Come and listen to today's podast - Defining God's Marriage Standard

Genesis 2:22-25 "The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed."

Today the Growing Christian Resources Podcast, a podcast related to this blogsite, is featuring an episode entitled: "Defining God's Marriage Standard". I invite readers of this blog to go the following link and listen in on the program: http://gcrpodcast.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/podcast-episode-4-defining-gods-marriage-standard/

Keys to Christian Fulfillment - Thankfulness

Colossians 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

For the past couple of days we have been exploring the keys to fulfilled Christianity. The main point of application that we have been using in tying together the last two posts has been: The keys to fulfilled Christianity are Christ's Lordship, the Holy Spirit, the scriptures and thankfulness. Thus far we have considered how Christ's Lordship, the Spirit-filled life and committing scripture to memory provide the necessary elements for true spiritual fulfillment. In today's post we will conclude this series by focusing on one final key to Christian fulfillment - thankfulness.

Key #4 to Christian fulfillment: Thankfulness
I find it interesting that as Paul closes out Colossians 3, he mentions thankfulness twice. Notice the contexts in which we find this vital expression. In Colossians 3:16 we see thankfulness as a vital part of the corporate life of the local body of saints. When a church is exercising thankfulness, rather than grumbling, there will be a church that consistently experiences fulfillment. But then notice where else we find thankfulness - in activities outside the local church. In Colossians 3:17 Paul expands the Christian's life of thanksgiving to include "all things" do in the name of Jesus. Why? Because the greatest way in which we can be effective Christian witnesses is when we are demonstrating our fulfillment in Jesus Christ. 

Why is it that Paul mentions thankfulness twice? Could it be because we live in a thankless world that refuses to acknowledge the Creator of this universe who sent His co-equal Son to live, die, raise from the dead and ascend on behalf of it, and especially those who by grace through faith believe on Him? Romans 1:21 notes: "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

Giving thanks like Jesus
When we give thanks as followers of Jesus Christ, we are directly positioning ourselves to glean from the sufficiency that is only found in Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we find that in scanning through the four Gospels, Jesus Himself was often found giving thanks:

Matthew 15:36 "and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people."


Matthew 26:27 "And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you."
Mark 8:6 "And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the people."

Mark 14:23 "And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it."

Luke 22:17 "And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves."
Luke 22:19 "And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

John 6:11 "Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted."

John 6:23 "There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks."

Giving thanks is the outcome of surrender to Christ's Lordship, being Spirit-filled and filled with the Word
As you journey throughout the rest of the New Testament, wherever emphasis is placed upon Christ's Lordship, the Spirit-filled life or taking in the scriptures - there you will find some reference to being thankful. For example, 1 Timothy 2:1 states - "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men." Or consider what we read in Philippians 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Other scriptures too speak on the importance of thanksgiving as marking those who are surrendered to Christ's Lordship, filled with the Spirit and filled with the Word. (1 Corinthians 10:31) If you want to ensure that you are in the known will of God and are experiencing fulfillment, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 gives the clearest instruction: "in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Closing thoughts:
These past several days have been devoted to better understanding what it means to be a fulfilled Christian. Our main point of application has been: The keys to fulfilled Christianity are Christ's Lordship, the Holy Spirit, the scriptures and thankfulness. We saw that when Jesus Christ's Lordship is more visibly influencing how we live, peace is more readily accessible. As we aim to obediently heed the Spirit of God in the scriptures, we will be those filled or under His influence and taking in the scriptures for our nourishment. Then the overflow of these first three keys should be thanksgiving, which in itself feeds back into the desire to be surrendered to Christ's Lordship, Spirit and Word filled. These four keys together are what constitute being a fulfilled Christian.  

Keys to Fulfilled Christianity - Spirit filled and Bible filled

Ephesians 5:18-19 - "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord."

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 

Introduction & Review:

Unless you and I are finding our fulfillment in Jesus Christ, we won't experience nor retain fulfillment. With that said, Colossians 3:15-17 gives us the specific keys to fulfilled Christianity. Another epistle written at the same time as Colossians, Ephesians, as similar statements in Ephesians 5:18-21 that we find here in Colossians 3:15-17, therefore we will include Paul's remarks from that epistle in this post.  In yesterday's post we looked at the first key: Christ's Lordship. Whenever you and I are yielded to His Lordship, there will be peace. Frankly this is the only way in which we can fulfill the command of Colossians 3:15 - "Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart".

Point of Application: So what are the keys to fulfilled Christianity? To answer that question we will spell it out in the point of application for today's post: The keys to fulfilled Christianity are Christ's Lordship, the Holy Spirit, the scriptures and thankfulness. We looked at the first key: Christ's Lordship and in today's post I want us to consider two more keys: The Spirit filled life and the Bible-filled life.

Key #2 to the fulfilled Christian life - Spirit filled
You may have noticed in the opening verses of today's post that both Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:18-19 are worded very similarly. Why is that? Because both were composed at roughly the same time and location (Paul's Roman imprisonment, under house arrest). The Holy Spirit of course comes to indwell the believer at salvation as promised by Jesus in passages such as John 14:17, 15:26 and 16:12-15. Further study reveals that the Holy Spirit indwells Christians individually (1 Corinthians 3:16) and corporately as His temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 2:22) The indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit entails Him shedding light upon the scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:10-13; 1 John 2:20,27), an act which is also called "illumination". Included in the Spirit's indwelling work is that of reminding the believer of their adoption as a son or daughter of God. (Romans 8:16).  To say that the Holy Spirit indwells me means I enjoy the permanency of salvation is promised by Jesus, rooted in the Father's choosing and affirmed to me by the Spirit Himself in the scriptures.

Indwelling is a one time act that occurs at salvation. As a Christian, I will get all of the Holy Spirit I am ever going to get. He is after all infinite by His shared Deity with the Father and Son, and you cannot add nor subtract from Someone who is by nature infinite. However, when we speak of the Spirit-filled life, the issue becomes "how much of me does the Holy Spirit have"? The Spirit-filled life entails being controlled by the Spirit, rather than the sinful flesh. (Galatians 5:16-18). This battle between the will of one's flesh or sinful, ungoverned desires and the Spirit must be fought by every believer, everyday. (Romans 8:1-5). Either we are going to be full of the Spirit or full of ourselves, resulting in confusion and inability to find fulfillment in Jesus Christ. (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-4). To be filled by the Holy Spirit means to be under His influence and thus is a repeated, commanded experience every Christian must undergo if they are to achieve fulfillment. 

Whenever we heed the command of Paul to be "filled with the Holy Spirit", we will be able to have that music of the soul, that song of salvation that accompanies vibrant Christianity. The Holy Spirit does not desire merely to be a guest in town, but the Sherriff of our hearts. When you read the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23, you understand why the fulfilled Christian life requires the filling of the Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." So we have seen that the Spirit-filled life is required for fulfillment in the Christian life, however let us consider one more key for today, namely...

Key #3 to the fulfilled Christian life - Bible filled
Colossians 3:16 states "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Now as we noted already, this verse and the command to be filled with the Holy Spirit are worded very similarly. Consequently we can say further that to the degree we fill ourselves with the Word will determine how much we are able to be Spirit-filled. 

There is no doubt that the number one way to fill yourself with the Word is to commit it to memory. Joshua 1:8 commands us to "meditate on the Book of the Law" day and night. Psalm 119:11 urges the reader to "hide the Word" in their heart that sin may not result. Whenever the Word of God is dwelling in me richly, it is because I have taken in the words of God as residents of my soul. To take in the scriptures yields the same results as being Spirit-filled, which is why both go hand in hand.

Perhaps an illustration is in order. This past year my wife purchased for me a bag of my favorite coffee: Jamaican Blue. Now this is no ordinary coffee. As the story goes, it grows on one side of a mountain in Jamaica that is only accessible by donkey. Its price is only exceeded by its taste. Whenever we brew a pot of that coffee, the scent wafts its way throughout the house.  That scent carries with it influence, flavor and the potential for an eye-opening experience in a cup. Now by this point what would be the logical step be for me after that coffee pot has concluded its brewing of that luxurious black gold? To take it in of course. 

See, the scent and the process of ingesting the physical coffee go hand in hand. To not drink the coffee would be unthinkable, and yet we do that to our Bibles all the time. We claim we want God's mind, and yet we fail to open up the very book which is the "mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16). 

Closing thoughts:
For today I would like to close with a quote from Charles Stanley's Book "The Wonderful Spirit-filled Life". In that book, Dr. Stanley ties together the necessity of the Spirit-filled life and spending time in the scripture as keys to a fulfilled Christianity: "If you can read this book and are not reading your Bible, you will never experience the Spirit-filled life with any consistency. Your Christian experience will for the most part be a subjective search for truth within the limited realm of your thoughts. Your conscience will never be a totally reliable guide since you are not renewing it to the truth of the Holy Spirit. And the peace of God will elude you. The Bible is the Holy Spirit's most objective way of communicating with His people." Dr. Stanley then closes with this thought: "If you want to know what the Holy Spirit thinks about something, read the Bible." 

More tomorrow.... 

Keys to fulfilled Christianity - Peace of Christ's Lordship

Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful."

Introduction:

What does it mean to be a fulfilled Christian? I'm certain that for some it may mean having things finally going your way or having a life that is successful, problem free and pain free. What does the scripture, and Paul here in particular, have to tell us about what it means to be a fulfilled Christian? Whenever you read the entire Colossian letter, the theme is centered upon the fact that "Jesus is enough". In developing that truth doctrinally in Colossians 1-2, Paul aims to unpack it practically in Colossians 3-4. 

Unless you and I are finding our fulfillment in Jesus Christ, we won't experience nor retain fulfillment. With that said, Colossians 3:15-17 gives us the specific keys to fulfilled Christianity. Another epistle written at the same time as Colossians, Ephesians, has similar statements in Ephesians 5:18-21 that we find here in Colossians 3:15-17. Therefore we will include Paul's remarks from that epistle in upcoming posts.  

Point of Application: So what are the keys to fulfilled Christianity? To answer that question we will spell it out in the point of application for today's post: The keys to fulfilled Christianity are Christ's Lordship, the Holy Spirit, the scriptures and thankfulness.  

Key #1 to fulfilled Christianity - The Peace of Christ's Lordship - Colossians 3:15

When the Holy Spirit says in Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts....", how do we fulfill that command? In briefly looking back through Colossians 3:1-14, the answer is plain: surrender to Christ's Lordship. As one scans over Colossians 3:1-14, the overwhelming emphasis has to do with "giving it all to Jesus" or "surrendering to Christ's Lordship".1 

Colossians 3:1 tells us as believers to "keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God". By looking unto the One who alone can lead and aid us in the Christian walk (Psalm 121:1-2), we are in affect handing over to Jesus Christ our priorities, behavior, speech and relationships. One of the repeated practical points made by Paul throughout Colossians 3:1-14 is to "put off" the old life (3:5,8) and "put on" the new self which is being renewed in the image of Jesus Christ. 

When Jesus Christ is Lord of our life, there is peace. In the context of 2 Thessalonians 3:16 for example, we could say Jesus Christ is the Lord of peace: "Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!" When Jesus was ministering on this earth and walked on the water in Mark 4:39 where his disciples were in a boat, He rebuked the storm and the text states: "And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm." Christ's Lordship is such a dominate theme in describing our salvation that without His authority in our lives, we cannot enjoy the benefits of our salvation. The oft quoted verse of Romans 6:23 drives home this point:  "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

All the time at our house we tell our children that if they will do as we say, they will have a much more enjoyable experience than if they try to do it their way. The Christian's relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ operates on similar principles. To love Him is after all to do as He says. (John 14:21) Whenever we make Jesus Christ's Lordship our priority, there will be peace. Certainly we may well begin with the attitude of obedience or an "I have to" approach to our Christian life.  However as we become more closely acquainted with the Lord Jesus Christ, He has a way of turning my "have-to's" into "want-to's". What begins as a duty of obedience becomes a delight of surrender. 

As you and I wave the white flag of surrender to Jesus Christ's Lordship, we are really waving the flag of victory in the Christian life.

More tomorrow..... 

Endnotes:

1. For those readers desiring to see a detailed treatment of Christ's Lordship in Colossians 3, I will refer to last week's  post: http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2014/08/give-it-all-to-jesus-colossians-31-14.html 

Valley of Vision

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Today's post features a prayer from the book entitled "Valley of Vision". Back in the mid-seventies a man by the name of Arthur Bennett put together a collection of Puritan prayers prayed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that has become a devotional classic. Bennett's book was entitled "Valley of Vision" due to the title of the opening prayer. I felt today that this would be a great way to start off the week and offer it to you for your meditation and edification.

"Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. 

Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. 

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty, Thy glory in my valley."

The story of the Kingdom told by Jesus' parables in Matthew 13

Matthew 13:47-50 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Introduction:

In past posts we have looked at the kingdom parables of Matthew 13, noting their interpretation and relationship to one another in describing the Kingdom of God. For today I would like to list for the reader what we can learn from Jesus' Kingdom parables, including his final one in Matthew 13:47-52, which we have not yet studied. We will then close out today's post with some final thoughts for our application.

Point of application: I gain the following main point from Jesus' statements in Matthew 13:51, namely: It is important for you and me to understand the story of the Kingdom so that we can communicate the Gospel. 

1. Responses to the Kingdom. Mt 13:1-9; 10-23

How do people respond to the Gospel and to the things of God? Four typical responses are illustrated in Jesus' parable of the soils: Unbelieving professors of faith who have had the word plucked away, who have sprouted up and died quickly or who have chosen the world over Christ. Only the true believer who possesses saving faith evidences good soil that sprouts forth fruit that abides. The key point of this parable is in 13:9 and 13:23 with the idea: "he who has ears, let him hear".

2. The King's Kingdom. Mt 13:24-30; 36-43

In Jesus' second parable of Matthew 13 we considered this second important aspect of the Kingdom - namely it is the King's Kingdom. How one is related to the King (wheat for the King's seed, tares for the enemy) will determine the destiny. All born into this world are born outside the King's redemptive Kingdom, and only by a miracle of saving grace, communicate in the scripture by means of planted wheat (sons of the kingdom), can tares be turned into wheat.

3. The immensity of the Kingdom. Mt 13:31-32

In dealing with the people who are related or not related to the Kingdom, as well as the King of Kings and his much lesser rival, Satan - Jesus tells other parables describing characteristics of the Kingdom itself. In the parable of the Mustard seed in Mt 13:31-32 we see Him dealing with the size of the kingdom.

4. The influence of the Kingdom. Mt 13:33-34

As immense as the kingdom is, the size of the kingdom in this age does not necessarily determine its influence. Right now in this present church age the kingdom exists in a relatively small form, with areas of our world manifesting it more than others. Whether manifesting itself as something small or in its final form, the Kingdom of God wields influence over the hearts of people because of God's Sovereign will working through the Gospel and evangelistic efforts of the church. The scriptures are the vehicle by which the Spirit draws and converts sinners to saving faith. (Psalm 19:7; Romans 10:17)

5. The joy of the kingdom. Mt 13:44

Jesus moves on by describing another aspect of Kingdom life - the joy of it. Like looking at a house from different sides, Jesus is walking us around the Kingdom, giving us various vantage points from which to look. Knowing that God is both at the center and circumference of the Kingdom ought to cause us joy. In other words, wherever Jesus is ruling and reigning, there is joy!

6. The value of the kingdom. Mt 13:45-46

Whether speaking about the Kingdom, the Gospel or the Christian life, all three are cut from the same cloth - namely God's Sovereign and redemptive will being worked out in the lives of those in and through Whom He is working. How much do you and I value the Kingdom, the Gospel and the Christian life? Is Jesus truly worth living for? These first six parables individually drive home a point.  Nonetheless they are logically and theologically connected to one another to deliver a collective story about what the Kingdom of God is all about, which leads to the seventh parable of Matthew 13:1-52....

7. Finality of the Kingdom. Mt 13:47-52

When we look at this final "Kingdom parable", what is its main point? Jesus tells us in vss 49: "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous." Simon J. Kistemaker in his book "The Parables", page 64, writes: "Followers of Jesus, go about your daily task: witness to your fellowmen, whoever they may be; bring them together at the church; constantly remind them of the need for faith and repentance; and direct their attention to the judgment day, at which time the final separation of the wicked and the righteous will take place."

Closing thoughts

The kingdom of Jesus Christ will become a visible, manifested reality when He comes back to earth. The details and ordering of events are not the focus of this final parable, and so we won't pursue such details here. However the importance of understanding Jesus' overall teaching in Matthew 13 is underscored by Jesus Himself when he asks in Matthew 13:51-52 "Have you understood all these things?" That is the question you and I must labor and prayerfully answer as we consider Jesus' words. If we can answer Jesus' question in the affirmative, then we will be as those bring forth treasure, having something to tell to those needing to hear.  He who has ears, let Him hear! 

P4 Weathering the storms of life - reaching the intended destination

Acts 27:42-43 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape; 43 but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, 44 and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land.

For the past several days we have been making our way through Acts 27. We have been focusing our attention upon the subject of life's storms, and how as God's people we can weather them. The main point of application throughout this series has been: "God is in charge over storms and meets us in them". We have seen how God will shine rays of hope in storms.  We have also learned that even though there may not be a discernible purpose at times, yet God provides in the midst of storms. Just because we cannot see the purpose does not mean there isn't one. To be met by God in the storm is more important than knowing the purpose. Paul models to us a man of God who ended up being a leader among some of those who were assigned as his prison guards. Today we see the process Paul and the men go through as they finally reach their intended destination, as well as how Paul would end up reaching his - Rome. 

One thing we learn in storms - the list of priorities shortens

It is always amazing to me how many things we consider to be priority in our lives. When a storm comes, not only do those priorities change, the list greatly shortens. On the ship the sailors' fear escalated. The priority of attempting to retain any cargo was quickly replaced by just trying to remain alive! Notice how much these guys let go as the storm rages on:

-They begin to jettison the cargo 27:18

-Then they cast off the ship's tackle 27:19

-Cast away the anchors 27:29

-They cut away the ropes holding the life boat to the side of the ship 27:32

-They threw the remaining wheat or source of food into the sea 27:38

-They completely got rid of the anchors 27:40

-They ran the ship aground 27:41

In normal circumstances, every single action done by these men would had been considered insanity. However the times in which they found themselves were anything but  "normal".

Perhaps you have been in a major storm of life or may very well be in the middle of one, much like Paul and his fellow prisoners. Though we may not know exactly why God had Paul and these men go through this storm, one thing is for sure - their priorities were sharpened significantly. 

Whatever purpose God has for storms, we know He may be preparing us for whatever purpose there is following the storm

Acts 27:44 states: "and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land." Though the journey had been anything but safe, God's word was fulfilled and every single man made it. As always, we know that survival may never be guaranteed when going through a storm, yet we know that whatever purpose God has for us going through the storm, it prepares us for a purpose that He will have us doing after the storm. 

The sailors, soldiers and Paul reached their intended destination - land! Once landing in Malta, Paul would be used of God to heal a man and model a miracle before the natives. In Acts 28:11-31 we would see Paul reach his ultimate destination - Rome. God had tested Paul under extreme situations to birth forth in him a testimony.  Testimonies are God's ordained exclamation points in the life of faith! Whenever you see a exclamation point (!), your attention is seized. Why? Exclamation points draw attention! God is the focus of the person with a testimony that bears witness of His faithfulness through a stormy season. Remember, God is over the storms of life and meets His people in them!