God's Armor

This is a serious battle so you better get your gear on.

Ephesians 6:10-13  A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  11  Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil.

12  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.   

13  Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

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Our world has seen wars come and go, the battle between men can last for months or a few years and then it is over, there are estimates that there have been over three thousand wars in recorded history.

There is a different kind of battle taking place that has been raging for a long time, it is a battle that has caused many casualties and the enemy has taken captive a lot of prisoners, it is a battle that many people don't realize is happening or they just don't care. We are in a fierce war with a powerful enemy but we have no reason to be afraid if we are on the Lord's side.

The Enemy: Satan

1 Peter 5:8  Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Satan is seen in different forms in scripture, as a deceiving serpent, as an angel of light that wants to trick us and also as a roaring lion that is ready to devour and destroy. He resist every effort that we make to do something to please God and he wishes to destroy us by violent opposition, persecution, and death.

The Battle: Against Demons

Ephesians 6:12 warns us that one of Satan's most effective strategies is the delusion that everything is fine and that there isn't any serious threat in the supernatural realm. This is a very big danger and it is very naive and it leads to apathy, and indifference.

It is very dangerous to be a part of paganism, the occult, and various other things that Satan uses to trick people into his schemes. It looks harmless and it looks like a lot of fun to some people but the danger is real.

The Provision: The Armor of God

2 Corinthians 10:4  We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

The Greek word translated "put on" (enduo) carries the idea of permanence. The full armor of God is not something to be put on and taken off, there isn't a casual day where you can choose to wear part of the armor and you can't rely on a friend that is using part of the armor that you are missing.

We already know that we aren't fighting mankind and the enemy is in the spirit world so we should realize that we cannot rely on man's weapons any more than David could rely on Saul's armor.

The Victory: Standing Firm

1 Peter 5:9  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

The way to gain the victory is to stand firm. At the beginning of Jesus ministry he stood firm for forty days in the desert and and as his time on Earth came to an end he was bombarded by Satan again in the Garden of Gethsemane until he was sweating drops of blood. (Luke 4:2, 22:44)

Victory in Jesus
1 John 5:4-5  For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.  5  And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Notice that John says in the verses above that all of God's children will have victory over this evil world. That's a big deal because the enemy is very powerful but God has provided for our ultimate victory in heaven and he has provided the gear that we need to wear so that we will make it through the battle that is going on down here.

Thank you Lord for giving me the tools that I need to be able to live in this world and to be able to stand firm against Satan's attack.

Walk In Wisdom

Not all wisdom is created equal so be careful who's wisdom you follow.

Ephesians 5:15-17  So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise.  16  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  17  Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

Titus 2:11-14  For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.   

12  And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13  while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.   

14  He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

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There was a lot of interest in wisdom in the society that Paul was living in. The people of the city of Ephesus included many Greeks that would be familiar with the popular philosophy and wisdom that the nearby city of Athens is famous for.

These lovers of wisdom studied the concepts of logic and the idea of reality, our existence, and knowledge. The wisdom that these people had is foolishness to God, the Greek idea of wisdom was about the mind and having superior intellect but God wants his people to have wisdom from him which is about living by his standards, the two viewpoints do not mix well.

The converted pagans had a difficult time breaking away from the man made gods and the philosophies of man. It doesn't take any effort to live contrary to God's wisdom, the wisdom of man comes naturally to us, it seems logical to us. It takes effort to align your idea of wisdom with God's because we can't comprehend his wisdom. How can the first be last or the greatest be the least?

Job 12:13 “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his."

Since our minds are programed to think that God's wisdom doesn't make sense, we have to be careful that we are following God's wisdom instead of mans. Sometimes we trick ourselves into believing that our human wisdom is actually God's wisdom so that we can do what we want to do.

Traits of the fool: Disbelief Luke 24:25  Then Jesus said to them, "You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Disobey Galatians 3:3  How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Desire Wrong Things 1 Timothy 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. Does Wrong James 3:15  For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.

There is a connection between having God's wisdom, his righteousness and being devoted to him and there is a connection between being a fool and being involved in wicked behavior. We cannot be like God and be wise and also be involved in the pleasures of this world.

Lord, I am looking forward to the day that you return and this battle with human wisdom is over. I want to live by your wisdom and accept the truth of your word. The day of your return is way more exciting to me than the empty pleasures of this world.

Live In The Light

We need to be concerned about who we are making happy.

Ephesians 5:6-14  Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey Him.  7  Don't participate in the things these people do.

8  For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!  9  For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.  10  Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

11  Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.  12  It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.  13  But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,  14  for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

John 8:12  Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."

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There are a lot more people in this world that are living to please themselves than there are that try to live to please God. It can be easy to be fooled into thinking that it really doesn't matter very much how I live but the entire Bible tells me that isn't correct. From cover to cover the message of the Bible to God's people is that he wants them to be different.

Ever since man was created, God has desired to have fellowship with us, but we cannot allow ourselves to be involved in the sins that the world gets wrapped up in and think that we will be able to maintain a close personal relationship with God.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13  "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases Him, and love Him and serve Him with all your heart and soul.  13  And you must always obey the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

Before we began following Jesus we were in the dark, intellectually we were ignorant and morally we were evil, we could not help but do what pleases ourselves. The devil has plenty of delightful tricks to get us to stay in the dark, that's where he wants to keep us, it is so much "fun" that we won't even realize that we are in the dark.

Living in light means living in truth and living in holiness, living to find out what pleases God, the light exposes the devils tricks and the lies that he tells you about how good life is in the dark. God's way is best, he has our best interest at heart, he wants to give us life more abundantly and he wants to change our eternal destination.

Before we became God's children we were living in a dark cave without any source of light. We couldn't know which way to go, we couldn't see to take care of ourselves, we were hopeless to do anything without the light.Then we get rescued from that hopeless environment and the next thing you know we go running back into the cave. It is amazing that we think that there is something better for us back in the dark.

Turn away from evil.

Titus 2:12-14  And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,  13  while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.  14  He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Light and dark don't mix and so the the characteristics, if you're going to walk as a child of light, goodness, righteousness, truth cannot mix with the evil, unrighteous lies of the children of the dark. We are told not to do the things that they do and we are to shine our light so that it exposes the shameful things that they are doing.

I must be determined to shine my light in this dark world. It is a crime for a lighthouse to be out of service when the storms of life are raging and people desperately need the hope of Jesus.

Out With The Old, In With The New

God's children shouldn't look like the rest of the world.

Ephesians 4:21-24  Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him,  22  throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.   

23  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.  24  Put on your new nature, created to be like God--truly righteous and holy.

Ephesians 5:6-7 Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey Him.  7  Don't participate in the things these people do.

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The new church in Ephesus needed instruction on what their new life in Jesus should look like. The new Greek converts came from a different religious background that included many different gods. Paul told the new church that it is the responsibility of the leader of this new church to instruct them on this new way of life.

As a child of God in this sinful world, you don't have any choice, you have to live among the people that you probably used to be like. You thought like them and partied like them but once you came to Jesus things should be different. That old life-style is not compatible with someone who has seen the truth about Jesus. The worldly way is ignorant about God and his desire for their life, they are busy taking care of their own passions, their happiness is all that matters.

Colossians 3:10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.

That's my goal, to become more like God, putting off the old man and putting on the new man. There should be a dramatic difference in my life-style when I come to know Christ, I now have a foundation for truth and for moral values, I should have new desires.

As a child of God we have the mind of Christ, we understand that the world's promise of pleasure and happiness is an empty lie, our enlightened minds require us to live different, we must throw off our old sin nature and be renewed by the Holy Spirit. My thoughts and attitudes cannot be the same as they used to be.

Ephesians 4:30  And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, He has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is not to be taken lightly and it is very dangerous to continue chasing after the desires of the old man and ignoring the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God in us attempting to lead us to be dead to the world; yet we go on with our plans of financial gain. We continue to pursue the folly of fashion and vanity and deck ourselves out in the best apparel. We continue to chase after the next thrill and indulge ourselves when this isn't the appropriate life-style for God's children.

The Holy Spirit is there to help me know right from wrong and help me to become more like God. When I yield to his control I will become more like my heavenly father which is what I am supposed to become.

Lord help me to keep my eyes on what is really important. I want to protect the new man and help him to continue to grow. Keep me from the deception of my sin nature.

Perfecting The Saints

The body of Christ cannot grow without some assistance.

Ephesians 4:11-16 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

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Before Jesus left earth he provided the leadership that the new organization called the church would need so that the church would be sustainable throughout the ages. The church leaders included apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

The two main purposes of these leaders is to help the believers grow and to help them get along and work together in unity. Don't fall for the lie that these are the "professional" Christians that are employed to do all of the work of the church.

Ideally, if the leadership is successful then the work of the church will get done efficiently and the people in the church will be very happy doing their part. We don't usually take it very seriously but our maturity in the body of Christ is very important for two reasons:

1. Without maturity in our faith we will fall for the devils lies, he will send people that will try and trick us into believing something that is almost the truth, something similar to the deception that he used on Adam and Eve.

2. The world needs to see the body in a mature condition because a lack of maturity will result in behavior that will not be appealing. We must be mature so that we can be attractive to the world, if they see fighting and childish behavior and an absence of love then they will be repelled from us, love and unity are the best reasons for them to notice us.

Becoming like Jesus.
1 John 3:2  Dear friends, we are already God's children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is.

The work of perfecting the saints is a job that will not be finished until Jesus returns and takes us home to heaven. Until then the leaders of the church are here to equip us and help us grow to maturity. They will work along with the Holy Spirit and the Bible to help us grow more like Jesus. (Galatians 5:16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 13:17)

Thank you Lord for the men of the Bible that show me how to live, thank you for the guidance of pastors and church leaders that help me know you better and help me apply your teaching to my life.

One

The number one should be your favorite number.

Ephesians 4:3-6  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.  4  For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.  5  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  6  and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

1 Corinthians 8:6  But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for Him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.

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People in the church come from every racial, cultural and social background. There are people that have been involved in sin that leads to prison time and there are others that have been involved in more socially acceptable sin. There are some that have been in the church since they were in the womb. God's family is full of variety.

All of these differences can make a lot of trouble in the body of Christ but we must not allow these differences to spoil the unity that God desires in the church. We see our differences as a really big deal but God isn't looking at all of that, why would he? He only sees people that are his children and people that need to be his children. The only reason we get so busy checking out the differences between us is so that we can compare and judge one another.

We get distracted and forget to look at what we have in common:
✔ Body ✔ Spirit ✔ Hope ✔ Faith				✔ Baptism ✔ Lord ✔ God ✔ Father

The things that we have in common are far greater than our differences and they are also far more important than our differences. Despite our religious differences, there is one body of Christ which all have the same hope for our eternal destiny. We are a bunch of ordinary people that have been chosen by the one Father, the one Son and the one Holy Spirit to be a part of the one body of believers.

Romans 15:5-7 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.

We all know what it looks like when our physical body doesn't work right, life is a challenge for people that have body parts that do not work properly, unfortunately we all have seen the body of Christ work in much the same way. There are a lot of mischievous body parts that are not working for the common good. Some parts want more attention that they should have and some parts are a lot more maintenance than they should be.

We should all be working for the same goal of glorifying God and leading others to him. The world should look at us with wonder and amazement because we are one. They should be drawn to us because of the unity and love that we have for each other. They should look at Christ followers and think "I want to experience that."

Someday we will be one and we will join together with one voice to sing praises to God, too bad that isn't a reality on earth today, the events of world history would be so much different if God's people had put unity into practice.

Character Of The Worthy Walk

What does it look like to live a life that is worthy of the call?

Ephesians 4:1-3  Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.  2  Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love.  3  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

John 17:21  I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one--as You are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe You sent Me.

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In the previous post we learned that we have a responsibility to live up to the position that we have in Christ, there needs to be perfect harmony between who I am and how I live, if I do not walk worthy of the position that I have in Christ then God is not being glorified in my life.

My conduct needs to bring glory to God but what does that look like in practical application? Contrary to popular opinion it isn't about keeping a checklist of things that you are allowed or not allowed to do. We tend to tell people that they need to pray for this much time or read your Bible for this much time or don't do these things but the things that Paul told the Ephesian church to be concerned about are all inner attitudes or characteristics of their heart.

The attitudes that we need to cultivate in our heart include:

✔  Humility
✔ Gentleness or Meekness
✔ Patience or Long-suffering
✔ Forgiving Spirit
✔ Peaceful Spirit

That's what the world needs to see in God's people, we have been called by God to live a very peculiar life-style, but instead we look just about the same as the world. Our divorce rate is the same, the number of God's people that are dealing with anger and pride is not radically different from the rest of the world. The devil has a lot of nice, friendly, caring people that have better hearts than some of God's people.

Remember that it isn't about checking off a list of good things to do and determining in our head that we will live with filters and stay away from doing bad things. It is about heart modification, the Holy Spirit will put these into your life, your human effort will work for awhile but permanent change comes from within.

Walking worthy is a very big issue and one that doesn't get talked about enough. Does the world see the unity that Jesus prayed for us to have? Jesus prayed that we would have the same unity as he and his Father had so that the world would believe. The church should not look like every other human organization, there should be a supernatural difference, a unity that can not be brought about by human effort.

Our evangelism methods often fail because the church has a bad reputation, the message of love, unity and oneness gets lost because God's people don't walk worthy. We cannot have an influence on our world if they cannot see any benefits in our lives. Let's make the world take notice of us and wonder why we are so different.

Thank you Lord for your forgiveness and grace, I need to extend forgiveness and grace to those around me, help me rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to show me how to be radically different from the rest of the world.

Walk Worthy

Does my walk show the world that I appreciate God's blessings? 

Ephesians 4:1  I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

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The first three chapters of Ephesians are full of truth about our resources, riches, and the things God has done for us. It is amazing to read through the beginning of Ephesians with a highlighter to mark all of the incredible things that God has done for us.

From chapter four until the end of the book in chapter six Paul tells his readers that because of the amazing things that have been done we need to walk worthy! We need to live up to the high calling that God has placed on our lives.

You know how the media loves a story of somebody that is royalty that has embarrassed their family and their position. They are not their own person in Paul makes it clear that we need to walk a different walk and live up to our position in Christ. Paul teaches this in many of his letters and he doesn't just ask us to live worthy of our position, it's not just a good idea or a suggestion, he is actually begging us.

Listen to Paul's message in some of his other letters, "I plead with you to give your bodies to God, I urge you to imitate me, we plead, 'Come back to God!' and again he says "We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you"

There needs to be perfect harmony between who I am and how I live, if I do not walk worthy then God is not being glorified in my life, in fact instead of being glorified he is being torn down. Other people cannot believe that he did incredible things for me if what he did for me doesn't have an effect on how I live.

Look what He's done for me!
✔  Blessed us with all spiritual blessing ✔  Chose us before the foundation of the world ✔  Made us to be holy, to be blameless ✔  Predestined us ✔  Adopted us to praise him ✔  Given us redemption and forgiveness ✔  Made known to us the mystery of His will ✔  Give us an inheritance ✔  Granted to us the Holy Spirit ✔  Given us resurrection power

Thank you for for all of the amazing things that you have done for me. I pray that my life will show how much I appreciate the gift of salvation and the many blessings that you bestow on your children.

Love Beyond Understanding

If you have experienced this kind of love then you need to pass it on.

Ephesians 3:17-19  Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.   

18  And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.

19  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

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Trying to understand God's love is like seeing a picture of the Grand Canyon, you don't really comprehend how huge it is, but when you are standing on the edge of it looking at it in person you get a better perspective. You can see a little bit better how wide, how deep and how long it is, you get a better idea of its size. But wait, there is more, after you take that in and think you know about it, jump into a helicopter and go up above it and see more of the length, go down into the canyon and you get a better idea of the depth.

As we trust him more and the Holy Spirit gets control of our life we will understand a little better about God's enormous love for us. We will see where we are at and how bad off we are and how much we need to grow to become more like Christ. It will become very clear that he must really love us to accept us in the state that we are in.

Controlled by love.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15  Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.  15  He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

God's love took control of him and compelled him to send his son to help make us right with him. I need to follow his example and be controlled by love in the same way. Imagine love that is so strong that it compels you to help those that are so beneath you and so far from measuring up to your standard and yet you give them your all and adopt them into your family! That is an amazing love!

We let things control us, it may be pleasure or drugs or fear, it would be awesome if we could learn to allow love to control our every move but even followers of Jesus take control or we allow something else to be in control besides him.

Help me Lord to allow love to control my life more and more as I become more like your son.

Use The Force

We have power that we need to start using.

Ephesians 3:14-16, 20  When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,  15  the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  16  I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit.

20  Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

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So far in our study of the book of Ephesians Paul has been talking about who we are in Christ, some of the things that he has told us includes who we are because of our salvation, he has told us about the "Incredible Power" that we have, and that we should desire to be "Used By God."

Now Paul tells us that he is praying for us to realize that we have been blessed with unlimited resources to do the work that God has given us. It seems that Paul wants us to go beyond having head knowledge about our position in Christ and the power that is available.

"The average person uses one tenth of one percent of his brain. And I would venture to say that the average Christian probably uses one tenth or less of the percentage of the power of God that is available at his disposal"

-John MacArthur

It isn't doing you any good to have a powerful sports car in the driveway if you are not willing to put the key in and crank it up. That's how it is for most Christ followers, we have God's power in our life, the power that created the universe, the power that raised Christ from the dead, is the same power that works in us through the Holy Spirit but we fail to access the power by not turning the key.

We are powerful and protected.
Ephesians 6:10-11  A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  11  Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

What a combo we have! The power and strength of almighty God is on our side and we also have protective armor that God has made available.We definitely have the advantage in the battle but we have to utilize the power and the protection or it's not doing us any good.

The potential power that we have as a child of God is more than we can understand, we just need to plug into the power and get the victory over sin and become more like Jesus. As we progress we will have victory and "sin less," not become "sinless," that won't happen on this side of glory.

Thank you Lord for taking care of me so well. There isn't anything greater than having your power and protective armor to stand firm in the battle and grow more like you.

Peace With God

My faith in Jesus work on the cross gives me undeserved privileges

Ephesians 3:12  Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence.

Romans 5:1-2  Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

2  Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.

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The fact that I have been forgiven of all of the things that I have ever done wrong is so amazing. To think that God who is so perfect and has nothing to do with sin or evil can welcome me into his presence is pretty incredible.

The Bible says that we can come into God's presence because of two things, the work of Jesus on the cross and our faith in Jesus, that's the only way to come to God and enjoy his presence. On the surface it looks like God did his part by having Jesus come to die for us and then it is up to us to have the faith to believe but everything that we have comes from God and that even includes the faith to believe.

I can come into the presence of God boldly and with confidence, there isn't any reason to fear, God loves me and he covered my sin debt already. When he looks at me he doesn't see somebody that owes him for all of my sin. He sees me as all paid up!

John 5:24  "I tell you the truth, those who listen to My message and believe in God who sent Me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life."

I hope that you know without a doubt that you can have peace with God. Our relationship with God was broken by sin but he he has provided the way to restore our relationship so that we can have peace with him and peace in the trials of life.

More information on how to "Find Peace With God"

Used By God

It is a privilege to serve God.

Ephesians 3:7-11  By God's grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving Him by spreading this Good News.  8  Though I am the least deserving of all God's people, He graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.   

9  I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.  10  God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display His wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  11  This was His eternal plan, which He carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Most of us don't like the idea of being used, it usually implies that someone has taken advantage of us, but the people that are being used by God don't mind it at all and they are usually very happy about it. In our selfish, sinful world people get used and mistreated everyday, we are not very nice to the people around us but there is somebody that we should be happy to have use us.

The Apostle Paul tells us that he was very privileged to be used by God. Paul was always zealous for God and wanted to be useful and obedient, that's why he was so well studied in the ways of Judaism, most of his life had been spent learning how to please God. Paul really thought that he knew God's will.

It is easy to think that your busyness is helping you accomplish God's will for your life but sometimes we are missing the mark just as bad as Paul did. Imagine spending so much time trying to please God with your life, going to the temple to learn from the local rabbi, studying everything that he taught about God and then you find out that the way to please God is totally opposite of what you had learned. God had to show him that he wasn't interested in the work that Paul was doing for him.

Instead of shoving Paul over to the side and deciding the he wasn't useful God gave him a chance for a turn around. He didn't deserve a do over but God corrected Paul's understanding about the Old Testament and revealed the truth of the Messiah to him so that he could understand the events that just happened in Jerusalem surrounding Jesus.

Appointed by God
John 15:16  You didn't choose Me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit.

A popular question to ask somebody you just met is "What kind of work do you do?" It would be awesome if we answered this question from a heavenly perspective. All of God's children have been given a job to do and we should know what it is and be just as able to talk about it as we are able to talk about our career choices here on earth.

None of us deserve to have God find us useful and beneficial to his work but by his grace we get to have a job doing kingdom work. God's grace chose to use me without any regard for my resume or my past performance.

God wants me to be his servant, someone that is a waiter or a foot washer, jobs that don't sit well with a lot of people. God wants me to serve with a sense of who I really am without him. There isn't any room for pride or glorifying myself when I think about how much he has done for me as a wretched sinner without hope.

I need to be the church by serving in the role that God has called me to work in. The church is here to bring glory to God but that will not happen unless we are obedient to God's call and serve him with our lives. (Ephesians 3:10, Matthew 5:16)

Lord help me to understand your will and the work that you have appointed for me to accomplish.

We Are God's Temple

The temples of this world will fade away but God's temple will last forever.

Ephesians 2:20-22  Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself.  21  We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.  22  Through Him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by His Spirit.

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In the previous post we saw that God has drawn all mankind to himself from every nation, he doesn't have favorites, he never did. The nation of Israel was chosen as a tool to help us get to know God and what his will is for his people but God never gave Israel exclusive access to himself. God made it clear that he came to save us all and he wants us to be a part of his new temple.

God didn't throw away all of the Old Testament doctrine, they were the beginning of the foundation that would be completed with the apostles. The foundation that was laid by the prophets and the apostles was not composed of tradition, philosophy, or man made laws, this rock solid foundation is based on the great truths which God had revealed through the prophets and the apostles.

On this foundation God is building a new temple, that old temple in Jerusalem is gone, the Romans destroyed it. Jesus taught that Judaism was a thing of the past and that that old temple wasn't going to be needed anymore. Makes me wonder if God used the Romans to get rid of the old temple so that his people would quit using it.

The new temple in which God dwells is not a physical building like the old Jewish temple. It is a spiritual dwelling place that is to be purified and just as sacred as the physical temple was back when it was originally built. God's presence filled that first temple and it should fill us as the new temple.

This foundation is solid.
Isaiah 28:16  Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.

This foundation is something that you don't need to worry about, it has been tested and found to be solid, there isn't any reason to doubt and suspect that it isn't stable. The foundation for this new temple is secure and will stand firm through any storm that may come.

When life comes at us like a hurricane there isn't any need to look for an evacuation route. I need to stand firm and put all doubts aside because my foundation has been fully tested and I know it is secure.

Thank you Lord for the assurance that I will weather the storms that this life throws my way. Thank you for making me a part of your temple where you choose to dwell.

God Doesn't Have Favorites

God chose to use Israel as a tool to reveal himself.

Ephesians 2:11-13  Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called "uncircumcised heathens" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.  12  In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.  13  But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ.

Deuteronomy 10:16-19  Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn.  17  "For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.  18  He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.  19  So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

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Ever since the original sin people have been very good at putting up barriers, throughout world history you can see the barriers between ourselves and those around us and the boxes that we put each other in, it is a part of our sin nature that affects every relation that we have. Sin creates hate, bitterness, strife, fighting, war, conflict, there's only one thing that ruins the possibility of having a perfect human relationship.

There are so many labels that could be put on a person, labels that were intended to show superiority and human pride, this was a major problem throughout the Bible:

✔ You can hear some pride in King David's voice when he said in 1 Samuel 17:26: "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine?"

✔ You can hear the Gentile contempt for the Jews when you listen to Pilate. "I surely am not a Jew am I?" (John 18:35)

✔ Check out this interaction between Paul and an angry crowd of Jews: "But the Lord said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!'" 22 The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, "Away with such a fellow! He isn't fit to live!" 23 They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air. (Acts 22:21-23)

The Jews had distorted the fact that God chose them as a tool to reveal himself to the world, instead of showing the world a better way of living and drawing attention to God they decided that they would use God's favor on them to justify elevating themselves over everybody else. They ignored a lot of facts in the Old Testament that showed that God was for everybody:

✔ God said that they would be a blessing to others, not superior and condescending to others (Genesis 12:2)

✔ Abraham went to Melchizedek, the king of Salem, a non-Jew and a priest of God.  Melchizedek made it clear that the Jews didn't have God all to themselves, he feared and worshiped God and since he was a priest he received an offering from Abraham (Genesis 14:17-20)

✔ Why was God concerned that righteous people would perish in Sodom and Gomorrah if he was only the God of the Jews? (Genesis 18:20)

✔ Jethro, Moses' father-in-law and non-Jew was convinced that he knew God (Exodus 18:10-12)

✔ God told his people through the prophet Isaiah that the Jews didn't have a lock on God and God said that his house would be a house of prayer for all nations. (Isaiah 56:3, Isaiah 56:6-8 )

✔ Rahab and Ruth, how about these important non-Jews in Jesus' genealogy?

✔ And don't forget about God's concern for the Assyrians that were living in Nineveh. God loved them but Jonah couldn't stand the idea of going to their city and having a revival.

God never said that salvation belonged only to the Jews. Their special privilege was supposed to be a witness to the nations that would draw everyman to God. Their lifestyle should have made the world take notice and it should have given the Jews an opportunity to explain why they are different. Instead of that it became an excuse for carnal, selfish pride and thoughts of superiority.

Does your life honor God?
Romans 2:23-24  You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.  24  No wonder the Scriptures say, "The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.

The Apostles had an uphill battle convincing the early church that they were all equal and that everybody is and always have been standing on level ground. Imagine all of these different groups of people having to go to worship and having to go to dinner together.

The New Testament teaches that we, the church, are supposed to be different. We are to walk in love, live by the spirit our conversation and our way of life should be totally different from the rest of the world. (Matthew 5:16) Our world should notice the difference that Jesus has made and then we will have opportunities to explain why.

Thank you Lord for giving me a new life. May I never look at the world and fail to have compassion I want them to be drawn to you and wonder why I am different.

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The Work Of The Master

The masterpiece doesn't get to take any credit for what it is.

Ephesians 2:4-10  But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much,  5  that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)

6  For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.  7  So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8  God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  9  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

10  For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

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A masterpiece doesn't happen by accident, it takes forethought and planning to make it happen, most of the time there is a sketch or a rough draft or in the case of a building project there is a blueprint. The number one artist, designer and creator of all time was no different, he had a plan and a purpose, he didn't create just to pass the time and his creation didn't turn out so awesome by accident.

mas·ter·piece - Noun /ˈmastərˌpēs/  A work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship.

God had a plan for each of us when he created us and he had a plan to provide for our deepest need. God knew that we would not be a beautiful masterpiece for very long he knew that we would need to be restored to the beautiful condition that we were in when we were brand new and still living in the Garden of Eden.

God's plan to help us wasn't forced on us, out of his mercy and love, he put the plan in place and made it available to us but he gives us the choice. I can continue to be a dead man with very limited potential if that's what I want to be or I can have a new birth to a life that has the greatest rewards.

I am his prized possession.
James 1:18  He chose to give birth to us by giving us His true word. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession.

It was God's choice, undeserved by us, to offer his gracious gift to us and make us his special masterpiece and a prized possession. The masterpiece didn't do anything to become a masterpiece, the artistry of our creator made us what we are, the best that I could do isn't anywhere close to measuring up, God's work in my life is the only way that I have become so valuable.

Who does God say that I am? I am so valuable to God that he calls me his child and his friend (John 1:11, 15:15), he wants me to live life to the max (John 10:10), and my life is a sweet aroma to him  (2 Corinthians 2:15, Ephesians 5:2). His opinion of me is what really matters!

Thank you Lord for making me a valuable masterpiece that you desire to have.

This Dead Man Is Now Alive

Jesus gives life to those that were doomed to die.

Ephesians 2:1-6  Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.  2  You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil--the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.   

3  All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else.  4  But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much,  5  that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)   

6  For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

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The best way to describe me before I put my faith in Jesus is that I was dead. Sure I had some life in me, I was walking around and using up oxygen and would probably continue to do so for a little while but even if that life lasted for one hundred years that isn't very much compared to how long I will be dead.

I was just like the rest of the world, living for my own pleasure and making decisions that pleased the devil instead of pleasing God. Ephesians 2:2 is a little bit scary to think about, the thought that I was taking my orders from the devil and doing what pleases him, to consider that I was allowing the "commander of the powers in the unseen world" to be in control of my life is a bit unsettling. I don't like to think that I could be so deceived that I would allow the one that is the source and the leader of all of the wickedness that is in this world and in the unseen world to be my leader as well.

I was doomed in this state of hopelessness because I could not cover the penalty of my sin and I couldn't make better choices and live a better life without God's help. All of us live for self and God has every right to leave us in the dead state that we are in but his mercy and love rose up and made a way for us to avoid his anger and his demand for perfection.

Buried with Christ.
Colossians 2:12-13  For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.  13  You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins.

Since I was already a dead man I needed to be buried but I didn't want to stay there for long. I was buried with Christ when I was baptized and then immediately after the burial I was raised from the dead. That's how it was for Jesus, he didn't stay among the dead for long before God brought him back to life, I will not stay dead for long before I begin my new life in heaven with my Savior.

I will live a new life in heaven but I also should live a new life here on earth, I had to make a change, I have taken the controls away from the "commander of the powers in the unseen world" and given them to God.

Thank you Lord for breaking the power of the "commander of the powers in the unseen world" and for giving me new life!

God's Incredible Power

God's power should not be scary to his friends.

Ephesians 1:19-23  I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power  20  that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms.   

21  Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else--not only in this world but also in the world to come.  22  God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things for the benefit of the church.  23  And the church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with Himself.

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God's power is incredible, the force that created everything out of nothing and gives life to man may seem like something that you should be afraid of but we don't have to live in fear that we will be hit with a bolt of lightning from the sky, God's incredible power is actually for our benefit.

Instead of being scared, God wants to have a loving relationship with his children, his power is our ally and is used for our benefit, instead of coming at us in judgment against us. God's power is manifest in our lives through his written word, his power to save us and redeem us from sin is through his blood, his power to change us is worked out through the Holy Spirit.

The unlimited power of God that raised Jesus and took him back to heaven to sit at God's throne is the power that we can count on in our lives. There was power exerted for the believer at our conversion. There will be power exerted in keeping us. There will be power in raising us up from the dead and power to take us up with Christ to heaven.

Since Jesus is at God's right hand as our advocate we know that we do not have to live in fear of God's judgement. That doesn't give me freedom to sin, God wants me to be so much more righteous and holy than what I will ever be here on earth, but my failures should not make me live in fear of him. Jesus is at the right hand of God for the benefit of the church which he loves so much that he died for her.

Is Jesus your friend?

John 15:12-17  This is My commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.  13  There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.  14  You are My friends if you do what I command.  15  I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in His slaves. Now you are My friends, since I have told you everything the Father told Me.  16  You didn't choose Me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using My name.  17  This is My command: Love each other. Romans 5:8-11  But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  9  And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God's condemnation.  10  For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son.  11  So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

There isn't any way that you will find a better friend than the friendship that you can have with the one that gave you life and wants to give you life that will last for eternity. God has done everything necessary to take away the barriers that stood between him and man.

Thank you Lord for making it possible to have a relationship with you; your mercy and forgiveness toward man are priceless. I am so glad that your awesome power is being used to benefit me to shape me and make me more like you.

Praying For Improvement

Praying for spiritual growth is a great way to bless your friends and neighbors.

Ephesians 1:15-19  Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere,  16  I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,  17  asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.   

18  I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called--His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance. 19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe Him.

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The ultimate church planter was probably the Apostle Paul, his strategy for planting new churches is an example that is still valid today, God used Paul to get the message about Jesus out of Israel and spread it around the world.

Paul was happy to learn that his church plant had developed a strong faith but he didn't believe that they had arrived. Paul knew that there is always room for improvement and that the pagan culture around them could easily distort the truth of the gospel and lead this new church astray.

These new Christians needed to:

✔ Grow in their knowledge of God.
✔ Realize the hope that we have in Jesus.
✔ Learn about God's great power.
✔ Understand what God's will is.

As we become more mature in our faith and understanding of God the easier it will be to live in a manner that pleases him. The new disciples had to get beyond the basics and get to know God better, just having enough knowledge about God to understand the good news of Jesus work on the cross isn't enough, there needs to be a discipleship process.

Paul was concerned about planting churches but he didn't just plant them and take off down the road, he also worked to make disciples, often times he left his coworkers behind or he sent letters to help clarify doctrine but most importantly he prayed for them.

Maturity produces obedience.

Colossians 1:9-10  So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.  10  Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

What a great way to help the people that we know, to pray for their spiritual needs instead of concentrating on their physical needs, it is amazing that we are content to pray for the temporary instead of the eternal.

The greatest need that we have after our salvation is to become more like our Savior. To see the world through his eyes, to react to situations the way that he would, to put others before ourselves the way that he did.
 
Of course the right attitude is necessary when praying for somebody else to grow spiritually. If you are praying for them because you have judged them and decided that they "really" need improvement then you need to be careful. Don't forget the parable about "mister log eye."

No matter how faithful and spiritual we become we will never reach perfection and we will still need somebody that will go beyond praying for our temporary needs. What an awesome way to help our friends and neighbors. I need to pray for what really matters in the lives of the people all around me, those people that know the Lord already and for those that still need to know him.

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Salvation: Guaranteed By The Holy Spirit

God's plan to save us comes with a guarantee.

Ephesians 1:13-14   And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago.  14  The Spirit is God's guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify Him.

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My recent post, in Ephesians chapter 1, have been about our salvation. I learned that it was always God's plan to save us, that the plan became a reality by Jesus and today my post is on the guarantee that my salvation is true.

Life doesn't offer us very many guarantees, we cannot be sure that we will take another breath, I cannot even be sure that I will finish this sentence. Oh look I did! We can't guarantee that people will like us or if we will have a lot of cool stuff.

One thing that does have a 100% complete guarantee is that those that believe in Jesus and the work that he accomplished on the cross are saved and they will be saved forever. We cannot lose our salvation, you have the Holy Spirit living in you as a promise, the Holy Spirit is God's guarantee that you are his and that you will receive an inheritance as his child. How could God condemn his children, the very ones that have the Holy Spirit living in them?

Romans 8:1-4 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

There is one other guarantee that we have is this world, Jesus told us about it, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows." Thankfully the Holy Spirit is living in us to help. (John 16:33)

There are a lot of benefits to having the Holy Spirit living in us, not only does he guarantee our salvation but he also helps us to live with peace, he helps us to defeat the power of sin in our lives, and he shows us truth. (John 14:15-17, Romans 8:6,13)

Thank you Lord for the Holy Spirit's help. You warned us that we will have trouble in this world but you also gave us the power source that we need so that we can overcome.

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Salvation: Made A Reality By Jesus

God's plan of salvation is fulfilled by Jesus sacrifice on the cross.

Ephesians 1:7-12  He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.  8  He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.   

9  God has now revealed to us His mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill His own good pleasure.

10  And this is the plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ, everything in heaven and on earth.  11  Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan.

Luke 2:11 The Savior, yes, the Messiah, the Lord, has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

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In yesterday's post from Ephesians 1:1-6 we learned that God has always had a plan. God wasn't caught off guard and he didn't say "Oops!" when Adam and Eve disobeyed him for the first time. The plan was somewhat of a mystery for thousands of years, mankind had a glimpse of God's plan, but we didn't know too much about it until he was ready to reveal the details to us.

The mystery of God's plan started to be revealed in the prophets and then in the announcement of Jesus birth when the angels told the shepherds that the Savior was born. Jesus' teaching continued to unveil the mystery and show us that God planned to save the world, not just the Jews, through Jesus death.

We know that God is loving, merciful and kind but the plan of salvation also reveals that God demands justice and perfection in order to have a relationship with him, we need a sacrificial lamb to purify us and make us right in God's eyes.

Jesus sacrifice is final

Hebrews 10:1, 4 The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were never meant to forgive sins. They were only a reminder of the fact that they had sin and that they needed the perfect and final sacrifice that God promised to send. There was only one sacrifice that could forgive sins, the only spotless lamb that could be offered was God himself, he knew when he created man that he would have to come down here and die in our place.

The only sacrifice that can cover my sins has been made and now I can enjoy a relationship with God for eternity. I didn't do anything to obtain this great favor with God, it is only because God is so rich in love and kindness that he wanted to make me right with him, what an awesome gift!

More scripture about God's plan: 2 Timothy 1:9-10

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