This week Michael asks: What was the purpose for Jesus’ mission? He was sent by His Father to transform and conform us into His own image. He has called us to the purpose for which God designed each of us individually. According to Philippians 1:20 the Apostle Paul said, I want to exalt Jesus Christ in my body by the way I live. The word “exalt” is defined as: “To elevate in estimation and praise; to magnify; to praise; to extol.” The nature of Christ in us is perfection according to God’s Holy Spirit he created in us when we were born-again. In John 3:5-7 Jesus told the Pharisee Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” The ultimate purpose is to lift up, exalt, praise, and glorify God though following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If people know us by witnessing our lives and the motives of our hearts as born-again believers, then they will perceive the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. God called us to be His love letters ... “living epistles” of Jesus Christ known and read of all men. We are worthy of God’s calling because He loved us before we could love Him in return. Even while we were yet sinners, God gave His son Jesus Christ to shed His innocent blood in exchange for our guilty blood that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. Because we are called to manifest the love of God and the Word of God, John 3:30 says: “Therefore, let your light so shine among men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Even though we are righteous spiritually, we must still contend with the nature of the flesh we inherited from Adam. As Paul said, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. Jesus said to the rich young ruler, there is none good (in the flesh,) no not one. Psalm 103 says, the Lord knows our frame … He remembers that we are but dust. Even when we fail, we can glorify God by how we respond to adversity; by making restitution to those we’ve wronged and through repentance asking God for forgiveness.
The Lord Jesus instructed us in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” When we stray from the narrow way, We will learn to exalt God by turning from our own way back into the narrow way through the narrow gate … Jesus Christ himself. Then with a heart of humility and meekness, when we fall, we can fall into God’s net of mercy and grace. For if we confess our sins (of breaking fellowship by separating our hearts from God’s heart), He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God’s grace delivers us from a works-based system of self-righteousness and conforms us into the image of His dear Son ... Christ in us the hope of glory.
Let's continue Michael's message on exalting God in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment