REST IN HIS REST PT.3

‘For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.’ – Galatians 5 vs 13

Dearly Beloved, we have been dealing on this topic now in two (2) parts, and here is the third (3^rd) part of this same teaching. I specially urge that you give your rapt attention to this very teaching as it contains total truths on GRACE. God Bless You.

In previous parts of this teaching, I have talked richly on how we have been set at total liberty and made eternally Righteous before the Father through the precious sacrifice of our Lord Jesus on the Cross. So now in this teaching, I want to emphasis on the life we have been ordained to live with this liberty of ours.

Our opening scripture says, For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. I love to stress on this one point, the reason for such liberty we were given by God in Christ Jesus is not so that we can continue living after the flesh since we have been made eternally Righteous by His Grace, no. But the reason for our liberty in Christ is so that we can be very free to manifest His life which is LOVE. In the days of the Law, the people couldn’t love from their hearts; they couldn’t love with a genuine spirit. It’s just like a manager telling his staff, ‘if you don’t come to work early, you will be sacked.’ Now, that staff will strive to always come to work early for the fear of not wanting to be sacked, and not because he has the interest of the company at heart. – Selah.  Now, that was the case of the Law, they had to keep the Laws of God for them to be qualified Righteous in the presence of God, their Righteousness was connected to their works, hence, they strived to keep the Laws so as not to incur God’s anger on them. That isn’t obedience that is motivated by love, no; that’s what I call obedience by compulsion. You see? And God saw that that wasn’t the best, so HE in His amazing and awesome Grace, made He atonement for our sins for all time {Hebrews 10 vs 10}, that we may be free from all our works and have no need to bother about been Righteous by our works. Waow, we have entered into Rest, we have entered into His Rest. Even when we don’t feel Righteous at times, it still doesn’t change the TRUTH of the scriptures that we have been made the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Waow!!! What a Grace. – Selah. That goes to tell us that Faith is not a feeling. That you don’t feel Righteous as a result of your recent errors doesn’t change what you’ve been made in Christ Jesus. Therefore my Beloved, keep holding on to the WORD in faith, because the Just shall live by faith, and not by works {Romans 1 vs 17}. – Selah

Now that we’ve received such a Glorious Liberty, should we use it to begin to displease God? God forbid. That’s the instruction our opening scripture gives to us, that we should not say, because we have been set at liberty, then we can do what we like whether good or evil, no. Instead, God wants us to now exhibit His love lavishly since we are now free from works.

In the New Testament, the Lord having fulfilled and abolished all laws gave us a new law. Christians aren’t without law, no. We aren’t lawless. The Lord gave us a new law, which He wants us to obey with our liberty. Let’s see it;

‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.’ – John 13 vs 34 {KJV}

You see that? That’s the LORD Himself talking and not some Apostle. If He says he gives a new commandment (Law) then that indeed tells that there was an old Law, but that is passed away. The new law we are given to obey is LOVE. God wants us to love one another with the same Love He loved us with in that He gave His life for us, and made us eternally free from all our works, insomuch that we have been made forever Righteous. Waow. Do you know how costly Grace cost? With that same compassion, with that same love, He wants you to lavish it on men also. O what life. – Selah. Our opening scripture says, ’…but by love serve one another…’.  Oooo. That language LOVE excites me. Let’s continue on this;

‘And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.’ – 1 John 3 vs 22 {KJV}

He says, because we keep his commandments. What commandment (Law) could that be? The next verse precisely tells it to us;

‘And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.’ – 1 John 3 vs 23 {KJV}

You see, he says HIS commandment is that we should believe on the Name of Jesus which we all do, then we should Love one another. That’s all we have to do with our liberty. God wants us to also extend that same gracious Love He has lavishly poured upon us on others. And you know what, this Law is not like the old one that was grievous to be borne {Matthew 23 vs 4}, no. This new law is easy and light {Matthew 11 vs 30}. It doesn’t take anything to begin to live in FERVENT LOVE, no. All it takes is to understand the great love He showed for you on the Cross, and what that Love has now resulted in your life, and that divinely stir you, that will automatically constrain you to Love as He has commanded you. – Selah

The reason many so-called Christians find it hard to forgive people, or endure with people, or show real love to people, is because they themselves don’t understand what the Lord did for them, they’ve not understood the Grace of God that saved them, they’ve not understood that all their sins (Past, Present, and Future) has been placed on the Body of Jesus; as a result, they can’t reciprocate that Love. – Selah. You see? We can only reciprocate the Love of God when we ourselves have understood it, and what it has done in our lives. So Christians who don’t understand the Gospel of Grace will find it difficult showing that same Grace to others, they will find it difficult expressing the Love of God. – Selah

‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’ – Galatians 5 vs 1 {KJV}

God wants us to permanently stand in that liberty which Christ has brought us into. There are folks who after been saved, their works still determine their Righteous standing. When they do Right today, they feel good, when they do wrong, they feel unrighteous and not as confident before God as they were the other day. O no! God doesn’t expect this of us His children; instead, He expects that we stand fast in our Liberty by Faith irrespective of our rightness or wrongness, hold on to your liberty everyday in faith, and extravagantly unleash on others that same Love that set you at eternal Liberty.

Our opening scripture urges us not to use our liberty as an occasion to live by the flesh. Now I say this to you by the word of the Spirit that as much as God doesn’t want us to fulfill the desires of the flesh, sometimes, we fail to that. Isn’t it true? – Selah. It’s not as though it’s your will or it was intentional, but sometimes you just tell a lie, or you just do some other funny things which ought not to be done with your Liberty. Right? Yea. Let’s see what the scripture says about that;

‘If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.’ – 1 John 1 vs 8 {KJV}

You see that? That’s just it, and it is so for the most upright Christian in this world. Even the Apostle John, he said this, he has been with Jesus while HE walked the face of the Earth, he heard all the Heavenly words, yet he said this. No man, not even any Christian can deny that he doesn’t have some faults in his life. But what do we do when we fail at sundry times?

‘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 vs 9 {KJV}

Confession of sins for a child of God doesn’t depict that we have lost our Righteousness and need to Restore it back, hence we confess, no. But confession of sins (faults, mistakes, weaknesses) for a child of God is a sign of humility and submission to God, acknowledging that we have done what doesn’t bring HIM Glory, and we are sorry for it. That’s what confession of sins means for us, and not a way of bringing back His Righteousness on us. We’ve been eternally made and declared Righteous by that once and for all offering He paid for us all {Hebrews 10 vs 10 & vs 14}.

Therefore my Brethren, Rest in His Rest, hold on to your Liberty in Christ Jesus everyday by Faith, even when you don’t feel Righteous, keep holding on to the WORD, for we walk by Faith and not by sight (sensory perception, feeling) {2 Corinthians 5 vs 7}. Therefore, even though you don’t feel it, it doesn’t change it. – Selah

Constantly show HIS LOVE on people, Love all men with that same Love Christ has loved you with.

‘Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.’ – Romans 13 vs 8 {KJV}

All the former Laws are all embedded in the new Law which is LOVE {Galatians 5 vs 14} {Matthew 22 vs 37 – 40}. As you obey this new law, you are automatically obeying the former laws. Therefore, there are no need for works of Righteousness, for they are a waste of efforts; all you have to do is just let out the Love of Christ to others, and you’re just cool.

Beloved, Rest in His Rest, Keep Resting, Cease working, Keep Loving, Remain there. O yea.

God Bless You.

- Pastor Jenning Uweye