II Corinthians 7: 1-4
Therefore, having these promises,
These are God's plans for us to do for us what He has done, to make us His own family, that we spoke of yesterday.
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit,
Because he loves them so much, he's urging them to be all God wants them to be, in being cleansed from all the filth of the World physically and from their minds to think pure thoughts.
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
"Practice makes perfect," so we are to work on practicing in our lives and thoughts the pureness of His thoughts for us, and living a lifestyle different from our neighbors who are of the World.
The ways of the World are diametrically opposed to the ways of Heaven and God. We are God's family, living here as aliens, visiting this Earthly realm as Christ's ambassadors. To represent Him, we are to show the World His ways.
Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one.
Yesterday we saw how they were holding back their affections. Now Paul is asking them again to relax and reconsider their feelings toward him. He hasn't injured or defrauded any of them in any way, even though he did write that "sorrowful letter" that has been lost to antiquity, that we discussed on September 21, 2019.
I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together.
Paul really loves these Corinthians, and doesn't want to criticize them, so he's trying to build them up by revealing the oneness of spirit he feels with them, to both live together and die together.
Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort;
He is encouraging them because he has seen how they have followed the path of "tough love" with the erring brother (which brought him back into their fellowship, September 21, 2019), so he's been sharing with other churches their obedience and subsequent growth from this process. And he takes solace in that when he faces problems.
I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.
When he undergoes tribulation in his travels, he can still be joyful knowing how his Corinthian brothers and sisters love the Lord.
We'll look at some of these afflictions tomorrow.
So Paul loves these believers deeply, and he wants them to love him back. Not for his own sake, but because he doesn't want them to carry grudges or hold back on account of past unpleasantries that have now been resolved. He wants all the residual negative feelings to dissipate and to resume an open relationship with him. This will reduce stress all around, and be for the benefit of all.
We need to remember this. The past doesn't rule the future. God's power in us is changing us fundamentally, and we need to recognize this when we find that we have unfavorable attitudes toward those who have hurt us in the past.
We need to pay attention to see if the Lord is working in them to renew their thinking processes, and act accordingly. If they have asked forgiveness, and we have granted it, then the relationship should change, if they really are following the Lord, as they say they are.
This requires discernment. We need to watch to see if their attitudes have really turned around, or if they're just using words.
Paul had to deal with a very thorny situation there in Corinth, and he told them to do something that was really hard for them to do to resolve it.
And these believers obeyed him, and did what what was needed, what was right to do for the situation, and everything was resolved. But feelings sometimes take time to settle down, and Paul gave them time to get everything straightened out (see September 20, 2019). Now he's expecting for them to continue in this path, and for their affections for him to return.
When we have to do something that's really hard for us to do, but we know that it's the right thing to do, our feelings can feel like they're on a roller coaster. And when we obey the Lord and do that hard thing, we can still feel really bad about it, and it will take time for our feelings to settle down and resolve back into the peace of God about it.
When we trust God to love us that much, and look to Him to heal our attitudes that haven't yet caught up with our obedience; then He will graciously pour His peace into our heart, to also be free to love our brothers and sisters in the Lord, forgetting the hurts of the past, the wounds that are now healed.
O my Father, thank You so much for having Paul write these things down, so that we can read them today, and follow Your course for getting along with one another as we obey Your ways in our daily lives and close relationships.
Father, we all have rough edges that can hurt as we rub up against one another. Help us all to remember this, and exemplify Your character in Your graciousness and forgiveness and forbearing one anothers' weaknesses.
Teach us to open our hearts to one another, loving each other as You have Loved us: unconditionally, lavishly, unbounded. Help us to respect that love that we receive from one another, not taking advantage of any brother or sister who appears vulnerable.
Show us how to protect the vulnerable from unscrupulous predators in sheep's clothing, and to have the moral fortitude to deal righteously with anyone who would do harm to Your children.
Father, continue to grow us up as Your children, teaching us Your ways in all the details of our living every day in this fallen World. Make us to stand tall among our human brethren, to show forth Your power and might and glory to the World, that they will see and know that You have sent Your Son for their benefit, but will also Judge.
Use us, Father, to bring all of Your lost and wayward lambs back from their entanglements in the brambles and briars of the World's ways. Send out Your workers into Your missionary fields, to harvest all who are searching, to gather all of Your chosen into Your One Fold with One Shepherd.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim in every voice and language, that Christ Jesus is Lord God Almighty, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever, Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, October 4, 2019
Thursday, October 3, 2019
In Not Of The World
II Corinthians 6: 11-18
Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide.
We have talked openly to you, and have opened our hearts and lives to you.
You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained by your own affections.
We have not cramped you, hemmed you in, but you have hemmed in your own emotions of affection. You're holding back.
Now in a like exchange--I speak as to children--open wide to us also.
As I see you as my own children, open your hearts to us as we have to you.
Do not be bound together with unbelievers;
Do not make legal business or marriage partnerships with those who don't have the same world-view you have.
for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness,
Obeying the Law and rebelling against the Law cannot agree on anything.
or what fellowship has light with darkness?
Darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, light always overpowers darkness.
Or what harmony has Christ with Belial,
Belial is another name for Satan, the enemy of God. Christ is the anointed by God, and is God. There can be no friendship between God and this enemy of God.
or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
Spiritually, the believer is alive, but the unbeliever is dead.
Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God;
When God's Holy Spirit lives in our spirits, that makes us God's dwelling place, His temple. So there can be no camaraderie between God and devils, demons that back idols.
just as God said,
We are in the World, but we are not to be of the World. We can do business with those who are of the World, but we are not to join with them in their ungodly ways and lifestyles.
O my Father, You are pure, and You are beautiful, and You want us to be pure and beautiful like You as Your children. Please show us where the boundaries are, to know how to do business with the World without condoning or partaking in the corruption of the World. Let us not contaminate ourselves by "touching the unclean thing." Help us to live our lives separate from the World, showing the World how pure and holy You are.
Show us how to manifest Your Love to the World, in how we love You and one another. Your purity is totally uncontaminated by any contact with anything not clean. And Your beauty is Your perfectness in everything You are.
O Father, strengthen us and protect us from the contamination of the World. You know how easy it is for us to slide into compromise with what would spoil our witness for you to the World. Help us to keep ourselves unspotted by the World we live in, as Your royal children.
Open our minds to understand who we are in Your family, to live our lives here as Your children, learning how to be royal, in the humility and graciousness of our Father God. Thank You for working in us, and on us, and even through us, making us into the very image of Your dear Son, our Christ Jesus the Lord.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord God Almighty, sovereign King of the Universe, to the glory of Almighty God the Father!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide.
We have talked openly to you, and have opened our hearts and lives to you.
You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained by your own affections.
We have not cramped you, hemmed you in, but you have hemmed in your own emotions of affection. You're holding back.
Now in a like exchange--I speak as to children--open wide to us also.
As I see you as my own children, open your hearts to us as we have to you.
Do not be bound together with unbelievers;
Do not make legal business or marriage partnerships with those who don't have the same world-view you have.
for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness,
Obeying the Law and rebelling against the Law cannot agree on anything.
or what fellowship has light with darkness?
Darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, light always overpowers darkness.
Or what harmony has Christ with Belial,
Belial is another name for Satan, the enemy of God. Christ is the anointed by God, and is God. There can be no friendship between God and this enemy of God.
or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
Spiritually, the believer is alive, but the unbeliever is dead.
Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God;
When God's Holy Spirit lives in our spirits, that makes us God's dwelling place, His temple. So there can be no camaraderie between God and devils, demons that back idols.
just as God said,
I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people (Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 31:33; 32:38; Ezekiel 36:28; Zechariah 8:8).All these prophets prophesied that one day God would dwell among His people in a very intimate way, being their God, and they devoted to Him without varying.
Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate, says the Lord.We are commanded to separate ourselves from all that is filthy or contaminated or disgusting, not touching any filth at all. We may even need to leave the geographical area where the people are under the Lord's wrath.
And do not touch what is unclean; (Isaiah 52:11; Revelation 18:4).
And I will welcome you. And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty (Jeremiah 31:9; Revelation 21:7).God wants us to be beautiful, not contaminated with any worldly or demonic uncleanness. Jesus' Blood washed us clean, pristine, as though we had never sinned at all, so we would be fit to be able to dwell with God in His very presence as His own family. We are not to go back into the cesspool of excrement again, the pigsty of filth. Or be that close to those who live there.
We are in the World, but we are not to be of the World. We can do business with those who are of the World, but we are not to join with them in their ungodly ways and lifestyles.
O my Father, You are pure, and You are beautiful, and You want us to be pure and beautiful like You as Your children. Please show us where the boundaries are, to know how to do business with the World without condoning or partaking in the corruption of the World. Let us not contaminate ourselves by "touching the unclean thing." Help us to live our lives separate from the World, showing the World how pure and holy You are.
Show us how to manifest Your Love to the World, in how we love You and one another. Your purity is totally uncontaminated by any contact with anything not clean. And Your beauty is Your perfectness in everything You are.
O Father, strengthen us and protect us from the contamination of the World. You know how easy it is for us to slide into compromise with what would spoil our witness for you to the World. Help us to keep ourselves unspotted by the World we live in, as Your royal children.
Open our minds to understand who we are in Your family, to live our lives here as Your children, learning how to be royal, in the humility and graciousness of our Father God. Thank You for working in us, and on us, and even through us, making us into the very image of Your dear Son, our Christ Jesus the Lord.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord God Almighty, sovereign King of the Universe, to the glory of Almighty God the Father!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Today Is The Day Of Salvation
II Corinthians 6: 1-10
And working together with Him, we also urge you to not receive the grace of God in vain--
He says that receiving the grace of God should not be without significance or worthless.
For He says,
Because, just as Isaiah had prophesied so long ago, that "acceptable time" has now come, and "the Day of Salvation" is today. No need to wait for anything else. Don't put it off.
giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,
He didn't want the ministry to suffer injured reputation, which would reduce its effectiveness to rescue people.
but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God,
We belong to God as His servants, serving Him.
in much endurance [patience],
The ability or strength to continue patiently despite adverse conditions.
in afflictions,
Persecutions, anguish.
in hardships [necessities],
Neediness, the indispensable necessities of life.
in distresses,
Narrowness of room, being boxed in.
in beatings [stripes],
Whippings and lashings.
in imprisonments,
Locked up in shackles.
in tumults,
Tossings to and fro; the instability of commotion and confusion, riots, uprisings.
in labors,
Hard physical work.
in sleeplessness [watchings],
Sleepless nights
in hunger [fastings],
Not having enough to eat.
in purity [pureness],
Doing everything with sincere, undiluted motives.
in knowledge,
Knowing all the pertinent facts.
in patience [longsuffering],
Forbearance, fortitude, suffering-long.
in kindness,
Benevolence, having a gentle and gracious attitude.
in the Holy Spirit,
God's Spirit of Truth who lives in each of us, teaching us God's Love and Truth.
in genuine Love,
The affection that causes us to put the loved one's needs before our own, regardless of the cost.
in the Word of Truth,
The unveiled reality of what God has made and who He is and how He sees us. Words are powerful. God's Word created, and our words can build up or tear down. The Word of Truth is Scripture.
in the Power of God;
God's power working in us by His Holy Spirit in us, doing what we would never be able to do ourselves.
by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left,
An implement, utensil or tool for war. Righteousness is our weapon and shield in the battle of good against evil. For both the right hand, promoting righteousness, and the left hand, against unrighteousness.
by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet True;
as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death,
as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.
All these opposites can all be used by God to share the Grace of God with the World. And all the negatives are turned into positives in the Lord's hand.
So the Grace of God should not be considered useless; it's the power of God in us, to share with others boldly.
It doesn't matter where we are in our circumstances and situations, we can always find a way to be kind, or to offer encouragement, or otherwise display the Love of God to others, to draw them to Salvation.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim that Jesus Christ is our Lord God Almighty, our Sovereign King of the Universe, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever, Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And working together with Him, we also urge you to not receive the grace of God in vain--
He says that receiving the grace of God should not be without significance or worthless.
For He says,
At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the Day of Salvation I helped you. (Isaiah 49:8).Behold, now is "the acceptable time," behold, now is "the Day of Salvation"--
Because, just as Isaiah had prophesied so long ago, that "acceptable time" has now come, and "the Day of Salvation" is today. No need to wait for anything else. Don't put it off.
giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,
He didn't want the ministry to suffer injured reputation, which would reduce its effectiveness to rescue people.
but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God,
We belong to God as His servants, serving Him.
in much endurance [patience],
The ability or strength to continue patiently despite adverse conditions.
in afflictions,
Persecutions, anguish.
in hardships [necessities],
Neediness, the indispensable necessities of life.
in distresses,
Narrowness of room, being boxed in.
in beatings [stripes],
Whippings and lashings.
in imprisonments,
Locked up in shackles.
in tumults,
Tossings to and fro; the instability of commotion and confusion, riots, uprisings.
in labors,
Hard physical work.
in sleeplessness [watchings],
Sleepless nights
in hunger [fastings],
Not having enough to eat.
in purity [pureness],
Doing everything with sincere, undiluted motives.
in knowledge,
Knowing all the pertinent facts.
in patience [longsuffering],
Forbearance, fortitude, suffering-long.
in kindness,
Benevolence, having a gentle and gracious attitude.
in the Holy Spirit,
God's Spirit of Truth who lives in each of us, teaching us God's Love and Truth.
in genuine Love,
The affection that causes us to put the loved one's needs before our own, regardless of the cost.
in the Word of Truth,
The unveiled reality of what God has made and who He is and how He sees us. Words are powerful. God's Word created, and our words can build up or tear down. The Word of Truth is Scripture.
in the Power of God;
God's power working in us by His Holy Spirit in us, doing what we would never be able to do ourselves.
by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left,
An implement, utensil or tool for war. Righteousness is our weapon and shield in the battle of good against evil. For both the right hand, promoting righteousness, and the left hand, against unrighteousness.
by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet True;
as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death,
as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.
All these opposites can all be used by God to share the Grace of God with the World. And all the negatives are turned into positives in the Lord's hand.
So the Grace of God should not be considered useless; it's the power of God in us, to share with others boldly.
It doesn't matter where we are in our circumstances and situations, we can always find a way to be kind, or to offer encouragement, or otherwise display the Love of God to others, to draw them to Salvation.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim that Jesus Christ is our Lord God Almighty, our Sovereign King of the Universe, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever, Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Made New To Be Ambassadors
II Corinthians 5: 16-21
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
Jesus is no longer walking this Earth in His body. His Resurrected body is in Heaven now.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
I can testify to this: He saved me out of adultery, idolatry, lying, stealing ...
But no more! Praise God, His Spirit in me has saved me from the pull sin had on me!
Now all these things are from God,
God gives everything to us as a gift, we can't earn or deserve any of it ourselves.
who reconciled us to Himself through Christ
Just as I reconcile my checkbook to the bank statement, God has reconciled us to His holiness. As I change my checkbook to agree with the bank, so God has changed us. We've been reconciled. Jesus settled our debt and washed us clean, now God can forgive us, and make us fit to live with Him.
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the World to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Our job is to tell everybody what God has done! He has already finished all the work, we can only accept His gracious Salvation as a gift. God does not count our trespasses against us because Jesus carried them for us on the Cross. And we are to tell others about how God loves them that much, too.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Ambassadors do not represent their home country, they stand for the leader of their nation. So we are representatives of King Jesus, from our home country of the Kingdom of God, speaking for Him to those in the World. Pleading with them to be reconciled to God. We don't want them to have to pay forever for their sins, when Jesus has already settled that debt, if they would receive it.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
If Jesus had had any sin, He would have had to die for His own. But because He was without sin, He was able to bear ours. And not just to bear our sins, but to actually be sin, to take upon Himself our very sin-nature: The whole basket, and everything in it. Taking our place in death. We are the criminals who deserve execution.
so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
So that we would be able to not only have righteousness, but to become the righteousness of God, to have His righteous Life living in us, His Holy Spirit. So we don't just have a relationship with God, Jesus is making us one with God. We all have the one Holy Spirit living in our spirit, so we are all one spiritual body, with Christ being our Head.
This is the most incredible thing to me! We don't just have His righteousness, we are His righteousness, in Christ.
So let's live our lives like we really believe this. God's Holy Spirit in us gives us the power and authority to face down Satan and all his schemes, and to turn away from every temptation that assails us. We don't have to be the way we used to be, we've been made NEW!
We can do it! Let's live like it! Let's think righteous thoughts, and have righteous attitudes, and do righteous deeds for the furtherance of His Kingdom.
Let's love one another with the Love God Loves us with, to love them into the Kingdom!
And God will receive all the glory! He will smile down on us, pleased that His children are learning His ways and doing life the way He planned for us! Just like we are pleased when our own children follow in our steps.
When, as His ambassadors, we represent King Jesus to our family members and coworkers and neighbors, they will see Christ in us, and be drawn to Him.
And when every living person has heard and understood the Good News sufficiently to decide whether to follow Him or reject Him, then the end will come. Jesus will return and set up His Kingdom right here on this old Earth!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Christ Jesus is our Lord God Almighty, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
Jesus is no longer walking this Earth in His body. His Resurrected body is in Heaven now.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
I can testify to this: He saved me out of adultery, idolatry, lying, stealing ...
But no more! Praise God, His Spirit in me has saved me from the pull sin had on me!
Now all these things are from God,
God gives everything to us as a gift, we can't earn or deserve any of it ourselves.
who reconciled us to Himself through Christ
Just as I reconcile my checkbook to the bank statement, God has reconciled us to His holiness. As I change my checkbook to agree with the bank, so God has changed us. We've been reconciled. Jesus settled our debt and washed us clean, now God can forgive us, and make us fit to live with Him.
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the World to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Our job is to tell everybody what God has done! He has already finished all the work, we can only accept His gracious Salvation as a gift. God does not count our trespasses against us because Jesus carried them for us on the Cross. And we are to tell others about how God loves them that much, too.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Ambassadors do not represent their home country, they stand for the leader of their nation. So we are representatives of King Jesus, from our home country of the Kingdom of God, speaking for Him to those in the World. Pleading with them to be reconciled to God. We don't want them to have to pay forever for their sins, when Jesus has already settled that debt, if they would receive it.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
If Jesus had had any sin, He would have had to die for His own. But because He was without sin, He was able to bear ours. And not just to bear our sins, but to actually be sin, to take upon Himself our very sin-nature: The whole basket, and everything in it. Taking our place in death. We are the criminals who deserve execution.
so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
So that we would be able to not only have righteousness, but to become the righteousness of God, to have His righteous Life living in us, His Holy Spirit. So we don't just have a relationship with God, Jesus is making us one with God. We all have the one Holy Spirit living in our spirit, so we are all one spiritual body, with Christ being our Head.
This is the most incredible thing to me! We don't just have His righteousness, we are His righteousness, in Christ.
So let's live our lives like we really believe this. God's Holy Spirit in us gives us the power and authority to face down Satan and all his schemes, and to turn away from every temptation that assails us. We don't have to be the way we used to be, we've been made NEW!
We can do it! Let's live like it! Let's think righteous thoughts, and have righteous attitudes, and do righteous deeds for the furtherance of His Kingdom.
Let's love one another with the Love God Loves us with, to love them into the Kingdom!
And God will receive all the glory! He will smile down on us, pleased that His children are learning His ways and doing life the way He planned for us! Just like we are pleased when our own children follow in our steps.
When, as His ambassadors, we represent King Jesus to our family members and coworkers and neighbors, they will see Christ in us, and be drawn to Him.
And when every living person has heard and understood the Good News sufficiently to decide whether to follow Him or reject Him, then the end will come. Jesus will return and set up His Kingdom right here on this old Earth!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Christ Jesus is our Lord God Almighty, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, September 30, 2019
The Love Of Christ Controls Us For ... ?
II Corinthians 5: 11-15
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men,
The terror of the Lord, knowing that He is our Judge, is why we try to persuade people to believe the Gospel. We don't want them to be condemned.
but we are made manifest to God;
We are readily perceived by God, we are obvious and plain to His understanding of who we are, we have no secrets from Him.
and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.
Paul wants to be seen by these brothers and sisters just as clearly and uncomplicated as God sees him.
We all should have this attitude of wanting to be known simply and clearly by those around us, as if we live in glass houses.
We are not again commending ourselves to you
We're not trying to boast to build ourselves up in your eyes.
but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.
Paul is the example they can hold up in answer to those who only talk, but don't have the character to back it up.
For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
If we seem crazy, God will sort us out; or if we are sane, it is for your benefit.
For the love of Christ controls us,
His Love in us constrains us from doing what would not be good for you.
having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
Because Jesus died for each one of us, it's as though we all died.
and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
This is the Good News, that Jesus is our Lamb of God, whose Blood has more than enough value to pay the sin-debt of every person who ever lived.
Now those who have been saved are no longer to live as though nothing happened to them spiritually, but to consider that they died with Christ on the Cross; and as He rose from the dead with a new Life, so they are to also live their lives as though they are risen from the old life to a brand-new life, with the Holy Spirit living in their spirits now, with the power and authority to live for the benefit of their Lord who bought them.
This is the picture we act out in Baptism. See my blog of June 5, 2019 for this explanation.
O my Father, please help us all to understand what You have done for us in Christ. Help us to take seriously what You have accomplished supernaturally in each one of us, causing us to be born into Your own family, as Your children. And now You are teaching us how to live as royal princes and princesses with the pure and noble character of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Father, teach us how to think Your thoughts, to have Your attitudes toward the things in our lives, to have the World-View You have, and to understand events according to Your Word.
Send out more workers into Your mission fields, Father; send each one of us to go at least once for a little while, to see what people in other areas face as they live their lives. Broadcast Your Word to every living person, using our mouths, our fingers, our hands and feet meeting their needs, showing them Your Love for them, too.
And may every lost sheep be brought into the safety and belonging of Your One Fold with One Shepherd. And all the rest will have no excuse.
And every eye shall see, every ear shall hear, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim in every language that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Sovereign King, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever, Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men,
The terror of the Lord, knowing that He is our Judge, is why we try to persuade people to believe the Gospel. We don't want them to be condemned.
but we are made manifest to God;
We are readily perceived by God, we are obvious and plain to His understanding of who we are, we have no secrets from Him.
and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.
Paul wants to be seen by these brothers and sisters just as clearly and uncomplicated as God sees him.
We all should have this attitude of wanting to be known simply and clearly by those around us, as if we live in glass houses.
We are not again commending ourselves to you
We're not trying to boast to build ourselves up in your eyes.
but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.
Paul is the example they can hold up in answer to those who only talk, but don't have the character to back it up.
For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
If we seem crazy, God will sort us out; or if we are sane, it is for your benefit.
For the love of Christ controls us,
His Love in us constrains us from doing what would not be good for you.
having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
Because Jesus died for each one of us, it's as though we all died.
and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
This is the Good News, that Jesus is our Lamb of God, whose Blood has more than enough value to pay the sin-debt of every person who ever lived.
Now those who have been saved are no longer to live as though nothing happened to them spiritually, but to consider that they died with Christ on the Cross; and as He rose from the dead with a new Life, so they are to also live their lives as though they are risen from the old life to a brand-new life, with the Holy Spirit living in their spirits now, with the power and authority to live for the benefit of their Lord who bought them.
This is the picture we act out in Baptism. See my blog of June 5, 2019 for this explanation.
O my Father, please help us all to understand what You have done for us in Christ. Help us to take seriously what You have accomplished supernaturally in each one of us, causing us to be born into Your own family, as Your children. And now You are teaching us how to live as royal princes and princesses with the pure and noble character of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Father, teach us how to think Your thoughts, to have Your attitudes toward the things in our lives, to have the World-View You have, and to understand events according to Your Word.
Send out more workers into Your mission fields, Father; send each one of us to go at least once for a little while, to see what people in other areas face as they live their lives. Broadcast Your Word to every living person, using our mouths, our fingers, our hands and feet meeting their needs, showing them Your Love for them, too.
And may every lost sheep be brought into the safety and belonging of Your One Fold with One Shepherd. And all the rest will have no excuse.
And every eye shall see, every ear shall hear, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim in every language that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Sovereign King, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever, Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Our Highest Ambition
II Corinthians 5: 6-11
(6) Therefore, being always of good courage,
Having confidence in the promise of God in the earnest of His Spirit (yesterday).
and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--
(7) for we walk by faith, not by sight--
We are absent from the Lord in that we don't see Him with our eyes, only by faith.
(8) we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
We are confident that when we leave these bodies we will be at home with the Lord, which will be much better than our life here.
(9) Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
We all should have as our highest ambition that everything we do would be what He would have us to be doing, no matter how mundane or ordinary. So whether we are living here in our bodies, or are gone to be with the Lord, we want to be pleasing to Him.
(10) For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
This is the Judgment Seat of Christ, our Judge, the Bema Seat for rewards, where He will have rewards for each one of us; some more, some less (see The Judgement Seat Of Christ For Rewards and Our Great Prize).
(11) Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord ...
Knowing that Jesus will be our Judge should give us a healthy fear, a deep respect for His authority and righteousness, to encourage us to live our lives according to His ways.
O my Father, help us to always consider You in everything we do, whether we are doing mundane, everyday, ordinary things, or we're serving formally or informally, or shopping, or working, or whatever we're doing, that we would do it for Your glory, praising You for the ability to do it.
Show us how to love one another as You have Loved us, knowing each one of us, and meeting all of our personal needs, as well as our eternal needs. Help us to discern the best way to minister to the needs of those we encounter, to be Christ to them.
And not because we want to be rewarded, Father. Let us love You, and may Your Love for us be our motivation to serve those You Love, because You Love them.
And when Jesus returns, may we be surprised at the rewards He has for us. And thankful and grateful for all You have done for us. Because You are the one doing it all, just using us as Your hands and feet.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
(6) Therefore, being always of good courage,
Having confidence in the promise of God in the earnest of His Spirit (yesterday).
and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--
(7) for we walk by faith, not by sight--
We are absent from the Lord in that we don't see Him with our eyes, only by faith.
(8) we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
We are confident that when we leave these bodies we will be at home with the Lord, which will be much better than our life here.
(9) Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
We all should have as our highest ambition that everything we do would be what He would have us to be doing, no matter how mundane or ordinary. So whether we are living here in our bodies, or are gone to be with the Lord, we want to be pleasing to Him.
(10) For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
This is the Judgment Seat of Christ, our Judge, the Bema Seat for rewards, where He will have rewards for each one of us; some more, some less (see The Judgement Seat Of Christ For Rewards and Our Great Prize).
(11) Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord ...
Knowing that Jesus will be our Judge should give us a healthy fear, a deep respect for His authority and righteousness, to encourage us to live our lives according to His ways.
O my Father, help us to always consider You in everything we do, whether we are doing mundane, everyday, ordinary things, or we're serving formally or informally, or shopping, or working, or whatever we're doing, that we would do it for Your glory, praising You for the ability to do it.
Show us how to love one another as You have Loved us, knowing each one of us, and meeting all of our personal needs, as well as our eternal needs. Help us to discern the best way to minister to the needs of those we encounter, to be Christ to them.
And not because we want to be rewarded, Father. Let us love You, and may Your Love for us be our motivation to serve those You Love, because You Love them.
And when Jesus returns, may we be surprised at the rewards He has for us. And thankful and grateful for all You have done for us. Because You are the one doing it all, just using us as Your hands and feet.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Why We Groan
II Corinthians 5: 1-5
For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.
We know that our physical bodies are only temporary, and will not last very many years. Even if we live to be a hundred years old, it's just a drop in the bucket of Time. And when this body wears out, we already have a spiritual body that God made, waiting for us in Heaven.
For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from Heaven,
While we live here in our mortal bodies, we are vulnerable to sicknesses and injuries and malfunctions of our systems. We wear out and wear down. We're looking forward to having that spiritual body that is not subject to any of these weaknesses.
inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.
We don't want to be without our bodies, we need them to express our thoughts and emotions and to do actions, to live our lives. We need bodies to live in.
For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by Life.
We have to have some kind of body, in order to live a life; but we want for these frail, temporary bodies to be superseded by the strong, invulnerable, eternal, spiritual bodies we will be getting.
Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God,
God is the One who planned for us to be His own children, before He made anything, with the perfect, spiritual bodies He's built for us already. That's why He created us. That's His purpose for each one of us. That's why He's working in us to grow us in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, into His very image, His character and perfection, which is the same as God the Father.
who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
A pledge is a down payment of what is to come. God's Holy Spirit gives us God's Life, to make our dead human spirits alive while we live here now in this World.
This divine Life in us gives us the power and authority to do God's work here now, and to overcome temptation and the enemy in the authority of His Name.
We are already, right now, children in the divine family of God (I John 3:2). We are not to consider ourselves gods now, because we are still little children in school; but when we "graduate" and receive the spiritual bodies He has for us, then we will be His kings and queens, sitting with King Jesus on His throne, as He sits with His Father on His throne. That means we will have His authority to rule. But we will always be under His authority over us, as God the Father is over the Son.
Understanding this order of authority is the kernel of faith; the central, most important part of what our faith is. It's putting ourselves into submission to our Lord, and in extension, to one another. It's loving God and loving each other as He has loved us. It's the basis for all of the Law and the Prophets.
And it's why God created. He made this whole Universe to put the Earth here, and He made the Earth to be the ideal environment for Mankind, putting in it everything we could ever need in living here. And to use it as an institute of learning for us, with His Word as our central textbook. Every other book we would add to our curriculum must concur with this divine tome.
And when we've finished our schooling, learned every lesson, passed every test; then we will "graduate" into being His adult children, with His authority to run His family business. This is the Kingdom of God.
This was God's plan from the beginning. He wanted a large family (Romans 8:29), an enormous family, because His Kingdom will never stop growing! (Isaiah 9:7.)
So it's up to us, brothers and sisters, to share with as many others as we can what God has done for us, as His witnesses (Acts 1:8). And to pray the Lord of the Harvest that He send more workers into His fields (Luke 10:2), His missionary fields, that are full of ripe hearts (Luke 4:35), ready to receive and respond to the Good News.
Because when every living being has heard and understood the Gospel well enough to make an informed decision whether to accept or reject His gracious offer, then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). The last trumpet shall sound (Revelation 11:15-18), and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (I Corinthians 15:52, see September 12, 2019.
O my Father, You are our good, good Father! You made us to be Your own children, and You have done everything possible and impossible to make us fit to live with You and reign over Your Kingdom! You have done it all, Father!
You have made us, You have saved us, You have sacrificed Your very best, most precious, for us; and you ask us to also give our best back to You. You made us to be like You, in Your image and likeness, and Your plan will be completed, without fail.
You, my Father, are the maker of promises and keeper of promises. You have told us the whole story, and how we are to respond to it, and to You. And You have given us the power and authority to do Your work, both now and forevermore.
Please continue to work in each one of us, Father; to wake us up, to enable us to accomplish Your will each day of our lives, submitting to You and to one another.
And You take pleasure in our progress, for You do all things according to Your will; and we receive the benefit. Father, smile down on us as we toil in Your service; help us to focus on what You have planned for each of us, not getting distracted by what draws us away from Your plan.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Lord God Almighty, our King of the Universe, to the credit and glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever, Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.
We know that our physical bodies are only temporary, and will not last very many years. Even if we live to be a hundred years old, it's just a drop in the bucket of Time. And when this body wears out, we already have a spiritual body that God made, waiting for us in Heaven.
For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from Heaven,
While we live here in our mortal bodies, we are vulnerable to sicknesses and injuries and malfunctions of our systems. We wear out and wear down. We're looking forward to having that spiritual body that is not subject to any of these weaknesses.
inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.
We don't want to be without our bodies, we need them to express our thoughts and emotions and to do actions, to live our lives. We need bodies to live in.
For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by Life.
We have to have some kind of body, in order to live a life; but we want for these frail, temporary bodies to be superseded by the strong, invulnerable, eternal, spiritual bodies we will be getting.
Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God,
God is the One who planned for us to be His own children, before He made anything, with the perfect, spiritual bodies He's built for us already. That's why He created us. That's His purpose for each one of us. That's why He's working in us to grow us in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, into His very image, His character and perfection, which is the same as God the Father.
who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
A pledge is a down payment of what is to come. God's Holy Spirit gives us God's Life, to make our dead human spirits alive while we live here now in this World.
This divine Life in us gives us the power and authority to do God's work here now, and to overcome temptation and the enemy in the authority of His Name.
We are already, right now, children in the divine family of God (I John 3:2). We are not to consider ourselves gods now, because we are still little children in school; but when we "graduate" and receive the spiritual bodies He has for us, then we will be His kings and queens, sitting with King Jesus on His throne, as He sits with His Father on His throne. That means we will have His authority to rule. But we will always be under His authority over us, as God the Father is over the Son.
Understanding this order of authority is the kernel of faith; the central, most important part of what our faith is. It's putting ourselves into submission to our Lord, and in extension, to one another. It's loving God and loving each other as He has loved us. It's the basis for all of the Law and the Prophets.
And it's why God created. He made this whole Universe to put the Earth here, and He made the Earth to be the ideal environment for Mankind, putting in it everything we could ever need in living here. And to use it as an institute of learning for us, with His Word as our central textbook. Every other book we would add to our curriculum must concur with this divine tome.
And when we've finished our schooling, learned every lesson, passed every test; then we will "graduate" into being His adult children, with His authority to run His family business. This is the Kingdom of God.
This was God's plan from the beginning. He wanted a large family (Romans 8:29), an enormous family, because His Kingdom will never stop growing! (Isaiah 9:7.)
So it's up to us, brothers and sisters, to share with as many others as we can what God has done for us, as His witnesses (Acts 1:8). And to pray the Lord of the Harvest that He send more workers into His fields (Luke 10:2), His missionary fields, that are full of ripe hearts (Luke 4:35), ready to receive and respond to the Good News.
Because when every living being has heard and understood the Gospel well enough to make an informed decision whether to accept or reject His gracious offer, then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). The last trumpet shall sound (Revelation 11:15-18), and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (I Corinthians 15:52, see September 12, 2019.
O my Father, You are our good, good Father! You made us to be Your own children, and You have done everything possible and impossible to make us fit to live with You and reign over Your Kingdom! You have done it all, Father!
You have made us, You have saved us, You have sacrificed Your very best, most precious, for us; and you ask us to also give our best back to You. You made us to be like You, in Your image and likeness, and Your plan will be completed, without fail.
You, my Father, are the maker of promises and keeper of promises. You have told us the whole story, and how we are to respond to it, and to You. And You have given us the power and authority to do Your work, both now and forevermore.
Please continue to work in each one of us, Father; to wake us up, to enable us to accomplish Your will each day of our lives, submitting to You and to one another.
And You take pleasure in our progress, for You do all things according to Your will; and we receive the benefit. Father, smile down on us as we toil in Your service; help us to focus on what You have planned for each of us, not getting distracted by what draws us away from Your plan.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Lord God Almighty, our King of the Universe, to the credit and glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever, Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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