Author: newlifenarrabri
Ephesians 3:12
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:12. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 3:12
“In [Christ] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
In Christ we can approach God with freedom.
It is our relationship with Christ that opens up access to the Father. Our sin created a chasm that separates us from God. The cross, the sacrifice of Christ, crosses that divide .
We who were once”far off” from from God are now in His presence – not because of our own goodness or our own deeds, but because we are in Christ.
To be in Christ means that I have become one with Him. I have asked Him into my heart and in so doing I have come into His heart, so to speak.
To be in Christ is to be united with Him, knowing that our sins are forgiven and we are now children of the Living God.
It is through faith in Christ that we gain access to the Father .
To have faith means that we believe that His death is sufficient and effective. His death is sufficient because there is nothing else that we can add to it. We are saved through faith not by works. Therefore, we must trust that Christ’s death on the cross is an adequate sacrifice. We cannot keep going back to the temple to add to this sacrifice. We must not believe that any good work that we may do can in any way add to or replace this one sacrifice.
We must also believe that Christ’s death is effective for us. I need to understand that there is no limit to the number of people or the number of sins that can be covered by the blood of Christ. I must know that my sins are forgiven, the specific things that I confess each day.
When we believe in our hearts that Christ’s death means life for us, then we can put our trust in God. This combination of belief and trust is what the Bible calls faith. In the final analysis, our trust is in God’s faithfulness that he will do what he has said. Faith is always in a person not in a doctrine.
Now we can approach God in freedom and confidence.
We can approach God in Freedom because the sins that separated us from Him are gone. The burden of sin the kept us paralysed in fear of God has all been washed away.
The Book of Genesis tells of a “flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24) Sin effectively barred the way to God’s life, but now that we are forgiven we have freedom to come into the presence of God – the flashing sword has been taken away.
A person might come into a king’s presence in freedom but be consumed by fear or anxiety. We can approach God with both freedom and confidence.
From being aliens in a strange country, we have been adopted into God’s family, through faith in Christ. So we can approach God with confidence because he is our Father and we are sons and daughters.
Because of the sacrifice of Christ, I not only know that my sins are forgiven, I know that God loves me and will never reject me or condemn me.
When Ruth approached her husband’s throne, she did so knowing that he could have her killed on the spot for her temerity. But we approach the throne of God with confidence because his love is eternal and unconditional.
Because I have been adopted by God I can call him “Abba Father”. That means I can speak to him in intimate and familiar terms. He is not impressed by formal language or flowery prayers. He sees my heart and He loves me.
Key points in this verse:
- Our relationship with Christ opens up access to the Father
- To be in Christ means to be one with Him
- To have faith in Christ means to believe his death is sufficient and effective
- We can approach God with freedom and confidence
- We are sons and daughters of God
Reflection on 1 John 3:1-10
Scripture
Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them.
Observation
God’s love for us is amazing. He calls us His children. We don’t yet know what we will be when Christ returns, but we will be like Him.
Sin is breaking God’s law. Jesus came to take away our sin, so if we continue to sin, it shows we are not following the ways of Jesus.
When people keep sinning they show that they belong to the devil. People who have been born into God’s family do not continue to sin. They cannot keep sinning because God’s life is in them.
Application
If you are genuinely born again, you will turn away from sin. That is what it means to be born again.
This does not mean we become instantly perfect. There is a process, a life- time of becoming more like Jesus.
As christians we are not allowed to keep our pet sins- whether it is anger or drugs, coveting or pornography.
A christian who keeps his or her sins is like a husband who keeps a lover or two on the side. This is a contradiction.
Of course, we all struggle with sin. We all have our weaknesses, those temptations that seem to particularly entice us. We need to be like the alcoholic who knows he is only ever one drink away from falling.
While christians should not engage in repeated sin, we all fall. For that there is the remedy of 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
If you think this is a loophole that lets us get away with stuff, then you are not thinking straight. It is not about what we can and can’t get away with. We are not motivated by a counting of right and wrong. God has lavished His love upon us and it should be our overwhelming desire to walk in friendship with Him.
Prayer
Father, I admit my sinful ways to you. Please change my heart so deeply that I am no longer attracted to the things that break my relationship with you. Amen.
The Fruit Of The Spirit- Gentleness
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
Gentleness is often confused with weakness. In fact, it is the opposite. Gentleness may be thought of as strength controlled for the sake of another person.
An illustration of gentleness is a father wrestling with a little child. There is no doubt that the father could injure the child if wrestling with serious strength. But he chooses to marshal that strength, to control it for the sake of the child’s safety and to encourage the child to grow in his/ her own physical strength.
The Greek word, as does its English counterpart, carries its meaning into other areas also. Other words might be used include meekness, forgiveness and patience.
In relationships, when somebody disappoints us or hurts us we can choose to react harshly and condemn the person, perhaps even break off the relationship. Alternatively we may choose to forgive, to make allowances for them and to maintain the relationship.
We live in a time when people are very critical of one another and harsh towards public figures they disagree with. A social media post from 20 years ago might be resurrected for condemnation if it fails to live up to contemporary moral standards. Yet, the same people who condemn others are defensive when criticised themselves. In this culture, we need gentleness more than ever.
God has the right to treat us harshly for our sins. Yet, He gives us time to repent, forgives us endlessly and exhorts us to return to Him. There will be a time of judgement, and everybody who has not received God’s forgiveness in Christ will be judged and punished.
In the meantime, God treats us with gentleness.
Reflection on 1 John 2:18-29
Scripture
Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.
Observation
The last hour is here, and many antichrists have already appeared. They have left the church, but they never really belonged.
Those who remain faithful don’t just know the truth, they know the difference between the truth and lies. Anyone who denies Christ is a liar, and anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.
If we remain faithful to Christ, the Holy Spirit will teach us what is true. So we must remain in fellowship with Christ.
Application
In my early christian years, I like many at the time, was bombarded with end-times teachings about the scary demonic Antichrist and the Great Tribulation that was coming very soon. Various names were suggested for the identity of the Antichrist, but all failed to attain the title, and most are not even remembered these days.
Here, John tells us that already there were many antichrists who had come. In fact, John is the only one that uses this term. He uses it to describe not an apocalyptic demon- possessed world ruler, but many false teachers who deny that Christ is the Son of God.
This would seem to include atheists, Muslims, Hindus, New Agers, irreligious secularists and sceptics, and many more.
The spirit of antichrist is simply any spirit that opposes Christ.
Even in the first century, they believed that they were in the “last hour.” Peter says in Acts 2 that Pentecost is the day foretold by Joel- “In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.”
We don’t have to worry about a demonic Antichrist seizing power and persecuting christians. That has been going on for 2000 years and will continue to do so until Jesus returns- which could be tomorrow or another 2000 years.
Rather, we need to be faithful to Christ, serving Him in our daily life, and staying steadfast until the end.
Prayer
Thank you Father for your unfailing love. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who protects us from false teachings and false spirits. Please help me to be faithful to you in all things. Amen.
Ephesians 3:11
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:11. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 3:11
“This is according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God’s intent was to make known through the church His wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. This was His eternal plan.
People are changeable, and at times, fickle. For many people, a long-term plan means as far as next weekend.
But God is not like us. When God makes a plan it is not provisional or conditional on what happens. When God makes a plan it is perfect from the beginning, and is not subject to change or improvement.
God’s plan commenced in “eternity past,” that before time began. Before the creation of the world, God made plans for a physical universe that was distinct from the heavenly realms. In that plan, God would create a race of people who could choose to reject God’s love. He would give people an option to obey God, to worship God, and to surrender to him. Or not.
This choice had been made available to the angels , but some, led by Satan, rebelled against God. While angels who have stood in the glory of the presence of God and still rejected him, are beyond repentance, human beings who only see God dimly, like a distorted reflection, they could have the ability to be redeemed and rescued.
So while God did not create sin, he did allow for it. He foreknew that Adam and Eve would fall as would every single person since. But he made a plan long before this happened that would provide a way out.
In the book of Revelation, Christ is described as “ the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world” ( Revelation 13:8). Thus it was always God’s intention from before creation that Jesus would pay for our sins.
God’s eternal purpose stretches into the future also. What was proposed before the beginning of time is eternal and unchanging, and so will continue past the end of time. There is no expiry date on salvation. The offer will always be there because God’s purpose is eternal and does not change.
It might be possible for God to change His mind about how people are brought into His Kingdom. It is possible that God could say that only people born again before the year 2020 could be saved. But he will not do that because his plan and purpose are eternal and will last for eternity.
God’s purpose is eternal also in the sense that it will carry us through to eternity. He has said that we will live with him forever. There will be no time limit in heaven. We will not be transient visitors as we are on Earth. We will be there forever.
His eternal purpose, that is to save people from sin and equip them for eternity, was accomplished through Jesus. His death on the cross was the moment in time when the eternal plan was activated.
The mystery, the plan, the purpose was this: God gave himself to rescue a fallen race. The revelation to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms was that sin will not steal away God’s glory. His love and righteousness come together to defeat all sinfulness and wilfulness.
All of this is through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Christ literally means “ anointed one” and refers to the Messiah. Jesus was the one sent by God to rescue His people. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit for this task.
Jesus is the Greek form of the name Yeshua which means “ the Lord is our saviour” or “ the Lord saves.” It is God’s nature to save his beloved people .
Lord is the name for Yahweh, the one true God. Jesus is not just a man. He is divine. He is the Lord.
Key points in this verse:
- God’s purpose was commenced before time began
- Jesus is the Lamb who was slain at the beginning of time
- God’s plan will not change and Salvation will not stop
- Jesus is the Messiah and he is the Lord God
The Fruit Of The Spirit- Faithfulness
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
The Greek word pistis is more often translated in the New Testament as faith, but it equally carries the idea of faithfulness. In this list of characteristics that define the way that we behave towards other people, faithfulness seems a better fit.
One dictionary defines the word faithful as “Adhering firmly and devotedly, as to a person, cause, or idea; loyal.”
Faithfulness means firstly that we are faithful to God. We don’t give up on our relationship with God when He fails to deliver for us the goods we think we should get, or when life gets difficult. On the contrary, for the faithful person adversity just causes them to dig deeper and hold on more tightly.
Faithfulness means that we do not go hopping from congregation to congregation, moving onward when preachers teach challenging messages or when we have disagreements. The most mature christians are those who work out their disagreements and difficulties with others.
Faithfulness in marriage means that we hang in there “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.” No trophy wives or younger models, no playing the field or looking for a better offer.
Faithfulness can be seen as stickability, the determination to so value another person that nothing can separate us from them.
The faithfulness that God plants in us is the faithfulness that He has towards us, the idea that nothing will turn Him away from us.
Reflection on 1 John 2:12-17
Scripture
For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasures, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.
Observation
John writes to three groups- children, young men and fathers, These are spiritual categories, not chronological ones. God’s children are people who know they are forgiven. The young men are those who know God’s word and have won battles against the evil one. Fathers are those who know Christ in a deep and mature way.
We must not love the world, because that leads us away from God. The wold offers only superficial attractions, and it is passing away.
Application
The world system is opposed to God. It relies on our physical nature to lure us away from the things of God.
This is not to denigrate the physical body. God made us as physical beings. When the physical part of life dominates what we think about and what we do, then we are in danger of turning away from God completely.
The world offers a craving for physical pleasure. We are not to pursue sexual immorality, possessions, unrestrained desire for food, and so on, because these things of themselves are not good for us. The world entices us but God says, “No.”
The craving for what we see can be strong. This covers things like new and better possessions, greed for wealth, that special holiday that will fix everything, a better house in a more prestigious postcode. None of these things will satisfy us, but they are so tempting. The ten commandments forbid coveting, but the world thrives on it.
Pride can be a downfall for many. It is fine to feel good about our achievements, but we can become over-impressed with ourselves. Pride leads us to believe that we are better than other people and ultimately that we are infallible.
The world leads us to worship ourselves and our fleshly appetites. We make idols that displace the one true God.
Prayer
Lord, I confess the many temptations that I feel every day. Please help me to take my eyes off the things of the physical world and worship you alone. Amen.
Today’s Sermon
Wow! Now you can get arrested if you might commit a crime
This is Australia- well its socialist enclave of Victoria- in 2020. The pandemic is the excuse our petty dictators needed to just ignore the rule of law altogether.
From caldronpool:
Pre-Crime: Victorian Government Pushes for Powers to Preemptively Arrest Anyone, Even If They Haven’t Broken the Law
Mainstream media are finally reporting on the Victorian government’s new bill to hand authorities the power to arrest anyone, even if they have not committed an offence.
10 News Melbourne reports: “[The] new law would give police the power to preemptively detain anyone with COVID or their close contacts even if they haven’t broken the law. All that’s required is that the officer thinks they might breach restrictions in the future.”
The report notes that the Health Department could also empower non-police, such as Public Safety Officers or Work Safe Inspectors, to preemptively detain citizens.Advertisement
The new legislation places “no limit on detention time, no legislative oversight and no clear avenue for appeal.” Those detained could be placed in quarantine facilities to be monitored by authorities.
The law could see the arrest, not only of anyone the state deems a “conspiracy theorist” and therefore likely to neglect current restrictions, but also their family members and close contacts even if a crime has not been committed.
