Coversing the Kingdom: Thankfulness

Colossians 3:12-17 & 4:2

In these 7 verses on our prayer and worship as God's elect Paul mentions our need for:
compassion, once;
kindness, once;
humility, once;
meekness, once;
forgiveness once;
love, once;
peace, once;
wisdom, once;
singing, once;
watchfulness, once; but
thankfulness 4 times.
Why such an emphasis on thankfulness? Why over all other things in our prayer and worship should thankfulness be so prevelant? The reason is this, in being thankful we are acknowledging where our source of new life originates. That is hidden in Christ with God. You see we can be compassionate but without thankfulness where does that compassion originate from? A selfish morality, a way of somehow feeling good about ourself, superior to those who are not compassionate like us. If we worship without thankfulness where does our worship originate from? A fear of judgement a fear that drives us to religiousity, that somehow if we tick all the right boxes God will have to accepts us into heaven! Without thankfulness in our prayer where does our prayer originate from? From a view that God is some large pinata that if we hit with a enough prayers the answer we want will drop into our lap.
You see without thankfulness we fall into all sorts of traps in our worship and prayer life. This is why Paul is so keen for thankfulness to permeate our worship and prayer life. Let us never forget where our life is hidden, who empowers our being and.... be thankful!

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Conversing the Kingdom: Shadow and Dust

Colossians 3:1-11

It is amazing to see that in creation, God has put in place all that we need to know him. It is not possible for us to conceive of the spiritual, the eternal the divine without having a physical reality in which to bed our conception. This is what God has in his grace provided for us in creation. We can understand what it means for God to be our Father because we have a family system God placed in creation that incorparates fathers. We can understand what it means to be the bride of Christ as we look at the marriage covenant that God placed in creation. We can understand what is means that Jesus is our shepard and we his flock as we observe the character of the sheep that God placed in creation and their need for a shepard. SOoo many numerous examples.

I don't believe it a coincidence that sheep have a tendancy to get lost, have need of the shepard to protect them from the wolves and always see the grass greener on the otherside. I believe God made them that way so that we could better understand our own nature. When we understand this it can be so helpful as we begin to link the imagary of the Bible to our lives.

It can help us to worship as we look to the heavens and observe it's majesty and understand that this majesty was created to be for us a reflection of the Majesty of God.

It can help us better understand our relationships as we understand that the marriage covenant is designed as a reflection of the relationship of Christ to his bride the Church

In particular relation to this passage it can help us to understand the seriousness of sin! In the imagery throughout the Bible it is difficult to miss but often easy to misunderstand that the sexual relationship enjoyed within the marriage covenant is a reflection of the relationship God intended between himself and us as humanity that we rebelled against. When God talks of Israel horing after other gods this is quite literaly what they were doing. The depth of that relationship that should have been directed towards the one true God was instead focused elsewhere.

Therefore in light of the fact that the sexual relationship is a reflection of the closest, most intimate, most blessed, most joyous relationship between us and God it is no wonder the Paul condems sexual sin so strongly. Paul says that in our new life with Christ we are to put to death "Sexual imorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolitry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming."

If we are built for this depth of relationship with our heavenly Father and we understand that sin is an atempt to find this level of relationship in something or someone other that God it is no wonder that these things do not satisfy. We need to put to death all our sin that we can focus our life on the only relationship that will satisfy, the one we were made for!

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Conversing the Kingdom: A Breath of Fresh Air

2 Kings 23:24-27

It can be quite disheartening at times reading the histroy of the kings of Israel and Judah as king after king did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. ONe of the main lessons we such passages is just the deprevity of humanity. However if you do manage to push through to second kings 22 we find the breath of fresh air that is Josiah the king of Judah as he did what was right in the eyes of the Lordand walked in the way of David his father. There were a few other kings who did right in the eyes of the Lord but none brought the level of reform that Josiah managed. The list is quite extensive as to all the idol worship he removed from Judah and how he even reinstated the passover. In verse 25 the author gives significant praise to Josiah in that "before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to the law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him." However despite all this the burning of the Lord's great wrath was not turned from Judah's sin. Josiah's action could not bring salvaion for Judah. Many in the ages past and present have willingly given their all in the service of salvation for others, even at times their life. But there has been only one man living who has been willing and worthy in his sacrifce to bring about the possiblity of salvation for all. That man was Jesus Christ.

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Conversing the Kingdom: Election

1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Don McCauley sermon- Sainthood

The topic of election is often a controversial one for Christians but actually has a simple telling that removes all misconceptions. Unlike in the Roman Catholic church the Bible teaches that all Christains are saints chosen in eternity past for good works.

Christ died once for all mankind that salvation from sin be offered to all mankind. The trouble is no-one would accept this salvation, although freely offered none not even one would accept. This is a predicament. Through Adam's sin at the fall all have inherited a sin nature by birth and added to that all sin by choice. This sin of nature and choice produces a spiritual death. Christ died for that sin but because we are dead in our sin we all freely choose hell, not one of us would choose the life Jesus offers through his sacrifice on the cross. Thankfully God the Father in his mercy chose some to be the church, the bride of Christ, a reward for his obedience unto death.

This throws up a few obvious questions that the passage can help us to answer. The answers are not complete as we do not yet have a full knowledge of the wonders of salvation but the answers we do have God in his grace offers to us.

If we are spiritually dead how do reach a position where we can accept this gift from God? The answer is through the working of the Holy Spirit in the elect to convict us of our sin.

If not all of us are chosen by what process were some chosen over others? The passage tells us that God "chose the foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose the weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose the low and despised in the world, even things that are not to bring to nothing things that are."
Why did God choose this process? The passage again tells us the reason is "that no human being might boast in the presence of God."

And so being chosen God quickens our dead spirit that we might be awakened to the conviction of sin through the Holy Spirit and believe in the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. What do we get in return? Unimagined grace... in being united in Christ he imparts to us his Righteousness that our legal staus before God is reversed. He imparts to us his sanctification through the work of the Holy Spirit that changes our will to seek holiness instead of evil and empowers us in that good work whereas before we were powerless to do good. He imparts to us his redemption that the whole of us be saved not just the spirit but the body also will be redeemed at the end of the age. He will transform our lowely bodies to be like his heavenly body 1 John 3!

This is the doctrine of election this is the gospel this is the Good News! What can our response be but to fall down at his feet in abundant thankfulness and worship...!

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