Radio Broadcast Wednesday 05/25/2022

Classic Christianity – A Closer Look at Your Identity in Christ P33 (05-25-22)

Perfect Love Drives Out All Fear

Listen in as Bob shares the truth from the word of God. Before a person can go on to deeper spiritual truths, a person needs to understand that God has made us perfect in His sight for anyone in Christ Jesus. We need to rest in that truth and be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

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.

We’re going to be picking up on page 29 of our workbook. But before we do, I’m going to take just a moment to review. What we have been through for the past four weeks on page 29. We had stopped at Hebrews 10: 17 and 18, which states then He adds their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more and where these have been forgiven there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. Now, folks what we did was to take a detour from that passage into the book of Hebrews, with a study of the New Covenant, because this is what Hebrews 10:17 and 18, is it tells the result of this new agreement between God and man, whereby, He said their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. And we’re these have been forgiven. By whom? Jesus by the shedding of His blood there is no longer any sacrifice for sins.

So in the old Covenant, sin was forgiven through the shedding of the blood of bulls and goats. In other words, without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. And we have to understand that folks, that sin has to be punished and paid for, and in the old Covenant, that that was done by the sacrifice of animals.

But it says, the law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming, not the realities themselves. And for this reason, it can never by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year make perfect, those who draw near to worship. Now last week, we talked about, that’s the problem with ongoing forgiveness. And this is in Hebrews 10:1 through 4, if those sacrifices could have enabled people to be made perfect into the sight of God, then it says they would have been stopped being offered. For the worshippers would have been cleansed for all and the worshippers would have been made perfect. For if they are complete then there’s no need for more sacrifices, but the shedding of the blood of bulls and goats could not make a man compete. It could not make a man perfect in the sight of God. But it says, those sacrifices, all they are is an annual reminder of sins because it’s impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. It’s also impossible for man to forgive sins. It doesn’t make a difference who you are. A priest could not forgive sins in the Old Testament, a priest cannot forgive sins in the New Testament. A priest merely served as the officiator of the animal whose shed blood was what forgave sins without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. The priest didn’t forgive the sins. It merely stated that they were forgiven through the price of the blood of a bull and goat. Now it says, if perfection, then could have been gained through the levitical priesthood, for on the basis of it the law was given to the people, then why was there still a need for another priest to come? For where there is a change of the priesthood there must also be a change of the law.

Now Bob and to our listeners, the reason that we are going through in the detail of this chapter as to the fact that you’re totally forgiving is because there is no way to live and experience the newness of life that God has promised to us when you are constantly dealing with ongoing forgiveness. You may think that you’ve entered into a new relationship, but you have not. And that kind of perfection cannot be obtained or attained through the levitical priesthood, that has to be done through Christ Jesus, who is a new priest over the old levitical priesthood and therefore a change of the law. In other words, a change of the Covenant.

So Hebrews 10:9 says he set aside the first Covenant to establish the second Covenant. And by this will or this Covenant. What was the problem with the ongoing forgiveness? A worshiper could never be made perfect. Now with this Covenant, we have been made holy, set apart through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus. Now once and for all. Not the body of a bull and goat, but the body of God Himself, that we have now been made holy through the sacrifice of Jesus. Once that’s it folks, once. And when did that occur? At the time, you entered into His life one time and for all to all who enter into his resurrected life, the very moment you are born again, you have been made holy by God. You couldn’t make yourself holy. Jesus said, before the cross, be holy people. Say how holy? As holy as your Father in Heaven. Say brother. I’ve had it! Said, I know you have if you’re trying it on your own, of course, you have. So I’ve got to make you that way and guess what He did through the sacrifice of His body. Now it says that in comparison day after day, every priest stands and performs his religious duties again, and again, he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sin. Now, folks, those sacrifices covered sin, that was called atonement. It could never take them away. Now why is it important to be taken away? So that, as it goes ahead to say, He made perfect forever those who are the holy ones, because by one sacrifice, His sacrifice, He made perfect forever those who are the holy ones. In other words, He made you holy and now He made you perfect. What was the problem with the old system? It could never make perfect those who draw near to worship.

So folks, we have to understand that if we’re going to walk in the New Covenant and experience the benefit of the New Covenant, we are going to have to put forgiveness behind us. Now, what I mean by that is praising God for it, but realizing you have it, it is not something that you get, it is not something you go to an altar to get, it is not something you go to a confession booth to get, it is not something you go to the day of atonement to get, it is over. It is finished if you are in Christ. Now, if you’re just a Baptist or a Catholic or a Methodist, and that’s all you are, I’m sorry, not only have you not experienced forgiveness. You’re as dead as a hammer inside because you don’t get saved by joining a Baptist Church or by joining a Catholic church or by being born in a Catholic church or being born in a Baptist church or a Methodist or any other type of the church.

There is no salvation in a church, you are saved when as an act of your own will. As a result of being taught by the Holy Spirit that Jesus came and died for you. Gave His life for you was raised from the dead for you and you accept that by faith. You’re born again. It has nothing to do with a membership. I want to get back to re-emphasize again, if being born again has nothing to do with church membership, you, no one is born a Christian. It doesn’t make any difference whether you got 10,000 ancestors, who are Christians. You individually are going to have to come to Christ by yourself. God has no grandchildren, only children and that is at a time in your life. I don’t care what your education or your Christian education has been or what people have told you, you’re going to be born again at a time in your life. And the Spirit of God reveals His Son to you and you accept that by faith you received by faith. All that means is, I believe it. I not only believe that Christ died and took away all of my sins at the cross, 2000 years ago, but I believe that He is now offering me His resurrected life. I also believe that I am dead, spiritually. And if I’m dead, I need life. That’s why I’m empty inside. And I accept you, Lord Jesus into my heart as my life, my Savior, my Lord, my God. I thank you for your forgiveness and I accept your life to come in and take over, control of my life.

Now. When a person does that, he’s born again of the Spirit and he receives at that moment, a life called eternal life. It could not be given unless sin that caused death to begin with, was dealt with once and for all. Period. And this is all part of the New Covenant that we are in today. There’s an old one and a New Covenant that we are in. Where are you going to walk? Where are you going to live? Are you going to live with your father or are you going to go over to an orphanage somewhere? Now if you’re going to, if you’ve been born again of the Spirit of God and are a child of the living God then why not live as His son who you are, a child of God? And if I’m going to lose a child of God, I’m going to have to live as a child of God under grace not under the law. When you’re under the law you’re under a curse and the curse of the law. Why? The wages of sin is death, That’s the Law. That’s what we’ve been freed from.

Now we studied that type of thing. In those early passages translated from darkness to light. What does that mean from the law to the grace of God? From an old life to a new life. Now, folks you cannot walk by faith under the law. Abraham was not saved by the law, didn’t have it. He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. So faith in Christ Jesus, in the coming Messiah was the way Old Testament saints were saved. God told them something and they believed it.

Now under the law you can’t walk by faith in anything except in Jesus who’s going to do something. Now, once you’ve exercised that faith, then there’s only one place to walk and that’s in the grace of God. But folks, what we do is we get back into this Galatianism, get partially under the law and partially under grace. You can’t experience the joy that God gave you in that walk. It’s an impossibility. Now, you’re never going to be able to walk in the fullness of God’s grace, if you are still dealing with sin. Now what I mean by that is this, if you are trying to keep yourself forgiven by what you do, not recognizing that Jesus has taken away your sin, then you are living no different at all than an Old Testament saint, who was going back to the day of atonement over and over and over, and over again. None at all. The only difference is, you just got a different form of a sacrifice instead of the shedding of blood, you’ve created your own. There is no place in the Bible that says without going to a confession booth there’s no forgiveness of sin. Where are you going to find that in the Bible? Without the 1st John 1:9 there is no forgiveness of sin. Where are you going to find that? You think I got 1st John 1:9 in the Bible, but didn’t talk about that at all. It’s talking about agreeing with God. As you got a sin nature. You can’t ask God for new life if you don’t think your old one’s a mess. What would you want it for? And so, there’s nothing in the Bible that talks about any of those things. It says, without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. So if there was any further forgiveness to be executed on your behalf by God, Christ would have to come and die again, and that’s what it’s saying in this book of Hebrews folks. I don’t know how we’re gonna make it any plainer, and then it goes ahead to tell us in Hebrews 7 that because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. He’s our priest, not a man down here on earth.

Therefore He’s able to do what? Save completely those who come to God through Him. Why? Well because it says He always lives to intercede for us.

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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.

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.