Saving Faith Loves Forgiveness

 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Saving faith is not merely believing that you are forgiven. Saving faith looks at the horror of sin, and then looks at the holiness of God, and apprehends spiritually that God’s forgiveness is unspeakably glorious, beautiful. We don’t just receive it; we admire it. We are satisfied with our new friendship with such a great, forgiving God.

Faith in God’s forgiveness does not merely mean a persuasion that I am off the hook. It means savoring the truth that a forgiving God is the most precious reality in the universe. Saving faith cherishes being forgiven by God, and from there rises to cherishing the God who forgives — and all that he is for us in Jesus. This experience has a tremendous effect on our becoming forgiving people. 

The great act of purchasing our forgiveness is past — the cross of Christ. By this backward look, we learn of the grace in which we will ever stand (Romans 5:2). We learn that we are now, and always will be, loved and accepted. We learn that the living God is a forgiving God. 

But the great act of experiencing our forgiveness goes on forever into the future. Our joyful fellowship with the great God who forgives lasts forever. Therefore, freedom for forgiveness, flowing from this all-satisfying fellowship with the forgiving God, lasts as long as we do. 

I have learned that it is possible to go on holding a grudge if your faith simply means you have looked back to the cross and concluded that you are off the hook. That’s why I have been forced to go deeper into what true faith is — not just a relief that I’m off the hook, but also a profound satisfaction with all that God is for me in Jesus. This faith looks back not merely to discover that we are off the hook, but also to see and savor the kind of God who offers us a future of endless reconciled tomorrows in fellowship with him. Satisfied fellowship with such a forgiving God is crucial for our being forgiving people.

When Another Christian Hurts You

 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24) 

What is the basis of our not holding grudges against Christian brothers and sisters who repent? 

Our moral indignation because of a terrible offense done against us does not evaporate just because the offender is a Christian. In fact, we may feel even more betrayed. And a simple, “I’m sorry” will often seem utterly disproportionate to the painfulness and ugliness of the offense. 

But in this case we are dealing with fellow Christians and the promise of God’s wrath against our offender does not apply, because there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “God has not destined [Christians] for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). It looks like they are going to get away with it!

Where shall we turn to assure ourselves that justice will be done — that Christianity is not a mockery of the seriousness of sin? 

The answer is that we look to the cross of Christ. All the wrongs that have been done against us by genuine believers were avenged in the death of Jesus. This is implied in the simple but staggering fact that all the sins of all God’s people were laid on Jesus. “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:24).

The suffering of Christ was the real punishment and recompense of God on every hurt you have ever received from a fellow Christian. Therefore, Christianity does not make light of sin. It does not add insult to our injury. 

On the contrary, it takes the sins against us so seriously that, to make them right, God gave his own Son to suffer more than we could ever make anyone suffer for what they have done to us. If we go on holding a grudge against a fellow believer, we are saying in effect that the cross of Christ was not a sufficient recompense for the sins of God’s people. This is an insult to Christ and his cross you do not want to give.

THE NEED OF GRACE IN OUR FAITH WALK!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JULY 07, 2024.

SUBJECT : THE NEED OF GRACE IN OUR FAITH WALK! 

Memory verse: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." (Galatians 2 vs 16.)

READ: Galatians 3 vs 2 - 7:

3:2: This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

3:3: Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

3:4: Have you suffered so many things in vain - if indeed it was in vain?

3:5: Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

3:6: Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness."

3:7: Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

INTIMATION:

The Holy Spirit (the Spirit of grace) gives Christians great power to live for God. People still feel insecure in their faith because faith alone seems too easy. Some Christians want more than this. They want to live in a state of perpetual excitement. They still try to get closer to God by following rules. While certain Christian discipline may help us grow, they must not take the place of the Holy Spirit in us or become ends in themselves. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul was asking the Galatian believers, "Did you receive the Lord through your own works and efforts or by hearing the Gospel message and saying, 'I believe that?'" He further asked them, "Are you really so foolish and senseless and silly as to begin your new life by the Spirit and then try to reach perfection by depending on your own weak human flesh?" Then finally he concludes in asking them, "Does God supply your every need and work miracles among you because you keep the law perfectly or because you put your entire faith and trust in the message you heard?"

The believers in Galatia received the Lord by faith, but were trying to perfect themselves by depending on their own flesh, trying to change themselves and their lives by human efforts rather than by trusting in God, and His grace to live a changed life.

Now, effort has a place in the Christian life. It does have a part to play. But even then, anything done outside the grace of God will have no real lasting effect. The law is not bad in itself. Even the Scripture says, "The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7 vs 12). The law can make us acceptable to God. 

Yes, the law still has an important role to play in the life of a Christian. The law (1) guards us from sin by giving us standards for behavior; (2) convicts us of sin, leaving us the opportunity to ask for God's forgiveness; and (3) drives us to trust the sufficiency of Christ, because we can never keep the Ten Commandments perfectly. The law cannot possibly save us. But after we become Christians, it can guide us to live as God requires.

Are you struggling with changes that need to be made in your personality? Do you ever get frustrated and confused, trying to believe and have faith and confess and do all the right things to bring about change in yourself and your life, yet it never seems to happen? You wanted to change everything you saw wrong about yourself and life, but for some reason you just couldn't do it. 

Most believers will blame the devil. They will spend better part of their time binding and casting the devil away, instead of turning to the Lord for help. I have learned that the Lord constantly requires us to turn to Him. Why? Because when we do anything apart from Him, we take the credit and glory that rightfully belong to Him. For this reason He will frustrate any of our own efforts to do things outside of Him. Jesus said, "....For without Me, you can do nothing." (John 15 vs 5).

We are saved by grace (unmerited favor) from God, and only the grace we receive that empowers us to meet specific situations in life. In Luke 11 vs 2 - 4, Jesus thought His disciples how to pray: "Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one."

Our Lord's Prayer clearly shows three things; (1) God our giver, (2) our leader, (3) our deliverer. Our duty then is to ask so that we can receive. (See Matthew 7 vs 7 - 8). We are to the asking and God Himself does the work. Therefore, turn to God in prayer, because only God could bring about changes that you desire in your life. But our duty is to ask in faith. Get your face before the Lord on a regular basis and say the prayer below. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I can't help myself. I am coming to You like a little child. I am totally helpless. I lay this whole situation before You, asking for Your grace. I don't deserve Your help, Father, but You are my only hope. Please do for me what I can't do for myself, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

How Christ Conquered Bitterness

 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:23)

No one was more grievously sinned against than Jesus. Every ounce of animosity against him was completely undeserved. 

No one has ever lived who was more worthy of honor than Jesus; and no one has been dishonored more. 

If anyone had a right to get angry and be bitter and vengeful, it was Jesus. How did he control himself when scoundrels, whose very existence he sustained, spit in his face? First Peter 2:23 gives the answer: “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”

What this verse means is that Jesus had faith in the future grace of God’s righteous judgment. He did not need to avenge himself for all the indignities he suffered, because he entrusted his cause to God. He left vengeance in God’s hands and prayed for his enemies: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). 

Peter gives us this glimpse into Jesus’s faith so that we would learn how to live this way ourselves. He said, “You have been called [to endure harsh treatment patiently] . . . because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

If Christ conquered bitterness and vengeance by faith in what God, the good Judge, had promised to do, how much more should we, since we have far less right to murmur for being mistreated than he did?

DO NOT ENVY THE WEALTH OF THE WICKED!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JULY 06, 2024.

SUBJECT : DO NOT ENVY THE WEALTH OF THE WICKED!

Memory verse: "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” (Psalm 37 vs 7.)

READ: Psalm 73 vs 3 - 9; 13 - 20:

73:3: For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

73:4: For there are no pangs in their death: but their strength is firm.

73:5: They are not in trouble as other men; nor are they plagued like other men.

73:6: Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.

73:7: Their eyes bulge with abundance: they have more than heart could wish.

73:13: Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.

73:14: For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

73:15: If I had said, “I will speak thus;,” behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.

73:16: When I thought to understand this, it was too painful for me;

73:17: Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.

73:18: Surely You set them in slippery places: You cast them down to destruction.

73:19: Oh how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.

73:20: As a dream when one awakes; so, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image.

INTIMATION:

We observe in the world that sometimes the wicked prosper, leaving all the godly people wondering why they bother to be good. We also observe that the wealth of the wicked looks so inviting that faithful people may wish they could trade places. But these two themes or observations come to unexpected ends, for the wealth of the wicked suddenly loses its power at death, and the rewards for the godly suddenly takes on eternal value. What seemed like wealth is now waste, and what seemed worthless now lasts forever. Don’t wish you could trade places with evil people to get their wealth. One day they will wish they could trade places with you and have your eternal wealth.

We should never envy evil people, even though some may be extremely popular or excessively rich. No matter how much they have, it will fade and varnish like grass that withers and dies. Those who follow God live differently from the wicked and, in the end, will have treasures in heaven. What an unbeliever gets on earth may last a lifetime, but what the believer gets from following God lasts forever. 

At a point, in the passage we read today, the psalmist wondered why he had sought to walk righteously in his life, because the result was his oppression. He complained until he went to the sanctuary of God. It was there that he understood that the end of the wicked was doom. Though their lives seemed glorious, their end was destruction.Thus the psalmist was willing to sacrifice the seemingly glorious life of the unrighteous in order to avoid their end.

Many people have asked, “Why does the wicked prosper?” One may question the prosperity of the wicked, while the righteous suffer, but our questioning should not turn into envy of what the wealthy possess. The righteous must content themselves with God who is in control and working all things together for good for His people (Romans 8 vs 28). In God’s long-range plans and purposes, we should realize that God is doing right, even when you don’t understand why He works as He does. 

The nature and life of the wicked who prosper is full of arrogance because they are well fed, having a life without trouble. They go unchecked with their oppressive conduct and unscrupulous dealings. They have more than one could desire. And because they are arrogant in their speech, people often turn to them for leadership and counsel. They continue to prosper regardless of their unrighteous behavior. All these make the righteous worry.

Worry, envy, and impatience are tools of the devil to ensnare the righteous. The righteous must keep in mind that the wealth of the wicked is only temporary in the sense that in death the wicked will lose all their wealth. Therefore, one should not sacrifice his contentment by envying those things that will eventually pass away, both at the time of death and at the end of the world (See Second Peter 3 vs 10 - 16).

It is obvious that all those who call upon God in their need will be answered, sometimes in unexpected ways. Remember God knows what we need and our deepest needs are spiritual. Even though many Christians face unbeatable poverty and hardship, they still have enough spiritual nourishment to live for God. If you have God, you have all you really need. God is enough.

If you feel you don’t have everything you need, then ask yourself: (1) Is this really a need? (2) Is this really good for me? (3) Is this the best time for me to have what I desire? Even if you answer yes to all three questions, God may allow you to go without itvto help you grow more dependent on Him. He may want you to learn that you need Him more than having your immediate desires met. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I know Your thoughts for me is of good and not of evil to give me a future and a hope. In You I live, move, and have my being. Endue me with the spirit of contentment with all You do for me and have allowed me to have, that I will never envy the wicked and evil doers and their wealth, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

Give God Your Revenge

 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)

Why is this such a crucial promise in overcoming our bent toward bitterness and revenge? The reason is that this promise answers one of the most powerful impulses behind anger — an impulse that is not entirely wrong. 

In many cases, real wrongs have been done to us. Therefore, it is not entirely wrong to feel that justice should be done. What’s wrong is to feel that we must make it happen and that we may feel bitter until it does. This would be a deadly mistake.

During my seminary days, Noël and I were in a small group for couples that began to relate at a fairly deep personal level. One evening we were discussing forgiveness and anger. One of the young wives said that she could not and would not forgive her mother for something she had done to her as a young girl. 

We talked about some of the biblical commands and warnings concerning an unforgiving spirit. 

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

If you do not forgive others . . . neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:15) 

But she would not budge. So I warned her that her very soul was in danger if she kept on with such an attitude of unforgiving bitterness. But she was adamant that she would not forgive her mother.

The grace of God’s judgment is promised to us here in Romans 12 as a means of helping us overcome such a deadly spirit of revenge and bitterness. 

Paul’s argument is that we can be sure that all wrongs will be dealt with by God and that we can leave the matter in his hands because vengeance belongs to the Lord. To motivate us to lay down our vengeful desires he gives us a promise: “I will repay, says the Lord.” 

The promise that frees us from an unforgiving, bitter, vengeful spirit is the promise that God will settle our accounts. He will do it more justly and mercifully and more thoroughly than we ever could. He punishes all sin. Nobody gets away with anything. He punishes it either in Christ on the cross for those who repent and trust him, or in hell for those who don’t. Therefore, we can back off and leave room for God to do his perfect work.

THE POWER OF SPOKEN FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JULY 05, 2024.

SUBJECT : THE POWER OF SPOKEN FAITH!

Memory verse: "And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak," (Second Corinthians 4 vs 13.)

READ: Matthew 8 vs 5 - 13:

8:5: Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,

8:6: saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." 

8:7: And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

8:8: The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.

8:9: For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

8:10: When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 

8:11: And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

8:12: But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

8:13: Then, Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.

INTIMATION:

There is great power in the word of faith you believe, internalize and speak out. God is so faithful to confirm or perform His Words spoken in genuine faith. It takes our believe in that word of God and genuine confession of the Word in genuine faith in the Owner—God. 

The passage we read today is about the faith of the Roman soldier, a 'Centurion.' I have always enjoyed meditating on the Bible story of this Roman soldier, and his faith. This Bible story sets forth all the ingredients of triumphant faith—the power of spoken faith—in action. The centurion believed and spoke out his faith. He knew Jesus has authority over all things, including demons, and can exercise His authority from anywhere, just as he can, as a soldier, over his subjects, and it is done. We, 'believers,' should do the same. 

The centurion believed in his heart and spoke it with his mouth, exercising the power of spoken faith, and Jesus highly commended him. In fact, He called it the greatest faith He had seen in all Israel. Let us all, therefore, as 'Believers,' speak with the same spirit of faith in the word. 

Our memory verse is the spoken faith of the anonymous psalmist in Psalm 116 vs 10, "I believed, therefore I spoke." He believed in God, spoke out to the LORD in his time of distress, and the LORD heard his voice and his supplication: "I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Shoel laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!"....For the LORD delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling....I believed, therefore I spoke." (Psalm 116 vs 1 - 10.)

In this quotation of Psalm 116 vs 10, Paul the apostle emphasized the courage of the one who has the faith to speak forth in the midst of persecution. He thus defines true faith. If one truly believes, then he will speak forth the word of God. Apostle Paul’s fundamental argument is that the faith one must have is not worth having if he is not willing to die for it. God is responsive that you can always reach Him. He bends down and listens to your voice. He is near, listening carefully to every prayer and answering each one in order to give you His best.

The apostle Paul, in Romans 10 vs 8 - 10, says, "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Salvation is the greatest of all God's gifts, and the opener of all other blessings of God. And it is obtained by us through believing in our hearts and confessing with our mouths that Jesus is the risen Lord of our lives. Salvation is as close as our own lips and hearts. 

When we learn to speak the Word and not the problem, we are on the road to absolute victory. But we are defeated the moment we allow ourselves to start listing our burdens instead of counting our blessings. God is the Creator and Master over all things. He has given us the carte blanche to 'ask and receive, seek and find, and knock and the door will be opened to us.' But we must have faith in Him, and that faith must be spoken out. 

Jesus Christ said, "the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness." (Romans 8 vs 12.) Many Christians will miss the kingdom because of not confessing their faith. Therefore, if you believe, then speak it.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are so faithful to Your promises, and cannot deny Yourself. I hold tightly to You, my Redeemer and Savior. You have given me a mouth and wisdom which all my adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. Help me to always declare boldly my faith in You at all times. As I believe so will I speak, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!