No.163. The Person of Jesus. Session 3 of 4. JESUS THE “LORD”

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Jim Holbeck

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FACT THAT JESUS IS “LORD”
The New Testament word “Kurios” can mean Lord, master, owner. It is also used as the New Testament Greek equivalent for the Old Testament Hebrew word “Jehovah” or “Yahweh”. It was used for a person who owned or controlled property, people or the state (eg., the Roman Emperor). It was also used as a title of respect in greetings. It was used of Jesus in New Testament as “Lord”, or “Lord Jesus”, or “Lord Jesus Christ.”

The outline below is adapted from a handout on this topic at an all-day seminar at Port Macquarie, Australia. This is the third of 4 sessions on Jesus as 1 the Creator, 2 the Saviour, 3 the Lord and 4 the Judge. The audio recordings of all the sessions are to be found under the same titles on You Tube under “Jim Holbeck.” These notes are suitable for downloading for use individually or in groups whilst listening to the audio talks on You Tube.

1). JESUS IS LORD OF THE UNIVERSE
I). JESUS SUSTAINS THE UNIVERSE HE CREATED
1Cor 8:6 yet for us there is one …. Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Col 1:17 … And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Heb 1:3 …he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

II). JESUS CONTROLS THE POWERS OF DARKNESS
Col 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Col 2:15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

III). JESUS IS UNITING ALL THINGS IN HIS UNIVERSE IN HIMSELF
Col 1:19, For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Eph 1:9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (HCSB,-to bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him).
• “Unite” is ἀνακεφαλαίομαι (anakephalaiomai) or the process is called (anakephalaiosos) or “recapitulation.” It means to sum up, gather together in one, or literally unite under one head.

IV). JESUS IS WAITING FOR PEOPLE TO REPENT BEFORE HE RETURNS
2Pet 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

V). JESUS IS RETURNING TO THIS WORLD. “Coming ready or not!” 2Pet 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, …

2). JESUS IS LORD OF THE CHURCH
I). THE CHURCH IS BUILT ON THE TRUTH THAT JESUS IS “The Christ, the Son of the Living God”. Peter recognised who Jesus was, Mat 16:16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus accepted that description of Himself as a God-given revelation, 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
He then used the declaration of this God-revealed truth to describe it as the truth on which the church would be established. Mat 16:18 (Mat 16:18) … you are Peter (Petros), and on this rock (petra) I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

II). THE CHURCH WAS ESTABLISHED ON JESUS’ SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS
(Act 20:28) … care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood
(Eph 5:23) ..Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
(Eph 5:25)… as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

III). ITS PEOPLE ARE COMMITTED TO CHRIST AS HEAD OF THE CHURCH
Jesus IS the head of the church
(Eph 1:22) And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.
(Col 1:18) And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
Leaders and all believers must submit to Jesus as the head of the church
(Act 9:31) …. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
(Act 14:23) And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
(1Cor 1:2) To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

3). JESUS IS LORD (OR MUST BECOME LORD) OVER ALL INDIVIDUALS
I). WE MUST PERSONALLY SUBMIT TO HIS LORDSHIP OVER US
2Cor 5:15 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.

II). THAT SUBMISSION MUST BE IN EVERY AREA OF LIFE
Col 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

III). SUBMISSION TO HIM AS LORD, TRANSFORMS US
As we maintain our focus on Him. 2Cor 3:16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
As we present all we are to Him. Rom 12:1 …. present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
As we ask Him to fill us with His Spirit. Eph 5:18 … be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

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No.162. The Person of Jesus. Session 2 of 4. JESUS “THE SAVIOUR”

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Jim Holbeck

In this second session we look at Jesus as the Saviour of the world.

The brief outline below is a copy of the handout to participants at the seminar. The audio teaching from the seminar  is to be found with this title on You Tube under “Jim Holbeck”

Jesus is described as the “Saviour of the world”.
The Meaning Of “Salvation”
1) The Noun. (Sōtēria). Means salvation, preservation, freedom from sin, wholeness.
2) The Verb. (Sōzō). Means to save, heal, make more whole, preserve, restore.
3) The Noun. (Sōtēr). Means Saviour or Deliverer.
The Tenses Of Salvation
• PAST TENSE. We have been saved from the PENALTY of sin.
• PRESENT TENSE. We are being saved from the POWER of sin
• FUTURE TENSE. We will be saved from the PRESENCE of sin.

1) PAST TENSE. We have been saved from the penalty of sin
JUSTIFICATION. Made right with God. Through what Jesus did for us.
Rom 5:8, Christ died for us. Eph 2:8, saved through faith. 2 Tim 1:9, who saved us Titus 3:5, he saved us, …by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit

What it means for us that we “have been saved”
i) Salvation is offered to us individually now. Rev 3:20, If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in. (We need to open the door of our lives to allow Him to enter).
ii) We can have assurance of our salvation. Jn 3:16, …have eternal life. Eph 2:8-9, you have been saved ..the gift of God 1 Jn 5:11-13, he who has the Son has life
iii) We can live with humble assurance and not arrogant presumption. Eph 2:8 By grace you have been saved…
iv) NOW we have peace with God. Rom 5:1, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God …
v) NOW we are no longer condemned by God. Rom 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
vi) NOW we belong to the family of God. Jn 1:12 … he gave the right to become children of God, …born of God. 1Jn 3:1,… love… we should be called children of God; 1Jn 3:2, …now we are children of God

2) PRESENT TENSE. We ARE BEING SAVED from the POWER of sin
(SANCTIFICATION– Jesus lives IN us)
i). 1 Cor 1:18, For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
ii). 2 Cor 2:15, For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,
iii). Phil 2:12, … work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
iv). Heb 7:25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

What it means for us that we are “being saved”
i). We are being empowered by the gospel we CAN understand.
1 Cor 1:18, For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (Only the “saved” can understand what God has done for them in Christ. The gospel empowers us to live for Christ in our everyday living.)
ii). God is pleased with those in whom Christ lives and moves. 2 Cor 2:15, For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing
iii). CAUTION! GOD IS AT WORK IN US! And He works through us!
• Phil 2:12, … work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. [Those being saved have to work OUT in everyday living what God is working IN them as “saved” people. They are being motivated (will) and empowered (work) by God Himself to live for His pleasure (will).]
iv). GOD HELPS THE “BEING SAVED PEOPLE” THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES. Heb 7:25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
2 things are necessary for our victories in our Christian lives from beginning to end on this earth. a. We need to keep drawing near to Him (our part) b. Jesus keeps on praying for us. (100% certain)

3) FUTURE TENSE. We will be saved from the PRESENCE of sin
(GLORIFICATION- Jesus is coming to take us WITH Him to glory).

We will be saved from God’s wrath.  i). Rom 5:9, Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. AND   1Thess 1:10, … to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
Our bodies will be set free from weakness. ii). Rom 8:23, … but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

What it means for us that we will be saved from the PRESENCE of sin!
The wrath of God will be released when Jesus returns but believers will be saved from it because

1). They have trusted in Jesus’ death for them. Rom 5:9, Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. And

2). They have turned to God. 1Thess 1:10, … to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

3). Our bodies will be set free from weakness when He returns to take us to be with Him in glory. Rom 8:23, … but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Jesus is the ONLY Saviour.

The A.B.C.D. of making Him our Saviour. (From writings of the late Canon John Stott)

A. We need to Admit that we are sinners in the sight of God.

B. We need to Believe that Jesus died on the cross for each one of us.

C. We have to Consider the cost of becoming a Christian. Salvation is a free gift but it demands our total response to God.

D. We have to Do something about it. We have to invite Him into our lives.

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No.161. The Person of Jesus. Session 1 of 4. Jesus as the CREATOR

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Jim Holbeck

This is the first of 4 teaching sessions at Port Macquarie, Australia, which focussed on the Person of Jesus as The Creator of the universe, as the Saviour of the world, as the Lord of the Universe and as the ultimate Judge of all the earth.  People need to know just who this Jesus is so that they can make informed decisions about His claim on their lives.

The talks can be heard on You Tube as audio addresses under “Jim Holbeck”. The link for the first talk can be clicked on here.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GYb8fv2otc

Below is the brief outline handed out to participants at the seminar and provide the framework for the talk. It would be possible for Bible Study or Home Groups of any size to listen to the audio presentation whilst having before them a downloaded copy of the material which follows.  I trust the four talks may be helpful for individuals as well.

SESSION 1. JESUS THE CREATOR

TO RECOGNISE ABOUT CREATION
 No human was there to observe it
 Our knowledge comes by revelation not by human investigation.
 The Bible contains God’s revelation of as to the how and why of creation.

Why we should think about Jesus as the Creator of the world?
1). Because He IS THE CREATOR.
2). Because many do not acknowledge Him as such.
3). Because we all owe our origin to Him.
4). Because we are offered the privilege of being used in His purposes
5). Because we are accountable to Him for how we live

1). WHAT JESUS SAID OF HIMSELF
Jn 8:58. “Before Abraham was, I am.” (The significance of the “I am.”)
Jn 17:5. “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (He pre-existed before creation).
The “I AM’s” of Jesus. (The meaning and application of the metaphors by Jesus.)
Jn 6:35, … Bread of life .. never hunger, never thirst
Jn 8:12, … light of the world … have the light of life
Jn 10:7, …door of the sheep … life to the full.
Jn 11:25, … the resurrection and the life … will live.. never die

2). WHAT JOHN THE APOSTLE SAID OF JESUS
Jn 1:1-3. “… 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (He was creator of all things.)
Jn 1:10-11. “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” (The Creator came to His own creation and His own people rejected their Creator.)

3). WHAT ST PAUL WROTE OF JESUS
 1 Cor 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (Jesus was the agent of creation.)
 Col 1:15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 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. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (All things owe their origin to Him.  and they are ‘for” Him. )

4). THE WRITER TO THE HEBREWS WROTE OF JESUS
Heb 1:1-3. Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Jesus is the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe He came to redeem).

5). WHAT JESUS AS CREATOR MEANS FOR US
 Everything that exists was created by Jesus
 Every person ever born owes their origin to Him.
 Creation was made by Him, through Him and for Him
 Creation is His. It exists for His purposes
 All people are His by right of creation
 All people should humble themselves before Him as their Creator

6). JESUS HAS BEGUN A NEW CREATION ON EARTH
2Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Gal 6:15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
 It consists of those who believe in Him
 They are united to Him by faith

THE CHALLENGE TO US TODAY
THE GIVEN OF CREATION
We are created by Jesus for Himself
We should submit to Him in everything

THE OPPORTUNITY WE ARE GIVEN
To become “new creatures” in Christ as we live as His creatures in His creation. It is our choice to enter “into Christ” by putting our faith in Him or to refuse His offer
The choice is choosing for or against the Creator

Blog No.161. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Friday 6th November 2015

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160. Easter! We Are Risen! We Are Risen Indeed! Ephesians chapters 1 and 2

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Jim Holbeck

The above title may need some explanation! Surely the emphasis at Easter should be upon Jesus Christ who was crucified on that first Good Friday and rose from the dead on that first Easter morning! Of course it should be. He was the first to rise from the dead and was seen by many in His resurrection appearances.

However what we fail to see, even as mature believers, is what God did for us in the Resurrection of Jesus.  Paul puts it plainly in Ephesians as he describes the resurrection of Jesus and then goes on to show that believers are to see themselves as risen with Him in His resurrection.

First of all he focusses on Jesus’s resurrection in Eph 1:19-21. These verses are packed with meaning.  We can see that when we examine some of the words used in this passage. There are a large number of words describing God’s power at work in the resurrection of Jesus. If we place the original Greek New Testament word after each of these power words we get some idea as to the power of God involved.  For example “what is the immeasurable (huperballō)greatness (megethos) of his power (dunamis) toward us who believe, according to the working (energeia) of his great (kratos) might (ischus) 20  that he worked in (energeō) Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21  far above all rule (archē) and authority (exousia) and power (dunamis) and dominion (kuriotēs), and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”

We will look at each of these words in turn to appreciate what Paul was describing in the resurrection of Jesus.

“Immeasurable” (huperballō) is used by Paul in other verses to describe the surpassing glory of God (2 Cor 3:10); the surpassing grace of God  (2 Cor 9:14); the surpassing riches of His grace Eph 2;7,  and in Eph 3:19 the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.

“Greatness” (megethos), found only here in the N.T.  is one of the many cognates of (megas) meaning “great”.

“Power” (dunamis) the origin of our English word “dynamite” is often used of God’s almighty power. In the plural it often refers to the miracles or mighty works of God.

“Working” (energeia) is usually used of God at work in power.   It is used in a verb form in verse 20. Thus  the “working” (energeia) of God in verse 19, “worked (energeō) in Christ.” Verse 20

“Great” (kratos) can mean dominion as well as might or strength. Is used with the next word (ischus) in  Eph 6:10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

“Might” (ischus) is usually used of God’s might. However it is also used of believers who are to love God with all their “strength”.  This strength needs to come from God Himself as 1Pe 4:11 implies. “… whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies.”

“Rule” (archē) can mean first in position or in time. It can mean “from the beginning” and it can also refer to authority figures. These authority figures include earthly rulers or authorities. But a deeper meaning is seen in the following verses where there is a reference to spiritual authorities, Eph 3:10 “… the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” Eph 6:12 “ For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  Col 2:10 “ and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” Col 2:15  “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Jesus is not only the first in power but He rules over every other power.

“Authority”  (exousia) means having the authority to exercise power or control. Jesus is the head over all authorities. Col 2:9 “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”

“Power”  (dunamis) we looked at in verse 19.

“Dominion” (kuriotēs) is found only 4 times in the New Testament. However Col 1:16 shows that Jesus Christ exercises dominion because everything was created by Him and for Him, “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.”

Jesus now sits at the Father’s right hand in glory, having been raised by the Father to do so. He rules over all. He is Lord of the universe.  All are to live in submission to Him.

Well, where does the truth behind our title “Easter. We Are Risen” come in? It actually comes in the next chapter. Eph 2:4-7, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, (5)  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved–(6)  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (7)  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”  

What incredible truths lie in these verses.  Paul emphasises that in the words he chose to highlight those truths.  He describes our unity or identification with Christ using three verbs in particular. The first is “made us alive together with. “ This translates the one Greek word (suzōopoiéō) which is made up of (sún) meaning “together with”, and (zōopoiéō) meaning “to make alive”.  The reference is to the fact that when we believed in Christ we were raised from spiritual death to spiritual life through our faith union with  Christ.

The second verb is no less spectacular. It is translated  (6)  “and raised us up with him” . It is the combined word (sunegeírō) which comes from (sún) meaning “together with”, and (egeírō) “to raise” . That is, “to raise together with.”  God wants us to understand that our faith union with Christ is such that when He raised up Jesus from the dead, He also raised us up with Him.

The third verb  is rather mind-blowing.  It is translated as “seated us with him.”  Again it is a single combined word (sugkathízō) which is made up of (sún) meaning “together with” and (kathízō) “to set or sit down.” God seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  When God raised Christ to glory at His right hand, He seated us with Him in the heavenlies,  through our faith-union with Christ.

So how are we to see ourselves as believers in the light of these verses? Well naturally, I am to see myself typing out this article in my home on the Eastern coast of Australia. A 500 metre walk eastwards could have me stepping into the Pacific Ocean and striking out to sea towards South America. The first part of the vision I have painted is true as I sit in my study. (I have no intention of swimming to South America.)

But God would have me see another vision of myself as a believer. That is sitting now with Christ at His right hand. I don’t feel as though I am sitting there in the heavenlies at the moment but that is what God wants me to believe and act upon.

What does it mean then that we are now “seated with Christ” in the Heavenly places? I think the following may be true.

1). We are in the place of acceptance with God. The Bible teaches that God accepts all those who accept His Son as their Saviour and submit to Him as their Lord. We are accepted  in the Beloved. We can never be more accepted than we are now. More useful? Yes! More available? Yes! But never more acceptable.

2). We are in the place of honour before God. God honours all those who honour His Son. There are few in the world who bother with Jesus at all. Most people ignore Him or reject Him or see Him as irrelevant. I believe the Lord loves those who embrace His Son in love.  What higher honour could there possibly ever be than to be exalted to the right hand of God, as Jesus was. AND we are sitting there with and in Him.

3). We are in the place of authority. Our prayers can have power. Jesus has overcome the powers of darkness and we have the victory in Him. We can speak to the powers of darkness from the authority Jesus has delegated to us, to bind or dislodge evil powers.  Not in our own strength or power, but only always from the delegated power we have in Him.

So we celebrate another Easter with its wonderful message that Jesus died to take away our sins on Good Friday and rose again from the dead on that first Easter Day, the victor over sin and death and evil. Soon we will observe His Ascension to remind us of when He rose from the dead and returned to the Father.

But what joy, what blessing, what a privilege to know that God sees us, not just sitting at our desks in our places of abode but as abiding in Christ, sitting with Him now in the heavenly places. We don’t have to do spiritual or mental gymnastics or soar into the heights of hyper-imagination to make it become real to us. It is real! He has told us so! We should live in such a way by being enlightened and empowered by His Spirit to know His wisdom, to experience His strength and grace and to work out in our everyday lives what He is working within us, to His glory.  (Phil 2:12-13)

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! (And we are too in Him! God said so!)

Blog No.160. Jim Holbeck.  Posted On Monday 6th April 2015

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159. BEWARE OF INSULTING THE PROPHET JESUS!

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Jim Holbeck

How do you insult someone? Most dictionaries have definitions which are similar to this one, “When you speak to or treat someone with disrespect.” It seems to imply that you can only insult people who are alive. You can insult someone by treating them with disrespect.  The disrespect might be seen in voicing an unfavourable opinion of the character of the person.  The disrespect might also be seen in failing to respect and value what the person stands for. It could be ignoring or devaluing the achievements people have accomplished in life.

So can we insult Jesus? If we believe what the Bible tells us, the answer has to be “Yes!”  for it shows that He alive in today’s world. He has risen from the dead and lives evermore.  He may not normally be seen (though people of all nations and backgrounds through the ages testify that they have had visions of Him) but He has promised to be with His people when they gather in His name. He is alive and keeps everything else alive as well, for the Bible declares that He sustains this world that He Himself has made.

You insult someone when you take no notice of what they have said to you. Especially when that person has told you how to live a life that is full of meaning and purpose. You also insult people by failing to appreciate the significance of what they have done in life and what implications it had for you personally.

Well, how do we answer the question as to whether we have personally insulted Jesus? There are a number of questions that need to be answered as we look at this situation.

1).           Was Jesus A Prophet?

There is no doubt that Jesus saw Himself as a messenger sent by God. There are over 50 verses in the Gospels where Jesus states that truth.   We look at just a few of them from the four Gospels.

For example when Jesus was sending out His 12 disciples He told them to expect that some might accept their message and others would not.  Those who did accept them by accepting their ministry would in fact be accepting Jesus who had sent them. Not only that but they would be accepting the Father who had sent Him into the world.  A serious response was required from those who were going to hear a serious message from God Himself through their lips. Mat 10:40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”

 When His disciples were arguing among themselves about who was the greatest among them, Jesus took a child and put him into the midst of them saying, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” Mark 9:37. What was needed was humility, the sort of humility that honoured even a little child. Such was His attitude to children. Such indeed was the attitude of the Father who had sent Him.

Jesus explained His ministry in the synagogue in Capernaum as He read from the scroll offered to Him. After He had read it, He went on to interpret its meaning. Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” God had anointed Jesus by His Spirit to be His Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ.  His ministry would be conducted under the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit.  Under that anointing, all He said and all He did as God’s sent messenger would originate in God Himself. He taught this in John 14:10-11, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” His words came from the Father. Jesus spoke them out. His works were a demonstration of the Father working through Him as His chosen messenger.

So it appears that Jesus was certainly a messenger from God but was He a prophet? It appears that He saw Himself as a prophet.  In Mat 13:57, when Jesus was being rejected by many in Nazareth, He said to them, “A prophet is not without honour except in his hometown and in his own household.”  His own hometown and His own household  had just failed to honour Him.  John in his gospel recorded that Jesus left Samaria to go to Galilee. He added these words, John 4:44, “For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honour in his own hometown.”  Jesus recognised that He was indeed a prophet sent from God.  So did John.

 This is further illustrated in Luke 13:32-33. Jesus was warned by some Pharisees that Herod was planning to kill Him. He told them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.”  He WAS a prophet. He WOULD die in Jerusalem.

2).           Did Others See Him As A Prophet?

There are a number of verses which indicate that Jesus was seen to be a prophet by His contemporaries.  On one occasion the chief priests and Pharisees had been exposed to His teaching. They correctly assumed that He was speaking about them in His parables. Matthew adds, in Mat 21:46, “And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.”  The perception of the general population was that He was a prophet.

 When Jesus raised a widow’s only son from death, the onlookers were amazed and said, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”  Lk 7:16. For them that could be the only explanation for such an outstanding miracle.  Similarly when Jesus fed the 5000 those who witnessed the miracle concluded,   “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Others were amazed at His teaching especially at the time of the last day of the feast.  After He had taught, many of His hearers remarked, “This really is the Prophet.” Jn 7:40.

Later when a blind man was asked who it was that had healed him, he said, “He is a prophet.” Jn 9:17. Even at His death, the guards mocked Jesus, “Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?” Mat 26:67-68. It indicates that the concept of Jesus as a prophet was firmly established during His ministry.

 In coming articles we will look in more detail at what it means for us today that Jesus is a prophet. And also at what challenges that truth presents for us in a world that largely ignores Him and is insulting Him as a living Person in a world that so much needs Him, His wisdom, His grace and His strength.  As the title warns us, BEWARE OF INSULTING THE PROPHET JESUS! When we come to realise that He is not only a prophet, but also the Creator of this universe, the Sustainer who keeps it going, the Redeemer who came to give His life for the life of the world and ultimately will be the judge of all the peoples of the world, then He has to be taken seriously as a living Person today. Not to take Him seriously is to insult Him.

Blog No. 159.  Jim Holbeck.  Posted on Sunday 15th March 2015.

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158. Sermon on Mark 1:21-27. “The Authority of Jesus in His Teaching and in Releasing People From Bondage to Evil Spirits”   

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Jim Holbeck

Jesus overcame all the temptations and assaults of the devil in the wilderness. As He began His ministry He was about to help people through His authoritative teaching and in exercising His authority in setting them free from the powers of darkness. He began His ministry with the news that the kingdom of God had come in Himself. That meant that He would be operating with real Kingdom power and authority in the various aspects of His ministry.

 1).        THE AUTHORITY IN JESUS’ TEACHING. 1:21-22

The authority in Jesus’ teaching came from God, (Mk 1:21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. (Mark 1:22)  They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

  • People recognised that His message wasn’t a second hand message telling people what other scholars had written.
  • They were amazed at the authority with which He spoke. It was a call from God through Jesus, for people to act upon the Word of God.
  • (It’s amazing that humans in their free-will can close their ears and their minds and their hearts to Jesus and to the living God.)

 2).        THE AUTHORITY IN JESUS’ MINISTRY. 1:23-24

A man with an unclean spirit interrupted His teaching. (Mark 1:23)  Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, (Mark 1:24)  and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

  • It was the demon, or the evil spirit speaking through the man. It’s as though the demon was challenging Jesus’ authority, for the words can mean, “Why do you interfere with us?” or ” mind your own business.”
  • Evil spirits recognised who Jesus was. This one called Jesus “the Holy One of God.” But Jesus never let the truth about Himself be declared by the powers of darkness. (Mark 1:25)  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” (Mark 1:26)  And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
  • A spiritual power encounter took place. Jesus commanded the spirit to “be muzzled”, to be silent, and to come out of the man and it came out.
  • The people were again amazed. (Mk 1:27) They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching–with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
  • What an exciting, scary time for those who were there. Here was kingdom authority and kingdom power in action.

The late Professor C.S. Lewis saw 2 dangers as we read a story like this.

a).           To deny the existence of the powers of darkness. Yet the Bible tells us that humans can be held captive by the devil. 2Tim 2:26  … they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. AND for the Gentiles like us, Act 26:18  to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

b).           The other danger is to have an unhealthy interest in them, and in so doing, give them more power than they really have.

His warnings are relevant today, for there are many who have gone too far in both extremes, and lost the balance of Scripture.

 3).        THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS OVER THE POWERS OF DARKNESS TODAY

Where does that place us today regarding the powers of darkness or of evil?

People can come under various degrees of control by the powers of darkness.

  • Deception and oppression when people still function, but with difficulty, right through to the extremely rare cases of demon-possession when the person seems to be out of control.
  • I don’t believe we’re to go on witch-hunts trying to find demons to cast out. Rather we are to rest in the confident assurance that if anyone has been adversely affected by the powers of darkness, they can be set free.
  • We see that in practice in the gospels as we see Jesus at work,
  • We see it too in Paul’s teaching, where he states that the powers of darkness have been dealt a mortal blow. For example, he reminded the Colossians that when Christ died on the cross, He not only died to take away sins so that we can be forgiven, but He also disarmed the principalities and powers. (Col 2:13)  And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, 14)  erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. 15)  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.
  • The cross was the placarding, the public proof, that He had defeated the powers of darkness. They no longer have the power they had. Victory is ours through the victory He won on the cross.

So the cross of Christ shows me at least these three things.

  1. It shows me how much God hates sin because only His Son could come to die to take it away.
  2. It shows me how much God loves you and me, that He was willing for His Son to die for us so that we could be forgiven.
  3.  It shows me that the supernatural powers of evil were defeated once and for all on the cross of Calvary.

But it also reminds us that you and I only win the victories in our own lives over the power of evil, by calling on the name of the victorious Christ, and by allowing Him to strengthen us by His resurrection power through His Holy Spirit within us.

 4).        LIVING UNDER JESUS’ AUTHORITY.  HOW WE CAN WALK IN VICTORY?

We think not only of healing for ourselves but for our family, (siblings, children and grandchildren) our neighbours, our friends, our enemies. We want them all to be healed by God to become the people He wants them to be. We need to pray for them and for ourselves:-

  • To have their eyes opened to the truth about God. Paul wrote in 2 Cor 4:4) In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

–  Satan has blinded the minds of all our loved ones, our friends and our enemies who are not yet Christians so that cannot understand how wonderful God is.

–  As unbelievers they may be KIND people socially but they are also BLIND people spiritually. We need to pray that God would open their blind eyes to enable them to know Him and to serve Him.

  • To be set free from the power of evil. God said through the apostle John, 1Jn 5:19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. People may not realise it but they are in the devil’s power. We need to pray for all our loved ones that that they might be set free from the power of evil in their lives to know and experience God’s power in their lives.

STEPS WE CAN TAKE TO BE SET FREE.

There are three main steps to freedom in this area. We need to take them ourselves and to pray that God will work in the lives of all our loved ones so that they too will take the same steps to freedom.

i).         The first one is repentance.

  • God commands us to repent of all known sin in our lives by confessing it before Him and asking for His forgiveness and turning to follow Him.

ii).        The second step is renunciation.  The word means to forsake, to cast off.

  • If we have tapped into supernatural powers through our own wrongful activities, it’s to say, “I’m handing all this over to God. I no longer want any part of it. I’m renouncing it, forsaking it.”
  • It is saying to God, “I don’t want anything to do with the powers of darkness. Please set me free by the power of your Holy Spirit.”

iii).       The third step is to give yourself completely to the Lord, so that He can do in your life what He wants to do as He minsters to you in Kingdom power.

  • It means asking Christ to be the Lord of every part.
  • It means asking Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit, so that you live by the power of the Spirit of God.
  • It means allowing Him to set you free of any wrong supernatural power in your life.

Let me encourage you with the truth that no matter what people’s involvement has been with the powers of darkness, Christ by His Spirit has the power to set them free.

Let me close by leading us in a prayer of repentance and renunciation, and asking the Lord to begin the process of setting us (and others we pray for) free to belong completely to Him.

 A PRAYER FOR FREEDOM FROM THE POWERS OF DARKNESS

“Lord Jesus Christ, I thank You that when You died on the cross, it was to enable me to be forgiven.

I thank You that it also showed Your victory over all the powers of darkness. I want to be free from all that may have bound me in the past, and be released to fulfil Your plan and purpose for me.

I repent of being associated with the powers of darkness in any form, whether it be through my own personal involvement, or through the involvement of members of my family or other people.

I renounce everything to do with the powers of darkness, and I want nothing to do with them. I want you to set me free. 

Lord Jesus, I accept You as the Lord and Master of every part of my life.

Please heal me in body, mind and spirit by the power of your Holy Spirit.  

I thank You by faith for the victories and release I now have.

May Your Spirit lead me and empower me to live for You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Posted by Jim Holbeck on Monday 3rd March 2015

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157. Sermon on Mark 1:29-34. “Taking Advantage Of The Opportunities For Receiving God’s Blessing and Healing.”

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Jim Holbeck

Isn’t it sad to think that something was available for you and you missed out on receiving it? It can happen in every area of life. Sometimes we fail to act on the opportunities that are open before us.

It can happen in relationships

I heard two older folk who had known each other for decades sharing together. One was a man whom many women adored but had never married. The other was a gracious and beautiful woman who had become a widow early in life. She had remained single for many years but remarried much later in life. Her second husband had now become virtually a “vegetable” (but still a very much loved person) in a care facility. The woman said to the man in my presence, “Did you know when we were much younger I was hoping you might marry me one day?”

The man was taken aback. He was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Then he spoke with some obvious feeling of regret, “Why didn’t you ever tell me that you might be interested in me? I would have done something about it.” There was silence for some time following. One wonders how their lives might have been different if they had known how they felt about each other and expressed it much, much sooner.

It can happen in the spiritual areas of life

James wrote, “You have not because you ask not.” He states a general principle that God wants us to ask Him for what we need. He respects our free-will and will not force on us what we are not ready to receive.

The writer of the hymn “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” saw it in terms of missing out on peace by not bringing all our concerns to God in prayer. In the hymn there are these words, “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” We need to act on the opportunities we have to receive the grace of God.

In this passage in Mark there are 2 accounts of opportunities being taken to receive healing from Jesus.

1).        Healing for a woman with a fever. (Peter’s Mother in law)

Jesus had returned from the synagogue in Capernaum to Peter’s house where they found Peter’s mother in law ill with a fever.  She may have been delirious and not have been in a fit condition to reach out to Jesus for healing.  However whether she asked for healing or whether Peter and the others brought her need to Jesus, Jesus was invited to heal her. We read how Jesus took her by the hand and restored her to greater health so that she was able to get up immediately, and make them a nice hot cuppa.

Tonight in this service you have an opportunity to reach out to Jesus for healing or blessing and to be confident He is present to heal and to bless. We love to pray for God’s blessings on those with needs. Or it may be that you’re here to receive prayer for someone who is unable to be present because of distance, or because they are too ill to come to the service. It’s our privilege to join our faith with yours and to pray with you for God’s blessing on that other person. We hear almost every week of wonderful answers to prayer as we together pray for those “out there.” Like the people in Peter’s home, we simply join together to tell Jesus about the one who is sick, and leave it to Him to reach out to them in His love, and in His way and in His time.

Did you notice the immediacy of the healing? Very often those ill with a fever take ages to get up and get going. Peter’s mother in law was up and serving them all in no time at all. It doesn’t always happen as quickly as that, but it can. You and I have to be willing to receive God’s healing whether it comes in one week, one month or in one minute.

2).        The Sick Of Capernaum

Good news can sometimes travel as fast as gossip. Within hours of the man being delivered, and of Peter’s mother in law being healed, people came to the home where Jesus was, bringing all their sick and those with evil spirits. In fact the whole town was outside to see what was going to happen.  They witnessed many being healed and delivered of evil spirits.

We’re not told whether it was the people who brought the sick, who had faith, or whether it was the faith of the sick folk themselves. It would appear that those who were sick and were able to make it on their own got there, whilst those who weren’t well enough to make it, were brought by others.  What is true is that all the people who came took advantage of the opportunity that was provided to be healed, and wonderful healing took place.

Canon Henry Twells was right to describe this incident in the words of a hymn, “At even when the sun was set , the sick O Lord around Thee lay, O in divers pains they met, O with what joy they went away.”

(Many of us who have been involved in the Healing Ministry have seen both of these things happen. A sick person manages to come for prayer, and prayer and the laying on of hands is ministered, and the person receives a healing from God. Or it may be that someone has come and asked for prayer for another person who was too ill to be present.  Hands were laid on the person who brought the request, and prayer offered for the other person. Later the first person came back to thank God for the healing that flowed in the life of that other person at the time of the prayer or sometime later.

I will never forget one woman who came forward for prayer at a healing service. When I asked her what she would like the Lord to do for her, she replied, “Would you please lay hands on me for Elizabeth.” I knew Elizabeth was at home with terminal cancer, and too ill to come to a service. We prayed with the laying on of hands on Elizabeth’s friend. We discovered later that at exactly that time Elizabeth was instantly healed as she lay in her bed at home.  We can only imagine her husband’s surprise when he woke in the morning to find his wife not in bed beside him. And then an even greater surprise and utter delight to find her well and cooking his breakfast in the kitchen, something she had not been able to do for months. Like Peter’s mother in law she was healed and able to function immediately. She remained healed.

Whichever way healing takes place, it is still the same God who brings the healing. The risen Christ is the Healer, and He can heal the person who is present, or the person who is geographically distant.  The reason is, that though you and I can only ever be in one place at one time, Christ isn’t limited like we are. He can be there for them in their need. In love and in Kingdom power.

  1. The Secret Of Jesus’ Ministry

Let’s notice what happened just a few hours after Jesus ministered in Capernaum. Mark says that He went out in the early hours of the morning to a deserted place to pray. Here was the secret of His ministry on earth, the time He spent in prayer with His Heavenly Father.

You see it here and at other significant times in His ministry.

  • After the feeding of the 5,000. (Mat 14:23) After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
  • After He had healed a leper. (Luke 5:16) But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
  • Before he chose the 12 apostles. (Luke 6:12) One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
  • His prayer life touched His disciples who wanted to be able to pray like He did. Luke 11:1, He was praying in a certain place and after he had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord teach us to pray as John taught His disciples”.
  • On the road to Caesarea Philippi as Jesus prayed on the Mount of transfiguration, waiting for God to reveal to the disciples who He really was as the Son of God, and the Messiah. (Luke 9:18) Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” Only then did Peter come out with the revelation of God, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
  • On the Mount of transfiguration, they saw Who He was for those moments as the veil was lifted and they saw His pre-existent glory. (Luke 9:28)  About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.  29)  As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.
  • At Gethsemane as He faced the choice of going on to suffer on the cross for our sins, or whether to turn from the cross. (Luke 22:41) He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not my will but yours be done.”

At all the significant moments of His life, Jesus prayed.

  1. Jesus was focussed on the will of God not just on prayer

He was praying to His Father when suddenly He was interrupted. His disciples who followed Him told Him that everyone was looking for Him. His response may seem surprising. Instead of returning to Capernaum and continuing His teaching and healing ministry there, He told His disciples that it was now time for Him to leave to go to minister in other towns.

Jesus wasn’t wrapped up in Himself and in His own spiritual growth. He wasn’t resentful that the time of prayer had been ended abruptly. For Jesus, prayer wasn’t just an end in itself. His prayer was His way of keeping in the centre of the will of God for Him that he might know the Father’s will for Him and receive power to do it.

He recognised that it was now to move on, not to bask in the adulation of people He had helped. Nor was it to stick to a good thing that was happening in that place. (Mark 1:38)  Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else–to the nearby villages–so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”(Mark 1:39)  So he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. His prayer had opened the will of God to Him. He realised that it was now time to move on to minister elsewhere.

A Reflection on the reading

The opportunity to receive the Lord’s healing had only been offered for a short time in Capernaum on that occasion. Then the opportunity was gone. But praise God, many took advantage of it and knew the Lord’s touch on their lives.

   What if, what if there had been some in Capernaum who heard that Jesus had the power to heal but didn’t act upon it? Some could have said the same sort of things that people say today and fail to come to Him for healing.

  • Some could have said, “I’m always suspicious about healing ministries. There are some funny people involved in healing ministries so I’ve heard. I don’t want to get involved with some weirdos. I’ll just hang back a bit and wait to see if the people who receive prayer actually live through it.”
  • Or others could have said, “I’m still working out my theology of healing, to see whether the Scriptures actually indicate that healing might be a possibility in today’s world.”

That’s not a bad attitude in some ways, for we need to search the Scriptures to see whether these things are so. But when are we going to be convinced?  The religious leaders and scholars of Jesus’ day saw first hand His healings. They were confronted with Lazarus, a man whom Jesus had raised from the dead, yet they still wouldn’t believe. In fact their unwillingness to believe in Jesus’ healing power made them look away from the proof before their eyes, and made them try to wipe out both Jesus and Lazarus.  Such is the strength of religious prejudice.  It refuses to be convinced and tries to destroy the evidence. It often tries to do so through character assassination.

What are the factors that would inhibit anyone from receiving prayer for healing?

Hopefully, not unbelief or religious prejudice. They are major blockages to receiving the grace of God. But there could be other factors.

  • Fear of what people might think is one factor. “What would my friends in my church say if I was prayed for and got healed? They mightn’t like it!”
  • Or pride. “I don’t need other people to pray for me. I’m a mature Christian!” You may also need to be a humble one, letting God minister through other people to you.
  • Or it could be that you would feel a hypocrite for asking for help from God, when you’ve not really had much time for Him up to the present. It’s true that God wants to be the Lord of your life, but it’s possible to give your life to Him and ask for help at the same time.

The opportunity to ask Jesus into your life, to be your Saviour and Lord, or to receive prayer for healing and blessing, is here now. But I don’t know, and you don’t know, how many other opportunities you will have. Certainly in Jesus’ day, there were many who missed out on His blessing. Don’t be among those who had the opportunity but missed out. Be encouraged by this fact, that God loves you and wants to bring you blessing, more than you want to receive it. Take advantage of the opportunity you have now in this service and ask for prayer for God’s blessing and healing.

(From a sermon preached at a Healing Service in Sydney several years ago.)

Posted by Jim Holbeck on Monday 2nd March 2015

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156. Galatians 2:20. The New Life. Part 3. The Presence Of God In His People 

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

In previous articles we have looked at some spiritual gems in Paul’s letter to the Galatians and especially the wonderful truths in Galatians 2:20, 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. However there are other passages in the New Testament which also speak of the presence of God among His people. We will consider some of them below before we move on from the Gal 2:20 passage. Indeed Paul goes on later in Galatians to spell out even more about the presence of God in human lives.

 1).   The Presence Of God In Believers Was Taught By The Apostles

Galatians 3. Receiving the Holy Spirit. In the epistle to the Galatians St Paul reminded his readers that they had received the Holy Spirit when they had responded by faith to the gospel message. He asked them, Gal 3:2 “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?” They knew the answer. It was the latter. They had to go on in the Spirit rather than go back to living as they once had. Now they were meant to be relying on the Holy Spirit to guide and empower them. So he rebuked them, 3 “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” The flesh had no power to bring them to maturity. Only the Holy Spirit of God within them could do so.

Galatians 5. Walking by the Spirit. In chapter 5 he exhorts them to go on in the Spirit, or to walk by the Spirit, Gal 5:16  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. They had a choice to make. They could live by the lusts of their lower nature (the flesh) or they could live under the direction of the Holy Spirit. The flesh and the Spirit were opposed to each other, 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. God through Paul wanted them to be guided and directed by His Spirit and not revert to legalistic living, 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The false teachers in their midst were trying to seduce them to observe the law. The time had come for the Galatians to reject the false teaching and to walk in the way God wanted them to walk, in the way of the Spirit.

 Galatians 5. The “fruit” of the Spirit. Paul now describes the contrast between the two ways of living by referring to the “works of the flesh” and “the fruit of the Spirit”. The “works” were all the nasty things not characteristic of God such as “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.” 5:19-21. Those who lived in this way would not inherit the kingdom of God, 5:21. Paul then describes the “fruit of the Spirit” in Gal 5:22-23 which is to characterise the people of God. We note that “fruit” is (karpos) a singular word rather than “fruits” in the plural. The fruit is the outward evidence of the life within.

The outward evidence of God’s life and character is seen in the fruit produced in the believer’s life. The fruit consists of  “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.” The first three parts of that fruit were qualities that Jesus said He would share with His disciples. For example, Jesus had said of His love, Jn 15:9  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.  Jesus had said of His joy, Jn 15:11  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. He had said of His peace, Jn 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. The other parts of the fruit of the Spirit were recognizable in the way in which God Himself had dealt with His people over generations.

 What a different world it would be if everyone manifested the fruit of the Spirit! Imagine everyone around you (including you) being characterised all the time by those fine characteristics. It is only possible, as Paul wrote, when those who belong to Christ “crucify the flesh with its passions and desires.  If the Spirit had brought the Galatians life, then they should “keep in step with the Spirit.” 5:24-25. (“Keep in step” is from the Greek word “stoicheo” meaning to “walk in rows”. Paul also used it in Romans to remind his readers that they needed to walk in the footsteps of the faith that Abraham had walked in.) It meant that Christian living had to do with allowing God to guide them by His Spirit and also allowing Him to express Himself through the lives of His people as the outward fruit or expression of His inward presence.

Ephesians 2:21-22. God Present In His Temple. Paul wrote about the church in verses 21-22, “in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place (Gk. katoikētērion)[i] for God by the Spirit.” God dwelling in His church as He once was considered to dwell in the temple. But this temple is made up of living stones as Peter wrote of believers in 1Peter 2:5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The church is the body of Christ made up of individual members. What is true for the body is also true for each individual. They become part of the temple God is building and in whose presence He comes to dwell by His Spirit.

God indwells His people. He indwells every individual believer because each individual’s body is a temple and part of the temple in which Christ lives by His Spirit. (See 1 Cor 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells (Gk. oikeo) in you?”  “In” is the preposition (“en” the usual word for “in”). God’s Spirit lives in His people. See also 1 Cor 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Again the Holy Spirit is said to be “within” (Gk. “en”) the believers. They had a responsibility to glorify God through the bodies in which Christ lived by His Spirit. Even though they were indwelt by the divine presence they still had to play their part in allowing Him to express or manifest His presence through them. (It makes one wonder how much more about God would be known in the world today if His people had set out to glorify Him for every moment of their lives.)

Eph 3:16-17. The Presence Of God In The “Inner Being” And “Hearts” Of Believers. Paul prayed for Christ to dwell in the inner being of the Ephesian believers. He reminded them of the reality of the presence of God within them by telling them what he prayed for them. In Ephesians 3:16-17 he said he prayed that they might be “strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” The Spirit of God would indwell and inwardly strengthen their inner being (Gk. ésō anthrōpos = inner man), and Christ would dwell in them.

It is interesting that Paul in verse 17 uses the word (katoikéō) for “dwell”. It means to make a permanent home. He is praying that Christ might make His permanent home within them. There may be a sense here that Paul is suggesting that he wants Christ to feel at home in His home, in their hearts. They would have realised that Christ did live within them. He wasn’t going to leave them. However they needed to welcome and accommodate His presence. They also needed to understand that they had to open every area of their lives to Him so that He could manifest His presence and power in and through each part of their lives.

 Eph 3:19. To Be Filled With The Fullness Of God.  Paul told the Ephesians that he prayed for them that they might be “filled with all the fullness of God.” It is a scary thought that ordinary believers could be filled with all the fullness of God. However finite human beings cannot comprehend or contain the infinite. Even Solomon who built a house for Yahweh to dwell in had to acknowledge that the house he had built could not contain God, 1Kings 8:27, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!”

 The phrase in Eph 3:19 is “filled (eis) all the fullness of God.” (eis) is a preposition normally meaning “into” rather than “with” or “by”. Humans cannot contain the fullness of God. But they can be filled into the measure of His fullness, meaning to the capacity of their human ability to receive that fullness. It may be better to consider “fullness” not in terms of quantity, but in terms of the presence of God. To the extent that they opened to their lives to Him, He could manifest the reality of His presence through them.  

 Colossians 1:27. The Mystery. “Christ In You, The Hope Of Glory. Paul was not a mystery writer but he did expose the truth about a mystery which God Himself had revealed. It was the mystery concerning the gospel or good news for the Gentiles. As Gentile believers they belonged! To God! Through faith in Christ! As he put it in Col 1:27, To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. What an amazing truth that God had a place for the despised Gentiles in His eternal purposes. The place He had for them was to be present among them and indeed to live in their hearts. As A.T. Robertson wrote, “the idea of (en) here is “in”, not “among”. It is the personal experience and presence of Christ in the individual life of all believers that Paul has in mind, the indwelling Christ in the heart as in Eph 3:17.[ii]

 Col 2:9-10. Filled by or with Christ. “For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. Christ is filled with the all the fullness of God. Then comes verse 10 whose literal translation is “and you are in Him having been filled.” It is uncertain whether Paul means that Jesus is the instrument by whom they are filled or whether He is the sphere in which they are filled.  Whatever it is, they are filled to whatever capacity they are able to be filled with His presence as human disciples. Having Him in His fullness within them meant that they did not need anyone else or anything else to be made complete.

2).   The Presence Of God In Believers Was Experienced By Believers

2 Corinthians 4:10-11. The presence of Christ was seen in Christian people. They experienced His presence. Paul wrote in 2 Cor 4:10-11 about that experience, that he and other believers were “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” The more that they died to sin, the more the life of Jesus within them could be recognised in and through their lives. “Manifested” is from Gk. (phaneroo) meaning to appear or to make visible. When believers are dying to themselves, it allows Christ to manifest the reality of His presence in and through their human bodies.

What an encouraging and challenging truth for today! People today can see Jesus! In the lives of His followers! Hopefully by the grace of God, the Christ they see will be the Christ of the New Testament and not a pale reflection or a distorted image. Jesus hasn’t changed. But it behoves all believers to reflect Him faithfully as they live in the fishbowl of this world.  How wonderful it would be if newcomers to the faith were to say to us, “I was attracted to Jesus because I saw Him in you and I decided to follow Him myself!”

 3).  The Presence Of Christ In His People Brings Him Honour. Php 1:20-21

Philippians 1:20-21.   as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honoured in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. “Honoured” is (megalunō) meaning to magnify or exalt. Paul wanted to live in such a way that Christ would be exalted in and through his body. If death were to come, Paul wanted to honour Jesus through His death. What Paul desires is that others see Christ in him and through him, no matter what might happen to him. It makes us ask the question, “Am I living for my own glory and honour or do I want Jesus to be always honoured and glorified through my life and through my death?”

 In verse 21 we see the godly motivation behind Paul’s life. Paul declares that Christ meant everything to him. His life was centred around Christ. He was totally committed to Him. He wanted Jesus to be seen in and through him for every moment of his life. Even to the point of his death. Death for him would not be loss. It would be a gain. It would introduce him to a life in perfect union with Christ for ever. He was torn between two important desires. To remain on earth to help fellow believers or to be with Christ, Php 1:22  If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far. 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith. Paul saw it as a win-win situation. His life would bring glory to God. So too would his death. For the sake of others he was willing to forego an earlier entrance into the totality of the presence of God.  On earth he could help others grow to maturity.

 We close with the words of our text from our original text in Gal 2:20-21, “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.”

Paul the new creature in Christ, had opened his life to God, so that Jesus might be seen to be alive in him and through him.  We too need to be so committed to Him that He may be magnified and exalted in our lives as well. 

[i]       The only other reference to this word in the New Testament is in Revelation 18:2 where Babylon is described as a “dwelling place” for demons.  What a contrast with the concept of the presence of God dwelling in human lives.

[ii]     AT Robertson, in “Word Pictures In The New Testament” article on Col 1:27.

Blog No 156. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Tuesday 29th July 2014

Amazon Kindle books authored by Jim Holbeck:

  1. The Searching And Knowing God Who Loves And Cares: Reflections on Psalm 139. 
  2. The Godly Reward for True Humility. Studies in St Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians.
  3. Click on :-  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=holbeck
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155. Galatians 2:20. The New Life.  Part 2. Christ Lives In Me

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

Gal 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”   In the previous article we saw that Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20 that he had come to the end of his old life (“crucified with Christ”). As a new creation in Christ he had turned from his old life with all its privileges and sin. He had turned to Christ to receive Him as his Saviour and to enthrone Him as Lord. He expressed that difference in this verse. He described his new life in this way, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” He was now living a life in which the indwelling Christ could live His life in and through Him. Paul was then a willing human instrument in whom Christ could live and through whom He could minister, as Paul made himself available to Him.

This way of thinking about the presence of God as living in His people was not something entirely unexpected.  There were prophecies about this in the Old Testament. We will look at one of those prophecies. We will also look at similar concepts in the teaching of Jesus which describe the presence of God in His people.

The Presence Of God In Believers Was Predicted In The Old Testament

There were a number of passages in the Old Testament which predicted that a closer relationship with God was to happen. However we can sum up many of the elements of those passages as we look at one passage in particular in Ezekiel 36:26-27.  Ezekiel was describing a new covenant God was to make with His people. It would bring a deeper intimate relationship between Yahweh and His people. His Spirit would be in them and would make them more sensitive to Him. He would also motivate and empower them to walk in His ways. Ezekiel 36:26 “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

  (We note here how similar a concept it is to Paul’s teaching in Php 2:12-13, in which he describes God’s presence in His people motivating and empowering them to do God’s will. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”) (See my previous article for more on this verse.)

 The Presence Of God In Believers Was Foretold By Christ

  1. Christ Foretold That Believers Would Be Indwelt By The Spirit Of God  Jesus spoke of Himself in John 14:16 as praying to the Father to provide Someone to take His place when He finally departed from His disciples. He told them, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another[i] Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

We note here the different terms that are used to denote the presence of the Spirit. In verse 16, the Spirit was to “be (Gk. eimi) with” them or “remain (Gk. menō) with” them forever (both verbs are to be found in ancient manuscripts). In verse 17 the Spirit was to remain (Gk. menō, same word as in verse 16) “beside” them. “Beside” is another Greek word (para). It means to be to the side of someone or something. So the Spirit was to be located at or in their presence. Then comes another expression later in verse 17. This time the Spirit was to be “in” (Gk. en) them.

Summing up all these different terms we see that God’s presence by His Spirit was to be a permanent presence (with= meta) them forever. It would be an immanent, close by presence (para= beside). It would also be an intimate presence (en = in). One could not think of a more comprehensive description of the presence of God with His people. His presence by His Spirit would remain with them forever.  His Spirit would remain beside them. His Spirit would actually indwell them.

Christ Foretold That Believers Would Be Indwelt By His own presence. Jn 14:20  In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. In stating this truth Jesus was showing the intimacy of the relationship between the Father, Himself and His disciples. In fact the same preposition (en = in) is used to describe the intimacy of these three relationships. How marvellous it is to realise that Jesus is “in” His people in the same way as He is “in” the Father, and they are “in” Him.

 A similar expression is found in John 15. Though the disciples would be .joined in union with Christ, they would still need to seek to deepen that union. How? By consciously learning to abide in Christ or to remain in close fellowship with Him. Jesus taught in John 15:4 “Abide[ii] in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

 There was no doubt that Jesus would play His part in abiding in His disciples. However they needed to play their part in maintaining a close relationship with Him. How? By abiding in Him and by abiding in His word (and obeying it as a mark of their love for Him). Such a commitment would pay great dividends in answers to prayer, John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. Abiding in Christ and in His word places one within the will of God. Prayers prayed according to the will of God will be answered in His way and in His time.

 Christ Foretold That Believers Would be Indwelt By The Father And The Son. In John 14:16-17 Jesus had stated that those who obeyed His commandments would be those who loved Him. Such people would be loved also by His Father. In John 14:23 Jesus repeated, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” But He also added, “My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

“We” here refers to both the Father and Jesus. The phrase “make our home with them” in verse 23 is interesting in that it uses some of the words already used in John 14:16-17. The word “home” in the Greek original was (monḗ) which is the noun form of (menō) to “remain”. In addition, the word for “with” them is the word (para) also used in 14:17 to denote the closeness of relationship. So you have this amazing comment from Jesus that both He and the Father would make their home with the disciples. It is little wonder that A.T. Robertson suggests, “If the Holy Spirit “abides” (menei, Jn14:17) in you, that heart becomes a temple (naos) of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 3:16.), and so a fit dwelling place for the Father and the Son, a glorious and uplifting reality.”[iii]

These predictions from the lips of Jesus were fulfilled after Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended to heaven. There He had received the gift of the Holy Spirit. He then poured out this gift on His disciples. This happened on the day of Pentecost. As Peter declared on that day, Act 2:32 “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”

Not only that but the promised gift of the Holy Spirit would be given to all those who put their trust in the risen Christ. As Peter also said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39  For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Acts 2:38-39.

Praise God that those of us who were once “far off” have been brought near through the blood of Christ (Eph 2:13). Praise God too that we have been indwelt by His Spirit and belong to the children of God throughout the world.  PRAISE GOD!

[i]     Verse 16, “another” is “allos” meaning another of the same kind, rather than “heteros” meaning another of a different kind.  The promised comforter would be someone just like Jesus Himself.

[ii]    In John 15:4-7, the word for “abide” is the same Greek word (menō) also used in used in Jn 14:16-17.

[iii]    AT Robertson, in “Word Pictures In The New Testament” article on John 14:17.

Blog No.155. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Sunday 27th July 2014

Amazon Kindle books authored by Jim Holbeck:

  1. The Searching And Knowing God Who Loves And Cares: Reflections on Psalm 139. 
  2. The Godly Reward for True Humility. Studies in St Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians.
  3. Click on :-  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=holbeck

 

 

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154. Galatians 2:20. The New Life.  Part 1. “Crucified with Christ”

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

Gal 2:20  “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”  Whatever did Paul mean by this statement? As you read his epistles you gather that he saw himself as being in a faith–union with Christ, so that what happened to Christ, happened to Him. It is the same for all those who are “in Christ” and who were “chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:3). This includes their being crucified with Christ, dying with Him, being buried with Christ in baptism, being raised with Christ and being seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

Paul meant then in Galatians 2:20, that he had come to the end of his old life (“crucified with Christ”) in which he was living his life apart from Christ. As a new creation in Christ he had turned from his old life with all its privileges and sin and had turned to Christ to embrace Him as Saviour and Lord. It was as though the old Paul had been crucified. His old life with all its angst against Jesus and his followers had come to an end and he was now a new man with new attitudes. But before we go on to explore the newness of the new life, we need to look at a bit longer at what this crucifixion with Christ means.

In this verse 20 Paul used the word (sustauróō) a compound word derived from (sun = with ) and (stauroṓ = crucify) to denote this crucifixion with Christ. But it is helpful to see that it is in the perfect tense in the Greek original. That tense signifies a past action with a present abiding result. It is as though Paul is saying that his radical change in life was a permanent redirection of his life. It was as though the old Paul (or the Paul of old) had come to the end of his former way of living. He saw himself as having been crucified with Christ and would always remain crucified with Him, for ever.

Romans 6:6. We gain more insight when we see how this phrase (“crucified with’)  is used elsewhere in Paul’s writings. For example in Romans 6:6 Paul wrote, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin”.  This is a bit more specific. Paul described what was crucified as being “our old self.” The phrase is (palaios anthrōpos) which is literally, “the old man”. We might describe it as “the person I once used to be” or “what I was of old”.  Again the word is (sustauróō) for “crucified with”. This time Paul is speaking in the plural, “we”. It is in the aorist tense that denoted a past action, but it was an action that had impacted significantly on the believers.

Paul adds to this, the purpose and the result of that crucifixion with Christ. The crucifixion was to break the power of sin in believers’ lives, “that the body of sin might be brought to nothing”. The “body of sin” of course refers to human bodies capable of committing sin. The human bodies of the believers had lost the power they once had to enslave believers to sin. Why? Because a new and greater power had come upon them when they received the promised Holy Spirit into their lives.  The believers now had a choice. They could walk in their old ways or they could walk in the new way of the Spirit. Paul gives the result of that empowering, “so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin”. A new power had enabled new choices. They had been inwardly motivated to make the right choices. As they continued to live by faith in that way, it would mean that their body of sin was no longer victorious in their lives. Or as Paul wrote in the next verse, Rom 6:7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Galatians 5:24. A similar expression is used in this verse to describe the victory in believers’ lives over sin.  Paul wrote, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” The term “the flesh” is used to describe many things in Paul’s writings. However here it seems to refer to fallen human nature characteristic of all peoples, as the following words indicate, “with its passions and desires”. The flesh no longer governed the life of the believer for as Paul shows in the next verse, they could be governed by the Spirit, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”5:25. The Spirit could lead believers to walk in God’s ways and could also empower them to do so.  The Spirit enabled them to have victory over the flesh as they continued to walk in step with the Spirit.

 Galatians 6:14.  “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” In this verse there is a change in wording though the essential message is the same as in the above verses. Here the word is simply (stauroṓ = crucify). There are two crucifixions mentioned. The first crucifixion mentioned in the verse is the crucifixion of the world to Paul. The attraction of the world to Paul had been broken. It no longer had the power over him it had had in the past. The second crucifixion was the crucifixion of Paul to the world.  He had changed though the world had not. He had been strengthened through his conversion and by receiving the Spirit of God into his life to be able to resist the lure of the world.

Paul was not boastful of his new attitude to the world or of his victory over sin.  He simply boasted that the change had been wrought through what Christ had done on the cross and to his commitment to the victory attained there, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”. That has been the boast of every believer ever since! Jesus’ victory on the cross brings victories into the lives of His people as they continue to trust in Him

Blog No.154. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Friday 25th July 2014

Amazon Kindle books authored by Jim Holbeck:

  1. The Searching And Knowing God Who Loves And Cares: Reflections on Psalm 139. 
  2. The Godly Reward for True Humility. Studies in St Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians.
  3. Click on :-  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=holbeck

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