No workings of our own has saved us, what Christ did on the cross has saved us. Ephesians 2:8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. (NLT) Saved in the Greek –sozo-to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction, to save a suffering one (from perishing), one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health. If the message of the Good News you are hearing doesn’t sound too good to be true, you are probably not hearing the real message of the Good News. This is the greatest message in the history of this planet, this is actually the only message of pure and true significance.
The stumbling block, yes, the part that trips most people up is that they find it hard to believe God is as good as He says He is. Christ really did finished the job and all we do is receive and manifest the victory that already took place. In one way or another people are searching for what they have to do to get to heaven, instead of thanking Him for what He did so they can have perfection and heaven now. Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. (NASB) Ephesians 2:6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. (NLT)
Let’s take an in depth look at this ‘stumbling block’ phrase. The word for ‘stumbling block’ in the Greek is -skandalon-the trigger of a trap (the mechanism closing a trap down on the unsuspecting victim); (figuratively) an offense, how someone is caught by their own devices (like their personal bias, carnal thinking). A snare, stumbling-block, cause for error. This word -skandalon- is where we get our English word scandal.
Note that Paul, who doesn't get enough credit for being the absolute genius that he was, claimed to resolve to nothing but “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Why would Paul whittle all of his life’s work down to something so simple? Because Philippians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, (KJV).
You must understand that the devil’s gig is to get you to try and earn something through performance that God has already given you through relationship. This is nothing new, it started in the Garden of Eden. Eve was already like God, the enemy was getting her to trigger the trap on herself. The devil was getting her caught up in all her own devices (a stumbling block), instead of being free in all of His goodness.
The devil tried the same thing with Jesus in Matthew 4, he tried to trick Him into thinking he could give Him something better then He already had. Matthew 4: 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” (ESV) What an outrageous downgrade that would have been for the King of glory to just take the kingdoms of earth and their glory, when He is rightful owner of the entire universe and all that is in it. The comparison is no different with us. What the devil tries to trick people into is an massive downgrade compared to what God has already freely given us.
The devil is trying so hard to get you caught up in the things of this world, and trying to earn everything that you actually already have. All the while the Spirit beckons, Revelation 11:12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. (NASB) He summons us to take our rightful place and come to the recognition of our co-seated authority in Him while He makes our enemies our footstool. Sounds too good to be true? That is because it is the real Good News. He already did all the work, your job is to rest in the finished job and manifest His already accomplished victory.
The mindset that works in grace, continually sinks into an ever increasing growth of His goodness. While a mindset in that works in law of Moses falls over the stumbling block of self-effort and draining confusion. Relationship rests in the glory realm that is free to all, while someone who is trying to walk out the law of Moses tries to climb into what is freely theirs anyways.
Imagine a hamster going round and round on its wheel trying to get the cheese that is sitting right next to him as soon as he steps of his tiring wheel. Think of a stumbling block, think of a little block that keeps tripping someone and halting them from a destination that is right in front of them. It can’t be that simple, or can it. This little block can completely block off an entirely new realm, yes. Everything that man has and is trying to earn from God is free through the grace in Christ. All goodness is found in the Kingdom, and it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. There is no earning in the Kingdom, it is all free. It is a matter of learning what it is that you already have, and learning and growing in the Truth of who you already are.
Man’s obsession with scandals is all a distraction from thee only scandal worth our attention. God has completely rigged the ballot box in our favor. God has 100% set us up for freely receiving everything that we didn’t earn. The stumbling block is believing that you have to do more work and add to what Christ has already finished. It is that simple, the job is finished. The choice is yours whether you want to receive and grow in all of heaven now, or not.
It is offensive to the mindset that wants a sign from heaven, to think that you “just believe” in faith that it’s all yours, gibberish they say. And the flip side, you must gain knowledge and wisdom in order to earn an understanding so God will love you more. All the while the real signs from heaven and the True knowledge and wisdom come once you stop trying to get it and surrender to the Truth of growing in already having it. 2 Corinthians 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. (ESV) And we walk in His faith not our own. If it was dependent on our faith then why would we even need our Lord and Savior Jesus? Claiming that it is dependent on our faith is still saying that we are earning the Kingdom. The Gospel supplies far more faith then it demands.
All the worlds efforts and attempts to earn God's favor are a rat race into confusion. God was thrilled to confuse the confused with the message of free salvation for anyone that would retire from their work and enter into His finished work. Those that think they must work miracles in order to be holy and right with God are simply spinning their own wheels into exhaustion, all the while Christ was crucified so those at rest in Him see even more miracles with almost no effort of their own involved. This is the place just before the narrow gate where many trip over the stumbling block, and instead of entering into a realm beyond human comprehension they let their mind trap them from where their heart desires to take them. Once one has given ownership rights of their life to the King, He is what has filled them and the Spirit will never stop leading them towards the free and limitless realm that is to good to be true, yet it is true.
The same applies to the pursuit of knowledge. Thinking one must gain heaps of knowledge through never ending earning, is just another disguise the trapper sets just before the narrow gate. Knowledge is a must in relationship with Jesus, but it's knowledge that comes through intimacy. When we make it about gaining knowledge as a notch on our belt towards earning favor from God, we can easily fall into "We know that "We all possess knowledge." But knowledge puffs up while love builds up," 1 Corinthians 8:1. Knowledge gained through love is the knowledge God gives, knowledge worked up on our own breeds arrogant pride.
The real knowledge we are looking for cannot be understood, even if stumbled upon, until the Helper has taken residence inside us. "He will guide you into all truth," John 16:13. The Truth is a foreign language to us until Love Himself has become the lens through which we see. God in all His foolishness is wiser then man in all His accolades, and even if God had a weak moment (which has never happened), a mere flick of His pinky finger packs more strength then all of mans combined strength over the history of all mankind’s existence.
Holy Spirit truly is better than we can ever imagine. He leads us into the intimate knowledge of Love. This knowledge of Love always builds us up to more of the image of Christ and empowers us to reveal Him as He truly is in this world. It's free, our job is to rest and receive all the grace full goodness He has for us.
For more resources
Erikfrederickson.com
Erikfrederickson.wordpress.com
No comments:
Post a Comment