Mercy and Truth bring Favour.

Mercy and Truth bring Favour.

Here is something we can do to bring favour into our lives.

Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favour and high esteem In the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:3-4)

Be merciful and truthful, let them be engraved on your heart.

Be kind to people and speak the truth of God's Word to them.

Then you will find favour and high esteem with God and man.

Favour upon Israel.

Favour upon Israel.

Israel did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was His right hand, His arm, and the light of His countenance, Because God favoured them. (Psalm 44:3)

The nation of Israel did not win their battles by their own might.

God's right hand, God's arm, God's light did it all.

Because He favoured them.

That favour is still upon Israel.

That favour is upon His Church too.

We don’t win battles by our own might either.

Favour brings protection.

Favour brings protection.
Psalm 5:12 says: For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favour You will surround him as with a shield.
We have been made righteous by the sacrifice of Jesus....
Favour surrounding us means God protecting us from harm.
Can you imagine how ineffective the fiery darts are against the shield of favour.
God is doing things for us that no-one else can prevent happening.

Favour upon the early Church.

Favour upon the early Church.
The early church met often and had favour with all the people. (Acts 2:46-47)
I believe that their attitude toward fellowshipping together helped to bring the favour that brought other people to church.
It seems that people who are happy to fellowship together a lot, will have other people added to them....
We have known this for years, that is why we promote our Home Groups and encourage fellowship among believers.

Favour upon Jesus.

Favour upon Jesus.
Luke 2:42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.
...

Jesus at the age of twelve, has favour with both God and the people.
That is the last we hear of Jesus now for eighteen years.
So having favour does not necessarily mean you will be at the forefront of everyone's mind.
But you are certainly at the forefront of God's mind.
Favour often comes quietly without any fuss.

Favour upon Mary.

Favour upon Mary.

Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. (Luke 1:30-31)

The favour God gave Mary was to allow her to be the person who would give birth to His Son. And to give her the grace to accept this honour with joy. Thank God she accepted.

Favour = What is due to grace.

Favour = What is due to grace. 

The token or proof of grace, benefit, bounty. A gift of grace.

It comes from the same root word as grace = joyful and happy.

The favour of God comes upon you when He wants to demonstrate His grace toward you by doing something that makes you joyful and happy..

There is no fear in love.

There is no fear in love.

If fear comes in, it is because you have forgotten you are loved.

If fear speaks to you - tell it that you are loved by Love Himself.

The love itself will cast out the fear. (1 John 4:18-19)

We love Him because He first loved us.

How do we know this? From the Bible.

A quote from Jesse Duplantis recently.

"Exploration is the foundation of the Word of God.

Giving you daily, a fresh revelation of who He is.

A fresh revelation of who you are in Him".

So get into the Word of God and explore.

We have Boldness, BECAUSE.

We have Boldness, BECAUSE.

Because. This is one of the most important words in the Bible.

It tells us why what we just read, is valid and true. 

Because as He is, so are we in this world.

Where is Jesus? Seated in heaven. 

As Jesus is there in heaven, so are we here.

Is He healed? Is He blessed? Is He prosperous? Is He at peace?

Jesus is healed - so am I.

Boldness in the day of judgement

Boldness in the day of judgement.

When is that day of judgement?

Whenever someone asks you about God.

Or you see a chance to confess openly that you worship Jesus.

When that opportunity happens you already have boldness:

  Freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech.

  Fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance.

You have that now. 

So go and tell someone - I am bold for Jesus.

Perfected Love.

Perfected Love.

Love has been perfected, brought to maturity among us. 

(1 John 4:17)

We have not been given a baby love for Him but a mature love.

Why? So that we can have boldness in the day of judgement.

A Confession of your Faith.

A Confession of your Faith.

Do you confess that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 4:15-16)

Confess: 

   To say the same thing as another, to agree with, assent. 

   (Basically to agree with what the Bible says about you.)

   To declare openly.

   To profess yourself to be a worshipper of Jesus.

Then know this - God abides in you and you abide in Him.

Do you really know and believe the love that God has for us?

God is love, if you abide in love, you abide in God and God abides in you.

What is love?

What is love? 
To prize and delight in someone. (John 3:16)
To have Spontaneous natural affection, emotional and unreasoning.
It is God wanting to do whatever it takes to show His love for you.
Do you believe in this only begotten Son of His?
Then you will not perish. You already have everlasting life.
Love Himself did that for you.
What are you prepared to do to show your love for Him?

Seeking the Things Above.

Seeking the Things Above.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 

(Colossians 3:1-2)

Seek = To seek in order to find, to think about, to enquire after, to demand something, to crave something.

Because if we are raised with Him, we ARE seated with Him.

We are already above, so we seek those things where we are.

Set your mind = To have the same opinion as someone else.

To think of yourself as Jesus thinks of you.

Think above where you are in the natural, be spiritually minded.

Remember that you are already raised.

You don't have to DO anything to be raised, you already are.

The Resurrection supercedes death.

The Resurrection supercedes death.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. (Romans 6:8-9)

Because you now live with Jesus and your are risen with Him.

Death has no more dominion over you either.

We are united with Jesus in His resurrection.

We are united with Jesus in His resurrection.
If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. (Romans 6:5)
Jesus was raised from the dead and went straight to heaven.
We will do the same.

Have you have been pickled with that Jesus anointing?

Have you have been pickled with that Jesus anointing?

The word baptised is also used when pickling something. (Galatians 3:27)

If you are not sure what I mean, see http://bit.ly/1Q4pyCp

Then you are already raised and should walk in newness of life.(Romans 6:4)

Should walk, is a choice. You can still walk the old way.

You can still refuse to love your enemies. But it will harm you.

You can still think the old way. But it will keep you bound.

You can still refuse to tithe. But it will harm you financially.

Choose today to walk in newness of life.

Now being in Christ, we are risen with Him.

Now being in Christ, we are risen with Him.

Buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him. (Colossians 2:12)

“Raised with” Him = Greek word  soon-eg-i'-ro = To cause to rise together.

Soon = together, to be united, producing companionship, bringing completeness.

Egiro = To rise from death, to sit up, to stand up.

We are raised from the dead - WITH Him.

When He rose from the dead, we rose with Him in unison.

Together like an orchestra and rising like an orchestra rises to take a bow.

That means you are not - “going to rise with Him”.

You WERE risen with Him, you ARE risen with Him.  

If someone asks you if you celebrate Easter, answer like I do.

I celebrate Easter every day, because every day it blesses me.

Baptised Into Christ.

Baptised Into Christ.

Thee are three baptisms available to the believer.

Baptised into Christ, baptised in water, and baptised in the Spirit.

Being baptised into Christ, is when you get Born Again. (Galatians 3:27)

The Greek word baptised means like being pickled.

Once an onion is pickled, it takes on the characteristics of the liquid that it is baptised in. And  it is no longer subject to the normal laws of degeneration with age.

It undergoes a permanent change and can never be un-pickled.

Once you are baptised into Christ, you are immersed in Him and undergo a permanent change. 

You are no longer subject to the laws of degeneration.

Taking on the characteristics of the One you are baptised in.

The tomb is empty because Father raised Jesus from the dead.

The tomb is empty because Father raised Jesus from the dead.
Father God delivered Jesus up for death, for us. (Acts 23-24)
The religious Jews wanted Him out of the way, killed.
Father God Himself raised Jesus up from the dead....
Once Jesus had entered hell on our passport of sin.
He could lay the sin down there because it was not His.
Now He became the Lord of Glory again and defeated Satan.
Took away from Satan his keys of death and hell. Revelation 1:18
Death is swallowed up in His victory. Isaiah 25:8

Jesus made a public spectacle of Satan.

Jesus made a public spectacle of Satan.
Jesus took a written copy of all the charges against you brought by your sin. (Colossians 2:14-15)
He wiped the paper clean and nailed it to His cross.
Jesus disarmed Satan so he has no real weapons against you....
He has to use deception to trick you back into sin.
Then made a public spectacle of him by rising from the dead.
Jesus took His life up again.
Some jailer the devil turned out to be.