How to read your Bible part 5
Confidence
Wayne Duncan
To the degree that you lack confidence in any area of your Christian walk, is the degree to which you have not had a revelation of what Jesus has done for you in that area.
To the degree with which you live with shame or guilt is the degree to which you have not understood the bible.
Any reading of the bible, or any teaching that removes your confidence in any area of your Christian walk, needs to be adjusted.
These are radical statements. But the wonderful thing is that Jesus did something radical for the Father in the power of the spirit, that bought us this confidence in which we now stand. There was no easy way and no cheap price.
Now the enemy would love to convince you that this glorious freedom and power is not available to every believer. He defiantly want to convince you that your not worthy of confidence. He would love to convince you that you are not good enough, don't do enough or have not performed well enough to have confidence in the various areas of our lives. If he, who is the father of all lies can succeed in this…he can succeed in incapacitation you…if he can deceive enough Christians in this…the enemy can incapacitate the whole church.
The Devils ministry is the ministry of death condemnation, and shame. He lies!
What happened when Adam and Eve sinned. They became ashamed of their nakedness. Satan was delighted. For the first time there was separation from God. Man hid. Not God. Why... shame! God still sought them out "Adam Adam where are you"…they were hiding. What did God do in response? He killed an animal and made them clothes to hide their shame. Gods natural default setting is perusing us in love, wanting to be near to us. He wants us to live with zero shame.
Now where we loose confidence we loose faith. Faith is a big deal, its important to have and keep faith. Faith in who God is, in His very nature. God is good.
Where could we loose confidence?
1) We could loose confidence to approach God in intimacy.
2) We could loose confidence to pray.
3) We could loose confidence for ministry.
4) We could loose confidence in who we are.
5) We could loose confidence in our salvation.
6) We could loose confidence is Gods goodness.
7) We could loose confidence is Gods power.
Now any reading of the bible that undermines your confidence, must adjust to who God is, and who you are in Christ.
Let's begin today with Confidence before God.
Friends, if we loose this we loose everything! If we let the revelation of the open heavens diminish, we cut off our very life line. This is the source of sustained life, power, intimacy and sanity. It's the only way to live! Life without regular encounters with the living God is short of the Christian inheritance as sons and daughters.
Hebrews 10:1For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sin? 3But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin every year. 4For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Consequently, when Christ(Greek he) came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 6in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 7Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'" 8When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), 9then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when Christ(Greek this one) had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 15And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," 17then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." 18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 19Therefore, brothers,(Or brothers and sisters) since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
You really need to go and meditate on this awesome chapter. It is rich with life and promise!
This passage tells us that we have been sanctified, made holy. We are made perfect in Christ and we need no further perfection. Now we need to see this and settle it in our hearts. We have been made perfect in Gods eyes. He no longer holds our sins against us. He does not remember our sins.
Verse 14 says
14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
This means that we are not complete in our growth and maturity, but in our spirits, and in Fathers eyes we are perfect forever! For all time we are made perfect. The reason is that when God looks at you, you are in Christ, so God sees Jesus. The perfect Jesus. We are in Him, God sees us through the blood of Jesus perfect forever, for all time. So when you approach God, in worship or in prayer, you can be bold, at peace and confidant. We don't live under a God who is angry and mad at us all the time. Even when we fail, and fall he still sees us as "in Christ" and perfect.
While we are being sanctified, which is the process of maturing as a believer, he sets an environment of love and acceptance, so we can approach the throne and find strength, we then release who he has made us to be. He has powerfully positioned us for success.In fact we cannot grow as christians, we cannot mature, we cannot be ongoingly sanctified apart from God. He is the only avenue to maturity.
This is grace, and it does not make us sin. This grace removes the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, and restores confidence before God, it restores, love intimacy and releases a spirit of worship through an attitude of wonder and awe at who God is and what he has done driven by His great love for us.
What else does this chapter say?
18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 19Therefore, brothers,(Or brothers and sisters) since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful
Listen to the language of these verses…
There is forgiveness, no record of sins, we have confidence to enter, by a new way, a living way (Jesus), let us draw near…how…with full assurance of faith, with no conscience of evil, as those washed with pure water, not wavering but trusting that all this is so…not because of us, but because Jesus is faithful…wow
Our hearts seem to need constant and strong assurance that we can come to the fathers chambers, just as we are. This is why the author of Hebrews under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit uses strong encouraging language to reassure us of this awesome truth. We can come, draw near, with full assurance.
When we begin to live from this place of assurance, we begin to live as those who often, freely come before the father of love and light. The place where we receive so much. In His presence is fullness of Joy.
What will we find before His throne?
Hebrews 4:16Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
At His throne we will find mercy, grace and help for whatever we need.
Mercy is not getting what we do deserve. That Jesus got in our place on the cross.
Grace is getting what we don't deserve. The privilege is through the opening of the new covenant, we get treated better than we deserve!
23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful
This verse says do not waiver in your confidence…this promise has nothing to do with us, and everything to do with God, and He is and will be faithful, faithful to receive you every time you approach Him.
The fact of the matter is that when God is being faithful here, the fathers primary faithfulness is to Jesus. Within the sweet society of the Holy Spirit, there was a covenant made whereby Father set demands for Jesus. If he perfectly filled these demands, it would create a way for man to be unconditionally accepted based on Jesus' fulfillment of the demands of the contract. Jesus was meticulous to the demands of the covenantal agreement. Finally in a breath, he cried out it is finished! Our confidence is outside ourselves. The reason we can approach with such confidence is that our permission is granted from an out side source. Our approval comes not from any man, nor ourselves. We have been made perfect forever by another. He now calls us in. He now draws us with the sweetness of who He is. He cannot reject us! To reject us, to deny access into the glorious richness of His presence would be to break the contract with the Son. God would have to become unfaithful and dishonest in order to do this. He cannot do this, He is God, perfectly holy and righteous. Just and true. Jesus kept His part, He was faithfull and now the father is bound by His oath not to reject us for all eternity, He cannot and will not turn away from us or deny us access into His glorious presence.
The awesome thing is that by His own great love the Father wrote the rewards of the contract. From the foundations of the earth God was wanting an unrestricted way to relate to His creation. His great love he had predetermined this day. Jesus said "for the joy set before me I go to the gross"…This is that Joy. The we can enjoy Him and He can enjoy us.
God is bound by His oath. But God did not bind Himself to the oath for His sake but for ours. To assure our hearts of a great salvation, true and solid. To assure us of an accesses never denied.
Since we have these promises friends. Since we have a loving God that has cleared every obstacle to Him. Let us draw near. That was the goal. Don't wait for heaven to enjoy eternity, start now, your already living forever!...
Come friends lets draw near!
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