I was listening to one of my premier mentors when it comes to the grace of God, and the revelation we have received. His name is Malcolm Smith and he made some powerful statements I wanted to share, because these statements lead me into the study that follows.
Basically, I was burdened because of the rejection by a majority of “believing Christians” that still default to a works and performance based mentality when it comes to the Love and Grace of God.
I’ll start with Malcolm’s statements and then go to Hebrews 10:26 to kick off this teaching. Here are some excerpts of his powerful word on Grace and Performance.
“God’s love for us is so great and so vast without condition, that it appears scandalous to those who are religious and works/performance oriented."
"God who is Love refuses to be God without us. God does not just have love, but God is love. If you have something, it can be lost, broken, depleted or destroyed, but if you are something, it never disappears."
"He is the one that must come to where we are. He is unalterably, unconditionally, unendingly for you." (My insert here – If people could just receive this truth and realize how absolutely, violently, passionately God loves us, the results would shake the world the way the early church and the Apostles did.)
Most certainly we as humans do some very detestable, vulgar, abhorrent things, but God walks right into our abomination and carries us out of it. Religion says “condemn them” for their abomination, but God who IS Love says I’m going to them and love them out of where they are.
God is not a God of “contract”. He is a God of covenant. A contract is based on the premise of performance and reward. It’s an “if, then” agreement. If I do things correctly, keep all the rules, perform just right, then you will reward me. If I don’t perform correctly, then you will punish me and judge me.
“When those who believe in a contract God bump up against the truth of a covenant God, most will default to the contract God because they are bound by performance and works.” Malcolm Smith.
Wow! With that powerful backdrop as an introduction to this teaching, lets begin with Hebrews 10:26. However, I don’t want to just take this verse alone, but use what I call the before and after method of study. So, we’ll start from verse 19.
As we study from verse 19 to 39, we ought to discover that what the writer is basically so adamant about here is that we “don’t throw it all away”. All what? All that God has sacrificed and provided for us through the blood of Jesus and the finished work of the cross. I’m using the message translation.
19-21 So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into “the Holy place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is His body.
We “can”. We are now able to walk right into the very presence of God, without hesitation. Not through some human intermediary, but on our own we can come boldly to the throne of grace and love on Papa, Daddy, our Father.
22-25 So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps His word.
INSERT: Keep a grip on the promises that keep us going. God always keeps His word. He is a promise keeper, not just a promise maker. All of the promises of God are yeah and amen. He doesn’t bless us based on our performance. He blesses us based on His promises. Continuing on.
Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big day approaching.
26-31 If we give up and turn our backs on all we’ve learned, all we’ve been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ’s sacrifice and are left on our own to face the judgment—and a mighty fierce judgment it will be!
INSERT: Don’t give up. Don’t reject what you know to be truth. All that you’ve learned, been given and know. Don’t be threatened or allow others to scare you into false agreement based on religion and the traditions of men. Stand firm in the absolute truth of scripture.
Will you lose some friends? Well if you lose some people that you thought were your friends, they weren’t. Will you be challenged? I hope so. The gospel of grace is a radical departure from the false teachings of religion. When you get a revelation of the gospel of grace, you’ll drive religious people crazy. Continuing on with the verses.
If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen if you turn on God’s son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit?
INSERT: Did you notice how direct and strong that portion of scripture is. “what do you think will happen if you turn on God’s Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? Now I don’t know about you, but that’s a very strong statement.
Basically, when you reject the complete blood sacrifice of Jesus at the cross, and continue to believe you have to DO something to earn God’s great forgiveness and love, you are spitting on what Jesus has already done and finished for you and you are insulting the gracious Holy Spirit.
To me that sounds pretty direct. Also notice, once again for all you performance oriented individuals, the verse says it was that very sacrifice and gracious Spirit that MADE you whole. It is not what you have done or can do. Okay, lets continue on.
This is no light matter. God has warned us that he’ll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: “Vengeance is mine, and I won’t overlook a thing” and “God will judge his people.” Nobody’s getting by with anything, believe me.
INSERT: Now before you go all legalistic and religious on me, remember to keep this latter portion of scripture in context with what was just so directly stated. The scriptures just got done putting out a direct statement about those who would reject God’s great gift of grace and love and spit on the sacrifice made by Jesus. It is this group of people God is addressing concerning not getting away with anything.
God does not punish you for not keeping the law, you punish yourselves for not receiving all that God has provided for you. I'll leave this part right here. We will start with verse Hebrews 10:32-39 in part 2. Grace and Peace.
King James Version
24 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.
2 And Moses alone shall come near the Lord: but they shall not come nigh;... more