We Need God in our Lives

 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. Gal 5:16 NLT

What are the works of the sinful nature? The original Greek New Testament calls these the works of the flesh. 

There is nothing wrong with your natural flesh and blood, the organs of your body. God created your body and he does not make bad things. But when we let our flesh and blood direct our lives, things go wrong.

If you are a good driver, your car is a blessing, but if your car engine runs without direction from a driver, it can do untold damage.

God has given you a soul and a spirit, designed to direct your mind and body. If your soul and spirit are closely connected to God’s Spirit, and you are guided by the love and goodness of God, your mind and body will be a blessing.

I have recently listened to sermons about repenting of sin. We need that from time to time, but I had the feeling that something was missing. 

Repenting is not just about not doing bad things. It is not enough to avoid rage, hate and malice. God wants us to love, care and help, not just with outward deeds but moved by genuine concern for others. 

It is not enough to avoid revenge. God wants us to forgive people who hurt or threaten us. It is not enough to avoid bearing grudges. God wants us to love and bless our enemies.

When Jesus was dying on the cross, suffering unspeakable agony, tormented by vile verbal abuse, he cried out to the Father to forgive his tormentors. 

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” … Lk 23:34 NRSV

God wants us to stop doing bad things, but He also wants us to be perfectly pure, kind and loving like Jesus. If we think we can do all of this, we are sadly mistaken. Jesus was the perfect Son of God, God in human form. We are very faulty, flawed human beings. We learned what we know from faulty parents, faulty friends and faulty teachers. 

We can change some of our behaviour with human will power but we need fixing and rebuilding from the inside. 

Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. If we confess our sins, He will forgive us, but we do not have the power to be like Jesus on the inside.

When Jesus was executed, his natural body died, but his spirit lived on. Three days later her returned to this world with a supernatural immortal body. He appeared to his friends and disciples and spent 40 days with them before he returned to heaven. 

A week later the Spirit of God came upon 120 of His followers and changed them from the inside.

Now you and I can have the same blessing, the Spirit of God living inside us and rebuilding our human nature, so we can be more like God on the inside.
If you really want to put your life in God’s hands, just ask Him. He will not turn you away.

Jesus invites us today to come to him to be changed and to have a new life with himself.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NRSV

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 
For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 
Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 
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 the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Lk 11:9–13 NIV

Paul. Greatest sinner became God's Messenger

 God used the shameful past of Rahab and other prostitutes as a testimony to help other sinful people believe and be forgiven.

Paul's sinful past was not adultery or witchcraft, but self-righteous religious pride.

Paul's religious ambition drove him to be an outstanding biblical scholar, but there was no humility of love in his heart. His religion led him to persecute and murder followers of Jesus.

Paul became an enemy of Jesus and an enemy of the God he thought he served. Then came the day when everything changed.

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9:3–6 NIV

God never forgot Paul's sin. It is recorded in the Bible, in the Word of God.

Paul also remembered his sin.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 1 Tim 1:15–16 NIV

Paul was a living example of the mercy and grace that were at the centre of his message and ministry.
If there is extreme shame in your life, be encouraged.

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. Is 54:4 NIV

How can the deepest shame lead to eternal blessing in God's hands? Jesus hung stark naked on the cross to open the door to eternal glory for you and me.

Jesus forgave prostitutes and brutal religious leaders when they believed and repented. What can we learn from this. Pray for pimps, drug dealers and hypocritical preachers. No one is too bad to be forgiven.

Condemned Man Refuses Pardon

 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Heb 4:15 NIV

We have a wonderful high priest. He continually cares for you. He never stops thinking about you.

All his thoughts about you are loving and kind.

You can't stop God from loving you.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:8 NIV
 
For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God's goodness into us! 2 Corinthians 5:21 (TLB)

God wants to grant you a complete pardon and give you a whole new life.

God's love is unconditional. He loves you as you are and he loves you because he loves you.

But God grants his pardon with one condition. You cannot earn God's forgiveness, but you must accept his mercy.

In 1830, a criminal in the USA was sentenced to death, but the president wanted to pardon him.

The man, however, refused the presidential pardon and he had to die.
That was his God-given freedom of will.

You and I also have this freedom of will. We can gratefully accept or reject God's grace.

Jesus sees all your offences and failures, but he also sees your despair and feels your suffering.

His heart beats for you.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Rev 3:20 NIV

A woman in Iran was watching a banned Christian television program. She heard the preacher quoting this invitation from Jesus. Then she heard a knock. She went to the front door and she saw Jesus. She invited him in and she immediately believed in Jesus.

Do you want to invite Jesus in too?

God will not reject you. It's up to you.

What is Forgiveness? It is not ...

One of the biggest problems with forgiveness is this. People don’t understand what forgiveness really is. 

• If someone terrorises you, rapes you, steals your wife or husband or children, you read the Bible and you see that God expects you to forgive the person who ruined your life. 

• You are a woman in hospital because your husband beat you up and not for the first time. You go to the funeral of your son who killed himself because a priest or pastor raped him.

You go to a pastor for counselling and he says: “Just forgive.”Of course that is at least half right. The Lord’s Prayer says:And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us...Luke 11:4 (NRSV)

It is true that if you do not forgive, you will not be able to fully enjoy the mercy of God, the peace of God, the comfort of God or perhaps the healing power of God.

• So what is wrong with the advice to “Just forgive?”

The word “JUST” is an insult, a slap in the face, a kick in the stomach. It is the arrogance of a Pharisaical priesthood.

When a father, a mother, a wife, a husband, a priest or pastor destroys your life by condemnation, rejection, adultery, slander, violence or rape and your life is in ruins, you feel violent indignation. You are burning with a sense of injustice. 

• Supposing the injustice is ongoing and not just something that happened in the past. If you “just” forgive, you feel you are submitting to evil and excusing or even condoning evil. 

It is wrong to excuse evil or condone sin and you are right to feel this.

When Jesus was hanging on the cross, He said: 

Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." ... Luke 23:34 (NKJV)

Jesus was not excusing their sin. He was not trivialising the sin of murder. He was releasing them from the judgement of God, so they would be able to seek forgiveness and receive mercy from the Father.

When you counsel a person who has been terribly abused, never tell them to “just forgive.” A terrible injustice has been done. 

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15 (NKJV) 

We could perhaps add, “Rage with those who rage.” 

When a man abuses, rapes or bashes his children, the mother of the children should be angry. There is something wrong if she is not angry. Do you imagine God Himself does not feel angry about this?

If you counsel such a woman, the first priority is to help her to protect her children and herself, often by leaving her husband and taking her children away.

It is also essential to minister to her broken heart by entering into her trauma and taking her side.

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; 

He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; Luke 4:18 (NKJV) 

Then you must help the woman to forgive. This does not mean she must go back to her husband or allow him to continue beating, raping or abusing.

• Many Christians are wrongly taught that forgiveness must include excusing the sin. Wrong!
• Many Christians are taught that forgiveness requires them to continue in fellowship with a violent or dangerous partner or parent. Wrong!
• Many Christians are taught to believe forgiveness requires them to forget that their daughter committed suicide because she was seduced by her father or her pastor. Wrong!
• Many Christians are taught that if they are still traumatised, they have not forgiven. Wrong!

When Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of His tormentors on the cross, did He then not feel tormented any more? What a ridiculous idea!

If Christian woman is raped, and she forgives her attacker, does that mean she should not then report the crime and cooperate with the police and the courts? That would expose other women to danger. 

To be continued.

GOD TRANSFORMS YOUR SHAME INTO BLESSING

"Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; But you will forget the shame of your youth,  Isaiah 54:4 (NASB) 

God remembers everything in your life, the good, the bad and the ugly. 

But doesn’t the Bible say that God forgets your sins when He forgives?

God decides not to remember your sin as sin. But God keeps a record of everything in your past and in your history for another purpose. 

 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV) 

God keeps a record of your entire life for the purpose of healing the wounds in your soul. 

• Better than that, God uses the wrong things that have happened in your life to bless you and others.

When Moses died, Joshua took over the leadership of Israel. 
Before the Israelites miraculously crossed the Jordan River, Joshua sent spies into Jericho. 

• They narrowly escaped capture when they took refuge in a brothel. The prostitute Rahab protected them because she believed in the God of Israel. 
• When the city of Jericho fell, Rahab’s house was preserved and she was welcomed into Israel as a convert to the true God. 
• She became the grandmother of the grandfather of King David. 
• Rahab is one of only four women listed in the family tree of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. 

Jesus said to the self righteous Jewish religious leaders:

 ... Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. Matthew 21:31 (NIV) 

How many prostitutes have been encouraged to respond to the love of God by the story of Rahab? 

• God uses the record of our past lives to bless us and bless others.

I once heard a very interesting missionary preacher. He told a story of a church made up mostly of converted ex prostitutes. They were wonderful street evangelists. 

• As prostitutes they had hunted for men with shameless boldness. God used this same shameless boldness to make them wonderful evangelists. 

God forgets the sinfulness of your sin but He uses your sinful past to do wonderful things.

A quite different example is the Apostle Paul.

Paul’s sinful past was not adultery or witchcraft but self righteous religious pride. 

• Paul’s religious ambition drove him to be an outstanding biblical scholar but there was not humility of love in his heart. His religion led him to persecute and murder followers of Jesus. 
• Paul became an enemy of Jesus and an enemy of the God he thought he served. Then came the day when everything changed.

Acts 9:3-6 (NIV) 

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 

He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 

• "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." 

God never forgot Paul’s sin. It is recorded in the Bible, the Word of God.

• Paul also remembered his sin.

1 Timothy 1:15-16 (NIV) 

• Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. 
• But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 

Paul was a living example of the mercy and grace that was at the heart of his message and his ministry.

If there is extreme shame in your life, be encouraged. 

"Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; But you will forget the shame of your youth ... Isaiah 54:4 (NASB) 

FINDING A REASON TO LIVE

Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 (TLB) 

• You were separated from God but God took the initiative to restore you to a relationship with your Heavenly Father.

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba (Daddy), Father.” Romans 8:15 (NLT)

The kind of FAITH that reconciles you to God is not just religious belief. 

It is trusting God as a child loves his mother and father. 

Of course there are children who have good reason not to trust their parents but God is never an unkind, unfair or abusive father.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV) 

The Lord Jesus was with the Heavenly Father in the endless eternity before the creation of the universe. Jesus, God the Son, no less divine than the Father, looked down the centuries and saw you in need of forgiveness and restoration. 

• He knew His Father was just. 

• He knew you would mess up your life. 

• He knew you deserved judgement but He wanted to save you.

 Before the first angel saw the face of God, before the first star shone in the sky, Jesus decided to be born as a baby just like us. He decided that He would submit to a cruel execution on the cross.

• Why? So He would be punished in your place. So you could be forgiven and be fully restored to God.

Jesus trusted His Father to raise Him up from death.You can trust the Father as Jesus did.You can trust Jesus who sacrificed Himself so amazingly for you.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NLT)

• We cannot earn God’s favour. 
• We all messed up our lives in different ways. 
• None of us can claim to be good like Jesus. 
• Our sin cut us off from the presence of God but God gave His only son to give us our lives back again. 

It is a free gift and you must accept God’s loving favour as a free gift or not at all. 

Jesus paid the full price to ransom us from death, from hell and eternal despair. We cannot add any co-payment. He has done it all.

But you must do something to receive His favour. 

Supposing you inherited a fortune from your rich father. He gave you a mansion and a huge bank balance. 

How can you enter into your inheritance?

• You must to see a lawyer and take possession of the title deeds. 

• You must move into the house.
• You honour the father who gave you everything.
• You learn to look after the mansion and use it to provide shelter and hospitality for your family and for those people that God wants you to care for.
• You invest your inherited money to be a blessing. You invest your life in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus taught the parable of the Talents. 

The master gave his servants wealth to invest and went away. Two servants invested wisely and doubled their money but a third servant buried his money and gave it back to the master when he returned. 

• He was like the passive believer who tried to use his faith as a ticket to heaven but did nothing with the gifts of God.

Jesus sternly warned people who passively use salvation as fire insurance.

So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.

• For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 

And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness....Matthew 25:28-30 (ESV) 

Jesus AND also Paul taught:

REPENT and believe ....

Dare to believe and invest your whole life for Jesus.

He died for you but also for millions of others.