Holiness
John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Greater consecration brings greater revelation. That is why obedience matters.
Holiness really matters. The false grace message says that Jesus paid for your sins so you are totally clean right now and don't need to try to get closer to God. This iis currently popular thinking, but this is not the true gospel...the true good news that actually works to renew your life.
God says "be Holy"
I Peter 1:13-16 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
God doesn't call us to be something we can't be. Our holiness doesn't help Him...it helps us, and it is entirely within reach if we want it. But the first thing we have to do is value true holiness.
Jesus isn't into me pretending to be holy just because some doctrine says I am, while my true experience is still lived mired in unsatisfying things. No! Jesus really wants me to be free from dissatisfaction and spiritual boredom! He wants me to encounter Him more...for real. The road to having Him be more real IS the road of obedience!
The question of my life shouldn't be "how far can I wander from you and still be yours, Lord? Is it ok if I watch this, or drink that?" Instead, it should be "how close can I get to you, Lord.". If the true reach of my heart is "how close can I get?" the eating, and the drinking, and the watching naturally stop being an issue that occupies my thoughts!
The false grace message is a mind trick intended to give the freedom only zealous chasing of Jesus can really produce. It is a shortcut that doesn't really lead to where it claims to take you. You have to lie about holiness in order to believe it.
Believing a false grace message robs from ME, not from God. It might sound like freedom, but it is actually bondage to a dying world. It is eating cardboard and letting it ruin my appetite for fine food.
Yes, Jesus paid the full price for all of my sins. Salvation IS by faith alone...but there is so much more available to me than salvation! Salvation is just the beginning to eternal life!
Salvation establishes your citizenship in the eternal kingdom. But, just like in the USA, there are many citizens, but we don't all experience the same living condition. Some are wealthier than others. We don't all live in the same house or neighborhood. We don't all have the same connections or opportunities. The same thing WILL be true in heaven. The Bible is quite clear about this.
Here, Jesus is talking about possessions, connections, and position in the kingdom:
Matthew 19:28-30 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Jesus taught that the position you will have forever is decided by the degree to which you decide to make Him the leader of your life now. Your eternal wealth is related to how much you are willing to value heavenly wealth over temporary wealth now. Your connections forever will be determined by how willing you were to trust Jesus with your current relationships as you stood on His truth...zealously chasing Him even as it offends those close...and let the chips fall where they may. There WILL be first and last...least and great:
Revelation 19:5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
If you want to be great, it is simple: obey Jesus and teach others to do the same thing. That means love Jesus more than anything else and teach others to do the same. If you teach others to take Jesus' leadership and instruction casually, you are actually teaching them to be casual about LOVING Him...this will make you "least" forever:
Matthew 5:18-19 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
If you love Jesus, you will obey Him. This means if Jesus truly is the object of your desire, you will do whatever you can to get closer to Him...to be more like Him. if you are looking for ways to stay in the kingdom but live your own way, you don't have an obedience problem... you've got a love problem!
That is why Jesus says "look at your obedience level and you will be able to tell if you really love me." It is easy to say we love someone, but our choices of how we spend our time and our money, and where we put our trust...that is what really reveals love. That is why James said "faith without works is dead." Works don't produce faith, they reveal faith. Works don't save you, they reveal how much value you put on actually being saved and using the opportunity to grow in knowing Jesus:
James 2:17-18 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Everyone gets what they want. If you truly value knowing God you will do what you can to make space to know Him more. Greater consecration always leads to greater revelation. We don't sanctify ourselves...set ourselves apart...consecrate ourselves... in holiness to GET saved...we do it because we ARE saved, and we don't want to waste this opportunity to go deeper into that experience.
Greatness is knowing God more, valuing what He values, hating what He hates. God says: if you really live in an increasing way that I value, I will live with you more. That means He will be more real to you! Hearing Him, seeing Him, flowing in His very real power...this is living more like Jesus.
If you want God, He wants you. If you don't want God, He generally won't force Himself into your life. If you want to see more of Jesus, then ask Him to help you fall more in love with Him. This is what produces a true hunger and thirst for holiness... and a true hunger and thirst WILL be satisfied.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
When THAT kind of satisfaction starts in your life, the things of the world will grow strangely dim as you spend more and more time with the most wonderful one, dying to the things that everyone else chases so you can have more and more of truly valuable riches that will last forever!
John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Philippians 3:8-10 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.
Greater consecration brings greater revelation. That is why obedience matters.
Holiness really matters. The false grace message says that Jesus paid for your sins so you are totally clean right now and don't need to try to get closer to God. This iis currently popular thinking, but this is not the true gospel...the true good news that actually works to renew your life.
God says "be Holy"
I Peter 1:13-16 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
God doesn't call us to be something we can't be. Our holiness doesn't help Him...it helps us, and it is entirely within reach if we want it. But the first thing we have to do is value true holiness.
Jesus isn't into me pretending to be holy just because some doctrine says I am, while my true experience is still lived mired in unsatisfying things. No! Jesus really wants me to be free from dissatisfaction and spiritual boredom! He wants me to encounter Him more...for real. The road to having Him be more real IS the road of obedience!
The question of my life shouldn't be "how far can I wander from you and still be yours, Lord? Is it ok if I watch this, or drink that?" Instead, it should be "how close can I get to you, Lord.". If the true reach of my heart is "how close can I get?" the eating, and the drinking, and the watching naturally stop being an issue that occupies my thoughts!
The false grace message is a mind trick intended to give the freedom only zealous chasing of Jesus can really produce. It is a shortcut that doesn't really lead to where it claims to take you. You have to lie about holiness in order to believe it.
Believing a false grace message robs from ME, not from God. It might sound like freedom, but it is actually bondage to a dying world. It is eating cardboard and letting it ruin my appetite for fine food.
Yes, Jesus paid the full price for all of my sins. Salvation IS by faith alone...but there is so much more available to me than salvation! Salvation is just the beginning to eternal life!
Salvation establishes your citizenship in the eternal kingdom. But, just like in the USA, there are many citizens, but we don't all experience the same living condition. Some are wealthier than others. We don't all live in the same house or neighborhood. We don't all have the same connections or opportunities. The same thing WILL be true in heaven. The Bible is quite clear about this.
Here, Jesus is talking about possessions, connections, and position in the kingdom:
Matthew 19:28-30 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Jesus taught that the position you will have forever is decided by the degree to which you decide to make Him the leader of your life now. Your eternal wealth is related to how much you are willing to value heavenly wealth over temporary wealth now. Your connections forever will be determined by how willing you were to trust Jesus with your current relationships as you stood on His truth...zealously chasing Him even as it offends those close...and let the chips fall where they may. There WILL be first and last...least and great:
Revelation 19:5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
If you want to be great, it is simple: obey Jesus and teach others to do the same thing. That means love Jesus more than anything else and teach others to do the same. If you teach others to take Jesus' leadership and instruction casually, you are actually teaching them to be casual about LOVING Him...this will make you "least" forever:
Matthew 5:18-19 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
If you love Jesus, you will obey Him. This means if Jesus truly is the object of your desire, you will do whatever you can to get closer to Him...to be more like Him. if you are looking for ways to stay in the kingdom but live your own way, you don't have an obedience problem... you've got a love problem!
That is why Jesus says "look at your obedience level and you will be able to tell if you really love me." It is easy to say we love someone, but our choices of how we spend our time and our money, and where we put our trust...that is what really reveals love. That is why James said "faith without works is dead." Works don't produce faith, they reveal faith. Works don't save you, they reveal how much value you put on actually being saved and using the opportunity to grow in knowing Jesus:
James 2:17-18 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Everyone gets what they want. If you truly value knowing God you will do what you can to make space to know Him more. Greater consecration always leads to greater revelation. We don't sanctify ourselves...set ourselves apart...consecrate ourselves... in holiness to GET saved...we do it because we ARE saved, and we don't want to waste this opportunity to go deeper into that experience.
Greatness is knowing God more, valuing what He values, hating what He hates. God says: if you really live in an increasing way that I value, I will live with you more. That means He will be more real to you! Hearing Him, seeing Him, flowing in His very real power...this is living more like Jesus.
If you want God, He wants you. If you don't want God, He generally won't force Himself into your life. If you want to see more of Jesus, then ask Him to help you fall more in love with Him. This is what produces a true hunger and thirst for holiness... and a true hunger and thirst WILL be satisfied.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
When THAT kind of satisfaction starts in your life, the things of the world will grow strangely dim as you spend more and more time with the most wonderful one, dying to the things that everyone else chases so you can have more and more of truly valuable riches that will last forever!
John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Philippians 3:8-10 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.
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