{"id":848,"date":"2009-12-09T22:21:41","date_gmt":"2009-12-10T04:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buddymartin.net\/blog\/?p=848"},"modified":"2020-01-10T17:20:47","modified_gmt":"2020-01-10T17:20:47","slug":"do-you-have-lamb-assurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buddymartin.org\/blog\/2009\/12\/09\/do-you-have-lamb-assurance\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you have Lamb assurance…"},"content":{"rendered":"
\t\t\t\tJournal Readers,<\/p>\n
Are you fully assured of your salvation in Christ? Listen to David describe the person who lives in the security of the Lord: <\/p>\n
\u201cHOW BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE STRENGTH IS IN YOU, IN WHOSE HEART ARE THE HIGHWAYS TO ZION! PASSING THROUGH THE VALLEY OF BACA THEY MAKE IT A SPRING; THE EARLY RAIN ALSO COVERS IT WITH BLESSINGS. THEY GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, EVERY ONE OF THEM APPEARS BEFORE GOD IN ZION.\u201d (PSAL84:5-7 NASB)<\/div>\n
Paul said he was confident that the good work which GOD began in each believer, GOD Himself would perfect until the day of JESUS CHRIST. (Phi1:6) This tells us that the work of salvation is GOD\u2019S work and not our work. It also tells us that the total of our walk in life will remain under the Lordship of JESUS CHRIST. This is what the apostolic writer meant when he said that JESUS CHRIST is author and the finisher (completer\/perfecter) of our faith.<\/div>\n
This does not mean that we have no choices in life. It means that understanding GOD\u2019S ultimate purposes in our life is all-important to a life of faith. He can turn our down turns into victories. Paul said, \u201cBut thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.\u201d 2Co2:14<\/div>\n
Most frustrations that believers face in life are due to not keying in on GOD\u2019S life purposes. Our last session was about \u2018Biblical Salvation.\u2019 Now let\u2019s talk about affirming our life in JESUS.<\/div>\n
I – Our Ancient Spiritual Heritage<\/div>\n
1. <\/span>The place to begin is to realize our uniqueness in the earth. GOD\u2019S people have always shared an apartness in the world. This apartness is our heritage. Knowing we are the people of GOD is a major key to affirming our life in Christ. Cf. 1Pe2:6-11.<\/div>\n
2. <\/span>This heritage reaches back to the original promise that the seed of the woman would ultimately crush Satan\u2019s authority. We see the heritage expressed in the Abrahamic promises that would be fulfilled in JESUS. Cf. Gen12:3; 22:16-18; Gal3:16,26-29.It is our apartness that Satan hates. The world has lived in a death culture ever since fall of Adam. GOD\u2019S people are called to a \u2018life\u2019 culture. We are to give testimony to the life we\u2019ve found in JESUS. We are the evidence of GOD\u2019S lovingkindness, of his mercy, and of His grace and forgiveness. Cf. John15:18,19; 17:14,15.<\/div>\n
II – The Battle<\/div>\n
1. <\/span>The One thing Satan must do to counter Christianity is to cast doubt on GOD’S Word. This is what can be called \u2018bottom-line\u2019 spiritual warfare. You find it in place in the garden of Eden. Cf. GEN3:1-7.<\/div>\n
2. <\/span>Many don\u2019t realize that if you add to or take away from GOD\u2019S Word, this becomes grounds for deception. Satan is called in the Scriptures both a liar and a deceiver. Eve was deceived! When JESUS was confronted by Satan in the wilderness, what was the battle about? Cf. MATT4:1-11.<\/div>\n
3. <\/span>Heresy always begins with a twist on truth. If you see someone down-playing the Word of GOD, that is a sure sign that deception is at work. Compare these warnings: PSA12:6; PRO30:5,6; MATT15:1-9; MATT23:15.<\/div>\n
4. <\/span>God has given us words to live by. Join the book to JESUS and you have the keys to living a godly life. Cf. 2 Tim 3:14-17; 4:1-4, 6; Rev. 22:18,19.<\/div>\n
III \u2013 Living Our Life in Christ<\/div>\n
1. <\/span>The life that JESUS gives is unlike anything the world has ever known. We are heavenly born people in earthly bodies. This is why we often struggle within ourselves. This is also why true believer\u2019s carry in themselves a longing for their final transformation. Cf. Phil3:20,21; Rom8:15-17,23,28-31.<\/div>\n
Paul speaks to this in saying, \u201cAs is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as in the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have born the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.\u201d (1Co15:48,49)<\/div>\n
2. <\/span>We affirm our life in CHRIST in being who we are. But we also affirm our life in CHRIST when we gather as the people of GOD. In our gatherings is a unique promise of GOD\u2019S presence. Cf. Gen49:10; Exo20:24; Matt18:20.<\/div>\n
3. <\/span>There is a special prophetic Psalm that describes the feelings, emotions, desires, affections, visions, and movements of GOD\u2019S people towards the LORD. Notice the language of Psalm 84. Now compare this to Hebrews 11:8-10,13-16.<\/div>\n
IV \u2013 Declaring God\u2019s Way<\/div>\n
1. <\/span>This is another reason Satan hates believers. We refuse to be molded or controlled by this world\u2019s dark view of life. The Bible tells us that we are ever moving towards a divine destiny when time as we know it is no more. We believe in a final judgment, in a resurrection. We laugh at every form of godless philosophy the world has to offer.<\/div>\n
2. <\/span>This is why Satan greatly fears the people of CHRIST. He knows that when the people of the world make contact with believers, it stirs their hearts. And Satan has nothing to compete with the child of GOD who is led by the SPIRIT of the LORD. This is what Paul is talking about in 2Co2:14-17; 3:5,6,14-18<\/div>\n
3. <\/span>The most important thing a person can do in life is to take the message of the Bible to heart. There are many voices clamoring for our faith. The voice we must listen to is the same voice that dictated what was to be placed in the written Word. \u00a0Paul tells us to learn to never exceed what is written. The prophet said, \u201cIf they do not speak according to this Word, it is because they have no dawn.\u201d (No light in them. ISA8:20)<\/div>\n
It is important to realize that God prepares us for what He has prepared us for. Believers have been shaped intellectually, emotionally, physically, historically, environmentally, relationally, and above all spiritually to fulfill a certain role in God\u2019s kingdom. There will never be another you. Cf. Psalm 139.<\/div>\n
\u201cHow blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca [valley of tears] they make it a spring; the early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength, every one of them appears before God in Zion.”<\/em> – Psalm 84:5-7<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Do you yet struggle with a fear of losing your salvation? You really shouldn’t. Paul said the good work which God began in each of us, the Lord Himself would perfect until the day of Jesus Christ. (Phi1:6)<\/p>\n
This tells us that the work of salvation is God’s work and not our work. It also tells us that the total sum of our walk in this life will remain under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The apostolic writer said that Jesus is both the author and the finisher of \u00a0our faith. (Heb12:2) This does not mean that we have no decisions to make in life. What it means is that when we understand God’s ultimate purpose in our life, it is from this that we learn to live a life of faith and trust. Paul said,<\/p>\n
\u201cBut thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.\u201d<\/em> 2Co2:14<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Most frustrations that believers face in life are due to not keying in on God’s life purposes.God has a blueprint for the new covenant. Here it how it reads:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. <\/em>For those whom He foreknew, He also <\/strong>predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son<\/strong>, …<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
“…so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?<\/em>”\u00a0(Rom 8:28-31)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
x<\/span><\/p>\n
O<\/span><\/strong>ur Ancient Spiritual Heritage<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
The place to begin is to realize the believer’s unique place in the earth. God’s people have always shared an apartness to the Lord. This apartness is our heritage. Knowing that we are the people of God is a major key to affirming our life in Christ. Peter said,<\/p>\n
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.<\/em>”\u00a0(1Pe 2:9-10) <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Our heritage reaches back to the original promise that was given to Adam and Eve, in that the seed of the woman would ultimately crush Satan\u2019s authority. We see the heritage expressed in the Abrahamic promises that was to be fulfilled in Jesus. Cf. Gen12:3; 22:16-18; Gal3:16,26-29.<\/div>\n
x<\/span><\/div>\n
It is our apartness that Satan hates. The world has lived in a death culture ever since fall of Adam. God’s people are called to a \u2018life\u2019 culture. We are to give testimony to the life we\u2019ve found in Jesus. We are the evidence of God’s lovingkindness, of his mercy, and of His grace and forgiveness.<\/p>\n
The one thing Satan must do to counter the Christian testimony is to cast doubt on God’s Word. This is \u2018bottom-line\u2019 spiritual warfare. You find it in place in the garden of Eden. (Gen3:1-7) Eve was deceived! When Jesus was confronted by Satan in the wilderness, what was the battle about? (Matt4:1-11) However, Satan has a real problem with new covenant believers. True believers are living witnesses that God’s Word is true. Satan’s attempt to discount the Bible is stifled because of the multiplied millions of people on this planet whose lives have been changed because of the gospel message. This is why Jesus said, “You shall be My witnesses.” <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
Affirm your life in Christ<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
If you see someone down-playing the Word of God, that is a sure sign that deception is at work. Compare these warnings: Psa12:6; Pro30:5,6; Matt15:1-9; Matt23:15.<\/p>\n
God has given us words to live by. When you join the Bible to Jesus, you then have the keys to living a godly life. Cf. 2 Tim 3:14-17; 4:1-4, 6; Rev. 22:18,19.<\/p>\n
The life that Jesus gives is unlike anything the world has ever known. We are heavenly born people in earthly bodies. This is why we often struggle within ourselves. This is also why true believers carry in themselves a longing for their final transformation. The life we have is eternal life, which means it is a life that never be lost. Cf. Phil3:20,21; Rom8:15-17,23,28-31.<\/p>\n
Paul speaks to this in saying,<\/p>\n
\u201cAs is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as in the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have born the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.\u201d <\/em>(1Co15:48,49) <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
We affirm our life in Christ in being who we are. \u00a0This is another reason Satan hates believers. We refuse to be molded or controlled by this world\u2019s dark view of life. The Bible tells us that we are ever moving towards a divine destiny when time as we know it is no more.<\/p>\n
We believe in a final judgment, in a resurrection. We hold in distain every form of godless philosophy the world has to offer. This is also why Satan greatly fears the people of Christ. He knows that when the people of the world make contact with believers, it stirs their hearts. And Satan has nothing to compete with the child of God who is led by the Spirit of the Lord. This is what Paul is talking about in 2Co2:14-17; 3:5,6,14-18<\/p>\n
The most important thing a believer can do in life is to take the message of the Bible to heart. There are many voices clamoring for our faith. Paul tells us to learn to never exceed what is written. The prophet said, \u201cIf they do not speak according to this Word, it is because they have no dawn.\u201d<\/em><\/span> (No light in them. Isa8:20)<\/p>\n
It is important to realize that God prepares us for what He has prepared us for. Believers have been shaped intellectually, emotionally, physically, historically, environmentally, relationally, and above all spiritually to fulfill a certain role in God\u2019s kingdom. There will never be another you. Cf. Psalm 139.<\/p>\n
x<\/span><\/p>\n
What then is Lamb Assurance<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lamb assurance simply points to what happens when a person is given heavenly life. When a person truly believes on Jesus Christ, and receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior. it is at that moment of faith that the Holy Spirit takes of the blood if the Lamb and sprinkles it on the believer’s heart. In the sprinkled blood is the very life of God.<\/p>\n
From that moment on the believer carries in their spirit being both the nature of Christ, the seal of Christ, and the testimony of Christ. This person has moved far beyond religion and into the reality of knowing God personally. \u00a0He carries in his heart Lamb assurance.<\/p>\n
Let me repeat – Did you know that the blood that is sprinkled on this new believer’s heart is actually God’s blood? Listen to these Scriptures: (Follow the bold<\/strong>)<\/p>\n
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood<\/strong>.”<\/em> (Act 20:28)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And again;<\/p>\n
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, <\/em><\/span>who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father<\/em><\/span><\/strong>, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit<\/em><\/span>, to obey Jesus Christ<\/span> and be sprinkled with His blood<\/em><\/span><\/strong>: <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
“May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”<\/strong><\/em> (1Pe 1:1-5)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
So the question remains – Do you have Lamb assurance?<\/p>\n
While you are thinking about this, take time to listen to “Thank God I Am Free” by JD Sumner & the Stamps:<\/p>\n
![\"WLUG000A\"](\"http:\/\/buddymartin.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/WLUG000A.jpg\" "\\"WLUG000A\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"KPS8000A\"](\"http:\/\/buddymartin.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/KPS8000A.jpg\" "\\"KPS8000A\\"")
<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n![\"m-walker-dominion\"](\"http:\/\/buddymartin.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/m-walker-dominion.jpg\" "\\"m-walker-dominion\\"")
![\"t-chiu-behold-the-lamb\"](\"http:\/\/buddymartin.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/t-chiu-behold-the-lamb.jpg\" "\\"t-chiu-behold-the-lamb\\"")
<\/p>\n