Radio Broadcast Monday 05/30/2022

Classic Christianity – A Closer Look at Your Identity in Christ P34 (05-30-22)

Walking in the Perfect Love of God

1 John 3:23
And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

In today’s lesson, from the Bible study booklet, A Closer Look at Your Identity in Christ, available for purchase from our online Bob George Ministries ecommerce store

Just as a person’s physical growth is based on proper diet and exercise, so is the Christians’s spiritual growth dependent on regular feeding upon the word of God and application of its principles. With more false teaching, shifting opinions and general confusion in the world than ever before, Christians need a solid foundation upon which to base their beliefs and build their lives. The word of God declares that Jesus Christ is that foundation of truth. With that in mind, let’s now take A Closer Look at Your Identity in Christ.

And so folks for us to be able to walk, walk in the perfection; that’s not talking about sinless perfection, to be able to walk complete. In other words, God has done all that He’s going to do for you. He’s taking away your sin once and for all, and not dealing with that anymore when He returns He says I’m not coming to bear sin, I have already done that. Coming to bring salvation for those waiting for Me, for those who already have salvation, we’re just gonna get together. But to those who aren’t I want to come again. I’ll be coming to bring that salvation, but I’m not coming to deal with sin.

And that’s a part that means I have been made perfect. Will be studying for the next number of weeks together. With all that means in the next book we’ll be talking about reconciled. After that we’re going to be talking about redeemed. After that, we’re going to be talking about you have been sanctified. After that we would be talking about you are justified. After that we’re talking about being made in the body of Christ. All that’s a part of being made, perfect, complete in Him. Now, you can’t walk in that completeness when you’re still trying to gain what He’s already given you. In fact, you’re just going to walk as a dumbbell because it is pretty stupid to be asking God to give you what you’ve already got. And so, if we’re going to walk and grow up. And people talk about deeper stuff. You can’t get any deeper than this. That’s the problem with people and deeper stuff. They’re already up to their necks in deep stuff and they don’t need anymore deep stuff. They need to get back to truth, and people like that are the worst ones to wanting to confess to get forgiven. They’re the worst one that get in too deep. You haven’t even hit kindergarten. Yeah, that’s right. And so if we’re going to grow in grace, we’re going to have to start with grace.

And Grace said it’s finished. And if you don’t believe that folks, you’re not even off the launching pad yet, and until we can come to the point in our Christian experience, I’m not talking about activity. Man, I could out activity all of you a few years ago before I came to understand it’s not activity, I was miserable inside. I’m talking about walking in the newness of life that’s been given to you in Christ Jesus. What you do, that’s when you and God. I’m talking about living a life. You can’t Live the life that God gave you under the grace of God, when you’re still dealing with sin issue. And when you’re talking to people who say, oh man, you got to keep dealing with that. You’re dealing with people who are babes in Christ still. There’s no growth and that’s why Paul was talking about the book of Hebrews and it’s a let’s grow on to maturity. Let’s quit dealing with these things and grow up, go on. Now we spent a lot of time on that.

The next question we have 1st John 4:18 and 19 on page 29. Look what it says. There is no fear in Love. Now, what creates fear? We’ll read on. Perfect love drives out fear. Fear has to do with punishment and one who fears is not made perfect in love. And we love because He first loved us. Now, what is he saying here? Under the law what is the only thing that the law can create? Fear. How come the wages of sin is what? Death. So if the wages of sin is death, and every time I mess up in any way, shape, or form, and Jesus came to amplify that, lusted somebody brother zapped real good. You can’t live in anything, except fear. Do you realize? And again, I’ve stated this before.

I’ve got a friend of mine who’s a grace teacher. He made the statement, have no idea whether it’s accurate or not, but 80% of the mental patients that are in mental hospitals today, this gentleman said, and I’m just quoting what he said, 80% claim to be born again Christians. Now, I don’t care, if that’s 80 percent, or 50 percent, it’s a tragedy. The largest growing counselors in the world are so-called Christian counselors. That’s an atrocity that Christians have to be constantly counseled, when the Bible says the Holy Spirit of God is your counselor. Now, what causes that? Double mindedness, a double minded man is unstable in all ways. What’s a double minded man? Is unstable in all ways. What’s an unstable person? One who is always being counseled. What is an unstable person do? It’s one who’s trying to walk down both streets at the same time, both sides of the street at the same time. The only person I’ve ever seen be able to do that somewhat effectively is a drunk, and we’re straddle leg down our walk with one leg on one side of the street, and the other leg on the other side of the street, and trying to straddle the fence.

Somebody reminded me the other day some friends of ours that we had, that was going back to a class and I used to be, and it was just legalistic as could be. Said, what are you going back there? So I said well, you know Bob teaches this grace other people teaches us law. We need both of them. I thought, I tell you, they really caught on what I was teaching (sarcasm). Now folks, you can’t straddle on this. I’ll tell you why you can’t walk under grace in fear, in other words, if you’re going to walk in the New Covenant, there isn’t any fear in the New Covenant. Why? Because the New Covenant is brought about by perfect love. It is perfect love that made you perfect. We just got through studying for four weeks and now half of this, half of this lecture. It’s perfect love. Now there’s no fear in that. Now, if I’m under the law, I’ve got a ton to fear because I cannot be made perfect. Remember what we talked about under the law? If the law could make anyone righteous, Jesus Christ died for nothing.

We talked about the fact that the law can never by those same sacrifices repeatedly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Does God want us to be made perfect? Of course He wanted us to be made complete, but the law can’t do that. Ongoing sacrifice, ongoing forgiveness cannot make you complete. I can’t sit and say I’m complete. Why? Well, I got more forgiveness to be given to me. I have more righteousness to be given to me. Then you’re not complete. I have more holiness that I need to be given. Then you are not complete and you’ll never rest until you rest in His completeness, instead of yours.

But as we’ve talked about in this New Covenant, when He’s talking about made perfect and that is such an important thing because you see God had to forgive so that something to be made perfect, complete. The Christian world is camped just on the forgiveness issue. But you see we’ve never made complete. Our teaching is incomplete. Sit around, do the Lord’s supper and sit around and dim the lights and play the organ and sit around confessing our sins. Try to get them forgiven again so that we don’t eat and drink damnation upon ourself. Now, wherever that came from God only knows, because folks, it isn’t in the scripture and we’ve got a tape on that that explains what the Lord’s Supper is. But that is not the Lord’s supper. And yet we talk about the grace of God and how magnificent it is. What’s magnificent about that? That Christ died for my sins, 2,000 years ago, but I still have to keep them forgiven. Why, because it said, well, what if I don’t? There’s fear.

It’s like a lady called in the other day, about her son, who had died, you know, and it’s he would she remembered when he was saved. I mean he was saved but he did some bad things. And anyhow that he died, got killed in an automobile, wondering, is he still saved? Folks, I don’t mean to be critical but I’m critical of the teaching that is contrary to the scripture when it says that because Jesus lives forever, that He has a permanent priesthood. Now, if He has a permanent priesthood as it says, then He always lives to intercede for you and me. Always! And therefore, He’s able to save completely those who come to God through Him. Now, if He’s able to save me completely, how could I lose my salvation? He’s the one saving. He’s the mediator of a New Covenant that those who are called may receive the promised, eternal inheritance. Now that He has died for a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first Covenant.

In other words, I have a promised eternal inheritance the very moment that I came to Christ for salvation, I didn’t earn it because I had good deeds. I needed it because I had bad deeds. I don’t know. What I really needed was for it regardless of my deeds, good or bad, was because I was dead. And so, I didn’t earn that, but the moment I came to Christ I received a promised eternal inheritance. Why? He’s the guarantor of the guarantee. What is the guarantee? I’m able to save completely those who come to God through Him. He’s always there to intercede for us. There’s no way to lose what Jesus is keeping. He is keeping you, you can’t slip out of His hands. He said that I’ll never leave you nor forsake you. No one can snatch you out of My hands. You can try, but you’re not going to make it. And now does that drive out fear knowing that? Well, of course it does. Why did He do that? Because of love. What kind of love? It’s called perfect love that drives out fear. Now, folks, you’re born into this world enveloped in fear. We have fears of all kinds. There’s only one solution to those fears. Perfect Love. What does that perfect love do? Drive out fear. How come fear has to do with punishment? What do we fear? Getting punished, getting caught, we go out and mess up someplace. What do you fear? Getting caught. If I’ve done it, got away with it. Why? I’m not going to fear that much praise God. Just got away with all that, but you fear getting caught. Well, with God, your sin has already been caught and it’s already been placed upon a cross and it’s already been bled for and died for. Jesus did all that. That’s why there’s no condemnation awaiting you and me who belong to Christ Jesus, because the law of the Spirit of life, that’s His life, set me free from that law of sin and death. Now, the one who fears is not made perfect in life. So in other words, just as perfect love casts away fear, fear casts away perfect love. You cannot be made perfect in life.

Again, we studied for four weeks. Did God want us to be made perfect? Absolutely. That’s why He went to the cross Himself. He could have kept a sacrificial system, going forever, that have been no difficulty. You could have had a place on the altar and every city in the world, had had some animals to take care of to take care of your sin. No problem. It could not enable people to be made perfect by those who draw near to worship. So we have to realize folks, that it’s that perfect love of God that enables you and me to walk in this newness of Life under the grace of God without fear. Now, if God is who drives out fear, guess who it is, putting fear in your head? It’s Satan. And so, whenever fear enters into your and my mind’s, we do not have to wonder who is putting it there. We know who is putting it. There it is. The enemy of God and the enemy of our souls, Satan himself with all of his demonic influence, that is bringing fear to our hearts. So that fear will cast out the perfect love of God, I become so preoccupied with what I am fearful of that I forget about the perfect love of God. Now folks. How easy is that to do? Well for me, really don’t know about for you, it’s really easy for me because we’ve all done it. That’s why God called us sheep. Is because all of us are dumb and it takes a continual renewing of our minds. Every moment of every day, teaching us these truths.

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I think that’s one of the benefits of a daily broadcast. It is a continual daily reminder, of these things, not only to those of you who are listening, but to me who was teaching and so there’s no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear. Fear has to do with punishment. So folks again, does God want you to walk in perfect love? Yes.

And we don’t love because we’re the initiators, we love. It says because He first loved us, so we respond to His love. Now, if I’m not aware of what His love did, it just God loves you. And when you say, well, what does that mean? Well, he kind of drools over you and kisses you. That’s not what he’s talking about. He did some things to prove that love God, demonstrates his love towards you and me in the while we were yet sinners, one, He came to die for us. Why? To take away your sins. How come? So that you can walk in a newness of life, being able to enter into his presence at any time calling him Daddy Father. Now, that’s what Hebrews 10:19 and 23 says which is our next question in our lesson plan.

Therefore brothers since we have confidence to enter the most holy place. How? By the blood of Jesus, by a new and living 3ay opened up for us through the curtain. That is ahis body. And since we have such a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleans us from a guilty conscience, and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly, and in other words, don’t be moved, to the hope that we profess why for he who promised is faithful. Did he say let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess because we are faithful? No, because He is faithful.

Bob, we talked the other day. Think about this for a moment. Folks, here was a sacrificial system. Here was a temple. In that Temple was the holy of holies that could only be entered in once a year by not just any old priest, the high priest had to be out of the levitical priesthood and the high priest. I am told that when that high priest entered into the holy of holies, there was a rope that was attached to his leg in the event that he died in there. He could be pulled out because nobody else could go in and get him. There was in that holy of holies. There was the showbread, there was the elements that were there, the ark of the covenant. Do you realize that the Lord Jesus Christ, God himself, never saw any of those things? Do you realize that the Lord never entered into that holy of holies? Never one time. How come they couldn’t let him in? He’s not a levitical priest. He never entered into that man-made holy of holies, not one time. Now, that’s pretty mind-boggling, isn’t it?

So, what did he enter into? Well, we studied that last week. He entered into Heaven itself. In Hebrews 9. It was necessary, then for the copies of the Heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices. But the Heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these for Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary never, walked into it, that was only a copy of the true one. He entered Heaven itself now to appear for us in God’s presence. When did we get to enter into the holy and holy holy of holies? The day the curtain was ripped after the cross. The curtain was ripped from where? The top to the bottom. It’s like Jesus said, the day I enter in everybody’s going in and I’m not going in a day before everybody can enter into the Holy of Holies. So therefore brothers, it says, since we have confidence to enter what? The most Holy place. That’s the Holy of Holies. How? by the blood of Jesus, no longer a priest carrying in the blood. That was not his own offering sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people, no more. He entered into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus. Now, because of the blood of Jesus, it says I want you guys living in grace to have confidence. Quit walking around like a whimp. Have confidence to do what enter into the Holy of Holies where forgiveness has been done once and for all. How? By the old way? No, a new and living way that was opened up through the curtain. In other words, opened up through His body.

Since we had this High Priest over the house of God. Who’s that one? We just talked about Hebrews 7, the One who lives forever, who has a permanent priesthood, the One who’s able to save completely those who come to God through Him. Why? He’s always interceding for them. That’s the Priest we have over the house of God. It says, therefore draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.

I wouldn’t have any more fun if I went to Disneyland. I’ve been teaching this, good news because it is good. It just changes your life inside when you grab a hold of it. But what he is saying again here, since we have this great Priest over the house of God. I can, the One who’s able to save completely. There’s a therefore. Well, what is it? Let us draw near to God now. In other words, remember what we talked about the fact that the problem with the law is that it could never make anyone perfect. And, no one with ongoing forgiveness, you have to be keeping, forgiving over and over again. You can never make perfect those who draw near to God for worship.

So folks, it’s told us that the law, ongoing forgiveness will never enable you to draw near to God with perfection because you have to realize I’m going into the presence of God, not to get perfect. But the fact He’s already made me that way. He has already made me complete. And now I may not look perfect. But, and it’s okay and you don’t look perfect to me, but to God, he’s made you complete. But Bob, regardless of your actions or whatever else I can look at you and say, Bob you are perfect in the sight of God. You have been given everything that you need for life and godliness. You are a totally forgiven human being. You Are Holy in the sight of God, you have been made perfect in the sight of God. There isn’t anything He’s going to add to you. and there’s nothing He’s going to take away from you. He couldn’t love you more, and he won’t love you less. I can say that with all the confidence in the world, to a person that I know who’s in Christ Jesus. Has nothing to do with your actions. Does it? Not a thing. Yeah, perfect. Cause you act perfect? You’re perfect cause God made you that way. And isn’t that wonderful? Therefore, because of that we’re able to draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. How can I ever enter into the presence of God with a sincere heart and in full assurance of faith If I was still having to earn my righteousness, to earn my Holiness, to get myself forgiven? How could you do that? You couldn’t. Did I forget one? Did I 1st John 1:9 enough? That maybe I wasn’t sincere enough when I went into my confession booth. Maybe when I went down and cried at the altar, maybe maybe I didn’t cry enough. You can’t go in full assurance of faith folks maybe I need another sign, maybe I need to talk in tongues more. Folks that is not faith, that’s supposition, that’s depending on you and what you’re doing and if I need a physical manifestation of something in order to verify God. There’s something wrong with your faith that I don’t need a sign. God’s given me all the signs that He’s going to, He was raised from the dead and He lives in me. And He’s done all of these things for you. Now, that’s what enables you to draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled cleansing of a guilty conscience. Do you sit around folks with a guilty conscience? The issue is why? Why, who are you guilty in order to feel guilty? You got to be guilty. Are you guilty of anything before God? If you did something wrong, that moment, it’s gone. So how could you be feeling guilty? If you’re not guilty, sir to be guilty, someone’s got to accuse you of something. Is there any accusation? There’s no accusation. There’s no condemnation. Nothing left to accuse you for. Why? Your sins have already been accused, already been accused. It was all done at the cross.

So folks, It’s the world putting it on you. It yourself putting it on you but it is not God putting it on you. Now I can say that I did something that harmed my family, what it might be and I feel guilty because I hurt my family or I hurt myself or feel guilty for doing that and you can say on a physical plane that is true. But you see if you’re dealing on a Christ plane how do you get through that day? I mean, in other words, how you going to if you blow that, you’ve blown it, how you gonna correct that? I’ve got to correct that by going to God and said, Lord Jesus thank you for not that, I am not guilty before you. Thank you that there’s no condemnation from you awaiting me, who belong to Christ Jesus. The world may condemn me, but you never will condemn me. I will never have condemnation from you. Now Bob, that’s what enables us to live in this world with some of the natural things that come from our dumb decisions, but at the same token to be able to walk with joy in the midst of that because of knowledge that there is no condemnation coming from God, maybe from the world, but that’s temporary. But from God, none. No.

So our bodies as far as God is concerned have been washed. It says with pure water. Therefore let us hold unswervingly. Don’t be jarred back and forth folks to the hope that we profess for. Who promised is faithful? Ephesians 3 12. Our next verse says, in Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. My friends, God wants us to be confident. Now, it doesn’t say to go and approaching being cocky. So we’re not talking about cockiness and going in and saying, boy, look at me. I’m this child of God and strutting around like some banty rooster. That is not what confidence is talking about. Its confidence that I can approach God with the freedom that He has given me in Christ, and the confidence that He has given me in Christ. I am confident that He who promised is faithful. I’m confident. I’m confident that He is able to save me completely, even though I don’t deserve it. And I certainly didn’t earn it. But I’m confident in the fact that He’s completed that for me. I am confident that one day I’m going to be absent from the body. That doesn’t take a real brain to realize that I’m going to die someday, but I’m confident in the fact that immediately I’m going to be present with the Lord not because of anything that I have done. But because of His faithfulness and what He has done I have eternal life. I don’t have eternal life because I earned it or deserved it. I possess eternal life. I don’t get forgiven anymore from God. I am a forgiving being and I’m not going to ever insult the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the cross by asking him to forgive me when He already has. Does that mean that I ignore sin? Absolutely not, has nothing to do with it at all. Does that mean I don’t agree with God when I blow it? Absolutely not. I agree with Him when I blow it and thank Him and agree with Him as to what He’s done in the midst of my blowing it. That’s faith. All the rest of it is religion. When you’re sitting begging God to do what he’s already done all you’re doing is calling him a liar. You’re making a mockery of his grace and of his cross and of insulting as the book of Hebrews says the Spirit of Grace.

Thank you so much for tuning in to Classic Christianity, with Bob George. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s program. We truly hope that today’s message has inspired you to walk a life of faith in the Lord, find more information online at shop.BobGeorge.net. There you’ll also find available CDs, DVDs, and bible studies available for purchase. It’s through your help that we are able to spread the good word of Jesus Christ. Until next time, walk in faith, be good to one another and praise the Lord. Amen.