Get Over it!
Jesus
Christ took care of everything we've ever done wrong in the past, and
most folks are okay with that once they realise just how much it cost
God and how much it cost Jesus Christ to accomplish it. However, folks
often struggle to comprehend that Jesus Christ not only paid for the
sins we've done in the past, but he also fully paid for all the sins
we've not even committed yet.
Colossians 2:13,14
And
you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all
trespasses;
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us,
which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to
his cross;
Jesus
Christ died for us, and we are righteous because of what he did, not
because of anything we've ever done or ever will do. We didn't earn the
gift of holy spirit, it was something God wanted us to have and it was
his good pleasure to give it. The price he paid was his only son.
This
was all done by God's mercy and grace, because he loved us and it was
his good pleasure to do it for us. Does it follow then that he did it so
he could beat us up all the time and make us sick? That garbage is
certainly spouted from pulpits all over the world, but it is not the
truth. God may not go to church or hang out in any religion, but devil
spirits surely do.
We are
righteous and we are justified, there is nothing of which we are guilty.
God took all my sins, placed them on Jesus Christ, and he took them to
the grave with him. He died in my place. If all my sins were put on
Jesus Christ and died with him, are they any longer on me? No, they are
not, and that's why I have the righteousness of God.
Romans
3:22Even the
righteousness of God
which is by
faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for
there is no difference:
At the
moment we are born again, everything stacked against us, all the sins
we've ever done are washed away. God didn't just take those old sins of
ours and lock them away in a closet, or brush them under the carpet out
of view, they just no longer exist. All of our sins literally died with
Jesus Christ and they are gone forever. That is why God isn't looking
for fault so he can punish us. This is illustrated succinctly in Psalm
103.
Psalm
103:8-10
The
LORD
is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
He will
not always chide: neither will he keep
his anger
for ever.
He hath
not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our
iniquities.
Listen to
how kind the language is here. The point is, God isn't mad at us. Verse
10 has an amazing figure of speech in it - it contains two sentences
that say exactly the same thing in two different ways. God said the same
thing twice to emphasise and to establish the point that he does not
deal with us after our sins nor reward us according to our iniquities.
So he can't be watching us with a critical eye so he can whack us over
the head then, can he?
The
god who looks for any reason to whack us is better known as the devil,
the god of this world, Lucifer, and it is he who controls all world
religion. A temple is a place where men go to worship. If God
doesn't dwell in temples made with hands, who then are folks worshipping
when they go to church if it isn't God? Any religion, church,
organisation, or ministry that is controlled by central governing bodies
of men is a temple made with hands, it is a broken cistern constructed
by men. Psalm 103 continues.
Psalm
103:11
For as
the heaven is high above the earth,
so
great is his mercy toward them that fear [respect, reverence] him.
How high is
the heaven above the earth? How high is the universe? Have you ever
tried to fathom the depth of the universe? The distances involved are so
staggering they are beyond human comprehension. That's how great God's
mercy is to us. It is staggering, beyond human comprehension. Mercy is
the withholding of merited judgement. In other words, we deserved
punishment but God withheld it. God does not want to beat us up for our
sins. His mercy is staggering, beyond human comprehension.
Psalm
103:12
As far
as the east is from the west,
so
far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Interesting
that this verse says
east and west
and not
north and south.
If you go far enough north and cross the pole, you will start going
south. If you continue south and cross the other pole, you will start
going north again. Unlike north and south, east and west never meet. It
is a physical impossibility for east and west to meet. You are either
going east or you are going west. If you are going east, you are
travelling away from west. If you stop and go west, you are now heading
away from east. There is infinity between them. That is how far we have
been removed from all the sin, all the mistakes and bad things we've
ever done. You see, it isn't that God simply hides his eyes from our
sins and pretends not to see them, they really do not exist anymore.
Jesus Christ was the price it cost to get rid of them for us. We have
been freed from sin and the power of death. Yes, that even includes you
if you're a jesuit and you read this class and get born again. God's
mercy is staggering.
To clarify
and illuminate this point, let's examine how God dealt with sin in the
old testament. One way of dealing with sin back then was with animal
sacrifices. The animals were sacrificed and their blood made atonement
for Israel's sin. Before we go any further, however, let's make it clear
that animal sacrifice was not God's idea, it was man's idea.
Jeremiah
7:22For I spake
not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought
them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or
sacrifices:
See, God commanded nothing
regarding killing animals as sacrifices. It wasn't in his heart, it
wasn't something he wanted. He spoke nothing about sacrificing animals.
The next verse tells us what God wanted.
Jeremiah
7:23But this thing
commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and
ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have
commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
Rather than animal sacrifices,
God wanted his people to simply live in fellowship with him and enjoy a
good life.
Jeremiah
7:24But they
hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels
and in the
imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
You see, rather than obey God,
the Israelites wanted animal sacrifices, just like all the devil
worshipping heathen around them. They wanted to stick knives in animals
and spurt blood everywhere, just like the pagans and druids they lived
among. They wanted to be like everyone else. God therefore had no choice
but to put up with their garbage, and because they insisted on killing
animals he was forced to give them a few guidelines on how best to go
about it. Listen to Samuel's words when he confronted Saul.
1 Samuel
15:22And Samuel
said, Hath the LORD
as great
delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice
of the LORD? Behold, to obey
is
better than sacrifice,
and
to hearken than the fat of rams.
Solomon put animal sacrifice into
its proper context in Proverbs.
Proverbs
21:2,3Every way of
a man
is right in his
own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
To do justice and judgment
is
more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
The point is, sacrificing animals
was not God's idea. Sacrificing animals was merely a symbolic gesture as
he endured man's stubborn, evil ways. Talk about patience, grace, and
mercy?
You can see this same human
demand for bullshit when Israel demanded Samuel find them a king. They
wanted a king like all the other nations, so they bitched to Samuel
about not having one and told him to sort it out. Samuel was not amused,
and neither was God. The Jones syndrome goes back a long way.
1 Samuel
8:4-9,22Then all
the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to
Samuel unto Ramah,
And said unto him, Behold,
thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king
to judge us like all the nations.
But the thing displeased
Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel
prayed unto the LORD.
And the LORD said unto
Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say
unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected
me, that I should not reign over them.
According to all the works
which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of
Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and
served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
Now therefore hearken unto
their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them
the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
And the LORD said to Samuel,
Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto
the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.
Was it God's idea to give them a
king? No, it wasn't. Whose idea was it? It was man's idea. God warned
them about the nature of their king, but they refused to listen and
demanded God give them a king. So God gave them one.
Was it God's idea to have animal
sacrifices in the old testament? No, it wasn't. Whose idea was it? It
was man's idea. Man wanted to stick knives in animals to ease his guilt,
and demanded God accept these sacrifices. That's why animal sacrifices
became a way of life in the old testament. It wasn't because God wanted
it, but because people wanted it. God then later used these sacrifices
as illustrations to teach us about the Lord Jesus Christ, who was
sacrificed to redeem us from death.
Hebrews
9:11,12
But
Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a
greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to
say, not of this building;
Neither
by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in
once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us.
Our
redemption wasn't bought by the blood of animals. It was Jesus Christ's
own blood that paid the price. He died in our place and it was his death
that paid for the sin problem for all mankind. The root problem has now
been dealt with. There is no longer a sin problem. It's dealt with. We
are righteous now, we have the righteousness of God.
Hebrews
9:13,14
For if
the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer
sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
How
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God?
In the old
testament, animals dealt with Israel's sin problem, but it was only
symbolic, a stop gap measure that only temporarily put a lid on the
garbage bin. What Hebrews is saying is, that if a few scabby animal
sacrifices can symbolically deal with sin, what about the sacrifice of
the Lord Jesus Christ? How much greater a sacrifice was he compared to
an animal? How much better a job did he do?
Hebrews
9:25
Nor yet
that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into
the holy place every year with blood of others;
In the old
testament they had to sacrifice animals every year. They sinned, they
sacrificed animals, they were clean again, they sinned, they sacrificed
animals, they were clean again
-
it went on and on and on. The point is, sacrificing animals was not a
permanent solution to the sin problem. However, Jesus Christ was. See
the difference here? Jesus Christ didn't keep offering himself
periodically as a sacrifice, over and over and over again, he did it
once, and that obtained eternal redemption for us.
Hebrews
9:26
For
then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world:
but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice of himself.
His
sacrifice took care of the sin problem once and for all.
Hebrews
9:27,28
And as
it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
So
Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that
look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto
salvation.
His
sacrifice took care of the sin problem because he was a
perfect
sacrifice. That's why we are righteous now. Not because of our own works
but because of what was done on our behalf. The blood of animals was
just a temporary measure, a symbolic gesture God was forced to endure
because man demanded it.
Now that
Jesus Christ has dealt with the sin problem permanently, there is no
more need for sacrifices, animal or otherwise. The problem has been
dealt with.
Hebrews
10:1
For the
law having a shadow of good things to come,
and
not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices
which they offered year by year continually make the comers
thereunto perfect.
The law and
the sacrifices could not make people perfect. They just couldn't. They
simply could not take care of the sin and death problem that Adam and
Eve's disobedience introduced.
Hebrews
10:2
For
then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the
worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
If old
testament sacrifices of animals made people perfect, wouldn't they then
have stopped sacrificing animals because it was no longer required? See
the logic here? But animal sacrifices didn't
make people perfect, which is why they kept sacrificing more animals to
alleviate their guilt.
Hebrews
10:3,4
But in
those
sacrifices there is
a remembrance again made of sins every year.
For
it is
not
possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
It just was
not possible to deal with the sin problem by sacrificing animals. It was
a man who caused the problem in the first place and it would take a man
to solve it. Someone had to pay the price for Adam's disobedience, and
that someone was Jesus Christ. However, in contrast to the death of
animals, Jesus Christ's death did a perfect job.
Hebrews
10:12,14-17
But
this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat
down on the right hand of God;
For by
one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Whereof
the Holy Ghost [pneuma hagion - holy spirit] also is a witness to
us: for after that he had said before,
This
is
the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the
Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will
I write them;
And
their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
God will
remember our iniquities no more because they no longer exist. That's why
when God forgives, he forgets and never brings it up again. There is
nothing to remember because there is nothing there. It's as far away as
the east is from the west.
Hebrews
10:18
Now
where remission [aphesis] of these
is, there is
no more offering for sin.
Remission
and
forgiveness
are from compound words meaning simply to send away.
Aphesis
is from
apōtheomai,
apo,
away from, and
ōtheō
or
ōthō,
to shove.
So
apōtheomai
means
to push
off, figuratively
to reject:
to cast away,
to put away from,
to thrust away from.
This is the background of aphesis
and another closely related word which is also translated forgiveness at
times, aphiēmi.
Now that
sin has been sent away, dismissed, thrust away, there is no more need
for animal or human sacrifices because there is no longer a sin problem.
We are righteous because of the sacrifice that was made on our behalf by
Jesus Christ.
Hebrews
10:19
Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood
of Jesus,
The holiest
refers to the inner sanctuary of the temple, the holy of holies as it
was called. That was where God dwelt, where he lived among his people
before the day of Pentecost. God no longer dwells, he no longer lives,
he no longer resides in temples made with hands, or any place of worship
which is constructed, governed and controlled by men. Since the day of
Pentecost we now have direct access to God through the gift of holy
spirit. We can go directly to God anytime we wish and request an
audience. Not only that, but he will grant us that audience every time.
Our father has time for his children.
Hebrews
10:20-22
By a
new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the
veil, that is to say, his flesh;
And
having
an high priest over the house of God;
Let us
draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith [pistis -
believing], having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and
our bodies washed with pure water.
The sin
problem no longer exists. We are sanctified, set apart because we are
redeemed, because we are justified, and because we are righteous. God
has forgiven us and there is nothing of which we are guilty. We are holy
and without blame before him in love.
Okay, so
how come my mind doesn't always agree with that? How come my mind
continually reminds me of all the terrible things I've done? How come my
heart seems to enjoy condemning me and making me feel guilty? This is
the guts of the whole thing - it's called the renewed mind. We have to
train our minds to think what the word says, and that's damned hard work
at times. We have to decide between our feelings or what the word says.
It's a choice we make to believe one way or the other.
Accepting
forgiveness when we don't deserve it seems to be difficult for
earthlings. God understands this and so did Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus
Christ once told a story to help us understand forgiveness. It's wrongly
known as the parable of the prodigal son. The point of the parable isn't
the attitude of the son, but the forgiveness of his father.
Luke
15:1
Then
drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
Jesus
Christ did not have a problem with people. He was quite happy teaching
the word to publicans and sinners, so God must have been quite happy
with that too as Jesus Christ always did his Father's will.
Unfortunately, the religious church leaders didn't approve of this. Much
the same today isn't it? Why aren't the jesuits out lovingly preaching
their gospel to publicans and sinners instead of continually coming up
with new ways to exterminate them? Well, I guess you know the answer to
that by now.
Luke
15:2
And the
Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners,
and eateth with them.
Oh, how
awful. Jesus was eating with
bad
people. Notice these religious pricks didn't take this up with Jesus
either, but muttered behind his back.
Luke
15:3
And he
spake this parable unto them, saying,
Remember,
Jesus had been accused of eating with sinners as if it were a crime, so
the people he was eating with would have been hurt by these unjust and
cruel words from the mouths of the jesuits of that day. Those people
were there to hear God's word, and the devil used those religious
creatures to try to prevent the word from being taught. Jesus Christ had
to deal with this, so this parable although spoken to the scribes and
Pharisees was not for their benefit, but for the people with him. He
told this story to illustrate that God didn't have a problem forgiving
people, regardless of their past. He told this story to counteract the
cruel words of the religious leaders who did not want God's people to
hear the truth. You will not find God in temples made with hands.
Luke
15:11,12
And he
said, A certain man had two sons:
And the
younger of them said to
his
father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth
to me.
And he divided unto them
his
living.
The son
asked for his share of the inheritance which was legally and rightfully
his. The parable also says that the father divided unto
them
his living. In other words, he gave both his sons their inheritance.
Luke
15:13
And not
many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his
journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with
riotous living.
Most of us
know what riotous living is. I wasted quite a few years of my life in
riotous living, so this parable computes for me.
Luke
15:14
And
when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and
he began to be in want.
His money
ran out, as it does when you live riotously. If you've never been
hungry, this probably won't hit your heart as poignantly as someone who
has been in great need. Unless people come back to God's word again,
they're going to find out what great need is pretty soon.
Luke
15:15
And he
went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent
him into his fields to feed swine.
The
worst job in the world to an Israelite was feeding pigs. Swineherds were
not paid, and they had to eat the swill fed to the pigs to keep
themselves alive. This son's situation had changed somewhat.
Luke
15:16
And he
would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did
eat: and no man gave unto him.
Makes you
wonder where all his friends went, doesn't it? Where were all the
friends who helped him drink away his inheritance? Where were all his
mates now that he was eating swill with the pigs? Probably going to
church every week, listening to the scribes and pharisees spout their
bullshit about sinners, or going to secret masonic meetings to discuss
how best to package pig swill and put it on supermarket shelves to make
more money. I'm not cynical, this is how the world works, this is what
is going on.
Luke
15:17
And
when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my
father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
The
pig swill wasn't even sufficient to keep him alive.
Luke
15:18,19
I will
arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have
sinned against heaven, and before thee,
And am
no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired
servants.
So he made
the decision to go home. Not sure what he might have expected, but he
had nowhere else to go except to face death.
Luke
15:20-22
And he
arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off,
his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his
neck, and kissed him.
And the
son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy
sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the
father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put
it
on him;
and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on
his
feet:
Signet rings were used to stamp wax seals. The ring meant he could buy
stuff and use the signet ring like we use a credit card. Did his father
tell him to fuck off? No, God isn't mad at us for what we've done in the
past, that's the point of this parable. God's mercy is staggering.
Luke
15:23,24
And
bring hither the fatted calf, and kill
it;
and let us eat, and be merry:
For
this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.
And they began to be merry.
When we are
born again and receive the gift of holy spirit, our past life is dealt
with. Everything we've done wrong is gone - we have a clean sheet, a
fresh start in life because we receive the righteousness of God. Jesus
Christ paid the price so we could have the righteousness of God. God
does not have a problem with anyone's past, regardless of what they've
done.
Okay, we've
pretty much established that we are righteous when we receive the gift
of holy spirit, but what about all the sins we do after that point?
Sure, I've been forgiven for my past, I'm born again, I have the
righteousness of God, so I go out and get drunk. What now? Understanding
this difference is to understand the difference between our standing and
our state.
Our
standing in the household of God is one of a son or daughter, as
children, and that never fluctuates. We have eternal life. Always
remember, you cannot
corrupt the gift of holy spirit. You can sure mess up your life in the
body and soul category, but you can't corrupt the gift of holy spirit.
It is eternal life, and even if you get drunk, that spirit is still
incorruptible, you still have the righteousness of God. That's why we
must renew our minds. What use is it having the righteousness of God if
we're out getting drunk all the time? Unless we renew our minds and live
the word, we won't ever be able to enjoy the benefits of the gift of
holy spirit because the renewed mind is the key to power. However,
regardless of whether or not we renew our minds, we still have the
righteousness of God, we still have the gift of holy spirit, we are
still God's children.
Our state,
however, is dependent on enjoying fellowship with God. Although we are
his children, it doesn't necessarily follow that we are going to walk by
the spirit and enjoy his company. Jesus Christ redeemed us, yes, and
when we confess Jesus as lord and believe in our hearts that God raised
him from the dead, from that moment on we have eternal life. But what if
we don't renew our minds? What if we just continue living riotously?
What if we ignore the bible and keep our minds in the world's
television? Will your life benefit from the promises in God's word? No,
your life will not change at all because you will still be grunting in
the world's pig swill. Why? It's not God's fault. It's up to you to
renew your mind and turn on the power. God made the gift of holy spirit
available, and he gave us his word to teach us how to manifest it. Now
it's up to us to learn that word, renew our minds and use it to turn on
the spiritual power. That's what makes the difference in life. It isn't
religious ceremony or ritual, it isn't going to church every week, it
isn't about how much money you give to charities, it isn't about how
wide your inane smiles are, it's about turning on the power.
Now let's
take this a step further. Let's assume we
are
renewing our minds, that we
are
learning God's word, and that we
are
doing our best to live it. Guess what, you're still going to mess up
from time to time. You're still going to make mistakes on a regular
basis. When our children grow up, are they perfect? No, of course not -
every parent knows that - but do parents
expect
their children to be perfect? Hardly. Well, God is a parent, and just
like any parent, he knows his children are going to break his word from
time to time. That's just life. Jesus Christ was perfect, that's why he
was the perfect sacrifice, that's why he was able to redeem us, but
we're not perfect. We're perfect spiritually, yes, but we still have an
old man to contend with that we must put off. This is a process, not a
one time event. Just as parents love their children despite all their
mistakes, so God loves his children, despite all their mistakes.
Psalm
103:8,10,13
The
LORD
is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
He hath
not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our
iniquities.
Like as
a father pitieth
his
children,
so
the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
This word
pity
as used in the King James is one of those words that means something
different today than it did in 1611 when it was written. Fathers today
don't pity their children, they care for them and love them,
understanding their frailties. That's what the word
pity
meant when it was written all those centuries ago. A similar fact is
relevant with the word
fear.
In 1611, the word
fear
in this context meant awe, reverence and respect.
Forgiveness
has always been available. Even Adam and Eve were forgiven and went on
to live productive lives, albeit without that spirit that had been
created within them. Forgiveness has always been available, and the word
must
be understood in that light. It doesn't matter to God where a person has
been, or what they've done in the past, he's only interested in where
they are now and where they want to be tomorrow. Religious people, like
those pharisees and scribes, are cold and hard, self seeking and self
righteous, turning people away from the truth. They are vipers and
scorpions, whited sepulchres full of dead men's bones. Do not expect to
find God in temples made with hands filled with those creatures.
Eternal
life is a free gift, but continuing in fellowship with God after that
point is dependant on our walk. That's what determines our state.
Our standing is as children, and that will never change, but our state
fluctuates. Regardless of our state, we will always still have the
righteousness of God.
The key to
power is the renewed mind. If I don't know I'm righteous, and I mess up,
feel guilty and run out and get drunk, I'm going to suffer consequences
because I'm missing the mark. I'm still righteous, but I won't enjoy the
benefits of that righteousness, and my fellowship with God will suffer
dramatically. However, if instead of running out to get drunk when I
mess up, I go to God's word, read about my sonship rights, read about
how Jesus Christ paid for that mistake I just made, and decide to renew
my mind and get over it and move on in life, now I'm starting to get
somewhere spiritually. That's why the renewed mind is the key to power.
It isn't about being faultless, it's about keeping God's word in our
minds despite our old man
nature. It isn't about how few times we fall down, it's about how
quickly we get up again after we fall. A faithful man isn't someone who
only falls down once a year but stays down for weeks in condemnation,
it's someone who falls down many times every week but who jumps right
back up again and carries on knowing he has the righteousness of God.
We put the old man off by renewing our minds, and put on the new man by
turning on the power in the gift of holy spirit.
Psalm
103:14
For he
knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we
are
dust.
Sonship is
our standing as children of God, but fellowship is our state, our
personal relationship with him. We can be children of God, but not be in
fellowship with him. That doesn't mean God doesn't love us, it means
we're out swilling it with the pigs. To get back in fellowship, we have
to decide to leave the world's troughs and return to God. The devil
doesn't want that though, which is why he uses masons to dress up his
pig swill in such attractive packaging. The masons get lots of money out
of it while the rest of us suffer.
2
Corinthians 4:4In
whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is
the image of God, should shine unto them.
1 John
2:15-17Love not
the world, neither the things
that are in the
world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in
him.
For all that
is
in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away,
and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for
ever.
1 John
5:19
And we know that we
are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
Revelation 12:9And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Although
we're perfect spiritually, God doesn't expect us to be perfect
physically. He knows our human capabilities and shortcomings. What
parent doesn't understand that their children are not perfect? We're all
human. God knows that and he made provision for it.
1 John
1:3,4That which we
have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have
fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship
is with the
Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And these things write we
unto you, that your joy may be full.
What is the context here? What is
this section of scripture talking about? Fellowship! What God is
revealing here by revelation is how we can enjoy
fellowship
with him, and with his son Jesus Christ, that our joy may be full. This
isn't talking about getting born again, it's talking about fellowship
after
we're born again. This isn't dealing with our standing as sons of God,
it's dealing with our state.
1 John
1:5
This
then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto
you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
God is
light and in him is no darkness at all. None. Not a bit. Not even a
little shadow. He's just light. Have you ever seen darkness inside
light? Darkness can't exist where there is light.
1 John
1:6
If we
say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie,
and do not the truth:
If we're
out swilling it with pigs, it's our own fault. That son wasn't forced
into a life of riotous living, and nor are we. We have the freedom of
will to choose which life we're going to live, the way of life or the
way of death. Regardless of which life we choose, we are still righteous
if we are born again, but what about our standing, what about our
fellowship, what about the quality of our lives?
1 John
1:7
But if
we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one
with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin.
When we
walk according to the word, we're in fellowship with God, and that's
where the beauty and richness in life resides.
1 John
1:8,9
If we
say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not
in us.
If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This
section of scripture isn't talking about getting born again, being made
whole, receiving eternal life, this is talking about
fellowship.
The context is
fellowship.
Confessing sins is not how you get born again, it's how to get back into
fellowship
after
you've been born again. See the difference? You can't have fellowship
with God if you're not born again and don't have the gift of holy
spirit. You have to have spirit before you can have fellowship. How can
a child have fellowship with a parent if they've not yet been born? So,
we get born again, we receive the spirit, we become children of God and
then
we can begin to develop our fellowship with our father.
This verse
says we need to confess our sins, but remember this is not
talking about getting born again. This is so important to recognise. If
you are forty years old when you are born again, how the heck are you
going to remember all the sins you've ever done in your life? That's
impossible. But I can sure remember the one I did this morning. When we
are born again, all our past sins are taken care of, so this confession
of sins isn't about being born again, it's about maintaining fellowship.
This isn't talking about our sonship, it's talking about our state, our
fellowship.
Forgiveness, or remission of sin is what we receive when we are born
again, when we receive the gift of holy spirit. That takes care of every
single thing we've done in the past. At the time of the new birth, we
receive the righteousness of God and that will never change. However,
although we are righteous and have eternal life, our fellowship
with God may be less than satisfactory. We are sons, but we can sure
still live riotously and swill it with the pigs down on animal farm.
Every time we come back to God, he is willing and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We return to God by
leaving the world's pig swill and renewing our minds.
It's not
difficult to figure this out. For example, let's say our mind, or some
religious dickhead, or even one of our friends or family brings up
something from the past we'd rather forget. Okay, we have some work to
do. Either we listen to the world and what it thinks of us, or we listen
to the word and believe what God thinks of us. This is all part of the
renewed mind.
Romans
12:2
And be
not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable,
and perfect, will of God.
The renewed
mind is the key to this whole thing. The renewed mind is the key to
power. It is the key to unlocking all the spiritual power resident
within us. We have to retrain our minds to think a new way.
God says
we're his children, while our minds, our friends and our families may
tell us otherwise. So we have to train our minds until we think of
ourselves as the word says. We are
God's children. That's the truth, but sometimes we won't feel like it.
Does it matter what we feel like? No, the word is truth, not what we
feel like. If we think less of ourselves than what the word says, we
replace those thoughts with the word. We memorise scriptures like
Ephesians 1:3 and 4, and we replace our old man thoughts with what God
thinks. That's renewing the mind.
Ephesians 1:3,4
Blessed
be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly
places
in Christ:
According as he hath chosen
us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and without blame before him in love:
I am
righteous. Jesus Christ redeemed me, and I received remission of sins. I
have the righteousness of God and I don't give a damn what anyone thinks
of me to the contrary, not my family, not my friends, not anyone. When
it comes to the word I don't have any friends unless they are helping me
to think and live the word's way. God has declared me not guilty, and
that's why I have peace with God.
Romans
5:1Therefore being
justified by faith [pistis - believing], we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ:
See, God isn't mad at us. We have
peace with God. He's not upset with us, he's not pissed off with all the
garbage in our past. Our garbage was paid for and dumped as far away
from us as the east is from the west. We have been declared not guilty,
and now we have peace with God. He isn't mad at us for anything, and
will never be mad at us for anything in the future. When we make
mistakes, we simply recognise the error (confess our sins), rectify the
problem so it doesn't happen again, and move on in perfect fellowship
with our father, God, who is always faithful and just to forgive us.
So, to sum up, get over it!
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