Ever been asked what your 'sign' is?

What is my sign?
I’m glad you asked!

My sign is a crossV
where my perfect Savior, Jesus, paid for all my sin so I could have a perfect eternal life with Him the moment I believed or put my faith, faith that He gave me by His grace, in Him alone.

Also, I have a second sign. A large round stone
˜
that was rolled away from the empty tomb so all could see that Jesus had risen from the dead and is alive; that proves in Jesus I have victory over sin in my life and that one day I will be given a new resurrected body and be with Jesus forever.
So, what is your sign?
Many today look to signs forbidden in the Bible, signs from our fallen creation or that they themselves have made; following planets or some statue or other image of their god. All these and all leaders of religions (mans attempts to reach God) are DEAD and have no power to save you or forgive your sin. If God is drawing you to Himself, tugging at your gut, the give your life to God now and let Him give you a new life in Christ! Jesus paid the penalty owed for your sin and is live right now and is able and willing to forgive you and give you a new eternal life. (John 3:16-18, Ephesians 2:8-10)
If you need to know more or need help as you begin this journey of the life of a Christ follower please message me.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18 (NASB)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB)
“And they answered, Believe in [that is give yourself up to Him, trust Him to save you and rely on Him for life day by day and for eternity] the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” Acts 16:31

Show your faith by your love, discipleship & your deeds ...

Salvation is by GRACE through FAITH alone, but it leads to love of God which leads to obedience from a loving grateful heart!
Put feet to your faith and show your faith by your love, your discipleship of them and your deeds ...

By grace alone, through faith alone

Once you add anything to faith, it becomes 'works' and the works of the law cannot save you. Only believing in Jesus can do that. Jesus took care of sin once and for all on the cross.
Believe and then you can obey by the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in you.

(Sunday we will look at what saving faith produces)

Be known as one who TRUST GOD!

What character traits do people think of when they hear your name?
Do you recognize these names?
Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, Geuel are names most will not recognize and when I remind you who they are your thoughts will most likely be negative.

These 10 men looked at obstacles and giants as problems and sources of fear, but two other men were with them and they saw the same things, but through eyes and with a heart that trusted in God. Caleb and Joshua and those above were the 12 spies sent out into Canaan to see what this land looked like, how fertile it was, what the strengths of their enemies were and to bring back a sample of the fruit.

All 12 of these men were leaders in their tribe and all saw the same thing. They brought back a cluster of grapes so big it had to be carried on a pole between two men (Numbers 13), and all were impressed with the land.

Ten whose names we don’t remember saw it and said that “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit; Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak (giants) there.” Numbers 13:27-28

Joshua and Caleb saw the giants, the fortified cities and the numbers of the enemy, but they kept their focus on God and they trusted Him. Have this same character that loves and trust God. If your eyes become fixed on your problems then you will be defeated or not even get into the battle. If you believe the promise you can see victory. Caleb said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” Numbers 13:30

God had PROMISED this land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) and their descendants with an unconditional promise over and over and Joshua and Caleb believed the promise. They believed God is able and that He would provide the victory.
Jesus, by the cross and resurrection, brought us victory and freedom. Freedom to love and obey Him and to go in and possess the blessings He says we have.

“…His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1:3

In Christ there is victory with obedience just as once Joshua took the people into the land of Cana. There are battles and it wasn’t easy and there were failures when they sinned, but there was the possession of the promise when they listened to God and obeyed Him. You can have a life of freedom and victory if you will love, trust, listen and obey God now. Jesus said that if we love Him we WILL obey Him (John 14:15), so if you have a problem with your problems, find out where you are not loving and trusting and obeying God. Get to know and love Him and watch what He does in and through you as you walk in what He has for you (Eph. 2:10).

Let your name be known as a man or woman of God who knows Him and whose character reflects the God that lives in you!

Improve communication with God & spouse

Want to improve your communication with your wife or husband?

Be sure your communication with God is not being disrupted.

 “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” 1 Peter 3:7

The message here is not that men are stronger than women, but that husbands are to treat their wives with understanding, with respect and be thoughtful; treat your wife with honor as your equal partner in God’s gift of your new life in Christ. If you don’t, it will stand in the way of your prayers. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,” (Ephesians 5:25).

Men, next to the gift of Jesus, God’s gift to you of a wife is the most wonderful gift there is; she is one with you! “He who finds a wife finds a good thing And obtains favor from the LORD.” (Proverbs 18:22)

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24
Jesus & Paul both quote this in Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:8 and Ephesians 5:31

Want to have a good prayer life?
Want to have a good marriage?

Want to obey God?
Then love and honor your wife and treat her with respect, protection and as more important than yourself.

Women, want that type of husband, then learn to respect your husband.

“Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33)

 

Know what is yours in Christ & by faith put it to use

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” Ephesians 1:3

If we are IN CHRIST, then what keeps us from exercising and enjoying our spiritual blessings that we get the moment we believe?

The language of this portion of this long sentence (v3-14 is one long sentence) indicates that we are to bless God and that everything we need to live spiritually was provided for us as part of God’s plan and creation.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty points out that “Since these benefits have already been bestowed on believers, they should not ask for them but rather appropriate them by faith. Similarly Joshua was not to ask for land since God had already promised it to him (Josh. 1:3-4). But he was to enter into the enjoyment of that provision.”

Charles Stanley said about this, “unfortunately we, like the Ephesians, sometimes live as spiritual paupers because we focus on the mechanics of Christianity instead of a relationship with the Lord”.

Walking with God is about relationship, the relationship you entered the moment you believed in Jesus and He forgave your sin and gave you a new life as a child of God. As a Believer, a Christ Follower, you were adopted as a child of God with all rights of a family member (John 1:12, Eph. 1:11). Jesus is your Savior, your Lord and friend (John 15:15) and “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1:3

It is up to you to learn to use or exercise your gifts, blessing and rights. Learn, not by trying or doing things, but learn truth so you can by faith trust and BE. Be who and what you are in Christ. Believe you are what God says you are and that you have what He says you have; then trust Him enough to obey and let Him work in and through you.

All this takes time, time with God in prayer and Bible study to get to know Him better so that you can trust and love God. Then you can learn to allow God to use you and work through you. Like a perfect little baby that is born with all that he needs to one day run a race, you have to learn who and what you are as that new creation, and grow. First it may be learning to roll over, to crawl, to stand, to take a step or two, then to walk and then to run. After that it takes continual training to run faster and farther and build endurance. Your strength to run comes from the food you eat for energy; first the breast, then soft food and one day solid meat. The child gets his strength from outside himself just as we rely on our strength that comes provided by God and not self effort. It is God at work in you (Phil. 2:13) both to will and to do.

Apply yourself, train and trust and obey so that you can live a life of freedom from the position of victory and so that you can as walk in His power, will and love as “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10”.

Cooperate with God in what He wants to do with you and through you. All your spiritual blessings are secured in Heaven by God and are yours because of what Jesus did for you. It isn’t you or your doing that allows you to see God use you, but by faith obeying God and claiming that which is already yours in Christ!

No need to find goats to kill...

Why do we want to keep killing the goat?
In Leviticus 16, Aaron, the high priest, had to make sacrifice for his own sin before he could offer a sacrifice for the people and every year on the Day of Atonement it had to be done over every year. “Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins;…”v21

Jesus being both man and God and living a perfect life was able to offer himself once and for all as the perfect sacrifice. He had no sin of His own to pay for, but God “made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21and His death was one time for all. Those who believe in Him receive the pardon He purchased when He died on that cross; then He rose from the grave in victory over sin and death for us too.

“For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” Romans 6:10 (NASB)
“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;” 1 Peter 3:18 (NASB)

No more works are necessary to pay for sin! There is no need for you and I to keep trying to make up for, do penance or in any way atone for our own sin. We do not have to deal with the penalty of sin because Jesus took care of it perfectly! We do live in a sinful world and in a body that has a sin nature, our flesh, so we do need to deal with what the Bible calls our Sanctification; our day to day being conformed to the image of Jesus.

Just as we were saved by GRACE, we need to live moment by moment by Grace too! We are alive spiritually as a new creation in Christ but we can choose to live by sight and in the flesh rather than by faith. When we do, we are as useless spiritually as a light touch on a green broke horse. Just as he has to learn what you want in order to respond to soft subtle cues, we have to study the Word and spend time with God growing so we can listen to that “still small voice” and so that we will have a habit of obedience.

Don’t spend time trying to overcome sins, but instead accept the finished work of Jesus on the cross as being complete and resist temptation with the Word and with the knowledge you are righteous in Christ. If you do choose to sin, then right away confess it and begin to get back to living as the forgiven child of the most high God that you are! We have victory in Christ and we need to act like it. The more you understand that the victory is yours already because of what Jesus did, the easier it becomes. Too often we are fooled by our flesh into looking at sin rather than our Savior.

If I sin it can break my fellowship with God, but it has no effect on what Jesus did and my relationship by grace through faith that I have being in Christ; THAT is based on what He did and the grace of God.

“so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” Hebrews 9:28

As one who has a certain future and hope based on Jesus’ work and not mine, I can live eager, never fearful to see Him return. I can be thankful and not fret and my thankful heart will lead me to love and obey.

The “goat is dead” and the perfect sacrifice is made. Believe and live by faith. Faith will produce works and they will be the works that Jesus has for you to do and wants to do through you. (Eph. 2:8-10, 2 Cor.5:17) Be the new creation you are in Christ!