Councious of Righteousness | Pastor Raph | Aug. 18, 2024

There is a spirit of fear, trying to put a halt to God's purpose and calling your life. You have to understand that the things God has for you will always require fearlessness. And that's why faith, trust, and confidence are characteristics of the children of God. You cannot expect to fulfill your purpose if you do not have faith.

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

The devil knows how to shake your confidence, and that is bringing a conscience of fault, failure, and weakness. But here's the contrasting point: Your weakness and your failures are actually channels of God's grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The very things you see, limitation, inability, and inaptitude, are the same things God wants to use you the most. Because on them are testimonies of faith

But for that, first, you must be free from the conscience of being seen. And less you overcome the spirit of combination, you will never overcome the spirit of fear.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (ESV) 14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

In very simple terms, Jesus became like us to defeat the devil and set us free from the fear of dying. How? By making us like Him.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

How is this even possible? Remember, in Adam, we were all included in his unrighteousness. It would be very unfair if God did not provide a way out of that cycle of death, but in the same way that we did not participate in Adams's sin, we were included in his unrighteousness. Now, those who trust in Christ, without any work or performance, are included in His righteousness.

The problem is attaching your identity and calling according to your conscience of fault and sin. Many think the only way out of the fear and expectation of defeat is to remember our mistakes. However, here comes the first proposition of the day:

Purification is Not According to Our Memory

If being cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ depended on my ability to quickly and accurately confess all my sins, it would mean that my cleansing relied on my memory. 

Laughably, if that were the case, then Jesus would not have to come and die for us. It would be a matter of taking an “amnesia drug” or “memory eraser.” Because, with the logic, the only sins considered to be judged are the ones remembered. But that is not the truth of the Word of God. Since we can’t remember every sin we’ve committed, we will never be fully clean and free to move forward.

If purification by the blood of Jesus Christ relied on my ability to confess my sins on time, it would mean that Jesus’ sacrifice was pointless. Jesus didn’t die on the Cross and shed His blood just for our cleansing to depend on us.

If that were the case, some Christians would be 70% pure, others 50%, and others 30%, all based on their godliness. However, Jesus shed His blood so we could be 100% perfect, eternally, and completely clean.

The purification of our sins is not based on our subjective knowledge of them but on His complete knowledge.

This gives us a solid basis for trusting that if He continually cleanses us, then, we will be continually cleansed from all sin.

If the blood of Jesus continually cleanses us, it means that we are continually clean. As seen before, the misapplication of 1 John 1:9 sustains that wrong belief.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(1 John 1:9).

The wrong understanding goes,

"Unless I continually and promptly confess all my sins whenever I commit them, I cannot be in communion with God."

Simply put, in this sense, one can never be at peace with God unless one always confesses sin.

As a Christian, you may have heard this verse applied in this way. However, if it’s true, you should always make sure you confess every sin you’ve committed in your life.

If you think so, I’d like to ask: "Have you confessed all your doubts? Have you confessed your worries and anxiety? Did you clean your slate after that fist of anger before joining the service today?"

If you really follow this way of thinking, you would need to spend the rest of your life solely and exclusively confessing your sins to God, and it’s not sure that you would be able to do so.

You are not completely able to confess our sins on the basis of your own knowledge.

Jesus, on the Cross, made an ultimate statement about our awareness of sin.

Luke 23:34 (ESV):“And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’”

So let the Lord Jesus Christ, on the basis of God's all-seeing and all-knowing knowledge, forgive and atone you for all your sins, once and for all.

Here comes the second proclamation of the day.

Forgiveness is greater than our confessions.

You may still ask about 1 John 1:9,

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(1 John 1:9).

The verse in 1 John 1:9 was written to oppose Gnosticism that was creeping in the early church. They were a mystical cult and heresy of Greek religion. They didn’t believe they had sinned, so John invited them to recognize their sin to be forgiven. That verse is not for the believer, a born-again Christian. You must read that verse in its appropriate context.

The wrong reading of this verse disregards the context and appears to speak that when the believer sins, they return to darkness and must confess their sin again to return to the light.

In this reading, you find yourself in the dark and a little in the light, moving back and forth in an unsettled state. When they confess, they are in the light. When they sin, they return to darkness. And so it goes on and on, in an unending position of fear and uneasiness. Never confident, never bold, never active.

(During our 21 days, we will share that apparently controversial passage in-depth.)

However, the good news of God's truth is that Jesus didn’t shed His blood to put us in and out of fellowship with Him in an unpredictable relationship all the time. God’s grace and salvation are far greater than all that! His redemption is based on a solid foundation: Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. His perfect work and love for us. None of this has anything to do with you and confessing your sins.

If you are living in depression, under the weight of guilt, constantly aware of your mistakes and sins. It is time to accept your complete redemption.

It doesn't matter if you preach, lead, teach, sing, and worship in the church if you are always insecure, depressed, and constantly aware of your sins.

What is the condition, then?

Dismas had made poor choices from a young age, often stealing from others to survive. His life was filled with regret and sorrow, bitterness and anger. He felt as though he had strayed too far from any goodness ever to find his way back.

One day, Dismas was caught stealing a wealthy, dignitary Roman merchant. His crimes were many, and his fate was sealed: crucifixion.

He would not be alone; two others were to be crucified with him.

One was a man named Jesus. Dismas had heard rumors of a man called Jesus (maybe while the Baptizer was in jail). For him, Jesus was a prophet from Nazareth who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and spoke of God's love and forgiveness.

As they were led to Golgotha hill, Dismas noticed that Jesus was different.

People shouted at Him as the savior and Christ, the King and Lord. Could He be?

At the same time, others were mocking Him, as the other condemned inmate.

But Jesus remained silent as one who had nothing to prove. He was quiet as the sinless Lamb of God. His face displayed He was determined to fulfill an assignment that could not be placed over another.

Nailed to the cross, Dismas hung in agony. The pain was unbearable, and death seemed like a cruel joke.

With the last of his strength, Dismas rebuked the other thief, “Do you not fear God since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly are receiving the due consequences of our deeds. We have done all wrong. But Him... He has done nothing wrong.”

Turning to Jesus, tears filling his eyes, Dismas pleaded, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus turned His head to Dismas, and in that moment, the weight of Dismas’ sins seemed to lift. With a voice filled with grace and authority, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Dismas knew his time was near. But he no longer feared death. He closed his eyes, not in despair, but in hope, knowing that when he awoke, he would be in the presence of the one who had saved him—Jesus, the Son of God.

Not because of anything he had done right but because of the grace and mercy of the One who hung beside Him on the cross.

A thief who found forgiveness.

Luke 23:42-43 (ESV) And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Why did Jesus do that? What did He have to gain by promising this criminal a place of honor in heaven and honor in History? What could this guy ever offer in return? I can understand the Samaritan woman—she could go back and spread the word. And Zacchaeus had money to give. But this man? What could he possibly do? Nothing!

And that’s the point. Jesus’ love doesn’t depend on what we do for Him. Not at all.

In the eyes of the King, you have value just because you exist in Him. You don’t need to look a certain way or achieve something special. Your value is a part of who you are.

Think about that for a moment. You are valuable simply because you exist, not because of what you do or have done. Remember that the next time you feel left behind by someone else’s ambition. Remember that when someone tries to make you feel less valuable. When someone tries to put a cheap price on your worth, think about how Jesus honors you … and smile.

I do. I smile because I know I don’t deserve love like that. None of us do. When it comes down to it, any contribution we make is pretty frugal and puny. All of us, even the best of us, deserve heaven just as much as that criminal did. We’re all relying on Jesus’ grace, not our own merit.

There’s a joyful ex-criminal walking the golden streets of heaven who understands grace better than a thousand theologians. No one else would have given him a chance. But in the end, that’s all he had—a chance—and that’s all it took.

Confess because you’ve already been forgiven

You don’t have to confess your sins to be forgiven. However, if you want to, that’s fine; remember that we confess because we’ve already been forgiven. To confess means to admit them or recognize you made a mistake. Yes, acknowledge your sins, but above all, declare that you are already forgiven.

The devil wants you to feel impure and dirty because when you feel dirty, you’ll do dirty things, too. When you think of yourself as unclean, you also realize impure things.

The Christian life is wonderful. All your pain ends when you realize that the blood of Jesus Christ continues to cleanse you of all your sins, every sin, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Then, and only then, will your life become a life of victory.

The Anointing Comes on the Blood

Leprosy, in the Bible, is a symbol of separation that sin causes. It is a graphic illustration of sin’s numbing and destructive power. Incurable by man, and, in the Old Testament, perceived as a for the sins one had committed.

Sin bans the presence of God because God will not allow the sinful man in His sight and presence. All sin is abhorrent to God.

But those who have been redeemed from sin by grace through faith in Christ can stand in God’s presence in full confidence that we are accepted “in the Beloved,” we praise Him for the grace He extends to us for that purpose.

Ephesians 1:4-6 (ESV) ... In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

In the Old Testament, when a leper was cleansed of leprosy, the priest would take the blood of the sacrifice, the image of Jesus’ death, and put it on various body parts (Leviticus 14:1-17). This meant that everything the former leper would relate to would be purified.

- Blood Applied to Right Earlobe: everything the former leper would hear from that moment on would be purified.

• Blood Applied to Right Thumb: anything the former leper touched would be blessed.
• Blood Applied to Right Toe: wherever the former leper stepped, they would be blessed.

These three things represent the whole body.

(In Luke 4:16-21 Jesus read the scroll of Isaiah and said, "‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.'")

After applying the blood, the priest would take the anointing oil, symbolizing the Holy Spirit and His power.

Isaiah 61:1-4 (ESV) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

The anointing is only poured over the blood. The anointing is poured where the blood is applied. The anointing always comes on top of the blood. Only if there is blood first can there be anointing oil afterward.

The Holy Spirit can only come where there is blood. God’s anointing can only flow where there is blood. When the blood is applied, the oil also falls on it. Only in this way do we enter the supernatural and become the appropriate place from which God bestows blessings.

When you believe in the truth that the blood of Jesus constantly cleanses you from all sin, the Holy Spirit descends upon you.

1 John 1:7 says that the blood continually cleanses us.

1 John 1:7 (ESV): “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

 But the next chapter tells us that the anointing we receive from Him and which dwells in us teaches us all things.

And you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. (1 John 2:20).

But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. (1 John 2:27).

The anointing always comes after the blood. When you believe that the blood of Jesus continually cleanses you, the anointing of the Holy One is within you. Every time you believe that the blood of Jesus Christ purifies you uninterruptedly, the oil comes down on you. The anointing inside you will teach you everything.

The Fullness of the Spirit of God.

Only those fully forgiven, fully covered by the blood, can expect the fullness of the Spirit of God.

Revelation 1:4-5 (ESV) 4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

Isaiah 11:2 (ESV) 2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.