This message is a continuation of the previous one on 20 November 2014. The Lord is explaining here the importance of sanctification for His Bride, and how this process is different from justification from our sins by faith in Him. The Lord addresses the prevalent belief among many Christians who vehemently oppose any form of salvation-inspired good works in Christ Jesus, wrongly mistaking them to be a religious form of works-based salvation. They fail to see that God has chosen us to do good works in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10) AFTER we have been saved by faith in His grace through our Saviour (Ephesians 2:8-9), NOT BEFORE. Indeed, we are all commanded to make our calling sure by continuing to do these good works (2 Peter 1:10), and to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit as evidence that we have truly been saved and died to our sinful and carnal ways through the power of the Cross (Galatians 5:16-26).
In the same manner, this message from the Lord also opposes any form of legalistic work-based salvation that is what the Jews strive to do under the Mosaic Law. For Christ has died for our sins, and His atonement is complete (John 19:30). We simply need to receive His promised salvation by faith in His atonement, and to prove that we are born again in Him by producing Spirit-led good fruit and faith-inspired good works in Christ Jesus. Only by remaining in Jesus this way, can we be sanctified and refined before His coming. Remember, we are all works-in-progress, and though the straight and narrow path of life isn't easy, Jesus has promised that His grace is sufficient for us, for His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9). Praise and thanks be to our Saviour!
Shalom!
20 November 2014
I tell you the truth, I will only entrust My power and authority to those of My children who have proven their faithfulness and obedience to Me in smaller things. Those who are not responsible in their present appointed duties should not expect to be given greater duties and authority by Me. My written Word is clear on this, My loves. Those who desire to do the greater works I speak of in the coming Great Soul Harvest must yield themselves fully to Me now and allow Me to cleanse and sanctify you completely of your sinful self-will and desires. You must allow Me to transform you by the renewing of your mind, in order that you no longer conform to the ways of this world.
This is a painful process for every one of you, for sanctification requires the separation of the old man from the new man, the dead from the living. This is what it means to put away the old wine and the old wineskin and to put on the new wineskin – the new creation in Me, in order that I may pour out My new wine into you, the full measure of My Holy Spirit. Seek Me and desire the new wine I will give you, My children, for the painful process of My Father’s pruning will lead you to bear much good fruit in Me, and this is to My Father’s glory as well as Mine. This is the Refiner’s Fire, My loves.
Too many of My children claim salvation by faith in My Name, but they refuse to recognize what the Holy Scriptures say about the cost of discipleship and the need to crucify their sinful flesh nature daily but the power of My death and resurrection. They wrongly assume that their confession of faith in Me, without obedience to My requirement of daily sanctification, is enough to make them ready for the Rapture of My Bride. Many of My children speak against the biblical truth of sanctification because they wrongly believe that it is promoting religious works. How they have been deluded by the enemy!
My children, listen to My Words. No one can be justified before God, based on their own merits. It is entirely by God’s grace. No amount of religious or good works will cause you to be justified from sin in My eyes, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. When you receive Me by faith into your heart as your Saviour, you have been justified by faith in My finished work of atonement on the Cross. This is the point at which you enter through Me; I AM the small and narrow gate for My sheep. This is only the beginning of your journey of salvation in Me – it is not the end. This is also the reason why I use the example of travelling on a straight and narrow road to teach the truth that My work of salvation in you is a process that continues for as long as you remain in your fleshly body of sin. The narrowness of the path of life you travel upon with Me attests to the truth that this process of dying to self and living to Me is not an easy one.
This process of sanctification depends on you making a conscious decision to submit daily to the guidance of My Holy Spirit within you, to put to death the carnal desires of your flesh by walking in step with Me. Does not My Word say that I will bring this process of salvation in you to completion on the day of Christ Jesus? Yes, that day – the Day of the Lord, is rapidly approaching, My loves. Are you willingly submitting yourselves to My sanctification in your lives, children? Justification by faith in Me accords you My righteousness, My loves, but only sanctification by obedience to Me will enable you to walk in My holiness.
Do not be deceived, dear children, for I AM coming for a holy Bride whose robes of righteousness in Me have been made clean and kept spotless through her willing submission to My process of sanctifying her daily. This is a choice that every one of My children must make, for I will not force it upon them. That is why so many of My children have chosen to give up in their journey along My narrow path of life, because they love the carnal desires of their sinful nature too much to hand them over to Me. My heart is grieved for them, My loves. There are also those who have wandered off the difficult path of the narrow road to life, and have ventured onto the broad road that leads to destruction. Indeed, they believe mistakenly that they are still travelling in the direction that leads to everlasting life in Me, not realizing that they have been lulled into a false sense of security by the enemy who seeks to destroy them with his lies. Wake up, My children, and repent from your wrong beliefs! The time of My coming draws near, and you must awaken from your spiritual slumber, or you will surely be left behind to enter the Great Tribulation!
Matthew 24:42-50 (NASB)
42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
45 “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know,
Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Mark 2:22 (NASB)
No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”
Galatians 5:16-26 (NASB) [SANCTIFICATION BY OBEDIENCE]
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness,self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
John 15:1-11 (NASB) [PRUNING- GOD'S REFINING FIRE]
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Matthew 10:38-39 (NASB)
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
Luke 6:46 (NASB)
“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?"
James 1:22 (NASB)
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
Matthew 7:13-14 (NASB)
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
John 10:7-10 (NASB)
7 So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
John 19:30 (NASB)
30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
Romans 5:1-2 (NASB) [JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH]
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
2 Peter 1:4-11 (NASB)
4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness,brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
1 Peter 5:8-10 (NASB)
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
Romans 13:11-14 (NASB)
11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
Philippians 1:6 (NASB) [PERFECTION IN CHRIST- OUR SALVATION IS COMPLETE]
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
In His Grace,
Mark Chen
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