How to read your Bible Part 6
Confidence .
Wayne Duncan
To the degree that we lack confidence to approach the throne, is the degree to which we have not had a revelation of Jesus.
To the degree that shame, guilt or unworthiness hinders your approach to His embrace in intimate tenderness, is the degree to which you do not understand the love of the father.
Think for a moment about the prodigal son story, and how the loving father embraces His son in love and tenderness as he returns home. This parable was told by Jesus to highlight to us how the father embraces us, even after we've made the most horrendous mess.
Look at these amazing scriptures.
Eph 3:11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
The only qualification to boldly access with confidence is to have faith in Jesus. He alone qualifies us. There is nothing we can do to earn this boldness, nothing else can qualify us, only the perfect sacrifice of Jesus and His blood shed on our behalf. "Through our faith In Him".
This was His eternal purpose, to relate to a people by grace. Behold the lamb of God slain in the foundations of the earth.
2 Cor 3:4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6who has made us competent(Or sufficient) to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. 12Since we have such a hope, we are very bold,
Our hope is in Christ, he has qualified us, that's why we are so bold. Let's be really honest with ourselves, can we base our boldness and confidence to approach God on our selves. On our own efforts? What merit would we boast? What could we possibly offer up to the father as a sacrifice that would please Him enough so we could boldly enter His presence, continually, day after day, with a conscience cleared from the contamination of sin?
The priests of old knew what it was like to try and enter the holy of holies, to enter presence of God on their own merit. They feared the very thought, because as many of them came into the presence they were killed by the holiness of God. Even if the sacrifice was accepted, it was only temporary, and they never had sustained confidence, only an expectation of certain judgment. Jesus was offered up as a perfect sacrifice, and the curtain that guarded the holy of holies was torn in two, now we can go in freely, not based on our own sacrifice, or works of obedience. But based on faith in Jesus alone. Believing in Him, gains us unlimited access into the very presence of God.
The reason is that when we believe in Jesus, he gives us the gift of righteousness, and we are righteous and can approach God without any fear. We don't need to fear punishment, he punished Jesus. We don't need to fear rejection, he rejected Jesus in our place on the cross. Jesus got what he did not deserve so that we could get what we don't deserve. Part of that inheritance is a permanently open door to the Father.
Phil 3:1 Finally, my brothers,(Or brothers and sisters; also verses 13, 17) rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3For we are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God(Some manuscripts God in spirit) and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh - 4though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law(Greek in the law) blameless. 7But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith –
We see a few things here…
Paul says, its no trouble for me to write these things to you again…so what he is about to tell them he has done so before. He has probably shared his testameny with them many times.
Paul goes on and says: it is safe for you. Paul teaches and re-teaches about righteousness in Christ alone. over and over, and says it is safety for them. Why? It stopped them from going back to the law.
This was not a unique problem.
Galat 3:3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing? 5Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
The Galatians started with the spirit, and faith and grace, but were slipping back under the law, so Paul has to write to them…He could have said it like he did to the Philippians, "I'm writing to tell you again like I did before, don't try be right with God through the law. It's the wrong way, don't be so daft and foolish, these things are rubbish, dung, poo. The reality is in Jesus, were right through faith in Him, we have the spirit, and do miracles through faith in Him…it's not about what we do, its what he has done...stick with the programme, don't fall for going back to those weak and miserable ways!".Wayno version.
Some say, common it's ok to preach grace but that's just the baby stuff, then you have to move on to the real meat.
What does Paul say about that?
Hebrews 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Paul says that meat is the teaching of righteousness. If you don't understand the teaching on righteousness, you are a child, still a baby, still on milk. The KJV says your still a babe…an infant.
Others say, you can't preach grace all the time,( no-one has ever said it to me, but I've heard that some say so) you need to bring the whole council of God. I love what John Piper says about this in his book "Counted righteous, should we abandon the doctrine of the imputation of Christ's righteousness?"
"We should give people the whole council of God from the entire word of God, and at the centre of it all is Christ our righteousness"
You can't teach anything without coming from this place of perfect position.
It's not so much the foundation of our faith, but the centre. At the centre of all Christianity stands Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, accompanied by the pardon and perfection we receive as sons and daughters of God.
Others say you need to balance grace. I would ask with what do you balance it? With the law, with works? With self effort? With self righteousness? If you don't get grace right, nothing else will work.
That's how Paul comes to this passage where he boasts in himself…born of a noble tribe, good social standing, well educated, taught by the best, as to the law faultless, zeal…absolutely passionate. Paul says if you have reason to boast I have more.
Paul says it was all nothing. The only righteousness that exists is the one Christ freely gives me.
All we can boast in is in what Jesus has done to us and through us. Paul said I boast, but only in Christ.
Does this mean that we just live however we want, and do whatever we want? No don't be daft of coarse not. That's not who you are. The truth is that grace changes your wants! When you truly understand who you are and what Jesus has done to you, and for you. When you live in intimacy with the father, and receive the power of the spirit for everyday life, you will live differently. Jesus did not just fulfill and remove the law, he did not just free us from the power of sin…he also introduced a better way, a more powerful way. A way to live with God that is infinitely more powerful and effective that the old way. The old way was a fading glory, and the new way, and ever increasing glory. We are being changed with ever increasing glory.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Friends be careful of grace! Exposure to grace will teach you the following things:
- It teaches you to say no to ungodliness
- It teaches you to say no to worldly pleasures
- It teaches you to live self controlled
- It teaches you to live upright
- It teaches you to live godly lives in this present age
- It will give you hope
- It will make you grateful for redemption
- It will make you pure for Jesus
- It will make you feel like His very own
- It will make us eager to do good.
Grace teaches us these things, exposure to grace will produce these things in your life!
If you lack these things you need more exposure to grace. For grace teaches us these things.
Paul calls grace the meat and the key to maturity.
One of the reasons that this produces maturity is that understanding that we are right with God, and the confidence that this releases, draws us deeper and deeper into His presence. Here we find all we need. Here we find love. Here we find intimacy, here we receive power, here we become bold and dangerous. A people like this will infect and effect every situation they come into…we are bold because we get to hang with the giver of all courage, the source of all life and the author of power, the source of light itself!
This confidence unblocks the wells that are clogged, it opens the wells that were covered, and refills the empty ones.
The new covenant glory lifts the veils from our eyes and we see Jesus, as the loving god who draws us to Him with the sweetness of who he is.
Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, 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.
Now there would be no point in having this way opened if we did not enter. Since we have this confidence, let us enter! This entire love story, this divine architectural masterpiece, was designed with this one thought from the master engineer…
"Oh that they may come in and be with me"…
Friends His presence is a life giving well. Drink often of it, drink deep of it, what the hang, just jump right in and enjoy it. Father created Adam. How did he enjoy Adam? He walked and talked with Him in the cool of the day. The same is still true today. He loves it when you're together. He created you for it. Jesus restored what Adam lost. He loves you, longs for you, and has purchased the right to be with you, with the most expensive currency known to man, the currency of the blood of His child. The way is open; we can enter, confidently, boldly, any time…now.
Today's preach comes with an assignment…
Find time to be with father…let Him love on you. Go confidently, boldly, every restriction has been removed by the cross. Jesus took every hindrance away, now he waits for you to come!
