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.
Browse Sermons or listen on Apple | Spotify | SoundCould | YouTube
“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.
Clint and Sara Byars - Forward Ministries
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.
Browse Sermons or listen on Apple | Spotify | SoundCould | YouTube
“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?
Clint and Sara Byars - Forward Ministries
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.
Browse Sermons or listen on Apple | Spotify | SoundCould | YouTube
“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.
Clint and Sara Byars - Forward Ministries
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.
Browse Sermons or listen on Apple | Spotify | SoundCould | YouTube
“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.
Clint and Sara Byars - Forward Ministries
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.
Browse Sermons or listen on Apple | Spotify | SoundCould | YouTube
“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?
Browse Sermons or listen on Apple | Spotify | SoundCould | YouTube
““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.
Partner with Forward Ministries and help us Change The Way The World Sees God!! Click for more information or to begin supporting. Thank you for your generosity! You can also give a one-time donation here.
DOWNLOAD ALL MY TEACHINGS AND
TOOLS FOR TRANSFORMATION MEDITATIONS
Become a MEMBER and gain access to all of my teaching series and Tools for Transformation resources. I’ll also give you discount codes for my online courses and eBooks.
Forever Hidden with Christ in God
Even though you are in this world, your spirit is joined to God forever. You were dead in your sin but now you are alive in Christ. This is your true spiritual identity. In this sermon, I walk you through several passages to help you rest in the power of your union with God.
Browse Sermons or listen on Apple | Spotify | SoundCould | YouTube
“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Even though you are in this world, your spirit is joined to God forever. You were dead in your sin but now you are alive in Christ. This is your true spiritual identity. In this sermon, I walk you through several passages to help you rest in the power of your union with God.
Colossians 2:11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
While you were dead in your sins, Christ dove into your death when God made him to be sin on the cross. Once Christ became like you, he overcame sin, death, hell, and the grave. He then rose from the dead.
Ephesians 3:12 In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence.
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Because you are in the presence of God perpetually, and your true home is Heaven, you have all the blessings of your citizenship already in you. God gave you everything he could give you when he placed his spirit in you.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.
God is ever seeking to establish his blessings in your life. Not just so you can be blessed, but so he can use you to be a blessing to the nations of the earth. This is the fulfillment of his original promise to Abraham, to have a family to bless that would be a blessing to the nations of the earth.
Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ.
Once you know who you are in Christ, and you know that you are safe in him, there’s work to do. God is busy uniting Heaven and Earth. He is doing this by his own will and purposes, but his church on the Earth is one agent he is accomplishing his will through. It’s important that we live aware of our union with Christ in God so we are sensitive to be used by God as he restores all things.
Ephesians 1:18 I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength, 20 which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
The church is his body. Paul calls Christ’s church the fullness of him that fills all in all. He is the one that fills all in all, but we are his fullness. In other words, as Christ comes to completion on the earth, his church will grow to look more and more like him.
Ephesians 2:4 But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.
We are God’s handiwork. We are God’s masterpiece. We are the proof that God is righteous, in that he has made us righteous. The fruit of his labor will not fail until his church looks like the head. And once we do, he will continue to show us his mercy and kindness throughout eternity.
Ephesians 2:21 In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.
God is building his church. As you meditate on God, allow his identity to bleed over into who you see yourself to be. You are part of God’s plan. To be redeemed by the blood of Christ and built together with billions of other people into a beautiful family.
Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. NKJV
What a beautiful promise, one you can not improve upon, or work to receive - you can only enjoy. Rest in him.
DOWNLOAD ALL MY TEACHINGS AND
TOOLS FOR TRANSFORMATION MEDITATIONS
Become a MEMBER and gain access to all of my teaching series and Tools for Transformation resources. I’ll also give you discount codes for my online courses and eBooks.
Jesus Is Praying For You In Heaven
Jesus is praying for you. That’s part of his role as the High Priest over the new and better covenant. At this very moment, he is at the Father's right hand, interceding for you. What do you think he is praying?
We know this, he is not perpetually making offerings and sacrifices for your sin as the priests did under the former covenant. He doesn’t have to because his body and blood were a sufficient one-time offering for all sin. You can rest assured that you are forgiven in Christ.
The author of Hebrews does a masterful job of describing Christ’s role as the High Priest of Heaven. Hebrews is multi-faceted, but one of the major themes is the priesthood of Jesus. Walk with me through the passages in Hebrews that cover this fascinating topic. Hebrews covers a lot of ground, I am going to address the passages related to Christ’s new high priest position.
Browse Sermons or listen on Apple | Spotify | SoundCould | YouTube
“Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”
Jesus is praying for you. That’s part of his role as the High Priest over the new and better covenant. At this very moment, he is at the Father's right hand, interceding for you. What do you think he is praying?
We know this, he is not perpetually making offerings and sacrifices for your sin as the priests did under the former covenant. He doesn’t have to because his body and blood were a sufficient one-time offering for all sin. You can rest assured that you are forgiven in Christ.
The author of Hebrews does a masterful job of describing Christ’s role as the High Priest of Heaven. Hebrews is multi-faceted, but one of the major themes is the priesthood of Jesus. Walk with me through the passages in Hebrews that cover this fascinating topic. Hebrews covers a lot of ground, I am going to address the passages related to Christ’s new high priest position.
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
In the very beginning, we see that Christ’s sacrifice is for everyone. He was able to do this because he became like us.
Henrews 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For indeed He does not [h]give aid to angels, but He does [i]give aid to the seed of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Christ indeed became like us so we could become like him. He faced everything we might face as humans when he was like us. He met and overcame everything that could keep us in sin, setting us free from death. Because he knows what it’s like to be us, he has empathy for us and knows what we’re going through.
Henrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
God is not mad at you, he knows what it’s like to be you, and wants to help you. Jesus became human so he could set you free from your inability to attain righteousness on your own.
Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins.
Hebrews 7:11 Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law.
Hebrews 7:23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
This is such a foundational yet profound truth. Jesus’ priesthood is everlasting, so he is able to save ALL who will come to God through him!!
Hebrews 7:26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, [harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.
Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life which qualified him to be our spotless sacrificial lamb.
Notice how this next passage starts, he says THIS IS THE MAIN POINT. The fact that we have a new high priest.
Hebrews 8:1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. 4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
He established a better covenant, based on better promises, that he himself upholds for us so we can participate in his divine nature and experience ALL of his promises.
The next aspect mentioned is, to me, the most profound aspect of Christ’s resurrection. The high priest under the Old Covenant would enter the earthly holy of holies with the blood of the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) lamb, but Christ entered the Heavenly holy of holies with his own blood.
The blood of animals allowed for temporary forgiveness of sins, but Christ’s blood atones forever for all of our sins. In his blood is not only forgiveness but new life. In his blood, we are not just forgiven, we are made new creatures that can live in the presence of God forever.
He sprinkled his blood on the heavenly mercy seat as a legal document for the legal right of any human who enters through him to have eternal access into the presence of God. Through his blood, we can live with God, in a righteous renewed state.
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. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, [d]sanctifies for the [e]purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
10:8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 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.
Through the work of Christ, you are perfected forever. His cleansing work (sanctification) is continually effective in you. You no longer have to approach God with offerings and sacrifices, you come to him only through the blood of Christ, resting in the fact that the work of Christ is perpetually keeping you clean.
Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
You are that “joy.” You are the prize Christ desired. You are the reason he endured the death of the cross and faced hades in the grave. Because of God’s great love for you, Jesus became like you, to set you free from everything that could ever separate you from God. And because of this, we can boldly proclaim…
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long;We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen and amen!!!
DOWNLOAD ALL MY TEACHINGS AND
TOOLS FOR TRANSFORMATION MEDITATIONS
Become a MEMBER and gain access to all of my teaching series and Tools for Transformation resources. I’ll also give you discount codes for my online courses and eBooks.
Jesus Descended Into Hades
What happened once Jesus died on the cross? Some say he went straight to the Father. Some say he went into Hades as a conquering king to defeat the devil. But there’s a much more profound truth. Jesus passed into the grave to suffer your death. His faith eventually overcame death, hades, and the enemy as God prepared to rescue him from the pit.
Browse Sermons or listen on Apple | Spotify | SoundCould | YouTube
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?”
The following is a summary of this week’s sermon. I want to encourage you to watch the sermon. I believe it to be one of the most important messages I have ever given. I believe it to be so because it gives you deep insight into the suffering of Christ on your behalf. The following article only covers one aspect I cover in the sermon. I pray the sermon is a blessing to you.
When Jesus died on the cross, he passed into Hades. God made him to be sin on the cross (1 Corinthians 5:21); therefore, he died the death of a person with that kind of nature. God made him like you on the cross, so in him, God could make you like Jesus in eternity. Why did God need to make Jesus like you?
Ephesians 4:9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
and
Hebrews 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Jesus had to become human for a few reasons. Mankind has dominion over the earth, so a man had to restore what was lost. No man could, so God sent his son as a human. Jesus first lived perfectly, fulfilling the law for us. In perfectly fulfilling the law, he qualified to be a perfect substitutionary sacrifice for the penalty of breaking the law. As the perfect sacrifice, he also qualified to bear the full weight of sin, which is death.
Jesus bore the total penalty of the law, and endured the full effects of sin. The total effect includes dying and passing into Hades as a human. He passed into the depths of Hades as a human to suffer its power and to break that power on behalf of humanity.
But he initially didn’t pass into Hades victoriously. His initial experience was to suffer in that place, just like he suffered on the cross. That place has its own sufferings as we see in many prophetic Psalms.
In Acts 2, Peter sets the precedent that some of the Psalms of King David are the prophetic words of the Messiah. We gain insight into the Messiah’s experience on the cross and in the grave from that precedent.
Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. (Psalm 16:8-11 see below) 25 For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’ 29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’ (Psalm 110:1) 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Peter quotes Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 and directly explains that David was prophesying of the Messiah in Hades. Why do I say in Hades? Because the language supports that he will not be left in that place? It doesn’t indicate that he will not go to Hades, it indicates that he will not be abandoned or left there.
Jesus provides a complete deliverance and salvation. One in which he faced and conquered everything that could separate you from God. You don’t ever have to be afraid of death or hell (hades) because Jesus went there and overcame. The faith of Jesus is stronger than death, and that faith is alive in you. You can actually live from a power that is stronger than death. (that’s another sermon)
Psalm 22 is another place we gain insight into the suffering of the Messiah. Psalm 22 is reflected in the very words of Jesus in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34.
Psalm 22 is called The Suffering, Praise, and Posterity of the Messiah. As you read it, recognize that Jesus endured the cross and even death in Hades for you to set you free from sin and death. Read this Psalm as a meditative exercise, connect with his suffering for you. Read it slowly and imagine him in the grave, breaking the power of death and hell for you.
Psalm 22:1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? 2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried to You and were delivered;They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. 6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”
Psalm 18 is another Psalm that is a prophetic cry of the Messiah from the grave. The profound aspect of Psalm 18 is it also gives us insight into the Messiah’s experience of being rescued and resurrected from the grave.
Psalm 18:4 The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. 5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. 7 Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. 8 Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. 9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. 10 And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. 12 From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire. 13 The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. 14 He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them. 15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. 16 He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support. 19 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.
He suffered our death and experienced what we should have in Hades to give us the victory. He rendered demons powerless. He gained all authority. And he even preached the Gospel to those who died before him, giving them a chance to be saved through him.
Colossians 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
Revelation 1:17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
This is a deep and profound aspect of the atonement. I pray you will watch the sermon and allow me to walk you through even more of what happened in the grave. I pray this insight helps you gain more of a sense of value and worth to God because you see the lengths to which Christ suffered to gain you as an eternal family member. May you know your worth to your Heavenly Father, and may you never again be afraid of death or hell.
DOWNLOAD ALL MY TEACHINGS AND
TOOLS FOR TRANSFORMATION MEDITATIONS
Become a MEMBER and gain access to all of my teaching series and Tools for Transformation resources. I’ll also give you discount codes for my online courses and eBooks.
Jesus Died In Your Place
God didn’t unjustly punish Jesus instead of us, something much deeper happened. God performed the opposite transaction in Jesus that he does in us.
In him, we die to sin and are made alive, but when Jesus was made like us, he died as us. He was a man in all ways like we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15), but God changed that on the cross. He made Jesus a sinner by nature. Jesus never sinned, but God made him to be sin. If he didn’t, God would be unjust in punishing our sin in Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
God didn’t symbolically place our sin on Jesus like an Old Covenant lamb. He quite literally made Jesus to BE sin to the core.
Browse Sermons or listen on Apple | Spotify | SoundCould | YouTube
“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is the most important event in human history. Our eternal destinies depend on our response to Christ’s work on the cross, in the grave, and in his ascension. We see the value of humanity to God and the lengths to which he went to make a way of deliverance from sin and death.
My current series will cover these three days. This article focuses on the cross or the death of Jesus. So much was accomplished on the cross. It’s impossible to cover it in one sermon/article. In this article, I will focus on Jesus as our sin offering. God made him like us in death so we could be made like him in life. See “The Great Exchange” for more on the exchange that took place on the cross.
Our Sin Offering
God didn’t unjustly punish Jesus instead of us, something much deeper happened. God performed the opposite transaction in Jesus that he does in us.
In him, we die to sin and are made alive, but when Jesus was made like us, he died as us. He was a man in all ways like we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15), but God changed that on the cross. He made Jesus a sinner by nature. Jesus never sinned, but God made him to be sin. If he didn’t, God would be unjust in punishing our sin in Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
God didn’t symbolically place our sin on Jesus like an Old Covenant lamb. He quite literally made Jesus to BE sin to the core.
Romans 8:3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
God condemned sin in the flesh of Jesus. The Old Covenant law demanded that sin be punished in the body of the sinner, so God had to make him like us to punish our sin fully.
1 John 2:2He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Why did God do it this way? Critics of Christianity will say something like this; God brutally sacrificed himself to himself so that he could accept humans.
That kind of thinking does not understand the authority of humankind. God gave dominion over this planet to humans. Humans brought in sin and death, so a human had to repair the breach. God is not like the Greek or Egyptian gods that sacrifice children to satisfy their anger. God is a loving father. He is a righteous judge as well, and his moral standard needed to be upheld. The Israelites asked for the law in the desert, and once it was in place, it could not just be erased. The fullness of the law had to be executed, including the full penalty for the transgression of the law.
Blood had to be shed for one reason, not a killing by a god in a fit of rage, but for the exchanging of dead human life for eternal spiritual life.
Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.
The life of the flesh had to be killed so the life of the spirit could take its place. Blood had to be shed to atone for our souls under the Old Covenant, but for our spirits under an eternal covenant. The blood of goats and bulls could temporarily cleanse your soul, but the blood, or life, of Christ, can cleanse your spirit to make you the kind of vessel that God can inhabit, eternally.
One of the effects of his eternal atonement is that we become righteous in him. It’s not temporary righteousness, it’s now our nature. Righteousness and true holiness are our states of existence. We are no longer dead in our sins, in our spirits, our eternal identity, we are alive forever.
1 Peter 2:24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”
When he became like us, he was punished and died as we should have. But when we become like him, we live and experience his life.
Romans 6:10 For that which He died, He died to sin once for all; but that which He lives, He lives to God. 11 So also you, consider yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but living to God in Christ Jesus.
I will never get over the elegance of God’s plan. It was birthed in his love for us. God so loved and valued us that he crafted a plan to send his only son to die in the place of all humanity to set us free from sin and death.
While this is deeply profound, it was just the beginning. What happened in the grave was even more horrific than what Christ experienced on the cross. In my next sermon/blog I will cover what Jesus experienced in the grave once he died in our place.
DOWNLOAD ALL MY TEACHINGS AND
TOOLS FOR TRANSFORMATION MEDITATIONS
Become a MEMBER and gain access to all of my teaching series and Tools for Transformation resources. I’ll also give you discount codes for my online courses and eBooks.