November 21, 2014

 

Let's get right to it as we pick up where we left off last week. As a reminder let me begin with the theme of this series from Hebrews 6:1-3:

 

Hebrews 6:1-3, RAC Translation & Amplification: Therefore, and as a consequence, it is critically important that we forsake [what Jesus has already eradicated from existence] the beginnings and commencement of the [initiating] Word of the Anointed One and His Anointing (Jesus Christ), Let us move forward energetically to the place of completion and consummation; not laying down [or setting in front of you as a continual requirement] the legalistic requirement to repent, and re-do your thought processes concerning the old, dead works and requirements of the Law [as though it were necessary in order to attain redemption from past sins or iniquities], under the guise that this builds faith in and toward God, the line-upon-line, precept-upon-precept instruction in the purification processes in baptisms, the necessity of laying on of hands (for impartation or conveyance of power), [the foundational truth that Jesus provides] resurrection from the dead and cancelation of the curse of death, and — finally — the understanding and revelation of the judgment and decrees that exist throughout the eternity of the eternities.

 

And this is what we will be enabled to do conditional upon God’s transfer of authority, granting license and liberty to move past these foundations.

Last week we were talking about what I've come to call "the grace of faith toward God" and I'd like to resume the discussion where we paused in talking about the sequence in God's economy that unfolds as grace does its work.

 

Last week we said that grace is the empowerment to deal with sin. Grace is given to bring us to the gift of faith. The gift of faith comes when we hear the Word. Once we hear the Word of faith, truth penetrates our spirit. When that takes place, grace has done its job. Grace brings us to the truth. Faith takes over and grace is no longer needed.

Grace is only needed until we come to the truth which is infused into our beings by faith. Consider something that John writes in his gospel -- and he says it twice:

 

John 1:14, KJV: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

 

John 1:17, KJV: For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus IS full of grace. It is inherent in His nature and character. Jesus also said that He IS the Truth!

 

John 14:6, KJV: Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

Consider, if you will, how faith and grace are so intertwined in the Word.

 

Romans 4:16, KJV: Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.

 

Ephesians 2:5-8, KJV: Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

 

Romans 11:5-6, KJV: Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

 

Galatians 3:22-26, AMP: But the Scriptures [picture all mankind as sinners] shut up and imprisoned by sin, so that [the inheritance, blessing] which was promised through faith in Jesus Christ (the Messiah) might be given (released, delivered, and committed) to [all] those who believe [who adhere to and trust in and rely on Him].

 

Now before the faith came, we were perpetually guarded under the Law, kept in custody in preparation for the faith that was destined to be revealed (unveiled, disclosed), So that the Law served [to us Jews] as our trainer [our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us] until Christ [came], that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by and through  faith.

But now that the faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer (the guardian of our childhood). For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.

 

Galatians 5:5-6, KJV: For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

And now we’ve added a third element to the working of grace and faith: love — agape!

Ephesians 3:17-19, AMP: May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

 

That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

 

[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

 

Now you’re beginning to see what I’m referring to. I don’t want to drag this out unnecessarily, but we often think of grace as a gift from God, and yet that’s not exactly accurate. Grace is the empowerment so that faith can be given to us as the gift, which in turn enables us to hear and respond to the beckoning of Holy Spirit — both when we are drawn to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus, AND as we respond to the rhema which spurs our continuing growth and development in the knowledge and character of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Whewww!! That was a mouthful, I know, but let me go back to Ephesians 2:8 and re-amplify it for you from the Greek so that it becomes clearer.

 

“For it is through the direct influence (grace) and drawing of Holy Spirit that you are saved, healed, delivered, made whole, protected and made to prosper, through and by means of faith, and that faith doesn’t come because you willed it or made a decision in your mind (humon): it is the sacrificial gift — a present — of and from Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” (RAC Translation & Amplification)

 

In case you think I’m mistranslating this, take a look at John 6:44-45:

 

“No man can come to me except Father, who has dispatched and sent me, draw him like a magnet: and I will raise on high and Glorify Father at the final end.

 

“It has been written by the prophets, And they shall, everyone, be communicated to and instructed by God. Every man, accordingly, that has heard and learned of Father comes to, and accompanies me.” (RAC Translation & Amplification)

 

I don’t want to start splitting hairs or get into some doctrinal disagreements with everyone over this but except for the way that some English translations have dealt with Ephesians 2:8, both of the current Jewish Bibles (the CJB and the OJB) treat faith as the gift from God — NOT the grace. Grace, once again, is the pure and un-earned favor of God. It is the influencing factor, the empowerment that comes into our being which enables faith to hear and function so that we can respond to the Lord.

 

Faith toward God is elemental in the foundation-laying that takes place as we move from teknon to huios. The phenomenal thing about this faith is that not only does it enable us to hear and respond to the Lord in the first place (Romans 10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.), it is also the divine, supernatural transporter mechanism which enables us to receive our healing, our deliverance, our safety and protection, our wholeness, our provision and resulting prosperity.

 

Hebrew 11:6, KJV: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

 

We could take this subject a whole lot farther, but let's consider the essence of how faith towards God actually operates. Here’s how Paul, writing to the Romans, puts it:

 

Romans 10:8-10, NASB {with my amplification): "But what does it say (in Deuteronomy 30:14)? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, because if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, [until he comes to the result of] righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses to [agreeing with God], [until he comes to ] the result of salvation.”

 

We've quoted a whole lot of Scripture this time, but this is a critical foundation that must be laid in our lives. We don't go on into the deeper things of God without this foundation.

 

It may seem rather redundant to many Christians for me to be covering these topics -- particularly for those who have walked with the Lord for many years, but it is amazing to me to see how little these foundations have actually been properly laid in the lives of many professing believers.

 

With the onslaught of so many attacks on the Biblical foundations of this nation and the attempt to liberalize -- excuse me, this isn't liberalizing, this is flat out lying by ministers and denominational leaders and pretending that God's Word permits these aberrations and abominations -- the Word in such a way as to condone homosexuality, lesbian lifestyles, bi-sexual and transgender activities, pretending that this is completely normal and acceptable in God's sight.

 

And that says nothing about the wholesale murder of the unborn all in the name of convenience and "a woman's choice," as though women have the right to commit murder against the children they have willingly and knowingly by their sexual promiscuity brought into their wombs.

 

NONE of this would be permitted and tolerated in our society if the body of Christ actually had all these foundations laid in their lives. If indeed we are to go on beyond to the kind of perfection and maturity that the Lord Jesus Christ seeks in His Bride, then it becomes more than critical that God's people understand what it means to have a foundation of repentance from dead works, to understand what faith really is, and that it isn't the name of some religious organization -- and I'll come to the rest of it in a minute.

 

Unfortunately, "faith" is treated today in much of the body of Christ as a noun -- NOT as a supernatural impartation that comes with the voice and the Word of God being spoken into one's being. There is no such thing as "the Christian faith." There is no such thing as "the Buddhist faith." There is no such thing as "Mormon faith." There is no such thing as "Muslim faith." In fact, Islam isn't really a religion at all; it is a political philosophy with religious overtones.

We could go on and on and on and on -- and you get the idea!

 

"Faith" doesn't identify a church or a denomination or a religion. Faith is a gift of God which enables us to hear His Word and obey Him implicitly. Churches today have compromised the Word, right along with our political leaders, in trying to identify church organizations, denominations and religions as some kind of "faith." It is a flat-out lie of Satan to steer people astray and water down what God is saying to His people!

 

It's kind of ironic, and yet it is absolutely true. Isaiah prophesied that the Glory of the Lord would begin to manifest as never before in the midst of the kind of perversity we see in the earth today. That's where we are, folks! God is about to show up on the scene with His Glory being manifested in a people who will not compromise His Word, and whose passion for the Lord Jesus Christ knows no bounds whatever!

 

Let's call it a day for today and take up the doctrine of baptisms next week.

 

Again, if you are in need of healing -- especially if you have some terminal disease or prognosis of a very short time to live from the doctors -- please join our prayer conference calls on either Monday or Wednesday of each week at 7:00 PM Eastern. Once again, the number to call is (805) 399-1000. Then enter the access code: 124763#. To get into the queue for prayer, when Randy opens the call up for everyone, hit *6-1 on your keypad. Let us minister to your need for healing!

 

Blessings on you!