Saturday, April 21, 2012

The Beatitudes

Sometimes, the best thing to do is let Scripture speak and get out of the way!  I love this passage from the "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew 5.

The Beatitudes
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:


3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely* on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Feeling Depressed?

Do you feel sad? Depressed? Lonely? Discouraged? Down in the dumps? That is a horrible feeling, and often times these feelings get us down and defeat us before we ever know what hit us. Worst of all, these feelings will often prevent us from approaching our Lord.

But there is good news, these feelings are just that...feelings! Feelings change, feelings are not permanent, feelings so often depend on...well, us.

The reality is, for those of us that believe in Jesus Christ, that we should NEVER be sad, depressed or discouraged. Check out this passage from Ephesians 1:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4just as he chose us in Christ* before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance,* having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14this* is the pledge of our inheritance towards redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory. 15 -->

Wow...how can anyone read this passage and be depressed? Lets break it down a little:



  • In verse 3 Paul starts by telling us that Christ blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Hear that, every spiritual blessing. Jesus holds nothing back from us. And these blessings are not temporary earthly blessings, these are permanent, spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. What a blessing!




  • Verse 4 tells us that were were chosen in Christ before the foundations of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. Jesus choose us before the foundations of the world!! While we were still sinners, while we were still unworthy Jesus choose us and justified us before Him in love.




  • Verse 5 continues this though by telling us that we are destined for adoption. Do you fully grasp that? We have been adopted! We are children of God, we are brothers and sisters with Jesus Christ!! And why did Jesus do this, Paul simply states that He did it according to His good pleasure to the praise of His glorious grace. Thats right...he did it just because. He did it because it gave God pleasure to adopt us. He did it because he loves us.




  • Verse 6 continues this though by saying that this grace and Love of God is freely given, freely bestowed in the Beloved (aka Jesus Christ). What a gracious, and generous and abundant God!




  • Verse 7 assures us that we have redemption and forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. And Paul demonstrates the value of this gift by stating that we receive it through the "riches" of His grace, and that it is lavished upon us. Think about that adjective "lavished", how often do we use that word day to day? Not often, because it really signifies great worth, great expense, great value. Paul uses that word here to describe the riches of God's grace towards us!!




  • If that isn't enough, in verse 9 we are told that God has made known to man the mystery of His Will according to His good pleasure. How awesome is that? Not only are we adopted, not only are we redeemed, not only do we gain and inheritance, but God also shares with us the mystery of His Will: that through Jesus Christ one day all things will come together.




  • Finally, in vv 14-15 we are told that through the Holy Spirit we are marked and sealed as a pledge of this inheritance. That right, once you have accepted Jesus Christ we are sealed with Holy Spirit as a pledge. We are His, He cannot lose us. Once day, we will be called home and the guarantee of the the Spirit is that we will spend eternity in paradise with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.



So how do you feel now? Ephesians 1 is quite possibly my favorite chapter in the Bible. What a wonderful, loving, and gracious God we have. To quote Third Day, "Praise to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our God and our King, to Him we will sing. In His great mercy He has given us life. Now we can be called the children of God".



Feeling depressed, don't be. Stand on the promises of Jesus Christ. Are feelings can change, but our gracious Lord and Saviour never will.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

What The Atonement Of Jesus Christ Means

Yes...I love the week after Easter. We get to bask in the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Chirst and really take in the fact that Jesus died on the cross for OUR sins. His sacrificial death atoned for our sins. And through that death we have the atonement of our sins, or the at-one-ment of ourselves to our Holy God. The scriptures are filled with what the atonement means, here are some handy scriptural verses on the atonement that all Christians should be aware of, but this is not an exhaustive list. I pray that you find these verses meaningful and draw you towards a closer relationship with Jesus Christ:

Explained
Romans 5:8-11
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Foreordained
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
1 Peter 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Foretold
Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Daniel 9:24-27 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

Effected by Christ alone
John 1:29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Was voluntary
Psalms 40:6-8
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
Hebrews 10:5-9 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

Exhibits the Grace and mercy of God
Romans 8:32
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Love of God
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 4:9-10 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Love of Christ
John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Reconciles the justice and mercy of God
Isaiah 45:21
Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.

Necessity for
Isaiah 59:16
And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

Made but once
Hebrews 7:27
Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Hebrews 9:24-28 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. ...

Acceptable to God
Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.


Access to God
Hebrews 10:19-20
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

Remission of sins by
John 1:29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Sanctification by
2 Corinthians 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Redemption by
Matthew 20:28
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.