Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the NET, netbible.org, all rights reserved)

But the statement it was credited to him was not written only for Abraham’s sake, but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification.
Romans 4:23-25 (emphasis added)

Salvation is a gift from Adonai Elohim. “For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Elohim have us His trust (Mark 11:22) in order that we could receive by that trust the salvation that Adonai had put into place (Revelation 13:8). “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have also obtained access into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory” (Romans 5:1-2). Because of our sin, Jesus was given over to death. He paid the price for us. He died to complete the payment (Genesis 2:15-17). It was done and finished (John 19:30). Why didn’t Jesus stay dead? Why did He walk out of the tomb? And why did the angels come afterward to open it up?

Jesus died for us. Not to judge us, but to take the judgment for us. Since He did that, the Way was opened for us. Through the covenant He made with His Father, we can get to the Throne. We have communion with Jesus to have fellowship with the Father by Ruach HaKodesh. “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life?” (Romans 5:10). We became reconciled through Jesus’ death. That’s as far as we could go if He didn’t get resurrected to life. Jesus was resurrected BECAUSE we were reconciled. His resurrection is PROOF we have been reconciled with Elohim. That we have exchanged a dead spirit due to sin with an abundant spirit due to life (John 10:10). The substance of Adonai is unchanging. But because OUR position changed, His relative attitude changes – from our point of view. We became His Son spiritually (Romans 8:9-10). We HAVE all the things in our spirit that Jesus HAS. If we retrain our minds to that truth (Romans 12:2), then we will start getting the physical arrival of all the things that can physically arrive in this world. “Dear friend, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul” (3 John 2). The word for reconciliation means to decisively change and is applied to marriage partners. The change from single to married. Solo to partnership. Sinner to redeemed. If this reconciliation, this EXCHANGE of states, was being applied to us, then Jesus had to be resurrected. Jesus’ resurrection is proof that you have – right now – everything that Adonai says that you have.

That’s why Jesus left the tomb. It was no longer an appropriate place for Him. “No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again. This commandment I received from my Father” (John 10:18). Once the penalty had been paid, we were able to be reconciled, so Jesus left the tomb. He didn’t wait for the stone to be rolled away. He wasn’t limping. He didn’t need help. He simply left in His fully resurrected body imbued with all the authority the Father had bestowed on Him. Victorious, overcoming Messiah appeared outside that tomb and stood from that moment on as the model which we could follow in every way since we could now enter into His life and He could enter into ours and together we could fellowship spirit to spirit with the Father. “I in them and you in me—that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me” (John 17:23). This is our model. This is our example. This is who we are to emulate in every way (Philippians 2:5). It takes time to change our thinking about that. It takes a retrained mind to accept it. It is so easy to reject it saying that we are not worthy of that position. But it is Jesus in us that gives us that position. It is what He accomplished. It is not us or our accomplishments. In fact, that is why the angels came.

“Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of him” (Matthew 28:2-4). Jesus is nowhere to be seen. He didn’t walk out of the tomb. He didn’t cause the guards to collapse. The angel didn’t assist Jesus in any way. He simply opened the tomb and sat down. Jesus was already gone. Already out. Already victorious. “But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he was lying” (Matthew 28:5-6). Jesus was ALREADY raised. The stone was rolled away to show us evidence that it had happened. To give proof to us in the visible, natural world of what had been accomplished in the spiritual world. It was to give us a better handhold on our justification by Jesus.

If we can grasp this truth, so much else becomes easier. We are like Him. What He is, we get to be – but it is so much better! What He IS, we ARE! “By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as Jesus is, so also are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). Right NOW is Jesus sick? No! So neither are we. Is Jesus depressed? No! So neither are we. Is Jesus diseased? No! So neither are we. Is Jesus anxious? No! So neither are we. Is Jesus defeated and losing? No! So neither are we. Is Jesus bound? No! So neither are we. Does Jesus suffer from lack? No! So neither do we! Is Jesus healthy and whole? Yes! So are we! Is Jesus victorious? Yes! So are we! As He IS, so ARE we! In THIS world! Yes, there is even more coming in the next world, but even in THIS WORLD we have a multitude of blessings! “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). We have ALL blessings in the heavenly realms in Jesus. And Jesus is in us. So we have ALL blessings in HIM. Everything we can handle in this world will physically arrive when we put our trust in Him. Everything we’re not ready for is reserved for us in Heaven in Jesus. So why not work to know Him better so that we can submit and live like He wants and mature into more things now? Why wait? Take the health and wholeness now, take the dominion in this Earth, take the authority over demons, take the commanding healing, and work toward greater things (John 14:12).

We have already been justified in Jesus. We are already healed. We are already joyful. We are already victorious. We are already free. We only need to believe it and trust that the Word on it is true. We only need to mix our trust with the Word to see it come to pass as Adonai meant it to. Why live less? Why live broken? Why live paralysed? Why live downtrodden? Why live stressed? Why live depressed? Why live sick? Why not live in Jesus and be the living example of a fully justified human? Why not live gloriously, giving all honour and worship to the Father every day of our lives? That you are saved at all is proof the rest has been accomplished. Since it is finished, why not take it from His hand? He made it for YOU. It’s meant for YOU. Take it, receive it, and start living His abundant life, justified and redeemed in Jesus, our Lord.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Ezekiel 21:26-27

“this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Tear off the turban; take off the crown! Things must change. Exalt the lowly; bring low the exalted! A total ruin I will make it! Indeed, this will not be until he comes to whom is the right, and I will give it to him.’” Messiah would exalt the humble. The great and mighty of this world are not the ones with Adonai’s heart. It is those who recognise His place and humble themselves who will be lifted up (Psalm 147:6). Messiah would be the instrument who would accomplish this. “He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position;” (Luke 1:32). “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Jesus brought the children to Himself. He looked to the regular men and women who loved His Father. Jesus lifts up the humble. Jesus IS Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b