THE RECONCILIATION OF ALL THINGS

The Reconciliation of all things.

He is the image of jthe invisible God, kthe firstborn of all creation.16 For by6 him all things were created, lin heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether mthrones or ndominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created othrough him and for him. 17 And phe is before all things, and in him all things qhold together. 18 And rhe is the head of the body, the church. He is sthe beginning, tthe firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For uin him all thevfullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and wthrough him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, xmaking peace yby the blood of his cross.

21 zAnd you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, adoing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled bin his body of flesh by his death,cin order to present you holy and blameless and dabove reproach before him, 23 eif indeed you continue in the faith, fstable and steadfast, not shifting from gthe hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed hin all creation7 under heaven, iand of which I, Paul, became a minister. 

ESV.

Reading the New Testament words of Paul the Apostle we begin in this text to see something about our glorious Savior that distinguishes Him as Lord above all other Lords and above all other Kings. Great Kings have great authority and they wield the power to save and to kill. Other Kings show their wealth and their lands they have conquered. Some display their sovereignty by their military conquests and glory in their victory over their avowed enemies. Each of these types depict human power and wisdom; our great King and Lord will in the end display his greatness and power by bringing together what was divided and reuniting what was separated.

In this present world Christ has given us a spirit of adoption; Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” In all cases the believer is encouraged to reconcile with anyone who has become antagonistic or even an enemy. The believer in Jesus looks at everyone as being made in the image of God and created in his likeness. Because of this, our view of our fellow humans is calibrated by scripture truth and because of that we see them as fellow-creatures even kindred according to the flesh.

Matthew 5:21 y“You have heard that it was said to those of old, z‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable ato judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that beveryone who is angry with his brother3 will be liable ato judgment; whoever insults4 his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to cthe hell5 of fire. 23 dSo if eyou are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 fCome to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, gyou will never get out until you have paid the last penny.6

Look closely at the text; Jesus says the “brother” is also the “accuser”. We find this terribly difficult, the heartbreak and pain we endure as we learn our own brother or sister has become an accuser against us lends to increase our own anger at their change of heart toward us. Nevertheless, Jesus instructs us to reconcile with them. Reconciliation is the answer for bitterness and hidden resentments buried underneath civil manners. In these situation it’s very difficult for one party to admit wrong, they both feel so betrayed that the minor point of disagreement has become a chasm that will not be spanned by mere civility or distance.

It is said that time heals all wounds. But some wounds are so deep and the bitterness so powerful there is no remedy for them. But Christ is wiser than we are bitter and stronger than we are resentful; His Spirit has come to conquer the hearts of men and Jesus first stop is to take control of the city of ManSoul. When Christ rules in our hearts, the peace of God rules our hearts as well. Philippians 4:9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Let me say this; Jesus has reconciled you to himself. He first ended the war between you and Christ, that war is over, you have been defeated, and your power is broken your heart has been thrust through by the sword of God’s spirit. Now you are reconciled, now you are a citizen, a loyal servant, a son, a priest, a prophet yea, even a king under the dominion of the great King Jesus Christ. How was I thrust-through? Why say that I was killed in battle against Jesus Christ?

Romans *:3 For jGod has done what the law,kweakened by the flesh, lcould not do. mBy sending his own Son nin the likeness of sinful flesh and ofor sin,3 he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that pthe righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us,qwho walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 Forrthose who live according to the flesh set their minds on sthe things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds ontthe things of the Spirit. 6 For to set uthe mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is vhostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law;windeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.flesh is vhostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law;windeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Have a look at this text full of promise… Romans 8:10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.11 If the Spirit of ahim who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus4 from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies bthrough his Spirit who dwells in you.

We are dead to sin, alive to God, dead to a heart full of enmity against God, dead to alienation and estrangement. We are reconciled, yes we are brought back to God with peace. 

A hostile mind toward God cannot be asked to love, serve and worship God. So it is the same with our fellow man, we cannot love, serve and display our worship of God when we are embittered against one another. So I encourage you, in Christ name, be reconciled one with another. Because you are free from fear and have no reason to doubt God’s love and compassion toward you, fear not what men will do against you; for you have overcome and you have the victory secured in your heart.

But there is more. Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ goes above and beyond our wildest expectations.

Through the blood of the cross God will reconcile all things. This promise is so far beyond our greatest dreams we dare only to let it race across our minds for just a second. Think with me for a moment, dare to take Christ at his word and comprehend with me for just a little and taste of the vast implications of such terms as “reconcile all things”. Surely this is understood of all of his children, bought and secured by giving himself a ransom for many. But there is more; not only is our heart reconciled to God by Jesus’ precious blood, we are reconciled with one another and brought together as one harmonious body of believers.

For some, this means that lost relatives who were never close to you but are believers in Jesus Christ, they will come to know and love you without the slightest tint of imperfection. Our reconciliation to our lost loved ones, our best friends passed, our brothers and sisters in Christ who we have seen go before us into glory will one day receive us into eternal habitations with great joy. To one day see again your parents, your grandfathers and grandmothers, and countless generations past welcome you into everlasting arms who have waited for your entrance into the celestial city. New Jerusalem is alive in warm hearts ready to welcome those estranged by wars and kingdoms, they patiently await the reconciliation of vast multitudes who have parents or relatives that never understood one another, or they may have been at odds over all kinds of issues, now, in Christ purified and purged of diseased thinking and corrupt human wisdom.

For some, their conversion was at deaths-bed and they entered into the kingdom of God as friends of the great King but un-knowledgeable of the great things God has done for them through Christ. For these who have not learned through God’s sacred book the power and glory of His coming Kingdom, now learn that entrance into it is accompanied with multitudes of sinners like themselves that have been redeemed and purchased by the One great Savior who shed His blood to make them all one and all glorious without spot or wrinkle.

We too shall find our old and harassing sins have vacated, our weak hearts ablaze in Holy Spirit love and joy, welcoming, singing, rejoicing, laughing and praising God the Most High for giving to them life and love that in the past world only hints and tastes could be had. Oh, the freedom of being removed from sin’s power to kill, from the enmity of the human heart to destroy, all that has been purged from us. Christ in destroying the power of sin destroyed the power of death and now love and joy fill the atmosphere were no impure or unholy thing can enter.

Revelation 22:3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but ethe throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and fhis servants3 will worship him. 4 gThey will see his face, and hhis name will be on their foreheads. 5 And inight will be no more. They will need no light of lamp jor sun, for kthe Lord God will be their light, and lthey will reign forever and ever.

This is the reconciliation of God, where joy swallows up suffering, laughing swallows up pain, disease, death and poverty are all purged from us. Rejoice, Rejoice and again I say rejoice. 

Born Incomplete

     

         Our God is a triune God. He is Father, Son, and Spirit. We on the other hand are made in His image, with His triune nature giving us body, soul and Spirit. Notice the capital S because it is not our spirit but His.
          If God created us first with body, soul and Spirit, it should be assumed in our fallen nature, our depraved nature, the Spirit became severed when Adam forsook the first ever precept of the almighty God. The Holy Spirit is then void or missing until we become redeemed once more. When Adam first sinned He severed the ties between humans and the Holy Spirit. Thus, leaving us with body and soul. Our earthly bodies and abstract soul are destined to destruction if left to its own demise. Once the Spirit left our first parents, their bodies started to decay; entropy was in full affect. Not only was it a promise that they should surely die, but it was a divine reaction to our incomplete state of being. Our bodies are now incapable of being vessels to the Holy Spirit from birth. For flesh gives birth to flesh and the Spirit gives birth to the Spirit. Due to this reasoning we have to be reborn in the Spirit. Therefore, even Adam and Eve could only be saved by the redemptive blood of Christ.
          We are not whole without Christ. 1/3 of our being, the most important and life giving property of our being is absent. We are born missing the most important part of what makes us "God's image"; His Spirit. Henceforth, through the actions of Adam, the Holy Spirit could not and would not indwell in us from conception, but from then on, could only be gifted to us through His propitiation. Body and soul we are born with, but Spirit we are reborn with.

Natural Man

       
          The not so hidden truth of human nature is its frailty. The feebleness and utter hopelessness apart from Christ is seen on every news channel every day. Our lives are but a whisper and the catching of that whisper is futile in the hands of any man. In spite of apparent and self evident orthodoxies, there is a growing neglect to understand and teach such depravities. Our pulpits lay waste to one of the most important truth’s to our relationship with the almighty. Who are we compared to Him and how does that effect the progression of our righteousness through Him? All doctrine and theological circumspection derives from this one perception. Having a proper view of man’s impotency concerning righteousness is the basis of sound biblical doctrine and the only path to tasting the fullness of Christ’s joy. What does man have to offer in the way of his salvation? What is the extent of God’s love? Why was the cross so important? Why would Jesus love me? These are just a few questions which the paramountcy of proper perception effects sound doctrinal views.
          Some might ask why it is important. There are three main reasons why it is essential to understand the natural state of man. First, it is imperative that the Lord receive all the glory He deserves. To neglect and think arbitrarily of such would give irrelevance to the dominion of God, and His significance to our lives. His word tells us to give all glory and honor to God. He is worthy of all our praise. Let everything with breath praise the Lord. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Therefore, let us make every intention to give God what is truly His; especially concerning His glory. Secondly, having a uniformed picture of man’s natural state brings clarity and understanding when reading scripture. Having a skewed view of a foundational tenant will affect your outlook and perspicacity of the entirety of the bible. Not understanding the primal makeup of man can lead us to false doctrines and heresy. It explains why it was so important that Jesus came to save us. It sheds light on to why the law was not sufficient. It gives us a true picture of the weight Jesus put on His shoulders and the immensity of the burden He took upon himself. In order to be doctrinally sound you must first have a basis of sound doctrine. Thirdly, having a legitimate acuity of our fallen nature only leads to joy in Christ. The more we can understand what God has done for His elect, and what He continually does for those He has chosen, the more inexplicable joy we receive. The entirety of our reverence not only honors God, but in turn, through it gives us elation because we can better understand the divine unconditional nature of Him. We delight in the Lord because of what He has done for us and not because of anything we have done for our self. The word says that those who delight in the Lord will have peace. Therefore, understanding who we are compared to the Lord will also bring us peace, and peace is the fullness of joy. As you can see, the severity of having a correct view of our natural state affects every facet of our walk.
          My beloved, please understand how defenseless we are without the aid of Christ. What in us or about us constitutes even a smidgen of good? Our heart is diabolical; it is black as tar and produces evil constantly and relentlessly. Natural man is naturally sickened. We are diseased without any home remedies. Jeremiah 17:9 says that “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Above all things! There is nothing more devious than the human heart. There is nothing more untrustworthy. There is nothing more vile or conniving. Yes, above all things the heart is depraved. The great white shark, a natural killer and always stalking is still not as contemptible as the human heart. In Psalms 51:5 the word reads “behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalms 58:3 continues, the wicked are estranged from the womb, they go astray from birth speaking lies.” From the onset we are all wicked. The world teaches us that a baby is innocent and pure. No Christian! You were not pure! To be pure is to be without blemish. To be pure is to be found without fault. To be pure we would have to be untainted and without sin. My beloved, you were a sinner the moment you were conceived and are a sinner until you are redeemed. For all have sinned and fell short of the glory of God!
          It is for this reason we are helpless without a savior. If the bible is so absolute about our fallen nature then we have to be absolute about our state of recovery. “Surely, there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and not sin.” God speaks to us clearly and dogmatically. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says the natural person does not except the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” Without Christ the cross is foolishness to all men. We are incapable of understanding and incapable of seeking. However, it is with great joy and ineffable exuberance that we are unable to help our self. If I were to think of the many ways I could screw up my own salvation by trying to bring it about myself, I could fill all the books in the world. Thank you God that it is not left to me. Who would be so bold and brash to think that eternity could be trusted in their hands? Eternity can only be trusted in the hands of its author. So God, in His omniscience made sure that only He was able to save. He insured that only He would be the author of our salvation, and that only He could receive all the glory and honor. Let no man boast in his salvation. Let no man say it was “I” who chose Christ. Empty yourself of such pious thoughts and fill yourself with lowliness. How dare any man or woman take credit for what is rightly due to God. Our life was bought at a price and therefore our life is not our own. We are a gift from God the Father to the Son. To take credit would mean that we gifted the Son when we chose to accept Christ. What blasphemy!! No Christian, the Father gave us to the Son and to Him all the Glory. “For the mind is set on the flesh and is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You are not capable of gifting yourself and nor would the Son accept any offering that was not sanctified by God.
          Therefore, take joy in your lowliness because our victory is in Jesus and not in our self. Take joy in your helplessness because your Savior has set you free. We are no longer captives to sin but free in Christ. Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18 exclaim he was sent to set the captives free, and we are free indeed; however, not of our own might, but of His. Amen!

The Joy of Lowliness

Psalm 8:4 ESV

What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

          What a beautiful sense of lowliness David has. He is the King of Israel and one of the best general's the world had ever seen, and yet He thought nothing of his place, as well as, man's place compared to God. 2 Samuel 7:18 "Who am I O Lord, and what is my house that you have brought me this far"? I am humbled by this thought daily. My sins are as numerous as the stars. My mind is perverse and always self seeking, but God and His unfailing mercy has looked upon my famiy and I. He has considered me and cares for me deeply. How humbling is this supplication from David. What is man that God care and be mindful of him? There are billions of us, all prideful and wicked as the next, but God still cares. He has invested interest in each one of us and is concerened for us personally and intimately.
          The immensity and grandeur of His preeminence is seen here. His compassion and vastness of being are on full display. Once a believer has a full knowledge of his triviality, he can then appreciate the breath taking acts of Christ's love. What little specs of insignificance we are, and what paramountcy is He. If we could grasp the legitimate preponderancy of who He is compared to who we are, then we shall share a glimpse of His amazing love for us. We deserve nothing and have zero value outside of the mercy and grace of God. Be humbled and keep a lowly heart just as David, and with it you will be able to take joy in Christ just as David has.

At War!

Ephesians 6:12-17 ESV

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

          This is a declaration, a declaration of war! Like a general preparing his troops for battle. He is exhorting who the enemy us and what we have to do to defeat him. The Lord wants us to know and fully understand that WE ARE AT WAR!!! Rulers of darkness, authorities, principalities, and spiritual evil are our enemies. The devil looks to sift us like wheat. These are the very same words Jesus tells Peter and is the same message repeated in Ephesians 6. The devil looks to enslave us and make us captives. He looks to make us prisoners of war. He is our enemy and no one else. Our neighbor is not our enemy, the Muslims are not our enemy, and the people who have wronged us are not our enemy. Our enemy is not made of flesh and blood. No, our enemy is one of a spiritual nature. Therefore, our gracious Lord prepares us with spiritual armaments. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith and His spirit are our armor and weapons.
          Let us look to every occasion, whether a time of trial, whether a time of affliction, whether a time of prosperity as a spiritual battle where the devil wants to consume our soul. Yes even in a time of prosperity we are being attacked. Our independence of God is typically nurtured through times of prosperity. This means we must always be on guard. Our sentry duty will never cease in this life. Our enemy will never relent, he will never grow weary of looking to destroy us.
          However, be bold!!! The Lord tells us that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. He tells us that we are MORE than conquerors. We know through His word that we are victorious in Jesus. We know the final script and Christ will be the victor. Henceforth, we must be in Christ to win. There is no victory for us apart from this.
          We must use the spiritual armor given to us to succeed. We must slay the dragon with the sword of His spirit which is the word of God. Train with it, read it and have it at the ready like any battle tested soldier. Don your helmet of salvation, and raise your shield of faith. Never doff your boots of peace and strap tight your belt of truth. Wear the FULL armor of God! We can not grow apathetic of this fight. As soon as you feel weary, know too that this is another flaming arrow from Baal. Stay resolute!!! If you be knocked down jump to your feet at once! Stand with Christ, and stand with your brothers and sisters in Christ, and know that we are at war.

Chief Cornerstone

I Peter 2:7 NKJV

Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”

For you who believe: He is precious. Unless we have a real, and thus tangible relationship with Christ, we would be hard pressed to make much from this verse. Once the believer has felt even the faintest glow from His light, an insatiable urge to be in His precense builds. An unquenchable desire to drink of His living waters makes everything else as arid as the Sahara desert. This is because He that lives in us becomes the most valuable thing we possess, and nothing else comes even close. Our soul is bankrupt with out him. Therefore, He becomes the most precious commodity to our soul. This verse should make us ask this question. Is He precious to us? Is He cherished? Is He our beloved? Is He esteemed to be of the highest price? The Lord makes it clear that if we are unsure, then we must ask; do we believe? For you who do believe, He will be precious.
          We also see the dramatic irony that has fell upon the world. Jesus Christ was cast to the side by the pharasies as if He were a bastard child. Little did they know He was and is the Father of all creation. Today Jesus is viewed by the non-believer as a ficticious character from a mother goose story. Little do the they know He is the author of their salvation. In all cases, the thing the world rejects is the very thing that all things are dependent upon. The Jews are represented in this analogy as builders and the cornerstone represents Christ. The building represents the church or Kingdom of God. We can see that the Jews didn't think much of Christ. He wasn't even considered useful enough to be utilized in any part of the building process. He was cast to the side and discarded as refuse. This is a picture of Christ being sent to be crucified by the Jews. However, we see that what they thought wasn't even regarded as useful, is in fact the most important part of the building. He is the chief cornerstone. A cornerstone is an integral part of building construction. It is what provides all the support for a building. It is what the building relies on for its integrity and shape. However, He is not just a cornerstone. No, He is the Chief cornerstone. He is the most important piece of the most important pieces, a double positive in the English lexicon.
          Let us not take such an arbitrary perception of Christ, and realise He is precious, and the most important piece of our life. Infact He is not just a peice of our life but encompasses and enfolds our entire life. He truly is what provides our integrity and He alone holds our existense in His hands. All things are subject to Him through His grace and mercy. How precious is He!