Monthly Archives: August 2020

Ephesians 1:1

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A while back I decided that in order to keep my focus on the study of the Bible and not just the reading, I would write my thoughts on the book of Ephesians verse by verse. It will be sort of a simplified commentary.

Ephesians 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

Paul declares himself to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. An apostle is one who is sent as an emissary to give out the message that the sender wants people to hear, in this case, to the holy, set apart people in Ephesus.

This is the same Paul who persecuted the church and threw people in jail and even approved of their murder. This is the person who Christ sent to be a messenger.
Paul told the Galatian Christians that God had set him apart for this responsibility while in his mother’s womb. (Galatians 1:15) But, when the time was right, God revealed Christ to him on the road to Damascus.

Paul calls the people in Ephesus saints and faithful. Perhaps he means people who are believers i.e. full of faith. But saints? Holy ones. These are just ordinary people that he addresses as saints. All of those who trust Christ and have faith in Him are saints. Have you trusted Christ? Then you, too, are a saint. Hard to believe, isn’t it? Finally, note here as well that they are in Christ Jesus. This theme is found throughout Ephesians. They are in Christ. That is the only safe place to be. How do we get “in Christ”? By the work of the Holy Spirit when we believe on Christ. He places us into the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:55 AM August 29, 2020.

Not in Me

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No list of sins I have not done,
No list of virtues I pursue,
No list of those I am not like
Can earn myself a place with You.
O God, be merciful to me–
I am a sinner through and through!
My only hope of righteousness
Is not in me, but only You.

No humble dress, no fervent prayer,
No lifted hands, no tearful song,
No recitation of the truth
Can justify a single wrong.
My righteousness is Jesus’ life,
My debt was paid by Jesus’ death,
My weary load was borne by Him
And He alone can give me rest.

No separation from the world,
No work I do, no gift I give
Can cleanse my conscience, cleanse my hands;
I cannot cause my soul to live.
But Jesus died and rose again–
The power of death is overthrown!
My God is merciful to me
And merciful in Christ alone.

My righteousness is Jesus’ life,
My debt was paid by Jesus’ death,
My weary load was borne by Him
And He alone can give me rest.

Moment by Moment

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Suddenly yesterday I found myself singing the old hymn, Moment by Moment. To me, the very first line is an essential truth that we Christians need to grasp. I began to grasp this as a young man, but as the years have passed, I have realized how central this is to living the Christian life and finding victory over sin, and having joy in understanding what in fact took place when we were converted.

The first line of the song says, “Dying with Jesus by death reckoned mine.” I’ll expand on this as we go along, but what it is saying is that once I’m in Christ, His death is my death, and by extension, His resurrection is my resurrection.

Some scriptural examples:
Romans 6:8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Ephesians 2:4-6 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

These truths have been central and core beliefs for me. When Christ died, I died with Him. I died to the old life; I died to sin. Since I was also raised with Christ, I have been resurrected to a new life. These things are true for all believers, but it doesn’t always feel like it and we don’t act like it. But the key is the word “reckon” which is used in the song I started with. It means to count it to be true. It doesn’t mean “pretend” it’s true. It is true, but we need to reckon it true in our life. Romans 6:11 says, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I cannot stress enough how important this is. Satan reminds us that the wages of sin is death. Our answer should be, “I already had my death when Jesus died.” There is no further punishment for sin. It is finished!

I would strongly recommend a thorough and careful reading of Romans 6:1-14. Read it often and meditate on it deeply. Understanding this one truth can transform your life!

Put Away the Idols

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I’ve been thinking about Joshua 24:15 where Joshua tells the people to “choose this day whom you will serve.” He goes on to say that as for him, he and his family will serve the Lord. In one sense it sounds like a commitment challenge: “From now on, whom are you going to serve?” But in another sense, I think it is a question that faces us each and every day. “Today, whom will you serve?” Today, as you do your work, interact with your family, watch tv – whom will you serve?

Joshua then mentions a couple of possibilities. Will you serve the gods which your fathers served? Or will you, perhaps, serve the gods of the peoples around you? These are questions for us as well. Today we typically don’t have physical statues of gods that we bow down to. Rather, we bow to internal gods and cultural gods. Sometimes there is a trend in our family where our parents or grandparents set a bad example and maybe helped us develop habits of sin that become gods. These would be the gods our fathers served. Sometimes we pick up the worship of these gods from those around us, the people we work with, things we watch on TV or online.

What are some things that find their place as gods for us? There are many. Some examples include money and materialism. Other gods include the god of sex, popularity, prestige, or fashion. Sometimes sports and entertainment become idols for people. Think about how John summarizes the world: lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life. Anything that attracts us in these areas can become a god.

How can you tell if something has become a god, replacing the one true God? Think about your reaction if it is taken away. Another way to think about it is where are your affections directed? Where do spend your free time and your extra money? What do you feel like you really have to do or have, and if you don’t, you will feel deprived, depressed, or left out? If we’re honest with ourselves, our idols are not really all that hard to find. If you find something that you think might have become a god for you, commit to getting rid of it for a month. If that’s an easy thing, perhaps it is not a god for you, but if, after a few days, you can hardly stand being without that thing or situation or pastime, maybe you need to take a closer look.

What did Joshua tell the people they should do in verse 23? He said, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.” We need to put away the false gods we worship, and we also need to incline our heart toward God. Stop looking at the idol and start to look at Christ who died for you to pay your penalty for all the sinful garbage that attracts and entangles you.

All Glory Be To Christ

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A song for this Lord’s Day to the tune of Auld Lang Syne

Should nothing of our efforts stand
No legacy survive
Unless the Lord does raise the house
In vain its builders strive

To you who boast tomorrow’s gain
Tell me what is your life
A mist that vanishes at dawn
All glory be to Christ!

All glory be to Christ our King!
All glory be to Christ!
His rule and reign will ever sing
All glory be to Christ!

His will be done
His kingdom come
On earth as is above
Who is Himself our daily bread
Praise Him the Lord of love

Let living water satisfy
The thirsty without price
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet
All glory be to Christ!

All glory be to Christ our King!
All glory be to Christ!
His rule and reign will ever sing
All glory be to Christ!

When on the day the great I Am
The faithful and the true
The Lamb who was for sinners slain
Is making all things new

Behold our God shall live with us
And be our steadfast light
And we shall ere his people be
All glory be to Christ!

All glory be to Christ our King!
All glory be to Christ!
His rule and reign will ever sing
All glory be to Christ!

All glory be to Christ our King!
All glory be to Christ!
His rule and reign will ever sing
All glory be to Christ!

Listen Here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zS1Peh17I4

Be Still My Soul

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Heard this song playing at a restaurant yesterday. The words seem appropriate to what we all are facing these days.

1 Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heav’nly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2 Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

3 Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
and all is darkened in the vale of tears,
then shall you better know his love, his heart,
who comes to soothe your sorrow and your fears.
Be still, my soul: your Jesus can repay
from his own fullness all he takes away.

4 Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Book Highlight

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In my book, I write about those who say that we cannot figure out what the actual intent of a writer is because everyone’s experience is different, and so forth. In response, I write this, “If what they say is true, then it is false. Why? because if we can’t know anything and can’t communicate anything, then they don’t know what they are trying to communicate, and they can’t be sure any of us will hear the message they are sending.”