Today we continue our series entitled, “Grace and Truth” by continuing to look at by continuing to look at The Law given under Moses vs. the Grace provided by Jesus. Our main scriptures are John 1:14 & 17. Let’s look at them again.
(John 1:14 New International Version)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:17 New International Version)
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
In this series we studied Galatians 3, 4, and 5. We finally got to the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We are going through all the fruit of the Spirit. We have been dealing with “faith that prevails” for a few days. We will continue today.
(Galatians 5:22,23 The Passion Translation)
But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions:
joy that overflows,
peace that subdues,
patience that endures,
kindness in action,
a life full of virtue,
faith that prevails,
gentleness of heart, and
strength of spirit.
Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.
Yesterday I dealt with the fact that God gave you faith. He actually gave you the same faith He gave His own Son. You have the faith OF God so you can exercise faith IN God. But there are levels to faith. I will discuss these levels over the next few days. Here is a quick breakdown of the levels of faith (or types) I am describing:
1. Faith in the works (what you see). I would consider this to be the lowest form of faith. There are some people who will only believe God when they see something. Most of the time, for believers, God will require you to believe it before you see it. But for people who are filled with unbelief, God allows them to see what they need to see in order to believe. God does this as an act of His unmerited favor (or grace).
2. Faith in the Word (what you read). The Father expects you to read His Word with a believing heart. When you read what God said, and you believe it in your heart, you are then able to exercise faith to experience it. This is faith in the Word.
3. Faith in a rhema Word (what you hear). Rhema is a Greek word that means an “utterance” or “a thing said.” When you read the Word of God you get to believe what God said (past tense). But when you hear a Word from God through the Holy Spirit, you get to believe what He IS SAYING. Living by what God SAID is great, but living by what He IS SAYING is greater.
4. Faith in God Himself (whom you believe). This is the highest expression of your faith. When you get to this point you live the life of faith. You believe what you see God do, you believe what you read in His Word, and you believe what He says to you, but even when you don’t see, read or hear, you still live your life in faith, based upon the relationship you have with the Father. Even when you don’t know what God is going to do, you still have faith in the person of God. Your overall confidence in God and His commitment towards you enables you to enter into God’s rest, even when the world is telling you that you should stressing. You are not moved by what you see. You are not moved by what the world is telling you. Because you know WHO you have placed your confidence in and you know He is faithful to perform what He promised! You have faith in God!
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. God loves you enough to meet you at your level of faith. He will actually go out of His way to help you get to the point where you can believe!
2. If you can’t believe without seeing it first, God loves you enough to perform the supernatural in front of you, so you can see it with your own eyes, in order for you to believe. That’s love and it is undeserved. God does this by grace.
3. If you can believe God for the supernatural, He will perform the humanly impossible through you, so others who are not at your level can believe as well. At this point God uses you as a conduit of His light and power in this world. You become a living letter that is literally read of men (2 Cor 3:1-3). Your life becomes a witness of God’s goodness.
4. When God does the impossible through you, it’s really not even about you, it is about reaching the world. So stop thinking small. God will perform the supernatural through you, by His undeserved grace, so that people would know that there is a God, that He sent a Savior, and that His name is Jesus!
The point of this series is to compare and contrast The Law that was given by Moses, with the Grace that came through Jesus Christ. I was raised to live by The Law. My focus was on a bunch of rules. I was very religious and I had no concept of God’s grace. I never experienced the power of God manifest IN me or THROUGH me, because I was not living by faith. I was living by works. I was focused on human performance, instead of supernatural power. I trust this series is helping you move past the limits of your humanity. God wants to use you supernaturally, for His glory. He has provided the grace. It’s up to you now to provide the faith!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for loving me enough to reach me where I am. There was a time when I did not believe without seeing it first. When I was at that level, You graciously allowed me to see things, with my own eyes, that caused me to believe. I then read Your Word. I am now able to believe what You SAID. I read Your Word with a believing heart and I have the faith to take You at Your Word. I also get to hear what You are saying to me daily. Living by what You ARE SAYING is better than just living by what YOU SAID! And lastly Father, I declare that I have faith in You, Your person, Your character, and Your commitment towards me. Even when I do not see something, or read something, or hear something, I still have faith in You. My faith in You is unwavering. I trust You, even when I do not know what You are doing! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
