I have repeated the statement several times: sin will not keep you from grace, but grace will keep you from sin.

Legalistic Christians oppose this message and say it is nothing more than a licence to sin. So, they believe we gain our salvation by faith, but we have to keep it through works. That we are saved by grace, but we must be sanctified (made holy) through the law. In this way, they dilute the message of grace and rob us of the experience of its power to bring holiness into our lives. But, grace brings freedom from sin and not a licence to sin. The truth is, we are saved by grace and we are sanctified by grace.

The case against you has collapsed and all charges have been dropped. Sin will never again separate you from the love of God.

The law has only one power in your life, and that is to bring you under the control of sin, guilt and condemnation. That is why, in order to save and sanctify you, Jesus had to destroy the power of the law over your life. Not only has he removed the penalty of the law, he has also delivered you from its power through his death and resurrection.

Read carefully the following statements of scripture: Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another – to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Romans 7:4-6

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 1 Corinthians 15:56

When we put all this teaching about the law together, we discover a crucial life-changing truth. We must be delivered from the power of the law in order to be free from sin. Legalistic preaching and teaching is more than useless, it is totally counter-productive.

The law brings the knowledge of sin. When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil it brought the knowledge of sin in their life. In the same way, the law also brings fruit into our lives ? sin, condemnation and death. It is not that the law is evil. It is good and glorious, but we are weak and sinful in ourselves. So, in order to overcome sin, we must be freed from our bondage to the law.

The good news is that we are in Christ and therefore not under the law. Christ?s death became our death and his resurrection, our resurrection to newness of life. We have died to the law in order to be joined to Christ so that we can serve him in the power of the Spirit. The law can only bring to light our sin and failures; it can never help us live for God. But Christ, who lives in us through the Holy Spirit, enables us to do the things that please God. We are led by the Spirit, not by the law. The power of the law is broken and that means the power of sin is also broken over our lives.

Legalism dilutes the message of grace and robs us of the experience of its power to bring holiness into our lives. We need to re-discover the power of grace to shape our lives. It is grace that changes us, grace that brings us close to the Lord and grace that teaches us not to sin. In Titus chapter 2, Paul explains this carefully, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age Titus 2:11-12

The grace of God appeared in Christ ? he is the grace of God. His death on the cross made it possible for us to be reconciled with God, and this grace instructs us in the ways of holiness. The word used for ?teaching? in Titus 2:12, is the word paideuo, which means ?to instruct and to train?. All good teaching is like this. It not only instructs us in the right way of living, it also trains us in that way. In other words, grace leads us and forms us in a lifestyle of grace.

In Galatians 3:24, it says that the law was our ?tutor? to bring us to Christ. In other words, the law acted like a schoolmaster, instructing us and keeping us under his control. But, when grace comes into our lives through faith, we have no further need for a schoolmaster. Grace sets us free from this bondage to rules and regulations and teaches us a new way of living, the way of faith. Now, we discover what it means to live by the grace of God.

Grace brings freedom from sin and not a licence to sin. We are saved by grace and we are sanctified by grace.

We are familiar with the famous hymn by John Newton, Amazing Grace. And, grace is truly amazing! Grace enables us, motivates us, encourages us and persuades us to live lives totally dedicated to God – grace, not legalistic religious systems, not guilt-provoking preaching and certainly not manufactured self-effort.

Enabling Grace

Grace means, ?unmerited favour?. It also means ?enabling?. Paul said, ?I am what I am by the grace of God?, but he also went to say, in effect, ?I can do what I do by the grace of God?. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10

Here we see the enabling effects of grace. Grace does not create lazy Christians! It produces joyful, liberated, hard-working and committed Christians. If you are struggling with any of these things, then learn more about grace. Discover what God has done for you by grace and you will find a new joy in serving Jesus, your Master, your Lover and your Saviour. Grace works within you and changes you from the inside out.

Motivating Grace

The grace of God is a powerful motivating influence in your life. It is the attitude of gratitude that comes from knowing your sins are forgiven, that you can never be lost and that you owe all of this to Christ?s magnificent and breathtaking love. However, this is not to be confused with the legalistic response in which you feel you have to pay God back for what he has done for us. That is impossible and it makes nonsense of the Father?s free gift of salvation. How long would the Prodigal Son have had to have worked as his father?s hired servant to pay back the family fortune he squandered? It is totally unthinkable, and yet, that is how some ?holiness? preachers would have us respond. The true motivation for living a holy life is simply the joy of being forgiven. Jesus said, ?the one who has been forgiven much, loves much? (Luke 7:47). We see an example of this kind of loving devotion in the (previously sinful, but now forgiven) woman who lavished her affection on Jesus. Simon, the legalistic Pharisee barely welcomed Jesus because he had no concept or experience of grace. We are saved by faith, and by faith alone, but faith works through love. I emphasise: love, not law. Having begun in the Spirit, we cannot be perfected by the flesh. The Galatian believers Paul addresses in his letter had to discover that for themselves. We are guided by love and not by the law. Love is the Golden Rule, above all law. God is looking for true lovers and not mere law-keepers. You can live a virtually blameless life and miss the grace of God. This was the problem the elder brother had in the parable of the Prodigal Son. He represented the legalistic Scribes and Pharisees who resented Jesus? acceptance of sinners. In other words, they had no loving, intimate relationship with God, and knew nothing of his grace.

Encouraging Grace

Grace is also the best encourager there is. Grace teaches you that there is no such thing as failure in the kingdom of God, because there is always hope. You cannot fail beyond recovery, and you cannot lose – the blood of Jesus cleanses you from all sin. That?s a winning attitude! Grace leads you away from looking at yourself to see Christ, who is your life, your justification and your holiness.

Paul speaks of the transforming power of spiritual encouragement which has its source in grace, in 2 Corinthians 3:18. Here, he compares and contrasts the fading glory of the old covenant governed by the law, with the surpassing and permanent glory of the new covenant governed by the Spirit. The Spirit is the Spirit of grace, and he constantly reminds us, not of our failings, but of our position in Christ. Because we are in Christ, we no longer see ourselves, but we see Christ, who has become everything for us. The encouragement of seeing and sharing in the glory of the Lord is what transforms us to become like him. This is all by grace and has nothing to do with law. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Persuading Grace

Grace is also the most persuading influence in the world. God?s goodness convinces us that his way is best. The apostle John says, ?God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.? There is no ?dark side? to him; he is all love and he is all grace. We can go to him at any time totally persuaded that he is ready to bless us. He is a rewarder and not a withholder.

The assurance of the grace that comes by faith is that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Hebrew 11:6). From the very beginning, Satan has always tried to portray God as a withholder. That what his tactic with Eve. She was deceived into believing that God did not want her to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil because he was withholding something good from her. She gave into the temptation to eat that fruit and immediately discovered that God had been protecting her all along. She realised that God?s way had been best all along.

In the same way, we can come to know God?s goodness through grace. We discover that our life of sin only leads to disillusionment and shame, and we are able to prove for ourselves that God?s will is good, acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2). It blesses, it rewards and it satisfies. Once we see that, we can be transformed by the renewing of our mind. In other words, we are no longer sinners subject to the knowledge of our sin but, persuaded by grace, we desire the things that only God can give and gladly pursue him and his flawless ways in our life.

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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Matt 5:19-20

1. 1.????? WE WILL NEVER HAVE A RIGHTEOUSNESS OF OUR OWN

1. We will only have imputed righteousness ? the righteousness of Christ received as a free gift received through faith in Christ

1. We can only respond to the Holy Spirit who works in our live that imparted righteousness as we surrender to God?s love

1. 2.????? GOD WANTS US TO LIVE A LIFE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

WHY?

1. Righteousness is linked to our relationship with God
2. Righteousness glorifies the Father
3. Righteousness honours the Son
4. Righteousness respects the Holy Spirit
5. Righteousness is rooted in God?s love
6. God calls us to serve him
7. God wants us to receive his reward
8. He wants us to be filled

 
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Matt 5:19-20
20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 6:31-34
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’? 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.? 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.? 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
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6 And he believed in the Lord , and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
Gen 18:19
19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord , to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord? may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
 
Rom 6:12-14
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Rom 6:15-23
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 2
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Eph 5:8-12
Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit* is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
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10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
 

The Good Confession

11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
 
Gen 15:6
6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
Gen 18:19
19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord , to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord? may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
Gen 15:6
6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
 
Gen 18:19
19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord , to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord? may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
 
Ps 31:1
31 In You, O Lord , I put my trust;
Let me never be ashamed;
Deliver me in Your righteousness.
 
Ps 71:2-3
2 Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
Incline Your ear to me, and save me.
3 Be my strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.
 
Amos 5:21-25
21 “I hate, I despise your feast days,
And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them,
Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs,
For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
24 But let justice run down like water,
And righteousness like a mighty stream.
25 “Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings
In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
 
Rom 5:18-21
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 6:12-14
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
 
Rom 6:15-23
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 2
Rom 9:30-10:13
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.* ?32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law.* For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”*

Israel Needs the Gospel

10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel* is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.”* ?6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?'”* (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, “‘Who will descend into the abyss?'”* (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”* (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”* ?12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord ?shall be saved.”*
 
Rom 14:17-18
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things* is acceptable to God and approved by men.
1 Cor 15:33-34
33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
Eph 4:20-24
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Eph 5:8-12
Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit* is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. ?1
1 Tim 6:5-13
5 useless wranglings* of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.*
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain* we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

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What Righteousness does for you, a sermon by Colin Dye

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Deliver Me In Your Righteousness, a sermon by Colin Dye

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“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6.33?
 

Do you want to find the secret of happiness? Don’t look for it!

 

 
The Sermon on the Mount sets out the attitudes – not the actions – which characterise true disciples. The introduction to the sermon, 5:3-12, is usually called ?the beatitudes?, and this is a list of eight basic attitudes which Jesus develops, illustrates and explains throughout the rest of his sermon. (It is sometimes debated as to exactly how many beatitudes there are. Some speak of seven, nine, or ten beatitudes, but ?if we regard verses 10-12 of Matthew 5 as one beatitude – the number appears to be eight.)


Each ?beatitude? begins with the Greek word makarios – which is usually translated as either ?blessed? or ?happy?. Makarios is nothing to do with ?blessings?. Instead, it comes from the Greek word mak which means ?large? or ?lengthy? and carries the idea of someone with a big smile on their face. It is the word used by Mary in Luke 1:48 and is best understood by ?very fortunate? or even ?to be congratulated?.
The beatitudes or ?beautiful attitudes? give a general character description of those disciples who are living ?in the kingdom?. As we read them, we see what we are meant to look like as a result of God?s personal rule in our life.?If we live fully under the personal rule of God, we can expect to be characterised by these eight attitudes.

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Lord thank you for your blessing that makes rich and for the joy that removes all sorrow.

Key Thought

There is a fundamental difference between the righteous and the wicked. It has to do with orientation of life ? either towards God or away from Him. And this difference is also manifest in the blessings that come to those who follow the Lord ? He blesses you and removes all sorrow from you.

Prayer

Lord, I set the course of my life in the direction of righteousness and I choose to live under your favour. Thank you for your blessing that makes rich and for the joy that removes all sorrow.

Discipleship Steps

Quiet confidence in God comes with a godly lifestyle. To walk in righteousness means you live your life as an open book before the Lord. You seek to line up your life according to His standards in thought, word and deed. This is not oppressive because God has placed His righteousness in our hearts and promises the rewards of righteousness ? His blessing in every area of life. Learn to life in this expectation, knowing that it is all of God?s grace and goodness.

Read: Proverbs 10:19-25

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Clothed in the Righteousness of Christ

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Your rewards in Heaven…have you ever wondered what they will be?

Our rewards are closely related to our good works. “For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what he has done.” Matthew 16:27 Our reward, however, is not salvation because we cannot earn salvation. “For it is by grace you are saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 What then is our reward?

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” Revelation 3:11

The Five Crowns

The Bible says that are five different crowns that believers can win as they pass through this life.

The Crown of Life

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12

This crown is promised to those who love the Lord. It is won by enduring in trials and temptations. Our love for God gives us the strength to endure. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us of Jesus’ endurance under the supreme test, and exhorts us not to lose heart in our personal struggles.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12: 2,3

The Incorruptible Crown

“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last: but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly: I do not fight like a man beating the air. No I beat my body and make it slave so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9: 25,27

Personal discipleship and self-denial secure the incorruptible crown. Today people are taught: “Don’t let anyone tell you it’s wrong, deny yourself nothing.” “If it gives you meaning, purpose or pleasure, do it!” Contrast such sayings with Jesus’ challenge: “Then He said to them all, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

Self-denial is at the heart of personal discipleship. If we discipline our lives and deny ourselves the pleasures of sin in this life, the incorruptible crown will be ours.

The Crown of Joy

The soul winner’s reward is a crown of joy. Jesus said: “I will make you fishers of men.” When Jesus teaches you to fish, men and women will be brought into the Kingdom because of the testimony of your life and lips. Paul said that the Thessalonians, whom he had led to Christ, would be His crown of joy at the last day in Christ’s presence. “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you?” 1 Thessalonians 2:19 If you are faithful to proclaim Christ to others during this life, then this crown will belong to you at that last day.

The Crown of Glory

“Be shepherd’s of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers, not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be: not greedy for money, but eager to serve: not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” 1 Peter 5:24

Caring for God’s flock will earn you the crown of glory. It is not reserved specially for pastors; every Christian can win it. It has to do with helping believers grow in Christ so they can serve in God’s kingdom, in other words, disciple making. Jesus said: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 (NASV) Jesus’ last command should be our first. We are charged with the responsibility of discipling the nations. Jesus commands us to be disciples and make disciples.

The Crown of Righteousness

“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on the Day, and not to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8

Those who live expecting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will receive this crown. Many Christians have hopes, dreams and desires that have nothing to do with God. Jesus said: “It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, we will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.” Luke 12:37 Jesus wants us to live watching and waiting for His return, dedicating our lives to building His kingdom. If we do, we will receive the crown of righteousness.

It is important to note that these crowns are not won for great heroic deeds of faith, but for obeying the simple commands of Scripture. The word of God encourages us to take this matter seriously, seeking those things that will count for eternity, rather than temporal things.

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Pastor Colin Dye

The fifth mark of revival in your life is an intense spiritual desire. Many of us do not know the kind of hunger for God that the writers of the Bible experienced. David writes in Psalm 42 “My soul pants for you”. Whenever we are physically hungry, we know that our senses immediately begin to revolve around our physical need – other things are forgotten.

Spiritual desire operates the same way. When our first love is restored everything else will seem less important. Our perspectives and priorities will change. This kind of focus may seem rare, but it’s God’s plan for all of us. He wants first place in our lives and nothing less.

The Good or the Best?

Many of our desires are not wrong. They are simply the way we express human vitality. God delights to meet our needs and he also delights to bless us extravagantly. But problems arise when we let his gifts take all our attention. This can happen over time, and can often be deceptive. Suddenly in revival we wake up to the fact that we have become preoccupied with secondary things that have kept us away from Him. Then our human desires give way to the most important thing, which is to know God. Being with him, seeking his holiness and glory become the primary goals in your life. Nothing else really matters anymore.

Retaining Relationship

If you missed a close friend then your desire for them would not be vague – you would miss particular things about them. When we desire for God there are clear things we want in our lives. We want righteousness – the freedom to be who we were created to be. We want our prayer life to carry a fresh passion. We cannot stay away from the Bible. We delight in godly disciplines. Our hearts reflect his own and we ache for the lost and become passionate to win souls.

Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount that sin starts in the heart. It is not enough to examine our actions, because they are the result of wrong thinking and wrong desires. The opposite is also true. Correct thinking and having a righteous heart will spur us on to godly action. If your life does not reflect God’s priorities then there is a good chance that the fires of God need to be re-stoked. Seek Him now.

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At the foot of the cross we find forgiveness

We are studying the seven arks of revival that a unbeliever should look for in their life. Last month we looked at the first of these: the renewal of the Holy Spirit.

The second mark is this: you will be convicted of sin. Let me make one thing clear straightaway – we are talking about conviction, not condemnation. The Bible says that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1). But we also know that, once we are born again, the problem of sin has not disappeared. We have hope for something better – for a life of victory. Condemnation kills hope, but conviction opens us up to God’s cleansing.

Many Christians have never really been truly, deeply convicted of their sin – even at their conversion. They may have accepted in their minds that sin must be dealt with, but they lose sight of how serious it is, Sin violates our relationship with God. It destroys our experience of God’s goodness. It insults the grace of God that is freely given to us. Paul said that just because his conscience was clear did not mean that he was innocent (1 Corinthians 4:4)! In other words, there can be sin in our lives of which we are not even aware. Revival exposes these hidden areas, not to create guilt, but to set us free.

Time to be washed

Others downplay the seriousness of sin for Christians. They rightly emphasise God’s grace, but to the point where no motivation is left to live in holiness. Jesus addressed this when he washed his disciples’ feet. When Peter asked for his whole body to be washed, Jesus told him that “anyone who has had a bath, needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean” (John 13: 10).

Others downplay the seriousness of sin for Christians. They rightly emphasise God’s grace, but to the point where no motivation is left to live in holiness. Jesus addressed this when he washed his disciples’ feet. When Peter asked for his whole body to be washed, Jesus told him that “anyone who has had a bath, needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean” (John 13: 10).

Conviction does not drive us down, but lifts us up. Revival brings a consciousness of sin. This is not human feelings of guilt, but an awareness of God’s holiness that causes us not to want to sin in the first place. Jesus’ burden is light. Many of you are carrying burdens that are caused by sin. You are weighed down – needlessly. But as we turn to him, asking for forgiveness, he cleanses us. Let the fire of revival burn through your life today, destroying guilt and the power of sin.

Once we are saved, our relationship with God is on a totally different?footing. We now live under the blood of Jesus. Through the blood,?God becomes our Father, and no longer deals with us according to?the principle of the law.?As a loving, heavenly Father, he?draws us closer and closer to his heart, and leads us out of the works?of darkness so that we can enjoy fellowship with him in the light.?In other words, we were cleansed once for all at the cross and the?blood of Jesus keeps on cleansing us as we walk in the light with?him. When we sin, we bring it to the light, with full assurance that the?blood is cleansing us and removing any hindrance to our fellowship?with God. We own our sin in his holy presence only to disown it in?the light of his grace and forgiveness. We never allow guilt or sin-consciousness?to have a resting place in our hearts. We maintain a?clear conscience before God by walking in the light of his love. This is?true repentance ? we reject our sin and embrace who we are in Christ.

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