Good Morning Meetpastordan Readers…I am writing to you from the 2020 Café in the Mercy Medical Center in Des Peres, MO. Pam is having the pleasure of a double scope experience today, both endoscopy and colonoscopy, and I’m the designated chauffer. She’s in great spirits so far…but looking forward to having this behind her. (no pun intended 😊)
As I look up at the title line for today’s blog, there is so much vital information contained in that statement that I’m thinking this may be a two-part presentation. The title had its origin in the sub-title of the book, “Victory Over the Darkness” that I use for my class at Grace Church. Grasping the truth found in this title is the difference between being set-free to experience the abundant life Jesus promised, or wondering, “Why am I not getting what I expected when I said ‘Yes’ to God’s Gift of Grace?” (Having just written that question, I realize it can sound rather harsh. But based on my counseling experience, I have met way too many Christians who are still wrapped-up in the same bondages that plagued them before re-birth, and they are impatiently waiting to be set free. In the worse-case scenario, this unfulfilled attitude can lead to doubt: “What’s the use? I can’t live this Christian life!)
Let’s begin by examining what it means to be in Christ. Jesus explained this very clearly to Nicodemus in John 3:3,5-6: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again. No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” Nicodemus didn’t understand that natural birth is of the flesh, meaning that when we are born into this world, we are focused on “self” and the things of this world. But it takes a second birth, a rebirth, for us to enter into the spiritual realm so we can understand and partake of things of the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:17 explains exactly what happens in this process. “We are a new creation in Christ. The old is gone; the new has come.” “The old is gone” means we are no longer slaves to our sin-nature (or human nature, as it is commonly called.) Prior to being in Christ, we just did what came naturally, such as pleasurable things, things that exalted us, or things that fed our ego. “The new has come” means we now have the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to do things we never could do before. (more on that later)
All of this is part of God’s salvation plan that was in place even before the world, and man, were created. We were created for a relationship with Him, and to be of service to our fellow man. Unfortunately, “self” won the first battle in the Garden when the first occupants yielded to temptation. Thankfully, one of His majestic qualities is omnipotence. He knew even before He created us that we were going to veer off the path He laid before us to follow our own desires. Therefore, He already had a plan in place to save us from ourselves, and that plan was for Jesus Christ to be our sacrificial lamb.
Under the Old Covenant, the sacrifice of animals was required to pay the price for people’s sins. “Why”, you ask? Because “blood was the proof of death” or sacrifice. (Hebrews, 9:18) Therefore, “since we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23), each one of us must pay for our sins with blood. That’s not a pleasant thought, right?
Well, because God is a loving, merciful and gracious God, His plan solved the human dilemma, meaning our inability to overcome sin through our own effort. Romans 3:25 tells us that “God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy His anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe (accept) that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His life for us.” This is God’s Gift of Grace because we didn’t earn it, nor did we deserve it. In fact, God didn’t wait for us to become worthy and acceptable in His eyes; He implemented His plan while we were still sinners. (Ref. Romans 5:6)
At the moment we accept God’s Gift of Grace, an instant transformation occurs in us:
- Our sins are forgiven…past sins, present sins and even our future sins. This is essential for us to even qualify for eternal life. God Himself set the standard for us coming into His presence: “For He Himself has said, ‘You must be holy (sin-free, set aside for a sacred purpose) because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) And it tells us in Revelation 21:27 that anyone stained with sin will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
- We inherit eternal life because we are in Christ. “…but the free gift from God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) These two inheritances seal our eternal destiny! The rest describes our new identity in Christ.
- We are filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to accomplish God’s purpose right here, right now. “The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us everything He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people.” (Ephesians 1:14)
- We are worthy and acceptable (justified) in His eyes, not because of anything we did or didn’t do, but because of what Jesus Christ did for us. “We have now received reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:11) He paid our sin-ransom.
- We are grafted into God’s family! We are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, and we have inherited His righteousness. Jesus said: “What you did for one of the least of My brothers and sisters, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40)
- We have a new title; we’re now a Saint. Even when we fall short, God doesn’t count it as sin. Instead, He encourages us to get up and keep marching down the path of Sanctification – becoming more Christ-like. “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” (Romans 8:1) “Why” you ask? Because we’re covered with the blood of Jesus!
- “We are heir to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Jesus Christ!” (Ephesians 1”3) This includes spiritual healing and revelation.
- We are heir to every promise in the Bible because we are in Christ. “And since we are His children, we will share all of His treasures – for everything God gives to his Son, Jesus, is ours too.” (Romans 8:12) How’s this for hitting the spiritual jackpot?
This transformation is referred to as the Great Exchange. We are no longer the same person we were before rebirth because we have been equipped for God’s purpose. But at this point we’re only equipped to be transformed. From this point forward, it is about becoming involved in the process of transformation, and we have to choose to do that. And therein, unfortunately, is the misconception of many Christians.
In counseling sessions, I always ask clients how their lives have changed since rebirth. For too many, that question is difficult to answer. But the commonality is…they all expected things to be different, often described as better, happier, more prosperous, more peaceful, less stress, etc. I liken that perspective to an experience I had with a lady who is also in recovery. For years I have heard her say, “My life is a mess. I’m dealing with this issue or that issue, blah, blah, blah.” But her conclusion has always been the same; “Well, I’m just going to give it over to God.” One day we were walking out of a meeting together and I asked her, “Ann, what do you expect God to do with your problems when you turn them over to Him?” And her answer was exactly what I had expected. “Well, I’m just going to let Him fix things for me.”
Knowing our new identity in Christ should certainly give us a new sense of confidence and courage to face life with a new attitude. I mean, God has certainly outfitted us for success! But for many clients, and for new members in my “Freedom in Christ” class at Grace Church, this information is new, and in some cases, even shocking. That is especially true when it comes to the power we derive from the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a gift from God to empower us to rise above our circumstances, and to be victorious over our flesh, this fallen world, and our formidable enemy, satan. But to be victorious in this Christian journey, we have to understand the power we have and how to use it. That will be part 2 of this mini-series and will be addressed next week.
Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.
May God Bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
(FYI: Pam’s results from her scoping this morning were very good. Thank you, God!)
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