And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33.
For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came to be through Jesus Christ. John 1:16-17.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Empty your heart of the world and I will fill it with Heaven. A life IN CHRIST is a life in grace. Grace is My divine life flowing in you, giving you My nature and attributes and making all My promises available to you. It is released in you by faith in Jesus. It is by grace you have been saved through faith.
Today as we continue our series on living your life IN CHRIST it is Life Lesson No. 5: “A Life of Grace.” I tell you that in the church of the first believers that abundant grace was on them ALL. Why? They had received the gift of righteousness and the abundance of grace. But it was not automatic. They had to show up and take the grace by faith. They came to join together IN CHRIST and release their faith together in prayer. They also walked in love to the uttermost, praying for salvation for those who persecuted them and in the charity of providing for one another so there was no lack among them. And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. Acts 4:32-35.
What does it mean to live a life of grace? I explain that to you in My Word as follows: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing (“paideuo” in Greek, which means “to train a child so he matures and realizes his full potential,” it implies education, instruction, discipline and correction, as well as encouragement and mentoring) us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” Titus 2:11-14. This sums up the basic essentials to living a life of grace.
Grace and truth are realized in Jesus. And He identified Himself as your Teacher. I will teach you to profit and the way you should go, and Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. I was in Him giving you all you need for life and godliness. You are My handiwork, created anew in Christ Jesus, to take the path of good deeds I have prepared for you in advance IN CHRIST. Ephesians 2:10. It is there for you but you must lay hold of it by faith and take all My plan holds for you as you walk it out.
My plan for your life is a grace-filled plan of divine impartation of skill and ability, revelation, sanctification, and righteousness. It is a life fulfilling Psalm 91, “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My Salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16. Seek My Kingdom and My righteousness first and all things will be added to you. It is a satisfying life filled with good and not evil. Abraham lived under the righteousness that comes by faith and he died full of years and fully satisfied. Genesis 25:8.
Grace comes from My kindness and love for you and is not based on your deeds but on who you are to Me. You are redeemed from your sins by the blood of My Son and then I justify you by My grace by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom I poured out upon you richly through Jesus Christ your Savior, so that being justified by My grace you would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:5-7. Grace has to do with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon you richly through Jesus Christ your Savior.
Now go back again to the summary of a life of grace in Christ Jesus your Lord, and you will find that My grace has appeared in Jesus, bringing salvation to all men, INSTRUCTING you to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for you to redeem you from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. Titus 2:11-14. The word used there in the original language in which it was written, which is Greek, is “paideuo”, which means “to train a child so he matures and realizes his full potential,” it implies education, instruction, discipline and correction, as well as encouragement and mentoring. You should know right away who it is that is now instructing you. Do you recall the night before He died for you and would be soon returning back to Me that He gave you a promise? He told you He would not leave you orphans but would send you another Paraclete (one at your side), one like He had been to them when He walked among them in flesh and blood, who would teach them all things, guide them to all truth, remind them of all He had said, and tell you of the things to come? And that promise was to ask Me and send you My promise to you from long ago, the promise of My Holy Spirit being in you and on you now and forever. A life of grace is instruction and training in the Holy Spirit to be like Me.
Jesus told you He was your ultimate and only teacher but He is no longer on earth as He was, He is enthroned with Me in Heaven as Head over the body of Christ, but He sent you another Paraclete to complete what He had begun in His disciples, to take them and the entire church that He would raise up to higher and higher levels of knowing Me and knowing the plan for each person’s life. And for you it is the same. The Holy Spirit is your teacher, but He does not speak on His own but as He receives from Jesus, as Jesus explained, “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. John 16:12-15. You know by this that He abides in you, by the Spirit whom He has given you. 1 John 3:24. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie. 1 John 2:27.
You have a teacher within you that is the Wonderful counselor, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, of Counsel and Strength, of Knowledge and of reverence and devotion. Isaiah 11:2-3. And just as He descended upon Jesus and remained at His baptism, so also He does with you. And Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and so should you.
Do not grieve, quench, or ignore the Holy Spirit, do not spurn and rebel when He disciplines and corrects you. He witnesses with your spirit and will let you know, will check you, when you have done wrong, when you are off the path of your life, when you would hurt your anointing. He is instructing you in the way you should go, He is guiding you to all truth, He is leading you in paths of righteousness, He is training you up so you mature and realize your full potential. Sing with David, “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143:10. And when he sinned from weakness, what did he pray? “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12. The Spirit had rushed on David at his anointing by Samuel as king, and My Spirit never left him. He was not IN David, as He is in you today, but He was on David, as He can also be upon you. That is being clothed in power from on High. Having the Spirit in you and on you is being FULL of the Holy Spirit, and it is then you mature quickly and take your place in the effecting of miracles, signs and wonders by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The primary way to hear from the Holy Spirit and to know My plan for your life is by prayer in the Spirit. He takes hold and prays with you and in you so you can lay hold of the plan for your life. And He is at your side to hold the helm with you and pull it with you in the way you should go. For the Spirit also helps your weakness; for you do not know how to pray as you should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for you with groanings too deep for words; and I, who search the heart, know what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for you according to My will. And through praying out My plan in the Spirit, I can then go ahead to open the way and cause all things to work together for your good according to My purpose for your life. Romans 8:26-28.
And the Holy Spirit will instruct you what to say when you are called upon to witness for Me about Jesus. He will give you words and a wisdom that no one can take exception of or contradict. And He will reach out to renew the face of the earth. He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Jesus who alone justifies you; concerning righteousness, because Jesus has returned to Me, having purified you from your sins and making your righteous with My own righteousness, and you no longer see Him; and concerning judgment, because the devil, the ruler of this world, has been judged and condemned through the finished work of Jesus, who came to undo the work of the devil and crush his head, that is, his authority over you that he obtained by deceit from Adam. John 16:9-11.
And the result of being led, taught, and comforted by the Holy Spirit in the life of grace? You become mature and complete in Christ, you become just like Him in this world. The Spirit teaches and empowers you to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for you to redeem you from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. The Holy Spirit will witness with your spirit that you are My child, My heir, and that your sins and offenses I remember no more. He liberates you to walk, even run, in the life of good deeds that I prepared for you in advance IN CHRIST JESUS your Lord. For where My Spirit is there is freedom.
And that is grace, great grace, available to you all. And when you receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness you reign in life IN JESUS.
I love you. Grace comes to you in Jesus but the life of grace has to do with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon you richly through Jesus Christ, your Savior. Walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh and your life will become absolutely amazing. Beyond all you can ask or imagine by My power working in you. Welcome the Holy Spirit with joy and let Him be your teacher. Pray in the spirit at all times.