You are fighting with a dead man!

Col. 3:2,3 "Set your affection [mind] on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."

Rom. 6:6,7,11,12 "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

7. For he that is dead is freed from sin.

11. likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

12. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."

The Christian who finds rest and peace in serving God, is the one who believes that Jesus died for the whole person, and not just parts of him.

Quit fighting with your "self", and begin to rest in the finished work of Christ! "Your old man is crucified with Him...". Quit using self effort to fight 'self', and allow God's grace to perfect you. Jesus will finish what He has started in you, if you will get out of the way, and let him do what needs to be done. The Holy Spirit is your counselor, teacher, comforter, and guide: start trusting Him, and relying on Him.

Too many schizophrenic Christians have split themselves up into two or more parts, and are trying to fight themselves. Don't waste your time trying to do what Jesus has already done! He has died on your behalf, in other words, He has died AS you. If he died for you and as you, than, the old you must be dead!

You will never, by your own efforts, be able to eradicate your selfishness and your self- centered viewpoint. The only remedy for the old man of sin, is death on the cross. Jesus said "Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me".

Self cannot nail self to the cross, but you can reckon yourself to be dead with Him; dead to the old sin nature, and alive to the righteousness that is in Christ.

When Jesus was nailed to the cross, you were nailed to the cross, (along with all your sins, shortcomings,faults and failures). By faith, you can believe the word of His grace, and find rest and victory! You are redeemed, and your sins are forgiven!

Are you 'born again'?, if so, the old you is dead, and the new you is now alive in Christ. The seed has fallen into the ground and it has died; something new has been born, and it is alive with resurrection power. You are one spirit with the Lord. He is in you, and you are in Him!

Sin has no more dominion (control) over you, you are now a child of grace. The law cannot give you victory over your sinful nature, only grace can prevail.

You are "alive unto God", enjoy it! You are a new creation, act like it!

You are accepted in the beloved, Your Heavenly Father loves you very much, Just as you are! Quit beating up your 'self', and trying to crucify him; instead, consider the old you to be dead, and begin to enjoy your life of victory in Christ. He is your peace and your power !

Self fighting 'self' is a lost cause, trusting Jesus is your victory! Holiness is the life of Christ flowing through the new person that he has created. The death and resurrection of Jesus, is more than an historical fact, it is the present reality of every born again believer.

You don't need to fully understand the mystery of God's redeeming grace in order to accept it by faith. God supplies the faith that we need in order to trust Him, and the understanding of His ways will come, as we get to know Him better.

There is a rest for the people of God, and any truly good works or godly behavior that we do, are the result of us (as new creations), resting in the finished work of Jesus.

Phil. 2:13 "For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

God bless you, as you trust in His grace!

Rev, Chuck Loubert

We Are Fruit

We Are Fruit

John 12:24,25 “Verily,verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die,it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

Jesus is the corn of wheat that died, and his death has made us alive in Him! He died for us, and he died as us! When you accept the truth of His death, burial, and resurrection in your place, you become a new creation in Christ Jesus!

He who knew no sin, was made sin for us; and as us, He suffered the result of our sin.

We were born into Adam, and inherited his fallen nature, with all it's limitations and it's guilt.

Jesus died as us and rose from the dead, so that we can rise with Him, with a new heart and a new nature.

We are the fruit of His death and resurrection! We died with Jesus, as sinners (all of us humans); and now, whoever wants to lose this old frustrating, fallen life, can have a new eternal life in Christ. Like the old hymn says, “Alive, Alive, Alive forever more!”

Being born again is more than a lifestyle change, it is new life in Christ! You were once darkness, and now you are light in Christ, sharing in his glory, and energized with His Spirit.

We are risen with Jesus, to be partakers in His life; not to follow rules and regulations, or to try to please modern day pharisees, or to be miserable with regret and condemnation!

Your standing with God is not dependent upon your performance or merits, your righteousness is the result of the grace of our loving God, who has made a way for all of us to enjoy union with Him, through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah and Savior!

If you are an imperfect sinner, born into the family of Adam, you are eligible for eternal life! You can enjoy a guilt free relationship with your loving creator, because Jesus took your place and rose from death into new life, as you, and for you. You are eligible to inherit His Life and walk in His righteousness! He will change you through the power of His grace as you begin to realize how much he loves you. The Holy Spirit will teach you, and lead you to experience the knowledge of Christ, and who you are in Him.

God Bless You as you trust in His grace!

©2013 Rev. Charles J. Loubert

Jesus Is Our Forerunner

Jesus is Our Forerunner

Heb. 6: 19,20 ESV “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

John 14:2b,3 KJV “ I go to prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Under the old Mosaic covenant, no one was allowed to follow the high priest into the Holy of Holies, behind the curtain of separation. The priest entered alone into the presence of God with an offering of blood, which would cover the sins of the Israelites for a year, until the next Day of Atonement.

Under the New Covenant, Jesus entered once, for all of us, into the Holiest Place with his own blood, and restored mankind to right standing with God. He made it possible for us to receive His eternal life and His righteousness.

When Jesus said “it is finished”, and left His body on the cross, the curtain which denied access to the mercy seat in the Jerusalem temple, was ripped apart from top to bottom, showing to all the world, that access to the throne of mercy is now freely available to anyone-Jew or Gentile.

Whoever desires to, is free to approach Him and receive His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Every miserable sinner, every self-righteous loser- whosoever will, is welcome at the throne of God, because we have a Forerunner who has cleared the way for us. No one will be turned away: including YOU!

According to Adam Clark's Commentary on the Bible, a forerunner runs before, shows the way, does something first, and it also refers to the first fruits of the harvest.

We see here a wonderful picture of Jesus our High Priest and Redeemer.

He went before us, as a man, into the very throne room of Almighty God, secured forgiveness for all of us, and then defeated death by rising from the grave, to live forever as our Intercessor, our King, and our High Priest.

Jesus is the beginning of the new creation. He is the first born, the Forerunner. Through the miracle of the new birth, we who were born into the race of Adam, can now, be born, of the Spirit, into Christ. We have been transferred into the family of God: Jesus, our forerunner, is not only our Redeemer, but He is also our Elder Brother. He is God, and He is also a Man.

By grace through faith, we can enjoy all the benefits and blessings which are made available to us through Christ, our Forerunner and our High Priest.

“ Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who hath called us to glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us exceedingly great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” II Peter 1:2-4

God bless you, as you rest in His grace!

©2012 Rev. Charles J. Loubert

There Stands One Among You

There Stands One Among You

Jn. 1:10-12 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him,to them gave he power [the right] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

Jn. 1:26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water:but there standeth one among you whom ye know not:

The night that I first received Jesus as my Savior and Redeemer, I realized and felt that He had been with me all through my life; but, until that moment, I hadn't known it as a fact. I had hoped that God had some interest in me, but I didn't know for sure. When the gospel cut through the darkness of my mind and spirit, I then knew that Jesus had died for me, as my substitute, and I accepted his free gift of eternal life.

I have since learned that, as Christians, we are required to walk by faith and not by sight. I don't always feel the presence of God, but in my heart I know that He will never leave me or forsake me. That knowledge has brought me through many dark and dismal days!

Just as Jesus dwells in the heart of the individual believer through the agency of his Holy Spirit, so also, Jesus dwells in the church corporately. The body of Christ is His dwelling place here on earth. He walks among us and in us, and is all around us. "In him we live, and move and have our being."(Acts 7:28)

Matt.18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

The problem that the 'modern' church faces, is not the absence of God's presence, but our unbelief and our failure to acknowledge him among us. Most churches think that if they do all the right things, then God will join them for a couple of hours in the sanctuary, and maybe give them a good feeling about what they have done that Sunday. Most churches that I have visited, have great form, but little substance. Great music will not coerce the Holy Spirit to move among us, neither do impressive prayers or spiffy bulletins where the order of service is precisely outlined for the faithful. We walk by faith, not by sight!

We talk about what we have accomplished, should accomplish, or are going to accomplish, but there is not a lot of focus on what Jesus has accomplished for us at Calvary, and on what he is doing in us right now.

If we have gathered in his name, why do I hear well-meaning church goers ask God to 'grace' them with his presence or to 'manifest his presence' at the start of nearly every church service? why keep asking God for that which you already have? Aren't those kind of prayers an expression of your unbelief, rather than affirmations of faith?

We have one standing among us who we 'know not'!

Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save,he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."

Isaiah 12:6 "Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee."

If you are in Christ, you are a member of his body, and you are one of the stones that make up the temple which he inhabits. He walks among you, do you know him? Do you know what spirit you are of? Do you thank Him for walking with you in all situations, or do you beg him to show up when you have a crisis? We walk by faith.

There is great peace of mind to be had for the believer who knows that God will never leave or forsake him or her. He knows all our failures, our sins, and our unfaithfulness, and yet he still loves us all with an eternal love. God is every where, how can he not be with you wherever life takes you?

Can you go so far from him, that he can't reach you with his grace? of course not! Don't let anyone tell you that his presence comes and goes as a result of your actions or your thoughts. He is not that fickle! He gave you eternal life, not eternal probation! We are not under the old Mosaic covenant, we are partakers of the New Covenant which has been ratified by the blood of Jesus. The sin problem has been settled forever.

Jer. 31:34b "...they shall all know me from the least of them, to the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

There stands one among you!

God Bless you as you rest in his grace!

©2012 Rev. Charles J. Loubert

Even To Your Old Age

Even To Your Old Age

Isaiah 46:4 ESV "Even to your old age I am he, and to Grey hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and I will save."

I Will be 60 years old next year, and I work as a painter, a very physical and demanding job. Some days I come home exhausted and weary of mind, and my body aches everywhere. I had a ten hour day like that yesterday, but I woke up this morning and the Lord gave me this verse from Isaiah. What a promise! what a blessing to know that I He has everything under control, and I am his forever. (that's not presumptuousness on my part, that's confidence in His grace and faithfulness!)

It is a great comfort to know that I will grow old with the grace and mercy of God still with me and protecting me. Just as He has kept me alive this long, and has brought me through many dark and disappointing days, my God has promised to 'carry' me through this life, and into glory.

Even on those days when we feel useless and decrepit, He is in our corner, at our side, and In the heart of the believer. He has said "I will never leave you or forsake you", and " I will be with you to the end of the age".

As an ignorant new believer, a helpless child, God led me and protected me through many trials and failures, and I am still here in His service, 40 years later, because of his faithfulness and grace. I expect that he will carry me and lead me until I die and go to the Jerusalem Above, where I will see him face to face, and stand before his throne with all the saints who have gone on before me.

Ps.92:12-15 ESV "the righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him."

The born-again Christian is righteousness because of the finished work of the cross. We can continue to grow in Him, as we drink from his endless supply of Living Water. This grace in which we stand (Rom. 5:1,2) is a free gift from our heavenly Father. We flourish in His courts because we are in Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly places.(Eph 1:3, and Col.3:1-3)

We can continue to bear fruit in our old age, because Christ lives in us, and we are in Him! Eternal life flows through us and will carry us through this mortal life, and into eternity, where mortality will be swallowed up by immortality.

The hope that we have, is not 'wishful thinking', it is a confident expectation that God will complete what He has started! Christ in us, is our hope of glory (Col.1:27). Just as surely as Jesus is our Savior and His Spirit is in us, we are assured of a home in glory! Our sin has been washed away by His blood, and is no longer imputed to us (2 Cor. 5:18-21).

Like trees of righteousness filled with the sap of his grace, and rooted in the person of Jesus Christ, we can flourish and bear fruit into and beyond our old age. We won't always feel fruitful, but our faith and hope are in Him and we can remain always confident of His faithfulness.

God Bless you, as you rest in His grace!

©2012 Rev. Charles J. Loubert

Got The Victory?

Got the Victory?

1 John 5:4,5 "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?"

When I was a new believer, there was a brother in our church who was an old-timer with many battle scars, and he would always greet people with the question "good mornin' brother, you got the victory today?"

I didn't know then what I know today, so I thought that 'the victory' was something that would come or go, depending upon my performance as a Christian, or upon my circumstances. Thank God, I have since learned from the Bible, that our victory is the result of our standing in Christ, and not some elusive state of mind or circumstances that can come and go in random fashion.

Our victory is the result of the God-given faith that is the birthright of every Born-Again Christian! When you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and you know that you have been placed in the body of Christ and forgiven through his grace and mercy, you will know that your victory is a guaranteed fact. You are free from all condemnation and guilt as a result of Jesus' victory over sin and death at the cross, and by his resurrection.

Consider these promises from the New Testament:

1 Cor. 15:56,57 "The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God , which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (We are victorious because Jesus fulfilled the law on our behalf, suffered the punishment for all of our sin, and defeated death by his resurrection!)

Rom. 8:31-35 "What shall I say then to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? it is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?..."

Things don't always go our way, and we sometimes feel that we are going to be buried under our trials and our problems, but always remember that God is truly on your side, and he does not withdraw his love from you every time that you make a mistake or fail to do the right thing.

He is our peace! Just knowing and believing in his freely-given grace towards us, gives us the firm expectation that all things will work for our good. Our victory is in Jesus, because WE are in Jesus. Always believe that God is on your side, in spite of how things look to you!

Rom.10:12,13 " For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lords shall be saved."

When the frijolies hit the fan, and you get splattered, always remember, you are still his child and he will never leave you or forsake you!

God Bless you, as you rest in him!

©2012 Rev. Charles J. Loubert

Are You Thirsty?

Are You Thirsty?

John7:37,38 "In that last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying,If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scriptures hath said, out of his belly [heart] shall flow rivers of living water."

In this scripture, we see Jesus offering living water to anyone who thirsts, and who believes on him. The only prerequisites here: be thirsty, and believe on Jesus. He is freely inviting us to enjoy his Spirit, to partake of his divine, eternal life! Jesus didn't offer Living Water to those who deserve it, or to those who 'tarry' for it, or to those who try to earn it through good works and good intentions; Any one who is thirsty and believes that Jesus is the source of living water, is invited to freely drink it.

Be thirsty, Go to Jesus, drink, and believe. What could be simpler? Yet, God's people, have managed to complicate and distort his simple offer of grace. We have piled on so many prerequisites and requirements, that many of the people who we want to reach, feel that they have been disqualified and must jump through a dozen hoops before Jesus will take time from his busy schedule and hear their prayers.

If you are thirsty for truth, and feel that something has been missing from your life, go to Jesus and freely drink from the fountain of his love! He has made the way clear for you! He has removed the stumbling blocks, and straightened out the road. Jesus has given you the green light, the go-ahead. He has and paid for your ticket!

No man, woman, or devil can prevent you from drinking from the well of eternal life! 'Whosoever will' is free to partake of the life of Christ! Even your own sins can not prevent you from approaching Jesus and receiving his forgiveness and his living Spirit! The people that Jesus has invited to his table of blessings, are all sinners. JESUS CAME TO SAVE SINNERS!

We all have fallen short of his perfect law, and none of us is good enough to earn his love; but through the cross, Jesus has made the way clear. He has paid the price, and has taken upon himself the judgment that we deserve. He has not imputed our sins to us, but has rather made it possible for his righteousness to be imputed to us. Don't take my word for it, read your bible, and quit trying to complicate the simple truth of God's grace with your theological systems and your unbelief. A New Covenant has been established, and everyone is invited to be adopted into the family of God, and to be a citizen of His Kingdom.

It's simple! You need eternal life. Jesus is the source of all life. You are invited to enjoy His life. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and He has freely invited ALL of us to drink from the fountain of his favor.

Isaiah 55:1 "Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; come buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Isaiah 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

©2012 Rev. Charles J. Loubert