(With Ps Prince)
Realise ur nearness to God so you can take your rightful place.
We realise our nearness to Him when we call Him Father. Nearness not due to how good we are. Brought near by the blood of Christ. Nearer I cannot be. As near as His Son, I am as near as He. Love He has for His Son is the same as that He has for me.
Practical nearness. Amazing blessings there for people.
Eph 2:11-14
Jesus broke the partition btw Jew and Gentile.
Some FEEL they aren’t- feelings are a big prob in our Christian walk. Emotion related so not reliable. God’s Word is.
We are in Christ- so near and so dear to God. Can’t be nearer or dearer than this.
Here to be a blessing. Use your nearness to bless others. Reassure others. Pray for others.
Practical nearness. Some things are practical or positional. But no practical or positional righteousness- u are or u aren’t. Holiness has a sanctified location (positional) and a practical holiness (what most people think is practical righteousness).
Holiness = whole, complete, integrated. Shalom. Life giving.
Better to go by God’s Word- other way is destructive.
Be holy for He is holy. Enjoy love, joy and peace.
There is a place for positional and progressive sanctification and nearness (not righteousness though remember)
Jesus had 70 disciples, not just the 12 – Luke 10:1.
John 6:65-69- God called us to become disciples. If He didn’t call, we wouldn’t be.
Jesus pointed out how Gentiles were saved, healed. That riled Pharisees. Ppl don’t like this coz of pride of race, achievement, position, religion. Jonah had pride of race. Ran away from the assignment to preach to Nineveh because knew God is good and would save them
Pride of grace- ostracise Churches that they label not grace centred and then put other believers down. Pride of grace divides the church. Not right either.
We are saved by grace and live by grace. We are stewards of what we have. We came out from the womb naked and return naked to Him.
Water seeks the lowest level. Don’t be afraid to be humble. God resists the proud.
Nothing without God.
Abhor self and realise we have none without God.
Some have pride and want to be involved with the glory. Want to work through self to achieve the glory. It is a gift. All of Christ. Not worthy is the lamb and a little bit of me.
Flesh is flesh. Whether u are sinner or believer, flesh is bad. Boasting must only be Christ and Christ alone.
Degrees of nearness in discipleship-
No one can be saved without the shedding of his blood.
The 70 disciples are disciples. Not believers. And amongst the 12, 1 betrayed him. Even Judas did miracles – it isn’t him, it is JESUS.
The LORD will deal with us when we go astray. Loves us.
Cain left the presence of the LORD. Jonah also. But God hunted Jonah down. Why not Cain? Jonah is His and He loves him. Cain is not His.
God loves u. Remove all this pride.
When we see people who are failing, be kind.
The other day when they brought Justin to change his diapers, there was a helper there who opened the door for him, his wife and their child. There was a lady inside with her kid and she scolded her helper for being kaypoh and asked her to focus on her. Was cutting the helper down the whole time. These helpers are employed and not slaves. Show them some respect. Don’t have this master slave attitude. Be kind. God watches things like this. Pastor felt so much like praying that the woman will never have a helper in future. Don’t take helper for granted. God doesn’t treat u like that. Don’t be stingy with them. They are there to serve your family so take care of them.
Long life- useful to touch hearts for the LORD. Be of use down here.
Nearness. Even amongst the 12, Jesus would bring Peter, James and John (stone replaced by grace). And amongst the three, John. Gospel of John- bosom of the Father, bosom of Jesus and the disciple resting in it. Continue in the Father’s love. Gospel of love.
Do unto others. Love your neighbours. Take steps to love.
Heb 10:1-4
There are people who think consciousness of sin is important. People need help w guilt and condemnation. By the law is the knowledge or consciousness of sin. Once Israel had the law, they had the golden calf. They said they could uphold the law and it became the work of the flesh. Sin consciousness produces sin.
We acknowledge we are people who have sin. We are aware we are sinful- that’s a way of confessing. We aren’t Gnostics who say they have no sin. That’s why we say we have the righteousness of God in Christ.
(The story of the man w debt on his ledger:
A man owed a huge amt of money. Couldn’t bear to look at ledger and asked his secretary to try to pay out whatever is possible to it. One day a man over pays this debt. Now the man asks to see the ledger all the time because he wants to recall the goodness of the one who saved him from his debt. He is so thankful.)
If there was a sacrifice which worked, there will be no more debt on our conscience.
We confess because we are forgiven and not confessing in order to be forgiven. We can admit to our faults when we are in an atmosphere of acceptance. We run away and hide when we feel we aren’t forgiven yet and then there is this atmosphere of insecurity.
Jesus did not just pay our debts. He overpaid our debts
When u owe someone money, u feel bad and will try to avoid them.
VS
If someone pays a huge debt for us, we won’t be running away from him. We would be going up w gratefulness. We would draw near.
Jesus blood has met God’s holiness. It is more than enough. God is glorified and His law is magnified. He fulfilled His law.
If He pays our debt and we avoid Him, that’s not honouring Him.
What about if He paid off a debt and someone doesn’t know? That’s what is happening with the world.
The knowing on the inside, the debt on the conscience must have the blood of Christ sprinkled over it.
There are believers w sin debt on their consciousness because of unclear preachin from the pulpit. Some preachers want people to keep the son consciousness so congregation can be told to do this and that. It brings relieve to the congregation but it is a dead work because they are working for their salvation.
One sacrifice for all sins for all time= Jesus. Perfect sacrifice = perfect conscience.
Heb 10:9-12
1) Witness of the WILL
“Your WILL” (to take away the first to give the second ie take away the old covenant to establish the new convenant)
God never wanted law in the first place. People asked for it.
See the heart of the Father. To establish grace will cost God the costliest price that He will ever pay and yet He said I come to do Your will.
All the blessings of the Holy One comes on you because you are sanctified. Set apart. So when the world asks how, u praise God. When the world panics about the crisis, we see Christ is.
Behold the birds of the air… Are u not of more worth than they?
2) Witness of the WORK of Christ
Hebrews 10:9-12
Priests stand and minister daily and offer repeatedly
This Man offered one sacrifice for sins forever…
Sin wilfully- people who hear of Christ but reject the finished work of Christ. NOT believers who make mistakes still.
WORK of Christ- u sit, He works. U work, He sits.
3) Witness of the HS
Heb 10:15-25
“Their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Absolutely won’t anymore – double negation in Greek. Strong negation. The witness of the HS
He will never revisit our mistakes.
The HS is the BEST witness u could have. Reliable.
Emotions are not our witness. Flakey. Yoyo moods wings. Doesn’t fluctuate.
God the HS is unimpeachable and witnesses to us.
V20- new and living way. Compared to OT where if u come to God and never prepare right, u drop head.
See the NLT- new and life giving way through the curtain…
Receiving life in every area.
New here in Greek= freshly slain.
In God’s eyes, the blood of Jesus was just shed for u for all time.
V22 let us DRAW NEAR… FULL ASSURANCE of faith…
Evil conscience–> sin consciousness and guilt. Not conscious of His finished work in our lives.
Testimony-
Ps Josh Mötley from Illinois
Grew up as a pastor’s kid. Baptised at 8yo. At 15-28yo, he experimented w drugs and drank heavily. At 25, married. But wife left him and took baby to live w his mum along coz of his destructive lifestyle. Cried out to God. Channel surfed his TV and ceased when he heard God loves him. In the time he started listening to pastor’s sermon he stopped taking drugs and drinking heavily instantly w no side effects. Received praying in tongues. And started to preach again and preaching gospel of grace, and his wife reconciled with him. Now they have two beautiful daughters.
The lost world is crying out for this message. Proclaim w Word and life the gospel of Christ. Message is not God is out to get u, but God wants to love u and bring wholeness and abundance to us.
Amen
Thank you for your notes
Thank you so much!
God bless you and your family!