CHAPTER 12
KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST = GRACE AND THE BLESSING
The second covenant is the covenant of grace, the covenant of grace proclaims, “Everything depends on Jesus Christ. All of my righteousness, wisdom, prosperity, love, hope, charity, and life is a free unmerited gift from God and I must be totally dependent on God and believe His Word. God is my father and God loves me. If God loves me than I know that everything he says is for my own good. The more that we increase in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His perfect love, the more we will experience His blessing.
If Christians would spend more time memorizing and contemplating all that Jesus has accomplished by His death and resurrection, we would begin experiencing God’s blessings with ever increasing revelation of Jesus Christ. There is a special type of immunity under international law called “Diplomatic Immunity”. Under diplomatic immunity, a diplomat is prohibited from being arrested or criminally prosecuted for any violations of local law. If a diplomat is caught while committing a crime, he must be released if he declares his diplomatic immunity. Christians have diplomatic immunity in the world. We can be accused by Satan, but we cannot be prosecuted, if we declare our immunity. We must declare our immunity because we are under the covenant of grace.
BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL: AND ALL THAT IS WITHIN ME, BLESS HIS HOLY NAME.
BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL, AND FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS:
WHO FORGIVETH ALL THINE INIQUITIES; WHO HEALETH “ALL” THY DISEASES;
WHO REDEEMETH THY LIFE FROM DESTRUCTION; WHO CROWNETH THEE WITH LOVING-KINDNESS AND TENDER MERCIES;
WHO SATISFIETH THY MOUTH WITH GOOD THINGS; SO THAT THY YOUTH IS RENEWED LIKE THE EAGLES.
PSALM 103:1-5
Many Christians are still under the law and tend to think, if I am good, God will be happy with me and bless me, but if I am bad, God will be mad at me and curse me. However, that is not how God works. God does everything the exact opposite of how the world does things. The world rewards effort. If you are athletic, or intelligent, or rich, or have connections, you will do great in the world, but God is looking for just the opposite:
FOR YE SEE YOUR CALLING BRETHREN, HOW THAT NOT MANY WISE MEN AFTER THE FLESH, NOT MANY MIGHTY, NOT MANY NOBLE, ARE CALLED:
BUT GOD HATH CHOSEN THE FOOLISH THINGS OF THE WORLD TO CONFOUND THE WISE; AND GOD HATH CHOSEN THE WEAK THINGS OF THE WORLD TO CONFOUND THE THINGS WHICH ARE MIGHTY;
AND BASE THINGS OF THE WORLD, AND THINGS WHICH ARE DESPISED, HATH GOD CHOSEN, YEA, AND THINGS WHICH ARE NOT, TO BRING TO NOUGHT THINGS THAT ARE:
THAT NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY IN HIS PRESENCE.
BUT OF HIM ARE YE IN CHRIST JESUS, WHO OF GOD IS MADE UNTO US WISDOM, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND SANCTIFICATION, AND REDEMPTION:
THAT, ACCORDING AS IT IS WRITTEN, HE THAT GLORIETH, LET HIM GLORY IN THE LORD.
I CORINTHIANS 1:26-31
Rejoice if you are puny and weak. Bless the Lord if you are poor and have no connections with the rich and powerful. Shout if you aren’t the smartest person in your school. You are the type of person God is looking for in order to pour out His blessings. You will rely on God because you know you cannot rely on yourself or anybody else. God wants the whole world to know the following:
THAT THE RACE IS NOT TO THE SWIFT, NOR THE BATTLE TO THE STRONG, NEITHER YET BREAD TO THE WISE, NOR YET RICHES TO MEN OF UNDERSTANDING, NOR YET FAVOUR TO MEN OF SKILL; BUT TIME AND CHANCE HAPPENETH TO THEM ALL.
ECCLESIASTES 9:11
I compare mature Christians who Walk in the Spirit to rich people’s children. Rich kids do not worry about getting into the best colleges or the most lucrative occupations because of their own merit. They are confident that they will get the very best, not because they are anything special, but because of their relationship with their parents. You might be the dumbest kid in your school, but if your last name is Gates, Buffet, Helu’, Ellison, or Kamprad, there is a really, really, really good chance that you will get into the University of your choice. Your parents will be able to pull strings to get you into the best Universities and later on you will move up the career ladder in an excellent occupation, starting out at the top rung of the ladder.
Don’t you think that God can set things up for His children as well?
One difference is that a rich kid’s parents cannot make them wise or righteous, but God can and will prepare His children for anyplace He puts them. God can and will make you righteous, wise, healthy and prosperous.
THE BLESSING OF THE LORD, IT MAKETH RICH, AND HE ADDETH NO SORROW WITH IT.
God has made one thing perfectly clear, we are not supposed to test God when he says we should not do a thing.
THOU SHALT NOT TEMPT THE LORD THY GOD.
MATTHEW 4:7
However, God asked the Israelites to test him by doing a specific thing. I believe that you do not even have to be a Christian and God will honor this specific promise.
BRING YE ALL THE TITHES INTO THE STOREHOUSE, THAT THERE MAY BE MEAT IN MINE HOUSE, AND “PROVE” ME NOW HEREWITH, SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS, IF I WILL NOT OPEN YOU THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN, AND POUR YOU OUT A BLESSING, THAT THERE SHALL NOT BE ROOM ENOUGH TO RECEIVE IT.
PROVE – 974. Baw-khan’; to test (especially metals); generally and figuratively to investigate; - examine, prove, tempt, try (trial). (The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D., Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984.)
People might believe this is putting Christians under the law and not under grace and faith, but a lot of people do not understand faith and grace. If you wake up in the morning it’s by the grace of God. If you are healthy it’s by the grace of God. If you are wealthy it’s by the grace of God. If you are wise it’s by the grace of God. If you have a revelation it’s by the grace of God. If you have joy it’s by the grace of God. If you are God’s chosen it’s by the grace of God.
We cannot earn our health, or our wealth, or our wisdom, or our happiness. However, God will do what he pleases with what belongs to Him and all of creation belongs to God! If God says be obedient, give to the poor, and I will pour you out a blessing, then we must have faith that he can, and he will, pour us out a blessing. He is testing us by allowing us to test him. He is allowing us a chance to believe by experience and by believing His Word. Do we have enough faith to be obedient and prove God? The Book of James explains that faith is not just hearing but obeying and doing the Word of God.
BUT BE YE “DOERS” OF THE WORD, AND NOT HEARERS ONLY, DECEIVING YOUR OWN SELVES. FOR IF ANY BE A HEARER OF THE WORD, AND NOT A DOER, HE IS LIKE UNTO A MAN BEHOLDING HIS NATURAL FACE IN A GLASS:
FOR HE BEHOLDETH HIMSELF, AND GOETH HIS WAY, AND STRAIGHTWAY FORGETTETH WHAT MANNER OF MAN HE WAS.
BUT WHOSO LOOKETH INTO THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY, AND CONTINUETH THEREIN, HE BEING NOT A FORGETFUL HEARER , BUT A DOER OF THE WORK, THIS MAN SHALL BE BLESSED IN HIS DEED.
JAMES 1:22-25
First we need to know God’s Word, then we must believe God’s Word, then we must do/obey God’s Word. Of course if we do not believe, we will not give money to the poor, we will not study to show ourselves approved, and we will continue on as we did before salvation. This doesn’t mean you can blindly give tithes and offerings to your church, pastor, preacher, priest, evangelist, or favorite charity and expect God to pour you out a blessing. In the Old Testament, the priest had specific duties:
1) The priest offers oblations to God. See Leviticus 2:4. An oblation is merely a present we give God. Something to show our love and affection, just like a present we would give to anybody else we love.
2) The priest examines all offerings. See Leviticus 1:10. We are to give God the best we have and not our second hand junk.
3) The priest offers sin offerings. See Leviticus 4:3. We know that Jesus, as our High Priest, has made the final and perfect sin offering for ever and ever for all believers. See Hebrews 10:12
4) The priest intercedes for the people. See Numbers 16:47 and Leviticus 16:13. We know that Jesus is our High Priest and intercedes for all believers. See Hebrews 7:25
5) The priest examines the sick. See Leviticus Ch. 12, 13,14 and 15. We know that by/with his stripes we ARE healed. See I Peter 2:24 and Isaiah 53:5.
6) The priest taught the Law and the knowledge of God. See II Chronicles 17:9 and 30:22.
7) The priest accepts tithes to care for their needs and to care for the poor. See Deuteronomy 26:12. We know that Christians must care for the poor. See Matthew 19:21, Luke 14:13, John 12:6, John 13:29, Romans 15:26, Galatians 2:10. We should make sure that when we contribute money or gifts to a church or charity, they are actually helping the needy and the poor with a good portion of our contribution.
The Old Testament Priests served a great many functions: Social Services, Public Health, Law and Education, etc. Giving a tenth or a tithe of what we earn for all these services seems pretty cheap compared to modern times. If you give to good causes and especially to the poor, there are numerous promises by God in the Old and New Testament that you will prosper.
GIVE, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU; GOOD MEASURE, PRESSED DOWN, AND SHAKEN TOGETHER, AND RUNNING