anointing7
The Anointing Message
Chapter 7 - The Gospel of Grace (Acts 20:24).
1. RIGHTEOUSNESS is the door to life, peace and joy (Romans 14:17, 5:1,2,5,2).
2. The main issue for man is how to find righteousness (right-standing with God). Only then can he have peace.
3. There 2 exclusive WAYS - by our WORKS or by God’s GRACE.
You either earn it (save yourself) or receive it as a gift (grace) by
faith. The WAY of GOD is grace through faith. The WAY OF MAN is to seek
to JUSTIFY HIMSELF by his own goodness, to earn the blessing. All works
with this motive are DEAD WORKS.
4. God gave the LAW to bring man to the END of his self-righteousness. We must come to point where we realise we can’t save ourselves by our works (Galatians 2:16) and look for another way. “We have before proved ..all under sin (in Romans 1 and 2).
‘There’s none righteousness, no, not one’ (Romans 3:9,10).
“the
things the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in
His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (v19,20). We must come to an end in trusting our works, to fully embrace God’s way (Galatians 3:22).
5. God’s WAY of Grace was revealed in CHRIST and His GOSPEL.
‘I’m
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to all who believe...For in it the righteousness of God is
revealed from faith to faith: as it’s written, ‘The just shall live by
faith’ (Romans 1:16,17).
“Now the righteousness of God (not man) apart
from the law is manifested...even the righteousness of God.... by faith
of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is
no difference: For all have sinned....(that’s why we can’t save ourselves). Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that’s in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:21-24). ‘Where is boasting then? It is excluded ...So we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law”. (v27,28).
“Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith
of Jesus Christ, even we who have believed in Jesus Christ, that we
might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the
law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified”. (Galatians
2:16). (Also Romans 10:4, Ephessians 2:8,9).
It’s the GOSPEL of GRACE -
a revelation of salvation by grace through faith, apart from works. God
shows man the end of his way - the cross (curse - Galatians 3:13,14)
and shows us His way (opened by his blood and resurrection - life).
This life paid for by the blood is available freely to all who believe.
The gospel is ‘Christ has done the work, he has died and rose again,
only believe and receive his life, available now through the Spirit’
6. DEPENDING ON YOUR WORKS CUTS YOU OFF FROM GOD’S GRACE
The 2 ways are incompatible. This is why many fail to receive the
benefits of the gospel. The gospel isn’t just for ENTRY but is the
BASIS for the whole Christian life. (The gospel is for the saved and
unsaved). The kingdom operates through faith. Trying man’s way cuts off
from grace. We enter by grace, a death blow to our pride, and must
continue the same way).
*1. If you trust in yourself, you can’t trust in Christ alone.
Your FAITH hands are filled with your works (faith is simply the hands
receiving the free gift). We fail to receive for 2 reasons:
(1) IGNORANCE - of the facts of the Gospel
(2) UNBELIEF
- not trusting in Christ fully (but in self). We must transfer our
trust from the CHAIR of our works to sit in the chair of Christ and His
work. To receive the Gospel blessings, we must remove the barrier of
our dead works and TRUST CHRIST ALONE and receive salvation as a
FREE-GIFT. It’s easy to receive when our hands are not filled by our
dead works. The extent we abandon our self-righteousness, is the extent
we can receive GRACE. People find it hard to believe and receive when
looking at their own works rather than Christ on the cross. (Romans
10:1-4).
*2. For it to be a free-gift, God can’t allow you to earn it
(or it wouldn't be free). He refuses to give His blessings other than
on a free-gift basis. He only operates on the basis of grace. (Romans
6:23). “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. But
if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more
work”. (Romans 11:6). Take your pick! If you add any work - its not grace. (Galatians 2:21. 5:4).
*3. It’s an insult to God when He offers us a FREE-GIFT and we want to pay Him with our filthy rags!
If we try to earn or pay for our salvation we are
saying the Cross is not enough. Holding to our works is an insult to
the cross, saying it’s not a finished work (unbelief). In pride we want
to add something. “I don’t frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Galatians 2:21).
*4. The more you try to justify yourself - the further you go from God in pride.
We’re piling up sin. The CROSS was God’s final verdict on MAN and his
WAY. We crucified the Perfect One. Our sin and dead works were nailed
to the cross and condemned. It marked the END of man’s efforts. If we
accept His verdict, we receive Grace in new resurrection life. We die
to ourselves our own righteousness and rise to a new-life God’s way.
7. The necessary RESPONSE to the gospel is faith and repentance. GRACE is how we’re saved and it’s the basis for life in the kingdom. ‘Repentance from dead works and faith toward God” (Hebrews
6:1) are required to receive it. They are 2 sides of the same coin.
To
believe we must repent of unbelief (trusting in self rather than in
God). To ‘REPENT is to CHANGE our MIND (valuation) about DEAD WORKS.
“The things (used to promote, justify myself) were
gain to me, I counted loss for Christ... and do count them, but DUNG,
that I may win Christ.... not having my own righteousness (of my works) but....the righteousness of God by faith”
(Philippians 3:7-9).
If we value them highly, we’ll spend time,
attention and energy on them. But if we see them as DUNG (worthless,
disgusting and harmful) we’ll stop presenting them to God and throw
then away! We won’t treasure or trust in them. LET GO YOUR DUNG
(devalue it) and LAY HOLD of GRACE. The repentance needed is to devalue
our self-efforts. Accept God’s conclusion - it’s all sin. A necessary
part of receiving God’s promise is to stop trying to earn it. Repent
and accept God’s way then you’ll receive His gift easily.
8. CHRISTIAN LEGALISM is a major problem, coming from a
lack of revelation of the gospel. Man’s way is so ingrained in our
flesh that preachers often say. ‘DO THIS to keep God’s love, approval
and significance’. We need to build our Christian life upon a
foundation of grace not works.
Legalistic churches
(1) Make certain works a requirement for full entry into the kingdom and their church (baptism, giving up certain things, be in our group, etc)
(2) Put Christians under laws in order for them to qualify for
blessing and God’s love. Paul faced this. The Judaisers wanted to make
circumcision a requirement for entry Christians under the law. Pail was
amazed the Galatians had turned from the grace of Christ to legalism
and called down a curse on anyone who preaches a false Gospel of FAITH + WORKS
for salvation (Galatians 1:6-10). In pride we love to add our works to
earn God’s blessing, so we can boast, but God’s way excludes boasting.
Marks of being in legalism are -
(1) Pride in my performance feeling superior to lesser Christians who don’t follow my rules so well.
(2) Focused on externals (God looks on the heart).
(3) Easily hurt and upset by criticism (insecure), for their self-worth depends on their performance.
(4) They find it hard to receive grace.
(5) Despair at failure.
9. Once we see God’s grace we realise we don't need our dead works.
He’s already done the work. We don’t have to earn God’s love and
righteousness - it’s ours for the receiving. It’s nothing to do with us
and everything to do with God. We’re designed to live from a well-spring of grace.
Until we 1st receive God’s unconditional love we can’t truly love.
Babies in Romania left without love and touch have something lacking in
their brain and their behaviour is destructive.
Our DEAD WORK behaviour patterns include:
(1) Trying to find our meaning and security in relationships.
Depending on people gives no real security and puts strain on
relationships. It’s better to be secure in God and base the
relationship on our giving rather than on our need to receive it. The
need to control and possess others comes from insecurity.
(2) Worry (not believing in God’s love)
(3) Self-assertion for approval and significance, always trying to impress, blowing one’s own trumpet.
(4) Judging, putting others down.
(5) Self-depreciation - used in order to cause others to affirm us.
(6) Trying too hard over-ambition, working to prove our worth and significance. The purpose of the Sabbath was to rest in God’s grace, remembering He created us and everything we have came from Him. It was given, so after working all week we don’t think our work makes us - it’s God’s grace. It’s given so we don’t trust in our works but in the God who made is and gives us grace.
(7) Strange behaviour to get attention.
(8) Drugs and escapism
to fill the vacuum of lack of love. God’s grace brings righteousness,
peace, security and joy of acceptance, so we don’t have to do these
things any more. Dead works are ultimately selfish. Only when we accept
God’s love and are secure, can we forget ourselves and truly love
without self-interest. When our heart is established in GRACE we’re
cleansed of these efforts and Jesus shines through. We grow in grace as
we let go of dead works and trust in grace as the basis of our life and
personality. We come to an end of all our self-justification and accept
God’s approval and unconditional love. Relax. You can’t deserve it. As
we abandon our DEAD works, we can enter into GOOD works. When we do
this, God’s Grace comes through to motivate us to do God’s will from
the heart.
10. GOOD WORKS. Preachers may encourage legalism to
motivate people to do what they want (witness, give, live-right, pray
etc) by telling them, if they don’t God won’t accept them or bless
them. So people start trusting in their works to deserve blessing and
are motivated by fear. it just produces dead works that weigh us down
and sap our life. The true motive for godly living is love and
gratitude. The difference between a GOOD and a DEAD WORK is in the
motive (WHY do you do it?) Are you trying to establish your own
righteousness or are you responding to God’s love? Then it will be a
true act of love to God and man. Receiving God’s grace will cause us to
for God’s will from the inside. We’ll live better, give more and work
harder than if God was holding a big stick over us, because we want to,
not because we have to.
We are a new-creation with God’s love (Romans
5:5, 2 Corinthians 5:17). If we live in grace rather than our works
that love will flow out in GOOD WORKS. ‘We love because He first loved us.’
Good works are important, but they don’t add to our salvation but flow out it. because we are already saved and blessed: “By
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it’s the
gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus FOR GOOD WORKS which God has
before ordained that we should walk in them”. (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Titus 3:4-7 gives a wonderful description of our complete salvation by grace alone. Then he adds: “This
is a faithful saying....affirm constantly, that those who have believed
in God should be careful to maintain GOOD WORKS. These things are good
and profitable to men” (v8)
Titus 2:11-14 says that “the grace of God that brings
salvation’ teaches and empowers us to live a godly life for Christ died
to create a people of love ‘zealous for GOOD WORKS”. (Titus 2:11-14) (See Titus 3:14, Hebrews 10:24).
“Work out your own salvation...for it is God who works IN you both to will (motivate) and (empower you) to do His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12,13).