24 Nov 2014 by Reverend Dr Jai Kumar –
THE ENEMY WILL MESS AROUND WITH YOU WHEN YOU CANNOT DIFFERENTIATE LAW AND GRACE CLEARLY
We beg God to bless us instead of walking in the blessing of God. We need to walk in the reality of what Jesus has already accomplished at Calvary for you and me. We will be devaluing and disrespecting the cross if we still try to perform to earn God’s blessing after what has been exchanged for us on the cross. (Isaiah 53:6) All His wrath was poured out on His son Jesus Christ at Calvary. Therefore you can add nothing to impact the finished work of the cross by your own self-effort.
It is sadly appalling to see Christians struggling and defeated in their walk with God, simply because of their lack of knowledge of what belongs to them. They don’t read the WORD because they lack a relationship with God. They are so dependent on their church and the pastors to instruct them. The secret is to stay in the Word of God and draw from it every time and everything which has to do with your happiness, joy, peace, health and your prosperity. You are not supposed to run to your pastor for everything. You are insecure in your relationship in Christ if you behave in this way. You will never grow if you did that and you will end up stagnant in your personal growth.
You become enslaved by the system of rules and regulations under the law. That’s not what the scripture teaches, that’s not what Paul is driving home to the Galatians and the Romans.
To be in bondage is to earn something in order to be favoured by God. You are not a slave to do what is right to earn the master’s approval. You are the son of the most high God who loves you despite your weakness, faults and failures.
TRUE GRACE WILL LEAD TO GOOD WORKS OUT OF YOUR LOVE FOR GOD
It’s grace that saved you. You did not earn your salvation. The divine exchange that took place on the cross of Calvary is the key to unlocking our new life in Christ.
You see most of God’s children are begging God to bless them, can you see the colossal damage the enemy has done to God’s people? You know what? You are trying to get God to give you what you already have if you did that!
There are a lot of people who suffer from UNHEALTHY FEAR OF GOD AND HIS PRESENCE: They can’t accept the fact that God is a loving and merciful God slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. As a result they can’t experience a deeper relationship with God. They erect walls around them. THEY THINK GOD IS A CRUEL AND PUNISHING GOD. THIS IS ABSOLUTE DECEPTION AND BONDAGE.
The law was given to show man his inability to prove himself righteous so that you will accept the gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ by faith.
The biggest mountain that you and I need to kick out of our life is the mountain of self-righteousness. The biggest mountain you need to speak to in your life is the mountain of religiosity which has boxed us into captivity.
Romans 11:6 – And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
You got to get this thing clear in your mind. Now listen! It’s not that you don’t have to do anything at all now that you are saved by grace. It doesn’t mean you need not make any effort to please God anymore, it doesn’t mean you don’t grow into a deeper relationship with God anymore. But it does mean you don’t have to earn to please God!
Can you see the difference here? However, it’s grace that motivates our works, not fear or punishment. If you really understand grace then your life will surely show growth and results. If on the other hand, if your life is stagnant and doesn’t show any fruits then I am afraid you have missed the mark of what true grace is all about. Can I say, Grace is a matter of action with the right attitude.
We got to be very careful to differentiate our attitude. One that is produced through religion and one that is produced through a relationship. One which results from the flesh and one that is born of the spirit.
Religion is all about earning and performance to prove to God that you deserve to be favoured and blessed. Relationship on the other hand is that “I am a child of the most high God and therefore I don’t need to SLAVE to be blessed.”
IN THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON..
in Luke 15 the older brother tells the father I slaved for you all this while and you never even gave me a goat to celebrate with my friends. By the way why would the elder son slave for his father? The father was a very rich man. The Bible says he had many servants. You see, here is a boy who did not know how to appropriate his inheritance. He did not know how to walk in the blessing which was already available to him. Here is a person who did not appreciate his father’s love. Here is a boy who did not know what belongs to him. He has gone down so low as to go and work for his father like a servant instead of enjoying himself as a son. He was trying to ask his father to give him what was already his! He missed the whole mark of his father’s love and relationship. He was trying to earn what was already his. He was trying to prove to his father that he deserved to be blessed. You see that’s the problem with many Christians today.
Look at what the father says to his son: “You have always been with me. All that I have belongs to you”. What a tragedy! This is what we are by and large today. We don’t know how to appropriate what belongs to us. Instead we go on struggling and begging God and trying to perform to earn our blessings from God.
The law demands righteousness from bankrupt man! Grace provides righteousness as a gift. The law produces fear, Grace produces love. The law is punishment! Grace is forgiveness.
The security and love of God ought to change you into a good person under grace. Then the good works that is produced by you will be honoured and recognised by God. It should not be misunderstood that just because we are under grace we don’t have to do anything at all. That’s not what the Bible says. When you understand who you are in Christ. When you understand the security you have in Christ. When you understand the love of Christ you will be so blown away by His kindness and love that you are willing turn your life around. You don’t change because of fear or compulsion or requirement of punishment. You change because of God’s loving kindness towards you. Then you will be able to produce good works through the fruit of the spirit.
FALSE GRACE
The grace of God is not to be misunderstood or misinterpreted or compromised. It is very dangerous to view it in that manner. Titus 2:11-12: the grace of God teaches us to say no to ungodliness! No to sin! True grace is the work of the Holy Spirit that changes a person from inside out and not outside in as it was under the law.
HERESIES PERMEATED THE BODY OF CHRIST EVEN 2000 YEARS AGO
Jude 1:4: Godless men were there to undo God’s word 2000 years ago. They were preaching another gospel that we are under grace and therefore we can do whatever we want to, it doesn’t matter. God is going to forgive us anyway. They taught immorality and denied Jesus Christ. They were changing the grace of God and turning it into a license for immorality.
You know what? A great number of people think just because they don’t see immediate judgment from God for their sins, they live under the false notion that God approves of their actions. It doesn’t mean when God delays judgment, He approves your ACTIONS.
Way back 2000 years ago godless man infiltrated into churches and with the doctrine of heresies they influenced the people with such false teachings. You don’t understand the grace of God if you think you can go on sinning and God will keep on forgiving.
“How can we who died to sin still live in it?” In as much as you have been saved from sin through grace, it is not possible that grace should command you to continue in sin. For it is the business of grace to DESTROY SIN.
It’s an error for anyone to minister: “Because you have faith in Christ, even though you continue to sin, you are righteous and saved.” It’s an absolute lie of the devil! You have got it all wrong if you are flowing with such mentality!
Pro 24:24 – He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous;” him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him.
GRACE DOES NOT GIVE YOU A LICENSE TO SIN! IN FACT TRUE GRACE IS THE ENABLING POWER OF GOD TO PRODUCE RIGHTEOUSNESS IN YOU!!
Note: Rev Dr Jai Kumar is an ordained & licensed minister of Covenant Ministries International N.J. USA. He is also the representative of Faith International Bible School for Malaysia & Singapore. He is the founder and senior pastor of Full Gospel Outreach Ministry KL, a member of ECCM, Spiritual Adviser & overseer of Capstone Ministries/Capstone Community Church -C3 (Bangalore); Co-founder and adviser of Kingdom Christian Fellowship, Subang Jaya, he is also the author of a book entitled, ‘God’s Time Clock.’
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