The Great Sufficiency

Colossians 1:16–17 “All things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

I’m continuing in this bible study of the first chapter of Colossians that I am going through. How true it is that sometimes it seems the Christian life is simply an ongoing discovery of the sufficiency of Christ. We come to faith by the work of the Holy Spirit and believe that Jesus alone can save us, thereby receiving eternal salvation, and yet we need to be reminded again and again that Jesus alone is also the key to life after conversion. The lesson states that if we are honest with ourselves, all of us have at least acted otherwise, though many of us have believed otherwise as well. Maybe, for a time, we lived like the Galatians, who thought that God would really love them only if they dotted every “i” and crossed every “t” of the Mosaic law. If so, we forgot that God loves us on account of the perfection of Jesus our substitute. Perhaps we once followed in the footsteps of others focusing so much on the power of the Holy Spirit that we forgot the One who with His Father pours out the Spirit upon all believers. It could even be that we acted like the false teachers in Colossae, turning to diets, superstitions, and other things for spiritual help, not because we denied verbally Jesus’ sufficiency but to make sure all our religious bases were covered.

Paul’s answer to all these errors is this — Christ alone is sufficient, and believers

mature as we take hold of this truth in our beliefs and actions. The apostle’s revelation about our Savior’s identity in Colossians 1:16–17 reveals clearly the sufficiency of Christ. The lesson points out that Jesus, we read, is the self-existent, eternal agent of God’s creative acts. Or, Jesus is the Word — the Logos who is God and is with God. In Him all things were made, including the lesser principalities and powers whom the Colossian false teachers trusted. Their hope in angels for spiritual advancement was misplaced because it meant turning from the Creator to creatures. Moreover, if Jesus’ identity with the Creator is not enough to convince readers of Christ’s sufficiency, the apostle Paul also explains that the Son of God is the great Sustainer. “In Him all things hold together”: Christ, no other being or impersonal force, keeps the universe in order. Without Him, the cosmos would be chaos, and if He has the power to hold everything together, how could anyone believe that he needs to turn anywhere else to find completion?

In conclusion of today’s study, C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, “Let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His [Jesus] being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” The foolishness of humanity and false religion is seen in the willingness to accept Jesus as a good teacher, but nothing more. He is either the Lord, Creator, and Sustainer of all, or He is worthy of no more regard than we would give any other talented teacher.

Work It Out – Part 2

Ephesians 2:20b-22 “Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

Continuing Michael message from yesterday: Jesus said, I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. The abundance of life is in the Spirit of God in Christ in you, the hope of glory. Those who are “born again” of God’s Spirit have life more abundantly. When confronted about his faith, Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.” As God-gifted individuals within the body of Christ, we’re harmoniously fitted together as individual parts of God’s greater plan. Ephesians 4:15-16 says, “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head (Christ) from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”  Even though in this life we can not understand God’s plan for our lives because His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts, when that which is perfect is come at Christ’s return, then face to face we shall know even also as we are known.

In the meantime, the Lord has called “believers” as watchmen on the wall to spread the gospel of the good news of salvation. Repentance unto salvation is about being “born again”, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible seed by the word of God which lives and abides forever … for he who was without sin became the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him. He made a way where there was no way. We could not approach a holy God because we were spiritually dead in our sin. The man and woman of body and soul cannot inherit eternal life. However, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. He came that we could be “born again” of the spirit of life in Christ…that we may be holy and without blame before him in love. This is amazing grace! For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast.”

Having received the gift of the Holy Spirit of Christ in us the hope of glory, what shall we do? The answer is in Philippians 2:12-13. Even though we were saved by grace and not of works, this verse says “work out your own salvation with awe, respect and reverence.” We work out our salvation as we make God’s will our will and his good pleasure our good pleasure. Then, it is God who works in you to will and to do of his good pleasure. Ephesians 2:9 says that even though we are saved by grace and not of works, We are God’s workmanship, his great work, his masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus unto good works wherein he has foreordained that we should walk. The out-working of the Holy Spirit is Christ’s eyes behind our eyes, his hands behind our hands, his heart behind our heart, and his tongue behind our tongue. When we follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are God’s living epistles, His love letters known and read of all men. Work it out!

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ, Michael

Work It Out – Part 1

This week, Michael writes: Jesus returned to Jerusalem to finish the work for which he had been called. When he met with his twelve disciples in the upper room, they were not prepared for the events that would unfold in the next few days. In John 13, Jesus instituted the memorial of the Lord’s Supper. He said in John 16:7, I need to leave so that I can leave you the comforter of the Holy Spirit. In the upper room, He washed their feet and showed them what it means to be a servant leader … for he that is chiefest among you must be servant of all. Then he predicted His betrayal. He said to Judas, “whatsoever you do, do quickly.” Jesus told them, “where I’m going you cannot come.” Peter objected to this and said, “I’ll go wherever you go.” Then Jesus reminded him of the weakness of the flesh, “before the cock crows twice you shall deny me three times.”

John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Jesus had told his disciples that He is the “good shepherd”, the “bread of life” and the “light of the world”. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the father except by me.” Everything other than Jesus Christ is a false religion. The truth of Jesus Christ is a gospel of “exclusiveness.” He is the only way to God.

People often ask, “If God is love, then why would he allow condemnation to those who never accepted the gospel of Christ?” Those who ask this question often want to justify following their own will instead of God’s will. Holiness starts with exclusion. It means to “set apart for the purpose intended by the designer.” Inclusiveness means all-embracing or universal. There is a broad way that leads to destruction. However there is a narrow way through the narrow gate. According to John 14:6, Jesus said unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” He is both the narrow gate and the narrow way. Jesus Christ is the only way to approach a holy God. He said, “apart from me you can do nothing.” For there is one God and one mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus.

The world teaches men and women to be “self sufficient.” However, as Oswald Chambers said, “when the crisis comes and courage is required, God expects his people to have such confidence in Him that they will be the reliable ones.” Through the power of Christ we are confident and rely on God’s promise that He will keep within us His gift of the Holy Spirit, whereby we have been sealed for the day of redemption … for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that (Holy Spirit) which he’s committed to me against that day of righteous judgment.

Let’s continue Michael’s message on working it out in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

The Image of the invisible God

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

As I continued in my Bible Study of Colossians, the lesson explained that claiming that the person and revelation of Jesus, by His Spirit, were insufficient for the knowledge of God that empowers Christian living, false teachers in first-century Colossae advocated a non-Scriptural “deeper” spirituality that depended on “works” like the proper observance of food laws, festival days, and asceticism (a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals), as well as the worship of angels. To defend the gospel against such perversions, Paul wrote a letter to teach and apply practically the true doctrine (teachings) of Christ, especially His preeminence in all things. In Colossians 1:15–20, the apostle gives us one of the most marvelous expositions of the identity of Jesus in the entire New Testament. Read in your Bible and be blessed.

This lesson points out that the Apostle Paul begins his description of Jesus in today’s passage as “the image of the invisible God”. We think immediately of Genesis 1:26–28, which tells us humanity is made in God’s image, reflecting the sovereign Creator through our task as stewards of the earth for God’s purposes. Yet though we reflect the glory of the Almighty within the created order, there is still a limit to what we, as mortals, reveal about God. After all, Scripture teaches that we are made in the image of God — not that we are the image of God, at least not in the same way as Jesus. Paul explains that the Savior is God’s image, and those to whom he first wrote would have understood him to mean that Jesus is a picture of the Creator and that He embodies in human form the same identity as the One He images. In other words, human beings need not look anywhere else to see the Almighty, for Jesus is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3). In Christ He [God] shows us His righteousness, goodness, wisdom, power, in short, His entire self. We must, therefore, beware of seeking Him elsewhere, for everything that would set itself off as a representation of God, apart from Christ, will be an idol.

The lesson clarifies that Jesus is also called “the firstborn of all creation,” and, contrary to what many cults teach, Paul is not saying that God’s Son is a created being. The Son of God — one of the three eternal persons of the triune God — acquired humanity (“became flesh,” God incarnate) through the Virgin Mary, but He has always existed as a divine second person of the trinity. “Firstborn of all creation” designates His status: just as the firstborn son in an ancient family held a privileged rank in his clan, so too does God’s Son over all creation.

 The lesson on Colossians 1:15 concludes that it is easy and not very costly to admire Jesus as a great moral teacher, but the proper response to Christ is not mere admiration but worship. We are called not simply to follow His guidelines but to throw ourselves at His feet in adoration, honor, glory and praise. Consequently, if we want others to have a proper view of the Messiah, the blessed Redeemer,  the Savior of the world, then we need to be careful and always speak of Him as God incarnate, who rules over all. The Image of the invisible God

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Out of Battle, into Victory – Part 2

The conquest is given to us already by God, but He requires us to show up and take the step into it. The Lord calls for us to change our perspective and see life the way that He see it. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” It makes sense to trust God’s perspective because He sees and knows what we do not. Hebrews 11:1 reinforces that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We tend to constantly focus on the problems and the adversaries in life, but have faith and do not fear because God keeps His promises and delivers on them. We stand on solid ground.

Hebrews 10:36 “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”

Pastor Obie clarifies the perseverance precedes the promise. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “perseverance” as: Persistence in any thing undertaken; continued pursuit or prosecution of any business or enterprise begun; applied alike to good or evil. Perseverance keeps honor bright. Patience and perseverance overcome the greatest difficulties. In theology, it is the continuance in a state of grace to a state of glory; sometimes called final perseverance. Keep doing what is “good” and “right” in the eyes of the Lord. Be loving, give back to God of your “first fruit”, and stay faithful to the Lord always. Do not get “caught up in drama” or get draws into distractions. Sometimes we need not open out mouths and save our voices for the “right” time.

John 16:32b-33 “I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Pastor Obie encourages us to don’t give up, because through Jesus Christ you have already won! It may feel like there is no progress, but be persistent and follow through in your Christian walk. In prayer, we have constant communication with the Lord, who is in control of every situation coming down the turnpike. Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” So, don’t give up, no matter the situation in life. Run the race with confidence because you have the victory and have already won. You have God’s upgrade and the Lord determines your future.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

There will be Jericho’s in our life. Do not quit because of the walls we face. The Lord Jesus has overcome the world. Watch walls fall down!

In Christ, Brian

Out of Battle, into Victory – Part 1

Joshua 6:1-20 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”

This last Sunday, Pastor Obie continued in our church’s “Out of/Into” sermon series. Life can be rather competitive at times, and it is important to know you have the victory. But, the fact is that some things have to die, like doubt and disobedience, in order to enter into the “Promised Land” of God promise. Certain things, like bad habits, have to go, and we need to keep them buried so that they don’t dig out and hinder us. We must change our methods and mindsets as life changes appear on life’s journey.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Pastor Obie explains that strength is grown through the struggles of life. We do not live on “mountaintop experiences” and the fact of the matter is that the challenges of “desert seasons” prepare us for new “Promised Land” seasons. We must rely on God and trust in His strength; not our own. Have faith and do not delay to obey, knowing that it is “through the struggle”, not “around the struggle”, that builds strength. Have complete confidence in Almighty God’s process. Recognize and understand that our Heavenly Father waits till we are adequately ready and properly prepared to handle our calling and purpose.

Joshua 6:20 “So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.”

Pastor Obie points out that when God says: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand”, He is saying to very child of God that you’re not fighting for victory, but are fighting from victory! But, is that all there is to it?

Let’s continue Pastor Obie’s message on “Out of the Battle and into victory” in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

From Darkness into Light

Colossians 1:13–14 “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Gratitude is one of those abstract concepts that everyone can recognize when they see it but that few can define precisely. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “gratitude as: “An emotion of the heart, excited by a favor or benefit received; a sentiment of kindness or good will towards a benefactor; thankfulness. Gratitude is an agreeable emotion, consisting in or accompanied with good will to a benefactor, and a disposition to make a suitable return of benefits or services, or when no return can be made, with a desire to see the benefactor prosperous and happy. Gratitude is a virtue of the highest excellence, as it implies a feeling and generous heart, and a proper sense of duty. The love of God is the sublimest gratitude.” In this study of Colossians chapter One that I am going through, they say that much could be said about the proper definition of gratitude, but when we consider its place in the Christian life, G.K. Chesterton’s words certainly bear repeating: “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder”.

“Happiness doubled by wonder” is a marvelous way to phrase the proper response to what Jesus has done for His people when we consider the fallen-in-sin abyss into which we were born in this world. Building on his admonition to give thanks for the great inheritance provided to us in Christ, the Apostle Paul describes what happens to all those who put their faith in the Savior. By faith we appropriate the work of Jesus that delivers us from the “domain of darkness” and chains of sin. No matter how “good” we or our parents are, all of us are born into this world as “children of Adam”, with original sin, cut off from blessed fellowship with God — the purpose for which He made us. The Bible describes this condition of being in Adam as being in a realm of chaos, darkness, evil, and judgment — a dreadful state of misery wherein we were dead in wickedness. There is no escape from this hopeless condition apart from “divine intervention”. Since nothing in us could move the Lord to save us, the fact that He graciously acted to rescue us anyway is a fact that is beyond comprehension and marvelous beyond words. The dead in sin become alive in Christ! Once we realize how far from Him we actually were before we knew Jesus, the only response we can give is, indeed, “happiness doubled by wonder” in a attitude of gratitude.

Being rescued from the kingdom of darkness, we have been transferred to the “kingdom of His beloved Son” — the kingdom of light in which we have the forgiveness of sins. That is the gospel. This rescue and transfer was the great event the prophets foresaw, the redemption out of the darkness and exile of sin into which Israel, as a picture of all mankind in Adam, had fallen despite having access to the Word of God - the holy Scriptures of the living Bible.

If we are in Christ, we have been rescued from utter and hopeless darkness, and, being children of light, have been empowered to walk in the light with the indwelling Holy Spirit as our guide, in gratitude of our Savior and Lord.

Blessings in Christ

Fair Warning – Part 2

 James 3:16, Where there is envying, strife, and division, there is confusion and every evil work.

Continuing Michael’s message from yesterday: Factions and divisions are contrary to the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The good news of the gospel of salvation is the solution to the problem of division. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Peace is only available through the Prince of peace. Peace is the result of reconciliation of sin. To reconcile means to unify; to bring together that which has been separated. According to Ephesians 2:14-16, “For he (Jesus Christ) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of (Old Testament) commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both (Jew and Gentile) unto God in one body by the cross”.

Ezekiel’s admonition to Israel continues in verses 6-7: "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. God always gives fair warning and a way of salvation. The context of John 3:16 says that Jesus Christ came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.

God has called his people to sound the warning and to spread the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, the works that I do shall they do and greater works shall they do because I go unto my father. The "greater works" is salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. For we preach not ourselves but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. To those who receive the message of the cross of Christ we preach the resurrection and the righteousness of God through the atoning sacrifice of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

God calls nations and individuals to repent. There’s a difference between regret, remorse, and true repentance. Repentance means to change direction. It is the inflection point where we turn from ourselves and unto the Lord Jesus Christ. A broken and a contrite heart God will not forsake. It’s not turning from sin that saves a man or woman, but rather turning to the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. The message of salvation is to heed the watchman’s warning.

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection … for I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me, and the life that I now live I live by faith in the one who loved me and gave himself for me. This is the testimony of Christ in us the hope of glory. We have been called as "watchmen on the wall" to share the gospel of the good news of God’s salvation. Therefore sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man who asks you a reason for the hope (of Christ’s return) that is in you with meekness and reverence and respect for God.

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ, Michael

Fair Warning – Part 1

This week, Michael writes that God disciplines those He loves. The Word of God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Correction is to “restore to an upright position”. God makes a way where there is no way. In Ezekiel 33, the nation of Israel had turned its back on God. God is faithful to warn His people to repent, to turn from their wicked ways and to return to the Lord and walk in the path of righteousness.

According to Ezekiel 33:1-6, Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’

Ezekiel told the people to appoint watchmen to warn the people of the enemy’s approach. Israel understood what it meant to live in a “walled city”. The watchman’s call was to sound the alarm. The gospel warning is that sin leads to death and now is the time to repent and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. In years gone by, many American preachers encouraged their congregations to keep a record of everyone with whom they shared the gospel of salvation. What is the gospel application in today’s church? Evangelist Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth Graham once said, “If God doesn’t judge the United States, then he will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.” God’s warning is to restore America to an upright position as “One nation under God”. Whom the Lord loves He chastises.

In a culture that honors God, the land will prosper. There was an American counter-cultural revolution against godly traditional values in the 60’s. The culture began to emphasize the “rights of the individual” and self actualization with the emphasis on self. As a result families, communities, and churches began to compromise and fly apart. “Human Rights” are often “godly wrongs” according to the standard of the Word of God. The God-rejecting world teaches that good is evil and evil is good. True, godly men and woman who used to be honored as models of righteousness in their families and pillars of their communities were instead marginalized and labeled as “hypocrites.” They were admonished to subjugate themselves to the opposite sex in general and their spouses in particular. Christians were relegated to a place of dishonor and irreverence in the culture.

God said to Ezekiel, “When I bring a sword upon the land, if the people set a man upon the wall to sound the alarm, when he blows the horn, if the people don’t heed the warning, then their blood will be upon their own heads.” Some say that a culture has never survived “multiculturalism.” Factions, strife, contentions and insurrection are characteristics of the wisdom of this world. This type of wisdom is earthly, sensual, and devilish. 

Michael gives us the remedy to the problem in the next post. 

In Christ, Brian

Out of Wilderness and Into Promise

Numbers 32:11-13 “’Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone.”

A week ago, Pastor Kyle opened a new Sunday sermon series on change in our lives. Storms of life come in this fallen world. When people are beaten down for long periods, it is hard to get out of negative wilderness mindset. We can spend years wandering around in the wilderness, but God doesn’t want aimless wandering in confusion. God sends spies to scope the land out before us, but people are scared by negative reports. Like Caleb and Joshua, we must know and stand on the promises of God, having faith that with God, we can do it. So, if people are dragging you into sin, set boundaries and separate ourselves. But, do not cut of everyone who disagrees with you.

Colossians 3:13 tells us, “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”  

To progress from a wilderness a wilderness mindset to a “Promised Land” mindset, we need to first tune into those who are for our faith and our future (without cutting off or ignoring those who are not). Learn to tune out into the right word while able to have open conversations, witnessing for Christ in holy conversation. Tune into the voices for righteousness and godliness, pointing to the foot of the cross. Contend for the faith and love others into the kingdom of God. Ephesians 4:2 says, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Secondly, always go with God’s counsel over human consensus. 10 out of 12 spies may say “no”, but God plus one is a majority. Beware of bad counsel. The popular thing is not always the God thing. God’s word trumps all and God things are always the “right” thing. Thirdly, focus on how a change will be a blessing, not just how it could be a burden. The land is good, but people tend to focus on the issues and problems. The devil does not need an advocate. Failure to see the good in change will not stall vision and progress. To prepares for a better future requires flexibility and change which has a cost. Fourthly, Blessings are won through battles, so be patient. Impatience is the wilderness. 10 of the 12 spies saw the battle to come. Focus on the “Promised Land” issues with a mindset that is focus on the Lord.

1 John 5:4 “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

The Christian’s Promised Land is Heaven; we are just passing through on earth. It is always in the heart of God that His children think and act victoriously. Come out of the wilderness and into promise. Holy Spirit, teach us, mature us, and direct us to bring glory to God.

In Christ, Brian

A Life of Gratitude

Colossians 1:11–12 “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father”.

A natural part of the Christian life is growing and maturing through the study of Holy Scripture; God’s Word found in the page of the Bible. In looking at a study in the book of Colossians, we learn that the essence of the Christian life can be summarized in many legitimate ways, including forgiveness — the realization that the Father has forgiven us in Christ and thus requires us to forgive others; holiness — because we have been set apart as holy through the work of the Savior, we must put holiness into practice in our lives; and patience — God in His patience was kind to us and brought us to repentance, so we must bear with the faults of others and wait patiently for the Lord to fulfill His purposes. Other summaries could be suggested, but the one we see most clearly in a study of Colossians is thanksgiving.

The lesson points out that gratitude envelops Paul’s prayer for the church at Colossae in Colossians 1:3–12, indicating its fundamental place in the life of the Christian. Thanksgiving, in fact, is the perpetual attitude of Paul and is to be the disposition of the Christians in Colossae. He is always giving thanks for the faith, hope, and love of the believers there. The Colossians, and all other Christians by extension, are admonished to give thanks for their great salvation in an abundant, overflowing manner. Such an emphasis on thanksgiving is not surprising, for gratitude must certainly be a chief virtue of redeemed people since a principal vice of fallen humanity is an ungrateful disposition toward the Lord for His gifts. Old covenant Israel perpetually fell into idolatry because they did not remember the Lord who brought them out of Egypt. They ended up thanking gods, who were no gods at all, for their redemption. May we never do the same.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Reality is that we can live a Christian life of gratitude only when we recall that everything we have in Christ is an inheritance. Typically, an inheritance is something that is passed from the person who earned it to a benefactor who has not worked for it, wholly at the initiative of the earner. Paul can refer to our salvation as an inheritance because it is something that Jesus earned for us and that we do not work for but receive by faith alone. John Chrysostom, an early church father and bishop of Constantinople in the late fourth century, writes, “For no one leads a life so good as to be counted worthy of the kingdom, but the whole is his free gift”.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

The lesson concludes that it is obviously difficult to follow Paul’s admonition to give thanks in all circumstances, which is why we need strengthening from on high to persevere with joy as we thank the Lord. This power comes from the Holy Spirit, who presently lives within the Christian to remind us of all the blessings we have in Christ Jesus and of our need to thank Him. Consequently, no Christian can live a life perpetually void of gratitude. Quite the opposite, there is a life of gratitude for the love, mercy and grace of God towards us; a sinner.

Blessings

The Source of Sadness – Part Three – The Source of Joy

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Continuing from yesterday’s post, the answer to Pastor Kennedy’s question: “Is there no cure for sadness whose source is sin, for this dead in sin world of woe in which we find ourselves?” is: ah, yes, there is Good News. What can wash away your sins? - Nothing but the blood of Jesus! For there came into this world God incarnate, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, who took all of our woes, all of our sighs, all of our tears, all of our grief and all of our sadness via sin upon Himself and went to Calvary’s Cross to redeem us as a sacrificial sacrifice in our place. There the wrath of God came and consumed them all as Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. Jesus rose from the dead on that glorious Easter morning, as King of joy at whose right hand there is joy forevermore. Our Savior tells us to rejoice, for our sins are forgiven, forgotten and washed forever away, and a new Spirit is placed within us. We may have the joy of the Lord as our portion each morning.

Jesus said in John 10:10 “The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Kennedy proclaims, Yes, there is a cure for sadness, and that cure is the grace of God and the Spirit of the living God that can create a new heart in all of those who will trust in the blessed Savior and will rejoice in Him. The opposite of sadness is joy. If there is any in this world who have real and lasting joy and happiness, it is because they have discovered the joy of Christ, the King of joy. They look forward to that day when that joy will reach its consummation and fulfillment, when they shall see Him as He is, face to face. They have the eternal perspective of Heaven and look forward to the day when they shall enter into that city where there shall be no more grief, no more sorrow, no more sadness, and death shall be no more.

John 1:9-14 tells us, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He (Jesus Christ) was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Ah, what a glorious expectation! Then, when we have perfect joy and perfect gladness forevermore, when we shall be rejoined with all those we ever loved and restored to all of that which we have ever lost. Here, you shall spend eternity. Trust in Him, the source of joy, and know that sin is forgiven, forgotten and our future is assured that we may rejoice each morning in mercy ever new and in grace ever fresh. For Jesus’ sake.

Amen.

The Source of Sadness – Part Two

James 1:14-15 “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.”

Continuing Pastor Kennedy’s message, he asks: “What does sin bring forth?” This is the source of sadness. Grief has but one primary root, and tears have but one primary source, and that root, that source, is sin.

Lucifer, the mightiest angel ever created by God, rose up in rebellion. He lusted after power and said. “I’ will be like the Most High.” In that instant, by that one thought, he was transformed into Satan and led the wicked rebellion wherein a third of the angels were cast down out of Heaven into perdition. The word “Satan” literally means “adversary, one who plots against another, to show enmity to, oppose, obstructs”. He set his in implacable opposition to that of the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth. He determined to thwart the purposes of God. No heartache was ever known until the devil, the serpent in the Garden of Eden, made conquest of the human will by deceiving Adam and Eve to doubt and disobey God.

 Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death.”

Kennedy explains that until the devil is restrained, until that sin is banished, this generation of grief will not become extinct in the earth. Where there is no sin, there is no sadness or sorrow pr grief, but this word teems with sin. Sin has robbed mankind of such honor and dignity. The wages of sin against God is sorrowful death - sorrow; sadness; grief; and finally death. So it was at the beginning in the fall of man; so it has always been through sin. Sin is the great deceiver. It first blinds its victims before it binds and leads then unto destruction. Sin is a very slippery slope. When we take one step in that slope, God withdraws the restraining power of the Holy Spirit. We slide farther down. What a terrible, dangerous, deceitful, slippery thing is sin!

John 8:44 “He (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

The devil (Greek “diabolos”) means "accuser, slanderer." Have you believed Satan’s lie? When you were told that sin will bring you happiness, you didn’t see your life destroyed, your family ruined, your job lost, your body wracked with the results of sin. You didn’t see what the future really held. You have been told that sins are sweet. You have been enticed into impurity and you haven’t seen the terrible exactions that nature extracts from those who break the moral law. Hebrews 9:22 proclaims the truth that “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” There is a price to pay for our wicked sins. There is inevitable sadness connected with sin and it can happen to anyone. Is there no cure for this sadness, for this world of woe in which we find ourselves? One.

Let's continue Pastor Kennedy's message on the source of sadness and hear the only true cure in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

The Source of Sadness – Part One

James 1:14-15 “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.”

Our Wednesday evening small group Bible Study at our church has been going through a video lesson on “Angels and Demons” by the late Pastor d. James Kennedy. This week, Pastor Kennedy explained that there are two clear issues in life. First, that happiness is one of the basic quests of the human heart. Second, that the vast majority of people fail to ever find true happiness and do not seem to know how to obtain it. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word happiness as: the agreeable sensations which spring from the enjoyment of good; that state of a being in which his desires are gratified, by the enjoyment of pleasure without pain; felicity; but happiness usually expresses less than felicity, and felicity less than bliss. Happiness is comparative. Perfect happiness, or pleasure unalloyed with pain, is not attainable in this life.

The greatest deceit Satan has ever perpetrated upon the human race, the most successful lie he has ever used is simply this: We shall find happiness and fulfillment through sin and by disregarding the commandments and precepts of Almighty God. To be clear, the word “sin” is defined as: The voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or law. By letting ourselves go and following our own passions, by ignoring Christ and the Word of God, Satan’s most successful lie would have us believe that joy shall be ours through sin.

Yet, the great truth of the Word of God is that at the right hand of God there is joy forevermore. There is happiness in holiness. It is through the submission and obedience to the will of Christ that people will find their true joy and fulfillment. These are two totally and completely antithetical propositions. You cannot have both. One is truth, the other a lie.

Hebrews 11:25-26 “choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.”

Whether it is by pursuing after sexual immorality, of following the lust for power or wealth or fame, the ultimate and bottom-line decision that every human being must make in the world involves the questions: Am I going to find my fulfillment and happiness by following Christ, or am I going to do it by following the baubles and allurements of Satan? Is it true that the chief end of mankind is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, of is it to forget Him and to enjoy the full flow of my passions in this world?

Let's continue this message on the source of sadness in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

You’re Invited – Part 2

Michael continues: A diagnostic question for husbands and wives is, “if I could change anything about myself that would meet your needs, what would it be?” One guy said, I hate to ask my wife that question because she’ll tell me things that she’s already told me to change. Repentance is the first requirement to salvation. Repentance means to change my mind. It’s an “about face” or “u-turn” in our life. It means to turn from my own way and unto the Lord Jesus Christ. The world calls evil good and good evil. Turning to the Lord is the meaning of repentance. The word “Lord” means owner. I’m no longer my own Lord, Jesus is. Christianity is not who we are, but whose we are.

To approach our Heavenly Father, we must be clothed in the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our righteousness and our redemption. He is the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be the righteousness of God in Him. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. We’re forgiven not because of who we are but because of who God made us through His Son Jesus Christ when we were “born again” of God’s spirit.

The Pharisees and devout Jews were called to the King’s Son’s wedding. However, they rejected the invitation. The Gentiles were the ones in the highways and byways that were called to the wedding feast when the Jews rejected the king’s invitation. Jesus said, whosoever will may come. The bible says that all scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Those whom God has called are eager to forsake their own way and turn to God’s way when they hear the truth of the Word of God. Godly correction means to return to an upright position. Sin knocked us down; the Lord picked us up.

God is faithful to His Word. Philippians 2 says that even though we were saved by grace, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling … with awe, respect, and reverence for God. Our responsibility is our response to His ability. Our ability is the Holy Spirit … Christ in us the hope of glory that we received when we were “born again” and saved. When we delight ourselves in the Lord, when we make his delight our delight. and his will our will, then according to Philippians 2:13, it is God who works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. His good pleasure is that we should be above reproach and without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom we shine as lights in a world of darkness, holding forth the Word of Life.

God asks, “Despite the troubles of this world, will you praise me anyway?” If the gospel is everything, then our assurance is that He works all things for His own good and for our own good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Our purpose is to share the gospel of Christ and to use words where necessary. We are the only bible some people will ever read. He has called us as His living epistles, His love letters known and read of all men and women. Jesus said, whosoever will may come. Our Heavenly Father has given us an engraved invitation. How we RSVP to His invitation will determine our eternal destiny.

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ, Michael

You’re Invited – Part 1

This week, Michael writes: Everyone needs the message of the gospel of the good news of Jesus the Christ, the son of the living God. In Matthew 22, Jesus confronted the Pharisees and told them a parable about a wedding feast. The Pharisee’s were the religious leaders who did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. In the previous chapter Jesus had said that He was the chief cornerstone which the builders had rejected. The Pharisee’s perceived that He was talking about them when he said that they would break themselves by opposing the cornerstone. A parable is an earthly story that illustrates a spiritual truth.

In Matthew 22:2-14, Jesus said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The people of this culture were familiar with wedding feasts. The wedding celebration of a prince could last as long as a week. According to verse 3 (above), the king invited many to come to the wedding feast of his son. However those who were invited were unwilling to come. God originally called his people, the children of Israel to hear the Word of God and God’s message of salvation. In verse 4, he sent his servants to tell those who were invited. However, some of them seized the king’s slaves, arrested them, and killed them.

Today’s culture has evolved from a nation that considered itself “one nation under God” to a culture where many secular Americans think that quoting scripture is an example of “hate speech.” Many in today’s humanistic culture, many believe that eternal life is on their own terms instead of God’s terms. They reject the truth of the Word of God that salvation is by grace alone thought faith alone in Christ alone. Ezekiel 33:11 says that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. However, God sent not His Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. The context of John 3:16 says that even though the Son of God came into the world to show them the light of the truth, they who loved evil hated the light because they preferred the darkness rather than the light of truth.

Let's continue Michael's message on the next post,

In Christ, Brian

Plumb the Depths

Colossians 1:9 “We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding”.

In a study on the letter to the Colossians, we learn that Paul’s prayers for the believers in Colossae reflect his true feelings about them and provide us with instruction. His gratitude for the Colossians’ faith implies that they received a full revelation of Christ and should not look for a “higher” religion. Paul advances the point, encouraging them to continue in what they had learned and not to pursue the false “spiritual vitality” allegedly found among the heretics.

The lesson teaches that we are ever tempted to pursue dazzling displays of “spiritual vitality” and quick growth that are supposedly available through that one insight or method heretofore overlooked. A great many books and teachers today promise speedy advancements in power and holiness, (whether it be through the exact repetition of the same prayer every day, the “name it and claim it” of the health-and-wealth gospel, or the promise of immediate victory over the Devil through a post-conversion baptism of the Spirit). Far less is actually achieved in the lives of most who embrace such teachings, as any honest survey of such things reveals. Yet emphases on secret or obscure methodologies for spiritual growth have actually been a problem in the church for ages. Back in first-century Colossae, false teachers promised quick paths to spiritual maturity through diet plans, ascetic practices, holy days, and more.

The apostle’s answer is not to deny spiritual growth and progress altogether, but to ground it in the faithful, simple pursuit of what has been presented clearly to all in the gospel. Paul’s prayer in indicates that growth comes through diligent continuance in what God has revealed to the whole church, not in chasing after the latest fad. He asks the Lord to help the Colossians walk in a fruitful manner, just as the simple gospel of Paul and Epaphras bears fruit in the whole world. Paul also prays for increasing knowledge of the Lord’s will — a deeper understanding of the truth that is accessible to all in the gospel message and that strengthens the faith of those who believe it. That Paul prays for such things — things people already had in the preaching of the truth — shows that believers are brought into the kingdom and made mature in the same way, namely, in studying and hearing the Word of God that has been revealed to all His people.

The study concludes that it is all too easy for us to think that once we know the basics of the gospel, we must then move beyond them for true spiritual growth. Yet it is not extra-biblical revelations and methods that mature us, nor is it the search for mysterious, esoteric meanings and codes in Scripture. Instead, it is the continual attempt to plumb the depths of the gospel message and its application to all of life, which is, in fact, the story of the Bible.

Blessings

Out of Slavery and Into Freedom – Part 2

2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Pastor Kyle continues: The (AA) Alcoholics Anonymous recovery program has twelve steps that are generally helpful in all circumstances which we find ourselves. (1) We admit that we are powerless of the issue at hand – that our lives had become unmanageable. (2) Come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. (3) Make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him. (4) Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. (5) Admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. (6) Be entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. (7) Humbly ask God to remove our shortcomings. (8) Make a list of all persons we had harmed and become willing to make amends to them. (9) Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. (10) Continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admit it. (11) Seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. (12) Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, try to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Thirdly, maintain a state of mental readiness and swift obedience to God and His holy Word. We cannot say, “I am not willing.” We need to have haste in obedience. God put options in front of us and decisions must be made. Fourthly, move in faith and move first. Standing on the promises of God and confident in blessed assurance, walk by the truth in God’s holy Word, being proactive by nature and reactive when necessary. If we are not willing to do what God says, then how can we expect others to do it?

Joshua 24:14-15 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

It boils down to this: Do you have the faith to say “yes” to true freedom?  Romans 1:17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Do we have the faith to take the steps to change from slavery into freedom in Christ?

In Christ, Brian

Out of Slavery and Into Freedom - Part 1

Exodus 12:24-32 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. The Israelites did just what  the Lord commanded  Moses and Aaron. At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”

We just crossed over into year 2019 AD. AD is short for the Latin “Anno Domini”, translated as "Year of the Lord." Every time someone speaks or writes the date, they acknowledge Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior of the world. This last Sunday, Pastor Kyle started  a new sermon series and preached a message that was applicable for starting a new year in our lives.

As we entered into a new year, it’s natural to take inventory and make an analysis of where we stand, then formulate a plan and construct appropriate changes to create corrections and meet goals for improvement, growth and maturity. Just as faith in God’s plan of salvation through the Christmas gift of the blessed Redeemer Jesus by grace set us free from the bondage of sin, we need to constantly be moving from slavery to freedom. In order to do so, we need to remember that first and foremost, freedom isn’t free. There is a cost in our freedom. Understand your personal bondage to sin. There was suffering and sacrifice in God’s promise and redemption paid by the Lord. Blood had to be spilled to pay for those sins. Our sin and associated death were passed over and we need to feel that loss and appreciate what God has done.

1 Corinthians 5:7 says, “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

Secondly, in order to move out of slavery and into freedom, we need to act accordingly and take steps to move towards greater freedom. God wants us to cast off the things that weigh us down in slavery (physically, mentally and spiritually). Fallen sinners saved need t recognize the items and issues in their lives that are not pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. Healing moment need to led to a healing process. Admit wrongs and repent because sin creates a slave mindset pattern. Church is one major healing element, so make the assembly of the sanctified a priority.

Let's continue Pastor Kyle's message on "freedom" in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

The Fall – Part 3

Michael continues that according to Genesis 3:11-13, “And he (God) said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded you that you should not eat? And the man said, The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that you have done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”

Adam blamed the woman and Eve blamed the serpent. Adam and Eve refused to own their own sin. There were plenty of excuses but there was no confession. According to 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Prior to the fall, Adam and Eve only knew the love of God and they were innocent of sin and death. When they disobeyed God’s only command, they died spiritually and lost their innocence. Their eyes were opened and knew sin, and experienced separation from God. Even though they were consumed by guilt and fear, although that very day they died spiritually, God pursued them and made a way of redemption. In order to be clothed in righteousness, an animal had to die, for there is no payment for sin without the shedding of blood.

Jesus Christ is the ultimate sacrifice for our sin that we inherited from Adam. Romans says that Jesus Christ is the last Adam. We inherited our sin nature and spiritual death from Adam. However Jesus Christ came to reconcile us back to God. He came that we may be born again of the spirit of life in Christ. Romans 5:16-21 explains our redemption through Jesus’ payment for sin on our behalf: “And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
For if by one man’s (Adam’s) offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one (Jesus Christ) the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

As it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “For Jesus Christ, who was without sin, became the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.” According to Galatians 2:20, “For I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice for sin on our behalf, we have been reconciled to God: we have been restored into fellowship with our Heavenly Father. For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. What amazing grace! 

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael