Today we will continue our series entitled “God’s Grace & Our Faith.” We are looking at The Law given under Moses vs. the Grace provided by Jesus. Our primary scriptures are John 1:14 & 17.
(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.
I received plenty of feedback from yesterday’s message. Not only from the grace teaching but also from the prayers I provided for the school year. I am thankful this message is resonating with you. Let’s continue to strive to get an understanding of God’s amazing grace.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Jesus ushered us into a new dispensation, and we must learn to operate under the New Covenant.
(John 1:17 New International Version)
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Let’s think about some of the things Jesus did for us:
— He transitioned us from the dispensation of The Law.
— He delivered us from the curse of The Law. The Bible says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…” (Gal 3:13).
— He took us from a system focused on man and what man could do for God to a system focused on God and what God has already done for us.
— He restored mankind’s access to the Holy Spirit. This is access Adam had lost, and Jesus died to get it back.
— He redeemed us from the two things Adam got us into. These two things are satan’s dynamic duo: sin and death. Jesus saved us from sin and took the sting out of death.
— He set an example of what it looks like for a human who is filled with the Holy Spirit to live on earth in harmony with heaven.
— He showed us what happens when a human is led by the Holy Spirit and has the faith to tap into what God has already provided.
— Under this New Covenant, the focus is no longer on man’s ability to perform (or lack of ability to perform). The emphasis is solely on God and the empowering presence He bestows upon men (male and female) to do what He called us to do from the foundations of the world.
— Once again, the Bible says, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” If you subtract Jesus, you are left with the religious system of The Law. But when you get a revelation of what Jesus came to usher us into, the truth of God’s grace will deliver you from performance-based religion, it will deliver you from sin and death, and it will deliver you from the limits of your humanity.
— I have to keep teaching God’s grace because I believe the entire system of the New Covenant functions on the grace of God. The more you understand God’s grace, the more effective you will be at cooperating with Him to bring to pass His perfect will for your life, while you are in the land of the living!
2. The grace of God requires your cooperation.
— Please don’t take the message of God’s grace to mean that you don’t have to do anything. Actually, you should see grace as an empowerment to do all things!
— Taking anything to an extreme leads to error. If you take your part to an extreme, you leave God out. If you take God’s part to an extreme, you alleviate yourself from your responsibility in the process, and that would be a mistake.
— You must grow to the point where you understand the balance between God’s sovereignty and your responsibility. I have taught on this before, and I will keep driving it home.
3. Powerful things happen when you cooperate with God so He can operate in your life!
— God has all power. There is nothing (literally nothing) God cannot do.
— God has plans for you. Before you were born, God made plans for you, and His plans are designed for you to prosper and experience divine success (see Jer 1:5; Jer 29:11; Ps 139:15,16; Isa 49:1; Rom 8:28-32).
— Nothing and no one can stop the grace of God when it is in operation in your life. The only person that can stop the flow of God’s grace is YOU! For God to fully operate in your life, you must COOPERATE with Him!
— God will not force you to be blessed. He will not force you to become the man/woman He destined you to be. Your submission to His plans must be an act of your free will.
4. Your decisions and actions matter. It’s just that God predestined you according to His foreknowledge of your decisions.
— God does not have to wait until you make a decision to know what you are going to decide, but He still honors your decision when you make it.
— The Bible says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29). When you read that God “predestined” you, what that means is that He already planned out your life. He made plans for you before you were born.
— God planned out your life, and He did so with the foreknowledge of your decisions. So your decisions and actions matter because God took them into account when He made the plan. This means you have a part in His provision. You have a role in the plan! Your decisions matter, and you will have to live with the consequences of what you decide.
5. The manifestation of God’s provision requires your faith.
— This series is about God’s grace AND your requirement to walk and live by faith.
— When I preach, “It’s already done” or “God has already provided“, invariably someone will say: “Well, since God already did everything, then I don’t need to do anything,” or, “If everything is already planned out, then it does not matter what I do.” No! God’s grace (the fact that God has already provided) is not a license to DO NOTHING! It’s actually an empowerment to DO ALL THINGS!
— The fact that God predestined you does not mean you don’t have to pray. It may mean you will have to pray more than you ever have before. It just means God knew what you were going to face along the way. God knew what you would have to pray for, and He still requires you to pray.
— Don’t mistake the message of grace to mean that you don’t need to pray, believe, release your faith, confess your scriptures, or stand on the Word. Once you understand God’s grace, you may have to do all these things more than you ever have. You have a part in God’s provision. That part is called FAITH!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your unearned and empowering grace and my requirement to live by faith.
I know Your provision has already been stored up for the vision You established for me. I know everything I need to accomplish what I was born to do has already been provided. Your grace is there. I now set my faith in agreement with it!
You have already provided. You already mapped out my life. You already made the plan. You included my decisions and actions in that plan. So I make decisions that line up with Your Word. I pray the prayer of faith. I fight the fight of faith. I believe I receive when I pray.
I pray the prayers I believe You already prayed over me. I boldly decree what I believe You have already declared over my life. In this way, I am doing my part in Your provision. Daily, I cooperate with You by faith, and You freely flow through me by grace. Living this way, there is nothing I can’t do. Therefore, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
