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We Are Changed by the Power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

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For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes Romans 1:16a

Information in and of itself is not effective. You might learn something from gaining information but unless it touches your heart or you apply it to your life, it’s just information.

The Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ was prophesied by the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. They all shared the same points about a coming new covenant and God’s messiah.

1. I will sprinkle you clean with fresh water
2. I will give you a new heart
3. I will put my spirit within you
4. I will no longer hold your sin/trespasses against you OR I will remember your sins no more

Through faith in the effectual power of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, any person is washed clean from what separates them from God, forgiven, made into a new creature and engrafted into God himself in Christ.

Knowing that intellectually won’t help you much when you need to be free from guilt. Being able to quote the right scripture won’t liberate your soul from sin. But personalizing the cross and experiencing the exchange that too place on the cross in Jesus is power to your soul and empowering to your heart.

Learn to influence your heart with the truth. Learn to look at Jesus and what he did and assimilate that exchange into your heart, mind and soul for freedom from your past.

Try this exercise:

Say out loud, “I am righteous.”

Then notice how you feel.

Say again out loud, “I am righteous.”

Pay attention to what you think after saying that.

Say out loud, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.“

Do you hear a conflicting system of theology combating that statement? Do you have qualifying thoughts afterward? Like, “but I still sin.” If you think your righteousness depends at all on your behavior or ability to stay out of sin, then you are self-righteous. This doesn’t mean sin is OK, it just means Jesus alone is the reason I’m righteous.

You can walk yourself through many new creation identity truth’s just like this to see what you really believe. If your thoughts and feelings don’t agree with the truth statement you make, take some time to persuade your heart of truth just like I show you in the video on this page. The truth you experience in your heart will set you free!

For an additional meditative exercise to persuade your heart of the truth, go through Isaiah 53 and personalize every word…see yourself in the exchange and feel the freedom from guilt, shame and sin as you personalize the work of Christ.

 

Isaiah 53

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

The post We Are Changed by the Power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ appeared first on Forward Ministries.

586. How to Be Righteous

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If we went into the vast majority of Christian churches and asked for a show of hands on how many in attendance consider themselves to be righteous and holy, typically very few hands would go up. Why? They haven’t been taught about their new identity as a child of God. They are ignorant on the subject of God’s righteousness, and much like the Israelites, they may even be trying to establish their own right standing with God through their works. It’s a good thing to behave in a way that reflects godliness and be an example to others. But this is the result of coming to a revelation of how God has provided us with His total acceptance. We aren’t meant to dedicate “our lives” to Him, He has fully committed His life to us. The gospel is not about our doing, but rather it’s about what Christ did. For us, it’s about “being,” while resting in His gift and living out of response to that.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

586. How to Be Righteous

by

If we went into the vast majority of Christian churches and asked for a show of hands on how many in attendance consider themselves to be righteous and holy, typically very few hands would go up. Why? They haven’t been taught about their new identity as a child of God. They are ignorant on the subject of God’s righteousness, and much like the Israelites, they may even be trying to establish their own right standing with God through their works. It’s a good thing to behave in a way that reflects godliness and be an example to others. But this is the result of coming to a revelation of how God has provided us with His total acceptance. We aren’t meant to dedicate “our lives” to Him, He has fully committed His life to us. The gospel is not about our doing, but rather it’s about what Christ did. For us, it’s about “being,” while resting in His gift and living out of response to that.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

570. The New Way: “I Will Remember Their Sins No More”

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The ministry of the law from the Old Covenant given to Israel brought a sin consciousness and a constant reminder of sins. The New Covenant would contrast that, with sin being taken away by the blood of Jesus, so that God would remember sins no more. The old way was made obsolete after the sacrifice of Christ, and would begin to disappear in the lives of new Jewish believers as they would grow in their understanding of this finished work.



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569. Are the 10 Commandments Written on Our Hearts?

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In reference to the New Covenant, you may have been told that God would put his law, commandments and statutes in our minds and write them on our hearts. However, in the same passage, God declared the New Covenant would not be like the one made with Israel when they were delivered out of Egypt. Since the old law brought death, condemnation and increased sin, why would God choose to write it on our hearts, since it could not provide life or righteousness to us? There was a change of law with the new priesthood of Jesus Christ, and it brought a new heart to us with a new ministry that would far surpass the old way.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

569. Are the 10 Commandments Written on Our Hearts?

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In reference to the New Covenant, you may have been told that God would put his law, commandments and statutes in our minds and write them on our hearts. However, in the same passage, God declared the New Covenant would not be like the one made with Israel when they were delivered out of Egypt. Since the old law brought death, condemnation and increased sin, why would God choose to write it on our hearts, since it could not provide life or righteousness to us? There was a change of law with the new priesthood of Jesus Christ, and it brought a new heart to us with a new ministry that would far surpass the old way.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

553. Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (Part 10): Forgive Others or God Won’t Forgive You?

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In part 10 of our series, we take a look at something Jesus stated about forgiveness. He said people should pray they will be forgiven as they forgive others. After the prayer, Jesus said they would be forgiven for sins based upon the condition that they forgive others for their sins. This was not good news to the Jews who were listening because it was based upon their ability instead of the gift of righteousness that would come through Christ. Jesus went on to tell them about something they were ignorant about — God's righteousness. They should begin to seek this instead of trying to establish their own righteousness through the works of the law. As believers, we no longer seek this gift because we have already become His righteousness.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

552. Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (Part 9): Be Perfect, As Your Heavenly Father

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Jesus showed His disciples what the bottom line required when it came to trying to acquire righteousness through their works: It would demand that they be perfect. With this standard being taught, we can begin to see why many stopped following Jesus. They weren't rejecting a Christian message, but they came to realize their inability to meet the standard of perfection the law required in those commandments. Jesus did not always minister the good news gospel to His Jewish audience, but there was a purpose as to why He did this.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

552. Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (Part 9): Be Perfect, As Your Heavenly Father

by

Jesus showed His disciples what the bottom line required when it came to trying to acquire righteousness through their works: It would demand that they be perfect. With this standard being taught, we can begin to see why many stopped following Jesus. They weren't rejecting a Christian message, but they came to realize their inability to meet the standard of perfection the law required in those commandments. Jesus did not always minister the good news gospel to His Jewish audience, but there was a purpose as to why He did this.



Download  GIGBite  YouTube

550. Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (Part 7): Teach the Law and Do It?

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During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had a purpose of revealing to His disciples what the law truly required in order to attain righteousness. He was ultimately teaching that it would be futile for them to maintain the standard it demanded in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Religion will try to make this out to be a new Christian teaching that Jesus was laying before His Jewish audience, but what He was actually laying down was the law. Jesus would begin to show they needed to find a different way other than through the works of that law.



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547. Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (Part 4): The Law Increased Sin

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Part 4 in the series lays more foundation about the law and the Old Covenant and the many differences between the New Covenant which began after the death of Jesus. Most Christian teachings have assumed the commandments were meant to decrease sin, but we find just the opposite is true. It was designed to bring hopelessness and despair. Since fault was found with the people for not fulfilling their end of the agreement, God's grace and mercy would allow for the covenant to end, instead of punishing them for their sins.



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546. Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (Part 3): The Law Shut Boasting Mouths

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This is the third in a series of why Jesus taught two covenants, this week looking at some specifics within the Mosaic law from the first covenant. That was a covenant made with Israel and those of us who are Gentiles were not included. Ultimately the law brought a curse because it required all of it be kept perfectly. The New Covenant would not be anything like the Old. The first covenant resulted in death and condemnation, whereas under the second covenant, we've been removed from that and placed into life. The law was meant to shut mouths, stop boasting, and bring people to the end of themselves.



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