409. Hebrews 11:29-12:2. The Heroes of Faith REALLY Believed. A Reading for Sunday 14 August 2022

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

In this chapter 11 of Hebrews we see the necessity of faith to please God and to receive His blessings. The whole chapter is a catalogue of people who had faith and through whose faith God did great things.

A]. THE FAITH OF THOSE WHO BROUGHT ISRAEL FROM BONDAGE TO FREEDOM. 11:29-31

The people of Israel under the leadership of Moses

  • 29, “By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.” At a time when it seemed they were at the mercy of the pursuing Egyptian army, the Israelites stepped out in faith to cross the Red Sea which miraculously opened up before them. Their faith was rewarded and they were saved by the hand of Almighty God who had done this for them. 

The People of Israel under the leadership of Joshua

  • 30 “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” Joshua the successor to Moses had led the people to the outskirts of Jericho. He was instructed by God to command the people to march around the city 7 times on the seventh day and then to blow the trumpets. It did not sound like a strong military strategy but the people obeyed and blew the trumpets.  As they did so, the walls collapsed, the Israelites took the city, and the victory was won. 

An Unlikely Ally in God’s Purposes

  • 31 “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.” Rahab had shown her faith in the God of Israel by welcoming and protecting the Israelite spies. Somehow she believed that the God of Israel was powerful and wanted to destroy Jericho. Her faith allowed the spies to do their spying safely and God Himself secured the victory for the Israelites. She allowed herself to become an instrument in God’s purposes and she was saved from death.

B]. THE FAITH OF OTHER FAITHFUL ISRAELITE LEADERS. 11:32-34

  • 32 “And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.“ 

Not only were Moses and Joshua raised up by the Lord, but He also raised up many more people to lead His people during their history. Some of these people mentioned here were mighty men of God but the emphasis in this passage was on the faith they had, that enabled them to do what they did. 

C]. THE FAITH OF THOSE WHO REMAINED FAITHFUL IN SPITE OF HORRIFIC SUFFERING. 11:35-40

In the above we have read of many of Israel’s heroes, but the writer is at pains to include a list of those who were faithful to God but who underwent much suffering for their faith. Many of them are unknown to us but the encouraging thing is that God wanted the writer of this letter to the Hebrews to show that their sufferings were not ignored or neglected by God. He includes them in the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 to show that the world was not worthy of such people. No cry for help was ever ignored by God, no tear was ever shed that escaped the Lord’s notice. No work of faith they had ever completed or attempted to do in faith, would miss out on His reward. 

  • “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 
  • They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. 
  • They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
  • 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”

Faith is always rewarded by God but timing is according to His timetable, not ours!

As verses 39 and 40 indicate, the reward for such people was delayed until it could be shared with His people of a later time. As one commentary has remarked, “Although they saw the fulfilment of specific promises in this life (e.g. 6:15; 11:11, 33), none of them experienced the blessings of the Messianic era and of the new covenant. In his gracious providence, God had planned something better for us in the sense that their enjoyment of perfection through Jesus Christ would only be together with us. The writer’s point is to stress the enormous privilege of living ‘in these last days’ (1:2). [New Bible Commentary.]

D]. THE NEED FOR THE EXERCISE OF FAITH FOR BELIEVERS IN ALL AGES

The encouragement of the faith shown in former believers

12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.” 

The witness of all these heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 envelops us as we seek to live for the Lord. It’s as though we are in a large library and the pictures and deeds of those who have preceded us in life are hanging like portraits on the walls surrounding us. By their silent witness they are encouraging us in our own faith. 

Our response to this truth

As we are encouraged by their witness there are two things we need to do. 

The first is to get rid of unnecessary baggage, “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.” Anything in our lives that slows us down in our Christian walk has to be got rid of, especially sin.

The second thing we are to do, is to “run with endurance the race that is set before us.” All of us as believers have a race to run in life. And we need endurance to run it. We have the witness of the Hebrews 11 heroes of faith to inspire us but the writer tells us to look at a greater example of endurance, “looking to Jesus.” Hebrews 12:2. He then goes on to explain what he means. 

E]. THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS TO INSPIRE US. 12:2

“[Jesus] the founder and perfecter of our faith.” The word “our” is not in the original text for Jesus is the founder and perfecter of the faith. It is He who is responsible for faith in any person and He helps sustain it and bring it to completion in every believer’s life. He is the example par excellence of faith for His whole life was lived with faith in His heavenly Father and in obedience to His Father’s will. 

The writer says that Jesus’ whole ministry was motivated by joy, “who for the joy that was set before him.” Dying on the cross for sinners and offering Himself as the sacrifice to take away the sin of the world, was not going to be a pleasant experience. But doing the will of God and fulfilling God’s plan for the world, was going to bring a joyful result. What was involved in doing the will of God for Jesus to enable Him to experience that joy?

What He Did To Experience His Joy

“[Jesus] endured the cross.”  It is impossible for sinful humans ever to understand the degree of physical and mental endurance Jesus needed as He hung on the cross for sinners”. But it was the spiritual suffering He endured that made Him cry out on the cross, ““Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” His Father had to turn His back on His Son as Jesus was made sin for us. But later his cry of faith was changed to “Father into Your hands I commit My spirit!” as in faith He committed Himself to His Heavenly Father who had accepted His Son’s sacrifice to take away the sin of the world.

His Attitude In What He Did To Experience His Joy

“despising the shame.” It was a shameful thing to be nailed to the cross. The words “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” Gal 3:13 is indicative of what people of that time thought of crucifixion. But Jesus “despised“ that thought [where the word for “despised” is [kataphroneō; καταφρονέω] meaning to think against, or to think little of]. The thought did not deter Him from being willing to suffer and endure on the cross if that was the will of God for Him.

The End Result Of What He Did In Experiencing His Joy

”and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” There can be no higher place than to be seated at the right hand of God. Jesus had fulfilled the Father’s plan for the salvation of the world and was raised by the Father to His place in glory. 

An Amazing Truth We Need To Know

There is a little understood corollary to this truth of Jesus being seated at the right hand of God, which is found in Ephesians 2:4-9 where Paul reminds us that we too have been raised with Christ. God sees us now as being seated with Christ at His right hand in glory. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

It is absolutely amazing to read of all Christ has done for sinners. But it is also amazing that our faith in Jesus has enabled God to bless us with a seat at His right hand, in Christ, in the place of acceptance, honour and authority.

Our response surely to the love and mercy of God and to the faith Jesus showed in dying for us, must be to live for Him for the rest of our lives, as Paul wrote, “And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” 2 Corinthians 5:15.

Blog No.409 posted on Tuesday 26 July 2022

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408 HEBREWS 11:1-3 AND 11:8-16. WHAT IS FAITH? A Reading for Sunday 07 August 2022

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

WHAT IS FAITH?

This is a question many of us have asked in the past when we were trying to ascertain whether a particular person [perhaps even ourselves] was acting in faith or in sheer presumption. This chapter helps to clarify the nature of faith. The writer notes the following about faith.

  • “Now faith is the assurance [NOTE 1] of things hoped for.”  Faith is built upon hope. That means in Christian terms, believing in the certainty that God’s promises will come true.  Hope is based on the certainty of God’s character and on the truths of His word. Faith looks in expectancy to the fulfilling of those promises and truths from His word.
  • “the conviction [NOTE 2] of things not seen.“ Jesus spoke to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29. There is a blessing on those who truly believe God in spite of an apparent lack of evidence. Faith allows God to make the invisible become visible in one’s experience.
  • 2, “For by it the people of old received their commendation.” [NOTE 3]. The writer is about to describe the faith of many of the Old Testament saints which made them commendable, acceptable or approved in God’s sight.
  • 3, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” Faith believes that the whole universe was made out of nothing that previously existed. God in creation spoke the universe into being. It was creation “ex nihilo” out of nothing.   

ABRAHAM AND SARAH AS EXAMPLES OF FAITH

The Person Of Faith Responds To God

  • 8 “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.“

Even today we know the tensions of having to move from one location to another. Especially when you realise that you may never return to the familiar background in which you were born and lived. An extra dimension in Abraham’s faith was that when he departed he still did not know where his destination would be. 

The Person Of Faith Sacrifices Everything For God

  • 9, “By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. “

The Person Of Faith Believes That Impossibilities Can Become Possible By The Power Of God

  • 11, “By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”

Sarah had obviously given up hope of bearing a child to Abraham and when she was told by an angelic messenger that she was to bear a child when she was beyond the age to bear children, she initially laughed at the idea [as did Abraham]. But her faith prevailed, and she gave birth to the promised child, Isaac. 

God had said to Abraham when Sarah laughed at the prospect of bearing a child, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Both Abraham and Sarah discovered that human impossibilities can become possible by the Lord’s power when it is according to the will of God.

THE Person Of Faith Believes That God’s Followers Can Believe In The Present For Things To Be Fulfilled In The Future

  • 13, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”
  • The writer sums up these examples of faith by stating that they all kept looking to God for His promises to be fulfilled in His time and not just their own. They had seen themselves as being dependent on God for His guidance and provision and as having no permanent home until the Lord led them to the place of His choosing. Their security lay in God’s ongoing promises to them and not on His past provision to them. They wanted, by faith, what He wanted for them [a better country] even if it had not been fulfilled before they died. As the writer added, “for he has prepared for them a city.” They would not miss out on receiving the promise of God!

SUMMARY.

It is humbling for believers today to read of the faith of these Old Testaments saints. They didn’t have the written Bible nor the experiences of believers throughout the ages to be encouraged by. They simply trusted in the promises they received by God and stepped out in faith to fulfil His purpose for them. What we have in these verses is the record of how God saw them as faithful and commended them for their faith. 

He was “not ashamed to be called their God.”

As we will see in the next chapter, the writer uses these examples of faith in the Old Testament saints to encourage believers in every generation in their Christian pilgrimage, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1.

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[NOTE 1.] “Assurance” [hypostasis; ὑπόστασις] is literally “to stand under “and can be translated as “confidence, substance, real being.“  The New English Bible translated the phrase as “Faith gives substance to our hopes.” Faith believes something promised can come true and brings it into being as a reality. It provides the substance to the often unseen reality.

[NOTE 2.]  “Conviction.” [elegchos;  ἔλεγχος] means “proof, conviction, evidence, reproof.” It is used by John to describe the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit as He reveals the sinfulness of sin in the life of an individual. John 16:8, “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” In other words, He will make people realise the reality of what sin is, in the sight of God. Believers will have a conviction of the truths given by God to His people.

[NOTE 3.]  “Commendation.”  [martyreō; μαρτυρέω] means to be a witness, testify, give witness, and here in the passive voice, be well reported of, to be of good report. Here the commendation is given by God for their faith in Him, His word and His promises. 

Blog No.408 posted on Thursday 14 July 2022.

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407. Colossians 3:1-11. Living The New Life In Christ. Reading for Sunday 31 July 2022

Posted on July 6, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

There is a tremendous truth that we need to know about and to act on as Christian believers. St Paul reminded his readers in Colossae of this truth when he wrote that the truth is that all believers have entered into a faith-union with Christ in His death and resurrection.

A]. THE TRUTH ABOUT THE NEW SELF AS A BELIEVER. 3:1-4

Paul stated the truth in these words, “If then you have been raised with Christ” believing them to be true. Not only were they buried with Christ in His baptism but they had been raised to new life with Christ in His resurrection. [In fact in Ephesians 2:6 he added that believers had also ascended with Christ in His ascension and been seated in Him at the right hand of God in heaven.] Such was the grace of God for those who repented and trusted in Christ for forgiveness and salvation.

Responding to God’s grace 

Such grace by God requires a human response and Paul states what it is in the following words “Seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” 

He followed that command with another similar one. 

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.“ [NOTE 1]. 

Believers had to consciously adjust their thinking to concentrate on the more spiritual aspects of their new life and less on the materialistic aspects of their former lives. 

The reason for these commands?

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Their old lives had come to an end through their faith-union with Christ and their new lives were linked inwardly and intimately with Christ. Two truths are joined here. 

I]. One is that the believers’ lives are so linked with Christ’s, that He has become their life. It’s a truth Paul wrote about His own life in Galatians 2:20, when he affirmed, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” When people are willing to die to themselves and allow Christ to fill them with His presence, then it allows Christ to express His life through these bodies which are yielded to Him.

Ii]. The second truth shows what would be the result of their obedience. “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Any future appearance of Christ such as His coming in glory will also be an appearance of them with Him in glory. Paul does not go on to elaborate on this concept but simply saw it as the result of the believers’ faith-union with Christ in chapter 3 of his letter to them. It is a truth that could revolutionise our own lives today if we fully understood it and put it into practice. Paul describes these truths and then using the word “therefore,” he explains how they were to act on it.

B]. ACTING ON THE TRUTH AS A NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST. 3:5-11.

a. Putting To Death The Old Nature

Paul recognised that believers still lived in physical bodies in this material world and needed to act on what God had done for them as new creatures in Christ.

That meant the following, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you.” They were to recognise any aspects of their lives that were not in accord with the will of God and put those aspects to death. He lists them as “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.“  

Most of these sins are part of the works of the flesh, or the characteristics of the old flesh nature that Paul wrote about in Galatians 5:19-21. They had once lived with those characteristics, “In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.” But no longer were they to do so. “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.“ As new creatures in Christ their outward expressions in their feelings, and even in their speech, had to be different. Because now they WERE different!

b. The New Self Has Been Put On And The Old Self Has Been Put Off

Paul concludes this section by commanding them not to lie to one another, “Do not lie to one another,” but he gives the reason why they shouldn’t lie, “seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.“  NOTE 2]. 

In other words, the old has gone and the new has come. They are now different people from what they used to be. The old self has been put off and the new self keeps on being renewed to be more like Christ in a deeper knowledge given by Christ. 

In a final statement, Paul reminds them that their sufficiency is in Christ and in Him alone, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” They were no longer to think in human terms or categories but to focus on Christ as their sufficiency and on all they had in Him. They needed no other, nor anything apart from Him, for He was “all and in all!”

SUMMING UP

Again we see that Paul’s ethics are derived from his theology. This section of Colossians chapter 3 reinforces this truth. He points out what Christ has done for His creatures in His death and Resurrection. Then he stresses the implications of those truths for the lives of His followers.  

The theme in this passage is ‘newness.” They had died with Christ in their faith-union with Him and had become new with new selves to put on. That meant being focussed on their new lives in Christ and seeking those things above and setting their minds on them. 

That meant living new lives by the grace of God and putting to death anything in their lives that was not in accord with the will of God. They now were different and had to live out that difference in their renewed lives. 

Paul encouraged them with the reminder that the newness they now enjoyed stemmed from God’s grace in renewing them with the new nature Christ had given them, and that in Him, they had all they needed to live godly lives for Him. 

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[NOTE 1.] “Seek” is from [zēteō; ζητέω] meaning to seek or to desire, while “Set your mind on” is from [phroneō; φρονέω] meaning to exercise the mind, or to set the affection on or to be of the same mind. That meant actively seeking out the higher spiritual truths and setting their minds on knowing them and living by them.

[NOTE 2]. The “new” in “new self ” is [neos; νέος] meaning new in contrast with the old self. However this new self is radically different from the old self because God is renewing the believer with His power.

“Being renewed” is from a different word for “new” and is [anakainoō;nἀνακαινόω] meaning being made fresh or young, becoming radically different. Christ renews His followers to be like Himself as they open up to Him in faith and in a growing dependence on Him. 

Blog.No.407 posted on Wednesday 06 July 2022.

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Bible verses. Comments, Creation, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Glorification, Holy Spirit, Justification, Lectionary Readings Year C [All years], New Covenant, Prayer, Salvation, Sanctification, Second coming of Jesus, spiritual warfare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

406. On Colossians 2:6-15. A Reading for 24 July 2022. 

Posted on July 3, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

I remember reading decades ago that the famous Chinese Christian writer Watchman Nee wrote something like this, “When I am reading the Bible and come to a “therefore”, I stop and try to see what the “therefore” is there for, and every time I get a blessing.” As we have noted in previous articles, Paul’s ethics are built on his theology, for true behaviour stems from true belief.

A true belief behaves itself truly. In other words, what Watchmen Nee was saying was that Paul’s “therefores” mark the distinction in his writings from the truths about the person and work of Jesus, and the ethical demands those truths place upon Christ’s followers. 

Paul’s ethical exhortations are never simply plucked out of the air but rather follow on from the truths he has been previously expounding. “This is what Christ has done, therefore this is how you are meant to respond.” That is the case in this passage as well.  As verse 6 says, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.” We bring out the implications of that below. 

A]. OUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S GRACE TO US IN CHRIST 2:6-8.

1.  Walking in step with Jesus. 2:6.

6, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.” 

“Receiving” Jesus is the same as believing in Him. This is seen in John 1:12, where John wrote, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.” Now that they belonged to the people of God they were to walk in His ways. 

Jesus saw that following Him meant walking in the light He had come to bring.  “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12. And in John 12:35, “So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.” 

The Christian life is a life lived in fellowship with Him, walking with Him in His way.

 2.   Living in union with Jesus. 2:7

The Christian is seen to be in union with Christ as Paul explains in 2:7, they were “rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” “Rooted” is a perfect participle denoting the security of the believer in Christ. “Built up” is a present participle denoting the growth helping them to become more established in the faith. Thus there was a need for abundant thanksgiving on their part. All we can actually give to God is our praise and thanksgiving as we offer Him all we are and have!

  3.  Living while being focussed on Jesus. 2:8.

The Colossian believers had been exposed to false teaching that did not give Jesus His rightful place. So Paul warned them, 8, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.“ The phrase to “take captive” is from [sylagōgeō; συλαγωγέω] meaning to carry away as a captive or to lead away from the truth. False doctrine has that tendency to confuse and to weaken one’s faith. Their solution was to maintain their hold on Christ and not to look for anything adfitional apart from Him.

B}. WHAT WE HAVE IN JESUS. 2:9-15

Paul now adds a wonderful exposition of the truths about Jesus and our relationship with Him. 

1. Christ fills us with His fulness. 2:9-10

It is obvious that any sense of fulness must exist in God alone from whom all things derive and exist. But that fulness exists also in Christ, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” 2:9. The amazing truth is that believers are also filled with that fulness, “and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. “2:10.

What Paul is saying is that believers have all they need in Christ and need not look to any other source to be filled as they seek to live for Him! 

2. Christ sets us free to live for Him. 2:11-12.

Their baptism had signified a deep spiritual truth, namely that they had undergone a spiritual circumcision in being baptised into Christ and into His circumcision. It was as if they had put off the body of the flesh nature as they rose with Him in baptism. “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12, having been buried with him in baptism.“ 2:11-12. They were now free to live as they should.

 3.  Christ gives us victory over sin and makes us spiritually alive. 2:12b-15.

Raised from death to life in Christ. 2:12-13a, ”In which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13, And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him.”

The significance of Christ being raised from the dead meant that as those who were raised with Him through our faith-union, we too were made alive in Him. 

     4. Forgiven through Christ’s death. 2:13b-14.

Christian believers in every generation have been forgiven of the penalty for all their sins. How? Because Christ bore the penalty for all our sins in His death on the cross. 13b, “having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” 2:13b-14. The condemnation of the law had been fulfilled through Christ’s death and believers could now live under the grace of God.

     5. Christ sets us free from the powers of darkness. 2:15.

Set free from the past, but how can we cope with the pressures of the present and the future? By realising that when Christ died and rose again, we too were raised to share in His victory, “He disarmed [NOTE 1] the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame [NOTE 2], by triumphing over them in him.” 2:15. 

The cross declared outwardly Christ’s victory. He “disarmed” His opponents whilst leaving them alive but weakened in power.

The picture of Christ on the cross was not a sign of Christ’s weakness. Rather it was a glorious public sign that the powers of darkness had been broken and that Christian believers now could have victory in Christ. 

SUMMING UP.

This whole passage is centred on Christ, His Person and His work! In His Person He is shown to be filled with the fulness of God and thus is equal to the Father in the godhead!

His work involved becoming the Saviour for sinners by bearing in His own body the penalty for the sins of the world.  Through their faith-union with Christ they can now walk in victory knowing their sins are forgiven, they are rooted in Christ and can have victory over all the powers of darkness. 

IT IS ALL OURS, BECAUSE THEY ARE OURS IN HIM!

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NOTE 1]. “Disarm” [apekdyomai; ἀπεκδύομαι] means to put off or despoil. 

NOTE 2]. “Open shame” is [deigmatizō; deigmatizō] means to make an example of, to show as an example. 

Blog No.406 posted on Sunday 03 July 2022.

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405. Jesus “Has The Whole World In His Hands.“ Colossians 1:15-23. A NT reading for Sunday 17 July 2022

Posted on July 1, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

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“He’s got the whole world in his hands.” That was the beginning of a song many of us sang decades ago without perhaps realising the significance of these words. It is a reference to Christ as we see in many Bible verses and especially now in this passage from Colossians 1:15-23.

The church in Colossae had been influenced by concepts that were not Christian and there was a danger that Christ would not be given his rightful place in the church. So in verses 15 to 20 we have one of the most concentrated expressions of the doctrine of Christ in the New Testament. They speak of His pre-eminence in the world and in the church.

A]. THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST IN HIS CREATION. 1:15-20

We look at these descriptions of Christ in turn.

  1. He is “the image of the invisible God .“ 1:15

“Image” is [eikōn; εἰκών] meaning likeness or representation. Jesus fully represents what God is like in every way. He said of Himself “I and the Father are one” John 10:30, and “he who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9.   The invisible God has been made known through the incarnation of His Son Jesus Christ. When people saw Jesus in His ministry, they were seeing God at work through Him. As Jesus told His followers, “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.”

  • He is “the firstborn of all creation.” 1:15.

The term “first born” has to do with pre-eminence.  [NOTE 1.] Jesus is pre-eminent because He was the author of all things, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. “ The prepositions “by”,  “through” and “for “are significant in relation to Jesus as Creator. “By” and “through” are concerned with Jesus as being the instrument of creation. Jesus created the whole creation!

Not only that but it was created ”for” Him as well. The whole purpose of creation is for fulfilling God’s purpose for Him in His creation by God. Creation was His because He was its creator. 

  • And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 1:16-17

Not only was Jesus responsible for creation but He also sustains it. “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.“ [NOTE 2.] In other words Jesus not only created the universe but also maintains its existence to eternity. He does indeed “Hold the whole world in His hands!” 

In brief, we live as creatures in a world that Jesus has created for Himself and over which He exercises control as its Sustainer. That is a magnificent truth in itself but Paul has other truths about Jesus to bring out in this passage. 

  • He is the head of the body, the church.  1:18

We note three quick things about the church. The church is the ekklesia, the called out” ones, called out from the world to belong to God. [NOTE 3.] It is called a “body” for it is composed of different members or individual believers. And Christ is seen as the “head” of this body. [NOTE 4]. The church which Christ has called out from the world to belong to Him has to take its directions from Him.

  • He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 1:18

As we have seen, Christ is the pre-eminent One for He is the creator of all things and everything in heaven and on earth owes its origin to Him. He began it all and everything and everyone owe their existence to Him. 

  • in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. 1:19

In words calculated to convince doubters, Paul magnifies the Person of Jesus by signifying that He is equal to God, for God’s fulness dwells in Him. [NOTE 5]. Jesus is sufficient in every way for He shares the sufficiency of God for His world and for His people! The Colossians need look no further than Jesus for all their needs!

  • He reconciled all things to himself.  1:20

He reconciled all things to himself, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. The greatest need for all sinful humans [that means every person ever born] is the need  to be brought back into a right relationship with God. That is the process of reconciliation, the bringing together of 2 parties who were once separated. [NOTE 6]. This verse also tells us the means and the result of the reconciliation Christ has achieved. The means was the shedding of His blood on the cross whereby forgiveness of sins became available for those who would seek it, in Jesus. The result was that those reconciled to God through Christ, could know peace, peace with God and an inner peace of knowing that their sins had been cast away and a relationship with God could be experienced.  

B]. THE APPLICATION OF THE MESSAGE OF THEIR RECONCILIATION. 1:21-23

After a long explanation of the reconciliation Christ had came to achieve, Paul briefly applied the implications of that message.

The Fact Of Their Reconciliation. 1:21

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh.” Paul reminded them that they owed their standing as believers and as members of Christ’s body, the church,  due to the amazing grace of God in reconciling such hostile and evil people through Jesus’ reconciling death. They were now joined together in the body of Christ. They now belonged, to Him.

The Means Of The Reconciliation Jesus Achieved.  1:22

“He has now reconciled in his body of flesh.” It was through Christ’s body offered once for all on the cross that this reconciliation had come.

The Purpose Of the Reconciliation Jesus achieved. 1:22

“In order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”

The reconciliation had a great purpose. So that they could be changed into holy and blameless people who could stand without reproach before Him. 

The Conditions Of Maintaining The Reconciliation Christ Achieved. 1:23

Their reconciliation had been costly in its process, for it required the death of the Son of God, the Creator. The maintenance of their standing before God required effort on their part. “If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

It required them to continue in their faith, being steadfast and stable and holding on securely to the hope promised in the gospel message. 

SUMMING UP

One can imagine the believers gathered together to hear the words of this epistle written by the great apostle Paul to them, and being struck with the contents and significance of what was being read to them. 

Their appreciation of the gospel message must have soared as they were reminded in this passage of the pre-eminence of Jesus in His creation and in His church. And hopefully their improved understanding of the Christian message would have steered them away from the heretical teachings to which they had been exposed. 

This passage is a great reminder to us today not to be led astray by any false teaching, but may cause us to enthrone Jesus in His pre-eminent place in our lives as individuals and in His place as head of the church! It is HIS! WE need to make sure yet it is HIS!

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[NOTE 1.] “Firstborn” is from [prōtotokos; πρωτοτόκος] is used of the firstborn of humans and here for Jesus as the firstborn of creation. In a commentary on this passage, John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck explain in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty, the following, “Firstborn” implies both Christ’s priority to all Creation (in time) and His sovereignty over all Creation (in rank). 

[NOTE 2.] “Hold together” is from [synistaō; συνιστάω] meaning to set together, to exhibit or to maintain something already existing. 

[NOTE 3.] “Church” is [ekklēsia; ἐκκλησία] from [ek] meaning out of and [kaleo] to call. It stands for the Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both whom Jesus has called to Himself through the gospel message.  

[NOTE 4.]  “Head” is [kephalē; κεφαλή.] meaning the literal head or the important part.  It is the head that guides the rest of the body as Christ is meant to be the prominent one guiding His body in the world. 

[NOTE 5.] “Fulness” is [plērōma; πλήρωμα] from plēroō; πληρόω to fill. In other words there is nothing in Yahweh God that is not found in the Person of Jesus. They are indeed one!

NOTE 6.] “Reconcile” is [apokatallassō; ἀποκαταλλάσσω], meaning to return to favour or to bring together parties that were once separated. 

Blog No.405 posted on Friday 01 July 2022

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Bible verses. Comments, Creation, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Holy Spirit, Justification, Lectionary Readings Year C [All years], New Covenant, Prayer, Salvation, Sanctification, spiritual warfare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

404. Colossians chapter 1. New Testament Reading for Sunday 10 July 2022

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

When Paul wrote to the church in Colossae, he called them “saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae.”  He recognised their obvious faith and love and wanted them to know the assurance that the Christian hope meant for them. He reminded them in this letter of the hope they had received through their faith in Christ.

1]. THANKING GOD FOR THE FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE OF THE COLOSSIAN BELIEVERS

     Faith, hope and love? Hadn’t Paul written about these 3 qualities before? Indeed he had, as he concluded the famous passage on Christian love in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

As Paul thanks God for them, he mentions their faith in Christ and the love they have for all the saints. “In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints [1:3,4.] But what lies beyond that faith and love?             What is responsible for these qualities they possess? Paul answers us in the next verse, “because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. “1:5.

Hope for the believer is something certain, a certain or fixed hope based on the character of God. If God has promised something, then it is certain to happen and our hope is that it will. Nothing can destroy the hope that God has given to His followers. Hope is based on His unchanging nature and His unchanging promises. 

We can see how hope is a motivation for exhibiting Christian love, in what Paul wrote to the Romans in Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Our hope in Christ allows Him to fill us with His Spirit and to flood our hearts with His divine [agape] love. 

What then is this hope “laid up for you in heaven.“ 1:5 to which Paul refers? The writer to the Hebrews wrote about this Christian hope in Hebrews 6:19, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.” Hope is a certainty based on what God has done for humans in Christ. Nothing and no one can change the unchangeable! God is in charge, and His promises are certain to be fulfilled. 

2]. THE NATURE OF THEIR HOPE

They heard of this hope through the gospel to which they had responded, “You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you.” 1:6. They not only heard of this hope but they acted on it with the result that they were “bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God.”

Epaphras had taught the Colossians about hope and made known to Paul their love. “This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 1:8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.” 1:7. 

It is a reminder to us that God uses His servants like Epaphras to bring the gospel message to fellow humans. He is mentioned in Philemon as a fellow prisoner with St Paul and the only other reference is later in Colossians where Paul wrote, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always wrestling in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything that God wills.” Colossians 4:12. 

How much do so many of us owe to people like Epaphras who brought the gospel to us and encouraged us to live out our Christian hope?

3]. PRAYING FOR THE COLOSSIAN BELIEVERS

Paul concludes these verses with a prayer for his Colossian readers.

We note that it was a constant prayer for them, 1:9 “For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you 

It was specific prayer for them, “and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.“ 1:10-11.

The reminder to us today is that it is essential that we encourage people to seek the will of God for their lives for only in that way will they be able to have the wisdom and understanding that only the Spirit of God can impart to them. Only then will they be able to live lives that are pleasing to God. It is their lives which are lived in obedience to God that bear fruit and help increase their knowledge of God.

It was a prayer for ongoing strength and endurance, “May you be made strong [dynamoō; δυναμόω] with all the strength [dynamis; δύναμις] that comes from his glorious power,[kratos; κράτος] and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.” 1:11-12. [NOTE 1]

4]. WHAT IS “THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS IN THE LIGHT?”

Rescue from the power of darkness, “He has rescued” [NOTE 2] us from the power of darkness.” 1:13.  He does this by delivering us from the power of darkness and transferring us to another dominion, the dominion of Christ as King. Darkness in the Bible is used to denote spiritual ignorance and the evil works of darkness. Jesus came as the Messiah to deliver people from this darkness, as John wrote in his prologue in John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Jesus spoke of Himself as bringing light to the world, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” John 3:19. He later warned them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.” John 12:35. Only through trusting Him could His hearers come from darkness into light. 

Transference into the Kingdom of Christ, “and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,”1:13. [NOTE 3.] Believers are removed from being dominated by one power [that of Satan] and being brought under a new power [the power of the kingdom of Christ.] It means they have His kingdom power to draw upon to enable them to recognise and to become free of the darkness to which they had previously been enslaved.

Redemption and forgiveness of sins, “in whom we have redemption [NOTE 4], the forgiveness of sins.” 1:14. We see the direct link of this redemption and the forgiveness of sins, with our Christian inheritance in Hebrews 9:15 “Therefore he [Jesus] is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” Sins are forgiven through the redemption Christ accomplished on the cross. 

SUMMARY

In these few verses Paul has packed so much encouragement and truth. His Colossian readers would have recognised his loving concern for them and his concern that they continue to live in victory. They would have seen it in the prayers that he said he prayed for them. 

Yet he bid them look outwards to what God had done for them in Christ in rescuing them from their previous ignorance and bringing them into Christ’s glorious kingdom where their sins had been forgiven and they now belonged, to God.

Halleluia, what a Saviour!

NOTES

[NOTE 1]. This verse contains two of the more common words for “power“ in the New Testament. “Strength” and “made strong” are derived from [dynamis; δύναμις] which can mean power in general or even miraculous power. 

kratos; κράτος can mean might or even dominion and is used only of God except for Hebrews 2:14 where the devil is described as having the “power” of death over humans. Here in Colossians, it is the power of His glory.

[NOTE 2.] “Rescued” is from [rhyomai; ῥύομαι] meaning to deliver or to draw to oneself. 

[NOTE 3.] “Transfer” is methistēmi; μεθίστημι meaning to carry away, depose or remove. It is used of the removal of King Saul for disobedience and the installation in his place, of David as King. Acts 13:22. 

[NOTE 4.]  “Redemption” is from [apolytrōsis; ἀπολύτρωσις] deliverance, and is widely used in the New Testament of the ministry of Christ coming as Saviour to set the captives free. 

Blog No.404 posted on Tuesday 28 June 2022.

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Bible verses. Comments, Evangelism, Forgiveness, Glorification, Healing, Holy Spirit, Justification, Lectionary Readings Year C [All years], Mental Health, New Covenant, OUTLINE OF GALATIANS, Prayer, Salvation, Sanctification, Second coming of Jesus, spiritual warfare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

403. Christian Love In Action. [Galatians 6:1-10. Epistle Reading For 03 July 2022]

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

When we become Christians, we become part of the worldwide body of believers in Jesus. Each believer is personally related to Jesus but is also related to every other believer in Him. It means we have the privilege and responsibility of sharing Christ’s love with all people and particularly with others in the Christian faith. That is how Paul begins chapter 6 of Galatians. “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression [Note1], you who are spiritual [Note 2] should restore [NOTE 3] him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” Galatians 6:1. This involves watching out for the needs of others while at the same time keeping a watch on ourselves. The awareness of sin in another person can cause us to dwell too long on their sin and its attractiveness can tempt us towards the same kind of behaviour. 

Christian love means caring for the needs of others. 6:1,2

This is so especially if they are having difficulties in their lives. As Paul wrote in the next verse, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.“ Gal 6:2. Every individual has burdens to carry in life, many of which are imposed on them by others. Christian love demands that we try to help others by seeking to bear some of the load for them. This burden-bearing may take various forms but it should always be as though Christ Himself were helping them through us.

Christian love means operating from the right motivation. 6:3,4.

Part of keeping watch on ourselves involves looking at our own motivation in trying to help people. “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” 6:3. One danger is in thinking that we are special [something] and above others so that we see no need to humble ourselves to help them. But the reality is that we are nothing of ourselves and our value comes from who we are in Christ, by the grace of God. 

Another danger is in thinking that we are morally or spiritually superior to others and our reaching out to help them shows that superiority. Paul issued a caution, “But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbour.“ 6:4. Paul uses a word here which means to test thoroughly and then to approve after testing. [NOTE 4.] If the motivation is Christian love humbly working to help another person then all is well, but if the motivation is to draw favourable attention to oneself by helping another person, then that is an impure motive. Glory is to be given to God alone, not to ourselves.

Christian love means not unnecessarily dumping our concerns onto others. 6:5.

“For each will have to bear his own load.“ 6:5. These words may seem out of place coming as they do after verse 2. There the command was to “Bear one another’s burdens.” Yet here the command seems to indicate the opposite. An answer may be found in the two different words used for “burdens” in verses 2 and 5.

In 6:2, the word for “burdens” is baros; βάρος meaning a weight, heaviness or trouble. However in 6:5 it is phortion; φορτίον meaning a task or an obligation.  

It is the word used in Jesus’ statement in Matthew 11:29-30, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” In becoming one with Jesus and walking yoked in fellowship with Him, there is a burden we must carry. It is the obligation of Christian obedience and walking in love. Jesus tells us that it is a light burden. We are to seek His wisdom and guidance before we begin offloading our problems onto other people.

Christian love means doing good in the lives of others. 6:6-10.

Sharing the word of God with others. 6:6.

Gal 6:6 “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.“  It is a great privilege for us to be taught the word by others. They help us mature in Christ as we are exposed to the truths of God’s word. But there is an obligation on our part to contribute towards their needs in any way we can. 

Sowing into the lives of others.6:7,8.

Gal 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

We have a choice as believers to live as we want to live. But our choice should be based on our commitment to Jesus. He has given us His Spirit to indwell us and we are meant to be guided and led by His Spirit in every moment of our lives.  As we seek to live, guided by His Spirit we will make the right choices in life. If we just follow the dictates of our old nature [the flesh] and ignore the dictates of the Spirit, we will produce what Paul calls “the works of the flesh. ” They are ”corrupt” and are not pleasing to God. However, as we yield our lives to the Spirit and follow His promptings, then we will be able to exhibit in practice, the eternal life which we possess in Christ.

Taking advantage of every opportunity to help others. 6:9, 10.

Gal 6:9,10. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” 10  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Paul encourages his readers to maintain an attitude of doing good and not to grow weary and give up. To “grow weary “[ekkakeō; ἐκκακέω] means to be bad or weak or exhausted.  Why not grow weary? Because the fruit of their labours would eventually come. To “give up” translates the word [eklyō; ἐκλύω] meaning to faint or relax, become exhausted. It is a word used of the 4000 who came to Jesus whom He commanded His disciples to feed lest they “faint” on the way home. 

The right time to do good is “as we have opportunity.” It is to do good to everyone. But especially is it for those who are fellow believers or “of the household of faith.”

This whole passage is about Christian love in action and Paul sees the necessity of such love being poured out in the world of his day. 

Our modern world of today requires the same outpouring of Christian love and this passage encourages us not to grow weary in sharing God’s love throughout the whole world.

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NOTE 1. “Transgression.” paraptōma; παράπτωμα means a fall to the side or a deviation from truth and uprightness.

NOTE 2. “Spiritual” is pneumatikos; πνευματικός. This can mean someone who is filled with and governed by the Spirit of God.

NOTE 3. “Restore.” katartizō; καταρτίζω means to repair, to complete, to mend.  We can see that the motivation behind the command is Christian love, that is, seeking the best interests of the person concerned. It is not judging from afar but rather becoming involved with the person in seeking to help them. 

NOTE 4. “Test” is dokimazō; δοκιμάζω meaning to recognise as genuine after examination, to approve. 

Blog No.403 posted on Saturday 25th June 2022.

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Bible verses. Comments, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Healing, Holy Spirit, Lectionary Readings Year C [All years], Mental Health, OUTLINE OF GALATIANS, Prayer, Salvation, Sanctification | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

402. A Sermon on Luke18:31-43. JESUS’ POWER TO SAVE AND TO HEAL

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

[This is a copy of a sermon I preached in a large Melbourne church in 2010. I found an audio version of it on this link if you would care to listen to it, https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20210805173855/https://www.stalfreds.org/sermons/power-to-save-and-to-heal/

This is a great story of a blind man being healed by Jesus! But what is its relevance to you and me today? There are a number of lessons we can learn from the faith of the blind man. 

We see here 4 things we need to do to receive God’s healing or blessing. 

1).        WE NEED TO RECOGNISE JESUS’ PRESENCE IN OUR TIME OF NEED

Lk 18:35  As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 

The blind man couldn’t understand what was happening in the world around him. 

HE could only beg and ask questions. Lk 18:37  They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 

He was in the presence of Jesus the Healer. 

This same Jesus is present with us today in this service whether we realise this or not.

·       He promised in Mat 18:19-20, to be with His people as they meet together.  Mat 18:19  “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. Mat 18:20  For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Present with just 2 or 3 gathered. Not just with 200 or 2000. 

·      Not just when the praise and worship get to a certain volume. 

·       Not just when people start saying to one another, “I feel the presence of the Lord here tonight.” 

·       It doesn’t matter whether one feels His presence or not. 

·       We believe what He says in spite of what we feel. 

The Christian faith is all about faith, not about feelings.

·       If we feel His presence, that’s a bonus, but we don’t have to feel His presence for Him to be amongst us.  

·       (One night our younger son David, a preschooler, was present with his mother in an evening service in the Armidale Cathedral. In a time of silence during the service, he yelled out excitedly “There’s God!” I looked up to see many present looking around the Cathedral. Then their faces turned sheepish because they knew that God is invisible. What had happened was that my wife Carole was showing David words in the Prayer Book to help in his recognition of words. Suddenly he saw God [not in person, but the letters GOD in print and made his discovery loudly known! But God was indeed present in the service but unseen.

2).  WE NEED TO ASK FOR JESUS’ HELP IN OUR TIME OF NEED. Luke 18:38  And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 

What the blind man was told. “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 

What the blind man yelled out.  “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” 

·Here was a quantum leap, to go from Jesus of Nazareth, to Jesus Son of David.  

·       “Son of David” –was a title for the coming Messiah. 

It was what the blind man believed.  He recognised that Jesus was the Son Of David, the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, the One who had come to save and to heal the people of God. 

·      IN the presence of Jesus the Messiah, he could only cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

·      He humbly asked Jesus to have mercy on him and heal him. 

·      What would Jesus say to his request?

3).    WE NEED TO HANG IN WHEN WE FACE DISCOURAGEMENT

Before Jesus could reply, the crowd in front of the blind man told him to shut up, to be silent.  Lk 18:39  And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. 

·       A blind man is always at the mercy of the crowd around him. He had a choice. “Do I just shut up and perhaps miss out on Jesus hearing me and healing me? Or do I make sure Jesus hears me as I scream out to him?”

·       He made his decision. Forget the crowd and focus on Jesus.  “… he cried out all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 

Luke described his yelling out by using a different word. In verse 38 the word is from nβοάω boaō; which means to cry out or to shout. 

·       However in Verse 39 it is from κράζω krazō meaning to scream out, or to shriek. Compare Mat 15:23; Mar 5:5; Acts 19:28-34.

·      He was fair dinkum in seeking healing and it didn’t matter what anyone else thought as he screamed out to Jesus for help. 

What we saw in The Healing Service in Sydney when I was in charge from 1988 to 2006

Many people came to the service in spite of all the discouragement that had been thrown at them.

·      Often it was from their Spouse or family. 

·      Some came in spite of being discouraged by their local ministers who didn’t believe that Jesus heals today. 

·      Wives suffering from cancer came alone to our Cancer weekends when their husbands refused to come to support them.

·      When you’re desperate enough nothing will put you off getting the help you need (unless you really are in a dangerous or difficult situation).  

·      How desperate are you to know God’s touch on your life? 

·      What do want Him to do for you? That’s the 4th essential we look at.  

4).        WE NEED TO BE HONEST TO GOD ABOUT WHAT WE REALLY NEED

Jesus heard the man’s screams. Lk 18:40  And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, Lk 18:41  “What do you want me to do for you?”    

·      A silly question by Jesus? Wasn’t it obvious!  He needed to see again. 

·      But he needed to tell Jesus what he wanted. 

Jesus and our freewill. 

·      God never imposes anything on us against our will. 

·      We need to ask for His help. 

·       He invites us to tell Him what we need. Mat 7:7-8  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.“

·       It’s the same picture we see in Rev 3:20.  He invites us to open the door to Him to let Him into our hearts and lives. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

·      Here it is 41  “What do you want me to do for you?”   

He Made a Choice. He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 

·       He knew his greatest need. 

  • Not financial security.
  • Not more recognition by society. 
  • He told it as it was, let me recover my sight. 

His priorities were right. His greatest need was to be able to see. That would open up so much more for him in life. 

Our choice? We can ask for help or we can choose not to. 

On my first night as Leader of the Healing Ministry in StAndrew’s Cathedra Cathedral.  I went to a woman who had raised her hand to indicate she wanted prayer.  I asked her “Would you like me to pray for you?” 

·      She replied “No but my friend here needs some prayer”.  So I said to her friend,  “Would you like me to pray for you?” Her answer rather rocked me. “No Thank you.” 

·      I thought to myself,  “My first invitation to pray for someone as the brand new Leader and I get knocked back. It can only get better from here on.”  That was the only knock-back I got in 18 years as Leader.

How would you respond to the question Jesus asked?  “What do you want me to do for you?”   

·      You could ask for many things. 

·      Some of them would be good for you. 

·      Others may be good but not what God wants for you.  

You can be self-focussed in your prayer.  “Lord heal me so that the pain goes, the mobility comes back and I can play a better game of golf”. That kind of prayer is often answered.

OR 

You can learn to ask for help in an unselfish way.  You can ask God to bless you with what you need in order that you might be able to accomplish His will for you. 

·       My suggestion to a  prayer warrior in America who had become weak and frail. Pray “Lord heal me for Your sake so that I might do Your will to Your glory for the rest of my life.” 

·      She began to pray that way every day, and there was a remarkable change in her. She became once again for many years, the vibrant faithful prayer warrior she once was. 

You and I can pray in that unselfish way for whatever needs we might have. 

  • “Lord bless me with the material things I need to be able to accomplish Your will for me for the rest of my life.”
  • “Lord bless me with the wisdom, skill, health (or whatever it is) I need to be able to do Your will to Your glory for the rest of my life.” 
  • God loves to bring the healing or blessing we need,  to enable us to walk in the centre of His will for us. 

THE REWARD FOR PERSERVERING FAITH

Sometimes we have to hang in trusting for what we need, in spite of all the discouragement and lack of support from those around us. That was so for this blind man. Lk 18:42   Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.”  43  And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.“

·      His faith had been rewarded. The answer had come. He could see. 

·      His faith had opened to door to healing by Jesus. 

·      From that time on he was a follower of Jesus. 

The Jesus who is present with us in this service may be saying to many of us, “What do you want me to do for you?” 

Tell Him in an unselfish way, “Lord heal me, bless me for Your sake with what I need, so that I can do Your  will to Your glory for the rest of my life.” 

Blog No.402 posted on Thursday 16 June 2022

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401. Galatians 5:1, 13-25 The New Testament Reading for Sunday 26 June 2022. Christian Freedom!

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

These words which open chapter 5 of Galatians remind us of the freedom that Christ brings in the lives of those who are committed to Him. But we might well ask, to what freedom is St Paul referring us? There are a number of freedoms we can enjoy as we see in this passage of Galatians chapter 5.

Freedom from the obligation of obeying the law to get right with God

The major freedom seems to be freedom from the obligation to obey the law as a means of getting right with God. No human could ever obey the law of God perfectly, as Paul wrote in Romans 3:23-24, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” In other words, our right standing with God comes as we trust in Christ for salvation. When we do so, God declares us as righteous and acceptable to Him in His sight. 

Freedom to live as we should

However there is another freedom that is particularly pleasing to believers. It is the freedom to become what we want to be, by the grace of mercy of God. We want to be obedient to God as His children, seeking to please Him in all we say and do. What we could not do in the power of our old nature, the flesh, we are able to do, as we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are empowered by Him to live as we should. Paul explained it like this, “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3,4. It is only possible for us to obey the law as we keep on walking by the Spirit. That means that our lives must be led and empowered by the Holy Spirit at all times. 

Freedom from the dictates and power of our old nature, the flesh

Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16 -18, “Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.” While we are being led and empowered by the Holy Spirit we no longer have to give in to our old nature’s demands on us.

What are the flesh’s demands on us? 5:19-21.

If we have not given our lives to God to enable Him to transform us by the power of the Holy Spirit then we are still under the control of our old nature, the flesh. It works itself out in practice. That’s why Paul described it as “the works of the flesh.” Later in chapter 5 he goes on to describe the characteristics of the flesh in verses 19 to 21. “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” As John Stott has written, these “seem to belong to at least four realms—sex, religion, society and drink.” [NOTE 1]

By contrast, the Spirit produces His fruit [God’s character] in our lives. 5:22-23

We note here the difference between what the flesh “works“ out in our lives in practice, and the inevitable fruit that is produced in and through us by the indwelling Holy Spirit. “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.“ 5:22-23. As John Stott wrote about the fruit of the Spirit, “So we may say that the primary direction of ‘love, joy, peace’ is Godward, of ‘patience, kindness, goodness’ manward, and of ‘faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ selfward. And all these are ‘the fruit of the Spirit’, the natural produce that appears in the lives of Spirit-led Christians. No wonder Paul adds again: against such there is no law (verse 23). For the function of law is to curb, to restrain, to deter, and no deterrent is needed here.” [NOTE 2]

The secret to successful Christian living

Paul adds in 5:24 “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” This is similar to what he said of his own life earlier in Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Gal 2:20.

We see here the secret to successful Christian living. It is to recognise that when we became believers and received the Holy Spirit, it was as though we had been crucified with Christ so that the old nature we were born with had lost its power over us. It means that if we continued to live perfectly by faith in Jesus and no longer submitted to the power of our old nature, it would be as though the old nature had come to an end in Jesus’ [and ours with Him] crucifixion. It would be as Paul expressed in Galatians 2:20 that Christ was now living His life in and through our totally committed lives as we continually died to ourselves.

Another secret to successful Christian living. 5:25.

It is easy for believers to be deceived and led astray from a total commitment to Jesus. So Paul advises us to maintain our victory in Christ by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in our everyday lives. “If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25.

It is true that the Holy Spirit has given us [eternal] life but we still have a life to live on earth. We need all the guidance we can obtain to make the right decisions in a complex world. 

Jesus, before His death, had promised His followers that the coming Holy Spirit would be able to guide them into all the truth “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John16:13. Paul reminds his readers that the Holy Spirit will be able to guide them. He wrote in Romans 8:14, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” That is, it is a characteristic of the children of God that they are guided by the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is interesting that the word Paul uses here in 5:25 for “being led” is  [stoicheō, στοιχέω] meaning to walk in military rank (or to keep in step). We need to keep in step with the Holy Spirit as He leads us in God’s way.  

Praise God for the victories He has given us in our Christian lives. It goes to show thar His grace and mercy remain on us throughout our lives. Praise God that we can walk in the freedom He imparts to us by His indwelling Holy Spirit. Praise God that we are enabled to keep in step with His Holy Spirit as we continue our Christian pilgrimage! Praise God!

NOTE 1. John Stott in the “Bible Speaks Today New Testament Series” on Galatians.

NOTE 2. John Stott. Ibidem.

Blog No.401. Posted on www.jimholbeck.blog on Monday 13 June 2022. 

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400 SOME THOUGHTS ON THE MEANING OF EASTER

Posted on April 16, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

It has been difficult to write articles lately so I thought I would bring up some of the articles I have written over the years on the meaning of Easter.
You can click on the links below or you can type any of these numbers into the Search box at the top of the right-hand column to bring up that particular article. I trust you find this helpful.

No 350. Because Jesus Rose, Our Hopes Can Rise As Well. Easter Day And Its Rich Meaning For Those Who Grieve Loved Ones. [John 13:1-6 And Other Verses on Jesus’ Resurrection and Second Coming.]

No 276.“FROM GLORY. THROUGH GORY. TO GLORY!” The Easter story in 6 words. (Expanded version!) Part 2 of 2.

No 275.“FROM GLORY. THROUGH GORY. TO GLORY!” The Easter story in 6 words. (Micro version!) Part 1 of 2.

No 207. A Sermon Outline For Easter. Luke 24:13-35. “THE JESUS WHO BRINGS HOPE.” What Easter means.


No 160. Easter! We Are Risen! We Are Risen Indeed! Ephesians chapters 1 and 2

No 069. Easter Day. “The Resurrection of Jesus. A New Life With New Possibilities”. Acts 10:34-48

No 021. Easter Day. “Christ Is Risen!”

Blog No.400. Posted on http://www.jimholbeck.blog on Saturday 16 April 2022

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