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The sinner does not need to think that God is mad at him or that God is against him. Every man has a right to know of Christ's saving grace.
We see Jesus as our High Priest, Advocate, Mediator, and Intercessor. He has another ministry as well: He is the Lord and Head of the Church.

David prophesied of Him in Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." And Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd..." (John 10:14).

Psalm 22 contains a prophecy of Jesus' death; Psalm 23 is a prophecy of Him as the Good Shepherd. In Psalm 24, we have a prophecy concerning the fact that Jesus is the coming King of kings and Lord of lords.

We are living right now in Psalm 23. It belongs to us. It is more than just a beautiful passage of Scripture. David is prophesying when he said, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." I like to say it this way, "The Lord is my shepherd; I do not want."

Christ is the Caretaker, the Lover, and the Bridegroom of the Body. He is the Lord and Head of the Church. He is the Firstborn from the dead.

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18).

He is the Head of all principality and power. He is my risen Lord, seated at the right hand of Majesty on High.

This means that you as a Christian are an absolute overcomer. It means that poverty, want, and need are things of the past.

Philippians 4:19 says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Your Heavenly Father knows your needs. Jesus demonstrated that when He was on earth. He fed the multitude; He gave the disciples a great catch of fish; He turned water unto wine; He healed the sick; and He met every need of man.

That is my Lord, my shepherd Lord. I can say, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I do not want. I do not want for healing. I do not want for health. I do not want for strength. I do not want for power. I do not want for ability. I do not want for money. I do not want for any thing! The Lord is my Shepherd. I do not want!"

I can say that in the face of apparent want. I can say that in the face of apparent defeat, because I am walking by faith, not sight. The Bible said we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). My sight may tell me it isn't so, but if I am to please God, I am going to have to learn to walk by faith and to think God's thoughts after Him.

Isaiah 55:9 says, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my [God] ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

You can't think in the natural and think God's thoughts. When you think naturally, you are thinking in the human realm. Dare to think God's thoughts! His thoughts are as high above the thoughts of men as the heavens are above the earth.

Romans 4:17 shows us God's thinking concerning Abraham: "...before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were." In other words, God sees things as they are, not as they seem.

If you are going to think God's thoughts, you'll see things as God sees them, not as they seem from the natural standpoint.

God told Abraham, "Neither shall they name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee" (Gen. 17:5).

Notice God didn't say, "I am going to make you a father of many nations." He said, "I have made you a father of many nations." He called those things, which are not as though they were, and Abraham believed God.

Not only should you think like God; you also should act like God. You are His child, and you should partake of the Father's nature. But as long as you are thinking in the natural, your actions will be in the natural.

When God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, Abraham was that he would be the father of many nations, Abraham was about 99-years-old, and his wife Sarah, was barren! But Abraham believed God. In the natural, Abraham could not have had even one child, much less be the father of many nations. Still, he believed God.

And God brought it to pass so that Abraham's seed are as numberless as the sands of the sea and the stars of the heavens. Believing brings it to pass in the natural realm.

This truth is so simple we stumble over the simplicity of it. We want to make it complicated. And we do complicate it with our natural, human reasoning.

Just as we trust Christ to be our Mediator, our Intercessor, our Advocate before the Heavenly Father, we also should trust Him as our Shepherd, our Keeper, the Supplier of our needs, and the Giver of life more abundant.

The high priestly ministry of Jesus meets every need of the believer from the moment he is born again until he is ushered into the Presence of God at the end of life.

Christ has commissioned us to go and tell others of the provisions He has made for them to enter into this abundant life: knowing Christ as Savior, Mediator, Intercessor, Advocate, and Shepherd. The world cannot know if we remain silent.

Christ wants us to tell the sinner that he has been liberated; that Christ took man's sinful nature upon Himself. Christ wants us to tell the sinner that He is not holding his sins against him anymore.

Second Corinthians 5:17 and 18 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are go God, who...hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation."

This, therefore, is the ministry that Christ has given us: the ministry of reconciliation. Verse 19 continues, "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespassed unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

The word "imputing" is an accounting term. Another translation of the above verse reads, "He is not counting up or holding against men their trespasses."

Some might argue, "Well, if Christ isn't holding men's sins against them, they will automatically be saved."

No, the reason men must be saved is because we are all born in sin and must be born again in Christ. Christ is not interested in holding man's sins against him. Christ is interested in drawing man to Himself.

When D. L. Moody began preaching, every one of his sermons was on the judgment of God. He said, "I would preach every day on the text that God is angry with the sinner. That kind of preaching got a few people saved."

Once when Moody was visiting England, he casually told a 19-year-old boy, "If you ever come to America, come preach for me." Moody later admitted he had extended the invitation more out of courtesy than sincerity. Two years later, Moody answered a knock on his front door only to find this young preacher ready to take him up on his invitation.

Of course, there was nothing to do but offer his pulpit to the young man for a week of services. Sunday night, the opening night of the revival, the boy preached from John 3:16. On Monday, Mr. Moody had to leave town for previously scheduled speaking engagements, so he told his wife and church leaders that the young man's revival services could be held in the church basement during his absence. Moody was certain that not many people would turn out to hear this novice preacher.

Moody returned home from his preaching tour after the Thursday night service. Fearing the worst, he asked his wife how the services were going. To his surprise she replied, "Oh, last night we had to move into the main auditorium, and tonight it was packed and overflowing with people."

Shocked that the young preacher was drawing larger crowds than he was, Moody asked, "Well, what in the world is he preaching on?"

Mrs. Moody answered, "He's preaching on the same thing every night - John 3:16."

Moody went on to say that this experience changed his ministry. He never again preached on the judgment of God; He preached on the love of God. He said, "And where I had gotten one saved before, I am getting 100 saved now."

Christ, "hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." He wants us to go and tell the lost that He is "not imputing their trespasses unto them."

The Amplified Bible translation of 2 Corinthians 5:19 reads, "It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but canceling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor)."

The sinner does not need to think that God is mad at him or that God is against him. The sin that sends a man to hell is not an act or deed, such as lying, stealing or cheating; it is rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ!

John 16:7-9 says, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me."

Every man has a right to know of Christ's saving grace.

Source: The Present Day Ministry of Jesus Christ by Kenneth E. Hagin
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications

Author Biography

Kenneth E. Hagin
Web site: RHEMA
 
Rev. Hagin served in Christian ministry for nearly 70 years and was known as the "father of the modern faith movement." His teachings and books are filled with vivid stories that show God's power and truth working in his life and the lives of others.
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