Hebrews 12:2 “Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith-endured the cross, despising the shame and set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Ephesians 2:6 “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 10:12 “After he offered one sacrifice for sins forever and sat down on the right hand of God!”
I recently read a book by Watchman Nee “Sit Walk Stand” who was a missionary born in China around the turn of the century. What a wonderful insight this little book has on the discovery of what God has provided on the finished work of Jesus Christ for all humanity.
His testimony reveals that a child of God through the salvation of Jesus Christ starts with sitting. Our position is now in Christ-“we are dead to our life and hid in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit He is our resting place.
When Christ died on the cross he said “It is finished” He had completed what God had foreordained him to do! Christ was a shed lamb before the foundation of the world for our sin. Before Adam and Eve ever fell from that holy estate of splendor in the garden Christ was predestined to redeem us from that curse that fell on us all.
Sitting is an attitude of rest. Resting is putting our whole being on something that will hold us up; Christ is our support and our foundation. We rest totally in his finished work of his death, burial, and resurrection. He did it all for us we could not do anything to obtain salvation it is totally the act of grace, God’s unmerited favor!
Adam began his life at the end of God’s work of creation week on the Sabbath day of God’s rest. He had no part in the work, life was a total gift to him and to us. We don’t work for God, but God works for us! He gives us a position of rest which is in Christ Jesus and told us to sit in him!
Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, but a gift for the guilty. Romans 5:18-19 states this- “The offense of one Adam, judgement came upon all to condemnation. The righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. One’s disobedience all made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous”. Where sin did abound grace did so much more abound!! Oh what a savior, no greater place to be but totally resting in his redeeming love.
What peace comes when I realize that my whole life, my past, present, and future is resting on one that can bare it all , the responsibility of my redemption lies totally and confident in him. Why am I confident? Because Christ is totally confident in what he accomplished in his divine assignment which came from the Father and whatsoever he giveth the son is now given to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ covenant is kept by him alone and he will not break that covenant!
Hebrews 4-“There remains a rest to the people of God for He that is entereth into his rest, He has ceased from his own works as God did from His. Christ wants us to totally resign ourselves of the care of our souls and give it to him completely. What sweet peace it is to know that sitting in God’s grace is enough.
After accepting that we are totally saved by grace through faith, and resting in that promise we began to learn how to walk in our new life in this present world. Christ wants us to learn how to walk now in the freedom that he gave us we no longer walk as the world. “We are a new creature old things are passed away and behold all things become new.”
Walking now by faith, walking in the knowledge of truth, walking in the love of God that surpasses all understanding we will be able to walk worthy of God who hath called us into his kingdom of glory. One of the greatest walks is stated in Gal. 5:16 “Walk in the spirit and ye will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Satan will try to hinder our walk in many forms-He cannot have our souls because they are secured resting in Christ. So he tries to attack our mind with an all out assault from his arsenal of weapons. Don’t believe his taunting and lies you are worthy to walk free in this world.
The Bible says that with every temptation He will make a way of escape. God’s word is our way to escape so when Satan tells you that you should walk in doubt, we walk in his blessed assurance. When Satan says we are guilty we can walk in the fact that we are pardoned by his grace. When Satan taunts us with fear we can walk faithful in hope. When Satan wants us to hang our head in unworthiness Christ reminds us we are sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Spirit within us wants us to act with super natural response and not that of an unbeliever. The “what if’s” will hinder our walk and fear itself is usually greater than the calamity. Do not let past mistakes paralyze you from walking and pressing on toward the mark of the high calling of God on your life. God provides open doors for us just as he did for the Israelites as they walked through the Red sea God will provide an open door for us to walk free. Isaiah 30:21 says “This is the way walk in it.” Listen to your teacher.
Stand is our attitude toward the enemy! Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole amour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Stand in prayer-praying always in the spirit and watching for the coming of the Lord. Be alert because our adversary is as a roaring lion-He would sift you as wheat! But thanks unto God, our Lord has prayed for us that the Father would keep us from evil.
My prayer today is that we as God’s children learn more and more how to rest in the saving arms of Jesus, to walk in his truth, and stand for him with his holy armor in the presence of such a cloud of witnesses and run with patience the race that is set before us.
Diane Mann
Lean Into Jesus Ministries
#dianemannblogs