Fighting Discouragement | Wellington G

This message was preached  by Wellington Gomes at Word of Grace Church on March 25th, 2018. Wellington has been a friend of Word of Grace Church for many years. He leads the River of Life Church in Panjim, Goa that belong to the NewFrontiers sphere 'Commission'. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here.

We are going to look at the book of Nehemiah and I want to talk to you about how to deal with discouragement. It is one of Satan’s biggest weapons. We are called to rise up and do what God has called us to do. We all get trapped into discouragement, but we will look at how to get out of it.

Whenever you have a dream from God, the first thing that hits us is problems. Joseph had to go through a huge process before his promise was fulfilled. At first, we get excited about the thing God has called us to do. Then we get discouraged. Then we blame someone. The innocent gets punished and the wrong people get appreciated.

Nehemiah heard from 2 of his guys that the wall of Jerusalem is in a bad shape. He is burdened with this thing. So he made a huge plan to rebuild the walls. The walls are a protection and an identity. So when the wall is destroyed, it means that they were disgraced. Nehemiah builds this at a miracle pace of 52 days. Everyone who has made it big has made it because he persevered through problems. Everyone goes through a struggle.

Nehemiah 2: 17-20 “Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”20 I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.””

The God of heaven will give us success. But these guys did not give up.

Nehemiah 4: 1-3 “When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!””

Discouragement comes in these ways:

1.      Words: People are going to say things to discourage us. When I became a Christian, people ridiculed and challenged me that I will not last more than 5 years in my Christianity. It’s been 30 years and I am as passionate about God! If you can keep your eyes fixed on God and move forward, nothing is impossible with God. Words are the most discouraging thing. Even with your children, don’t put them down using negative words. They will become what you say they are. Always have positive attitude.

2.      When words don’t work, they start using physical threats: I got physically threatened many times. We will see the victory, please don’t give up. Don’t make excuses, get through. Even people who don’t know God work like that. How much more should Christians be determined to go where God has called us to go? There are too many Christians giving up too easily these days. Nehemiah 4:11 “Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.” Did the walls stop? No way!

3.      Sometimes discouragement can come from your own people: we face that all the time. We get a brilliant idea, and someone will say something discouraging. When we come together, say words of faith to one another. If you have a vision, however slow it may be moving, it will come to pass. I told the church when we were 10 people that we are going to reach 1000 people in the city. Now we haven’t reached a 1000 people yet, but our reach is going further and further. I believe the dream God gave me, we are going to get there. If you can trust God, he will be with us.

4.      Send intimidating letters: Today it is whatsapp Messages. Please don’t give up, we have great things in store. The difference between discouragement and disappointment is that you cannot choose disappointment. But discouragement is a choice. Sometimes you wake up not knowing how you are going to run this race.

5.      Exhaustion brings huge discouragement: Elisha faced this. He brought down fire, and then one woman frightened him. if you don’t refresh yourself in the presence of God, you’re going to have a hard time. How did David get back his strength? He found his strength in God. Whether you business is failing or your child is sick, it can change tomorrow. People get burnt out or overwhelmed with the work and can’t find strength to go on. Find your strength in God 

Q. How can you get out of this discouragement?

1.      Get into the presence of God- he will refresh you. Nehemiah 4:4-5 4:9;6:9- In response to the threats, he would go back into the presence of God.

2.      Don’t stop doing what you are called to do: some people even resign from their jobs when they are discouraged. You never make decisions when you are discouraged. We are building the walls of the city and the lives of the people in the city.

3.      Arm yourselves: Nehemiah 4:13- “Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.” Never put your armour down. If the devil comes, you have to have your armour on. Ephesians 6: 10-13 says put on the armour of God. They are not going to take a break. We need to alert, be sharp

4.      Encourage one another: When you reach halfway of any project, that’s when we feel down. We need to be careful we don’t give up at that time.

5.      Be united: this is the toughest one for the church. If you put two Christians on an island, there will be 2 churches in 2 months. If we don’t learn to live with one another, it is a bad testimony. The Bible says, you will know they are Christians by their love one for another. Let’s do everything to guard the unity of the spirit. Let’s fight our battles together.

Hebrews 12:3 “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”. We all go through challenges, but let’s not give up.

  Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Great is your Reward | Colin D

This message was preached  by Colin D'cruz at Word of Grace Church on March 18th, 2018. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here.

In life you will find 2 kinds of teachers. One kind wants to set difficult papers and their aim is to see you falter and fail. They don’t want to see you succeed. They are trying to trip you up. On the other hand there is a teacher who wants to see you succeed exceedingly and gives you the paper at the beginning of the year, and prepares you for everything. One day we will be evaluated by God himself. In the Bible there are 7 different 

judgements.

Revelation 20:11- 15 “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

This is happening at the end of time. Time is linear and it started in eternity past and one day Jesus will come back. Books were open- there were 2 sets of books- one was the book of life and there were other books. Every time we say something, think or do something, God records it in these books.

Like in a court of law, it will be read out. It will not be like any court on earth where justice is perverted. God cannot be cheated. If you have trusted in Jesus, this judgment is not for you. That is the Good News! If you have believed in Jesus as God who rose from the dead our name is written in the Book of Life.

Q. What about Believers?

2 Corinthians 5:10- “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” Here Paul is addressing believers. We have another judgement. We must all appear before Christ.

Romans 14:10 “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.”

There are different judgements- Judgement of the believer and the judgment of the unbeliever.

1.      The great white throne Judgement is not for us. If there is anyone who has not put their trust in Jesus, today is the day of Salvation. No one comes to the Father except through Him.

2.      For those who have put their trust in Him, God has justified us. The righteousness of Jesus is credited to us. We are going to heaven because of what Jesus has done.

3.      We still cannot live any which way we want to... we make it our desire to please God. God’s love for us is unconditional. But we can please him or displease him by how we live. 2 Corinthians 5:9 “So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it”. Colossians 1:10 “so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God”.

At the end of our lives when Jesus comes, He said Revelation 22: 12 ““Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” Our salvation is free. But our rewards are given according to what we have done.

We don’t like that word- Judgement- because we are fearful of what we have done. It is not a judging of our sins. Our sins have been judged on the cross. But this is like an appraisal and evaluation. He is going to evaluate and give bonus’ to everyone who has worked. The word of this Judgement seat “bima” is taken from the victory stand at athletics. The Good News is that we will all get our turn. Everyone will be rewarded. God wants to bless us, so we will stand before this judgement seat of Christ- not to bring up our sin, it is dealt with, but to reward us for the good things we do in obedience.

Q. If the next 24 hours of your life will determine the next 100 years, how would you live?  

How we live on earth will determine our entire eternity. Jesus is the kind of teacher who wants us to succeed and so he wants to show us how we can earn our rewards. 1 Corinthians 3: 1- 4 “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?”

There are 2 kinds of Christians- baby Christians and mature Christians. Baby Christians are worldly, and can’t handle solid food.

1 Corinthians 3: 5-9 “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

Paul is asking them to be united because we are all God’s fellow workers and have a role to play. Each will be rewarded.

1 Corinthians 3:10 “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it.”

The foundation in a believers’ life is laid and each one has to be careful how he builds. The foundation of our Christian walk is Jesus. Now we have a responsibility to build well.

1 Cor 3: 12-15  “If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

You are saved. Now God says, build on what I have given you. Different measure has been given to each of us. It will be revealed with fire. In our lives, that is what is going to happen. At the judgment seat, how we lived our lives will be tested by fire.

How we live our lives is being recorded. As we live, we are building a house. On that day, if it is burnt up, we will escape from the house just as one escaping the fire. Paul is encouraging them to live in such a way that we will get rewards. This is the final exam.

One day our lives will be evaluated.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”

God will judge not just our deeds but the motives of their hearts. We may even do good things, but if the motive is wrong, it is burnt up. We want to live in such a way that we are building with gold, silver and precious stones. When we stand before that throne, there is going to be a fair judgement. We will be individually judged.

1.      Matthew 5:11-12 ““Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Q. Have you faced injustice?

When that happens, you are blessed, because our rewards will be great in heaven. We need to keep our perspective.

Luke 14:12-14

2.      Hospitality- we can have friends who are similar to us. We invite them and enjoy each others company. But invite those who cannot repay you back. When you do that, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. It is so important to extend hospitality to those who cannot repay you. Even a cup of cold water, a meal, will give you eternal reward.

3.      We maybe in a situation where you are not being recognised and rewarded justly. Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” You work faithfully for a horrible boss and do your job well. You may not be rewarded in the company, but one day before the judgement seat of Christ, you will be rewarded.

4.      Matthew 6:6- Praying and fasting; giving

Jesus wants to reward you- that is His heart. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Our job is to ask God what are the good works he has given for you to do. There is a whole list of good works. We need to keep our eyes on the rewards. Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”

Q. How did Paul live in view of all this? 

1 Corinthians 9:24- 27 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

The Christian life is not a cake walk, it is a race. It is a thing of endurance. We have to put in effort. We have to train- not try. You will not lose your reward. For those who are weary and tires, do not lose heart. If we persevere, we will receive a reward.

I pray that our mind will be changed and we look at every opportunity to gain this reward. Let’s pray.

  Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Grace and Rewards | Colin D

This message was preached  by Colin D'cruz at Word of Grace Church on March 11th, 2018. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here.

Grace- God’s amazing Grace towards us- Sometimes we can have a partial understanding of Grace and that is a misunderstood. Romans 8:29- 30 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”. In eternity past, God chose us to be a part of His family. Our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life before the foundation of the world. We are a blessed and privileged people. As a result of that calling, we were justified.

Justification is being declared righteous. There is nothing we can do to take away the penalty of our sins. But because of justification, we are as righteous as Jesus because his righteousness has been credited to us. We are not sinners but saints. In all the epistles, the believers are referred to as Saints. That is the beauty of grace. When we look at our brothers and sisters, we need to look at them as saints, because that’s what we are in God’s sight. The message of grace is so liberating.

But we see that from time to time we do sin. Then we looked at Hebrews 9:14- “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”. In the Old Testament, they sacrificed a lamb, but for us Jesus’ blood was shed. So we look at the blood of Jesus and we remember two things:

1.      There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Hell is not an option. The Israelited coming out of Egypt crossed the Red Sea and their adversaries were killed once and for all. So, no going back to Egypt. The same way, the gates of Hell are shut for us.

2.      For those he has justified, he will also be glorify? No, he has glorified. In God’s sight it is as good as done. So, nothing we do can change that fact. 

Q. So does it matter how we live today?

Yes. But why?

Many Christians live under the belief that now that we are saved, we do not need to do anything else. They think “Let me eat, drink and be merry”. Or do whatever is the basic minimum we need to do as Christians. We can live like that and miss out on what God has in store for us. They are called carnal Christians.

We think Salvation is only about going to heaven. But it is much more than a ticket to go heaven. Heaven is great but more than that, he wants to lavish his grace and blessings more than we can ask or imagine. God has a bigger plan for us. He has got in store for us a great inheritance that is available to us. The difference between inheritance and salvation is that salvation is free but you earn your inheritance.

Q. When we get to heaven, will all believers have the same glorified bodies, the same responsibilities and privileges?

That is not true. There are many things that are the same:

1.      We will be free from sin

2.      We will see Jesus and be like Him.

3.      There will be no more death, sin and sickness

But God speaks about rewards in heaven. There are 5-6 crowns mentioned in the Bible. Heaven is not a destination, it is a starting point. In heaven we will be rewarded with an inheritance based on what we have lived on earth.

Q. So, is God pleased with me or is there something else that needs to be done?

Yes, he is pleased with us to be justified. In Christ, we are justified. But throughout scripture we see that there are things that please God and things that don’t please God.

We can displease God. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, the Bible says. On the other hand there are things we can do to please Him.

·        2 Corinthians 5: 9-10 Paul writing says, “whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him”. He wouldn’t say that if we automatically please God. There is some way we behave that pleases God and doesn’t please Him.

·        Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship”. The way we use our bodies we can use it to sacrifice to Jesus, not do it.

·        Colossians 1:10-“so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,” there are ways of living in which we are not pleasing God. There could be 2 Christians, both loved by God, going to heaven, but one is growing in the knowledge of God and producing fruit, but one is not. God is more pleased with the one who is growing in the knowledge of God and producing fruit. 

·        Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” When children obey, it pleases God.

·        1 Thessalonians 4:1 “As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living.”

·        1 Timothy 5:4 “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” when we care for parents, it is pleasing to God.

·        Hebrews 11:6-“Without faith it is impossible to please God”

·        John 8:29- “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him”. Jesus learned to please God.

Grace is marvellous- God accepts us, our sins are forgiven and our destiny is heaven. But we can still be living lives that are not pleasing to God. The Father will discipline a child, but won’t disown him. If God doesn’t discipline us, we are illegitimate children. He will not cut us off from himself, but we can displease him and then he will discipline us. God gives us commands and when we do that we are more pleasing to God than one who does not do it.

We are not trying to earn the Father’s love, we are not trying to prove ourselves or repay Jesus for anything. The Father loves us, but how we live determines whether we please God or displease Him.

John Piper says “Christians are confusing this understanding justification by overextending its meaning.” God is equally accepting everyone, but is not equally pleased with everyone.

Inheritance: 

Imagine a rich businessman who adopts a lot of children who were poor and on the streets. He takes them in, feeds and clothes them. But when it comes to passing on his business empire, who will he choose?

He will choose the one who is most qualified to take it and do something good with it. That is a logical thing to do. This is what God has done for us. He has given a great inheritance for us. There is some authority that God will give us in heaven. Our time here is a test. Based on how we do on earth, we will be rewarded in heaven.

Revelation 22:12 ““Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” He didn’t say to give to each one equally, but according to what we have done. He has placed us in a way that we can do something. We will be rewarded far more than what we have done. We have to make the best use of our time and resources.

Jesus said, even for giving someone a glass of cold water, we are assured rewards in heaven. Invite those who can’t invite you back. The Bible is full of rewards. When we serve God’s church, we will surely get a reward.

Hebrews 13:16 “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Q. How are you living as a Christian?

God wants to give you far more than just taking you to heaven. Apostle Paul says, in 1 Cor 15:10-11 “”. Paul worked harder, to please God. Don’t confuse Justification with pleasing to God.

Based on how we live, we will be given a glorified body. 1 Corinthians 15:41-42 “The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable”.  When we go to heaven we will not be equal. There will be some things that are the same, but how we live determines the kind of resurrection bodies we will have.

Hebrews 11: 35 “There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.” they were being tortured for their faith, but they didn’t mind it because they wanted to gain a better resurrection.

Matthew 5:11-12 ““Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” 

If you are suffering today and being persecuted for the sake of the gospel, be glad because your reward in heaven is going to be great.

How are you running? What are the changes you need to make in your life to get the grace gifts that he wants to give it to us?

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

What Grace is this? | Colin D

This message was preached  by Colin D'cruz at Word of Grace Church on March 4th, 2018. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here.

The grace of God is amazing. Today we are going to cover one aspect of the Grace of God. Many people use that word without understanding what it means. Let’s pray.

I am speaking to people who have trusted in Jesus. There is common grace which is available to all people. The Bible says that he makes it rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. We don’t need to believe in him to receive this grace. But there is something called as God’s special grace which is available to those who have put their faith in him. If you are a worshipper of Jesus, you have received God’s special grace.

1.      We have been Chosen by Grace: John 15:16 “You did not choose me but I chose you”. What does that mean? For every believer we are chosen by grace. In Romans 8:29, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified”. God at some point in time chose you. 

     

     Ephesians 1:4 “He chose us in Him before the creation of this world”. Before anything came into existence, God chose you. Revelation 17:8 “the inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written at the creation of the world”. It is not through anything we have done or anything good in us. It is like with Noah where he was chosen and the rest were drowned. Abraham who was an idol worshipper was chosen and through him the whole Jewish race became God’s people.

2.      We have been Saved by Grace: Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” We have been saved by God’s grace. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. Every other religion prescribes things to do for the salvation of their souls. But with God there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. There are only 2 religions in the world. One says, “do” and Christianity says “done”. All we do is to put our faith in Jesus and repent of our sins. 2 Corinthians 5:17. 

    

    We have been Justified by Grace. God the judge looks at you and Satan brings accusations to him. Jesus our advocate says that He has paid for our sins and God says, “okay, not guilty”. All the righteousness of Christ has been transferred to our account. 2 Corinthians 5:11-12 “Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.” If Jesus only forgave our sins, we would not be punished. But by transferring His righteousness to us, He has made us as righteous as Himself. Today we can come boldly before the presence of God because we are in Christ. In the Old Testament people could not enter the presence of God. In Davids time Uza touched the ark of the covenant and immediately died because he was not Holy.

3.      We are being Sanctified by Grace: God is changing us to become what we are positionally. God wants to change us to go from one degree of glory to another. With just the word and the spirit, transformation is difficult. It is in community that sanctification is worked out. God has given us the church so that we become more and more like Jesus. Romans 6: 12- 13 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” So we give ourselves for holy tasks. So we become in practice what he has declared us in position. Every perfect Christian is a dead Christian. Billy Graham is perfect now. 

4.      We are cleansed by Grace: Firstly, we are now Saints and not sinners. We have to change that mindset. We were sinners and now we are saints. In some Christian traditions only people who are dead were called saints. But we are all saints here and now.  Sometimes we plan to sin and sometimes we sin without thinking.

Q. What is your first reaction when you sin?

You feel regret. It is called guilt.

There is so much technological advancement. But science and technology has not been able to solve the problem of a guilty conscience. In the Old Testament you had to bring a sin offering. The priest would examine the offering. Leviticus 1:10- the animal had to be without blemish or fault. That is the standard of offering things to God.

Q. Who did the high priest examine?

The offering and not the one who sinned

Hebrews 9: 11-12 “But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” The things that happened in the Old Testament is the shadow of the reality. The reality is found in Christ. 

Hebrews 9:13 “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” So their conscience was not cleaned. They were only ceremonially clean. But here is the secret. It is only the blood of Jesus that can clear our guilty conscience. So we go to Jesus and cover ourselves with the blood of Jesus. We ask forgiveness, we repent, we turn away. The blood of Jesus cleanses our conscience.

The devil is the accuser and accuses us of our sin. But the blood of Jesus is enough to deal with sin completely. When we sin, we go to God immediately.   

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.

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