Be Graced To Reign!
By Abraham Israel
Jesus is the first person in the entire world to raise the moral standard sky high by saying, whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already commited spiritual adultery in his heart, whoever is angry with his brother without a just cause has already commited murder in God's eyes and therefore is ready for judgment, whoever says to his brother that he is a empty headed person is already ready for judgment and punishment of the council of godly elders and whoever says to another human being to be a fool is in danger of hell fire because all humans are created in God's image. Even by reading this expectancy of God's moral requirement, some who are used to living a good life under ten commandments or on their own standard of good and evil become very discouraged to say that no man is able to keep such a law.
The very reason Jesus raised the moral standard to internal purity of heart rather than external actions is because many people started to think that they can please God by keeping the law. The purpose Jesus gave these 'Beatitudes' is to make all humans realize that it is impossible to please God by keeping the law, and that faith in Jesus is the only means to live a life of purity.
All the religions of the world say, do good and live a good life to please God, as a result of it you will go to heaven. Only Christianity says, all men are utterly evil in their heart and no one has the ability to save them from sin and take them to heaven except through their faith in Jesus Christ, through which God saves and then justifies them who believe as though they have never sinned at all by imputing righteousness of Jesus to their spiritual account (Rom 4:6). God seals a believer with the Holy Spirit guranteeing that they belong to Him forevermore (Eph 1:13-14; 2 Cor 1:22). Once they are saved by grace through faith, they can continue to live by faith in the promises of God which makes them grow in God's divine nature which will release its power and give them victory over sin, sickness and death (2 Peter 1:2-4; 2 Cor 1:20).
Once we are saved by faith, we should receive the gift of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues to live a powerful life of witness for Jesus (Acts 1:4-5, 8; 2:2-4). Then as we continue to pray in tongues (1 Cor 14:18), our spirit-man will grow in such a way that we will know that we are no more sinners saved just by faith initially and strive by our strength to get in to heaven (Gal 3:2-3), but we are saints in Jesus Christ who are called to serve God and His people by our faith and faith only, nothing more or nothing less (Heb 10:38), and then rule and reign over sin, sickness and death by faith in the power of God (Rev 5:10; 1 Cor 2:5; Rom 6:14; John 11:25-26).
In the Jewish traditional religion, there were a sect of zealous law followers who were called as the "bleeding" Pharisees who lived during the first century AD. In Judaism, there are a total of 613 laws in the Torah [Ref : http://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm]. These Pharisees in their zeal and eagerness to keep these law of Biblical commandments, they would avoid looking on a woman who passes before them by shutting their eyes and as a result of it would bump in to a wall and get bruised in their head in such a way that they would manytimes start to bleed. Then they would boast about their righteous life by showing to people the scar on their head that had come because of their so-called holy life. Such religious life are extremely pathetic because the Pharisees were very careful to filter and avoid the gnat of external influence to get tempted, but swallow the camel of religious pride which is the biggest sin of all that God hates. Satan fell from heaven because of pride and these Pharisees religiously followed Satan by exhibiting pride openly to all about their so-called religious works which was done by their carnal strength rather than by the Holy Spirit's strength. They were completely under the influence of Satan's evil in their pride rather than by God and his humility.
There is a story of a man in a village who wanted to live a holy life. So he thought that because of the external influence only, he was not able to walk holy in his life. One fine day he decided to leave the environment of all sinful men in their village and go to a cave in the forest to meditate upon God alone and thus live a holy life pleasing to Him. The he took some food for the journey and started walking towards the jungle. His friends and well wishers who met him on the way asked him where he was going? This man who wanted to live holy, told them about his plan. They all wished him well and another godly man told him, if ever he came back to the village, he should come and tell to him whether it was possible for him to acheive holiness in isolation. This man agreed and smiled as he went towards the deep jungle cave.
Then when he reached that place in the jungle, intially he felt hard to adjust with all the unusual way of life. But then as he came to lead a holy life of asceticism, he disciplined himself to live just with whatever was naturally available in nature.
Then as he started meditating upon God, day after day, month after month, he was feeling more sinful than ever because internally in his heart thoughts of sexual fantasies started to haunt him. Then anger started to rise up against himself as he failed to think holy in his mind. Still a month after this, he began to long for things that he never had. Then all of the evil thoughts started to still increase torturously more than ever he had in his entire life.
On a fine morning, he cried and cried about his evil heart within until he could cry no more. Then he honestly decided to return back to his village accepting his failure to lead a life of holiness. As he went back to his village, he remembered what the godly man said and went to see him in his house. The godly man was not surprised to see him while all others were surprised to see him back. Then as he told him his sincere desire and failure to live a holy life, the godly man said that it is not the external exposure to various circumstances that taints us with sin, but the nature of sin that lives within us is what makes us unholy, then he shared the good news of the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus. The sincere man accepted the gospel immediately and became a great testimony of Jesus in the same village, in which many people accepted Jesus seeing a changes and tranformed life of this saved man.
What a truth! Our inner heart needs a transformation and that we cannot really be holy by disciplining ourselves to act holy externally. Jesus gives a internal holiness through His blood that cleanses us (Heb 9:14).
The next time you see a woman, and a strong lust tries to take control of you, just tell to Jesus and remind Him that it is not your own righteousness that can give you victory over this lust, but His imparted righteousness that can only help you overcome this temptation (Php 3:9). When I say to men, who are sight activated by God's design, it also applies equally to women who are also tempted to lust through emotional activity (2 Cor 11:3; 2 Tim 3:6). The moment you say this to Jesus, he will release His grace to come upon you, seeing your humility (James 4:6). It is by grace we are saved and it is by the same grace we overcome sin. Only once we are saved from sin, but we need to be saved by grace from the power of sin many times continiously.
Only once the righteousness of Christ is imputed forever in to our spiritual account in heaven, but we need to be imparted daily with the righteousness which comes from God by faith in Christ. Spiritual life is a journey and not a destination! Now as we freely and daily receive the abundance of grace to reign in this life through Christ's gift of righteousness through impartation (Rom 5:17, 21), we must cotinually offer the sacrifice of praise through our lips and give thanks to His name which is the only acceptable sacrifice of God that we will be able to give to God. Also then do good by God's guidance and share with others what you have been given by God financially, physically and spiritually, by which God will be well pleased (Rom 12:1-2; Heb 13:15-16).
May God help us to live a overcoming abundant life of grace which always without fail makes us to reign on earth over sin, sickness and death!
"The only way to master all lust is not by our self effort or discipline, but it is by trusting the Divine Master of all things to work within us through His mighty power to overcome its evil." — Abraham Israel
The very reason Jesus raised the moral standard to internal purity of heart rather than external actions is because many people started to think that they can please God by keeping the law. The purpose Jesus gave these 'Beatitudes' is to make all humans realize that it is impossible to please God by keeping the law, and that faith in Jesus is the only means to live a life of purity.
All the religions of the world say, do good and live a good life to please God, as a result of it you will go to heaven. Only Christianity says, all men are utterly evil in their heart and no one has the ability to save them from sin and take them to heaven except through their faith in Jesus Christ, through which God saves and then justifies them who believe as though they have never sinned at all by imputing righteousness of Jesus to their spiritual account (Rom 4:6). God seals a believer with the Holy Spirit guranteeing that they belong to Him forevermore (Eph 1:13-14; 2 Cor 1:22). Once they are saved by grace through faith, they can continue to live by faith in the promises of God which makes them grow in God's divine nature which will release its power and give them victory over sin, sickness and death (2 Peter 1:2-4; 2 Cor 1:20).
Once we are saved by faith, we should receive the gift of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues to live a powerful life of witness for Jesus (Acts 1:4-5, 8; 2:2-4). Then as we continue to pray in tongues (1 Cor 14:18), our spirit-man will grow in such a way that we will know that we are no more sinners saved just by faith initially and strive by our strength to get in to heaven (Gal 3:2-3), but we are saints in Jesus Christ who are called to serve God and His people by our faith and faith only, nothing more or nothing less (Heb 10:38), and then rule and reign over sin, sickness and death by faith in the power of God (Rev 5:10; 1 Cor 2:5; Rom 6:14; John 11:25-26).
In the Jewish traditional religion, there were a sect of zealous law followers who were called as the "bleeding" Pharisees who lived during the first century AD. In Judaism, there are a total of 613 laws in the Torah [Ref : http://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm]. These Pharisees in their zeal and eagerness to keep these law of Biblical commandments, they would avoid looking on a woman who passes before them by shutting their eyes and as a result of it would bump in to a wall and get bruised in their head in such a way that they would manytimes start to bleed. Then they would boast about their righteous life by showing to people the scar on their head that had come because of their so-called holy life. Such religious life are extremely pathetic because the Pharisees were very careful to filter and avoid the gnat of external influence to get tempted, but swallow the camel of religious pride which is the biggest sin of all that God hates. Satan fell from heaven because of pride and these Pharisees religiously followed Satan by exhibiting pride openly to all about their so-called religious works which was done by their carnal strength rather than by the Holy Spirit's strength. They were completely under the influence of Satan's evil in their pride rather than by God and his humility.
There is a story of a man in a village who wanted to live a holy life. So he thought that because of the external influence only, he was not able to walk holy in his life. One fine day he decided to leave the environment of all sinful men in their village and go to a cave in the forest to meditate upon God alone and thus live a holy life pleasing to Him. The he took some food for the journey and started walking towards the jungle. His friends and well wishers who met him on the way asked him where he was going? This man who wanted to live holy, told them about his plan. They all wished him well and another godly man told him, if ever he came back to the village, he should come and tell to him whether it was possible for him to acheive holiness in isolation. This man agreed and smiled as he went towards the deep jungle cave.
Then when he reached that place in the jungle, intially he felt hard to adjust with all the unusual way of life. But then as he came to lead a holy life of asceticism, he disciplined himself to live just with whatever was naturally available in nature.
Then as he started meditating upon God, day after day, month after month, he was feeling more sinful than ever because internally in his heart thoughts of sexual fantasies started to haunt him. Then anger started to rise up against himself as he failed to think holy in his mind. Still a month after this, he began to long for things that he never had. Then all of the evil thoughts started to still increase torturously more than ever he had in his entire life.
On a fine morning, he cried and cried about his evil heart within until he could cry no more. Then he honestly decided to return back to his village accepting his failure to lead a life of holiness. As he went back to his village, he remembered what the godly man said and went to see him in his house. The godly man was not surprised to see him while all others were surprised to see him back. Then as he told him his sincere desire and failure to live a holy life, the godly man said that it is not the external exposure to various circumstances that taints us with sin, but the nature of sin that lives within us is what makes us unholy, then he shared the good news of the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus. The sincere man accepted the gospel immediately and became a great testimony of Jesus in the same village, in which many people accepted Jesus seeing a changes and tranformed life of this saved man.
What a truth! Our inner heart needs a transformation and that we cannot really be holy by disciplining ourselves to act holy externally. Jesus gives a internal holiness through His blood that cleanses us (Heb 9:14).
The next time you see a woman, and a strong lust tries to take control of you, just tell to Jesus and remind Him that it is not your own righteousness that can give you victory over this lust, but His imparted righteousness that can only help you overcome this temptation (Php 3:9). When I say to men, who are sight activated by God's design, it also applies equally to women who are also tempted to lust through emotional activity (2 Cor 11:3; 2 Tim 3:6). The moment you say this to Jesus, he will release His grace to come upon you, seeing your humility (James 4:6). It is by grace we are saved and it is by the same grace we overcome sin. Only once we are saved from sin, but we need to be saved by grace from the power of sin many times continiously.
Only once the righteousness of Christ is imputed forever in to our spiritual account in heaven, but we need to be imparted daily with the righteousness which comes from God by faith in Christ. Spiritual life is a journey and not a destination! Now as we freely and daily receive the abundance of grace to reign in this life through Christ's gift of righteousness through impartation (Rom 5:17, 21), we must cotinually offer the sacrifice of praise through our lips and give thanks to His name which is the only acceptable sacrifice of God that we will be able to give to God. Also then do good by God's guidance and share with others what you have been given by God financially, physically and spiritually, by which God will be well pleased (Rom 12:1-2; Heb 13:15-16).
May God help us to live a overcoming abundant life of grace which always without fail makes us to reign on earth over sin, sickness and death!
"The only way to master all lust is not by our self effort or discipline, but it is by trusting the Divine Master of all things to work within us through His mighty power to overcome its evil." — Abraham Israel
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