What about Entitlements? (part 3)  By James Lantz

       I made the statement previously that God’s children have unearned rights! In fact, every sinner has a right to come to the Father of spirits and receive the gift of salvation. This undeserved right was provided for us by the Heavenly Father through the sacrifice of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The one who humbles himself with repentance and calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Two things 

God has ordained that every person have the right to choose eternal life!

must take place in order to be saved, believe in your heart (inner man) and confess the Lordship of Jesus.  Rom. 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  A person once asked me if that is all there is to being saved. The simple answer is yes, however, when we confessed Jesus as our Lord we have given ourselves over to do his word which is his will. God’s desire is that no man suffer in hell for the punishment of their sins nor suffer with sickness in their body. God put every sin and every sickness on the Lord Jesus as he suffered on the cross so that we could be made righteous and be healed.  1 Peter 2:24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Jesus referred to healing as the children’s bread!

God’s covenant people have a right to be healed just like our children have a right to sit up to the dinner table and eat. We don’t deserve to be healed any more than we deserved to be saved. We can not earn our healing. Jesus purchased our healing two thousand years ago when he took those stripes on his back. Healing is our covenant right because Jesus bought and paid for it.  Matthew 8:17 .   .   . Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.  Quit struggling to get what is already yours, and receive your healing by faith. You are not going to receive your healing as long as you see yourself sick. Don’t look at the sickness, look at Jesus your healer. The children of Israel needed healing because of their complaining, so God had Moses put a brass serpent up on a pole. As they steadily gazed at the serpent, a type of Jesus sacrificial death on the cross, they were healed. They were healed when they quit looking at their problem and looked at God’s supply. Look at the word of God which says you are healed. You need to see yourself healed like God said. God considers his children as righteous because of Jesus shed blood and healed because of those stripes he bore on his back.

   The humble receive more grace but God resists the proud.                                                                                  

        It is so easy to read the scriptures and kind of carelessly think, that scripture applies to the unsaved. We need to study to show ourselves approved unto God and rightly judge what applies to us. There are three groups of people (Jews, Gentiles, Church of God) that God refers to in the scriptures. We need to know which group that God is speaking to in order to rightly divide the word. In the book of James God is speaking to us, the church.  James 4:6  But he giveth more grace, Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.   Notice that God giveth (present tense) more grace. With enough grace we can receive all that God has for us. Those promises that have evaded us up until now can be easily received with more grace. Yes, it is possible for a christian to be proud and for a christian to be humble. It is impossible to extend grace to those who think they deserve it. One form of pride that is rampant among God’s people is the attitude that my business, my 

It is impossible to extend grace to someone who thinks they deserve it!

goals, my family, my house is more important than the house of God (the church).  The humble are putting God’s Kingdom, God’s righteousness, God’s work, and God’s house above their own. The very nature of grace is extending goodness or graciousness to the undeserving. The attitude of, I deserve better, or I don’t deserve to be treated like this will disqualify us from receiving God’s grace. Jesus spoke a parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. Two men went up to the temple to pray, one being a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, saying, God, I thank you that I am not an extortioner, an unjust person, an adulterer, or even like this publican. I fast twice in the week and give tithes of everything I have. The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  Luke 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.  Notice that the Pharisee was not looking at what God had done for him but rather focused on his assumed goodness, what he was not doing and what he was doing. Notice he did not even get an audience with God because we don’t get God’s ear unless we get honest with God. Its just plain dishonest to think that God will do something for us based on our own merits. Jesus would not even respond to a woman from the land of Canaan until she got honest with him. She initially came to Jesus trying to get mercy for her demon possessed daughter acting like she had covenant rights. After she acknowledged she was a dog (non covenant person), she boldly asked for mercy based on the goodness of God and not on her own merits.  Mt. 15:28  Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.  This woman received grace when she humbled herself and approached Jesus in the proper manner. It is required in the kingdom of God for everyone who has received forgiveness to then extend that same grace to those who sin against us. Jesus told a parable about the man who was in debt to the king by ten thousand talents. This debt was so great that he could never pay it off in his lifetime. His lord commanded that he be sold and his wife and his children and all that he had and payment to be made. This servant humbled himself, fell down and worshipped his Lord saying, have patience with me and I will pay it all.  Mt. 18:27  Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.  This same man went out and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence (about twenty dollars). He laid hands on him grabbing him by the throat, saying, pay me what you owe me. This fellow servant fell down at his feet, and pleaded, have patience with me and I will pay it all. He would not have patience with him but had him thrown in prison till he paid everything. When the other servants saw what he did after their Lord had forgiven him of that huge debt he could not pay they told their Lord.   Mt. 18:33 – 35  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his Lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormenters, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.  Entitlement thinking that God owe’s me healing, or God should not have allowed this to happen to me is devilish thinking. God owes us nothing, you and I deserve to go to hell. As christians we do owe love to our fellow man because we are indebted to the Lord, but that does not mean that any person, or government, or any group is to be our source. God has many channels of supply but He is our source. We are to place no pressure on people to supply for us because they are not our source. The only demand we are to place is the demand of faith on our covenant with God. This demand is not trying to make God do anything for us but rather believing, speaking, and obeying to release the supernatural supply that is already been given to us in Christ. Placeing demand could be compared to flipping a light switch which places a demand on the electrical power that is already provided for you. King Ahab went to his house heavy and displeased when Naboth told him the Lord will not allow me to sell you my vineyard. (1 Kings 21:4)   Ahab began to pout and would not eat because he had it in his mind (you owe me thinking) that surely Naboth would sell him his vineyard. Feeling sorry for ourself is one of the most devilish things we could do, it is an open invitation for the devil to take over. King Ahab’s self pity tantrum led to the murder of an innocent man. Jesus understood how dangerous it would be for him to allow himself to feel sorry for himself for having to go to the cross. That’s why he strongly rebuked Peter for speaking Satan’s thoughts of not having to go to the cross.  Mt. 16:22  Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee  (In the greek it reads, pity thyself).  Self pity is the very opposite of being thankful and believing God for every good thing. Giving God thanks and praise is the number one way to get in faith and stay in faith!