Increasing in the Knowledge of Jesus

 Everyone knows that Christmas celebrates God's sending His Son to earth, and Jesus' death and resurrection opens the door to bring men to God, but what is God's plan or purpose for those who have received His "goodwill and peace to men."  Certainly God is not mocked and His revealed purpose will not be thwarted.  "My Word shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11) 

God has much more for believers than to just endure the challenges of life and finally go to heaven. Notice the instruction in Colossians 1, "that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."  What an amazing description of what our lives are meant to be! 

For what God calls, He also provides.  So He has also given us the wherewithal to accomplish this level of life.  The verse continues, "strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light."  In His light we become light.

The more we grow in knowing God, His purpose, and His provision, the more we will be able to please Him and bear fruit.  There is a deep desire in every man's heart to do something with our lives that matters, in other words, be fruitful.  The key to actually having this kind of life is "increasing in the knowledge of God."

Notice in 2 Peter 1:3 how incredibly much is already given to us through knowing God: "All things that pertain to life and godliness have been given through the knowledge of Him."  No wonder Paul's heart cry was "to know Him and the power of the resurrection."  Likewise, the prayer found in Ephesians 1, asking God to give "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God" is the key to hope, to realizing our eternal inheritance, and to having the power of God in our lives. 

Yet many believers don't seem to have these promises as a reality in their lives.  Why?  Hosea 4:6 suggests "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."  2 Peter 1:4 states that through the "exceedingly great and precious promises" we can escape the corruption that is in the world and "become partakers of the divine nature."  Do you sense the heart of God who desires us to be whole and to enjoy His fulness of life, as we come to know how great He is? 

The obvious question is how do we get this knowledge of Him?  Number one, Romans 1:19-20 points out that His eternal power and Godhead can be clearly seen through creation and all He has made.  However, His personality, love, and plan can only be revealed through His Word.  Jesus is the Word of God, and since He is the exact "image of the invisible God," He came to manifest or show what God is really like.  

Jesus, in a discussion with the Pharisees (John 5:39-40), declared that the Scriptures "bear witness to Me," but require that we "come to Me that you may have life."  God desires to reveal Himself to those who humbly hunger to know Him.  Furthermore, Jesus and the Father sent the Holy Spirit to bear witness to Jesus, to renew our minds by leading us into all truth, and to transform our hearts to know God as "Abba Father."  2 Peter 1:21 points out that all Scripture was given by the Holy Spirit.  So go to the author, the Spirit, and ask Him to open up the Word to reveal Jesus and the nature of God.  If you continue in the Word, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.  Jesus is the truth. 

One more challenge: what book of the bible specifically claims to be the revelation of Jesus Christ?  Yes, the Gospels are His life on earth and the epistles give practical instruction in knowing Him and living out the Christian life, but the answer to the question is Revelation.  Most people mistakenly think this book is about what is going to happen in the end-times, but that is not what God says it is.  Since this book claims to be the revelation of Jesus Christ that God Himself wants the church to have (Revelation 1:1-2), my intention in coming posts is to look specifically at what God has revealed.  

The bottom line is that the one whose life pleases God and bears fruit, is the life that is ever increasing in the knowledge of God.  Invite the Holy Spirit to give you a deep hunger to know Jesus.  Be willing to seek and to wait on Him that He may "open your eyes that you may behold wondrous things out of His Word." He who calls you to be "increasing in the knowledge of Jesus" is Faithful, and He will do it.

   

 

Glory to God Shown!

 Isaiah 40:5 declares that the glory of God shall be revealed.  John 1:14 states "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

As the angels proclaimed, "Glory to God in the Highest." the glory of God was shown in bringing God to man.

At the death and resurrection of Jesus, the glory of God was shown in bringing man to God.

When I taught second graders, they didn't know what "Glory to God" meant, so we interpreted it for them to say, "God, You are Great!"  So Jesus coming and Jesus dying for us shows what an awesome loving God we serve, and what an awesome reason to celebrate the "God, You are Great" this Christmas! Worship and adore Him today.

Abba Father

 You have not received a spirit of fear, but you have now received the Spirit which cries "Father dear."  Abba Father, Daddy God, we receive your love.  These are the words of the chorus based on Galatians 4.  The Spirit causes us to know our primary relationship that gives us stability forever/

Abba Father suggests you are a little child.  And what is a greater blow to our pride than God stopping our head-strong actions with the words, "little children"?  But that is exactly what happened after the resurrection when the disciples decided to go back to fishing. "Little children, have you caught any fish?  God has this ability to say things like they are!

However, "Little children" may not always be a rebuke, but might be taken as an encouragement of His fatherly love.  Yes, it is true we often act foolishly or childishly, but God is reaffirming our relationship with Him, and that He is there to help you.  Our part is to honestly acknowledge that we need Him and are willing to let Him help us.  Note the necessity, unless you humble yourself as a little child.  How about Jesus' comment that the greatest in the kingdom is a little child. The Spirit crying, "Abba, Father" reassures us that no matter what happens, through Jesus, we belong to Him and are His children forever.

Yet, clearly God has put a desire in us to grow up, to no longer be  children led astray by every wind of doctrine.  We are called to grow up into Christ in every way, to let the Spirit change us from glory to glory.  This is not something we work to do, but rather an acceptance that Jesus has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him.  

We grow, as we come to know the truth about Him, His love for you, and all He has done for you. Naturally this comes by taking time and choosing to let Him reveal Himself through the truth of His Word.  The more we are transformed by renewing our mind with His thoughts and ways, the more we grow into His image.  As a man thinks, so is he.

So what is our he conclusion? Always keep a humble childlike heart that relates to God as your intimate personal father, but press in to become what God has called and provided for you to become: a mature child of God transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.  Jesus knew and honored His "Abba Father."

What Pleases God?

 One of the great challenges of Christmas shopping is finding something that will please the person you are gifting (at least for me!).  How much more when the person already HAS everything.  So what would please God?  

First, the amazing thing about God is He is not hard to please, and He has given us some really clear "hints."  We please God by receiving His love and believing what He has done for us.  It pleased the Father to see His Son bruised, because He wanted us to have a way to be cleansed of sin and enjoy the glory of being with Him forever.  Faith pleases God, so it pleases God when we receive His gift.  God delights in mercy (according to Malachi 5:12), and willingly welcomes those who come to Him with a broken and contrite heart.  Nothing pleases God more than believing Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins through His death and resurrection.  And this faith gives us the right to become children of God who are changed by the Spirit of God into new creations.  Therefore, as a new creation we share Jesus' abundant life, and He is pleased to let us enjoy His glory forever.   

It pleases God when we die to our natural fleshy ways and choose to obey the Word of God.  Romans 8 points out that flesh cannot please God.  It is the Spirit that gives life.  We live not by bread but by every Word that  proceeds from the mouth of God. Those who abide in Jesus and let His Word abide in them will please the Father and bear much fruit.  Notice how Jesus declares that whoever loves Him will keep His commandments, with the amazing promise that to him who keeps His Word, Jesus and the Father will come to him and make their home with him.    

One specific request, found in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, is that we "give thanks always, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Doing His will pleases God.  Even Psalm 103 tells us to forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquities, heals all your diseases, redeems your life from the pit (hell), crowns you with lovingkindness and mercy, and fills your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.  Our natural thinking and feeling may quickly forget how good God is and all He has done for us.  Clearly God loves to give, for it is His good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32), but He does want us to be like the tenth leper who at least returns to give thanks.  "Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" screams Psalm 107 repeatedly. 

Jesus, according to Hebrews 12, willingly submitted to the agony and pain of the cross, "because of the joy set before Him."  Likewise, God promises joy and great blessings if you obey His command to give of yourself.  Freely you have received, freely give.  You can never "out give" God.  One of God's eternal principles is sowing and reaping, give and it will be given.  Notice this principle in these verses.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all else will be added.  It almost seems like God wants to bless us, Isaiah 30:18  states that He "will wait that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you."  When we exalt God by our obeying and giving of ourselves, we allow God to move in our behalf. 

Yet Scripture is honest to point out that "through many tribulations we enter the kingdom of God."  Very few people in the Bible have had the difficulties of David, yet He desired only one thing, that He could see the beauty or glory of the Lord.  In God's presence is fullness of joy and strength.  He knew that as He saw God's greatness and kept the commitment that he gives in Psalm 34, "I will bless the Lord at all times," God would fight for Him.  Likewise, Psalm 108 instructs us to give thanks and praise to God, "Be exalted, O God, and Your glory above all the earth."  Honoring God brings us to this psalm's concluding statement of faith, "Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies."  

God promised that we will not lose our reward when we give a glass of water to a child, how much more when we are faithful "in little things" that He gives us to do.  May the Holy Spirit lead us and guide us into all truth so that we imitate the angels who "harken to the voice of His Word" and "do His pleasure." (Psalm 103) 

Root Up All the Wicked in the Land

"Morning by morning I will root up all the wicked in the land, that I may eliminate all the evildoers from the city of the Lord." (Psalm 101, AMP)  This may sound like a necessary prayer to deal with the evils of our society today, but that is not its primary application.  We know that the Old Testament presents things externally, while the New Testament calls us to adapt these truths internally.  The wicked in the land are the things in our hearts that defile the city of God that we are. 

God has made provision through the blood of Jesus to not only forgive sin, but also to cleanse all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9)  Notice He covers our sins, not our excuses.  The key is that we acknowledge sin to be sin, a deliberate wrong choice of flesh over God's way.  Paul made a bold statement that he wasn't subject to be judged by others, but then he acknowledged that he couldn't judge himself. Only God knows the heart.  Search me, O God, and see if there be any wicked way in me. (Ps 139) 

Yet God delights in showing mercy.  The Word overwhelmingly declares He is merciful, gracious, and slow to anger.  There is no condemnation in Jesus Christ.  Just as Jesus wept over Jerusalem, God comes to our hearts longing to set us free and make us whole.  Ephesians 5:13 points out that in His mercy He exposes darkness to light so He can make it light.  As he exposes our hearts, we humble ourselves before Him and allow Him to change us.  Paul encourages us in showing that godly sorrow produces repentance, zeal, and a fresh eagerness to please God. 

The Holy Spirit is our sanctifier.  To sanctify means to set apart for God's use.  Since our body is meant to be the very dwelling place of God, the temple of God, it follows that our reasonable service is to present our bodies to Him for His purpose.  God calls us in 2 Corinthians 6:17 to "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.  Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.  I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters."  

Scripture tells us that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy that was set before Him.  We likewise can let the Spirit search our hearts, even if it hurts to admit our failures, so that we can experience the joy of His presence and the peace of being right with Him.  Jesus promised the Holy Spirit is here to help us, and according to Romans 8, by His Spirit we can put to death the flesh.  Our flesh is not boss, and He helps us pick up our cross and die to ourselves. Perhaps 2 Corinthians 4:10 says it best, "always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body."    

  

Behold Him

Our infinite, awesome beyond description, God of love, is on the throne, today and forever.  Psalm 93 reminds us that "The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is robed, He has girded Himself with strength and power; the world also is established, that it cannot be moved. Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting."  Clearly all creation is His handiwork and reveals His glorious nature.  However, more than His greatness, He is also very present and desiring to meet personally with you.  Hear the words of Jesus, "Come to Me." 

Do you remember David's key to life in Psalm 27:4, one thing I have desired all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord?.   So "Behold Him."  There is an amazing transfer of God's nature when we take time to focus on Him.  Isaiah promises that God keeps him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee (Is 26:3).  David in Psalm 17 states that he will continue to behold God's face in righteousness and be fully satisfied.  Jesus, the obvious light of the world, also declared that if we believe in the light, we would become sons of light. (John 12:36)   God desires that in His light we become light, even going so far as to announce to us in the sermon on the mount, "you are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14).     

May I suggest three key ways to behold Jesus, glorify the Father, and be fruitful.  As you recall, in John 15, Jesus said "if you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit."  Abiding in Jesus, first of all, suggests that we talk to Him. Since He is with us always, He simply longs for us to share our heart and be open to His voice. Do this often and always. 

Secondly, we need to trust God's Word and deliberately choose to have our thoughts and emotions align with His truth.  As a man thinks, so is he, according to Proverbs.  Jesus said, "If you continue in My Word, you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."  2 Corinthians 10 would have us take every thought captive to obey Christ, thus releasing divine power to overcome the enemy.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.   

Finally, the third way to behold Him, is to obey His commands.  Jesus, in John 14, points out that if you love Me you will keep My commandments.  Not only does obedience demonstrate genuine love, but Jesus further promises that He and the Father will manifest themselves to the one who keeps His Word.  Nothing will ever replace God showing Himself to you.

When we draw near to God, He draws near to us.  As we behold Him, our hearts and minds are open to hear His voice, both directly and through His Word, which transforms our mind and enlightens our heart.  Paul reminds us that "we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the gory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord."  

Take time today, to be still and behold Him.