GALATIANS 3
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”

CURSED AND CONDEMNED

Are you relying on your works and the works of the law?

Then you are under a curse, if you dont obey all of it, James says in chapter 2:

10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

Listen, you cannot obey the whole law. No one can; if you fail in only one point, you have failed to keep the whole law and stand condemned.

The law takes us to court. Imagine if you break the law: Let’s say you break the speeding law, you go 55 in a school zone, you come before the judge and you will have to take your punishment.

The defence of so many people, is well, “Judge, I have kept every other road rule and I have done many good things to help people.”

Just because we have kept some of the law does not mean we can rely on it for protection from it.

Likewise, when we come before the Judge of the universe, we cannot say, “I have kept virtually every part of the law. Yes, I have failed in a couple of points.” This won’t cut it.

A Christian or righteous one lives by faith. He is not obsessed in keeping the law, but lives through the power of Christ, as Paul said in Galatians 2:20, that he is crucified with Christ. He is living life through Christ and not in adherence to the law.

The law brings us to court and condemns us; we are under its curse, the weight of sin on us. We cannot remove this curse; the curse is stuck on us and however hard we try; we cannot remove it.

So, stop trying to be justified through observance of the law! The justified shall live by faith.

What is that faith? It is faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. That allows us to be imputed with His righteousness and able to do the works that are pleasing to Him.

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Romans 3:9-18 state that no one ever seeks God. Yes, we seek after religion and our self-importance. When I was an unbeliever, I went to church, I glanced at the Bible, but I couldn’t say that I ever sought God.

9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeks after God.

12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

13 Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:

16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:

17 And the way of peace have they not known:

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

The curse of the law cannot and will not be removed by serving the law, because none of us can keep the law perfectly.

It needs someone who can keep that law perfectly and therefore can remove the curse of the law. He stands in our place, but more on that in the next devotion.

Praise be to God, that He has provided a way that we can have peace with God.

God bless you

KK

1 SAMUEL 2

22 Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

23 And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.

24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord’s people to transgress.

A SLAP ON THE WRIST

Eli was the High priest, his sons were priests also, but they where a disgrace to their calling. Not only were they thieves, but they were fornicators.

These women came to worship God, but these two evil men used and abused their power.

The Lord eventually dealt with them and rightly so, but why did it have to come to that?

I have heard it enough times, some Christian is living in sin and I hear this:

You can’t judge him/her

You should look at your own life first.

You should show them love

They have been members of the church a long time, we can’t drive them away.

Eli knew that what they were doing was sinful, he was the stereotypical bad parent or even pastor, whatever their child or church member do, they tolerate, they don’t want to rock the boat, they can’t correct their children/church members, that is too harsh by far.

Now I realise that God hardened their hearts, because of their indifference, but Eli was at fault here, he should have dealt firmly, in banning these evil men from the priest’s office, the things they were doing, were worthy of severe punishment or even death.

Virtually the same scenario happened in Numbers 25, what happened these two were pierced through by Phinehas. So why didn’t this happen with these two evil men?

I hear this all the time, something happens in a church, some Christian is in sexual sin and after multiple rebukes refuses to change his/her behaviour. We need to deal with sin in the house of God, not wait and say, let’s wait and pray and let God handle it. He has given us pastors and deacons with authority to deal with this, but how often do they act like Eli and give a slap on the wrist, when they need to deal with the sin like Phinehas did and kill it, that is to disallow fellowship to that person.

Time to clean house Church, judgement begins at the house of God.

God wants a pure church.

God bless you

KK

1 TIMOTHY 1

18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightiest war a good warfare;

19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck

HOLDING ONTO YOUR FAITH

Hey Christian, YOU are in a WAR!!

Timothy had to do certain things and we must do these things also.

We need to war a good warfare, we need to realise that our enemy, although he is defeated, is still dangerous.

To wage a good warfare, we have to hold onto our faith tightly. In one verse it says that we have to “cling tightly” to it.  We can do this because God first clings tightly to us! 

Also, we need to have a clear conscience. That is to have short accounts with God, to confess our sins to Him, knowing that we will receive forgiveness.

Some Christians or some so-called Christians, have not done these things.

Look at what has happened to them. Their lives are a wreck!

I hope your life is not a shipwreck。

God bless you,

Keith

GALATIANS 3

13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hanged on a tree:

14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

COMMENDED AND NOT CONDEMNED

The law curses us and condemns us; we stand no chance if we are matched against the law, and we are found guilty and have no answer to its requirements.

We have violated God’s law and deserve the full force of God’s judgement and condemnation. We stand in the dock, condemned by the law, the judge is ready to pass just sentence, but instead of condemning us, in Christ He forgives us, because the curse has been taken by someone else.

The full curse has been taken by his sinless Son, who has taken the curse for us.

We have a wonderful picture of what the Bible calls imputation in Zechariah 3:

And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

2 And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.

4 And he answered and spoke unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

We are brands plucked out of the fire, literally we have been plucked from the very edge of hell, by God’s grace.

Now we stand before God, righteous, because the curse has been removed; it has been taken and destroyed by One who is perfect. He fulfilled the law in every point and so we are now justified.

Look at what Paul says in Romans 3 and 5:

3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

In verse 20, no one is justified by the works of the law, no one.

But in Chapter 5, if we trust Christ and him alone for salvation, we are justified, we have access to God, we have peace with Him. We stand in this grace; we can stand before God, clothed in the righteousness of CHRIST.

As Paul again says in 2 Corinthians 5

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The curse removed! We no longer stand condemned, but stand commended to God. There is no condemnation for us! What an amazing truth; this should make us shout HALLELUJAH!!

Romans 8

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Look at verse 2, we are now FREE! The curse has been removed by Christ.

Look at verse 3; what the law couldn’t do, God did through His Son.

Now that too should make you shout HALLELUJAH!!

IT DOES ME

KK