Spiritual Fruit equals Spiritual Warfare

Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Eph 6:10-11

We talk about spiritual warfare and we know that our weapons are spiritual not physical because the fight is not with flesh and blood but against the kingdom of darkness. We need weapons of the Kingdom of Light to dispel and defeat darkness.

A friend confided that she was struggling with panic attacks because of a pending doctor's verdict for her dad because the situation looked bad. We were in church worshipping and after a few minutes I turned to her and said, "Your peace in this circumstance is more powerful then your fear.  In fact, your peace at this moment is your spiritual warfare."  I realised when I said it, that the enemy comes only to kill, steal and destroy. Her peace and joy was what was at stake in this trial.  It is powerful when, during trials, we can keep peace and joy at the forefront for the enemy has no hook with which to get us riled up, frustrated and fearful.

Do we think, in a trial, that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are having an emergency management conference in Heaven, brainstorming and declaring, "Oops this caught us off guard, what can we do here?"  What an absurd picture!  Yet our emotional reaction to trials shows that we really don't trust God has the answer and we frustrate ourselves trying to work it out.  Just think, when you maintain God's perfect peace during trials, you are really sending a message to the devil that you know God is Sovereign and you really trust He has it all in hand.

The fruit of the spirit is part of our spiritual warfare.  Love triumphs over hate.  Joy over mourning. Peace over anxiety and fear.  Patience over impatience. Kindness over meanness. Goodness over evil. Faith over doubt. Gentleness over violence. Self control over passions and emotions.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. If we live by the Spirit, let's also walk by the Spirit.  Gal 5:22-25

The thing is God always has a promise and provision for any trial.  If you are sick, Jesus wants to be your healer.  His promise is, "By His stripes you were healed"  (1Pet 2:24) and His provision is healing manifest in your body.  Maybe you don't know how you are going to pay a bill. His promise is that you will not lack (Matt 6:33-35) and He is the one who provides.

Let us give ourselves over to faith, not doubt and unbelief - faith in a faithful God who alone can split the Red Sea and keep the universe functioning.

He gave thanks

"The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this is remembrance of me."  In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." 1 Cor 11: 23-26

On the night you were betrayed you still gave thanks. You broke the bread knowing the significance of what it meant- that some hours later you would be inspected as the Passover Lamb, condemned and crucified. Yet you gave thanks!  You were to go through the biggest trial of your life, so overwhelming that you sweat drops of blood, and yet you gave thanks! You gave thanks to God for being my offering, my sacrifice and my substitute to receive my punishment and judgement.

You lifted up the cup in that hour and you gave thanks. That cup represented your life's blood being poured out, the whipping you would receive for my healing; the crown of thorns: your pierced hands and feet and the water and blood that poured out from your side- and yet you gave thanks!

For the joy set before you, you endured the cross, and that joy was souls, the whosoever, those who believe. 

When you were in agony in the garden, were you thinking of another garden where you saw Adam and Eve distrust the goodness of God at the serpent's lie and so disobey and partake of what God clearly said not to, and throw all humanity into the ravages of sin and death?  In the garden of your agony and greatest temptation, you trusted in the good will and promises of the Father, and so clung to His will.

Then I said, ‘Here I am: I have come – it is written of me in the scroll of the book – to do your will, O God.’  When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them” (which are offered according to the law),

then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” Rom 10: 7-9

Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill, 

once restitution is made, 

he will see descendants and enjoy long life, 

and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him.

Having suffered, he will reflect on his work, 

he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done. 

“My servant will acquit many, 

for he carried their sins.  Is 53: 10-11

And because you stuck to God's will and endured all you had to for our sake you brought us salvation, healing, forgiveness and life.  Your blood still cries out Father forgive them they know not what they do. It is an eternal reminder of the work you did Calvary for us and we give thanks.

Identity IN Christ alone

"To understand who God really is, you can begin by looking at yourself, since you are made in God's image."

I quote an author who has sold millions of books and really would like to comment on what he has said. It is true that in the creation account the bible clearly states that God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our own likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over all the creatures that move over the earth." Gen 1:26

Mankind's first state was to portray God's image but that all changed the moment Adam and Eve sinned and, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we are told a few chapters later, "when Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image." Gen 5:3

The world changed and man's state changed from intimate fellowship with God in the garden of Eden to "so then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned." Rom 5:12.

We became a fallen people.  So the question I obviously have is, can we still see God by looking at ourselves?  The word is very clear and quite derogatory about the state of fallen man.  The only way to change our state is by being born again and given a new heart and nature in the process.

"The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only EVIL all the time." Gen 6:5

This Old Testament scripture does not sound to me that we can look at ourselves to see God who is Holy, Righteous and Truth.  But to be a little more convincing, let us look at how Jesus saw us, even though He didn't come to condemn but to save us.

"If you, then, though you are EVIL, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matt 7:11 and "For from within, out of the human heart, come EVIL ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, envy, slander, pride, and folly.  All these EVILS come from within and defile a person." Mark 7: 21-23

I may have laboured the point here, but it is so important to see how far from and unlike God we are and how desperately we needed His solution, salvation through faith in the cross of Christ.  None of the character traits mentioned by Jesus in the above scripture can I reconcile with God.  It looks pretty grim on behalf of men and women.  This is why the gospel of Salvation is such good news.  The depravity of mankind is clearly seen in the amazing grace, yet horrific sacrificial death Jesus had to endure on that cross to save us and reconcile us back to the Father.  It shows His incredible unconditional love for us that he would come and suffer even when we were at enmity with him. Rom 5:10

God our Father has an eternal good plan for each and every individual on earth but that plan can only unfold when we appropriate it through the cross of Christ.  God is eternally good.  Salvation was His good plan from before the foundation of the world and it cost Him everything "who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of God the Father." Gal 1:4

We get to have a new identity when appropriated through the cross.

"So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away - look, what is new has come." 2 Cor 5:17

"For you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light." Eph 5:8

"See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called God's children - and indeed we are! For this reason the world does not know us." 1 Jn 3:1

Our new identity can only be found IN Christ "who knew no sin but became sin, so that we might have the righteousness of God." 2 Cor 5:21

We appropriate Christ's righteousness, not by any good work, but purely through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus. All our identity is found in Him and Him alone. Such is Grace and such is the gift of God to us through Jesus. 

Overcoming Power

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Jn 16:33 NKJV

It doesn't matter what translation or version of the bible I read, this verse just doesn't go away.  Jesus warned us that in this world we will have trouble, tribulations, trials, sorrows or difficulties.  BUT He gave us a promise of comfort - He has OVERCOME!

It is amazing how people who are angry with God, or are atheists, always seem to challenge our faith on this - why is there so much suffering in the world if God is real and loving?  And yet, there are thousands of those who have also overcome adversity by their faith in Jesus Christ and with the help of the Holy Spirit.  He truly overcome the world and we find everything we need in Him.

Suffering, when I look around, seems to caused by, dare I say it, people.  Imagine if everyone took to heart the basic commandment of God - love God and love others.  If the world revolved around this, where would a starving child be? Where would a struggling mum because her man walked out on her and the children be?  Where would divorce be? Where would abuse be? Where would a drunken, angry man be or a drug induced daughter be?  The most obvious answer would be that these scenarios wouldn't exist.  If  "self" didn't come into the equation and we lived to prefer and better others and look to their welfare before our own, this world would be a drastically different place.

You may be asking, all and well but how did Jesus overcome the world?  He does it by changing the human heart.  "And I will give you a new heart and I will give you new and right desires and put a new spirit within you.  I will take out your stony hearts of sin and give you new hearts of love.  And I will put my spirit within you so that you will obey my laws and do whatever I command." Ez 36: 26-27

We too, have the power to overcome temptation and sin because of the Spirit of Christ who lives in us,  challenges us to do good.  When you are in a situation where you want to explode in anger and frustration, the Holy Spirit can, at that point, challenge you to maintain and overcome with peace. Or when you feel the urge to gossip, rather overcome by blessing them instead. When hurt comes along and you want to hold a grudge and unforgiveness, the Holy Spirit can enable you to forgive and let go.

When natural disasters or evil happens, God speaks to individuals to reach out with compassion and ease the situation by whatever means available.  God raises up people to start feeding programs, hospitals, orphanages etc and they give up their time and resources and some even their lives to be a blessing and give aid.

Maybe I'm to simplistic in my understanding, but when I see good happen around me, I know the overcoming power of Jesus Christ is on display.

The Work of the Cross

"I must work the works of Him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Jn 9:4-5

There is a growing ground swell around the world of believers who are out in the market place seeing the sick healed.  They have had a revelation of the work of the cross and of the person of Jesus Christ, and have taken on His commission and go, in His authority, to carry on His works.

In the above passage of scripture, Jesus gives sight to a man born blind for the glory of God.  He called this miracle a work.  From scripture, we see the works Jesus did according to His own manifesto:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

This was the heart of the Father and the blueprint for the work of our Saviour.  His work always was the result of His Father's desire and heart toward us and of who He is - LOVE!  Just think on this fact.  The father's love for us, made provision for our salvation and for any and every circumstance through the Cross of His Son. That is the eternal work of the cross.

What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who didn't spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things? Rom 8:31-32

Jesus, the Word of God, come in the flesh, the light of the world, introduced us to the realm of the supernatural motivated by love and compassion in dramatic healings, deliverance and salvation.
The work of the cross, forged in earth time, but eternally powerful has the only ability to save, heal and deliver mankind's souls and affect our physical world too. Christ's spilt blood eternally cries out its covenant of provision for the forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with Father, totally healing body, soul and spirit, and in fact for every need we have.  The answer is found in the work of the cross.  Not only that, The Cross has given us status as Kingdom people, who carry the same manifesto as Christ on earth, to bring the Kingdom to earth as He did, through the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us.

The work of the Kingdom never ends for we have a King who is the same, yesterday, today and forever.  Heb 13:8. Motivated by His love for the world, His desire is still to do His work through those who have a revelation of the Cross which was His greatest work for us and the greatest example of His love.  His blood eternally cries out its covenant of the healing and saving provision Christ paid for on that tree.  Receive that healing power and freely give what we have been given as we bring the Kingdom to earth.

Enabling Grace

"The word became flesh and lived among us.  We saw His glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound."  Jesus was recognised as "one full of grace and truth" by the apostle John, whose gospel portrays the divinity of the One and only Son of God.  I find that fascinating and how true when we consider Jesus knew the truth, as He is the Truth, that He would come into the world and to His own, but they would not recognise Him or accept Him.  His grace and love for us was more powerful than the rejection He would suffer from us.

The Creator of the world, stepped down out of eternity to grace mankind with the light of His presence, to be rejected and to die for those He came for.

I think of encounters with this God-man full of grace and truth, such as the woman at the well.  Jesus fully knew, by the Holy Spirit, the life she lived and how she was in de facto with her 6th man, but that didn't stop His grace reaching her and healing her hurts.  His grace covered over her sins. He elevated her to an increased spiritual realm, where she became the bearer of Good News to those in her village who rejected her because of her lifestyle.  His grace and love seeks to save those who are lost; those who are sincerely seeking something better.

Thirsty, guilt-laden hearts can find comfort in His grace when they recognise the truth of who He is, the Holy One from God, and, who they are, sinners, who have missed the mark of Holiness yet who are saved by grace.

His grace enables us to live better, make better choices, to accept ourselves where we are and to grow up into the full stature of Christ.  An encounter with His grace humbles the human heart. The truth that God Himself, our Lord and Saviour, could come and take our sins and punishment on the cross, so that, in believing, we can have the power given to us to become sons and daughters of God Most High.

Every heavenly gift comes to us because of His grace toward us and the cross.  It's at the foot of the cross where heavy hearts and burdens are laid down at His feet as grace pours down even as His blood did to bring forgiveness and freedom.  It's at the cross where we are spiritually awakened to the depth of our depravity in comparison to His holiness and purity. Yet it is the place to receive the grace He freely offers to be cleansed and pure.  Oh the cleansing power of His blood; there's none like it!

The Rich Young Ruler

Behold, one came to him and said, "Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"

We humans seem to love to have a check list that we can tick off to see if we're on the right track and going to heaven.  Even Jesus gave this young man a list from the 10 Commandments which he should be keeping.  At this time, the Israelites were still under the Law of Moses as Jesus was not yet crucified and the Holy Spirit not yet given.

The thing is, under the law of grace, we don't do anything to gain eternal life.  Christ has done it all. We just need to accept the gracious gift of the cross. After Christ died, we were no longer under Law, the requirements of which were fully satisfied with the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection. Jesus sent the Helper and now we live not by the Law but by our submission and obedience to the Holy Spirit. We no longer need the check list of the Law, which Paul said leads us into bondage.

"But now rather you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental principles, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again?"

This does not mean that we throw out the 10 Commandments, as the wages for sin is still death, and for which Jesus fully paid,  but we now achieve them by the help and power of the Helper and not by our own strength. The word is very clear that Jesus became our sin so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him.  When we do falter, we have forgiveness in the cross when we repent.

There is nothing we can do to gain eternal life, except believe.

"For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed - a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as is is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Rom 1:17

The main message Jesus wanted to get across to this young man was about intimacy.  "Come follow me."  This is what Jesus wanted, fellowship with him.  However, the young man had affluence and riches that kept a tight hold on his soul.  It is interesting to note that Jesus did not quote the first four commandments in his conversation with the young man.  These deal with man's relationship with God, the awareness of who He is and our response that comes out that awareness.

If this rich, young ruler had recognised Jesus as the Son of God, Messiah, instead of just "good teacher", would have his decision been different?  He walked away from the One who is Eternal Life in favour of the riches that tied him to the temporal realm. He had his faith and trust in his riches and not in the Son of God.  Yet, in having an intimacy with the Lord Jesus, he would have found that Jesus would have been more than enough in giving him sufficiency of soul.

This story is in stark contrast to those in the early church who had this intimate relationship with their Lord and Saviour.

"All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need." Acts 2:44

I wonder, if facing the same predicament as the rich, young ruler, would I do the same? With all my heart I hope not.