DIG for Sunday the 29th of December……you are not under the law, how clear can the Word be…..1 Timothy 1 v 9

Many believers are still being placed under the law in church today.

Stop this, stop that, do this, do that; preaching like this under the new covenant to born again believers is just not Biblical.

If you are born again you have been made righteous as a gift of grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5 v 21).

If you are righteous then the law is not made for you; and that is not me saying this, it is Scripture (1 Timothy 1 v 9).

Yes, there is a purpose for the law still today (1 Timothy 1 v 8 and 9), but if you are born again and therefore righteous, IT IS NOT FOR YOU!

You are not under the law anymore; you are under grace (Romans 6 v 14).

I agree that we are not placed under the law in terms of circumcision or animal sacrifices today however we are in other ways.

Being told to pay your tithe to be blessed, having to attend church to see God move in your life, having to remove sin before you can be healed, having to stop smoking and drinking are all ways of putting people under the law today.

Now, I am not saying that you should smoke and drink, or stopping coming to church or stop giving offerings.

I am saying you should not be told to do this in order to be blessed by God, or told to do this because that is what you have to do as a Christian.

You have already been given all spiritual blessings as a gift of grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus (Ephesians 1 v 3).

You have received everything already because of your faith in Jesus and because you live in the New Covenant and live under grace.

Do not let anyone preach law to you ever again; stay in the freedom of grace (Galatians 5 v 1).

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I live under grace and not under the law, and that this is a gift of His grace through my faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ”.

1 Timothy 1 v 9…..Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man…….

DIG for Saturday the 28th of December…..even Saul (His greatest persecutor) knew the Lord…..Acts 9 v 5

Saul (or Paul) was a man who persecuted the early church; he was there when Stephen was martyred and he was given the role of crushing the church in Damascus (Acts 9 v 1 and 2).

He met the Lord however on his way to Damascus.

It is very interesting what Saul says when he encountered Jesus.

He called Him Lord!

This can only mean one thing; that even though he persecuted the followers of Jesus he knew that Jesus was Lord.

At a time of great stress and anxiety even Saul spoke out that Jesus was Lord.

This is something that we see time and time again; at times of stress and anxiety unbelievers cry out to the Lord.

In trying times people speak out in prayer to the Lord.

I believe that this is because at the heart of everyone there is an innate knowledge about the Lord; we all really know in our heart that He exists.

He made us all (Colossians 1 v 16) and He created us in His image (Genesis 1 v 27).

We were created with a spirit “part”; this is the “part” of us that is born again when we believe.

As spiritual beings every man knows about the Lord, and knows that He exists.

Many do not believe this but it is the truth; just ask them the next time they are in dire straits or think they are about to die!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you created me,thank you that I know you as my Lord and Saviour”.

Acts 9 v 5…..And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks

DIG for Friday the 27th of December…..He knows what you need better than you do…..Proverbs 3 v 5 and 6

In the recent DIGs we have seen many people hear from the Lord in some way or another, believe what He said and then obeyed accordingly.

Some of the things the people did were quite unusual, some of them were actually pretty crazy if you look at it in worldly terms.

Joseph kept Mary as his wife even though she was pregnant and he was not the father.

Mary believed that she would be the mother of the Messiah and she spoke it out.

The wise men went home straight away instead of going back to tell Herod.

God’s ways and plans do not always tie in with what men think; Joseph must have really thought that!

But Joseph believed God and followed His path instead of his own path.

He trusted in the Lord and did not follow his own understanding (Proverbs 3 v 5).

He acknowledged the Lord and then went on the path that He had ordained (Psalms 3 v 6).

This is excellent advice for us today.

The Lord created us for Himself (Colossians 1 v 16) and He has a plan and a purpose for every one of us (Jeremiah 1 v 5).

This may not always be what we have planned for our lives, but we need to believe that God knows what is best for us!

I pray that we all can find our own specific plan and purpose that the Lord has for us; and I pray that we then obey and move into it.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you have a plan and a purpose for my life; help me understand and believe this plan and purpose”.

Proverbs 3 v 5 and 6…..Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all they ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths

DIG for Thursday the 26th of December…..hear the Lord and obey; Mary did…..Luke 1 v 38

In the recent DIGs we have been looking at people in the “Christmas story” who have heard from the Lord, believed what they heard and then obeyed accordingly.

The last person we look at today is Mary, and I have saved the best for last!

Mary was the most important person in the birth of Jesus, she was to carry and nurture the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as her baby.

That must have been unbelievable for her to hear the first time she was told, and we do actually read that Mary asked a rather difficult question (Luke 1 v 28 to 34).

Mary was given an answer and she believed, and she then spoke out that truth.

This is one of, if not the most important statements ever spoken by a human being.

“Be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1 v 38).

Mary believed what the Lord said, understood it and then spoke it out.

It was at that point (although I cannot prove it through Scripture) that I believe Mary became pregnant.

Speaking out God’s truth is very important for us today; we need to believe and then speak out His truths and we will see them manifest in our lives.

Remember that death and life are in the power of the tongue, your tongue (Proverbs 18v 21).

Believe and speak out that you are healed, whole, accepted, loved and prosperous.

You are all these things as a gift of grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ; your role is to understand this, believe it and speak it out.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the example of Mary, and thank you that I can speak out blessings into my own life”.

Luke 1 v 38…..And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord;be it unto me according to thy word

DIG for Wednesday the 25th of December………hear the Lord and obey; the shepherds did…..Luke 2 v 16

I puzzled for many years about the shepherds we read about in the “Christmas story”, until I realised that they must have been the temple shepherds looking after the temple flock (see earlier DIGs).

Going along with my current theme, they also heard from God, believed what they heard and then obeyed.

They were also given some wonderful advice that we should take heed of.

They were told to fear not (Luke 2 v 12).

Sometimes the Lord may ask us to do something that is away out of our comfort zone, where the natural human reaction would be to worry and be afraid.

God never asks us to do something that He will not equip us for.

Remember He is always with us and will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13 v 5).

Remember we can do all things in His strength (Philippians 4 v 13).

Naturally we may be ill equipped but supernaturally, in His strength, we are always equipped for the mission He has given us.

We should not live in fear as a believer, this is not what God wants for us (2 Timothy 1 v 7).

Fear is not for the born again believer, as it was not for the shepherds.

Is God telling you something today that sounds quite scary?

He is telling you to fear not; He is with you and He has equipped you.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you are with me and have equipped me; thank you that I do not have to live with fear”.

Luke 2 v 16…..And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger

DIG for Tuesday the 24th of December……hear the Lord and obey; the wise men did…..Matthew 2 v 12

DIG for Tuesday the 24th of December……hear the Lord and obey; the wise men did…..

The wise men, as well as listening to the Lord, knew the scriptures.

They told Herod that they came to worship the King of the Jews, who would be born in Bethlehem as described by the prophets (Matthew 2 v 5 and 6).

This to me shows that the wise men had read and understood the book of Micah (Micah 5 v 2 and John 7 v 42).

They knew where Jesus would be born from their understanding of the scriptures; our next lesson from the “Christmas story” is that we should also get our information about Jesus from the Word of God.

There is too much nonsense about Jesus being spread through religion and traditions of men; we need to be aware of this and focus on the Scriptures instead (Colossians 2 v 8).

The fact that we should listen, believe and obey (see DIG from yesterday) is once again emphasised.

They heard from God about returning home and not going back to Herod, so this is exactly what they did (Matthew 2 v 12).

They heard from God, but they had opposing instructions from a man (and a very powerful man at that); they made the correct decision and went with God’s way!

This is excellent advice for every single one of us; go with God’s way and not man’s way!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the example of the wise men, and thank you that we too have your Scriptures to read and understand”.

Matthew 2 v 12…..And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way

DIG for Monday the 23rd of December…..hear the Lord and obey; Joseph did…..Matthew 1 v 24

Joseph has always been a hero of mine; what he did for Mary was quite remarkably in the society of the day.

Bottom line was that Mary was pregnant and Joseph was not responsible, yet he took responsibility for her and the baby when he would have been expected to turn his back on them.

He did this as he had heard from the Lord, believed what he heard and acted upon it; yes, it really is as simple as that.

Joseph really is a wonderful example of how to live the Christian life; listen, understand and obey.

He was told to take Mary as his wife and he did (Matthew 1 v 20 and 25).

He was told to take them both to Egypt and he did (Matthew 2 v 13 and 14).

He was told to take them back to Nazareth and he did (Matthew 2 v 19 to 23).

We do not hear a lot about Joseph in the rest of the Word, however we hear enough to know that he was a man who listened to his God, believed what he heard and then obeyed.

Joseph sounded like he was living according to Proverbs 3 v 5 and 6; in his own thinking he could never have understood what was happening with Mary, however listening to the Lord gave him the answer.

Joseph played an integral part in the “Christmas story”; believing what the Lord told him and then acting upon it.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the example of Joseph; help me in my daily walk to listen more, believe more and obey more”.

Matthew 1 v 24…..Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife

DIG for Sunday the 22nd of December…..read the Word to find out about Jesus, not Christmas cards or other things…….Matthew 2 v 1

Let me ask you a number of questions: how many wise men came to worship Jesus and when and where did they find Him?

Most will answer this by saying 3 and when he was a baby in the stable by the inn.

This is what tradition and Christmas cards tell us; however my understanding of scripture is that this is not the correct answer.

I’ve already written about Jesus being born at Migdal Eder in the building where the temple ewes were housed, and not in a stable by an inn.

From Scripture we cannot say how many wise men visited Jesus; the Word does not tell us.

History would suggest a camel train of about 30 or 40 people would be more likely the truth, however the Word does not tell us, so we cannot say with any certainty how many wise men came.

Scripture does point to the wise men visiting Jesus well after His birth and not as the baby that we see in nativity scenes.

We are told they found Him and worshipped him as a young child and not as a baby (Matthew 2 v 11).

We are told that Herod, trying to kill Jesus, ordered the murder of all children up to the age of 2, going by what the wise men told him (Matthew 2 v 16).

Why would he do this if Jesus was a new born infant?

We are told far too much about Jesus that is not Biblical!

My friends, pay more attention to the Word of God than to tradition, and dare I say to Christmas cards.

The Word of God is where we should look to see everything about Jesus; His birth, His life and His death.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your Word, and thank you that this is where I will go to find out about Jesus”.

Matthew 2 v 1…..Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem

DIG for Saturday the 21st of December……repent, repent, repent; but not in the traditional religious way…..Romans 12 v 2

Repent, repent, repent!

Yes, I think that every single Christian should be in the process of repentance every day of their life; however the true Biblical understanding of repentance is different from that of religion and of traditional Christianity.

When religion speaks of repentance (what I have heard in the past and what I am hearing presently from the main body of the church) it speaks of seeking the Lord, saying sorry for our sins and begging and pleading for forgiveness.

This is not true repentance!

Jesus, through His finished work on the cross, has dealt with the issue of sin (1 John 2 v 2).

Through His blood we have already been forgiven (Ephesians 1 v 7 and Colossians 1 v 14).

New Covenant repentance is not asking for forgiveness and pleading with God.

To repent under a New Covenant context simply means to “change one’s mind”; it comes from the Greek word metanoeo.

To change one’s mind; that should put a whole new slant on what it means to repent.

To repent means to change your mind from your old, worldly way of thinking and to renew your mind to what God says and thinks.

Repentance in this way is a life style and process that will continue until we go to be with the Lord in eternity.

Repentance does not take place on your knees begging for forgiveness; it takes place as you read the Word, as you mediate on His grace, mercy and goodness, as you listen to teaching, as you discuss the things of eternity with your brother in Christ, as you ponder on Him in whatever situation you are.

Yes, you do need to repent this morning; you need to renew your mind so that you will be transformed (Romans 12 v 2).

Speak this out…..”Thank you Lord that I can be transformed by the renewing of my mind”.

Romans 12 v 2…..And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God

DIG for Friday the 20th of December…..your words are more important than you think…..Proverbs 18 v 21

In the DIG yesterday I said Mary conceived when she believed and spoke out the words “Be it unto me according to thy word”.

I do believe that the words of Mary were very important in this account; I think that she had to believe and speak out the truth about Jesus before His birth came to pass.

Many may say, but surely what God wants will come to pass whatever we think and say; this is not the case.

God wants everyone to be saved (2 Peter 3 v 9) yet Jesus Himself said that many would enter in via the broad way unto destruction (Matthew 7 v 13); Jesus is talking about people not coming to salvation.

God and Jesus are not in disagreement!

God wants every person to be saved yet we each have to make an individual and informed decision; we have to believe and speak out the truth about Jesus (Romans 10 v 9).

So God’s will does not automatically come to pass.

Proverbs 18 v 21 tells us that it important what we say; death and life (in terms of lack and poverty or abundance and blessings) depends on what we say.

If you think and say “I’m a loser”, I can guarantee that you will not be a success in life.

Your words have a direct impact on the quality of your life.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I can improve my life through my words”.

Proverbs 18 v 21…..Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof