Tag Archives: Gospel

Philippians 1: Part 2

Posted on by
Reply

PHILIPPIANS 1: PART 2

~~~

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

~~~

Looking at Paul’s ministry in Philippi reveals a great deal about the changed heart of the new creation that was in Paul and shows us just how serious he was about the things he said in this letter.

His actual ministry in Philippi is found in Acts 16:11-40.

None of his ministry was taken upon himself by himself; his work in Philippi and the other Macedonian cities began by a vision from God directing Him to the people there.

Once he got into the region and came to the city of Philippi he began by seeking out “a place of prayer” where people were gathered.  He went to where there would be other people seeking God, and this pursuit led them outside the city gates by a river.

There he preached to a gathering of women and the first recorded convert in Europe is recorded: Lydia.  She and her household became believers and gave aid and support to Paul and Timothy.

As he continued his ministry, a demonically possessed woman began following him around and hindering their work.  Therefore, he cast out the demon, which angered the girls owners who were profiting from her possession and powers.

Paul and Timothy were severely beaten and thrown into prison.  It was there, while bleeding and wounded, that they began worshipping God around midnight.

God performed a great miracle and set them free with a great earthquake.  But they did not run scared from the prison.  Paul and Timothy stayed to prevent the jailer from taking his own life and the jailer was converted, he along with his household.  He cleaned their wounds and was baptized immediately.

FOR THE GREATER PROGRESS OF THE GOSPEL

Philippians 1:12-14

Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

With all the distractions of the world around us it is very easy to look at your life, both the blessings and trials, as all about you.  But the living heart of the new creation in the gospel of Christ Jesus our God and Savior is one such heart that does not look at the blessings or the trials of our lives as all about us, but, rather, as an opportunity for the greater progress of the gospel.

In every such way, we will be tried and attacked by Satan.  His war on your soul is many-layered; but for those who live in Christ Jesus, and only for those who live in Him, salvation and victory is assured!

Trust God.  Live in faith to the fullest measure of God’s will according to the gospel and the greater progress of the gospel will be made known in you, to the glory of God forever and ever, amen!

 

“Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstance have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel” –v12

Luke 21:10-19

Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.  But not a hair of your head shall be lost.  By your patience possess your souls.

Are we surprised when we’re hated for the sake of Christ Jesus?

No, and neither are we faint of heart because of the trials that are before us!  For I am confident, as is the witness of the Holy Spirit in the scriptures, that whatever trial befalls us will turn out for the greater progress of the scriptures and an occasion for witness!

If hands are laid on me unjustly, my occasion of testimony has merely grasped me tightly!  And if hateful words exalt themselves around me, the power of good over evil will exalt itself through the witness of the Spirit to the greater progress of the gospel of love in Christ Jesus my Savior!

Today we have some difficult questions to ask ourselves:

Are we speaking the Word of God… without fear?

What does your faith stand on?

What are your sights set on?

Who is the source of your faith?

Do we trust in the Lord?

SOME PROCLAIM CHRIST FROM…

Philippians 1:15-20

“Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will…”

It did not escape Paul’s notice that there were many false teachers and selfish preachers who were teaching and preaching Christ from envy and strife; in many cities he had been driven out when such men became envious of the victory of the gospel and stirred up the crowds against Paul.

But Paul did not despair.  Though some sought the way of envy and strife, still others sought the way of love through Christ, and Paul rejoiced at the victory that is in Christ and is demonstrated in him by Christ either way.

What then…?

Christ is proclaimed and all are without excuse!  “Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” ~vv18-20

Romans 8:31-39

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What then, in your life, will you allow to hinder the greater progress and occasion for testimony of the gospel in your life?

TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN

Philippians 1:21-26

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. 

What will it mean for you to live on in your flesh?  Will it mean fruitful labor for Christ, or for your worldly-flesh?

Listen to this testimony:

Galatians 2:20

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.”

John 15:5

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

For those who have been born again, Christ is the life that wells up within them and quickens their mortal bodies- their spirits are alive and well even as they have crucified their flesh!  But in those whose hearts remain cold and dead in this world by the sin which they still live in, there can be no hope or reassurance of life to come. To die is great loss for such people. But to the former, to die is great gain, even as to live is Christ!

STRIVING TOGETHER FOR THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL

Philippians 1:27-30

27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. 29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

 

Amen!

Peace and grace of Christ Jesus our God and Savior be with every one of you.

Washed By The Water of the Word

Posted on by
1

WASHED BY THE WATER OF THE WORD

INTRODUCTION

The Christian is saved, redeemed, reconciled and restored in Christ Jesus alone.  This lesson focuses on learning how to be washed by the water of the Word.  This teaching has great significance for the Church, I believe, because it is described as Christ’s will for the Church with an end to presenting her as a holy and blameless bride.

ON BEHALF OF THE CHURCH

 

Titus 2:14

“Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

 

We are a people being made into a royal priesthood and a holy temple of God.  We are the bride of Christ, His very own body.  In this passage we’re told about what Christ did for us; He redeemed us from immorality and purified us so that we would be one for Him with great zeal towards good.

 

Hebrews 10:10, 14, 29

“10By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.  14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.  29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”

 

Hebrews 13:12

“12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.”

 

Whenever a church- which is, by definition, the believers- find themselves entangled in immorality and indulging in unclean things, that church has found themselves in a very frightful and dangerous place to be; they are gravely at risk of trampling under foot the blood of our covenant and insulting the Spirit of grace.

The sanctification and purification for our hearts has already been made and offered, but that does not mean that you are clean in your current lifestyle.  In most cases, the sanctification of Christ has been rejected- His offer, as it were, has been reviled because those who were meant to receive it never embraced it.

The sacrifice has been made and the power of salvation given; what remains is for you to embrace it.  In many parables many different ways, Jesus taught that you couldn’t be both hot and cold, that you couldn’t have one foot in the darkness and one in the light, that you couldn’t serve two masters at once.  Eventually, you must embrace one or the other.

 

John 8:31-37

“31So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” 34Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.”

 

John 15:3

“3You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”

 

Jesus became the light bursting out from the darkness, setting men’s hearts on fire and shinning light upon the path that leads to life in Christ Jesus.

He was speaking to men who were slaves to sin and set them free with the Truth that is now in us and abides in us through Jesus Christ the Son of God.

The Truth set them free because they believed in it and they were cleansed of sin by it; the sin that once ruled over them was removed from them by the Truth that is in Jesus Christ.

This is the work which Christ did, proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sin in Him, on behalf of the Church so that she would be made pure and sanctified unto Himself; the perfect bride.

 

THE WASHING OF THE WATER OF THE WORD

We need to understand the nature of the Truth spoken in Christ Jesus and the blood, which is the new covenant, that cleanses us from all sins.

Romans 3:21-31

“21But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. 31Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.”

 

Jesus Christ, the Word of God and the blood of the new covenant, was witnessed to by both the Law and the Prophets.  The Law became a tutor to lead us towards Christ and the Prophets foretold of Christ to make ready His way.

There is a law of the new covenant; referred to here as the law of faith (by which boasting is excluded), and in other places, as the Law of Life in the Spirit of Christ Jesus.

It is important to remember that immorality and sin is excluded from the life of a Christian because they have been done away with in the body of Christ by the offering of His body and blood on our behalf.  If one continues in sin, one begins to trample under foot the body of Christ and insult the Spirit of Grace which is meant to lead us through repentance to God.

 

Ephesians 5:26-2

“So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God”.  Jesus is the Word of God and He has made for us a washing done by His blood and the Truth of His word.

Indeed, our washing in the water of the Word is both critical and continual; it is the beginning of our purification, in which we are washed by the blood of Christ, and it is the continuation of our sanctification through the Word as the Work of the Holy Spirit, just as it says “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: may Grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure” (1st Peter 1:2).

We were told above in Ephesians that the end-result of this is the presentation of the church, His bride, to Jesus, holy and blameless in every respect.

Great measures have been taken to present the church pure and blameless to Christ- to ensure that she is filled with everlasting life and becomes of One Spirit with Him.

The Apostles said, “16Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” (Acts 22:16).  There was no reason for delay!  This was the message of Christ, repentance and forgiveness of sins by which reconciliation and restoration to God in Christ Jesus was made possible!

 

Romans 10:8

“8But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,”

 

The Truth, which is Jesus Christ, was brought near to us as He descended upon Earth, and it was put in them, to be spoken and lived in Christ Jesus.  The message of repentance and forgiveness was the word of Truth put on their lips to preach in the name of Christ and it is also the message put in us today through the Spirit of Christ.

1st Corinthians 6:11

“11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

 

Every one of us were once sinners- but now notice that we were washed and sanctified and justified in the name of Jesus and in the Spirit of our God.

This is a full-measure of salvation- one in which the blood of Christ became our atonement that makes ready the way of salvation and the Truth of Christ sets us free from sin.

Even from the beginning there have been many who longed for this salvation but were never willing to embrace it.  The Spirit of Grace has been greatly insulted throughout all the ages, as the patience and love of God is testified to by every insult.

 

EMBRACING CHRIST

A lot of people would like to skip everything that has been witnessed to us above about the work of Christ done on behalf of the church for her sanctification and purification and how these things are made exclusively available through Him alone.  It is easier to pursue righteousness in the flesh than it is to crucify the flesh and lay it down for Christ to raise anew.

This message of repentance means everything to us- and seeking the forgiveness of our sins is futile unless it is according to the Truth in Christ that He has promised will set us free.  Remember, “if the Son of God set’s you free, you will be free indeed!”  The converse of that is that if the Son of God has not set you free, you will not be free!

Laying down our lives means that we have to sacrifice them in the service of God, just as Jesus Christ Himself also sacrificed His life in the service of God; and what? Do we think that we are greater than the Son of God that we would not have to suffer as He Himself also suffered?

For the poor and suffering in this world, we should empty ourselves of our life to help them- to the ends of the Earth we should go to preach Christ.

Vanity should be put away.  Pride and all the things that might focus our attentions back onto our flesh are things that prevent us from ever sacrificing ourselves in the service of God.

 

2 Peter 1:5-9

5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

 

I know that the Lord spoke very powerfully to me a few years back saying that there were things here, things contained in His word, that I had not embraced and that were keeping me from growing in Christ and being fruitful in the true knowledge of Jesus Christ.

For me, personally, it was self-control, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love that I was lacking, and especially self-control (which hindered me from possessing the others also).

 

Titus 3:5

“5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,”

 

I have made the mistake of pursuing the above qualities through using measures of fleshly disciplines- by that I mean, I used techniques that focused on the flesh, such as “fasting from TV” or “fasting from lunch on Friday” and an assortment of other things by which I tried to teach myself discipline.  And these things “have some value”, as Paul said, but have no power to overcome the flesh.  Lacking the regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit meant that I was perpetually stuck in the bonds of sin and could never get past my sin.

Ephesians 6:17-

 “17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Hebrews 4:12

“12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

We need to seek the revelation of Jesus Christ from the Word of God by the Holy Spirit.  It is essential to take up the sword of The Spirit that has the power to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and receive its judgments so that the thoughts and intentions of our hearts are laid bare and the way of repentance and forgiveness in Christ Jesus can be made known.

 

 

 

Christmas Joy

Posted on by
Reply

LUKE 2:10-11, 13-14

“Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there appeared with the angle a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.‘”

The coming of Christ is surrounded with good news and joy!  The multitude of angels and heavenly hosts praised God and glorified Him with great joy because of the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ!

And with all the state of the world in darkness, how could the coming of a Savior mean anything but joy for those who would be saved?

For to us, redemption and grace have been offered- salvation and hope- eternal life and a royal inheritance!  To us a promise that is unshakable has been proclaimed by God!  A promise that liberates you from the darkness and depravity of the world- and this is not a false liberty, it is a real and true liberty that is growing in us through faith by the Holy Spirit every day that we walk in the Lord!

Can you imagine a world so pure that there will be no pain or suffering, only joy and rejoicing?  No, we certainly cannot- but even in our limited foresight, joy still comes through the Lord Jesus Christ because of the Seed which grows in us, causing us to cry out “Abba! Father!”

 

ROMANS 14:17

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.“

Stable and unshakable. That is the Kingdom of God, for it is rooted and grounded upon righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit!  What can take this away from us?  Romans 8 tells us that nothing can!

 

And where does this joy come from?

GALATIANS 5:22

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,“

I can write about joy until the cows come home, but unless the seed of Christ grows within you, these will be like resounding gongs clanging in the night.  Only when the Holy Spirit comes can the veil be lifted and the splendor and glory of the Kingdom that we’re in be revealed!

To those who have called upon the name of the Lord and repented of their sins and turned completely from their former lives, the Joy of Christ is revealed from on high!

 

The Joy of our Christmas is not a light-filled Christmas tree, or stockings stuffed with toys, nor expensive presents wrapped in jolly red and green paper with a gold bow on top.  Our Joy in Christmas is this Child who was born of good news and love: in short, our joy is the gospel which was given life through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  AMEN!

On Overcoming the World

Posted on by
2

Who can fully understand the processes of God?

I know, without a doubt, that we certainly cannot.  However, lest we fall into disobedience and a passion that is not in accordance with the knowledge of God, the hidden mysteries of Christ that have been made available to us should be understood.  Not only understood, but pursued like hidden treasures!

One such treasure is the gift of new life.  Often referred to as the new creation, or a sanctified spirit, this work is something carried out by the Holy Spirit through the blood of Christ according to faith.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”—Romans 8:1-2

I hope we do not miss what this passage says because we’re trying to seek an excuse for our own sins—which will lead to death—this passage gives us great instruction about our new-life.  We have finally been released from the law of sin and death. Paul did not say that Christ had broken the law of sin and death; Jesus Himself said that the law would remain until heaven and earth passed away.  What has happened is that we have been freed from it—something that all mankind had been powerless to do before the Lord— in other words, we finally have been given the power to overcome!

For Jesus has said, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”—John 16:33

And who is He that has overcome the world?

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.  For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith!  Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  This is the One who came by water and blood”—1st John 5:3-5

In Christ, we have the power to overcome the world; how does this power manifest itself?

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with God and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”—1st John 1:5-10.

The power of the gospel has, indeed, been revealed to us; and its power rests entirely in Christ.

We should understand, we are talking about overcoming the world—we’re not talking about lawful perfection.  Neither are we talking about lawless excuses.  What we are talking about is the power of Christ to cleanse us from sin and restore us into a right relationship with God so that we can walk in the Light with Him.

If you’re not walking in the Light—you’re not walking with God because He does not walk in the darkness.  If you’re walking in the Light, you have fellowship with God AND the blood of Christ cleanses you from sin.

You may find many more passages on this topic; passages which tell us what things are acceptable and what things are not acceptable.  These are important passages, and should be understood so that we do not remain in the darkness about our sins.  You will find many passage that tell us that we are enslaved by that which we are overcome.

But, in this, we have a nutshell for this topic by which we can work (or deny) and begin to search out these hidden mysteries in Christ.

The question you must ask yourself is this: “am I still being overcome by sin?”

You’re spirit should be able to tell you this answer.

Do you believe that your well is running dry?  This is your spirit telling you that something is not right!  Look into these things; the Lord has spoken them so that you would have peace about them.  Come to the Lord and He will set you free!

Sin & Lawlessness: Introduction

Posted on by
Reply

opening questions

Can a Christian have a cavalier attitude toward sin and lawlessness?  Does the sacrifice Jesus made prohibit His followers from dwelling in sin?  There are very serious rebukes for the Church that wallows long in sin and tolerates immorality (Revelation 1-3).

Introduction

This study is the beginning point of a series regarding sin and lawlessness.  We should listen to the Word of the Lord concerning sin.

I also want to put to test the validity of what people are teaching about “the tolerant Christ” so often preached today; is this “tolerant Christ” the one that we had preached first to us by the Apostles?

In the modern assembly tolerance has been cultivated towards sin under the mask of “love” and “peace”.  I realize the intent is to reach more lost souls, but we want to consider if tolerating the very thing that Jesus came to free us from truly “saves more lost souls”.   I believe the result of this has been utterly devastating on the Body of Christ in more ways than have been recounted.  I think we’ve lost faith that “sin leads to death”.

Using the passage “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), many have preached that we should, therefore, go on sinning and that God must be very tolerant towards our sin; the attitude present in some teachings of this even make it sound like God doesn’t even care (at all) if we sin anymore.

We’re going to look at what God said towards sin and the power of His gospel that allows us to persevere in overcoming sin.  I encourage you to accept these things from the Lord.

to swim in raging waters?

In order to simplify, let’s ask ourselves this question, “would I try to teach my drowning friend how to swim in the raging waters, or would I toss him a life-line and pull him out of the water to safety?”

According to the gospel in Christ, we have been totally removed from darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of Light (Col 1:13); so why do we hear churches trying to teach people to swim in the vast ocean of sin.

We’re responsible for the souls we teach and lead; so let’s consider this with all seriousness as we realize that mishandling this can mislead souls by teaching them to swim in sin rather than pointing to the life-line that has been thrown to them by Christ.  If they take that life-line, He will pull them out of the raging waters of sin and place them securely into the ark of His covenant.  In these last hours, the Lord is not willing that His Church be condemned, rather, that she cut away those who are disobedient to Him so that they may be made shown as unfaithful.

Luke 13:27

“27 and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’”

In plain terms, those who walked the “wide path” of sin will forever depart from Jesus because they did evil in His sight.

The designs of man are insufficient to lead us to Christ; you can not “design your own path” to righteousness.

Simply stated, your end will be in death unless something miraculous happens.

Gospel: Simplicity & Power

Posted on by
Reply

Gospel: Simplicity & Power

The gospel is not complex.  It’s very simple and capable of reaching into the depths of the human soul.

The gospel is full.  It is abundant.  It is a vast message that stretches its wings so far because it has a focused and simple message.

You may examine the gospel, as we have done here, and find that there is always more to discover.  In prayer and revelation you yourself may have been taken deeper than this introductory study dared to go; that is the power of the gospel, the ability to reveal Christ to man and utterly change his soul through revealing the steadfast and eternal Christ.

What we have looked at so far, the salvation, love, and commission of the gospel, are some reverberations of the gospel message.

The Gospel Message: plain & simple

I don’t want to teach in vain only to have the message stolen away, so I’m going to return and rest securely on simplicity for our final word on the Gospel from me.

There is only one gospel message; there are many effects of the gospel, many ways in which the gospel reveals Christ to us, but all in all, there is just one message.  Anyone who would add to this message disarms the gospel of its simplicity and power and preaches another gospel that is not worthy of being preached.

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:5-9

What can be simpler than this message?

God is the father of Light and in Him is no darkness; His children do not walk in the darkness, or else they become liars, but instead, they walk in Light, repenting of their sins and receiving in themselves forgiveness of their sins, purification from all sin, and instruction, which leads to true righteousness.

For my outline-oriented brethren, consider it as such:

1. God is Light & in Him is no darkness, at all.

2. Fellowship is found in those who walk in the Light, not the darkness.

3. No man is sinless, but those who repent of their sins are cleansed from their sins by the blood of Christ.

I think many are masking this message, but I want to examine it in plain light.

This message does not say that God will turn a blind eye to our darkness; He is incompatible with darkness.  Any message that would teach us that God turns a blind eye and does not lead us from the darkness is not the Truth; such a message denies the power of the Gospel entirely.

The gospel exposes the sins of all men and the reality that there is only one way to be saved from the ramifications of sins.

We’re taught the way of the narrow path that must be followed to escape impending destruction.  The gospel teaches men to deny ungodliness and confess their sins and turn from them.  All in all, this sounds like a message that teaches us about true cleansing from all unrighteousness.

We should pay attention to that underlined phrase; the promise of Christ is to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  He does not wrap us like a dead corpse in clean linen, rather, He removes the filth and decay from us and restores our original natures (…in the image of God).

For simplicity’s sake, look at he Oxford Dictionary, which defines “cleanse” as “being thoroughly cleaned” with a sub-definition of “being rid of” something and “free from” something.

Humanity is unambiguously declared guilty of sin and the clear remedy is readily made known to us as Christ; it is clearly taught that the mission of Christ was to bring liberty to the captives of sin, not just figuratively, but realistically.

At some point we were all children of darkness; born of the seeds of Adam. Therefore we are now born again of the Seed of Christ (John 3:1-16).

Like the birth process, there is a period of building and growth inside the womb, and then the painful entry into the world; followed by growing pains which will last into maturity.

We all were entangled in sin and must fight to overcome.  James said, “7Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds.” (James 4:7-8)

Simply stated, the gospel declares the way in which we can cleanse ourselves and submit to God.  

So, what did John’s message tell us?

  1. 1.     If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
  2. 2.     but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another,
  3. 3.     and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
  4. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

The gospel teaches us the Truth that Jesus made know to us and shows us how to walk the path that He walked.

Christ’s love leads us in obedience and submission to the Father; into freedom from sin and the cleansing of His blood from all sin and unrighteousness.

“Cease to walk in the darkness, for the time to repent is short and judgment is approaching for those who continue to walk in their sins.“

In the words of our Master, Jesus:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Mark 1:15

Conclusions

There is hope for the sinner; real hope.  You can be free from the sins that destroyed your life!  You have hope, if you will endure and persevere.

No one among us is sinless,  yet, who among the brethren walks in Darkness?

No one and no one.

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and all whom the Spirit has raised in newness of life are the Children of God.

We are made to persevere through temptations and trials; a skillful adversary opposes us, looking to devour as many as he can, therefore the salvation that has been offered to us is equally mighty.

I suggest that one not allow guilt or fear to hinder oneself from accepting the Truths here in the gospel; you can receive victory over your sin in Christ if you are willing to endure and persevere.  To be reborn.

The Gospel of a Great Commission

Posted on by
Reply

What we have is a living gospel.  The gospel, though changeless, has remained alive since the beginning.  Perhaps in its age many see it as old and slow, perhaps even decrepit.  But to those few who will hear with faith, and believe with obedience, this aged and living gospel is full of wisdom and very active because it lives within the followers of Christ.

That is why the gospel is neither antiquated nor modern.  It takes the youth and contemporary person and integrates its timeless, ageless, steadfast and eternal character to create something that is, indeed, quite far beyond ourselves.

Today we are the carriers of this great gospel, so let us look at how we must carry it.

A GREAT COMMISSION

I think this term has been used and misused so much that it has lost all meaning in most of our eyes; I was even surprised when I looked at it’s meaning.

A “commission” is the authority to perform a task and carry out certain duties (Oxford English Dictionary, 2009).

The living gospel has a great commission in this sense; for we “are a letter of Christ… not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, and not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. Such great confidence we have through Christ toward God.”

2 Corinthians 3:3-4

The task of declaring the coming of Christ, the message of repentance, and the invitation of salvation has been given to us under the authority of Christ, “sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30), just as the message we declare is written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit; timeless, changeless, yet still able to cut the flesh to the bone, dividing bone and marrow.

Even when hearts grow cold, the gospel will still melt some so that not all will perish in the day of Wrath, but so that some will be saved:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’”

Romans 1:16-17

The event often cited as “The Great Commission” is Jesus’ extension of authority to the disciples to offer His salvation to all mankind.   If Jesus had not given them this authority they would not have been able to take these “royal tidings of good news” into all the world as they did.

This event, recorded for us in multiple accounts of the gospel, tells us our first commission:

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned’.”

Mark 16:15-16

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”

Matthew 28:18-20

Our task is quite simple; we’re to preach the message of good news and make disciples in teaching them to obey every command Christ gave to the apostles.

We trust and hope (this should be understood as different from the commission) in Jesus’ gospel-promise that all who believe and are baptized will be saved.

EVEN MORE LOVE

As if emptying Himself of all power and suffering a crucified death wasn’t enough to demonstrate His love for us, Jesus has now commissioned and commanded His fellow brothers to reach out across the entire globe to preach the message of His good news!  As if to say, “there are no bounds upon my love; there are no lengths too far or depths too deep that I have not crossed for your sake!”

If we do not take up this message, then we do not love.  Because Christ suffered for the gospel, so we must also suffer for the gospel!  We’ve been commissioned to with God-like love this grand gospel to every person we meet.

“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellence of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.”

1 Peter 2:9-10

As God’s very own possession, let us also declare the excellence of the One who rescued us from the darkness and hopelessness that we were once in.  We have been established as a royal priesthood for the praise and ministry of God!

I would urge each one to consider that statement more carefully; what does it mean to proclaim the excellence of God?

To exhaust every form of praise and worship known to man, whether in singing, in prayer, or even in service, is at least a start.

“He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”

Revelation 1:6-8

The Alpha and the Omega caused Himself to be bruised and to bleed for our sake; therefore, we too, if we are going to follow Him, must also follow in His suffering for the sake of the gospel.

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”

1 Corinthians 9:22-23

Therefore we wage spiritual warfare with the weapons of our love that are in Christ so that we may win the weak and overcome the strong to save the few who will believe and turn from their wickedness!

Therefore, let us not turn away and “so quickly desert the one who called us by the grace of Christ and turn to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all.” (Galatians 1:6ff)

THE CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGE FOR A CHANGELESS GOSPEL

The expectation of the return of Christ is the beginning of our faith; for if He does not return, there can be no salvation.  If there is eminence for the Day of Wrath, there is no judgment and no need for Christ.  And if this day were not approaching soon, there would be no urgency.

There are many mediums and needs for dispersing this message; some may declare His gospel online and create a platform for encouraging believers and equipping them for the task at hand, while others will go into prisons, hospitals, orphanages, and disaster areas to bring relief and example the love of Christ to the hurting so that some may see Christ and turn to follow Him. Still others take up missions and go to strange lands for these tasks and purposes.

What is known is that all will suffer for His sake.  Many will lose friends and family and be cast aside as strangers by those who brought them into the world because they would not accept the name of Christ.  Often suffering insult and injury, being taken advantage of without seeking justification, so that by any means necessary, Christ may be made known.

Even being cast aside by some who declare themselves to be of Christ because they made themselves a faux-christ to worship in seeking blessing, but being themselves unwilling to suffer for Him.

They preach a modern day circumcision, one of justification without cost; taking even the form of Gospel (that is, salvation apart from our merit) and denying the Truth that Christ preached (that is, obedience in Love).

Take it further:

  • Psalm 130:1-3
  • Nahum 1:6
  • Malachi 3:2
  • Luke 1:1-4
  • John 20:30-31
  • Acts 8:4
  • Romans 12:3-8
  • 1 Corinthians 3:5-15; 9:22-23
  • 2 Corinthians 11:1-6
  • Galatians 1:6-10
  • Ephesians 4:4-16
  • Colossians 4:5-6;
  • Hebrews 2:14-15; 5:12; 13:22
  • 1 Peter 2:9; 3:15; 4:10-11

Gospel Love

Posted on by
2

“Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the Good News of God. ‘The time has come,’ He said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Good News!‘”

Mark 1:14-15

Our good news is the Kingdom of God: the Kingdom invitation is “Repent and believe the good news!”  

In fact, this message of repentance and faith is the foundation of hope for the Church; what I mean by that is that we place all our trust in this message that says if we repent of our sins and turn from them, and believe with all our heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then when he returns we will be saved.

And it has been this way since the beginning.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth“

John 1:1,14

The enemies of God did not expect it; the foes of Truth mocked it; the children of God did not understand it.  Yet God magnified His glory by dwelling Himself in the flesh and suffering among us so that he could remove the veil of flesh that has hindered mankind from knowing Him.

It was through this marvelous act that we have been reconciled to God through Christ as Jesus overcame the enemies that held us in bondage and set us free in the Truth.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one Body; and be thankful!  Let the Word of Christ dwell richly within you…”

Colossians 3:15-16

The good news is that Jesus Christ is our shepherd (John 10:11, 17-18).  Therefore, just as He followed the commands of His Father exactly, so also has He made us His Church and filled us with His Word, the Holy Spirit, and taught us to live as He lived.

THE LIVING BODY OF THE GOSPEL

This is why we are the living embodiment of the Gospel for all mankind.

As living Gospels we testify of deep mysteries and truths that are beyond the grasp of the flesh: “…but the greatest of these is Love” (1 Cor. 13:13).

It was God’s love that Jesus should die on the cross, which neither the enemy (Satan) nor the teachers of the Law (Pharisees and Sadducees) could understand.

But so that the scriptures could be fulfilled,

“The cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God!  For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.’”

1 Corinthians 1:18-19

Therefore, the proceedings of this article will focus on one of the foremost elements of the gospel; love.  It is the thing that confounded and dumfounded the generation that Christ came to, and it is something that still eludes many today, who either reject or distort His great love!

Generous Love

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life“

John 3:16

and

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. So we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and IN TRUTH“

1 John 3:16-18

let us see that,

“Those who had received [Peter’s] words were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.  They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teachings and to fellowship; to the breaking of bread and to Prayer.”

Acts 2:41-42

so

“Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe…. and all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 

Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Acts 2:43-47

The gospel declares God-like Love and, indeed, it declares God-love.

The followers of Christ are followers of God-love; therefore, to deny His love is to deny Him.  To change God’s love and mold it after our own ways is to completely reject the Gospel and mold a new Jesus, one that is not the Christ.

This Gospel love fills the followers of Christ to the brim.

If you re-read Acts 2:43-47, look at the various ways that they were filled with love:

  • Their love was full of awe for God.
  • Their love was full of devotion to His teachings.
  • Their love was full of fellowship and the sharing of bread.
  • Their love was full of prayer.
  • Their love was full of community and generosity.
  • Their love was full of gladness and sincerity of heart.
  • Their love was full of praise for God.

God is the source of this love that caused them to be overflowing living gospels.

In them the scripture was true which says, “Love never fails.”

They received a great revelation of the gospel, which gave them insight and understanding into love.  All of these virtues; awe, devotion, generosity, community, sincerity, and praises grew in the fertile soils of faith, hope, and love.

Greater Love

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and IN TRUTH”

1 John 3:18

The love of the living gospel knows no bounds!  It is not confined to words alone, but it abounds in action and flourishes in Truth.

This is why Christians pour out mercy, kindness, charity, and grace upon beggars and sinners, the condemned and the homeless, the weak and the sick, the destitute and the wicked, the liars and the thieves, kings and rulers of all the nations.  All this we do in Truth, never corrupting or distorting the Love of God, never removing the conviction of the Spirit, but always to restore everyone who will accept our love to God.

The whole world see’s our love, if indeed we love.

Therefore, let our love be first of all pure.  Let it be holy and righteous; not distinguishing between the rich and the poor but let it light the path for every sinner to repentance and reconciliation.

This is why it cannot delight in unrighteousness; rather, it delights when the unrighteous are made righteous, just as also our Father does not delight in the destruction of the wicked, but rather desires that they repent and turn from their sin (Ezekiel 33:11).

Love in Action

Love feeds the poor and does not turn them away (Mt 25:36-38; Jn 21:14-19; Rm 12:20).

The world will know the love of Christ if it feels it first.  Love that cannot be physically felt is empty, and the world knows this.

Therefore, let the world feel our love on the first front, that is the physical realm of suffering.  We should be servants of the poor and displaced.  In our love we must be patient, and let our love grow in patience.  Even when patience is lacking, love learns patience.

If our love is jealous, then it is not love.  Instead, our love should be kind and gentle, full of meekness, just as the Word says, “Blessed are the meek”. There is no boasting or arrogance in love, only a humble and joyful submission and pouring out of itself for others.  Love is forgetful, as it does not count wrongs.

Because our love is from Christ, it is of Him.  For this reason love does not rejoice in unrighteousness and deceit.  It takes no pleasure in wickedness or suffering.

So we listen to the Word as the Word instructs us in Love:

“If I… do not have love… I have become nothing…. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor… and do not have love, it profits me nothing. 

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant.  It does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own and it is not provoked, nor does it take into account a wrong suffered. 

It does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the Truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

I hope that we will not dismiss this as an ideal entirely out-of-reach, but rather, understand that we must grow into this love in maturity as we grow into Christ.

The Great Exhortation To Love

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.  Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly.  Do not be wise in your own estimation. 

Never repay evil for evil to anyone!  Respect what is right in the sight of all men.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Romans 12:10-21

We must learn brotherly love, this gospel love, as if serving the Lord Himself (v10-11).

In embracing the entire Body, that is the Church, we are free to receive from all the Spiritual gifts bestowed upon her.  This leads us in a full knowledge of the hope that we have in Jesus Christ and produces an abundant love that rejoices all the more in Christ!

We should become practitioners of hospitality and allow our blessings, in whatever measure we have them, to flow out in abundance as we master our craft of love (v13).

Let us become blessings and reject cursing and embrace blessing even those who curse us (v14).

Jesus’ love was demonstrated not only in His tender care of the needy, provision for the poor, and miracles for the sick, but also in blessing those who cursed Him and ultimately laying down His life for the enemies who wanted Him dead!

We should join our brothers, whether in rejoicing or weeping, with unity of mind and join even the lowly upon this earth because we know the Love of Christ.

No one who repays evil for evil practices the Love of God.  We’ve been freed from the flesh through which we practice evil, now we live in the Light and must practice righteousness in peace with all men so far as it depends on us.  We do not seek revenge because we fear the wrath of God, which is surely to come upon all the unrighteousness of man.

In all things, we are not overcome by evil but we overcome evil with good.

Summary

“This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.  As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you… Now, little Children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.”

1 John 3:25, 27-28

Now, we who have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, let us embrace this all the more and be in need of instruction from no one as the Holy Spirit Himself teaches us all things!

Abide in Him, walk in the same way that Jesus walked, showing Love to everyone we come across.  In this way we will have confidence and not be afraid when He returns!

Take it further:

  • Isaiah 53:5-6, 10-11
  • Matthew 25:36-38
  • John 21:14-19
  • Acts 2:17-21, 39; 16:31-40
  • Romans 12:6-21
  • 1 Corinthians 9:22-23
  • 2 Corinthians 11:1-3
  • Galatians 1:6-10
  • Colossians 4:5-6;
  • 1 Peter 2:9; 3:15; 4:10-11

The Gospel: Salvation and Hope

Posted on by
Reply

The Gospel Declared

The gospel has been heralded for many ages in God’s Word and it has been the summation of His revealed will since the beginning.  With extreme specificity God declared through His prophet Micah His word saying,

“‘But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah (lower Bethlehem), Too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.’”

Micah 5:2

A prophecy that came 500 years before Christ was born declared to us exactly what would happen, just as it did.

God cast the first shadow of prophecy at the fall of man when he said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between her seed and your seed; He shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” (Genesis 3:15).

Even more specific is the shadow of prophecy given when God declared through Isaiah, “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him and by His scourges we are healed.  All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused our iniquity to fall upon Him!” and “By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities”

Isaiah 53:4-6 and 11

Making Known the Way of Repentance, Faith, & Reconciliation

At the summation of the age, Jesus brought one central message to the people:

“Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”

Mark 1:14-15

This message of repentance had been proclaimed by the prophets of old since early times and rejected by most, much to the demise of the men of old, because “their hearts were always far from God” (Isaiah 29:3), but the people failed to receive reconciliation because of their cold hearts.

But God declared through His prophet Jeremiah that, “‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’” (Jeremiah 31:33).

Therefore, Christ came to make every provision to man so that reconciliation could be made (through Him) in the hearts of God’s people.  By His provision Paul declared “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col 3:16).

Knowing the victory at hand and the judgment to come, Christ declared “repent and believe, for the Kingdom of God is at hand” so that reconciliation might be had.

The Light of our Reconciliation

“Although He existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

For this reason, also, God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:5-11


At the great cost of emptying Himself of all majesty and humbling Himself, Jesus forged and authored the path into the Kingdom for us; now He has been exalted and is the victorious King.  Before Him every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.  This is inextricably intertwined within the gospel; the gospel cannot be separated from this message.  And this is a good thing, for our King is the victor!

So we, as His followers, servants, and brothers, should also have this attitude in ourselves that we would humble ourselves to the point of death in anticipation that we will be seated in the Heavenly places with Christ Jesus the Lord.

In this way God has broken the barrier that separated man from Him.  God has endured humility, emptiness, agony, and death itself for a short time so that He could descend to man because man could not ascend to Him.

The Great Love of God

We should see clearly so that no one being surrounded by darkness, trial, and despair would despair to the point of losing hope and therefore doubt the love of God!

What man is innocent of insulting and scorning God?  Who has not spat in His face?

Have you ever tried to exploit the grace of God, gloried in the glory of God for yourself, or boasted in the flesh that is not yours to boast in?

But all of this is for the glory of God so that His love might be known to abound all the more!  Even as we were cruel and spat upon His gift (that gift is a perfect and innocent Son who endured ridicule and death for our sake), He Himself would be shown to be just and merciful when He forgives us our debts and reconciled us into His presence!

Like a parent that feels the scorn of a child that turns away to follow after a life that is dishonorable and disgraceful to the parent, so we have insulted God.  Like children that declare “you are not my father. Rather, your enemy is my father”, so all the world has done when we turn away from God to follow after Satan.

Like a parent that feels the deep pain of seeing his children fight and destroy one another, being consumed by greed and bitterness, so God has endured these things as a patient Father to restore His children in proper love.

“There is no one that is righteous; not even one.  No one understands God or seeks Him. They have all turned aside and become dead” (Issaih 55:8-9; Romans 3:10ff).

Perfect love God has demonstrated to us with patience as He has worked to bring restoration, reconciliation, salvation, and hope to His children.

Therefore, “consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3).

God’s act of love endured such great darkness, trial, and hostility so that we would not grow weary and lose heart!  He perfected our faith so that we would not lose faith.  To God be praise and glory forever and ever, AMEN!

A Gospel of Salvation and Hope

Reconciliation in Christ goes beyond “touch not, taste not, and handle not”.  It becomes a real, firm, and powerful liberation that reconciles the hearts of God’s people to Him and changes them inside out.

God said that he would place reverence in our hearts (Jeremiah 32:40) and seal us with the Spirit as the sign of His covenant (2 Corinthians 1:22) so that we would become living testimonies for Him (2 Corinthians 3:3).  When we see the witness of the scriptures declaring the out-pouring of the gospel and do not see this growth in our own life we should pay attention to this warning sign so that we can repent before the Day of Judgment comes.

So what is the way to this reconciliation?  This grand message of reconciliation and redemption is the gospel of salvation and hope.

What is our salvation?

In short, Jesus Christ lifted the veil of human flesh and saved us from three dooms: sin (Romans 3:23), death (Gen 2:17), and the eternal punishment of hell (Luke 16).

No matter who you are, living in a sinful world is not pleasant.  We have been conditioned to deal with sin, in fact, to even expect and anticipate it.  However, the doom of sin becomes apparent to every person that has been betrayed by a spouse, cheated and ruined by greed and envy, been caught in a perilous cycle of addiction and pain that has ravaged their life and relationships and left them utterly empty and void.

The doom of death is terrifying to anyone that has been faced with it, whether or not you have lost loved ones and been totally and utterly shaken, or you are approaching this fate yourself and must come to grips with the limitless uncertainty that is facing you.  The sting of death was sin (1 Cor. 15:56), and ever since that first sting, death was laying hold of all mortal flesh without mercy or exception until Jesus Christ.  Those who have been sealed in Christ are patiently waiting as death is the last enemy to be overcome (1 Cor. 15:26).

Hell and its doom, whether or not you believe in it, exist as the ultimate destiny of doom.  Reserved for the punishment of sin and the continuation of death (which represents the absence of life), this destruction is, perhaps, the most bitter of them all to man.

The efforts of Satan have tried to do away with sin and hell.  Through various methods, we have many people who count sin as a finished element that is no longer imputed (on anyone) and they teach that Hell either does not exist or is not an eternal location for human beings.

I defer to Jesus in Matthew 24:50 and Luke 16, and to Paul in Romans 6, Galatians 5 regarding these issues.

For the sake of brevity in this post, I will simply say that removing these elements from the gospel is a shameful and wicked practice that is done to falsely weaken the gospel in an attempt to render it irrelevant to the modern age.

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith’”

Romans 1:16-17

The power of the gospel is the power of Christ to “rescue us from the domain of darkness and transfer us into the Kingdom of Christ” (Col 1:13) and to effect salvation from sin, death, and hell.

And what is our hope?

The hope in Christ that sustains us is in His complete victory and return. Without His victory, we are doomed and our salvation is null and void.  Without His return, we are stuck in limbo waiting for a salvation that will never come.

Jesus destroyed the works of Satan and took back the keys of death and hades (Revelations 1:17-18, 1 John 3:8).  He cast the enemy down from Heaven and claimed all authority (Revelation 12:12). Although Satan is real and works with fury and wrath in these final hours to consume anyone that lets his or her guard down (1 Peter 5:8), our hope is in Christ to sustain us so that we will not despair to the point of hopelessness.

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment”

Hebrews 9:27

“‘And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 24:30 & 50b

Summary

Jesus Christ came and sent out His disciples to offer repentance and forgiveness of sins to all people (Mark 1:14-15, 1 John 1:5-9).  He suffered death and rose again conquering sin and death and taking the keys of hades (Revelation 1:17-18).  He destroyed the works of Satan (1 John 3:8) by bringing redemption to His people and “transferring us into the Kingdom of light” (Ephesians 1:7 & Colossians 1:13).  By His death and resurrection we have become new creations, born again by the water and the spirit and set free from the bondage of sin (John 3:3-5; Romans 6:8-11; Galatians 3 & 5).

Because of Christ it is said, “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

Knowing that, “after death comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin for those who eagerly await Him”

Hebrews 9:27-28


It is our hope that Christ will return and uphold His salvation in us!  That when that fearful and awful day comes, when all the world will be judged, our judgment will be made without reference to our sin because of the total sacrifice offered by Christ on our behalf!

Take it Further

  • 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 14-17, 20-29, & 42-49
  • Jeremiah 6:16
  • Revelation 12:12