Do not Fear: the love of God eliminates the fear of evil

part 1

1st John 4:16-18” So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

 

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God, God abides in him. To abide is to have a permanent place of residence and so whoever confesses Christ as Lord God has a place of permanent place of residence in him. To confess is to acknowledge something as true after carefully analyzing and being convinced by the fact itself.

to confess in the original greek means Homologeo. to say the same thing as the other party,to concede to the other party. to submit under the convincing of the other party.

I find this to be a profound statement, this verse doesn’t say that whoever repeats a sinner’s prayer or whoever confesses all his sins but it does say whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God is born of God.

when we confess Christ then we say the same thing as he, that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, this many agree with but we also say the same thing with him that we have been freely justified by his grace.(Romans 3:3-24).

   if we confess our sins then he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1st John 1:9. many christian read this verse and leave at that point and go on crying and reminding God how bad they have sinned against him, some preachers will go on and press on the flock that they have to confess all their sins to God that God can at least unleash an ounce of mercy and blessing unto them.

what a schizophrenic Christianity? God forgives you at the same time requires of you to confess all sins to him. The truth is this; that God forgave you all sins before you confessed even one.

God demonstrates his love in this that while we were still yet sinners christ died for us rom 5:8,

God promised that in this new covenant , he will be merciful to our unrighteousness and our sins and lawless deeds he will remember no more(Jer 31:31-34).

beloved God is not holding any confessed sin if there is any against you. Before you think that you have to do something extra for God to forgive you, Good forgave you more than 2,000 Years ago, God is always smart and previous,isnt he a good God?

when we confess Christ i believe in the deepest sublime of my heart-

. we have confessed all our sins; for God who made him who knew no sin to be sin to be sin for us in order that we may become the righteousness of God in him 2nd cor 5:21

. we also confess our right standing before God; for since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God through christ JESUS ROMANS 5:1

David sees this kind of blessedness right from the old testament as he forsees a great salvation.

Psalm 32:1-2 1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

the reason why God will not impute sin in you is because if you are in christ Jesus then he has presented you before God as one holy and blameless before him;(Col 1:21-23), what  salvation!

Confession comes after believing for it s with the heart that one believes and with the mouth that one confesses. To believe is to have faith and think as true whatever facts is brought to you. To have faith in Jesus therefore is to believe it as true that he is the son of God and that he was manifested in the flesh to bear all our sins.

1st John 5:18” We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.”

We are born of the seed of God, the same seed which begets us has the capability to keeps us safe from sin.. If its God who abides in us then its of his seed that we are born of . and he keeps us safe from sin.

But we have a responsibility to keep ourselves from sin! You may ask

John says that we know….. Isn’t it pretty obvious? Can’t you see this is how it is! A banana tree does not struggle to bear Bananas.  A son of the president is automatically royal because royal blood flows through him. A banana tree wont struggle to bear banana fruit neither will a president’s son struggle to be a president’s son due to the magnitude of his royal status. The same way we were not meant to struggle with sin because we have come from God, we have been born out of him through the seed of Christ. We don’t struggle with sin because God’s seed abides in us and not because we are too much able to do anything with our strength. I know that maybe this statement may be too sweet for your ears to ear but this is the absolute truth as expressed by the scriptures. The truth is that the seed of God has its own inherent capability to bring a believer to fruition. The only participation of a believer is to believe, in the working of God in his life.

We know or rather we have to know that whosoever has been born of God cannot continue  in sin Because God’s seed  abides in him. Infact God dwells in him as a seed with all inherent power to bring  a believer to maturity.

            The seed of God keeps you safe so that the evil one cannot touch you.

 part 2

But there I so much evil around and even evil in the church;

Paul again alludes to this issue: Galatians 5:18-19” But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,”(Nkjv)

The works of the flesh ie the sinful nature are evident, they are obvious , you expect so much despair and evil when you look into the world and its system, when you focus on the world you will definitely succumb to its pristine.

John adds on to say that in this world you will expect lust of the eyes , lust of the flesh and the pride of life(1st John 2:16). His sounds like what led the first couple to fall in the garden of Eden.

Genesis 3:6”when he woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh, pleasing to the eye(lust of the eye) and desirable to make one wise(pride of life) she took some and ate it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

When you look into the world and get to succumb to its ways you will partake of its ways but you are not of the world , you are from God.

Adam brought Disobedience ; Christ brought Justification!

When one man disobeyed sin entered the world and death spread to the entire human race. Adam and eve did something graciously (on the negative) by ushering he entire world to an entity of sin. However The second Adam Christ obeyed God fully and thereafter was given a name above every other befitting to become the author of our salvation.(ROMANS 5:12-17)

One act of disobedience led to condemnation to all men because one sinned and therefore all sinned. What does this mean? One act of sin brought about sin and death to entire humanity. Sin, its entity, consequences and death. But this second Adam, the perfect Adam is compared to the first Adam; however what he brings with him cannot and will never be compared with what The first Adam brought. This second Adam brought with him, justification and life to all men. He brought life together with its full implications.

This one act of righteousness is not wht man could do but entirely what God did by sending his son into the world in the likeness of the sinful flesh in which he condemned sin in the flesh(Romans 8:2)

what shall i do when i fall short in some sinful acts

what shall you do if you place your hands on a hot stove! you quickly remove your hand out of the stove because it will hurt and disfigure your hand but it wont chanege your indentity; likewise sin destroys you, your body and your soul but never your spirit, ren\move your hand from s\the stove and move on, you are the righteousness of God in christ Jesus.

    beloved the knowledge of the love of God in redeeming you removes the fear of evil, stay put , put your head up, you are a son, if you are not a believer , you are just a lost son, not a worthless stranger, believe in this great salvation and see how beautiful your life turns out to be. To those who intimidate others by focusing on sin to make people change , the gospel is not even about trying to make people change, the gospel is the good news that christ commisioned us to preach, its the good news with self energizing ability to make people's lives turn around radically, preach the radical authentic gospel and see people's lives radically changed.

Meru sep 29- Oct 2nd 2011

On sep 28, Kimberly Henry , Janet who are my friends and myself started out on a journey to a  town called Meru, 300 km east of Nairobi the capital of Kenya. The journey took us five hours.

We arrived in Meru at around half past one oclock during the day. We were attending a conference called freedom by grace organized by Faith ministries international Kenya. We were part of a larger team which was coming later to grace the occasion. Our team is called the grace aflame network international Kenya, a group of believers soaked in the love of Christ operating from a town called Nakuru 150 kilometers west of the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The conference commenced in the afternoon on a high note, praise and worship was enthralling , the atmosphere was electric and full of expectation, I cant express the expectation hat was lodged in my heart as I looked forward to a n amazing weekend.

There was another group of ladies visiting and ministering from The states, I remember the evening revival service for the day very vividly because it was Hot and electric and the rest of the crew had arrived from Nakuru and together the atmosphere around was one full of expectation and exploits. The sermon of the evining was derived from 2^nd Co 5:15-21 and 1^st Timothy 1:12-15

The greatest mission in the heart of God is reconciliation and this he did in Christ, for God was in Christ reconciling the world back to him not counting the sins of men against them. If this is not extravagant grace then I don’t know what it is. God has proved that he loves humanity and this he proved to the extent of sending his son in the likeness of the sinful flesh to die for us. Paul alludes to this reality and said that though he was a blasphemer, a defamer and insolent opponent , he received mercy because of his ignorance , what! He received mercy because of his ignorance , haha as this was echoed across the building , a fresh wave of the gospel was flooding the hearts of men; as Henry and I were delivering the sermon we were enthused by the working of God. God is surely enthused in making his gospel known, by this I mean the real gospel.

On Saturday was a power packed day, we had powerful sessions of praise and worship , songs full of grace and truth, the team from the states ministered Forgiveness and how forgiveness frees people; this is how the cross brought us fresh Kainos Life , by christ’ s sacrifice we have been forgiven of  all our sins, Jesus has become the propitiations For all sins; not ours only but the sins of the whole world(1^st John 2:1-2), Suddenly people were being ushered to be prayed for and all that happened were miracles , signs and wonders.

Saturday evening was a blast; the revival service was  Historic, one full of ecstatic celebration, ts aa good thing when freed people sing and dance for they don’t care being undignified in the eyes of people. Dignity according to the language of heaven is fullness of Joy and peace in the holy Ghost; and so we were drunk and drunk in the presence; the sermon of the night was Delivered by Pastor Remi; the pastor who hosted us. I must admit the gospel is always fresh and that was my experience on Saturday night as we got to learn that the devil cann no longer accuse us, he was disarmed and cast down; the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus was enough ; there was a time when he could accuse us because of the law for the law came to increase trespass.

However in Christ there is therefore now no condemnation, for the law of spirit of life has set us free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weakened  by the sinful lesh God did by sending his son in the likeness of the sinful flesh and concerning sin , he condemned sin in the flesh.

Revelation 12:10-11” Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

Rev 12:11  "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death”

We have overcome by the blood of the lamb and by the words of our testimony. Do you know what are the words of our testimony? It is that Christ has triumphed over the enemy bringing us before the presence of God as ones holy and blameless and if that’s not enough, as ones without blemish. I think this is good news and sure it was as we saw another night of miracles signs and wonders , I remember a girl with skin diseases was instantly healed. There was an agglomeration of hope and expectancy , everything is surely possible with God.

Then came the crazy Idea by Pst Remi , that we form a glory tunnel, the members of grace aflame were to form the tunnel as the rest of the crowd went under the tunnel and we laid hands on multitudes and again, prophecies were uttered and multitudes were experienced the baptism of fire and diverse miracles signs and wonders were experienced and this went on and on and on until it reached 11pm.

Sunday was here with us; this was the final day of the conference and as it wwas expected, the climax of this amazing weekend. The church service went on as scheduled with our friends from the styes ministering before they could catch a ride back to Nairobi. Before the service was over a few of us were informed of another opportunity to minister in a nearby church within the town. Henry , Kimberly, Calvin , Edwin and I took off to the church.

I cant express with words our forty minutes in that place, Henry ministered a song called it doesn’t matter. Yes it doesn’t mater what you have done, wat you are doing or what you will do, what matters is that God loves you and he gave his son on the crss to die for you, why ? so that you and I can experience eternal life; that which was stolen from us by the deception of the enemy. We shared the love of Jesus with this small congregation in an amazing manner. I can’t explain the love that Kimberly(our friend from Canada )expressed towards the kids as all children were thronging around her to receive the love that she had which  offcourse is from God.

What I can say is that I have never experienced a rapid ministry like the one we had in this church, with no prior plans nor invitations for we were invited in a matter of hours before we appeared.

The climax of this weekend was in the night as we wrapped up the whole event wih worship, more drunk sessions ad more prophecies, I cant express the joy that was twinned within my heart as we frolicked and rolled on the ground as little babes who were completely mesmerized by the goodness of God; this level of ecstacy was unique by its own; what changed my life though is the intensity of God’s goodness and how he wants us to enjoy him far much more infinitely than we want to enjoy him; it’s a good thing to know that God is energized by his own power to love us the way he does. When we are soaked in the atmosphere of God’s goodness a good conscience floods our minds; we indeed get to know that we have been already purged from a n evil conscience

What a lovely and historic weekend it was ; all honor and glory to God Amen.

Extravagant grace

Extravagant Grace

by Kevin kainos Gitonga

Introduction

God loves you immensely. He doesn’t puff up his emotion to love you but he simply loves you out of the fullness of who he is. God’s theme for humanity is Love and this is exemplified in the greatest Common verse that we all know. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son………

God’s love for the works of creation is exemplified right from Genesis one whatever God created he saw it as good. This is not such good according to human perception but the works of creation found its divine goodness upon its inception by the creator. The works of his creation testify of his wonders and of his goodness and of his love.

However when God created man he said he was very good.(Gen 1:31) man to  God appeared pleasing in all its divine implications for it was only him who could savor behold and reflect the diverse excellencies of God.

The means by which man gets to enjoy God in his fullness and in all his Excellencies iis by means of his grace. Man is created from dust and is made to be such a glorious being able to reflect savor and become like his creator.

Psalm 8:2-3 when consider your heavens, the works of your fingers, in the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that your are mindful of him the son of man that you care for him?

What is grace?

What comes to your mind when you think of God’s grace? For such a long time I thought that grace is an enablement from God to pass a tough situation so that when I pass through it I say God’s grace has enabled me to overcome this or that situation.

I came to know later that grace is God’s unmerited favor, other acronyms as I came to know means God reaching at Christ’s expense. God’s grace is not an enablement that comes to us and goes. It’s the power of God working in us on account of Christ. Its God’s ability working inside the believers life to produce the fruit of the spirit hence an evidence of Christian living.

It’s the energy of God energizing itself in us free from human manipulation but only expended as a gift undeservedly to be received by God’s people who have put their trust in him.

John 1:14”the word of God became flesh and made his dwelling among us, we have seen the glory of the one and only, who came from the father full of grace and truth.”

Jesus is the word of God who was there from the beginig . He told the Pharisees that before Moses was I am. He is the one through whom all things were made. Paul also talked of him as the one in whom we live move and have our being.

This is the one who wa made flesh and dwelt amongst us. What is this if it’s not extravagant grace? The gospel of the good news is then announced like this

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.

Most of us probably know this verse but what about the verse that follows this?

For God did not send his son to the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him

Again God proclaims the gospel as this, that he loves the world so much that he gave his only begotten son . It does not say that God so saw the world in sin. He did not see the world in wickedness but in love, such a great and immense love that he gave up his son for us so that the sin problem might be dealt with and that we might be restored back to his love.

Romans 5:12,17 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned; For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Sin entered the world through one man and death spread to all humanity. Now similarly in amore diverse and glorious way, life has come through one man Christ Jesus and this life spreads all over the world.

God’s extravagant grace is the ability of God in making men enjoy eternal life through the virtue of his own son who purchased for us this new life which is received by believers upon faith in what the savior has accomplished for them. The Gospel therefore gets its root from the finished work of the cross. Reconciliation is the backbone of evangelism and God’s love the theme of the gospel. The gospel proves to us that.

1.     You were never separate from God.

Col 1:22-23” And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,”(Esv)

Col 1:21-23 “You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got.  But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence.” (The message)

Paul teaches us out rightly that we were never separate from God apart from our minds. We were alienated from our minds and hence became enemies with God thanks to our first parents Adam and eve who as I said did something graciously on the negative to all of us.

At the garden of Eden the first couple succumbed to the lie from the serpent and were convinced that they were not like God and that they needed to do something(eat of the tree of the knowledge of God and evil) so that they could become like God.(Genesis 3). This was an acute lie presented by Satan and now the whole humanity was damned because of that great deception. Man thought that God was hiding something from him and so the first couple sought to hide themselves from God. Its not God who hid himself from them rather its Adam and eve who hid themselves from God . You and I know what transpired that humnanity ever since has been crippled in the damnation of being separated from God.

However Gods love and infinite incessant pursuit of humanity inorder to t#restore us back to him proved to us that God has never been separate from us apart from our minds in which we could’nt enjoy a meaningful relationship with God until the fullness of time Jesus was manifested in the likeness of the sinful flesh and brought peace between us and God by his physical body through which he condemned sin(Romans 8:2)

2.     The gospel tells you that you are included in God

Ephesians 1:4” even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love”

You were chosen in God before the foundation of the world. Pretty interesting, isn’t it? You existed in the blue print of God before the world began what a wonderful reality to behold!

The psalmist elsewhere proclaims the plans of the Lord stands firm forever, the purposes of his heart throughout all generations(Psalm 33:11)

The plans of the Lord indeed stands firm forever, I think forever starts from Go and ends with God. Forever finds its proper definition in the realm of eternity and what God had for us is that we may be found in him and the only way this could happen is if we are found in Christ. I believe Christ is not the plan B of God but he is actually the one chosen from the beginning that we should be conformed into, Elsewhere Apostle Peter puts across an explicit insight into the gospel.

1^st Peter 1:20” He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you”

The gospel did not start with Christ death at the cross rather it started from God, I believe that the gospel is not simply about the forgiveness of sins but is about us being found in God enjoying a meaningful eternal life. The goodness of the Lord is so immense and the payment of our sins such an overpayment that the purpose of the gospel may be realized in us enjoying eternal life.

 

3.     The Gospel tells you what God can do and not what you can do: the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to them who believe.

Jeremiah 31:31-34” The Lord says, "The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 32 It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. Although I was like a husband to them, they did not keep that covenant. 33 The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 None of them will have to teach a neighbor to know the Lord, because all will know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the Lord, have spoken."”

The old testament dispensation was full of faults, not because of God but because of his people who had become stiff necked and actually it’s the people who didn’t honor the covenant God made with them , the climax being the children of Israel being taken into captivity because of their great apostacy. The northen kingdom of Judah were captured by the Babylonians and the southern kingdom of Israel were captured by the Assyrians..

The Lord promised that he will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and this covenant will not be according to the one he made with their forefathers. This covenant is going to be new and not like the old. The Lord says that in this covenant , he will put his laws within the hearts of  men, he says that he will right his own laws within their hearts. This speaks about Jesus as you may remember Jesus said that he has not come to abolish the law but to fiulfill them(Mat 5:17)

If you and I are in Christ then we have fulfilled the law and we are living in the fulfillment side of life.

John 14:21"Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. My Father will love those who love me; I too will love them and reveal myself to them."

those who accept the words of Jesus are the ones who have kept God's commandments, the truth is that you cannot obey God enough any more than being in Jesus who is your perfect obedience towards God, if you are in Christ then you are a new creation, you have been declared the righteousness of God in him.(2nd Cor 5:17-21). keep banking on Jesus as your righteousness and begin realizing the fruit of obedience being manifested in your lives.

The Gospel shows us what the Lord God can do and has done for us in Christ Jesus hence the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for those who believe. The gospel is not th power of your obedience or of your prayers. We pray because God has enabled us and because we are sons of God. The Old Testament gave us work to do so that we could approach God and earn or deserve blessings. The new covenant though is not like the old in that in these new commandment God has done and accomplished everything on our behalf of us.

The Gospel tells us of a God who is alive and living in us by faith. The gospel is the word of God’s grace; Acts 20:32. The gospel is what Paul preached and presented people as mature before God. He gives his testimony in Colossians 1 and he says Christ in us the hope of glory.

Christ; your identity

Christ in you the hope of glory. Christ is your identity. You are no longer defined by behavior pattern but by Christ who is in you. You have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:3)

Christ has redeemed you from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13) If you are in Christ you are of the uncursed generation, you are above reproach and Christ has been made your banner of victory.

You have been given a perfect spirit in Christ. (1^st John 2:20) you need no more anointing than the one that you have received indelibly upon your faith in the finished work of the cross. Let me put it like this, there is nothing like getting closer to God. God has made you closer to him than he has ever done, you are in Christ in God, but I say like this, there is something like getting to know more and more what God has done for you in Christ Jesus.

Your life has been hidden with Christ in God far from the reach of the enemy. (Col3:1-3) Seek therefore the things that are above where Christ is sited at the right hand of God. You are an Eagle stop crawling therefore with chicken. You have mounted with wings like eagles see things the way God sees. The truth is that when God looks at you he sees Christ in you, he sees you righteous and forgiven and he doesn’t count your sins against you. This is not a license to go on sinning but to love God more and to open up your faculties to behold and be transformed by his glory.

You are blessed indeed. You are highly favored, Christ in you the hope of glory!

Kainos creation

                  Today I have chosen to address something that means so much to me, so much until I have incorporated the terminology as my name. Kainos is the name that symbolizes something fundamental that has occurred in my life.

I owe nothing to myself, I am not the way I  am because of any effort I have input in my life, That may be interesting to hear rather I am who I am today because of Christ and because he has made me a new(Kainos) creation. Now you’ve got it. That’s where I came with the name Kainos.

Kainos is a Greek word for new. But in this sense in the bible it has been translated poorly in the text in the bible that says .”if anyone is in Christ , he is a new creation the old is gone  and the new has come” 2^nd Cor 5:17. This is because the word new in English can be categorized into two terms in Greek

1: Neos: This means new in respect to time and just an improvement of the old.. For example if you had a car and it gets old and the car was a Toyota and you get a new one , we say that you have a neos Toyota.

2. Kainos: This word means new in Kind superior in quality and taking place of that which existed before. It means a complete change and the change is for the better. For example if you had an old Toyota. Your old Toyota is replaced by an aircraft. You see this is something new and superior in quality and probabl something that has never been see before.

Christ has made me and everyone who believes a new creatn in him. New in this case is Kainos and not Neos. Christ did not just repair me, but he has made me a new creation. Once I was not the way I am today. I was an evil person , trapped in sin and drinking and doing drugs. I was trapped in sin and no matter how Good I could occasionally be and no matter how hard I could pump up my faculties to do good deeds I still knew that in me lied a sinful nature that I was helpless to counter.

Christ however found me in my filthiness and changed me and made me a new creation all together. At first I thought that this happened when I put my fath in the finished work of the cross; meaning that when I got born again but as I discovered much later, my salvation was bought for more than 2000 years ago.

Jesus became the propitiation for the sins of the whole world (1^st John2:2) and this happened at the cross. Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world at the cross and when people accept and acknowledge and become convince by this divine truth hence believe , then they receive salvation which actually was obtained for them way back.

Now Christ has made me new. I have pointed out that kainos connotes a complete overhaul into a new existence oof matter. The old Toyota has now been replaced by an aircraft and the old sinful, evil Kevin has now been replaced by a new Kevin created after the Image of Christ , made holy and blameless before God. I will endeavor to show us by some scriptures how this took place.

eph 2:1-10” 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

The old you before Christ were dead in trespasses and sins. You used to live in your deadness, pretty funny isn’t it! Dead man walking. Where did this deadness come from? It came from Adam.

Romans 5:12” Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned--”

Sin entered the world and death spread to all thanks to our first parents, Adam and eve. Surely as the Lord said when you eat of the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil, you will surely die and there it was they ate it and one act of disobedience led to sin and death to be transferred to the entire humanity

In our deadness therefore we lived and no matter what we could do we could not reach out to God. We fell in the enemies trap and so in him we lived following him in all acts of disobedience But God who is rich in mercy made us alive together with christ. Right when we were dead in trespasses and sins, made us alive together with Christ.

Christ therefore became our second Adam through whom life and peace spreads to all humanity (Rom 5:12-17) All this is in a Kainos package for we have received a total transformation in our spirit which is far much transcendent than what we were and had before.

What’s the truth! It is that you are a new (Kainos creation in Christ.). you have been severed and completely un attached from your past. If you are in Christ , then you are of the uncursed generation. Get acquainted with the gospel which tells you who you are in Christ and begin to experience a Kainos life reverberating through all your faculties.

You are free and if the son has set you, then you are free indeed.

HOPE IN ZION FOR ALL NATIONS(PART 2)

Isaiah 2:3b”for out of Zion shall go the law and the word of God from Jerusalem.

We have learn t that we are in Mount Zion and not in Mount Sinai. Mount Zion reprsens Christ whereas Mount Sinai represents Moses or the Old covenant. We learnt also from Hebrews 12:18-24 that we have nt come to mountain that cannot be touched. Such a terrifying moment it was at Mount Sinai as the law was being given to the children of Israel. It was not that God was full of rage and tired of the children of Israel rather it was a time of grieving for God for his own people had become stiff necked and refused to deal directy with him and so the people told Moses that whatever the Lord will require them to do they will do.

It was not in the original plan of God to have the Israelites live under the law But as Paul tells us, the law was an addendum, it was added because of transgression (Gal 3:19). The law was given to show man how much he had transgressed against God. The law was not kept for man to keep but for man to know how much he has transgressed and fallen short of the glory of God in lieu of a savior who would come and save humanity from such a wretchedness.

Paul says that the law was added to increase the trespass so that where sin is utterly sinful , grace may super abound.(Romans 5:20)

Isaiah says that out of Zion shall go the law and the word of God from Jerusalem. I will endeavor to show us how this came to be.

We have learnt that Mount Zion represents Jesus. He is the one in whom we believe in today. John introduces him as the word which was from the beginning and which was God and was made flesh nd dwelt amongst us. Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the law but came to fulfil it.

Matthew 5:17-18” "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.  Jesus in this text stamps up his authority as one who had come with a mission. He delievers a ermon on the mount . He ascends a mountain and starts to preach. To me this seems to be the same experience as Moses who ascended Mount Sinai and brought with him the law.

This time Jesus preaches on the beatitudes as we know it and goes ahead to to say that we are the salt of the world. Jesus wasn’t not preaching something that we could do. Contrary to what we may have been taught all over the years, the beatitudes’ and the entire sermon on the mount was not a speech of telling you what you must do, Jesus here was bringing the law to its pristine standards where it was meant to be, because the Pharisees had compromised on the law and were loading it over the people.

Its only Jesus who exemplified all those qualities of the beatitudes, he is all the blessed are’s and the only way we become what the book of Matthew talks of is if we are in Jesus.

Jesus said that not an iota not a dot will pass from the law unless it’s accomplished. When I read this verse at first I thought that we are supposed to fulfill everything in the law that we may finally experience the kingdom of God. Jesus though is introducing himself as the savior and he says that Heavens and earth will pass but not an iota of the law will go unfulfilled. He says this because he had the capacity to fulfill the law himself. He is contrasting himself from the Pharisees who emphasized on strict adhererents to the law though they themselves couldn’t fulfill. He said that whoever teaches and does the law will be called great in the kingdom of God and whoever teaches the law but does not will be considered as the least in the kingdom of God. Here again lies an antithesis between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the least in the kingdom of God because they taught the law but never practiced it. Jesus though is considered as great because he taught the law and kept it. He alone is considered the greatest because he kept all the law and obeyed fully. In order for us to be great, it’s not for us to keep everything that God commands. Paul says that there is no single law that could impart life (Gal 3:21) Yet Jesus fulfilled the Law and imparted life to the entire human race.

The Bottom line is this, you cannot fulfill the law, its only Jesus who fulfilled the law and if we are in him, we are living on the fulfilled side of life. We do not kill not because of the commandment but because Jesus lives in us, we keep all commandments by the enablement inside of us, which is Jesus.

FOLLOW THE NEXT BLOG AND FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE FULFILMENT OF THE LAW AND THE AFTERMATH WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD COMING OUT OF JERUSALEM TO THE ENTIRE WORLD

                        

HOPE IN ZION FOR ALL NATIONS (Part 1)

                                                                         

       Isaiah 2: 2-3 it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,

      and many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

         Profile: Prophet Isaiah prophesied about 740-700BC , he lived in the period of decline of Israel in the shadow of the powerful Assyrian Empire and spoke the word of the lord to a people deaf and blind and who blatantly repined to his warnings. Yet he spoke also of a servant, a man of sorrows who would be wounded for our transgressions faithfully accomplishing God’s plan of redemption and salvation.

                   It’s an amazing insight of a people so lost and rebellious becoming recipients of good news. A servant who will accomplish God’s plan of salvation. This book was a prophecy of salvation to the Israelites and the whole world thus where sin abounds grace even super abounds.  

       

        Back to our text in Isaiah chapter 2, Isaiah speaks of the mountain of the lord that shall be established. The covenant God makes with Moses was made on Mount Sinai whereas mount Zion represents the new covenant God makes with man through Jesus

       In exodus 19 we are given an insight of Israelites on exodus to caanan coming into the wilderness of Sinai. Moses would often ascend the mountain to commune with God and take instructing from him.

      

         Mount Sinai was a mountain of limitations and Israelites weren’t allowed to touch even the edge of it. On this mountain Moses receives the Ten Commandments. This mountain represents the law which ushers a dispensation of operation of God’s wrath to because his nature has changed  but because his people had continuously and blatantly had become stiff necked and increasingly transgressed against their God  necessitating addition of  the law as God’s infinite standard of perfection locking up the Israelites to the promises of God.

     Hebrews 12:18-21 gives us a sight of mount Sinai and Moses describes the sight as  so terrifying that he trembled with fear, this is the same place where Moses would  commune with God s a man does with a friend

      The second mountain Isaiah speaks of is mount Zion representing Christ the mountain unshaken that will be lifted up above the hills.

       Psalm 125 those who trust in mount Zion which cannot be shaken but abides forever.

       This mountain is Jesus. The first mountain representing the law was to abide 2500 years only but Jesus abides forever. Heb 12:22 tells us “but you have come to mount Zion and to the city of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem….”

Back to Isaiah verse 2….and all the nations shall flow to it. The first mountain was so terrifying that no one dared to touch it but to this mountain all the nations shall flow to it

In verse 3: many will come and say come, let us go up to the mountain of the lordto the house of God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways

 How comes that we will now ascend the mountain of the lord…….. that he may teach us his ways. The answer comes in the latter part of the verse.

For out of Zion shall go the law and the word of God from Jerusalem. In the fullness of time God sent Jesus in the form of Man ho fulfilled the law and its regulation and the debt that was charged against us he paid By God judging him on the cross and now Jesus fulfills the requirements of God’s justice and mercy towards man. Therefore we have been justified by faith in Jesus and we have peace with God. God is no longer angry with us , Let me put across flatly and firmly GOD IS NOT ANGRY WITH YOU. If you think we are in that dispensation that was in Sinai then you have been overtaken with time.

      

        The law represented the perfect infinite standards of God that no man could accomplish but they needed a savior. On the day the law was given to Moses the children of Israel started carving a god out of a calf, and as Moses descended Mountain what followed was that three thousand people were killed by God’s rage.

         The covenant Sinai brought immense fear that the children preferred that Moses deal with God on their behalf rather than for them to deal directly with God.

      But Christ became the end of the law so that there might be righteousness to them who believe (Rom 10:4)

     And so as the psalmist asked who shall ascend the hill of the lord? Psalm 15”1-2 the psalmist answers and says he who walks blameless and does what is right.

     And so who is  worthy to ascend God’s hill/mountain, mountains in the ancient Israel were considered a plus in case of defence against attacks , mountains symbolize protection and as  the psalmist said as the mountains are about Jerusalem so the Lord is about his people.

      I would put across that there is one who ascended the holy hill and did not stay there forever but when he descended full of compassion and mercy he did good wherever he went. His name is Jesus

            

      In matt 5 Jesus delivers a sermon called” The sermon on the mount” he ascends the mount , with him his disciples followed by . Jesus began to teach about the blessed are’s and also teaches about anger, divorce, Adultery, oaths, Treatment of enemies, giving to the needy, The Lord’s prayer, fasting among many other things. You can read from chapters 5 to chapter 8

      These represented infinite standards God that no man could keep. In Matt 5:17 Jesus says that he has come to fulfill the laws and the prophets. He continues to lay emphasis that all commandments are to be kept and taught wholly and not partially.

      In verse 20 he tells the crowd” unless your righteousness exceeds  that of the scribes  and Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” Wait a minute what is this righteousness that exceeds that of Pharisees. In some ways I have been like a Pharisees , for example there was a time I use to believe that I deserve a breakthrough from God because I served hi with all my might, I cannot to tell of when I would seek the approval of men, all these facets are pharisaical . I believe to be a Pharisee is to regard your own efforts before God as more precious than what Jesus has done at the cross. It is to repine against the provision of help from God and to focus and to be obsessed with your self effort. This results in self centeredness, you start being focused to yourself and you become selfish and depraved.

  

      Did Jesus therefore come to make life harder by requiring from us a righteousness that is higher than that of Pharisees?, No! he came to fulfil the law , he is the only one who fulfils the righteous requisites of God. Thus by believing in Jesus we become recipients of a righteousness infinitely higher than that of the Pharisees where man is not clean on the outside as the Pharisees sought to be clean on the outside while in the inside were whitew washed sepulchers.

     Jesus is the mountain that has been lifted above the hills for mount Zion is lifted higher than mount Sinai and Grace is higher than the law, there is hope in mount Zion, thus those who trust in the Lord are like mount Zion which cannever be shaken.

      

     What a great justification? That we believe in the captain of our salvation and the righteousness of God is imputed in us, the bile tells us that we reign in life because we have received the abundance of grace and free gift of righteousness through the life of one man Jesus
(Rom 5:17) through faith in Christ Jesus we have ascended the hill of the Lord and not  only that, we also dwell there.

Hebrews 12:18-24 sheds a great light on the glory of the new covenant. The wirter tells us that we have not come to a mountain that cannot be  touched(mount Sinai) amountain burning with fire, full of gloom and strm that which even when an animal came near it was prevailed upon with stones.

But we have come t mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of he living God we have come face to face with God through Jesus who has become our mediator.

      

        And so our hope is in the Lord our rock we become immovable like mount Zion, we then with unveiled face behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We like a bride are not afraid to appear before the lord our chief , our greatest Good , the one from whom we derive our greatest satisfaction. This is it there is so much light, so much glory in the new covenant, so much anointing , we are adorned with the unction of Jesus himself, we are forever surrounded , forever held, forever encouraged, Halleluiah

     WATCH OUT PART 2 OF THIS EXPOSITION; UR BLESSED