Learning Christ

The only way we will ever truly learn Christ is to know Him in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering. To learn Christ is to acquire through experience His heart, mind and character. We can only obtain this experience through His Spirit and His Word. The Word washes, purges and cleanses us as our new start begins at salvation. But the devil will always be the devil and he seeks to keep us from fulfilling our purpose in God. We must make a conscious decision to walk in righteousness, be obedient and come in agreement with the Word of God for our lives.

A: SITTING IN HEAVENLY PLACES

The Word which we received placed us in heavenly places with the Lord.

Ephesians 2:1-6

1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

God gave us a new start at salvation. We were washed and made clean through the Word. We were set free from the captivity of sin. Therefore, we can be perfect and we can live holy.

However, the devil will work to keep us from reaching our potential in God. He does not want us to glorify God. Consider some of the mindsets he will develop in the Church to keep us divided and powerless:

1. Moving by sight instead of Faith.

2. Seeing one another after the flesh.

3. Unbelief which takes our focus off all God has said.

4. When negative situations arise many stop believing God and choose fall back into doing what they always did in their circumstances, erroneously expecting a positive change to occur. It is deceptive to think we can walk in our old ways and produce righteousness.

5. Oftentimes saints are not ready to stop sinning; therefore they will say: God will have to meet me where I am, or He will change me when He gets ready. These sayings are religious cop-outs for those who are not ready to stop walking in their own ways.

This mindset is mistakenly inviting God to meet you in the midst of your pride. Such a one needs to consider they will have to give an account of their nonchalant attitude toward righteousness.

B: PEACE IS THE EVIDENCE OF TRUST IN GOD

II Corinthians 4:8

4 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

When you walk in the righteousness of God, the feeling of distress and despair are foreign to the heart. Peace prevails when you never count God out of any situation. Know and acknowledge that He is always in control. He is the Master, you are the slave. He is your protector. He is the one who ordained the situation by permission. You must come to the place of agreement with that truth.

Trouble lasts only for a moment. Lack of direction is but for a moment. He will deliver and guide you.

II Corinthians 4:9

Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

When purpose is alive in you, persecution is most bearable. Use it as an opportunity to reveal Christ. In the midst, the Christ in you is most strong. Let His true colors show. Let Him handle the situation with love and understanding of the pitiful state of the persecutor.

Let the peace of God which comes from knowing the truth be a comfort to you.

II Corinthians 4:10-11

10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

The heart must be established and settled in the purpose of God inside every situation or relationship. Only then, will the peace of God rest with you.

C: TO BE LIKE HIM

One of the saddest truths I have ever witnessed is the unbelief of the saints concerning their agreement to be as Christ is. In some cases, I have noted when saints considered that the Word demands holiness, they dare not say it is impossible for the Church to be holy and completely without sin. No, this would be a blatant attack against the truth. However, the devil is shrewd and he reverses the subject matter in your head so as to achieve the same results of unbelief.

Hebrews 2:6-17

6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Jesus was made like unto his brethren. This means He was capable of the same failures, weaknesses and accomplishments as they. This likeness made it possible for Him to be merciful toward them.

Hebrews 2:18

18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Note that He was tempted but was able to resist temptation through suffering. If He did not have the ability to yield to temptation, then the temptation itself would have been false. He suffered in the flesh that He might not sin against God. For this cause, He was able to deliver others who are also tempted.

Hebrews 3:1-19

1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.

4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

19 So we see that they could not enter in because

of unbelief.

Hebrews 4:9-16

9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 5:5-14

5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

We must come to terms with the fact there is no difference in the new creature we have become and the Christ of redemption. We were given a clean slate.

Just as Adam had not known sin but was capable of sinning; so we, too, are made free from sin yet capable of disobeying God. We must make a conscious decision to walk in righteousness for sin no longer holds us in bondage.

The memory of sin is no more powerful than the temptation of sin. Otherwise, the salvation experience is no more than the sacrifices and offerings of the Old Covenant.

The memory of sin is not the catalyst or cause of sin. It is unbelief which leads a Son of God us into sin. Unbelief is the rejection of known truth. In order to turn back to sin we must erroneously make a decision to turn our back on the truth we know. For the sons of God, sin is not a captivity any longer . . . it is a choice.

Pray the Lord will have mercy on us. Pray He will continue to lead The Sons of God to a place of agreement with our divine nature where sin is no longer a temptation.

God bless you,

Dr. Mary Banks