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GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

959. “Flesh and Blood Has Not Revealed This to You”

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Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" After they answered, He then asked, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter spoke up and said that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus declared that Peter was blessed because flesh and blood had not revealed this to him, but it came from the Father in heaven.

Peter probably wasn't even aware of his source at the time ... but he didn't hear it from another human who was trying to recruit him as a convert or a visitor for the Sunday School class. This wasn't a "one and done" where Peter would be the only person to receive such a revelation. God desires to reveal so much to us by His Spirit who now abides in the hearts of believers in Christ ... and it may be happening much more than we realize. But it all begins with not just having knowledge about Jesus, but knowing Him. It goes beyond a philosophical or intellectual belief.



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718. The Holy Spirit in You

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Following up on last week’s program about feeling the need to ask God’s Spirit to show up or inviting God’s presence into our midst …

This practice misses the understanding that He never leaves as He continuously abides in us. This is different than the Old Covenant. Under the New Covenant, the Spirit may manifest with special gifts as He wills through an anointing that already abides in us.

But there is nothing we can do to create an atmosphere that is more inviting in order to get God to respond with an RSVP to our invitation—because it’s not about what we do … He has chosen to be with us and in us by grace.



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717. Requesting the Holy Spirit to Show Up

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It’s commonplace within a gathering of believers to invite God into our presence or seek some sort of special visitation from His Spirit. As we gain a more complete knowledge of the truth, we discover there is good news on this subject: He never leaves us! He doesn’t depart, withdraw or spontaneously come and go.

In fact, we were invited into His presence and He is there to comfort and bear witness of Jesus in whom we abide. He began a good work in us and He will be faithful to complete it.



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696. The Spirit Vs. the Flesh (Walking in the Spirit)

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“The law is not of faith.” This word from Paul is a central theme throughout the book of Galatians. It needs to be kept in mind as we look through the letter, including chapter 5 as the apostle compares the Spirit to the flesh. Believers in Christ who had been freed from the law are no longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit (Romans 8:9). Although we can be tempted with the works of the flesh that Paul lists in Galatians 5, it is those who are of the flesh that will not inherit the kingdom of heaven (unbelievers). They are stuck in “works” mode… which may appear as sinful and at other times it may appear as Godly. This is not a passage on living “good enough” to inherit eternal life. We’ve all continued to struggle with being perfect… we still may have moments of anger, quarrels, jealousy, impure thoughts, etc. Fear not! God is always with you and He desires to be our helper during those times.

The Galatians were earlier accused of having fallen from grace because they were trying to be perfected by the law of works (Galatians 3:3 & 5:4). As children of God, we receive an inheritance as a gift because we are an heir, not because we are living in a way that is going to be considered morally acceptable. This is not to diminish or disregard the importance of behavior - Paul’s exhortation is for us who are in Christ to behave in a way that reflects the true righteous nature of who we’ve been born to be in Christ. This is not accomplished by our empty efforts of trying to produce our own fruit, but by the Holy Spirit within us. Now we can bear His fruit, apart from the law of works.



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695. Love Is Better Than Law

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In the third chapter of Galatians, Paul stated “the law is not of faith.” We’ve progressed to Galatians chapter 5, where the apostle attempts to encourage these people to avoid the pitfall of going from the freedom of grace back into the law of works. They had been bewitched and deceived into another gospel that really wasn’t the gospel at all. If they were going to choose the system of written commandments (such as circumcision), they would be obligated to keep the entire law - all 613 commands. Those who were attempting to be justified by law (works) had fallen from grace. Paul went on to admonish not to use their freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. So how does one walk in the Spirit and avoid the desire of the flesh? It’s done apart from the law of works and it’s rooted in the perfect love of God which was manifested through Jesus Christ… this is where we abide as believers inside of a New Covenant.



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The body and blood (life) of Christ is real food for us

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iamthebread

There’s a story that John tells in chapter 6 of his gospel about Jesus feeding thousands of people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. After everyone ate, there were 12 baskets of food collected. Take a moment to imagine that, enough food to fit on a large plate fed thousands of people and then turned into 12 baskets. That’s our God! His idea of meeting your need is exceedingly, abundantly above what you can even imagine!

 

The next day, many from that crowd found him and asked for more food. He begins a dialogue where he tries to turn their thinking from carnal to spiritual. He uses their hunger for bread to present the idea that he can give them something that will give them life forever instead of for a day. When these Jews ask him for this bread he makes a confusing statement.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. John 6:51

Say what, Jesus?

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. John 6:53-57

You’d think he’d explain the spiritual implications of this radical concept but he didn’t, he left that up to the Holy Spirit to bring revelation to those whose hearts were open to receiving him.

Read this entry from the Expositor’s Greek Testament.

He (Jesus) becomes as truly assimilated to the life of the individual as the nourishing elements in food enter into the substance of the body. The believer abides in Christ as finding his life in Him (Galatians 2:20); and Christ abides in the believer, continually imparting to him what constitutes spiritual life. For in Christ man reaches the source of all life in the Father (John 6:57),The living Father has sent Christ forth as the bearer of life. He lives, not equivalent to, through or by means of the Father, but “because of,” or “by reason of the Father”. The Father is the cause of my life; I live because the Father lives. The Father is the absolute source of life; the Son is the bearer of that life to the world. Every one that eateth Christ will by that connection participate in the life of God.

We understand that the body and blood or life of Christ are fed to us in our inner man, to our hearts from his spirit that dwells in believers. This spiritual life in us is not just a theological doctrine, it’s an actual force or presence that nourishes our emotions, our minds, our bodies and teaches us to think and see the world through God’s eyes. When we allow his spirit to be assimilated into every aspect of our being it acts just like physical food for the body, it brings life. As we learn to partake of the life of God flowing in us we can experience the same zoe (quality of life) that is in the Father.

Jesus says he lives because the Father lives. He understood that he was in the Father and the Father was in him. The same is true for us. Just like a branch of a tree receives the same nutrients that the roots of that tree draw from the soil, so do we draw life from God because we are in an eternal union with him in Christ.

Discussion questions:

  1. What is the picture in your heart or imagination of being fed by God’s spirit? (ex. a tree, a child in a womb, etc…)
  2. What area in your life do you need to have God’s spirit nourish you?
  3. What decision are you making to draw on his spirit to be nourished by his life in that situation?

 

Enjoy this free full length message on this topic:

 

Featured Series

Exchanging Natures with Jesus front 300

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Message Titles:

  1. Two Goats
  2. The Scapegoat
  3. Resurrection through His Eyes
  4. Exchanging Natures
  5. Joint-Heirs with Jesus
  6. Living in the Kingdom

These are some of the most powerful and concise messages I have given on the subject of Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. I go into much detail about the old testament day of atonement sacrifice and how it points to Jesus.

To fully understand the depth of which Christ cleansed us in his sacrifice we must look at the type and shadow detailed under the Levitical priesthood. These messages will give you razor sharp understanding of the cross and overwhelm your heart with compassion for all that Jesus accomplished on our behalf on the cross, in the grave and in his ascension.

These are my messages from the “Three Days that Changed the World” conference in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with Dr. Jim Richards.

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The post The body and blood (life) of Christ is real food for us appeared first on Forward Ministries.

The Holy Spirit is a Better Teacher than the Law

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powerofgrace

I get confused when I talk to some Christians about the Old Covenant Law and works. It’s as if as soon as you bring up the Law the conversation drifts toward works. It’s almost like some Christians don’t know that the Law was for a 1500 year period of time before the Holy Spirit was given. It’s almost as if some Christians think that God still relates to us based on our works rather than based on the indwelling of his spirit. It’s almost as if some Christians think that saying we’re no longer under the Law means our actions are of no consequence. Hmmm, go figure 😉

Of course our actions matter now but they don’t affect out right standing with God. Righteousness is a spiritual condition that doesn’t come through keeping laws. The OC Law was never meant for righteousness because again, keeping laws doesn’t give you spiritual life.

So…do works matter now? Of course, but why bring up the Law when we start talking about works? Do you see where I’m going? The Law is fulfilled and had its place. If you’d like to discuss Christian behavior, that’s another subject all together.

I believe the Holy Spirit is a much better teacher than external laws. Believers are under the influence of God’s inner presence that is ever present and leads us according to his truth and life. By the way, the Holy Spirit will never violate any of his previously revealed morality and justice.

Our deeds and works will be tried at the final judgment but that’s not for righteousness, that’s for reward. Even unbeliever’s works are not judged for righteousness. The righteousness issue is settled. One must understand that it’s settled when taking the conversation to how we’re to live as believers. The Holy Spirit has the power, whereas the Law did not, to empower us to live worthy of the holiness and righteousness we’ve been given in Christ. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t empower you to keep the Law, he empowers you to have life and that more abundantly.

Now that the Spirit of God has been given, let’s teach people to look to him for guidance rather than rules than only reveal sin. Let’s inspire people to trust God because when they do their hearts will be open to him and they will be infused with a power that is not their own, the power of grace, the power of sonship.

Galatians 3:23 NLT Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. 24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. 26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

I pray that when you mess up, you don’t wonder if you’ve lost position with God. I pray that the next time you mess up you rest easy knowing you’re forgiven and God still loves you. And I pray the next time you mess up you make the decision that you don’t want that behavior in your life anymore and you turn to God for grace to overcome those destructive behaviors.

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The post The Holy Spirit is a Better Teacher than the Law appeared first on Forward Ministries.

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