Topic: Righteousness Through One Man's Sacrifice
Powerful video testimony of how a lady whose husband's was healed of 4th stage cancer, blessed with a new home and a new car. She shared about sowing to the Miracle Seed Sunday even during tough times financially - medical treatments for her husband.
Pastor pointed out that there is this very special anointing in church since morning. God who is the first and the last, the One who placed you in Him, there is no predecessor, the One who calmed the storms, the One who was in the burning bush, how much more would He not freely give you all things.
He's in heaven bodily and one day He will ride on His white horse with many crowns and many who reject Him will see him in awe. Revelation 10 says His face shone like a sun and a rainbow around His head - means no more condemnation. John saw these in Him in the book of Revelation. Pastor showed a photograph of a sun surrounded with a rainbow seen all over Singapore yesterday.
The opportunity and privilege to be able to give to Him through Miracle Seed Sunday is better than being a spectator to others who become blessed. This is the power to get wealth. Many people who are in power do not have the smarts. The bible did not say money is the root of all evil. The love for money is. Make money work for you and not the other way round. He can get the blessing through you and get the blessing to you.
Right into the word..
Don't put your eyes on pastors, keep your eyes to Jesus. Don't look to others even though they are looking at Jesus. Look to Jesus yourself and experience His goodness yourself.
Romans 6:9-13
Verse 9: Death has no dominion over Him. He died in our place. God being just has to punish lawlessness. God is love, He does not want you to bear the brunt of His anger. So He sent His son.
Think about it this way. God sent down His son to die for "criminals" and to those who rejected Him. God sent down His wrath and Jesus absorbed all the judgement. There came the rainbow that so that today we can receive His blessings. It's a divine exchange!
Verse 10 & 11: "Likewise" means "in the same manner". Jesus died once and for all. In the same way, reckon yourself to be dead in sin. "Died" means to die. Not to die again. Knowing that there is no condemnation, it empowers one to go and sin no more. However many believe that once believers know this truth, they will go sin somemore. The erroneous idea people like to put others under guilt, insecurity and condemnation is totally warped.
In 1938, the Golden Gate in San Francisco was built. If you learnt about how it was built, you would know why sense of security brings forth postive results. During Phase 1, 23 fell to their deaths. Initially the management wanted to put a stop to the construction work. Instead, they built a very large safety net, costing US$100,00 which was a significant figure back then. After that, only 10 people fell but were saved by the net. It was later known that after the net was built, the construction took 10-15% faster to complete. What does it show? The sense of security gives people a greater awareness of knowing they are safe, leading them to perform better and above expectations. So what is this idea of preachers who preach a message of condemnation?
Verse 12: "Therefore" means to read further to find out why. Do not let sin reign in your body. Know this truth and it will set you free.
Verse 13: Notice holiness comes right after the correct doctrine and truth. Our sins were already punished once and for all. So that now our sins can never be punished twice again. For once, the law is on our side.
Beautiful truth revealed: "God judges you righteous because of what Jesus has done for you."
Romans 6:14-18
Verse 14: Sin does not have power over you when you are not under law. Under law, sin has power. Under grace, sin loses its power.
Verse 15: Paul says so shall we sin under grace? Thes are the typical preachers and believers who come hard on grace. The more attracted to God makes you more attracted to grace. God designed the law to stir up your sinful passions. The idea is not to try. But to trust.
Verse 16: Many interprete this wrongly to say, "Don't sin or you will die". Paul is referring to the "slave whom you obey". Paul is saying we cannot be righteous through our works. It is His obedience, not ours. We have 2 choices: "Sin leading to death" and "obedience leading to righteousness".
Lets go to Romans 5:17-19:
Verse 17: Death was never God's plan. Jesus hated it as much as you do. Death came through one man's sin - Adam. Adam is like the federal head. Whatever happens to him goes down generations. It may sound unfair but this is literally how it works. By one man's sin we become sinners. Every baby born in this world is born with a taint of sin in the blood. Actually it's not unfair, it is a fact. This is not religion. This is a reality. Whatever Adam did, but what Jesus did is much more. "... much more those who receive abundance of grace.." we reign in life. God's system is the more you receive, the more you reign in life.
Verse 18: If you believe much more in the word, prosperity, healing and protection becomes much more natural in the flesh. Death has no more stint in the believer. Pastor believes that before the plane even crashes, Jesus already took the believer away and he is in a deep sleep. The believer does not even have to go through the impact.
So by one man's obedience, many are made righteous. Earlier you were saying it's unfair to be made sinners. But now you are made unfairly righteous! God blesses you better than the hottest thing on planet earth. This is not any statement in Destined to Reign book. This is bible quoting bible.
Now we go back to Romans 6:16.
Verse 16: Many interpret this just as if you sin and you die. Many negate Romans 5 (the earlier verse). God wants you to be a skywalker. Are you living your life under Adam or under Christ? When you wake up every morning, do you submit to negative thoughts or the obedience of Christ? Our obedience can go up and down in a day. If you always obey your own obedience, you are always caught in the losing end. For example, you walk in to office and your colleague tells you he is diagnosed with a sickness. He asks you to pray for him. But earlier you showed your temper, honked at others. Do you notice that when you feel like you have not "obeyed", such prayers does not work? Straight away when you pray, know that it is His obedience that healing flows, not yours.
Pastor blurts out: "You cannot undo your righteousness. Otherwise it means sin is greater than His righteousness."
Do you have more faith in sin or His righteousness each day you wake up? Keep your eyes on Jesus. Because Jesus is forever in heaven, it means your righteousness is forever.
Verse 17: Obeying the good doctrine. Once you believe the gospel, you will be freed from sin. The gospel is an imprint. You now are printed with His righteousness.
Verse 18: Having being set free from sin (noun), you become slaves of righteousness (noun). Even if you do wrong, God still sees you righteous. Jesus did the prison break for you. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful.
In the book of Proverbs, the seed of the righteous will be delivered.
Notice all these comes right after believing right.
Pastors shares something in his heart:
Marilyn Hickey once said she saw a beautiful Singapore years ago. She asked one thing which contributed to the beauty of Singapore. Pastor replied "Honour". We were taught to repect everyone since young. Greet everyone, saying "please" for each request and to repect the government. But now, dishonour is something that is becoming prevalent today. Social media is just a tool. Pastor is not saying you cannot disagree with the government's view. Disagree with honour.
Look at Romans 13:1. Israel were under the authority of Romans back then. In those days, people were crucified publicly for mistakes did. Whatever is it, our government is not Romans-alike. Because David honoured the anointing, he became anointed himself. The anointing is on the office, so honour that office. We should learnt to respect that honour as we dignify ourselves too.
But Pastor, "I honour my husband but he does silly things!". When you are humble, God raises you up. When God talks to your husband, it will surely get through.
Esther submitted to Haggai who was a very gentle man. Then, she found favour in the king. You think you lose out when you submit. But truth is when you submit, you find favour in your husband.
Romans 16:25-26
Verse 26: God has not manifested the gospel for obedience to the faith. This is the new obedience.
In closing,
Galatians 2:11-16
James is a believer. When James brought the people down, Paul saw the hypocrisy- pretending to be what you are. Stop pretending to be a sinner.
Verse 14: We walk uprightly by believing the truth. Believe what God says, the gospel.
Pastor shares about One-North. The Star won 4 consecutive awards and the designer is an Israeli.
The cities of refuge in Israel is scattered in 4 areas, North, South, East and West. It is for those who commit crimes to run there so that the law cannot catch them. The refuge is headed by priests. It is 6 cities and mentioned in sequence. Each refuge is a picture of a local church. The sequence is Kedesh, Shedem, Hebron, Bezer Ramoth and Golan. Back then, Pastor joined the cities with lines in appearance on the map only to be astounded with what he saw. Exactly the side view of the Star! This is the upper room where God gives. When the holy spirit fell, it is in the upper room. God is showing that us that the Star is a symbolism of the cities of refuge. It is amazing that God leaves His fingerprints in the Star.
Pastor prepares for Miracle Seed Sunday and worship is lined up next.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
5 August 2012
Topic: Having died to sin once and for all
Pastor Gabriel shared a testimony of a single parent who faced problems of rebellion. The problem worsen till her daughter moved out. She tried many methods but it did not work. She surrendered her kid to God and took communion with her kid till things improved and her daughter said she will move back.
Another testimony of another whose cancer marker constantly increased in the last 2 years. She was healed and her marker reduced to a safe level.
Pastor said, 2000 years old, Jesus died on the cross so that we will never have to suffer from sickness. He was naked on the cross so that you will be clothed with His grace and love. He gave you heaven's best.
Pastor shared the joy of moving in to the Star at the end of this year. Pastor pointed out that there was no miracle seed Sunday for 2 years now. Many of members kept asking when would be the next miracle seed Sunday. There will be a series of miracle seed Sundays in the next 3 weeks.
When the fishermen needed fishes, He did not bless them with a bungalow. He blessed them with fishes. He is a practical father. Since there is a miracle seed Sunday coming up, ask Him for directions on how much to give. Don't give if you are unsure. His part is the harvest and the fruits. Our part is just the seed. Sow the seed and He will not give you back a seed or a bigger seed growing. The seeds in the storehouse will never increase. Sow and expect His blessings. Waters that flow or rains is called living waters. No matter how little you have, just let it flow. The more you let it flow, the more it comes out. In the context of breast feeding, it stops and dries up when you stop feeding. God's creation is such that the more you flow, the more you have.
What does it mean to be dead to sin?
Romans 5:20-21
Verse 20: Put this verse in your heart: The law entered so that the offense might abound.
Many believe that the law entered so that holiness abound. Word for word in the bible.
Where sin abounded (pleonazo), grace abounded (huperperisseuo) - super abounded and some more on top of that and much more.
This is the inappropriateness of grace and law.
Romans 6:1-3
Verse 1: So does it mean we continue to sin so that grace may abound? They are misquoting what Paul says. Paul must be preaching too strongly on grace for him to be misunderstood. You must be preaching like Paul radically. Many pastors are preaching a balanced message until they become unbalanced.
Verse 3: "baptized" does not refer to water baptism. It means we are immersed into His death. So what does it mean to die to sin. Verse 2: "died to sin" has occurred for the believer. If we have died to sin means to die to the influence of sin, then that is not sin.
Romans 6:9-10
Verse 10: Jesus died to sin once for all.
Verse 11: What does likewise mean? It means in the same manner. You also reckon yourself to be dead in sin, but alive to God in Christ.
We must apply the understanding in verse 10 to verse 11 too. Jesus died once and for all. He did not have to return every year to die. So how did He die once and for all?
"reckon" means take into account, calculate, count over, meditate on. In greek, it's logizomai. Reckon got to do with reality.
Did the Lord Jesus die to
a. the power and influence of sin?
b. the imputation, guilt and penalty of sin?
Jesus is all perfect and there were many testimonies in the bible saying there is no sin in Him. During His time on earth, Jesus was tempted in all ways. This word "tempted" is a different greek word. It means to be tested. Jesus was tested to show that there was no sin in Him.
So did Jesus die for the imputation, guilt and penalty of sin? Jesus died because of the imputation of sin. Jesus does once and for all so that you are dead to sin.
John 8:10-12
Story of the woman who was accused and about to be stoned. Jesus said those who have not sin can stone her. Then He asked the woman who are those that accused her. None was around she said. He wanted her to say that no one was there to accuse her. Then He said neither do I condemn you. Then He said go and sin no more. It did not give her the empowerment to go and sin somemore. That many of the preachers today who accused otherwise. Grace is unmerited favour and when there is no condemnation, it produces empowerment.
Reproach - resting upon conditions of shame and disgrace.
Pastor shared that if you are free from stress, you will not be sad, or say unhappy things to your spouse. Studies have shown that stress can lead to broken marriages. A plant illustration is shown. Leaves is sickness, broken marriage and poverty. The roots are fear, stress and condemnation. Biblical scriptures show that condemnation is the root of all causes. Just like Adam feared when he ate from the tree. The "root" came in.
Back to Romans 6:9-11 and to the following verses to 18.
Verse 12: Therefore means to look at the previous verse. Do not let sin reign in your body. This is what the verse says.
Verse 13: Present yourself as weapons of righteousness. Reckon yourself as you have already died to sin.
In summary, Jesus died to the guilt of sin and condemned for our sins. Died means final. You take into account His death. Even if you sin, you will not take the guilt. So that your body becomes weapons of righteousness.
Pastor shared about one lady from the group of australian visitors last week who was shining so brightly on her face. It was only known that she attempted suicide before thinking that she needs to fulfil the law everyday. It was only through repeated listenings of the sermon "Condemnation kills" that rescued her from the sense of condemnation.
Pastor in his younger days tried to die to sin. Jesus died to sin, no future tense.
1 Peter 2:24
Jesus bore our sins in His body. You will never find anywhere in the bible He dies for our sins in His spirit. He only gave up His spirit on the cross.
"Being dead to sin" means already dead.
"Live up to righteousness" does not mean do right, think right. It means to be aware that Jesus died once and for all.
":by whose stripes ye were healed" - Notice the ":" there. It means whatever is in front follows.
A christian can never be in darkness. Do some reasoning. If we sin, the blood has already cleanse us. We are always in the light. How can we be dirty? We are just like under the shower all day long. Joke: At most you get "wrinkles".
This is powerful. You need to know you are already dead to sin and walk in righteousness. Then by His stripes you are healed.
When the bed ridden man came to Him, He did not say "be healed in Jesus name". He say to him "your sins have already been forgiven". He assured him because he needed to know it. Right after that, he picked up his bed and jumped!
The light that Jesus brought is not so bright till it brought blindness.
John 8:10-12
Verse 12: Jesus said He is the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. "Shall not" is double negative, strong negative. Believers will never walk in darkness.
When Jesus appeared, He said do not be afraid. Human flesh tends to be fearful.
In closing,
Today there is a strong teaching on strong discipleship. Discipleship means to see Him as an example. When you come to Him as a disciple, it means to give up everything and follow the leader. It does not work this way. We are blessed in every way when we put Him first. We don't have to see Him as an example.
Heaven is populated. In revelations, it says there is a great multitude which cannot be numbered heading for heaven. It is never used for those going to hell.
Back to discipleship, the word "disciple" is used 200 times in the bible. It gets lesser used from the book of Matthew to John. Now we are not disciples, we are sons and daughters of God. There's glory when a king comes down for us. There is no glory from servant to servant. He came down for us.
Pastor Gabriel shared a testimony of a single parent who faced problems of rebellion. The problem worsen till her daughter moved out. She tried many methods but it did not work. She surrendered her kid to God and took communion with her kid till things improved and her daughter said she will move back.
Another testimony of another whose cancer marker constantly increased in the last 2 years. She was healed and her marker reduced to a safe level.
Pastor said, 2000 years old, Jesus died on the cross so that we will never have to suffer from sickness. He was naked on the cross so that you will be clothed with His grace and love. He gave you heaven's best.
Pastor shared the joy of moving in to the Star at the end of this year. Pastor pointed out that there was no miracle seed Sunday for 2 years now. Many of members kept asking when would be the next miracle seed Sunday. There will be a series of miracle seed Sundays in the next 3 weeks.
When the fishermen needed fishes, He did not bless them with a bungalow. He blessed them with fishes. He is a practical father. Since there is a miracle seed Sunday coming up, ask Him for directions on how much to give. Don't give if you are unsure. His part is the harvest and the fruits. Our part is just the seed. Sow the seed and He will not give you back a seed or a bigger seed growing. The seeds in the storehouse will never increase. Sow and expect His blessings. Waters that flow or rains is called living waters. No matter how little you have, just let it flow. The more you let it flow, the more it comes out. In the context of breast feeding, it stops and dries up when you stop feeding. God's creation is such that the more you flow, the more you have.
What does it mean to be dead to sin?
Romans 5:20-21
Verse 20: Put this verse in your heart: The law entered so that the offense might abound.
Many believe that the law entered so that holiness abound. Word for word in the bible.
Where sin abounded (pleonazo), grace abounded (huperperisseuo) - super abounded and some more on top of that and much more.
This is the inappropriateness of grace and law.
Romans 6:1-3
Verse 1: So does it mean we continue to sin so that grace may abound? They are misquoting what Paul says. Paul must be preaching too strongly on grace for him to be misunderstood. You must be preaching like Paul radically. Many pastors are preaching a balanced message until they become unbalanced.
Verse 3: "baptized" does not refer to water baptism. It means we are immersed into His death. So what does it mean to die to sin. Verse 2: "died to sin" has occurred for the believer. If we have died to sin means to die to the influence of sin, then that is not sin.
Romans 6:9-10
Verse 10: Jesus died to sin once for all.
Verse 11: What does likewise mean? It means in the same manner. You also reckon yourself to be dead in sin, but alive to God in Christ.
We must apply the understanding in verse 10 to verse 11 too. Jesus died once and for all. He did not have to return every year to die. So how did He die once and for all?
"reckon" means take into account, calculate, count over, meditate on. In greek, it's logizomai. Reckon got to do with reality.
Did the Lord Jesus die to
a. the power and influence of sin?
b. the imputation, guilt and penalty of sin?
Jesus is all perfect and there were many testimonies in the bible saying there is no sin in Him. During His time on earth, Jesus was tempted in all ways. This word "tempted" is a different greek word. It means to be tested. Jesus was tested to show that there was no sin in Him.
So did Jesus die for the imputation, guilt and penalty of sin? Jesus died because of the imputation of sin. Jesus does once and for all so that you are dead to sin.
John 8:10-12
Story of the woman who was accused and about to be stoned. Jesus said those who have not sin can stone her. Then He asked the woman who are those that accused her. None was around she said. He wanted her to say that no one was there to accuse her. Then He said neither do I condemn you. Then He said go and sin no more. It did not give her the empowerment to go and sin somemore. That many of the preachers today who accused otherwise. Grace is unmerited favour and when there is no condemnation, it produces empowerment.
Reproach - resting upon conditions of shame and disgrace.
Pastor shared that if you are free from stress, you will not be sad, or say unhappy things to your spouse. Studies have shown that stress can lead to broken marriages. A plant illustration is shown. Leaves is sickness, broken marriage and poverty. The roots are fear, stress and condemnation. Biblical scriptures show that condemnation is the root of all causes. Just like Adam feared when he ate from the tree. The "root" came in.
Back to Romans 6:9-11 and to the following verses to 18.
Verse 12: Therefore means to look at the previous verse. Do not let sin reign in your body. This is what the verse says.
Verse 13: Present yourself as weapons of righteousness. Reckon yourself as you have already died to sin.
In summary, Jesus died to the guilt of sin and condemned for our sins. Died means final. You take into account His death. Even if you sin, you will not take the guilt. So that your body becomes weapons of righteousness.
Pastor shared about one lady from the group of australian visitors last week who was shining so brightly on her face. It was only known that she attempted suicide before thinking that she needs to fulfil the law everyday. It was only through repeated listenings of the sermon "Condemnation kills" that rescued her from the sense of condemnation.
Pastor in his younger days tried to die to sin. Jesus died to sin, no future tense.
1 Peter 2:24
Jesus bore our sins in His body. You will never find anywhere in the bible He dies for our sins in His spirit. He only gave up His spirit on the cross.
"Being dead to sin" means already dead.
"Live up to righteousness" does not mean do right, think right. It means to be aware that Jesus died once and for all.
":by whose stripes ye were healed" - Notice the ":" there. It means whatever is in front follows.
A christian can never be in darkness. Do some reasoning. If we sin, the blood has already cleanse us. We are always in the light. How can we be dirty? We are just like under the shower all day long. Joke: At most you get "wrinkles".
This is powerful. You need to know you are already dead to sin and walk in righteousness. Then by His stripes you are healed.
When the bed ridden man came to Him, He did not say "be healed in Jesus name". He say to him "your sins have already been forgiven". He assured him because he needed to know it. Right after that, he picked up his bed and jumped!
The light that Jesus brought is not so bright till it brought blindness.
John 8:10-12
Verse 12: Jesus said He is the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. "Shall not" is double negative, strong negative. Believers will never walk in darkness.
When Jesus appeared, He said do not be afraid. Human flesh tends to be fearful.
In closing,
Today there is a strong teaching on strong discipleship. Discipleship means to see Him as an example. When you come to Him as a disciple, it means to give up everything and follow the leader. It does not work this way. We are blessed in every way when we put Him first. We don't have to see Him as an example.
Heaven is populated. In revelations, it says there is a great multitude which cannot be numbered heading for heaven. It is never used for those going to hell.
Back to discipleship, the word "disciple" is used 200 times in the bible. It gets lesser used from the book of Matthew to John. Now we are not disciples, we are sons and daughters of God. There's glory when a king comes down for us. There is no glory from servant to servant. He came down for us.
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