Partakers Christian Podcasts

Adoption - Bible Thought - WISE

Adoption

The word for today is adoption. Imagine you are an orphan left on the streets. You are hungry and thirsty. Begging for scraps of food. Your last job you were treated like a slave, so you escaped. Even your only friend, a stray dog, has abandoned you! You are friendless, lonely and miserable.

Then one day a big stretch limousine pulls up beside you. You recognize the limousine. It is the one you scratched with a key because you were bored and belongs to the enemy of your former boss. The driver asks you to get in, and reluctantly you do. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The limousine drives and eventually goes through some large gates and there is a huge house on top of the hill. The owner is there to greet you. He tells you that you are now part of his family now, if you want to be. You have no need to go back to begging for scraps. You are part of his family now, with all the legal standing as one of his children.

That is adoption in the Christian sense. If you are a Christian, God has accepted you as a member of His family with all the legal standing of an heir and a true son or true daughter.

The Bible says in Galatians 4:7 "Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir."

Because of adoption, we know that:

• God purchased us from slavery into a family (Ephesians 1:7)!
  
• God will supply all our needs, just as all good fathers always do!
  
• God comes to live inside us!
  
• We are reconciled with God, even though once we were His enemies (Romans 5:9)!
  
• We have transformed relationships with others and ourselves!
  
• We now seek His honour rather than our own!
  

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Holy Communion - Bible Thought - WISE

36. Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper

 

Luke writes “He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the Disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” (Luke 22v19-20)

Depending on your church, it can be called amongst other things, the Eucharist or The Lord’s Supper. Christians are commanded to participate, as Jesus said: “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22v19). Some churches do it every service and others do it monthly. Whenever we participate in it, we do it regularly as a remembrance of Jesus until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11v26)! The bread symbolizes His body broken on the cross and the wine symbolizes His blood shed on the cross. Therefore before we partake of the bread and wine, we are to examine ourselves and confess any unforgiven sin (1 Corinthians 11v28-29). This is done so because it would be hypocritical to eat it while harbouring known sin in our hearts and having fellowship with Jesus and others in the church!

What does it all mean?

It symbolizes the following things:

• It also symbolizes the death of Christ for our sin (Luke 22v19)

• It symbolizes our acceptance of Christ’s death for us.

• Symbolizes our dependence on Christ for spiritual life.

Through your participation in it, you have:

• fellowship with other believers in the universal church (1 Corinthians 10v17)

• We receive the benefits of His sacrifice (1 Corinthians 10v16)

• We spiritually feed upon Christ (1 Corinthians 11v24)

It also reflects the New Covenant between God and Jesus’ Disciples – a Covenant which guarantees salvation!

Two other main views insist that it is more than just symbolic! Firstly, there is transubstantiation, which believes that the bread and wine actually become the blood and body of Jesus Christ. Secondly there is, consubstantiation, which believes that the body and blood of Christ are present in the Communion meal.

However, it must be noted, that both of these views would indicate that Jesus Christ is being re-sacrificed and Hebrews 7v27b-28 (But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.) seems to refute these views. The bread we eat and wine we drink at Holy Communion are only symbolic of Jesus' sacrifice and not a re-enactment.

Through the act of Baptism and the partaking of Communion, we remember the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection on our lives.

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Christ - Bible Thought - WISE

Christ

The word Christ is the New Testament word for the Old Testament word, Messiah. So we look to the Old Testament first, in order to understand what the New Testament word Christ means! It certainly means more than just a swear word. It was not Jesus' surname, although it was appended to His name in the New Testament, more as a way of expressing who He was!

So how is the word Messiah used in the Old Testament?

The word translated ‘Messiah' is found only twice (Daniel 9:25-26). The New International Version translates the word ‘Messiah' as the ‘Anointed One'. The Old Testament idea of Messiah has five principles attached to it: God's chosen and anointed man; He will bring salvation for God's people; He will judge God's enemies; He is an appointed ruler over nations; He is an active representative of God. Surprisingly, these five principles can be applied to King Cyrus (Isaiah 45:1). Cyrus, is an example of a Messiah, the anointed one of God, even though he was not one of God's people, the Israelites. This shows that the word Messiah can have a non-religious meaning behind it.

The Messiah, God's Anointed One, is pictured in several ways in the Old Testament. There is the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 40-55); the Conquering Warrior (Isaiah 56-66); the Branch - particularly of David (Jeremiah 23:5; Zechariah 3:8); Son of Man (Daniel 7); and finally Anointed Prince (Daniel 9:25-27). All of the Old Testament Covenants pointed towards this future coming of the Messiah, God's Anointed One!

Through all these Covenants we see a God who is willing to interact with His creation and bless it. When first century Christians such as Paul, Peter and John checked all the events surrounding the life of Jesus, they searched their Scriptures, our Old Testament. It was as the Holy Spirit illuminated their minds, that they wrote down and passed on the whole gamut of Old Testament promise which was fulfilled in God's Messiah and the world's hope: Jesus Christ and Him alone. Jesus Christ is all five of those principles referred to in the Old Testament Messiah.

Investigate the New Testament for yourself to find how, why and where! For example 2 Samuel 7v12 predicts the birth of Solomon as David's successor to the throne with his role being to establish David's throne forever (2 Samuel 7v13). We see this link to Jesus Christ, though the genealogies to both Joseph: a legal right to David's throne (Matthew 1v1-17) and to Mary: a blood right to David's throne (Luke 3v23-38). Or the Mosaic Covenant, or Law of Moses, was given that they could realize the helplessness of their own efforts, and their need of God's help. Galatians 3v22-24 explains that the Law was only a protective fence, until through the promised Messiah, humanity "could be made right with God through faith." All of history pointed to the coming of this Messiah, this Christ, if you will. This was all part of Paul's reasoning from Scripture with the Jews he came in contact with.

Of course for Paul, as for us, the Messiah is Jesus Christ. All of history, points to this Jesus Christ, coming back again. Coming back, not as a baby next time, but as a King in glory!

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Forgiveness - Bible Thought - WISE

Forgiveness

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What is forgiveness?

CS Lewis once said that "forgiveness is a beautiful word - until you have something or somebody to forgive." And he was right! True forgiveness is not just saying sorry!! Forgiveness is to include penitence and also a desire never to do that same thing again. Forgiveness of course is a major part of Christianity, both in the way that God forgives when approached in penitence and repentance, but also in the way Christians forgive others and themselves! In both giving and receiving forgiveness, consider Jesus Christ and the enormity of His forgiveness.

Paul writes in Colossians 3v12-14 that forgiveness is part of the being in God’s family of Christians! If God forgave you for all that you have done wrong, then you also should forgive others, regardless of how difficult that might be to do. Nobody said it would always be easy though! Forgiveness enables you to have the same openness toward the person after they offend you, as you did before the event – if not more! When you truly forgive the person who has wronged you, any hurt you have will diminish.

Receiving and Giving Forgiveness

But why do we need to both receive and give forgiveness? Apart from being commanded to, a vast number of emotional and psychological problems are caused by failure to either give or to receive forgiveness.

• There is a failure to receive forgiveness. Many people try to pay for their sin by trying to punish themselves for they're past sins. These people should let go, because God has forgiven them, just as they asked!
• There is a failure to give forgiveness. When forgiveness is not offered to a person who has done you wrong, bitterness, resentment and anger may spring up in your life. There are parents who hurt; siblings who fail; and close friends who betray and reject. Yet forgive is the command, and it can only be done as the Holy Spirit and His power is relied upon.

By receiving and giving forgiveness, you will find an ability to love God more and love others more openly. Don’t let bitter unforgiveness destroy you and others, but rather let love & forgiveness build and strengthen.

God and Forgiveness

God’s ultimate concern is your holiness and not just your happiness, as you are transformed into the image of Jesus Christ! God is concerned not just about what is happening to you, but also what you are learning and how you are responding in His workshop of life, as you are being transformed. This involves both giving and receiving forgiveness. Tests to see if there is someone I need to forgive

• Resentment test - Is there anyone you resent?
• Responsibility test - Do you find yourself thinking, "If only this other person or persons had done this, things would have been different!" and therefore blaming others?
• Reminder/reaction test - Do you find yourself reacting negatively against a person because they remind you of someone else?

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Perseverance - Bible Thought - WISE

Words In Scripture Explored

Perseverance

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Perseverance in relation to God and His work is the continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in your life as a believer. It is a work of divine grace that is begun in your heart, which is continued and brought to completion.

• As a Christian, you will never perish, and nobody or nothing can snatch them out of His hand (John 10v27-29)
• You have eternal life and you will not be condemned, passed from death to life. (John 5v24)
• God, who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1v6)
• You are shielded by God’s power. (1 Peter 1v15)
• Nothing can separate you from God/Christ’s love. (Romans 8v38-39)
• The Lord knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2v19)
• Eternal life never depends on our feeble grip on Christ, but rather on His firm grip on us.

God’s whole purpose for you is to transform you into the image of Jesus Christ. His purpose for you is to make you holy. This is where perseverance for you as a Christian comes in.

Perseverance of the Christian

You are to keep your eyes focussed on Jesus Christ, carry your cross daily and be willing to obey God. But as a Christian, you are sometimes entangled by sin (Hebrews 12v1). God who wholly loves, must discipline His children in order to teach them willing obedience to Himself. God disciplines His children and “It is painful.” (Hebrews 12v11) Therefore as a Christian, and you sin whilst remaining unrepentant and habitually addicted to that sin, God will discipline (Hebrews 12v10). If you sin and are not disciplined, you are not His child (Hebrews 12v8).

The Practice of Sin - Habitual Sin

As a Christian, you cannot continue to sin habitually, willingly maintaining a sinful practice or attitude. That is why you are warned against falling away.

• We share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end. (Hebrews 3v13-14)
• It is possible to experience much of what God offers and not be a Christian e.g. The Pharisees (Hebrews 6v4-6)

Deliberate sinning after receiving the truth reveals a rejection of truth. However, God is merciful and will forgive if repentance is asked for! As a Christian, persevere in your relationship with God. Obey Him and follow Him. Ask questions humbly of Him and expect Him to answer, particularly if you don’t understand something. Persevere in your prayers, your relationships with God and with other people. God will persevere with you, turning you gradually into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. God will not abandon you, but you are free to abandon Him. If you did abandon Him, He would still continue to call you back to Himself.

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Resurrection - Bible Thought - WISE

Resurrection

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Resurrection means rising or raising up.  It certainly means more than coming back to life as some people think.  Jesus raised three people from the dead, but that was more a resuscitation than a resurrection - those three people would die again! So lets start by looking at Jesus' resurrection.

Jesus' Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides the central theme for the sermons and teaching in the early church (Acts 1v22; Acts 4v33, Acts 17v18).  But what significance is there in Jesus' resurrection? Jesus' resurrection proves and vindicates all of His teaching.  It certifies His claims to be the suffering Servant, just as it attests to His being fully God and the last Judge of all mankind (Isaiah 53v10-12; Acts 2v36; Acts 3v13-15; Romans 1v4). God's approval of Jesus obedient service and the fulfilment of all the Old Testament promises is declared through the resurrection.  The result of which, is forgiveness of sins and salvation being only found in and through Jesus Christ.

In the early church this was the prime motive for evangelism (Acts 2v32, Romans 4v24-25) As the resurrected King, Jesus now intercedes for us.  More than that, He has perfected the redemption of all those who choose to follow Him (Romans 5v10; Hebrews 6v20, 1 Peter 1v21).

These facts remain for Jesus' resurrection, despite what some people say including Islam and other detractors of historical Christianity. The changed attitude of the disciples after seeing the risen Jesus.  The disciples changed from defeated, cowardly people into victorious, brave and bold people. Nobody who could have produced the dead body of Jesus did so.  This led to the survival and inordinate growth and impact of the early church.  If there was no bodily resurrection of Jesus' would people really have risked persecution and death for a known lie?

Finally, there were multiple appearances of Jesus! These appearances were to various numbers of individuals and groups of people, at various times of the day and in differing circumstances. Jesus' resurrection is a sign of the bodily resurrection for all those who believe and trust in Him during their earthly life!  This should give you a new attitude to death and the transforming of hopes (1 Corinthians 15v12-58, Romans 8v10, 2 Corinthians 4v14; 1 Peter 1v3 & 21)

Believers Resurrection

The bodily resurrection of the dead, those who are saved and those who are unsaved, is clearly taught in Bible (John 5v28-29; Acts 24v15). Christ's resurrection is the guarantee of our resurrection (1 Corinthians 15v20-22) Christian Disciples resurrected body will be:

• Like Christ's glorious body (1 Corinthians 15v49; Philippians 3v21; 1 John 3v2)
• Not flesh and blood (1 Corinthians 15v50ff)
• Not partly spiritual (Luke 24v39; 1 Corinthians 15v42, 53)

Those who are or were non-believers will be resurrected (John 5v28-29), but not entered into heaven but rather they cast into the lake of fire.  It makes the work of evangelism for all Christian Disciples, all the more imperative.  Go tell somebody today, the good news about what Jesus resurrection means to them.

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Holiness - Bible Thought - WISE

Holiness

I wonder what the biggest fence, wall or barrier is that you have either seen or that you know about! Perhaps one of the biggest walls in the world is the Great Wall of China. It is seen from space and is over 4000 miles long, about 25 feet high and up to 30 feet thick! It is huge and enormous!! It was built to keep out invaders – for that is what walls and barriers do: Keep out enemies!

Holy Barrier

However big the Great Wall of China is, there is one barrier that is even bigger! I wonder if you know what it is!! The biggest barrier to exist is the one, which separates God from all His creation. This barrier is holiness, for God is a holy God. Ezekiel 1v27-28 gives us a vivid picture of the holiness of God and is seen in the fire, light, radiance, full of glory and majesty.

What is holiness?

Holiness is what separates God from all His creation. For God alone is holy and full of glory. Exodus 15v2 “Who is like you, O God, glorious in holiness!” Or Isaiah 60v25 “To whom will you liken me, or shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. Holiness is also a moral attribute of God, of purity and freedom from the stain of ALL sin. Habakkuk 1v13 “of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look upon sin. Holiness is still more than that! It is in fact the sum of all His attributes! God is holiness and holiness is God!

Holy People:

Perfect holiness, while to us is inconceivable, has been revealed; revealed in the sinless man, Jesus Christ. As a Christian Disciple, you also are declared holy! That is because of what Jesus did on the cross… He has broken down the barrier between God and man. And if you are a Christian Disciple, you are declared holy, and therefore you are to live a holy life worthy of Jesus Chrsit.! As a Christian Disciple, the Holy Spirit is transforming you into the very image of the holy one, Jesus Christ. As a Christian Disciple, you are no longer an enemy of God but a friend of God and belong to God! So live out your faith and live your Christian Discipleship in holiness.

Two books I can recommend on Holiness are:

The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges and A Passion for Holiness by JI Packer

Thank you

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Salvation - Bible Thought - WISE

 

Words In Scripture Explored – Salvation

Salvation! What is it?

Salvation means a rescue or having been saved!  As humans, from the time we are born, we inherit a sinful nature and are alienated from God.  But God has seen fit to offer a way back into relationship with Him, so that we may no longer be alienated from Him!  This offer of relationship is a result of Jesus, who was both fully God and fully man, dying on the cross.

Who decides who is saved?

The question “Who decides the saved?” has been asked for centuries!! There are two extremist views – one view says, “God has decided who is saved and nothing can be done about it.” The other view says that God will grant salvation to all.

But we need to see these two views in the balance of Scripture. Firstly God does choose individuals to fulfil His purposes (Romans 9) and He chooses those who are, or will be, saved (John 15v16). These chosen ones are called the elect. However, it is also His will that all people should be saved (1 Timothy 2v3-4) and that nobody should perish (2 Peter 3v9).

So in reading those two statements, we must accept both these Scriptural statements as equally and absolutely true. When we use words about God with a time element such as 'chose', 'elect', we need to consider God's infinite time framework, timelessness, and not in our human finite time framework. So God offers salvation to all, and leaves the responsibility to take up the offer with humans.

Saved from and saved to?

As a Christian you are now saved from everlasting alienation from Him, for that’s what Hell is.  As a Christian you are saved to an everlasting relationship with Him, for that’s what Heaven is.  Salvation is for all people of all time and of every nation.  As a Christian, you have accepted the offer.

Salvation! What do you do with it?

Now you are to do what Paul suggests in Philippians 2v12-13: “Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” So now you live to please God alone and not your self.

Go this week and tell somebody this Good News of salvation that God offers, and continue to show the transforming power of God in your life.  For as one of the early church fathers Irenaeus said, “To follow Jesus is to participate in salvation.”

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Repentance - Bible Thought - WISE

Repentance

I wonder what you think the word, “Repentance” means.   The dictionary defines repentance as

• Feel pain, or regret for something done or not done; ·
• Change your mind, or conduct, because of regret; ·
• Having sorrow or regret over an action or inaction.

And this is of course partly true!  But for the Christian, Repentance means more than these! Repentance is a voluntary change in mind, in which the person turns from a life of sin to living a life of righteousness.  “Repent!”  Cried the Roman officer to his soldiers!  In other words, turn around now! The importance of repentance was central to the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 4v17; Mark 1v15); John the Baptist (Matthew 3v1-2); The Apostles (Acts 2v38; 20v21); Commanded by God (Acts 17v30); God’s will that all people repent (2 Peter 3v9; 1 Timothy 2v4)

Repentance is done in three spheres:

a) Mind (Intellect) - recognition of personal sinfulness and guilt before God (Psalm 51v3; Romans 3v20) b) Emotional (Heart) - genuine sorrow for sin - Godly sorrow... leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7v8-10) c) Will - decision to turn from sin, self-pleasing and self-centredness to God.

Continual repentance

A question I often hear, is why do we need to continue to repent even though we are a Christian Disciple? Firstly because by doing so regularly, we maintain the honour of His Holy Name.  Secondly, it keeps your relationship with God pure and your soul in good health.

Going forward in repentance.

When you realize you have sinned, ask God to forgive you.  Don’t give sin a chance to get hold!  It may take a second to commit some kind of disobedience against God, but it also only takes a second to ask forgiveness, which God will do, if you truly mean it.  For in the words of Martin Luther, “To do so no more, is the truest repentance”. John Donne, wrote in the 17th century “Sleep with clean hands, either kept clean all day by integrity or washed clean at night by repentance.”

That is good advice to take hold of.  Before you sleep, confess your sins to God asking Him to forgive you for the things you have done in that day that have offended him. When you became a Christian Disciple, your sins were forgiven through Jesus’ death on the Cross.  That is when you had your “bath” as it were. That is the point when you were justified before God and declared His child. Having been justified already, you don’t need a bath anymore! But to maintain a healthy relationship with God, you do need the equivalent of a feet washing regularly and a cleansing of your sin when you confess it before your God and repent.

Propitiation - Bible Thought - WISE

Propitiation

 

When I talk to people I often hear things like, God is love, so I don’t have to worry about my own lifestyle or my morals, because God is love.  When I die, He will accept me as I am providing I have tried your best.  And of course that is partly true!  God is indeed a God of love.  But we must also remember that towards sin and sinful behaviour, He has great fury, anger and wrath (Psalm 7v11; Jeremiah 21v5). Nothing we say or do can appease His hatred of sin and sinful lifestyles.  Nothing we can do is able to appease God’s anger, because His anger toward sin is unquenchable.  Unquenchable that is, except for one thing.

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This word, propitiation, basically means the turning aside of God's anger by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  All God's anger and judgment of sin falls on Jesus Christ, instead of us.  But in order to accept it for yourself, you need to approach God to appease His anger (Romans 3:25; Isaiah 53:5; John 2:2, 5:6).

Jesus was the sacrifice of atonement, or propitiation, as the one who would quench God’s anger towards sinful people, by taking away sin through His death on the cross. This shows Jesus as being both the Just one and the one who justifies. (Romans 3v25-26) Only through Him could the sins of the whole world, past, present and future, be forgiven.

To some people, even some in the church, this is abhorrent! The very thought that God could willing send His son to be a blood sacrifice for sin is tantamount to abuse, some say!  However God’s requirements are very clear! John 3v16 says it all in response to this “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”.  If there was any other way, would not God have done it that way?

So as a Christian Disciple, live a life that is holy and pleasing to God. Not in order to somehow pave your own way into heaven, for that is already assured by way of Jesus’ death on the cross.  Remember no sacrifice you make is greater than the one God made in sending His Son to death as a propitiation for your sin. 1 John 4v10: For this shows God’s real love – tough yet all-embracing Love.

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