curg18

Can You Reach God

Lesson Eighteen: by turtle

This hour is a new hour for us. This week is a new week. It time not to look back but to look
forward in faith. When one believes in Jesus we have union with God. Meaning we are no longer
guilty of sin and can enter the throne. We are God’s child upon belief and acceptance of Christ work
on the cross.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 KJV
(17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new.
(18) And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to
us the ministry of reconciliation;

God did not save us to sit on our sit and never share what He has done for us. He desires to bring all
people to Him. In fact we are given the job of reconciling the world. Some are given the task to
minister only in their own backyard, and neighborhood. Some are given the task to go throughout
their city and town and village and state. Some are given the task to go world wide. However we have
a task for the Lord to do, because our own desire to see others not to be consumed by hell, but
overshadowed by the love of the Lord. We are to run toward God, toward heaven. To race to strive
to be all God wants us to be. That does not mean our own desires will not be meet, but we are to put
aside sin and look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Pressing toward God. Christ bore our
pain and our sin on the cross and we to will suffer for Christ name. Yet even so we need to press
toward the prize of living with God for eternity. To live with God in a world of no sin.

Hebrews 12:1-4 KJV
(1) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is
set before us,
(2) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(3) For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied
and faint in your minds.
(4) Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

If we accept the work Christ did on the cross we are sealed with the promise Holy Spirit and no one
can take that away from us but God, but God loves us so much to correct us. Sometimes through
exhortation of others and sometimes through His word. God loves His children so much that He is not
going to allow continual sin. He is going to correct us through chastisement of faith.

Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV
(13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in
whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
(14) Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto
the praise of his glory.

Hebrews 12:5-8 KJV
(5) And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son,
despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
(6) For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
(7) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father
chasteneth not?
(8) But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

To know that when I reach up to God, is to know He reach down to me first even with my filthy
garment of sin. Yet his love for me was great. I know if I live through God’s correction then God
loves me. It is much better to be correct by God then correct by man. Man/woman that corrects
might actually beat you death. Earthly parents that correct, will often go to extreme to correct a child.
There is a difference in correction and emotional or physical abuse to cause harm. If the intent is to
cause harm then the parent is out of line. The aim of God is to love us to death I think. However
truth be God loves us enough to correct us without harming us. He corrects us to have commune with
us.

Hebrews 12:9-10 KJV
(9) Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:
shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
(10) For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that
we might be partakers of his holiness.

No correction is joyous. However it can be painful at the time. However we must remember God
loves us. Loves us so much that we should not be heavy hearted, but joyous that we endure His
chastisement, for without His correction we know we will not see Him.

Hebrews 12:11-15 KJV
(11) Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it
yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
(12) Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
(13) And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it
rather be healed.
(14) Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
(15) Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up
trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

This letter to the Hebrews was one of brotherly love and concern and correction about who Christ is.
It not to move you away from God love. It is to bring you toward God’s love. After all look at Esau
who because of selling his birth right lost out on the blessing of God. He being the oldest had a right
to His father’s inheritance. However His father inheritance that was passed to Jacob which was the
inheritance of God. Meaning Jacob would carry the promises of God to the next generation and they
in turn passed it to their children. His line would have the Messiah. Esau though little of it and
because he was so willingly gave it up found he had nothing even after he wept with tears.

Hebrews 12:16-17 KJV
(16) Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his
birthright.
(17) For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected:
for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Rejection of God has its consequences. It is the one thing if we do we can never get back. I
personally can say i never reject Christ as Lord. However I can admit I have not always obeyed.

Romans 10:21-11:7 KJV
(21) But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and
gainsaying people.
(1) I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of
Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
(2) God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of
Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
(3) Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they
seek my life.
(4) But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who
have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
(5) Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
(6) And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of
works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
(7) What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest were blinded

God grace is sufficient for those who love Him. Who does not reject Him as Savior and Lord. Does
God allow us to sin. Not really. However He gives us a choice. He gives us a choice to serve Him or
to serve the devil. However there are times in serving God we do serve the devil by waiting on our
enemy. We desire money or worldly things more then God without realizing it. We all get slack in our
relationship with God at times. We struggle on waiting on the Lord and waiting on man. God brings
us back to repentance. God brings us to our knees. Something to remember after you get saved, you
are going to make mistakes. However this verse covers the work Christ did for us on the cross for our
sins, including future sins.

1 John 2:1-2 KJV
(1) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
(2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole
world.

Yet Israel fear God when they heard His voice and did not want to speak directly to Him. Yet Moses
explained that God only wanted to prove you so His fear would before their face. That their fear of
Him would keep them from sinning.

Exodus 20:18-26 KJV
(18) 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.
(19) And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us,
lest we die.
(20) And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may
be before your faces, that ye sin not.
(21) And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
(22) And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen
that I have talked with you from heaven.
(23) Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
(24) An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and
thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto
thee, and I will bless thee.
(25) And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift
up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
(26) Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

Hebrews 12:18-23 KJV
(18) For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto
blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
(19) And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that
the word should not be spoken to them any more:
(20) (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the
mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
(21) And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
(22) But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels,
(23) To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God
the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Jesus being our mediator, see that we refuse not to listen to God. Christ being the Son of God, who
intercedes to the Father for us. Let us press on to hearing and listening to God. To hear His word.

Hebrews 12:24-29 KJV
(24) And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh
better things than that of Abel.
(25) See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on
earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
(26) Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake
not the earth only, but also heaven.
(27) And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of
things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
(28) Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may
serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
(29) For our God is a consuming fire.

If we are shaken by God, how much more are we moved to serve Him. God can shake the heavens
and the earth. He can move things to awake us to who He is. To help us hold fast to our faith. To
correct us to strengthen us. If we stand firm in faith we will receive the promise. However we should
also know God is able to keep us. And knowing this we should serve God with a godly fear and
reverence. He desire to communicate with each of us. And if He desires to communicate with us He
will make the way, for He is our creator. He made the way through Christ.