Forward!

Christ in you, the Hope of Glory

Jesus - God in flesh - the personification of God's unconditional Love and unlimited Grace.

The mystery has been revealed. No need to seek after what you already have!

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The character, Polonius, in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” uttered one of the most famous and parroted quotes, “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” This has become a rallying cry for both self-honesty and self-recognition. The merits of this quote have been debated for centuries but, suffice it to say, there is some truth to this.

I’m going to tell you upfront, this is a Good News Message. This is a feel-good message. This is unicorns and rainbows, sugarplums and gingerbread houses. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I pray you leave feeling better about yourself than you ever did!

2 Corinthians 5:17 - (AMP) Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

The first, and perhaps, the best news first: In Christ you are something that never existed before. You are unique and special. There is none like you. You are created in the image and likeness of God and there is none like him. You are more unique than a snowflake and more precious than rare metals and jewels.

Psalms 139:14-16 (AMPC) 14 I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery]. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.

You are fearfully (reverently) and wonderfully (extravagantly) made. You are created from the foundation of time to be great and to do great works!

You are uniquely authentic. You are created with the very DNA of God and signed with the fingerprint of God. You are unique in all creation and authentic in your being!

Here’s the challenging part — being authentic. You can only truly do what you know yourself to be. One of the reasons why people struggle in life the way they do is because they are doing things inconsistent with their being. It’s like trying to be a banker when you were purposed to be a baker — you’re dealing in the wrong kind of dough! In order to fully walk in your uniqueness, you must be authentically you.

Jesus had a strong word for people who behaved inconsistently with their speech — hypocrites! The hypocrites were Pharisees and teachers of the law who preached one thing but their actions didn’t line up with their words. This is what law and religion produces: it is impossible to uphold the law in its entirety, so it’s adherents frequently have to fake it to keep up their religious appearances. In other words, law and religion cannot produce disciples — they can only produce hypocrites.

But Love and Grace free you to be authentic. Grace acknowledges that you’re flawed in flesh but perfected in spirit. And Love reveals it’s unending capacity for empathy and compassion toward you. You are not a robot created for empty hollow worship, you are a child conceived in love to reflect the love of God in your being and to manifest this love to others. When you embrace this, authenticity flows from you and any vestige of hypocrisy is displaced from you!

Now here’s the second part of the Good News, here — when you gain understanding of your true being, your doing will reflect the transformation. Legalism says Grace is a license to sin but it’s really a revelation of your holy and righteous nature or being. Once you realize this, you will recognize the goodness within you and you will reflect this goodness outwardly. In other words,

In 1775, Patrick Henry penned and spoke his famous line, “Give me Liberty or give me death.” This has become one of the rallying cries of our Republic and a call to freedom.

Recently, like many others, I went to watch the movie “Black Panther.” It’s an awesome movie and I’m not going to give any spoilers. However, there is one scene where the antagonist, “Killmonger,” played by Michael B. Jordan says, “Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from the ships. Because they knew death was better than bondage.”

I want to focus on one of my favorite passages of Scripture — along with these two quotes.

(2 Corinthians 3:17) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom].

A brief anecdote — when I began to heed my call into ministry, this was one of the verses that I memorized and took to heart. Not long after, I learned that it is inscribed on Detroit’s City-County building — behind the statue of the Spirit of Detroit. Little did I know that this verse would also change my life.

Now, I’m going to start with something controversial — the only good slave is a dead slave. Because a man that doesn’t recognize his God-given freedom is no better than dead. And a slave, while alive, is only good for making more slaves and keeping the institution alive.

The awesome thing about this seemingly offensive statement I just made is that, in Christ, you died. That’s right, the old you — the slave you — is dead and gone. And if you’re not in Christ, I’m going to tell you to drop dead, too — so you can be resurrected in freedom!

There are two types of people who are opposed to freedom — masters and slaves. Slaves are opposed to freedom because they don’t know what it means to be free. And they are not just held by chains but they are held by fear. They are afraid of what will happen to them if they try to attain freedom and they are fearful of the responsibilities of freedom.

Sound familiar? It should. Because that’s what religion strives to do to you.

Masters are opposed to freedom for several reasons. One is that they have a material interest in either keeping slaves. These are the people who profit from making merchandise out of people or benefit from free labor. When Jesus drove the moneychangers from the temple, He wasn’t cleansing out the “sinners;” He was rebuking the merchants who held the people in financial bondage.

Two, they uphold the institution. Those who uphold the institution are reminded that they are not like the slaves by the masters — and given the hope that perhaps, one day, they can have slaves of their own.

The last group is the worst. They either trade in slaves or uphold the institution because they simply enjoy tormenting others. This group deny others pleasure and, ostensibly, take the moral high-ground, hiding behind religion.

Frederick Douglass once said that “Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.” This is why the teaching of God’s unconditional Love and unlimited Grace offends legalism and religion. Because it reveals God’s creative intent — to have children as free and creative and as loving as Himself.

This is why our core Scripture and the quotes by Patrick Henry and the Killmonger character so resonate with me — because I understand, now, that I’m created to be free. I’m not merely set free — because that would subject me to conditions of freedom — I’m MADE free! My freedom is not derived from any conditions, I was BORN free!

See, I have many friends who are immigrants. All of them are here with the hope of a better life. Some of them have become citizens. But their presence in this country are subject to conditions and, if the prevailing conditions change, they can be removed from this country. Me, on the other hand,

I have a confession to make — I haven’t always been the most loving person. Over the course of the last year, I have introduced you to “Throat-Punch Derrick,” the guy I used to be before Jesus rescued me. Throat-Punch Derrick was more concerned with incapacitation than reconciliation and more concerned with destruction than discipleship. I even had a t-shirt that said, “Kill ‘em all, let God sort ‘em out.”

I used to use the F-bomb a lot. You know, like “F-‘em” to people I didn’t like of people who, in my mind, did me wrong. But today I want to say F-‘em to a whole new group of people. I want to say F-you and I want you to go F some folks.

Let’s see how Jesus did it:

Luke 23:34 (ESV) 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

Some of y’all were on the edge of your seat, thinking I was gonna cuss!

Forgive!

In some Christian circles, Forgiveness has become just as volatile as the F-bomb. “How can we forgive those who persecute Christians?” “How can we forgive atheists?” “How can we forgive witches and pagans?” “How can we forgive radical Muslims?” “How can we forgive racists?”

How can we forgive?

I’m not going to lie and say this is easy but this is the straight gate and the narrow way Jesus spoke of. Broad is the way of destruction — in other words, the easy way is to hate who you dislike and to deny forgiveness to those who offend you.

But Jesus in, Luke 6:27-28, said to love your enemies. To bless them that curse you. To pray for them who oppress you.

Y’all this is hard. But this is love. Can you imagine that while Jesus was hanging on the cross that the thought didn’t cross his mind to condemn those who mocked, beat, and crucified Him?

But he said, “Father, Forgive them…” Listen up, you cannot forgive without love. I humbly submit to you that it is impossible to forgive without the presence of love. If you say you forgive without manifesting love, you’re just paying lip-service — going through the motions without any devotion!

Now, one thing I want to liberate you from is some Old Covenant baggage — Jesus said that if you don’t forgive, God would not forgive you (Matthew 6:14-15). He said this in His “Sermon on the Mount.” Now there was a point to the Sermon on the Mount that many people miss — that Jesus was preaching the law on steroids. In other words, He was showing the impossibility of upholding the law. Jesus was showing the desperate need for Grace. The Sermon on the Mount is not a guideline for living, it is a demonstration that there is no liberty in the law.

Think about it, no one is plucking out their eyes of cutting off their hands, right?

But watch this, Jesus demonstrated forgiveness to many. The woman at the well. The woman caught in adultery. Zachaeus. Peter. Jesus even allowed Judas to break bread with Him KNOWING what he was about to do. Jesus was all about forgiveness.

He who has been forgiven much should forgive much. But we forget that when we feel offended. And, now, forgiveness has become as bad as a cuss word.

“You wouldn’t forgive them, either, if you knew what they did to me…” This is often the rallying cry in the Body of Christ. Instead of trying to figure out how to forgive we strive to justify our feelings for holding grudges. But we are to be known by our love toward others as we love ourselves. That means letting go!

Forgiveness is evidence of our love!

Paul taught extensively on forgiveness. He taught that we have been forgiven by God and that we, too, must forgive. James and John also taught that God has forgiven us and that we, too, must forgive.

Forgiveness is a product of love. In fact, you will never be more Christlike than when you ...

Longsuffering is patience with power, not enduring God-induced or God-sanctioned torment.

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Today, I want to talk about a fundamental – or basic principle – of discipleship. You may have heard in the past of the Faith ABCs: Accept, Believe, Confess. But I’d like to talk about a different faith ABC. A Better Covenant.

A lot of what we were taught in our early Christian walk was taught to us in error. Many of us – at least I know this from my walk – were introduced to Salvation by Grace through faith but, then, we were discipled in the law. I’ve talked before about how I – and this is a common experience with other believers – got saved and was then given a Bible with a Ten Commandments bookmark. In other words, now that you are saved by Grace, it’s time to get discipled by the law. The problem with that is it creates what I call a schizophrenic Saint – one minute in the Grace of God; the next, in the law.

As the old saying goes, you can’t have it both ways. James said “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” And, if you’re double-minded, the Scripture goes on to say, “the double-minded man can expect to receive nothing from God.”

Before we get started, it’s important to understand what a Covenant is. Unlike a contract, where two parties agree to some terms, a Covenant is a contract or binding agreement whereby the greater party promises something to a lesser. Like God obligating Himself to do something for us.

This is what Scripture has to say about the better Covenant:

But as it now is, He [Christ] has acquired a [priestly] ministry which is as much superior and more excellent [than the old] as the covenant (the agreement) of which He is the Mediator (the Arbiter, Agent) is superior and more excellent, [because] it is enacted and rests upon more important (sublimer, higher, and nobler) promises. For if that first covenant had been without defect, there would have been no room for another one or an attempt to institute another one. (Hebrews 8:6-7 AMP)

Here’s one thing we need to understand, though, that there were actually THREE Covenants, not two.

First Covenant

The first Covenant was Promise

The Covenant of Promise began with Noah after the flood, which was first written in the sky (Genesis 9:9-12) and consummated with Abram (Abraham) when it was written in blood (Genesis 15:8-11). The Covenant of Promise remained in effect until the Hebrews came up out of Egypt. Why did it change? Because the Israelites forgot and forsook the first covenant

Second Covenant

God wanted to speak to His people. He wanted to have the same relationship with them He had in the Garden! Check out what He told Moses:

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people:for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 19:5-6)

The people told Moses, “All that the Lord commands, we will do.” But that was not what was in their hearts.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day:for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. (Exodus 19:10-11) 

And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking:and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. (Exodus 20:18-19) 

The Israelites handled the external preparation but not the internal. God was prepared to meet with them and speak with them directly but the Israelites hearts were hardened.

I have never been cool with others defining my identity. From childhood, I’ve always sought to be the one who would define me — for better or worse

Growing up, I had a wonderful Mother who believed in me and made many sacrifices for me to do the things I wanted. I had an Uncle Bob who didn’t always understand my logic but always had my back. I had siblings who thought the world of me. I also had some teachers who believed I’d help to reshape the world.

But I had detractors — some of them close family — who said I’d never amount to anything. I had people around me who literally cursed me and hoped for my failure. What I learned from this is that my desire to define myself was part of my coping mechanism — it kept me from sinking into defeat and despair.

Then I found Jesus — actually, He found me because I was the one who was lost! Unfortunately, my encounter with Jesus was through the mechanism of religion. Religion told me that Jesus loved me — but that I was a dirty, rotten, lowdown, wretch of a sinner and that I would never be more than that in this lifetime.

But, Oh, How He Loves Me!

I got suckered. For the first time, I allowed someone else to define my identity. Did my coping skills fail me? Well, at least I’m letting my creator define me, right? After all, this is God, right? If He says it, He must be right; who am I to argue?

Except that’s never what He said! God definitely wants us to humble ourselves but true humility is not what religion has taught us!

James 4:6-7 (ESV) 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

So I got on the treadmill of religion. I was running my race and going nowhere fast. I became self-deprecating, self-abasing, and self-loathing. I was convinced my flesh was evil and I began to despise it. I became a devoted rapture-watcher and prophecy-hound — longing for the day that I would be separated from this wretched flesh. When I saw the core text for the first time, I believed I had to crucify myself daily to be worthy of this Grace. That in order to be submitted to God, I had to assume a servant’s posture — I had to humble myself or I’d be humbled by God.

Then I learned that Grace was UNMERITED favor! I couldn’t afford to buy it. I couldn’t work for it. And, in my own strength, I didn’t deserve it! Understanding UNMERITED changed everything! I learned that it was not my works or my behavior that warranted this Grace — it was the Gift OF God. It was God giving Himself to us in the person of Jesus.

Then I learned that because God gave us Jesus as a dwelling place (John 15:4-7), that His Spirit abides in us (1 Corinthians 3:16, Romans 8:11), that in Him there is no sin (1 John 3:5). That in Him, I’m righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21) and holy (Hebrews 10:10-14). That I am now — in this world and in this time — exactly like Jesus is (1 John 4:17).

Then it hit me — true humility is agreeing with what God says about me! At this point the chains fell off! I was completely free from what people said about me. I was completely free from what religion said about me. And I was completely free from what I thought about myself.

Now, here’s the thing — the world doesn’t like freedom. The devil doesn’t like freedom. And your flesh has been taught not to like freedom. But you were created to be free! You were created in the image of God to LOOK like Him and the likeness of God to ACT like Him. Now ask yourself, “How many restrictions or restraints does God have?”

David was called a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Abraham was called a friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7). Moses called himself humble (Numbers 12:3). Jesus called Himself equal to God (John 10:30).

I have never been cool with others defining my identity. From childhood, I’ve always sought to be the one who would define me — for better or worse

Growing up, I had a wonderful Mother who believed in me and made many sacrifices for me to do the things I wanted. I had an Uncle Bob who didn’t always understand my logic but always had my back. I had siblings who thought the world of me. I also had some teachers who believed I’d help to reshape the world.

But I had detractors — some of them close family — who said I’d never amount to anything. I had people around me who literally cursed me and hoped for my failure. What I learned from this is that my desire to define myself was part of my coping mechanism — it kept me from sinking into defeat and despair.

Then I found Jesus — actually, He found me because I was the one who was lost! Unfortunately, my encounter with Jesus was through the mechanism of religion. Religion told me that Jesus loved me — but that I was a dirty, rotten, lowdown, wretch of a sinner and that I would never be more than that in this lifetime.

But, Oh, How He Loves Me!

I got suckered. For the first time, I allowed someone else to define my identity. Did my coping skills fail me? Well, at least I’m letting my creator define me, right? After all, this is God, right? If He says it, He must be right; who am I to argue?

Except that’s never what He said! God definitely wants us to humble ourselves but true humility is not what religion has taught us!

James 4:6-7 (ESV) 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

So I got on the treadmill of religion. I was running my race and going nowhere fast. I became self-deprecating, self-abasing, and self-loathing. I was convinced my flesh was evil and I began to despise it. I became a devoted rapture-watcher and prophecy-hound — longing for the day that I would be separated from this wretched flesh. When I saw the core text for the first time, I believed I had to crucify myself daily to be worthy of this Grace. That in order to be submitted to God, I had to assume a servant’s posture — I had to humble myself or I’d be humbled by God.

Then I learned that Grace was UNMERITED favor! I couldn’t afford to buy it. I couldn’t work for it. And, in my own strength, I didn’t deserve it! Understanding UNMERITED changed everything! I learned that it was not my works or my behavior that warranted this Grace — it was the Gift OF God. It was God giving Himself to us in the person of Jesus.

Then I learned that because God gave us Jesus as a dwelling place (John 15:4-7), that His Spirit abides in us (1 Corinthians 3:16, Romans 8:11), that in Him there is no sin (1 John 3:5). That in Him, I’m righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21) and holy (Hebrews 10:10-14). That I am now — in this world and in this time — exactly like Jesus is (1 John 4:17).

Then it hit me — true humility is agreeing with what God says about me! At this point the chains fell off! I was completely free from what people said about me. I was completely free from what religion said about me. And I was completely free from what I thought about myself.

Now, here’s the thing — the world doesn’t like freedom. The devil doesn’t like freedom. And your flesh has been taught not to like freedom. But you were created to be free! You were created in the image of God to LOOK like Him and the likeness of God to ACT like Him. Now ask yourself, “How many restrictions or restraints does God have?”

David was called a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Abraham was called a friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7). Moses called himself humble (Numbers 12:3). Jesus called Himself equal to God (John 10:30).

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Discipleship cannot be effective if it isn't made practical.

[vsw id="_Ss5ClfIvAg" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"]

Discipleship cannot be effective if it isn't made practical.