GROW UP

 In my time with the Lord this morning I was reading about how everything that does not come from faith is sin. I began looking up certain words in the Greek as I always do while I commune with the Word, who is God. Condemn and judge both are katakekritai in the Greek which means to judge worthy of punishment. It led me to Romans 8. Therefore, now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I believe condemn and judge and punishment are interchangeable. So it could as well read, Therefore, now there is no punishment for those who are in Christ Jesus. I hope you read this all the way through so that nothing is repeated out of context and so that you don't miss the purpose of this message. 

It is by faith we have been saved. We received faith from hearing and we receive hearing by the Word who is God. If we have not yet received faith, we doubt and are condemned because our living is not coming from faith and everything that does not come from faith is sin. When people live according to their carnal nature and not by the Spirit they become inferior to those who walk by the Spirit. Jesus preached the Kingdom of God. People called Jesus a heretic, a blasphemer and a false prophet. People have literally built ministries in this present age on being offended and not on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Doctrines have been implemented that have a form of godliness but denies the power of God. Too many people are boasting in their ability to fall short, taking pride in their sickness and lifting up their fear of death. Where are all the people who are lifting up the Name of Jesus? Where are all the people who actually believe that He was pierced for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquity- Does anyone know that the chastisement that brought us peace was upon Him? Do you believe that by His wounds you are healed? Are you saying that what you see is true and that the Word of God is a lie? Are your physical senses more credible than the work of the cross? The physical realm, the flesh does not get to dictate what is true. The Word, who is God gives you the ability to hear and that hearing brings you faith and with faith comes grace and grace allows you to receive what is true and truth sets you free! It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Christ is the One who sets us free and we are to stand firm in that freedom of the faith and not again take upon ourselves a connection to bondage. We are free. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! People who are still in bondage to the flesh or things seen in the natural are hostile to God and the things of God. They twist scripture to keep people in bondage so that they never become a new creation in Christ. Not many people truly believe that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us and gives life to our mortal bodies. You do know that your body is mortal right? Are you currently in that mortal body? Without Jesus, you will never know God. Knowing God and Jesus whom He sent is eternal life. When you realize you are a sinner and an unbeliever, you will be called to repentance. That is your first calling. It is not a one time event. the Bible says produce fruit in keeping up with repentance. Repentance means to stop believing what you see and believe the Word of God. Too many people believe a false doctrine that repentance is to just be sorry and remain guilty. The stain of your guilt will always be before the LORD when the old covenant is in operation. In the first covenant we are being led out of Egypt, out of things seen. In the new covenant, Egypt is being removed from us. The things seen no longer dwell in us. This world no longer has anything in us. Our eyes are fixed on things unseen that come from our new life in Christ. He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we received the knowledge of truth, no sacrifice for sin is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. The old covenant made us outwardly clean, but it is only by the blood of Jesus that we are made clean on the inside. Jesus cleanses our conscience from acts that lead to death. If the way into the most holy place has not yet been disclosed to you then the first tabernacle is still in operation. These are only shadows of what was to come, The real tabernacle is not made with human hands. Jesus is the new covenant and if we reject Him, we remain enemies of God and hostile to God. The only way to God the Father is through Jesus, His Son. In Him we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins. It is by Him that we are taken from the Kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of the Son God loves. So many people have not yet been reconciled to God through Jesus and are still functioning under the old covenant trying to get rid of their own sin or unbelief. The old covenant is the ministry of death. But Jesus has come to give you life and life more abundantly. But people love boasting in their own abilities. People are being deceived and perishing because they refuse to love truth and be saved. People continue living under the power of death and call it persecution. That is not persecution! Persecution comes for the Words sake, persecution comes to oppose the Word of God on the inside of you. Persecution comes to get your eyes off of Jesus and put them on yourself or even to fixate you on everyone else. The Word of God was made flesh and He is a person and His Name is Jesus and when He is with His Father the Holy Spirit is in you! Some of you won't understand this, but someone will and once you get it, you will know what Jesus meant when He said, " I and the Father are one. Let them be one even as we are one." Our highest calling is to die to self and take ahold of that which Christ took ahold of for us. Let it no longer be I that live but Christ living in me! He is my God and I will serve Him only. Do we miss it sometimes? Of course we do! But we have to stop exalting our mistakes and begin to exalt the Name of Jesus. It is God who sanctifies us, He who calls us is faithful and He will do it. It's not our job to punish. It is our responsibility to walk in the authority of the Name of Jesus. The mountain is not Gods will for your life or Jesus would never have told you to speak to the mountain and believe that it will cast itself into the sea. There are many people who are not serving the Lord Christ but their own natural desire. What is your natural desire? It is your earthly nature, the one you had before you were born again. The nature where you want to be right, you want to be in charge, you want to do things your own way and not the way God designed. Colossians 3 tells us these things that belong to our earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, idolatry, anger, malice, slander, perverse talk from your mouth. 

Christ is the mystery of God and in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. People will try and deceive you with fine sounding arguments, but let no one deceive you- your faith is in Christ! Don’t let anyone who delights in false humility disqualify you. People get puffed up with their unspiritual minds, they have lost connection to the head from whom the whole body is supported and held together to grow as God causes it to grow. There are teachings that have to do with the appearance of wisdom, with their self accepted worship and their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body but they lack any value in restraining in the indulgence to things they receive by natural senses. We are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things will be added. We are not seeking a righteousness that comes from ourselves. Ourself is the flesh, our spirit is our unrenewed mind but when we get born again, we receive a new Spirit and we are joined together with Christ. Read 1 Corinthians 6:17. When we walk by the Spirit we will not gratify the cravings of our flesh. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds. When we receive the mind/Spirit of Christ, He makes all things new. People who do not yet know God through His Son, or think they have achieved something by their own strength will try to come against you as you live your new life in Christ Jesus. Watch out for people who put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. It is God who works in you to will and to act, it is God who works in you what is pleasing to Him. Don't let anyone cause you to stumble in your obedience to the Lord. He has equipped you with everything you need to do His will. Keep fighting the good fight of faith. Rid yourselves of malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. Crave pure Spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted and seen that the Lord is good!! It's time to grow up :)