jesus and I are one with the Father and so I should be living in conjunction with Him.  Actually a great word is yoked.  You always yoke a weak animal with a great animal.  The greatness of the one is shared with the weaker one.  I am therefore yoked with Christ.  His greatness is a gift for me not to just worship and admire, but to experience.
What I am trying to say is "let go and let God."  At my work today I decided the job is just way too big for me so I said to God, "You are the Human Resources Assistant today."  I am the weak yoke animal, as He pulls me greatness insues. Praise God!!! He did great today.  Can you let Him be the GREAT yoke one and you share in His greatness even now?

John G. Lake Quote

"Commit your body, soul, and spirit in entire, one hundred fold consecration to God forever.  Don't be satisfied with sins forgiven.  Press on, Press in.  LET God have you and fill till consciously He indwells, lives, and abides in every cell of your blood, of your bone, and in your brain, until your soul indwelt by Him, think His thoughts, speaks His word, until your spirit assimilates God, and God assimilates you, until your humanity and His divinity are merged into His eternal deity."

Go for it! No limits, no boundaries, no law against this.  There are no conditions, addendums, or secret clauses.  Press on, Press in. 

Can you let go?

The rich young ruler had a materialistic soul that is to be sure, but he also couldn't let go of meritous religion.  He was confident in his wealth and his own piety; he was in no way poor in his life.  Sure he had a hard time letting go of his possession but he also couldn't part with his own goodness.  The law appealed to him because he could measure and calculate his own greatness in every sphere.  See he was rich in the sphere of the material, and as affluent in the religious sphere as well.  He couldn't let go of himself.  Law based religion was just another way to present his superiority of quality.
Jesus called him not just to physical poverty the outward expression of his inward condition, but also to give up score keeping.  He invited the man out into the world of obscurity and oblivion of merit and value.  The Lord was wanting the rich young man to give up his status, power, priviledge as well as his own piety and religiousity.  To become nothing.  No, the young man could not give up the material but he also could not let go of his own glory.  The weight of his own importance was too much just to let go and to become nothing.  Jesus was asking too much.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, " says Jesus, "for their's is the kingdom of heaven."  The ones who are nothing are the ones who have everything.  This is totally opposite of the way in which material man loooks at life; he judges worth in dollars, position, and merit.  We don't judge greatness upon the measure of nothingness.  And the law strokes the ego of people caught up in their own personal value.  After all it helps us keep score and gives us a standard by which we can aspire to, right?  Most of the time it becomes a way for man to elevate himself and look down upon any who would challenge his glory.  But it is those who think neither greater nor lesser than the people in whom they share the globe with that are truly blessed. 
Can you let go of the game?  Can you leave the crazy system of measure between men of faith and seize the simplicity of being found in Him?  See it is not about how we measure up or what we merit in this age or the age to come that determines our "piety."  But it is how much we depend upon the Work of Jesus and the thing He merited for every living and dead thing.  Can you let it go and trust in this work alone?  Or is your "faith" too entangled, intwined with your ego to let it go?  It is truly a sad, sad thing to watch one who thinks they are rich walk away from the only One who can make them inherit everything.  How often we men trade the wealth of the Kingdom for trinkets of the world? Hmm.

Expect Victory

2 Corinthians 2:14, 1 John 5:4-5

I'm sick of expecting failure, disaster, and defeat.  It makes me mad that I let the fears and intimdations of this world back me into a state of insecurity.  Are you tired of sitting around waiting for the boom to be lowered and see all your good, hard work ruined by mice and men?  This ought not be what we expect in the Kingdom.  Surely we should be standing firm in the conviction that the Crucified Jesus is greater than all the kingdoms in all the worlds.  It is high time we return to the simplicity of expectation of Victory.
Paul says that God ALWAYS leads us in a triumphant procession.  He is the leader of the ticket tape parade that signifies that the war is over and we are a conquering people of a victorious King: leader of Unbeatable Kingdom.  That is right.  We have far too long let the devil, the world, and "circumstances" of life keep us in a prison of fear.  There is no doom; there is no destruction.  The Church of Christ is not marching into Victory it is celebrating it.  We are not fighting the hoards of hell trying to free ourselves from sin and Satan; but are a people who are coming behind a King that has destroyed all so that we might be free.
John stated that whatever is born of God is a world conquerer.  Think about it.  If the same seed rests in the children of a God who defeated the world, flesh, and the devil; then those who possess that seed will do the same.  If the Father can do it, so can His children.  The victory that overcomes the world is our faith in the Finished Work of Jesus.  Believe, Believe, Believe!!! That is it. 

Under Law?

Paul said that no flesh is justified by works of the law.  This means that when a man seeks to be "right" with God by his own deeds he is under the law.  No man can on his own merit make peace with God; he the unjust can't be just with God.  The Law was given to get man to realize that before God he was justifibly helpless; he can't live righteously according to the law.  In fact Paul makes a statement in Romans 3 that no man is righteous not even one.  If not one man is righteous then he cannot even produce one righteous act.  How then can he be justified before God if he can't even produce one righteous thing.
The church paradigm is that we are saved and initially justified (declared righteous) by God but from time to time (some say every moment) we come out of that and need to do something to be right with God.  We have forgotten that God made Jesus the "just" and the "justifier" of the one who has faith.  It is sad that we have made all kinds of good spiritual activities law so that we can be "right" with God.  I have said and heard said that if you want to be right with God you need to pray everyday, read your bible, go to church, pray with your kids, witness, and give to the poor.  These things are wonderful acts of who we are in Christ, but have been elevated over redemption.  It is no longer a righteousness based upon faith in the Finished Work of Christ, but on what I can do to keep God happy with lesser sacrifices.
The only "way" be "right" with God is the Work of Christ.  His blood is what redeems us from all our sin; not our deeds before or after this great work.  Hebrews says that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.  My conduct good or bad has no bearing on the redemption of Christ; God is appeased only through the sacrifice of Jesus.  It is a total shame that holiness by works is considered more effective than holiness by faith.  I mean that we put more confidence in "righteous" acts of our own doing to keep us righteous than in the blood of Christ.  This is why the modern church is so hobbled and ineffective; we have abandoned the power of the Finished work of Christ and replaced it with a holiness of our own making.  We place more emphasis on what we do and diminish by those deeds what He did. 
You may say how then do we keep people holy and from sinning?  I ask how will ever know the power of the risen life of Christ if we keep interfering?  We should be placing greater faith in righteousness by faith than we do righteousness by personal effort.  There is no way a man will be holy apart from faith in the Work of Christ; he will forever be alienated from God if he keeps on trying to gain and keep what Christ already got and is keeping for him.  As long as we keep piously interfering we will never know true holiness.  Have faith in the work of Jesus; that's it.   

Sin Conscious, Sin Obsessed

1 Corinthians15:34

Believers need to turn our consciousness away from sin and toward Christ.  There is way too much emphasis on sin in our Christian culture.  I know that people need to be aware of their personal sin, but they need to be more aware of what Christ did in them.  Paul tells his followers to Awake to Righteousness and do not sin.  We need to have a righteousness awakening; and what follows is freedom from sin.  Too much attention is given to the not sinning when we have not awakened people to righteousness.
Okay, the church is struggling in this age with its image and sin.  Paul was writing to a church in Corinth that was having the same issues.  But His advise was not to focus first on the sin of the people, but to awaken them to who they were in Christ.  He directed them to be conscious of the fact of their righteousness in Christ, and the not sinning will follow.  Our attention must be fixed upon Christ; let us fix our attention on the Finished work of Christ.  What He did; not what we do.