Sanctifcation By Grace - Part 1

Ephesians 4:22 - 24
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

One of the biggest questions about hearing the Message of God's Grace has to do with sinful desires after being born again.  This falls into the subject of "sanctification".  The big word Christians use when referring to the process of becoming more "Godly".

Unfortunately, it has become one of the biggest issues in Christianity and "the church" worldwide over the last 500 years, because preachers and theologians have emphasised that the effort to become more Godly rests on us, and if we do not become more Godly we endanger our salvation.  This has put millions of Christians in bondage.  Especially in the past 60 years or so.  Your regular, "everyday Christians" who just want to please God would focus so much on whether they are getting it right with God that it just becomes too much of a burden, and many eventually crash and burn, buckling under the pressure of self-effort.

But what about the words of Jesus?  What did He mean when He said "My yoke is easy and My burden is light"?  (Matthew 11:30)  When one looks at those words, it seems rather clear that one shouldn't have such pressure to buckle under.  So why does the Christian life seem to hard?

Well, in my opinion it is because many preachers have focussed on Christians trying to life a good life instead of what Christ has accomplished on their behalf.  (Not all preachers, there have been many great Gospel preachers, modern and gone-by, who have focussed on the Finished Work of the Cross. There just haven't been enough preachers!)

Here's the thing, as a preacher and pastor, I do believe that Christians still have choices to make.  And those choices will always lead to 3 possible outcomes:
1) Destruction  (sinful acts)
2) Positive Outcomes
3) Completely Neutral

The key is understanding that those choices do not affect one's status in the Throne Room of Heaven.  When we get that clear, it becomes much easier to make the positive choices.

As a Christian, it is obvious to everyone that we should be making as many positive choices as possible. Especially if we are to be making an impact on this world.  (In fact, you don't even need to be a Christian to inwardly know what choices you should be making.)

But let's be honest, the next natural question for many would be; "well, how many positive choices should I be making as a Christian?"  This is exactly the point!  Under The Law, it was never enough!  We always fell short.  And this is why it is so important to understand that the New Covenant believer does not live under any Law at all!!  Not moral law, not New Testament law, not Mosaic Law!  Otherwise, there will always be more to do!

We must rest!  Jesus wants us to be at rest!  And so He fulfilled everything required before God and pleased Him entirely so that we can stop trying to gain favour with Him!  When it comes to satisfying God:  Jesus did it all on our behalf!

This means today that the New Covenant believer doesn't have to try and live up to any external standard.  Every Christian is different as they live out their lives doing what God has gifted them to do, following their heart's desires.  Daddy is pleased, so go out and enjoy life!  Go and take over the world!

But here's the thing...  And it's a difficult subject for us "Grace preachers" to tackle....  The choice still remains with us.

As Christians, we still have the ability to choose to do something "sinful" that would lead to negative consequences, or we can choose to do something positive, and we could even choose to do nothing at all.  We still have the choice!

Now, the logical question for many would be; "but if Jesus accomplished all that was required of mankind, then what's the point of making the effort of positive choices?"  This question would highlight the asker's ignorance of the Work of the Gospel.  If you have received the Sacrifice of Jesus as your own, and have believed it, something powerful took place in your heart.  God by His Spirit recreated you internally.  In the spirit realm you are entirely new.  And this "new creature" in the spirit is now entirely empowered to make positive choices and say no to negative ones!  (It is empowered because it is One Spirit with the Lord. 1 Corinthians 6:17).

There is Something internally that is inspiring the Christian to make positive choies and say no to the negative ones.

This is what true sanctification is all about!  And this is what preachers should be focussing on:  The Power of the New Creation within a believer to live a life that can and will transform world.  That Power is a direct result of the death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus!

If we focus on making choices without ever bringing in the Cross, then we are mere motivational speakers.  Not true preachers.  We become like any other religion encouraging their followers to make the right choices.

Absolutely!  Make the positive choices!  But know that there is a Force at work within your heart that can and wants to inspire you and empower you to make those choices!

We'll continue with this next week.

Until then, rest in His Finished Work!

The Glory of Provision

Exodus 16:10
While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the Glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.

Most of us know the story of the Glory of the Lord appearing to the Israelites in a cloud in the desert, even if it is vaguely.  Many of us would remember that the Lord led the Israelites by a cloud by day and by a pillar of Fire by night (Exodus 13:21).  But in this context of Exodus 16 the Lord's Glory appears in a specific context.  It is the context of provision.

The Israelites were grumbling against the Lord that they were going to starve to death.  And God, in His Grace, Mercy, Compassion and Goodness, simply offered a solution to their complaints (not prayers).  He said that He would provide Bread from Heaven in the morning, and quail meat in the evening.  It was when He made this announcement to the Israelites through Aaron that His Glory appeared out in the desert in a cloud.

Now, Exodus 13 tells us that the cloud of the Glory stayed in front of the Israelites every single day and never left their sight.  And in this verse (Exodus 16:10) we see it "appear" again.  I don't believe it disappeared.  I believe the cloud appeared in a different position to where it was.  You see, the Glory Cloud was always in front of the Israelites, but in this instance, It appears out in the desert.  And God was about to provide life-giving food to the Israelites which would manifest in the desert.  So it would seem that as He was announcing this form of provision to His people, He was also showing them it was His Manifest Presence that was going to produce this life-giving food.

Friends, do you know that this incident was a picture pointing to Jesus!?  Have a look at what Jesus tells His followers in John 6...

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34“Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.”

35Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

Once we have Jesus, there is nothing else we need.  He meets our every desire, from the inside out.  He starts with the biggest desire of all; the deep longing within each man for Love, identity, acceptance and purpose.  And then He begins to provide for everything else.  He promises to take care of us!  (Matthew 6:33)

Do you know that you hold the very Presence of God Himself within you?  You are the Holy tabernacle where God's Presence dwells (1 Cor. 6:19 and Colossians 1:27)!  My friend, the very same Presence of God that provided for the Israelites in the desert when they had nothing now dwells within you!  What an incredible truth!

I want you to believe this Glorious truth, and release it into your atmosphere around you.  Speak Life into each and every situation around you, and don't stop!  Release what is in you.  Release the supernatural provision of God into every situation around you.  Declare it as a Righteous, Royal Prince or Princess of the King.  Declare with authority!

You may say "but James I have!  I have declared so much and nothing is happening."  Well, I don't buy that.  Just stop and look around you.  How much can you be thankful for?  God knows what you need before you ask it.  When we focus on what He has provided for us and not on what He hasn't, it builds faith and thankfulness in our hearts and inspires to continue declaring with joyful authority!

Now, I have based this week's devotional on the Glory Cloud because I watched a video this week of a Glory Cloud manifesting at a meeting in Bethel Church in Redding, California.  As I watched I was deeply inspired by God's promise of His Presence and His Provision.  Because where His Presence is, there too is His Provision.

Just watch this video by clicking on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VqbVH6SNP4

You will notice the cloud appears above the right-hand corner of the room like a small mist.  Most notably between 1 minute and 1:45.  You will also notice how the cloud shimmers with golden and silver sparkles.  Incredibly, a number of people standing in that very corner received Gold teeth supernaturally!

I watched this video and I felt so strongly God saying that we can see the same miracles that the Israelites saw and even more!  We have the very Presence of God dwelling within us.  The more we believe this Truth the more we will act on it, and the more we will see its effects in our lives.  Just like this group of people who believed this Truth came together and saw a manifestation of God's Presence in the atmosphere where they were worshipping!  I am pretty sure they will have faith that God will provide for all their needs in their daily lives as well!

Romans 10:17

"...faith comes from hearing the Message, and the Message is heard through the Word of Christ."

Now, I have shared from here before, but it is an important follow-on from last week's message out of Romans 12.  As we saw last week, our mind's need to be renewed from the pattern of the way the world thinks to the pattern of the way Christ thinks.  Christ thinks positively.  He always has hope.  He always sees life.  We need to see things from His perspective.

How do we do that when we are faced with negative circumstances and depressing stories on a daily basis?  Well, it is absolutely imperative that we immerse ourselves in the Word of Christ.  Notice that the translation of this verse I have used actually says "the Word of Christ", not the "word of God".  There is a difference.  The Word of Christ reveals the Glorious Nature and Person of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  We need to immerse ourselves in that Word that breathes life into all situations.

When we do so, faith will naturally arise in our hearts.  Just like when the Springboks (not in this case) won the Rugby World Cup it doesn't take much for you to get up off your chair and clap and shout.  Faith isn't something you need to work up.  It is the natural by-product of the hope-giving Message of the Word of Christ.  

THis is why it is imperative we immerse our ears and eyes in Scripture, teachings, preaching, books and sermons that reveal the Good News of Jesus.  When we do so, our minds will be renewed to think about things from Christ's perspective and not the perspective of this world's hopeless pattern.  And when we're thinking that way, the Kingdom will come in so many more ways than we can imagine!

True Transformation Starts In The Mind

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the patter of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

The power of our mind is highly under-estimated, especially among Christians.  When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, I believe something powerful took place.  Mankind moved from living from their spirits, to living from their minds.  Our spirits were meant to dominate the way we live, that is how God designed us.  After all, He said Himself that He is a Spirit (John 4:24) and those who worship Him must do so in spirit.  The interesting thing is that verse 1 of Romans 12 tells us that we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices.  It would seem that God wants to surrender the desires of our flesh (our bodies) and live from our spirits.  When we do this, we are living lives of worship.  In other words, we are doing what God wants us to do and what He created us to do.

The key to living this way is that our minds stand in the way.  This verse in Romans 12 clearly tells us that when our minds are renewed, transformation takes place in us.  Nowhere else in the New Testament are we instructed to renew our spirits.  They have been renewed by the New Birthing work of the Holy Spirit.  They are already New, perfect, holy and righteous.  The problem is that our minds need to catch up to this awesome Truth.

So Paul is saying the old ways in which used to think can still hinder our transformation process here on Earth.  Because I don't know about you, what I want is to manifest more of the Likeness of Jesus here on Earth.  And that all starts with renewing our minds.

Now, we can so easily jump to the conclusion that those old ways are "sinful acts" etc.  Now, of course those things aren't helpful if we are to manifest Christ-likeness here on Earth, but there's far more to it.  What really hinders us is the pattern of this world that is programmed in our minds.  That's why Paul encourages us not to conform to that pattern any longer!

Next week I would like to go a little further into what the pattern of the world is, and how we as Children of God can overcome that pattern.  Until then, I want you to remember that you are 100% Perfect in your spirit being.  You are 100% Righteous, like Christ, and have been given everything for life and Godliness!  It is all lying within you!  What needs to happen, is for your mind to be renewed to believe that Truth!

Like I say, next week we'll explore a bit more how we actually renew the mind.  Until then, have a blessed week!