067. Lenten Studies on Philippians. Part 6. “Rejoicing In The Lord.” Philippians 4:1-7.

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Jim Holbeck

“Rejoice in the Lord always.” Only a short phrase but one packed with meaning. It is all too easy to read that verse in chapter 4 and to miss its deep implications. What does it really mean to “rejoice in the Lord?” Perhaps a whole lot more than we originally thought! Let’s see it in its context.  Below is a simple outline of chapter 4 in which we see that verse 4 is pivotal.  If one is really rejoicing in the Lord then a whole lot of things fall into place. Here is the outline with comments to follow.

1).        The Command To Stand Firm In Their Faith. Verse 1
2).        The Command For Reconciliation To Occur. Verses 2-3
3).        The Command To Rejoice In The Lord. Verse 4.
4).        The Results Of Rejoicing In The Lord. Verse 5-7
i.            Being appropriate at all times. Verse 5
ii.            Trusting in God always for everything. Verse 6
iii.            Experiencing the peace of God. Verse 7
 

1).        The Command To Stand Firm In Their Faith. Verse 1,  Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.  Paul had already written that he hoped to hear of them that they were standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, Phil 1:27, He wanted them to be united in spirit, united in purpose, united in ministry as they stood firm, side by side for the gospel.

The church as the body of Christ has to be at unity within itself or it has no real witness to the world of how God can bring about reconciliation among different sorts of people. Some in the church in Philippi weren’t united as 4:1-2 shows.  Two women had fallen out and had to be reconciled to each other.

2).        The Command For Reconciliation To Occur. Verses 2-3,  I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. (3)  Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have laboured side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Standing firm in the faith means standing together in Christian unity and ministry. This is essential not optional in the body of Christ.  Euodia and Syntyche who had been previously involved in the ministry of reconciliation with Paul, HAD to be reconciled. Otherwise it was a  denial of the saving power of the gospel and of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Paul had elsewhere written on reconciliation in 2 Corinthians 5 as being part of His new creation, 2Co 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away behold, the new has come. 18  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

God could not use Euodia and Syntyche in the ministry of reconciliation while they refused to be reconciled to one another. Their ministry would have no legitimacy or authority while they remained out of fellowship. They were not embracing the grace of God which would have enabled them to act graciously in forgiveness towards each other. For the sake of the Christian witness in Philippi reconciliation had to take place.

3).        The Command To Rejoice In The Lord. Verse 4,   Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  It’s more than singing, “I’m H.A.P.P.Y”  (There’s nothing wrong with that as a child’s song but Christian joy has to be much deeper than that. We have to have a reason for our happiness). The reason is that we can rejoice in the Lord Himself. (Noting that Paul saw Jesus as “Lord” and as “my Lord”. Php 3:8  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Paul’s mind was fixed on Jesus as the ground of his happiness.

  • Paul rejoiced as he focussed on Jesus having experienced His love, mercy, grace and power.
  • He rejoiced in Jesus as he thought of His teaching which declared the will of His Heavenly Father.
  • He rejoiced in Jesus as he remembered the promises of Jesus.
  • He rejoiced in Jesus because He could recall his experiences of the  presence of Jesus throughout His life.

We have to move from rejoicing in the fact that we are believers, and have learnt Jesus’ teachings and know His promises,  to personally and individually rejoicing in Him.  Rejoicing in Him at all times and in all places! Paul himself was rejoicing in the Lord in prison awaiting death. He had done that previously in Philippi when he had been imprisoned there earlier in his ministry, as we read in Acts 16:25, About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 

It means for us being able to say from the heart, “I’m so glad to be in Your presence Lord.” Perhaps this could be a missing feature in some worship circles as real deep genuine joy can be so infectious and so liberating for those who join in it. It is rejoicing in a person, the Lord Himself, in spite of all that is going on around oneself.

4).        The Results Of Rejoicing In The Lord. Verse 5-7

A number of things fall into place when we fix our eyes on Jesus in adoration, praise and thanksgiving. We rejoice in His love for us and for His presence with us and in us. If we have enthroned Him as Lord of our lives then we know our lives are in His hands. It means:-

i.                    Being appropriate at all times. Verse 5.  Let your reasonableness (graciousness, gentleness) be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.  “The Lord is at hand” has 2 meanings. He is geographically close to His people and able to help them in their times of need. Jesus promised in His great commission in Mat 28:20, … behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The word for “at hand” or “near” (The Greek word engus)  can also mean that Jesus is about to return. It’s worthwhile hanging on to our faith in Him because He will soon come to vindicate His people. He is near in (our) time and in (our) space.

If the Lord is at hand in both these ways, then it means that we can relax. We don’t have to force issues. We don’t have to ensure that our will is done.  Like Jesus we can pray  “… not as I will, but as you will.”  As Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer it is all about the Lord and His will and not about us or our will,  Mat 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. So we can be gracious to others knowing it’s all about Him and not about us. It’s His will that is to be sought and followed, not “ours” or “theirs”.

  ii.        Trusting in God always for everything. Verse 6.  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Jesus promised His disciples in all ages, John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. (HCSB) 

All things are ours in Him, but we need to ask for them in faith and then to reach out in faith to receive them. Paul wrote that God is motivated to give to His people, Rom 8:32  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?  If He gave the greatest gift He could give (the gift of his Son) then He is motivated to give us the lesser gifts (in comparison with Jesus) of healing, blessing, guidance etc.  Paul wrote something similar in 1Cor 3:21  So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 1Co 3:22  whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future–all are yours, 1Co 3:23  and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.  All we need is ours in Christ. We just need to ask Him for it! If it is accord with the will of God then it is ours to be received in His way and in His time.

The final blessing coming from rejoicing in the Lord is that we can know a peace in our lives that can’t be fully described.

iii.                Experiencing the peace of God. Verse 7.   And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

a.       We can never describe the full depths of the peace we can experience in this life. It has to be experienced to be believed. Even then there is more to experience and more to come to understand about the peace of God.

b.       This is none other than God’s peace.  It comes only from Him through Jesus the Prince of Peace. As Jesus said in John 14:27  “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.

c.       It guards our hearts and our minds.  Our mental and emotional health are protected by a sentry. It is the peace of God standing guard to keep our hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus our Lord. The readers in Philippi would have understood this figure of speech. Philippi was a Roman garrison city, protected for every hour of every day. The inhabitants would have dwelt at peace knowing that no invaders could come and disturb their peace. When our focus is right, directed on the Lord and we continue to rejoice in Him as a Person and in what He has done for us, we can experience deepening measures of His peace.

I conclude with a very meaningful translation of this passage from “The Message”.  Php 4:4  Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Php 4:5  Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! Php 4:6  Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Php 4:7  Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.

Blog No. 067.  Jim Holbeck.  Posted On Monday 2nd April 2012

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066. LENTEN STUDIES IN PHILIPPIANS. Part 5. “The Surpassing Worth of Knowing Christ Jesus As Lord.” Phil 3:1-21

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Jim Holbeck

How do you help someone who is feeling a little bit battered? You can sympathise with them and try to show by your sympathy that you care about them and their needs. But that is only a temporary help to them. They need to turn to God to find the help that only He can provide. Paul knew that the believers in Philippi had been given a bad time by false teachers who had come in to their fellowship and brought disruption. So in this chapter he urges them to get their focus back on God Himself and to be watchful for those who would be a hindrance to the enjoyment of their life with Christ.  

 1).        REJOICING IN THE LORD. (But be watchful). (1)  Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.  Paul is urging them to get their focus right. There were false teachers around who were telling them that they are not real believers. These false teachers were telling them that they had to be circumcised and observe the Jewish rites and ceremonies to be real believers. Paul tells his readers not to follow them. They were wrong examples to follow. (2)  Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.  

Rather they were to be like Paul who gave glory to Jesus. They were to rejoice in the Lord Himself not just in their faith.  They were to worship by the Spirit and not be bowed down with man-made rites and ceremonies. (3)  For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—. Christianity is all about Jesus the Creator, the Saviour, the Lord and giving Him all the glory in praise and adoration.

 2).        GROWING IN THE LORD.  (Paul An Example Of True Faith).

How could they grow in the faith? There were three things they needed to do. 

i).         Letting Go Of The Past. Paul had a lot to boast about because of his privileged background.  (4)  though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:(5)  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;(6)  as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.  In other words he was saying that he was a true blue Jew! But then he met Christ on the Damascus Road and life was changed from that moment. He gave his life to Jesus and didn’t hanker after his past. 

 ii).        Taking Hold Of Jesus. Jesus became everything to him. All his past now meant nothing. (7)  But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.(8)  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ(9)  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—. The things of his past meant nothing to him. Not only were they “loss” but they were as “dung”,  worthless in comparison with the gain he had in Jesus.  

He wanted to know Jesus more deeply. He desired a much deeper, more intimate knowledge of Jesus. He wanted to know Him more closely as a  person. He also wanted to experience His resurrection power in his life, even though it might means sharing in the sufferings Jesus suffered, (10)  that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,(11)  that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

 iii).       Letting Jesus Take Hold Of Us.  In verse 12, Paul says that Christ Jesus had taken hold of him. It’s as though Jesus was saying,  “I belong to Christ. I am His. He has claimed me for Himself. I’m giving Him all I am and have”.  He expressed his desire in the response he was  making to Jesus and he urged his readers to respond in the same way. 

  • Pressing on to what is ours in Jesus. (12)  Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  Paul was saying in effect, “The goal of my life is fixed. It is Jesus.” He used three expressions to denote that commitment to Jesus.   The first is “Press on”  from the Greek διώκω (diōkō) which can be translated as  “pursue” and “persecute”  as we saw in 3:6 . Paul once pursued believers to persecute them. Now He was pursuing Christ and encouraging others to pursue Jesus and to follow Him too. 
  • Straining forward (reaching ahead) to a deepening future with Him. (13)  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. Forgetting the past means that Paul wasn’t focussed on the past and on all the status he had once enjoyed.  He wanted more and more and more of what was his in Jesus.  He was “reaching out” to take hold of Christ.
  • Pressing on to achieve the goal God has for us in Jesus.  (14)  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.(15)  Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.(16)  Only let us hold true to what we have attained.  There is a prize to be enjoyed. It is to enjoy Jesus in this life and then share in bliss with Him in glory. 

 3).           WALKING HOME TO GLORY.  The Jesus who meant so much to Paul would come again to take His people to be with Him for ever. In the meantime the believers had to walk in the right path, imitating the right examples. 

i).            Right Imitation (Paul).  Paul wanted his readers to keep their eyes on those who kept their eyes on Jesus.  (17)  Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walkaccording to the example you have in us. As Paul wrote in 1Cor 11:1 in encouraging his readers to imitate his own example,  Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

 ii).           Wrong Imitation. It meant not worrying about or focussing on the false teachers. God would look after them.  (18)  For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.(19)  Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

 iii).          Result of right Imitation, living for Jesus in the present.  

  • We have a heavenly city in which to dwell. (20)  But our citizenship is in heaven. We are all going home as believers, home to glory to the place Jesus has prepared for us, Jn 14:2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
  • We have a heavenly Saviour who is coming back to take us to be with Him in glory.  (20)  But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Every day is a day closer to His coming for us.
  • We will have a heavenly body. Jesus is going to transform our bodies into a heavenly bodies like His when He returns.  (21)  who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body. 
  • How can all these things take place? Jesus is Lord of all. He does it by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

 So there is the picture we see of Jesus in Chapter 3. It means that we can:-

1).             Rejoice in Him, in who He is and in what He has done for us.

 2).           Grow into Him by,

  • Letting go of the past.
  • Taking hold of Jesus.
  • Letting Jesus take hold of us as we offer ourselves completely to Him..

 3).           We are walking home to glory living for Him and waiting for Him to take us to be with Him in glory forever.

We rejoice in the Lord because of all these wonderful  promises. But what about those who won’t be ready for Jesus when He comes? For them too, today is one day closer and they are still not ready for His coming.  We need to pray for such people that God will open their eyes to see who Jesus is and open their minds to understand what He has done for humans. Praying too that they in turn would open their hearts to Jesus so that the wonderful promises we see in this Chapter are taken hold of by them as well. 

Blog No.066. Jim Holbeck.  Posted On Friday 23rd March 2012

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065. Lenten Studies On Philippians. Part 4. “God At Work Through His Humble People.” Phil 2:13-30

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Jim Holbeck

It is not easy to see what Paul was trying to do in Chapter 2. In verses 1 to 11 St Paul had used the example of Jesus in His life and death as the pattern for the humility to be displayed by the people of God. He had shown how the humility of Jesus was followed by His exaltation to the highest heights. Php 2:9-11 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. This we looked at briefly in the last article. However it seems strange to read that Paul went on from that lofty language about Jesus to what seems to be more mundane talk about two of his friends.

It makes sense though when we realise that Paul is continuing on with the theme of humility in the remainder of chapter 2. In the next section from verses 12 to 16 he shows how it should be displayed in the lives of believers. He follows that up in verses 17 to 30 to show how two of his friends and fellow workers Timothy and Epaphroditus were outstanding examples of true humility.

1). Humility In God’s People. They Work Out In Practice What He Is Working In Them

i). Believers humbly working for God. Php 2:12 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. It is working “out” and not working “for” salvation, for salvation is by the grace and mercy of God. (Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Salvation is received as a gift in receiving Jesus into one’s life as Saviour and Lord. However the implications of that free salvation have to be lived out in the lives of the recipients. It is the same concept Paul wrote about in 2 Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 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). God powerfully working in His humble people. Paul expresses that truth in a number of ways

  • He gives them the willingness and the ability to do what He wants them to do. Php 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. What a relief to know that God can motivate us AND can also empower us to do His will as we humbly rely on Him.
  • His people humbly trust Him with their lives. Php 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning. Why do they need to grumble when they know God is on their side? Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Why do they need to question when they have the answers in Jesus as THE way, THE truth and THE life, John 14:6 and knowing that for those who love God, “ …all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”.. Rom 8:28.
  • His people shine in the darkness with a light not their own. They shine with the light of God. Php 2:15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. John expressed it as walking in the light of God, 1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
  • They humbly hold fast to Jesus and to His word. Php 2:16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labour in vain. John also used the same expression “word of life” in making the connection between Jesus and His word in 1John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life. (These are the only two references to that term in the New Testament.)

2). Humility in Timothy

Paul now narrows his remarks to the humility shown by two of his friends. The first he speaks of is Timothy. Paul shows that Timothy was a truly humble man of God.

i). Genuine humility seen in his concern for others. Php 2:19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. 20 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. “Genuinely” (gnēsiōsis) is found only here in the New Testament. It comes from (gnēsios) which was used for a genuine birth, not a spurious one. His concern was the real thing and not a fake.

ii). Genuine humility seen in his motivation to seek the interests of others. Php 2:21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. 23 I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, 24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also. Here there are a number of elements describing Timothy’s humility. Timothy’s focus was on God and His will and not on his own interests. He cared for them as though Christ was caring for them through him. His “proven worth” (dokimē) meant that he had proven himself in practical ministry. He was the “genuine article”.

He and Paul were fellow servants in mission but Paul was aware how Timothy had humbled himself to serve as a son with a father. He didn’t insisting on stressing his status as an equal in Christ.

3). Humility in Epaphroditus

i. Humility in serving Paul. Php 2:25 I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, 26 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Epaphroditus was the agent for the Philippians in humbly bringing help to Paul. He took his responsibility seriously. He wasn’t a loner who didn’t need his brothers and sisters in Christ. He longed for his brothers and sisters in Christ whom he had left behind in Philippi. When they became upset at his illness, he in turn was upset for them that they had been upset! In his humility he could “picture himself in their shoes” and knew how they would have felt about him.

ii. Humility in obedience almost unto death. Php 2:27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, 30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. Because the saints in Philippi could not directly assist Paul, Epaphroditus humbly tried to do it all for them. (With almost fatal results). However it was for the work of Christ that he did it. In the mercy of God he was spared to continue in his ministry to Paul.

So what a wonderful integrated chapter on humility. First the big picture with the perfect pattern of Jesus in His humility in coming to earth and dying for the sin of the world. His humility rewarded by His exaltation as Lord of all. Then the examples of people whom they knew and respected, Timothy and Epaphroditus. Paul’s mention of them would show the Philippian believers that humility was a real possibility for those humble enough to walk that path. But they needed the grace of God to do so. His grace was available because as verse 12 puts it, Php 2:13 For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to will and to act for His good purpose. (Holman Christian Study Bible).

A Prayer That We Might Be Humble In Serving God And One Another

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your amazing grace in calling us to know You and to follow You. We thank You that You have saved us by Your grace so that we can have forgiveness and new life in You. We thank You that You are at work in us by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Enable us by Your grace to work out in our everyday lives what You are working in us. We thank You too that You give us the willingness and the ability to serve You and to serve one another in fulfilling Your will for us.

Help us to see people with Your eyes and to feel about them as You feel about them in Your love. Motivate us by Your Spirit to be what You want us to be and to do what You want us to do for every moment of our lives. We ask these things in Jesus’ name, AMEN

Blog No. 065. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Thursday 15th March 2012

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A Notice. Help In Navigating Holbeck Blogs. Answers to “Where can I find…?

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Jim Holbeck

My apologies to those of you who misread the title of this blog. It is Holbeck “blogs” and not Holbeck “bogs”. You may have always wanted to navigate your way around the Holbeck moor (bog?) near the city of Leeds in the UK. This blog won’t help you do that task. But if you read on it could be of some help anyway!

I have noticed that many folk when looking at  my blogs are taking an interest in a couple of the series I have done in the past or am at present doing. The link to the series on “Outlines on Ephesians” can now be found by going to the list of Categories  on the right hand side of the blog where all the articles on that topic are gathered together. (Naturally in reverse order so that the later studies are above the earlier ones).

Another category is “Studies in Philippians“. I am at present doing these as a Lenten series in the Anglican Parish of Maclean in Grafton Diocese, Northern NSW where I am the Locum Minister. Hopefully we will finish the series on Philippians by the end of Lent this year.  You can find that link also on the right hand side under the various Categories.

I hope this may be helpful. Happy navigating, whether on this blogsite or around the Holbeck moor!

Jim Holbeck.  Friday 9th March 2012

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064. Lenten Studies on Philippians. Part 3. “Submitting to the King of Kings”. Philippians 2:1-11

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Jim Holbeck

It’s very sad to see people who are living far below their potential. They might be very intelligent but have never committed themselves to study. They might be gifted athletically but never bothered to compete. They might have been blessed with a wonderful spouse and children but never bothered to invest quality time in those relationships.

Paul looked at the church in Philippi and realised that they were far short of their God-given potential. They were not taking hold of all the resources they had in Christ. That was so especially in their failure to love one another as they should have. Instead of being united as one, they were divided. It was time for Paul to introduce the antidote into his letter to them.  They needed to be reminded of the unity they had in Christ. Then he would challenge them to be humble. The example of humility he set before them was the example of Christ Himself. Jesus had humbled Himself to come down from heaven to become a human to die for the sins of the whole world. They needed to follow His example of humility to become what they were mean to become.

1).    THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT.  Paul here makes two points.  Firstly, the unity of the Spirit exists. Paul writes in verse 1, So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy. “If” here could be translated as “since”. Paul knew that these things mentioned in verse 1 actually existed. That is his point. These things already exist says Paul.  As he wrote in Ephesians 4:3, be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We notice he says “maintain”, not “create”. You maintain something that is already existing. (That is why prayers for Christian unity should not be asking God to do something He has already done. He has made all believers one in Christ. However we should pray that God would show us all the human barriers that He sees are preventing us from sharing in that unity. And ask His help to remove them!)

Secondly this unity must be lived out in practice. It is as though Paul is saying, Become in practice what you are by the grace of God. Php 2:2  complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. That is,  “Let the Holy Spirit of God make you become what you are meant to be,  as children in the same family of God”. All believers are indwelt by the same Holy Spirit. They are ALL children of the same Heavenly Father. They are to live out this reality in their everday living.

 2).      THE PATTERN OF HUMILITY SEEN IN JESUS.  Paul saw a pattern that believers were meant to follow. It was the pattern of the life of Jesus Christ Himself. He begins to spell that out in verse 3.

i).  Having The Right Attitude Towards Others. Php 2:3  Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. It appears that some of these elements existed in the church in Philippi. “Rivalry” (eritheía) is also translated as contention or strife. It is the attitude,  I want what you have and I will use others in my quest to get it. Such people are users. They may use their money or their position or even their friends to gain what they want. No wonder they tear apart a Christian fellowship. (See Note 1 below for all the other uses of the word in the New Testament. It is not a pretty picture!)

“Conceit”, kenodoxía from kenos = empty and doxia = glory.  Vainglory, a desire for praise (I deserve it more than you). There are those who will not give praise to another person because in their conceit they imagine that that they have done better or could do better.

By contrast the right attitude is that which is focussed on others, count others more significant than yourselves. The word huperéchō means to hold above or to see someone as superior to someone else. It is the attitude that says, I am here to serve you. Jesus had spoken of the necessity of that attitude in Matthew 20.  The mother of the sons of Zebedee wanted Jesus to guarantee that her sons gained the highest places in the kingdom of God. Jesus took the opportunity to remind His followers of the nature of greatness. Mat 20:26  … whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave. He Himself would set the example, 28  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

 ii).   Having The Right Focus On The Needs Of Others. 2:4)  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. We do need to take care of our own interests, but should not be focussed only on them. It means taking time to really notice people. It has the added dimension of looking even further to see what their needs might be and how one could be used in meeting those needs.

 iii).   Having The Right Mind (The Mind Of Christ). 2:5,   Have this mind (phronéo = have a mindset) among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Jesus in His incarnation determined to do the will for God for Him. It meant that He was willing to forego many of His privileges as the Son Of God.

  • He had status as the Son of God. He was willing to put those priviliges aside. (6)  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. (He didn’t hang on to what was rightfully His.)
  • He once had power and authority as the Son of  God. He limited Himself to live as a human (7)  but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (He could not empty Himself of His divinity as the eternal Son of God but He emptied Himself of all His divine privileges. He did not draw on His omniscience (knowing all things) but had to ask questions. He did not draw on His omnipresence (being able to be in all places simultaneously) but was confined to a human body. He did not draw on His omnipotence (able to do all things) as He lived as a human. He attributed His teaching and His miracles and healings to the work of His Father working through Him. He was the Father’s instrument. (John 14:10, 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.  In  human form He had rely on God for all these things.
  • He handed Himself over to do the will of God, come what may. (8)  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. That was God’s eternal purpose for Jesus as the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8) to bring forgiveness and salvation to humans

His purpose for us is not the same ( to be the sin-bearers of all the sins of the world). But God requires the same sort of commitment from us, to humble ourselves before Him, to do what He wants us to do in this life.  

3).    GOD EXALTS TRUE HUMILITY.  Jesus humbled Himself to do the will of God throughout his life. When He prayed just hours before his death in the garden of Gethsemane, He cried out, Mat 26:39  … “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”  His humility in becoming a man and living and dying as a man was followed by His exaltation by God to the highest place in the purposes of God.

  • No greater name. Php 2:9  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. No one at any time has compared with Him or will ever compare with Him. He is supreme.
  • No greater Person or Power in the Universe. Jesus is Lord! Php2:10  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
  • Jesus is exalted as King of Kings and as Lord of Lords, the Ruler of this whole universe. Nothing or no one will ever take His place. We have to submit to Him in every area of our lives,  for every moment of our lives. He is to be Lord of all.

What does that mean for those who have no time for God in this life, and who reject Jesus? As we saw in a previous article in Mark 8:31-38, it means rejection by Jesus when He comes. It means eternal rejection. It means being barred  from the presence of God and from all that is good. Paul put it like this in 2Thessalonians 1:9  They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.  What strong language! What does the loving Jesus say? He told us in Mat 25:46  And these (unrighteous) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 Lent is a time in which we look at our own spiritual interests. We take time to check where we are spiritually in the presence of God and ask His help to become what He wants us to become. But  this passage says we need also to “look to the interests of others”.  How do they stand before God.  Do we know? Do we care? Why not pray for all those who have no time for God or for Jesus, perhaps using the prayer I suggested at the end of the previous article. If only one of those people we pray for comes to know God,  that will be a miracle of God. It will mean that we have had a very worthwhile Lent. It will mean that we have done something wonderful for the kingdom of God. It will mean that we have helped make an eternal contribution to this world and to God’s eternal kingdom.

Note 1. One can see the divisive nature expressed by this word (underlined) in the following verses,  Php_1:17 The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.  Rom 2:8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 2Cor 12:20, For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish–that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions.  James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. Jas 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

Blog No.064. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Wednesday 7th March 2012

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063. Sermon on Mark 8:31-38. “The Need To Commit Oneself To Jesus.” (Jesus Is Coming Ready or Not).

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Jim Holbeck

Imagine going from being dux of the class to the bottom of the class through making one big mistake. That’s what Peter did in this story. At one moment he is hailed as proclaiming an amazing truth that not many people had come to know. When Jesus had asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” He had responded, “You are the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of the living God.”  Jesus had replied, Mat 16:17 “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” That is, “Peter you have been the recipient of a divine revelation. God has spoken the truth about Me through you.”    What was the big mistake that Peter made soon after that? We see it in Mark 8:32 (with more detail in Matthew 16:23).

 1).   God’s Will For Jesus Was Made Known. Mark 8:31.  Jesus told His disciples what He had come to do as the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. Mar 8:31-32,  Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly.

Jesus had come to be a suffering servant, one who would bear the punishment for the sins of the people on His own body.  He would be fulfilling all the Old Testament prophecies that foretold a suffering servant type of Messiah. One of these well-known passages is in Isaiah 53:4 Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  Jesus as the Messiah would die for the sin of His people.

 2).   A  Human Objection To God’s Will For Jesus. 8:32.  Here was Peter’s chance to again be a mouthpiece from God. Instead of that he muffed it. He got it all wrong. He disagreed publicly with his master Jesus. Matthew records in more detail what happened. Mat 16:22  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” He didn’t want to see Jesus suffer and die. He wanted a Messiah, a Christ who would become a ruler in the land. He didn’t want a Messiah who would be slain for sinners. It must never, ever happen, said Peter!

Was Jesus pleased with this strong support from Peter? No! We see how Jesus dealt with the objector and his tempting words.  Mat 16:23  But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Mat 16:22-23. It’s as though Jesus was saying to Peter, Peter, you have just been a mouthpiece for God. Now you have become a mouthpiece for Satan the deceiver, the liar. You are trying to tempt me, to stop me from doing what God sent me to do. Peter had got right the truth about the person of the Messiah. It was Jesus. But he had completely misunderstood the role Jesus as the Messiah had come to play, as a suffering servant.

How about ourselves? Haven’t there been times when we have said something that really proved to be a great blessing to the people who heard us? Then we mucked it all up by saying something that was inappropriate or hurt someone deeply. No wonder many people pray, “Lord set a guard over my lips that I may speak only what You want me to speak.”

 3).   God’s Will For Us Is Made Known By Jesus. 8:34-37.  Jesus moved from talking about God’s will for Him, to telling His disciples about God’s will for His people. They were meant to become His disciples. Mar 8:34  He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Humans have a choice. They can make wrong choices in life as Jesus said in Mark 8:35, For whoever would save his life will lose it. Those who want to live their lives on their own terms are the losers. There is no eternal gain in that choice, (36)  For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?37)  Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Life wasn’t mean to be lived in that selfish, self-focussed way.

 Humans are meant to make right choices. Losers (of their own lives) save them. (35)  those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. That’s what life is all about. It’s about getting into the centre of the will of God for us. It’s about becoming followers of Jesus, following His teaching and His example. It’s about dying to self so that we might come alive to Jesus. It’s about doing the will of God for us and not our own will.

4).  The Consequences Of Rejecting God’s Will For Us. 8:38.  Jesus tells us what are the consequences of rejecting Him and rejecting the will of God for us. He said that if we reject Him now, He will reject us when He comes again in glory. (38)  Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Why do people reject Jesus? Don’t they have a right to make up their own minds about Him? Not really. If they are the creatures of a Creator then they have no “rights” before Him. Creatures can’t dictate terms to their Creator. They can only take hold of the “privileges” He longs to bestow on them. Jesus is not only the Saviour. He is also the Creator of everything that exists.  In rejecting Jesus as Saviour they are also rejecting their Creator.

The other thing to note is that people are not really free to make the spiritual choices they should. They are spiritually blind. Satan has blinded their eyes so that they cannot recognise who He is. 2Cor 4:4 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. Unfortunately many people are proud of the fact that they can call themselves “atheists”. They have looked at the world and concluded that God doesn’t exist. But in doing so they are simply affirming the truth that God has told us in His word, they are spiritually blind and they cannot see or understand. Jesus is irrelevant to them because of their spiritual blindness and bondage to Satan. Every time they cry, “There is no God!” they are simply making public their spiritual blindness. A simple definition of “atheist” and “agnostic” is “Someone who hasn’t met Jesus yet.”

We need to pray that people’s eyes are opened to see Jesus as He really is. We need to pray that people will respond to Him in faith. Jesus’ coming is certain. Nothing and no one can prevent it. None can escape it. In the light of that we need to look at the table below. On the left hand side we could place the names of all those who at present have no time for Jesus or for God. We can start less personally and then move down the column to those who are closest to us.  We then look to the right hand column and see what will happen to them when Jesus returns, unless they repent of sin and believe in Jesus. Jesus has told us what is going to happen when He comes. We may not like it. We may not want to accept it. We might try to rationalise and give all the reasons why Jesus should accept them because they are such “lovely people”. But it doesn’t change reality. This IS what is going to happen when He comes. Two thousand years of warning by their Creator (and potential Saviour) should be enough for any creature to investigate and act on.

Names of those who at present are rejecting God or who are ashamed of Him. (As Jesus said in Mark 8:38) Names of those whom Jesus will reject when He comes again in glory. (Unless they repent and believe in Jesus). 
John Citizen John Citizen
My best friend? My best friend?
A close relative? A close relative? 

What we can do in Christian love and concern for those who are perishing. There are a number of things we can do for them.

i).         Recognise that they ARE lost. (That is not a value judgment we place on them. Rather God wants us to see them as He sees them in their great need.)

ii).        Recognise that they ARE in the power of the evil one (blinded by him) and need to be set free.  2Cor 4:4  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers. The worst thing about being deceived is that you don’t realise it until you come out of the deception. The worst thing about being spiritually blind is that you can’t see that you are, until the “light is switched on” by receiving Jesus (the light of the world), as Saviour.

iii).        Recognise that Jesus has defeated the powers of darkness in His death on the cross and that humans can walk in His victory. Paul affirmed in Colossians 2:15  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. We claim that victory in our own lives. We need to claim it in the lives of those for whom we pray.

A Suggested Prayer For Others. (Perhaps by putting down the names of loved ones, friends and others in that left hand column and praying for them until  they receive Jesus as Saviour and submit to Him as their Lord. Then we can know that their names have been removed from the right hand column of those whom Jesus will reject when He comes.)

Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have opened our eyes to recognise Jesus Your Son as our Saviour and Lord. We pray for all those who are still in the darkness and ignorance of sin. We recognise that Jesus has overcome the powers of darkness and can bring them light and life. We claim that victory over the evil one and pray that You would set the captives free. Open their eyes to see Jesus alone as the Way, the Truth and the Life. Enable them by Your Holy Spirit to open their hearts to receive Jesus as Saviour and to submit to Him as Lord.  We ask these things so that you may be glorified in our lives and in the lives of all for whom we pray. In Jesus’ name. AMEN

Blog No.063.  Jim Holbeck. Posted on Sunday 4th March 2012 

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062. Lenten Studies on Philippians. Part 2. “God Is In Control!” Philippians 1:12-24

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Jim Holbeck

How desperate are you? There was an American writer and philosopher named Henry David Thoreau who lived from 1817 to 1862.  He once wrote “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation”. In other words, most people are really desperate and are resigned to the fact that there appears to be no way out of their desperate situations.

 It is true that many people are desperate about life and feel that they have no real control over their future. They feel that they are controlled by forces beyond their control or are controlled by other people. For such people even “circumstances” seem to have more say over their lives than they do.  For example when someone asks them, “How are you?”  they often reply, “I’m as good as I can be under the circumstances!”  It suggests that “circumstances” (whatever they might be) are dictating their lives.

The wonderful truth found in this passage is that there is One in this universe who ultimately has control of all the circumstances in life and over all the forces and people involved.  He exercises His control for His own purposes and for the benefit of his people. He is the God who is on the side of believers as St Paul wrote in Romans 8:31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32  He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?

Not only that but Paul goes on in the same chapter to say that nothing and nobody in the whole of creation can ever separate His children from His love, Rom 8:38  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39  nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 St Paul, as he formulates this letter to the Philippians, is in prison awaiting trial. Death or release could come at any time. But in the meantime he knows He is in the hands of His God. That confidence comes out in these verses in Philippians 1:12-26.

 1)        God Can Over-Rule Our Difficulties For Eternal Good

Paul saw that his imprisonment had two good results.

i).         He could share Christ with a captive audience. Php 1:12  I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13  so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.   As he sat there in prison chained to a succession of elite soldiers he could share with them the gospel about Jesus. Over a period of time all the elite troops had heard the gospel from his lips. They would know that he was not a criminal but simply a servant of Jesus and a preacher of the gospel about Him.  Comments about Paul and about his message about Jesus had spread far beyond prison walls.

How about us? Do we really see what might be happening in the difficult times we face? Can we see any benefits flowing to others? If we can’t it may that we see the situation only from a human point of view. We fail to have the Lord’s perspective on our situations. We may fail to realise what grace He has been imparting to us to cope with difficult situations.

 ii).        His trust in God encouraged others to trust in the same God.  Php 1:14  And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Most of the time in our lives as believers we are protected from many things without realising it. Sometimes though the Lord allows us to go through difficult times. We may not know why in this lifetime. But He promised in 1 Cor 10:13, No testing (temptation) has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. 

Here Paul was being allowed to be in this difficult position. One result of that was that other believers (knowing Paul could not be out there to share the Christian message with others people), had themselves taken on the task of spreading the word about Jesus. Paul was in prison but the word of God, the message of Jesus was being spread through other people.

What about us? Other people notice our plight. Some may be aware of the difficulties we face but feel powerless to help us. But our example of trusting God to work all changes for good does give an encouragement to them to “hang in” as they go through their own set of difficulties.

2).        God Can Over-Rule Human Motivation For Eternal Good

There were mixed motives in those who preached Christ. Php 1:15  Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.

i).         Some preached Christ from a right motive.  Php 1:16  The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. They were saying, “If Paul can’t preach, then out of our love for him and our gratitude to him we will preach in his place.” Their motives were pure.

ii).        Some preached Christ because they were jealous of Paul. Php 1:17  The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. They had a wrong motivation.  They thumbed their noses at Paul, flaunting their freedom to preach while Paul couldn’t. They wanted to hurt him by their actions. They had a double wrong motivation, jealousy and spite.

iii).       Paul’s Positive Attitude.  He didn’t get despondent or bitter at the actions of these preachers. He knew that they were preaching Jesus.  Php 1:18  What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.  If Jesus was being lifted up and preached about, God could use that to bring people to Himself. Paul would have known the words of Isaiah 55:11  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. God has committed Himself to ensure that His word as it is preached or shared in any way, will accomplish what He wants it to accomplish in His plan and purpose.

It is like the story I have told before of the preacher who spoke to a down and out fellow who came forward to the penitential rail in the Mission Hall to give his life to Jesus.  The preacher asked him to describe what part of his sermon got through to him causing him to come to the penitential rail. He was humbled when the man replied, “It wasn’t  nuthin’ you said guv’nor. It was the text on the wall behind you.”  The text was that from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God had used His word in written form on a wall to achieve His purpose in this man’s life.  Paul explained it in Rom 10:17.  Faith comes from hearing the gospel about Jesus. 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.  When the message of Jesus is preached it builds up faith in the lives of those who hear it.

So here was Paul in prison. He wasn’t expressing any bitterness or resentment as he wrote. He wasn’t suppressing any deep anger at these preachers. He just had a quiet confidence that God could take His word preached through people of differing motives, to bring people to Himself as they heard about Jesus. Paul knew, God is in control.

What about us? Do we expect that God will bless the messages about Jesus being given out by people who are not in the same theological group we are in? That is putting an emphasis on the person preaching and not on the word being preached. How much more blessing would flow in the church if people listened for what God was saying to them through the word being preached rather than concentrating on the preacher’s theological background. Are we expectant for God to bring changes in our lives as we hear and respond to His word?

3).    God Can Over-Rule Our Circumstances  For Eternal Good

Yes, and I will rejoice, Php 1:19  for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance. The believer in this life is in a win-win situation.

i).         To keep living a life of faith in Christ means victory for the believer.  Php 1:20  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. Every moment of our lives is meant to bring honour and glory to Jesus as we live for Him. We can glorify Him by the lives we live. We can glorify Him through our deaths as we remain faithful to him until the end.

ii).        To die means a greater victory for the believer.  Php 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22  If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23  I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. A life of faith in Christ in which we know His victory in our lives is to be followed in death by a life in which that victory is made complete in His presence.

iii).       Trusting God to over-rule in our lives to His glory.  Paul trusted God with his present and his future. If God took him home soon then that was OK with Paul. He looked forward to it. If God allowed him more time to minister on earth, then that was OK too with Paul. He saw himself in a win-win situation no matter what others might do to him.  Php 1:24  But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

 What about us? As you and I face difficult situations do we have the same healthy attitudes as Paul? We see from his example a number of truths.

  • God can work through our human hardships as we hang on to Him in faith, to bring about eternal blessings for ourselves and for others. God is in control.
  • Can we give thanks to God in every situation in which we are placed? If we can’t we are out of the will of God. St Paul wrote in 1 Thess 5:18, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. It doesn’t mean thanking God for every situation in which we may be placed. Rather it means thanking God in the midst of every situation so that our focus remains on Him and not on the difficulties presented by the situation.  God is in control!
  • God can work through preachers with various motives to bring about eternal blessings as they preach Christ. God is in control. (But are we really listening to what He is saying to us through them?)
  • God can work through us throughout our lives and even through our deaths provided we are living for Him. God is in control.

This is the win-win situation for all believers, for you and for me. In this life we have His blessing and protection. God is in control.

In the life to come when we go to be with Jesus or when Jesus comes again, we will enter into the fullness of what we have already received in part in Christ from the unsearchable riches which are ours in Him.  God is in control!

Do you believe it! Do you act on it by giving thanks to Him IN EVERY SITUATION? After all, God is in control!

Blog. No.062.  Jim Holbeck. Posted on Wednesday 29th February 2012

 

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061. The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus. Jesus’ Ministry And Ours. Mark 1:9-15

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Jim Holbeck

What would you do if there was a man going around your local streets yelling out day after day, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Mat 3:2. You’d take notice, especially when you saw he was dressed in a garment made from camel hair, and wore a big leather belt. Then you noticed that as he walked along, he was munching into a meal of locusts and wild honey. You’d have to work out “Is he a prophet from God or is he just plain crazy?”

Jesus saw such a man in His day, John the Baptist. He saw Him not as a crazy man, but as a prophet sent from God to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. The religious leaders thought he should be ignored. We read the story in Mark 1 and in Matthew 3.

 1).           THE PREPARATION FOR MINISTRY BY JESUS.  Mark 1:9. In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Matthew adds more detail in Mat 3:13  Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14  John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15  But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” Then he consented.

 Jesus saw that this was the right thing for Him to do in the sight of God. He recognised that John was a prophet sent from God to get people to repent of their sins and to turn back to God. He recognised that He as a Jew needed to be baptised, not because He was a sinner for He had no sin of His own. Rather He was identifying with all the Jewish people as He went forward to receive baptism at the hands of John the Baptist. He was saying a great “AMEN” to what God was doing through John the Baptist as He submitted to John’s baptism.

 By contrast the Religious leaders of the day didn’t do what God wanted. Luke records what Jesus said of John, Luk 7:28  I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”   Luke then added an important comment. 7:29  (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, 30  but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)  In their pride and arrogance they saw no need for them as religious leaders to do any repenting. That was for the “lesser” people who obviously needed to repent.

What strong words, they rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. The leaders of God’s people were out of the will of God because of their pride. They rejected God’s messenger and his message. Jesus, however, humbled Himself to be baptised by John as part of God’s purpose for Him. It became a very significant moment for Him. At that moment it was as though He was commissioned for His ministry.

 2).           THE COMMISSIONING OF JESUS FOR MINISTRY. Mark 1:10-11

Two things happened after He was baptised.

i).   The Holy Spirit came on Him. Mar 1:10  And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. Jesus knew the significance of the situation. It was a fulfilment of Isaiah 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. (see Mat 12:15-18). God had anointed Jesus by His Spirit to carry out His ministry.

 Jesus spoke of that anointing with the Spirit for ministry also in the passage from Luke 4:16-21. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17  And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 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, 19  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20  And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21  And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  He was saying out loudly and clearly “I am the Messiah! My ministry will be done under the anointing and empowering of the Holy Spirit. 

ii). The Father affirmed Him. Mar 1:11  And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  Jesus, God’s beloved Son. Jesus the Creator. Jesus the Messiah. Jesus, the Great High Priest who would later offer His own body on the cross to bring forgiveness, eternal life and healing to the people of God throughout the ages. Jesus, the King had introduced His kingdom.

3).           THE EMPOWERMENT OF JESUS FOR MINISTRY. Mark 1:12-13

i).   Out on the battlefield. Mar 1:12  The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. The wilderness was seen as the haunt of Satan the devil and of the powers of darkness. It’s as though Jesus was saying to the powers of evil, “The battle is on. You will not defeat me. I’ve come to defeat you on your own home turf. ” And He did.

ii).  Winning the battle over the powers of darkness. Mar 1:13  And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. Jesus withstood all the temptations and all the enemy could throw at Him. He remained victorious throughout all that time over every temptation.

 Jesus knows how to resist temptation. He knows how to help us have victories over temptation as well. Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Our temptations. The story reminds us that being tempted is not sin. Jesus was continually being tempted throughout His life. You may say “You have no idea of the strength of temptations I face day by day.  They are always there and I just feel so guilty that my temptations are so frequent and so strong.”  There’s a word for that. It’s called being “human”. We all face temptations. Many of them can’t be avoided. And very often they attack us at our weakest point. Other times they are directed at our strengths and catch us off guard.

The great German reformer Martin Luther knew what it was to be strongly tempted. But he gave a very good piece of advice on how to deal with the temptations we face. He said, “You can’t stop the birds flying over your head, but you can stop them building nests in your hair.” That is, temptations are sure to come but you can and must stop them lodging in your mind and dwelling on them. St Paul put it like this, 2Corinthians 10:5  … we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. We too can overcome temptation as we learn to take all our tempting thoughts to God and say, “Lord please break the power of those thoughts in my mind. Help me to focus on You and on Your will.”

Jesus had won the victory in the power of the Holy Spirit who had anointed Him and empowered Him to do the will of God. We too can know that same victory as we allow God to fill us with His Holy Spirit. As He fills us with His Spirit He renew our minds by the transforming power of His Holy Spirit, Romans 12:2.  We begin to have more and more of the mind of Christ.

4).        THE COMMENCEMENT OF JESUS’ MINISTRY. Mark 1:14-15

i).   The right time had come for Jesus to minister. John the Baptist’s task as the forerunner to Jesus was now complete. Now it was time for Jesus to begin His public ministry. Mar 1:14  Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,

ii).   The right response was needed to His message about the kingdom. Mar 1:15  and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”  The King had come. His kingdom was being established. But people needed to turn from their sins in repentance and to turn to submit to Christ as Lord, Saviour and King.

 Your role and my role as those who now belong to the family of God, and are subjects of the King, is to live worthily of our great calling, so that Christ is seen in our lives. Our role through our witness and our prayers is also to encourage others to repent of their sins, to turn back to God and make Christ the King, the Lord and Master of their lives.

Today, we look back to what God has accomplished through us as a church and through us as individuals over the past year. We need to answer the questions, How many lives did we impact for Christ as a church?  How many lives did we impact for Christ personally and individually?  Why not determine to live for Christ in this coming year so that God can accomplish what He wants to do through you as an individual in our parish and beyond.

 A Prayer asking that God may use us.

Lord I repent of anything that stops me from being what You want me to be. As I open my heart to You, fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can:- 

  • be the person You want me to be
  • know what You want me to know, 
  • do what You want me to do 
  • speak of You to those whom You want me to speak 
  • touch the lives of those whom You want me to touch in Your love 
  • and bring to You, those whom You want me to bring to You, so that they can accept You as Saviour, and submit to You as their Lord, Master and King. In Jesus the King’s name I pray. AMEN
  • Blog No.061.  Jim Holbeck.  Posted on Sunday 26th February 2012


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060. Lenten Studies On Philippians. Part 1. “The Healing Of Our Hurts.” Philippians 1:1-11.

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Jim Holbeck

It hurts. It hurts to be ignored. It hurts to be humiliated. It hurts to be physically assaulted. It hurts to be booed at by crowds of people. It hurts to be imprisoned unlawfully. It could make one bitter and twisted, thinking the worst about those who did it to you. You certainly wouldn’t write nice encouraging letters to those responsible. But St Paul did. His letter to the Philippians shows how he was able to forgive those who had brought such hurt to him. It shows how he even came to have love and deep affection for them.  It shows how we can be helped to deal with all the hurts we have suffered in the past.

1).           THE HURT PAUL ENDURED IN PHILIPPI

i.              The Hurt From Physical And Emotional Distress.  Paul had come into Philippi to preach the gospel. There he met a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune‑telling. She followed Paul for a few days, shouting out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” Finally Paul turned around and told the spirit to come out of her, which it did. We read what happened in Acts 16:19-22, as the owners of the girl realised that their hope of making money was gone as she no longer had that ability to foretell the future.

They seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. … The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. No wonder Paul wrote in 1 Thess 2:2 that in Philippi they had suffered and been shamefully mistreated. The word for “shamefully mistreated” (hubrizo) describes great violence.

  • There was a 2 fold suffering involved for them.
    • One was the physical pain that came from the severe flogging.
    • The other was the public humiliation and shame that was forced on them as they were arrested, stripped and beaten.

Ourselves? Perhaps some of us can begin to identify with St Paul in the hurt he suffered. There may have been those who inflicted upon us physical hurt so that we were deeply wounded physically and scarred emotionally. Or it may have been a sense of being deeply humiliated publicly, so that we were left with an acute sense of embarrassment and shame. Today even the memory of that incident brings us a renewed sense of shame.

ii.            The Hurt From Being Let Down By Others. Paul had been let down by those who had promised to support him in his ministry. At first the church in Philippi had supported him, (Phil 4:15). But after some time, the support had dropped off. But he was able to write in Phil 4:10, I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have renewed your concern for me. It was hurtful for Paul to have support promised and then for that support to dry up.  How did Paul deal with the hurt?Paul had come to know the freedom that comes from forgiving others of the hurt they inflicted on him.  He had been able to pray a blessing on them as he does in this letter.

Ourselves? Many of us know what it’s like to be disappointed by people who promised to be there for us. But when we needed them they weren’t there for us. It hurt deeply. One can only imagine the deep hurt of those whose marriages ended because one of the partners betrayed the trust of his or her spouse by walking out of the marriage to begin a relationship with another person. What ongoing hurt and pain that must bring.

2).           THE GRATITUDE HE FELT TO GOD. 1:3-7.  He expressed it in 1:3. “I keep on thanking my God”. In other words, he was so grateful to God for all His blessings to Him that it had become a habit for Paul to pray with thanksgiving as he prayed (as he advises his readers to do in Chapter 4). He tells us why He was thankful to God. In v. 5.  it was for their fellowship, their appreciation of the Gospel message he had shared with them. In v.6, because God had touched the lives of the Christians in Philippi, and would continue His work of transformation in them for as long as they lived. In v.7 that he and they were the recipients of grace, of God’s unmerited favour. That grace had come to him when he was free to go around preaching the Gospel. It came to him even when he was shut up in prison. That grace had come to them as they heard about Jesus and invited Him into their lives. Prison doors couldn’t shut out the grace of God. Neither can cement or steel. (It is only hardened hearts, hearts of stone towards God, that can keep out the grace of God from any person.) Paul looked beyond the hurts he had suffered, to the God who could heal him and transform him.

Ourselves? Where is our focus in life? Is it still on the hurts we have received? Is it on the people who hurt us? There is no healing in having a wrong focus in life. Healing comes as we lift our eyes from the hurts and from the people who hurt us, to the Lord who alone can bring the healing.

3).           THE GRATITUDE HE FELT FOR INDIVIDUALS.  Paul was filled with gratitude to God for His blessings to him. But he was also deeply grateful to the human instruments God had used, to bring that help to him. The Philippians featured in his prayer life as we see in verses 3 to 9. Notice the number of times he says “all” or “every” in these eleven verses. He thanked God for:-v.3 every remembrance of them. v. 4. always, in every prayer for them. v.7 that they had all been partakers with him of God’s grace. His attitude to them was so healthy. He prayed for them with a yearning for them all with the affection of Christ Jesus, verse8.  In verse 9 he prayed that their love might abound with all knowledge and all discernment.

Paul’s gratitude, love and concern were not selective as sometimes ours becomes. We love those who love us. We accept those who accept us. We honour those who honour us. We prefer those who have the same views as we do. By contrast, Paul’s love and concern was for all of them: All, including those who had shouted with the crowd against him and Silas when he first came to Philippi. All of those who had been responsible for his being beaten up in Philippi and had now been converted to Christ. All those who had supported him and then had withdrawn their support. All, including the two women who had laboured side by side with Paul in the Gospel, Euodia and Syntyche (chapter 4), who had had words and were playing “no speaks”. Paul prayed for and was thankful for all of these people, with all their hang‑ups and faults.

Just after Paul was beaten up and imprisoned on his first visit to Philippi, he brought his God into the equation. Acts 16:24 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison. How did Paul react?  We read in (Acts 16:25)  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. The situation around them might be horrible but Paul and Silas in pain would still give glory to God and praise Him in song. They practised the presence of God with them in the prison.  They turned their focus from their hurts and from those who had hurt them to focus on God Himself.

Ourselves? Giving Praise and thanksgiving to God can release us emotionally. It gets our focus right. It rids us of the poison of bitterness and resentment that destroys us inwardly, that distorts our vision of reality, that reads wrong motives into innocent statements or actions. In worship we invite the Lord to be seated on our praises, the concept seen in Psalm 22:3, Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Praise invites the Lord to take His rightful place in our lives and to establish His will in our lives and in the lives of those for whom we pray.

Gratitude to God releases us to love, with the love of Jesus. That’s what Paul told them in verse 8, “I’m loving you with Jesus’ love”. What an incredible release, what an improvement in our mental and physical health, comes when we become grateful people.  One final thing. This gratitude needs to be expressed.

4).             THE GRATITUDE HE EXPRESSED TO OTHERS.  In these verses Paul is telling his friends why he is grateful to God for them.  He also tells them what he is praying for them. If he had not bothered to write to them, they would never have known. Now he is blessing them, helping build up their emotional, physical and spiritual well‑being, by sharing his gratitude for what God means to him, and what they meant to him.

Ourselves? Is our gratitude being expressed in love, adoration and praise to God? If not our focus in life is wrong. Are there people to whom we need to communicate our gratitude, even for little things?

This passage forces us to consider some questions. Are you a grateful person? Are you thanking God for all the blessings He showers upon you day by day? Are you resentful because you feel as though He has let you down? Do you grumble at your circumstances in life? God hates grumbling because He knows what it does to us, rather than what it does to Him.

Gratitude opens us to receive the grace of God, the love and peace of God, to become more whole. Ingratitude closes the door to God’s grace. Paul wrote in 1 Thess 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” To be ungrateful, is to be out of the will of God.

THE HEALING OF DEEP HURTS.  Jesus spoke about the need to forgive those who hurt us and to bless those who despitefully use us or persecute us. He demonstrated that in His own life on the cross as He prayed for those who had hurt Him physically and who had publicly humiliated Him, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

St Paul demonstrated the same attitude in His life. He wrote in Col 3:13 … forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. He knew that he had been marvellously forgiven by God of all his sins, even his sins of persecution against Christians. He had learned to forgive those who had sinned against Him. He encouraged his readers to forgive in the same way. The word used here to forgive is charizomai which comes from charis grace. Forgiveness is extending grace to those who don’t deserve it.

Ourselves? What are we going to do about those who hurt or humiliated us? Will we keep thinking about those hurts and about the hurtful people? Or will we be like Jesus and St Paul, and turn from those hurts, that humiliation, and let God free us from the pain of those things, and bring us healing? Remember, when God forgave you, you didn’t deserve it. You could have done nothing to earn it. It came when you received Christ into your lives. In Him we have forgiveness of our sins and redemption through His blood. The people you need to forgive can never deserve your forgiveness. Forgiving someone is gracing them with something they could never earn.

Today as you think about this passage from Phil 1,

  • where is your focus?  Is it on the hurts you have received and the people who hurt you? Or is it on the Lord who forgives you in Christ and wants you to forgive others? Some of us may need to change our focus because dwelling on our hurts or on those responsible for them doesn’t get us anywhere. We’ve got to let them go. We let them go through forgiveness.
  • Who hurt you? I want us to think of just one person whom we may need to forgive for hurting us in any way. It doesn’t have to be the person who hurt you the most. It can be anyone at all.  Let’s go through the process of forgiving such a person through prayer. As we do so we need to know that we are forgiven by God so that we can really forgive others. Only forgiven people can really forgive.

Almighty God, I recognise that I am a sinner needing your forgiveness. I thank you that Your Son Jesus came to take away my sin by dying for me on the cross. I thank You that I can have forgiveness by receiving it in Jesus. Lord Jesus come into my life to be my Saviour from sin. I thank You for the forgiveness I now have in You. 

Lord, You have told us to forgive one another as You have forgiven us in Your Son. I choose now to forgive this person (xxxxxxxx) for their sins against me. I know they don’t deserve my forgiveness but I choose to “grace” them with my forgiveness. I ask that You would bless them especially by bringing them to Yourself.  As I forgive that person and let the sin go, please heal me of the damage from the hurt that person brought into my life. I want to be always in the centre of Your will.  In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

Blog No.060.  Jim Holbeck.   Posted on Wednesday 22nd February 2012

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059. The Transfiguration Of Jesus And Our Transfiguration. Mark 9:2-9

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Jim Holbeck

Can you remember watching a play, a ballet or an opera and suddenly the lights faded and the spotlight fell on the main character? You were dazzled at the intensity of the brightness. His or her white garments glowed like an advertisement for Drive, Dynamo or Hurricane washing powders. (Products sold in Australia). Perhaps it might have been an ad for less dynamic sounding brand names like Omo or Earth Choice. Or it might well be that another brand name Radiant would be the best description one could get for the intensity of that light.

In the Gospel reading for today from Mark 9 we read that Jesus “radiated” His glory as He was transfigured before them. They saw Him as He really was, the eternal Son of God, the Creator, the King of glory. The incident is called the “Transfiguration of Jesus.”

1). WHAT THE TRANSFIGURATION REVEALED ABOUT JESUS.

About a week after Peter had recognised Him as the Messiah, Jesus had taken the inner three, Peter, James and John up onto the mountain to pray. Three amazing things happened.

i. Jesus was transformed or transfigured before them. Mark 9:2) Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, (Mark 9:3) and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them They were exceeding white (leukos from which we get the word Leukemia). His garments shone like glistening white snow. A metamorphosis had taken place. It’s as though the veil that hid His pre-existent glory as the Son of God, was lifted, and for that short time, the disciples saw His unveiled glory. The vision of that day, would never leave them.

ii. There appeared two representatives of the OT with Jesus. The vision they saw, wasn’t just a bright light. It was personal in that 2 men appeared with Jesus. Somehow the three disciples recognised them as Moses and Elijah. (Mark 9:4) And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. And he was transfigured before them. There was a special meaning behind those 2 people appearing with Jesus.

The significance of Moses was that he represented the Law of the Old Testament, as the law giver. The significance of Elijah, was that he was a representative of the Prophets of the OT, a man powerful in word and deed, as Jesus was. The “Law” and the “Prophets” formed the major part of the OT. They pointed to Jesus, they witnessed to the Christ, and now Jesus as the fulfilment of the Law and Prophets was present with them. There was about to be a third witness to Jesus, God the Father Himself.

iii. From heaven God the Father bore witness to Jesus. Mark 9:7) Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” God Himself bore witness to Jesus that Jesus was His Son. From that time, Peter, James and John would know for certain that Jesus was not only the Messiah, but also that He was God’s eternal Son.

It’s obvious that the whole incident made a great impact on them, for we find Peter writing shortly before his own death, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honour and glory from the God the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we heard this voice borne from heaven, for we were with Him on the holy mountain.” 2 Pet 1:16-18.

Peter was writing about facts, not myths; about Jesus the Messiah who had come in power, not weakness; about Jesus as God’s beloved Son, not simply a man bearing the curse of God in crucifixion.

The apostles came to recognise that Jesus was the Messiah sent to redeem His people, but also that Jesus was none other than the eternal Son of God who had come to live in the world He had made, and to die for the sins of His people.

2). WHAT THE TRANSFIGURATION OF JESUS REVEALS ABOUT US

What the transfiguration says to you and to me is this. “You are significant. You are loved”. Why? Because the One who came to die for us on the cross is none other than the Son of God Himself. How can we ever say that God doesn’t love us! What more does He have to do, to show us how much He loves us? The coming of Jesus Christ into this world, and His dying on the cross for sinners like you and me, shows two things.

On the one hand it shows the utter abhorrence God has towards sin in all its forms. Only His perfect Son could come and die to take it away. On the other hand, it shows the incredible love He has towards sinners. Jesus came and died to make forgiveness and reconciliation with God possible. Paul wrote in Rom 5:6-8, that God’s love isn’t based on prejudice nor on discrimination. “While we were yet helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why one will hardly die for a righteous man- though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”

We see the great contrast between human commitment where we commit ourselves to one another, and God’s commitment to us. In human commitment we might go out of our way to help someone whom we feel is worthy, deserving or lovely. By contrast, God’s commitment to us is seen in His love. The love of God is shown in the death of Jesus as He died for those who were unworthy, rebellious, largely ungrateful and unlovely.

The Command At The Transfiguration. Not only did God say of Jesus, “This is My beloved Son.” He also said to the apostles, “Keep on listening to Him.” That was significant because Luke records that both Moses and Elijah had appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration, speaking with Him about His exodus (departure, death) at Jerusalem. At the transfiguration, there was the threefold witness; the law and the prophets and the voice of God Himself bore witness to the truth about Jesus.

The new factor was the command from God, “Listen to Him.” That is, “As you have obeyed the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah), now observe His teaching.” The word of Jesus was being added to the word of God through the ages. His word had authority because He had authority as the Son of God and as the Messiah. The attitudes we adopt to Jesus and to Jesus’ words, are the attitudes we are adopting to God Himself who sent Him into the world to be the Saviour of humankind.

3). OUR TRANSFIGURATION. (INTO THE LIKENESS OF CHRIST)

Did you know that many people around the world are being transfigured or undergoing transformation at the present time? You don’t have to go to Palestine to see them. They are right around you. They are in fact you and your fellow believers. Paul wrote of all believers in 2Cor 3:18 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. “Being transformed” is the very same word used of the transfiguration of Jesus. What God did in Jesus He does in us. Our part is

i) to turn to the Lord, verse 16. As we do so, God takes away the veil that prevents us from recognising His glory. We begin to become increasingly aware of His majesty and His holiness.

ii) to behold the glory of the Lord, verse 18. Behold means to contemplate, to focus on, to gaze upon. It also means to reflect what we are looking at as the NAS BIble translates, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord.

It’s the same concept we see when we gaze into a log-fire. We gaze at it, but it also reflects its light back on us. As the fire grows dimmer, the brightness on our face diminishes. When a fresh log is put on the fire, and the fire bursts into life, the glow on our faces increases as well. We begin to reflect what we are gazing at.

The more we focus on the Lord in adoration, praise and thanksgiving as we read His word and as we pray, the more like Him we become. As Paul wrote, we are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. It’s a gradual transformation, the process of sanctification. When our focus is right, God brings about the transformation into His own likeness. He transforms us by the power of His Spirit within us.

Let’s get our focus right in life by taking the time to gaze upon the Lord as we read, mark, learn and inwardly digest His word. Let’s take the time to enthrone Him on our praises as we continually reflect on Who He is as the Son of God and on all He has done for us as Creator, Redeemer through His blood and Sanctifier by His Spirit.

Blog No 059. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Sunday 19th February 2012

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