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Teaching
TEACHINGS:
1. THE GLORY AND THE ANOINTING
2. THE BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH FIRE
3. TRUE GODLINESS
4. THE KINGDOM OF GOD, ETC.
5. BOLDNESS
6. NOW THAT JESUS IS YOUR LORD & SAVIOR (FOR ADULTS)
7. NOW THAT JESUS IS YOUR LORD & SAVIOR (FOR CHILDREN)
Scroll down to view all teachings.
THE GLORY AND THE ANOINTING
TEACHING BY LANNY SWAIM
OCTOBER, 2006
In Exodus 33:18, Moses asked God to show him his glory. In verse 19 God says, “I will make all my goodness pass before you.” In Hebrew the definition of glory is, “Heavy with everything good. Splendor.” The same Hebrew word translates as glory and goodness.
In Psalm 23:6, David says, “Surely his goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” It is God’s mercy that keeps us in his goodness. Our works can’t get us there or keep us there. It is only by his mercy that we are able to stay in his goodness, which is his glory.
In Scripture we see God’s glory manifested in different ways. When Moses saw the burning bush that wasn’t consumed, that was a manifestation of God’s glory. When God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush and then showed him miraculous signs, those were manifestations of God’s glory (Exodus 3:1-22, 4:1-23). As we read on through Exodus we see God manifesting his glory to Pharaoh and the Egyptians through many signs and wonders that finally convinced Pharaoh to release the Israelite slaves to go into the wilderness. Before the Israelites left Egypt God somehow convinced the Egyptians to give the Israelites gold, silver and clothing. The Israelite slaves went from being slaves in a foreign land to being a wealthy nation in one night, another manifestation of God’s glory. The Israelites did nothing to deserve this. God was merciful to them because of his covenant with Abraham.
A visible manifestation of God’s glory led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness. Exodus 13:21-22 says, “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” Exodus 16:10 says, “And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.” Exodus 24:16-18 reads, “And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai , and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went up into the midst of the cloud.” It is interesting to note that the top of Mount Sinai is black today, still marked from the fire of God’s glory manifesting thousands of years ago.
In Exodus, chapter 26 God told Moses to construct a tabernacle for his presence to dwell in. This tabernacle was a portable version of the temple that Solomon built years later. In Exodus 33:9-11 we read about Moses going into the tabernacle and the cloudy pillar descending and standing in the door of the tabernacle. Verse 11 says that God spoke with Moses face to face. During this conversation God told Moses that his presence would go with him and give him rest. Moses response was, “If your presence does not go with me, then I am not going (my paraphrase). Then in verse 18 and 19 Moses asked God to show him his glory. God responded by saying that he would cause all his goodness to pass before him but God told Moses that he could not see his face. In verse 20 he told Moses that if he saw his face, he would die.
This seems a little strange in light of the fact that verse 11 tells us that God spoke to Moses face to face. Evidently in verse 11 God didn’t manifest the fullness of his glory when he talked with Moses face to face. In verses 19-23 God must have been speaking of passing before Moses in the fullness of his glory. Had Moses looked on God in the fullness of his glory, Moses’ physical body would not have been able to take it. He would have died instantly. Moses was of a fallen order of humanity. Because of Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, Moses had inherited a sinful nature. That sinful nature kept him from being able to look on God in all his glory.
Not so with us. If we are born again citizens of the Kingdom of God we are of a new order. We are new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) with a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6).
Ephesians 1:17-23 says, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power, and might , and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.
We are the fullness of Christ. We are the Body of Christ. His glory dwells in us because it dwells in him. Therefore, unlike Moses, we can commune with God face to face in all his glory and live because when God looks on us he is literally looking on Jesus. That is why we can come boldly before his throne, receive mercy and get our needs met (Hebrews 4:16).
Psalm 42:7 speaks of deep calling unto deep. The deep (God, glory) in us calls to the deep (God, glory) in heaven and vice versa. The deep in us is the fullness of Christ, therefore it is the fullness of his glory. That’s why we go from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). We are like him, therefore we can behold him.
So how do we put this into practice in our lives? First by realizing that we are the glory of God. As the Body of Christ we are clothed in and filled with his glory. The glory of God in us is continually calling out to the glory of God in heaven, and the glory of God in heaven is continually calling out to the glory of God in us. While our position is one of continually going from glory to glory, it is necessary for us to individually and corporately come aside from our daily routines and spend quality time in his presence, seeking his face. These times of intimacy with him empower us to walk continually in his glory. I find that spending time in his presence causes his glory to manifest in my life and activates the anointing in my life as well.
In order to effectively spend time in his presence we must be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire. In Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16 John the Baptist said that when Jesus came he would baptize believers with the Holy Spirit and with fire. John made no exceptions. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not an option for believers, it is a necessity if we are to walk in the fullness of his glory and in the power of his anointing.
In Acts 2:4 we are told that when the believers were initially baptized in the Holy Spirit they spoke in other, or unknown tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Throughout the Book of Acts speaking in tongues always accompanied the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul indicates that tongues are the least of the gifts of the Spirit. That is why tongues are the initial gift. We receive the least first. That is why tongues are considered the evidence of being baptized in the Holy Spirit. If we are truly baptized in the Spirit, we will operate in the gifts of the Spirit. As we make use of this initial gift of tongues we will begin to operate in other gifts as well.
When John the Baptist spoke of being baptized with the Spirit he also spoke of being baptized with fire. In Ezekiel 1:27-28 God’s glory appeared as fire to Ezekiel. The baptism in the Holy Spirit activates the anointing in our lives. We are anointed to operate in the gifts of the Spirit and to do the same works that Jesus did when he was here, and even greater works than he did (John 14:12). The baptism in fire activates God’s glory in our lives. It is God’s glory/goodness that enables us to continually die to self and walk in love (1 Corinthians 15:31) (1 John 4:7-8).
Spending time in God’s presence and experiencing his glory is much more than feeling good emotionally or getting goose bumps. It is intimacy with him and that intimacy empowers us to walk in love. As his glory manifests in and around us the gifts of the Spirit are activated in our lives. The gifts are expressions of God’s love. When we operate in the gifts it is not to make us look good or feel good. It is to minister to others. We are anointed to be expressions of God’s love to the Church and to the world.
Once we are baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire we begin a process of maturing into God’s glory, little by little. Isaiah 28:9-10 says, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”
2 Corinthians 4:7-18 speaks of dying to self so that the life of Jesus can manifest in our mortal flesh. This death that works in us enables us to bring life to others. Romans 6:4 says, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” People will come to a knowledge of the glory because they see Jesus in us (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Habakkuk 2:14 says, “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The emergence of the glorious Church that Paul speaks of in Ephesians 5:26-27 will bring about the fulfillment of this prophecy before the catching away of believers we refer to as the rapture.
Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. Colossians 1:25-29
The purpose of the gifts and the purpose of the glory operating and manifesting in our lives is to enable us to die to self, become like Jesus and minister to others, not only in word but also with power (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
We minister to God, he ministers to us and we minister to others.
We must spend much time in his presence and much time in his Word. We must die to self, become Word and Kingdom minded, forsake all and follow him.
But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).
Today many prophecies have and are coming forth about a great revival, a great move of God coming to the United States and to the entire world. I believe this revival has already begun. I believe the end result of this revival will be the completion of the glorious Church that Paul speaks of in Ephesians 5:26-27.
But if we are praying for this revival to come down from heaven we are praying the wrong thing. If we are waiting for some great manifestation to cause this revival we are waiting for the wrong thing.
This revival will issue out of believers that are continually dying to self, walking in the fullness of the Spirit that dwells within them and walking in obedience to the Lord. To do these things is to walk in love. For those of us that are baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire, the fullness of Christ dwells in us. The anointing to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit dwells in us. The glory of God dwells in us. The love that he is dwells in us.
Today God is maturing, preparing and positioning a people that will manifest his glory in the earth. What an awesome time to be on the earth! What an awesome time to be citizens of the Kingdom of God! Never before has there been a time like this time! Surely we were born for such a time as this! Glory to God! Hallelujah!
“He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Jesus speaking in John 7:38.
Amen.
BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
AND WITH FIRE
TEACHING BY LANNY SWAIM
NOVEMBER, 2006
In Scripture, Jesus is given several different titles or names. Isaiah prophesied hundreds of years before Jesus came about his coming. In Isaiah 9:6 we read, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son in given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Many places in Scripture Jesus is referred to as Christ, or as the Christ. Christ is an English version of a Greek word, Christos, which means “the anointed one”.
Throughout the Gospels Jesus is referred to as the Son of God and as the Son of Man.
In Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16 and John 1:33 Jesus is referred to as the baptizer with the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost in the King James Version of the Bible. The accounts of Matthew and Luke add “and with fire”.
Luke 19:10 tells us that Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. But that’s not all he came to do. Each account of the four Gospels in the Bible makes it clear that Jesus also came to baptize with the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 1:5 Jesus said, “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” Then in verse 8 he says, “But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” In Luke 24:49 Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high.
Acts 2:1-4 says, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them colven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The rest of chapter two tells us that people visiting Jerusalem somehow heard about this phenomenon the disciples were experiencing. It evidently lasted for some time because many came and witnessed it for themselves. Then Peter stood up and preached to those that had gathered. That day about three thousand people were added to the Kingdom of God.
In Acts 2:38-39 Peter said as he was preaching, “”Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
That tells me that the promise of the Holy Spirit was not just for those present that day, or just for that generation but is for us today just as much as it was for them.
Some Christians think that we are baptized with the Holy Spirit when we are born again. They refer to John 20:22 that says, “And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” Scriptures I have already mentioned make it clear that the baptism with the Holy Spirit was another action in addition to this breathing on them when he said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”
I believe the disciples were actually born again when Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” Without the Holy Spirit no one gets born again. It takes a revelation of the Holy Spirit for us to believe that Jesus is and that God raised him from the dead. This is not something we can arrive at with head knowledge. Our intellect just cannot grasp it. It has to be revealed to our spirit by the Holy Spirit. So in a sense we do receive the Holy Spirit when we are born again. But the baptism with the Holy Spirit is another thing.
In the eighth chapter of Acts we read about Philip going to Samaria and preaching Jesus to them. Many of them received the message Philip was preaching and were evidently born again because Philip baptized many of them in water. But for some unknown reason, Philip didn’t pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit. When the apostles at Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had received Jesus, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they laid their hands on the new believers and they received the Holy Spirit.
In Acts, the nineteenth chapter, we are told that the apostle Paul went to Ephesus and found some believers there. He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit since they believed. They said, “We have not heard if there is a Holy Spirit.” Verse six says, “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”
The Bible makes it clear that as Christians we need the baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Jesus made it clear that power will come on us after we receive the Holy Spirit. Can you be a Christian and not be baptized with the Holy Spirit? Yes. Can you get to heaven without being baptized with the Holy Spirit? Yes. But you will fall short of the power that God has provided for you to be an effective witness to a lost and dying world. And you will probably fall short of the power you need to live as a victorious life.
When we receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit we receive the ability to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us that there are different gifts but the same Spirit and different administrations of those gifts but the same Lord. He goes on to say that there are different operations of the gifts but that God causes all of them to work. Then he lists nine gifts of the Holy Spirit.
1. The word of wisdom.
2. The word of knowledge.
3. The gift of faith.
4. Gifts of healing.
5. Working of miracles.
6. Prophecy.
7. Discernment of spirits.
8. Different kinds of tongues.
9. Interpretation of tongues.
These are not natural gifts or talents that are given to individuals but supernatural or spiritual abilities that operate as they are needed and as the Spirit leads.
These are not gifts to the individual operating them but they are gifts to the Church. They are given to profit and build up the Church. They are expressions of God’s love to the Church.
In the Biblical accounts of people receiving the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the evidence that they have received it is that they speak with tongues or in languages they have not learned. Sometimes this can be languages known on earth but most of the time it seems to be heavenly languages.
I don’t know that any gift of the Spirit can be considered any more important than another but in 1 Corinthians Paul gives some indication that tongues is the least of the gifts. If that is the case, doesn’t it stand to reason that tongues would be the first gift received.
Sometimes people ask if one has to speak in tongues in order to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. We receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit the same way we receive anything else from God. It is by faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. So is the ability to speak in tongues really the evidence that we are baptized with the Holy Spirit?
I believe the initial evidence that we are baptized with the Holy Spirit is our faith. Jesus says in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” When do we believe that we receive them? When we pray.
So if you pray for the baptism with the Holy Spirit, believing that you receive it, I think you have it. However, once you have received it by faith, I think you will speak in tongues and operate in the other gifts of the Spirit as there is a need to and as you are led by the Spirit to do so.
Jesus indicated that miraculous signs should follow the preaching of the Word. We need the baptism with the Holy Spirit to operate in the miraculous.
I was born again in the spring of 1970 when I was nineteen years old. That summer I received the baptism with the Holy Spirit and spoke in a language I had not learned. Since that time I have operated in all the gifts of the Spirit at various times. I have seen many miracles when I have operated in the power of the Holy Spirit.
This teaching is not intended to be an in-depth study of the gifts of the Spirit but I think we should look a little more closely at the gift of tongues.
Sometimes in a meeting where the gifts of the Spirit are allowed to operate, a message in tongues will be given. When there is a message in tongues, an interpretation should always follow. The interpretation can be given by the one that gave the message in tongues or by someone else. It should be noted that this is not a translation but an interpretation. The one giving the interpretation doesn’t understand what was said in tongues but speaks the interpretation as the Spirit reveals what to say.
Another kind of tongues is praying in tongues. We don’t always know exactly what to pray or how to pray. We can pray in tongues knowing that the Spirit is praying through us a perfect prayer. He is enabling us to pray exactly what needs to be prayed. We may be aware of what we are praying for or we may not. We may even be praying for someone we don’t even know.
We can also praise God in tongues. Many times my English fails to express the love, adoration, praise and worship that is in my heart for my heavenly Father and my Lord Jesus. What a joy it is to be able to praise and worship him in tongues. Often, I even sing a heavenly melody in tongues.
The first time I ever heard singing in tongues I was in a room with about three hundred other people. We had been singing little praise choruses. There came a time of quietness in the room as we all worshipped the Lord without saying anything. Suddenly and spontaneously the room erupted into the most beautiful singing I had ever heard. There were many voices singing different words and different melodies that all flowed together and seemed to take us right into the throne room of heaven. I thought it was angels. My eyes were closed and I opened them expecting to see the room full of angels, only to realize it was the people in the room making this beautiful music. This went on for a few minutes and then suddenly and spontaneously it stopped. No one directed it. No one orchestrated it except the Holy Spirit himself.
Before ending this teaching I want to touch on one more thing. The Scripture talks of being baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
In Ezekiel 1:27-28, Ezekiel is describing a vision he has seen of the Lord on his throne. He says, “And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord, and when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord. He describes it as having the appearance of fire. I believe the fire that is spoken of as accompanying the baptism with the Holy Spirit is the glory of the Lord. When we are baptized with the Holy Spirit we are also baptized with the glory of the Lord.
God’s glory can manifest in many different ways, just as the Holy Spirit manifest in many different ways through different gifts. The Hebrew word for glory also translates as goodness. So the two words are interchangeable. God’s glory is his goodness and his goodness is his glory. His glory can manifest in very spectacular, supernatural ways and it can manifest almost unnoticed at times and in very practical ways.
When you are baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire, people will notice a difference about you. They may not know what it is, but they will be drawn to you because the glory of God rests on you and dwells in you.
When you are baptized with fire, or with the glory of God, you will experience a deeper level of intimacy in your relationship with God. In times of praise and worship his presence will become much more real to you and you may even experience manifestations of his glory that cross over from the spiritual realm into the natural realm.
I have been in meetings during times of worship and have seen gold dust appear on people and things. I have seen oil running out of people’s hands and I have sweat oil out of my forehead. I have smelled a sweet smell come into the room. In one meeting I was in, a lady’s metal fillings in her teeth turned to gold. I frequently hear angels singing. Some people see a cloud come into the room. Often people cannot stand but fall to the floor. Some get lost in laughter or weeping. Some appear to be intoxicated as the disciples did on the day of Pentecost when the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire was first given to the Church.
I have known people to receive miraculous healings during these times. Some have been delivered of habits or demonic possession. Some have seen visions. I have been in meetings where I have received and where I have spoken life changing words of prophecy, words of knowledge or words of wisdom to individuals.
I have also experienced these kinds of things in my private prayer time or as I go about my daily life. Sometimes the most spectacular things occur when I expect them the least.
These kinds of things never happen just so we can feel special or spiritual in some way. They are expressions of God’s love to us. In reality, they are always practical and accomplish things in our lives and in other’s lives that usually can’t be accomplished any other way.
Life can be tough. The world is a dangerous place. We need all the help we can get. Why would we not want everything God has for us? After all, he is love. He is for us and not against us. He has provided salvation so we can live forever and he has provided the baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire so we can know him intimately and be victorious in this world.
All you have to do to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire is to ask in faith, believing. Jesus is the baptizer. Many people receive the baptism with the Spirit in meetings as others pray for them and/or lay their hands on them. But I also know of people receiving the baptism when they were alone with the Lord.
It doesn’t matter how you receive. The important thing is that you do receive.
All glory to God!
TEACHING: TRUE GODLINESS
By Lanny Swaim
June, 2007
1 BUT UNDERSTAND this, that in the last days will come [set in] perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].
2 For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.
3 [They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement): [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.
4 [They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.
5 For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them].
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (Amplified Bible)
There is no doubt that we are in times of great stress and trouble nationally and worldwide. There is also no doubt that the church-world and individual believers are going through situations that are hard to deal with and hard to bear.
Why is this so? Why are these perilous times? The first part of verse two tells us that it is because people are lovers of self and utterly self-centered. The rest of verse two on through verse four describes the behavior of people that are lovers of self and self-centered.
In verse five we learn that the Apostle Paul is not talking here about people in general, (although he could be). He is talking specifically about religious people. He is talking about people that act pious or religious, (the King James version says “having a form of Godliness”).
So what makes these people (that have a form of Godliness) different from people that are Godly?
Religious people that only have a form of Godliness have no power. Their religion has no power. In 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 Paul says, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”
Much of the church-world today is powerless. Their religion at best is just a cover-up for what is really on the inside of them. It is intended to make them look good, sound good and feel good. But in reality, while they may fool others and themselves for a while, sooner or later the truth will come out.
In verse five Paul tells us to stay away from all such people. These are very strong words. Why do you think he would say such a thing?
I have learned through experience that we are affected by what we see, hear and who we associate with. While it would be impossible to completely avoid such people, we should be very cautious about establishing relationships with such people. This is why Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 6:14 to avoid being unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
While it is important that we recognize people for who they are, discerning the intent of their heart rather than what they appear to be, the purpose of this teaching is not to point a finger at anyone. The purpose of this teaching is for us to examine our own motives and ideas about who we are and what we believe, lest we fall into the trap of only appearing to be Godly but having no power in our lives.
Isaiah 58:1-2 says, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.”
This is interesting. Even though Israel’s heart was toward God and they kept his law, Isaiah was told by God to show them their sins.
Verse 3 gives us insight into why. “Wherefore have we fasted, say they (the nation of Israel), and thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge?” Then God answers, “Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors.” In other words, they continued with business and pleasure as usual. The purpose of their fast was not to come aside from their daily routine and seek God but to simply go through the motions of fasting trying to gain God’s favor. Doesn’t this sound a lot like “having a form of Godliness but denying the power thereof”?
In verse 4 God goes on to say, “Ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.” In other words, their fasting didn’t impress God at all because their heart condition was not right.
So, even though Israel was seeking God daily, desiring to know his ways and keeping his law, they were missing something. They looked good, they sounded good and they were doing good but Isaiah was told to show them their sins.
We need to understand that the most literal definition of sin is simply missing the mark. We have tended to think of sin as do’s and don’ts. We have put sin in a very religious context. We have done the same thing with the word wicked or wickedness. Wicked comes from the same root word as wicker. We all know what wicker furniture is. It is made of a material that is twisted together. The word wicked simply means twisted. Wicked thinking is twisted thinking. Wicked actions are twisted actions.
So, even though Israel’s desires were right and they were doing the right thing, their thinking was twisted and they were missing the mark. They thought the form (fasting) would gain them favor with God but they were lacking the power to walk in God’s favor.
The truth is they were already God’s chosen people. They already had his favor. But they were not walking in it because their heart was not right.
God is a holy God and he requires a holy people. However, holiness is not determined by the way we behave. The way we behave is determined by our holiness. Holiness simply means, set aside for God. God is holy because he is God. We are holy because we have been chosen by him and we belong to him.
If we have been chosen by him and if we belong to him, we are in a process of becoming holy. We are in a process of becoming self-less instead of selfish. The power that Godly people walk in is the result of becoming self-less and walking in love.
This is what God says in verses 6 and 7 of Isaiah 58. “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness (twisted thinking), to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
When we walk in love instead of just going through the motions of being religious, we will walk in God’s favor. Verse 8 says, “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward (rear-guard).
The longer I walk with God and the more I die to self and become alive to the Spirit, the more I hate religion. I’m not referring to the genuine religion that James talks about (James 1:26-27) but to the form of Godliness that denies the power thereof. This kind of religion robs people of the faith that it takes to be powerful, victorious overcomers. This kind of religion keeps people trying to achieve holiness rather than being holy. This kind of religion produces twisted thinking and causes people to continually miss the mark.
In Philippians 3:13 Paul says, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
As believers, much of what is behind us is twisted thinking based on what religion has taught us rather than on what the Spirit has revealed to us. We must forget those things that are behind and reach for those things (revealed by the Holy Spirit) that are before, pressing toward and hitting the mark, winning the prize, which is the high calling of God in the Anointed One and his anointing.
What is the high calling of God? To walk in love. How do we walk in love? We walk in love when we walk in obedience to the Father, to his word and to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:14 tells us that as many as are led by the Sprit of God, they are the sons of God. In the Hebrew culture of the Bible, a son was a mature child ready to receive his father’s inheritance.
Romans 8:19 tells us that creation is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. The world is not waiting for another idea, another doctrine, another denomination, another religion or another seven-step book to success. Only the gullible fall for these things but even they quickly become disappointed and move on to the next disappointment. The world is waiting for mature believers, walking in love, speaking and doing the works of God, demonstrating his power. Not only the power for signs, wonders and miracles, but also the power to literally bring the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10 & Luke 11:2).
* All Scripture quotations in this teaching are from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted. Some quotations from the King James Version have been slightly altered for grammatical purposes.
* This teaching and others will soon be available on CD. If you would like to make a donation to help purchase equipment to make this possible, please send your contribution to:
Glory Ministries International (GMI)
P.O. Box 217
Winnabow, NC 28479
* GMI is not a 501-C3 non-profit corporation and gifts should not be considered tax deductible. For an explanation as to why GMI is not non-profit corporation, click on the Glory Ministries Page.
* However, you should expect a multiplied return on you gift according to Luke 6:38, Galatians 6:7 and Philippians 4:19.
TEACHING: THE KINGDOM OF GOD, ETC.
By Lanny Swaim
July, 2007
In the third chapter of John’s account of the Gospel we are told about a man named Nicodemus that came to Jesus by night. Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews. He probably came to Jesus by night because he was afraid someone might see him if he came in the daylight.
John doesn’t tell us why Nicodemus came to Jesus but the statement he made to Jesus gives us an indication that he was impressed with Jesus and wanted to know more about him. Nicodemus said, “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” John 3:2 KJV
At this point Jesus interrupts Nicodemus and says, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” John 3:3 KJV
Jesus didn’t say, “Except a man be born again, he cannot be saved.” He didn’t say. “Except a man be born again he cannot go to heaven when he dies.” No, he said. “Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
So the purpose of being born again is to see the Kingdom. The Amplified Bible says that unless a person is born again he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with and experience) the Kingdom of God.
Have you ever tried to talk about spiritual matters with someone that isn’t born again? You might as well be speaking a foreign language. They have no idea what you are saying.
In Matthew 9:35 and in other Scriptures Jesus calls the Gospel, the Gospel of the Kingdom. In Matthew 24:14 he says that before the end comes the Gospel of the Kingdom must be preached in all the world. In Luke 9:2 he sent his disciples to preach the Kingdom of God. Jesus spoke much more about the Kingdom than he did about salvation.
In Matthew 6:10 and Luke 11:2 Jesus prayed for the Kingdom of God to come on earth as it is in heaven. In Luke 17:20-21 he said, “The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, ‘Lo here, or lo there!’ for, behold the Kingdom of God is within you.”
Webster defines a kingdom as “a state or government having a king or queen as its head. A king has absolute rule.” A kingdom is not a democracy or a republic. Whatever the people do, whatever they are, whatever they say is by permission or direction of the king.
Another definition Webster gives is “the domain over which the spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ extends, whether in heaven or on earth.”
If the Kingdom of God is in those of us that are born again, then we are the domain over which the spiritual sovereignty of God extends.
There is a group of people in the earth today, chosen by God to manifest the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. In order for these people to manifest the Kingdom of God on earth, that Kingdom must first manifest in them. First of all, it must manifest in each one individually and then in this group corporately.
One of the things God has been doing with my ministry is using me to find, connect, encourage and equip this group of believers that are not only born again, but are beginning to manifest the Kingdom of God on earth. At this time I think this group is small in comparison to the church-world at large. God has had these individuals in a process of intense training, positioning and equipping for a long time. The purpose of this process is to not only train, position and equip them but to bring them to maturity. In other words, it is to manifest the Kingdom of God within them. The result of this will be that they (individually and corporately) will manifest the Kingdom of God on earth.
Some of these individuals are in local churches while some of them can’t seem to fit in anywhere. Some have an understanding of the process they have been going through while others have no idea about what is going on.
The Old Testament prophet Joel wrote about this group of believers in Joel 2:32, speaking of the days in which we live. “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.”
Webster defines a remnant as: a remaining, usually small part; a leftover; a fragment or scrap.
God has always had a remnant, a chosen people through whom he could manifest his presence in the earth. Among others he had Noah and his family, Abraham and his family, then the Israelites, then the Jews, then the Christians.
Remnants are individuals and/or groups of people that God has chosen to manifest himself in and through. God has to have someone to manifest his presence in the earth. He gave the earth to man and gave man authority over the earth. So, in order to have a presence in the earth he needs a man or a people.
In Matthew 20:16 Jesus tells us that many are called but few are chosen. If you are chosen, you did not do the choosing.
If God waited on us to choose him, I don’t think anyone ever would. The sin-nature we are born with desires darkness rather than light. By nature we are all very selfish and self-centered individuals.
Perhaps this is why so many people substitute religion for a genuine spiritual experience and relationship with Jesus. Religion deceives people into believing they are OK with God when in reality they are far from him.
Throughout the last 2000 years of church history there have been numerous remnants. These were groups that embraced a little deeper revelation and that had a more intense hunger for the things of God than the status quo. Groups like the Protestants, the Methodists, the Anabaptists, the Pentecostals, the Charismatics and others.
Today there is a new remnant. While all of the past remnants have manifested the Kingdom of God in part, I believe this new remnant is going to manifest the Kingdom of God in its fullness.
Jesus is building his glorious Church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, holy and blameless, that the gates of hell will not prevail against (Ephesians 5:26-27, Matthew 16:18). He is building it on the foundation of apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:19-22). He is establishing a true five-fold ministry to serve the Body of Christ, encouraging and equipping the saints for success in life and ministry, until we all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, becoming conformed to the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Anointed One and his anointing (Ephesians 4:11-13).
We are about to witness and be a part of the manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19), a group of believers being led of the Spirit (Romans 8:14) and operating in the love of God (Ephesians 4:15-16).
Habakkuk 2:14 tells us that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. In the Hebrew, the same word that translates as glory also translates as goodness. In Exodus 33:18-19 Moses says to God, “I beseech thee, show me thy glory.” To this request God replies, “I will cause my goodness to pass before thee.” (KJV)
So Habakkuk is telling us that a time will come when God’s glory or goodness will not only cover the earth, but people will have knowledge of it. How much of the world will know the glory of the Lord? Just as the waters cover all of the sea, the knowledge of God’s glory will cover all of the earth.
God’s plan from before the beginning has been to not only save individuals but to restore all things to himself. He is love (1 John 4:8) and love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8), therefore he can settle for no less than the total restoration of all of creation. That is why all of creation earnestly waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.
We have an important role to play in the restoration of all things. The revival that is being prophesied today is not coming down from heaven, it is coming out of us. The Holy Spirit has already been sent to dwell within us and empower us. We have the fullness of God dwelling within us (Ephesians 2:23, 3:19, Colossians 2:9). What more do we need?
Most of us that are chosen to be a part of the remnant that is in the earth today have suffered much during the preparation process that has brought us to where we are. We are in a continual process of dying to self, not because we choose to be but because we have been chosen to be. Who we are and what we are doing depends much more on God’s purpose and plan for us than it does on any decision we might have made to follow him.
I take comfort in the truth that Jesus is the author and finisher of my faith (Hebrews 12:2). I rest in that truth. If it were not so, I would be doomed. I am incapable of choosing this life I live in and of myself. I am totally dependent on him.
Therefore, there is no room or place for pride. I am what I am, the good and the bad of it, because of him, period. I am now “his problem”. But, glory to God, he knows how to fix me.
Do I have choices and decisions to make? Yes. But my ability to even know what the right choices and decisions are, as well as the empowerment to make the right choices and decisions is entirely because of him.
So, where do we go from here? What is the next step? I think Paul sums it up in Philippians 3:13-16.
Verses 13 and 14: “Brethern, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
We must forget everything in our past that was not 100% God. All of those religious ideas. All of those traditions of men that we thought were truth. All of that thinking that was influenced by our selfishness. Even those things that were revealed by God but contaminated by our lack of being dead to self. And those things that we received only in part but are now able to receive a more complete understanding of.
If the apostle Paul, the man that received the revelation that we consider to be much of the New Testament had to do this, surly we do too.
As we forget these things, we must continue to press forward. Re-reading the Word of God as if it were for the first time, being open to a deeper revelation than we have known before.
Verse 15: “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.”
The Amplified Bible says, “So let those of us who are spiritually mature and full-grown have this mind and hold these convictions: and if in any respect you have a different attitude of mind, God will make that clear to you also.”
In other words, as mature believers we continually forget anything from the past (even if it was yesterday or this morning) that was imperfect and press on toward perfection. And guess what? If we totally miss it God will straighten us out and fix that too! Hallelujah! We can’t loose!
Verse 16: Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
Don’t move on from those things we have learned and experienced in the past that were from God. Hold on to those and build on them.
As we do these things we will become that glorious Church built on the foundation of apostles and prophets with Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone. He will fitly frame us together so that we corporately become a holy temple in the Lord and a habitation of God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22). His Kingdom will come in us and on earth as it is in heaven.
All glory to God!
TEACHING: BOLDNESS
By Lanny Swaim – August 22, 2007
Recently I faced a situation in my life and ministry. In this particular situation, it seemed like the Word of God was not working. I emphasize “seemed”. The Word of God always works. The problem was that I wasn’t working the Word.
Example: 1 Peter 2:24 tells us that we were healed by Jesus’ stripes. If we were healed by his stripes it is an accomplished truth. No circumstance or doctor’s report can change that truth. So, if healing is not manifesting in our body, guess who is responsible. It certainly isn’t God. His Word is true and settled forever. It is not possible for God to lie (Titus 1:2).
I learned long ago, that when something isn’t working as it should in my life, the problem doesn’t lie with God, it lies with me. So, when I faced this recent situation, I went to God, seeking discernment, wisdom and revelation as to why the Word didn’t seem to be working.
I heard the Spirit of God say to me, “You draw the line.” Immediately I knew what he was saying. I had been trying to work this situation out myself, depending on my own abilities and man’s system rather than believing and confessing the Word of God in and over the situation. It was time to draw the line. No more depending on my own abilities or on man’s system of supply. It was time to completely and fearlessly trust my heavenly father.
Hebrew 4:15-16 says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Now, to understand this scripture, we must first put away all our religious ideas about what it is saying. Often when believers think of words such as tempted or sin, they immediately think of certain moral behavior.
What we need to realize is that temptation is basically pressure. Sickness puts pressure on our bodies. A lack of money puts pressure on our financial situation. The temptation is to believe what we see or feel rather than to believe what God’s Word says.
Sin is simply “missing the mark”. Sin is failure. When believers give in to the pressure to believe what they see or feel, rather than what God’s Word says, failure is imminent. Complete failure may not manifest immediately. However, to continually give in to the pressure to fail will eventually produce total failure. Roman 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. In other words, the reward for failing is death.
Death comes in many packages. Death is not to cease to exist. Death is an existence void of the blessing of God.
Our high priest, Jesus, was tempted in every way known to man. There is no temptation we suffer that he didn’t already suffer. Yet, he remained sinless. He never failed. It is his success that gives us the boldness to come before the throne of grace, obtaining mercy and finding grace in our time of need.
Now, let’s look at the word, “grace”. Most of us have been taught that grace is unmerited favor and this is certainly true. But what we need to see is that God’s unmerited favor is his empowerment. It is his grace that empowers us to come boldly before his throne and proclaim his Word over any situation.
In 2 Corinthians, the twelfth chapter, Paul talks about a thorn in his flesh. He tells us that this “thorn” was a messenger of satan sent to fight against him. He prayed three times for God to remove this enemy. God told Paul that his (God’s) grace was sufficient for him (Paul). In other words, he told Paul that he had already empowered him to do something about this “thorn in the flesh”. God had already done all he was going to do. Paul had to now “draw the line” himself and take authority over this enemy in the name of Jesus.
Boldness is fearless confidence. It is fearless confidence in the grace of God that gives us the boldness to come before God and draw the line, choosing to believe his Word rather than the circumstances we see or feel.
James 5:16 tells us that the effective prayer of a righteous man avails much. We know that Jesus has made us righteous (Romans 5:19). So, as righteous people, how do we pray an effective prayer? By praying boldly, in fearless confidence, believing that we receive whatever we ask (Mark 11:24). In this passage of scripture Jesus tells us that we are to believe we receive when we pray, before we see the manifestation of it. Then he goes on to say, “Ye shall have it.”
In other words, boldness prays knowing, not just hoping. To come to God boldly is to come to God in faith. Faith begins with hope but faith goes beyond hope (Hebrews 11:1). Just hoping for something won’t bring it to pass. We must boldly operate in faith. Hope simply hopes it will happen. Faith knows it will happen.
My wife has a brother that died recently. I had the privilege of leading Michael to the Lord some time ago. He got involved in a denominational church where he found acceptance and encouragement to walk with the Lord. However, he received little or possibly no teaching on how to apply faith to everyday situations. When cancer came knocking at his door, he had nothing to fight with.
I spent some time with Michael while he was in hospice. He was surrounded by his church family, his natural family and his wife. They all expressed much love to Michael but no one knew enough to believe he would be healed.
I began to read healing scriptures to Michael and to pray in his presence for healing. He was in a semi-coma state but he seemed to respond to me. However, Michael died.
When Michael died I didn’t want to give up. I considered raising him from the dead. I have seen the dead raised twice and have heard of many being raised from the dead. I asked the Lord what I should do and he told me to let Michael go, so I did.
A few days ago I was lying on my couch early one morning. I had been struggling with the financial situation in my ministry that eventually led to God telling me to “draw the line”. I had been up praying before I laid down on the couch. I don’t know if I was awake or asleep. I don’t know if what I experienced was a dream, a vision or if it really happened.
Michael came to me. He said, “You have got to stop operating in hope and start operating in faith.” He talked about when I was with him in hospice reading healing scriptures to him and praying for him. He said he wanted to believe that he would be healed, but because he had not been taught how to operate in faith, he was unable to believe it. He was hoping it would happen but his hope didn’t become the faith he needed to receive the manifestation of healing in his body.
So, how do we operate in faith. First of all we need a relationship with God. Faith works by love (Galatians 5:6). God is love (1 John 4:16). Therefore, if we are going to operate in faith we must operate in love. In order to operate in love, we must know God (have a relationship with him). To have a relationship with God is to have a relationship with perfect love and perfect love cast out fear (1 John 4:16-18).
When we dwell in the God that is love and he dwells in us (1 John 4:7-8), that perfect love that he is cast out all fear, setting us free to boldly operate in faith.
Then, we need to know and continually feed on his Word in order to know what he has promised us and provided for us. We need to know our rights as citizens of the Kingdom of God and as members of his family. As members of his family we are heirs of the promise and joint heirs with Jesus. (Galatians 3:29, Romans 8:17). Glory to God!
We have to stop thinking religiously and traditionally and simply believe the Word of God like it is written. We have to stop making excuses if the Word is not manifesting in our lives and seek revelation knowledge as to why. Then we have to take action and apply it to our situation.
There is no need to beg God for something he has already done. We simply ask, believe and proclaim it. We call it done in the name of Jesus. And if there are things we need to do or know about how to specifically pray in any situation, God will reveal those things to us.
While there are sins, such as unforgiveness, and other things that can hinder our prayers from being answered, I suspect the greatest hindrance is not coming before the throne of grace boldly because of a lack of understanding of who we are in Christ Jesus and what he has provided for us.
Even though we may have received revelation on this in the past, it is easy to let it slip due to the pressure we all experience as we fight the good fight of faith. I have learned an important lesson in the last thirty-seven years of walking with the Lord. If you let something slip, if you mess up, never beat yourself up and/or become discouraged. Simply repent (turn around), seek God (run into his loving arms) and get back on track.
Above all, rest in the finished work of Jesus. After all, he is the author and completer of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
NOW THAT JESUS IS YOUR LORD & SAVIOR
TEACHING BY LANNY SWAIM
NOVEMBER, 2006
If you have recently accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior I want to welcome you into the Kingdom of God. If you are a believer and have decided to pursue a deeper walk with the Lord and become more Kingdom minded and less worldly minded, I want you to know that you have embarked on the greatest adventure anyone can experience.
In the Bible, in John 3:3 Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Then in verse 5 he said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.” In verse 6 he goes on to say, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Apostle Paul says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: behold, all things are become new.”
There are many people today that think we are all basically good and that somehow, someday we will get it together here on planet Earth and live in peace. While this is a nice thought, it just isn’t true. The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Every person born into this world; born of a woman as we all were, born of water as Jesus said in John 3:5; everyone of us were born with a sinful nature. We inherited it from Adam. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he lost his perfect nature and took on a sinful nature. He then passed that sinful nature on to all his descendants, everyone born after him on planet Earth.
Everyone, that is, until Jesus. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a young virgin woman. As the son of Mary, the young virgin woman, Jesus was completely a man. He was subject to all the temptations and all the experiences of being a man. However, because the Holy Spirit conceived him, he was also completely God. Therefore he was born with a God-nature instead of being born with a sin-nature like all the other descendants of Adam. He could have chosen to sin but instead chose to walk in obedience to his heavenly father.
Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are but that he remained without sin.
1 Corinthians 15:45-49 says, “And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy (that’s us before we were born again): and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly (that’s us after we are born again). And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
In other words, Jesus is being referred to here as the second or last Adam. The first Adam, whose account can be read in Genesis, chose to disobey God and by doing so took on a sinful nature, which he then passed on to every generation after him. The second or last Adam, Jesus, walked sinless among sinners, which enabled him to redeem fallen mankind and restore fallen mankind to God.
Because the first Adam became a sinner, we were born into this world as sinners. It is the nature of everyone born of a woman to sin. We can’t help it and without God we can’t change it. That’s why we need a savior. The last Adam, Jesus, was a perfect man. That enabled him to take all our sin and the consequences of our sin on himself. He suffered the death we deserved. He died in our place.
Isaiah 53:3-6 says, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Isaiah prophesied this hundreds of years before Jesus came as a man. When Jesus was beaten, whipped, spit on, ridiculed and then crucified, he took on himself all the sin of mankind. But not only did he take our sin on himself, he took the consequences of our sin as well.
What are the consequences of sin? Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. Everything that brings death is the result of sin. Sickness, disease, poverty, war, famine; everything bad known to man that brings death; physical, mental or spiritual death, is the result of sin. Jesus suffered all that for us so that we wouldn’t have to suffer it. 1 John 3:14 tells us that we have passed from death unto life.
When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and are truly born again, a great exchange takes place. We exchange the death that we deserve for the life that he is. The wages or payment for our sin is death but Jesus paid that price for us. Salvation is now a free gift to all that will receive it.
Roman 10:9 says, “That if thou shalt confess (acknowledge, line up with) with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe (know without a doubt) in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
The New Testament was first written in Greek. The Greek word here for saved is sozo. It means total salvation, wholeness, completeness. Literally it means nothing missing, nothing broken. The indication here is that we receive salvation by confessing Jesus as our Lord and Savior and by believing that God raised him from the dead. However, this action is just the beginning.
The Greek word sozo indicates an ongoing process of being saved. When we are born again we become a new person, that new creature spoken of in 2 Corinthians |
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