We are no longer going to treat Jesus Christ like He is a theme or an afterthought.
We are not going to rush past His truth's or His character to make a point or to exalt our own character.
Amen.
Father I thank you for this Word and for all that it will accomplish In Jesus Name.
So Be It.
Have any of you ever given a gift to a friend or family member and then after you had given the gift felt like the person that you had given the gift to should treat you a certain way, that they should acknowledge you with at least a thank you or maybe even more than that?
You have believed that they should be willing to do something for you.It's true that we should be thankful and gracious and express our gratitude when a gift is given.
It's God that we should hold the most gratitude towards and it is Him who we should acknowledge in all of our ways so that He can direct our steps.
We owe no man anything but to love him.
That's why you don't give expecting to receive of men.
The Lord teaches us that when we give in private He sees it and He will reward us openly.
Have you ever had to help a family member out by helping them get a job, or when their finances were or low give them a hand?
Many of us have been on the giving and receiving end of gifts.
How many have been so pleased with themselves that they told other folks about what they did for a friend or family member?
How many have given to those close to them and then when they have not done exactly what we wanted them to do, we in some way directly or indirectly tried to embarrass or shame them in front of others for it?
I mean publicly stated that we gave them something and if it wasn't for us they wouldn't have it?
That is not how God does it.
This is a lesson right here.
I remember doing this to someone my self and more than that I remember how vividly The Lord corrected me.
At least that was what it started out being.
I gifted a woman some years ago because she wasn't pleasant and I do enjoy giving but I really must have had something else going on in my thoughts because after I gave the gift, from that moment on I believed that now this person had to want to sit and hear about the Lord.
I had once complained about the rudeness of a woman publicly and I was criticized for that so I thought that I would take another approach when I came in contact with someone else like this.
It's funny how people will criticize you for doing the exact same thing that they do.
Don't do what I do, do what I say is the reason children are dysfunctional.
I was criticized for mentioning the behaviour of this woman because the woman reflected the spirit of a company and the company instead of realizing that it was actually possible was offended.
You do have to speak up when you see something that is unjust in God's eyes, you just have to learn that there is a way to turn a brother from his faults with humility and love.
I hadn't got that far yet and hadn't had the example shown.
Why confess that you have flaws and then when they are recognized deny that you have them?
Well now the Lord brings me across the path of another woman in the work place who had a poor attitude so I believed that a gift would softened her and the door would open for me to love her so that she could love people.
This time I wasn't going to report her and put her on front street, I was going to be the one to show kindness and guidance.
Not.She ran for the hills and avoided me out of suspicion.
So I'm determined and I sent another gift but I sent it through someone else with a card in it asking if she needed prayer for anything, but I made sure that she would know that it was from "me", not anonymously, I wanted credit.
I thought that now surely she will greet me every morning and we will strike up a conversation and BAM!
I can share Christ and her world and attitude will be changed and ding* God is pleased.
Didn't happen.
Because I was trying to bribe her.
I later found out that the person I sent the second gift through didn't even give it to her but kept it for them selves.
That is exactly what I deserved.
A gift is not a gift when an obligation is attached to it.
That's why the second one didn't even make it to her.
This woman didn't know what to think of me, she would go the other way when she saw me coming.
She had heard that I would talk about Jesus and some folks would scatter when they saw me coming.
I don't know what her experience had been with Christians but she wasn't having it and I was offended.
I was just disgusted that she wouldn't even look my way after I had taken my money that could have gone to a myriad of causes and gifted her.
I had Pride turned up on high.
I had too much nerve trying to bribe her and I'm offended.
Christians need double prayer.
A gift has no obligation attached to it.
That may be how men in the world operate but that is not how God does it.
His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.
If you have given a gift with an obligation attached to it, it's not a gift it's a bribe or a paycheck.
The Word teaches not to take a gift with obligation attached to it because this type of gift blinds the eyes and perverts the words of the righteous.
Exodus 23:8
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
I know some might say, "Lolita that's what you were doing you were loving her and going to give her the ultimate gift if you could have shared Christ and Salvation with her."
Trust me, I know what my ultimate motive was, it was that I receive some sort of glory from giving.
Not glorify God in the giving.
When I didn't get it the way that I wanted it, I was done with her.
Learn something today because this will help you to serve God with power.
The Lord spoke to my spirit saying, You don't have to obligate people in order to share Christ.
You don't do good things for people simply because they do good to you.
This is a lesson that Jesus taught us.
God smiles on the just and the unjust.
Because God isn't partial to folks.
Why is He like that?
She didn't need to feel like she owed me anything if Salvation is a free gift.
The Lord said, I didn't give Abram anything but a word of promise and He believed Me.
But many men are trying to turn my Grace into something that would make people indebted to Me.
The Father said, If she has to pay me back through labour, then it is no longer a gift.
The Word of God says,
Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.
However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked his faith is credited as righteousness.
Oh LORD ! What is she talking about now?
Righteous folks don't have to driven like mules.
I'm talking about how if the people hear of the Magnitude of God's Love for them and understand the magnitude of "The Gift", they will serve God freely and not out of fear, shame, guilt, pressure or obligation.
Men who proclaim faith are really not faith men at all.
Because when you believe that you have to keep folks in line and that the power of God's forgiveness is not enough to keep those who He has drawn in His hand, you have not ceased from your own works.
God doesn't have to shame men when He has shed His love abroad in our hearts by Christ Jesus.
But see when that isn't what is being preached men have to come out of their hat with guilt and condemnation.
We were created for good works, not in the since that we are working to save our selves.
Not of works lest any man should boast.
So no man can call you disobedient when God has called you righteous.
Blatant disobedience is Matthew 7:21-23
Many will say that they did good works but The Lord will say I never knew you, I never shared any intimacy with you.
I don't know you because you told my people that they had to pay.
It would be seriously sad to have done the works of prophesying, preaching, missions, driving out demons and healing the sick, to be told that your work was evil and to depart from the presence of God.
Think about this, have you ceased from your own work and are you doing what Jesus did?
For we are His workmanship, created In Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8-10What is "good works" ?
I'm not asking what religion undefiled is.
What are these "good works" that we were foreordained of God to walk in?
Walking in the Spirit so that we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
An easy burden, and a yoke that is light.
Because there are evil works and good works.
The works of the flesh, these would be the evil works.
God is against evil works.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleaness, lasciviousness,
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
envyings, drunkeness, murders, revelings...
Galatians 5:19-21
But you has He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Where in time past you walked according to the course/ the dictates of this world system, according to the prince of the power of the air (devil), the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.
Ephesians 2:1
What are the dictates of this world?
You think it's just smoking, drinking, cheating on your spouse, taxes and your diet.
But responding in the fruit of the flesh is adoptive of the world system.
The Lord said not to love the world or the things in it.
Remember, The Father ordained in the garden that our Lord would crush the head of the enemy.
Like the rest (all the way back to Adam) we were all by nature objects of wrath.
But because of God's great love for us... God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in sin.
I don't think people really get this because they are hearing so much other stuff that this isn't even resonating anymore.
Every man in the history of the world after Adam was born into sin.
The good news is this:
God The Creator, who instead of allowing us to remain the object of His wrath and suffer the consequences of sin, (which is first a spiritual death and then a natural eternal death apart from Him for all eternity to suffer in hell,) [Romans 6:23] spoke deliverance to us before He ever placed us in our mother's womb's.
He knew the plans that He had for us, plans to prosper us and to give us an expected end.
The devil who in his pride became the object of God's wrath deceived Eve, not Adam, Adam just took on the persona of (sin) and he became the object of God's wrath as well.
The Word said that Eve was deceived not Adam.
By one man's sin all became unrighteous.
Yet, because of the unconditional love with which God has for us, He provided a way for us to be delivered from This wrath through His Son Jesus Christ.
By this one man all have the opportunity to be made righteous.
Today is the day for you to receive this and if you have not asked Jesus Christ to come into your life and save you from the obligation of living eternally in hell fire you can do that right now.
You can say,
Father, creator of heaven and earth and all things large and small I believe that you sent your only begotten Son to die for my sins and those of this world as Your Word says.
I believe that Jesus Christ went to hell in my place suffering the punishment of all my sins and after three days He was risen up by You.
I turn from sin and receive Christ Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, therefore In Christ, I am not obligated to sin or pay for sin.
I believe that You God have raised Christ Jesus up and He sits at your right hand in heaven making intercession for me.
I thank You for The precious blood of Christ that cleanses me of all obligation to pay the wages of sin.
I thank You for seeing me In Jesus The Anointed One.
I receive forgiveness for all sin and I thank You for loving me so much.
Amen
If you have believed this now you have passed from death to new life.
You are born again and the spirit of God comes to live on the inside of you.
You were dead in sins but now the Father has raised us up and seated us in heavenly places In Christ Jesus.
Whatever the work is it must testify of Jesus Christ, The Bread Of Life.
The disciples asked The Lord, "What must we do to do the works that God requires?"
Jesus replied " The work of God is this: to believe in The One He has sent.
No man will ever be able to say that he has done so much that he is the greatest among men.
That is why one sacrifice has been given for all men.
Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness by faith.
Hear This.
Be swift to hear (understand) slow to speak and slow to wrath.
We are working the righteousness of God here not religion.
I am not saying and neither is anyone else saying or trying to persuade folks that serving in a church or in a community is not a good work or old hat.
People go their whole lives "doing" in a church with a hard heart, with a haughty spirit, with a gossip filled mouth.
That's an evil work.
Many are doing some kind of work but it isn't done in the spirit of love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith meekness or temperance.
It is for their own gain.
The Word says, Since we live by The Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
The Word of God says, Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works...
Hebrews 10:24
What does it mean to provoke a brother unto love and good works?
It means that the love of God needs to be an apparent revelation rooted and grounded before you serve Him or other people.
Because if it isn't the potential for evil works exist.
Confusion and every evil work.
It's true that God is a God of order and this is it.
Good Works means that you let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see how you believe on Him, and they will glorify your Father in heaven and not run from God.
What causes people to run from God?
Condemnation.
That's why The Father didn't send condemnation to save men.
Because condemnation it's weak in that it obligates you and it doesn't have the power to convert the soul.
What does it obligate you to?
It obligates you to pay your own sin debt.
It puts you in hell.
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
He that believes on Him is not condemned; but He that believeth not is condemned already, because he has not (trully) believed in The Name (Onoma in the Greek) of the only begotten Son of God.
Because the one who does this has ceased from his own works and is now relying on Christ.
So all of that trying to convict the hearts of men by screaming at them and insulting them into heaven doesn't work and the Lord spoke about that when He says that He will send men and women packing because they never knew Him intimately.
The Holy Ghost is a comfort and a reminder of what Christ has said.
The anointing testifies of His goodness and mercy, of His Grace and truth this is how faith is developed.
How can folks be healed and they believe that they haven't done enough to merit healing?
Saying with their mouths " By His Stripes I am healed!" Saying it with conviction but on the same tongue speaking condemnation to others.
What you speak is not only going into the ear gate of other men, it's going into your own spirit as well.
Many want to healing in their own body and they are speaking death to other men, that is not God.
What work are you doing that causes another man or woman to exalt God above their situation and above their current circumstance?
Good works means to encourage others to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.
He gave some to serve tables and some to speak truth.
We looked at how the book of James explained what the doing of the work really is.
This is what Jesus did.
The Lord always said, 'You may have heard it said to pray, Lord repay my enemy according to his offenses, But I say, pray that your enemies be blessed.
The work is believing on Christ Jesus whom God The Father has sent into the earth to forgive us of our sins.
If anyone thinks that he is something when he is nothing he deceives himself.
When you believe that you know it all and you have done it all and you are doing it all, you are deceiving your self.
The greater work is that:
Any deed or work is done in humility and it testifies of Christ.
Each of us have to test our own actions, then we can be content without comparing our self to someone else.
FREE GIFTS ARE FREE.
This is why God sent His Son so that you would not be under the obligation to go straight to hell without passing Go and without collecting $200.00.
Jesus Christ came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.
Abundant is not guilt ridden or believing that you owe God or serve Him out of fear, but it's a gratitude that does live for God because it loves.
Love God, Love people.
It's only because He first loved us that we are able.
The rich young ruler claimed that he had Love God and his neighbor as himself, but when he was asked to really follow Jesus he walked away grieved.
Look at who Jesus was the most adamant about with this teaching.
It wasn't the multitudes of lost souls that He had to constantly convince or go over this time and again with, it was the religious community.
When The Lord told a man that his sins were forgiven, they were forgiven and the man was healed, he didn't bill the man because the gift is free.
Because Abraham believed.
This is our reasonable service.
This Word is Free
LOVE Y'ALL
John 3:15-18; Romans 4:4; Romans 8:1-10
Ephesians 2:1-10
Mutter these words today
Thanks Be To God For His Unspeakable Gift
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