THE BLESSED MAN | 2

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Freedom Ministries Fellowship Notes

The Blessed Man – Free from Performance Based Christianity –Part 2

Opening prayer:

Praise and Worship:  10 minutes:

Testimonies: 5 minutes

Review:  The Blessed Man – Free from Performance Based Christianity – Part 2

The blessings of God are not based on your performance; they are based on the performance of Jesus.  Romans 4:13-14 states,For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.”  My wife, Barb, recently asked our youth group why nothing bad ever happened to Abraham and Sarah.  If you can answer that question, you know the very heart of the New Covenant.  The reason nothing bad ever happened is because Abraham was under an unbreakable covenant of grace.  The covenant was not based on Abraham’s goodness; it was based on God’s covenant between God and His Son Jesus.

Just like Abraham, we are heirs when we realize we are righteous by simply believing in Jesus Christ.  God has given us an eternal covenant and promise that He will bless us because of Jesus.  We no longer have to perform in order to enjoy every single one of God’s blessings.  This may shock people, but sin does not stop God from blessing us.  We see this truth in the story of Abraham and Abimelech in Genesis 20.  Even though Abraham was operating in fear and told a partial truth about Sarah being his sister, God still protected Abraham and Sarah.    In fact, when Sarah, a picture of grace, was reunited with Abraham, a picture of faith, God used Abraham to heal Abimelech and all of the land.  The people were not fruitful until faith and grace were operating together.  Romans 4:16 tells us, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed.”  When we know we are justified by faith, God’s grace flows freely in our lives.

In Galatians 4, we see that Hagar represents the Old Covenant of the law, and Sarah represents the New Covenant of grace.  We are told to cast out the bondwoman, or Old Covenant, because people trying to operate under the Old Covenant can not be heirs.   In Genesis 21, Abraham did not possess the land that God promised him until Hagar, the Old Covenant, was cast out.

So what do all of these symbolic types and shadows mean?  In short, we are part of an unbreakable covenant of grace just like Abraham was.  God’s blessings are sure and everlasting because they are based on Jesus’ performance, and not our ability to be a “good Christian.”  When we throw out the Old Covenant, we can stop trying to deserve the blessings of God, and renew your mind to the fact that God’s blessings are always flowing freely for New Covenant believers.  Even when you miss the mark, God is still blessing you.  What a loving Father!

Prayer:  10 Minutes: 

If there is any situation in your life that needs prayer, ask the Holy Spirit to pray through you for that situation.  The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us according to the will of God.  It is the perfect prayer and is always answered!

Announcements:

All services are streamed live and archived at www.freedomministries.org.  If you desire to help us share the true gospel of Jesus and fund projects that impact lives, consider registering at Godchangeseverything.com.  Let’s show the world that God truly does change everything!

Share God’s goodness together. 

Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  Amen

 

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