A Heart Set on Seeking the LORD

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Pete

They gave up their inheritance. Land that had been in their family for generations they abandoned. Property promised them from the time of the exodus they saw disappear in their rearview mirrors. More than their prized possession, it was their connection to their ancestry as a member of one of the twelve tribes. And they just walked away from it. How come? Because they set their hearts to seek the LORD.

Continuing to read in 2Chronicles this morning. The kingdom established under David and Solomon is divided because of Rehoboam’s bone-headed move to listen to some hard-hearted, wet behind the ears advisors (2Ch. 10.). Thus, the northern ten tribes have broken away under Jeroboam’s leadership.

And under that leadership they have established a new religion, one that worships goat idols and golden calves as the gods of their deliverance (2Ch. 11:15, 1Ki. 12:25-33). One that no longer needs the Levites, those who were appointed to serve in matters of worship before God, and so has cast them out. And the Levites leave their common lands in the north and come to Judah and to Jerusalem to serve and worship there.

And what catches my attention this morning, is that others did as well.

And those who had set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

(2Chronicles 11:16 ESV)

Don’t know that I ever realized this before, that after the split there were those “from all the tribes” of the northern kingdom who responded to Jeroboam’s fake worship economy by packing up and heading south. Not content with man-made gods and government-designed worship, they move to the region surrounding Jerusalem to worship the God of their fathers. And it cost them everything as they left their land, their possessions, and friends and family behind. Their very identities, which had been so intricately tied to their tribe and the land given to their tribes, had, in one sense, been severed.

But now they had a new identity. Now they marched under a different banner.

Those who had set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel.

While the land was important, it had been but a gift from God. And rather than be brought into bondage by the gift, they instead sought the Giver. They refused to let their possessions possess them and lead them to capitulate to the idolatry around them. Instead they would count themselves as God’s holy possession, and God, owning their hearts, gave them the power to separate. And so they became known as those who had set their hearts to seek the LORD.

I wanna be like them. In a culture that increasingly distances itself from worship in spirit and truth in order to embrace worship of self and tribal allegiances, I don’t want the gifts I’ve received to so tie me to the way of the world that it turns my heart away from the One who rescued me and gave me the gifts in the first place. Rather, I want to be willing to walk away from everything if that’s what’s needed to walk after Him. I want to march to the beat of the kingdom’s drummer, even if it means leaving what I possess in order to pursue what He has promised.

I want a heart set on seeking the LORD.

You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”

(Psalm 27:8 ESV)

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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Righteous Swordsmen

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Pete

Everything within David wanted to get into a shouting match. Insult me? I’ll insult you more! Slander me? I’ll show you what trash talking is all about! But though that was David’s natural propensity, his prayer in Psalm 141 asks for the supernatural. It reveals how a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22)–and God alone tunes hearts after His own (Ezek. 36:26-27)–responds to the temptation of the flesh to get down in the dirt with the wicked.

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!

(Psalm 141:3-4 ESV)

And what grabs me this morning is David’s anticipation of what that guard might look like. That while God could use His unseen Spirit to mystically watch over the door of David’s lips, He might also choose to use a flesh-and-blood swordsman.

Let a righteous man strike me–it is a kindness; let him rebuke me–it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it.

(Psalm 141:5 ESV)

Reminded this morning of the need for righteous swordsmen in our lives.

Faithful friends who can wield the sword of the Spirit, the word of God (Eph.6:17), to protect us from ourselves. Relationships with godly people that are grounded in such transparency that the Spirit can use their sanctified voice to call out our bad behaviors and wavering hearts. Those who know us so intimately, and love us so unconditionally, that they are not afraid to cut us deeply with the truth.

I fear those sorts of relationships are all too rare. In this age where we’re increasingly known by the pictures we post and the tweets we tweet, where self-esteem is built upon the number of “likes” and “follows” and “friends” we have, we find ourselves with no close friends at all. Superficiality rules the day. Transparency is something to be avoided.

In a time where, more and more, every other pursuit chokes out the pursuit of the kingdom of God. So that, when time with God’s people is now measured in how many times we gather with the saints per month rather than per week, the number of godly voices many have in their lives approaches non-existent. The voices of the world flowing in through electronic media drowning out the voice of the Spirit of God through well-known and much-trusted people of God.

But it is a kindness to be struck by a righteous friend. It is like oil for the head to be corrected by a godly confidante. How every saint needs at least one righteous swordsman in their life.

And it takes time, intentional time, to cultivate such relationships. What’s more, it takes honesty, vulnerable honesty, to open up our still-work-in-progress lives for another to see how messy that work is.

But I’m convinced it is a critical component in our sanctification. God wanting to use the voice of others to help us hear His voice. God leveraging the insights of others to help us see what He sees. God employing those who love us enough to call us out to keep us walking in the ways to which God has called us in.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend . . . (Proverbs 27:6a ESV)

Righteous swordsmen . . .

And this too by the grace of God. That we might live for the glory of God.

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The Bondage of Self-Justification

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Pete

Found a sin to avoid as I read in the Gospel of Luke this morning (20:25-29). One to be on guard against. One, if I’m honest, I’ve been trapped by too many times to count.

The guy was a lawyer. Knew the law inside and out. Could recite it from memory. Could apply it at will. Needed justice on demand? He was the guy to call.

So good was this guy, that he thought he’d give it a go with Jesus. Don’t know that he was necessarily antagonistic toward Jesus, but Luke does say he wanted to “put Him to the test.” He wanted to see how the Teacher fared with the hard questions of life. So he stands up, approaches Jesus, and asks Him,

“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

And Jesus knows this guy knows the answer. And so He answers the lawyer’s question with a question, “What does the law say? How do you read it?”

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Aced it! Hundred percent. Two for two.

But Jesus also knew that knowing the answer wasn’t enough. It was how you applied the answer that opened up the gate to eternity, to an unfathomable inheritance and to life everlasting.

And [Jesus] said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

Do it, said the Teacher. That’s all, do what the law says. Love God with ALL your heart AND ALL your soul AND ALL your strength AND ALL your mind. And when you’ve done that, love the guy next door like you would love yourself. Watch for his interests the way you’d look after your own. Just do it . . . and heaven awaits.

And the lawyer’s bright enough to know that he’s done. Game, set, match. He’s cornered. His integrity, if not his conscience, knows he’s never loved God with ALL his anything. But he also knows that no one else has either. So, doing what lawyers do best, he seeks to distract, deflect, and dispute the finer points of the law. But not because he’s seeking the truth. Instead, because he’s trapped by serving his ego.

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

The lawyer sought to justify himself.

And there it is. That’s the sin to avoid. The transgression to be on guard against. The bondage of self-justification.

How often am I tempted to split hairs, to compare myself with others, to find some ground to stand upon when the Spirit convicts me of sin in my life? How easy it is for me to want to convince myself that I’m doing pretty good before men when the problem Jesus wants me to see is what’s in my heart. How quickly I’ll go to trying to supplement the righteousness imputed to me through the finished work of the cross with my own righteousness founded on some flimsy, rationalized self-vindication.

Jesus didn’t corner the lawyer to condemn the lawyer. He loved this lover of the law. And He wanted the lawyer to see that the law he knew so well would serve him the best when it helped him to realize that “no one is justified by the law” (Gal. 3:11). That the law acts best as a “guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24).

As long as I seek to justify myself I continue to be in bondage to the law, held captive under the law.

But when I confess my sin and, by faith, know that He will forgive my sin, I am set free. Confident in my inheritance. Assured of eternal life. Not because I am just or justified. But because He is just and “the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26).

By His grace alone. For His glory alone.

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Worship Wars

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Pete

It’s just not optional. It’s not a take it or leave it sort of thing. It’s not about preference, or whether you’re into that sort of thing, but of priority and a vital defence against being drawn into a place you really shouldn’t want to go. I’m taking about worship.

Two of my readings this morning having me chewing on the priority of worship.

When David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel. David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men. “Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said, “shall have charge of the work in the house of the LORD, 6,000 shall be officers and judges, ,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the LORD with the instruments that I have made for praise.“

(1Chronicles 23:1-5 ESV)

Four thousand Levites dedicated to offering praise. Talk about your worship team! And it wasn’t just about making music, they had a message to declare. They were “set apart” and “prophesied with lyres, harps, and with cymbals . . . in thanksgiving and praise to the LORD” (1Chron. 25:1b, 4b). So important was it that they were “trained in singing” (25:7). And what they were to do wasn’t just an “add on” but was an integral part of “the service of the house of God” (25:6). Big choir! Big job! Big deal!

So how come? Why the priority on making sure when people came to the house of God they heard the story of God being declared by the servants of God in songs to God?

Lots of reasons, I suppose. But here’s one that jumped off the page at me as I read also in the Psalms this morning. There’s a worship war, says the songwriter.

Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD, give praise, O servants of the LORD, who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God! Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to His name, for it is pleasant! . . .

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them. O house of Israel, bless the LORD!

(Psalm 135:1-3, 15-19a ESV)

The “idols of the nations” beckon to the saints of heaven. Though their mouths can’t speak, like the sirens of Greek mythology, they have their own song. With their enchanting music and ethereal voices they lure those who would draw near towards being shipwrecked on the rocky coast of their island.

Those who would march to the beat of their drummer are enslaved to follow them. Those who dance to the song of idols becoming like them. Followers of idols become inert. Unable to experience the things of real life, the things of God. While having a form of being alive, in reality they too become just inanimate objects.

And so, the psalmist, in seeking to battle the enticing melodies of the idols of the nations says, “Praise the LORD! . . . sing to His name, for it is pleasant . . . bless the LORD!”

An effective antidote for being led astray by the allure of idols is the regular worship of the one and only true God! So much so, that David dedicated 4,000 Levites to make sure the house of God was filled with songs of redemption, remembrance, and recognition of who God is and what He has done.

I’ve said it before, how we sell short our worship on Sunday mornings when we think of it as only the “prelims” to the “main event” of the sermon. While we wouldn’t even consider walking in late on the word of God being preached, so often we think nothing of strolling in whenever, as the story of God is being sung.

Instead, if we recognized the worship wars about us, we might see singing with the saints as a vital part of our battle against the allure of the world and its ways. We might be more focused on availing ourselves of every moment of every opportunity to gather with others of like mind to declare the wonder of our salvation and the glory of our Savior.

Four thousand Levites in the days of David. Love to see that choir!

A family of believers singing this Sunday. Can’t wait to join their chorus.

By His grace. For His glory.

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The Epaphras Prayer

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Pete

Pray for me. Who doesn’t need to speak those words? But with everything else which seemingly is in more urgent need of divine intervention, often we’re reluctant to ask that we be put on “the list.”

And if we were to ask for prayer, for what would we ask to be prayed for? For things to be easier? For relief from our most recent struggles with just doing life in the world? For deliverance from the never-ending, low-lying battle that is waged on a daily basis with the old nature? For some sanity in the increasingly insane culture around us? Or, perhaps, should we ask to be prayed for us the Epaphras prayer?

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

(Colossians 4:12 ESV)

He was one of them. He was a Colossian. He knew the church. He was part of the family. He was familiar with where they were and with what they were dealing with. And this servant of Christ prayed hard for them. He labored fervently, contending diligently, in his prayers on their behalf. And what did he pray for? That they would stand mature. That they would be fully assured in all the will of God.

And I’m thinking that the chances of standing firm through whatever is encountered are a lot better when you are “fully confident that you are following the whole will of God” (NLT). That the right behavior is gonna come when you have the right belief. So, this morning, I’m chewing on this thought of being “fully assured in the all the will of God.”

Is that even possible? Fully assured? In all the will of God?

Epaphras seemed to think so. And Paul passed on E’s prayer, so I’m guessing he did too. But how does that even happen?

It’s certainly not pray and POOF! . . . a mature believer. But, to be sure, there certainly is some aspect of it that’s supernatural. Some degree, like a big degree, in which the Spirit has a role in conforming us to the likeness of Christ (Rom. 8:29) as God works in us “both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Php. 2:13).

But to be fully assured of the will of God I’m thinking also requires us to assist the Spirit in giving Him something to work with. If He is going to do the work of transforming us through the renewing of our mind so that we can discern the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2), then we need to fill our minds with seeds of renewal and transformation.

And, if the will to be revealed concerns both divine doctrine and daily decisions, then it would seem to me that the Spirit would benefit in His maturing work if we were to take in the word of God and the counsel of other believers. That as we give ourselves to the Scriptures and avail ourselves of the saints we are doing our part towards this lofty Epaphras prayer of being fully assured in all the will of God.

How I need to make time to open God’s word. And how I need to make priority going deep with God’s people.

I need to read God’s revealed will for all men and women. The doctrine of the kingdom of heaven informing my decisions as I walk this earth.

But beyond that I also need to talk and listen to others filled by the Spirit as to what God’s will might be for me. The wisdom of others helping discern the ways in which I should walk.

I need the word of God. I need the people of God.  They’re keys, I think, for the Epaphras prayer.

Pray for me.

Because of grace. For His glory.

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Plentiful Redemption

Posted on July 2, 2019 by Pete

Had a chat with someone yesterday morning about how hard it is to have potato chips or ice cream in the house. As in, if they’re in the house, they soon won’t be. As in, I can’t eat just one. No such thing as a “small scoop.” I’m not a “sampler” sort of guy. Once I’ve tasted and seen it’s good, I’m gonna keep on tastin’ until there’s no more. Poof! Bag of chips gone! Abracadabra! Container of ice cream disappeared. I’m a consumer not a conserver. Fill me up!

Thinking this morning that what’s true of potato chips and ice cream in my life should also be true of my salvation. Fill me up!

O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption.

(Psalm 130:7 ESV)

Plentiful redemption. That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

Redemption in abundance (CSB). Generous redemption (MSG). Redemption that overflows (NLT).

When it comes to God’s redeeming work, sourced in His steadfast love, it’s without measure. Exceedingly great. Multiplicative. Limitless.

And don’t I need a plentiful redemption?

One that not only has deep enough pockets that it can fully pay the price for my transgressions which I could never pay, but a redemption that is also able to ransom me fully from the bondage of sin and the fear of death. One that not only remits payment for sin but also provides rescue forever from slavery. I need a plentiful redemption.

But the generosity of redemption is only known as I appropriate it. The deep store of God’s steadfast love only experienced as I keep going to it.

To view being ransomed solely as an historic act and not a daily need is to take a pass on God’s plentiful redemption. For sure, I have been redeemed on that day when, by faith, I confessed my need for a Savior. But equally for sure, how I also need to be being redeemed. That’s what sanctification, my ongoing salvation, is all about–becoming more like the One whose image I bear. And it is also needful that, one day, I will be redeemed –delivered once for all from the limitations and frustrations of the old nature; the weakness and suffering of the physical flesh; and, the woes and weariness of walking through this world. That, says the psalmist, is why we are to hope in the LORD! For with Him is plentiful redemption.

Our redemption isn’t something to be rationed for fear we may tap its supply. Our ransom not something to be conserved for fear we might reach the limits of God’s saving grace. Not something, for fear of going overboard with it, to be stored in the cupboard, pulled out on occasion, sampled, and then returned to be accessed at some later time. Rather, my redemption should be consumed like I do when I have potato chips or ice cream in my house. Accessed frequently. Taken in fully. Without fear that it will run out, or that too much will somehow be bad for me.

Mine is to hope in the LORD. Every morning. In every way. For everything. With an appetite ready to be satisfied by the goodness of God. Knowing that there is an inexhaustible supply of redeeming grace available through God the Spirit, sourced in the once forever finished work of God the Son, determined by the sovereign purposes and promises of God the Father.

Hope in the LORD.

Access His plentiful redemption.

Bet you can’t eat just one.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Dealing with the Indulgence of the Flesh

Posted on June 28, 2019 by Pete

The Judaizers said it could only happen if they got back to the law, watched what they ate and drank, observed the festival days, and started observing the real Sabbath again. The Gnostics said it would take something far more drastic. That it would require severe self-discipline, physically punishing the body if necessary, and avoiding any hint of self-indulgence. What’s more, it would mean connecting with the spirit world through visions and the paranormal in order to worship angels. While both agreed that the flesh needed to be battled, they took very different approaches. And both, says Paul, were useless.

These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

(Colossians 2:23 ESV)

Indulging the flesh. Seeking to satisfy sensual desires. Catering to whatever feels good. Both Jew and Gnostic knew that such a dynamic, if left unchecked, would eventually bring destruction. Not only to the individual, but to the community as well. And certainly it would be an affront to whatever form of the divine they thought existed.

The Gnostics believed that the flesh, along with everything else in the material world, had been created by an imperfect spirit and thus was flawed. Thus, to battle the flesh was to deny the flesh in order to pursue a deeper and deeper knowledge of the divine. The Judaizers, on the other hand, knew that a perfect and holy God had created all things and that He had created them good. Thus, in order to battle the fallen flesh, it required a greater effort of the flesh in obeying the law. That by physically cutting away the flesh it somehow gave power to the flesh to redeem itself through rule and regulation.

And to both Paul says, “No value.” That works are worthless when it comes to turning the tide on sensual desire. That pious acts might put on a good outward show but are useless towards effecting an inward reality. Instead, the way of Christ in dealing with the indulgence of the flesh is to recognize that you have already died to it.

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations. 

(Colossians 2:20 ESV)

At our conversion, we died to the flesh along with every man-made, “pretentious and infantile” (MSG) religious practice on how to combat the flesh. No if’s about it. Paul states it as fact. By virtue of our union with Christ we have died with Christ (Rom. 6:8).

What’s more if we have died with Him we have been raised in newness of life, as He was, and we live with Him. And in that lies the way and the power of dealing with the indulgence of the flesh.

It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

(Galatians 2:20 ESV)

To look to our own good works for our redemption is to insult His finished work on the cross.

And to battle the flesh by our own fleshly efforts, or through our own wisdom and understanding, is to bind the Spirit within us. Only the Spirit of resurrected life working through us is sufficient to make war with the sensual desires still at work in us (Gal. 5:16-17). Only as, by faith, we count ourselves “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” are we able then to present our bodies to God “as instruments for righteousness” (Rom. 6:11-13).

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

(Romans 6:14 ESV)

Not grit but grace. Not religion but regeneration. Now what we can do, but what He has done. Not in our strength, but in His power.

To be trapped again by the “elemental spirits” of self-righteousness is to frustrate grace and concede ground to the flesh.

But we have died with Christ. We are risen together with Him. And through Him we are more than conquerors in dealing with the indulgence of the flesh.

By His grace. For His glory.

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The Secret of the Seed

Posted on June 27, 2019 by Pete

“Bless the LORD,” pens the songwriter, “and forget not all His benefits” (Ps. 103:2). Praise Him as you count the many blessings that come from being His. That verse comes to mind as I hover over a well-known, well-worn, perhaps too often forgotten story of Jesus recorded in Luke’s gospel.

For, among all the blessings that come with our salvation–our sins put away as far as the east is from the west; our lives rescued from the pit; our spiritual thirst satisfied; our eyes open to the wonders of a God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love . . . and the list goes on (Ps. 103:3-12)–this morning, I’m reminded of another perk freely given to those who have been redeemed of God.

“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God”
~ Jesus

(Luke 8:10a ESV)

You! Believer! Child of God! You have been granted insight into God’s kingdom (MSG). You can know how it works. That’s what Jesus told His disciples.

Talk about your insider knowledge! The hidden mysteries of God’s reign–the invisible, behind the scenes story of His active agency both in heaven and on earth–available to every follower of Jesus, to those who have “ears to hear” (8:8b).

Come on, people! Shouldn’t that rank among the top of our “forget not all His benefits” list? I’m thinkin’ . . .

And what’s secret number one? What’s the first story Jesus tells? It’s this, bearing fruit comes from planting seed.

What? That’s it? That’s the big secret of the kingdom of God? Duh! Of course, you can’t bear fruit apart from planting seed. That’s not a secret of the kingdom that’s Agriculture 101.

Hold on. The mystery is not that fruit comes from seed. The kingdom secret, the wonderful heavenly reality, the mysterious dynamic at work is found in the nature of the seed that bears supernatural fruit.

“The seed is the word of God.”
~ Jesus

(Luke 8:11 ESV)

I know. Well known. Well worn. Perhaps easily taken for granted or simply forgotten. But that doesn’t change the fact of the matter. That bearing fruit in the kingdom of God is sourced in the word of God.

I don’t care what kind of fruit were talking about: the fruit of righteousness; the fruit of love, joy, and peace; the fruit of godly character; the fruit of good works; the fruit of souls saved and disciples made; the fruit of understanding other mysteries about the kingdom; it all starts with the planting of seed. And the seed is the word of God. And that’s a secret of the kingdom of God.

What’s more, the secret is that the seed needs to find root in the heart in order to produce fruit. The heart is the soil for the seed. That’s why the devil, who loathes the bearing of kingdom fruit, will work relentlessly to take away the word from people’s hearts (8:12).

But the heart needs to be soft and fertilized continually with faith in order for the seed to put down deep roots. Where the heart becomes hard, and belief is absent, times of testing will invariably result in falling way (8:13).

And don’t even get me started on the tragedy of good seed, planted in good soil, putting down good roots, starting to bear good fruit, then being choked out by the weeds and thistles and thorns of the “cares and riches and pleasures of life” (8:14).

So that’s the mystery, the secret of God’s supernatural reign which has come, is still coming, and is yet to come: the seed of the word, when allowed to be planted in soft hearts, fertilized through faith, and focused on seeking first the kingdom of God, when that happens, the seed bears fruit. The full potential of new life in Christ is realized. Life and life to the full is experienced.

Well known story. Well worn. But let us not take it for granted. Nor let us become complacent about the wonder of how God has determined to use His word in His kingdom.

Word of God speak. Sow the seed of the kingdom in hearts prepared by Your Spirit and made ready through faith. That we might bear fruit for the kingdom.

By Your grace. For Your glory.

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The Power of Knowledge

Posted on June 26, 2019 by Pete

Knowledge is power. So has been said by many in many different contexts. You can’t act on what you don’t know. You can’t do what you’ve never been taught. Hard to have conviction and backbone if you only know what you believe but you don’t know why you believe it.

To be sure, there’s risk in the accumulation of knowledge. When knowledge becomes more about the knower than what is known, it loses its power. When knowledge puffs up, when instead of transforming the heart it inflates the ego, then instead of bearing the fruit of understanding, it often brings forth the thorns and thistles of quarrels and controversy.

So what’s got me thinking about the accumulation of knowledge this morning? Paul’s prayer for the believers at Colossae.

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. . . . Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

(Colossians 2:1-3, 6-7 ESV)

Paul writes to the Colossians because they were in a battle for the mind. Teaching was seeping into the church that was in danger of taking them “captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human traditions” (2:8). Though these outside arguments were “plausible” (2:4), they would serve only to delude, distract, and derail believers from the faith.

So what was Paul’s battle plan? 1) Encourage, or strengthen, the hearts of believers. 2) Knit together in love the souls of believers. 3) And keep on preaching, teaching, and equipping the minds of believers. Having been rooted in Christ, build them up in Christ. And this, through “the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ.” “All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” found hidden in Him. And so having being rooted in Christ, and set firm through the teaching of Christ, they would be able to walk in Christ.

There’s a direct link between what you know and what you do. A straight line between understanding and obedience. A direct correlation between learning and living, between perception and power.

Knowledge of the mystery of Christ as revealed in the word of God is the secret sauce for the sanctified life.

Not that its about the knowledge itself. We’ve all encountered those who think they know it all but love so little. Those who can quote chapter and verse about Christ but who demonstrate so little in their daily walk of Christ.

But equally true, the Spirit’s transforming work in us “by the renewal of your mind” (Rom. 12:2) can’t happen if there’s nothing in our mind to work with. Nothing to illuminate if we never crack open our bibles. Nothing to reveal if we’re not serious about pursuing the revelation. The living and active dynamic of the sword of the Spirit remains inert if its never drawn from its sheath (Heb. 4:12, Eph. 6:17).

Paul wanted believers to walk in Christ. To be rooted and built up in Christ. To be established in the faith. And this, “just as you were taught.”

The wisdom to discern deceptive teaching comes as a result of the accumulation of divine knowledge. The power to live in newness of life directly related to the degree of full assurance that it is “no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

Sure, knowledge can puff up. Let us beware of it. But knowledge is also power. Let us pursue it.

Rich in full assurance of understanding. Rich in faith. Rich in the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ.

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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Christ In You

Posted on June 25, 2019 by Pete

Paul says it’s “the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to the saints” (Col. 1:26). A secret thing of the Divine not readily available to the cognitive capabilities or the innate understanding of men and women. It’s not intuitive.

While creation reveals God’s “invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature” (Rom. 1:20), and while the heavens declare His glory (Ps. 19:1), nothing could have made known this mystery apart from God breaking the sound barrier:

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

(Matthew 3:17 ESV)

Apart from God’s illumination and revelation concerning His Son, we would have missed it. The prophets said so: “He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.” In fact, apart from an intervention of the divine kind, “He was despised and rejected by men” (Isa. 53:2).

And no wonder. The Son of God, rather than making Himself known as God, didn’t consider the fullness of God a thing to be clung to and flashed around for all to see. He didn’t feel it necessary to maintain a two-fisted grasp upon His true identity and make sure that everyone knew He was equally God. Instead, divesting Himself of all heavenly glory, He came in the likeness of the people He had created, taking upon Himself the posture of a servant to all (Php. 2:6-7, Mark 10:45).

Nope, unless the Father determined to reveal the Son’s true identity, at best Jesus might have been considered but a mighty prophet. At worst, as many in fact thought of Him, He would have been deemed a servant of hell.

But that’s only part of the mystery revealed. Paul says it goes deeper. Much deeper. Like to the depths of soul and spirit! Literally!

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

(Colossians 1:27 ESV)

Christ in you.

Not just Christ the image of the invisible God (1:15). Not just Christ who created all things (1:16). Not just Christ who holds all things together in Himself (1:17). Not just Christ the the victor over death (1:18). Not just Christ in whom “all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (1:19). But CHRIST IN YOU!

Chew on that for few minutes.

Who would of guessed God would come in flesh. And no one would have imagined that Immanuel (Matt. 1:23), God with us, would offer Himself an atoning sacrifice for all sin for all people for all time. But that He would take up residence in us? Who’d a thunk that?!?

O’ the riches of the glory of this mystery!

I sit back, and look at this aging body in this chair and I ponder, “Christ in you.” I think about the last 24 hours, the last week, the last months and years, and all of it was encountered with “Christ in you”!

Who, apart from God Himself, could have thought this up? Who, apart from an omnipresent, triune God, could make this a reality? God on the throne, His Son at His right hand, His Spirit living in us . . . Christ in you!

O’ the wonder! O’ the blessed privilege of grace!

And this mystery is the hope of glory. Christ in you–that’s what’s sealed the deal, guaranteeing the inheritance reserved for us and yet to come (Eph. 1:13, Col. 1:22).

Do I fully get it? No.

Do I fully leverage it? No, again.

But do I fully believe it? Yes and Amen!

By His grace. For His glory.

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