11-10-2018 Take It Through The Week

Monday – Psalms 110:1–2   It ‘s a bit of an odd turn of words. Who is talking to who and why?  This is the declaration of the LORD to my Lord… How can both of them be Lord? Our English simply can’t convey everything the Hebrew says. There are two different terms being used here. To simplify it, it reads like this… this is the declaration of Jahweh (Father God) to my Lord (Jesus the son)  When we understand what the Hebrew says we understand this is God the Father, telling Jesus that it is only a matter of time, before Jesus rules over all of creation. God the Father will make all Jesus’  enemies his footstool. God will take all those who hate God and Jesus now in this life, and make them Jesus’ footstool. Jesus will be victorious over everything we have ever seen or known in this world. Every hater and liar who has demeaned and disrespected the Sovereignty of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ will be revealed to all creation, as being haters and liars. But we who have fallen on our knees at the cross and cried out for mercy, will share in the total victory of Jesus’. We will see Him, victorious and exalted. David saw the day when this would happen in the future. God showed it to Him. And because God shared this victory with David, and David shared it with us, we too are looking forward to the day. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday – Colossians 1:25–28  Paul was amazed that He was being used to start the church by spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles. Yes, Paul knew that it was a mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints.  That God was allowing Him to see it unfolding, was a privilege He constantly wrote about. God not only revealed the mystery of his love to His saints, He also wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery…  He wanted the world to know the mystery. What is the mystery? Christ in you, the hope of glory. Not the hope to somehow survive day by day,  on and on in this broken world. Not the hope to somehow live longer and better than those around us. No, a hope that is so much more than what we see everyday. We will see the day when the glory of God will be revealed in Jesus Christ. We will see the glory that will restore this fallen world back to the heights for which it was intended. Because Jesus lives in us, we will see what no man has ever been able to see, the glory of God. We will see Him as He is. That is why We proclaim Him. That is why we teach and search out God’s wisdom. Our goal is that  we may present everyone mature in Christ.  Who are you praying for today so that they might receive Jesus and have that hope?
Wednesday – Isaiah 64:4  Whatever you may believe, wherever you may be in your spiritual journey, one thing is absolutely imperative that you understand and embrace. There is only the God of the Bible. From ancient times no one has heard, no one has listened, no eye has seen any God except You… God is very, very definitive. He is not a God of many different names in many different cultures. He is a God who has told us His Name and has declared to the nations who He is.  He is not interested in  man’s theories of how to worship Him. He has told us. Read John 4:23-24. Notice the last phrase of verse 23, Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. He wants us to come to Him and know Him. He wants us to know that He alone is God. And He wants us to know something else too. Go back to Isa. 64:4. Not only did He say that from the beginning of time, there has only been one God, He wants you to know that He acts on behalf of the one who waits for Him. Pray with me. Father, from the beginning of time there has only been You. You alone are God. You have expressed yourself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We wait for You. We want to know You. We want to know Your ways. Move in our lives, as we wait for You. IN Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Thursday – Romans 8:10–13  At some point in our lives, we become aware of human mortality. You probably remember the days when you felt ten feet tall and bulletproof. Then something happened to you or someone else that changed how you think. The solution for man’s temporary existence is God promise of eternity. Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Notice it did not say the body will die, but Paul said the body is dead. Without Jesus, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Not, we will be dead, we are dead. And with Jesus the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Not someday, but now. Our life in Christ is such a certainty that the change should begin now. We already eternally alive in Him and his righteousness is already working in us to change us now. We are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh… We need to see every day differently. We need to love every moment of our lives in this life, because for us eternity has already begun. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  The Holy Spirit of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, helps us to say no to the devil and yes to the Lord. Helps us to live today by the power of the Spirit while longing toward eternity.
Friday – 1 Corinthians 2:7–10  Given the miracles that Jesus did, why did they not declare him King? The blind could see, the lame could walk, demons were cast out, the masses were fed miraculously. At the very least, why did they masses turn on him and cry out for His crucifixion? None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, for it they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  At the time, the wisdom of God’s plan for man’s salvation was a mystery. Who could have known what God was doing? That is why Paul acknowledged it as a mystery.  What eye did not seek and ear did not hear, and what never entered the human mind…  Who could have imagined God would send His Only Begotten Son to die on a cross for our sin? Who could have dreamed God would do such a thing? But God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit has convicted you of your sin, and through God’s power has prepared you for the Kingdom of heaven. This is the hidden wisdom in a mystery. This is a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory. God loves you so much that He prepared this for those who love Him.  You have a hope and a future in Him that defies the wisdom of man and rests fully on the wisdom and promises of God. Pray with me. Father, thank you for Your wisdom and mercy. What man could have never planned or thought of, You forced upon man’s history and ordained by the strength of Your will. Thank you for the shed blood of Jesus Christ, that takes away our sin and prepares us for Your coming Kingdom. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Saturday – Philippians 4:19–20  I don’t know what your needs are. We all have them. I am not talking about just wants or human desires. Paul was completely assured that the needs of believers would be provided. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Paul understood poverty, hunger and needs. He even gives a list. Read 2 Cor. 11:24-27. Quite a list of difficulties, isn’t it? And yet through all of that, Paul was completely convinced that God had, and would still, supply all your needs.   Does that mean that Paul didn’t experience great difficulty? No. He had incredible difficulties. But they didn’t matter to Him. Because all He needed was to know that He was doing what God had called  Him to do. All Paul needed to know was that He was investing in the coming Kingdom. To the believers of the day, Paul assured them that God will supply all your needs. How can He do this? …according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Everything we need is in Christ Jesus. Yes, He will hear our specific prayers and yes, he will give us our needs. But our greatest need is fulfilled by knowing Jesus and serving Him all the days of our lives. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.