What is the barrier to receiving from Christ? Pretty long...

Believers, remember Jeremiah prophesied the fall of Jerusalem and Judah's 70-year long captivity in Babylon? See 2 Chronicles 36:  21 "So the message of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said."

Judah went into captivity because they disobeyed God and did not let the land enjoy its Sabbath rest. You can imagine how seriously the Jews of old took the Sabbath after the Captivity! The Sabbath is not a small deal to observant Jews even today. Now consider what happened in Luke 6:6-11:

"On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. 7 The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If He healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse Him of working on the Sabbath.

8 But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward. 9 Then Jesus said to His critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?”

10 He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! 11 At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with Him."

Many of us are familiar with this story. But did you notice who was watching Jesus closely to accuse Him of breaking this very crucial law of the Sabbath? Did you notice who Jesus' "critics" and "the enemies of Jesus" who plotted to kill Him are? These were not people who were just itching to finish church service so they could go out and fornicate, steal, commit adultery or wallow in sins. They were "the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees!" They were people who saw themselves as custodians of the Law of Moses. They prided themselves in their sinlessness, ability to obey the Law and to do its works like pay tithe religiously, fast and sow seed. They saw these things as what made them holy and acceptable to God.

Believers, their counterparts are leaders in many churches today aka "men and women of God" who use the Law of Moses as a barrier to prevent believers in need from receiving from God who gives us all things FREELY with Christ (Romans 8:32.) 

In the same way that those teachers of religious law and Pharisees put the very crucial law of the Sabbath between the man with the withered hand and his healing through Christ, these false teachers try to put the Ten Commandments and laws of tithing, seed, offering, etc, even wigs and make-up, between believers and our receiving from our Heavenly Father who gives us all things FREELY with Christ; the same God of whom it is said in Romans 8:32-

"He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

If the man with the deformed hand had said "no" to Jesus healing him because he wanted to obey the law of the Sabbath which prohibited any kind of work on the Sabbath Day, he would have remained deformed. Even if Jesus had decided to wait to heal him the next day, it would be very foolish of the man to think that Jesus healed him because he obeyed the law. Same way it would be very foolish for any believer to think that Jesus blessed them financially because they obeyed the Ten Commandments, paid tithe or did other works of the law. Grace is undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour. 

Believer, beware of false doctrine teachers. Such are not followers of Jesus: believers are made righteous by "one Man's obedience." Christ's death accomplished perfect righteousness for all who believe. But like the Pharisees, false teachers believe that their human effort at obedience is what makes them righteous in God's sight and heaven-worthy. They are always quick to point out sins, condemn the sinner and dish out threats of punishment for sinners that Jesus came to save, just as He FREELY saved the woman caught in adultery who was about to face certain death. Matthew 1:21 says-

"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

These Pharisee-type pastors never point the sinner or believer who is held captive by sins to Christ for salvation from sins. They tell the sinner: "You'd better stop sinning or God will punish you." Let's take our blessed brains to church. How can our Saviour who came to save us from our sins use those very sins that He came to save us from as an excuse for not saving us and even punish us for the sins that He came to save us from? 

Galatians 5:4 says: "For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace." 

But preachers of what Paul called "doctrines of demons" actively teach that obeying the law is how get right with God and that sins (which Christ came to save His people from) is what cuts a person off from Christ! No friend. It is law-keeping in a bid to be godly that cuts one off from Christ!

We see yet another example of God's saving grace being above the Law of Moses that false teachers use to block churchgoers from freely receiving from Christ in Luke 14-

"One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching Him closely. 2 There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen.3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?” 4 When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away. 5 Then He turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?” 6 Again they could not answer."

These teachers of religious law and the Pharisees were always quick to put up the Law of Moses as a barrier to receiving from our Saviour Jesus Christ, even though they could not keep the same law. They try to crush every opportunity for the believer to receive freely from God with their various checklists of human effort-dependent things to do before Jesus can heal/save you.

But check out our Saviour Jesus Christ throughout the gospels. He NEVER asked ANYONE to first go and obey the law, sow seed, fast, pay tithe or do anything at all before showing them His salvation. He gave FREELY to ALL who came to Him and without ANY terms and conditions. Notorious sinners and the despised tax collectors followed Him and never remained the same. See Luke 15:

"1 Many dishonest tax collectors and other notorious sinners often gathered around to listen as Jesus taught the people." 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes kept muttering and indignantly complaining, saying, This man accepts and receives and welcomes [preeminently wicked] sinners and eats with them."

The Amplified Version says: "1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews] were coming near Jesus to listen to Him." 

Notice "non-observant Jews?" These were people who were ostracized by religious folk of the day for not paying tithes, not bringing animal sacrifices for their sins and not observing to keep the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses in general! Jesus freely associated with them but called those who thought they could obey the law "a brood of vipers." In response to the complaints of the Pharisees for His associating with these preeminently wicked sinners, Jesus told the Parables of The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and The Prodigal Son! All pictures of Grace- undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour! 

Believer, beware of the counterparts of these teachers of religious law and Pharisees who abound in many places of worship today, acting as custodians of the law and 

 putting up the Law of Moses as a barrier to believers receiving from God. Such tell believers LIES and teach demonic doctrines such as:

- For you to be godly/righteous and escape God's punishment, you have to obey the law....in Jesus'name

- For God to heal you, you have to play your part by obeying the law and sowing seed..in Jesus'name

- For God to bless you financially and lift you out of poverty, you have to obey the law by paying your tithe and sowing seed...in Jesus'name.

- For God to redeem you from generational and other curses, you have to "come fasting" and shout at your enemies to die by fire...in Jesus'name.

The law is not of faith. Trying to obey the law in order to be godly/righteous is being faithless. Trying to obey the law in order to be deserving of God's blessings in Christ is THE barrier to receiving from Christ. This is why the law-toting Pharisees could not receive from Jesus even when they were near Him and His power to heal was present.

Believer, in Christ, we are not under Law but under Grace where sin shall not have dominion over you, "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under grace." Romans 6:14. Try to obey the law in order to be godly and sin will multiply.

Christ in no way came to diminish the law. His death magnifies the law- only the sinless blood of the Lamb of God can fulfill its righteous requirements, "For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are." Romans 3:20. 

Law and Grace do not mix. One is either under Law or under Grace. There is nothing at all like "I'm doing my best to obey the law so God will see that I have really tried and consider me..." in the story of our salvation in Christ. This is the "neither cold nor hot" that Christ spoke of in Revelation 3. One is either "saved by Grace through faith" or not saved at all. The law is not of faith...

Romans 5:9 tells us the effect of Christ's sacrifice for all who believe:  "And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

But Pharisee-type church leaders deceive many with that demonic doctrine of "Now that you are born-again, you have to obey the law and do good things so that you can be righteous in God's sight." Believer, beware of such teaching. Under grace, we get to live in triumph over sin and death through Christ (Romans 5:17.) 

UNDER GRACE, Christ has fulfilled the law on our behalf. He took our curse (including generational curses) and suffering and died the death that we should die for our inability to fulfill the requirements of the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39.) Because of His sacrifice for us and God's gift of righteousness to us through Him (Romans 5:17,) we get to enjoy every blessing of God in His word and to "produce a harvest of good deeds for God." (Romans 7:4.)

Romans 8:32 says of our heavenly Father in Christ: "He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" 

In Christ, God gives us ALL things FREELY and not because we obeyed the law, fasted, or sowed seed. We get to give out of His abundance of Grace that He pours out on us- with what is overflowing and spilling over, we can't help but be a blessing to those around us. These are faith works; we can't boast about them since we are able to do them only because "it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me." In  Christ, we don't  GIVE TO GET; we GET TO GIVE. This is why it is impossible for a true believer to say things like "God blessed me because I paid my tithe and obeyed the law." There is no Christ in this equation. Only the arm of flesh (human effort) that will fail. 

Believer, beware of any preacher that puts up human effort-dependent terms and conditions of laws to keep and things to do for you to receive from God, be righteous in God's sight or to escape God's wrath. There is only one part for us to play/one work for us to do to be saved (including salvation from sins and all earthly ills) and that is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. See this from the mouth of our Saviour Himself where some people asked Him what are the works of God that we must do: John 6:

28 "They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” 29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the One He has sent.”

Romans 5:9 tells us the effect of Christ's sacrifice for us- "And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

This is what it means to believe in Jesus: believing that because of the finished work of Christ, God sees we who believe in the One He has sent as righteous through and through; just as if we never sinned. This is the gospel of Christ: Romans 5:16-

"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins."

As it was in the days of the early church, Pharisee-type pastors and churchgoers who pride themselves in their ability to obey the law and pay tithe just like the Pharisees of old get angry at and do not believe the message of Christ. Such put up the Law of Moses as a barrier to sinners drawing near to our Lord Jesus Christ to FREELY receive. Such put up terms and conditions of tithes, seeds, fasts and human effort at obeying the law as conditions for receiving from God who gives us all things FREELY with Christ (Romans 8:32.) Conditions that Christ never demanded!

But the gospel of Christ brings joy to the heart of the undeserving sinner who believes; and we never remain the same:

"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."

Believer, believe right. With Christ as our righteousness, God sees us as righteous through and through, "even though we are guilty of many sins." He came to save us from our sins, not condemn us. Trust in the One of whom it is said in Titus 2:14-

"He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."

Right believing always produces right living.