Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Are you risen with Christ?
You can say yes, if you've been buried with Him.
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
We must be buried with Christ by baptism.
Christ was baptized.
Mat 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Mat 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Mat 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Mat 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
John forbade Him. John didn't want to baptize Jesus, why? Because He knew there was no sin in Jesus, He knew that He had no need of repentance. In fact John knew he needed to be baptized BY Jesus. But Jesus said.. 'Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.'
Suffer it to be for now- do it because it will fulfill something that needs to be fulfilled for all righteousness.
An example was given to us, and not only that, once He was baptized what happened? Something special happened.
Mat 3:16 … the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased
Jesus was anointed. Jesus was confirmed. It was a sign and done to be for a sign. This was the beginning of Jesus' ministry. For 30 years He lived without taking on the full ministry He was born into the world to take on. He'd reached full maturity, He'd reached the age of full manhood, of wisdom. He was declared by God to be His Son and an acceptable son, pleasing God the Father. This declaration was important, without it our Savior could not have received the power of the Holy Spirit in full to do all that His ministry required of Him.
We like to believe that Jesus couldn't have failed. But if that were true then what did He really accomplish? Putting on a show for the peasant humans? If He didn't feel our pain, if He didn't suffer our temptations, if He didn't live as we live how could He warrant being able to save us? He didn't have to put on a show if He were going to use special God powers of His own to save us. He suffered, truly suffered our humanity. He grew up with normal growing pains of life. He suffered temptations even as He was growing up, from birth to age 30, we ALL know there are a multitude of temptations in life. Jesus kept from sinning, but He wasn't kept from being tempted. There was NO need for Him to have been born as a human/God child if He were born with magical powers to keep Him from sinning, it makes NO sense at all whatsoever. Why go to all the trouble of being born that way if it really was just for show? Couldn't God have manufactured an adult human body and entered it? Yes. He entered a woman's womb as a seed to grow into an infant. So, yes, it could have been done differently, but it wasn't because Jesus needed to live the life we live so He could save us as we are.
We all know and can truly appreciate when we've gone through something very trying- someone being able to tell us they've gone through the same thing. We appreciate the knowledge that what we are going through is something we can survive. Sure, no people experience something exactly the same, but there are enough similarities to make us truly grateful to know that others understand even in some small way because they've experienced something similar.
Our Savior had to experience HUMANITY in order to save humanity.
If He didn't do things the way He did you can just imagine Satan jumping up and down shouting that Jesus only did it because He had special powers, He had a special edge, He saved humanity not because He loved humanity but because He cheated and only proved He could step in with His overwhelming dictator's power and sacrificed nothing because He couldn't even feel like a REAL human can feel. If He used His special powers, His Creator powers, then what did He really prove other than what He'd already proven at Creation?
Our Savior relied upon God for ALL things, just as we are to rely upon God for ALL things.
When He was baptized there was no dispute over His worthiness up to that point. He was declared acceptable, approved, well pleasing to the Father God.
If Satan were going to denounce His worthiness right then would have been the perfect time, but He remained silent. In fact as soon as the declaration was made Satan determined to test Jesus to the fullest extent when Jesus was suffering from lack of food as He fasted in the wilderness. Right after His baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness and we know He was put to the test by the Evil One who claimed God was unjust. That test was passed by our SAVIOR, who is truly WORTHY.
He was baptized, His old life gone, His new life begun. In His case the new life He was beginning was His ministry, the revelation of the Gospel of the Kingdom to all.
When we are baptized we are killing the old man in us, the flesh man. We are dying to self and rising to live in CHRIST.
Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
We are RISEN with Christ and we have to SEEK - we have to live- for those things which are above- where our SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST sits on the right hand of God.
We must live for Christ and when we live for Christ we are living for the Gospel of the Kingdom- heavenly things, not earthly things. We have a new life, a spiritual life.
Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Do you?
Do you set your affections on things above? On things that are not on earth?
Think about it, because there are way too many who love to preach prosperity here and now, too many deceivers that teach we are to desire earthly treasures. Too many deceivers that encourage earthly treasures into their own coffers while teaching others to give up theirs- deceivers whose example speaks so much louder than their words.
When we die to self as we are baptized and raised to a new spiritual life when we come up from that watery grave, we are to live for our Savior who is in heaven, setting our affections truly on heavenly things desiring Him above all, above everything upon earth.
All through His grace and mercy may this be possible in US, all through HIM, through HIS LOVE!
Are you risen with Christ?
You can say yes, if you've been buried with Him.
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
We must be buried with Christ by baptism.
Christ was baptized.
Mat 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Mat 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Mat 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Mat 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
John forbade Him. John didn't want to baptize Jesus, why? Because He knew there was no sin in Jesus, He knew that He had no need of repentance. In fact John knew he needed to be baptized BY Jesus. But Jesus said.. 'Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.'
Suffer it to be for now- do it because it will fulfill something that needs to be fulfilled for all righteousness.
An example was given to us, and not only that, once He was baptized what happened? Something special happened.
Mat 3:16 … the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased
Jesus was anointed. Jesus was confirmed. It was a sign and done to be for a sign. This was the beginning of Jesus' ministry. For 30 years He lived without taking on the full ministry He was born into the world to take on. He'd reached full maturity, He'd reached the age of full manhood, of wisdom. He was declared by God to be His Son and an acceptable son, pleasing God the Father. This declaration was important, without it our Savior could not have received the power of the Holy Spirit in full to do all that His ministry required of Him.
We like to believe that Jesus couldn't have failed. But if that were true then what did He really accomplish? Putting on a show for the peasant humans? If He didn't feel our pain, if He didn't suffer our temptations, if He didn't live as we live how could He warrant being able to save us? He didn't have to put on a show if He were going to use special God powers of His own to save us. He suffered, truly suffered our humanity. He grew up with normal growing pains of life. He suffered temptations even as He was growing up, from birth to age 30, we ALL know there are a multitude of temptations in life. Jesus kept from sinning, but He wasn't kept from being tempted. There was NO need for Him to have been born as a human/God child if He were born with magical powers to keep Him from sinning, it makes NO sense at all whatsoever. Why go to all the trouble of being born that way if it really was just for show? Couldn't God have manufactured an adult human body and entered it? Yes. He entered a woman's womb as a seed to grow into an infant. So, yes, it could have been done differently, but it wasn't because Jesus needed to live the life we live so He could save us as we are.
We all know and can truly appreciate when we've gone through something very trying- someone being able to tell us they've gone through the same thing. We appreciate the knowledge that what we are going through is something we can survive. Sure, no people experience something exactly the same, but there are enough similarities to make us truly grateful to know that others understand even in some small way because they've experienced something similar.
Our Savior had to experience HUMANITY in order to save humanity.
If He didn't do things the way He did you can just imagine Satan jumping up and down shouting that Jesus only did it because He had special powers, He had a special edge, He saved humanity not because He loved humanity but because He cheated and only proved He could step in with His overwhelming dictator's power and sacrificed nothing because He couldn't even feel like a REAL human can feel. If He used His special powers, His Creator powers, then what did He really prove other than what He'd already proven at Creation?
Our Savior relied upon God for ALL things, just as we are to rely upon God for ALL things.
When He was baptized there was no dispute over His worthiness up to that point. He was declared acceptable, approved, well pleasing to the Father God.
If Satan were going to denounce His worthiness right then would have been the perfect time, but He remained silent. In fact as soon as the declaration was made Satan determined to test Jesus to the fullest extent when Jesus was suffering from lack of food as He fasted in the wilderness. Right after His baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness and we know He was put to the test by the Evil One who claimed God was unjust. That test was passed by our SAVIOR, who is truly WORTHY.
He was baptized, His old life gone, His new life begun. In His case the new life He was beginning was His ministry, the revelation of the Gospel of the Kingdom to all.
When we are baptized we are killing the old man in us, the flesh man. We are dying to self and rising to live in CHRIST.
Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
We are RISEN with Christ and we have to SEEK - we have to live- for those things which are above- where our SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST sits on the right hand of God.
We must live for Christ and when we live for Christ we are living for the Gospel of the Kingdom- heavenly things, not earthly things. We have a new life, a spiritual life.
Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Do you?
Do you set your affections on things above? On things that are not on earth?
Think about it, because there are way too many who love to preach prosperity here and now, too many deceivers that teach we are to desire earthly treasures. Too many deceivers that encourage earthly treasures into their own coffers while teaching others to give up theirs- deceivers whose example speaks so much louder than their words.
When we die to self as we are baptized and raised to a new spiritual life when we come up from that watery grave, we are to live for our Savior who is in heaven, setting our affections truly on heavenly things desiring Him above all, above everything upon earth.
All through His grace and mercy may this be possible in US, all through HIM, through HIS LOVE!
No comments:
Post a Comment