BALANCING FAITH AND GRACE

BALANCING FAITH AND GRACE

Romans 5:2   ² By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Paul states that as believers we now stand in a place of highest privilege. Not only has God declared us not guilty, he has drawn us close to himself. Instead of being in contention with God, we have become his friends, as well as his children.

We have excess into grace by faith, wherein we can stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. This is called life in the balance. Access to grace by faith, is the outcome depending on your part of this balance of grace and faith.

Grace is Gods part, which being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in and by Christ Jesus. grace was declared at the cross through the shed blood, the death and the resurrection of his son, Jesus, grace is not just a word, grace is a covenant that was decreed at Calvary.

Faith is our part, faith is not a head trip. Faith is a heart change, it is totally believing the word of God without doubt, it is by faith that it might be by grace.

Titus 3:7   ⁷ That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Here’s what Jesus does for us when he saves us. We move from a life full sin to one where we are led by Gods Holy Spirit, all of our sins are washed away. That’s called justified, just as though we had never sinned.

This all is a sign of salvation. In becoming a Christian, the believer acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Savior, as Christians we recognize His saving work and we gain eternal life, which is a new life through the Holy Spirit. All of this is a free gift of God.

If you do your part, everything that Jesus made possible for your life at the cross is available through your faith. Grace makes, faith takes. Grace is Gods part, taking it by faith is our part.

Faith and grace always work as one they cannot be separated and work. Believing by faith gives birth to an action, this action works by speaking Gods word. You as a believer have dominion and power and authority.

Ephesians 2:4-5   ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

⁵ Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Our true identity in Christ Jesus if you dare to believe, we are justified, declared not guilty of sin.

No condemnation awaits us.

We are set free from the law of sin and death.

We are sanctified, made holy, in Christ Jesus.

We are made right with God.

We are one in Christ with all other believers.

We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Jesus.

We are made holy, without fault.

We are adopted as Gods children.

Our sins are taken away and we are forgiven.

We are marked as belonging to God by the Holy Spirit.

We have been raised up to sit with Christ in the heavenly realms.

We are Gods masterpiece.

We share the promises through Christ Jesus.

We can come with freedom and confidence into Gods presence.

We are members of Christs body, the church.

We have been given fulness in Christ Jesus.

We are set free from our sinful nature.

We will have eternal glory.

Dare to make this change in your life.

God loves you.

LEARNING THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS PART II

LEARNING THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS PART II

Matthew 24:29-31   ²⁹ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

³⁰ And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

³¹ And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

This is how angels will perform at the coming of Jesus in the gathering of Gods elect.

They will come at the same time Jesus appears in the clouds. Each angel will be assigned to the job of raising the body of one of the saints.

This is the resurrection of the righteous dead to meet Jesus in the air.

The false Arc angel Lucifer the history and future.

In the beginning Lucifer who is now called Satan was a sinless and righteous being.

God says He was perfect in his ways from the day he was created, until iniquity was found in him.

Ezekiel 28:15   ¹⁵ Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Ezekiel 28:17   ¹⁷ Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Some where the will of God had become distasteful to Satan.

He wanted to exalt his throne above the stars of God, as to be like God.

Isaiah 14: 12-15   ¹² How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

¹³ For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

¹⁵ Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

God in His eternal plan had reserved this exaltation for His son Jesus not for Lucifer.

It was given to Jesus alone to sit with the Father in his throne.

Revelation 3:21   ²¹ To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Lucifer though ‘vice regent’ was destined to hold a lesser position.

But as it turned out he was not satisfied with this.

When it became evident that he was not to have the supreme position, he saw his ambitions thwarted, or down grated to third place. It was this that prompted his rebellion.

The question I have is how Lucifer hoped to be successful in challenging God for his throne…

Obviously, the devil’s rebellion was not born on the impulse of the moment, but rather had to be a calculated plan.

But the reason for its eventual failure was because God had foreseen the entrance of evil into the universe and had prepared a plan in advance to counteract it. It was the divine plan of redemption.

 When Lucifer painted a glowing prospect to the angels that they would be as gods, as he did to Eve, Makers of their own destiny. They left their first home and followed him.

 It came to pass that one third of the angels elected to follow Lucifer.

God had not been taken by surprise that sin had entered His universe.

It was a matter of unspeakable sorrow and grief to Him, but since the angels have a free will there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

God however had knowledge which the devil did not have. He foresaw the extent of the rebellion.

He knew that although Satan would disrupt His plan, Satan could not prevent it from eventually succeeding.

There was one thing that God held in reserve, not even the angels knew.

God had a grand plan of salvation through his Son Jesus Christ. Not even the righteous angels knew about it.

1 Peter 1:12   ¹² Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

1Peter 1: 19-20   ¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

²⁰ Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Jesus Himself would become flesh and die in the sinner’s place. Our place.

At Calvary the devil’s legal authority was stripped from him and has no further power over the believer.

Ephesians 6:12   ¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We have good angels to fight for us but we also have evil angels whom we must fight against.

Prevailing intercessory prayer will hamper Satan and his wicked plans.

If necessary it will bring angelic forces on the scene as occurred in the days of Daniel.

How important is the ministry of intercession or intercessory Prayer?

There was a time in Israel’s history God could not find and intercessor to pray for Jerusalem, so he had to allow judgment to fall on the land.

Ezekiel 22:29-31   ²⁹ The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

³⁰ And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

³¹ Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.

The land of Israel became overrun by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar and the children of Israel went into 70 years captivity.

Until God could raise up Daniel for his prayer of intercession.

Daniels vision from God

Daniel 10:10-13   ¹⁰ And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.

¹¹ And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.

¹² Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

When will this great battle in the heavenlies be ended?

Revelation 12: 7-10   ⁷ And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

⁸ And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

⁹ And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

¹⁰ And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Michael and his angels will come forth and fight against Satan and later his fallen angels will together be cast out of their positions in the heavenlies: Which is the second heaven, above Earth.

They were first forced out of the third heaven where God is, when Satan rebelled. Down to the second heaven which is above earth.

During the tribulation at the time of the rapture, Satan and his angels will then be forced down to earth from the second heaven where they will be permitted to continue their operations for a little season during the great tribulation.

 Michael and the angels are the celestial agents used in the defeat and casting down of the devil and his hosts.

It is interesting to note they overcame him, “Satan” by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.

God is calling for men and women who will be prayer warriors in this great battle of the ages called the “end times”.

When victory comes, as it surely will, the prayer warriors will have an important part in Satan’s defeat.

Pray and stay close to God and your angels. 
Brother Andy

Learning the Ministry of Angels

Learning the Ministry of Angels

-- Part One--

Let’s read some in the word and learn more about the angels that are guarding us.

Psalms 91:11   ¹¹ For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

The bible teaches that a guardian angel watches over every human being that is born into this world.

Hebrews 1:13-14   ¹³ But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

¹⁴ Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?   

Angels are the princes of Heaven who stand before God. They are also ministering spirits to those who are heirs of salvation.

Angels are of a different order than human beings, but closely resemble humans in appearance.

They have bodies, but not physical bodies, yet they have the power to appear as physical beings at such times they choose.

Angels are of a higher order than man in his present state. The bible says that man was made a little lower than the angels.

Psalms 8:4-5   ⁴ What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

⁵ For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

There are different orders of Angels. Including seraphim, cherubim, archangels, and guarding angels.

The seraphim angels are described as having three pair of wings; they are attendants of the Lord and have special duties in proclaiming the Holiness of the Lord.

Isaiah 6:5-6   ⁵ Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

⁶ Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

The seraphim’s are living creatures have two pair of wings and have certain responsibilities in guarding the throne of God.

Revelation 4:6-8   ⁶ And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

⁷ And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

⁸ And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Many Angels don’t have wings; if they did they would not be mistaken for human beings.

The activity of angels is ceaseless. Even though we do not see them and don’t suspect their presence they are always around.

Angels are immortal, and do not die. They are said to be innumerable. If it were not for the vigilant protection of these heavenly guardian angels the lives of Christians would be in serious trouble from evil spirits. 

Angels are always watching over all believers protecting them from the unseen dangers and evil.

Psalms 91: 11-12   ¹¹ For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

¹² They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

The bible speaks of three archangels: Michael, who is one of the chief princes at the time of the great tribulation. He will fight for the children of Israel.

Another archangel is Gabriel. He ranks high in the angelic order. Gabriel appears to be associated with the redemptive work of God.

The third archangel was Lucifer the fallen angel.

The guardian Angels…. Every one born into the world has a guardian angel assigned to him or her. It is the angels’ mission to watch over him or her.

They are delegated by divine command to accompany him or her through life.

Although an angels’ purpose is to protect us, he has not been granted unlimited authority in this respect.

If this were not so, no children would die in infancy.

God may foresee circumstances ahead in which it would be better for them to be removed from the scene and taken by the angels to the paradise of God where he or she would grow up.

Psalms 34:7   ⁷ The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

Angels do not watch over Gods people in their youth only, then neglect and forget them when they come to maturity.

Daniel 3:28   ²⁸ Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

Gods plan is that angels should attend his people all the days of their lives: they are ministering spirits unto those who are heirs of salvation.

Although the bible speaks clearly of guardian angels who watch over the saints, the evidence is that if sin is carelessly indulged in, the angel will finally take his departure and leave the person to his fate.

This is true of an individual, true of a city, and God can withdraw His protection from a whole community as He did at the flood of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Another job the Angels have is to record the deeds of our lives, whether they are good or bad.

Acts 3:19   ¹⁹ Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

There is another mission performed by these invisible messengers of God. They mark the men and women who are prayer intercessors.

If you are a faithful prayer intercessor, Gods angels will place a mark of protection upon you.

For those who have fully consecrated their lives to God there is special angelic protection.

This promise is not for all, but he that dwells in the secret place of the most high, shall abide under the shadow of the almighty.

Psalms 91:1 and vs 11   He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.   ¹¹ For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Here is the promise of protection over evil, the plague, accidents and the power over Satan.

When we enter into eternity and all things are revealed, we will learn that there were times we were in danger, but the angels of God saw our danger and placed our lives in the hand of God.

In the world to come, Heaven, the righteous are equal to angels.

In some respect the redeemed will excel angels, for the over comers will become the very bride of Christ.

It is a privilege which is not given to angels.

There is no higher position for created beings than membership in the bride of Christ Jesus.

Luke 20:36   ³⁶ Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

It is important to stay in the word.

Brother Andy