2018-10-12
Good Morning Dear Ones,
I’m commanded by the Holy Spirit to continue writing supporting Scriptures to the book of Colossians. It’s my hope that we will pay, eventually expunging our “certificate of debt”-the total of our past sin. The idea here is to do what we’ve been asked to do as far back as the Torah (first five books of Moses). DT 8: 3b, 11, and 17-18, “You must not depend on bread alone to sustain you, but on everything the Lord says…Make certain you do not forget the Lord, your God, do not fail to obey any of His laws…You must never think that you made yourselves wealthy by your own power and strength. Remember that it is by the Lord, your God, Who gives you the power to become rich. He does this today, because He is still faithful to the covenant He made with your ancestors.” If we look at COL 1: 12, we are reminded that it is God’s power to give us the strength to be thankful, so that as believers we would thank the Father for qualifying us to be joint heirs to the Kingdom [RO 8: 17]. Since we share in His suffering, we will also share in His glory. COL 1: 13, “He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us safe into the Kingdom of His dear Son, by Whom we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.” We are set free, just as the ancient Jews were set free from slavery in Egypt. We can’t take credit for this huge blessing, for it is the result of God’s grace [EPH 2: 8-9].
As far back as the Torah (Pentateuch or first five books of Moses), God told the obedient Jewish believers that they would be able to take the Promised Land from the Canaanites, if they obeyed Him. Then, He showed His great power by parting the Red Sea, providing manna, and causing water to gush from a rock. It was and still is crucial that believers recognize our need to obey the Ten Commandments (EX 20: 1-17; DT 5: 7-21) and directions of the Holy Spirit. COL 1: 14 reminds us that we were set free from punishment for past sin by Christ’s Atonement, thus bringing our redemption. We were bought from the slave market to sin -the ransom paid by Christ’s blood shed on the cross [JN 3: 16]. We are told Christ will come again [ZECH 14: 4-5]. We can look forward to a time when the Father will put His enemies as a “footstool under His feet” [PS 110: 1]. There will be a “meeting in the air” with Christ, as the rapture is described in 1 THESS 4: 13-17. Therefore, we should not live led by human desires, but by His direction. PS 103: 12-13, “As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our sins from us. As a father is kind to his children, so the Lord is kind to those who honor Him.” PS 106: 1-3, “Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord because He is good; His love is eternal. Who can tell all the great things He has done? Who can praise Him enough? Happy are those who obey His commands, who always do what is right.”
God sent Adam to represent His interests in the new world He had created. Just as Christ is “the visible image of the invisible God” [the Father], Adam was intended to be the visible image of Christ [also that we humans can’t see]. However, Adam failed when he and Eve committed the original sin [GN 3: 1-6]. That is what Paul was told to write, in RO 5: 12-21. RO 5: 17, 20-21, “It is true that through the sin of one man, death began to rule because of that one man. But how much greater is the result of what was done by the one Man, Jesus Christ! All who receive God’s abundant grace are freely put right with Him will rule in life through Christ…Law (The Ten Commandments) was introduced to increase wrong- doing; but where sin is increased, God’s grace is increased much more. So then, just as sin ruled by means of death, so also God’s grace rules by means of righteousness, leading us to eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” We must understand that no one else, except Jesus Christ (Who was perfect) could bring us redemption, pay the ransom to buy us out of slavery to sin, or could bring us salvation. It must be recognized that as God’s only begotten Son, the physical life of Jesus Christ was a huge sacrifice for the Father. Yet, His love for us is sufficient that He was willing to make it. Should we show our gratitude by obeying the Father’s commands? You bet we should!
PRAYER: O Lord, once again we stand with heads bowed before Your mighty throne. We have promised, in PS 145: 1-3, “I will proclaim Your greatness, my God and King; I will thank You forever and ever. Every day I will thank You, I will praise You forever and ever. The Lord is great and is to be highly praised; His greatness is beyond understanding.” We pause to examine the status of our obedience to You. If it is found wanting, then we will work to improve it. You deserve nothing less. We will take time to consider all the many facets of our lives when we do this examination. We will be open and honest with You in our prayers. We are imperfect sinners, who wish to find ways to please You. PS 145: 18-19, “He is near to those who call to Him, who call to Him with sincerity. He supplies the needs of those who honor Him; He hears their cries and saves them.” What a great way You remember the covenant You made with our forefathers. How generous You are in bringing both Jewish and Gentile believers into Your fold. If we will take the time to assess the many daily blessings You shower on us, we will see the wisdom of obeying You and returning the unconditional love and trust You deserve. While trust takes time to build, we are helped by the uplifting faith of others around us. We can learn from You through study of Your word, through listening for Your answers to our prayer, and by the wisdom of believers around us. We ask for Your help at any time of day or night any day of the year. In return, we will look deeply into our decisions, actions, and interactions with others -both vertically with You and horizontally with them-for even the subtlest of sins we commit. Then, we will confess them to You with hearts open to the Holy Spirit. This way, our prayer to please You and fulfill the potential for good that You created in us will be heard and answered. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: In COL 1: 15a, we saw that “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” Next week, we’ll discuss what it means for Him to be the Firstborn of all creation,” beginning with COL 1: 15b. God has many messages for us-some for all of us and some to meet individual needs. I can’t explain why, but I always had an interest in learning about my ancestors and my heritage. By now you know that I’m a Messianic Jew, a strong believer in Jesus Christ. There are people in my family who think I’ve “jumped ship,” but I haven’t. I still believe in the same God that they do. The acceptance of Christ is where we differ. God’s opinion is all that really matters. I have a healthy respect for the culture of my Jewish heritage, even if I’ve differed on Christ’s diety. We lost a portion of our family in the pogroms of the central Europe in the 1880’s and the Holocaust. I assumed finding my ancestry would not be possible, since people trying to escape tyranny try to destroy the paper trail normally left behind. But God had a huge surprise for me. Sadly, it was given to me after both my parents had died. I discovered, to no surprise, that I am 94% Ashkenazi Jewish and the remaining 6% is North African and Italian. By studying about the trail followed by Ashkenazi Jews escaping persecution, my entire heritage makes sense. The surprise awaiting me was the discovery of over 1500 ancestors from as far back as 1710 -so far! I’m learning their names, dates of birth, marriage, and death, their occupations, and which ones emigrated to North America. I wish it had been possible to share this information with my parents and grandparents, but it came too late for them. I will have to wonder how well these ancestors knew the Father; which knew Him well and which did not. Any Messianic Jewish person will have to wait to find out the fate of Jews who were good people but never knew the Lord Jesus. That is the Father’s purview alone. I am convinced that if we obey the Ten Commandments, live a lifestyle that makes faith in Christ grow, treat others with kindness and goodness, and live up to our responsibility to convey the Gospel to those who will listen with accuracy and warmth that we will gain eternal life. How wonderful to anticipate loving fellowship with the Father in heaven forever! Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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