Pastor Mike’s Weblog

Exalting the Son     Colossians 1:15-23

 

The most piercing question ever posed to mankind is when Jesus asked His disciples in Matthew 16:15, “Who do you say that I am?” For centuries men and women, boys and girls have been attempting to give an answer. Many varied answers have been given and new ones are proffered almost daily. However, the answer that matters most is the one YOU give! Who is Jesus?

 

In our text for this week the Apostle Paul gave to the Colossians (and to us) a lofty explanation of Jesus’ identity. Right out of the chute, he claims that Jesus is God. Jesus is the invisible God, Who is a spirit, in visible form. God in skin. Paul uses the word firstborn in the first-century meaning of one who has superiority and authority. Jesus has authority and superiority over creation. Why? Because He created all things, sustains all things, and they are for His pleasure. He is God!

 

He is the head of the church. The head is the part of the body that is most important. The head is in charge. Everything functions from and because of the head. We are sustained and completed because of the head. He has first place (Col. 1:18) because He created us and because He has reconciled us to God by the sacrifice of Himself. He has brought harmony between us and God.

 

This is the essence of the gospel message. God has been reconciled to mankind through the actions of Himself; He, in the form of Jesus, paid the debt of our sin to Himself by His own blood (the wages of sin is death). God removed the barrier of sin from between us. Jesus opened the way to God!

 

This is not a technical explanation of Paul’s comments. It is simply the gospel. Don’t study it for knowledge this week; study it for meaning. Have you placed your faith in the gospel for forgiveness of sins and eternal life? If not, do so. If so, meditate on these truths as you view the video below and worship Him!

Getting the Know the Father     Exodus 33,34; Micah 6; John 4

 

Many balk at the idea of knowing God. We insist that to know someone we must see them, hear them, and touch them. But do we really? Many who communicate through the internet and social media have formed relationships with people they have never physically seen, heard, or touched. We know them only by what they have revealed to us. We trust that they have been truthful with us about themselves (and not sent us someone else’s picture!), but all we have to go on is what we read from them.

 

This is how we know God. We can depend on His trustworthiness about Himself, for God cannot lie. He has chosen to reveal Himself to us in His Word. In our test for this week God reveled some of His attributes to Moses as he sought to know God better. The prophet Micah reported that God expected His people to live moral lives and not merely perform religious rituals. God expected justice, love, and humility to characterize their lives because these things characterize Him. In the New Testament, Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well about God’s spiritual nature and that He expected His people to worship Him in a spiritual way. In each of these passages listed above, God revealed something of Himself to us. Although the fullest revelation of God is in His Son Jesus Christ, this lesson focuses on God as a Father.

 

Examine each passage and choose characteristics of God that reveal Him as Father. I have listed a few to help you begin.

 

Exodus 33:18-23 - authority, protection, sovereignty

 

Exodus 34:5-8 - compassion, self-control, discipline

 

Micah 6:6-8 - justice, faithfulness, humility

 

John 4:21-24 - patience, understanding, knowledge

 

View the video of Pastor S.M. Lockridge (1913-2000) as he attempts to describe God. Does he give you some new words to describe how God has revealed Himself?

 

 

As God reveals Himself to us and transforms us into His likeness, we take on His characteristics. Page 48 in the BSFL Life Truths learner guide features a “Micah 6:8 Inventory”. I reprint it here for you to examine. Take the time to answer the following questions:

• Have you acted justly toward your kids this week?
• How would your kids answer that question?
• If you are married, have you demonstrated to your spouse this week that you love faithfulness? How?
• Do your coworkers see you as someone who walks humbly?
• What about people who work for you?

Choose an area where you struggle to reflect God’s character. Ask God to transform you in this area. Submit to Him and allow Him to work! God will not only reveal Himself to you, He will reveal Himself to others through you!

 

Confidently Victorious     1 John 5:12-21

Confidence is a good thing; but it can be misplaced. We can be overly confident in something we perceive is concrete and reliable, only to be disappointed when cracks begin to form. In the photo above, both Thomas Dewey and Harry Truman were confident of victory. But only one could win the 1948 presidential election. Misplaced confidence spurred the Chicago Daily Tribune to print the next morning’s edition proclaiming victory for Dewey, even before all the votes were in. The next day it was clear that Truman had won the popular vote, the most states, and the Electoral College by a comfortable margin.

Confidence is only as solid as its object. My great confidence is useless if it is in something or someone unreliable. So what is reliable these days? The daily newspaper reveals new mergers, bankruptcies, closures, reorganizations, and outright failures. Some of the strongest corporations in American history are tottering on the brink of failure and extinction. Many are questioning the merits of a communist form of government in the greatest democracy on earth.

Many even recoil from confidence in biblical truth. What we once steadfastly affirmed we now waffle about and give ground. Can we be confident of our faith and its object? Most importantly, can we know that we possess eternal life as a secure possession? YES WE CAN!

Our text for this week stands as a strong tower of assurance in a sea of wavering opinions. “The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life.” No more confident declaration can or need be made. Jesus is the source of eternal life. The only source. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (HCSB) “…everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (HCSB)

The Apostle John writes these words to give us confidence. Our confidence is solid because its object is secure and everlasting – it is the Word of God Himself, Jesus Christ!

Such assurance naturally leads to confident praying. Knowing our eternal destination is secure and our daily life is wrapped up in Jesus spurs us to pray with power and faith. The one who is submitted to God will seek His will over their own in prayer. We will recognize His sovereignty and His purposes are our greatest goal and pray to that end. Prayer is more about submitting our will to God than bending His will to ours. We can be confident that the God of the universe will fulfill His plans for His world; we can pray His will with settled confidence that it will be carried out exactly.

When we are submitted to God’s will and purposes we will be very aware of sin and its devastating effects. Sin thwarts God’s plans and robs people of His best for their lives. Sin always replaces God’s best with a flashy counterfeit that hides ruin and pain. God’s will is that we avoid sin ourselves, and that we also work on behalf of others we see wrapped up in sin.

Some have attempted to categorize the sins mentioned in 1 John 5:16-17 as differing degrees of sin that bring differing punishments. Some lead to death and some do not. I cannot agree on this basis: what are the sins that bring death? What are the lesser ones? Surely if certain acts of sin brought about death it would be important to list them so we may avoid them at all costs. John indicates that the one sinning is a brother (5:16), so this “sin that brings death” cannot be eternal separation from God for eternity. He just affirmed that if we have the Son we have life!

It seems clearer to see these verses as a simple warning: SIN IS DANGEROUS – AVOID AT ALL COSTS!! Those who are born of God, born again, SAVED, are continually being transformed and bent away from habitual sinful tendencies and practices. The one born of God does not regularly, habitually, volitionally choose to live in continual sin. His nature has been changed. We may stumble at temptation and sin, but we will not deliberately defy God and go looking for sin. Those who turn away and do so have never had the new nature within through faith in Jesus Christ.

Most who lack confidence in their personal salvation do so because of sin. Mostly sins of omission. We neglect the reading and study of God’s Word; we neglect to practice spiritual disciplines that promote spiritual growth and vitality. We are weak and flabby in the faith, and we are easily swayed. Confidence comes from knowing the object of our confidence and its validity.

Today is a significant day in our lives. The date will be given a special place in our collective memories along with our marriage anniversary, the birth dates of all our 5 children, and the loss dates of miscarried children now in heaven. Today marks the end of my personal cancer journey. Four years after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and three years after ending chemotherapy and radiation treatments, I have graduated from oncology care.

The past 4 years our lives have been marked with trips to the Medical Specialty Clinic in Jackson for regular checkups and blood tests. The appointments have grown farther apart over time as symptoms did not return and tests were positive. We were blessed to enjoy unsurpassed medical care from our Oncologist, Dr. Clyde Smith, and all the nurses and lad specialists there, as well as the incredible staff at the Jackson-Madison County General Hospital Cancer Center. Our gratitude to them knows no bounds. They are truly special care-givers.

According to the oncologist’s report today, I have less than a 1% chance of the lymphoma recurring. I am released from his specialized care and will need no more cancer checkups. After today, a normal yearly physical is all that is required to maintain a watch on my health, and can be obtained through our primary care physician.

As we reflect on this odyssey, we can trace the mighty hand of God in every detail. His grace was always present with us, even through the dark days of despair while suffering chemotherapy. His presence was always felt, even when I suffered and considered giving up. His love and compassion were manifested through countless friends. Their ministry to me often made the difference when I debated giving up or hanging on. Many churches and people I have never met lifted our ordeal faithfully in prayer for months. In an incredible turn of events I would have never expected, God has recently led us to serve one of the most faithful of those praying churches. God’s provision repeatedly astounded and humbled us as it came from the most unexpected of sources. Although costs for my care approached $250K, we currently owe just over $3000 on an interest-free account. Many who have known me before “the cancer days” agree that I am a different person. I would agree. I see life differently now. I value my family and my time with them much more. I see greater value in others and am more sympathetic to their suffering. God has grown me in ways I believe were impossible apart from an extended period of suffering and trusting.

I have made the following statement many times in conversation and while preaching, but allow me to go on record here by penning the words: I AM THANKFUL FOR THE EXPERIENCE AND WHAT GOD HAS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH IT. To Him be the glory!!

OK, this has nothing to do with anything biblical or spiritual, but it is just plain entertaining!!

GROUNDED IN TRUTH     1 John 2:18-27; 4:1-6

 

We live in a world filled with people who claim to speak for God. Can they all speak the truth? What is the truth?

 

In 2007 LifeWay Research surveyed a representative sample of American adults who attend a Protestant church once a month or more. The survey revealed these facts:

• 61% strongly agreed that the Bible is the authoritative source of truth and wisdom for daily living.
• 54% strongly agreed that the Bible is the written Word of God and is totally accurate in all that it teaches.
• 21% study the Bible a few times a week or more.
• 16% read the Bible every day.

These numbers indicate that many people regularly attending church do not necessarily believe in the truthfulness of the Bible and do not know what it teaches. When people have no Biblical knowledge, they are in danger of being deceived by false teachers.

 

False teachers were not just a problem in the Apostle John’s day. They are all around us today. John reveals to us the antidote to false teaching. We must be students of the Word of God if we are to detect error and refute it. Federal agents charged with detecting and eliminating counterfeit money are required to study real bills so they will know the intimate details of the genuine article. When they know the genuine article, the counterfeit is easily spotted. So it is with the truth of God’s Word.

 

Most Bible readers know about the predicted coming of the Antichrist. Not only is the Antichrist coming, but many who embrace his values and agenda are already here. Many will follow them and leave the true church of Jesus. This proves that their faith was not genuine, and they were not truly converted. If they had been truly saved, they would not have left.

 

Many have difficulties with the phrase in 1 John 2:20 regarding an “anointing from the Holy One”. It literally reads “You have a special endowment from the sacred” (a charis’ma from the ha’gios). We are familiar with the word char’isma as denoting something spiritual, most often related to the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12). Most then will regard 1 John 2:20 as saying we have an endowment of something from the Holy Spirit that enables us to discern truth from error.

 

However, we are not told how the Spirit enables us to understand all things. Is it by some inner guidance, an internal, subjective experience? This is out of harmony with the context here, as John is appealing all along to hard facts that were taught from the beginning. How would we determine whose “inner experience” was valid?

 

This “special endowment from the sacred” refers to the body of teaching that had been passed down to the church leaders to whom John was writing. In essence, it refers to the Bible. Jesus Himself said,

 

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” John 16:13 (NKJV)

 

And further, we know that the Holy Spirit guided and controlled the formation of Holy Scripture:

 

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness…” 2 Timothy 3:16 (HCSB)

 

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:19-21 (NKJV)

 

The antidote to false teaching is the Word of God, administered and confirmed by the work of the Holy Spirit. This Word is to “remain in you” (1 John 2:24). The term “anointing” is used again in verse 27, referring to the body of truth that has been passed down. It is to remain in us, in the sense of being firmly planted and not easily uprooted. We are to stand firm on the truth of God’s Word and not surrender it to subjective whims and feelings.

 

Measure all you read and hear by the objective standard of God’s Word. Some error is clearly seen. Some is more veiled and shadowy. Always test any teaching by how it lines up with the revealed Word of God.

Here it is, clue #2. SRR? Hmmmm……