Colossians 1:9-14 ESV
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
The Knowledge of His Will
It is critically important, if we are to follow Jesus Christ
with our lives, that we have an understanding of his will for our lives. For,
Jesus Christ did not die that painful death on that cross just so we would be
forgiven our sin, and just so we would be able to go to heaven when we die. For
when we believe in Jesus with genuine faith, we are crucified with Christ in
death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph
4:17-24).
And Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must
deny self, take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and follow
(obey) him. For if we hold on to our lives (of living in sin and for self) we
will lose them for eternity. But if we lose our lives (die with Christ to sin)
for His sake, then we have eternal life with God. For Jesus died that we might
die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness (Lu 9:23-26; 1 Pet
2:24).
Therefore, we are not to let sin reign anymore in our mortal
bodies, to make us obey its passions, for sin shall have no more dominion over
our lives since Jesus set us free from our slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin.
And if we remain slaves to sin because sin is what we obey, we must know that leads
to death, not to eternal life. But obedience to our Lord leads to righteousness
and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (Rom 6:1-23; Rom
8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rom 2:6-8).
For, if we continue living in deliberate and habitual sin,
we will not inherit eternal life with God, no matter what we professed with our
lips. So, please understand what the will of God is, for knowing and doing his
will is critical to us having eternal life with him.
In a Manner Worthy of the Lord
We need to know and to understand and to be filled with the
knowledge of God’s will for our lives, so as to walk (in conduct, in practice)
in a manner worthy (fitting to; suitable; appropriate) of the Lord. And since
our Lord is holy and righteous, faithful, honorable, honest, upright, and morally
pure, etc., we should walk in like manner as him in his power and wisdom and
strength which he supplies by his Spirit who dwells within us who believe.
We are to live lives which are fully pleasing to him. And he
is not fully pleased if all we do is profess him as Lord and Savior but we do
not walk in holiness and righteousness in obedience to his commands. For, if we
sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction, but if we sow
to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life. So, we need to
find out what pleases our Lord and then do what pleases him in his power.
And we are to bear fruit in every good work. Yes, works are
part of our walks of faith in Jesus Christ. They are not the works of our
flesh, but they are the works that God prepared in advance that we should walk
in them. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
And Jesus Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to
purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good
works. So, we are to do the works God has for us to do.
[Eph 2:8-10; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Co 15:58; 2 Co 9:8; Gal 5:6; Php
2:12-13; Col 1:9-14; 2 Thess 1:11-12; 2 Tim. 2:21; Jn 15:1-11; Tit 3:8; Jas
2:17]
And, again, we do none of this in our own power and
strength. We do all of this in the strength and power of our Lord. For God
gives us all we need to live godly and holy lives for his glory and praise. By
his strength we are able to endure with patience and with joy whatever comes
into our lives. And none of this would be possible if Jesus had not died on
that cross, taking on our sin, putting our sin to death with him so what we can
die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteous. By grace we are saved
through faith.
But God’s free gift to us is not just forgiveness of sins
and the hope of heaven when we die, as some people would have you believe. The
free gift of God’s grace is that Jesus set us free from our slavery (bondage, addiction)
to sin so that we can now walk in his holiness and righteousness and in
obedience to his commands (New Covenant). He delivered us from the domain of
darkness and he transferred us to the kingdom of Christ.
And our redemption is not just forgiveness of sins and the
hope of heaven, for Jesus shed his blood for us on that cross to redeem us (to
buy us back for God) so that we would now honor God with our bodies and with
our lives, and so we would walk in obedience to his commands, and so we would
forsake our lives of living in sin, and so we will continue steadfast in him,
by his grace, in his strength, until the day he comes to take us home.
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn
15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1
Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Gal
5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal
6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb
10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Rev. 2-3; Rev
18:1-6; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
For
Our Nation
An
Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: we’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
No comments:
Post a Comment