Good Works vs Dead Works and Entering God’s Rest
I made a social media post recently that said, “you can’t add to or improve upon Christ’s finished work, you can only enjoy it.” 98% of the comments were grateful for this powerful truth. But there will always be those people who bring up the need for “works” when talking about the finished work of Jesus.
When the topic of the complete sufficiency of the sacrifice or freedom from the Law comes up, these passages usually enter the conversation.
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:26
For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
But this passage should also be part of the conversation.
For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Hebrews 4:10
Because of this passage.
“For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”
I made a social media post recently that said, “you can’t add to or improve upon Christ’s finished work, you can only enjoy it.” 98% of the comments were grateful for this powerful truth. But there will always be those people who bring up the need for “works” when talking about the finished work of Jesus.
When the topic of the complete sufficiency of the sacrifice or freedom from the Law comes up, these passages usually enter the conversation.
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:26
For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
But this passage should also be part of the conversation.
For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Hebrews 4:10
Because of this passage.
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God Hebrews 6:1
Change Your Mind About Dead Works
Dead works are those things you do or think you must do to qualify for blessings, become more holy, become more righteous, stay saved, or make God happy.
When you live from a place of resting in Christ, you know that any works you do are a fruit of your new creation identity. Any work you do as a born-again child of God is not to gain, earn, inherit, release, breakthrough, or manifest God’s promises and blessings. The reality is, all of that is ALREADY YOURS!!
I pray that you bear much fruit, from a place of being firmly planted in Christ, as his grace works through you and you cease striving.
Entering His Rest
There’s another facet to “entering His rest.” Several places in Hebrews describe and expound upon the rest that is available to us.
For context, here’s the whole passage that speaks of the rest we can enter. I’ll then show you several passages that describe this rest.
Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended it. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest. As for the others, it is just as God has said: “So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’ ” And yet His works have been finished since the foundation of the world. 4 For somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this manner: “And on the seventh day God rested from all His works.” 5 And again, as He says in the passage above: “They shall never enter My rest.” 6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice,Do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
What Is This Rest?
What is the rest he mentions so many times in these passages? The author of Hebrews touches on this topic several times throughout the rest of the letter. So let’s look at the continual unfolding of this beautiful picture of rest.
Your works do not cause you to enter into this rest, it’s experienced through faith and patience.
Hebrews 6:11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Here we see that entering His rest is actually entering His presence. And we know that as New Covenant new creations, His presence also enters us as we become the temple of God.
Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil
There are many benefits to this rest. It is secured in a covenant that is upheld by the blood and faithfulness of Jesus. In this rest, God is not counting your sins against you because Jesus already paid the price for them. In this rest, the Holy Spirit will be your teacher. In this rest, the wisdom and logic of God will be part of your nature. In this rest, God will always be merciful to you. In this rest, you will know God.
Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
As these passages unfold and we gain more understanding of this rest, we see that he is actually speaking of the New Covenant. Entering into God’s eternal covenant that is made sure by the atoning work of Christ is our rest. And Jesus is our eternal high priest in this new and better covenant based on better promises. And in this rest, you have ETERNAL REDEMPTION.
Hebrews 9:11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
It just keeps getting better and better. In this rest, we have full access to the throne of God. We can rest in His presence, unashamed and entirely accepted.
Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 18 Now where there is [e]remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. 19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness[f] to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works
And finally, in this rest, we receive God’s kingdom. We become joint-heirs with Jesus. God shares the abundance of His riches in Christ with us. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
I pray that you cease your dead works and enter God’s dynamic and multi-faceted rest. I pray that you are fruitful and productive from this rest, knowing that you already have everything you’ll ever need or want from God.
Imaginatively and Emotionally Perform the Word In Your Heart
The word "doer" from James 1:22 in the original language (poiētēs) means to "poetically perform or act out."
The definition of "poetic" is: having an imaginative or sensitively emotional style of expression.
The idea is this; imaginatively and emotionally express the Word of God.
This process starts in your heart.
"Doing the Word" is more than mere outward obedience, it's a process of holding the Word of God in your heart until it bursts out of you as fruit. On the outside, legalism and fruit can look the same. But legalistic acts leave you empty, cold, and faithless.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
The word "doer" from James 1:22 in the original language (poiētēs) means to "poetically perform or act out."
The definition of "poetic" is: having an imaginative or sensitively emotional style of expression.
The idea is this; imaginatively and emotionally express the Word of God.
This process starts in your heart.
"Doing the Word" is more than mere outward obedience, it's a process of holding the Word of God in your heart until it bursts out of you as fruit. On the outside, legalism and fruit can look the same. But legalistic acts leave you empty, cold, and faithless.
When you stand on or outwardly express God's logic and wisdom from a heart full of faith, you will not waiver and you will ultimately see the manifestation. But when you merely mentally ascend to the truth with no root system developed in your heart through poetically performing it inwardly, you will be disappointed and empty, even though mentally you think you are acting in faith. Faith is not blind, faith is the outward expression of a fully developed process that begins in your heart.
Poetically performing the Word of God in your heart will cause the Word to become believable. When it's believable, it's possible. When it's possible, your heart will stay receptive to God's leading.
When the Word of God no longer seems possible in any given situation, you must take the time to imagine and emotionally engage the Word in your heart until you see it as possible again.
Get a picture inwardly of what it looks like to be free from whatever is causing failure or worry in your life. See it in your heart, emotions, and your mind first.
If in your mind you're dealing with life through the filter of worry, fear, confusion, guilt, shame; it will filter your decisions. So you want to get a clear inner picture until it becomes your identity. Once God’s Word transforms your identity, every decision you make from then aligns with God's truth.
It becomes this guard that keeps you from making decisions to the contrary. The Word of God truly becomes a lamp for your feet.
If you want to hear more about this idea, watch the video above. Jump to the 38:00 minute mark and pick up on poetically performing the Word.
Listen with the Intention to Act
Transformation is effortless, but it is the product of believing, and it may take massive amounts of effort to persuade your heart to believe. Your new heart wants to believe. It knows how to believe. It's spiritually genetically encoded to believe. But the competing thoughts in your mind might rob your heart from being fully persuaded.
The remedy to doubt and unbelief is to seed your heart with the Word of God and not allow it to be plucked out or choked by cares, lust, and money issues.
Once you seed your heart with God's Word, and you are standing to give it time to grow and bear fruit, you have to push away doubt and fear.
“Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you.”
The Holy Spirit is in you to transform you and work through you. We all want the power of God working through us for others, but few take the time to truly allow the indwelling Word of God to transform us. You have to listen to the logic and wisdom of God with the intention to put it into practice, otherwise, it will go in one ear and out the other with no effect.
Transformation is effortless, but it is the product of believing, and it may take massive amounts of effort to persuade your heart to believe. Your new heart wants to believe. It knows how to believe. It's spiritually genetically encoded to believe. But the competing thoughts in your mind might rob your heart from being fully persuaded.
The remedy to doubt and unbelief is to seed your heart with the Word of God and not allow it to be plucked out or choked by cares, lust, and money issues.
Once you seed your heart with God's Word, and you are standing to give it time to grow and bear fruit, you have to push away doubt and fear.
Here are a few examples of how to do that:
Seed killing belief: My parents abandoned me
Truth to magnify: God loves me and sent his Son to save and adopt me
Which scenario will you dwell on and bear fruit in your emotions?
Seed killing belief: Cancer is in my body
Truth to magnify: The life of God is in my spirit
Which one are you going to cultivate?
Seed killing belief: I'm always broke
Truth to magnify: He was made poor that you might become rich
Which one do you want as your reality?
Hiding the Word In Your Heart
I don't know any other solution than to believe in and trust God for every area of life. We need to grow in and stand in faith. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing happens when you encounter the Gospel. The only thing I know that produces real results is the Word of God, hidden in a heart and given enough attention and focus unto manifestation.
I woke up one morning the week I preached this sermon. It was as if God were waiting on me to speak the following phrases:
When you think it, you see it.
When you see it, you feel it.
When you feel it, you believe it.
When you believe it, it becomes possible.
When you can see it, and it feels possible, you'll act or attract.
This is the process of transformation. This is the process of hiding the Word in your heart from conception to manifestation / fruit.
Thinking, seeing, and feeling is under your control. What will you allow yourself to think, see and feel? You are powerful in this process. You can be a victim of this process, or you can be victorious in this process by treasuring the Word in your heart. I go into more detail on how to do that in this sermon, I hope it's a blessing to you as you watch it.
How to Guard and Heal A Sick Heart with Grace and Peace
Proverbs 13:12 says "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” We have an epidemic of sick hearts in the world today. Join us today as we discuss how to cultivate peace in our hearts so grace will spring forth and bring healing.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”
I was sick the week before last. I was down for about three days. During that time, Sara would ask me if I had taken vitamins and if I was drinking enough water to stay hydrated. She also encouraged me to listen to worship music and get outside and pray.
But I didn't feel like doing any of that. Eventually, I did those things but not the first day and a half. I mostly just slept and watched youtube. Have you ever been there? I was sick in my body, I knew there were things I could do to recover quicker, but I didn't feel like doing them.
The same is true when your heart is sick.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. — Proverbs 13:12
What does it mean to be heart sick?
Hope: confident expectation of good things
Deferred: delayed or drawn out
Sick: weak, tired, grieved, wounded
When the good things you're expecting are drawn out and delayed, you become tired and weak in your heart. If you don't guard your heart in those times, you could end up with a wound and become too weak to feel like putting in the effort to believe again.
What is the significance of the heart in this process? According to scripture, the heart is the seat of your being. It's where you believe. It's where you trust God. It's where spiritual thinking takes place. It's where God pours His light and love into you. Whatever your heart believes will be established in your life. The heart is where obedience begins. The heart is where you see and hear God. The functions and capacities of the heart go on and on.
If your heart is sick (weak, tired, grieved, wounded), you're not going to feel like doing any of the things that the heart can do. When the confident expectation of healing, transformation, provision, wisdom, or guidance seems delayed, your heart will get tired, and you won't feel like doing the things you need to do to believe and receive from God.
Of course, you do not earn anything from God through effort, and God does not give you the things He's promised to you because you obey Him, but it does take faith to receive from Him. God has already given you everything that pertains to life and godliness. All His promises are yes and amen in Christ. He wants to give you exceedingly, abundantly above all you can ask or imagine, according to the power that works in you (Ephesians 3:20).
Grace is that power that works in you. But if your heart is worn out and you don't feel like believing, then you will most likely not receive the things that are already yours spiritually in Christ into this life.
So you need peace as a guard around your heart, so grace can have time to work and bring about the things God is doing in your life. Peace is like Vitamin C for the body, it helps your natural immune system work better, so you heal quicker and more completely. Grace and peace work together.
Hebrews 13:9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. NKJV
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When you're heart sick, when you're discouraged, and God's promises seem far away, take the time to experience the peace you have with God and allow your faith to connect to His grace. Once you allow grace to work again, you will recover and walk out of your heart sickness.
I go into more detail in the sermon, I pray it encourages you to allow peace to guard your heart so God's grace can work in your life.
Celebrating Life
Join Clint Byars and Mike Crane as we celebrate the overturning of Roe v Wade. We also have a visit from our new friend, Brian Essary, who talks about his crusade work overseas.
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“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Join Clint Byars and Mike Crane as we celebrate the overturning of Roe v Wade. We also have a visit from our new friend, Brian Essary, who talks about his crusade work overseas.
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Sara and I pray our resources are a blessing to you. If Forward Ministries has enriched your walk with Jesus, please consider supporting the work and help us continue to Change The Way The World Sees God!!
How To Overcome Temptation With Patience
God is not sending trials into your life to make you more holy or teach you lessons. Tribulation will come in this life, it’s unavoidable, but it’s not from God.
Your faith is tested when you are tempted. Sometimes you pass the test; sometimes, you don’t. The good news is that God will give you wisdom to stand in the spiritual gift of patience until you are free from the trial/temptation and become more mature in that area. He wants to help you out of it. You can ask God for help, and he will help you without finding fault or rebuking you (James 1:5).
When you face the trial/temptation in the power of patience, it causes you to grow up in that area and become more mature. If you are tempted in an area or continue to face specific trials, ask God for help, He wants to help you. Don’t accept it as His will and embrace the pain.
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“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Notice this passage does NOT say, “God will not put more on you than you can bear.” Most Christians misquote 1 Corinthians 10:13 in this way. Why would God make a way of escape from something He brought into your life to teach you a lesson or make you more holy? He wouldn’t.
James 1:13 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.”
When you read both passages, it’s clear that God is not involved in temptation. You might say, “well, of course, He isn’t.”
But look at this…
James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Did you know that “trials” and “temptation” are the same Greek word in these passages? The Greek word is peirasmois. You could and should say, “let no one say when I am in a trial that the trial is from God.”
God is not sending trials into your life to make you more holy or teach you lessons. Tribulation will come in this life, it’s unavoidable, but it’s not from God.
Your faith is tested when you are tempted. Sometimes you pass the test; sometimes, you don’t. The good news is that God will give you wisdom to stand in the spiritual gift of patience until you are free from the trial/temptation and become more mature in that area. He wants to help you out of it. You can ask God for help, and he will help you without finding fault or rebuking you (James 1:5).
When you face the trial/temptation in the power of patience, it causes you to grow up in that area and become more mature. If you are tempted in an area or continue to face specific trials, ask God for help, He wants to help you. Don’t accept it as His will and embrace the pain.
For clarity, trials/temptations are different than persecution. You may experience persecution for your faith, even to the loss of life, but that is not what James or Paul are talking about in these passages.
Watch the entire sermon above for more on this subject, or download my series titled Is God In Control?
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Sara and I pray our resources are a blessing to you. If Forward Ministries has enriched your walk with Jesus, please consider supporting the work and help us continue to Change The Way The World Sees God!!
Transgenderism, Homosexuality and Other Sins Have One Solution
People are trying to express their identity through gender, sexuality, political views, careers, fitness, and other facets of life and culture. But there’s one problem, those are not our true identities. Instead, who we are in our spirit determines our true identity.
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“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”
You live in two realms, the physical and spiritual realms. You exist in both, and both exist in you. The spiritual realm is not far removed, it’s all around you and in you. Your inner man is in constant contact with the realm of renewal and can receive strength and wisdom from it whenever you choose.
People are trying to express their identity through gender, sexuality, political views, careers, fitness, and other facets of life and culture. But there’s one problem, those are not our true identities. Instead, who we are in our spirit determines our true identity.
When society anchors identity in those carnal constructs, it’s no mystery we’re seeing such confusion around simple biological ideas like sex and gender. Those are aspects of physical reality, but there is a greater truth - who we are in our inner man.
In this message, I walk through the process of how to anchor your identity in your spiritual, inner man. I also address how to have hope for your loved ones who are caught in the carnal-minded trap of anchoring their identity in their feelings and temporary realities.
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Sara and I pray our resources are a blessing to you. If Forward Ministries has enriched your walk with Jesus, please consider supporting the work and help us continue to Change The Way The World Sees God!!
A Lifestyle of Repentance Will Change Your Self-Image, Desires, and Choices
The Word of God is life for every aspect of our being. It not only shows us who God is as revealed in Christ, it shows us our very identity. We must use it to renew our minds in a deep way that transcends behavior. Thanks for joining us today as we discuss the deeper aspects of repentance and the power of the Word of God.
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“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Do you have some things you need to change in your life? First, you have to change how you think (repent) before anything else changes. You can try as hard as you can to develop new habits, eat better, exercise, lay down sin, whatever it may be, but if you don’t change the way you think, you will end up back in the same patterns.
Your thoughts are a product of your beliefs. If you want to be more fit, quit drinking, overcome disease or make more money, you have to see yourself as a person that lives a healthy lifestyle, doesn’t drink, and makes a good income. If you don’t do the work first to change your self-image in your heart, you will settle back into your old self-image after you are tired of putting forth the effort to change your habits.
Did you know that your energy level and your feelings throughout the day are directly connected to how you see yourself? Of course, there are other factors, but what you believe about yourself will override tiredness, depression, and temptation. The self-image written on your heart will drive those deeper desires, despite how hard you work to build new habits.
The Word Is The Source Of Repentance
Let me make a statement for clarity sake. When we are saved there is a repentance from sin. The word “repent” means to have a change in your way of thinking with a turning away from sin. Most Christians think repenting is when you go to God to apologize for sinning, but it’s so much more. True repentance is not only when you change your behavior, it’s when you experience an even deeper change, a change in your thought patterns and desires. I am speaking of repentance in this article from the definition of “changing the way you think.”
If you want to change and adopt a repentant lifestyle, you must go to the Word of God as the source of your identity. First, it will tell you who you are in Christ. Then, the Holy Spirit will confirm it in your heart, and then you will have a new perspective to believe you can change. What follows next is your willingness to act on the grace that will arise in this new way of thinking.
The Word of God is what you use to adopt a new self-image that will drive your subconscious decisions. It shows us who God is as revealed in Christ, but also our very identity. Therefore, we must use it to renew our minds in a profound way that transcends behavior.
The Word of God is helpful for every area of life. But you have to do more with it that just read it or think about it, you must believe it. You must treasure it in your mind and your heart above anything else. The Word of God is not just a moral code or instruction, it is life, life for every aspect of our being.
I want to challenge you to identify an area of your life you want to change, maybe an area you’ve tried to change before. Then use a topical Bible study tool to find several passages related to that area. Finally, write down several passages in the first person, and use those phrases as a mental fitness and mind renewal exercise.
True repentance is when you hold the Word of God in your heart until it changes your self-image, desires, and choices.
As you treasure the Word, it will shape how you obey and follow God, which will bring you into life in a whole new way, that is more consistent with how God is leading you.
Just like you take a walk every day, just like you eat everyday, just like whatever daily routines you have - read through those phrases with the intention of believing them and seeing yourself in that new way.
You’re reprogramming how you think, which is the very definition of repentance. You’re reprogramming how you think, according to the Word of God. Then, that Word planted in your mind and heart will take root and begin to produce transformation.
It will most likely not be overnight, but it will work and produce transformation if you treasure it above anything else in your mind or heart. Make every thought obey the truth of the Word you are planting in your heart.
It might feel like an uphill battle, but you must exercise the muscles of your heart and mind to build a new body/image inwardly, and it will be reflected outwardly by the power of the Word.
I hope you watch this entire sermon, and I pray it is helpful for you. Let me know how it impacted you in the comments below.
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Sara and I pray our resources are a blessing to you. If Forward Ministries has enriched your walk with Jesus, please consider supporting the work and help us continue to Change The Way The World Sees God!!
Abortion and Our Responsibility to Influence Our Nation
This video is two messages in one, from Mike Crane and myself. Mike Crane is an elder at Forward Church and a former Georgia Senator.
Mike brings a powerful word about our responsibility as influencers of society. I go on to point out the prophetic nature of Mike’s message regarding our responsibility as citizens of Heaven and as citizens of the United States. Both of us address the current possibility of the overturning of Roe vs Wade and the state of abortion in our nation.
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“Ignorance is the soil in which the seeds of destruction are sown”
This video is two messages in one, from Mike Crane and myself. Mike Crane is an elder at Forward Church and a former Georgia Senator.
Mike brings a powerful word about our responsibility as influencers of society. I go on to point out the prophetic nature of Mike’s message regarding our responsibility as citizens of Heaven and as citizens of the United States. Both of us address the current possibility of the overturning of Roe vs Wade and the state of abortion in our nation.
If we’re going to be a light in this nation for the ways of God, we must lead with love and not condemnation. Along the way, love educates. It’s up to us as the church to bring the ways of God to our nation in a way that is challenging but also loving.
I personally want to rightly represent God in the earth, in every way I can in every area I can. I have no hope for politicians to legislate righteousness, but I do have hope for believers in positions of influence to make good decisions that protect life.
This is a difficult issue for many people to discuss, especially those who have had an abortion. If you have had an abortion or been involved in the decision that resulted in abortion, there is healing and forgiveness for you.
If you are pro-choice, I don’t judge you or want to pick a fight with you, I only ask that you allow those of us who want to protect innocent life to stand up for what we believe is a godly pursuit.
I pray this sermon is a blessing to you but also challenges you to no longer stay silent as our nation becomes more subjected to ungodly ideas and influences.
Sara and I pray our resources are a blessing to you. If Forward Ministries has enriched your walk with Jesus, please consider supporting the work and help us continue to Change The Way The World Sees God!!
Tell the World “God Is Not Mad At You”
God is not mad at you. Not even a little bit. If he's not mad at you, he's not mad at your neighbor. If he's not mad at you, he's not angry at that person that hurt you. God is not even mad at your enemy. You might be, but he isn't.
Why isn't he mad? Because Jesus bore all of God's wrath on the cross. All of it!!
That leaves us in a good place with him. But it also leaves us in an exciting position with the world. We have been reconciled to God through Christ, but many of your friends and family members don't know that yet. So it's good news for people to hear that God is not mad at them. Who can you think of that would benefit from hearing that message?
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““For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.”
God is not mad at you. Not even a little bit. If he's not mad at you, he's not mad at your neighbor. If he's not mad at you, he's not angry at that person that hurt you. God is not even mad at your enemy. You might be, but he isn't.
Why isn't he mad? Because Jesus bore all of God's wrath on the cross. All of it!!
That leaves us in a good place with him. But it also leaves us in an exciting position with the world. We have been reconciled to God through Christ, but many of your friends and family members don't know that yet. So it's good news for people to hear that God is not mad at them. Who can you think of that would benefit from hearing that message?
To put a Biblical term to what I'm talking about, we have been given "the ministry of reconciliation." Reconciliation means restoring a relationship. In Christ, everything has already happened for God to be able to reconcile himself to us. He has nothing left against us because he has cleared the air in Jesus. Jesus met all the requirements for God to absolve you of your wrongs. What's left is for people to clear their conscience with God and reconcile themselves with him.
You can forgive someone, but until that person comes to you to reconcile their side of the relationship, the relationship is still broken. So we get to help people know that God wants to reconcile with them.
That's where we come in. We get to tell people the good news that God is holding nothing against them. It's now safe to go to God because your crime has been punished, and there is no longer fear of penalty. There may be some work to do in trusting God, but if people looked into what Jesus accomplished, most would receive God's offer with no reservations.
Paul addresses this facet of our role as members of the body of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5.
2 Corinthians 5:16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
There is another point to recognize in our ambassadorship. We are to regard no one after the flesh. That means you don't have to convince people that they're a sinner before telling them that God is no longer holding their sins against them.
You don't have to get them to admit they're a sinner before giving them the good news. You are not to regard people after the flesh or their sinful nature, you are to regard them as someone God loves.
Isaiah is the beautiful fruit of Isaiah 53, which is the chapter that prophesies when the messiah would endure and accomplish for mankind.
Isaiah 54:7 "For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you.8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you," Says the Lord, your Redeemer. 9 "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. 10 For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," Says the Lord, who has mercy on you. (emphasis added)
It's God's goodness, kindness, and mercy that draws us to repentance. God's love for us causes us to change the way we think and turn from our sinful habits. This same knowledge and love should compel us to tell others about God's kindness and fulfill our ministry of reconciliation.
Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 And we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4 Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you to repentance?
We have no more excuses to withhold the Gospel from people. There is no one too far gone. Remember this the next time you watch the news or hear of a global tyrant that seems to be an enemy of God. Pray for them. Believe with God that someone could cross their path that would help them know and experience God’s forgiveness. Remember that God is not holding people’s sins against them the next time you cringe when you remember what was done to you. You may be the very person who can set them free from their guilt and shame.
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