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Apr 24 2015
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Grow In Grace

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“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” (II Peter 3:18)

It is apparent from Peter’s epistle that grace is more than a one-time application that makes you good to go. It takes the grace of God to continue in your life if you are going to grow in Christ. I’ve heard it said that grace is something that isn’t so easy to explain. I don’t know if that is true for most Christians, but I have to admit it is true for me. I personally find grace easier to live in than explain. We really don’t need to explain it as much as we need to receive it. So, I write this article not from an expert view, but I write it humbly that I may present an accurate representation of grace.
One of the most quoted scriptures about grace is found in Ephesians. You are probably already starting to quote it, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Ephesians 2:8). If you are like me, I take scriptures at face value, but I also keep it in context with what the Bible fully says about a subject. So if you give me that liberty, I want to say something that sounds contrary to “For by grace are ye saved..” We are not really saved by grace. What do you mean? It says it very clearly that it is by grace we are saved. Let me explain. Grace is an attitude of God. The way some preach grace, they make it sound like it is its own entity separate from God. Almost like grace controls God or God has to obey grace. Basically, grace is love, God’s love. Grace is an aspect of the love of God that causes Him to have compassion on fallen mankind and desire to restore man to his God. Grace is an aspect of God’s love that prefers to pardon. Our God is gracious, but He is also a just God that has to pour out His wrath upon the wicked. But grace is the preference of God, so He would rather save than condemn. So, it is this grace, this attitude of God that has resulted in God putting a plan into action so He could redeem mankind and restore them back to Himself.
So because God is full of grace, He gives us a means to be redeemed. The plan of redemption is this: God sent His pure spotless Son to die on a cross and spill His blood that we could be redeemed. So again I say, it isn’t grace that saves us, it is the blood of Christ that saves us. It is the blood of Christ that has the redemptive power, not grace. Grace sent Jesus to the cross, but it is on the cross where the blood was spilt. Grace doesn’t do the saving work, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world does the saving.

“But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
(Ephesians 2:13)

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” (I Peter 1:18-19)

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (I John 1:7)

These three scriptures are clear in what they say. They teach us these three things:
1. We are brought close to God by the blood of Christ.
2. We are redeemed by the blood of Christ
3. We are cleansed from our sin by the blood of Christ.

Of course, if God wasn’t gracious He would have never sent His Son to die for our sins. On the other hand, grace alone would not pardon anyone. Grace may be what moves God to want to pardon, but without the remedy there is no salvation.
The grace of God is so marvelous that He didn’t just send His Son for His chosen people Israel, but He sent Him for whosoever will call on Him. Just as grace without the blood cannot save, the blood of Christ will not save if God isn’t gracious and offer it to whoever shall receive it. If you are born again, you are one that has received this grace by calling upon the Lord. Because of His grace God put you in that, “Fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Immanuel’s veins, And sinners plunge beneath the flood, Lose all their guilty stains.” Hallelujah!
Grace doesn’t start and stop at salvation, it continues on in the life of the believer. I want to say something else about grace that may sound contrary to Peter’s words, “grow in grace.” Grace is not what makes us grow; it is the Spirit working in us that causes us to grow. It was the grace of God, which again is an aspect of His love, which prompted Him to send the Holy Spirit to be our counselor and give us the wisdom and the power we need to grow. Grace in itself has no wisdom and power, but grace will send the wisdom and power through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The grace of God will continue on in the life of believers to give them everything they need to live a life that glorifies God. Grace will always provide the means to stay in true fellowship with God. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:” (II Corinthians 9:8)
So in conclusion, I remind you one more time that grace doesn’t save you, the blood of Christ does. Grace doesn’t cause you to grow, the Holy Spirit does. Grace is the favor of God that urges Him on to provide a means to save, change and keep men for His glory. If you happen to be one that has not yet called upon the name of the Lord, there is no better time than now to receive the grace of God. If you need to be cleansed of your sin, God’s grace has provided the blood of Christ for you. If you need to grow into a mature saint of God, again, it is His grace that has provided the Holy Spirit for. Will you receive Him today?

Mar 20 2015
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Holy Spirit Prepositions

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A preposition is a word used in a sentence, usually before a noun or pronoun, to show its relation to another word, in that sentence. There are four prepositions in the bible that I want to expound on. These words, as you will see, connect the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the believer. These four words are, after, in, by and of. They are little words that can seem insignificant, but when you consider they connect the believer to the Spirit, they become very significant words to us. We will find all four of these words in the eighth chapter of Romans.
The first preposition we will start with is the word “after,” It is found in Romans 8:4-5. You will see this word four times. Two times it is preceding the word flesh, and two times it is preceding the word Spirit. “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.”
So what does “after the Spirit” mean? To fall in place behind the leader, to follow the one in authority. Where the leader goes, so goes the follower. What the leader does, so does the follower. What the leader says, so says the follower. It is to recognize the Holy Spirit’s position as Lord, and our position as obedient servant. Too many Christians have this reversed. They think God is supposed to serve us and follow after us. In a military sense, the Holy Spirit is the General and we are the soldiers. We obey and follow His orders. To walk after the Spirit means to imitate the Spirit of Christ. I’m sure you have heard the phrase, “he takes after his dad.” Well, it’s the same thing with our relationship with God. We are to take after Christ. We are to walk in the righteousness of Christ, walk in the holiness of Christ, have the compassion of Christ and have the love of Christ. We are to have the mind of Christ and imitate Him in all ways. We need to continually pursue God and let the Holy Spirit conform us believers into the image of Christ. Therefore, let us walk after the Spirit.
Our next preposition is the word “in.” “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:9). Twenty six times in the New Testament you will find the phrase, “in the Spirit.”
What does “in the Spirit” mean? It indicates inclusion. To be a part of something, a part of the plan, being (in)volved (in)timately. Throughout the bible, God has always made known to His servants when He was about to do something. He told Abraham before He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He told Moses what He was going to do for the Nation of Israel. When we are “in the Spirit” we become a part of what He is doing. The word “in” also indicates a place or position. Just as the man who sits in the oval office is given the authority to be President of the USA, so does the man or woman who is in the Spirit have authority over hell. The word “in” also indicates a manner. The Holy Spirit is the manner we must walk in. We are to walk and talk in the same manner as Christ and to minister in the same manner as Christ did.
The third preposition is the word “by.” “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14). Twelve times you will find this phrase “by the Spirit” in the New Testament.
What does “by the Spirit” mean? It means that the Holy Spirit is our source. He is our ability. It is through the help and the power of the Holy Spirit that we can do something and be what God would have us to be. The Holy Spirit goes above and beyond our natural ability and can do the impossible through us. If we are going to do the impossible, it will be by the Holy Spirit. “By the Spirit” also means to live according to God. It is by keeping the commandments of God, doing the will of God and living by God’s standards that we please Him. “By the Spirit” also implies that it is through the agency of the Spirit that we have authority. Our authority is in Christ. By whose permission do we go to the throne room of grace? It is by Christ’s permission. As a preacher, I was taught not to speak about God, but was to speak for Him. Who gave me that authority? It is only by the Spirit that I can do that. “By the Spirit” means we can speak on God’s behalf.
The final preposition is the word “of.” “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:23). This phrase, “of the Spirit,” is found thirty times in the New Testament.
What does it mean to be “of the Spirit?” It means, coming from. The fruit of the Spirit that is displayed in our life, is of the workings of the Holy Spirit. Anything and everything in our life that is godly, has come from and is a result of the Holy Spirit that lives in us. “Of the Spirit,” also means possessed or ruled by. Our lives will reflect who we are ruled by. If we are ruled by the flesh, then our actions will be a representation of that flesh. If we are ruled by the Holy Spirit, then our actions will be indicative of that.
These four prepositions, “after, in, by and of” connect our life to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. These words show us just how much the Holy Spirit is involved in this life we call Christianity. As Christians, we must walk after the Spirt, be in the Spirit, be led by the Spirit and live a life that is of the Spirit. God didn’t save us, brush the dust off of us, stand us up and pat us on the back and say, “You are on your own.” He gave us the ministry of the Holy Spirit so we can give glory to God in every way. Let’s live such a life that is after, in, by and of the Spirit. Let the world see such a life. The life that is totally controlled by the Spirit of God, is a life the world has seen very little of.