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GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

526. Is God Enabling Us to Keep the Commandments?

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Even after the cross where we abide in Christ and have entered into a new and better covenant, the religious crowd will advocate that Jesus now empowers us to fulfill the law. They claim the law from the former covenant did not end and the commandments within that law are still meant to be followed by Christian believers in order to acquire or maintain life, righteousness and sanctification. The question that never gets fully addressed is this: Exactly which of the 613 laws are to be followed and which are no longer meant to be applied? We discuss the inconsistencies with this type of mixed covenant teaching.



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God’s Treasure Chest – Romans 11

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Here are some of the treasures I discovered while reading and studying Romans chapter 11. I hope this blog post brings you encouragement!

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

I really like these commentary notes on this verse from Andrew Wommack’s Living Commentary:

“Paul stated the doctrine of justification by grace through faith so clearly in his writings that any person who claims to believe the Bible has to acknowledge this truth. However, one of Satan’s cleverest deceptions is to take a truth and add to it until it is no longer the truth. Lest that happen with this doctrine of grace, Paul stated emphatically that we cannot combine anything with God’s grace as a requirement for salvation.

In the same way that gasoline and water don’t mix, so grace and works will not mix. Justification has to be all works or all grace, but not a combination of the two.

In this epistle, Paul repeatedly made his point of justification by grace through faith. He repeatedly stressed that faith is the only requirement on our part. Here he was repeating that point once again in perhaps his clearest words yet. Still, an abundance of religious people today cannot accept the fact that all we have to do is to believe to receive God’s grace (Romans 5:2). This verse leaves no alternatives.”

Romans 11:8 says, 
As the Scriptures say, “God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day He has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear.” (NLT)  

Andrew Wommack’s commentary notes:

“2 Peter 3:9 clearly says that the Lord is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” So, we can rest assured that the Lord didn’t prevent these people from being saved. No! They had already rejected God and His wooing, so He just upheld their choice and hardened their hearts even further so that they couldn’t believe. It’s like it says in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12.“

Now let me suggest you re-read these verses in 2 Thessalonians including the 3 verses preceeding 11&12. Here they are: 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12

Did you catch that in the 2nd part of verse 10? “because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” 

Like 2 Peter 3:9 says, “God is not willing that any should perish.”

Romans 11:17 says,
But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.  (NLT) 

Here are Andrew’s Wommack’s Living Commentary notes on this verse:

“The branches that were broken off were the children of Israel who rejected their Messiah. So, they were broken off, and the Christians were grafted in their place. But the roots of Christianity go all the way back to the Old Testament and Abraham as the father of us all (Romans 4:16).”

I also found this scripture reference to Romans 11:17 while using the Strong’s Exhaustive Bible Concordance Online!

Ephesians 2:11-13 (NIV)

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Man that is such good news!

Romans 11:18 says, 
But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. (NLT)  

Here are Andrew’s Wommack’s Commentary notes:

“Paul was warning the Gentiles against gloating in the fact that salvation had been opened unto them as though it happened because of some goodness on their part. It wasn’t earned. It was God’s grace. Paul explained that the Jews’ unbelief (Romans 11:20) caused them to be broken off and that the same thing could happen to the Gentiles (Romans 11:21) if they didn’t stand strong through faith.”

Romans 11:32 (NLT)
For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so He could have mercy on everyone.

I really like these commentary notes from Andrew Wommack on this verse. Be sure to click on the links to the scripture references he gives. They really help explain what the purpose of the law was in the first place. I didn’t understand the true purpose of the law for many years of my Christian life.

This is not only true of the Jewish nation. This is true of the whole human race. The Law made us all guilty (Romans 3:19 and 23) so that one sacrifice would cleanse us all (Galatians 3:22-24).

As it says in Romans 11:33:

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! (NASB)

Next God’s Treasure Chest post will be on Romans 12

To find all my other God’s Treasure Chest posts just click here on My Grace Journey and then scroll down to the topic that says God’s Treasure Chest!

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

525. The Curse of Seeking Self Improvement

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It's one of the biggest deceptions known to mankind - the attempt to achieve a higher level of personal improvement through our works and efforts. Adam and Eve were distracted by the glossy appearance of its fruit and the rest of the world followed suit. Israel demonstrated the futility of trying to establish their own righteousness through the works of the law by pursuing a level of improvement that would make them acceptable to God. It falls short every time and fortunately, it is something Jesus redeemed us from.



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The Shaming of Jesus

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Is there one moment in time that you wish you could go back and undo?  Is there one embarrassing moment or one major mistake that you are now so ashamed of?  Believe it or not, Jesus understands the whole issue of shame and how it can affect a person, sometimes for life.

Burden By Shame/John Hain/CC2.0

Burden By Shame/John Hain/CC2.0

I remember sitting in a very intense group meeting as we were exploring our past to help us overcome present behaviors based upon those past experiences.  I had one event in my life that I was terribly ashamed of.  I was sitting in my chair begging God not to ask me to reveal THAT secret. Anything else but that one secret of shame.  There was no way that I could ever confess what I did.  Don’t we all have that one moment that we hope and pray no one finds out about because if they did, well, maybe they wouldn’t look at us the same anymore?

Jesus was born to a mother that most in her town supposed had been unfaithful to her fiance.  Not to mention the incredible story that she gave about her pregnancy being a supernatural miracle from God.  She claimed to still be a virgin, yet here she was pregnant.  Growing up under the shadow of the rumors and gossip concerning his birth (and mother) certainly could have induced shame in Jesus  . . . if he would have allowed it to.

Rumor mills and gossip seem to be a part of our human nature.  We love to hear, and tell, the stories of other people whether they are true or not.  Jesus’ birth was great fodder for the rumors and gossip to fly.  The stigma that came to children either born out of wedlock, or affairs, was really bad in this time period. I believe that Jesus saw the stares of people, and most likely heard the rumors going around.  Quite possibly he was ostracized by his peers and other adults in the community.  The Bible doesn’t give us any information about this time in Jesus’ life.  But knowing human nature as we all do, I am sure that shame was there, ready to label Jesus as being less than because he wasn’t born under the “right conditions.”

So, what lessons can we learn from Jesus living under the cloud of shame from others?

Jesus understands our shame because of the gossip that he endured.

Jesus knew what people thought of him.  He knew what the rumors and gossip were.  He knows what it’s like to have others form opinions of you that are not true, yet everyone takes them as being true.  Jesus knows what it’s like to endure gossip and rumors and have your name slandered all over the place.  He knows what it’s like to come from circumstances that aren’t the best.  He knows what it’s like to live with people that are not full of grace but tend to look down their nose at you thinking they are better than you.

Jesus didn’t allow other people’s opinions of him to define him.

It’s easy to allow others to label us.  It’s easy to give into the identity that the crowd puts upon us.  Sometimes it just seems easier to live out what everyone believes rather than be true to ourselves.  Sometimes it doesn’t seem to be worth the fight.  But no one can define you but you!  You cannot allow others to tell you who you are.  Jesus didn’t.  He was secure in who he was regardless of what others thought, said or implied.  The beauty of God’s grace is that you are not defined by what you have done.  You are defined by your creator and what He thinks of you.

Jesus doesn’t say “shame on you.”  He declares, “shame OFF of you!”

Jesus isn’t looking to condemn people.  He is looking to take condemnation off of people.  While the world, and often times the church, is putting shame on people because of their actions and mistakes, Jesus is wanting to take shame off of people out of his love for them.  Guilt is one thing and it is a good thing.  It means that we have a conscience and we still can discern right from wrong.  Shame is totally different.  Shame makes us feel bad about ourselves, whereas guilt makes us feel bad for what we have done.  Jesus did not shame anyone.  He still doesn’t.  He never says, “how could you?”  He is always on our side, interceding and advocating on our behalf.

Shame is not from God.  Shame will always make us feel less than.  God is always trying to bring us up to the level of His love for us.  If you are experiencing shame, ask God to deliver you from that, helping you to see the truth.  The truth is always what He says about you, not what you say, or what others say.  All Him to take the shame off of you so that you can live in true freedom.

Remember the story I started out with, the one where I was scared to share something I had done that I was so ashamed of?  With the encouragement and help of the group, I was able to share my deep, dark, shameful secret and I found freedom.  Jesus took the shame off of me and released me from the prison I had put myself in.

Do you struggle with shame?  Do you feel there are things that God will not, or cannot, forgive?  Do you allow the opinions of others to define who you are?

 

524. The Christian’s Relationship to the Law

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The mixed covenant culture found in the church world has brought a wide variety of confusion among believers in Christ. As Gentiles who had come to faith in the early church, what were they instructed by the lovers of the law from the Jerusalem church who still believed the law was in effect? Even those elders shared that Gentiles were not to be troubled with keeping the law. What we fail to realize is there was no list of old rules given to the church from the law, because in Christ we have no relationship to that law from the former covenant because it was replaced with God's Spirit in us.



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Our Puppies Rescued – A God Story

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We believe we encountered a miracle yesterday!

Our twin girls had our two Maltese puppies, Bella and Sophie, out in the backyard. We recently had a fence put in for a number of reasons, one of them being so the puppies could enjoy running freely outside. They absolutely love it and get extremely excited when we say, “Do you want to go outside?” They run around the house from room to room until we open the door. When we do, they bolt outside and run as fast as they can to get to the main part of the yard! They run as if it was the race of the century!

One of the things people love to do around here in Missouri and Illinois is visit Eckert’s Orchard and pick peaches, strawberries, apples or pumpkins, depending on which time of the year you go. They have lots of other family-friendly activities there as well, including pig races. Those little pigs are so stinkin’ cute. The way Bella and Sophie bolt out the door reminds me of those pigs bolting out of the starting gate as they race each other to the finish line. Ha – I bet Bella and Sophie could give them a run for their money too!

When installing the type of fence we purchased the company has to install them a little bit off the ground, but not enough for a puppy to get out… in most cases. We just happen to have a few places under the fence where we have extra deep dips in our yard. We knew we needed to do something about this potential problem so Bella and Sophie wouldn’t try to get out, but we hadn’t got to that project yet. Our girls always stay out in the yard with Bella and Sophie anyway because our Veterinarian said they are small enough that there is a chance they could be picked up by a hawk. NOT HAPPENING!

Even though we have had our puppies out in the back yard quite a bit over this past month and they hadn’t even attempted to escape underneath the fence, yesterday they decided to be extra adventurous during a very short period of time when our girls, Angel and Starr, were looking in the other direction. They got out.

I heard the girls yelling their names over and over again and quickly ran outside to see what was going on. Clearly the puppies were not in the yard, but we didn’t know exactly where they got out; therefore, we didn’t have a clue where to start searching. Our house backs up to woods on two sides which can make finding two 7 pound puppies even more complicated.

Even though the situation was serious and we needed to get out there and start searching, instead of just launching out in our own efforts I said to the girls, let’s stop right now, pray and ask God for help. We have an opportunity here to trust in Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, 

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek His will in all you do,
    and He will show you which path to take. (NLT)

Can you believe it says that? He will show you which path to take! Wow. I got so excited when I looked up this verse tonight and saw that phrase. That’s exactly what we needed God to do for us yesterday and that’s exactly what we all need God to do for us every single day. And He will when we trust in Him, depend on Him, refuse to lean on our own understanding and seek His will instead of our own.

The emotional part of us three girls wanted to run out there and find our puppies and we wanted to do it immediately, but I’m so thankful to the Holy Spirit for prompting me to stop, pray and believe God.

We headed out the side gate and walked back into the woods and started searching all around that area. We called “Bella”…”Sophie” over and over again. Nothing. We were each looking in different areas because we had no idea where they could be.

The possibilities were so numerous: By this time they could be lost in the woods either behind our house or lost in the even larger area of woods (one acre) on the left side of our home. For all we knew they could have made their way to the front yard and been close to the road that runs in front of our house. They could have made their way to our neighbors property on our right or the large neighborhood that is close by.

While searching, I walked by a sewer and knew I couldn’t entertain the lie the devil tried to convince me of right then. What if they fell down that sewer? If they did, they’ll be dead for sure. I purposely ignored him and kept walking.

I’ll never forget what my pastor, Jeff Perry, said at Friday night church several years ago. He said, “Faith is just reliance on how good God is.” This is what was going through my mind during the search and what I was encouraging my girls to remember as well. Instead of imagining the worst case scenario, especially after 10 minutes had gone by and we still hadn’t found Bella and Sophie, I just kept praying in the Spirit and saying, God, You know where they’re at. Thank you for helping us. Thank you for watching over our puppies.

I was screaming from across several yards to the girls every so often and reminding them, “I know this doesn’t look good at this point, but keep believing. Don’t worry. Trust God. He will help us find them!”

Thankfully, Starr finally found Bella at the entrance of the woods and then about 5 minutes later Angel found Sophie down this hill in the woods laying right next to another sewer.

Had she had just a little bit more time to be a little more curious Sophie could have fallen into that sewer, but she didn’t.

Either puppy could have been picked up by a hawk, but they weren’t.

Any number of animals could have attacked them, but they didn’t.

They could have been bitten by a snake, but that wasn’t the case.

They could have made their way to the front yard, ran out into the road and been hit by a car and killed, but that didn’t happen.

We definitely don’t credit ourselves for rescuing our puppies. We credit God for showing us which path to take and for keeping them safe in the meantime!  Needless to say, Bella and Sophie will not be going back out into the yard without their harnesses on until we get the problem solved.

Here’s the most recent picture we took of our Sophie Bear and Bella Cakes, as Starr and Angel have so lovingly nicknamed them!

image

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

Understanding Revelation 20: Satan and the lake of fire.

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Did you know that when Jesus was referring to the worms that do not die and fires that do not end were referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and not hell? Mark 9:48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ Now look at this. Isaiah 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. Jesus was quoting the massacre of the Jews during the Babylonian attacks. He was saying it will happen again when the Romans attack Jerusalem.

God’s Treasure Chest – Romans 10

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Here are some of the treasures I discovered while reading and studying Romans chapter 10. I hope you’re encouraged!

Romans 10:5 says,
For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. (NLT) 

This verse right here proves how impossible it would be for us to attempt to be justified by keeping the law. It also proves why there’s a whole bunch of frustrated Christians out there. I used to be one of them. It’s a dead end road.

Here are Andrew Wommack’s Living Commentary notes on this verse. You’re gonna love this. It will help you understand grace better.

“In Romans 10:5-9, Paul contrasted those who seek righteousness by the Law with those who seek the righteousness of God as a gift. Those who seek to earn righteousness through keeping the Law are consumed with “doing” (this verse), while those who receive righteousness by faith are simply confessing what has already been done (Romans 10:9).

This is a simple yet profound difference. If we are still “doing” acts of holiness to get God to move in our lives, then we are still operating under a “Law” mentality that is not faith (Galatians 3:12). When we simply believe and confess what has already been provided through Christ, that’s grace.

Those who are living under the Law and those who are living under grace should have very similar actions of holiness, but their motivations are completely opposite. Legalists have their attention on what they must do, while those living by faith have their attention on what Christ has already done for them.

For instance, the Scriptures teach us to confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts and we will receive from God (Romans 10:9-10 and Mark 11:23-24). Legalists think that means they can get God to heal them by confessing that by His stripes, they are healed. However, those who understand God’s grace will not confess the Word to get healed. They will confess that by His stripes, they are healed, because they really believe it has already been done.

Analyzing our mindsets is the simplest way of discerning whether we are operating in true Bible faith or a legalistic counterfeit. If the motive for our actions is to be accepted by God, then that’s legalism. If we live holy out of faith and gratefulness for what God has already done, then that’s grace.”

Referring back to paragraph #4 here in Andrew’s notes, I was one of those people who had made confession (confessing God’s Word) into a work.

I was taught the importance of confessing God’s Word growing up and it wasn’t taught to me in a legalistic way, but because of my own personality I approached almost everything in my life from a ‘works’ standpoint. I turned almost everything into a law.

As a result of this, I recall that during the beginning of my grace journey 3.5 years ago God had to show me that I had actually gotten into fear in this area of confession and had been wrongly believing that if I didn’t confess the Word (speak my confessions) everyday, I was not going to be blessed. 

Again, I DEFINITELY believe in the power of confessing God’s Word and I have a list of declarations that I speak, but now I speak them when the Holy Spirit prompts me to speak them and I don’t feel like if I miss a day, or a week, that my life is going to fall apart. 

As Andrew stated above, when a person is caught up in legalism, their motive for doing what they do is totally different.

Now that I live my life by God’s awesome grace, I actually find myself speaking God’s Word on a regular basis in addition to speaking out my list of declarations when the Spirit prompts me to do so, but there is no fear involved at all of something bad happening or me not being blessed because I haven’t confessed God’s Word today.

Here’s what made the difference for me. When I really grasped the truth that God’s grace is His unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor I stopped believing for His favor only when I had done all the right things or based on my good works (such as confessing the Word) and began to believe for and receive His grace (unmerited favor) solely based on what Jesus has already done for me through His finished work. I finally got the revelation that grace is based on Him, not me. 

This my friend, is why I have fallen so deeply in love with Jesus that I now work harder for Him (do more good works) than I ever did while trying to live my Christian life under the law. This is why I spend practically every waking moment receiving His grace afresh for myself and why I love helping others (including my own kids) understand how His grace works, practically, in their everyday lives… if they will only receive it!

Romans 10:13 says,
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”  (NLT)  

I just LOVE this verse! That all!

Romans 10:14 says,
But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?  (NLT) 

Do you know that there are many people who go to church every Sunday that aren’t hearing the true gospel – the gospel of grace. I just had a girl tell me yesterday how frustrating it is that she cannot seem to find a church in her little town. There are plenty of churches there, but the ones that she has visited are all steeped in religion (rules and regulations).

She hasn’t had success finding one yet where the pastor simply preaches Jesus and how having a living, vibrant relationship with Jesus can transform her life. She said all the churches that she has visited have strong religious mindsets and she feels judged by so many within those circles. I felt so sorry for her and reminded her that this is not how Jesus is. I am also agreeing with her in prayer that she will find just the right church that she can call home, where Jesus is exalted and where the pastor sets her eyes on Jesus every single week instead of giving her a list of 10 new rules to follow.  

Romans 10:15 says,
And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (NLT)  

Notice, the scriptures do not say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring bad news.’ It says this is true of those who bring good news. 

It doesn’t even say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who mix bad news with good news in an effort to be balanced.’ (and this goes for all of us because we are all called to be bearers of this amazingly good news)

The true gospel, which is the gospel of grace, doesn’t need to be balanced. It’s the gospel. It’s about Jesus. It’s Jesus plus nothing. It’s the good news because when we really understand it and believe it, we fall in love with Jesus so deeply that we then end up doing everything else we should be doing as a Christian out of a spirit of love rather than works. Of course this doesn’t mean we’re going to be perfect in our actions because this Christian walk is a journey, but as we continue to grow in God’s grace, right actions follow.

Look at this:

Romans 13:10 says,
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (NASB) 

Yes, yes, yes! This is what happens when a person is taught the true gospel of grace and they come to understand that, in fact, Jesus is grace. He is God’s grace personified. When they come to the revelation that it’s all Jesus, this amazing Grace changes their heart from the inside out and they begin to walk in love and do what they do out of love for people like never before. I am a witness to this and I know that many of you are too.

Every person I come in contact with who has really grasped a revelation of God’s grace cannot be quiet about it. It’s impossible. They simply cannot stop talking about Jesus and they want everyone, everywhere to know this good news!

Romans 10:17 says,
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. (NLT)

See here, we have to be hearing the good news about Jesus for faith to come. This is why it is critically important for people to find a church where the pastor sets their eyes on Jesus and what He has already done for them through His finsihed work on the cross instead of focusing their attention on themselves and what they need to do. Their doing (good works) will naturally flow from their right believing about Christ!

Next God’s Treasure Chest post will be on Romans 11.

To find all my other God’s Treasure Chest posts just click here on My Grace Journey and then scroll down to the topic that says God’s Treasure Chest!

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished working the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

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