We ended part 1 with this - "Finally, no one can condemn me. They can’t even reject me, because how can you reject something that’s already been accepted".
Too many Christians allow their experiences to dictate and dominant their lives, rather than receiving the truth of what scripture says. They will try to reduce the truth in scripture to the level of their faith, rather than fighting to increase their faith to the full level of the truth in scripture. When scripture provides an absolute truth like we have all authority in heaven and earth, we have been made holy, or we are heirs of the kingdom, people will put themselves under condemnation when they realize they don’t fully receive or believe that.
When scripture says in Romans 8 that there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love of God, there are still those that say “ya but” you don’t know what I’ve done and there’s no way God can love me. Now they are back under condemnation.
The devil does not get distracted by superficial details, nor does he let the truth get in the way of his plan of attack. He stays on target. He continues to put doubt in your mind about who you are in Christ. Remember? Hath God said? If you be the Son of God?
He doesn’t change his tactics because they work. He will come to you with statements like “Scripture may say that you’re being made holy, but just look at your life. How can you even consider yourself holy? You make so many mistakes.” See what I mean? He just puts the suggestion in your mind and lets you do the rest. Instead you should just rest in the finished work of Jesus and let that mess with his mind.
The enemy will continue to bring the law up in your face and try to condemn you with it. He’ll put a dirty thought in your mind and then he’ll blame you for having it.
Do you know what the devil’s name is? It’s not murderer, even though he kills. It’s not thief, even though he steals. It’s not destroyer, even though he destroys. His name is “Satan”. In Hebrew it means “the accuser”. The only weapon he has is to accuse. To make suggestion. What we do many times is give heed to those suggestion to the point where they begin to appear as truth when they never can be truth. That leads to condemnation which brings fear, stress and sickness.
2 Corinthians 3:9. “For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory” (NAS).
The law always ministers condemnation. Grace on the other hand always ministers righteousness. That’s why it’s called the ministry of righteousness. It exceeds the ministry of condemnation in glory by much more.
The gift of no condemnation is powerful, but here they come again. Here come the “ya but ministers”. “If we know that there is now no condemnation for us, won’t we go out and sin”? Well it’s obvious Jesus did not think so. Look at this scripture in John 8:10-11.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, He said unto her, woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, no man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Do you see anything in that last part. The part about “neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more”……..look closely. Jesus gave her the gift of no condemnation before he told her to go and sin no more.
The church today says, go and sin no more….first. Only then will we not condemn you. That’s why people shy away from church and it’s why they shy away from God.
When Jesus said “go and sin no more”, He was not giving her a task to perform or a work to complete. He was not giving her a commandment to keep. He was imparting to her the wonderful gift and anointing of His Grace to enable her to live free from sin.
How many know Jesus paid the full debt for your sin? At the cross He said, it is finished. May I submit that Jesus didn’t just pay the debt. He overpaid the debt owed for sin.
You owe $50,000 that is due to be paid within the month. You don’t have the money and can’t pay the debt. So you shy away from the person you owe the debt to, because you have guilt and fear for not paying the debt.
Someone else pays your debt. Not just the debt but much more. Overpays your debt. Gives $1 million (overpays). The person who has overpaid that debt has to leave town on a business trip, so he tells someone to inform you. Now the person who is supposed to inform you can’t remember details. You still think you owe the money. Your still guilty and continue to shy away from the person you owed the debt to.
People today are told by preachers that Jesus did cry out on the cross “it is finished”, but they also tell people they still have to pay for their sin debts. They have to perform or live up to a set of standards. They have to keep the law and commandments.
Sin will continue to be a problem in your life as long as you believe that obedience to the law is the method for winning acceptance from God. Believing the law governs your behavior toward acceptance from God will result in your continual struggle with sin.
The law was never intended to be a means by which you were to be delivered from sin and gain acceptance from God. The law was given as a means of exposing to you that you were a sinner and needed a savior.
Another example. You finished repaying the loan on your car. It took 6 years. I suggest you stop sending in payments. It’s paid in full.
Here’s another scenario in our debt story. Someone comes to you and tells you your debt is paid in full. In fact it is overpaid. You have two choices. One is to believe it and the second is not to believe it. If you don’t believe it, is the debt still paid? Sure it is. You’re just not getting the benefit.
You’re still trying to pay it. You’re still in bondage to the debt, because you don’t believe it has been paid. You’re still trying to bring payment for it and your payment is being rejected, because it’s already paid. You’re still striving. Your unbelief doesn’t change the truth that your sin debt has been paid, in full, overpaid. So, since you don’t believe you continue to condemn yourself and allow sin to remain on your conscience.
Ya but, how do we know how God feels about us if we don’t live up to His standards? We don’t get His love by living up to His or others standards. We find His love in the broken places of our lives. We let Him love us there. It’s called relationship.
I want to stop being so conscious of sins, but how? Study and hear the word about the finished work of the cross and the blood of Jesus. As you do, you’ll become more conscious of your forgiveness, than of sin. But I have sinned. How can there be no punishment for my sin. We don’t deny that sin must be punished, but I’m declaring to you that all your sins have already been punished on the body of Jesus, the perfect sin offering.
Here’s a quote from Graham Cooke that is so powerful. He puts it in the form of questions that already have truth answers. “Was Jesus punished enough for sin? It is not a trick question. It is a vital one, though. Was Jesus judged enough for sin? Did the Father pour out every last ounce of wrath, and anger, and indignation upon Jesus? If so, He hasn’t got any left then. This is the good news! He doesn’t have any left because if the Father has any capacity to be angry in this life, then the cross of Jesus is not worth anything.“
Does that just not blow you away? If not, let me add this truth to it. If you remember, when they used to take their sin offering to the priest, the priest didn’t examine the person, he examined the sin offering.
When you bring your sin offering to God today, He doesn’t look at you. He examines the sin offering, and the only acceptable sin offering is Jesus. That’s who the High Priest examines. Jesus, the perfect, complete, sin offering without spot, wrinkle or blemish.
Stop punishing yourself. You are holy and righteous. You are no longer a sinner. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Receive this today and walk in the newness of life. God is crazy in love with you. No strings attached. Grace and Peace.
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