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All Scripture quotations are from the Authorized King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise indicated.

THE BLOOD

&

THE NEW COVENANT

Published by:

HANDS FOR JESUS

For additional copies of this book contact your local book store or write to:

HANDS FOR JESUS

P.O. BOX 18655

MILWAUKEE, WI 53218-0655

ISBN 1-891125-22-2

Copyright 2002 by Merle E. Koepke

All Rights Reserved

Introduction

Before we discuss the subject of the Blood and the New Covenant we need to establish certain facts. First, the Word of God is true regardless of what men say and regardless of what men believe, it is still true and will never change. In 1 Peter 1:25 it says, "the word of the Lord endureth for ever."

A second thing to establish is that Jesus is Who He says He is. He is the Son of God. Jesus is One with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is the Savior of the world. He is "the Living Word of God" that came in the flesh (John 1:1,14). He is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6). The Words that Jesus spoke will endure forever (1 Peter 1:25). To say that the Words spoken by Jesus are not true is to reject the very Living Word of God.

Jesus said in John 3:5-7,

Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

That means one thing for certain, a person must be born again to enter into the kingdom of God. Why must a person be born again? Jesus said, because "that which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Now we know that the religious people will split hairs over this, saying it means something other than what Jesus said. We must determine within ourselves that we will believe Jesus, rather than those religious people.

How does a person become born again of the Spirit? In John 1:10-12, speaking of Jesus, it says,

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

There is a lot mentioned in these verses, but for now, the most important part is where it says, "But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God... ." To become born again a person must receive Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior. Not just as Savior, but also as LORD. Lord means, one of great power and authority. We must receive Jesus to become born again.

What happens when a person is born again? Peter said, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Peter 1:23). When we add together what Jesus said and what Peter said we will find that this new birth is a spiritual birth, born of the Spirit and not of the flesh. We also find that the seed of this new birth is incorruptible, that is to say, not possible to become corrupted.

Let me ask a simple question. If you planted an apple seed and a tree came up, what kind of tree would it be; a thorn bush, an olive tree, a banana tree, what would it be? It would be an apple tree, for the seed was an apple seed. Now, if you became born again of the Spirit of God and the Word of God, what kind of person would you be? Would you be a child of God or a child of the devil?

My Bible says, those who are born again are children of God. God is their Father, Jesus is their LORD and Savior, but He is also their brother. They are a part of the body of Christ, which is Jesus' body here on earth. Do you believe what your Bible says about the new birth? If you do, then don't let some religious person tell you anything different. The Word of God is true. Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." Believe Jesus and believe the Word of God as it is written in the Bible.

If you have not been born again, do it NOW! Don't wait, for Jesus said, "You must be born again!" Pray a simple prayer, believing that God will do what He says He will do, and Jesus will do what He says He will do. Jesus said, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). If you come to Jesus with a sincere desire in your heart and receive Him as LORD and Savior He will in no wise cast you out. He will receive you and you will became a child of God.

It doesn't make any difference if you have sin in your life when you come to Jesus. He came to take away all your sins. Of your own ability, you cannot get rid of the sin in your life, that is why Jesus came to save you from sin and death. Receive Him and your sins will be washed away by His precious blood that He shed for You! If you have already been born again and there is sin in your life, repent, confess you sins, and He will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). But, whatever you do, don't pass up the opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior. Do it Now! Just pray a simple prayer from your heart like the following:

"LORD Jesus, I know that You are the Son of God. I know that You died on the cross for me. I know that God raised You from the dead.

Jesus, forgive me of all my sins, wash me clean in Your blood; that I may be the righteousness of God in You. Thank You, Jesus!

Jesus, I ask You to come into my life? Live Your life in me! Let Your will be done in me! Let the will of God be done in my life as it was in Your life. I surrender my life to You, Jesus!

You lead me by Your Spirit and I will follow to the best of my ability. I will live for You all the days of my life, as You lead me by Your Spirit.

I receive You now, as my LORD, and SAVIOR for all eternity. I will be with You here on earth, and I will be with You in heaven, forever and ever. I will give You all the Glory, it is for You that I will live forever. Amen."

Once you have prayed a prayer like this, believe in your heart that Jesus is true to His Word and you are now a born again child of God. God is your Father, Jesus is your LORD and Savior, and the Holy Spirit is your Helper, Guide, Comforter, Teacher, and He will led you into all truth as you spend time with God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in His Word, and Prayer.

If you have received Jesus into your life for the first time, welcome to the family of God and we'll see you in heaven if not before. Whether it is the first time you received Jesus, or if you have been born again for some time now, continue on in the faith, believing the Word of God from your heart.

His Name Is Jesus

In the beginning was the Word of God. He was with the Father and the Holy Spirit from eternity past (John 1:1). He is called the Son of God (Mark 1:1). God is His Father (John 14:28).

God the Father placed His Son in control of everything within this universe, the earth, the planets, the sun, the moon, the stars; they are all under the control of the Son of God (Matt. 11:27, John 3:35). The Son of God created this universe, even things in heaven. He also created the angels and man (John 1:4,10, Col. 1:16,17).

He knows every detail of everything He created (Heb. 4:13). He knows every operation of spirits, and of man. He knows our thoughts, our ways and everything we do (Isa. 55:8,9). He knows what we do and why we do it. He created us and He knows everything there is to know about us. He is God with the Father and the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:7). He is also LORD over this creation, over everything He created, including the devil and his demons. They must obey His commands, for He is LORD.

A long time ago, before the LORD created man, the angels were in the heavens. Lucifer, one of the angels was before the throne of God, praising and worshiping the Father and the Son (Ezek. 28:13-15). But, Lucifer decided he wanted to be like God, and receive praise and worship himself (Isa. 14:12-14). When he would not change his ideas of being like God he was cast out of the heavens where God's throne is, down to the earth (Ezek. 28:16-19, Isa. 14:15-20). He became the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). The earth became his dwelling place. The center of the earth (called hell) became his final place (Eph. 4:9, 2 Peter 3:10, Rev. 20:10, 14).

Hell is a place of eternal fire that will never stop burning, a place of torment that will never end. Look what Jesus said about hell, and those who will go there.

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:43,44).

Three times in Mark 9:43-48, Jesus said "into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." This is eternal torment for all who go there. That is Satan's final place for all eternity. Even the demons know there is a time when they will be tormented. In Matthew 8:29 it says, "And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?"

When Lucifer was cast down to this earth, he became the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). His name was changed to Satan, the devil (Rev. 12:9). He is in charge of all the demons who operate in this world. They serve him, they have no choice but to serve him. He is their master and has power over them.

Yet, the Son of God is still LORD over all that He created, including Satan, the devil. Satan can do nothing unless the LORD permits him. The created does not have power over the Creator.

When God created man on this earth, He gave mankind dominion over all the animals, fowl, fish, and all that He created here on earth (Gen. 1:27,28). This dominion operates according to the Word of God which created all things in the beginning. Whatsoever the Word of God says controls the dominion of man on earth. Man must operate according to the Word of God to exercise dominion on earth.

There are two things that control the dominion that man has on earth, the thoughts man receives, and the words he speaks. God knows that's how dominion works, for He set it up that way. Satan knows that is how dominion works, for he is the god of this world. Satan knows what God is doing on this earth, and he knows what man is doing on this earth.

Satan tries to control what man does by putting thoughts in the minds of people, that they speak them into existence. It's the thoughts we receive and the words we speak that operate the dominion we have on earth. If we speak the Word of God, believing in our heart what we say, it will come to pass. The Word of God will be done. If we speak the words of the devil, believing in our heart what we say, the work of the devil will be done. The devil is the god of this world, and he controls those who are not under the control of the LORD.

People decide if they will be under the control of the LORD or under the control of the devil. Most Christians do not know that there are only two masters in this creation, the LORD or the devil. We serve either the devil or the LORD, it's our choice. Everyone who is born into this world is under the control of the devil, who uses "the prince of the power of the air" to control their thoughts (Eph. 2:2). Even Christians are under the devils control when they receive the thoughts that come from "the prince of the power of the air." They are called "children of disobedience," for they are not obeying the Word of God (Eph. 2:2). Every thought must be brought into subjection to the Word of God if we are to obey the Word of God and not the devil (2 Cor. 10:5). When we disobey the Word of God the devil has control in our lives.

The Son of God is still in control of everything He created, including the devil. He created us and He can control everything in our lives "if we permit Him to." We make the choice as to who will be in control, the devil or the Son of God!

When Satan tried to cause problems in Job's life he could not, until he received permission from the LORD (Job 1:12, 2:6). The LORD permitted the devil to cause problems for Job because Job did not follow the Word of God as he should have. Job admitted his error in Chapter 3 and 42. Job said,

For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me (Job 3:25).

I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. (Job 42:2,3).

In the beginning of the book of Job it tells us that Job let the spirit of fear work in his life. God does not give us a spirit of fear (2 Tim. 1:7). Fear is a spirit which comes from the devil. Then in the end of the book of Job it tells us that Job spoke words without knowledge. Thereby, Job opened the door for Satan to operate. Yet Satan could not operate unless the LORD also permitted him to. When the devil tries to cause problems in the lives of Christians, he cannot unless we permit him to. Then, even when we are disobedient, he still cannot cause problems for us unless the LORD permits him to. Therefore, Christians can have sin in their lives and still not suffer the consequences for their sin. The LORD is our refuge and strength (Ps. 46:1, 91:2, etc.), without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). He is LORD over this creation. His Word controls everything that happens in this creation (Heb. 1:2,3).

When Christians live by the Word of God the LORD is in control. When Christians go contrary to the Word of God Satan has an opportunity to control. If we give place for the devil and the LORD does not prevent Satan from taking advantage of the place we give him, Satan will have control in our lives.

What happened in times past? The LORD created all things (John 1:4, Col. 1:16). Satan was cast down to the earth and became the god of this world (Isa. 14:12-20, Ezek. 28:11-19, Luke 10:18). The LORD created man and placed him in the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:7-9). There the LORD instructed man, not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:16,17).

First the serpent came to Eve and spoke words to her concerning the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 3:1-5). Eve listened to the serpent, thought about those things he said; and disobeyed the LORD by eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 3:6). Notice, it was the words that the serpent spoke that produced thoughts in Eve's mind. Eve received those thoughts and acted upon the words the serpent spoke "she took of the fruit and did eat."

Then, Eve spoke words to Adam, who was with her in the garden (Gen. 3:17). It was the words that Eve spoke to Adam that caused him to think about what she said and disobey the LORD. After hearing Eve speak to him about eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Adam did eat also (Gen. 3:6). Through Adam's disobedience, sin entered into the human race. All mankind was brought under sin and death (Rom. 5:12).

The LORD spoke to Adam and informed him of the consequence of his disobedience. First, the LORD told Adam He would come in the flesh, born of a woman to take away the sin of the world (Gen. 3:15). Then He informed him of the result of sin and death which had come upon mankind (Gen. 3:17-19).

For thousands of years, the LORD worked with man, forgiving man for his sins whenever man would seek Him and turn from his wicked ways. When people no longer wanted the LORD to reign over them, the LORD turned from them and let Satan have them. Satan destroyed all that he could, and everyone he could. But, he could not destroy unless the LORD permitted him to (Ex. 12:23, Job 1:12, 2:6).

After hundreds of years of prophecy going forth into this world, the LORD Himself came as He said in Genesis 3:15. He was born of a woman and the Holy Spirit (Luke 2:1-7). He lived as a man in the flesh, died, and rose again from the dead. This was all done that the Word of God might be fulfilled. In His death and resurrection, the LORD became our substitute, He bore our sins, iniquities, sicknesses and diseases in His own body, nailed then to His cross defeating Satan for us (Col. 2:13-15).

Now, it's up to us to choose who we will serve, the devil or the LORD. We serve the LORD when we obey His Word. We serve the devil when we disobey the Word of the LORD.

Because the devil is the god of this world, everyone who does not obey the Word of the LORD "automatically" serves the devil. It's not a choice, "it's automatic." We don't choose to serve the devil, it's automatic. We must choose to serve the LORD by our own free will. If we don't choose to serve the LORD, Satan becomes our master "automatically." Everyone in this world is controlled by the prince of the power of the air, unless they choose to obey the Word of God (Eph. 2:2). Anytime, anyone, even Christians, disobey the Word of God they automatically serve the devil. Satan controls their lives by the thoughts they receive and the words they speak out of their mouth.

To keep Jesus Christ as LORD in our life, we must control our thoughts and speak according to the Word of God only, not the words of men. The words of men come from the devil (Matt. 16:23). If Christians will speak according to the Word of God, God will put words in their mouth to speak (Matt. 10:20, 16:17).

God is for us! (Rom. 8:31). We must also be for God in everything we do. Hell is real, and all who follow the devil will spend eternity in hell with him (Rev. 20:10-15). God is for us, and all who follow Jesus will spend eternity with Him in heaven. We choose who we will follow, Jesus or the devil.

It's the thoughts that we receive and the words that we speak that will determine who we will serve. By our thoughts and our words we control who will be Lord in our lives.

The beautiful part of all this is: Jesus is the LORD! He is our Savior! He is our Redeemer! He is long suffering and not willing that any should perish. He will answer if we will call upon Him. He will save us from every work of the devil if we will come to Him and ask Him to save us. He will forgive us if we will repent and come to Him. He will deliver us if we will come to Him and ask Him. He is LORD and He loves us; not only us, but everyone who will call upon His name. He will never turn anyone away that will come to Him. He is God and He is Love!

There is nothing too hard for God. There is nothing the devil can do that God cannot undo. God can turn anything the devil has done around and make it work for your good, if you will turn to Jesus and call upon Him to help you. Ask Him, and He will do it! Ask the Father in Jesus name and He will do it. Jesus said in John 14:13,14,

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Jesus has never told a lie. He is the Truth, He cannot lie. If you will ask the Father in Jesus' Name, He will do it! The name "Jesus" means "Jehovah is salvation." Jesus will save whosoever will come to Him, asking Him, and believing He is LORD over this creation. As LORD, He defeated the devil for you and I. Satan can have no power over those who follow Jesus! He will deliver you from the powers of the devil and protect you from the works of the devil "if you will follow Him"! There is nothing too hard for the LORD! He will do it! That the Father will be glorified in the Son!

The Blood of the New Covenant

In Luke 22, it tells of Jesus, when He ate His last supper with His disciples. After supper, He passed the cup for His disciples to drink from, saying, "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22:20).The cup of wine was a type and shadow of Jesus' blood. It is important to understand "types and shadows" in the Word of God, for they represent the true and important truths God wants His people to know and believe. Today, Christians still eat of the bread and drink of the cup in remembrance of Jesus' death and all that was accomplished by His death (1 Cor. 24-26). It's not what was in the cup that is important, but what it represents by "type and shadow."

There is power in the blood! Not because of what man has done, but because of what God has done through His Son. The blood of Jesus speaks better things than that of Abel (Heb. 12:24).

The blood of Abel spoke to God from the ground after he was killed by his brother Cain. In Leviticus 17:11 it says, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood. . ." The life of Abel's flesh was in his blood.

Abel was a living soul. Abel's soul did not cease to live, but continued to live even after his blood was shed. When the life of Abel was taken, his blood cried out to God from the ground. God heard its cries and spoke to Cain about Abel's death.

What happened that God heard the cries of Abel's blood? If we look back in Genesis 4, we find that Cain and Abel made an offering unto the LORD. Abel's offering was accepted, but Cain's offering was not. Why was Abel's offering accepted and Cain's not? Hebrews 11:4 tells us, "BY FAITH Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." The reason Abel is mentioned in Hebrews 11, is because "he offered by Faith," not because he offered up a blood sacrifice. The whole eleventh Chapter of Hebrews is talking about FAITH! It's sometimes called the FAITH Chapter. If it was the blood of the lamb that Abel offered that was of importance, then Abel would have been mentioned in the ninth Chapter of Hebrews instead. Some people have their theology all messed up.

In Hebrews 11:4, we see that God requires FAITH with our offerings. Because Abel offered by faith, it was counted to him for righteousness (Rom. 4:3). You will find this is THE ONLY WAY to please God. Remember, Hebrews 11:6 says, "without faith it is impossible to please him..." Hebrews 10:38 says, "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."God was pleased with Abel's offering because he offered it BY FAITH.

What about Cain's offering? Genesis 4:5 tells us, "But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell." Why was Cain very wroth, and why was his countenance fallen? The LORD knew Cain's condition and the cause of it. Therefore it says,

And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Sin was lying at the door to Cain's heart. The devil was working at getting Cain to serve him. The LORD told Cain, he had the choice; he could rule over the devil if he wanted to. But Cain listened to the devil rather than the LORD. In 1 John 3:12 it says, "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." What made Cain's works evil and Abel's works righteous? Abel offered BY FAITH, Cain did not. Righteousness comes by faith, not by works. "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6). Cain could not please God without faith! Neither can we please God without faith! We must focus our attention on "Faith that pleases God!"

In Genesis, chapter three, it tells of Adam and Eve when they disobeyed the LORD and ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result, sin entered into mankind. This sin passed down upon everyone born of the flesh. Romans 5:12 says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." When sin entered into mankind, death came by sin. "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). Therefore, the payment for sin is death.

God is not for death, but for life. God is not willing that any die or perish because of sin. Because of sin, there was a need for redemption from sin. There was a price to pay to redeem mankind from sin and death. The price was "the life of the flesh" which was in the blood.

After Adam and Eve sinned, the LORD proclaimed the payment for the sins of the whole world. In Genesis 3:15, He said, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." The LORD did not say seeds as of many seeds, but one seed, that Seed was the Son of God, born of a woman. Jesus was not born of man, but of the Holy Spirit and Mary. He was "the Seed" mentioned in Genesis 3:15.

Satan took Jesus' "life of the flesh" when he crucified the LORD of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8). Jesus did not die spiritually, but His life of the flesh was taken from Him. He gave His physical life by shedding "the life of the flesh" that was in His blood.

Satan received payment for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). The price was paid by "the blood of Jesus" on the Cross of Calvary. Satan was defeated, and all who receive Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior have their sins washed away by the blood of Jesus.

In 2 Corinthians 5:19 it tells us, "God was in Jesus Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not holding their sins against them." Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:10 says, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."

There is only one way to pay the price for sin, that is by the shedding of "the life of the flesh" which is in the blood. The LORD Himself did this, not for you and I only, but for the whole world. In 1 John 2:2 it says, "And he is the propitiation (atonement) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

If He is the atonement for the sins of the whole world, then that would include the children of Israel, even before Jesus came in the flesh. Therefore, in Isaiah 43:25 the LORD said, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Again in Isaiah 44:22, the LORD said, "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee."

Now in Hebrews 10:9, speaking of the LORD, it says, "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second." The old "type and shadow" was taken away when Jesus came and did the will of God the Father. Hebrews 10:10 goes on saying, "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Jesus sanctified those who are His by "willingly" sacrificing Himself. He gave His "life of the flesh," by the shedding of "His blood" for us. He paid the price for our redemption.

Under the Old Covenant, "which is only a type and shadow of things to come," Hebrews 10:11 tells us. "every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins." They performed the sacrifices, but they were only a "type and shadow," which could not do what Jesus did. Speaking of Jesus, Hebrews 10:12 says, "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God." Once Jesus completely destroyed the works of the devil, paid the full price for our redemption, He sat down at the right hand of God. His work as a man "in the flesh" on earth is done. He defeated the devil forever.

Colossians 2:13, speaking of those who are Christ's says, "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, Having forgiven you all trespasses." How did Jesus do it? Colossians 2:14,15 tells us,

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Jesus took all the sins of the whole world upon Himself. Blotted out all the records of our wrong doings, nailed them to His cross. Then spoiled all the powers of Satan, making an open show of all the demons, triumphing over them. In Revelation 1:18, Jesus said to the apostle John, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Jesus did what the Father sent Him to do, and in doing so he defeated sin and death, and took the keys of hell and death from the devil and gave them to the church, which is His body (Col. 1:18).

Hebrews 10:14 says. "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." What the LORD spoke to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15 was then complete. The sins of mankind were paid for in full. Satan was defeated, and his powers broken. The keys of hell and death are delivered to the church. Now, Jesus is waiting for the church to do their part, sin and death being defeated. The sacrifice has been made, victory belongs to all who will believe and live by faith.

Therefore, Hebrews 10:15-17 says,

Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

It took almost two-thousand years for God to reveal to His people, that "the life of the flesh" that was in the blood was a "type and shadow" of "the life of the flesh" that Jesus gave for the sins of the whole world.

Christians today are still letting the devil deceive them by all their teachings on the blood. The only true blood covenant we have is the New Covenant, sealed with the blood of Jesus (Luke 22:20, 1 Cor. 11:25). No other blood can produce an everlasting covenant (Heb. 9:12,13:20).

From the beginning of time, following the sin of Adam and Eve, there was a price to pay for sin. All throughout the Old Testament there is evidence, "by type and shadow," that someone had to pay the price for the sins of people. In most cases it was the lives of animals or fowl. Their lives were taken and their blood was shed for an atonement for the sins of people. God gave the lives of animals and fowl by the shedding of their blood as a "type and shadow" of the blood of Jesus, which is, the atonement for the souls of those who would believe. It wasn't the blood of the animals and fowl that produced the atonement, it was the blood of Jesus, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). Leviticus 17:11 says, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." God continued to use "types and shadows" to bring knowledge of the One and only payment for sin. Yet, the true payment was declared as paid from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8 tells us "the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world."

The "type and shadow" was only used that we would know the truth, and that Satan would not know until after he crucified the LORD of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8). The type and shadow cannot take the place of the real thing. God was not pleased with the "type and shadow." Psalm 40:6 says, "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required." Psalm 51:16 says, "For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering." Then in Hebrews 10:6 it says, "In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure." Then in verse 8, it says, "Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law."

Why was God not pleased in those sacrifices and offerings? Hebrews 10:4 says, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." The blood of bulls and of goats could not do it, but the Lamb was declared slain from the foundation of the world. Therefore, by the blood of the Lamb, their sins were forgiven.

God was not interested in the sacrifices and offerings of the blood of bulls and goats. God was only using them as a "type and shadow" of the true payment for sins, the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son. Therefore, God prepared a body of flesh and bones for His Son, born of a virgin and the Holy Spirit. That His body and His blood would be the "One and only" sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. There is no other sacrifice for the sins of the world (Heb. 10:26).

Those who do not believe in the power of the blood will not receive the atonement. Jesus said, "all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23). We must believe the Scriptures. We must believe everything God has written in the Bible. We must put our faith in what is written.

Unless we believe, we will not receive forgiveness for our sins. God made the way possible for our sins to be washed away by the blood of Jesus. We must believe in the promise of God that "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). The light is the Word of God.

God cannot lie, and He has promised that the blood of Jesus would cleanse us from all sin, "if we walk in the light of His Word." The promise God has made in His Word entails more than just believing in the blood. It includes having fellowship with the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and others in the body of Christ (1 John 1:3).

THE NEW COVENANT

KINGDOM OF GOD

The Bible reveals the true gospel of the kingdom of God. It is found throughout the Bible, starting in Genesis. In Genesis 1:26-28 it tells us that God created mankind in His own image and His own likeness. Then God gave mankind dominion over all the works of His hands.

To understand what the Bible is revealing to us in Genesis we must also look at other Scripture verses and add them all together. For no Scripture is of any private interpretation, but all Scripture is inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20,21).

In Genesis 1:27 it says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Does God have a physical body? Is God both male and female? If not, then what it says about God creating man in His own image does not apply to the physical body or sex of God or man. Careful study of the Scriptures will reveal that the image of God is the way we imagine or picture God from His Word. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the express image of the Father. Does that mean the Father has a physical body like Jesus had? No, But everything that Jesus said and did gives us an image of the Father. Jesus said to Philip in John 14:9, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father." Was Jesus the Father? No, but He was the express image of the Father.

To be in the image of God man must be like God in the things God does and the way God does them. That is how God created man in the beginning "in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Gen. 1:27).

Then in Genesis 1:28 it tells us "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." Who did God give this dominion to, a man by the name of Adam, or His Son Jesus, who is called the second Adam? Psalm 8:4-8 says.

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and THE SON OF MAN, that thou visitest him?

For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

Who is the Son of Man in Psalm 8:4? Is that Adam or is that Jesus? Who them was God speaking of in Psalm 8? Look at what Hebrew 2:6-9 says,

But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Adding these Scriptures together, we can see Genesis 1:28 was speaking of the Son of God, Who is also Christ, the head of the body, the church (Col. 1:18). Now, Christ is not one, but many (that is, Jesus is the head and all who are in Christ are the body). Yet, Christ is not many, but One (that is, we are in Him and He is in us, we are One). This is a hard saying and who can hear it?

What does the Scripture say? To Abraham the LORD said, "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee" (Gen. 17:7). Who was this seed of Abraham that the LORD was speaking of? Was it Isaac? Was it Jacob? Was it the twelve tribes of Israel? Who was it? Galatians 3:16 says, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."

Is Christ One? Or, is Christ many? Galatians 3:29 says, "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." If you belong to Christ then you are the seed of Abraham, and an heir according to the promise. The promise was not to many seeds but to one Seed and that seed is Christ. Is Christ many, or is Christ One? Is the Scripture true or is it false?

In 1 Corinthians 6:17 it says, "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." Colossians 3:3 says, "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." If you are one Spirit with the LORD and your life is hid with Christ in God, is Christ One or is Christ many?

Now let me ask you this, is God one person or is God three persons in one? In 1 John 5:7 it says, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." Is God One, or is God three? Yet, in John 10:30 Jesus said, "I and my Father are one." Is this statement true? Are Jesus and the Father One? If so, then why did Jesus say, "I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I" (John 14:28)?

When Jesus spoke words like these many of His disciples left Him and walked no more with Him. When Jesus spoke of Himself being One with the Father, no one understood what He was saying. Jesus said to Philip, "If you have seen Me you have seen the Father, for it is the Father in me that does the works." How many today understand these hard sayings? How many understand what Jesus meant when He said, "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him" (John 6:56)?

In 1 Corinthians 2:14, it says, "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Unless the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual discernment, we cannot understand spiritual things. Jesus explained what He meant in John 6:57, saying, "As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me." Yet, Jesus also said to Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Therefore, unless the Holy Spirit gives us revelation of what the Scripture is teaching, we will not understand.

Once we are born again of the Spirit we are to live by the Spirit! Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:6,7,

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

In Romans 8:9, it says, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." In Romans 8:1, it says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." In Galatians 5:16 it says, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."

If we are a new creature in Christ Jesus and we are in the Spirit and not in the flesh, what should we be doing? How shall we walk, and live, and have our being? Galatians 5:17 says, "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." There is only one way to walk after the Spirit, that is to walk according to the Word of God, living by the Word of God. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." We cannot continue to live according to what our natural mind desires, or teaches us. We must learn to live by the Word of God, which the Holy Spirit brings forth to us from our spirit within us.

We must learn to agree with the written Word of God, regardless of what our natural mind tells us. "The life of the flesh is in the blood" (Lev. 17:11). "The life of the spirit is in the Word of God" (Matt. 4:4). We are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, therefore we must live by the Word of God not the natural mind of the flesh.

What does the Word of God say about a person who is born again of the Spirit? What happens when a person is born again? Colossians 1:13 tells us, we are "delivered us from the power of darkness, and . . . translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" Romans 8:9 tells us "we are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit." God dwells in us and we dwell in Him. Colossians 3:3 tells us, "we are dead to the things of this world, and our life is hid with Christ in God." We are not who we were, we are new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). We "no longer walk by sight, but we walk by faith" (2 Cor. 5:7). It is "no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us" (Gal. 2:20). "We look not at the things that are seen, which are of this world, but the things which are not seen, which are of God" (2 Cor. 4:18). Why this major change in our lives? Why this difference from the way the world lives? Mainly, because God has given us dominion "in Christ Jesus"! It is in Christ Jesus that we have dominion, not in ourselves.

Yes, man has dominion. It was given to man in the beginning. But this dominion operates when man operates "in the likeness and image of God." It's not something the devil could steal from man, for the devil cannot operate in the likeness and image of God. The devil is a devil. He is not like God nor is he related to God. Yet, the sons of God are in the likeness and image of God and can operate in the likeness and image of God. Only the sons of God have dominion on earth. This is revealed throughout the Scriptures. The unreasonable and wicked men perish and spend eternity in hell with the devil, but the sons of God enjoy eternity with God.

In the New Covenant, we become one spirit with the LORD. God dwells in us and we dwell in God. We are His true children and God is our Father. We become the temple of the living God. We live by Him and He lives in us.

God is for those who will receive His Son Jesus Christ and obey Him. In 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 it says,

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

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

God does not have fellowship with those who are unbelievers, who walk in darkness and follow Satan. But, God loves those who commit themselves to His Son. To those who obey His Son, He will be a God to them and they will be a people to Him. This is the gospel of the Kingdom of God from Genesis through Revelation. God will be a God to all who will believe and obey Him.

God says, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." What does He mean by "I will dwell in them and walk in them and be their God?" God will be in control of our lives. Philippians 2:13 says, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." It will no longer be "we who live, but God who lives in us."

Once we are born again, we are a new creature in Christ. This new creature is not like the old one that passed away (2 Cor. 5:17). This new creature is not of the flesh but of the Spirit (John 3:6). This new creature gets its information for within our spirit, where the Holy Spirit dwells. He is "in us," to be our Helper, Guide, Comforter, and Teacher. He is "in us" to lead us in the ways of God, to empower us to do the works that Jesus did. To give us spiritual understanding, to bypass the natural understanding of man.

We must learn to listen to our spirit, and draw spiritual wisdom and knowledge from the Holy Spirit within us. World religions still operate from their mind, by man's wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Some world religions use the Bible, or parts of the Bible to base their beliefs upon. Some can quote Scripture word for word, but they do not have the revelation of what it truly means. Satan quoted part of the ninety-first Psalm to Jesus while in the wilderness, but Jesus had spiritual understanding of what that Psalm meant (Luke 4:9-12). There is a big difference between quoting the Scriptures and having spiritual understanding of what they mean.

Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the Scriptures can only come by way of revelation by the Holy Spirit from within our spirit. It does not come by head knowledge, or man's wisdom (1 Cor. 2:1-14). We must learn to receive from our spirit, that which is of God, not from our mind that which is of man.

Many Christians spend years and years, memorizing Scripture, word for word, yet they have no spiritual understanding of what it means. They become pastors, teachers, etc. going from church to church teaching what they know and it's all man's wisdom, man's knowledge. They come with excellency of speech, and in demonstration of their great wisdom of the Word, but their heart is not right; their motive is wrong. Outwardly, they make a show and attract many, but inwardly, they are still carnal, "worldly minded." Their trust is not in God, but in their ability to draw attention to themselves and reap worldly gain from their position. Their motive is wrong. They seek worldly things, saying they are of God.

When their motive is wrong there is another spirit operating. When Jesus' disciples, James and John, wanted to call down fire from heaven upon the Samaritans Jesus said, "you know not what spirit you are of." In other words, Jesus said, you are listening to the wrong spirit. It may sound religious, there may be Scripture that can be quoted, like that which James and John mentioned. But it's not the right spirit they are hearing from.

God dwells in us to lead, guide, comfort, help, and teach us. Jesus said in John 6:45, "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." The kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:21). From within our spirit, the Holy Spirit takes control of our lives and leads us in the ways of God, in the likeness and image of God.

Those who get their wisdom and knowledge from their minds are still worldly, they love the world and the things of this world. They seek worldly things and the pleasures of this world. In the eyes of the world they are great Christians, for they operate on the same level, "by natural wisdom," not by the wisdom of God. Jesus said, "we shall all be taught of God, or by God."

God teaches us from His Word, not by man's wisdom, but by comparing spiritual things with spiritual (1 Cor. 2:14). By man's wisdom, man learns how to compare worldly things with worldly things and they become religious, so to say. Outwardly, they are the best Christians you will see with your eyes or hear with your ears, but inwardly, they are not hearing from God.

We must learn to be quiet within, to follow the directions of the Holy Spirit from within, not from our minds. Slowly, and patiently, the Holy Spirit will teach us "line upon line, precept upon precept," until we submit to His leading and teaching from within. Isaiah 28:9-13 says,

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

It takes time for the Holy Spirit to teach us the ways of God. And it takes time for the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us in the ways of God. He works from within our spirit, not from our mind. He uses the Word of God to teach us the things of God.

Jesus told His disciples, when you pray, pray "Thy kingdom come . . ." (Matt. 6:10). This was still a type and shadow of things to come. The kingdom of God had not yet come. It didn't come until after Jesus arose again from the dead. Today, the Holy Spirit has already come, He dwells in all who will receive Him. He is here, now! There is no need to pray that He will come. For the kingdom of God is within us.

Look at the rest of verse ten. Jesus said, pray that, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."How are things done in heaven? There is one thing for sure, there is no sin in heaven, and Satan and his demons are not there. People in heaven do not walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Everything we are told to do in the New Covenant is done in heaven. This New Covenant is an everlasting Covenant, which means it will continue on in heaven. In the New Covenant we are taught to be led by the Holy Spirit. In heaven we will be led by the Holy Spirit. In the New Covenant we are taught, "not by our power, not by our might, but by His Holy Spirit."

Everything in heaven is done by the power of the Holy Spirit. Nothing is done by the power of man. In heaven there is no time, no days, no months, no years; for eternity is always now! The Holy Spirit always works in the now. He does not dwell on the past, He knows the future, which is eternity. In heaven, everything is in the now, as fast as you think it happens, by the power of the Holy Spirit. God is a faith God, therefore everything is done by faith.

This is how it is done in heaven and Jesus said, "pray that it be done on earth the same way," not by our will, not by the will of the flesh, but by His Holy Spirit. Everything is to be done by faith, not by sight. We are to believe God! In heaven, everyone believes God.

Jesus is saying, pray that everyone will believe God. Pray that everyone will be led by the Spirit of God. Pray that everyone will walk in love and in power. Pray that Satan will have no place in our lives. Pray against false operations of spirits.

God does not always use supernatural experiences, or voices to get our attention. Those that are from the Holy Spirit "usually come after He gets our attention" by a witness from within our spirit. God usually speaks to us from "inside our spirit." Supernatural experiences and voices "from outside" can come from the Satanic realm. Great signs and wonders can come from false anointings (Matt. 24:24).

God works individually in every individual Himself, teaching them and leading them in the direction He has for their lives. In 1 John 2:27 it says, "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." By the anointing which abides within us, the Holy Spirit will teach us all things important to our personal lives. He is "a personal God" to each individual, that is why He abides within each individual personally. He is to be our God and we are to be His people (2 Cor. 6:17). This is individually, each person individually becomes His son or daughter (2 Cor. 6:18).

The anointing which abides in us does not replace the five-fold ministry gifts. The anointing mentioned in 1 John 2:27 is for our individual teaching, whereby the Holy Spirit does the teaching (John 6:45). The purpose for the five-fold ministry gifts is different. Ephesians 4:12 tells us, they are for "the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." There should not be a comma after saints. There are only two purposes for the five-fold ministry gifts. Preparing saints for ministry work and edifying the "body of Christ as a whole," not individuals. The Holy Spirit edifies individuals (1 Cor. 14:2,4). In 1 Corinthians 14:3,4 it says,

But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.

If you study closely what is written here, you will notice that prophecy and the ministry of tongues and interpretation are gifts of the Spirit for the body of Christ as a whole. The unknown tongue is for individuals. The Holy Spirit edifies the individuals, the five-fold ministries edify the body of Christ as "one body" (1 Cor. 14:4).

The human body is a "type and shadow" of the body of Christ. The blood in the human body is a "type and shadow" of the work of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ. The human body is made up of flesh and bones. The blood of the human body reaches into every cell of the body. The blood carries life giving elements to every part of the human body. Therefore, the blood in the human body does not just go to certain parts of the physical body, but to every part of the body."The life of the flesh is in the blood." The blood itself is not the life, but the life in is the blood. The blood carries the life to every part of the body.

The Holy Spirit is like the blood in the human body, He flows to every individual, carrying the Word of God to every part of the body of Christ. Jesus said, "that which is born of the Spirit (Holy Spirit) is spirit" (John 3:6). Our new creature in Christ is spirit. We have a spiritual body. In 1 Corinthians 15:44 it says, "There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." Our spiritual body is spirit, "the life of the spirit is in the Word" (Matt. 4:4). Jesus said in John 7:38, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." This living water is the Word of God. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is like the blood of the human body, He carries the Word of God to every individual member of the body of Christ. The Word of God is like the life of the flesh which is in the blood of the human body. "The Word of God is the life of the spirit" of the new creature in Christ. Without the Word of God, the spirit of man cannot live. Just as, without "the life of the flesh," "which is in the blood," the natural man cannot live.

In the New Covenant, unlike the Old Covenant where only certain people received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit ministers to every part of the body. Yet, like individual parts of the human body receive individual attention, the Holy Spirit gives each individual special attention. Like special glands of the human body supply special hormones or other substances, such as insulin from the pancreas to the physical body, the Holy Spirit works in each individual member, individually. Whereas the five-fold ministry works corporately for the whole body of Christ as one.

In the kingdom of God, under the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit does not use other people to control other people. Controlling spirits are not from God. "The Holy Spirit controls each individual Himself, from within their spirit." "He dwells in us and walks in us to be our God, that we would be His people!"

The Holy Spirit works from our spirit, the natural man works from his mind. The world has a system that operates from the minds of people. When Christians turn to the world, and the worlds system, to do the works of God they get into "dead works." Hebrews 9:14 tells us "the blood of Jesus should purge our conscience from dead works." When Christians get interested in what the world is doing, and what is happening throughout the world, according to the world news and media, they are not operating from their spirit by the direction of the Holy Spirit within. They have gone back to the mind and mind operations. They become as natural men, called "babes in Christ" (1 Cor. 3:1-3). They have need of spiritual understanding, not natural understanding. They need the teaching and guiding of the Holy Spirit from within!

Many Christians have a problem being quiet before the LORD. They seem to "have to talk and talk" about everything and anything. They want to be around people who want to talk about the world and things of this world. This is an indication that their motive is not right before God. If our motive is right, our heart is to receive from the Holy Spirit from within. We will love being quiet before the LORD. We will love being still, and communicating with the Holy Spirit from within our spirit. Our focus will be on the Holy Spirit within our spirit, not on the world or the things of this world. The Word of God will be in our mind and in our heart continually. In Hebrews 8:10, it says, "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people."

God always operates in the NOW! God is NOW! God will always be NOW! The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). God used "types and shadows," by offering up the blood of animals and fowl for the atonement of the souls (Lev. 17:11). Yet, all the time, the Lamb was slain and the blood of the Lamb made peace between God and His chosen people.

Those who followed the leading of the Holy Spirit were chosen by God. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were chosen by God. Abraham was called of God while still in Ur of the Chaldees (Gen. 15:7, Acts 7:2-4). Isaac was chosen by the LORD before he was conceived in Sarah's womb (Gen. 17:16, 18:10). Jacob was chosen before he was born (Gen. 25:23, Rom. 9:12,13). Moses was chosen from his birth (Heb. 11:23,27). Jeremiah was chosen before he was formed in his mother womb (Jer. 1:5). Today, all who are born again were chosen from the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4).

The Bible tells us, "we have not chosen Him, but He has chosen us." Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44). Jesus also said, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain . . ." (John 15:16).Again, Jesus said, "those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost . . ." (John 17:12). Ephesians 1:4 says, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love."

God is Now! God always operates in the Now! The Bible says, we have eternal life Now! Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). In 1 John 4:4 it says, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." In 1 John 5:11 it says, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." Everything God says pertaining to eternal life is in the Now! Even those things pertaining to heaven. Ephesians 2:6 says, "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."In Colossians 2:9,10 it says,

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Through the blood of the everlasting covenant, we have eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12, 13:20,21). Everything God does is according to His Word, and His Word stands forever (1 Peter 1:25). The Holy Spirit does all things according to the Word of God. He operates in the Now! Not in the past. Christians must live by faith, "in the Now!" Faith is Now! Don't look back like Lot's wife, but always live by faith in the Now!

Now we are sons of God, and now we have eternal life. Now we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. Now we have power over the works of the devil. Now we can enter into the presence of God through the blood of the everlasting covenant and make our requests known to God our Father. Now, Now, Now! Everything we do should be by faith, which is Now!

Luke tells us that Jesus taught that men ought always to pray (Luke 18:1). Prayer includes speaking to God. When we speak to God, we ought to always thank and praise Him for all things "are already done." They have been finished from the foundation of the world. If you need healing for your body, don't ask God to heal you, He already did it. Jesus took all your sicknesses and disease upon Himself, and by His stripes you are "already healed."

Believe the Scriptures! Thank and praise the LORD for what He has already done. Whatsoever you have need of, thank and praise the LORD for it, it is already yours according to His Word. In Matthew 6:25-32, Jesus said the Father knows what you have need of, and it shall be added unto you "if you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." Therefore, speak the Word and it shall come into manifestation, it is already here, it is already yours, just speak the Word and it shall manifest. God is Now! Faith works Now!

There are things in this world, which the flesh wants, but we really don't need them. We should not walk after the flesh and desire those things. We should bring the flesh under subjection to the spirit, and desire only the things that we actually need. Many Christians have desired the things of this world and have gone astray, following the spirits of this world. Ephesians 2:2 says, "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." If we are still seeking the things of this world, then we are still being controlled by the prince of the air, the spirits of this world. Those who are doing that are called "the children of disobedience." For they are disobedient to God the Father. They have taken the ways of this world to obtain that which they desire, saying they have need of these things. Yet, the Bible says, God knows what you have need of and will add them unto you as you seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Don't make God a liar, and seek those things your flesh desires, saying you have need of them. Some say, I need the most expensive cars and the most expensive houses the most expensive clothes, etc. That's a lie and as children of God we should not become children of disobedience and follow lying spirits. In 1 John 2:15,16 it says,

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Those who love the expensive things of this world, love the world and the Bible says, "the love of the Father is not in them." Believe the Bible, and you will find it is true, everything God says is true. If you will believe what it says, and not doubt, it will manifest in your life.

We should desire only the things we have need of, which our Father will add unto us if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33).

FAITH WORKS

Faith works when we believe the gospel, the good news of what Jesus has done for us. How do we know if we have faith? How can we tell the difference between faith and believing? The Bible gives us the answer to this question in the book of James. James 2:14 says, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?"Just saying something does not mean we have faith. We can keep saying something over and over and still not have faith. We can believe "with our head" (which is of the flesh), and still not have faith. There is a difference between believing with our head and having faith. The Bible says, "even the devils believe" (James 2:19).

The Bible teaches, we must believe with our heart, not just our head (Mark 11:22, Rom. 10:10, etc.) Faith is when we believe with our heart. James 2:17 says, True faith has a corresponding action. That is, we live according to what we believe with our heart. When we believe with our heart we live according to what we believe. Faith produces works! If there are no works, then our faith is dead.

Speaking of Jesus, the Bible tells us He is our Righteousness, Justification, Sanctification, Redemption, Salvation, Perfecter, and High Priest. How do we know if this is true? Because we live accordingly. In 1 John 3:7, it says, "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." We need to see this more clearly, "he that is righteous lives righteous, and he that lives righteous is righteous." Hereby, we know those who are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, for the righteousness of God manifests in their lives. This same thing applies to justification, sanctification redemption, salvation, etc. Those who say what they are, shall be known by their fruits!

There are some today, who are born again, and even filled with the Holy Spirit, who will say, LORD, I am not living a righteous lifestyle. The Scripture says in Deuteronomy 30:19, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." Insomuch as the LORD that was then is still the same LORD that is today, what He spoke at that time, He was also speaking to us today. Not only was He speaking of life and death, blessing and cursing, He was also speaking of choosing this day "righteousness over unrighteousness." In Luke 24:47, the LORD said that repentance and remission of sins should be preached throughout the world. That would include anyone alive today, who is not living righteous. Repentance and forgiveness is available. In 1 John 1:9, it says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." We can start today, by confessing and repenting of our past, and begin living a life of righteousness unto the LORD. It's just as much for today as it was when the Bible was written, just as much as when Jesus spoke the words the first time. Repent, confess and walk in righteousness.

He is our righteousness: Romans 3:22 says, "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe..."It's not our righteousness, it's the righteousness of Jesus Christ which comes to us and upon us when we believe. Romans 3:26 says, "To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Jesus is the righteous One, it's His righteousness. It was this way already at the time of Abraham. Romans 4:3 says, "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." James 2:23 says, "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness." Abraham was not righteous in himself. Abraham believed God and it was counted or imputed unto him for righteousness. God declared Abraham righteous because he believed God. It's not what we did, it's what God did for us who believe. What we did or didn't do is not as important as what we believe according to what Jesus did for us. He is our righteousness!

He is our justification: Romans 3:24 says, "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."Justification comes by His grace. It is given freely to those who believe, who are in Christ Jesus. We receive it by faith. Romans 3:28 says "that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Look at Galatians 2:16, it explains justification the best of all. "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

What does Justification do for us? It makes us at peace with God. Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." It is not something we did. It's what God has done for us through our LORD Jesus Christ. It was God's idea, not our doing. God did it, as it says in Romans 8:30, "Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." In 1 Corinthians 6:11 it says, "ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Why did God justify us by His grace in Christ Jesus? Titus 3:7 says, "That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Those who are justified should live like they are justified! What does it mean to live like you are justified? It means, we agree with God and with our LORD Jesus Christ, and take the authority He has given to us over the devil, and all his demons; cast them out, heal the sick, even raise the dead. We are justified, and we have power over all the works of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Live your life in evidence that you are justified by His grace!

He is our sanctification: In 2 Thessalonians 2:13 it says, "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." The Holy Spirit sanctifies us by His presence. In Exodus 29:43,44 it tells us that the LORD will sanctify the temple, and those who minister to Him by His presence and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 10:10 says, "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Then Hebrews 2:11 tells us, "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." If we are sanctified, then we should live like we are sanctified, set apart as holy unto the LORD. If we haven't be living a sanctified life in the past, choose this day to set yourself apart and live a sanctified life unto God. Sanctified and holy, pure and true to our LORD Jesus Christ!

He is our redemption: Galatians. 3:13 tells us, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." Why did Jesus do this for us? Titus 2:14 says, "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Jesus did what we could not do. In 1 Corinthians 1:30 it says, "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."If we are redeemed, we should live like we are redeemed. If we are not living like we are redeemed, today is the day to choose to change and live like we are redeemed that the world my know there is redemption for all who will believe.

He is our salvation: In 1 Thessalonians 5:9 it says, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." It was God's idea, not ours. In 2 Thessalonians 2:13 it says,"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." How does God do this in our lives? We must receive by believing in our heart and confessing with our mouth. Romans 10:10 says, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." We are encouraged to claim our salvation and use the Word of God against the enemy. Ephesians 6:17 says, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." In 1 Thessalonians 5:8 it says, "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." By His Word, God has made known the true salvation. In writing to Timothy, Paul said, "that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim.3:15). Through the gospel, by grace, we can receive salvation. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11). Hebrews 9:28 says, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Hebrews 5:9 says, "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." The apostle Paul therefore writes. "Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory" (2 Tim. 2:10).

If we are saved, then we should live like we are saved, that the world may see the salvation of the LORD in our lives. If we are not living like we are saved, then today is the day to change, choose this day to live a life-style of someone who is saved. Turn from the ways of this world unto living according to the Word of God. Choosing and doing that which is according to Philippians 4:8. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Jesus has perfected us: Paul, in writing to the Galatians asks, "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:3). In Hebrews 7:19 Paul wrote, "For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God." Then in Hebrews 10:1 it says, "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect." Hebrews 7:11 says, "If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?" God had a better plan, a better covenant, "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Heb. 10:14). It is God that will make us perfect. In Hebrews 12:23 Paul, in writing to those who are made perfect, said, "To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect." For it is God that will, "Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Heb.13:21).

Jesus is our High Priest: Hebrews 2:17, speaking of Jesus says, "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." Why do we need a High Priest? What is His duty? The Priest makes the sacrifice "in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." When we sin, we need to be reconciled back to God. The High Priest makes the sacrifice to reconcile us back.

When we received Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior, we became partakers of a heavenly calling. Heaven became our home, earth is only our dwelling place until we go to heaven. Hebrews 3:1,2 says,

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

Jesus is our High Priest. He was faithful to God. He went to the Cross and died for us. He took our sins upon Himself, and paid the price; not just our sins but even the sins of the whole world. Our sins are paid for in full. The apostle John wrote, "I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake" (1 John 2:12). For whose name sake? For Jesus' name sake! He paid the price! Therefore, His name is above every name (Phil. 2:9). His name should be glorified, and set above all the works of the devil. There should be no sin or works of the devil where the name of Jesus is mentioned. His name should be praised, and exalted above every other name. Jesus took away our sins that His name would be exalted above all the works of the devil.

He is our faithful High Priest, therefore Hebrews 4:14,15 says,

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

When we are tempted, remember, Jesus is our High Priest, and He fully understands the temptations we face. He fully understands what is happening in our lives and He is right there before the Father making intercession for us. Jesus did not go to the Cross to condemn anyone. He went to the Cross to take away the sin of the world. Being the price is already paid in full, Jesus makes intercession for those who are His own. He is our advocate before the Father, the righteous Judge of all creation. Look at 1 John 2:2,3, which says,

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

It's all by grace! It is the LORD that justifies, sanctifies, redeems, saves, perfects, etc. Considering what the Bible says about these things we must ask ourselves:

(1) Is the Blood of Jesus able to set us free of all sin?

(2) Is Jesus' righteousness sufficient to satisfy God's requirements for man's righteousness?

(3) By what Jesus did for us, are we justified according to God's requirements?

(4) If Jesus is the One who sanctifies us, is His sanctification of us sufficient to meet God's standards of sanctification?

(5) By what Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary, is that sufficient to redeem us and completely pay for our redemption?

(6) According to the Scriptures, is God able to save us and provide salvation for each of us?

(7) Is God able to perfect us and make us perfect in His sight?

(8) What can we add to what God has already done to make God's plan better?

In response to what God has already done for us in Christ Jesus, what is there left for us to do? Shall we just sit back and wait until God takes us to heaven? Shall we just rest in assurance that if God did it, then there is nothing left for us to do but wait? Is it wrong to just enjoy life here on earth until it's time to go to heaven? Didn't God give us all things to enjoy? What does the Scripture say concerning these things?

What God has done is all by Grace! Paul wrote in Romans 6:1, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" Paul gives the answer to that question in the next verse, saying, "God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"

How do we no longer live in sin when 1 John 1:8 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Who is there among us that has no sin? Who is there among us that can cast the first stone ? Should we continue to judge others "after the flesh?" In John 8, when they brought a woman to Jesus, taken in the act of adultery, they were judging her after the flesh. Jesus did not judge her after the flesh, but after the spirit. Jesus waited until He heard from the Holy Spirit before He made a statement concerning their accusations. Later, after they were gone, Jesus said to those around Him,

Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. (John 8:15,16).

God does not see sin in the lives of others the way we see "after the flesh." Romans 8 tells us we should not walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Jesus was walking after the Spirit when He said to the accusers of the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (John 8:7). Jesus was still walking in the Spirit when He said to the woman, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more" (John 8:11).

First, we should judge ourselves, that we do not be judged. Look at what is written in Romans 2:1-3, saying,

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

Jesus said in Matthew 7:1,2,

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

First we must learn how to overcome sin in our own lives, before we look at the sin in others. Yet, we cannot "of ourselves" overcome sin in our own lives. It can only be done by our LORD JESUS CHRIST, by the power of His Blood, His Word, and a working of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said in John 15:5, "without me ye can do nothing." When Christians learn this truth by knowing who Jesus really is, then they will began to have victory in their lives. Jesus is everything He says He is. He is also everything the Word of God says He is. He is the Creator of this creation (John 1:3,10, Col. 1:16, etc.). Without Jesus, there would be no earth, or inhabitants upon the earth. Everything was created by Him and for Him (John 1:3, Col. 3:16). He is our righteousness, sanctification, redemption, salvation, etc. Without Him, we can do nothing!

Knowing Jesus for all He is and all He has done for us can give us victory in every area of our lives. When we call upon Him, He answers (Isa. 30:19, 58:9, 65:24, etc,). Whatsoever we ask in His name, He does it that the Father may be glorified (John 14:13,14).

Yet, in 1 John 1:7 it tells us, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." Without fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit we cannot "walk in the light." Without fellowship with one another we cannot "walk in the light."

God knows our circumstances. God knows what we face in life daily. God knows that Satan is tempting us to destroy us, and bring us into condemnation. Therefore, the LORD is our righteousness, our sanctification, our justification, our redemption, our salvation. What does the Scripture say? "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21). In Jeremiah 33:3 it says, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." We cannot, of our own ability, overcome sin nor any of the works of the devil. Therefore, God is our only hope. The LORD is our strength, our helper in time of need. He is our deliverer, the restorer of our soul. It is He, and He alone that can save us. Psalm 37:39 says, "But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble."

Many have gone to "works of the flesh," to overcome sin when they should have gone to the LORD and the Holy Spirit for help. Romans 8:13 says, "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." We must mortify the deeds of the body, the works of the flesh "through the Spirit." If we try to do it on our own we will fail. The Holy Spirit is sent to be our Helper, Guide, Comforter, Teacher, and to lead us into all righteousness. Unless we look to Him and not to ourselves alone, we cannot be saved. Saved means, delivered and protected. Salvation is of the LORD, by the Help of the Holy Spirit. It is not by our works of righteousness, but by His Power through His Word working in us to will and to do His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).

Many have tried resisting the devil without first submitting unto God. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."The submission must come first! It is the LORD that will deliver us! "Call upon the LORD and He will deliver!"

Sin is only overcome by the Word, the Blood, and the Holy Spirit. We cannot of our own ability overcome sin. Therefore, we must have fellowship with the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit and others within the body of Christ. We must walk in the light that the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us of all sin (1 John 1:7).

We need the help of the Holy Spirit in every area of our lives. That is why He has been sent to us. If we neglect the help of the Holy Spirit we become religious, and get into dead works and works of the flesh. Praying in the Spirit helps us to overcome. The Holy Spirit reveals things to us that we can do. He Teaches us, Guides us, Leads us, Helps us, and Comforts us. That's why He has been sent. Do not neglect Him. Spend time with Him in being still and listening to Him from you inward being. He works from within your spirit, not from your mind.

God is not looking for those who are righteous in themselves. God is not looking for those who think they have kept the law in every word or deed. God is looking for those who will follow Jesus. Jesus said to the man who came to Him and said, he had kept all the commandments from his youth up, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me" (Matt. 19:21).

God is not looking for those who think they can please God by their works of righteousness. These we could call religious, "do it yourself people." God is not looking for religious "do it yourself people," His is looking for those who will "let Him be their God." In 2 Corinthians 6:16, God says, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." God says, "I WILL BE THEIR GOD!" God wants to be GOD in our lives, and we are to be HIS people. He wants to be our righteousness, justification, sanctification, salvation, perfecter, etc. What we do of ourselves WITHOUT GOD, is not pleasing to GOD!

There are many Christians today, who have given place for the devil, and now they are under condemnation because of their past. One of the last things Jesus said to His disciples before He went to be with the Father is in Luke 24:47. Jesus said, "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."This is just as much for Christians as it is for the world.

We should praise the LORD that He gave us the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. This applies to all Christians who have gone off and given place for the devil in any area of their lives. In Luke 15:18, the son said within himself, "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee."A Christian's Father is God. Therefore, we need to recognize when we fall into temptation and are snared by the devil to sin against God, we should repent, return unto God and He will abundantly pardon and cleanse us from all sin. All throughout the Old Testament there are Scriptures and examples of the LORD saying, "return unto Me and I will abundantly pardon," such as Isaiah 55:7, which says, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." All sin is wickedness. If we commit sin, we need to recognize it as wickedness. Call it what it is; confess, repent, and return to God; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Look again at what the Holy Spirit had the apostle John write in 1 John 2:1,2.

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Did you notice he was not writing to those who are not born again into the family of God. He wrote to "My little children." These are children of God. He calls them little children, like Jesus said to Peter in John 21:15, "Feed my lambs." The apostle John put Christians in three categories, "little children, young men, and fathers" (1 John 2:12-14). In 1 John 2:12 he wrote, "I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake."

Look what it said already back in Isaiah 43:25, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Now we know all Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Therefore we could say the Holy Spirit said through the apostle John, "little children, your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake." If the little children's sins are already forgiven, what about the rest of us? If we go back to 1 John 1:9 we read, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." By the confession of our sins we are cleansed of all unrighteousness.

The Word of God is the Light, and if we walk in the Light the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from ALL SIN. Praise God for His wonderful plan of redemption and salvation. Satan can have no power over us if we walk in the Light of the Word.

Everything we receive of God is by Grace! Knowing this, what manner of people should we be? We need to be like Job. The LORD said unto Satan, "Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (Job 1:8). When looking at others, we should keep in mind what Paul said of himself in 1 Corinthians 2:1,2,

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

What God did for us in Christ Jesus on the Cross of Calvary was not just for us alone, but for the whole world. Let us learn to look at others through the Cross. Let us see others the way God sees us, "crucified with Christ, redeemed by His blood!"

Once we are born again of the Spirit and the Word, we should strive to walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. We must learn how to be led by the Spirit and not by the natural mind. We must learn to serve God and not the devil. Walk in righteousness and not in sin. Live for Jesus and not for ourselves. Make Jesus LORD of our lives forever and ever. Amen.

There are many Christians today who at one time loved the Word of God and loved the LORD for what He has done for them. But, they have since then gone back to the world system, operating according to human understanding. They did not continue on in the LORD with the Holy Spirit and learn how to be led by the Spirit.

It's amazing how that God has became a servant to man. We think we are serving God, yet in a truth, if we are led by the Spirit, God has become our servant. The Holy Spirit places Himself as a servant to man, leading, guiding, comforting, teaching and helping man to become like Jesus. The Holy Spirit serves us in a capacity which man cannot serve. He is God, at the same time, being our God He becomes our servant. Serving us in every way He can. He teaches us, and then operates through us by the power of His gifts. There are nine of His gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. These are all of God for the benefit of man, for God's children, to help them become over-comers in this life. Each of the nine gifts of the Spirit are to help us defeat the devil in areas of our lives. Not as individuals but as members of the LORD'S body, the church. Working together for the good of all within the body of Christ.

Here we are, in this world. Children of God with a heavenly calling, living on earth to do the will of God before we go home. How many have been led astray, gone off doing their own thing, forgetting the high calling of God on their lives. They have become discouraged by what they see going on in the churches. They see all the false manifestations, the greed of the leaders, the controlling spirits manipulating and striving to gain for themselves a position where they can have what they desire at the expense of others.

Let me encourage you! Don't be discouraged by what the devil is doing in the churches, he's been operating in the churches since before the apostles went to be with Jesus. John said there were many antichrists at his time (1 John 2:18). Jude said there were many ungodly men in the church at his time (Jude 1:4). Don't be discouraged by these.

Learn to be led by the Holy Spirit from your inner being, for "out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 3:38-39). You can know the leading of the Holy Spirit if you spend time in the Word of God and praying in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides you from your inner-most being. You will have a "knowing," that cannot be explained in the natural. You will know, but you won't be able to explain how you knew. When you follow this knowing, and doubt not, the power of God will manifest in your life. You will know where to go, when to go, what to do, and how to do it. It will be an automatic "knowing" with no previous intentions. The Holy Spirit is like a gentleman. He never forces you or compels you to do anything. He only leads, guides, comforts, teaches, and helps you to be what the LORD wants you to be. He is your source for all that God has for you. He is your servant, sent by Jesus to help you in every need. Get to know Him, and walk with Him. Stay in the Word that other spirits do not try to imitate the Holy Spirit and lead you into error. There are many spirits in the world, but there is only One Holy Spirit. He works all things together for your good (Rom. 8:28).

If you have been around for a while, no doubt you have seen many Christians fall by the wayside, following false manifestations thinking they are God. Don't be discouraged, you can know the truth and the truth will set you free! Once you have seen your error, return to the LORD and let the Holy Spirit be your helper, guide, comforter, teacher and lead you in the way of righteousness and truth. He is your servant, set by Jesus. Receive Him for Who He is and trust Him, comparing everything with the Word. The Bible tells us, "there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one." The water is the Word. The Holy Spirit always agrees with the Word and the Blood. These three together always agree as One. Don't look for other witnesses, these three are all you need. Those who look for other witnesses usually get off into error.

Praise God for all He has done in your life, and follow Him all the days you live on this earth. He loves you, and wants to be your God and you to be one of His children (2 Cor. 6:18).

The Old Testament is given to us as an example. It contains many types and shadows of the things of God. In many cases it is still the main source of information on the things of God. In Deuteronomy 30:19, the LORD said, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." The LORD said "therefore choose life." It is still this way today. The LORD has not changed, neither has His Word changed. It was the same with Adam and Eve. When the LORD placed man in the garden, there were two trees in the garden, the tree of Life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Man was given the choice which one they would eat of. The LORD said to man,

Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Gen. 2:16,17).

In Deuteronomy 11:26, the LORD said, "Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse." In Deuteronomy 30:15, the LORD said, "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil." With all of these times the LORD informed man of the choices he had, He still abundantly pardoned, forgave, and took man back when he went astray. Yet, the LORD never changed. He still sets before us choices and tells us what to choose. In Galatians 6:7,8 the LORD is saying the same thing to Christians.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

In Philippians 4:6 it says, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."Then in verse 8, it says, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

How many Christians are listening to the Words of our LORD, "the Word of God" which has been given for our benefit? We have the Word and the Blood and the Holy Spirit that will always agree. Without the Word and the Blood the Holy Spirit has nothing to bare witness to.

How many Christians have gone astray, following another spirit, not following the instructions in Philippians 4:8, or any of the other "many instructions" given to us by the LORD, in the Word? Just because others have gone astray, that's not reason we should follow them. We are not to be led by others, we are to be led by the Holy Spirit in everything we do. "Walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh" (Rom. 8:4-7).

WALK AFTER THE

SPIRIT OR THE FLESH

The information contained in this book is not in detail, nor is it complete. It is only set forth to help those who are interested in obtaining some understanding of walking after the Spirit or walking after the flesh. For more complete information on walking after the Spirit or after the flesh, write to Hands For Jesus at the address in this book.

Keep in mind, Jesus walked after the Spirit and not after the flesh. Jesus said to all who love Him, Come Follow Me!

Romans 8:1 tells us, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." When we read verses like this one we need to study it, to understand what it is actually saying. When we study a verse of Scripture, it is good to also keep it in context of what it is talking about. In the last part of chapter seven, Paul was talking about sin in the flesh and his desire to serve the LORD. These two are contrary to each other. In Chapter eight, verse one, he tells us we have a choice, we can walk after the flesh or we can walk after the Spirit. If we walk after the flesh there will be condemnation. But, if we walk after the Spirit there is no condemnation. Then he goes on to explain why there is no condemnation to those who walk after the Spirit. He says, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2).

Christians should be, and can be free of the law of sin and death. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus . . . should make us free of the law of sin and death. Note: those who are free of the law of sin do not walk in sin . . . But rather, they walk in the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus!

How do we walk after the Spirit? In 1 John 5:7-9, we have a large part of the answer. It says,

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

Keeping everything in context we see that there are three that bare witness in heaven, "the Spirit, the Word, and the Father." Then we have three that bare witness on earth, "the Spirit, and the water, and the blood." Remember what Jesus said to pray in Matthew 6:10, He said, pray "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Therefore, if there are three that bare witness in heaven and there are three that bare witness on earth, we should continue to follow God's Word in everything. Notice that there are only three, not four or five or more. Some teach that three is God's number of perfection.

In 1 John 5:9, he added this statement, "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater:" Under the Old Covenant, it took the witness of two or three men before anyone could be put to death (Deu. 17:6). But we are not under the law, but under grace, where the Holy Spirit is our Guide, Helper, Comforter, Teacher, and will Lead us into perfection. We no longer look for the witness of two or three men, but we look to the three witnesses God has given us under the New Covenant, "the Holy Spirit, the Word and the Blood of Jesus Christ."

For those who do not believe the Word of God is one of the three witnesses given to us, they evidently do not believe the Word of God itself. For there is no place in the Scripture where it tells us not to use the Word of God as our main source, of our way of life in the Spirit. Jesus said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). "It is written," implies also, that we live by what is written . . . In our new birth, Peter explains that we are born again of the Word. "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Peter 1:23). Our eternal life is dependant upon "the Word of God." Without the Word of God we could not have eternal life!

The life of the flesh is in the blood (Lev. 17:11), the life of the Spirit is in the Word (Matt. 4:4). Yet, these two are contrary to each other. Galatians 5:17 says, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

To walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh we need an understanding of what is meant by the flesh and what is meant by the Spirit. In John 3:6, Jesus said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Galatians 5:17 tells us these two are opposites of each other. That means our life in the flesh is not the same as our life in the spirit. We are born again of the Word ( 1 Peter 1:23), and the Spirit (John 3:6). This is a new life, a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5;17). The flesh is the outward man, the spirit is the inward man. These are two different lives, the flesh and the spirit. One is called psuche in the Greek and the other is called Zoe in the Greek. One is natural life and the other is spiritual life. One is in the flesh the other is in the spirit. Romans 8:9 says, "ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." If we are born again of the Spirit and the Word, then we belong to Christ. We are in Him and He is in us; we are one Spirit with the LORD ( 1 Cor. 6:17).

When we walk after the Spirit we always walk according to the Word of God, and we have the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from all sin if we fail to walk after the Spirit. When we walk after the flesh, we are walking contrary to the Word of God, and contrary to the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). Yet, God knows our battle is between the flesh and the Spirit, therefore we have the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all sin and unrighteousness.

Now, let us sum it all up from Genesis through Revelation. What is God telling us to do as Christians? In Genesis 2:16,17, the LORD told man that He set before him the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That left man with the choice; he could eat of the tree of life or he could eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But, the LORD said, do not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Then in Deuteronomy 30:19, the LORD said, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." The LORD said "therefore choose life." Over and over we see the LORD is saying, "before you lies two choices, now choose this one. . ."

In the New Testament we see the LORD has set before us the flesh or the Spirit, and He is saying "walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh!" What does He mean, by walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh? The apostle Paul gave us somewhat of an answer in Romans 7. In essence, Paul said with the flesh I serve sin, but with my spirit I serve the LORD. As an example, in Romans 1:9, Paul wrote "For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit . . ." Then in Romans 7:22,23, Paul wrote,

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

The apostle Paul made a distinction between the spirit and the flesh. Then in Galatians 5:17 Paul also said, "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Therefore, there is a difference between walking after the flesh and walking after the Spirit. We need to understand that difference, that we can walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh.

The flesh pertains to the natural man, and the spirit pertains to the new creature in Christ. Jesus said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."The word "walk" in Romans Chapter Eight means "life-style, how we live our life here on earth." What should our life-style be as Christians?

The LORD has set before us the whole New Testament that we can choose which life-style we will live. If we will walk after the flesh or after the Spirit? As an example, Jesus walked after the Spirit, not after the flesh. What was Jesus' life-style? When Jesus was still only twelve years of age, He said to His mother, "Why did you look for Me? Do you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (MKJV). Jesus put His Father's business "first and most important in His life." In John 5:19, Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." In John 5:30, Jesus said, "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." In John 6:38, Jesus said, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."

From these statements and many others we see that Jesus did not do His own will, but only the will of God the Father. How did Jesus do the will of God the Father? First, He preached the gospel of the kingdom of God. Mark 1:14,15 it says,

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Look at what Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 10:7-10.

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

This was what Jesus did, and it was also what He told His disciples to do. Jesus lived this way, and He did these things. As we look throughout the gospels we see that Jesus preached the gospel, healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, raised the dead, etc. Jesus did the will of God the Father in everything He did. "Jesus walked after the Spirit, not after the flesh!"

Now let us look at what walking after the flesh is! When we walk after the flesh, we do things the way the world does them. Rather than healing the sick the way Jesus did it, we take them to doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, give them all sorts of medication, and therapy, expecting them to recover. That is the way the world takes care of their sick, but if we walk after the Spirit we will preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick, by the power of God's Word, and His Holy Spirit.

When we walk after the flesh, we do those things which are not pleasing to God. In 1 John 2:15,16 it says,

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Look at what the Word says in Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Why would God tell us not to be conformed to this world? What's wrong with this world? What's wrong with doing things the way the world does things?

The world lives according to the flesh, the desires of the flesh and of the mind (Eph. 2:2,3). God says, renew your mind that you no longer seek the things of this world. Renew your mind that you seek the things that be above where Christ sits on His throne (Col. 3:1-3). Jesus said, "we cannot serve God and mammon" (Matt. 6:24). The world and the things of this world became as god's to us if we serve them. We are not of this world, therefore, we should seek those things that be above instead.

In Romans 12:2 the LORD is saying, do not live like the world lives. But, "be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."Our mind is what controls our thoughts. Our thoughts control what we do. Therefore, by the renewing of our mind on the Word of God we can walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh according to the perfect will of God.

When we use the Word of God as a witness as to what God expects of us, we then can follow His instructions in 2 Corinthians 10:5, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Completely destroy every thought that does not agree with the Word of God. We must not let any thoughts remain in our mind that are not pleasing to God.

We have a complete Bible, Old Testament and New Testament. We are not under the Law of the Old Testament, but under grace of the New Testament. John 1:17 says, "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." Yet, the Old Testament is the foundation for the New Testament. It's like building a house. First you lay the foundation, then you build the house upon the foundation. Once you have the house built, you do not live in the foundation, you live in the house which is built upon the foundation. If you destroy the foundation the house will not stand. Therefore, if we do not use the Old Testament as a foundation, the New Testament will not stand.

We search the Scriptures, Old and New Testament to know what is of God and what is not. Then we separate the Law from Grace, and live according to the New Testament, built upon the Old Testament. As an example, Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." This is a part of our foundation. When we stop trusting in the LORD and start leaning to our own understanding our faith will fail. For we are destroying the foundation of our faith. There are many parts to our foundation in the Old Testament that we must hold to. Yet, we do not live according to the Old Testament, we live by faith in the New Testament. The Old Testament spoke of the New Testament when it said in Habakkuk 2:4, "Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." That is a part of our foundation. Therefore, in the New Testament Romans 1:17 says, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."All throughout the New Testament it reminds us, "The just shall live by faith" (Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38).

Let us not forget our covenant. Remember, the LORD is saying, "I set before you this day . . . the things of heaven and the things of this world, choose you which one you will serve!"