The Next Step – Living Your Life Through Jesus

The Next Step – Living Your Life Through Jesus

Welcome back, my dear friends. I have missed you. Hopefully in our last series, “Who Am I Really?”, you discovered the answers you were seeking. We’ll take what you’ve learned and use it as the foundation for our second series, “The Next Step – Living Your Life through Jesus”.

We have already learned how simple it is to have our sins forgiven and be reconciled with our Heavenly Father (Romans 10:9-13, Ephesians 2:8-10). However some of you may not know exactly what to do next. You may be thinking that you really don’t feel or look any different, and there is no halo over your head to show people you’re saved.

You may still have the same old desires you had before accepting Jesus. Some of you may even think you didn’t do it right so you keep accepting Jesus as your Savior and Lord over and over again until you feel something change inside of you. You see others around you who have really changed but you haven’t yet so you begin to feel frustrated.

You start going back to church; you even buy a Bible and place it on your nightstand. You pray to God and ask for things you need, but He hasn’t answered one prayer yet. You still get angry in traffic, and you’re really having a hard time forgiving others for hurtful things they say and do. Some people may tell you that if you really are saved you would be busy doing the work of the Lord, but you’re not certain what they’re talking about.

You start watching TV evangelists, hearing things you\’ve never heard before. You see them healing people in wheel chairs so they can walk again. You find yourself wondering if that is the way God works. You join a Bible study, read various scriptures, discuss how they made you feel, and then the leader asks how you can take these lessons and start using them in your daily walk with God. You have no idea, but you make up an answer so you won’t be embarrassed.

My friend, if you still feel you are missing something in your Christian life, you’re not alone. The simple truth is that you’re trying to live your Christian life through your old sinful nature, and it just won’t work. The Bible teaches us that there is only one way to live your life now and that simple answer is to live your life through Jesus.

Please join me as we journey through the Bible and learn how God really wants you to live. I guarantee it will change your life. How can I make that guarantee? Through my Christian walk I’ve struggled with all the issues I’ve mentioned above and then some. When I finally realized I couldn’t do it any longer on my own and turned it over to Jesus to control, then wonderful things began to happen in my life.

Until next month, my friend, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.

My friend, regardless of where you are in your Christian journey — whether you have just started down the path or you’ve been a Christian for some time — this series is designed to help with how you approach your life in Jesus.

One of the major questions that confronts each Christian centers on control. Who is ultimately in control of your Christian life — God or you?  The first lesson of my new series “The Next Step — Living Your Life through Jesus” will show you how trying to live your Christian life through your own efforts just won’t work.

In my last series “Who Am I Really?” I explained that before you accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord your life was owned by Satan.

 “² You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.”  Ephesians 2:2 (NLT) You were separated from the love of God because of Satan’s lies and deception. “²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23 (NLT)

Your Old Nature — Satan Call the Shots

Beginning at birth, we are all hardwired to sin and to lead a sinful life. It is natural for us to be prideful, self-centered, rebellious, and to want things this world has to offer.  This is what the Bible refers to as “the Flesh or Old Nature”. Satan, the god of this world, has designed and filled this earth with all of the desires of your sinful heart, including his false self-centered religions and cults.

God’s Word has this to say: 

¹⁶ for all these worldly things, these evil desires—the craze for sex, the ambition to buy everything that appeals to you, and the pride that comes from wealth and importance—these are not from God. They are from this evil world itself. 1 John 2:16 (TLB)

Let’s dig a little deeper and review some of the things that make up your Old Nature controlled by Satan.

“¹⁹ But when you follow your own wrong inclinations, your lives will produce these evil results: impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, ²⁰ idolatry, spiritism (that is, encouraging the activity of demons), hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group—and there will be wrong doctrine, ²¹ envy, murder, drunkenness, wild parties, and all that sort of thing.”  Galatians 5:19-21 (TLB)

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

You might think that once you accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord that these feelings and desires of your Old Nature would be forgiven and removed. But that is not correct!

Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose for the forgiveness of your sins so you could be reconciled with God the Father. God’s Word tells us

“²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NLT)

Even though your sins have been forgiven, you are still and always will be a sinner. Your Old Nature cannot be removed; it will remain part of you until you die.

Your New Nature — The Holy Spirit Joins You

Once you were saved, God placed a New Nature in you and His name is the Holy Spirit. 

¹⁷ When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (TLB)

The key phrase in the above verse is “A new life has begun.” You are not automatically changed — your new life has just begun. Your new journey to live your life through Jesus began the day you received Him as your Savior and Lord.  So go easy on yourself, my friend, your journey is just beginning. He is far from finished with you.

Old Nature Vs. New Nature — A Tug-Of-War Begins

Your Old Nature remains inside of you with your New Nature. But just as  God is not finished with you, Satan and his demonic minions, all sworn enemies of God, are not done with you either. Your Old Nature belongs to Satan, and he has every intention of fighting your New Nature to keep you in sin even after you’ve become a Christian.

For Satan, it’s better to have a Christian holding on to their old desires and continuing to live in sin (yes, my friend, you will still sin, and I will discuss this later) so they remain under his influence. How does this work? Let’s turn to Jesus for that answer. 

“¹⁴ You are the world’s light—a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. ^15-16 Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14-16 (TLB)

This is important, my friend.  If you’re still living your Christian life through your own efforts, then the world, your friends, and family won’t see much of a change. You are doing exactly what Jesus said not to do. You’re hiding your light, and doing exactly what Satan wants you to do.

The Apostle Paul admitted to this very struggle in Romans:

“¹⁸ I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn I can’t make myself do right. I want to but I can’t. ¹⁹ When I want to do good, I don’t; and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. ²⁰ Now if I am doing what I don’t want to, it is plain where the trouble is: sin still has me in its evil grasp.\” Romans 7:18-20 (TLB)

As you can see, living your Christian life through your own efforts plays right into Satan’s hands, and all of the cards are stacked against you.  So what do you need to do to change? What’s the next step? Join me next month as I continue my series “The Next Step — Living My Life Through Jesus” where I’ll talk about how to be “Rewired to Love.”

Until next time, my friend, may Mercy, Peace, and Love be multiplied to you.

Welcome back, my friend. Last month in our series, The Next Step — Living Your Life through Jesus, I explained how each of us is hardwired to sin and that we truly cannot do anything that pleases God through our own efforts (our Old Nature). Satan will always be in control of your fleshly Old Nature.

The apostle Paul tells us that; 

“⁷ because the old sinful nature within us is against God. It never did obey God’s laws and it never will. ⁸ That’s why those who are still under the control of their old sinful selves, bent on following their old evil desires, can never please God.” Romans 8:7-8 (TLB)

The Holy Spirit, Our Teacher and Gift from God

The moment you were saved, you received your New Nature (the Holy Spirit) from God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Ray Stedman in his book, Secrets of the Spirit, says it this way, “The primary work of the Holy Spirit will be to take the life of Jesus and release it inside of the believer.”

You are now being personally taught the truth of God by Jesus Christ Himself through the Holy Spirit inside of you. Jesus spoke to His disciples at the Last Supper about the Holy Spirit: 

“¹³ But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words. He will speak only what he hears and will tell you what will happen in the future. ¹⁴ The Spirit of truth will bring glory to me by telling you what he receives from me. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will tell you what he receives from me.” John 16:13-15 (ERV)

Listen to the wonderful promise the Apostle Paul told the members of the Corinthian church;  

“²² He (God) has put his brand upon us — his mark of ownership — and given us his Holy Spirit in our hearts as guarantee that we belong to him and as the first installment of all that he is going to give us.”  2 Corinthians 1:22 (TLB)

God’s Holy Spirit is just the first installment of all that He is going to give us; what a wonderful promise for every believer.

The Fruits of God’s Holy Spirit Are Locked in All Our Hearts

Imagine what might have happened after Adam and Eve fell into sin (Genesis 3:6-7) and the Spirit of God left them. Let’s just suppose that before He departed, He placed all of His Fruits along with His tools inside a box, secured it with duct tape, and left it behind inside their (and ultimately our) hearts.

The box sits there and cannot be opened by us. However it sends pulses of desire to our heart for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — just some of the things the Holy Spirit left behind.

We are left with a continuous desire deep in our heart for all of these fruits of the Holy Spirit. Not knowing of how to open the box, we turn to the world controlled by Satan searching for the answers to our desire for true love, peace, kindness and all the other fruits the Holy Spirit left behind.  Finally some of us realize that we can never attain fulfillment through what the world has to offer.

Unlocking the Fruits of His Spirit

As soon as you’re saved, the Holy Spirit enters your heart and immediately opens the sealed box and starts unpacking the Fruits of His Spirit. Our master electrician gets busy laying out His necessary tools to begin His rewiring job — a job that will continue the rest of your life.

Why do I refer to this process as “rewired to love” rather than “hardwired to love”?  Because we were born to sin, we are like a new computer that defaults to the program that was first placed on it. The only way to change how a computer works is to load a new program that will override the original settings. That is what the Holy Spirit immediately begins to do as He begins to open His life-changing box inside of you.

But just like a computer, we can be reset back to the original default program. With a computer this can happen with the touch of a button; for us, it is as simple as a wrong thought or deed.

The Holy Spirit Starts With Your Mind

The first place the Holy Spirit targets is your mind because it is crucial that you begin to change the way you think. 

God tells us that “⁵ People who live following their sinful selves think only about what they want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about what the Spirit wants them to do.”  Romans 8:5 (ERV)

God goes on further to tell us: 

“² Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.”  Romans 12:2 (GNT)

In the past, your mind was focused on conforming to the standards of this world (and we all know who is in charge here). Your new journey as a Christian begins with a change in your mindset and thought process.

This won’t be easy and you cannot do it on your own. That is why God placed His Spirit inside of you to begin the process of renewing your mind.  God has everything under control if you’ll just believe, let go, and let God begin to take care of it.

Your first step of faith was your salvation decision. Your next step of faith is to believe and have faith that God can accomplish what He promises He will do. The apostle Paul gives us this assurance, 

⁶ I am sure that God Who began the good work in you will keep on working in you until the day Jesus Christ comes again. Philippians 1:6 (NLV) 

Three Truths Taught by the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has three main truth objectives that He wants to begin teaching you once He arrives. Let’s go back again and listen to the explanation Jesus gives concerning the Holy Spirit to his disciples as He prepares for to go to the cross for us.  ⁸ When the Helper comes, He will show the world the truth about sin. He will show the world about being right with God. And He will show the world what it is to be guilty. ⁹ He will show the world about sin, because they do not put their trust in Me. ¹⁰ He will show the world about being right with God, because I go to My Father and you will see Me no more. ¹¹ He will show the world what it is to be guilty because the leader of this world (Satan) is guilty. John 16:8-11 (NLV)

The Spirit inside of you wants you to understand the truth about these three things:

1. The reality of Sin in your life was total separation from God your Heavenly Father for all eternity. However, this separation was reversed through your Savior Jesus Christ.
2. The truth about the will of God and what it means to be good and pleasing to Him through your Lord Jesus Christ.
3. The truth about your adversary in this life — Satan. The one who has clouded the way you think and act through sin, and the reality that he has already been defeated by your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So you no longer have to listen to him.

Join me next month for Rewired to Love — Part 2, to learn more details about the three main truth objectives of the Holy Spirit. It is important that you understand who the Holy Spirit is and the important life-changing role He plays in your Next Step – Living Your Life through Jesus.  

Until next month my friend, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Welcome back, my friend. Last month in our series, “The Next Step – Living Your Life through Jesus”, I discussed how God through His Son, Jesus Christ, placed the Holy Spirit inside of you when you were saved. He placed His wonderful master electrician inside of you to begin rewiring you to love.

My friend, you need to understand the importance of the Holy Spirit who now lives within you. God has revealed Himself to us in three distinct Persons —  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We refer to this as the Holy Trinity, God three in one (2 Corinthians 13:14).  Each has played a distinct role in your salvation, yet each share equally in the work of creation, maintenance of the universe, redemption, and judgment.

Do not worry if you can’t understand this truth. We will fully understand this concept of three in one, along with everything else when we finally join them in heaven. So all we need to do right now is believe and trust God’s Holy Word about this truth.

You know God (God the Father) as the loving creator of everything, even you. You know Jesus Christ (God the Son) as your Lord and Savior who through His death, burial, and resurrection reunited us with our Heavenly Father for all eternity. The Holy Spirit (God the Holy Spirit) is the third person of the Holy Trinity.

At the very moment of your salvation, whether you realized it or not, the Holy Spirit took up residency inside of you. In reality you now have the presence of almighty God living inside of you, and this is all you will ever need to make the changes He has planned for you.

The Holy Spirit searches out and shows you all of God’s deepest secrets, and no one can know God’s thoughts except through God’s own Spirit.  You now have your own personal Bible scholar living inside of you who is accessible 24/7, so you don’t need anyone else to teach you about God.  Everything He teaches you will be the truth and not a lie so you can trust Him.  1 John 2:27

Your understanding of the Bible will now come alive to you. The Holy Spirit will guide you and teach you how to understand all the truths about God and to effectively use His Word of Truth. He will glorify the name of Jesus in us and reveal His desires for our life. He empowers us for witness and service for God (John 16:13-15).  So now is the time for you to start reading His Word of Truth, the Bible, if you haven’t already. It only makes common sense now that you can understand it.

Let’s take a look at the three main foundational truths I mentioned in our last lesson that the Holy Spirit teaches you once He arrives. (John 16:8-11)

The Reality of Sin in Your Life

Did you ever really think about sin before you were saved, and the consequences that sin has on your life and eternity? Probably not, as you lived your life just like every other unsaved person. You lived in the false reality of Satan’s world much like those individuals in the movie, The Matrix, and as God’s Word tells us your thinking conformed to that world. (Romans 12:2)

Without the Holy Spirit convicting your spirit of your sin and separation from God you would not have understood the gravity of your situation. An unsaved person has no concept of the effect of sin on their life.  Remember, God’s word tells us the unsaved don’t understand the Word of God or what sin really means, because they don’t have the Spirit inside of them to unlock its truths. 1 Corinthians 2:10-16.  They are led away from the truth by their manmade religious rites, rituals, and the interpretation of the scriptures by unsaved religious leaders.

Listen to what Jesus said to a group of Pharisees (religious leaders) who  invited Him to join them for a meal.  ⁵² “Woe to you experts in religion! For you hide the truth from the people. You won’t accept it for yourselves, and you prevent others from having a chance to believe it.” Luke 11:52 (TLB)

The Truth about Pleasing the Will of God

The Christian walk for many of us is based on the Old Testament Covenant of “Everything from ME and nothing from GOD.”  We feel in order for God to love me, in order for God to accept me, in order for God to approve of me, I’ve got to do something. I’ve got to perform. I’ve got to put on my spiritual best and work for God’s approval.  We continue to believe that our Christian life and walk is based on what we do for God not what He does for us.

However, we now live under the New Testament Covenant that Jesus gave us, “Everything from GOD, and nothing from ME!” Jesus died for us in order that He may live inside of us. It is His life in us through the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to live a true Christian life — a Grace-filled life.

Remember this, as a child of God, God loves you as much today as He ever will. There is nothing you can do to make God love you or accept you more.

The Truth about Your Adversary in this Life

This is the most exciting Biblical truth of all. Satan, the ruler of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and the one who has clouded the way you think and act through sin, no longer has any power over you. The reality is that he has been defeated by the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who conquered death once and for all.

The Apostle Paul tells us 

“² The power of the Holy Spirit has made me free from the power of sin and death. This power is mine because I belong to Christ Jesus.”  Romans 8:2 (NLV)

So how important is the Holy Spirit in your life?  Listen to what the Apostle Paul tells the believers in the church of Corinth. 

“¹⁴ But the man who isn’t a Christian can’t understand and can’t accept these thoughts from God, which the Holy Spirit teaches us. They sound foolish to him because only those who have the Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means. Others just can’t take it in. ¹⁵ But the spiritual man has insight into everything, and that bothers and baffles the man of the world, who can’t understand him at all. ¹⁶ How could he? For certainly he has never been one to know the Lord’s thoughts, or to discuss them with him, or to move the hands of God by prayer.  But, strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us the very thoughts and mind of Christ.”  1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (TLB)

Just think about this marvelous truth. You now have the very thoughts and mind of our Lord, Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.  What more could you possibly need to understand God’s will for your life, and how to please him?

The Apostle Paul goes on to tell us “¹⁶ So I tell you, live the way the Spirit leads you. Then you will not do the evil things your sinful self wants.” Galatians 5:16 (ERV)

Understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in your life and following His direction is a critical step in letting God transform you by a complete change of your mind. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that you will be able to know the will of God, and what is good and pleasing to him.

Join me next month in our series “The Next Step — Living Your Life through Jesus”, as we begin to look at Jesus your Savior and Jesus your Lord and what they truly mean to you. 

Until next month, my friend, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Welcome back, my friend. Last month in our series, “The Next Step – Living Your Life through Jesus”, I discussed the importance of God the Holy Spirit in your spiritual rebirth. He is your guide and teacher to a faith- driven Christian walk as you live your life through Jesus. He is the one who unlocks the secrets of the Bible and shows you the will of God for your life.  He is the one who covers you with God’s sealing grace guaranteeing you’ll be spending all eternity with God your Heavenly Father.

Let’s now begin the discussion of God the Son, Jesus Christ My Savior.

My friend, you need to understand why God the Son had to die, and how His death, burial and resurrection played into God’s plan of redemption for this lost world controlled by Satan.

God Three in One — the Persons of the Trinity

The key to understanding your salvation lies in the Trinity (I spoke about this last month). Biblically, all three Persons of the Trinity have the same spirit and nature. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are not forms of God — each of them is God — but each One has different roles or activities when it comes to how God relates to the world. For example, our salvation is based on God the Father’s love and grace (John 3:16), God the Son’s death and resurrection (Romans 4:25), and God the Holy Spirit’s guarantee of rebirth and God’s sealing grace for all eternity (Ephesians 4:30). The different tasks that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit perform are the result of the eternal relationship that exists among the Persons of the Trinity — God three in one.

If You Just Work Hard Enough, You Can Get to Heaven. Right?

So why did Jesus have to die?  Wouldn’t it have been easier if God the Father had, through His love and grace, just forgiven each of our sins and welcomed us all to heaven with open arms.  He could have said, come one and all, I love you and forgive all your sins; I want you to be with me through all eternity.  If He had simply done this then Jesus Christ, God the Son, wouldn’t have had to die for us.

Unfortunately some religions teach just that. They believe that a loving Holy Father would never send his own beloved creations to Hell because He loves us too much.  All we have to do is work really hard at being the best person we can possibly be,  keep all of the rites and rituals of the manmade religion we participate in and we’re pretty much assured that He will let us into Heaven.  They skip over the life changing part about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection completely.

My friend, this approach to Heaven is the very lie that Satan wants you to believe.  He teaches the lost to believe that it’s “All about ME, not JESUS.”  They tell you that you can work your way to God, proving to Him that you are worthy of spending eternity with Him because of all the hard work you’ve done for Him.  I’m sure there will be those individuals when they arrive at the great judgment seat who will produce resumes to hand to Jesus proving all they’ve done to get into Heaven.

But, God’s Holy Word doesn’t teach us that.  Nowhere in the Bible is this approach to Heaven mentioned or taught.  If you have a friend or family member who tell you this, my advice would be to ask them in love to show you in God’s Word where it teaches this approach to salvation so that you can learn about it.
Remember, one verse pulled out of scripture can’t stand on its own unless the person quoting it can show you that its theme is carried throughout the Bible. And this approach to salvation can’t stand on its own. It’s as simple as that.

The True Deity of Jesus Christ

Let’s correct the misconception perpetuated by Satan that Jesus was a great spiritual man, a prophet sent by God, and nothing more.  Friends, this is a lie taught by cults and religions who preach Satan’s gospel of good works as the way to get to Heaven.  We find the truth that answers this lie in the Gospel of John.

The Word (Christ) was in the beginning. The Word was with God. The Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. He made all things. Nothing was made without Him making it. Life began by Him. His Life was the Light for men. The Light shines in the darkness. The darkness has never been able to put out the Light. John 1:1-5 (NLV)

But although he made the world, the world didn’t recognize him when he came. Even in his own land and among his own people, the Jews, he was not accepted. Only a few would welcome and receive him. But to all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save them. All those who believe this are reborn!—not a physical rebirth resulting from human passion or plan—but from the will of God.  14 And Christ became a human being and lived here on earth among us and was full of loving forgiveness and truth. John 1:10-14 (TLB)

Jesus Christ, God the Son, is God and through the relationship established in the Trinity He became a human being and lived here on earth among us.  For this to happen, He had to divest Himself of His eternal life and become a flesh-and-blood human being born of a virgin.

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11(NKJV)

And you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.  Matthew 1:21(NLT)

He will save His people from their sins.  The Greek for Jesus comes from the Hebrew word yehoshua, which means “He will Save.” His very name means Savior.  Jesus was born for the purpose of saving humanity (you and me). “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.”  Hebrews 2:14 (NLT)

Jesus who is fully God became a human and in reality, He became God with us (Matthew 1:23).  Why did Jesus become flesh and blood, just like you and me (Romans 8:3)?  He had to become human so that He could die.
Jesus was flesh and blood, just like you and me.  He did not merely enter into a fleshly body and become God inside of, and separate from, His human body.  Jesus had all of the characteristics I spoke about in “Who Am I Really” lesson 1” Your Life Begins.”  He needed the same blood that courses through your veins, the same air you breathe, and the same food you eat to keep Him alive.

God’s Eternal Plan Spared Mankind from an Eternity in Hell

So why did Jesus have to die?  Because of one word SIN.  When Adam and Eve fell into sin everything changed.  They immediately became physically and spiritually separated from God their Father (along with us).  God had to turn His back on them because He could not tolerate the sight of sin’s wickedness (Psalm 5:4).  In fact, “All (of us) have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness.”  Romans 3:23 (ERV).  “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” Romans 5:12 (NLT).  “Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone,” Romans 5:18 (NLT).

Don’t overlook the word death I have highlighted above.  When sin entered the world it came with a severe judgment from God, and death was that judgment “For the wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23 (NLT).  You may think, I know I’m going to die eventually, doesn’t everyone, so what’s the big deal.

My friend, this death means more than just physical, it also means spiritual.  This sentence of death ensures each and every one of us an eternity separate from God with no appeals or over turning of our sentence.  From birth our destiny is and always will be to spend all eternity in hell with Satan and all of his evil minions.

Do you now understand why Satan and his evil minions fight so fiercely to keep the Good News from you?  We belong to him and he wants every one of us to spend eternity with him in the lake of burning sulfur where we will be tormented day and night forever and ever, totally separated from God for all eternity. (Revelation 20:10-15)

Even though Satan triumphed in introducing sin into the world through Adam and Eve, and separating us from God our Father condemning us to eternal death, God already had a different plan.

Satan is told that his goal of separating man from God, our Father, would fail. God shares His eternal plan, which involved the redemption of men and women from the curse of sin and death. He is the first to announce the birth of our Redeemer and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Genesis 3:14-15)

Just imagine that you are sitting in your prison cell on death row waiting to be executed for your crime of Sin.  Your death is the debt you owe to society for what you’ve done.  You’ve just finished your last supper and your hear the footsteps of the warden and the guards.  Your cell door is opened and the warden asks you to stand and then to your surprise he tells you that you are free to go.  You don’t understand and the warden tells you that someone took your place in the electric chair and died for your crime of Sin — your debt is paid in full.  You ask who would do such a thing and the warden says a man named Jesus stepped in and took your place.  You walk out of jail a free person still trying to wrap your mind around what just happened.  But, then you remember bits and pieces of the scriptures you read in the Bible while you were waiting to die.

He died for our sins just as God our Father planned, and rescued us from this evil world in which we live.  Galatians 1:4 (TLB)

We aren’t saved from sin’s grasp by knowing the commandments of God because we can’t and don’t keep them, but God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours—except that ours are sinful—and destroyed sin’s control over us by giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins.  Romans 8:3 (TLB)

For God sent Christ Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to end all God’s anger against us. He used Christ’s blood and our faith as the means of saving us from his wrath. In this way he was being entirely fair, even though he did not punish those who sinned in former times. For he was looking forward to the time when Christ would come and take away those sins.  Romans 3:25 (TLB)

The light bulb goes off in your mind and you realize what you’ve read about Jesus is all true.  You drop to your knees and finally understand that “Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.” Romans 5:8 (ERV).   Believing the truth you thank God for saving such a sinner as you and you stand to walk away from the prison full of peace and joy as you begin to live your life through Jesus, your Savior.

God the Son became the final sacrifice God the Father needed to pay the ultimate penalty for sin, death.  “ Christ himself suffered when he died for you, and with that one death he paid for your sins. He was not guilty, but he died for people who are guilty. He did this to bring all of you to God. In his physical form he was killed, but he was made alive by the Spirit.”  1 Peter 3:18 (ERV)

In order for death to be conquered, Jesus not only needed to die but also  had to rise from the dead in order to make the conquest complete. “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT).   “And the last enemy to be destroyed is death” 1 Corinthians 15:26 (NLT).

This is the reason our loving Heavenly Father couldn’t just say your sins are all forgiven don’t worry about anything I’ll see you in Heaven.  Jesus your Savior, God Himself had to die for your sins because it was the only way.  Like the prisoner on death row, it is never too late.  Have you accepted Him as your personal Savior?  Remember, “Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”

We’ve looked at Jesus My Savior.  Join me next month as we discuss Jesus My Lord.  

Until next month, my friend, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Welcome back, my friend. Last month in our series, “The Next Step – Living Your Life through Jesus”, I discussed why Jesus Christ, God the Son, died so that you might be reconciled and reunited with God the Father.  I hope you understand the tremendous impact that Jesus’ death had on your life.

Your Heavenly Father, without hesitation and because of His tremendous love for you, sent His one and only Son, Jesus, as the ransom payment for you.  Jesus’ death and resurrection freed you from your captor, Satan, the devil, who through sin had held power over death.

Never lose sight of the fact that although forgiveness of your sin was “free” (you couldn’t do anything to earn it), in reality, it wasn’t free.  Jesus Christ, your Savior, willingly died to pay your debt for sin. So while it is free to you, it was not free to God — it cost Him everything. (John 3:16)

Your belief in Jesus Christ not only brought you salvation but also brought you peace with God. The battle between you and God is over.  

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”  Romans 5:1 (NLT)

You are no longer guilty of offending God by your sinful nature. 

“yet now God declares us “not guilty” of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins.” Romans 3:24 (TLB)

Through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ you are no longer an enemy of God and now have perfect peace with Him. This peace can only mean one thing.  You have been freed from the control of your old lord and master, Satan.  In my first lesson “Hardwired to Sin” you learned that you belonged to him and you served him as your lord until you heard and believed the Good News.

In “Rewired to Love, Part 1”, you learned that Satan will always be in control of your fleshly Old Nature, so he will always have a foothold in your life if you let him.  Remember what the apostle Paul said;

“because the old sinful nature within us is against God. It never did obey God’s laws and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their old sinful selves, bent on following their old evil desires, can never please God.” Romans 8:7-8 (TLB)

So if Satan is no longer lord of your life, who is?  Common sense should tell you by now there can only be one answer to that question. God’s Word tells us; 

“You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him—be free now from all these earthly prides and fears.  1 Corinthians 7:23 (TLB)

The Apostle Paul goes on to tell us, 

“18 And now you are free from your old master, sin; and you have become slaves to your new master, righteousness.” Romans 6:18 (TLB)

This topic of being a slave is a key component to “Living Your Life Through Jesus.”  I will devote next month’s series entirely to this topic so you can understand exactly what God’s Word is saying regarding how to live your new life.

You already know that when you followed Satan’s worldly philosophy — I look out for Number One, I bow to no one, I am my own god — it only led to disappointment and destruction in your life. By following Satan you had already predetermined where your final resting place would be for all eternity.

Let’s see how your old lord Satan stacks up against your new Lord Jesus Christ.

• Your Lord Jesus Christ has been given the authority over heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18).  Your lord Satan for the time being is the ruler of this earth and the air around us, but he will eventually lose that. (Romans 16:20)
• Your Lord Jesus Christ created everything around you, including you (1 Corinthians 8:6).  Your lord Satan is a fallen angel that was created by God. (Ezekiel 28:12-14)
• Your Lord Jesus Christ will be the final judge of all people, those living and those who have died (2 Timothy 4:1). Your lord Satan will also be judged by Jesus Christ. (Revelation 20:10)

Once again let me remind you of all the disappointing and destructive emotions and actions Satan brought to your life when you followed and served him. 

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.  Galatians 5:19-21 (MSG)

My friend, it’s time for you to stop following or even wasting your time listening to your old lord, Satan.  He was a loser from the word go, along with all of his demonic minions.

So let me ask you again, why you would rather keep following lord Satan when by following your Lord Jesus Christ you can have peace and love in your life.

“It is because the truth is in us and will be with us forever. Loving-favor and loving-kindness and peace are ours as we live in truth and love. These come from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Son of the Father.” 2 John 1:2-3 (NLV)

The Apostle Paul puts it this way, 

“So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?”  Galatians 4:9 (NLT)  He is referring to Satan’s useless spiritual principles.

It’s your choice whom you decide to call the Lord of your life. But you must pick one side or the other. Jesus gives us this warning

“No one can serve two masters [lords]. The person will hate one master and love the other, or will follow [be devoted/loyal to] one master and refuse to follow [despise] the other. You cannot serve both God and worldly riches [money;  mammon].” Matthew 6:24 (EXB)

Understand whatever you decide, God will not interfere with your decision; it will be of your own free will. Choose wisely because this will determine your mental outlook for the remainder of your life. I contend that if you call yourself a Christian and you’re not experiencing peace and love no matter what your circumstances, then you just may have chosen the wrong side.

One last thought on this topic before you make your decision about who to serve.  Although your battle with God is over and you are no longer guilty of offending Him, my friend, your battle in this life is not over and this one will be a fight to the finish.

As a child of God you are now in the cross hairs of Satan and his demonic minions.  He’s not happy with your decision and will now work 24/7 to destroy your testimony and bring hardship to your life every chance you let him.   The Apostle Paul gives us this piece of advice

“God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them.”  Ephesians 6:10-18 (MSG)

Just like me, you’re going to need His help.  Are you still straddling the fence???

God My Father

Let’s come full circle now and finish up learning just how much God your Father, the creator of everything, loves you.  Some of you may think that I should have started with God the Father.  I can only say that understanding God the Holy Spirit and God the Son is as important as understanding God the Father.  Why is that?  Each of them is God and the role that each has played in your salvation has been God the Father’s eternal plan.

The only way I can describe the Love of God to you is to turn to His Eternal Word and let Him through the scriptures explain it. I have joined together some of my favorite scriptures that best describe His Love to me. I hope you will agree once you’ve read them.

All of the scriptures you’ll read below come from The Message Bible, its “contemporary style keeps the language of the Bible current, fresh and understandable.” I hope you will agree.

Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Ephesians 1:4   But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Romans 5:8   This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. 1 John 4:9 

What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to. 1 John 3:1  

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Colossians 3:12-14

Know this: God, your God, is God indeed, a God you can depend upon. He keeps his covenant of loyal love with those who love him and observe his commandments for a thousand generations.  Deuteronomy 7:9

Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: “They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.” None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.  Romans 8:38-39

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!           Romans 5:3-5

Thank God! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits. Thank the God of all gods, His love never quits. Thank the Lord of all lords. His love never quits. Psalm 136:1-3

Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!  Romans 15:6

Last month we looked at Jesus My Savior and this month I’ve talked about Jesus My Lord. You may have some important decisions to make about your life style. I’m now going to begin talking about topics that may make some of you uncomfortable and challenge the way you’re thinking about what it means to be a Christian. Please stay with me because each lesson going forward is meant to help you understand what it means to take the Next Step – Living Your Life Through Jesus.

Join me next month as I discuss, Whose Slave are You?  

Until next month, my friend, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Welcome back, my friends. When I say the word “slave”, what images or thoughts come to your mind?

Maybe you think about the old Southern plantation owners who worked their slaves in the cotton fields and punished them by whipping, shackling, beating, branding, and imprisonment. The slave owners denied their slaves the opportunity to learn to read and write in an attempt to subdue any hope leading to escape or rebellion.

Or maybe the word “slave” brought to mind the Israelites, who were slaves to the Egyptians. The Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy making their lives bitter and forcing them to mix mortar, make bricks, and do all the work in the fields. Ruthless in all their demands, the Egyptians appointed brutal slave drivers over the Israelites. These slave drivers beat them with whips, wore them down with crushing labor, and forced them to build the cities as supply centers for the king.

Slave versus servant

The Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary defines the word slave as:

n.) A person who is held in bondage to another; one who is wholly subject to the will of another; one who is held as personal property; one who has no freedom of action, but whose person and services are wholly under the control of another.

Let’s understand the word “slave” used by the Apostles and others in the Bible:

The Greek word for slave is Doulos and can mean slave, bondman or servant and is a metaphor for one who gives himself up to another\’s will and is devoted to another with disregard of one\’s own interests.  Another way to look at it is this individual’s service is used by Christ in extending and advancing His cause among men.

The Hebrew word for slave is “ebed” but the English Bible renders it “servant” where the word is used figuratively, pious men being “servants of the Lord” (Isaiah 20:3), and courtiers “servants of the king” (Jeremiah 37:2); and in passages which refer to Hebrew bondmen, whose condition is far above that of slavery (Exodus 21: 2-7). Where real slaves are referred to, the English versions generally use “bondman” for “ebed.”

On one hand, the word “slave” may conjure feelings of fear, anger, hate, and hopelessness, however now you are learning of an alternative meaning. Some of the Apostle Paul\’s letters (Romans 1:1, Philippians 1:1, Titus 1:1) begin by referring to himself as a slave of Christ Jesus.

James (James 1:1) and Jude (Jude 1:1), half-brothers of Jesus, both refer to themselves as Christ\’s slaves, and the Apostle Peter called himself a \”slave and apostle of Jesus Christ\” (2 Peter 1:1).  Mary said of herself “I am the Lord’s servant” (Luke 1:38) after the angel of the Lord told her she would  become pregnant with God’s Son, Jesus.

Even Jesus Christ was a servant to God, His Father, as wonderfully described by the Prophet Isaiah:

But the Lord was pleased with this humble servant who suffered such pain. Even after giving himself as an offering for sin, he will see his descendants and enjoy a long life. He will succeed in doing what the Lord wanted. After his suffering he will see the light, and he will be satisfied with what he experienced.

The Lord says, “My servant, who always does what is right, will make his people right with me; he will take away their sins. For this reason, I will treat him as one of my great people. I will give him the rewards of one who wins in battle, and he will share them with his powerful ones. I will do this because he gave his life for the people. He was considered a criminal, but the truth is he carried away the sins of many. Now he will stand before me and speak for those who have sinned.” (Isaiah 53:10-12) ERV

I don’t know about you, but I see a great disconnect when comparing what it is like to be a slave and a servant. One is of deep despair and hopelessness, and the other is filled with joy and hope.

Many prominent men of the Old Testament were referred to as servants. God spoke of Abraham as His servant (Genesis 26:24; Numbers 12:7). Joshua is called the servant of the Lord (Joshua 24:29), as are David (2 Samuel 7:5) and Isaiah (Isaiah 20:3). In all of these instances, the term servant carries the idea of humble nobility. Being God’s servant is an honorable position.

If you’ll remember in my series last month “Jesus My Lord” we found out that God’s Word tells us; “You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him—be free now from all these earthly prides and fears.  1 Corinthians 7:23 (TLB)

The Apostle Paul goes on to tell us, “And now you are free from your old master, sin; and you have become slaves to your new master, righteousness.” Romans 6:18 (TLB)

Being a Servant to Your Lord

As Christians we now belong to Jesus and have become slaves of His righteousness.  The Cross became our “Emancipation Proclamation” breaking the bonds of slavery from Satan who was our old Southern plantation owner or our Egyptian King.

The first thing we need to do is begin by understanding what it means to be a bondman/bondwoman, manservant/maidservant or just plain slave to your Lord Jesus Christ.

We’ll need to do some research in God’s Word to enlighten our understanding.  Let’s begin in the Book of Exodus and the 20th Chapter.  Here we find God giving Moses the Ten Commandments, “The Law” for the people of Israel to follow.  In Chapter 21, in the first verse, God tells Moses “These are the laws you are to set before them.”  Remarkably the first law God shares with Moses is the “Law concerning Slaves.”  God goes on to instruct Moses.

If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve only six years and be freed in the seventh year, and need pay nothing to regain his freedom.

If he sold himself as a slave before he married, then if he married afterwards, only he shall be freed; but if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife shall be freed with him at the same time.

But if his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they have sons or daughters, the wife and children shall still belong to the master, and he shall go out by himself free. Exodus 21:2-4 (TLB)

There are a number of interesting points we need to take a look at:

1. The person is selling himself into slavery; he’s not being sold into slavery by someone else. The reason for this practice was usually  debt owed to someone.
2. Slavery to another human was not meant to be permanent.  It was to last only six years.
3. If the person was single after six years he could leave single.  If he was married before he could leave with his wife.
4. But, if he married and had children while being a slave, after six years he couldn’t leave with them. They belonged to his master who bought him when he was single.
5. The freed slave had two options. He could walk away leaving his wife and children behind, or he could do what is instructed in verse 5-6

But if the slave declares that he loves his master, his wife, and his children and does not want to be set free,  then his master shall take him to the place of worship. There he is to make him stand against the door or the doorpost and put a hole through his ear. Then he will be his slave for life.” Exodus 21:5-6 (GNT)

Here we are beginning to get to the true meaning of becoming a bondservant.  If the freed slave chooses by his own freewill to remain a slave and not go free, his master will bring him before the place of worship and he will publicly (for all to see) have his ear pierced as a mark that he will be a slave forever to his new master.

The man decided to become a slave/bondservant/servant for life because he loved his master.  Listen to the similarity in what Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:13;

It is the same with you. You heard the true message, the Good News about the way God saves you. When you heard that Good News, you believed in Christ. And in Christ, God put his special mark on you by giving you the Holy Spirit that he promised. (ERV)

The Mark of the Holy Spirit

Like the slave who was marked for life with a hole in his ear, by declaring your faith in Jesus Christ and becoming a Christian, God has placed a special mark on you because of your decision. God has placed that mark inside of you, and that mark is God’s Holy Spirit.

The closer you learn to live your life through Jesus the special mark that God placed inside of you will show through you for all to see, as if you had a hole in your ear.

Understand Your True Priorities

Let’s apply what we’ve learned about becoming a slave to the husbands reading this and that includes me.  I’m talking to the husbands who have given their lives to their new master, the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is a key step in Living Your Life through Jesus. Notice the priority in which the slave declares his loyalties after he makes his decision.

1. I love my master!
2. I love my wife!
3. I love my children!
4. I’ll love working as a slave forever.

All too often we men and yes women (you can exchange the word wife for husband) get our priorities mixed up. We get them reversed and list them in the order that the worldly influences on us would have us list them.

1. I love my work, toys, hobbies, money and all the things this world has to offer!
2. I love my wife/husband!
3. I love my children!
4. Oh yea, I love my master (Jesus Christ)!

Does that sound like you?  You’re not alone and this has become all too common in the life of many Christians.  The world we live in, which we already know is run by Satan, wouldn’t want you to list your priorities any other way.  Here lies the simple problem; you’re continuing to hang onto your old master Satan.  It’s time to ask yourself why?

Listen to what the Apostle Paul said to the Romans;

“Surely you know that you become the slaves of whatever you give yourselves to. Anything or anyone you follow will be your master. You can follow sin, or you can obey God. Following sin brings spiritual death, but obeying God makes you right with him.  In the past you were slaves to sin—sin controlled you. But thank God, you fully obeyed what you were taught.  You were made free from sin, and now you are slaves to what is right.” Romans 6:16-18 (ERV)

Whose Slave Are You?  

Understand there is no way you can serve and please God if Satan is still your master.  Satan will whisper in your ear that now that you’re saved and guaranteed a place in heaven you can do anything you want.  Why? Because God has already forgiven you and He won’t take that forgiveness back.

Why would Satan do that?  Well he’s already lost you as one of his children so you won’t be joining him in hell for all eternity like he wanted.  That being the case he will now along with his evil minions work 24/7 to destroy your reputation and testimony as a Christian.

Why should that be important to you?  Listen to what the Word of God tells us we are to do as Christians.

Here we are, then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: let God change you from enemies into his friends!  2 Corinthians 5:20 (GNT)

How can you be God’s ambassador on this earth if you’re viewed no differently than the unsaved of this world?  If you don’t start walking in the opposite direction as the rest of the unsaved world what good are you to God?

It’s Satan desire that you just blend in and not make waves with the rest of the lost in the world, even now that you’re saved.  Is that really how you want to serve God after all He’s done for you?

Join me next month as I continue to explore what it truly means to be a Slave for Christ.  This is the foundation for taking the Next Step – Living Your Life Through Jesus.  

Until next month, my friend, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Welcome back, my friend. As I said last month in “Whose Slave are You? Part 1”, understanding the foundational truth that you are a slave/bondservant to your Lord Jesus Christ is critical to Living Your Life through Jesus.

Your New Life of Faith

Let me remind you exactly how God’s Word describes what happened to you once you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior.

“You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him—be free now from all these earthly prides and fears.  1 Corinthians 7:23 (TLB)

“And now you are free from your old master, sin; and you have become slaves to your new master, righteousness.” Romans 6:18 (TLB)

My friend, God’s instruction to us can’t be any clearer.  You are a different person now, “¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)   Do you believe that?

Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians; So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me.” Galatians 2:20 (ERV)   I live by faith now in the Son of God, what a profound statement.  It is very clear that Jesus Christ is living in you, and that you’re living in Him.

He is now Lord of your life. Just as Satan was lord of your life before your salvation decision.  “You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.  He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.”  Ephesians 2:2-3 (NLT)

When God’s Word instructs you to become a slave/bondservant to your Lord Jesus, do you obey God and do what His Word instructs or do you ignore and disobey His instruction and continue to live the way of the world like you’ve been living?

The Poison Inside of Us

Let’s take a moment and look at your old sinful nature in a different way.  Begin to think of it as a poison that has infected your body, soul and spirit.

Listen to the way Ray C. Steadman describes this poisoning of your body, soul and spirit in his commentary on the Book of Romans*.

“The Bible tells us we are spirit; we have bodies and souls, but the most essential part of ourselves is our spirit.  That may sound “spooky” but that is because we can see our material bodies and we can’t see our spirits.  We have been brainwashed by the world (Satan) to believe only in what we can see and feel, and who can see or feel a spirit?  The Scriptures tells us that the most fundamental nature of our being is spirit (God, too, is spirit, which is why He cannot be seen.)

The Scriptures often use a metaphor to describe the human spirit: a “vessel,” like a cup or bowl.  You can think of your spirit as a little cup inside of you, made to hold something.  Of course, picturing the spirit as a cup is speaking in metaphors, but it is necessary to use symbols and metaphors when discussing things that cannot be seen.

The Scriptures tell us that, in the beginning, this cup was made to hold none other than God himself.  All the greatness and glory of God could be poured into that tiny human cup.  That is what Adam was, as he came fresh from the hand of God.  But when Adam sinned and fell, that cup was emptied, and then filled again with a kind of poison.  This satanic poison has sickened all our humanity.

When that poison fills the cup of the spirit, it overflows into the soul, which is the realm of the mind (reason and intelligence), the will (the power to choose) and emotion (the power to feel).  The Bible tells us that all of these areas of our being have been poisoned by sin, so that we are unable to think, choose, and feel as we should.  Ultimately, when the spirit and the soul have been poisoned, that harm is expressed in the functioning of the body.  The poisoning power of sin always flows from the inside out.”

Joy of Living Bible Studies “Romans” commentary by Ray C. Stedman

Like a snake bite, this poison is deadly and if not treated the outcome is always the same — death and total separation from God for all eternity.

The One and Only True Cure

However, you’ve been given the only antidote known to man for this poison — your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your personal savior.

Your Lord Jesus Christ, the great physician, has saved your life!  There is no other way to look at it.  You owe your very eternal spiritual existence to him.

God the Father then placed the Holy Spirit inside of you to become your personal physical rehab therapist.  He brings all of the necessary treatments and exercises to strengthen and heal your spirit from the poison Satan injected inside of you.

I understand that before Christ came into your life you were unable to think, choose, and feel the way you should as a child of God (Romans 8:14).  That is why the Holy Spirit now lives inside of you.  He is there to rewire your old sinful hard drive, but you have to start letting Him and stop fighting Him.

The poison of sin that still lives in you will take a life time to be cleansed entirely from your body. We will all have relapses from the poison of sin, but God is faithful and patient as we work through those episodes.

Begin by Flipping the Switch

In order to neutralize the poisonous sin that flows throughout your body you have to begin by changing the way you think.  I’ve talked about this in “Rewired to Love Part 1.”  In order to Live Your Life through Jesus you have to turn your thinking process over to the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:5), and allow God your Father to transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind (Romans 12:2).

Another marvelous mind changing realization is who now lives His life through you.  Listen to God’s Word describe this wonderful individual named Jesus Christ in Colossians 1:15-20 (NLT)

^“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”

You need to make Jesus Christ supreme in your life!

Here is another marvelous mind changing realization that Peter shares with us.  You’re a child of God and you belong to his heavenly family.  So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 1 Peter 1:14 (NLT)

Peter goes on to tell us as Christians we no longer belong to this world.  Our thoughts should be focused on where we’ll live for eternity, Heaven.

Dear brothers, you are only visitors here. Since your real home is in heaven, I beg you to keep away from the evil pleasures of this world; they are not for you, for they fight against your very souls. Be careful how you behave among your unsaved neighbors; for then, even if they are suspicious of you and talk against you, they will end up praising God for your good works when Christ returns.  1 Peter 2:11-12 (TLB)

So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 1 Peter 1:13 (NLT)

In order to properly Live Your Life through Jesus you will need to spend the rest of your life here on earth in reverence for him.

Your Journey of Reverence

Peter tells you to prepare your mind for action and exercise self-control, and Paul tells us to allow God your Father to transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind.

It is clear that your first step needs to be in your mind, which controls the emotions and will in your soul.  If you haven’t started yet, listen to where God tells you to begin.  “But now you must get rid of all these things: anger, passion, and hateful feelings. No insults or obscene talk must ever come from your lips. Do not lie to one another, for you have put off the old self with its habits and have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in his own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of himself.”  Colossians 3:8-10 (NLT)

Trust in the Holy Spirit to guide and help you accomplish this change and remember that your Lord Jesus Christ is with you every step of the way.

Join me next month as I discuss “How to Dress for Success.”  As a Christian who has to continue to live and work in this world controlled by Satan, how should you dress before going out the door?  What you put on will keep you away from the evil pleasures of this world that fight against your very soul.

Until next time my friend, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.

Dear Friends,

We’ve reached the halfway point in my series — “The Next Step, Living Your Life through Jesus.” I know you were expecting to find my next topic on “How to Dress for Success.”  However, I’ve paused for a moment to write this letter of warning and encouragement to you.

As you are aware, the first six lessons in “How to Live Your Life Through Jesus” focused on everything inside of you — your body, mind, and spirit.  Without your full understanding and belief in what God’s Holy Word instructs and quite often commands us to do and to be, the remainder of my series will truly mean nothing to you.

You must believe in your heart, and not just your mind, that the death, burial, and resurrection of your Lord, Jesus Christ, have broken and severed the chains of your Old Nature (Sin) — the part of you that is controlled by Satan. You are free now from Satan’s control. The transformation from the Old you to the New you can only be achieved by Faith. And the belief that God will keep His Promise about your life and what he has planned for you.

The Warning

Let me share with you my journey from knowledge to belief, a journey that has taken me over 60 years and is far from over. Being a Christian for more than 40 years, I had lived too many of those years still attached to the lures of the Flesh and this World. Like many of you, the very thought of becoming a Slave of Jesus Christ never entered my mind.

However, once I finally realized that I truly could not do anything for God through my own efforts, and I was having no major impact on the lost souls of this world, I began using a common sense approach to God’s Holy Word.  Simply put, if God says it, then I believe it with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength. I moved my understanding and belief from my head down into my heart, the same approach needed for salvation.
I finally began to understand that in order to be His ambassador to this lost world, I needed to rely on the power of my Lord Jesus working through me rather than believing in my own strength. I had to change from the inside out, not the outside in.

I had to stop trying through my own self-righteous efforts to live the way I thought God wanted me to live. I had to stop trying to convince God and everyone else that outwardly what I was doing was exactly what was expected of a Christian. I had to stop believing that I controlled the fruits of the Spirit that I would dole out wisely in just the right situations with my friends, neighbors and fellow Christians. I realized the self-centered Christian life I was leading was really a lie and of no real value to God, my Father, or my Lord, Jesus Christ.  And finally I had to remind myself who I truly was, a sinner (and always will be) who was saved by the Grace of God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Once I finally realized that a sinner like me can do nothing to impact or change this poisonous cesspool of sin we live that is controlled by Satan, I moved my belief from head knowledge to heart knowledge. I was finally ready to believe God’s Entire Word by faith and began to learn to do things His way, not mine.

The Encouragement

Let me tell you what will happen when you move from head knowledge to heart knowledge of God’s Word, the Bible.

Have you ever felt total peace?  A peace that you really can’t explain to anyone, a peace that includes no guilt, no shame, and no regrets — one you can feel throughout your entire body, mind and spirit?  This peace and calmness enable you to focus on God and all of His goodness even in the midst of all of life’s problems and tragedies.

The Fruits of the Spirit will begin to blossom inside of you without any effort. The world around you will begin to see those fruits; you will become more loving, kind, patient, forgiving, and caring of others. You will truly begin to surprise yourself. You will now begin to attract others who are hurting because they see something in the way you live your life that they want for themselves. New friendships will begin to blossom.

You will begin to lose interest in the things of the world that used to excite you and hold your attention — movies and television shows you once loved, jokes you used to love to hear, and addictions you once thought impossible to break. Without any effort on your part, priorities in your life will begin to change.

Old interests will be replaced with new. Don’t worry what they will be. Your Lord and Master will lead you to them. This website is a prime example for me. Never in my life did I dream of launching a web ministry that in its first year has touched lives in over 35 countries around the globe with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

You are able to walk in peace with this world. Now don’t take this the wrong way — it’s not a matter of walking through the world with blinders on and living in denial as to what is really going on. There will still be evil and violence all over this world as long as Satan exists.

If you think things can’t get any worse than they are now, you’re simply being naive; the Bible assures us it will. So expect it and stop being innocently surprised and questioning God when it does happen.

I am still appalled at what we humans do to one another and how we treat each other, God’s wonderful creations. Because of our self-righteous Pride we just step on one another like ants without regard or concern for each others’ feelings. Our self-centered quest to achieve everything we want in this life leaves much collateral damage along the way to those we love.

You are no longer part of this world we live in. You become more of an observer than a participant because you realize that you’ve become a foreigner and sojourner in this life, and your focus is no longer on the things of this earth, but on heavenly things to come.

God has a plan for this world and each of us, and He is working that plan through His Son and your Lord, Jesus Christ.  Believe it or not, even Satan and his demonic minions are part of His glorious plan.

There is so much more I could share with you about what my Lord, Jesus Christ is doing in my life. I am proud to be His bondservant. I only wish I had done so sooner.

If your journey sounds familiar to mine, my friend, it is my prayer that this series will begin to make some serious changes in the way you are living your Christian life. God’s Holy Word is very clear on how you and I should be living our life now that we’ve become Christians and a Slave to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no middle ground. You are either living your life through Jesus or you are not.

I assure you if you are still trying to live your Christian life through your own efforts like I was, you too are living a lie and you will fail. It is not a question of if you will fail; it is simply a question of when.

Until next month, my friend, when we will dive into God’s Holy Word and learn how to “How to Dress for Success,” may Mercy, Peace and Love be multiplied to you.

In Christ’s Love,
Bob

Welcome back my friends. I hope you’ve had time to reflect on my letter last month and have made your discussion to let your Lord Jesus Christ truly be Lord of your life and from this point forward you’ve made the decision and commitment to become a slave/bondservant to Him.

Before we move on in our study of “The Next Step – Living Your Life Through Jesus” and learn How to Dress for Success, there are three words in God’s Holy Bible we need to look at and understand.

These three words describe the process God uses to change you from a sinner lost for all time and eternity, to a saint and child of God who will live with and in Him now and for all eternity. The words are Justification, Sanctification and Glorification.

Justification

Step 1:  Freedom from the penalty of sin

When you asked Jesus to forgive your sins and accepted Him as your personal savior you were saved.  That means you were justified in God’s sight.  Simply put, justification is God declaring those who receive Christ as their personal savior to be righteous (saved).

“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:17-19 (NIV)

There is nothing now or in the future that will ever change, threaten or separate you from the love of God or the salvation decision you’ve made. Romans 8:38-39

I’ve addressed this process in depth in my study “Who Am I Really”

Sanctification

Step 2: Freedom from the control of sin

To “sanctify” something is to set it apart for special use; to “sanctify” a person is to make him/her holy.  Prior to your salvation, your behavior displayed the control and influence of Satan in your life and your separation from God.

“(I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.) For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.”  Romans 6:19 (NET Bible)

But, now your behavior should display your righteous standing before God, and separation from the world.

Little by little, every day, “those who are being sanctified” are becoming more like Christ.”  “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,” 1 Corinthians 1:30 (NASB)

Through God\’s grace and mercy you were justified (saved), a once-for-all, positional holiness in Christ, now, God guides you to spiritual maturity (sanctification), through His instruction manual the Bible, His hands-on, step-by-step path to holiness.

And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns. Philippians 1:6 (TLB)

This entire series on The Next Step – Living Your Life through Jesus is about just that, your spiritual growth (Sanctification) the next step after your salvation (Justification).

As your Lord Jesus continues to work and grow in your life through the Holy Spirit things in your life will naturally begin to change.  Have you begun to find the peace I discussed in last month’s letter?

Glorification

Step 3:  Freedom from the existence of sin

What is glorification? Glorification is God\’s final removal of sin from the life of everyone who is saved. This will become the ultimate goal of every believer when our Lord Jesus Christ appears again in the sky. I will discuss this in detail in a later series.

For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. Romans 8:16-18 (NLT)

The Unseen Warfare

However, the reality is that for now you and I are still living in a world controlled by Satan.  But becuase you are now a child of God and a foreigner in Satan\’s domain, life for us Christians\’ will continue to be a struggle full of conflict and warfare as you serve your Lord here on earth.

Listen to what the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:10-13 (TLB):
“For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world.”

How can we possibly win the daily battle we will experience against these huge numbers of wicked spirits attacking us?

The Apostle Paul goes on to tell the Ephesians where to find that strength and what to wear when the enemy attacks.

“Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you.  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan. So use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up.”

What the best dressed Christian wears for battle

Like any new wardrobe, the material you chose to make your clothes will determine the quality of piece of clothing made.  God uses only His finest materials to prepare your new suit of armor, God’s armor.  He is preparing you for the unseen warfare that’s going on all around you.  He weaves together the fabrics of Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Faith, Salvation, God’s Word and Prayer to make your new wardrobe.

“14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”  Ephesians 6:14-18 (NLT)

Your new suit of armor will consist of the following:

1. The Belt of Truth
2. The Body Armor (breastplate) of Righteousness
3. The Shoes of Peace
4. The Shield of Faith
5. The Helmet of Salvation
6. The Sword of the Spirit (God’s Word)

Once you’ve put on God’s complete armor which covers your entire body there is one last thing you must do.  Adjust your mind set to prayer mode.  For me that simply means you are in constant contact with God your Father.  You’re have a running dialogue throughout your day with Him asking for wisdom, guidance, and protection for you and your fellow believers as they too go about their normal daily activities.

Let me warn you that you will need to put on God’s entire body armor.  If you’re in a hurry to get out the door and just grab your shoes of peace and pick up the sword of the Spirit you’re not properly protected and you’re leaving yourself vulnerable to Satan’s attacks.

Let’s understand each piece of clothing you’re to put on and how each piece interacts with the other in order to be properly dressed, with the “the whole Armor of God.”

The Belt of Truth
The first thing you begin with is the belt of truth buckled around your waist. What is truth? Jesus Christ is the truth.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NLT)

Jesus rapidly said in the Four Gospels “I tell you the truth.”  So each morning remind yourself what the truth is. The truth that you heard and believed, which lead you by faith to trust in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and making you are a child of God. Renew you mind each morning with this thought so that you are ready to face the “father of liars.”

For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and a hater of truth—there is not an iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars.  John 8:44 (TLB)

The Body Armor (breastplate) of Righteousness
A breastplate shields your vital organs from blows that would otherwise be fatal.  If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you already have the Breastplate of Righteousness.  Remember justification is God’s declaring those who receive Christ as their personal savior to be righteous/saved (Romans 5:17-19).  It is the Breastplate of Righteousness which guards your heart and emotions against the accusations and charges of Satan and secures our innermost being from his attacks.  Now your heart can be at peace with the world around you.

“So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Romans 5:1 (TLB)

The Shoes of Peace
You must protect your feet as you go out the door into Satan’s world, being fully aware that he has set traps for you to step in and halt your efforts to share the Gospel of Christ.  With your feet properly covered with the “Good News” of Jesus Christ you can walk in peace through this world carrying the message of grace essential to winning souls for Christ.  So as you walk remember who you are and to whom you belong to, the family of God.

The Shield of Faith
Satan’s attacks can sometimes cause us to doubt God. Faith reminds us to believe God, so faith is the protective shield between us and the schemes of Satan.   When we believe God and take Him at His word, we remain grounded in truth, the lies of Satan lose their power.

“Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 (ERV)

Carrying the shield of faith provides a blanket of protection and is the first barrier against the temptations of Satan that he whispers in your ear and the fiery darts of temptation his demonic minions fire at you all day long.

The Helmet of Salvation
This helmet of salvation protects your head which is the seat of your mind, your intelligence and your ability to think and reason.  As we wear the helmet of salvation we gain a clearer mind that is insulated against the suggestions, desires, and traps that Satan lays for you.  It guards your mind and keeps your thinking straight in the midst of a confused, chaotic world. You can now focus on and think about the future glory God has planned for you.

“For we know that even the things of nature, like animals and plants, suffer in sickness and death as they await this great event. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us—bodies that will never be sick again and will never die. We are saved by trusting. And trusting means looking forward to getting something we don’t yet have—for a man who already has something doesn’t need to hope and trust that he will get it. But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn’t happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently.”  Romans 8:22-25 (TLB)

The Sword of the Spirit (God’s Word)
The Word of God, the Bible is the only proper offensive weapon in the Christian’s armory as you enter Satan’s world.  The more you read, learn and memorize God’s Holy Word, the better prepared you are for the Holy Spirit to bring to mind the right scripture at the right time when you are tempted or witnessing to someone.

Three times in the desert, Satan tempted Jesus and all three times Jesus defeated him by quoting scriptures from God’s Holy Word.  The more you know and understand the Bible, the sharper your sword becomes.  The Word of God is sharper than any double-edged sword and can penetrate the heart of those you are witnessing to.

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)

Prayer
Lastly, remember that prayer is necessary as a means by which you will draw spiritual strength from God.  Without prayer and reliance upon God, your efforts at spiritual warfare will be empty and ineffective against Satan’s attacks.

“Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For the spirit indeed is willing, but how weak the body is!” Matthew 26:41 (TLB)

Finally, remember each piece of armor is essential in protecting your body, mind and spirit against the unseen warfare that is going on all around you.  You’ve now become a soldier for the Lord and God has given you the great privilege of serving on the battlefield upon which His great victories are won.

Do not be afraid, your General and Lord, Jesus Christ will always be at the head of the charge against the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world. He will work in and through you to bring honor and glory to our Heavenly Fathers name.

As Christians, we are to live a life that is holy and acceptable to God our Father. We are to be a light in this dark, satanic world. When it comes to truly living the Christian life through Jesus on a daily basis, how are you doing? Join me next month as I begin my discussion of \”Living the Christian Life.” 

Until next time my friend, may mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Welcome back, my friends.  Many years ago there was a bracelet people would wear with the initials WWJD.  For some, this was a profession of their Christian faith, and for others, it was a reminder of how to live their Christian faith. The letters stood for “What Would Jesus Do?”

I remember one particular meeting I was involved in with a group of physicians and hospital staff to develop a new clinical program. Sitting across from me was a young woman wearing one of the bracelets; it was yellow with the blue letters WWJD, very hard to miss. One of the physicians asked her what the letters meant and she replied “What Would Jesus Do?” He smiled and nodded his head.
As the meeting progressed the young woman became very vocal. Finally, she became so agitated with what was being discussed, she closed her notebook, stated that this meeting was a total waste of her time and left.

What was said next tore at the very fabric of my Christian faith. The physician who had asked her what the letters on her bracelet meant simply said with a smile, “Well I guess that’s what Jesus would do,” while those around the table joined in with laughter.

Now I don’t know if that young woman was a Christian or not. It really didn’t matter because the damage had already been done to our Lord’s name.  Any chance of a discussion with someone after the meeting about the bracelet and its meaning was gone.

Why is it so hard to live a Christian life that is pleasing to God? How many times have you heard people comment on another’s actions by saying if that’s what being a Christian is like, I don’t want anything to do with Jesus?

Maybe many of us have become complacent and taken our salvation for granted. Some may think now that I’m saved and I know I’m going to spend eternity with God in heaven, what difference does it make if my neighbor is saved or not. I’ve taken care of myself so it is up to others to do the same.  With that part of my life taken care of, I’m pretty much free to live however I like. This is not biblically sound thinking, my friend, and I will discuss this attitude further as we look at what the Grace of God means.

Actions Do Speak Louder than Words

Scripture teaches that behavior is an important test of faith. Obedience is evidence that one’s faith is genuine. Anyone can claim they’ve accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior and pretend to obey for a while, but, if there is no change in their heart, their true nature will eventually manifest itself.

If I were to ask your neighbors and the people where you work if you were a Christian, how would they answer me? Would they describe you as a loving, patient individual, full of kindness? One who is always happy and full of joy that no matter what the circumstance, they always seem to have a peace about them? Or would they say they really don’t see any difference in you compared to anyone else they know?

The Salvation Litmus Test

The Apostle John was one of Jesus’ closest disciples and one whom He called His beloved. John, a member of Jesus’ inner circle along with Peter and James, took in Mary the mother of Jesus to live with him after Jesus died on the cross. In the book of 1st John, the Apostle John provided a quick test to find out who is really a Christian and who isn’t. John asks this question:

“And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By looking within ourselves: are we really trying to do what he wants us to?

Someone may say, “I am a Christian; I am on my way to heaven; I belong to Christ.” But if he doesn’t do what Christ tells him to, he is a liar. But those who do what Christ tells them to will learn to love God more and more. That is the way to know whether or not you are a Christian. Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did.” 1 John 2:3-6 (TLB)

John asks seven questions of believers that can finally settle the question of their salvation. So this seven question test is based on what Jesus Himself told His disciples as to whether someone is truly saved or not.

1. ⁶ So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness;                                           we are not practicing the truth.   1:6
2. “⁸ If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” 1:8
3. “¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and calling God a liar, for he says we have sinned.”  1:10
4. ⁴ If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not                   living in the truth. 2:4
5. “⁶ Those who say they believe in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” 2:6
6. “⁹ If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.” 2:9
7. “²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer that person is a liar;”  4:20

He goes on to say:

Those who are God’s children do not continue to sin, because the new life God gave them stays in them. They cannot keep sinning, because they have become children of God. 10 So we can see who God’s children are and who the devil’s children are. These are the ones who are not God’s children: those who don’t do what is right and those who do not love their brothers and sisters in God’s family.  1 John 3:9 (ERV)

Ambassadors for Jesus — Practice What He Preaches

We truly need to understand and believe that we’ve been given a higher calling and that calling is to lead a different lifestyle. Our life should be lived in such a way as to attract people who are lost in the darkness of sin to the light of salvation offered by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Listen to what the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians:

“This is the wonderful message he (God our Father)* has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you: we beg you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, receive the love he offers you—be reconciled to God. For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us!” 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 (TLB) *for emphasis.

Now he (God our Father)* uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NLT) *for emphasis.

Is your life style any different from the lost souls around you? Do they see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness in your life?  Is your life-giving perfume attracting those who are on their journey to salvation?

As Christians living in this godless world, it’s time we start letting our light shine like those who have both feet firmly planted in the kingdom of God rather than keeping our light hidden under the basket Satan has provided.

I’m afraid the false religions and cults established by Satan to keep the lost from hearing the “Good News” about Jesus Christ are attracting more followers than the true believers, the Body of Christ.  We should be embarrassed and ashamed at the victories Satan is winning by the way we are living.

We need to question ourselves on a daily basis to confirm that the way we’re living our Christian life is part of the solution that draws the lost to Jesus, and not part of the problem that drives the lost away from Jesus.

It is time Christians around the world embrace the ministry God has given each one of us. We are saints and children of God who have been given the ministry of reconciliation (leading others to Christ); we are Ambassadors of Christ on earth. If God our Heavenly Father can’t trust His children to do this, then who can He?

Listen to what the apostle Paul said in his letter to the Romans about how God’s Mercy Is for Everyone

“I want you to understand this secret truth, brothers and sisters. This truth will help you understand that you don’t know everything. The truth is this: Part of Israel has been made stubborn, but that will change when enough non-Jewish people have come to God.” And that is how all Israel will be saved.  Romans 11:25-26 (ERV)

Do you know how many non-Jewish people need to come to God?  No one does.  That is why we need to be His ambassadors here on earth, and spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.

Lead by God’s Example

Now I’m not saying to march out and stand on the street corner yelling at the top of your lungs that everyone is a sinner and going to hell if they don’t accept Jesus as their Savior. Or to confront every person you’re talking to by asking “Are you saved?” or “Do you know if you’re going to heaven or hell?” And then refuse to let them go until you’ve beaten them into submission and they’ve accepted Christ as their Savior.

I often think that Satan uses these types of over the top zealots to turn people off to the “Good News” of Jesus Christ. God’s Word clearly tells us we are to love the lost to Jesus, not beat them over the head with the Bible until they give in. You should live your life in such a way that the fruits of the Spirit can be seen in everything you do. That’s living your life through Jesus.

My friend if you will change your thought patterns from earthly things to heavenly things I guarantee you will begin to attract those on their salvation journey, because you will be living the life they desperately want.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 NLT

“Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.”  1 John 5:21(TLB)

The Grace of God

As we draw near to the end of “The Next Step, Living your Life through Jesus,”  I want to spend the remainder of the series grounding you in some of the foundational Christian truths in God’s Word that are essential to your understanding of what it means to live the true Christian life through Jesus Christ.

We’ll start with an understanding of God’s Grace, and then move the discussion on to Truth, Righteousness and Love.

What is the Biblical definition of Grace? Grace is God choosing to bless us rather than condemn us with the true judgment we deserve. It is His gift of compassion to each of us who are totally undeserving. It is His unmerited favor.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

God’s Grace is available to every man and woman, “For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of all people.” Titus 2:11 (GNT)

Do you remember the example I used in Lesson 4 “Jesus My Savior”, of the prisoner setting on death row waiting to be taken to the electric chair for his crime of Sin.  When it came time for his execution the warden opened his cell door and told him he was free to go, that someone took his place in the electric chair and died for your crime of Sin — his debt is paid in full.  The warden goes on to explain that a man named Jesus stepped in and took your place.

Grace is God giving up His greatest treasure, His Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Jesus took our place on death row and died on the cross for our sins, a death that each and every one of us without question so righteously deserves.

“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.”  2 Timothy 1:9 (NLT)

Grace can be easily remembered by this simple acronym: God\’s Riches \At Christ\’s Expense.

God is the initiator of grace, and it is from Him that all other grace flows.  Join me next month as I continue on this topic of the Grace.  There are 8 forms of Grace that I want you to understand so join me as I discuss Grace For All Occasions.

1. Saving Grace
2. Grace without Works
3. Grace without Condemnation
4. Horizontal Grace
5. Healing Grace
6. The Grace of Restoration
7. God’s Sustaining Grace
8. Growing in Grace

Until next month my friend, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.

Welcome back, my friends. As we begin to look at the Grace of God, you will find that the very understanding of Grace will go against everything you’ve been taught and what often drives you inside (our sinful old nature).

Grace is God’s Emancipation Proclamation that sets all sinners free. When I say FREE that is exactly what I mean. God’s Grace gives you permission to be free, absolutely free in Christ.

But free from what? How about guilt, shame, and discouragement? Or the feeling of being insignificant, unimportant, frightened, insecure, worthless and powerless? And free from just being plain miserable, nervous, and full of panic — stressed out about everything and nothing?

Yes, you are free from all of these feelings and more if you truly understand the Grace of God and believe in your heart God’s Word about these feelings and where they come from.

All of the negative thoughts and emotions you may have do not come from God, they come from Satan and his evil minions. There is no reason now that you need to hold on to them. God’s Grace gives you permission to be free, absolutely free of the negativity that surrounds you and drives your life.

So here are your choices. You can now live a joy-filled life in and through Jesus Christ, or you can keep living a life full of negativity by holding on to your Satan-controlled past?  What’s your decision?  It’s up to you.

I’m going to do something different this month and share the sermon topics on Grace from my home church. This was an eight week series taught by our pastor, Matt Kaltenberger, and was entitled, Grace Anatomy.  Matt highlighted eight wonderful forms of Grace. I have renamed it, Grace for All Occasions, because for the Christian that is exactly what Grace is all about.

Matt’s sermon is based off of a brilliant book entitled, “The Grace Awakening” by Charles R. Swindoll. Matt has said this book changed his life and his ministry. I have to agree — this is one of the books in my library and I highly recommend it for yours.

This lesson is a combination of Matt’s sermons and my own studies on Grace. It is written to be used in a small group Bible study setting. I used this with my small group to teach many of the individuals who do not go to Grace Community Church.

Please feel free to use this with your small group, or if you are attending one in your area. Let me just say you should be doing one or the other.  The more time you spend with your Christian brothers and sisters studying the Bible (God’s Holy Word) and praying for the needs of each other, the more you’ll find yourself growing in the Grace of God.

Saving Grace

Let’s start at the beginning, without God’s first act of His Grace we could not go any further in our Christian life. There would not be a Christian life, and we’d all still be lost in our sins without any hope at all.

G      Grace is God’s gift to us

everyone has sinned and is far away from God\’s saving presence. But by the free gift of God\’s grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free. Romans 3: 23-24

R       Received by faith

For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it.Ephesians 2: 8-9

A       It’s available to everyone

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ”Romans 10:13

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16

C       Comes through Christ alone

God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.John 1:17

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.John 14:6

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

E       Extends throughout Eternity

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 6:23

Salvation Prayer

Dear God, I realize I am a sinner in need of salvation. I know that all my own good works and religious rituals can never save me. Only Jesus can save me. I believe that Jesus, my Savior, came to earth for me and that he died on the cross for my sins. I believe that He was buried and on the third day rose and now sits at your right hand as my advocate. I am asking you, Lord Jesus, to forgive my sins and to come into my life now and be my Lord and Savior now and forever more. Thank you for accepting me and giving me eternal life.”

If you prayed this prayer and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is now your Lord and Savior you have God’s assurance of salvation.

We learned that the first step of Grace Living is the Grace of Salvation.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)

Why then is it so hard to live a Grace-Filled Life?  You need only look inside of yourself.

for you are still controlled by your sinful nature (Satan’s leading*). You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?  1 Corinthians 3:3 (NLT) *Italics added

What help does God’s Grace give me to change?

But the Holy Spirit (God’s leading*) produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) *Italics added

What advice does the Apostle Paul give us to solve this problem?

My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are opposing, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? Galatians 5:16-18 (MSG)

Matthew 6:24 tells us that no one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other

Grace without Works

The Old Covenant (The Mosaic Law)

Everything from ME and nothing from GOD!

Man says: God, just give us the rules you want us to follow and we’ll do everything you ask without having to bother you. We know you’re busy and we’re all adults so just trust us.

I can just hear the Israelites saying this to Moses as he came down the mountain with the 10 commandments. Unfortunately they had broken every one of them by the end of the first day. So why do you think God should trust us?

We go through life believing that in order for God to love me today, in order for God to accept me, in order for God to approve of me right now today, I’ve got to do something, I’ve got to perform. I’ve got to put on my spiritual best and work for God’s approval. This is the lie that Satan is constantly whispering in your ear through his false religions and cults.

So we say, if my good deeds, outweigh my bad deeds, then God will be pleased with me. But, if I don’t do something for God today, He’ll give me a bad day.

We continue to believe that the Christian life is based on what we do when God clearly tells us,

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we put on our prized robes of righteousness, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves we fade, wither, and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away. Isaiah 64:6 (TLB)

Whatever we do through ourselves is nothing but filthy rags to God. It’s not what we do; it’s all based on Grace.

But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.  1 John 3:8 (NLT)

The New Covenant (Jesus)

Everything from GOD, and nothing from ME!

Man says: Jesus died for us in order that He may live inside of us. It is His life in us that is the power by which we live a true Christian life. A Grace- filled life.

This is what the Apostles realized after the death and resurrection of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and immediately began sharing the Good News with their fellow Israelites along with the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles after his conversion on the road to Damascus.

When it comes to salvation or to eternal life with God, it has nothing to do with what we do in this life! It has everything to do with what God has done for us.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NLT)

And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved. Romans 11:6 (NLT)

As a child of God, God loves you as much today as He ever will. There is nothing you can do to make God love you or accept you more.

Question:  If my good works have never meant anything to God, why does James say in the 2 chapter and verse 26, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works?”

Your new mindset set should be one where you want to live for God, you want to do what’s right, you want to please God, and you want to do what’s holy. Why? Because He’s done so much for you.

He gave himself for us, to rescue us from all wickedness and to make us a pure people who belong to him alone and are eager to do good. Titus 2:14

So what good works am I supposed to do now you ask?  Your actions (good works) might be the same, but your motives need to change

Don’t do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves.  Philippians 2:3 (GNT)

Serve God with an attitude of gratitude.

Here are three examples of how not to serve God from Jesus Himself in Matthew Chapter 6:

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. ² When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. ³ But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴ Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

⁵ “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. ⁶ But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

¹⁶ “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. ¹⁷ But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. ¹⁸ Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

The good works we now do as Christians should be done to bring honor and glory to God our Heavenly Father and not ourselves.

How do I know if I’m doing good works for God and not me?

Old Covenant – I hope someone notices what I’m doing and tells others how great I am. Then I’ll receive my earthly reward and recognition for what I’ve done.

New Covenant – I see a need and I fulfill it, then I thank God for the opportunity He has given me to serve Him. I don’t tell anyone what I’ve done; I just do it because God directed me. Then I’ll receive my Heavenly reward and recognition when I stand before God.

If you selfishly want your reward and recognition right now for the good deeds you are doing here on earth, make sure others see what you’re doing, or brag about what you’re doing for God so others hear about it.  That’s your decision.

Just remember when you are standing before God waiting for your reward and recognition for all you’ve done here on earth for Him and He doesn’t say anything, you’ve been warned.

For me I choose to be recognized by my Father in Heaven for the things I’ve done in His name, rather than to be recognized and admired by the people around me here and now.

Grace without Condemnation

Legalism:

Legalism is an attitude, a mentality based on pride. It is an obsessive conformity to an artificial standard for the purpose of exalting oneself.

Examples of legalistic thinking

• I do this or I don’t do that, and therefore I am pleasing to God.
• If only I could do this or not do that, I would be pleasing to God.
• These are the things that I’m doing or not doing to win God’s favor.

Which covenant does this associate with? The Old or New?

This is the continual battle inside of each of us. Our Old Prideful nature needs to be in control of everything we do, and will constantly battle with your New Nature given by God. You need to let it go and just believe in God’s Grace.

Legalism wrenches the joy of the Lord from the Christian believer, and with the joy of the Lord goes His power (In you) for vital worship and vibrant service.   The Paralysis of Legalism by S. Lewis Johnson

Are you full of joy or sadness?

Three tools of Legalism

• Doctrinal Heresy – Tries to attack and twist the truth. It is a theology that salvation is not by faith alone — it requires works. Human achievement must accompany sincere faith before you can be certain of you salvation. This is the cornerstone of Satan’s salvation by works theology. Satan is a master at the manipulation and misquoting of God’s Word, a good example of this is what he did to Eve in the Garden of Eden.

This is what the apostle Paul said to the members of the church in Galatia concerning doctrinal heresy:

There Is Only One Good News

I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.

Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.  I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed. Galatians 1:6-9 (NLT)

What is the Good News?

This is what it says, “The Good News is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart.” This Good News tells about putting your trust in Christ. This is what we preach to you. If you say with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved from the punishment of sin. Romans 10:8-9 (NLV)

• Ecclesiastical Harassment – This grace-killing tactic is used by those who spy out (Greek translation, lie in wait for) and enslave unwitting believers. New believers beware of these people. Read how Paul explains it.

“Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing. And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile.

Even that question came up only because of some so-called believers there—false ones, really—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.” Galatians 2:3-5

Don’t base your spirituality on man-made things you’ve decided to do.

• Personal Hypocrisy – Those who lie and deceive, acting one way but living another. Many people erroneously believe that once they become Christians by faith, they must follow a new list of rules and regulations in order to please God – not to be saved, but to grow in Christ or to stay on God’s good side.  Here’s what Paul says about the Apostle Peter when he said one thing then did another:

 But when Peter came to Antioch I had to oppose him publicly, speaking strongly against what he was doing, for it was very wrong. For when he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians who don’t bother with circumcision and the many other Jewish laws. But afterwards, when some Jewish friends of James came, he wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore because he was afraid of what these Jewish legalists, who insisted that circumcision was necessary for salvation, would say; and then all the other Jewish Christians and even Barnabas became hypocrites too, following Peter’s example, though they certainly knew better. Galatians 2:11-13 (TLB)

Remember that God never uses guilt to shame or manipulate us.  Others might, but He doesn’t.

Galatians 5:1 “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”

Christian Liberty:  Christ set us free from the legalistic attitude that we have to do something, or follow a set of rules or standards to please God.  Instead you are free because you are pleasing to God not because what you do but because of God’s grace.

Love God with all your heart and then do whatever you want.

If I live in God’s grace I can be who I am in Jesus Christ without basing my spiritualty on rules or religious standards.  Paul says.

Now do you think I am trying to make people accept me? No, God is the one I am trying to please. Am I trying to please people? If I wanted to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10 (ERV)

The Bible without Grace = Legalism

Grace without the Bible = Self Destruction

Horizontal Grace

Living in God’s Grace and Offering God’s Grace to others!

Vertical Grace

Centers on your relationship with God. His unconditional love for us.

If the Father is satisfied with His Son’s full payment for sin, and we are in His Son, by grace through faith, then He is satisfied with you and me.

Horizontal Grace

Centers on our relationships with others. Our unconditional love for each other.

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”Romans 12:9-18 (MSG)

What keeps us from offering Grace to each other?

Two reasons

We Compare: We tend to compare ourselves (our standards) to others (their stupid standards). The root of this lies in our Old Nature called PRIDE!!!!

• If you like me, then I’m fine with you.
• If you don’t like me, then there must be something wrong with you.

When we begin to compare ourselves with each other, it always leads to a judgmental attitude.  And it nullifies Grace.

We Control:  This is the truest from of Legalism.  “You must live the Christian life exactly the way I do.” By manipulating and controlling other individuals, we kill the creativity and individuality in the body of Christ. The root of this lies in our Old Nature called PRIDE!!!!

• My thoughts are the only right thoughts.
• My conclusions are the only right conclusions.
• My standards are the only right standards.

Grace says we are allowed to be different.

What does God say about being a controller verses being an individual?

One Body with Many Parts

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”   1 Corinthians 12:12-27 (NLT)

What magnifies Grace?

Don’t Criticize Others

^“1Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

^2-4 For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God’s welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.”Romans 14:1-4 (MSG)

• God has accepted us, so who are we to act like God and judge each other. Learn to accept each other:
• A Grace giver accepts unconditionally. I’m going to allow you to come to your own conclusions; I’m going to allow you to live by your own personal standards even if they are different from mine.
• As a Christian you have a responsibility to accept your brothers or sisters in Christ even if your standards are different than theirs, and vice versa.
• We have to learn to accept each other unconditionally

Allow God to Guide

^“Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience. What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God’s sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other.”  Romans 14:5-8 (MSG)

• We must allow the Holy Spirit to work in each individual and allow them to come to their own conclusions not concerning sin, but personal standards on disputable matters.
• As a Christian matures in their faith through the power of the Holy Spirit their standards may change 180 degrees. We are to give each other the space and freedom to grow in Christ.
• Where do you get your direction from?

Don’t Judge each other.

So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For the Scriptures say,

‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’”

Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.  Romans 14:9-12 (NLT)

• As Christians we are not qualified to judge anyone. The root of this lies in our Old Nature called PRIDE!!!!
• Our job is to let God do His Job, not the other way around.

Express our Liberties Wisely

Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I’m convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.

If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don’t eat, you’re no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? Don’t you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning!

God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.

So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault. You’re certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God’s work among you, are you? I said it before and I’ll say it again: All food is good, but it can turn bad if you use it badly, if you use it to trip others up and send them sprawling. When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don’t eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love.”      Romans 14:13-21(MSG)

Galatians 5:1 “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”

• Accept each other unconditionally
• Allow God to guide individually

As you go through this week keep asking yourself these two questions:

1. Do I add to others’ guilt or do I lessen it?
2. Am I promoting another’s liberty or restraining it?

^“ The time will come when people will not listen to sound doctrine, but will follow their own desires and will collect for themselves more and more teachers who will tell them what they are itching to hear. They will turn away from listening to the truth and give their attention to legends.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (GNT)

Join me next month for Part 2 of Grace for All Occasions as I discuss the last four forms of Grace. Rather than my usual salutation, I will leave you with the words of the Apostle Peter,

^“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.”2 Peter 1:2 (NLT)

Until next time, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.

Welcome back, my friends. Last month, in our study of Grace for All Occasions, we learned about the Saving Grace of God (the beginning of Grace). We learned that God’s Grace is achieved through faith, and there is nothing you can do to earn it. You can’t go to church enough, you can’t be kind to one another enough, or give to the poor enough to earn the Grace of God. It’s free if you accept it through faith alone in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. We learned that God’s Grace enables you to live a life free of the judgment and condemnation of others as well as yourself. Finally, we learned that with God’s Grace, we can take the very personal vertical relationship and unconditional love we have with our Heavenly Father and in turn share it horizontally with each other.

But, what do you do when life just plain overwhelms you? A tragedy of some kind enters into your life — poor health, the death of a loved one, financial disaster of some kind, or simply an unforeseen circumstance that is the result of this satanic world you live in. You become discouraged and brokenhearted. Life seems to have crushed your spirit to the point that you think you just can’t go on. Then Grace for all Occasions is intended just for you.

When life hits you hard, crushing your spirit and breaking your heart, there is only one place to go, and that’s to God’s Emergency Room. There you will receive the emergency care you need to heal your spirit and mend your broken heart.

Healing Grace

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”  Psalm 34:18 (NLT)

“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (NLT)

When life deals you a crushing blow, there are five assurances of God’s Grace that as child of God you can count on to find peace and comfort. No matter what happens, no matter how bad it gets, no matter how much your faith is tested, your Heavenly Father will never, never stop loving you.

Let’s look at the 5 Assurances of God’s Healing Grace.

1. Because of God’s Grace We Are Acceptable: 

How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every blessing in heaven because we belong to Christ.

Long ago, even before he made the world, God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for us; he decided then to make us holy in his eyes, without a single fault—we who stand before him covered with his love. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this because he wanted to!

Now all praise to God for his wonderful kindness to us and his favor that he has poured out upon us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. So overflowing is his kindness toward us that he took away all our sins through the blood of his Son, by whom we are saved; and he has showered down upon us the richness of his grace—for how well he understands us and knows what is best for us at all times. Ephesians 1:3-10 (TLB)

God has accepted you and me just as we are, and He sees us now without a single fault, because we now stand before Him covered with His love. How amazing is the assurance that you are accepted by God?

2. Because of God’s Grace We Are Valuable

You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him—be free now from all these earthly prides and fears. 1 Corinthians 7:23 (TLB)

Then turning to his disciple’s he said, “Don’t worry about whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. For life consists of far more than food and clothes. Look at the ravens—they don’t plant or harvest or have barns to store away their food, and yet they get along all right—for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Luke 12:22-24 (TLB)

You are more valuable to God than anything else He has created. You have been bought and paid for by His Son, Jesus Christ, so you now belong to Him. How wonderful is the assurance that you are extremely valuable to God?

3. Because of God’s Grace We Are Loveable

For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you. Isaiah 54:10 (NLT)

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Romans 8:38 (NLT)

God loves you just as you are. There is nothing you can do to make God love you more than He already does. How mind-blowing is the assurance that you will always be loved by God?

4. Because of God’s Grace We Are Forgivable

No matter what you’ve done, regardless of how bad it was or how long you’ve done it, the slate has been whipped clean! How incredible is the assurance that your past has all been erased by God? You’re a new creation in His sight.

5. Because of God’s Grace We Are Capable

for I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power. Philippians 4:13 (TLB)

We are His work. He has made us to belong to Christ Jesus so we can work for Him. He planned that we should do this. Ephesians 2:10 (NLV)

Through the Grace of God you now have the strength and ability to do all that God will ask you to do. How rewarding is the assurance that through the power of Jesus Christ you now have the ability to be God’s ambassador here on earth?

The Grace of Restoration

No one is beyond Restoration

Now, because of this, those who belong to Christ will not suffer the punishment of sin. 2 The power of the Holy Spirit has made me free from the power of sin and death. This power is mine because I belong to Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 (NLV)

No matter what you do or how many times you fail, God will love you and He will show you Grace because that is what He wants to do. You are precious and valuable to God.

It is because of the Lord’s loving-kindness that we are not destroyed for His loving-pity never ends. 23 It is new every morning. He is so very faithful. Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLV)

God is in the business of Restoration!

Restoration Begins with Recognition of Weakness

• We all have our own weaknesses in our spiritual life, and until we recognize them we can’t begin to overcome them.
• Satan has a personal temptation folder on each of us. There are some sins we would never commit, but there are others we will always fall prey to and Satan knows that.
• When you don’t think you have any weaknesses, God calls this arrogance.

I asked the Lord three times to take it away from me. 9 He answered me, “I am all you need. I give you My loving-favor. My power works best in weak people.” I am happy to be weak and have troubles so I can have Christ’s power in me. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NLV)

Don’t Allow God’s Restoration Project to be in Vain

• For all that God has done for you, sending His Son to die on the cross for your sins, providing the doorway to eternity through Him, don’t take advantage of that restorative Grace. Don’t turn your back on Him.
• Don’t accept God’s Grace of restoration and then turn around and move back into your old apartment where Satan is your landlord.

I am different now. It is all because of what God did for me by His loving-favor. His loving-favor was not wasted. I worked harder than all the other missionaries. But it was not I who worked. It was God’s loving-favor working through me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NLV)

God’s Sustaining Grace

• The power that God gives us to keep on going even when we feel like giving up.
• Life is full of stresses, but we have this promise:

I am sure that God Who began the good work in you will keep on working in you until the day Jesus Christ comes again. Philippians 1:6 (NLV)

Life is a race and how do we know if we’ll finish the race well?

I have fought a good fight. I have finished the work I was to do. I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 (NLV)

Three areas that prevent us from finishing the race well:

1. God’s sustaining Grace can help us when we’re tempted.

Temptation is the first stress test of life. There is a battle going on inside of us daily — our Old Nature vs. New Nature.

Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart. Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord; and remember that other Christians all around the world are going through these sufferings too. 1 Peter 5:8-9 (TLB)

2. God’s sustaining Grace can help us when we’re tired.

• There are times when we get tired of doing what is right. It’s hard to go against the flow; it’s hard to swim upstream.
• It’s easier to stay at home and hide from the world. This is exactly what Satan wants you to do.

And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up. Galatians 6:9 (TLB)

So where do we go to get the strength even when we don’t feel like doing right.

It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us. 2 Corinthians 1:21 (NLT)

The more you try to be a good Christian in your own strength, the more tired you become.

Let Jesus be Jesus through us. Stop trying and start trusting.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. 14 Do everything without complaining and arguing, Philippians 2:13-14 (NLT)

3. God’s sustaining Grace can help us when we’re troubled.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NLT)

Don’t worry—I am with you. Don’t be afraid—I am your God. I will make you strong and help you. I will support you with my right hand that brings victory. Isaiah 41:10 (ERV)

Four steps to the successful stress test of life:

1. Cry out to God.
2. Fill your mind with the word of God.
3. Rely on the support system of other people.
4. Trust God’s promises. There are over 7,000 promises in the Word of God and all we have to do is claim them.

God doesn’t call us to have all the answers. He calls us to run to Him, trust Him and rely on Him. God’s sustaining Grace is with us no matter what happens.

Growing in Grace

It is not a matter of quantity; it is a matter of quality!

Grow in the loving-favor that Christ gives you. Learn to know our Lord Jesus Christ better. He is the One Who saves. May He have all the shining-greatness now and forever. Let it be so. 2 Peter 3:18 (NLV)

We often measure our spiritual growth by how many good things we do for God.

• How many times did I go to church, how many times did I read my bible, how many times have I prayed or how many bible studies have I completed? Spiritual growth isn’t a matter of how many.

God always measures our spiritual growth by how much closer we are to him.

• How much closer to God am I today than I was yesterday? How much more does my life reflect Jesus Christ in the way I think or the way I talk? How much more do I love my wife and my kids because of God’s grace?

What does it mean to grow in Grace?

Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. Ephesians 4:22-24 (MSG)

1. Put off the old self

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

You don’t grow spiritually by keeping the rules. Rules don’t produce growth.

Do not be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings. For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not ritual meals, which have never benefited those who participated in them. Hebrews 13:9 (NET Bible)

2. Put on the new self

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17(NLT)

Your new life is not a new set of rules or activities or ritual or a new religion. It is a new life completely based on God’s Grace.

a. We don’t have to achieve this new life. You don’t have to make it work on your own. In fact it is impossible.

b. We don’t have to secure this new life. You are not holding on to God — God is holding on to you. If you can’t do anything to gain God’s Grace, you can’t do anything to lose God’s Grace.

You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3 (GNT)

c. We do have to put on this new life. Every morning when you wake up, you have to make a conscious decision to put on your new life. To allow God to be seen in the way you think, in the way you talk and act.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” James 1:5-8 (NLT)

Made new in the attitudes of our mind.

As we allow God to change the way we think it gives us the strength to say no to the old and yes to the new.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (NET Bible)

When it comes to a Christian life, the activities may remain the same, it’s your motives that change.

As I said in Part 1 of Grace for all Occasions, you will find that the very understanding of Grace will go against everything you’ve been taught and what often drives you inside (our sinful Old Nature).

Believing in your heart and mind then the true Grace of God will:

• Save you and free you from the guilt and shame of you past, and it will bring you peace.
• Enable you to stop trying to impress God with your holiness by working at it. Just remember that everything now comes from God and nothing comes from you.
• Remove the legalists in your life who try to tell you how you should live the proper Christian life by doing this or that. They only cause you grief because they are wrong. Love God with all your heart and then do whatever you want.
• Share the love God has for you with your family, friends and neighbors. His love was meant to be spread around for all the world to see.
• When life steps on you with both feet, remember the five assurances of God’s Healing Grace. They will never change or go away.
• When you fail and fall back into sin as we all do, remember God is in the business of restoring us, that is what 1 John 1:9 assures us.

But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins. 1 John 1:9 (TLB)

God’s Grace will sustain you when you’re tempted, tired of doing good, troubled, worried or afraid. Just run to Him and He will protect you.

Finally, my friend, you need to grow in God’s Grace. You must desire with all your heart, soul, mind and spirit to seek Him and all His wisdom for every part of your life. This can only be accomplished by reading His Holy Word, the Bible, and praying for the Holy Spirit to unlock your understanding of scriptures to what is truly pleasing to your Heavenly Father.

Join me next month as I continue the discussion on foundational Christian truths in God’s Word. We’ll look at Truth and Righteousness as it relates to living the Christian life through Jesus Christ.

Until next month, my friend, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.

Welcome back, my dear friends. The past couple of months we’ve studied the foundational Christian truths in God’s Word surrounding God’s Grace. This month in The Next Step, Living Your Life through Jesus, I would like us to take a look at what the Bible tells us about Truth and Righteousness — two more truths that are essential to your understanding of what it means to live the true Christian life.

What is Truth?

This is the very question that Pilate asked Jesus (John 18:37-38), during His trial just before He was turned over to the mob to be crucified. 

Pilate said, “So you are a king?”

Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

“What is truth?” Pilate asked.

Growing up, I was taught to “believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see.”  I always thought that was pretty dumb advice, most people don’t lie and how can you fool my eyes.  Well 60 years later and now a Christian, here’s what I’ve learned about that advice.  It’s true, believe none of what you hear and none of what you see.  It’s sad to say, but Christians have to guard their hearts from being broken by the very worldly truths we once believed about individuals or things that more times than not turn out to be nothing but a lie.

Why will you never find the truth in this world we live in? Listen to what Jesus told a crowd who had gathered around Him in the Temple.

Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to listen to my message.  You are the children of your father, the Devil, and you want to follow your father’s desires. From the very beginning he was a murderer and has never been on the side of truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies. John 8:43-44 (GNT)

This is the satanic world you and I live in, run by the father of all lies, Satan.

In my Lesson 3, Rewired to Love Part 2, I said the world we live in is nothing more than a false reality created by Satan to serve him much like those individuals in the movie, The Matrix, and as God’s Word tells us, we are no longer to copy the behavior and customs of this world nor should our thinking conform to that world. (Romans 12:2)

Listen to what the Prophet Jeremiah said to the people of Judah;

I listened carefully, but you did not speak the truth. Not one of you has been sorry for your wickedness; not one of you has asked, ‘What have I done wrong?’ Each of you keep on going your own way, like a horse rushing into battle.” Jeremiah 8:6 (GNT)

So as Pilate asked, what is truth?  If everything in this world is based on a lie, what way can you find truth and how can you really believe and trust it?

During the Last Supper on the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus said to His disciples: 

“Do not be worried and upset,” Jesus told them. “Believe in God and believe also in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am. You know the way that leads to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; so how can we know the way to get there?”

Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me. John 14:1-6 (GNT)

Jesus said over 70 times throughout the Gospels, “I tell you the truth” before He spoke.  So it is just plain common sense to me that if you are truly seeking the truth to live by in this lost world, there is only one place you will find it —  Jesus Christ.

Let’s return to the conversation Jesus was having with the crowd who had gathered around Him in the Temple and find out why they didn’t understand what He was saying.

“But I tell the truth, and that is why you do not believe me. Which one of you can prove that I am guilty of sin? If I tell the truth, then why do you not believe me? He who comes from God listens to God\’s words. You, however, are not from God, and that is why you will not listen.” John 8:45-47 (GNT)

If you remember in Lesson 9 “How to Dress for Success”, I told you that the first thing you put on in the morning is the belt of truth buckled around your waist.  So each morning remind yourself what the truth is. The truth that you heard and believed, which led you by faith to trust in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and making you a child of God. Renew your mind each morning with this thought so that you are ready to face this world and the “father of liars.”

Where Can I Find the Absolute Truth?

Satan has established a number of philosophies for the unbelievers of this world to follow when it comes to defining Truth:

• Relativism, says that all truth is relative and that there is no such thing as absolute truth.
• Skepticism, simply doubts all truth.
• Pluralism, says that all truth claims are equally valid.

Common complaints from those who live by Satan’s philosophies against Christians claiming to have absolute truth in matters of faith is that such a stance is “narrow-minded.”  Another objection to absolute truth is that it is arrogant to claim that someone is right and another person is wrong.  A third charge against those holding to absolute truth in matters of faith is that such a position excludes people, rather than being inclusive, and finally it is offensive and divisive to claim one has the absolute truth instead, all that matters is sincerity.

During His Sermon on the Mount, I believe Jesus best describes Satan’s worldly philosophies this way. 

“Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way. But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.”  Matthew 7:13-14 (TLB)

Absolute Truth must then originate from somewhere.  For over 2,000 years we’ve had God’s Absolute Truth to turn to, His Holy Word, the Bible and to date not one of His promises or predictions has proven to be a lie.  Although many unbelievers have tried, none have succeeded in proving anything other than this — the Bible is truly the only word of absolute truth you can depend on.

The Palmist tells us; 

“God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.” Psalms 18:30 (NLT)

My dear friends as believers and followers of Jesus Christ you now know where to get the absolute truth in order for you to live your life through Jesus Christ.  But, you have to read it and follow it. The more you seek the absolute truth of God through His Holy Word, the Bible, the more understanding of the truth will be given to you. I guarantee it.  How can I say that?  Because Jesus Himself said it.

To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. Matthew 13:12 (NLT)

How will you know if you’re receiving and understanding God’s truths?  As I’ve said before, you have your own personal Bible teacher on truth right inside of you.

But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words. He will speak only what he hears and will tell you what will happen in the future. The Spirit of truth will bring glory to me by telling you what he receives from me. All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will tell you what he receives from me. John 16:13-15 (ERV)

If you’ll just read what I call God’s Instruction Manual on Absolute Truth what will happen?  Listen to what Paul told the Ephesians:

Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly—and so become more and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of his body, the Church. Ephesians 4:14-16 (TLB)

Finally, my brothers and sisters, you are to hold tightly to the truths of God’s Word and not let go. Burn them into your heart so that you will be ready for Satan’s attacks against you by those who live by his philosophies of truth.

Listen to Paul’s instructions to his dear bother in Christ, Timothy.

Hold tightly to the pattern of truth I taught you, especially concerning the faith and love Christ Jesus offers you. Guard well the splendid, God-given ability you received as a gift from the Holy Spirit who lives within you. 2 Timothy 1:13-14 (TLB)

Righteous Living

Let’s move on now to understand what it means to pursue true righteousness as you live your life through Jesus. To be righteous is to be right with God.  How do you become right with God?

“So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Romans 5:1 (TLB)

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are truly righteous in the sight of God.  Remember justification is God’s declaring those who receive Christ as their personal savior to be righteous/saved (Romans 5:17-19).

In Lesson 9 “How to Dress for Success”, I told you that the Breastplate of Righteousness is the second piece of clothing you’re to put on when getting dressed to enter world we live in.  A breastplate shields your vital organs from blows that would otherwise be fatal.  But, it’s the Breastplate of Righteousness which guards your heart and emotions against the accusations and charges of Satan and secures our innermost being from his attacks.

Without God’s righteousness inside of you, you’re left with only your Old Nature’s self-righteousness.  We avoid the temptation to become self-righteous when we understand that true righteousness begins with godly humility.

“he will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to him.” Psalm 25:9 (TLB)

Jesus talks about self-righteousness saying it is nothing more than a false façade that unbelievers wear on the outside for all to see, unlike the believer whose righteousness exists on the inside and comes from God.  He compares self-righteousness with the Pharisees of His time.

“How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside. In the same way, on the outside you appear good to everybody, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and sins. Matthew 23:27-28 (GNT)

To pursue true righteousness means you must recognize that you cannot please God in your sinful state. You cannot try to justify yourself by your good deeds, instead you need to seek the mercy and grace of God to transform your mind in order to understand true righteousness.

“Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.”  Romans 12:2 (GNT)

How can you know for sure what is good and pleasing to God?  By walking in the Spirit as the Apostle Paul directed the Galatians.

I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to. For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free from their pressures. When you are guided by the Holy Spirit, you need no longer force yourself to obey Jewish laws. Galatians 5:16-18 (TLB)

When you’re focused on seeking the will of God and walking in the Spirit, your life will produce this kind of fruit in you: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control;  the Fruits of the Spirit will begin to blossom inside of you without any effort. The world around you will begin to see those fruits; you will become more loving, kind, patient, forgiving, and caring of others.

Finally my friend, the secret to living a righteous life is to conform to the image of His Son, your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The Apostle Paul gives us a bit of common sense to live by:

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. Galatians 5:25-26 (NLT)

Join me next month as I bring my series “The Next Step – Living Your Life through Jesus” to a close. We have one final foundational Christian truth in God’s Word to understand, the most important Commandment of all. I’ve entitled it “All You Need is Love”

Until next month, my friend, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.

Welcome back, my dear friends.  This is the last lesson in my series, “The Next Step Living Your Life Through Jesus.”  I’ve saved the best foundational Christian truth for last — “LOVE.”  The love that God, your Heavenly Father, has for you and me is beyond human comprehension.  It is a love that has no boundaries; it is unconditional and never ends.  It is because of God’s love for each of us that His only Son gave up His life and died on a cross so that you and I could spend eternity with our Father who truly loves us.

What is Love?

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 ERV

Throughout the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus often taught His followers using parables.  What is a parable?  It is an imaginary story that could be true.  Jesus’ disciples asked Him why He used parables to teach, and Jesus said: I speak to them in parables so that those who want the truth can have it; those who refuse to hear the truth just hear an interesting story.

I’m going to use a parable to finish my final lesson in the series, “The Next Step Living Your Life Through Jesus.” My friends, after reading this lesson you will have to decide what you will do with it.

The Tale of a Sinner

There was a man, who was a Christian, and he was happily married with five children.  He was a salesman whose territory is so large he would often have to stay overnight in different cities for three or four nights at a time to complete his business.  The company he worked for was always pressuring him to increase his sales and make more money.  He was very successful at his job, but the pressure from his superiors to increase business was getting harder to bear.  One night, alone in a town, far from home, tired, depressed from his work pressures and feeling alone, this man met a woman in the hotel’s lounge.

They began to talk and he found out she was in sales and that she also had a family, so they had a lot in common.  The more they talked, the more he stopped feeling so lonely.  His cell phone vibrated and he noticed it was a call from home, but he decided to let it go to voicemail and continued to talk with her.

One thing led to another and temptation began to fill his heart.  The Bible tells us that once Satan plants a temptation in our mind, he simply sits back and lets it grow inside of us just like a woman who is pregnant.  Once it finally takes hold and comes to term, sin is born.  That’s what happened to the salesman.

Now I’m sure you know people like these two individuals who got caught up in sin without ever intending to.  They’re good people who simply lost their focus on Jesus and fell back into their old sinful nature.  Like these two, when we lose our focus on Jesus we find out all too quickly that Satan is standing there ready to provide the perfect temptation to us, like he did to Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Once the salesman decided to cross the line from temptation to sin, his world changed forever.  Lives and reputations were destroyed.  The very people he loved were now ripped apart from him.  The world quickly turned on him and rushed to surround his wife and children with love and compassion. The world told his wife that he was worthless from the day she met him.  If she had listened to them a long time ago she never would have married him.  He’s nothing but a liar and a cheat she’s told.  Others tell her to get rid of him and start her life over.  They tell her that she would be better off and that her children will one day understand why she left him.

The Two Sides of Sin

We often automatically take sides, don’t we?  When someone falls into sin like the salesman did, we automatically think of only the victims he has hurt and betrayed.  We believe that they’re the ones we need to comfort and protect; they’re the ones who are suffering.  The sinner no longer has any rights, and condemnation and hate are often the punishment handed out to him.  It’s what he deserves, right? Well isn’t it?

Listen to what Jesus said to the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount; “Do not judge others, and God will not judge you; do not condemn others, and God will not condemn you; forgive others, and God will forgive you.” (Luke 6:3 ERV)

Jesus failed to mention the scripture we often follow in this situation where we are “to love the victim of sin and judge and hate the sinner who caused it.”  I’m still trying to find that verse in the Bible. If you know where it is please let me know.

I believe the Bible teaches us that when sin occurs in our lives, there are really two victims.  The one who has sinned and the one who has been sinned against.  They both need to be shown love and compassion in order to save both souls.  Love and compassion for the victim to which the sin has been committed so that they can cope with the situation, and love and compassion to the sinner so they can repent and be restored.

Searching for Love and Forgiveness

My friends, we need to understand both sides of the issue of sin if we are going to truly understand the Love of God. Let’s focus now on the victim who has committed the sin and see what perhaps he is going through.

Like many, this man struggles with the sin he has committed. Guilt and remorse fill his heart.  One evening, like so many other nights, when sleep does not come easily, he tosses and turns and finally, amid his tears of guilt and shame, falls asleep.

He begins to dream and finds himself drowning in the sea of sin he is caught up in, gasping for air looking for help.  He keeps fighting his way back up to the surface of the sea of sin he’s caught in, looking for some help and he suddenly glimpses an island off in the distance.

He swims through the strong currents trying to take him back under the waves and reaches the island thinking he’s finally saved. He drags himself onto the shore and notices a sign posted in the sand which reads:  The Island of “You should be ashamed of yourself.” Then out of the woods came a group of people berating him and telling him he should be ashamed of what he did.  “You’re a married man with children, how could you do such a thing?  You’re worthless!” They turn their backs on him and walk away.

He runs back into the sea of sin to escape the island where he thought he could get help for his problem. Back under the waves he goes falling deeper into the sea of sin.  He struggles to stay afloat as the waves of sin continue to batter him with guilt and despair.

Once more he notices another island in the distance and thinks maybe he can get help there.  Swimming with all of his might, he reaches the island and pulls himself ashore.  Laying there exhausted he notices another sign which reads “The Island of “How could you, I knew you couldn’t be trusted.” Once again another group of people come out of the woods this time kicking him and taunting him saying, “How could you, you’re no good, what about your wife and children, where was your head? You monster, you’re nothing but a loser.”

Exhausted, he crawls once more back into the sea of sin to escape the beating and verbal abuse he was receiving. This time he sinks deeper and deeper into the sea of sin.  All alone and struggling one last time to stay afloat from the waves of sin that are now crashing over with more force, he notices one last island.  He thinks what’s the use, every time I reach an island hoping for help with my sin problem the people there do nothing but condemn me and force me back into the very sin I’m trying to escape.  He decides he is not going through that again so he lays back in the water waiting for the next wave of sin to finally overcome him and finish off his pain and sorrow.

But something in the back of his mind won’t let him give up.  He thinks of his wife and children and how much he truly loves them and begins once again to swim towards the next island.  Nearing exhaustion he finally reaches the island, but he doesn’t have the strength to pull himself out of the water and begins slipping back into the sea of sin one last time for good.

Suddenly a hand reaches down and grabs hold of his wrist and pulls him up onto the shore.  He struggles and makes it onto the shore with the help of the stranger.  He lays there breathing heavy and trying to clear his mind and get his bearings.  He desperately looks around for a sign to find out what island he is on, but doesn’t see any.  Suddenly he hears a voice which simply says \”Welcome, my friend.\”  He sits up only to find a group of people standing around him with a towel, dry clothes, warm soup and bandages for his injuries.

They tend to him without saying a word and meet every one of his needs.  They take him to a tent where he can sleep and regain his strength.  Days pass and he finally starts to feel like his old self.  Every person who talks with him is pleasant and caring in their response to his needs.

Finally one day the leader of the group sits down with him and asks him how he is doing.  He is amazed by the care and compassion he received and asks the leader the name of the island.  The leader responds that this is the island of “Love and Forgiveness.”  “Why did you even help me?” he asks. If you knew what I did you would have left me to drown in my sin, which is what everyone else left me to do.  The leader simply says that I pulled you from the sea of sin because you needed help and that was all I needed to know.  You needed love, you needed compassion and understanding from the ordeal you were going through and that’s why I pulled you out.  I didn’t need to know the details of the sin you were caught up in, I just knew if we didn’t help you would have drowned in your sin.  Each one of us here on the island was once in the same place you are now.

He goes on to say, we all struggled in our sin trying to find help, but like you we ended up on the same islands you did the first time.  The island where we found family and friends, members of the church we attended offering nothing but condemnation and accusation.  We were told we were worthless and selfish, we were called monster and other things I would rather not mention.

Like you, we all lost hope of ever getting help until that hand reached down and pulled us from the drowning sea of sin onto this island of love and forgiveness.  Each one of us has gone through exactly what you’re going through right now.  Although each of our sins may be different than yours, each of us fell into the same sea of sin as you.

He struggles to understand, but is relieved to have at last found a place where the word sinner isn’t used in a degrading and hurtful manner.  The leader continues to talk with him about the love and forgiveness that Jesus offers each Christian who has fallen into sin. He tells him that the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin, and goes on to say, “if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.”  (1 John 1:9 ERV)

The more the leader talks to him, the more he feels at peace in his heart.  The leader goes on to say that we are all, each and every one of us nothing more than sinners who have been saved by the Grace of God; it was God’s gift to us because He Loves us. (Eph. 2:8-9)

He reminds him that “Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.”  (Hebrews 4:14-16 ERV)

The leader assures him that Jesus knows what each of us are going through and how we struggle with sin.  He goes on to say that Jesus has been there and done that but is the only one who was ever able to keep from sinning.  So cut yourself some slack he says.

Once again the leader reminds him that \”if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.” (1 John 1:9 ERV)

He encourages the man to kneel at the throne of God and ask for forgiveness, repent from the sin he’s committed so that he can receive God’s grace, mercy and kindness to help him when he needs it.

“But what about my family and friends?” he asks, “even those in the church I attend won’t speak to me.  They all look at me as if I don’t exist.  How can I make things right with them and start to redeem myself in their eyes?”

My friend, this is where some of your family and friends truly don’t understand the greatest commandment of all.  Do you know what it is, the leader asks?

He lowers his head and says yes, he then repeats Matthew 22:37-40. “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

That’s correct he says.  I can’t speak for the actions of other believers, but he goes on to tell the man how he should act when he sees another believer sinning. “Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, speak sharp words to him. If he is sorry and turns from his sin, forgive him. What if he sins against you seven times in one day? If he comes to you and says he is sorry and turns from his sin, forgive him.” Luke 17:3-4 NLV

The next day as the man was walking along the beach, he ran into a group of fellow sinners and asked them where he could find the leader.  Their response shocked him when they told him that there was no leader.

“Surely you’re mistaken,” he said.  “The man I spoke with made my heart feel strangely warm as He talked to me about the scriptures of love and forgiveness.”  Then the group smiled warmly at him and told him that they’ve all had the same experience he had, and finally realized it was Jesus speaking to their heart and leading them to repentance.

The man awoke from his island dream and knew immediately what he had to do.  He knelt beside his bed and asked Jesus to forgive his sin and restore his relationship with God his Father.  He got up, dressed quickly and rushed to his home where he gathered his family together, confessed his sin to them and asked their forgiveness.

He realized it would be a long road to restore what he once had, but he knew with God’s help, Christian counseling and finally allowing Jesus to be Lord of his life he could recover from the sin Satan once used to destroy all he had.

Are You Still Living with Your Old Nature?

My friend, let me ask you some questions. As you read my parable, which island did you find yourself living on, the island of “You should be ashamed of yourself,” the island of “How could you, I knew you couldn’t be trusted”, or the island of “Love and Forgiveness?” Which set of your Old Nature’s feelings started to bubble up inside of you?

If your answer was one of the first two islands, then the following scripture from God’s Word was written for you.

“If anyone says “I love God,” but keeps on hating his brother, he is a liar; for if he doesn’t love his brother who is right there in front of him, how can he love God whom he has never seen? And God himself has said that one must love not only God but his brother too.” 1 John 4:20-21 (TLB)

If your answer was the third island, then the following scripture from God’s Word was written for you.

“Dear brothers, if anyone has slipped away from God and no longer trusts the Lord and someone helps him understand the Truth again, that person who brings him back to God will have saved a wandering soul from death, bringing about the forgiveness of his many sins.” James 5:19-20 (TLB)

Our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ is a key cornerstone of living our life through Jesus.  Without love for one another, how are we any different than the lost souls we live with in this world run by Satan? Listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. 

“And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God himself.”  Ephesians 3:17-19 (TLB)

May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.  What a wonderful analogy. The love that God has for you and me, the love that grows deep inside of us as Jesus becomes more and more at home in your heart is not to be keep selfishly for ourselves.  Paul goes on to say: 

“Follow God’s example in everything you do just as a much loved child imitates his father. Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and gave himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, for Christ’s love for you was like sweet perfume to him.” Ephesians 5:1-2 (TLB)

“Now you can have real love for everyone because your souls have been cleansed from selfishness and hatred when you trusted Christ to save you; so see to it that you really do love each other warmly, with all your hearts.”  1 Peter 1:22 (TLB)

A New Journey Begins

This brings to a close the four foundational Christian truths or cornerstones to you living your life through Jesus — Grace, Truth, Righteousness and Love.  This also ends my series on “The Next Step Living Your Life through Jesus.”  It is my prayer for you that this series has in some way helped you grow in your understanding of exactly who you are.

Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian. Ephesians 2:19 (TLB)

Through my series, “Who Am I Really,” you learned how you were Justified and made Righteous in God’s sight.  Through this series, “The Next Step Living Your Life Through Jesus,” you learned how to grow and become Sanctified through allowing Jesus to live His life through you.

We have one more journey to take together, my friend.  It is our journey to Glorification.  We are no longer citizens of this lost world we live in.  We are citizens of God’s country Heaven.

I’m sure that you’ve often been asked what do you want your legacy to be here on earth when you die?  For me I don’t want a legacy here on earth, I want my legacy to be stored up in Heaven.  How about you? 

Don’t store up treasures here on earth where they can erode away or may be stolen. Store them in heaven where they will never lose their value and are safe from thieves. 21 If your profits are in heaven, your heart will be there too. Matthew 6:19-21 (TLB)

Join me next month as I start my new series entitled “Your Journey To Eternity.”  Together we’ll search God’s Word and learn how to prepare ourselves to live our life for all eternity with God our Father and all of the other saints who have gone before us.  What a glorious thought that is, to realize that your final destination for all time will be spent with your creator, your provider and a life full of nothing but joy and happiness.

I have one final request for you.  I would love to hear from you.  Common Sense Ministries has just celebrated its second anniversary and God has truly blessed us.  We have had the privilege of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with individuals like you in over 50 countries around the globe. We have followers on every continent and it just blows my mind to think that God could use this ministry to reach countries I have trouble even pronouncing.  I thank God for each and every one of you who use our ministry and pray for you often.  All praise and honor goes to God for what He is doing through us.

Until next month my friend, may God’s mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.