Heart of Kim

 Mark 7:   ⁵Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?  ⁶He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.  ⁷Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

I just love the way Jesus cut right to the chase!  He didn’t waste words.  He got right to the point!  He didn’t play games. He just told it like it was.

How refreshing!  In our attempts to “be nice” sometimes we can mislead people as to the purpose of our intentions, our motives or in  the understanding of what we are saying.  A lot of people present themselves with plastic smiles and they slip on their  invisible mask each morning before they leave home.  Sometimes you don’t know what someone thinks or what they are really saying.  I think this course of behavior leaves wide open spaces for miscommunication, misunderstanding and confusion.    

It is so easy to judge others.  However; it is impossible to judge another without either lifting yourself up in pride above the other person or abasing yourself  beneath the other person.  Think about it.  That’s why there is only one judge and He is the Righteous Judge.    It is better to feed on the tree of life and leave the tree of the knowledge of good and evil alone!  Only God knows the heart of a person. 

Romans 2: ²⁸For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: ²⁹But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Religion and self righteousness are synonymous.  The devil loves religion.  Christianity is a relationship with a saviour, not a religion.  Christianity is loving the one who first loved us.  Too much emphasis is put on the dos and don’ts.  I am convinced that a person who grows in their relationship with the Lord will gain greater insight and understanding to the grace of a loving God, thereby, being transformed from the inside out by the power of God.  Why do we want people to come to a forgiving saviour and then immediately place demands on them that the Word plainly says they cannot keep?   (The reason the law was given was to bring man to the end of himself; so that he saw his need for a saviour).  To think any other way is pure and simple; self righteousness.

 There are a lot of hurting people who are looking for answers and yet they refuse to turn to the church because of the “nose in the air” pious attitudes of the self righteous.  This is sad.  I’m sure it grieves the heart of God.   When are we as the church going to be willing to say what we hear the Father say and do what we see the Father do?  When are we going to quit playing church and realize that we are in the last days and “people” are on the mind of God.  We should always have an answer ready for those who may ask us about the hope that is in us!  An answer full of the love of God, without respect of persons, without partiality and without judgement and condemnation. 

Let’s not kid ourselves.  The world is looking for a way out of their mess.  The world can see right through hypocrisy.  The world is looking for the real deal.  They are looking for the genuine.  They are looking for a saviour.  They are looking for someone that “knows” Him.  They already know they are sinners.  They already know about guilt and condemnation.  They already know themselves on deep and intimate levels.  What they don’t know is that God truly does love them and died for their sins and was raised for their justification. 

2 Corinthians 5: ¹⁸And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹To 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.

Let’s not just honour God with traditions and formalities;  let’s honour Him with our whole heart.  Let’s honour Him by believing His Word. Let’s honour Him by seeking Him and really getting to know Him through His Word. 

 It’s so much easier to tell someone about someone that you actually know.

 We are like a lighthouse, and the more aquainted with Him we are, the brighter we shine……..  The brighter we shine, the more opportunity for Him to be lifted up and draw all men unto Himself.   

The picture to the left is a visual example of how a lot of christians view God.  They think that He is angry.  The very thought of christians perceiving God in this manner grieves my spirit!  Just as the picture on the left projects distortion,  so is the distorted view of God  in the minds of many people.   Now who could trust and rely on someone like that when the going got tough?  Could you believe the word of someone that you perceived as angry, powerful and just plain mean!  Of course not.  It would be impossible to have faith in such a God.  It would be extremely difficult to think that such a being was even capable of love.  For a believer, one who has been washed in the blood of the lamb, one who is a new creation in Christ,  this should not be so. 

 Take a look at the following scriptures.

Isaiah 54:7-9 

 Isaiah 53:10-11 

 Romans 5

 1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

  9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

The Gospel is GOOD NEWS!    The Word also says He loved us while we were yet sinners.  It says that Christ died for the ungodly.  It says whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely.  We live in a dispensation of Grace which allows free will human beings the choice to receive His pardon through the blood of Jesus.  God is NOT ANGRY.  He so loved the world that He sent His Son and invited anyone who will to come.

Christians of all people should have a working knowledge of the Word of God and KNOW that they have been made the righeousness of God in Christ.  Christians of all people should know the love of God and realize that they are ambassadors for Christ, preaching to the world that there is forgiveness of sin. 

It is the GOODNESS and KINDNESS of God that leads men to repentance.  God sent His Son to this world not to condemn, but that through Him that the world might be saved.  We as christians may sin, but God does not impute it to us because it would be unjust (double jepardy) to charge it to us and Jesus. Just thank him that it is already paid for because he who the Son makes free, is free indeed!

Take a look at this scripture,

Romans 4

²⁵Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Jesus was turned over and delivered to death for our offenses, sins, trespasses, transgressions.  The word offences here is the greek word paraptoma, meaning to side slip, lapse or deviate. 

 Now I know most people when reading this might think past tense and say “oh yeah, I know Jesus died for my sin”.  You are right, the Word says that He was made to be sin and that He knew no sin.  But the scripture also says that the believer is made righteous!  

Listen,  somewhere along the path of life, we need to realize that, yes, the cross is a past tense event in the light of history. But, that doesn’t mean that we should constantly see the price that He paid as not applicable to present tense life.  Somehow we get it in our mind that it does not pertain to everyday life.  YES, it does!

The word justification in this passage is the greek word dikaiosis and means acquittal, from the word dikaioo which means to render (show or regard as) just or innocent;  also means free, justify, be righteous.  Praise God!  

That is the state that every true believer is in right now, present tense now!   Now I know this is foreign thinking for many christians,  but it shouldn’t be.  And, I’m telling you now that thinking like this will  make you free to approach His throne boldly and it will cause praise and thanksgiving to God.  If you think that revelation and understanding of the believer being the righteousness of God in Christ will cause pride, you are sadly mistaken.  It causes humility and an awe of God and a grateful heart that can’t do anything except give thanks for His amazing grace!

The Good News has always been and will always be a present tense Gospel.  Let’s get out of the past and begin appropriating what He paid such a dear price for to our lives today!  There is no “time”  in the spirit.  The blood that was spilled because of our offenses is just as fresh today as it was 2000 years ago!  So, Lift your head up, thank Him for His forgiveness, and walk like an overcomer! 

Do you know that God is FOR you and not against you?  Before you answer, stop and think.  I know, that you probably know this in your mind, but do your really know and believe this in your heart? You may say, well, Kim, that’s a silly question!  Is it now?  There are people from all walks of life every day that are convinced that God is “out to get them”!  They really believe that He is just waiting to catch them messing up so that He has a reason to “punish them”. 

Take a close look at the following scripture:

Romans 8

 31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

 33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

 34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

In other words:  You are Loved by one that sticks closer than a brother, one that is on your side, one that proclaimed that He would never leave or forsake you!  You are Loved by one that sees you through the blood of His Son as forgiven and “in Him”.  You are loved by the one that has already taken your punishment!

The bottom line is:  When we see ourself through our own eyes, we will never measure up, we will never believe that He is always on our side and that He loves us that much.   BUT….  When we see ourself through His eyes, we see ourself “in Him”  and being accepted in the beloved”.   

Our God is a non-condemning, all loving, ever merciful, full of grace God and it’s all because the price for our sin has been paid.  We are justified by Him because of Jesus.  Do we make mistakes?  Of course we do.  Do we mess up and sin at times?  Of course we do.  Are we perfect?  Of course not.  But Jesus IS and we are “in Him”.   

Just remember today, that there is NO CONDEMNATION to those who are “in Christ Jesus”!   When you begin to see and perceive this Grace that has been given to you;  you will  Know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is FOR you!