How do I know God speaks? He speaks to me. Why? Because of Him and who
He is and not anything I did or am. In fact, I’m not. I’m not worthy. I’m not
special. I’m not perfect. I’m not deserving. God speaks to me because that is
who God is – loving unconditionally, with faithfulness, patience, mercy,
passion, forgiveness and grace.
I love that God speaks with me, teaching me, rebuking me, challenging
me, guiding me, leading me, revealing to me, sharing with me, disciplining me.
It’s life. The abundant, full life He promised. Not in the distant future. Not
in a promise to come. Life now – right now. And it is beautiful.
So how do you hear from God? Simple. Read His Word. Ask Him to teach
you. Ask Him to talk to you. And be still. Listen to Him. Those inclinations
that come to mind of Scripture or an applicable meaning? That’s the Holy Spirit
talking to you. You’re reading one piece of Scripture when suddenly you
remember another verse that relates. Then you remember another and another. You
realize that all of those verses relate bringing you a comprehensive
understanding and that understanding lines up with God’s truth. Then you feel
like you understand and it means something to you. What you’re going through right
then and now. You know what to do now. You are not worried. You have peace and
an assurance. You remember a foundational truth about God, who He is and His
promises to you. That’s God-speak.
Then He’ll bring things to mind when you’re out and about in your
world. Scripture comes to mind and that Scripture resonates with you in your
heart and mind. He is speaking to you again. Challenging you. Calling you.
Calling you to do something. God is speaking and He asks you to acknowledge Him
and respond. God-speak.
Many times when God is speaking to me through Scripture, I journal the
overall meaning and how it pertains to life now. It’s more of a commentary than
anything else where the journal entry becomes the revelation and meaning learned
from God. Writing it down causes me to remember the lesson so when it’s time to
apply it, the Holy Spirit brings it into memory and I’m tested as to my
obedience to what I’ve learned. This is my current God-speak relationship with
God.
However with this entry, I am writing down the total experience. This
time, I’m not journaling an overall lesson learned but more the complete experience
of what I read, heard, wrote and learned. I’ve been in Colossians for over ten
months now. Reading it verse by verse from chapter 1, verse 1 to chapter 4,
verse 18 – chewing on it, praying about it and with it. Then throughout my day
God speaks to me about Colossians. I hear Him in the music and teaching pastors
I listen too. I hear Him in the sermons from Pastor Max, comments from fellow
Christians. Even offhanded comments from non-believers, books I’m reading,
things I see in the world. It’s an amazing experience but, it’s far more than
an experience. It’s God showing up in my day, within the ordinary, the
extraordinary and the daily grind, talking with me, leading me, and changing me
– I hope – calling me, testing me. God-speak.
It’s something I desperately want everyone to know personally. I want
my husband and girls to know. I want family and friends to know this. And yes,
I want people I don’t care for or don’t care for me to know God this way. Why?
Because it’s everything. It’s life. It’s the promises of God. It’s truth and
assurance. It’s the abundant life right here and now. It’s undeniable. To miss
out on this relationship with God is to miss out on knowing God, really knowing
Him now. So this is God-speak to me.
In order to understand what is Scripture, the commentary from me and
others, the fonts are colored to make that easier.
Black = Colossians
Blue = Other Scripture
Red = Word’s spoken by God or Jesus
Green = Other’s commentary
Purple = Rose’s commentary
When I share what I’ve learned in a small group, I start with “Word of
God Speak” to pray in song asking God to reduce me and speak His truth and not
mine.
"Word of God Speak" - Mercy Me
Colossians 1
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and
Timothy our brother,
Paul is saying he is the authorized agent
of THE Messiah, the Anointed One of God, the Redeemer Jesus who is named “God
is Salvation,” or “the Lord Saves.” Paul, whom Jesus personally authorized
(Acts 9:1-22), was charged with the specific mission of telling the gentiles
and the Jewish people the very truths of God. We should note that Paul was
considered a rabbi of significance having studied under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3),
the son of Simeon ben Hillel (Luke 2:25-34) and grandson to Hillel. Simeon was
expecting to see God’s advocate for Israel before he died and was present at
the Temple when Jesus was consecrated to God and given His name. If Simeon
understood the truths of God, because his father taught them well to him, he
would have taught them to Gamaliel who would have taught them to Paul. When
Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and Jesus revealed Himself to Paul,
perhaps the truths he learned over his life connected at that time for him. Paul
was also sent to Tarsus for three years where he would have had time to think
about all he learned of the Messiah (from Old Testament; the Law and the
Prophets) connecting it with his meeting of Jesus on the road to Damascus.
Perhaps he understood then. People probably listened to Paul because of Paul’s
education, as they expected him to truly know well the Scriptures. The
difference for Paul is that Paul’s learned education of Messiah became real
when he met and knew Messiah. Timothy joined Paul in Lystra when Paul traveled
through the town. (Acts 16:1-5) He is the Timothy of the letter to Timothy in
the New Testament.
Paul’s conversion:
Acts 9:1-22 – Meanwhile, Saul was still
breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the
high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus so that if
he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take
them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly
a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice
say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute
me?” Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied. “Now get up
and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they
heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when
he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into
Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. In
Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a
vision, “Ananias!” “Yes Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man
from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named
Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports
about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and he
has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on
your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go!
This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their
kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer
for my name.” Then Ananias went to the house
and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord –
Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here – has sent me so
that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something
like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was
baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent
several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the
synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God (the
Christ). All those who heard him were
astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among
those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them prisoners to
the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews
living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
Paul’s credible education:
Acts 22:3 – Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly
trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you
are today.
NIV footnote on Gamaliel: The most honored
rabbi of the first century. Possibly he was the grandson of Hillel.
Simeon of Hillel:
Luke 2: 25-35 – Now there was a man in
Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the
consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed
to him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the
Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child
Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his
arms and praised God saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now
dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you
have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the
Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel.” The child’s father and
mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said
to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of
many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the
thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul
too.”
Timothy:
Acts 16:1-5 – He (Paul) came to Derbe
and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a
Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and
Iconium spoke well of him (Timothy). Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he
circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in the area, for they all knew
that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from town to town, they delivered
the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to
obey. So the churches were strengthened in faith and grew daily in numbers.
(Colossians 1)
2To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
Grace = God-given divine mercy and
assistance to you which is not self-earned, self-accomplished or deserved.
Peace = Total wellbeing and inner rest of
spirit in fellowship (right relationship) with God; no longer God’s enemy
Luke 2:14 – (the
angels said the day Jesus was born) Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.
“And on earth, the Prince of peace, the
makings of peace, the mediator of peace to men whom God has chosen.” Men have
been restored to the right relationship with God, whom God chose to favor over
the angels and all creation. In Paul’s salutation, he is making some very
specific points as to: 1) who Jesus is, 2) Paul’s credentials and his bestowed authority,
3) that we receive divine mercy and assistance from God because God chose to do
this, 4) that we are at peace both in a restored right relationship and as a
non-enemy-now-friend of God. This salutation sets up what Paul will be
teaching, stating in his letter to the church in Colosse and to all who read
this letter, as letters were meant to be shared.
(Colossian 1)
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when we pray for you, 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ
Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints – 5the faith and
love that springs from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that
you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6that
has come to you.
God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ =
The only God, not to be confused with any other so-called gods. And God is the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Sovereign ruler of God’s chosen,
favored ones. This is the God Paul believes in and follows.
Saints = Believers and followers of God
through the Lord Jesus Christ; separated from the (evil) world and wholly
(holy) dedicated to the Lord. Greek meaning of saints = Being changed into
holiness or wholeness with God. A designation of the spiritual union with
Jesus. Not already being morally pure but of being set apart separately from
the world’s way, by God, and increasingly and experientially being made holy by
the Holy Spirit; being sanctified.
Romans 8:28-30 – “And we know that in all
things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called
according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be
conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many
brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also
justified; those He justified, He also glorified.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 – “And we, who with
unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into the
likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the
Spirit.”
Son of God:
Luke 1:30-35 – But the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child
and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be
great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob
forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel,
“since I am a virgin.” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born
will be called the Son of God.”
Luke 3:21-22 – “And as He was praying,
heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the bodily form like a
dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my
Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”"
Matthew 17:5 – “While he (Peter) was still
speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.
Listen to him!”
John 3:35-36 – “The Father loves the Son
and has placed everything in His hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal
life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on
him.”
John 5:18 – “For this reason the Jews tried
all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the (traditions of the)
Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with
God.
John 10:30 – “I and the Father are one.”
Faith and love – Love God with all of your
heart, mind, soul, strength and love others as yourself:
Matthew 22:36-39 – (The Pharisees asked Jesus) “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” Jesus
replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and
greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as
yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Mark 12:29-34 – “The most important one,” answered
Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our
God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is
this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than
these.” “Well said, teacher,” the man
replied (a teacher of the Law). You are right in saying God is one and there is no
other but Him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and
with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important
than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered
wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from
the kingdom of God.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 – Hear, O Israel: The
Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your strength.
Leviticus 19:18 – “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your
people but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
"Love the Lord" - Lincoln Brewster
Stored up for you in Heaven:
Matthew 6:19-21 – “Do not store up for you treasures on earth, where moth and
rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do
not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also.”
Truth:
John 18:37 – Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this
reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
Gospel = the good news:
Matthew 11:4-6 – Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see. The blind
receive their sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed
is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”
Luke 4:18-19 – (Jesus read aloud) “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to preach the good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Isaiah 61:1-2 – The Spirit of the Sovereign
Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the
poor. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the
captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of
the Lord’s favor…
Acts 1:8 – (Jesus said) “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on
you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
Rose’s translation of Colossian 1:4 -
…because we heard of your faith in – your trust and belief in – Jesus Christ –
the Messiah; the chosen One of God; the promised One; the Anointed One; the
Savior and Redeemer – and of the love you have for all of the saints – for all
of those who trust in Christ and are being changed into wholeness with God in
Jesus by His Spirit…”
(Colossians 1)
(6-continued)All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit
and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and
understood God’s grace in all its truth. 7You learned it from
Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our
behalf, 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Fruit:
John 15:1-8 – (Jesus said) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts
off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear
fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean
because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in
you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither
can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the
branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart
from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a
branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown
into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is my Father’s glory, that
you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Galatians 5:22-23 – (Paul said) “But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
The fruit of the Holy Spirit is
unconditional love which manifests itself into joy of the Lord, His truths,
promises and salvation, peace (a restored and whole relationship) with God and
with others, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control. When you have God’s agape’ love residing in you, you will exude
these qualities even when the circumstances around you are not conditional to
these responses; even when you’re justified to act in the opposite manner. God
is defined by His agape’ love – His quality of loving fully and completely
without condition and without someone first loving Him fully and completely. If
we remain in Him through Jesus Christ and His Spirit resides in us, as God is
sanctifying us we will increasingly be defined by the ability to love
unconditionally. This will manifest itself by the ability to love God with all
of our heart, mind, soul and strength and loving others as we love ourselves.
When we do this it will be evident to us as we are joyful when there is no
reason to be joyful, have patience for others when they are trying, show
kindness to others who are not kind to us and who have no opportunity to return
that kindness, be good to others who are undeserving or lack goodness in their
lives, being faithful to God standing on His truths and promises and being
faithful to others in the promises and commitments we’ve made to them, being
gentle in spirit, actions and words where chaos and confusion exists and
showing self-control where temptation and emotions exist.
This is the reaction to the Gospel – the
fruiting of the Gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ. Those that put their
faith – their belief in this news – that Jesus Christ is God’s anointed savior
of the world, and hope for the promises of God, will exhibit these fruits in an
ever increasing manner as they are being transformed into the image of Jesus
Christ.
Grace:
Ephesians 2:8-10 – For it is by grace you
have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift
of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do the works, which God prepared in advance for us
to do.
It is by God’s divine assistance, His
choice, His merciful actions and unconditional love that we are saved from
eternal separation from God and damnation (death). Jesus came to testify to
this truth and all of the truths of God.
John 18:37 – Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this
reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
(Colossians 1)
9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have
not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His
will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray
this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in
every way bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being
strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may
have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to
the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in
the kingdom of light. 13For He has rescued us from the dominion of
darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, 14in
whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."Gonna be a Lovely Day" - Kirk Franklin
Because you put your belief in the promises
of God made through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, and
you are exhibiting the fruits of that belief through the sanctification process
God is doing in you, making you into the image of His Son Jesus the Christ, we
have not stopped praying for you. We are asking God to continue and not stop
filling you with His knowledge about what He wants for your life with Him. That
He will give you His wisdom and understanding so you will discern His will for
you. This way you will live a life worthy of the Lord – submitting to the
Lordship authority of Jesus – so that your life is a pleasing sacrifice to God.
In this way – as you stay attached to Jesus – grafted into the one true vine –
you will continue to produce fruit of the Holy Spirit which is unconditional
love for God and others that will manifest tangibly into joy, peace, patience,
forgiveness, compassion, mercy, self-control, obedience as you live out your
faith daily in all of your doings; your good works.
James 2:18, 26 – “But someone will say, ‘You
have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you
my faith by what I do.” “As a body without a spirit is dead, so faith without
deeds is dead.”
We pray you continue to increasingly know
God, all of His character and truths, so your relationship grows closer,
stronger to be more wonderful in reality. God will strengthen your life – as He
is God Almighty; El Shaddai – so as you live you will have the endurance to
soldier on in this world of death. That strength to endure will be given to you
by the Holy Spirit; again, divine assistance equals grace. You will grow in patience
as you grow in your knowledge of and trust in God. Your joy will come from a
knowledge and assured faith in who God is, His promises and his ability to keep
those promises so that your joy will grow reliant on the promises of God rather
than on the conditions of your life. We pray that you will be able to joyfully
thank God as the realization that He qualified you to share in the Kingdom
inheritance of Jesus His Son who is sharing His inheritance with all of those
people who are being restored wholly (completely) into the right relationship
with God. For through Jesus the Messiah, God Himself came down from His kingdom
to this kingdom of darkness, breaking into the enemy’s kingdom to rescue you
out of being an eternal captive of damnation. Jesus cleared the way for you,
lit the way and leads the way home. Breathing His life into you, reviving your
dead spirit, you now follow Jesus and shine His light as you go so other can
see the way out of captivity into the kingdom of the Son God loves – Jesus who
is savior and Lord. Through Jesus we have been redeemed out of the kingdom of
darkness and given forgiveness for joining the enemy’s kingdom through our
sinful lives.
"Indwelling Sin" - LeCrae
(Colossians 1)
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over
all creation.
God is invisible to us. However, in order
to see God and know who He is, His character, standards and truths, look at
Jesus. He is the very representation and image of God.
John 14:6-11 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as
well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be
enough for us.” Jesus answered, “Don’t you know
me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has
seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you
believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say
to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is
doing His work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is
in me; or at least believe the evidence of the miracles themselves.”
2 Corinthians 4:4 – The god of this age (Satan) has blinded
the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the
glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
NIV footnote for 2 Corinthians 4:4 – Image
of God – Christ, who is both the incarnate Son and the Second person of the
Trinity, authentically displays God to us, for he is the very radiance of
divine glory (Heb 1:3). He is the image of God which man was originally created
and into which redeemed mankind is being gloriously transformed (2 Cor 3:18),
until at last, when Christ comes again at the end of this age, we who believe
will be like Him (1 Jn 3:2).
Jesus is the man creation as God intended
man to be in God’s image, reflecting His character and radiance.
Hebrew 1:3 – The Son is the radiance of
God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by
His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at
the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Genesis 1:26-27 – Then God said, “Let us make man in our image (Father,
Son, Holy Spirit = body, soul, spirit), in our
likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air,
over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move
along the ground.” So God created man in His
own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
2 Corinthians 3:18 – “And we, who with
unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into the
likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the
Spirit.”
1 John 3:2 – Dear friends, now we are
children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know
that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Matthew 10:25 – (Jesus said) “A student is not above his teacher nor a servant above his
master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant
like his master.”
Jesus is the first born of all creation –
He is the eldest son by birthright so Jesus has all of the rights and
privileges as the representative of God the Father with all creation and, He is
the heir of all of God’s kingdom; all He created.
Matthew 3:16-17 – As soon as Jesus was
baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he
saw the Spirit of God descending like a (turtle)
dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from
heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with
Him I am well please.” (The Trinity is
present – Father, Son and Holy Spirit; also body, soul and spirit)
Matthew 1:20-21 – But after he (Joseph) had
considered this (divorcing Mary), an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and
said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,
because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth
to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His
people from their sins.”
Luke 1:31-32 – You will be with child and
give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great
and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the
throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever;
His kingdom will never end.”
Matthew 28:18 – Then Jesus came to them and
said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me.”
Daniel 7:13-14 – “In my vision at night I
looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds
of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He
was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of
every language worshipped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that
will not pass away, and His kingdom in one that will never be destroyed.” (sovereign = supreme authority; dominion = government)
Song of Songs 3:11 – Come out, you
daughters of Zion, and look at King Solomon wearing the crown, the crown with
which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart
rejoiced.
(Colossians 1)
16For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. 17He is
before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And He is
the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from
among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. 19For
God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 20and through
Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in
heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.
21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your
mind because of your evil behavior. 22But now He has reconciled you
by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without
blemish and free from accusation – 23if you will continue in your
faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.
This is the gospel that you have heard and that has been proclaimed to every
creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
24Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up
my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake
of His body, which is the church. 25I have become a servant by the
commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – 26the
mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but now is
disclosed to the saints. 27To them God has chosen to make known
among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you,
the hope of glory.
If God thinks or speaks a word, His
thoughts are His thoughts and His words are His words. By thinking and
speaking, God created all creation. (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-5, 10-14) He has
authority over all creation including angels as He created them; He spoke them
into being. Likewise, Jesus is God. The fullness – the complete character, standard and
authority of God – resides in Jesus the Christ, so that when Jesus was separated
from God at the cross and as a human died, He was able to travel to sheol where
those who died resided awaiting the final judgment outcome of their lives (Luke
16:19-31). This is where Jesus as savior and kinsman redeemer, set the
righteous prisoners free, in the bosom of Abraham, and led them to the kingdom
of light. (The prisoners were “righteous” because during their lifetime, they
believed in God, God’s promises, God’s ability to fulfill those promises – they
trusted God completely – and God counted that towards the person as righteous. (Gen
15:6)) God raised Jesus from the dead having Him be the firstborn of all
creation. So God Himself, through Jesus Christ, could be the first to break
free from death making a way to life and to be the first to experience spiritual
rebirth claiming it as His then sharing it with others who trust in His
authority to do what He could and would do.
My spirit has now been reborn into the intended
creation God desired. Without fault, without sin, free of accusation. For God
is increasingly improving me through my spirit to be more like Jesus who reflected
God’s character and standards perfectly while in the flesh and in complete
relationship with God. My body – my human existence – still and always will be
sinful and will remain possessing my nature to sin until I die. However, as my
spirit increasingly grows in God’s standards, my spirit increasingly governs my
soul causing it to conform to God’s standards. When I don’t conform, it is
because my body and spirit battle to govern my soul and in that instance my
body sadly wins that battle mainly because I did not seek out God and His
ability to overcome.
The spirit that is living in me is the Spirit
of God, the Holy Spirit, which is wholly God. As a result, I will not be God or
be a god. Instead, I will be like God having been created like Him having body,
soul and spirit and created to reflect His character, behavior, standards and
truths; to reflect His life. It is enough to be like Him, considering where I
have come from.
I could not accomplish this life on my own.
God did this to me, for me and in me because He desires and longs for a people
for Himself to live with Him for all eternity. This is grace because it is
outside of my control and ability.
Paul studied under a rabbi who had the confirmed
authority to interpret Scripture, Gamaliel, who was the son of Simeon, who was
the son of Hillel. Simeon’s name means ‘hearing’ and these temple priests and
rabbis had been “hearing” God’s explanations and revelations disclosing the
meaning of His Scripture – His Word; His truth.
So Paul studied under these generational
men who knew God’s truth. Then Paul was approached by Jesus (Acts 9:1-30) who directly
told Paul He was the Lord. Paul, knowing the Scriptural truths, now had to
compare those truths against the knowledge that Jesus is the promised Lord and
by doing that, Paul determined that Jesus is in fact the fulfillment of the
Scriptural truths; that all Scripture pointed specifically to Him.
The “mystery of God” was not secret, mystic
knowledge that Paul and other Christians discovered. On the contrary, the
mystery of God was the disclosure that Jesus was the fulfillment of the
promises spoken and written in Scripture. Jesus is the incarnation of God sent
to redeem all creation and establish an avenue for the reconciliation with God
to take place.
God decided to share those truths with
everyone (non-Jews/gentiles included) because the people originally chosen to
know God’s truths and share those truths with the world failed to testify to
the truths of God. Thereby, anyone that hears the truths of God and accepts the
message as truth, will experience God
imparting His Spirit in him to rebirth his life and be adopted into God’s
family where Jesus now shares His kingdom with that person. The Spirit now in you helps you live out this belief as a testimony to these truths of God.
Paul understands this so well, so fully,
and God personally commissioned Paul to share this news, Paul is now compelled
to a point where he cannot do anything else even if he wanted to do something
else. He is a slave to this commission. I am beginning to know how Paul feels.
Jeremiah 20:9 – His word is in my heart
like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I
cannot.”
"Fire Shut Up in My Bone" - New Hope Choir
Luke 19:39-40 – Some of the Pharisees in
the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you," He replied, “if they keep
quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Created creation:
Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth.
John 1:1-5 – In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the
beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that
has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light
shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
John 1:10-14 – He was in the world, and
though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came
to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who
received Him, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of
natural decent, nor of human decision of husband’s will, but born of God.
Afterlife before the death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ:
Luke 16:19-31 – (a story told by Jesus) “There
was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury
every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and
longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and
licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him
to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was
in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So
he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the
tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this
fire.’ But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received
your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted
here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great
chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor
can anyone cross over from there to us.’ He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father,
send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them,
so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham replied,
‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ ‘No, father
Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will
repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they
will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Counted as righteousness:
Genesis: 15:6 – Abram believed the Lord,
and he credited to him as righteousness.
(Colossians 1)
28We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with
all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29To
this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in
me.
Everyone who believes in and puts his faith
in the saving grace – the salvation – of Jesus Christ is made perfect in
Christ. We are increasingly being changed into the image of Jesus by the Holy
Spirit who is so powerfully working within each believer.
Romans 8:28-30 – And we know that in all
things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called
according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be
conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many
brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also
justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
2 Corinthians 3:18 – And we, who with
unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His
likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the
Spirit.
Matthew 10:24-25 – (Jesus said) “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his
master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant
like his master.”
Luke 6:40 – (Jesus said) “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is
fully trained will be like his teacher.”
"New Reality" - LeCrae
Laodicea:
Revelation 3:14-22 – To the angel of the
church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and
true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are
neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you
are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit (vomit) you out of my
mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’
But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I
counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich;
and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve
to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.
So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears my voice and opens the door. I will come in and eat with him and he with
me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne
just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne. He who has an
ear, let me hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
I thought it odd that Paul mentions
Laodicea right in the middle of his letter to the Colossians. Why? What was
happening in Colosse that was similar to Laodicea and what was happening in
Laodicea that was similar to Colosse. Laodicea was the wealthiest city in
Phrygia during the Roman occupation. It was known for its medical school,
banking and textile industries. It lacked adequate water for serving its
population who were apathetic and neglectful toward others and their
circumstances. The Laodiceans also spiritually reflected the physical
circumstances around them. They lacked the spiritual water of Christ. (John
7:37-39, Revelation 21:6-7 and 22:17, Isaiah 55:1, Psalm 107:9, Romans 12:20,
Matthew 6:19-24) The spiritual water to sooth or refresh, as well as the
physical water to drink, sooth, refresh, cook, wash and cure. They did not recognize
or refused to recognize that they needed spiritual healing. The Laodiceans put
their trust in themselves – their banks/wealth, their medical school/treatments
and cures, their textile industries/fancy clothes and trends – rather than
placing their trust and reliance in God; the God who is able to fulfill His
promises. Jesus said their indifference to Him and others sickened Him.
However, He loved this church and wanted to refine them through discipline so
they would trade their worldly gold for heavenly gold. Trade worldly medicine
for spiritual salve for their eyes so they could see God and His truths. Use
their spiritual gold to buy spiritual clothing (Jesus’s righteousness) to cover
their sinful, shameful selves (The emperor has no clothes.) Jesus wants earnest
worshippers and those that endure discipline would share in Jesus’s authority
to rule over creation. If anyone in Laodicea heard Jesus at the doors of their
hearts, He would come in and live with those people sharing life. So, I assume
that the Colossians were following a false doctrine that distorted the truths
of God causing them to stumble into worldly living thinking they were justified
to live this worldly life and thinking that this compromised life was accepted by God.
Instead, Paul wants the Colossians (and
Laodiceans and us) to be encouraged in hearts and united in love of Christ so
that we will live purposefully in Christ-centered community, teaching and holding
each other accountable to God’s truths. So, we may have the full riches of
Godly wisdom for complete understanding of God through Jesus Christ, in whom are
hidden all the treasures of God. (Isaiah 11:2, Romans 11:33, Matthew 13:44-46)
Knowledge is not the way to salvation.
Knowledge is the result of salvation; it is a fruit of salvation for when we
place our trust in God’s promises given to us through Jesus Christ, God then
shares His knowledge with us. (John 15:14-16) Because we are now a friend of
God, He shares the meaning of His promises, His truths and His will.
"Friend of God" - Unknown Group
Spiritual water:
John 7:37-39 – On the last and greatest day
of that Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever
believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow
from within him.” By this He meant the
Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time,
the Spirit has not been given, since Jesus had not been glorified.
Revelation 21:6-7 – He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the
End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of
the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all of this, and I will be his
God and he will be My son.”
Revelation 22:17 – The Spirit and the bride
say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him
come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
Isaiah 55:1 – “Come, all you who are
thirsty. Come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come,
buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”
Psalm 107:9 – For He satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
Romans 12:20 – On the contrary: “If your
enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing
this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” So not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.
...in doing this, you heap up purifying actions onto your enemy, causing that person to consider God.
Treasure:
Matthew 6:19-24 – (Jesus said) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieve do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Isaiah 11:2 – (said of Jesus) The
Spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him – the Spirit of wisdom and of
understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and
of the fear of the Lord – and He will delight in the fear of the Lord
Romans 11:33-36 – Oh the depth of the riches
of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and His
paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been
His counselor? Who has ever given to God what God should repay them? For from
Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!
Amen.
Matthew 13:44-46 – (Jesus said) “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure in a field. When a
man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and
bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for
pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he
had and bought it.”
When you find a person, in the field of people, who has the potential of being a Christian, your joy should be such that you will give everything to see that person come to Christ. That is the actions within the Kingdom of God. That is what Jesus Christ did with us for God His Father! Jesus found the people that would know Him - His church - whereby He gave everything to buy that people redeeming us from this worldly field and bringing us back to His kingdom.
Friends of God:
John 15:14-16 – (Jesus said) “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer
call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.
Instead I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father
I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed
you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you
whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.”
Recognizing/discerning truth, not listening
to fine-sounding arguments:
Matthew 4:1-11 – Then Jesus was led by the
Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days
and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are
the Son of God, tell those stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every
word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then
the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of
the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it
is written: He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you
up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
Jesus answered, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the
test.’” Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all
the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he
said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord
your God and serve Him only’” Then the devil
left him and the angels came and attended Him.
Acts 17:11 – Now the Bereans were of more
noble character (open minded) than the Thessalonians, for they received the message
with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul
said was true.
From Job chapters 3 through 37, there are
many "fine sounding arguments" and it’s very difficult to determine who is
correct and who is not or how much truth is twisted to sound correct. However,
in Job chapter 28, Job explains the treasure, value and weight that is God’s
wisdom and truths. Then from Chapters 38 onward, God Himself explains His
truths – these are my favorite chapters of Job, especially Job 38:4.
"My Redeemer Lives" - Nicole C Mullen
Mark 13:5 – Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my
name, claiming, 'I am He,’ and will deceive many.”
Absent from you but present in the Spirit:
Matthew 18:19-20 – (Jesus said) “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about
anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where
two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
John 16:12-15 – (Jesus said) “I have much
more to say to you, more than you can bear now. But when He, the Spirit of
Truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own;
He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He
will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take
from what is mine and make it known to you.”
"Who's Got My Back" - Creed
(Colossians 2)
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live in Him, 7rooted and built up in Him, strengthened
in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and
deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles
of this world rather than on Christ.
9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily
form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head
over every power and authority. 11In Him you were also circumcised,
in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the
hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been
buried with Him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power
of God, who raised Him from the dead.
Authority of Christ:
Matthew 28:18 – Then Jesus came to them and
said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me.”
Daniel 7:13-14 – In my vision at night I
looked, and there before me was one like a son of man (like a human), coming
with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into
His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples,
nations and men of every language worshipped Him. His dominion is an
everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will
never be destroyed.
"In Christ Alone" Adrienne Liesching and Geoff Moore
Circumcision – Genesis 17:
Abram was 99 and Sarai was 90 years old.
Both were well passed the ages to produce and bear children yet God said He
would make Abram a father of nations, and not through Ishmael who was the
product of Abram and Sarai’s maid Hagar. Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael
was born; so Ishmael is now 13 years old – the age of being a man. God had
promised Abram that he would have an heir when Abram was between 80 to 85 years
old. When Sarai was discouraged and lacked faith in God’s promise, Abram was
not a firm man of God and did not remind Sarai of God’s promise and His ability
to keep His promises to them. Instead, Abram agreed with Sarai’s idea to sleep
with Hagar to produce an heir for her (Sarai) as well. They usurped God’s
authority. (Matthew 25:14-30) Now 13 to 15 years later, God re-announces His
promise to Abram saying he will indeed produce an heir and be father of
nations, which means multitudes upon multitudes, and not just through
Ishmael. Abram would be the father of
Isaac with Sarai. God now names each Abraham and Sarah adding AH to their names
– the sound being similar to the sound of God’s name. So God says He is with
them. At the most impossible time of their lives, ages 99 and 90, well passed
child spawning and bearing age, they had to put complete faith in God to
deliver His promise. To compound it, Abraham must now cut the foreskin off of
his penis as a physical sign that he fully believes God and God’s ability to
keep His promise. The part of the body where life is spawned, Abraham must now
cut a portion from his body as an outward, physical sign that he in fact
believes and trusts God. Abraham's "old nature" - to control things by his own will - must be cut off of him allowing his life to be controlled by God. This is circumcision.
Paul is now saying that we are not
deficient in anything as it relates to who we are in Jesus Christ. Jesus
Himself circumcised us by cutting off our sinful nature. We had no covenant
relationship with God. We had no spiritual relationship with God. All due to
our sinful nature which renders us dead – condemned to death we are dead men
walking – and separates us permanently from God. So Jesus, being God and fully
trusting God’s ability to do what He says He can do – knowing full well that
God can and will breathe life into us and forgive us – cuts off the sinful
nature in us. God forgives us our sins and chooses never to remember them. He
throws our sinful nature away, as far as the east is from the west, and
breathes life into us making our spirit alive. (Psalm 103:8-18) So we are now
flesh/human, soul/conscience, Spirit/eternal. We are now complete because of Jesus
Christ – restored into what God created us to be – in His image. (Genesis
1:26-28) We show our belief in God’s ability to keep His promise through
confessing and believing that Jesus is the very Son of God. And many of us
confirm this choice and belief with public baptism, which symbolizes that Jesus
died, was buried and raised from the dead to walk in a new life. (Romans
10:8-13)
"Breathing Life" - Salvador
God’s authority:
Matthew 25:14-30 – (Jesus said) “Again, it
will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted
his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two
talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went
on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put
his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents
gained two more. But the man who received the one talent went off, dug a hole
in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those
servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the
five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with
five talents. See I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done,
good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. Come and
share your master’s happiness!’ The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’
he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ His
master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful
with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your
master’s happiness!’ Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’
he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown
and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out
and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ His
master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I
have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should
have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would
have received it back with interest. Take the talent from him and give it to
the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and
he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be
taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
As far as the east is from the west:
Psalm 103 (of David) – Praise the Lord, O
my soul; all my inmost being, praise His Holy Name. Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your
diseases, who crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires
with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works
righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known His ways to
Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and
gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will
He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay
us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the
west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has
compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him;
for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his
days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows
over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from
everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His
righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep His covenant
and remember to obey His precepts. The Lord has established His throne in
heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you His angels, you
mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His word. Praise the Lord, all His
heavenly hosts, you His servants who do His will. Praise the Lord, all His works
everywhere in His dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul."10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" - Matt Redman
In His image:
Genesis 1:26-28 – Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them
rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock,
over all the earth, and over all creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God
He created him; male and female, He created them.
Assurance of new life:
Romans 10:8-13 – But what does it say? “The
word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of
faith we are proclaiming. That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”
and believe with your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is
with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone
who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between
Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call
on Him, for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
James 1:18 – He chose to give us birth
through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he
created.
Isaiah 40:8 – The grass withers and the
flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.
Matthew 6:28-30 – (Jesus said) “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of
the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon
in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes
the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the
fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Fear of the Lord = reverence and awe that
cause you to acknowledge God is awesome, Almighty, all knowledgeable, the
creator and sustainer of all.
(Colossians 2)
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision
of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our
sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that
was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the
cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a
public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
When you were dead in your sins, you were
human/flesh, soul/conscience, no spirit/dead still wearing the sinful self;
dead in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature. God made you alive in Christ
breathing into you the Holy Spirit giving you birth to new life. Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love for us in
this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He forgave all of us our sins/debts against Him having
cancelled the written code – the Mosaic Law; God’s standard – with its
regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us. (The Mosaic Law
can be found in Exodus 20-30, Leviticus, Deuteronomy) Isaiah 50:1-3 – This is what the Lord says: “Where is your mother’s
certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which creditors did I
sell you? Because of your sins you were sold; because of your transgressions
your mother was sent away. When I came, why was there no one? When I called,
why was there no one to answer? Was my arm too short to ransom you? Do I lack
the strength to rescue you? By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers
into desert; their fish rot for a lack of water and die of thirst. I clothe the
sky in darkness and make sackcloth its covering.” He took our sins away – our debt to Him – and nailed it
to the cross. When you had a debt to a creditor and it was paid in full, the
creditor and the debtor each brought his copy of the debt document. Those
documents were nailed to the wooden doorpost of the debtor’s house showing the
debt was paid; cancelled out. Then the creditor shouted “Tetelestai!” – “Paid
in full!” so all the neighbors would know the debt was paid in full and
cancelled out. John 19:30 – When He received
the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” (Tetelestai!) With that,
He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them,
triumphing over them by the cross. The NIV
footnote says: The picture is of the conquered soldiers stripped of their
clothes and weapons to symbolize their total defeat, leading them in a
triumphal procession as Roman soldiers led their captives in the streets as
evidence of the complete victory. Revelation 3:21 – To him
who overcomes (the world and its ways), I will give you the right to sit with me on my throne, just
as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne.
(Colossians 2)
16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or
drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a
Sabbath day.
1 Corinthians 10:23-33 – Everything is
permissible – but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible – but
not everything is constructive. (Just because you have the right to do something doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.) Nobody should seek his own good, but the good
of others. Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of
conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” If some
unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before
you without raising questions of conscience. But if anyone says to you, “This
has been offered in sacrifice, (to an idol)” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who
told you and for conscience sake – the other man’s conscience, I mean, not
yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another’s conscience? If I take
part with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God
for? So whatever you eat and drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory
of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of
God – even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my
own good but the good for many so that they may be saved.
Isaiah 58:3-14 – ‘Why have we fasted,’ they
say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not
noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you
do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling
and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as
you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of
fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for
bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that
what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the kind of
fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of
the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share
your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer shelter – when you
see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and
blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will
quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the
Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call and the Lord will answer; you
will cry for help and He will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of
oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend
yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then
your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the
noonday. The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in the
sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a
well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild
the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called
Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. If you keep your
feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on the holy day, if
you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you
honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle
words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on
the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” The mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Isaiah 66:1-3 – This is what the Lord says:
“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my
footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting
place be? Has not my hand made all things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “This
is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at
my word. But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a man, and whoever
offers a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever makes a grain offering
is like one who presents pig’s blood, and whoever burns memorial incense, like
one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and their souls
delight in their abominations.”
Matthew 9:13 – (Jesus said) “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not
sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners.”
Hosea 6:6 – For I desire mercy, not
sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings.
Zechariah 7 – In the fourth year of King
Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth
month, the month of Kislev (December). The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and
Regem-Melech, together with their men, to entreat the Lord by asking the
priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and
fast in the fifth month (July-August), as I have done for so many years?” Then the word of the
Almighty came to me: “Ask all the people of the
land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months
(September-October) for the past seventy years, was it really for Me that you
fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for
yourselves? Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier
prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous,
and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’" And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: “This
is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true
justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or
the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each
other.’ But they refused to pay attention;
stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They made their
hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that
the Lord Almighty had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the
Lord Almighty was very angry. ‘When I called,
they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord
Almighty. ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they
were strangers. The land was left so desolate behind them that no one could
come or go. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’”
Micah 6:6-8 – With what shall I come before
the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with
burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with
thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn
for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has
showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act
justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Mathew 12:7 – (Jesus said) “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not
sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is
the Lord of the Sabbath.”
Psalm 51:16-17 – You do not delight in
sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God,
you will not despise. (Contrite = feeling or
expressing remorse)
(Colossians 2)
17These are a shadow of the things that were yet to come;
the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Luke 24:25-27 – He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things
and then enter His glory?” And beginning
with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the
Scriptures concerning Himself.
Luke 24:44-45 – He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you:
Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the
Prophets and the Psalms.” Then He opened
their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise
from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be
preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. You are witnesses
of these things.”
Hosea 6:1-2 – “Come, let us return to the
Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He
will bind our wounds. After two days He will revive us, on the third day He
will restore us, that we may live in His presence.”
1 Samuel 15:22 – But Samuel replied: “Does
the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the
voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than
the fat of rams.”
(Colossians 2)
18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the
worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great
detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle
notions. 19He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole
body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God
causes it to grow. 20Since you died with Christ to the
basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you
submit to its rules. 21“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” 22These
are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands
and teachings. 23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of
wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh
treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual
indulgence.
Angels = they are creations of God, to
witness and serve God; as agents of God, they are to carry out His commands and
deliver His messages. They are not to be worshipped as they do not have powers
above God and are not gods. Angels are, in a small sense, peers to us but peers with
immense power and the two-thirds, that stayed true to submitting to God as
Lord above all creation, are fiercely loyal to God and do not question His authority whatsoever.
This is where angels are not our peers and are specially created beings for their God-given mission.
The Body:
1 Corinthians 12:12-30 – The body is a
unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many,
they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one
Spirit into the body – whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and we were all
given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of
many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the
body,” it would not for that reason cease to be a part of the body. And of the
ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it
would not for that reason cease to be a part of the body. If the whole body
were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? But in fact God has arranged
the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If
they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many
parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And
the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those
parts of the body that seem weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we
think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are
unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts
need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has
given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no
division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each
other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored,
every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of
you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles,
second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having
gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of
administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues (languages). Are all
apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have
gifts of healing? Do all interpret (meanings
of messages in different languages)?
Hebrews 10:5-10 – Therefore, when Christ
came into the world. He said: “Sacrifices and
offerings you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt
offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am – it
is written about me in the scroll – I have come to do your will, O God.” First He said, “Sacrifices
and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were
you pleased with them (although the law required them to be made).” Then He said, “Here I am,
I have come to do your will.” He set aside
the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy
through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
"The Bride (The Church)" - LeCrae
When God created all parts of creation He
said that it was good. When God states something is good, right, clean, it is
not up to us to state an item or thing is bad. God told Peter (in Acts 10:15), “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” We cannot earn salvation from our sins. We cannot earn
sanctification. We cannot earn God’s favor over another one of His children.
What we have in God – in Christ, in the Spirit, in the promises and truths of
God, in the hope of the future He has ordained for us – does not come by our
doings. All hope and fulfilled promises come from God and His divine grace and
mercy to us. Ephesians 2:4-5; “But because
of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ
even when we were dead in transgressions (in our sins). It is by (His) grace you have
been saved. 2:8-10; “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith –
and this is not from yourself, it is the gift of God – not by works (not by your actions) so
no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do
good works (to visibly live out our faith), which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Paul is encouraging us not to follow
self-denial disciplines thinking that denying ourselves, the parts of life God
created, is good. We are wrong if we think these actions, of self-denial, make
us better than other fellow believers allowing us to earn favor and promises of
God. Self-denial of things should be done when, 1) something has become more
important to us than God, 2) God asks us individually to deny doing something
for His purposes or, 3) with a heart to grow closer to God, we sacrifice doing
something replacing that thing with sincere time with God. If we are
self-denying something – say eating meat – because we think that by doing this
we are a better Christian, or we are becoming more wise in God’s eyes, we are
wrong. This also doesn’t mean that everything without limitations or
self-control is acceptable. We must consider God’s will and how others around
us know God or perceive us as an ambassador of God. So we are not to follow doctrine that places
self-determined actions above God’s will.
Matthew 15:1-14 – Then some Pharisees and
teacher of the Law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your
disciples break the traditions of the elders? They don’t wash their hands
before they eat!” Jesus replied, “And why do you
break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor
your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put
to death.’ But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever
help you might otherwise have received from me is (now) a gift devoted to
God,’ he is not to ‘honor his father’ with it. Thus you nullify the Word of God
for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he
prophesied about you: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts
are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught
by men.” Jesus called the crowd to Him and
said, “Listen and understand. What goes into a
man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that
is what makes him ‘unclean.’” Then the
disciples came to Him and asked, “Do you know the Pharisees were offended when
they heard this?” He replied, “Every plant that
my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them;
they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into
the pit.”
Since you died with Christ to the
principles of this world, why do you still submit to its rules of extremes
thinking you’re benefitting in a spiritual way? “Don’t touch. Don’t taste.
Don’t eat pork. Don’t eat meat. Don’t drink alcohol. Don’t cut your hair. Don’t
dance, etc.” You still believe in doing these things, as if you still belong to
the world. It’s not Jesus plus these things that bring you closer to God. God
does not require these things of you; He is not impressed by your extreme
self-denials. You cannot control your process of sanctification nor will
yourself into perfection. These worldly rules are all destined to perish
because they are rules based on human commands and teachings not based on God’s
truths. Such regulations indeed have the appearance of wisdom with self-imposed
worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the sinful body but
they lack value in restraining sensual indulgences.
Matthew 23:1-28 – Then Jesus said to the
crowds and to His disciples: The teachers of the
law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat (place of authority and leadership). So you must obey them and do
everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice
what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but
they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they
do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on
their garments long; they love the place of honor at the banquets and the most
important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces
and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’ But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’ for you
have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth
‘father,’ for you have one Father, and He is in heaven. Nor are you to be called
‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be
your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles
himself will be exalted. Woe to you,
teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites (actors)! You shut the
kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let
those enter who are trying to. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when
he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. Woe to
you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing;
but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You
blind fools! Which is greater: the gold or the temple that makes the gold
sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if
anyone swears by the gift on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind
men! Which is greater: the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore,
he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And he who
swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And he who
swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the One who sits on it. Woe to
you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of
your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important
matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced
the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat
but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teacher of the law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full
of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the
cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of
the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which
look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones
and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as
righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
(Colossians 3)
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your
hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set
your minds on the things above, not on earthly things. 3For you
died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ
who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.Romans 12:2 – Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.
If my sinful self – before Jesus, before
salvation, before rebirth – was dead, then I was dead… stillbirth. I am not that
person anymore. If I have been re-born – born into God’s family because of
Jesus Christ – if God breathed His Holy Spirit into me giving me His eternal
life, if Jesus shared with me His right to live with God, then now I am
eternally alive with God. Then I am now stored aside with Jesus Christ in God.
When Christ appears again:
Revelation 19:6 and 14 – (6) Then I heard
what sounded like a multitude, like a roar of rushing waters and like loud
peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let
us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!” (14) The armies of heaven were
following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and
clean.
Hidden with Christ in God:
Your life is now kept laid up (stored) with
God in heaven with Jesus Christ. Your life is now concealed from this world and
will be revealed later when Jesus appears. Your life has been taken away from
the world’s view.
(Colossians 3)
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly
nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is
idolatry. 6Because of these the wrath of God is coming. 7You
used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you
must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and
filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you
have taken off your old self with it practices 10and have put on the
new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here
there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian,
slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Anger and hate:
Matthew 5:21-22 – (Jesus said) “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do
not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. ‘But I tell you
that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again,
anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca’ (Idiot!
or Bonehead!) is answerable to the Sanhedrin.
But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of hell fire.
Unconditional love:
Matthew 5:43-48 – (Jesus said) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and
hate your enemy’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun
to rise on the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not
even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what
are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect,
therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Our old nature stems from who was our
“father”:
John 8:44-45 – (Jesus said) “You belong
to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He
was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no
truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and
the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!”
If we lie, then we are acting as our old
selves before our new life with Jesus, and we are acting like Satan whose
native language is lies. God’s character is one of truth, justice, mercy,
compassion, no partiality and unconditional, unwarranted and exceptionally
generous love.
Ephesians 4:29-5:21 – Do not let any
unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building
others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And
do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander,
along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God,
therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ
loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to
God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of
greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be
obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather
thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person
– such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and
of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things
God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners
with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live
as children of light for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,
righteousness and truth and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do
with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is
shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything
exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything
visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and
Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise
but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get
drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music
in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for
everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of
reverence for Christ.
John 5:25 – (Jesus
said) “I tell you the truth, a time is coming
and has come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who
hear will live.”
Isaiah 26:19 – But your dead will live;
their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy.
Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.
(Colossians 3)
12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Micah 6:8 – He showed you, O man, what is
good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Galatians 5:22 – But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control.
"Courageous" - Casting Crowns
(Colossians 3)
13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you
may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Matthew 6:12 – Forgive us our debts, as we
also have forgiven our debtors.
Forgive us, our sins we’ve committed against
you, by the same measure we used to forgive those who have committed sins
against us.
(Colossians 3)
14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them
all together in perfect unity.
Since God’s character is one of truth,
justice, mercy, compassion, no partiality and unconditional, unwarranted and
exceptionally generous love, let us, as God’s children, be defined by His
agape’ love.
Psalm 136 – one of my favorite passages of
Scripture because it shows God’s faithfulness and unconditional love through
Israel’s redemptive history. And, out of all of God’s characteristics, the one He
chooses to define Himself is His love. Not His almightiness. Not His
omniscience. Not His wisdom and knowledge but, His unwarranted, exceptionally
generous, unconditional (agapé)
love.
John 3:16 – For God so loved…
He loves a stubborn, rebellious, selfish,
arrogant creation.
He loves us in spite of who we are.He loves us without favoritism.
He loves us beyond who we are.
He loves us into who we will be in Jesus Christ, His only Son whom He loves.
If not for God’s quality of love, His capacity of love, His willingness to love, then who would He be?
What quality would define Him?
Instead His love defines Him and binds everything into perfect unity.
"God so Loved" - Jackie Velasquez
(Colossian 3)
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as
members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another
with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with
gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in
word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through Him.
Do it all as Jesus would want you to
represent Him; with love, gratitude, wisdom, redemptive peace, mercy and
compassion – in truth; God’s truth.
(Colossians 3)
18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Ephesians 5:22-24 – Wives submit to your
husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is
the lead of the church, his body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church
submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Genesis 3:16 – To the woman He said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with
pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband and
he will rule over you.”
I always thought that if God was pronouncing
curses on Satan, Adam, Eve and creation that His curse for Eve didn’t seem much
like a curse when He says women will desire their husbands. However, I have
come to learn that what He is saying is that women will desire the leadership
role of the husband – to lead the family, to be the one in control. So the
curse is actually saying, “you will desire your husband intimately and sexually, and
for your husband to care for you but, you will also desire to rule over him.
However, your husband will rule over you. You won’t like his authority and you
will have struggles rather than peace. You will strive to usurp your husband’s
God-given authority of leadership. Nevertheless, you are to submit to your
husband’s leadership.” And if he is leading incorrectly – out of God’s commands
and will – then you are to lean on God evermore to care for you, protect and
provide for you, and for God to correct your husband. I believe that God
created woman to be a partner to man; it was the one time God said, “It is not
good” when He said man should not live alone without a helper, a partner. What
was the Godly partnership truly supposed to be – a partnership of equality,
respect, appreciation and support? A partnership where we each know our roles
within this coupling unit and we are content with our roles because we
understand and appreciate our purpose. If this is the case then the curse truly
is a curse because we will always have struggles as we try to work within what
God had intended the partnership to be and what our sinful nature wants the
partnership to be.
Genesis 12:10-20 – Now there was a famine
in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the
famine was severe. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai,
“I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will
say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but let you live. Say that you
are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be
spared because of you.” When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she
was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised
her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for
her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants
and maidservants, and camels. But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on
Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned
Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why did you say, ‘She is my
sister, so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her
and go!” Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on
his way, with his wife and everything he had.
This section of Scripture is rather sad
indeed. This situation of Abram and Sarai immediately follows the time where
God Himself speaks to Abram telling him that Abram will be the father of a
great nation. This would have been the time to have placed his trust in God to
protect him and Sarai while they were in Egypt. However, Abram takes matters
into his own hands breaking the covenant marriage relationship in order to
protect his own skin and acquire the “stuff” of the good life. Sarai does
submit to her husband’s decisions. God intervenes to protect Sarai (and Abram),
even in Abram’s lack of trust in God’s ability to fulfill the promise He made
to Abram. The sad result is that within the ranks of the maidservants Abram
acquires from these actions is most likely Hagar, who will become the mother
of Ishmael, and come between Sarai (Sarah) and Isaac the promised son of
Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah). So the consequences of Abram’s decisions will
continue to reverberate through time.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all
your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge
Him, and He will make your paths straight.
(Colossians 3)
19Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
Ephesians 5:25-33 – Husbands, love your
wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her
holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word and to present
her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other
blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way, husbands ought to love their
wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no
one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does
the church – for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave
his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one
flesh.” This is a profound mystery – but I (Paul) am talking about Christ and the church. However, each
one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must
respect her husband.
Genesis 2:15 – The Lord God took the man
and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Genesis 2:18 – The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper
suitable for him.”
Genesis 2:20-24 – (After God created all of the animals and each with its
own mate) But for Adam no suitable helper
was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while
he was sleeping, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with
flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man,
and He brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and
flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman’ for she was taken out of man.”
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother to be united to his
wife, and they will become one flesh.
In Genesis 2:20-24, notice how God presents
man with his bride. This is a shadow of what is to come when God presents the
Lord Jesus with His bride, the church who is everyone believing that Jesus is
God in the flesh come to redeem us.
Matthew 19:4-6 (Mark 10:6-9) – (Jesus said) “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the
Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will
leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become
one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined
together, let man not separate.”
One flesh = one working unit
For this reason = to have a helper, a
partner, to not be alone and have to live life alone making one’s own decisions
and interpretations of God’s commands. The partnership, as a working unit, not
only helps you manage through the daily tasks of life but, also to have someone
to encourage, celebrate with, share the ups and downs and most importantly, to
keep you on the path following God closely. Our partner is to help us not
wander from God, to correct the other person when he or she is choosing not to
follow God so that the whole unit does not go astray. And together, they are to
lead others to God by their living example. We see the partnership breakdown in
the case of Adam and Eve when Eve is being led astray but Adam does not step in
and correct Eve protecting her from going against God’s commands. We see Sarai
not encourage Abram to stand on God’s promise to make him the head of a great
nation of true biological descendants so therefore God would protect them from
the Egyptians without compromising their marriage vow. There are many examples
of the partnership breaking down because the unit doesn’t trust God; I guess
this should be a backhanded comfort to we who are married since we continuously
fail. However, I look at the small example of Joseph and Mary, how they began
their marriage and the many things chronicled in Scripture that show a solidly
working unit as close to what God intended as a human couple could potentially
be.
1 Corinthians 6:16-20 – Do you not know
that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is
said, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who unites himself with the Lord
is one with Him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man
commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually, sins against his body.
Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
who you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a
price. Therefore honor God with your body.
(Colossians 3)
20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this
pleases the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-3 – Children, obey your
parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” – which
is the first command with a promise – “that it may go well with you and that
you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Luke 2:48-51 – (Jesus at age 12 or 13)
When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, “Son,
why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously
searching for you.” “Why were you searching for
me?” He asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what He was saying to them.
Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.
Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your
mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
Deuteronomy 5:16 – Honor your father and
your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that it may go well
with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 – Hear, O Israel: The
Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give
you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about
them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down
and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bond them on your
foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Hands = actions; foreheads = thoughts; doorframes = possessions; gates = comings-and-goings. Loving God should be reflected in our actions, thoughts, acknowledged in our possessions as how we steward those things and in our daily comings-and-goings through the day.)
Proverbs 4 – “Listen, my sons, to a
father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound
learning, so do not forsake my teaching. When I was a boy in my father’s house,
still tender, and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, “Lay hold
of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get
wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not
forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over
you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get
understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will
honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a
crown of splendor.” Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your
life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along the
straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run,
you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well,
for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the
way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your
way. For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till
they make someone fall. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of
violence. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining
ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep
darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. My son, pay attention to
what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep
them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to
a man’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is a wellspring of
life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your
lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.
Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve
to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
Wisdom = Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Fear = awe, respect, reverence)
Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my
feet and a light for my path.
"Thy Word is a Lamp unto My Feet" - Amy Grant & Michael W Smith
Psalm 27:11 – Teach me your way, O Lord;
lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
Matthew 3:3 – Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight paths for Him.
Honoring your parents teaches you how to
honor people in authority which then translates to learning how to honor God.
In order to honor people, many times you must set aside your arrogance and
selfishness to be humble enough to hear what the person in authority is saying
and why. But why? Why is this command to respect and honor your parents so
important to the quality of your life?
God – the Trinity – is in constant and
perfect relationship. When we enter that relationship we are to learn God’s
wisdom, truth and characteristic ways of living as God intended and created. On
earth, we’re put in human relationships to mimic that aspect of learning from
God then coaching others. When we coach others, we also get a glimpse of an
understanding of what God does, thinks and feels when He coaches us. We in
turn, disciple others.
Honoring – obeying and respecting – your
father and mother is at the core of the discipling relationship. It requires a
parent to pass on the wisdom and truths of God learned as well as the life
lessons learned either through God or via the “hard way” of life without God.
The child learns to be humble and listen to those lessons, internalizing and remembering the lessons calling them into being when making decisions.
To honor a good parent is to use those
pearls of wisdom to live life after God’s own heart; a life of truth and
righteousness; a life of sanctification. When a child does that, he honors his
parents by showing that you respected his authoritative advice and obeyed his recommendations.
Honoring a bad parent would be to recognize
that he or she is your parent and thereby deserves your respect. When you honor
a bad parent, you act like a son of God because it requires unconditional love
to show that parent respect he did not earn it. You will use the difficult
lessons learned discerning God’s truths by leaning on God, and making the wiser
decision to follow God’s leadership. When you follow God’s leadership, you have
a better chance of an abundant life on earth which translates to “a life that
will go well for you.”
When Solomon wrote Proverbs, he was
espousing the Godly wisdom his father David and mother Bathsheba taught him as
a child and how that wisdom became understanding through his life lived; a life filled with tough lessons learned. (1
Kings 2:1-4)
Yet Solomon left God nearly completely
before returning to God. When you read Ecclesiastes, you can see his life’s
journal, how he wrestled with life without God and how he learned that true
life was a life with God, following God. So when Solomon writes Ecclesiastes
and Proverbs to his sons, he is hoping to encourage them that God’s way is the
one and only true and right way to life.
(Colossians 3)
21Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will
become discouraged.
If you boss your children around instead of
coach them, if you nag your children instead of following through on rules and
guidelines, if you are soft on your children instead of grooming them through
proper discipline, if you neglect to love them and be amazed by them, you will
lose your children and be unable to impart to them the Godly wisdom they need
for life.
Do not worry because: Deuteronomy 24:16 – Fathers shall not be put to death for
their children nor their children put to death for their fathers; each is to
die for his own sin.
(Colossians 3:22-4:1)
22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do
it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with
sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do,
work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since
you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is
the Lord Christ you are serving. 25Anyone who does wrong will be
repaid for his wrong and there is no favoritism. (4) 1Master,
provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also
have a Master in heaven.
Employees, obey and respect your earthly
bosses in everything you do and do it, not only when he is looking at you so
you make a positive impression on your boss, but with a sincere heart and
reverence for the Lord God. Serve your boss as if you are serving the Lord and
because you love the Lord knowing you will receive a heavenly reward for your
God-inspired actions, even if your boss doesn’t recognize and reward you for a
job well done. Know that anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong
doings – whether now or later – and there isn’t any partiality, proration or
favoritism.
Bosses, provide for your employees as you
agreed to do. Don’t delay. Don’t add conditions to the contracted terms. Be
fair and just as your heavenly Father is fair and just. Remember, you may be a
boss on earth but you also are a subordinate to the Lord God Himself. Since you
walk in the same shoes as your employees, treat them as you want God to treat
you.
Deuteronomy 24:14-15 – Do not take
advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother
Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. Pay him his wages each day
before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry
out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
Matthew 20:1-15 – (Jesus said) “For the
kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire
men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and
sent them into his vineyard. About the third hour he went out and saw others
standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work
my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. He went out
again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the
eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked
them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ ‘Because no
one has hired us,’ they said. He said to them, ‘You also go and work my
vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Call the workers and pay them their wages beginning with the last ones hired
and going to the first.’ The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour
came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first,
they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.
When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These men
who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them
equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ But
he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work
for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last
the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own
money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’”
Deuteronomy 25:4 – Do not muzzle an ox while
it is treading out the grain.
1 Corinthians 9:4-12 – (Paul said) Don’t we
have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing
wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and
Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? Who serves as
a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its
grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? Do I say this merely
from a human point of view? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? For it is
written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the
grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely He says this for us,
doesn’t He? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the
thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.
If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material
harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we
have it all the more?
1 Timothy 5:18 – For the Scripture says,
“Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker
deserves his wages.”
For masters and bosses:
Matthew 18:23-35 – (Jesus said) “Therefore,
the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his
servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents
was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he
and his wife and his children and all he had be sold to repay the debt. The
servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I
will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the
debt and let him go. But when the servant went out, he found one of his fellow
servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him.
‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees
and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused.
Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the
debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly
distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then
the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I cancelled
all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy
on your fellow servant just as I had on you? In anger his master turned him
over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This
is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your
brother from your heart.”
Matthew 6:12 – Forgive us our debts, as we
also have forgiven our debtors.
Forgive our debts, our sins to you in the
same manner, by the same measure, as we have forgiven those who owe us, who
have sinned against us.
For slaves and employees:
Matthew 5:43-48 – (Jesus said) “You have heard it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute
you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise
on the evil and the good, and sends the rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not
even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what
are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect (holy), therefore, as your
heavenly Father is perfect (holy).”
Only God can declare someone or something
holy – set apart for a unique purpose in wholeness for God. In the case of
Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus is saying if God loves those who don’t love Him in
return, if He blesses those that don’t love Him in return, if He treats the
evil as He would treat the good because He loves them too – loving who they are
and not what they do – then we too should set ourselves apart from the world’s
ways by being uniquely different. We should behave as God behaves. In the case
of being holy, when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior and submit to Him as
Lord, God gives us His Holy Spirit who dwells within us and because we are now
set apart from the world as a temple of the Holy Spirit, we are now holy. “Now,
be holy like I am.” The Holy Spirit will now empower us to behave as God
behaves when we allow Him to do that. Because God is experientially changing us
into the image of His Son, we are being made holy. Our designation of holiness
only comes from God and, once designated, He says, “Do not call unclean what I
have made clean.” (Acts 10:15)
(Colossians 4)
2Devote yourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful. 3And
pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may
proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4Pray that
I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5Be wise in the way you act
toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your
conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know
how to answer everyone.
1 Timothy 4:16 – Watch your life and
doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both
yourself and your hearers.
Galatians 6:1-5 – Brothers, if someone is
caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore them gently. But watch
yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this
way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when
he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then
he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for
each one should carry his own load.
Correct a person gently:
John 8:10-11 – Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
John 8:10-11 – Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
James 5:19-20 – My brothers, if one of you
should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this:
Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and
cover a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 5:8-9 – Be self-controlled and
alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour. Resist Him, standing firm in the faith, because you know
that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of
suffering.
1 Peter 3:15 – But in your heart, set apart
Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have.
In your inner most desires and heart,
recognize and acknowledge and submit your life to Jesus the Anointed One of God
as the ruler of your life, the Lord of your life.
James 3:6 – The tongue also is a fire, a
world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets
the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
Matthew 5:13 – (Jesus said) “You are the salt of the earth.”
So make certain your conversations come from a point of grace – a point of unconditional love for the person you are speaking to, of forgiveness for that person, and of appreciation and acknowledgement of what Jesus did for you. “Forgive us, Lord, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.” Make certain your conversations are always preserved and flavored by salt. “You are the salt of the earth.” You – because God Almighty is in you and you are in Him – you are a preservative to this earthly life keeping it from completely decaying into evil as God works through you in the world He is saving. You are also flavor to the world where mere existence becomes the abundant life. So don’t have a tongue set on fire by a lack of self-control, but choose words from the heart of God so you may know how to answer everyone. And don’t worry about what you say; God will provide you the words to say.
Exodus 4:11 – The Lord said to him (Moses),
“Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or
mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I
will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
Matthew 10:19 – (Jesus said) “But when
they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time
you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit
of your Father speaking through you.”
(Colossians 4)
7Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear
brother, a faithful minister and a fellow servant in the Lord. 8I am
sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our
circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9He is coming
with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell
you everything that is happening here.
Ephesians 6:21 – Tychicus, the dear brother
and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also
may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him for this very purpose
that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.
Acts 20:4-5 – He (Paul) was accompanied
by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from
Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from
the province of Asia. These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.
Philemon – the book of Philemon is a letter
from Paul to Philemon who owned Onesimus as a slave. Philemon lives in Colosse
and is a believer. Paul most likely wrote the letter to Philemon the same time
he wrote the letter to the Colossian church with Tychicus and Onesimus carrying
both letters. Onesimus most likely stole from Philemon, his master, than ran
away which was punishable by death, under Roman law. Onesimus met Paul on one
of Paul’s mission trips, and became a Christian. Now, it seems, either Onesimus
wants to return to Philemon to reconcile and make right his wrong or Paul is
encouraging Onesimus to do that. Either way, Paul’s letter to Philemon is to
ask Philemon to forgive Onesimus and accept him as a brother of faith.
Philemon 10-13 – I (Paul) appeal to you
for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was
useless to you, but now he has become useful to both you and to me. I am
sending him – who is my very heart – back to you. I would have liked to keep
him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains
for the gospel.
"Beautiful Feet" - LeCrae
(Colossians 4)
10My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends his greetings, as
does Mark (John Mark), the cousin of
Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you,
welcome him.)
Footnote of NIV Bible on Colossians 4:10 – Aristarchus; a Macedonian, who is
mentioned three times in Acts: 1) He was with Paul during the Ephesians riot
(Acts 19:29) and therefore was known in Colosse. 2) Both he and Tychicus (Acts
20:4) were with Paul in Greece. 3) He accompanied Paul on his trip to Rome
(Acts 27:2). Mark; the author of the
second Gospel. Against Barnabas’s advice, Paul refused to take Mark on the
second missionary journey because Mark “deserted” him at Pamphylia (Acts 15:38)
But now – about 12 years later – the difficulties seem to have been ironed out,
because Paul, both here and in Philemon 24 (sent at the same time to Philemon,
who was in Colosse), send Mark’s greetings. About five years later, Paul even
writes that Mark “is very helpful to me in my ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11) Mark is John Mark (Acts 12: 12, Acts 13:5) a cousin to
Barnabas and an associate of the apostle Peter. It is believed that the Gospel
of Mark is Peter’s account as he told Mark and/or as Mark heard Peter preach.
Acts 19:29 – Soon the whole city was in an
uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions
from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater.
(Colossians 4)
11Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These
are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the Kingdom of God, and they have
proved a comfort to me. 12Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant
of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you,
that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13I
vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and
Hierapolis.
According to the Holman Illustrated Bible
Dictionary and the NIV footnotes, Colosse, Laodicea and Hierapolis were a
three-city Christian community on the highway running from Ephesus to Syria.
Laodicea was 10 miles west of Colosse and six miles south of Hierapolis.
From the Holman Illustrated Bible
Dictionary – Justus – Common Jewish personal name. 1) Acts 1:23 the surname of
Joseph Barsabbas, one of two men put forward to replace Judas Iscariot among
the Twelve. 2) A pious man, probably a Roman citizen, whose home joined the
synagogue in Corinth (Acts 18:7). Paul left the synagogue and moved into the
home of Titus Justus (KJV omits Titus following some Greek manuscripts). Some
scholars equate him with Titus (following some Greek manuscripts), while more
identify him with Gaius of Romans 16:23. Neither identification is more than a
scholarly guess based on similarity of names. 3) Surname of a minister with
Paul (Colossians 4:11).
Acts 1:23-26 – So they (the remaining 11 Apostles) proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known at Justus) and
Matthias. Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of
these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas
left to go where he belongs. Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias;
so he was added to the eleven apostles.
*Barsabbas means Son of the Sabbath
Acts 18:7 – Then Paul left the synagogue
and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.
Romans 16:23 – (Paul said) Gaius,
whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, send you his greetings.
NIV Footnote for Romans 16:23 – Gaius.
Usually identified with Titus Justus, a God-fearer, in whose house Paul stayed
while in Corinth (see Acts 18:7, 1 Corinthians 1:14). His full name would be
Gaius Titius Justus.
1 Corinthians 1:14 – (Paul said) I am
thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one
can say that you were baptized into my name.
The point of Paul listing the names of the
people with him, in his letters, is most likely for several reasons. 1) The
recipients of the letters know these people personally. 2) The companions of
Paul are respected for their authentic belief in Jesus Christ and may hold some
influential authority. 3) Naming them helps strengthen Paul’s message to the
letter’s recipients. For me, I’ve learned not to glance over names mentioned in
the Bible. I search out to determine who these people are and why each is
mentioned. Even though there is no conclusive evidence as to who Jesus called
Justus is, knowing a Justus was mentioned several times in Acts and each was a
believing Jew who hung with the very Apostles that saw Jesus… alive. For
instance Justus could be Joseph Barsabbas also called Justus; if you think
about it, Barsabbas means “Son of the Sabbath.” Who is the true Son of the
Sabbath but Jesus the Lord. So this Justus with Paul – Jesus called Justus –
could be Joseph Barsabbas one of the devote Jewish believers who accompanied
the original 11 after the resurrection. Or, this Justus could be the Titius
Justus whose home was adjacent to the synagogue in Corinth who would also be a
Jewish believer. Or this Justus could be Gaius, a Jewish believer and Roman
citizen like Paul and who housed Paul in Corinth. If Gaius is also Titius
Justus, it makes even more sense. Or this Jesus Justus could be a fellow Jewish
believer that Paul met in Colosse and then this man accompanied Paul on his
trips. The point is, Jesus called Justus is a Jewish believer that is known to
the Colossian Church.
In the beginning of Paul’s final greetings,
he lists the Jewish men who are his companions and says that these men are a
great comfort to him. I look at this and think of the beginning of the letter
where Paul’s points about himself coupled with the personal information the
letter’s recipients know of Paul, stresses his Jewish knowledge, education, and
Apostolic authority. Paul was a “Jewish man’s Jew,” similar to a “man’s man.”
Prior to Paul’s conversion to belief in Jesus as the very Messiah, Jewish men
would have sought out Paul’s thoughts on all things Jewish because of Paul’s
education and rank. When he connected the dots after his encounter with the
living (very alive) Lord Jesus, Paul in a sense “joined the other side” in the
Jewish arena and would have been treated as a traitor by the very people who
earlier regarded him highly for his Jewishness. Being a human, I’m sure Paul
would have had times of frustration, depression and doubt missing his days of
high regard by the Jewish leadership; missing the days when he could walk into
a town, visit the synagogue and people would treat him highly based on his
pedigree and authority within the Jewish leadership. And so, these Jewish
believers who are traveling companions are a true comfort to Paul because they
can encourage him like no non-Jewish believer can. These companions and Paul
can discuss together Jesus and His Lordship on a different level, a more mature
and educated level, than the discussions Paul can have with new believers where
Paul may feel like he’s saying, “I wish you were more mature in the faith and
not still baby believers needing milk rather than chewing on the meat of God’s
truth; I need meat eating believers to reason with,” as he said to the
Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:1-2. Just like there are times when I wish I had
a group of mature believers, more mature than me, so I could really reason with
people about the truths God is teaching me and the questions I have. So as Paul
closes this letter to the Colossians, I feel for him and can hear his heart.
(Colossians 4)
14Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send
greetings.
NIV Footnote – Luke. Wrote about Paul in the book of Acts, having often
accompanied him (Paul) on his travels. He was with Paul in Rome during his
imprisonment (Acts 28), where this letter was written. Demas. A Christian worker who would later desert Paul (2 Timothy
4:10)
Luke is the author of the Gospel according
to Luke – Luke – and the book of the
Acts of the Apostles – Acts. Luke is
a dear friend of Paul’s and a “fellow worker” in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
According to the NIV introduction of the book of Luke: Luke was probably a Gentile by birth, well educated in
Greek culture, a physician by profession, a companion of Paul at various times
from his second missionary journey to his first imprisonment in Rome, and a
loyal friend who remained with the apostle after others had deserted him (1
Timothy 4:11). Antioch (of Syria) and Philippi are among the places suggested
as his hometown. Another NIV footnote on
Luke says he: wrote the most picturesque
account of Christ’s birth; wrote a Gospel that pictures Jesus as the great
physician; accurately recorded the acts of the apostles. Luke would have had to spend significant parts of his
adulthood with all of the apostles, Jesus’s mother Mary and His (half) brothers
in order to recount the story of Christ and the apostles so well.
On the whereabouts of Paul’s companions in
a later letter from Paul to Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:9-12 – Do your best to come to
me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has
gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only
Luke is with me. Get (John) Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful
to me in my ministry. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
(Colossians 4)
15Give my greetings to the brothers in Laodicea, and to
Nympha and the church in her house.
NIV note on Nympha and home church – Nympha. Probably a Laodicean. Church in her house. For the most part,
the early church had no buildings, so it usually met for worship and
instruction in homes. It often centered around one family, as Priscilla and
Aquila (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19), Philemon (Philemon 2) and Mary the
mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12).
(Colossians 4)
16After this letter is read to you, see that it is also read
in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from
Laodicea.
Letters were meant to be read and shared
with neighboring churches. Later these letters were gathered and assembled with
(Old Testament) Scripture, the gospel books written by the apostle (Levi)
Matthew, Peter via (John) Mark, Luke and the apostle John, along with the
letters written by Peter, John, the author of Hebrews, Jesus’s (half) brothers
James and Jude. All of these writings form our Bible which today is still read,
shared and passed along.
(Colossians 4)
17Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the work you
received in the Lord.”
Philemon 2 – To Philemon our dear friend
and fellow worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to
the church that meets in your home.
(Colossians 4)
18I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my
chains. Grace be with you.
It always causes me to pause and think when
I read in Scripture, “I wrote this in my own hand,” or “we witnessed Jesus
doing…” and “we saw Him with our own eyes; touched Him with our own hands.”
This brings Scripture into concrete, historical accounts for me rather than the
stories being just… stories. God’s Word is amazing.
Paul ends by blessing us with divine
assistance that is grace; “May the divine assistance that comes from God, out
of His mercy and love, be with you as you live in this world.” Grace be with
you.
