Fri 8.5 – Like Jesus, Like Jesus

Today’s Readings: Colossians 3.17-25; Philippians 2.5-8

As we close out this passage in Colossians, we’ve noted that God addresses a variety of real-life relationships. Let’s now make sure that we are reading about those relationships in the correct context.

Remember if you would the thought of 3.17 for a moment. Basically put, we are to make sure that our very WORDS and DEEDS are done IN THE NAME of the Lord Jesus Christ, correct? So then, what is the connection between that verse and the list of relationships that follows in the next verses?

I think we can argue that 3.18-22 are simply examples of how 3.17 should look in our lives. For example, if we are living our life in the name of Jesus Christ then:

As wives, we will SUBMIT.
As husbands, we will LOVE.
As children, we will be OBEDIENT.
As parents, we will be HUMBLE.
As SERVANTS, we will OBEY.

Now, you may be looking at this list and think to yourself, those are not exactly the first qualities that I think of when I think of Jesus. While majesty, holiness, power, and preeminence are the things that we typically associate with Him, do not lose sight of the time he spent here on earth and what that it took for GOD to become a MAN.

I find a lot of similarities between the teaching of Col 3.17 and of Phil 2.5. Read them together and see if you can sense the heart of the author as you read. They both seem to be calling us to a selflessness and a pursuit of Jesus’ life in ours don’t they? As our WORDS and DEEDS are taken captive to Christ and our MIND becomes His, then it seems that we would begin to live that life of seeking things above and setting our affection on things above.

Check out the similarities in the description of the mind of Christ is Phil 2.5-8

He SUBMITTED to the will of God, “but made himself of no reputation”
He was made a SERVANT, “and took upon himself the form of a servant“
He LOVED us enough to be, “made in the likeness of man“
He was HUMBLED, “being found in fashion as a man, he bumbled himself”
He was OBEDIENT, “and became obedient unto death, even death of the cross“

Do you see some similarities? I can’t help but think that God has a desire that we stop living this life ourselves and allow the life of Christ to invade and rule as we continue our days. May your life be lived IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, and may THIS MIND BE IN YOU WHICH ALSO WAS IN CHRIST JESUS, as you go today! Amen.

Thur 7.4 – A level playing field

Today’s Readings: Colossians 3.10-16; Romans 9.24-26,30; I Corinthians 12.13; Gal 3.28

What is a social class? Political power? Celebrity influence? I could keep going, but the point is that no matter who the HUMAN is, they have no power over other human beings unless those other human beings allow them to have that power. A person in a celebrity because a bunch of other people said they are and are interested in their lives. A person has political power because the people choose him, or because the yield to his tyranny. A person has social status because of our embedded biases and other’s deciding to follow their example.

Very simply, the only One who can command power and authority is a way that demands us obey is the Lord God. All humans beings are sinful according to Romans 3.23! Let’s take a second to examine the thought of this verse:

“ALL” – how many people is that…exactly.

“have sinned” – what is sin? It is our failure to live perfectly according to God’s will for us. And according to scripture, we’ve all stumbled head-over-heels on this one.

“come short” – no matter how close we were, we are short. If you and I run and jump off a cliff in northern California and try to make it to Asia, we will both FALL SHORT of that goal. You may jump further than I, but neither of us has come near to Asia.

“glory of God” – you see that glory is the standard we cannot meet! No mere mortal will come to the standard of God’s holy, righteous, beautiful glory! Some may get a little further here and there, but nobody is even in sight of the goal!

HOWEVER, in you (the believer) is that NEW MAN! That NEW MAN is our way of being conformed back into the image of GOD that was lost when Adam sinned. That same spiritual part of us is where we are going to find the means to live up to God’s will. While nobody is perfect, and we all make mistakes, when we stand before God, all are equal!

When they stand before God there is no difference between the rich man, Lazarus, Peter, Paul, you or me! There is an old saying, “the ground is level at the foot of the cross” and I would have to simply say AMEN to that! Maybe you feel like a social reject, an outcast, unloved and unwanted? That is not so with our God. All can come, and all must come the same way. There is no favoritism with God (I Pet 1.17)

May you find your purpose, meaning, acceptance, righteousness, and life in Him today! Amen.

Wed 6.3 – iFlesh

Today’s Readings: Colossians 3.1-9; Judges 1.21-36, 2.6-13

Today I want to stop and talk about a simple truth from our familiar passage in Colossians, and compare that to an illustration the Lord gives to us in Joshua.

Have you ever seen the Apple Software series that all start with “i-Whatever the software is for”? Like, iTunes, iWork, iLife, etc…? That is a great marketing strategy for their software. Without actually coming out and saying it, they are personalizing their product to the consumer. Their branding is one of the most successful of all time because of their ability to present it in such a “our way is better” model. This is even subtly seen in their “PC and MAC” commercials with the dorky PC guy in glasses and a suit from the 80’s, and the hip MAC guy.

Unfortunately we seem to take that same approach with our FLESH! We look at the scriptures, and we hear God saying to MORTIFY that flesh, and to PUT OFF that same wicked flesh, so that we can PUT ON the new man (Col 3.1-9). However, what we begin to do, almost instantly, is to excuse us keeping our flesh around. Too often we try to make it sound spiritual. We will let our flesh remain UN-MORTIFIED, and not completely PUT IT OFF because it can HELP us in the work of God.

Here’s an example of what I mean. Have you ever looked at someone and thought to yourself, “man, if that guy would just give his life to Christ, he has so much potential.”? Well, the BASE problem with that kind of thinking is that we are immediately connecting his USEFULNESS to God with his FLESHY ABILITIEIS. The last time I checked, God was in the business of taking that which was NOT FLESH, and making it useful in spite of the flesh so that the whole world knows this thing must be of God (see 1 Corinthians 1.27).

So, what we do is see some part of us that may even LOOK like it is potentially good for the work of God, and we let that one part of our flesh remain alive, remain on, and we just try to take that FLESH as a PRISONER OF WAR to our Spirit…which will never work.

We have no leg to stand on in our passage in Colossians if we think God was saying that we could keep some of the flesh alive and around…absolutely not. Look at an illustration of this in the Old Testament.

As the Children of Israel were delivered from Egypt (Salvation) and were led through the wilderness by Moses (law) to the Promised Land of God, they encountered many things and failed many times. Then God raises a new generation of Israelites to possess THE LAND (abundant spiritual life, John 10.10) under the new leader Joshua (Jesus). When they get there, God says to COMPLETELY wipe out everyone that is in the land (just as we are to completely mortify/kill/destroy our flesh before we can possess abundant life) and just like so many of us, they DISOBEY.

Rather than simply obeying God, they decided that these people who they were to kill could be kept alive as slaves and pay them tribute (or money) and be a profit to them. While this system worked for a generation, check out the commentary in Judges 1 and 2 as noted above. Because they kept those people around, those HEATHEN PEOPLE exposed God’s people to HEATHEN WORSHIP and HEATHEN GODS which eventually led the CHILDREN OF GOD away from the ONE TRUE GOD unto another. If they had simply OBEYED God in the beginning the sad, sad, sad, commentary of Judges 2.11-13 would not be the case because the enemy would not have been there to present the false gods.

Today, let’s ask God to show us areas of our lives where we are allowing FLESH to remain because we think it benefits us, and maybe even Him. No matter how impressive your flesh may be, God wants nothing to do with it. He wants no sacrifice of it, no worship from it, no things concerning it, because “God IS a SPIRIT and they that worship Him MUST worship Him in SPIRIT and truth.” May we completely destroy and put off that wicked flesh that tempts us so!!!

1.2 – Walking Worthy

Yesterday, God established (through Paul) His desire that we be filled with knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Sounds simple enough right? (if only it was)

Today, in Col 1.10, He adds a second degree to the “Christ-identity” that God has predestined we should develop into (Rom 8.29), we are told to WALK WORTHY. Now, that seems to be simple enough doesn’t it? Well, that’s because it is. There are 2 other portions of scripture I want us to look at this morning and I think this will explain what God is saying simply, clearly, and at the same time challenge us like never before.

Before we get to those passages, let’s remind ourselves of what God says in Col 1.10. Read it in your Bible now.

So, we see the desire and prayer for the believer here is to WALK WORTHY in a way that is PLEASING and FRUITFUL in those GOOD WORKS. Alright, now what we are going to do is simply take the WORD OF GOD and figure out what He means by selecting those words to describe this WALK that is considered WORTHY. (remember, one of the greatest mistakes is to read something like this in scripture and then walk away making up our own conclusions and decisions about what the passage means, defining the terms our own way and therefore miss what God was trying to say to begin with.)

The first thing that He says is for this WALK to be PLEASING. How can I know what pleases God? How can I be sure that something does (or doesn’t) PLEASE Him? Take just a second and look up Heb 11.6 to answer that question, then settle in your head, what it is that allows us to please God. OK, what’s the answer? Now keep that in the front of your mind…
Next question, What is required for salvation? How do we “receive” Jesus Christ? (You can check our Eph 2.8-9 here for a Biblical answer if you do not know already). So, now what we can see is that the one thing that pleases God, and the thing that is necessary for SALVATION and receiving Christ, are the same thing…FAITH! Ok, with that in mind, check out what God says just one chapter later in the book of Colossians in 2.6. How did we get into this walk? Right, FAITH. And how are we to continue this walk? Right again, FAITH. It is that FAITH that is going to allow us to please God. It is that FAITH that comes from God and glorifies Him, so of course it pleases Him.

Ok, now the second passage. Remember that WORTHY WALK is to be one that is PLEASING, and also what? FRUITFUL. It is almost like God knew that we would be prone to stumble at this truth that FAITH is the NECESSARY thing if we want to be PLEASING to Him. So what He does is add the explanation of being FRUITFUL IN EVERY GOOD WORK. I know most of you probably have this verse memorized, but look it up anyway. James 2.17, 18, & 22 clarify this reality for us. God says that FAITH without the presence of WORKS  is what kind of FAITH? DEAD! So, if our FAITH is dead, will it be able to PLEASE God? I doubt it. However, if our FAITH is alive and proving itself by our WORKS, then that is a vibrant faith that will PLEASE God. Check out how He concludes the thoughts in James 2.22! You see, the FAITH and believing was always what mattered, but the simple truth is that true, LIVING FAITH will always be accompanied by WORKS.

How is your walk? Is it WORTHY? Are you still living the Christian life based upon the same FAITH that brought you into it (Col 2.6)? What areas of your life are lacking in FAITH and therefore not PLEASING to the Father? Are there any areas where your FAITH and your WORKS do not seem to match up? Let today be the day that God’s children recognize their WALK before Him by FAITH and become fruitful in every GOOD WORK in Jesus name!

1.1 – God’s Desire for the Christian’s Life

We will be taking much of our study in the DIRECTIONS series from the book of Colossians. This letter to the church serves as a sort of “Christian’s field guide” if you will. It is almost as if God is laying out the pattern for the Christian life He desires in this short epistle.

Notice the first point he makes once the 8 verse introduction is over. In Col 1.9-12, God describes a mature/developed believer. After describing what they heard about these believers, Pauls says they had not stopped praying for and desiring that these folks would have certain characteristics. So, what are the qualities of a mature believer? Take a minute to look through these verses and see how God described a mature Christian.

Now, the question we all knew was coming. Take that list and look in the mirror. Do you see your reflection? I hate to say that I do not see a great picture of myself there. I wish it would be more of one, and I know it is more than it used to be, but it is still nowhere near where it should be.

Today, let’s just look at the first thing He mentions, “be filled with the knowledge of his will in all widsom and spiritual understanding.” How do we do that??? Okay, maybe I can understand that I need to be filled with the knowledge of His will. That seems to make sense, right? I mean, of course God wants me to know His will. What I am having trouble wrapping my little brain around is how I am supposed to do that in “all wisdom” and ”spiritual understanding”? Maybe we could look at the Proverbs writer and see that Wisdom and Understanding are chiefly valuable (Prov 3.13-14, 4.7). Also, perhaps in our search of the WORD for GOD’S DEFINITION of the words He used (instead of trying to make up our own), we would find Job 28.28 where He reveals what Wisdom and Understanding are. So then, I am left to look for God’s will and do so with all wisdom (fear of Him) and spiritual understanding (fleeing evil).

Let’s take that jumble of verses and connect some of the dots. I think we all understand where we can go to learn the will of God…HIS WORD. Nobody in their right mind will argue with that. The trick comes when we try to do so with (#1) ALL WISDOM. Going to His word and with wisdom (FEARFULLY) searching for His will. When we begin to realize that God is a God of Truth, that He is a God that will NOT be mocked, and that He will ensure that all things about His Word come to pass, it takes on a new light. Maybe one of the reasons that we seem to be so distant from being able to “FIND THE WILL OF GOD” in our day is because so many of us search for it without FEARING God in the process. Now, of course I am not talking about fearing Him like you would bed-bugs when you were 6, but respectfully realizing the awesomeness of His power and nature. If we understand that about Him, how much more will we be likely to desire His WILL and persue it??? It has been said that knowledge is simply retaining facts and information, but wisdom is acting upon that and applying it to your lives. That’s the difference in knowing aboug God, and fearing Him. Sounds like wisdom to me.

The second thing that He says is to do so with (#2) SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING. Now, the book of proverbs explains understanding as getting away from evil. However, that doesn’t sound extra spiritual, does it – it is almost just logical. Where does SPIRITUAL wisdom come into play? It has a lot to do with being able to look past the shallow surface of things. There may be things in our lives that seem to be fine, nothing evil on the surface, but underneath lies the stinky odor of sin. We learn in I Cor 3 to compare SPIRITUAL things with SPIRITUAL things to find SPIRITUAL truth. If something seems to be right, that doesn’t mean it is. Having sex with someone you love may SEEM right, or FEEL right, and sometimes is. However, sex takes place outside the boundaries of marriage, it is not – no matter how it seems or feels.  God very clearly says that is SIN. So, feeling right is not enough. do you see what I mean? PHYSICALLY something may seem right, but SPIRITUALLY it may stink. So, how do we know what is SPIRITUALLY truth? How do we gain spiritual understanding? We keep our mind in spiritual things. The Word of God, the Person of God, the Church of God, the Praise of God, the People of God, the Place of God, the Plan of God, the Kingdom of God, etc…and as we do that, we compare spiritual things with OTHER SPIRITUAL THINGS. In other words, when a question arises about truth, we do not look to others, to ourselves, or to anyting else to figure out what is SIN and what is not, except for the WORD OF GOD. You have heard it said around here plenty of times, “compare scripture with scripture.” That’s the key. Do you want to know the will of God? Do you want to have it in all wisdom? Then you are going to need to exercise some SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING!

(for further study, you could look through the scripture and find things God describes as “spiritual”,  “wisdom”, “knowledge”, and “understanding” and then look to those things to find the ever so hard to spot – “Will of God”)