February 8, 2018 THE MSSION OF JESUS
Colossians 1:22-23: “yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul was made a minister.”
We often think of the salvation that comes through Jesus as being the assurance that will go to heaven when we die-and that is true. However, there is much more to our salvation than going to heaven when we die. The mission that led Jesus to dying on a cruel cross was the mission of reconciling, redeeming, and restoring lost man to God. Jesus valued the restoration of man more than He valued His earthly life! Jesus had a reason for enduring the cross-through His death, man could not only find forgiveness for sin, man could be presented before Him as holy, blameless, and beyond reproach! As you read this section of scripture, you get the feeling that Jesus was excited about His people being presented as holy, blameless, and beyond reproach. Can we, do we, see ourselves as Jesus sees us-holy, blameless, and beyond reproach? Verse 22 is not the complete story. Verse 23 begins with the word ‘if’, and in this verse we discover that we are called to work with God as He works in us. Holiness, being blameless and being beyond reproach does not just happen, but is a result of being reconciled to God and being made new. When we are living as being reconciled to God, the evidences of that is holiness, blamelessness, and being beyond reproach. We are not capable in our own strength and determination to be holy-it requires a work of God in us- but once He does His work in us, we have the opportunity to work out what He has worked in us. What a shame it would be for God to have made us holy, to have done a great work in us, and yet live as though we were not reconciled and made new. In this letter, Paul goes on to tell us that the awesome mystery that has been hidden from past generations and past ages has been revealed in Christ, and that great mystery is-Christ in us, the hope of glory! Yes, the mystery has been revealed to us-to you and I. Because Christ is in us-we are no longer limited by our mere humanity-but have the power of God at work in us, transforming us to His image-and He is holy, He is blameless, and He is beyond reproach! Let us not see ourselves through human eyes and wisdom, but let us see ourselves as He sees us, and let us live a life that reflects Him-even in the nitty-gritty of life, and in all of our routines.
Colossians 1:9 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…..”
Blessings,
Buddy
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