Colossians 3:5-11

Friday, November 29, 2013        Colossians 3:5-11

Chapter 3 is full of practical insights for the life of a Christian. I see these insights connecting to Paul’s conclusion in Chapter 2 that my sinful nature cannot be brought under control by discipline, rules and regulations. Paul is saying I can’t domesticate my flesh; legalism provides no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. In the first four verses of Chapter 3, Paul shows me an alternative to a legalistic way of life: the life in Christ. Using baptism as a metaphor, Paul teaches that through faith in Jesus, I have been raised up to a new life: the life in Christ. The idea of being in Christ reminds me that Jesus spoke about how he was in God the Father. Here Paul teaches that I am in Christ, who is in the Father.

This is not “highfalutin’ religious gobbledygook.” This is life. Paul is teaching us that when we put on our new nature, when we choose to live out of the reality of our new identity, our new life in Christ, when we learn about Jesus who gave his life for us, we become like Jesus. And when we become more like Jesus, our sinful nature decreases and our Godly nature increases.

I will never win the battle against my sinful nature by submitting to laws, rules, and regulations. Jesus won the victory over my sinful nature. When I choose to live my life in Christ, my old sinful nature loses its grip on me. It is for freedom that Christ has set me free from the power of sin; therefore, I choose to live my life in Christ.

I realize our passage for today is chock full of things Paul says not to do, and things Paul says I must do. Aren’t those rules and regulations? If you try to obey these “dos and don’ts” in order to be a good person, in order to have a right relationship with God, then yes, Paul’s lists are rules and regulations; but Paul isn’t saying you have to do these things. He is saying this is what you get to do when you are alive in Christ. That’s the difference between grace and law.

Law emphasizes what man does. Grace emphasizes what God does. Law's primary focus is ought to, should've, have to and must. The primary focus of grace is on ‘want to’. Law creates bondage, duty, and obligation. Grace creates freedom. Law declares do in order to be. Grace declares you are, therefore do. Law leads to defeat. Grace leads to victory!

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

Speak Up This Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 28, 2013   Speak Up This Thanksgiving

Three years ago Cheryl and I spent the week before Thanksgiving in Israel enjoying many of the sites of our Christian heritage.. This year we were in Colonial Williamsburg enjoying many of the sites of our heritage as Americans. My response to our recent trip to Virginia is strikingly similar to my response to our travels in the Holy Land.

In the season of Thanksgiving in 2010, I was very thankful that Cheryl and I had the opportunity to experience the Holy Land. Over and over again, I was impressed that our Christian heritage is paved with the deep personal commitment and sacrifices of that great cloud of witnesses who surround us. (Hebrews 12:1) I was also very thankful to be a part of Christ Church where each week I got to proclaim the Gospel message and to celebrate Jesus.

This year my plate overflows with blessings from God. I thank God for bringing both Cheryl and me through our medical issues at the beginning of this year and for the many opportunities we have enjoyed traveling and visiting our family in the second half of this year. I am also very thankful for the opportunities I continue to have to proclaim the Good News that we have been raised to new life in Christ Jesus. On our trip to historic Virginia, I was also very impressed that our heritage as Americans is paved with the deep personal commitment and sacrifices of countless men and women who responded to a higher calling in life than simple self-gratification.

As I take the time during this Thanksgiving holiday to ponder our heritage, I recall something I read in 2010 in Israel at Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Museum. Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) reflecting on the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group, made this observation: “In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist; And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist; And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew; And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.”

God calls his people to speak up, or as the Psalmist put it, “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so” (Psalm 107:2). The Kingdom of God is extended when God’s people speak up. In your gratitude for all that Christ has done for you, I urge you to speak up. Speak up in your homes and churches. Speak up in your places of employment outside of your home and all the many places you enjoy social activities. The mainline media gives people the political and secular interpretation of the issues of our times. Speak up and give those around you an opportunity to understand the events in our culture from the perspective of Jesus who is our way, our truth and our life. (John 14:6)

In gratitude this Thanksgiving, let us resolve not to be silent Christians.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

Colossians 2:20 - 3:4

Wednesday, November 27, 2013          Colossians 2:20 - 3:4

Our passage for today highlights what I believe is the most significant difference between the followers of Jesus and the followers of every other religion. Basically, all of the other religions are DIY: Do-It-Yourself. The Judaizers had been encouraging the church in Colossae to follow rules in order to establish and maintain their relationship with God. Paul taught the church that such rule keeping may look good on the outside, but “they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires” (Colossians 2:23).

Where other religions teach their followers how to try and make themselves fit to meet their god, Jesus brings his followers into a right relationship with God. Because the problem of sin is a spiritual problem, it requires a spiritual answer, which is beyond our human capacity. God’s solution to the problem of sin is to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves: “You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world” (Colossians 2:20). Here Paul is reemphasizing the point he made in 2:12, “For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life.” Paul goes on to provide us with yet another gem, which is the very essence of Christianity: “For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Every day is Thanksgiving Day when we remember that because we have died with Christ, we are now alive in Christ; Christ has set us free from the spiritual powers of this world. (Colossians 2:20)

BTW, I have found Eugene Peterson’s translation, The Message, to be very helpful in grasping Paul’s expanded teaching on this point in Romans 6:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%206&version=MSG

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

Colossians 2:13-19

Tuesday, November 26, 2013     Colossians 2:13-19

The gems keep on coming! First, Paul affirms the ultimate victory we have in Christ. In ancient times, when an enemy was defeated, the conquering general would take the defeated general prisoner and bind him in chains. When the conquering general returned home, there was a huge parade in his honor. The defeated general, in chains, was made to walk at the end of the parade where, now disarmed, he was shamed publicly. Paul uses this cultural reality as a metaphor for the victory Christ won over sin and death. Rising from the grave, Christ destroyed Satan’s power over sin and death. Satan was publicly shamed when Jesus forgave our sins, when Jesus canceled the record of the charges against us. (Colossians 2:13-15)

Next, Paul encourages us to remain vigilant and not dilute the complete victory over sin that Christ has won. This victory is for all people. No person who has come to faith in Christ is closer to the heart of God than you are at this very instant. No person can ever draw closer to God, than you can today, through your confession of faith in what Christ has done for you. Think of all the saints like Teresa of Avila, Mother Teresa, Madame Guyon, Brother Lawrence, Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and Billy Graham. None of these are closer to the heart of God than you. Let this sink in. Let your roots grow down into this truth, and let your lives be built on Jesus and his great love for you.

In Chapter 1, we learned that Jesus holds all creation together. Here Paul affirms that Jesus “holds the whole body together” (Colossians 1:19). Did you ever have one of those days when you felt you were coming unglued, that you were coming apart at the seams? You may feel that way at times, but it can’t happen, because the Good Master, Christ Jesus, is holding you together. Go ahead; I know you want to shout,

H A L L E L U J A H!

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.