Abiding In Him

It is vital that in the beginning of this new season, we as New Testament believers enter into the “rest” of our Lord.

While it is so easy to become pre-occupied and overly involved with important matters of family, career, and business, “rest,” from a spiritual perspective is necessary to maintain a proper life’s flow and direction.

I remember once sharing a message entitled “Sufficient Grace.”  In it we discussed the truth that regardless of this challenge, God has imbued each of His children with grace to victoriously win in every situation.  In this lesson, grace was described as the sufficiency of God that supplies needs, and gives the power to overcome all lack.

II Corinthians 12:9, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

In this scripture, the word “weakness” is used as the Lord describes to the Apostle Paul how it is that His (God’s) grace is best seen in the face of human deficits.

It states in II Peter 1:2,

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.”

This verse helps us to understand that the unearned, unmerited, undeserved favor of God (grace), Jesus’ placement of all believers into right and proper position with the Father, in spite of Adam’s transgression, has to be grown in to accurately.

When Peter uses the word “grow” (in grace) [auxanō (Greek)], it means to enlarge or to become greater.  This process of growth in grace gives rise to the fact that while Jesus’ work on the cross was one time and complete, our knowledge, assurance, and understanding of it all is progressive.

This all makes perfect sense because Jesus taught in the parable of the sower that as His hearers could understand this essential teaching about progression, they would grasp all Kingdom concepts.

St. Mark 4:13 (AMP) “Then He said to them, Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand and grasp the meaning of all the parables? 

You see, the point is that once the seed for anything (grace) is planted, it doesn’t produce immediate yields, however, as the process goes each dimension of the seed’s future unveils itself.

God’s grace in our lives is that same way, as we grow by hearing anointed teaching, and confessing who we are in Christ¾ the evidence of the seed will come.

Let’s observe the word “work” as it relates to the New Covenant versus that of the Old Covenant, under which (The Law/Old Testament) man, after the Garden of Eden episode, plunged himself into the arena of working (human performance) in order to please God.

Genesis 3:7 (KJV) “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

God made coverings of animals skins which were a type of the innocent sacrificially dying to cover the guilty.

 Genesis 3:21 (KJV) “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”

However, according to the New Covenant, we are accepted in “the beloved” (Jesus Christ)!

Ephesians 1:6 (KJV) “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

As New Testament Believers, our “acceptance” is under a different cover than that of the Old Testament saints.

Their covenant was based on their ability to keep the Law or Ten Commandments, which we know no one kept.  The following verses explain the reason for which the Law was given (none of which include man’s keeping it).

Romans 3:19-20  “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Romans 5:19-20  “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.   Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:”

Galatians 3:19-21  “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.  Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.  Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.”

The greatest tribute that can be paid to Jesus Christ, in believing His work on The Cross is truly “FINISHED”, is entering into His “rest”.

Hebrews 4:3a  “For we (New Testament Believers) which have believed do enter into rest…”

This word “rest” is translated from a Greek word “kata-pauō”, which means¾ to settle down; to make quiet; being restrained from striving to perform.

So, as we enter into the rest of God, we focus on Jesus’ death on the Cross, and seeing anything which brings grief or sorrow (Isaiah 53:3) literally being ended by faith in Jesus alone.

Please continue your prayer and support of this Ministry; together, “we are changing lives, one verse at a time.”