“God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
“Reconciliation” is an important word in the Christian faith. The Greek word that it translates means to change the relationship between two parties. In this case it means that through Christ our relationship with God has been changed. He is now at work in our lives daily through the Holy Spirit. I want to explain my understanding of this word with the following questions: Why do we need reconciliation with God? Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” After the Garden of Eden, the Bible is filled with illustrations of the sins of humanity. The daily news gives us ample examples about humanities’ sins. We need look no further than ourselves to understand our own need for reconciliation with God. This leads us to the next question: How do we get reconciliation with God? Our text gives us the answer: “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ.” Actually, we are not reconciled to God by something that we did. Reconciliation is not our achievement; rather it is God’s love and grace that made it possible for us. Christ died on the cross and rose again in order for us to be reconciled to God. That is the teaching of the Bible, and there is no other way than through our faith relationship with Jesus. The first words that Christ offered from the cross were, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Jesus has forgiven us, and continues to forgive us through His love and grace. As Revelation 3:23 tells us: “He stands at the door and knocks,” and we need to invite Him in by faith. What is the result of reconciliation with God? Our text tells us: “Not imputing their trespasses (sins) unto them.” When we receive reconciliation with God, we are forgiven for our sins and they are not held against us by God. It is by God’s amazing grace that our sins are forgiven. This seems almost too amazing to be true, but it is. Romans 5:10-11: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the faith of His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11. And not only so, but we also joy in God through the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” Thank God that we can be reconciled to Him. Thank God that you have been reconciled or that you can be reconciled. Bro. Joe
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Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man (or woman) hear my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
Revelation reminds us that Jesus wants to come into our lives. There are many reasons why Jesus wants into your life. I will want to deal with three. Jesus wants into our lives to save us. He wants to save us from our ultimate problem – sin. Jesus is always ready to forgive us for all of our sins and give us His cleansing. Jesus wants to come into our lives to make our lives better, to free us from guilt, and to free us from our self-defeat. This is actually a witness from my own experience with Jesus. It can be your witness as well. Invite Jesus in…. Jesus wants into our lives to use us. Jesus does not just save us to “join the church.” Church will be part of our lives, but we will have to live in the world as it is. Jesus wants to use us as His witnesses. This does not mean that we should just talk to people about Jesus, but we must first show people the spirit of Jesus by how we live. We cannot serve Jesus until we have invited Him into our lives, and until He has saved us. But when Jesus comes in, He gifts us with the Holy Spirit, who will lead and guide us in our choices in life. The Spirit gives us gifts of service. Jesus saved you to use you. Jesus wants into our lives to encourage us. This is not usually part of this discussion about the meaning of Revelation 3:20, but it is important to me. I do not mean to infer that Jesus is our “heavenly cheerleader.” Jesus actually wants us to enjoy life in this fallen world. After all, we are witnesses to this fallen world, and they need to see us enjoying life in Jesus. They do not need to see us as pompous self-righteous Pharisees, but as people whose lives have been made better by the entrance of Jesus into our lives. The fallen world needs to see the love of Jesus exuding from our lives. When we invite Jesus into our lives we are rewarded by His daily presence in our lives, we know that no matter what life may bring, we can live victoriously in Him and for Him. Jesus is knocking! Invite Him in! If you have done this, thank and praise Him and let Him use and encourage you. Bro. Joe This text and title is a refrain that is made repeatedly through Ezekiel’s prophecies. What did it mean then and what does it mean now?
It meant that God’s judgment would surely come upon the nations such as Edom. It also meant that God’s judgment would come upon Israel for her sins. When judgment fell the people would know that God is the Lord, that He is in charge of history. He began history, and He will end it. Throughout the Bible, God’s actions among people revealed His Lordship. The Triune God is the Lord of all creation and of all history, and He wants us to know it. God acted in history to send His Son to live a perfect life and to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. As we look back to what scholars call the “Christ event,” we see the hand of God at work and we can know that He is Lord. When Jesus heals the sick, calms the storms, feeds the hungry, raises the dead, etc. we know that He is the Lord. When Jesus breathes his last breath and says “It is finished” we know that He is the Lord. When Jesus comes out of the tomb three days later and is seen by His disciples and a multitude of other people, we know that He is the Lord. When He ascends to heaven and promises to return to get His people, we know that He is the Lord!!! We can take this text personally; in fact we should take it personally. We can know Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior. The world makes fun of our claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We should not hate the world for this as much as we should try to show them the love of Christ by the way we live. We are saved to win the world to Jesus and to let them know that He is the Lord our lives, and that they can also know Him as Lord. When Jesus saves us, we know that He is the Lord. Not everyone will know Jesus as their personal Savior, but there will come a time when the whole world will know that Jesus is Lord. This is a promise given in Philippians 2:9-11: “Wherefore God has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name that is above every name: 10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth: 11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” You can know personally know that Jesus is Lord by confessing your sins and inviting Jesus into your life. If you haven’t done it, this would be a good time to do it. Bro. Joe “Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone does marvelous deeds.” NIV
Psalm 72:18 reveals that the Lord does marvelous deeds. To say that God alone does “marvelous deeds” does not mean that He is the only one to do marvelous deeds, but that He alone can do the marvelous deeds that He does. Let me share some of these deeds with you. The salvation that we have through faith in Jesus Christ is a marvelous deed of God. From the time of the fall in Genesis 3, God had a plan to save people through faith in Christ. That is why Jesus is referred to as “the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8) Our salvation was not dreamed up by a committee of religious leaders; it was born in the heart of God Himself. I cannot explain why that loved us enough to give His Son as a sacrifice for our sins, but I know that He did. That salvation that we have through faith in Christ is, indeed, marvelous. The Holy Spirit that indwells and leads us is a marvelous deed of God. Jesus told His disciples that He would send the “comforter” (Holy Spirit) to lead them into His truth after He ascended to the Father. (John 16:5-16) The Holy Spirit guides us in our Christian service. He enables us when we are weak and do not think victory is possible. It is the Holy Spirit who comforts us when we grieve. It is the Holy Spirit who leads us to the people and places to which we can go. I think you get the point by now that the Holy Spirit’s entrance into our lives is one of God’s marvelous deeds. The answers to our prayers are marvelous deeds of God. Prayer is one of the greatest blessings that I have in my life. It is such a comfort to know that I can go to God in prayer through the name of Jesus at anytime that I want. The same is true of you. If you are a believer in Christ, you have this wonderful opportunity. Do you really take advantage of this opportunity? Do not cheat yourself out of taking advantage this wonderful deed of God. Of course, this list of God’s marvelous deeds is incomplete, but these three deeds are uppermost in my minds at the present moment. Praise God for His marvelous deeds. Bro. Joe “What do you want me to do for you?”
This was the question that Jesus asked the blind man, Bartimaeus, when he called out to Him. Bartimaeus knew exactly what he wanted Jesus to do for him. He wanted to see- which he received.. How would you respond to Jesus if He asked you that question? Do you want Him to love you? This might seem a trite question, but there are many people who doubt that Jesus loves them, or at least they have not accepted the love that He offers. Well, here it is again, Jesus already loves you. This is what John 3:16 is all about. Read it again and inculcate it into your life: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” What do you think you need to do to make Him love you? Nothing! He loves you. I remind myself that He is not always pleased with me, but He never stops loving me. You can, no doubt, say the same. Do you want Him to save you? I just showed you above in John 3:16 that He came to earth to make salvation possible for you: “whosoever believes in Him…” This doesn’t mean to just believe about Him, but to believe in Him – or to have faith in Him. John 1:11-13 explains this to us: “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not, 12, But as many has received Him, to them gave He the power to be become (children) of God, even to them that believe on His name. 13. Which were born not of blood (family connections), nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Read 1 John 1:7-10 to see how you activate this promise. Do you want Him to bless you? He certainly will. He has probably already blessed you, but you have just not seen the blessing. I have reached the point in my life when I wake up in the morning and can walk, talk, read, etc. I know that I’m blessed. I have two daughters a son-in-law and four grandchildren who remind me of how blessed I am. I have two brothers, and all of us are, let us say, getting up in age, but we are all still fairly engaged in life that remind me that God is blessing me. That I can still type these devotional thoughts daily, reminds me I am being blessed. Give some thought to reasons why you should feel blessed. Do you want Him to use you in His service? All you have to do is make yourself available. If He would use Paul with his history, and if he will use me with my history, He will certainly use you with your history. He wants to use you and make you a blessing!!! He will do it, or might have already done it, and you missed it. Selah Bro. Joe “What think you of Christ?”
This was a question that Jesus asked the Pharisees concerning Himself. It is a question that is still asked today. Ask yourself: What do you think of Christ? Do you think of Christ as just a “good man”? I once heard Him referred as a “good man” by a Muslim man. Jesus wouldn’t refer to Himself as “good,” but by every order of goodness that I know of , Jesus lived a good life. He loved, served and healed people. He fed hungry people. I could go on with this, but Jesus did not wish to be referred to as just a “good man.” Do you think of Christ as just a prophet? He was referred to as “a prophet” by some in the New Testament. He was certainly prophetic in His ministry in the New Testament. He knew things about people, like the woman at the well in John 4, that only a prophet would know. But He was not just a prophet. He knew that the penitent thief on the cross would be with Him in paradise. He was more than just a prophet. Do you think of Christ as God? John referred to Jesus as God in John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God.” You can translate this any way that you want, but it still comes out that “He was God.” He certainly had the attributes of God. For example, He turned water into wine – which is humanly impossible. He walked on water – which is humanly impossible. By every definition of God that there is, Christ certainly showed Himself to be God. But read on: It is not enough to just think of Christ as God, for you can believe that, but not take Him personally as your Savior and Lord. In Matthew 18:11 Jesus said: “I am come to seek that which was lost.” Jesus wants you to not just call Him Savior and Lord; rather, He wants you to receive Him as your personal Savior and Lord. He wants you to take Him personally, not as a distant God, but as one who loves you and died on the cross to save you, and who wants to be intimately involved in your life. When you receive Him by faith, He will receive you. Jesus invites you to confess your sins and invite Him into your life, believing that He will save you from sin, and enable you to live with Him eternally in heaven!!!! Do it! And if you have done it share it!!! Bro. Joe "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
This verse teaches us an important lesson about God’s grace, i.e., that without it we cannot be saved. Ephesians 2:8-10 is the standard definition of what it means to be saved: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” The main catalyst for salvation is not based on who we are or what we do; rather, it is based on God’s grace. Grace has been defined as “unmerited favor.” This means that we can never merit, or earn, salvation: “not of works, lest any man should boast.” We cannot earn salvation, but through our faith in Christ, by God’s grace, we can be saved. Paul gave God’s grace credit, not only for his salvation, but also for everything that was accomplished through his ministry. For example, here is what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:9-10: “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10. But by grace I am what I am: and His grace which was given to me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Paul could not have been saved and could not have served were it not for the grace, the unmerited favor, of God. It makes sense then that we are saved, not by our own righteousness, nor by our own works, but because of the grace of God. Paul admitted that because of his past actions in persecuting the church he should not have been able to be saved, nor should he have been able to serve the Lord. It was the grace of God that made all of it possible. I can say the same thing about my own salvation and my own ministry. There was nothing that I did that enabled me to be a servant of the Lord. By grace He has let me serve Him. It is the same for all of God’s servants, from Peter, to Paul, to Martin Luther, to Billy Graham, to you. The essential element in all of our dealings with God, whether it be our salvation or our service, is God’s grace – His unmerited favor. God’s grace has made it all possible. Praise God! Bro. Joe “The thief comes not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
There is a lot to share in this verse but I simply want to share with you my thoughts on it. What is this abundant life that Jesus came to give us? First, it is a life of faith and trust. We enter into this abundant by putting our faith and trust in Christ and by inviting Him into our hearts and lives. When we come to Jesus by faith, he actually saves us and sends His Holy Spirit to live within us. The life is abundant because we enter into relationship with Him and have access to Him at all times. He is a friend in whom we can trust at all times, but this friendship will be especially precious to us when we come to the hard places in life. I know that this friendship has meant a lot to me. We can also trust Him to remind us and to discipline us when we stray. That has meant a lot to me too. He disciplines us but we can also trust Him to forgive us. Second, it is a life filled with opportunities to serve Him. When Jesus saves us, His Spirit gifts us for service. We normally think of the call of God as being a call to church ministry. He certainly wants to use us in His church, and He gifts us for that. But He also gifts us to serve Him in our homes, at work, at play, etc. etc. and etc. We will not really experience the fullness of the abundant life until we see ourselves as His servants. He wants us to use what gifts and talents that we have to glorify Him. If you can sing, sing for Him whenever you can. If you can teach, use that gift to teach. If you can encourage other people by visiting with them and sharing with them, make it your purpose to do that. I cannot enumerate the ways that Jesus wants to use you in His service, but if you will just ask Him what He wants you to do, He will lead you to do whatever it is that He wants you to do. Finally, abundant life is eternal life. We have fellowship with Jesus here and we will have fellowship with Him hereafter. It is through faith and trust in Jesus that we go to heaven. We have the great promise in John 14:3: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; what where I am there you may be also.” This abundant life is available for you. If you have it praise Him. If you don’t have it, claim it now. Bro. Joe (I reached back in the archives for this one. I hope that it will bless and encourage you.)
“Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and love which you have for all the saints, 5. for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel…” The idea for this post came up when I heard a gospel song by the same title. It is true that “everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” If we really believe that there is “hope laid up for us in heaven,” why would we not want to die to get there? After all, Jesus said of heaven, “That where I am there you may be also.” It is in heaven that we will spend eternity with Jesus. Paul wrote: “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” Why wouldn’t we want to be absent from the body? I think that I can explain the reasoning behind this dilemma – if that’s what it is. In the first place, life on earth is a gift from God. When God created Adam and Eve, “He breathed the breath of life into (their) nostrils.” In other words, this life that we have here and now was given to us by the breath of God Himself. This is why we reverence life. I think that the people who enjoy this life more than anyone else are those of us who recognize that we have life in the first place because of the will of God. Every breath that we take is a gift from God. All of the great Old and New Testament saints had a reverence for life on this earth and they lived life to the fullest. It is my opinion that I enjoy life because I know that it is God’s gift to me. In the second place, we are not given life on earth just to take up space. We are born into this life for a purpose, or for the purposes of God. At this point you might be thinking: “But not everybody realizes or cares about God’s purpose for their lives.” That’s not God’s problem. Not every person in the Bible lived for God’s purpose, but that doesn’t mean that God didn’t have a purpose for their lives. Jeremiah had a unique testimony about God’s purpose for his life: “Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: "Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet unto the nations.” Another example of this would be the Apostle Paul. With all that he did before becoming a Christian, do you think that God did not have an ultimate plan for Paul's life? Even while he was persecuting Christ’s people, the call of God was upon his life and it came to fruition on the Damascus Road. Could Paul have gone his own way? I’m sure that he could have, but he didn’t – thank God. Moses was eighty years old before he realized God’s purpose for his life. Seeing what his ultimate purpose was –to lead the Israelites out of Egypt – it probably took God eighty years to prepare him for that task. Moses didn’t just take up space on earth to tend his father in law’s sheep. There was a purpose for him in the heart of God. That leads me to challenge you to consider what God’s great purpose for your life might be. It could be that He wants you to be the best doctor, insurance agent, lawyer, factory worker, farmer, or the best husband, wife, father, mother, etc. that you can be and lead people to the Lord. Life will have more meaning when you know that you are realizing God’s purpose(s) for your life. In the third place, life here is but a prelude to what we have in store for us in heaven. That is for those who have put their faith in Jesus. There is another eternity to deal with, but our purpose is to deal with what God has in store for believers. The Bible promises life after this life, but it does little to describe it for us. We couldn’t understand it if the Bible did try to fully describe it for us. It is enough for me that Jesus has prepared a place for each of us and that He will be there. The fact is that we have to have life here and now to have life by and by. That’s why I say that this is a prelude. It is my prayer that you have given your present life to Jesus in order to have the eternity with Him that only He can give, and that you are realizing God's purpose(s) for your life here and now. Bro. Joe "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask you will, and it shall be done unto you."
We will “abide” in something or someone. In John 15 Jesus teaches the importance of abiding in Him. This means that, by grace and faith, He is living in us through the Holy Spirit. Where, or in whom, do you abide? (Definition of abide: "endure, remain, continue." American Century Dictionary) Jesus said, “If you abide in me…” Abiding in Jesus means to depend upon Him for the security, satisfaction and joys, et al, of our lives. When we depend upon the things of this world for these things, we will be insecure and unsatisfied. The world’s song will ever be “I don’t get no satisfaction.” We must find our rest in eternity, which means to rest in Jesus. Jesus told us: “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) This invitation is to those who will receive it. Jesus said, “And my words abide in you…” Where we find the words of Jesus is in the Bible, particularly in the four gospels. Every Christian should constantly read the four gospels and get down in our hearts and minds the words and work of Jesus when He was in the flesh. For example, we should be familiar with what He taught in what we call “The Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-7. In these chapters, Jesus taught what our relationship to God and what our human relationships should entail. What I have covered is but a minuscule look at what it means to abide in Jesus’ words, but it is a start. Suffice it to say that your relationship with Jesus will be directly deepened by your relationship with scripture. Jesus gave a promise that goes with abiding in Him and in His word: “You shall ask what you will, and it shall be given you.” It is in relationship with Jesus that our prayers are answered. Jesus answers our prayers. He also answers our prayers in accordance with His will and in accordance what our real needs are. He always answers our prayers. We might not recognize His answer sometimes because we think that He would give us our whims instead of our real needs. I have found that His answers to my prayers have come in answer to my real needs, not my perceived needs. (I could possibly write a book on this subject alone.) Trust Jesus to answer your prayers if you will abide in Him. In what, or in whom, do you abide? Jesus wants you to answer this question by inviting Him to abide in your life. Bro. Joe |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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