In Christ, In God

Jesus, as the begotten son of God died on the cross, thus taking the penalty of sin upon himself that mankind may find life in Christ and forgiveness of his sins through Christ's death, and life in him through His resurrection.

So, I was thinking this through. Christ is in God the Father. He says “I and the Father are one”.

We come into life through Christ. Our lives are hide in Him or we are His body.

Colossians 3:3-4 ESV 

     For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with  him in Glory.

Ephesians 1:22
     And He (God) put all things under His (Christ) feet and gave Him (Christ) as head over all things to the church which is His body, the fullness of him who fill all in all.  The words in parenthesis are mine.

So, we who are sons of God are so, because we are the body of Christ. And Christ is one with the Father. Therefore – as such, we who are born into Christ are in the Father.

I just had a picture of the known fact that my personal body is made up of individual cells. They form all the parts that make up my body. Moreover all things we know on earth are made up of cells.

Cell that make up the whole

So Christ's body is made up of the cells (believers) of all who are born of Him. And therefore we are IN GOD through Christ. This is so much bigger than heaven and earth, death and life.

God created the world and man for a purpose and for His pleasure. We think of the afterlife in glory with the LORD as the end. I suspect it will only be the beginning of something we cannot  imagine or conceive.  I can hardly wait.

Christ without sin

Yes, Christ was/is the beloved begotten (born) son of God, in the human race through the body of woman carrying the divine seed of God.  I often have thought it must have been easier to do the will of His Father than it is for us because HE was himself divine.  

However, the scripture clearly states Christ was tempted/tested in EVERY way, as we are.  That means tempted to use his divine power to act independently of the Father.  That is the real sin of mankind. 

That means Christ was tempted by all the sins that tempt us.  Those sins we excuse as "I'm just human" or unimportant in the scheme of life,  to what we consider "hard core evil"  such as murder and the other BIG sins in our minds.  Jesus faced everyone of those temptations but in submission to the Father's will did not sin.   

We still tend to believe it was easy for him because he was divine.  In fact I believe that extra power could make the temptation harder to resist. We need to realize in fact Christ's whole life on earth was as a man learning obedience by the things he suffered.   And in Christ we too can learn obedience.   

Our big problem is we think some of our sins are justifiable because we were provoked or not really sin - just an exercise of our freedom.   Christ too faced those issues yet yielded to the will of the Father.  And in Christ so can I.

Yes, I still sin but Christ died for that sin and the closer I walk with him the more He will make me aware of what is sin and his power to overcome.   LORD, I cry out to walk in you and obedience to you.  
                          I LOVE YOU LORD.          

Stand in AWE of the LORD Jesus Christ

Nuggets from a series of messages from my favorite minister.

What we find awe in, defines our lives.

We find awe in those things that  occupies our attention and interest the most.  That which gives us meaning.  Say music or sports or work.

We are wired to be in awe and when we lose our awe of God we will be diminished in our lives.

Awe of God needs to be recovered in the lives of believers today

God is Righteous
God demands righteousness
Man has no righteousness
Righteousness from God has been revealed in Jesus Christ and it is given to us in faith.

Righteousness - declaration of righteousness
Righteousness imparted - part of our growth

God places us on a workbench - it is in him, through him and by him that we are made holy.

Faith has no merit of it's own.  It is the 'delivery vehicle' of God's gift of his righteousness to us.  It is our 'access' by faith into grace in which we stand'.

The faith is not generated in us by our own efforts and striving but is the vehicle
by which God carries his righteousness to us.  All is given to us by God.

This faith brings benefits.

1.  Rejoice in the hope of God's glory
2.  Rejoice in our tribulations / sufferings as found in Romans 5:3.

When I am in awe of God in my sufferings it will change the suffering  and overwhelm my fear of the negative circumstance.   It brings endurance, character, hope  (Romans 5:3-5)

Born of the will of God

John 1:12-13 (KJV)

But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

We are born of the will of the LORD God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. However, part of that will is that we have freedom of choice.

Our will, on it's own is without power or substance but our human concept is that our will is supremely important to our being.

God doesn't force our pathway but He shows us himself in many ways. He offers us salvation, and the place of a child in his family. This is an ongoing message to all mankind.

Even when we accept His gift of in salvation our heavenly Father does not force his will. He makes it available. And, as we face life's choices, he opens our hearts, spirit and minds to see it.

In the times when we chose a pathway of our own desires and ends, away from His best for us, He doesn't abandon us. But on that pathway we are cut off from the warm interaction of fellowship. We feel alone.

Our hope on that pathway is to repent and turn away from our pathway, and follow our LORD as all his roads are for our good and His glory in and through us.

Don't get me wrong, this is NOT an easy pathway but on it are peace and joy in the presence of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  

Study to shew yourself approved unto God ....... II Timothy 2:15

Even as the people of Israel in Jesus time had the idea of the Messiah's coming and his purpose in coming wrong and so they misread his actions and deeds are there ways I and maybe even the body of Christ today may be misreading the signs and scripture today -  according to a wrong view.  Maybe a wrong interpretation of the Scripture or understanding it in light of the today's world view of Christ.

I don't know.  It is clear today from the body of Scripture give to us the fuller truth of Christ's coming, death and resurrection but I am of the mind I need to be sure I am not interpreting it         according to my own taste and viewpoint.

The disciples walked with the LORD  and  missed it completely, even misunderstood clear words spoken to them - until his resurrection and some further instruction and teaching.   And yes, we have been blessed by their words and teaching under the power and inspiration of God.

But, I keep remembering that even with all that some of even the disciples went astray in some areas and that in a further 100 years major problems and corrupted doctrines arose.  I don't have any specific issue in mind within the evangelical community but I do know we have rifts and church clashes today over doctrinal understanding.

So I cry out to you LORD Jesus Christ open the eyes and hearts of we your children to learn of you your will and purpose and desire in our own lives and in your body and make your body a lighthouse in the world today.  We need you!!

Thank you that you have promised to never leave us or forsake us - to keep us and lead our lives.  Oh LORD that we may be faithful.