Glen Hartline

 Rom 8:1-4

8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

            The other night while praying before going to church the Lord gave me this verse.  Now normally when He gives me this verse He wants to teach on healing and or heal people.  This verse has a special meaning to me because it was the verse He used when He talked to me about divine health.  This time however, something was different about the way He was emphasizing it to me.  He was emphasizing the part about there not being condemnation and not the part about the Spirit of Life.  I enquired as to why He was changing the emphasis, and what He was trying to tell me but no answer, that is until I got to church.  During worship I could sense His presence in a strong way and knew that He was drawing us (or inviting) us into intimacy in our relationship with Him.  He wanted to reveal Himself to us in ways we have not experienced Him before.  Now when He does this it doesn’t mean everyone will have the same experience with Him, but that He will interact with each person differently in a way that person can both understand and handle His presence.  I immediately knew now what the Lord was telling me before the service.  He wanted to draw us into a more intimate relationship but there were things holding us back, mainly condemnation.  He then spoke this word to me.

            I have captured their hearts.  But many, like a captured wild animal, continue to buck and struggle.  They struggle and try to do things in their own ways because they trust in their own abilities more than they trust in mine.  Cease from your own works and struggles.  Allow me to do my works both in you and through you.  Enter into my rest; see that I have provided all things for you and that all my promises are yes and amen.

            I could see that many were struggling because of things they had done in the past or because of circumstances in their life.  He then brought Hebrews 9 into remembrance. 

Heb 9:11-12

11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Jesus entered into the holy place one time and sprinkled His blood on the alter to meet the legal requirement for the remission of sins.  His offering was done one time for all sins.  Understand that every sin that was ever committed or ever will be committed has been forgiven.  All we have to do is receive that payment and confess that Jesus is your Lord.  That is the only “works” we do.  If we try to add anything to it then it’s not grace but works.  The truth is we don’t go to hell because of sin; we go to hell if we don’t accept Jesus’ sacrifice as the payment for our sin.  Every sin has been paid for in God’s eyes.  The problem is when we refuse to appropriate Jesus’ payment and by doing that we are insisting on paying for our sins ourselves.  We are unable to make that payment and so the wage of our sin is death, both physically and spiritually.  Most of you realize this and have received Jesus’ free gift, but continue to feel unworthy or “condemned” because of the struggles in your life.  You just don’t seem to be able to live up to the image you have created in your mind of what God requires you to be like before He will allow you to know Him intimately.  The truth is that you have very little to do with it because when our Father looks at a Christian He sees Jesus.  He’s not looking at your righteousness, but Jesus’.  He doesn’t see your holiness but Jesus’.  All you have to do is seek Him.  (Now I’m not making lite of sin.  Even if our Father doesn’t see your sin, it does open up a doorway for satan to destroy your life and limit the blessings of God in your life.  It’s not that God doesn’t love you or want to bless you, it’s just that you are giving satan the right to steal, kill, and destroy that things God has for you.) 

            The last part of the word was that He wanted us to enter into His rest or His Sabbath.  He also led me to Genesis 1:26 – 31.

26 Then God said,”Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them,”Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

When you look at creation you see that God made man at the end of the sixth day.  Everything else had been made and was ready for them.  There was nothing they had to do to receive what God had provided for them.  God didn’t make the trees seeds and require them to plant and wait for harvest.  They didn’t have to wait for the animals to be made or land to form.  God made them and sat them in the garden after He had finished providing everything they would need.  All they needed was a short introduction of what was available and what to do.  They immediately stepped into the Sabbath day and entered into His rest knowing that everything had been provided for.  In the same way our Father is telling you to trust Him.  Rest in the assurance that even before you were born He provided for you everything you will need.  Just trust Him and don’t give satan a doorway into your life to rob you of what God desires you to have.  Don’t allow those issues in your life that bring condemnation to keep you separated from your Father.  Separating yourself from Him is the last place you need to be and the last place He wants you to be.  Run into His arms, because in His presence even those doorways can be closed.