Radio Broadcast Wednesday 02/09/2022

Classic Christianity – A Closer Look at The Reality of The Resurrection P32 (02-09-22)

Standing in Truth

There is a basic need in the heart of every man to know God, to experience his forgiveness, to be freed from the bondage of guilt. And to know that he has been totally accepted by God. Only God can meet this need and he does so through his son Jesus Christ. Through his death on the cross, Jesus Christ, demonstrated the love of God for you and me and ushered in a brand new covenant, whereby we can experience forgiveness and have new life. It is because of this that we take a closer look at The Reality of The Resurrection

When we receive God’s abundant provision of Grace and the gift of righteousness, we’re into a situation now where we’re standing on truth. We talked about that before the break that it’s something to stand on. That we are into a situation where God called us to stand on something, that is secure. And if we’re going to stand on something, then we’re going to have to stand on the security that it’s all Jesus, and none of us. Because if you’re standing on your own self-righteousness, you’re standing on nothing.

Now to Ephesians 1:6, it says to the praise of his glorious Grace. Which he has freely given us in the one that he loves. Who’s the one he loves Christ.

He’s given us his glorious, Grace. As a matter of fact, Not only did he give us that Grace in Christ. Christ is literally described in Grace. John 1:14. The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the one, and only who came forth from the father full of grace and of Truth.

John 1:14
¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Now folks, if we’re going to abide in Christ Jesus, he abides in me and I in him, he it is, will bear much fruit. Where does fruit come from? The Spirit. What did the Spirit come to give us? Grace and abundant provision of it. Not a little dab’ll do you folks. An abundant provision of it. You can’t out do in the grace of God. And now people take that as well that you’re just giving someone an excuse, we don’t need excuse to sin.

That is not the issue. Grace wasn’t given to us to give us an excuse for anything. Grace wasn’t given to us to keep us from trying to excuse our own actions and say you’re guilty. But in the midst of it, I’ve given you an abundant provision of Grace. So if we’re going to abide in Christ Jesus, we’re going to have to abide and what he is full of and he is full of grace and he is full of Truth.

Now, what does that tell us? What tells us that there is no truth, and there is no Grace apart from Christ. And that’s why in Galatians 5:4, because everywhere that Paul went to preach this abundant provision of Grace, why the judaizers were right in behind him, sticking them back under the log and telling them. No. No, you can’t, that’s not true. You have to, you have to be under the law! And that same heresy is being taught today.

And it is here. That that you’ve combined law and Grace that you’re still under the law. When it says, very clearly that where to stand in the grace of God, that if we were still on our of the law, the law is the power of sin is in the law. It’s what fans deflation demands, the flesh to behave. The flesh cannot behave. So we had to develop all kinds of systems to keep her sins forgiven. While we’re living under the law. Joyfully with faces, looking like we just eaten the skunk. So what we have to understand my friends is the fact that this is a heretical teaching and Paul addresses that I’m not calling people who teach that heretical stuff, I’m saying. It’s a heretical teaching and Paul went in and blasted it away at the Galatians who were who were being taught that and we’re grabbing a hold of that. And he said you foolish idiotic Galatians! That’s about as subtle as a meat cleaver. Who has hypnotized you, who’s deceived you? You been deceived well. God isn’t a deceiver Satan is the deceiver. And he said, are you so foolish after beginning with the spirit? Are you now trying to attain your goal by human efforts? In Galatians 3:3. You started by faith. Used to see the meaning of Christ’s death as clearly as though, I’d painted a picture for you. What’s happened to you?

Galatians 5:4
⁴ You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Well, Galatians 5:4 says that you who are trying to be justified by law. Have been alienated from Christ and you’ve Fallen Away From Grace. Well, folks, how many of you have heard you fallen from grace. And when how is that always taught? We had fallen from Grace because you had standing. And because you’re backslidden. That’s not falling from Grace! Falling from grace, are the condition of the people teaching you that junk!

Falling from Grace, you’ve been alienated from Christ it’s crazy. It’s people trying to be justified by the law instead of standing in the grace of God. If you’re trying to be justified and keep yourself justified by the law, it says you’re foolish. You’re trying to attain your goal by human effort. You can’t obey the law in the flesh. Can’t obey the law. Never could never would and never could. Jesus never thought you could and never said you would.

The law was given to be a mirror to show you your face was dirty, so that you could talk to the one who and be indwelt by the one who did fulfill the law, the one who came for you after giving his life to you. If you could have done it on your own, he could have stayed in heaven. Just told us to try harder. Pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Give it another Gallant effort, the old college try. But you see he’s not talking about that. When you’re going to walk under the law, you’re alienating yourself from Christ who is full of grace and truth and prohibiting you from receiving that provision of grace and the gift of righteousness. Because you’re now determined, I’m going to create my own righteousness and I don’t need Grace. I’ll use Grace’s as some kind of a force to help me to obey the law. He says, you’re foolish. You’re trying to be justified by the law. You’ve been alienated from Christ. You’re falling away from the grace of God. That’s not talking about people out intentionally trying to sin. It is talking about people intentionally trying to live righteously in the energy of their own flesh.

You’re not falling from Grace when you’re out, sinning up a storm. You’re acting like an idiot. I didn’t talk about that. You’ve fallen from the grace of God when you’re out trying to live the Christian Life. I wasn’t living in some kind of blatant sin when I was driving down the freeway with tears streaming down my face. I was trying to do all the right things. I would not commit a bunch of the filthy five, or the dirty dozen sins, trying to do the right things in the energy of Bob George’s flesh, but I alienated myself from Christ. Mad at me. He just didn’t have much room. In my life anymore. I was living the Christian Life. What did I need him for? I wasn’t living under grace I was living under the law, Bob George performance orientation. Instead of living in His life His resurrected life, the one that is full of grace and truth, the one who freely came to give me an abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness. Paul then in Galatians 2:21 said, I do not set aside. The grace of God, for of righteousness could be gained through the law. Then Christ died for nothing. We are Justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that came through. Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Galatians 2:21
²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!

I don’t set aside. The grace of God. Paul said, I’m not going to set that aside. Well, why would he have to say that? Well, because I think there’s people that would say, set aside that Grace would cause people want to go sin. And now, I don’t set it aside if righteousness could be gained through the law, then Christ died for nothing. Now, if man, what’s he saying there? If man could ever have redeemed himself, if man could have ever justified himself. If man could have ever Sanctified himself, set himself apart. If man could have ever glorified himself. If there is one chance in a million million that man could have done any one of those things by himself Christ died for nothing.

Now if that is true, then when man is out trying to do those things by himself, what is he saying in regard to Christ’s death? You died for nothing. Is that true or not? If there was one ounce one way that man could obtain righteousness in an any way of himself through the law. One way of gaining glorification. Sanctification justification any of those words by himself Christ died for nothing. Then when we are trying to do it by ourselves. We are literally, whether openly and even consciously, we are saying you died for nothing. You could have stayed in heaven and saved yourself a ton of problems. Is that true? Or is that not true? And so what we’re dealing with here is the fact that if we’re going to walk by faith, receiving the Abundant Life and the abundance of Grace that has been given to us in Christ Jesus, that requires coming to the end of your self sufficiency.

And coming into a dependent relationship upon the one who did it all. And if he didn’t do it all then he died for nothing and in so saying that, making a mockery of the Cross. And is the book of Hebrews it says, treating as an unholy thing, the blood of the Covenant that set us apart. And that is exactly what much of the Christian world is doing today, whether it is intentional or not, is not the issue but the issue is is by our own teaching, we are teaching people subtly, but insidiously that Christ died for nothing and we wonder why we’re not rejoicing more in the cross. It’s because deep down by our own actions and our own theologies Christ died for nothing. I don’t need Christ. I didn’t need him to die for me so that I could be forgiven. I have a system of getting forgiving on my own. What do I need him for?

I can go to the day of atonement get forgiven. I can go to my confession booth and get forgiven. I can do my 1 John 1:9 and get forgiven. What do I need him for? So Christ died for nothing and we say well, why don’t we rejoice? Why are we not excited about the cross now? Because we don’t need him, he died for nothing. I can get those things myself. I can do it myself. I don’t need Him to give me righteousness. You just watch my smoke. Didn’t you see? I was at the prayer meeting, and I was at church three times on Sunday. And I was this and that, I am own righteousness. Did you see all the nice things I’ve done? Even fed the poor occasionally. Can’t you see my righteousness? What do I need cross for? He died for nothing. How can we be excited about Christ’s life, living in us if I could obtain all of these things in and of myself? And yet the religious world is so deceived and our mind is so, perverted that we are being taught and grand standing that I can do it myself when Christ said you can’t do anything in and of yourself.

A man’s pride and ego says, I don’t buy that. And again, taking it down to its logical conclusion, which Paul is doing here. All were saying, is Christ died for nothing. I don’t set aside the grace of God, for a variety of self sufficiency, for if it could be gained through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

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Now, how will knowing that the righteousness that you have the righteousness of Christ? How is that going to change your life? And the way you live as we said? Yes, the other day that these are not doctrinal issues to be quibbled over there. Not there for doctrinal issues. What does it matter that this is the way I believe. This is what you believe and this is why someone else believe. What does that matter? All that is saying. Well, I believe this and the other person says, well, I believe there’s another person says, I believe this, we would do arm wrestle over.

It is out and have a dual shoot each other over a different differences of opinion and doctrine. It isn’t the issue. So what if you believe differently that is not the issue, the issue is, what does that belief system do to you? Because Christ said truth sets you free. So it’s going to do something to you and error puts you in bondage. It’s going to do something to you believing that it’s a little bit of Grace, a little bit of the law is going to do something to you. It’s going to make you a double minded man to become unstable and always one foot in the law one foot in Grace. We straggle legged down the street and your and you don’t know which side the street. You’re on one side one day and one day you’re on the other and so it’s going to do something to you. When you’re totally under the law not Grace it’s going to do something to you. Take a look at the Pharisees, see what it did to them. See what kind of people it makes you and so standing in the grace of God does something for you. It changes your life. The Law changes being are the Law, changes your life. Unfortunately, not for the better. But it changes your life. Anything we believe, changes our life. Folks., our actions are predicated on our attitudes. Attitude precedes action. I act because I have an attitude toward something. And we have to understand that when we do attitude checks, that if we don’t check her attitude, it under a good to check your actions because your actions are coming from your attitude. And that’s why it says that our attitude should be like that of Christ. Jesus who though. He were. God did not consider equality with God, something to be grasped, but he humbled himself. That was an attitude.

What’s important about the attitude, it changes the way you act? What is the important about important about? What you believe? It’s going to affect you. A person under the law will be more subject to depression and quite frankly. I believe any people in the face of the Earth. Because under the law, you’re doomed to fail. And failure brings about self-condemnation and it’s one of the major ingredients of depression. Now Acts 15:10:

Acts 15:10
¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?

Now then why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples? A yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear and the Jews. Again. The religious were going in to the people who were Gentiles and trying to put them under the law, trying to get them under their Jewish law. Do we see that going on today? All I tell you is the legalists. They just absolutely die a thousand deaths to someone that’s free. They just look at them as just like cinches livers just terrible. People free in Christ enjoying themselves and praise God. And everything is terrible. People, you’re supposed to be straightly sober and sad. You’re supposed to dress in black, you’re supposed to do this. You’re supposed to do that. You’re supposed to do this and supposed to do that and they’re miserable people. And man, you just can’t stand someone that’s happy when you’re miserable. If you ever notice that better real bad mood. Bin around, someone’s happy, just irritate you to death. You know, how could they, how could they be happy like that when I’m feeling so bad? So that’s what they were trying to do. Was to put that yoke what’s called a yoke of slavery upon us. Again. You’re under the law. You’re going to be a slave, a slave to the very law demanding, the flesh to behave and to do what the flesh cannot do. And so it affects you.

Now, another common criticism concerning the grace of God is that it causes people to be lazy at that. They’ll no longer carry out the work of the ministry. Now, how does Paul statement then concerning the grace of God, compared to that criticism. It’s amazing that in Colossians 16. He was talking about that since the grace of God came to you all over the world. This gospel is bearing fruit, and growing just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it. And catch this folks understood God’s grace in all of its truth.

Think about it for just a moment. Have you understood God’s grace and all of its truth. And I know that many of you listening have have seen a beginning step in that. Many of you are listening, have known that for years. But there’s a difference between knowing God’s grace and knowing God’s grace in all of its truth. I knew God’s grace. Believe me for the first seven or eight years of my Christian experience. I knew God’s grace is related to the way in which I was saved.

I knew God’s grace in regard to the fact that I thought He loved me, but I wasn’t sure He accepted me, but there was some Grace that I certainly understood. What I did not understand was God’s grace and all of its truth and quite frankly, I don’t even understand God’s grace and all of its truth right now. It keeps deepening and deepening and deepening and deepening and deeply. I can remember the days of driving down the freeway. And I stated in my book, Classic Christianity, with tears, streaming, down my face before I ever came to and my prayer was Lord, take me back to the days when I first knew you, because when I first came to Christ, all I knew was about his love. That’s what you respond to. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten, son, that whosoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life didn’t known much about Jesus. Even though I didn’t know much about anything. You just heard He loved you. He died for you and you accepted him. But I didn’t know Grace and all of its truth. And it wasn’t until that season of self effort sincere as a heart attack, trying to be God’s guy, trying to do God’s work. Trying to spread the gospel all over the world, trying to change the world, trying to fulfill the Great Commission. All of those things trying to do in the energy of own flesh, that I realize that I didn’t know God’s grace at all, that I had created my own laws myself and was miserable in the process. And so when you understand God’s grace and all of its truth, you don’t sit idly by and lay on the couch and eat bonbons and watch television. That’s not what your lifestyle is going to be. If Christ is alive living in you the one who is full of grace truth and love and compassion, He didn’t give you love and compassion to sit around the house and stare at the walls.

He gives you love and compassion to exert that love and compassion on other people. And so as you walk on this Earth, you’re going to be extending what Christ has given to you and that’s the grace of God. Anyone sitting around thinking that the grace of God causes you to be lazy, it’s because they’ve never encountered the grace of God. Because the grace of God is what teaches us to say no to unrighteousness, is what teaches us to live. This life in Christ, in Titus 2 verse 11 through 14. We have a remarkable passage of scripture that says for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. How many men all of it? The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

So the grace of God has appeared to all men. That’s Christ. Jesus has appeared to all men. The one who is full of grace and truth has appeared to all men. Extending to us. His unconditional love and grace. Now. The grace of God Christ, Jesus, and his love, and his grace, his provision that abundant provision of Grace. Is what teaches us? It says to say no to ungodliness and worldly, passions and to live, self-controlled upright and godly lives in this present age. While we wait for the Blessed hope. There’s that faith, hope and love that blessed. Hope the Glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Titus 2:11-14
¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Who gave himself for us to redeem us to bring us back from all wickedness and to purify for himself, a people that are his very own eager to do what is good. Now folks, you’ll notice that it says it is the grace of God, that teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions. Isn’t it strange that most of the time we have been taught in our lives? It’s the law of God, that teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions. You’ve ever had worldly passions? You know, most of the calls that we would receive on the air are calls of disturbance over worldly, passions and worldly passions, can be gross or it can be somewhat noble. You can have a worldly passion to be God’s guy in the error of your own flesh. You can have worldly passions to get ahead. And you say well, that’s noble, that’s ambition. There’s all kinds of worldly passions, their sexual worldly passions. There’s copping out on alcohol drugs infidelity. There’s all kinds of worldly passions that the world’s solution to that is beat him to death. Glue them on guilt trips, get them under the law. Tell them God’s going to zap them. Try to scare the daylights out of them. Try to use fear as a as a deterrent and all that stuff makes sense. Doesn’t it from a flesh standpoint?

But God says no, it’s the grace of God that will teach you to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions. It’s the grace of God that says, I love you whether you smoke or you don’t smoke. My love for, you isn’t predicated, for what you stick in your body. It’s predicated on what I did to your spirit. Now, as a child of God, I’m certainly going to be in the process of renewing your mind. Whether it is that or stuffing yourself or whatever, it might be to teach you that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit of God. And that’s where the Holy Spirit dwells. And to get us to see the benefit of taking care of this Temple.

But he’s not going to do it under the law that if you don’t do that, I’m going to zap you. He’s going to do it under the grace of God, that’s going to teach you, teach you to say no to those worldly passions and to ungodliness. The grace of God given to a person who is trapped in a sexual sin or something isn’t going to use the law of God that God’s going to zap you. Because God’s already zapped his Son for that sin. What he’s going to do is to try to lead you into a relationship with his Son, and once he has done that to, now teach you to say, no to those passions.

The grace of God, is teaching us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, if there were not ungodliness and worldly, passions available to Christians why would you need to say no to passions. A lot of times people think of you come to Christ, you just don’t have any more of those. Well, I got news for you. Yes, you do, but it’s the grace of God that it’s going to teach you to say no to it. That’s why I’ve been talking to you folks that what you believe is going to affect how you behave and how you think.

And if you don’t understand the grace of God, you’re never going to be in a situation of saying no to those things because if you’re not under grace, you’re under law and the law keeps demanding your place to behave and it can, and that’s where discouragement comes in. And you’ll never be free from those things. Now on the other hand standing in Grace, the self-control is a few days. The fruit of the Spirit. You will be experiencing self control produced by the Spirit of God who alone can produce self-control, (not self-motivated self-control) self-control that stems from Christ himself living upright, Godly lives and is present in this generation with that blessed. Hope.

These trials and tribulations that we go through here on Earth are temporary. And one of these days I’m going to be in the, in the appearance of our great, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 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 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 read the good word of Jesus Christ. Until next time, walk in faith. Be good to one another. Amen.