Stepping Stones For Victorious Christ Centered Living #19: Jesus, Grace, Truth, The Law & The Prophets

What Does Jesus Really Think?

 Jesus said, "(17) Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (18) For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.(19) Therefore, anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. (20) For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Misunderstanding Jesus

Let me begin by saying, that Jesus is all about grace and truth, and keeping the law does not save a soul; however, that does not mean that the Law is not important to Jesus. As a matter of fact, people misunderstand how Jesus plugs into the law: The Cross of Christ is how. You see, when Jesus shed his blood, and sacrificed His body on the Cross, He established The Eternal Covenant between God and humanity.  He paid for all parts of it.  Examine the book of Hebrew chapters 9-10, and you will see:

1. His blood purchased, for all eternity, our redemptions or salvation (Hebrew 9:12)
2. His body, along with God's Spirit, sanctifies us Holy. (Hebrews 10: 10) we are put into a process of being formed into the image of Christ. (Romans 8:28-29)
3. We are perfected in God's sight. (Hebrews 10:14)
4. Then comes the Holy Spirit prophetically testifying just as He did through the Prophets. Hebrews 10:15-17. Listen in as He testifies. This is important:

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Then He adds, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."

Because of The Cross & The Power of The Holy Spirit

Because of what Jesus's Cross bought and paid for in this covenant, via God's eternal Spirit, we are forgiven. But there is more! We are holy and being made holy! You guessed it. There is still more! God sees us as perfect! Keep looking there is even more:!We are able to keep the law and live by it (because of Jesus,) And this is something we could not do before Christ's death burial and resurrection! Hallelujah! And this takes us back to our opening  scripture. It tells us, clearly, Jesus did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. He came to fulfill them, and in so doing, He came to fulfill them in us. Because Jesus puts His laws in our hearts, and because He writes them in our minds,  we become capable of living lives that far exceed the kind lives of the law maker breakers called Pharisees. They could have participated in what we enjoy; however, they rejected Jesus and everything He stands for.

The Law & Prophets Not Passing Away Anytime Soon

According to Jesus, here is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth: He is not only NOT going to abolish the Law. And,  Not only does He fulfill the law, especially in us, The Law and the Prophets "ain't" going anywhere. Heaven and Earth will  go away before these pass. These are mighty strong words because Heaven is eternal. And eventually, the earth will be made into a new eternal creation.  This kind of gives you a hint about this particular Stepping Stone For Victorious Christ Centered Living.

How To Really Mess Up

Jesus gets a little more emphatic. If anyone tries to lay the Law & The Prophets aside, and teaches others to do the same, well, God looks at them poorly. Don't be one who doesn't take God's Law seriously. Don't fail to give priority to the Prophecies of God's Word. Some of them are being fulfilled right before our very eyes, and failing to give the Law and Prophets their eternally power special place in your life will be a really bad choice. Just laying them aside makes a person "the least" in God's Kingdom. If you behave in this way, you will really mess up.

How To Please God

Almighty God, through His Son, via His own Holy Spirit has set the stage for you to be blessed, if you will let Him bless you. Deny yourself, take up the Cross, and follow Jesus. Let Him work HIS miracles of grace, of saving, sanctifying, perfecting, putting His laws on your heart and writing them on you mind, while He blots out your sins, and gives you access to Jesus, who is THE WAY to the Father. HE will give you all the righteousness you need. And you will experience Jesus and the grace and truth that is His; meanwhile you will become part of The Law and The Prophecies of God. They will become a part of you. You will have all your need to be fully alive IN Christ, and walk on His Stepping Stones For Victorious Christ Centered Living.

Be Blessed Today in Everyway.

S o J o u r n e r