ACTIVATING GRACE

December 28, 1997 pm Michael F. Blume

John 17:7-10

Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

John 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

2Cor 12:7-10

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Jesus prayed not for the world, neither that we would be removed from this world.

But He prayed that we would be "kept" from the evil in the world by God's power.
"KEPT" means "protected, made safe".
This power is called GRACE.
One of the definitions of Grace is "divine empowerment."
God's power of Grace must be understood properly in order for one to benefit from it.
We must learn how to co-operate with this almighty power.

We see how GRACE is activated in Paul's writings.

He prayed for the circumstances he was in to change, and for the trials to cease, but God refused to comply.
God said, "My grace is good enough for you. You need not that I remove trials, for all that you need is my grace."

Paul learned how God works.

Paul said he became a fool in glorying.
When he was weak, he was strong.

You see, God lets certain infirmities remain because they are deemed suitable to keep you in place and right before God.

God weakened Paul through this infirmity in order to be able to work in Paul mightily.
It was God's GRACE upon him that kept and protected him.
God's strength is made perfect in weakness.

Remember God's strength is ALMIGHTY.

Do not take the "all" out of "al-mighty".

He has "all" "might."
God's power is complete, and anything can be done when we do not "frustrate" this work from being accomplished.
The "full" potential of God can work for you WHEN YOU ARE WEAK.
God simply designed it that way.

Paul referred to this when he said:

Gala 2:20-21

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth 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. I do not frustrate the grace of God:

Paul did not ruin it and rob himself of the opportunity he had for grace to work mightily in him after he learned how to activate grace.

He gave GRACE the opportunity to work.
We can FRUSTRATE GRACE.
We can ruin our chances of seeing grace help us.
Paul would not do it, but he implied we can frustrate the grace of God.
This means we can miss the power of grace to help us.

You can give miracles an opportunity to occur by stepping out in faith.

Even so, you can give grace an opportunity to RESURRECT YOU CONTINUALLY when you let go of YOUR efforts to solve everything and let circumstances have their way.
(God sends all circumstances our way. Everything, but SIN, that comes to you, comes ultimately from God's hand).

TAKING STEPS OF FAITH

God saw RAHAB, a Gentile, in Jericho and saw her wonder about God of Israel.

When she took a step of faith by taking the spies into her home at the risk of her life, and disobeyed national law in order to honour God, she was protected by God's power.
She was thrown into the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
She was Boaz' mother.
And Ruth, Boaz' wife, became a lady just like mom-in-law.
Ruth was a gentile and wanted to serve Naomi's God.
She, too, was thrown into the lineage of Jesus.
Jesus came through these people's families due to their faith.

Jesus lives through the believers who takes steps of faith, just as the people literally became Jesus' vessels to come forth into the world through by way of birth.

We BIRTH Jesus into the world by taking steps of faith.

God's Spirit is the Spirit of glory.

John 7:39

(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet [given]; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

The Spirit came only when Jesus was glorified.

The Spirit resurrects.
The Spirit brings power.

1Pet 4:12-14

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

If ye be reproached

for the name of Christ, happy [are ye];

for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you

: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

Peter said that trials will come and should be no surprise to us.

If we experience them, whether we know it or not, we give fertile soil for the Spirit of glory to work.
The Spirit of glory rests on us when we are in a suffering situation. Any form of death, be it a mild form of death in suffering, causes the SPIRIT OF GLORY TO COME.
The Holy Ghost requires certain ingredients to work mightily in us.
Trials are one ingredient, and there is one more.

I already have the LIFE of Jesus in me.

It is RESURRECTION LIFE.
It is like an immune system.
When disease comes, the system sends an alarm and, "Look out disease!"
Even so, when trouble comes, the SPIRIT OF GLORY IS THERE TO WORK!

The Spirit of glory raised up JESUS from the dead because He was God's Son.
This is very important to know.

Romans 6:8-10

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Paul said we died with Jesus and we are also risen and resurrected with Him.

Because He was Son, God glorified Him from death.
"Look out, death! Here comes glory"
Glory hates death.
Paul realized that glory enjoys defeating death.
Paul realized that since he resurrected with Jesus, then the Spirit of glory that was upon Jesus was also upon Paul.
The Spirit of resurrection is the Spirit of glory.
In God's eyes our faith has made it just as good as though we actually died, and are God's sons.
This is because Jesus died in our places, and therefore we can say we died with Him.
When He died, I died.
It does not matter if we feel like we died or not.
The Bible says we died with Christ if we believe He did it for us.
Repentance is dying with Jesus.
Baptism is burial with Jesus.
And Holy Ghost baptism is resurrection with Jesus.
The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of resurrection.
We could not receive the Holy Ghost if we did not resurrect with Jesus, because it is the Spirit of glory.

When our bodies die, at the right time we shall be changed. We may be alive when the rapture occurs, but we shall be changed. Jesus died and was buried for three days and nights, and the right time came for Him to rise again.

That will happen to us one day.
But yet we can say that we have the Spirit of resurrection right now because we are already resurrected from the dead with Jesus.

When Jesus resurrected, what happened was that the Spirit of Glory glorified and quickened or made alive his body.

It is appointed to man once to die, and He died that required death.

He had to die that death because he became a man like you and me.
It is appointed unto man once to die.

We are dead with Christ and were made so by baptism into death.

Romans 6:3

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were

baptized into his death?

Nobody else's death would have helped me at all.

If I was baptized into any other person's death, it would do me no good.
Only baptism into CHRIST'S DEATH throws one into the lineage of Jesus, as it were.
It is the step of faith we take today that puts us into Jesus line, because my death with Jesus goes further than just stopping at the point of dying.

Death with Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King stops at death.

But death with Jesus goes on to resurrection with Him.
We live with Him if we died with Him.

This is what Paul says:

Romans 6:4

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.

We were crucified with Him.

Romans 6:6

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him],

Jesus died once.
NO more deaths for Him!

Romans 6:9

Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead

dieth no more

; death hath no more dominion over him.

Likewise we must see that we died to sin also, if we died with Him.

Romans 6:10-11

For in that he died,

he died unto sin once

: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise

reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin

, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If He died unto sin and we died with Him, then the benefits He had in dying to sin are our benefits.

That means we died to sin, also.
Death has not more dominion over us.
One death finishes our life of being enslaved by sin and death.

And then Paul said, yet we are alive.

Gala 2:20

I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

If Jesus had the Spirit of glory with Him after He resurrected, then if we resurrect with Him we have the same SPIRIT.

It is our right to have this Spirit.

Romans 8:11

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

This is not only talking about the rapture.

It is the rapture plus a whole lot more!
It is NOW.
My body is still mortal now.
That Spirit of glory is in me now and quickens me now.

Our bodies are not in graves for that Spirit to raise them up, but anything to do with sin and death is bait for the Spirit of glory!

That includes trials and troubles.
When sin tries to attack me, I am God's Son and the Spirit of Glory rests upon me.
The Spirit of glory kicks into action and defeats death in all of its forms.
Glory enjoys defeating death in any of its forms.

When Satan sends trouble, a mild form of sin and death, glory say, "Let me at him!!"

HERE IS THE KEY

WE WILL ROB GLORY OF THE CHANCE TO DEFEAT DEATH FOR US IF WE TRY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN OUR FLESH.

Sin and Grace are arch enemies.
Grace is God's remedy for sin.
When we first humbly repented and were baptized, grace saved us.
Grace can do nothing for a person until that one admits their sin and dies with Christ in repentance, choosing to live a godly life for Jesus.
Die with Jesus and get saved.

But AFTER SALVATION, grace is upon us.

And when sin abounds, grace does much more abound.
Grace has a built-in responder to sin.
It rises up in us and defeats sin when sin and death attack in trials or troubles.

Paul saw that grace works when we are in sin and saves us when we repent.

Paul carried that thought over into the aspect of living for God after being saved, and explained that in Romans 6.
But other people twisted the right idea into an idea that said we must continue in sin so that grace may abound.
No.
This power and truth is carried over into our Christian lives, but in a greater way.
We do not even have to sin!!

Romans 5:20-6:2

Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

No longer living in sin is saying we do not have to sin.

Alarms go off when trouble comes to us.
Anything to do with sin and death sends the Spirit of glory to our rescue.
Grace NULLIFIES THE DAMAGE.

God said, "Paul, you are dead. You are also my son. Act like it and let the My Spirit resurrect you from this form of death. My Spirit only resurrects my SONS. You're one of them. Since it does not have to take your body out of a grave, it does nevertheless see trials and troubles, which are forms of sin and death. And it will strengthen you to go through it unhindered.. My grace is all you need. But remember this, so long as you are weak, then my power has wide open opportunity to work. But when you think you can handle troubles alone, thinking you're strong, you frustrate grace."

Grace is for you.
So it will not fight you and your will to see victory.

You must cooperate with the fact that you are dead with Christ.

Unfortunately, if you do not know how to activate grace and let t work, and think you must fight your own battles, it cannot help you.

You frustrate it.

It is a spirit of resurrection.

It comes when you cannot do anything else.
You died.
It is originally intended to raise a Son of God's dead body to life.
No self power is present in a dead body.
It has little problem raising a dead body.
The Spirit of glory and resurrection cannot resurrect or glory until the body is dead.
Its power may be so much more powerful than the low sickly person has when dying, but it cannot do a thing until that body is dead.
The Spirit was not yet given because Jesus did not yet die and require resurrection.
It could only raise Him up and glorify Him when He died.

Then Jesus ascended with His blood to the Father for our sakes.

He showed that we died with Him since we accepted His sacrifice of death for us.
Then, after this glorification of Jesus, the Spirit was sent to us.

It is therefore a Spirit of resurrection.

It came when you were deemed dead with Christ.
It came when you repented and so much believed you died with Jesus that you were buried with Him in watery grave of baptism into His death.

If we reckon ourselves to be dead, and truly know we are dead in God's eyes, since we died with Jesus, then the Spirit can work.

We must ACT LIKE WE ARE DEAD WITH CHRIST.
That means, do not think you have to solve all trials yourself.
Expect the Power of God to KEEP you.
Paul wanted the thorn in his flesh removed.
The first beatitude is "blessed are the poor in spirit."
All the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
They are nothing in their own minds.
Weak beyond weak.
God can do much with nothing.
He created all from nothing.
When Saul was small in his own eyes, he was actually great in God's eyes.
All power and all resources are there for us.
But you must give the Spirit of glory material to work with.
RECKON YOURSELF DEAD.
You are dead with Christ.
Believe that and understand it.
Study it until you KNOW it.

An immune system is an inoculation of life.

But it needs a reactant.
Cooperation is the key here.
We are labourers together with Him.
The truth is you are dead.
Believe that.

A.I.D.S is a virus that destroys the immune system.

False concepts and misunderstanding that we are dead with Christ, lack of knowledge, destroys us like A.I.D.S.

Being dead with Jesus gives us a right to be helped by the Spirit of Glory.
And it gives us a right to live above sin.

Normally,. you would have to die to be free from sin.

Once you are dead, the penalty of "the soul that sinneth must die" is paid.
Death has no more dominion over you.
But you died with Christ.
And that is good enough for God.
But your own body is still alive and if trouble comes and the Spirit of resurrection rises to work for you, your lack of cooperating with its requirement of being utterly poor in Spirit and weak, causes you to frustrate grace.
And it will not work.
It needs death to work.
You can put the brakes on grace.

Do not frustrate grace.

Accept the fact that you cannot handle the trial alone.
Act dead.
Reckon yourself as dead by knowing you are dead with Christ and God does not need you to beg for help or try your best to get him to help you.
Just believe you are dead and have a right to power from the Spirit of glory.
That is why Paul asked, "Know you not?" throughout Romans 6.
Those who do not understand they are dead with Christ, will not realize their efforts of the flesh to get ahead only frustrate the Spirit of glory from working in them.
They do not know they can stand still and let the lord fight their battles.
They are not totally aware of what being a Son of God is all about!
Give grace a chance to raise you in its power.

How can the Spirit of resurrection work with no death?

Jesus lives through us.
Our step of faith put us into a crowd of the lineage of Jesus.
Anyone can get in.

The dragon was cast out of heaven after Jesus was ascended.

Reve 12:5

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne.

Reve 12:7-9

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

And we read that the children of God overcame him and caused him to fall.

Reve 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Jesus' ascension overcame the devil.

It redeemed us.
His testimony became my testimony because I died with Him and was risen with Him.
The blood of Jesus proves death occurred.
And since He died in my place, that blood proves I am dead.
That is why the blood of Jesus is so important.
So His testimony of dying and resurrecting is mine.

In a book about the testimony of Jesus:

Reve 1:1-2

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ,

Shows us having that testimony as our own because the BLOOD was His death for us.

Reve 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Jesus ascended, and that is His testimony, but we ascended with Him and His testimony is our testimony.

And Since He overcame the devil, and did it FOR US, then we can say overcame the devil.
And then it says we love not our lives to the death.
WHAT DEATH?

Paul said what is gain to him is loss to Christ.

So Paul said he weakens himself.
So that Paul might KNOW JESUS.
Fellowship of suffering mentioned FIRST.
Then power of resurrection.
Keep in mind the fact that "I AM CRUCIFIED WITH HIM"

Paul said that he had a treasure in his earthen vessel.

2Cor 4:7

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Verse 6 said it was light of the knowledge of the glory of God.

Paul said he was troubled - yet not distressed.
Perplexed - but not in despair.
Persecuted - not forsaken.
Cast down - not destroyed.
Bearing about dying of Jesus in body - so there would be continual freedom fro the LIFE of SPIRIT of Jesus within to flow forth.

Romans 8:11 said the Spirit would ENLIVEN our mortal bodies.

While they are weak.
While they are mortal.
While one can die.
Spirit will enliven it.
Just as if it was dead and in need of glory.

Roma 8:11-12

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

The Spirit is there to quicken our mortal bodies.
THEREFORE, we are not bound to live after the flesh and get by in fleshly power.
We have another OPTION!
This must apply to LIFE RIGHT NBOW, since Paul said it quickens us and therefore we do not have to LIVE after the flesh.
When?
NOW.

Paul told us we are to be living sacrifice (Ro. 12:10).

Sounds contradictory - living... sacrifice.
But it is not when you understand that YOU ARE CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST, YET YOU ARE ALIVE.
BECAUSE He died in your place, giving you the benefits of dying to sin once, while you personally did not die.

THIS IS YOUR REASONABLE SERVICE.

It only makes sense to present yourselves as living sacrifices.
Spirit needs death to work.
It needs your faith that you are dead in Christ and that is good enough for you to be reckoned dead for God's Spirit of resurrection to help you.
Since you are alive, and still mortal, God's Spirit quickens you again and again.

YOU NEED THIS HOLY GHOST!