Someone Has to Die for Your Sin Who Will it Be, You or Jesus?

You Earned Death Not Life: I LOVE the Bible! I am very thankful for the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ! I’m thankful that He took the severe beating for me, that He was cut in pieces for me, that He absorbed all of God’s (Just) wrath for me. Yes that’s right, you and I deserved nothing but God’s wrath, we actually earned it. Like a person who works very hard at their job with the expectation of a big fat check, so it is with our lives, the first instance we use our own will and pride to commit treason against God’s kingdom we begin to earn our pay-check. When Paul says “The wages of Sin is Death” he’s using the term wages so that we all understand that everyone of us deserves death, so when God sends anyone to Hell it’s not an injustice, they earned it, it was their wage. We would all agree that a judge who sends a criminal to prison is doing the just thing, and it is even more just when God sends a sinner to hell. That’s why I’m thankful for the GOSPEL!

So if by the end of my life I sin very little I will still be undeserving and unworthy of salvation. Nothing I could ever do would be good enough to earn favor with the most Holy God and this is why I am so grateful for the Cross and Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and why I cherish Him above all things even my own life. Every single day I keep my eyes fixed Jesus who is the author and perfecter of my faith. If I see sin in my life and I try on my own effort to change it or fix it, or vow never to do it again as if somehow God sees my effort and is pleased, then this is (me) trusting in myself to be acceptable to God. But if I place my hope in Him who is able to perfect me (“author and perfecter”) then I will produce the true genuine fruit of the Holy Spirit, the kind that comes only from a life that has genuinely been impacted and saved by God’s grace. So because the pay check for my sinful life is death and hell, the GIFT of salvation is the most glorious thing I have ever laid eyes on. This is the only time I can ecstatically say that I’m so glad that I am not getting the wage I deserve, but instead I’ve received a gift I do not. Unreal!

Luke 12:42-48 ESV …. And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Kindergarten: I remember when I was in kindergarten, every once in a while our teacher would leave the classroom and say she would be right back. Looking back I can hardly believe she did that, leaving eighteen 5 year old’s in a room for several minutes while she went to check on something. That’s just asking for trouble. We had it all planned out though, we would all get out of our desks and run around playing while two kids would stand by the window and watch. Eventually we would hear the dreaded words, “Teacher’s coming!”. These were only dreaded words because we all had some serious scrambling and clean up to do before she opened the door or we would be in a heap of trouble. Every once in a while our 5 year old scouts would lose focus and forget about watching and would get busy playing themselves, when suddenly Mrs. Murray would enter through the doors unannounced and to our horror we were were caught and were far from ready for her return.

The faithful and wise manager doesn’t look like a class room full of five-year-old’s, but rather this is someone who has had their heart changed by God Ezekiel 36:27 ”And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes..” Left on our own, we naturally want to see what we can get away with, this only reveals that our heart has not been changed by God’s “Amazing Grace”. When someone hears the Gospel and believes in Jesus but fails to place their full dependence on Him, they pick up a self-righteous form of godliness that passes all types of judgement, abuses earthly power, position and authority, and excuses sin in their own life because it’s not as bad as someone else. They failed to trust in Christ alone for their salvation and instead looked inwardly to their own sense of accomplishment.

Severe Beating: When Jesus says these people who knew yet did not act will receive a severe beating what does he mean? Is He implying that God will beat them in the end? In order to pull out the severity of what Jesus is saying here we need to refer to Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 25:2-3 ESV … then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight.

What does that passage remind you of? Does it remind you of what Jesus went through? It’s exactly what He went through. He was subjected to a severe beating as deemed by the law. Jesus was wrongfully accused of crimes He did not commit and was beaten severely. When Jesus took our beating in the presence of many, He physically took your 39 stripes, in this way He demonstrated in earthly fulfillment what was taking place in the spirit. Jesus took your severe beating which in eternal perspectives was Hell and death. Just like the guilty man in Deuteronomy was beaten in the presence of the Judge, so was Christ beaten and crucified in the presence of the Heavenly Judge. Just like the Judge release the criminal when the requirements of the law had been satisfied with the 40 lashes, so was the Heavenly Judge satisfied with Christ’s severe beating.

I  pray you are getting this, because it’s an insane type of love. God has only ever been pleased by one man and that was Jesus. You don’t please Him, I don’t please Him, and your little old praying grandma doesn’t please Him. Why? Because He’s perfect, and perfect demands perfection. Christ was sinless and blameless, and the only one who qualified to erase your record of wrongs. He’s the only one who could commute your death sentence and grant you eternal life. If you are not literally connected to a Jesus IV, you’re in big trouble on the day of Judgement.

Revelations 14:10 “he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.”

That’s what he’s talking about when He says a “severe beating”. You had been given the opportunity and instead of trusting everything with Christ and hiding yourself in Him, you trusted in your own efforts. When you achieved something great, you became proud and took the credit elevating yourself above others. When you failed, you promised to do better as if you could possibly earn favour and make up for the wrong you had done. That is self righteousness not Christ righteousness, which is not the Gospel.

Conclusion: I want you to walk away from this post with a new trust in Christ, a dependence on Him that will produce true fruit of salvation. Christ not only took your beating but he conquered the power over SIN, HELL and the GRAVE. You not only obtain good standings with God through Christ, but you inherit His nature. The genetics of the family will flow through your new being. 1 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence”.

Understanding exactly what Christ did for me makes me love Him so much more, “I love Him because He first Loved me”. In trusting Him I’m not only being saved from the beating of my death, but I am getting what I don’t deserve and that is eternal life forever with Him.

Preparing The Way
~Shane Martin

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Opening Thoughts: Have you ever had a conversation with someone where you just know it isn’t going to end well? In fact it almost seems impossible that you’ll even come close to a peaceful resolve? I mean, it’s so bad that the only way you can properly release the tension is if one of the parties either changes their mind or someone gives in and goes along with the other way of thinking?

I think this situation is at its worst when it involves family. As Christians we need to be peacemakers right? I mean, is it not our duty to bring resolve to situations and not cause division? Yes it is, but not at the cost of the Gospel. Though we must be sure that our offenses are only for the sake of Christ and His gospel and not simply because we’re argumentative, or opinionated, or crass. Jesus came to bring division not Peace.

(Main Text) Luke 12:49-53 ESV .. “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Matthew 10:34-37 ESV .. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

“No Peace, but Peace… I’m confused.” So does the Bible contradict itself? Doesn’t the Bible say in Luke 2 “Peace, good will toward men”? Well yes, kinda, what it actually translates to is  Luke 2:14 ESV .. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” In other words this is not a type of worldly peace that so many often confuse it as, this is peace with God, as in we were once enemies separated from Him and subject to His coming wrath. So in Luke’s text when Jesus refers to the baptism He must face, which is causing Him excruciating distress, He’s referring to the wrath of God that will be poured out upon Him, the wrath that was actually reserved for us.  Psalm 88:7 ESV .. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves”. The peace God offered us was never meant to be understood as a worldly type of peace, especially between those who embrace the gospel and those who oppose it, but rather a raising of the ‘white flag‘ on our part in total surrender, and the conquering side (being Christ who conquered it all) treating His surrendered enemies as friends. Yes, instead of giving us what we deserved he offers us who were once at odds against His kingdom a peace treaty. One that was signed by the blood of the perfect Lamb, one that was nailed to the cross along with Jesus, a finished agreement with sin and death.

Not Peace of the World: This world will continue to be filled with conflict until the final day when the King returns igniting it with His fire. The conflicts that affect us every day should not be caused by us and our stubborn ways. We should seek to live peaceably with all men as Paul instructs us. But rest assured, as long as there are those who believe and follow the Gospel and those who rebel against its message there will be conflict and serious division even at the expense of families. The peace we must bring people is not that God is happy with them, because He’s not, but that God offers them a treaty through His Son Jesus Christ who happens to be the only man who ever pleased God the Father. It’s only through Him that there is Peace on Earth Good will toward Men.

John 14:27 ESV .. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Grace & Peace, Shane Martin
Preparing The Way

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Looking Inside the Pages
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover”. The lesson that is usually being taught when this old adage is used is that what might appear to be unattractive from the outside could very well be brilliant, beautiful, and worthwhile on the inside. However, the opposite angle could also readily be applied to the varying and vast amounts of teaching that takes place on the subject of “receiving Jesus”, the gospel, and salvation. Sometimes what might appear to be brilliant, beautiful, and worthwhile on the outside is really quite unattractive, misinformed, and even downright deceitful on the inside.

False teaching on the basic fundamentals of the Christian faith has been happening since the very beginnings of the church that Jesus started through the apostles. The book of Colossians contains one example of this type of strike against the church by Satan and how the apostle Paul dealt with it and encouraged the Christians who were directly affected by its deceptive influence. There is a way to brush off “attacks of the enemy” against your faith and to continue on with life while paying him very little heed and it mostly depends on the way you received Jesus.

Understanding in Truth

  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 2:6-7 ESV)

When I moved away from home at seventeen years old I had done very little cooking so, needless to say, I wasn’t very fluent in the kitchen. I’m embarrassed to say that my first few meals on my own consisted of mostly pop tarts, cereal, and yogurt. One night, however, I decided to try a recipe that my mom had printed out for me and was one of my favorites that she had made often at home. I tried to follow the recipe meticulously, so when I came to the instruction to add “a quarter cup of chicken broth” I carefully measured out a quarter of a cup of chicken broth powder and added it to the bowl. (If you know even a smidgen more about cooking than I did then you’re probably already cringing). My delicious dinner of Lemon Chicken Pasta turned out neon yellow and so salty that my sister-in-law and I were both grabbing for the water jug. I didn’t understand that I was supposed to dilute about a quarter of a teaspoon of broth powder with water as opposed to adding a whole quarter of a cup. Lesson learned.

Improper understanding is the same as, or equal to, no understanding. My lack of knowledge on “broth dilution” was a result of not understanding the basic fundamentals of cooking. More serious though is if and when there is improper understanding of the basic fundamentals of the grace of God and what it means to “receive Jesus”. Does receiving Jesus mean merely accepting him or acknowledging him? Is it based on a “sinner’s prayer” or kneeling down at the altar in your church? In Colossians 2:6 Paul is addressing the “saints and brothers/sisters” at Colossae who were being bombarded by deceptive teachings against the gospel that they were taught and saved by. He says to them, “as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him….“

See, we don’t receive Christ Jesus as Lord, we receive Christ Jesus the Lord. Maybe it sounds like a trivial difference in wording but it’s not. There is a mindset here that hinders true faith when we feel like we have made Jesus Lord of our lives. The truth is that Jesus is already “Lord of all” and that all things were created through him and for him (Colossians 1:16). We  must receive Christ Jesus the Lord, accepting the fact that He is already Lord and requires our humility and submission to his authority and rule. We do not elect him Lord, rather He is the one who elects.

Firmly Planted means you’ll Never be Plucked
Once we have understood the grace of God in truth (Colossians 1:6), that is the power, wisdom, and kindness of God showered upon disobedient and rebellious unbelievers for the purpose of his glory in opening their blind eyes to the reality of his holiness and mercy extended through the cross, then we can not be torn away from it. The minute we gain that first glimpse of God’s open hand offering grace and we reach out to “receive Christ Jesus the Lord” a seed is planted in our soul that immediately begins to grow roots.

Paul uses metaphors in Colossians 2:7 that describe the characteristics of a converted soul. “Rooted” like a mighty tree and “built up” like a strong tower in Christ Jesus, as well as “established” like a firm and immovable foundation in the faith. When God saves you he plants you, builds you, and establishes you in his Spirit and in his covenant. Deceptive teachings, though they may abound all around us, should be quickly recognized and completely dismissed from all consideration no matter how attractive or plausible they appear.

The false teachers at Colossae were trying to manipulate and confuse the church, so Paul shepherds them by reminding them of the first gospel they heard, the gospel of truth, of the grace of God revealed in Jesus, who is God in the flesh. This is truth and it cannot be added to, modified, or pieces of it left out or ignored. So if anyone preaches a different gospel than the truth that set you free walk away. Stick to what the Bible says and build your life on it.

Thanksgiving isn’t reserved for one day  year
Popularity, outward beauty, and wealth will all fade so I guess the urgency of knowing and understanding this little passage from Colossians isn’t for me to name names and spell out specific situations of what is wrong with the church right now. There is already enough of that and each one is in God’s hands. Rather, the urgency of this passage and post is that as you’re reading you might be motivated first of all to examine your faith and “how you received Jesus” and to be certain that you are rooted, planted and established in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5), and secondly that you see what Paul recommends to us to keep our perspective straight and that is found in the last three words of Colossians 2:7…”abounding in thanksgiving.”

There should never be any desire to give an ear to teachings that rival the truth of the gospel. Instead, our desires should revolve around worshiping God. Worship that is played out in acts of abundant thanksgiving, thanks to God that spills out in our prayers, our songs, our conversations with one another, in the way we treat our children, the way we speak to our husbands or wives, in boldness to share the gospel with a complete stranger or a neighbor or friend. Abounding in thanksgiving toward God is an act of worship that will keep everything in clear and pure perspective for you when convincing arguments arise that challenge your faith.

As you stand on the firm foundation of faith rooted in Christ and give thanks to God for saving an undeserving rebel like you, and like me, nothing will be able to compare with the treasure you’ve found hidden in Christ.

“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.”
(Psalm 26:7 KJV)

Preparing the Way,
Danae Martin

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Opening Thoughts: The past two years of our lives have literally been challenge after challenge. Shortly after our eyes were miraculously opened to the biblical gospel we were briskly ushered right into 2 years of heavy fiery trials. Trials that would have permanently derailed us if it had not been for God’s grace. So it was both God’s grace that allowed us the trials and equally it was God’s grace that sustained us through them. If we had been left to ourselves Danae and I would have pursued the American dream right to our graves. We thank God every day that He did not leave us to ourselves in the Pursuit of Happiness.

Luke 12:22-31 ESV … And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Anxious About Life: When I grew up we lived on a farm and had very little money. My dad worked hard enough but made many earthly sacrifices for the sake of us kids. Many times mom and dad had no idea where the next meal would come from but God always provided. The provisions weren’t what I would have chosen if I’d had a choice because, seriously, what child loves the taste of liver? But they were God’s provisions for us. We need to be very careful though that we don’t get the fact that God will provide for us confused with how he will provide for us. My mom and dad could never afford to buy us new clothes, however the Lord provided regular bags of hand-me-downs from people who were either tired of their clothes or who had clothes that had gone out of style. The clothing that God provided for us wasn’t cool or trendy and I wouldn’t have picked it off the shelf, but it was God’s provision for us.

Oh, how we are guilty of  asking God for the things we desire, covet and lust for. Like last nights reading, the man who came to Jesus seeking help in obtaining what he felt was his fair share of his brothers inheritance. Was he really seeking Jesus? Or was he seeking what he could obtain from Jesus? Okay, if I took a poll right now I’ll bet that almost every one of you reading this has heard the passage “seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” (which was at the end of our text tonight) as a stand alone verse. In most cases you likely heard it shared with this emphasis: “seek his kingdom, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED UNTO YOU”, when in reality it should be read like this: ”SEEK HIS KINGDOM, and these things will be added to you”. What we emphasize reveals what is really in our hearts. The  heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked, to place one ounce of trust in the human heart is to put your entire being at an eternal risk.

When Jesus tells us that we shouldn’t worry, He’s not telling us that we shouldn’t work. He’s telling us that our Pursuit of happiness should be found in Him. The ravens don’t store up in barns, the lily’s don’t worry about how they will grow, and we cannot add a single minute more to our lives over and above what the sovereign Lord has planned for us.

The World Seeks This: Many people treat God as their MEANS (Connection) to their END (Money), but if He is not your MEANS (provision) and your END (your only hope), then according to the scripture you don’t understand the gospel. Let’s look at the last part of our main text, “And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things Instead, seek HIS kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” So in light of this passage within its context what are the things that He promises to those who are authentically His children, who seek after His kingdom? Is it wealth, health and happiness? Or is it food, drink and clothes? I think He has spelled out the answer for us.

Like Danae and I had in the past, many people in the church today tend to Christianize their love for money and so they incorporate the request for it into their prayers and ask Jesus for money blessings every chance they get; and with a wink they promise God that He’ll get His fair share if it lands in their hands. Kind of funny when you think of it, we ask God for lot’s of money so we can give Him back 10 percent? Seriously if He was that needy (in which He needed our 10 percent) why would we be asking Him for the blessing? The truth is that He owns everything and instead of asking Him for wealth we should depend on Him for our needs because He does own and control everything. Like a loving father, if He sees that we can be trusted, He may entrust us with more of it so that we can become distributors for His glory, but not so we can spend it on ourselves. With so many American churches today teaching, and subtly or blatantly preaching and teaching the prosperity gospel, it’s important that we are firmly planted in the biblical gospel of faith.

Grace & Peace, Shane Martin
Preparing The Way

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Praying for Power - Colossians 1:11 

Power. Wars have been fought for it, lies have been told to gain it, many have desired it. Is it ever okay for a Christian to hope for power? Well, yes. The apostle Paul even prayed that the Colossian church would be strengthened with “all power”. So, is there more to it? Of course. We’re not just talking about any power here, or the power to do anything you please like reaching your dreams, this is ultimate and divine power for a glorious ambition. Before we get into it, here is a portion of Paul’s prayer for the believers at Colossae.

  Colossians 1:11 ESV … May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy…

Now it’s true that these words were intended by Paul for the Colossians, but they were also intended by God for all of us who hope in the gospel and so this prayer can be applied to everyone who trusts in Christ.

So the power we should be praying for is the power to endure in the Christian walk here on earth and the power to remain patient….with joy.

Endurance
The Bible has a lot to say about endurance in the faith. Here are just a few verses that talk about it.

Romans 5:3-4 ESV … Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

Romans 15:4 ESV … For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Hebrews 10:36 ESV … For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

James 1:12 ESV … Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Matthew 10:22 ESV … and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

To endure in the Christian walk is to press on through the distractions, the pain, the pleasures, the mundane of everyday life until we come to the end of it. This is accomplished by God’s power at work within us. As Matthew 10 says above, “the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Endurance is vital and impossible without God’s power. So pray for power today, and every day, for endurance till the end.

Patience… with Joy
These three words have been running through my mind since I read them, and have been a prayer on my lips every day. We need patience as we live this life among other human beings. As long as I am by myself I am perfectly patient, but throw kids and a husband and a few bad drivers on the road in and my patience, unfortunately, can fly out the window pretty quick. I most definitely need the grace and power of God when it comes to being patient. So when I read Paul’s prayer for the Colossians to be strengthened with God’s power for the purpose of patience it wasn’t surprising, in fact, it has been my own prayer for myself quite often. But when I saw the words that followed “with joy” I was convicted and moved.

Have you striven for patience but neglected being joyful about it? I know I have. Imagine though, that we can pray like Paul and beg God for all His power to come upon us so that we can be joyfully patient as we mop up spilled milk, help with homework, go to work or school, etc. and most importantly of all we can patiently and joyfully work for the Kingdom of God as we wait for His Return!

“Stand still” – keep the posture of an upright man, ready for action, expecting further orders, cheerfully and patiently awaiting the directing voice; and it will not be long ere God shall say to you, as distinctly as Moses said it to the people of Israel, “Go forward.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Preparing the Way,
~ Danae Martin

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How Can You Know God’s Will for your Life?
The topic of God’s will for your life is a popular one among Christians. I know that I myself, many times in the past, have wondered about it and even once considered taking a class on it. I used to think, “If only I knew what God’s will was for my life then I would really be focused on him.” I know this is a common train of thought because I’ve often heard people talk about God’s will for who they will marry, what job they should take, where they should live, even whether or not they should tell someone about the gospel. So, how can you know the will of God for your life?

I think the most obvious, but most overlooked place to start is in the Bible. If God has a will for your life and mine, isn’t it important? And if it’s important, wouldn’t he want us to know what it is? And if he wanted us to know what it is don’t you think he’d tell us? He did, and it’s written right where the rest of the important stuff he wanted us to know is found….in his Word; the Bible.

My study right now is in the book of Colossians. I just started reading there and it’s so exciting. The chunk of scripture that I’m looking at tonight deals with the three things that take place in a Christian’s life once they are “filled with the knowledge of God’s will”. So while the majority of my post will be on those three effects I’d like to mention three things talked about elsewhere in scripture that help answer the “God’s will for my life” question.

Three Things that are the Will of God for Your Life
I learned what I’m about to share from a sermon by John MacArthur and there is so much more to it than the brief summary that I’m listing here; however, if you take the time to look up the accompanying scriptures it will be so helpful and inarguable that these three areas truly are God’s will for all who genuinely believe.

1. It is God’s will that you be saved (2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:3-4)

2. It is God’s will that you be filled with the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9, Ephesians 5:17-18, 1 Corinthians 12:13)

3. It is God’s will that you be sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

I’d also like to add that it is God’s will for you to share the living hope of your faith in Christ with all of humanity, to “shout it from the rooftops”, so to speak. For evidence that this is God’s will for you (that you share the gospel) just look at Matthew 28:16-20.

Three things that will happen when we Know God’s Will for our Lives

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. Colossians 1:9-10 ESV

When we are “filled with the knowledge of his will” (which means that we understand what God’s will is for our lives) three effects will take place. First of all we will begin to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord“. Why? Because when our minds and hearts are filled with thoughts of God with concern and passion for His plans, and we no longer strive to accomplish our own plans, then we will live our lives differently than when we belonged to the world. We won’t live to please ourselves, but to please God. We won’t be consumed with seeking out comfort, entertainment, and pleasure for ourselves but rather seeking out ways to fulfill God’s will and serve him each day and not ourselves.

When we are filled with the knowledge of his will we will be constantly thinking about ways to actively serve him and it will affect the way we live, move, speak, and act. So, how are we able to understand God’s will? By the Holy Spirit. (“..that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”)The word “spiritual” in this context means, “given by the Holy Spirit.” So the Holy Spirit is the one who opens our minds to understand God’s Word, and through his Word we learn his will.

Although Christians are completely justified from the moment of initial saving faith, they are not fully sanctified, and they can do things that either please or displease God every day. So it is important to understand what “a manner worthy of the Lord” means. It means living our lives in such a way that we make God look glorious. When our words and actions, and even our private thoughts, glorify God and show that he is to be treasured above all else, then we are walking in a manner worthy of the Lord because he IS worthy to be glorified, treasured, and adored!

Secondly….
This passage from Colossians also says that when we understand God’s will for our lives we will be “bearing fruit in every good work..”. This can be connected to the parable of the sower that Jesus told in Matthew 13:1-23 which revealed the effect of the gospel on a person who receives it with true faith (just like the good soil), they bear fruit “thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundred fold.”

So when we are full of the knowledge of God’s will we can expect to bear fruit in every good work because we will not be doing good works in a self-seeking or self-righteous manner, trying to make ourselves look good, but we will practice good works as an outpouring of our love and obedience towards God which will in turn cause the good works to bear good fruit, as opposed to “filthy rags” fruit that comes from good works done on our own strength. (See Isaiah 64:6)

When God’s will is top priority in my life then my good works will be for the purpose of bringing him praise, which automatically bears fruit for his kingdom. If God’s will for your life was limited to your personal desires and concerns it would be a pretty shallow existence. There is a bigger picture here and I will soon be blogging on this verse, “…all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16b), so I’ll just say this, God’s will for your life and mine is to bring Himself much glory through you and me. Our happiness is secondary and is ultimately found in Him alone and in His promise of eternal life.

Thirdly…
Finally,  when we are “full of the knowledge of his will”, we will “increase in our knowledge of God” because as we dwell on him and his plans, as we draw near to Him, he will draw near to us. As we are cleansed by the Son, as we repent and believe the gospel, and as we say “not my will, but Your will” to God, He will draw near and we will KNOW Him.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 ESV

So God’s will is a thing to be KNOWN, and KNOWING God’s will comes by the Holy Spirit and by faith, and once we KNOW it and are filled with it and dwelling on it each day we will:

1. Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (What a privilege!)

2. Bear fruit in every good work (Amazing!)

3. Increase in our knowledge of God (The Creator of the Universe!)

Why Do You Want to Know God’s Will?
Please, as you finish reading this, think about your motive in wanting to know God’s will and pray that He will make His will your will. In this you will find much joy and peace.

“When your will is God’s will, you will have your will.”
-Charles H. Spurgeon

Preparing the Way,
Danae Martin

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Opening Thoughts: What this post is not: it is not a post for calling out the men who I know preach this well known “Prosperity Gospel”, neither is it an effort to convince you to desire God over earthly things; that would be futile on my part. My hope and prayer for this commentary is that as you read the scriptures along with me that God would open your eyes to the reason you desire to be near Him. What I mean is, for what purpose do you associate yourself with Him? The Bible makes it very clear that trusting in Jesus for the wrong set of reasons is the same as not knowing Him at all. In fact, in Matthew 7 Jesus actually uses as strong of language as “Get away from Me“, in reference to people who presumed upon salvation simply for earthly blessing and supposed gifts. I’m praying that God will grant many of you eyes that are opened to see His glorious worth, so that everything on this fleeting earth will look no more appetizing than a pile of waste in light of who He is and what He has really rescued us from.

Thinking about something else: I wonder if you’ve ever had a conversation with someone where you know very well that they aren’t listening to you the least little bit? In fact, if the truth be known, they are just waiting for a hole in your chat where they are able to dart in with what’s on their mind. Often times they will even bring up an entirely different subject all together. They may phrase it nicely like, “This is a bit of a different topic”, subtly inferring that the one you were on wasn’t really an interest to them, or that what they had to say was far more important. To prevent a “Log-In-Eye” situation I will be the first in line to say that I’ve been guilty of this all too often. This is actually one of the things that God has changed in me since I had a collision with His gospel of grace a few years back.

In our text tonight we see this very thing happen. Jesus uses a noticeably off topic interruption to reveal why so many people are mistakenly drawn to Him for the wrong reasons. Commonly it’s because they are seeking to get from Him a Gospel with benefits. Jesus is your only Hope, not your Robin Hood. He is either your every satisfaction, or He is nothing to you at all. He is your abundant life because He is your Eternal Life, not because He offers a huge earthly pay-check, or health, wealth and earthly happiness.

Luke 9:24-25 … For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Main Text: Luke 12: 13-20 ... Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Genie Jesus: There is so much talk these days about having “your best life now”, like people actually believe this stuff! They literally believe that Jesus want’s you to prosper, be successful and have banks filled with money. Now I’m not saying that won’t happen to some people, but it’s possible that it could be anything but a blessing. Take for instance the parable that Jesus tells in conjunction with this man’s request for wealth and a better life. He starts the parable by saying, “the land of a RICH MAN produced plentiful..”. The very reason that this man was rich was because his land produced much fruit, he should have been the most grateful man on the planet, how blessed he was indeed. He had so much wealth that his current situation was a problem. In order for him to retain all his proceeds he was going to have to act quickly. He could either give the excess away to those who needed it, or he could waste valuable money on rebuilding his entire infrastructure in order to retain it for himself and his own use and future comfort.

Awhile back I was interested in real estate, so I purchased a book called “Real Estate Investing for Canadians”. Great  book, the only issue is the whole focus of the book was to visualize your dream for the money. The author called it “Your personal Belize” and the reason he called it that was because he made his dream happen by purchasing land in Belize for dirt cheap and building his dream vacation home there. All through the book he would make mention of “Your personal Belize” and what will you do for yourself once you obtain this wealth. I’m so glad that God took that desire from me, oh yes, when I say He took it from me I mean that. There was nothing I wanted more than to be stinking RICH. I wanted to make a minimum of a million dollars a year (and in my peak it wasn’t that far off). A couple years ago as my wife and I sat in our $660,000 house in “Pleasureville” while at the same time coveting the homes two blocks down that lined the river (evidently our home wasn’t big enough for the three of us), God unexpectedly got a hold of us by His irresistible grace. He shook us up and ripped the taste for wealth right out of our mouths. In a moment of time we found we were looking through different eyes, eyes that saw art hanging on our wall that could literally feed one starving child through Compassion for 3 years. Let me repeat that in case you missed it, we had one piece of art that hung above our fireplace that cost us $1,000 and to support a child in poverty for 36 months costs about $1080. In essence, a child died so that we could have a nice wall.

The Rich Fool: How are you feeling right about now? I know how I’m feeling, even as I write these words out I’m asking God to strip me of even more of my own desires and to purge me from the American dream. The man, let’s call him “the FOOL” since that’s what Jesus called him, wanted to get His entire life ready and finely furnished for his future. He wanted to live in “financial freedom” so that his worries would be over. All he would need to do was sit back and relax, enjoying what the land had provided Him.

Not Rich Toward God: Just like the man who came to Jesus and sat through a seriously lengthy teaching session only so he could ask Him for help with his inheritance problems, so it was with the RICH FOOL who used his wealth and resources on himself, to make himself even more wealthy. Yeah, I know there will be all kinds of arguments over this post, like, “God wants us to be good stewards”. To that I say, “Isn’t downsizing your home, selling one of your cars and reducing your eating out habits, while at the same time using the excess to aid those who are perishing around us being a good steward?” It’s not how much you make that’s the problem it’s what you do with it that reveals your heart.

Conclusion: God is not against wealth, but if we really understood what God requires from the RICH, most of us would run away from it. And yet none of us in North America can escape this huge responsibility because compared to the poor little boy you saw in the picture above you are incredibly wealthy. The next time someone tries to tell you that God wants you to be prosperous (in the earthly sense) run as fast and as far as you can away from them because they are like deadly poison that would try and feed into covetousness.

 ”But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Preparing The Way
~Shane Martin

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Opening Thoughts: What a joy it is to be in Christ! Considering what we all actually deserve (hell) and yet God through His infinite mercy and grace rescued us, adopted us and placed His Spirit in us. We should be the most joyful people on the planet. We should be the most content people in this material world and the most joyfully motivated in declaring His fame.  Colossians 1:27 ”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.” I love that passage for a couple reasons, it talks about how we are to make known to the Gentiles (the world) the riches “this glorious mystery”. What glorious mystery? That the God of the universe, who is entirely Holy, would choose to reconcile a criminal like me, not just saving me from hell but saving me from sin itself. He does this by literally living inside of me in the form of His Spirit. Are you kidding me!?! I think we need to re-read this again and again until it sinks into our souls and then starts to flow out into our lives like a gospel ocean. When I say flowing out, I mean the proclamation of the Good News.

The Motive Behind the Action: Why do people run cancer marathons and invest crazy amounts of their personal time into raising both money and awareness? Well, it’s usually because either they are a survivor of cancer themselves or they have lost a loved one to it. They are passionate about spreading awareness about cancer and helping people in their fight against it. Whenever they are in conversations they look for the opportunity to talk about it simply because they are passionate about ending  it, and they are passionate about it because it has affected them dearly. I saw a construction worker type guy come into the coffee shop today holding a lap top. On it there was a sticker that said F*** Cancer. It did not actually say the F-word, it was written exactly how I just wrote it. Why does he have that sticker on there? Because he’s looking for an opportunity to talk about how cancer has affected him and how he’s fighting to end it. How about you? Are you looking for ways to share with people about how sin has affected you, how it almost destroyed you and that it is affecting them as well? Are you looking for opportunities to share how God rescued you and how Christ Jesus has redeemed you? Are we spending more time working on social causes than we are on eternal causes? Do you shy away from sharing your faith because you don’t think you’re eloquent enough or because you really don’t know what to say? In our text today we will look at the markings of a true believer and how Jesus graciously but firmly instructed the crowds of people how to share the gospel and how He would enable then to do so.

Luke 12:11-12 ESV … And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Persecution: Most times when you see someone who is suffering, being picked on, or just having a bad day you can tell by their demeanor. I remember before I was a true believer that all the suffering that came my way I viewed as an attack of the enemy and pleaded with God with a “No Fair, Why Me” prayer. I didn’t view persecution or trials like I do now. Today, as much as I still don’t enjoy trials, I look for their purpose and the reason that God has so graciously allowed me to suffer. I try to learn what his intentions are, if I am supposed to share with someone through them, or if  they are for my own sanctification.

When it comes to evangelism most of the evolved modern church views persecution as a sign that you are going at it the wrong way, whereas Jesus said we should expect it. Don’t think it odd that when you do begin to be obedient to Christ’s command and verbally share the Gospel that you will not only face opposition from the world, but also from some in the church. Jesus starts this text out by saying to the crowds “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities…“, He was telling them that they should expect to be persecuted by the religious leaders (synagogues) for proclaiming Christ, as well as being persecuted through the secular courts (rulers and the authorities).  God always has a purpose in us proclaiming the Gospel even in the midst of horrible persecution. God kept Paul alive which ultimately prolonged his suffering simply so he could proclaim the gospel to Nero (Caesar) who in the end had him be-headed. The reasons are not always known, but that is up to God, our duty is to with joy be obedient to the call if not for anything else than the fact that we ourselves owed a debt we could not pay and have been saved by His glorious grace.

Matthew 10:19-20 ESV… When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Don’t be Anxious: I can’t even imagine what millions of Christians around the word face on a daily basis, how the gospel has cost them their family, how right now many of them are in prison with broken ankles, broken legs, whipped backs and are awaiting their unjust trials. In some countries in the Middle East conversion to Christianity will cost you your life. I saw a video awhile back that seriously made me sick to my stomach in seconds. A Muslim man had converted to Christianity and had been captured by the locals. The video was shot by the radicals to send a message to all who would consider the consequences of converting from Islam to Christianity.  They blind-folded this young man, read from the Qur’an and then took about 40 seconds to cut his head off with what looked like a hunting knife. I’m sorry if that was hard for you to hear, but imagine if that was you and you were the one who lived there. What would you do in that situation? Jesus was talking to people here in Matthew 10 that were in that very situation. All the disciples were brutally murdered except John and most of the early church members were as well. Jesus knows all of these things that will take place which is why he tells them to confess His name without concern for their earthly bodies, and also tells them “not to be anxious” or wonder how they will speak or what they will say.

When you think about sharing your faith does the thought of even minimal persecution bring you anxiety? I mean do you wonder what people will think of you or what they will do to you? Jesus says not to worry about what you will say. Why does he say not to worry? Here’s the key, “for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you“. Just ponder on that for a moment, and remember this is Jesus who actually said this, it came straight from the mouth of GOD. Does the words “The Spirit of your Father speaking through you” give you any courage at all? I know it does for me, it’s one of those moments that I sit back and say, “you have got to be kidding! I mean really? Are you being literal Jesus?” Yes, He is dear friends and He will be with you always even till the end of the age (Great Commission).

What if it’s not My Calling? Have you ever heard someone else say (or maybe you have even said it yourself) that evangelism isn’t their calling? Maybe you think you’re more cut out for acts of kindness and that God has gifted certain people with the ability to preach the Gospel? Well, the truth is, it’s not about you, it’s about Him and His glory, not me and mine. It’s not about my calling it’s about His calling. He has appointed me to preach good news. It’s funny that God called all the Christians in the early church to be evangelists but nowadays he only picks the public speaker types, the special ones, the gifted people. Is that true? No, He is a God who never changes. If you profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ then he has called you to follow and proclaim the gospel even in the face of persecution. He doesn’t pick eloquent speakers most of the time so that He will get the glory and we won’t. As you go and are obedient to His command He will speak through you in the proclamation of His glorious Word and will give you the exact words to say in the THAT HOUR!

Luke 21:14-15 ESV … Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

He Will Give You a Mouth: What does this mean? This is the same language that God used when He was speaking to Moses. God called Moses to go and proclaim the message to Pharaoh who just so happened to be considered like a “god”. He was the most powerful in the land second to none. The message Moses was to proclaim was one of deliverance, one of salvation for God’s people. Moses really had no idea if Pharaoh would let the people go, God just told Him to go tell Pharaoh to let them go. The message was simple and plain, God basically said to Moses, “I’m powerful, and I want you to do this for me.” What do you think Moses said? Let’s see….

Exodus 4:10-13 ESV …But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”

Moses responds to GOD by saying, “I don’t have a gift for speaking”. He then went on to remind God that he had never been a good speaker even when he was in Egypt, and that nothing has changed. Then God says, “who made your mouth?”, it’s obvious that God did. He was informing Moses that He knew exactly how bad he was at talking and therefore says, “I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak”. In ancient Egypt, there was a high official called “the mouth of the king” whose job was to mediate between the “god” Pharaoh and the people of Egypt by speaking Pharaoh’s words unaltered to the people. Moses knew these terms and so when God said “I will be with your mouth” he was using a language that Moses was very familiar with, having growth up in the courts of Pharaoh. To be the voice of God is the greatest honor anyone could have. You and I have been called to share the message of the Gospel regardless of our speech or wisdom capabilities. You are called to be an evangelist.

Please Send Someone Else: So how will you answer the call to be an evangelist? God has called you and given you the message of hope for the nations, it’s not your job to save them, it’s your job to proclaim then stand back and watch the Lord work. After God tells Moses “I will be with your mouth” Moses responds to God “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else”. I wonder how you have been responding? What about your neighbors and family members and that person you see all the time at the coffee shop, or even the strangers all around you? Are you okay leaving them in the Egypt of their sin simply because you don’t feel called? Are you going to answer the call or say “Please send someone else”? ………..

Grace & Peace

Preparing The Way
~ Shane Martin

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Blasphemy of The Holy Spirit – Luke 12:10

Opening Thoughts: Have you ever been called into to jury duty? I am glad that I haven’t had that experience. I hear the pay is low and it can be grueling hours. They have to examine the evidence, call witnesses, and depending on how serious the crime is they may do a DNA test. There are so many items that have to be checked off the list before arriving at a final verdict whether it be a guilty or innocent one. In the end, even if someone maintains their own innocence but the jury still finds them guilty, they will be convicted of those crimes and sentenced accordingly. There are times during a court case that the accused will be offered a deal, a bargain, if you will. If they plead guilty and admit to their crimes rather then remaining in their denial, they may be given a lesser sentence, or even escape the death penalty.

Romans 6:23a ESV .. “For the wages of sin is death….”

Our Death Penalty: God’s word is clear in that there is a definite death sentence for crimes against God. Every sinner who has ever committed even one act of disobedience against the throne of heaven has committed ”high treason” against the Kingdom of God. High Treason carries with it an automatic death penalty. God is a holy Judge; He’s a holy God and doesn’t rule with partiality. He is a ruler that is immeasurably just and will not excuse even a trace of sin. Unfortunately many people have an inaccurate view of what the word “just” means. This inaccurate view of God’s nature, will ultimately leave them in the greatest shock of their existence. Read Matthew 7:21-23 if you have not.

Main Text: Luke 12:10 ESV … And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit: So what is this unforgivable sin? If there is one sin you can never possibly be forgiven for, and the rest of your eternity is determined on whether or not you’ve committed it, wouldn’t you want to find out what that sin is? I sure would. Over the years I have overheard people talking about this subject a baffled way. I have had many people ask me what I thought “the sin” was with concern in their voice as if maybe they had committed the unpardonable. Rest assured, if you are still breathing at this very moment then you have not yet carried out this unjustifiable sin. I say this not to put you at ease but to reassure you that there is Hope. In order to comprehend what it is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit and seal off your eternal fate let’s read what Stephen, the martyred elder of the early church, had to say to the religious people of his day.

Acts 7:51 ESV …. “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always Resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

Resisting The Holy Spirit: Stephen was really taking his listeners by the scruff of the neck and shaking them around in hopes that God would, by His sovereign will, pop open their blind eyes and allow them to see the error of their ways. I want to be clear that although it is God who makes us see and draws us to His Son in accordance to His sovereign will, equally we are obligated to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and will be held accountable and sentenced for our rejection of His prompting. God will ultimately save His own people, but no one will be without excuse. When people resist the Holy Spirit it is because they are Blind people who believe that they can see, they will not admit to their own blindness and are in need of sight. Instead they will turn off the conviction of the Holy Spirit and remain in their claim to having sight. See John 9:41 … This is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, to reject His authority in reminding you that you are indeed guilty and to claim to be innocent, or to reject the need of repentance.

Fearfully there are multitudes of people that leave church week after week and have conversations like this, “Wow, that message really convicted me” … Wait a minute! We need to stop right there. If we spend just two seconds thinking about what the word “convicted” actually means we almost instantly would cease from using it. I mean, do we really mean “I just left church a convicted criminal, guilty, without excuse?” Because that’s what “convicted” means. Definition: “A person found or declared guilty of an offense or crime.” Listen, every time you you read the Word, hear a message or the like and feel convicted, it’s because you are convicted and you are awaiting your sentence. I think we actually use terms like “That was really convicting” to make ourselves feel good. Somehow if we feel convicted we’ve done our part and even have a sense of self accomplishment and spiritual maturity, if you will, even proving that we are sensitive to the Gospel. If this is you, having regular conviction with minimal to no change or fruit in your life, then you need to consider the possibility that you may still be blind. This is not a judgement, this is a heart of “I’ve been there and I know the deception of Churchianity“. My prayer is that if through these words you recognize that you have been blaspheming the Holy Spirit that you would waste no time in calling out to the Savoir as a blind beggar in desperate need of sight. Please read the passages below.

John 16:7-11 ESV … Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Romans 2:12-16 ESV …. For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also Bears Witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

Bears Witness: God has written the works of the law on the hearts of all men and this law, together with our God given conscience, bears against us and the Holy Spirit ultimately places the Convicted Sign over our door. We are convicted and ready to die, the evidence has been accumulated in the courts of heaven and our conscience will be called as the first witness when we stand before God. He will bring all people to justice and will not play favorites.

We Have Hope: Thanks be to God that He has not left us in our blind hopelessness but has sent His perfect Lamb as our our substitute. He has ransomed us with His precious blood and has absorbed the wrath that we so deserved. Paul says in Acts 20:21 “testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Yes we are convicted criminals, yes we are blind, yes we deserve His wrath, BUT yes he has offered us a glorious Deal in our criminal case. A deal that doesn’t just give us a lesser sentence, praise God, but one that is beyond description, one so indescribably good that even an attempt to explain it in the English language is an insult to its magnitude. We broke God’s laws, we are the criminals, yet He became the criminal in our place, He took the sign that said “Convicted Criminal, Condemned to Die” off our door post and hung it on His own.

So what are going to do about it? Are you going to walk away feeling convicted? Or are you going to recognize that you are convicted and cry out for sight? Repent toward God and look to Jesus as your only HOPE. When I say “look to Jesus” I mean look until until you are saved, look until you are assured you have the poison removed from your body, and then keep looking until the day you are like John lying on your face in His courtroom and He lifts you up and gives you entrance into His kingdom, wiping away your tears and relieving you from your fears forever. That’s the HOPE that I stand on, and by the grace of God nothing in this life could tear my eyes away from gazing on my glorious Redeemer. Grace & Peace

Acts 2:38 ESV … And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Shane Martin
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Colossians 1:1-8 Commentary - The Gospel That Produces

Epaphras: Fruit of the Gospel
Colossae was a small city and the hometown of Epaphras who became an evangelist-pastor after he heard the proclamation of the gospel from Paul in Ephesus. Most commentators agree that Epaphras had likely traveled there, heard Paul preach, and responded to his message. As a new believer he returned home and planted a church. Paul, himself, never visited the Colossians because of his imprisonment in Rome.

Colossians 1:3-8 ESV .. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

Epaphras became a “fellow prisoner” (Philemon 1:23) with Paul in Rome, but not before “working hard” serving and teaching the gospel (Colossians 4:13) to the church at Hierapolis, as well as the Colossian and Laodicean churches. Of course, as Paul gives credit, God above all others is to be thanked for salvation, but Epaphras was the means God used to reach these cities with the word of Life. He was a “faithful minister” and not only obedient to the Great Commission, but an excellent example of the Nature of the Gospel.

What is the Nature of the Gospel?
In the text from Colossians 1 Paul describes the gospel as “bearing fruit and increasing”, both among the Colossian church as well as “in the whole world.” The nature of the gospel, the very constitution of it, is made recognizable by the change that takes place in a person once they respond to it and the outpouring of it from that person back into the world. When the gospel reaches a cold, dead heart and breathes life into it, it begins to function in the manner it was created for. For example, if a physical heart were to stop and essentially die, then be brought back to life by the hand of doctors, that heart would go from being “dead” and lifeless to “alive” and pumping blood to the rest of the body. When the spiritual heart (upon which our mind, will, and emotions are seated) is made “alive” through the message of the gospel the outcome is that person will begin to “pump”, or spread, the life giving message that saved them throughout their entire reach.

The gospel will inevitably bear fruit in you, if you have been truly saved by it, as it did among the Colossian church and as it does today. Epaphras heard the message and brought it home. The fruit of the gospel in you is initially repentance and faith in Christ alone for salvation, from there it “increases” to produce fruit in your own life, which are the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) as well as fruits of holiness and good works, and the fruit of obedience (which of course includes evangelism, Matthew 28:16-20).

Once the gospel takes hold of you it is always increasing in you; molding, changing, transforming, and conforming us to become more and more like Christ.

Romans 8:29 ESV … For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

An Immediate Effect
While there is a definite process of sanctification that takes place throughout the entire life of every believer, there is also an “immediate effect” that the gospel has on the heart from the first day you “hear” it. (And by “hear” it I mean truly hearing it with spiritual ears of understanding granted by the Father in His timing. Jesus often said, “He who has ears to hear let him hear.” Not everyone who hears “hears“.) Paul said to the Colossians that the gospel was bearing fruit and growing among them since when?

Colossians 1:6 ESV … in the whole world it (the gospel) is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,

“Since the day you heard it”…. Immediately there was a change in the people who believed and responded in repentance and faith. Immediately they “understood the grace of God…. in truth” meaning, God’s grace can obviously be misunderstood and taken out of context but they got it, they saw themselves as wicked sinners in desperate need of Jesus their Savior and their hope of future glory, rather than broken people hoping for a better life here and now.

This kind of awakening comes only by the hand of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and He most often uses the mouths of men and women to deliver the news.

Romans 10:14-17 ESV … How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

So now we are faced with two roads, do you need to call out to God to open your ears to hear? or do you need to call out to God to open your mouth to speak? Whatever the case may be, don’t delay.

Preparing the Way,
~ Danae Martin

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