NO WORK ZONE

Table of Contents

1. Introduction and Family Greeting
2. Revisiting Sunday's Message
3. The End of Striving Under Grace
4. Religion's "You Need To" Message
5. The Difference Between the Old and New Covenants
6. Hebrews 8: Why a New Covenant Was Needed
7. The Fault Was Never God's Covenant
8. Why Human Effort Still Cannot Produce Righteousness
9. The Purpose of the Holy Spirit
10. Jesus Established the New Covenant
11. Living Under the New Covenant
12. Cooperation Instead of Performance
13. The Finished Work of Christ
14. Galatians 2:20-21 and the End of Self-Effort
15. What Christ's Death Accomplished
16. Closing Encouragement

Introduction and Family Greeting

Pastor Leonard begins the broadcast with a warm and lighthearted introduction, welcoming everyone watching. Rather than immediately beginning the Bible teaching, he introduces Pastor Lori and their two granddaughters, Kalista and Felicity. The girls enthusiastically greet the audience, declare that Jesus loves everyone, and describe Him as their Savior and their Rock. The brief family interaction creates a joyful atmosphere before transitioning into the day's teaching.

Pastor Leonard jokingly tells viewers that if they want the girls to become famous, they should share the YouTube video with others. After the playful exchange, the children leave, allowing the pastors to begin the devotional portion of the message.

Revisiting Sunday's Message

Pastor Leonard explains that the purpose of this broadcast is to reinforce the truths that were shared during the previous Sunday's sermon. He strongly encourages anyone who has not yet heard that message to go back and listen to it because he believes it was directly inspired by the Holy Spirit. He notes that the sermon is available in several places, including the ministry website, YouTube, podcasts, and other online platforms. Rather than introducing a completely new subject, today's teaching is meant to emphasize and expand upon the central message already delivered. According to Pastor Leonard, the core truth of Sunday's message is simple:

There is no more striving for the believer. Once someone places faith in Jesus Christ, the work has already been completed because Jesus fulfilled every requirement necessary for mankind's salvation and relationship with God. Nothing remains unfinished. Nothing remains for man to complete. The work belongs entirely to Christ. This becomes the foundation for everything that follows throughout the remainder of the teaching.

The End of Striving Under Grace

Pastor Leonard emphasizes that Jesus has already fulfilled every requirement that was necessary between God and mankind. He repeatedly stresses the phrase "finished means finished." Because Christ completed His work perfectly, believers are no longer called to live under constant pressure, striving, or anxiety in an attempt to earn God's favor. Instead, they are invited to rest in what Jesus has already accomplished. According to the teaching, this changes the entire Christian life.
Rather than asking: "What must I do?" the believer is encouraged to ask: "What has Jesus already done?"

Pastor Leonard explains that religion often shifts the focus back toward human effort, causing people to believe that God's blessings depend upon their own performance. This message rejects that mindset and instead points believers back to Christ's completed work as the basis for every promise of God.

The End of Striving Under Grace

Pastor Leonard explains that one of the greatest indicators of religious thinking is the repeated emphasis on phrases such as:
"You need to…"
"You have to…"
"You must…"

According to the teaching, these statements immediately place the focus back on human performance instead of on Christ's completed work. He explains that under the Old Covenant this type of language was appropriate because that covenant required people to obey God's commandments in order to remain in covenant fellowship. Under that system, people's obedience determined whether they experienced covenant blessings or covenant consequences. However, Pastor Leonard stresses that believers today are not living under that covenant.

He explains that whenever modern Christianity tells believers they must perform certain works for God to bless them, it unknowingly pulls them back under the mindset of the Old Covenant. Instead of resting in what Jesus has already accomplished, many Christians begin measuring themselves by their own efforts. This produces striving. It produces guilt. It produces fear. It causes believers to constantly wonder whether they have done enough. According to the message, this is precisely what Christ came to free believers from.

Pastor Leonard reminds listeners that under the Old Covenant the attitude was: "If you don't, then God can't." Human obedience became the determining factor. But he argues that under the New Covenant, Jesus has already fulfilled every requirement on mankind's behalf. Therefore, believers are not attempting to earn God's favor but are living from what Christ has already secured. The pastors emphasize that this is one of the most important differences between Law and Grace.

Religion points people toward themselves. Grace points people toward Jesus. The more believers hear messages centered on personal performance, the easier it becomes to forget that salvation and every spiritual blessing originate in Christ's finished work rather than in human achievement.

The Difference Between the Old and New Covenants

Pastor Leonard explains that the Old Covenant depended upon mankind's ability to keep God's commandments. Its structure continually placed responsibility upon the people.
They had to obey.
They had to perform.
They had to remain faithful.

Although God provided sacrifices, priests, and various provisions within that covenant, the people repeatedly failed to meet its perfect standard. According to Pastor Leonard, this repeated failure demonstrates why God never intended the Old Covenant to be His final covenant with humanity. He emphasizes that God Himself desired something greater.

God wanted a covenant that would no longer depend upon fallen human beings successfully keeping every requirement. Instead, He established a covenant that would rest entirely upon Jesus Christ. This transition from one covenant to another is foundational to the entire message.

The Old Covenant continually asked:|"What will man do?"
The New Covenant declares:
"What has Christ already done?"

Because Jesus fulfilled every requirement perfectly, believers now enter into God's covenant through faith rather than through personal achievement. Pastor Leonard explains that this completely changes the Christian life. Instead of living under constant pressure to maintain acceptance with God, believers are invited to rest in the One who has already fulfilled every requirement on their behalf. This does not diminish the importance of holiness or obedience. Rather, according to the teaching, holiness becomes the result of knowing Christ instead of the means by which someone attempts to earn His acceptance.

The pastors repeatedly return to this central truth throughout the message: The Old Covenant emphasized human responsibility. The New Covenant emphasizes Christ's accomplishment. The believer's confidence therefore rests, not in personal performance, but in the finished work of Jesus.

Hebrews 8: Why a New Covenant Was Needed

To support this teaching, Pastor Leonard turns to the book of Hebrews and asks Pastor Lori to read from Hebrews chapter 8. Before the passage is read, he reminds viewers to pay close attention to the wording because he believes it clearly explains why God established a New Covenant. Pastor Lori reads:

Hebrews 8:7- "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second."

Hebrews 8:8- "For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah."

Immediately after hearing the passage, Pastor Leonard focuses on the opening statement: "If the first covenant had been faultless…" He explains that this wording itself demonstrates that the first covenant was not God's final solution. If no problem had existed, there would have been no reason for another covenant. Therefore, the very existence of the New Covenant demonstrates that God intended to replace the former covenant with something better.

Pastor Leonard emphasizes that this transition was not an accident. It was part of God's eternal plan. The New Covenant was not simply an improvement. According to the teaching, it became God's permanent answer through Jesus Christ.

The Fault Was Never God's Covenant

After reading the passage from Hebrews, Pastor Leonard carefully explains what he believes the writer of Hebrews is communicating. He immediately clarifies that the problem was not with God's character or His faithfulness. Instead, he directs everyone's attention to the wording of the passage, emphasizing that the fault was found with the people. He explains that throughout the Old Covenant, God continually provided ways for Israel to remain in covenant relationship with Him. There were sacrifices, priests, ceremonies, and countless provisions that demonstrated God's willingness to dwell among His people. Yet despite everything God provided, mankind repeatedly failed. The people continually broke the covenant. They continually fell short of God's perfect standard.

According to Pastor Leonard, this repeated failure demonstrated that humanity could never successfully maintain a covenant whose blessings depended upon perfect obedience. He explains that this human inability is what exposed the weakness of the covenant's administration—not because God's Law was imperfect, but because sinful people could not consistently keep it. The pastors emphasize that history repeatedly proved this truth. Generation after generation failed. Even sincere people failed.

Even people who desired to obey God still failed. Because the covenant depended upon human performance, it continually exposed human weakness instead of providing permanent righteousness. Pastor Leonard argues that this explains why God established a New Covenant. Rather than creating another covenant dependent upon mankind's ability, God established one that depends entirely upon Jesus Christ. This completely changes where believers place their confidence. Their confidence is no longer in themselves. Their confidence rests entirely in Christ. Pastor Leonard therefore encourages believers not to measure their standing before God by their own consistency, but by Christ's perfect obedience, which never changes.

Why Human Effort Still Cannot Produce Righteousness

Building upon the previous point, Pastor Leonard asks listeners to consider an important question. If people could not successfully keep God's covenant before Christ came, why would anyone believe they could now succeed simply by trying harder? He challenges the idea that human determination can accomplish what generations of God's people were unable to accomplish. According to the teaching, some Christians respond by saying that believers today possess the power of the Holy Spirit, and therefore are now able to keep God's requirements through supernatural strength.

Pastor Leonard addresses this argument directly. He explains that the Holy Spirit was not given so believers could return to attempting to keep the Old Covenant. Instead, the Holy Spirit was given to establish believers in the realities of the New Covenant. He emphasizes that these are two completely different purposes.

The Holy Spirit does not empower believers to revive a covenant that God Himself replaced. Rather, the Holy Spirit continually points believers toward Jesus and reminds them of everything Christ has already accomplished.

Pastor Leonard warns that whenever preaching continually tells believers that their relationship with God depends upon what they do, it quietly places them back into the very position from which Christ delivered them. He states that phrases emphasizing personal responsibility can unintentionally place believers back into the equation that God removed them from. Instead of resting in Christ's finished work, people begin focusing upon themselves once again. According to the pastors, the New Covenant is fundamentally different because it is flawless. Its security no longer depends upon imperfect human beings. Its security rests upon the perfect relationship between the Father and the Son. Believers enter that covenant simply through faith in Jesus Christ. Because Jesus fulfilled every requirement perfectly, the covenant itself remains secure. This provides assurance that could never exist under a covenant dependent upon human performance. Pastor Leonard encourages listeners to recognize this distinction so they can fully enjoy the peace that comes from resting in Christ rather than striving through self-effort.

The Purpose of the Holy Spirit

Pastor Leonard continues by reading another passage from Hebrews that he believes further demonstrates God's intention in establishing the New Covenant.
Pastor Lori reads:

Hebrews 10:9- "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second."

Pastor Leonard immediately focuses on the words: He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second." He explains that this verse clearly teaches that the first covenant was intentionally removed so that the second covenant could be permanently established. According to the teaching, this was God's own decision. God Himself desired the transition. Jesus did not merely improve the first covenant. He fulfilled God's will by bringing it to its intended conclusion and establishing the New Covenant through His sacrifice.

Pastor Leonard explains that because this New Covenant has already been established, believers are no longer responsible for trying to preserve or revive the former covenant. Instead, they are invited to live within the covenant Christ has already secured. The discussion then shifts toward the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Lori explains that believers maintain the effectiveness of the New Covenant in their daily lives through an ongoing relationship with the Lord. She emphasizes that the Holy Spirit leads, guides, directs, and continually reveals the realities of what Christ has accomplished. Pastor Leonard agrees, explaining that the Christian life is not centered upon striving but upon yielding. Rather than attempting to earn God's acceptance through effort, believers cooperate with the Holy Spirit, who continually points them toward Jesus.

Pastor Lori summarizes this by emphasizing the importance of relationship. She explains that the Christian life flows from walking with the Lord instead of trying to achieve righteousness through performance. Together, the pastors explain that this ongoing relationship produces continual renewal of the believer's mind. As believers increasingly understand the truths of the New Covenant, they begin thinking differently about themselves, about God, and about the finished work of Jesus Christ. According to the teaching, true transformation comes through this renewed understanding rather than through religious striving.

Jesus Established the New Covenant

After discussing the purpose of the Holy Spirit, Pastor Leonard continues emphasizing that the New Covenant exists because of God's initiative rather than mankind's effort. He returns to the language of Hebrews and repeatedly points out that it was God the Father who desired to replace the old system with a new one. He explains that the Father sent Jesus into the world for this very purpose. Jesus willingly became the sacrifice. His body was offered once and for all. His sacrifice was completely accepted by the Father.

According to Pastor Leonard, this fulfilled the Father's eternal desire to establish a covenant that would no longer depend upon imperfect people. He emphasizes that this was not a last-minute adjustment to God's plan. The Father intended from the beginning to establish a covenant based upon Christ rather than human performance. As he reflects on Hebrews, Pastor Leonard reminds listeners that Jesus came saying He would do the Father's will. Because Jesus perfectly fulfilled that will, the Old Covenant reached its intended conclusion.

The New Covenant then became fully effective through Christ's completed work. According to the teaching, believers are not responsible for completing what Jesus started. They simply receive by faith what Christ has already finished.

The pastors repeatedly return to this central truth because they believe many Christians continue living as though they must somehow complete the work themselves. Instead, they encourage believers to recognize that Jesus has already accomplished everything necessary for their acceptance before God.

Living Under the New Covenant

Having established that Jesus instituted the New Covenant, the discussion shifts toward what daily Christian living now looks like.
Pastor Leonard asks an important question: How do believers keep the New Covenant effective in their daily lives?

Rather than answering with another list of responsibilities, Pastor Lori immediately responds that the answer is found in relationship with the Lord. She explains that the Holy Spirit actively leads, guides, directs, and reveals the realities of God's grace to every believer. According to the teaching, the Christian life is not maintained through endless religious activity. Instead, it grows through fellowship with God.

Pastor Leonard agrees and explains that believers simply cooperate with what the Holy Spirit is already doing. The emphasis is not upon striving. The emphasis is upon yielding. It is not about earning God's blessings. It is about trusting the One who has already secured them.

Pastor Lori adds that the Holy Spirit continually renews the believer's thinking. As Christians begin understanding the truths of the New Covenant, their minds are transformed. Instead of viewing themselves through failure and condemnation, they increasingly see themselves through what Jesus has accomplished. This renewed understanding changes how believers approach every area of life.

The pastors emphasize that righteousness itself is a gift. Believers have been given the righteousness of God because of Jesus Christ. Since righteousness is received rather than earned, the Christian life becomes one of believing, receiving, allowing, and cooperating with God's work instead of attempting to produce righteousness through self-effort.
Pastor Leonard summarizes this progression with several repeated ideas:
-Believe.
-Receive
-Allow.
-Cooperate.
Each of these expressions directs attention away from human effort and toward confidence in Christ's finished work.

Cooperation Instead of Performance

Pastor Leonard continues developing this theme by reflecting on Hebrews chapter 10. He refers to Jesus' declaration that He came to do the Father's will and reminds listeners that God prepared a body for Him. He explains that Jesus' physical body became the once-for-all sacrifice that fulfilled every requirement necessary for redemption. The significance of Christ's sacrifice cannot be overstated. Because Jesus completely satisfied God's justice, believers are no longer attempting to satisfy it themselves.

Pastor Leonard explains that this changes the believer's entire perspective. The Christian life is not characterized by constant labor in an effort to earn God's approval. Instead, believers respond to Christ's finished work by faith.
They believe.
They receive.
They allow God to work.
They cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
Again, the focus remains upon Christ rather than self. Pastor Lori agrees, emphasizing that genuine spiritual growth comes through relationship rather than religious obligation. Both pastors stress that believers are not expected to manufacture spiritual life by their own efforts. Instead, they simply respond to what God has already accomplished through Jesus Christ.

According to the message, this understanding removes the burden of trying to earn God's love. The believer is free to live from acceptance rather than for acceptance. The pastors contrast two entirely different ways of living. One life is built upon performance. The other is built upon grace.

One continually asks whether enough has been done. The other rests in knowing that Christ has already done enough. This distinction forms one of the central themes of the entire teaching and serves as the bridge into Pastor Leonard's discussion of Galatians chapter 2.

The Finished Work of Christ

As the discussion continues, Pastor Leonard reminds listeners that everything about the New Covenant points back to the completed work of Jesus Christ. He returns once again to Hebrews, emphasizing that Jesus willingly came to accomplish the Father's will. He refers to the passage that speaks of Christ saying that a body had been prepared for Him and that He came to do the will of God. The pastors explain that this body was not prepared merely so Jesus could teach, perform miracles, or set an example. It was prepared so He could become the perfect sacrifice.

Pastor Leonard points out that Jesus' sacrifice accomplished what generations of sacrifices under the Old Covenant never could. Because Christ offered Himself once and for all, believers no longer live under a system that continually requires them to prove themselves before God. Instead, Jesus fulfilled every requirement completely. Pastor Leonard emphasizes that believers now live from Christ's accomplishment rather than striving to produce one of their own. He reminds viewers that the believer's response is remarkably simple.

-Believe.
-Receive.|
-Allow.
-Cooperate.

These repeated expressions summarize what he believes is the proper response to God's grace. The Christian life, according to the pastors, is not driven by fear that God may reject someone who has not worked hard enough. Instead, it is driven by confidence that Jesus has already done everything necessary. Pastor Lori adds that the Holy Spirit continually reveals these truths to believers, helping them understand more fully what Christ has already accomplished. As believers grow in this understanding, they experience increasing freedom from religious performance and increasing confidence in God's grace. The pastors explain that the New Covenant continually directs attention toward Jesus. Rather than asking believers to focus on their own achievements, it calls them to focus upon Christ's finished work and live from that reality every day. The discussion consistently returns to this central message:

Everything begins with Jesus.
Everything depends upon Jesus.
Everything is sustained because of Jesus. The believer's security therefore rests in Him rather than in personal performance.

Galatians 2:20–21 and the End of Self-Effort

As the message draws toward its conclusion, Pastor Leonard says that another passage immediately comes to mind. He mentions that many Christians frequently quote Galatians 2:20, but they often stop reading before reaching the following verse.
He first recalls Galatians 2:20.

Galatians 2:20- "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Pastor Leonard explains that this verse beautifully summarizes the believer's new identity. The Christian's old life has been crucified with Christ. The believer is no longer attempting to live independently. Instead, Christ Himself lives within the believer. Every aspect of the Christian life now flows from Jesus rather than from human effort. However, Pastor Leonard immediately shifts attention to the verse that follows, explaining that it is often overlooked even though it provides an essential conclusion to Paul's argument.
He then references Galatians 2:21.

Galatians 2:21- "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."

Pastor Leonard pauses to explain the significance of Paul's statement. If righteousness could be obtained through personal obedience, religious performance, or keeping the Law, then Christ's death would have been unnecessary. According to the teaching, Paul's words demonstrate that the very existence of the cross proves mankind could never achieve righteousness independently. If human effort could accomplish salvation, Jesus would not have needed to die. The pastors emphasize that Christ came for a reason.

-He lived a completely sinless life.
-He willingly bore the sins of humanity.
-He fully paid the debt that mankind could never repay.

Because Jesus accomplished all of this, believers are no longer attempting to establish their own righteousness before God. Instead, they receive righteousness as God's gift through faith in Jesus Christ. Pastor Leonard explains that this truth eliminates every reason for self-confidence while simultaneously giving believers complete confidence in Christ. The message therefore returns to the same foundational theme introduced earlier: Righteousness is never achieved through striving. It is received because of Jesus Christ. This understanding, according to the pastors, allows believers to enjoy genuine peace with God because their standing before Him rests upon Christ's finished work rather than their own imperfect efforts.

What Christ's Death Accomplished

Following the discussion of Galatians 2:20–21, Pastor Lori briefly but powerfully summarizes why Jesus came into the world. She reminds the audience that Jesus did not die without purpose. According to Pastor Lori, every part of Christ's earthly ministry pointed toward the cross. He lived a completely sinless life. He willingly became the sacrifice for mankind's sin. He fully paid the penalty that humanity could never pay for itself. Because of His sacrifice, the issue of sin was dealt with once and for all from God's perspective.

Pastor Leonard agrees and explains that Christ's death accomplished exactly what it was intended to accomplish. He emphasizes that Jesus "came for a reason." His sacrifice was motivated entirely by God's love for humanity. It was not merely an example of love. It was the means by which mankind was reconciled to God. The pastors explain that when a person places faith in Jesus Christ, an immediate transformation occurs. The believer is declared righteous.

Pastor Leonard then asks a series of questions, allowing Pastor Lori to answer each one.
"What are you made?"
"Righteous."
"And what else?"
"Holy."
"And what else?"
"Worthy."

He continues by adding additional descriptions that characterize the believer's new identity. Sanctified. Perfect. According to the teaching, these are not future goals that believers must work toward to earn God's acceptance. Instead, they are realities that become true because of Jesus Christ. The pastors explain that these blessings are entirely the result of Christ's finished work rather than personal effort.

Pastor Leonard then encourages viewers once again to revisit the previous Sunday's sermon because, in his words, everything comes back to the same central truth:
"It is all His doing."
"It is all His work."
"It is all His effort.
"This statement summarizes the heart of the entire teaching. Rather than viewing salvation as a cooperative effort between God and mankind, Pastor Leonard presents it as the complete accomplishment of Jesus Christ, received entirely through faith. According to the message, this understanding removes fear, removes striving, and replaces both with confidence in the finished work of Christ.

Closing Encouragement

As the broadcast concludes, Pastor Leonard asks Pastor Lori for her closing thoughts. Pastor Lori encourages believers by explaining that life continually becomes richer and more joyful as a person develops a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. She reminds viewers that the Holy Spirit has been given to lead them, guide them, and direct them in every area of life.

According to her, believers do not walk through life alone. The Holy Spirit actively works within them, revealing God's truth and empowering them to experience the realities of the New Covenant. She encourages listeners to trust His leading and to recognize the power that already dwells within every believer.

Pastor Leonard agrees and brings the teaching to a close by thanking viewers for their continued support of the ministry. He expresses gratitude for their prayers, encouragement, letters, emails, text messages, and financial gifts. He explains that these expressions of support enable the ministry to continue sharing the message of God's grace. Finally, he directs viewers to the ministry's website for additional resources and information about giving before thanking everyone once again and promising to see them again soon.

The message ends on the same theme with which it began: The Christian life is not about striving to earn God's favor. It is about resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ, walking in relationship with the Lord, and allowing the Holy Spirit to continually reveal the riches of God's grace.

Thank you for taking the time to read this teaching, "NO WORK ZONE." We hope this message has encouraged you to look away from striving and self-effort and instead rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. As you continue studying God's Word, may you grow in your understanding of the New Covenant, your identity in Christ, and the grace that has been freely given through Him. If this teaching blessed you, consider sharing it with others so they too can be encouraged by the life-changing message of God's grace.