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GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

826. Things Seldom Heard in Church: “Mount Sermon” Not a New Christian Teaching

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If you are under the assumption that most of what Jesus spoke was meant to be applied directly for you as a believer in Christ, you’ll end up with all sorts of inconsistencies and potential confusion in your belief system. Within those red letters found in the Bible, the majority of what Jesus spoke was aimed at Jewish people who were under a hopeless position, living under the law within what is now an obsolete covenant.

But if you’ve been taught by church ideology that when Jesus was speaking to His disciples … that He was also talking to you … then you’ll jump to some inaccurate conclusions when it comes to the gospel of grace.

Are we dismissing, ignoring or running from the words of Jesus? Absolutely not. Understanding the ministry of Jesus as a man walking the earth—and what He spoke at that time—needs to be considered in the proper context in order to come to a greater knowledge of the truth.

Five years ago we did a foundational 20-podcast series called "Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants" that will help in understanding all of this.  The first episode of that series can be found here, and you can listen to the subsequent parts from there, or you can listen via the YouTube playlist here.



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801. The 800 Club: Looking Back – The Law-Based Words of Jesus

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Celebrating our milestone of 800 programs, we’re looking back at some of the vital discussions we’ve had over the years. One of those topics is the many times that Jesus was not providing new information or directives to those who would eventually become Christian believers, but quite often His focus was to minister the Mosaic law to the Jews who were under it. This included the entire Sermon on the Mount. His purpose was not to try to get them to be better law-keepers, but to show them their inability to live by the requirement and reveal the need for a better option—a Savior who could fulfill the law, free them from it, and provide salvation for the world.

We’ve been accused of hyper grace by legalistic “ministries” who have stated we’re running from the words of Jesus. We’re actually running to the words of Jesus but prefer to consider them within the proper context of both the Old and New covenants.

Past podcast episodes that we mentioned in this episode:
•The Non-Christian Teachings of Jesus (Growing in Grace #444​)
•Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (series) (Click for Part 1, then click "Newer Post" for each subsequent episode.)
•Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (YouTube playlist)


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743. 15th Anniversary Program #3

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This is the third and final anniversary program as Mike and Joel reminisce about doing the podcast for the past 15 years. The discussion includes some of the “favorite” subjects that have been foundational to the program and how gaining an understanding of them will help free people from religious bondage.

Also, you can search for topics on the Growing in Grace website. Growing in Grace is not a donation-based or listener-supported ministry but is supported by listeners sharing the good news with others.



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Clash of the Covenants – new book from Mike

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The brand new book, Clash of the Covenants - Escaping Religious Bondage Through the Grace Guarantee, from Growing in Grace co-host Mike Kapler is now available for Kindle on Amazon!  Remember, you don't need a Kindle in order to read.  Download the Kindle app on your computer, tablet or smartphone. 

GOD IS NOT YOUR PAROLE OFFICER, HE BROKE YOU OUT OF PRISON!

Have you been robbed by religion? Have you ever wondered where you really stood with God? For everyone trapped in a mindset of wondering whether God is angry or disappointed with them due to a lack of performance or dedication, help is on the way. In fact, it already arrived more than a couple thousand years ago.

Christian churches are filled with people who have been hearing Bible teaching built upon a foundation of mixing together two very different covenants that are not alike. Frequently embraced in most Christian circles, the practice of combining the old and new covenants has resulted in a diluted version of the gospel. This religious formula has caused many to avoid the institutional church altogether, often puts them in a state of confusion, and leaves them hungering and thirsting for a new identity of righteousness, unaware it has already been provided.

The current reality of unconditional love, peace, freedom, forgiveness, and everything else that is good, has been gifted to us by God's grace through the finished work of Jesus Christ. This is the message most people have been longing to experience, but it may require a complete change of mind from a lifetime of traditional church doctrines that have left many drowning in guilt and feeling as though they are in a state of bondage. God has provided a way of escape from the burdensome religious business—it is through a New Covenant where it is impossible for us to fail, because Jesus is the mediator and guarantee of this better covenant, and it has been established on better promises.

596. The Lord’s Prayer Part 4: On Earth as It Is in Heaven

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On the last program in our series with The Lord’s Prayer, we discovered “God’s will” in regards to redemption was the sacrifice of Christ, as explained in Hebrews chapter 10. The sacrifice would be done on the earth, but after the sacrifice, Christ would not enter a tabernacle that was temporary, made by human hands, which were only copies and shadows of the original. He would enter the perfect tabernacle, into heaven itself, where He would appear on our behalf with a better sacrifice that would not need to be repeated. The prayer Jesus taught His disciples before the cross was seeking this will to be done. For us who are under a New Covenant, we now recognize the will of God has been done and accomplished through Christ, on earth as it is in heaven. This poses the question: Why ask for God to perform (again) what has already been done?



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595. The Lord’s Prayer Part 3: Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done

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In Part 3 of our series on The Lord’s Prayer, we shed more light on why this was a prayer given by Jesus to Jewish people under the first covenant, and not for those of us who are Gentiles. It was meant to be used before the cross, not after. The kingdom has already come in the Person of Jesus Christ; a kingdom must have a king, and they cannot be separated. This wasn’t referring to a future kingdom to come at the end of the world, but Jesus was speaking about something more imminent, meant for those people, at that time. In referring to God’s will being done, this wasn’t pointing towards things that occur in our daily lives, or with world events, it was about redemption that Christ would bring by doing the will of God with a sacrifice to end all sacrifices. The Kingdom has come, the King is now within you, and God’s will was done through Him. There is no need to request something from God that has already been accomplished.



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594. The Lord’s Prayer Part 2: Our Father In Heaven

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Continuing with our series on The Lord’s Prayer and why Jesus provided it for Jews to pray; we look at the opening to the prayer, which acknowledges the Father in heaven.  Some have believed the Jewish people under the law would not have understood the concept of God as Father, but there are a number of Old Testament passages that reveal otherwise.  The prayer intro was not a new revelation to His disciples, they understood God as Father, in heaven, and that His name was holy.  However, they didn’t have the concept that we now have in the New Covenant…That is, Christ in you.  A better covenant has revealed to us that God doesn’t abide just in heaven, but has relocated by His Spirit to abide in us.  Another clue this was a guide to be prayed only for those under the Old Covenant - Jesus did not instruct them to pray “in His name” as he would later tell the disciples to do under the New Covenant.



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593. Context Leading up to The Lord’s Prayer

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This is the first in a series of programs we’ll be doing on the subject of what is referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer.” What was it that led to Jesus telling the Jewish people under the law to pray in this way? Is it something that was meant to be repeated by people for generations to come? Right before Jesus encourages His disciples to pray in this manner during the Sermon on the Mount, He had given them a message of hopelessness and despair. He told them that by the standard of the law and commandments, they were required to be perfect. This meant right-standing with God was out of their reach, which is why they (the Jews) would need “to pray in this way.” But before the prayer is spoken, Jesus makes it quite clear it was not meant for us (non-Jewish) Gentiles who weren’t a part of that first covenant under the law.



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593. Context Leading up to The Lord’s Prayer

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This is the first in a series of programs we’ll be doing on the subject of what is referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer.” What was it that led to Jesus telling the Jewish people under the law to pray in this way? Is it something that was meant to be repeated by people for generations to come? Right before Jesus encourages His disciples to pray in this manner during the Sermon on the Mount, He had given them a message of hopelessness and despair. He told them that by the standard of the law and commandments, they were required to be perfect. This meant right-standing with God was out of their reach, which is why they (the Jews) would need “to pray in this way.” But before the prayer is spoken, Jesus makes it quite clear it was not meant for us (non-Jewish) Gentiles who weren’t a part of that first covenant under the law.



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554. Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (Part 11): Ministering First to Jews Under the Law

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It is a dangerous doctrine to assume Jesus was usually ministering a message directed at future believers who would be under the New Covenant. Jesus came to proclaim a message for Israelites first, not to those of us who were born as (non-Jewish) Gentiles. He was born under the law to redeem those who were under the law. Righteousness was never meant to be attained by the commandments, but to be received freely as an heir. On this week's podcast, we look at a few more instances of Jesus ministering to these people who were under the first covenant.



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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.



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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.



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