IN CHRIST WE HAVE THE BLESSING

We have many things “in Christ”.  Here are the benefits we have in Christ in the Book of Romans 8.

   

  

   1.     In Christ we are not guilty  -  8:1

2.     In Christ we are free from the law of sin and death – 8:2

3.     In Christ we walk according to the Spirit – 8:3-4

4.     In Christ we are to mind the things of the Spirit – 8:5

5.     In Christ we have the peace and life of God. – 8:6-7

6.     In Christ we are owned by Him – 8:8-9

7.     In Christ we have the righteousness of God - 8:10

8.     In Christ we hope the hope of God – 8:11

9.     In Christ we are led by the Spirit  - 8:14

10.    In Christ we are sons of God – 8:14

11.    In Christ we are not in bondage again to fear – 8:15

12.    In Christ we received the Spirit of adoption – 8:15

13.    In Christ we are children of God – 8:16

14.    In Christ we are co-heirs with Him – 8:17

15.    In Christ we will be glorified through sufferings with Him – 8:17-22

16.    In Christ we have the first fruits of the Spirit – 8:23

17.    In Christ we in hope endure – 8:24-25

18.    In Christ the Spirit helps us in our weakness – 8:26

19.    In Christ the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us – 8:26-27

20.    In Christ we have assurance based on Gods providence – 8-28-30

21.    In Christ we have all things work together for good for His purpose – 8:28

22.    In Christ we have God is on our side always – 8:31

23.    In Christ we are freely given all things – 8:32

24.    In Christ we are justify – 8:33

25.    In Christ we are not condemned – 8:34

26.    In Christ we shall not be separated from the love of God – 8:35

    27.    In Christ we are more than conquerors through Him who love us – 8:36-39 

May we be conscious of what Christ has done for us in these verses. May we meditate on the above verses. Psalms 1: 2 says "but His delight is in the Word of the Lord and in His Word he meditates day and night. We shall be like the tree that will be planted by the Rivers of LIVING water (HIS Word is Living) that brings forth its fruits in its season and whose leaf shall not wither and whatever we do we shall prosper. IN CHRIST WE SHALL PROSPER!  THERE IS PROSPERITY IN CHRIST JESUS! AMEN!

Come Holy Spirit | City Harvest Church

THE FIRE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Our text taken from Matthew  3:11-12   In verse 11 says, “He will baptized you with Holy Spirit and with fire.”

Selwyn Hughes that wrote “Everyday with Jesus” booklet taught the emblems of the Holy
Spirit.  He wrote:-

1.      The dove speaks of the beauty and gentleness of the Spirit’s character.

2.      The oil is suggestive of the Spirit’s consecrating grace and guidance in qualifying us to minister in divine things.

3.      Water symbolizes the Spirit’s effectiveness and sufficiency.

4.      Fire is an emblem of the purification and penetration of the Spirit’s operation.

5.      Rain designates the abundance and grace of the Spirits supply

6.      The Deposit (earnest) is the pledge and guarantee that what we receive here will be multiplied a million times in eternity.

7.      Breath symbolizes the constant and consistent ministry of the Spirit whereby He supports and upholds the believer every minute and hour daily.

To see the Holy Spirit in terms of emblems is not enough.  We must know Him not merely know about Him.  How well do we know the Holy Spirit?

In 2 Corinthians 13:14 ends with this benediction – The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God (Father’s love) and the Communion of the Holy Spirit.

Grace means ‘favor’ with no expectations of reward or payment.  Grace in Greek means “ultimate in beauty”.  God’s grace ultimately makes us beautiful as His Bride for Jesus.

A.      Communion of the Holy Spirit

Communion means “communicating with or travelling together, transporting with”  Likewise, the Holy Spirit is for “communication” and “communion”, also constant fellowship and travelling together is necessary for a believer.

In Romans 8:26and Jude 20 we see the Holy Spirit in Prayer Communion.  Without the Holy Spirit there’s no spiritual life.  Why many Christians settle for mere outward formalities of religion, dry worship ceremonies and church is only a place for social fellowship or even a club house. The Church should be a House of Prayer (communion)

The second meaning of “communion” is “to do business in partnership” and “to participate in.”  The Holy Spirit works together as partners for the same purpose and to share the joy, sorrow, victory and trials in our lives. The bible says, He sympathizes with us.

In Acts 15:28 the Holy Spirit is the director or manager referring to Him first in any missions.  He is the senior partner like business partner.  His purpose is to bless the business.  Our business is to share the gospel and it’s the Holy Spirit our partner blesses it.

B.      Fire an emblem of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11)

When we come in contact with Christ and the Person of the Holy Spirit we come in contact with fire.  Fire also symbolizes zeal, purifying, molding and cleansing.  We have the nature of the sun above us and spiritually divine fire blazes above us, beneath us and all around us. In Hebrews 12:29 tells us that God is a consuming fire.

1.      Fire Consumes – Isaiah 4:1-6

Once you invite the Holy Spirit comes into your life you must expect fire to come and burn your whole being – Penetrating any moral rottenness, cleaning all sinful desires,  burning the imagination clean.  Isaiah describes as ‘spirit of fire’ and it deals with dross of pride, rags of self- righteousness and roots of bitterness.  (see Matthew 13:40-42)

You are saying “Spirit come and burn me with your fire to my whole being – have your own way.   Go on burning until there’s nothing left to consume”.

2.      Fire Softens or Melts – Psalms 68:1-2

Wax can be written on but bring it near the fire it melts all.  Likewise, when we come close to the fire of God He melts all our rebellious nature – words of iniquity or any sinful inscriptions will disappear.  In the Welsh/Wales Revival “the fire fell upon them” and people hard hearts were wonderfully softened. The God of fire and His Words can burn inside a person and melt their hearts.  Hebrew 4:12 says, “The Word of God is living and active sharper than any double edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit … it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

3.      Fire Get Things Moving – Acts 1:8

A secretary once said, “we have everything you would expect a church to have, except the fire”.  Sometimes churches have everything – offices, staffs, computers, finances except the Holy Ghost fire and grace. 

  Isaiah 32:15 tells us “till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high and the desert becomes a fertile field and the fertile field seems like a forest vs 16 Justice will  dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field.  The fruit of righteousness will be peace (blessings) and the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence (faith) forever. Until the Spirit of God is poured down upon us blessings would not flow down.

Unless the Holy Spirit works in our lives there is no real progress.  It takes the fire to get things going and our fire must not be allowed to go out. Jesus says you are the light of the world and let your light so shine before men to see your good works in order to glorify your Father in heaven.  Fire attracts attention it’s like house or building on fire.

4.      Fire Aspires – Isaiah 43:21

Fire natural desire is to aspire upwards and reach its arms to the sky. The more the fire burns within us the more our hearts will be lifted up in praise to God. The more fire of God consumes us the more we are drawn towards heaven.

Worship is like that – our worship must have fire (pray in the Holy Spirit - Jude 2) Every altar in the Old Testament must have fire and an offering to bring. Sometimes it is better that fire comes down from heaven like Elijah did. The fire of God consumes all his sacrifices inclusive of the water he poured into. 

5.      Holy Fire Releases Zeal – Leviticus 9:23

The fire is from God and it consumed the altar of burnt offerings and fats.  It was no ordinary fire.  It was from God and it was holy.  The fire of God then begins to burn in our hearts and we will have the zeal to serve Him.  This fire must not die down.  Fire speaks of zeal.  The zeal of the Lord must consume us.  Strange fire was offered to the Lord by Nadab and Abihu but instead fire came and devoured them and they both died. The zeal must come from God not human zeal.  Human zeal never lasts.

New American Standard Bible
For zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.  - Psalms 69:9  

New International Version (©1984) Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. - Romans 12:11 International Standard Version (©2008) Never be lazy in showing such devotion. Be on fire with the Spirit. Serve the Lord. PRAYER: “ O! God everything about the Trinity speaks of fire.  The Father is a consuming fire. The Son Jesus came to baptized us with fire and Your Spirit is the Spirit of fire.   So Lord set us on fire that the world will see we are burning for You.  We want to be burned with holy fire from above. The Zeal of the Lord will build Your Kingdom and Your church.  Amen.

THE REVELATION OF GRACE

The Revelation of Grace

The nature of grace is that it keeps multiplying. It is grace that multiplies (2 Pet. 1:2). So we need to have more fellowship and a deeper apprehension of this grace unveiled to us in the New Testament. First we must understand what the nature of grace is.

John 1:16 is very clear concerning the nature of grace: “For out of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace,” or more literally the preposition means “grace in exchange for grace.” It is compounded grace. It is out of His fullness that we have all received this grace.

Grace is everything proceeding out of Christ

Grace proceeds from Christ. It is everything out of Him — everything that He is and everything that He has done. It includes everything that He has done in the past and everything that He is right now. Grace is what He is as our High Priest, what He is as the One indwelling our spirit, operating in us, energizing, inclining, doing that work inside of us to break down barriers, hardness,

resistance, everything that we cannot do. He is in us operating, doing an inner work to soften our heart, to incline it, causing the love to flow, writing Himself into our mind, into our heart, into the way we are.

Grace is He Himself operating and doing everything. It is not just in our initial salvation, but it is in everything after that. Grace is everything proceeding from Christ. “Out of His fullness we all have received.”

When we go to Romans, we see that we are in a continuous receiving. We are in the position of receiving. So every experience we pass through can be something unique in this universe. As one of our brothers testified, as a human being going through an experience of having his bike stolen, he could stop and receive out of His fullness. Praise the Lord that we could know something

beyond our natural reactions. But it is a matter of receiving. Everything is proceeding from Christ. And this Christ is not afar off. He is a life-giving Spirit in resurrection actually joined to a part of us. A part of you is joined to Christ. You are not just thinking about Him, but you have His very life, nature, impulses, reactions,

within you. So just that little inclination to stop and open to Him, that is the grace operating. That is Him. It comes in the form of an inclination. But when you take it out for a moment and analyze the inclination, it is God.

Philippians 2:13 indicates that it is God who is at work in you producing the willingness and the working for His good pleasure. So every little bit of rise and desire for God in us, even if it is a small amount, that is God. It is God Himself in His inner dynamic of resurrection life able to do something over our being and cause us even to feel it in us, and then we obey, we follow. We say “Amen.” This is grace. Everything is proceeding from Him.

Grace in its highest definition is Christ Himself and everything proceeding from Christ as He imparts His life and nature into us in a continuous way. And our part is to stay on the receiving end, to stay open. It is not to crank yourself up, but to recognize your inability to do it yourself. And that sense of weakness is His sneaky way of getting more fellowship. He wants fellowship. He

wants some touch and contact. He loves the fellowship. And the fact that we could open up in the midst of whatever we are passing through is His heart’s delight.

This is why Paul could testify, “When I am weak, then I am strong, because His power is actually being perfected in my weakness.” It is actually being perfected. His power can be perfected through weakness. That is Paul’s testimony. So, what a Christ. What an operating Christ. Grace is just everything proceeding from Him.

Bill Freeman notes - 12/13/96

New Creation Church - Love's sacrifice

THE REVELATION OF EASTER

Easter is more than a story, it is The Revealing of the Righteousness of God!

Rev 15:4: “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy.  All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Have You Experienced the Righteousness of God?

We must embrace the truth that God is righteous and His righteousness has been revealed and in fact been made available to us through the resurrection of His Son.

In Job 9:2, Job asked: “How should a man be right before God?”

His answer concluded that because God is the kind of God He is, there was no way he could ever approach Him? How can I ever be right with Him? How can I ever get an audience with Him? How can I ever have a relationship with such a God… so mighty, so holy, so powerful? That’s the question. Can a man be right with a God like that? Can a man have a right relationship with that holy, infinite, mighty God? And that is the question answered by our text and the answer is – yes, yes, yes!

Paul makes plain the Revelation of the Resurrection in Romans 3:21-26

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:21-26 (ESV)

What does the Righteousness of God Mean?

Dikaiosúnē, righteousness, means conformity to the claims of a higher authority and stands in opposition to anomía, lawlessness. Righteousness describes the character and the quality of God Himself. His character, his conduct, his actions his word, everything that God does, thinks, allows is according to who He is-righteous. His creation, his design, is all consistent with who He is-righteous.

Righteous is a state of being that cannot do wrong, cannot do that which is not righteous.

 Taken from (mudpreacher.org) website