New Covenant

 

Free from Sin

 

"Then Peter said unto them, REPENT, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38 

What did Paul say about CONTINUING in sin after we first come to God and repent?

Paul said, “GOD FORBID.”

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? GOD FORBID. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in NEWNESS of life.

(Did Paul say here that it was alright to sin? NO. He said that “HENCEFORTH WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN.”)

“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that HENCEFORTH WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN." - Romans 6:1-6 

Christ died on the cross ONE time, NOT daily.

"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts [have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there]." - Galatians 5:24 

We put on the Lord Jesus Christ by repentance, baptism in the name of Jesus, and the infilling of His Spirit, the Holy Ghost.

"But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and MAKE NOT PROVISION FOR THE FLESH, to fulfil the lusts thereof." - Romans 13:14 

"But now being made FREE FROM SIN, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." - Romans 6:22  (We no longer call ourself "a sinner.")

We now walk in the Spirit. 

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." - Romans 8:1 

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16 

When Paul said, “I die daily,” he was not saying he repented of sins daily; he was saying he RISKED HIS LIFE ON A DAILY BASIS. Read the verse in context: 1Corinthians 15:30-36. See also: Acts 14:19, 2Corinthians 11:23-26.

(*CAPS are my emphasis).

Unity

When we are in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ, there is peace among us and favor with God. When we are in one mind and accord, the kingdom of God can grow and the gospel can go forth into all the world, nothing hindering.

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment [view, opinion]. 

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful [good hearted], be courteous [keep a humble attitude]:

Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation [manner of life] be as it becometh [worthy of] the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving [laboring] together for the faith of the gospel; the 

Philippians 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect [mature], be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Access to His Spirit

 When we have turned from sin by repentance, have our sins washed away by baptism in Jesus name, and have received the gift of His Spirit, we have access to the ways of God that we did not have before. (Acts 2:38, Romans 8:14) 

By His Spirit, we can feel love for the unlovable, strength in temptation, forgiveness for the unforgiveable, patience in turmoil, wisdom and direction in the midst of confusion, and joy and peace no matter what the situation. The key is to stay full of His Spirit. (Romans 8:9)

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." - John 15:5

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." - Philippians 4:13

"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." - James 3:17 KJV

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:7

"And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost." - Acts 13:52

Lord, shew us the Father

Jesus said,

"If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 

"Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 

"Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? 

"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

"Believes thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? 

"The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 

"Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake." 

John 14:7-11 KJV

His Mercy Endureth For ever

There is a psalm that gives thanks for the LORD'S goodness to Israel. The psalm has twenty-six verses, all of the verses ending with, “for his mercy endureth for ever.”

The psalm begins with,

"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." - Psalm 136:1 KJV

When we think of where the Lord brought us from, and all that He has brought us through, we can truly give thanks to Jesus, for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever.

Making Choices

Some of the friends that we have are our friends because of the habits we share.  We go the same places and do the same things enjoying this habit.

When God shows us that a habit is hurting us and keeping us from a closer relationship with him, we need to change that habit.  We need to stop doing it.  Sometimes, that is easier than we thought it would be.  And then our friends find out about the change we have made in our lives.

Unfortunately, they often aren’t happy about our change.  They enjoy our company doing those old things we decided to quit doing.  Unfortunately, they don’t care that that habit is hurting us.  Unfortunately, they don’t care that that habit is keeping us from a closer relationship with God.

The pressure is turned on by our supposed friends.  They tell us how wrong we are for making our decision.  They tell us how foolish we are in our decision.  They do everything they can think of to keep us in our old habit.

God knows how people are.  That is why he tells us we need to make a change in the people we hang out with whose lives are tied up with the habit we are quitting.  Jesus tells us,

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 KJV - Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 

The “unclean thing” Jesus is talking about here is the habit he wants us to quit.

What it comes down to is we have choices to make in our life.  We can choose to listen to Jesus who truly loves us and cares about us, or we can choose to listen to the people we’ve run with that don’t really care about us.

When we make good choices the pressure is on, but Jesus is with us to strengthen us and to help us get to a better place in our life. Jesus loves us.

Philippians 4:13 KJV - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Our Part in the Kingdom of God

What Part Do We Have in the Kingdom of God?

God has called us. (Matthew 22:14). We have answered. (Revelation 17:14). We have turned from the pleasures of sin and committed ourselves to a life of pleasing God. (Hebrews 11:25 Colossians 1:10, 1John 3:22).

We have repented and had all our sins washed away by baptism in the name of Jesus. (Acts 22:16). God has mercifully filled us with His Holy Ghost so we can walk in His Spirit. (Titus 3:5, Galatians 5:16, 22-25).

At creation, the first commandment God gave to Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 1:27-28).

When we are in Christ (Acts 2:38), we are a new creation (2Corinthians 5:17 NKJV, Eph.4:24). The first command God gave to us as the newborn church is to be fruitful and multiply. (Mark 16:15-16, Acts 1:8, John 20:21-23).

The church is fruitful and multiplies by the gospel. (Acts 2:38-39, Mark 16:20, 1Corinthians 4:15, Acts 2:41, Acts 4:4, Acts 5:14, Acts 6:7, Acts 8:12, Acts 9:31, Acts 11:23-24).

We are laborers together with Jesus. (1Corinthians 3:9). When we are in Christ, we have obeyed the gospel, taking His yoke upon us. (Ephesians 3:6, Matthew 11:28-30, 1Peter 4:17).

Yoked together with Jesus by the gospel, we labor together with Him in the field of souls in the world (Matthew 13:37-38, 1Peter 1:23) bringing them the gospel of salvation. (Ephesians 1:13-14).

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." - 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 KJV

Every child of God has a testimony. (Acts 22:18, Revelation 6:9, Revelation 12:10-11, Revelation 19:10).

Every child of God can be a witness of Jesus. (Acts 1:8).

Every child of God can pray for souls to be saved. (Galatians 4:19, Ephesians 6:18-20).

Happy Father's Day All You Father's!

To all you fathers out there - Happy Father's Day!!

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6 KJV

Gentiles Receive the Gospel

God called Peter to go to the Gentiles and preach the Gospel to them.

When Peter went into the house of Cornelius, he had “called together his kinsmen and near friends.” 

Peter began preaching to them Jesus. He preached the gospel to them.

"And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;" - Acts 10:39-40 

"To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." - Acts 10:43 KJV ["He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name."" NLT]

"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God." - Acts 10:44-46 

Peter and the Jewish believers that came with Peter knew the Gentiles received the Holy Ghost because they heard them speak with tongues.

"Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." - Acts 10:46-48 

Why did Peter immediately COMMAND them to be baptized in the name of Jesus?

The Gentiles had received the promised GIFT of the covenant without entering into the covenant. The covenant is entered into when we are baptized in the name of Jesus and His blood is applied to our life. Peter preached this on the Day of Pentecost:

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." - Acts 2:38-39 KJV

Revelation

 

One God

There is one God. He is the Everlasting Father. He is a Spirit.

He robed (manifested) Himself in flesh, born of a woman, to become a substitute for our sins. He came to dwell among His creation in His name of salvation, JESUS. 

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." - Acts 4:12 KJV

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." - Matthew 1:21 KJV 

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;" - 2 Corinthians 5:19 KJV

Jesus came to pay the price for our sins so we could be filled with His Spirit. 

He told His disciples, 

"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." - John 14:18 KJV

On the Day of Pentecost, Jesus kept His promise.

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." - Acts 2:4 KJV

Peter preached that day how Jesus came to save us. He then preached HOW we are saved.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

“For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." - Acts 2:38-39 KJV

"And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 

“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 

“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers 

“…And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." - Acts 2:40-42, 47 KJV

Perfecting Holiness

"And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." - 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, 7:1 KJV

What is the Gospel and How Do We Obey the Gospel?

The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" - 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV

Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost declared this gospel.

When asked, "What shall we do?" Peter preached how to obey the gospel.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38 KJV

How do we obey Christ's death, burial, and resurrection?

Repentance is death to sin, water baptism in the name of Jesus is burial of old nature, Holy Ghost infilling is resurrection to new life.

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?  

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." - Romans 6:1-4 KJV

The Holy Ghost (the Spirit) is the glory of the Father. Christ was raised up from the dead by the Spirit (the glory of the Father.)

"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." - Romans 8:11 KJV)

When we receive the Holy Ghost (Spirit) we not only walk in new life; we also are given the gift of eternal life.