The "Established in Righteousness" Series!!

I am so excited to report my return to the world of transcribing - I have just published Rob Rufus's first sermon of 2009 on the "Rob Rufus - Grace and Glory Blog"! I mentioned in a previous blog that the events of the past few months at work have somehow managed to wreck my concentration so I found it really hard to focus for more than a few moments on writing down the sermons. But since I've handed in my notice and am looking forward to the future with such hope and excitement - it's great to be back!

I said in a text to my dear friend Nicky that this series of sermons is a MUST. I earnestly believe that these three sermons (the series isn't even finished yet) have done more to defeat legalism in my life than ANYTHING I have heard or read or watched in my life. There was so much that was quote-worthy and is available here. This series of sermons is going to pose a huge challenge to churches and church leaders across the world to examine carefully the gospel that you are preaching. Is it purely New Covenant grace based and founded on the righteousness of Jesus Christ that is given to us by faith? Or is there an element of law mixed in demanding that there is something the believer must "do" to make the gospel complete?

Rob Rufus gives two reasons why Christian leaders may be mixing law and grace;

"1. They do it innocently and sincerely because they have theological errors that they have inherited through the generations and traditions of men and sincerely preaching what they believe is the truth. When those people hear from the Bible the clear teaching on grace, they immediately repent, they search the Scriptures and they change.

2. The other reason is more sinister. The other churches are directly under the control of a religious, demonic spirit that is a controlling spirit. When they hear the message of grace - especially in 2007, 2008 - they start spitting, gnashing their teeth and become compulsive, obsessive haters".

Note - it is NOT a valid excuse to continue preaching a mix of law and grace in your church or believing it in your life just because of fear that it will "give a license to sin". Ursula described "fear" very graphically by revelation of the Holy Spirit and it is in short nothing more than a deceiving demonic spirit. I've begun to notice that the excuse many Christians make for their favourite leaders is that they are "sincere" and "mean well". I'm not sure how much longer that excuse is going to fly - particularly when a revelation of the Holy Spirit shows that God is particularly fierce about legalism and getting back under law.

So if you have never, ever bothered to read a Rob Rufus sermon before - maybe because you are worried that he is "dodgy" (!) or because he's not intellectual enough - I plead with you;

R E A D - T H E S E - S E R M O N S ! ! !