Tag: Good News

Posted in Bible study, Christ is All I Need, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Established and Firm in The Faith

Posted on by MaryEllen

19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. 21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. 23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. Colossians 1:19-23

Paul wrote that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17), the author of Hebrews wrote that God’s Word is living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12, and the Psalmist wrote that God’s Word is a lamp for our feet and a light to guide our path (Ps 119:105). On today’s journey, it is Paul who makes it clear that God’s Word is where we find the assurance of salvation and the gifts that it brings those who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. There are the gifts of eternal life by grace through faith, the hope of Heaven, the promise of His Spirit in us, the freedom from and forgiveness of sin, peace during trouble, and mercies that are new every morning… and the list goes on. So it is no little thing when Paul advises the believers to “remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting from the hope of the gospel…” the same gospel which Paul declares he has “become a servant.“

Here on this earth, we will have troubles; we will hear of wars and rumors of war, we will see wickedness increase, and there will be those that preach or encourage a different message than the truth of Jesus Christ ~ but as Paul urged the Colossian believers, we are to hold fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The same gospel message that we believed and through which we were saved. There will be heartaches and discouragements, seemingly unanswered prayers and needs that make us wonder where God is – but we must be resolute in our faith, not wavering, not turning to the right or to the left but trusting in and pursuing the One who pursued us. We must give the utmost effort to remembering the work and mediation of Jesus Christ on our behalf, the crux of which are found a praise song, Lord I Lift Your Name on High1, from the 80’s, “He came from Heaven to earth to show the way, from the earth to the cross our debt to pay, from the cross to grave and from the grave to the sky … Lord I lift Your name on high.”


Lord, I lift Your name on high.
Lord, I love to sing Your praises.
I’m so glad You’re in my life;
I’m so glad You came to save us.

You came from Heaven to earth
To show the way.
From the Earth to the cross,
My debt to pay.
From the cross to the grave,
From the grave to the sky;
Lord, I lift Your name on high.

Songs of Praise

Friends, it’s not something I’m proud of, but my faith was the shakiest when I began spending more time with the world and its vast temptations than in the Word of God. The longer I played both sides of the fence (or tried to), the shakier my faith became. At its worst, I began believing that I had crossed too many lines, committed too many sins to ever know God’s favor again. Eventually, I was so overwhelmed with my sin and was working so hard to be ‘good’ enough to win His love ‘back’ that I lost sight of the truth that the work of Christ on the cross had already paid the full sin debt I owed. Somewhere along the way, I had failed to fully understand the message, depth, and power of God’s grace ~ a grace that was and always will be greater than all my (our) sins. It is also a grace that is never earned but always and only received through faith alone, in Christ alone.

It’s dangerous not to see ourselves as sinners in daily need of God’s grace.2

Response of Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you that even though I was your enemy, you found me and drew me to
yourself by your great work on the cross. Thank you for dramatically transforming my heart so many years ago, for taking my sins in Your own body and pouring Your transforming power into my life. You turned God’s wrath away from me and opened the way for me to be made new in You, declaring me righteous before God. ~ Amen

Reflection and Application

What are the two things God needed to deal with so that we could be reconciled to Him?

Response of Worship

The More We Know

  1. “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” is a contemporary Christian worship song written by Rick Founds in 1989. The song was inspired during Founds’ morning devotion, where he was reading scriptures and reflecting on his faith. It encapsulates the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, expressing themes of praise and gratitude for salvation ↩︎
  2. LGG, Christ Is All I Need, p 86 ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Thanksgiving

Let the Redeemed Say So…

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Today’s “Thankful” passage is part of a chain of verses that caught my attention this past weekend. I was originally led to verses 4-9. However, after reading the entire Psalm and realizing that it is a beautiful crescendo of words that are best read together, from the introduction of the Psalmist’s declaration of God’s enduring love, or “loyal love”, as one translation puts it — to the conclusion, where God’s wisdom allows us to understand His loving-kindness and we are led to praise Him all the more.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.

Psalm 107:2-3 KJV

Sin’s Power Is Broken –

6 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:1-11 NLT

Friends, if you are a believer, it is so important to remember that we were once slaves to sin, and though freed from that slavery, we are still the target of our enemy, the devil. “He actively works to nullify the effect of the Word of God in people’s hearts (Matthew 13:3–4, 19), and he blinds the intellect of those who do not believe so they cannot understand the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4).1” The payment for our sin was death2, meaning we were desperately in need of a redeemer.3 God sent Jesus, our “Kinsman Redeemer,4” to pay the penalty we owed, so that we might not only live but have eternal life!5 His death on the cross broke the power of sin over all who put their faith in Jesus Christ.

While commentator, David Guzik, rightfully notes that, “We might be redeemed from the world, the flesh, the devil, or countless other snares. Here, the psalmist has in mind redemption from the hand of the enemy, probably connected with the exile of God’s people.” However, once we realize the detailed truth of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ, (outlined for us here and throughout God’s Word), would it not be the epitome of rudeness to be silent about such a great gift of His redeeming us from the power of sin and death? Oh, how little we must think of His great and unmerited gift of life, if we do not daily proclaim our redemption to Him with thanksgiving and to the people around us, that they might also be redeemed. After all, to declare our redemption is to make known the Gospel Message, of which we are ambassadors who are not to be ashamed, for the gospel message is God’s power to save.

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

Romans 1:16

Friends, may we be faithful stewards of our words – both in praises to God and in sharing His redemptive plan with the world around us. – Or as the old chorus echoing through my mind says:

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so

I’m redeemed, I’m redeemed, Praise the Lord!

The More We Know

The word gospel means “good news,” which is the message of forgiveness for sin through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. It is essentially God’s rescue plan of redemption for those who will trust in His divine Son in order to be reconciled to a just and holy God.

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Armor of God

Jesus Our Peace

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based on the LGG Study, The Armor of God, w3d3

Scripture: Ephesians 2:13-18 / SOAP: verse 17

 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near

Ephesians 2:17 NET
Note the Difference

This peace is more than the peace we seek and know when we face a test tomorrow or a real and present battle today. This peace is what brings us near to God, giving us access to Him – the One who guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. It doesn’t negate or change the peace that passes all understand that we seek in order to not worry, as Paul instructed, but rather it is the Peace that makes all other peace possible.

A Portrait of the Real and Lasting Peace of God

What a beautiful and encouraging passage of Scripture! Perhaps one of the most realistic portraits of Christ our Savior that is painted in – and with – the Word. Jesus as our peace, His blood pouring down as access for all who would believe – no longer just the Jews but now the Gentiles were included! Or as Paul writes in Colossians, “.It doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or free.” We are brought near to God through Christ! Why? Because there was hostility [sin] between us and God. We were, as it is written, “enemies of God” who were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,”.

 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life? 11 Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation. Read the rest of the story

 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Ephesians 2:17 NLT – I can’t help but think once again of the old hymn, “Peace peace wonderful peace – flowing down from the Father above. Sweep over my spirit forever I pray in fathomless billows of love.”

Think About It

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Romans 5:10
  • His act of love wasn’t just His death but His life – for He left Heaven’s splendor and lived the life of a man, actually of a servant, in a “man’s world”, full of sin and far different from from Heaven’s splendor – not so that He could experience life with flesh and blood but so “He could first preach the message of PEACE” (John 14:27, Matt 5:9) to all so that through Him we have access to both the Father and the Spirit – and as verse 15 says, so that there would be no more condemnation. (Romans 8:1).
Reflection on the Journey
  • What does it mean that He preached peace to those who were far off?
  • What does it mean that Jesus brought us near? (13)
Going Further:

Don’t forget to check out today’s LGG Blog

Posted in Bible study, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Armor of God

Shoes

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based on the Love God Greatly Study, The Armor of God, w3d1

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18 / SOAP: verse 15

 – by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace,

Ephesians 6:15

This verse is not meant to stand alone, so let’s look again at the ones that come before it. As you read, notice all of the instructions we are given for living out our faith well –

Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Clothe yourselves with (the full armor of God), so that you will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.13 For this reason, (take up the full armor of God) so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, (and having done everything, to stand.) 14 Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace –

The Responsibility is Ours

As believers we have been saved by grace through faith, it is a free and forever gift of God. That being said we are given responsibilities as believers that we must strive for the rest of our Christian life. James said, “Faith without works is dead.” He encourages the believer to not just read or hear the Word but to live it out. Living out our faith doesn’t have to be a mystery, that is the purpose of His Word and the examples set before us in Christ and the other disciples and men and women of faith throughout Scripture

So far in our study we have been given the responsibility of “putting on” the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. In today’s soap verse we have been given the task of “fitting our feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace.” This is the third piece of armor we are called to wear in preparation for battle. We will spend the week learning more about this peace, what it is, and how to apply/wear it well. Remember we are to suit up in the “full armor” so that we can stand against the schemes of the devil (11,13), and not just stand but we are to stand firm (14).

Shoes

For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

Ephesians 6:15

I love the way the New Living Translation and others translate verse 15 using the word “shoes”. I loved going barefoot as a child and still to this day I would rather have my shoes off than on, but I have learned that there are times where it is very helpful to wear my shoes. It is also helpful to wear the right shoes. For instance, I would not wear my snow boots on a sandy beach nor my beach shoes on a snow walk. I love my comfy slip on shoes but I know not to wear them on a three-mile walk. The same is true of the soldier who has his belt and and breastplate in place, he knows he has to have have his feet in the right shoes in order to use the other pieces of his armor well. Just like the shoes of the soldier make him ready for battle the “Gospel of peace” makes the believer ready for spiritual battle. We will look more intently at what this all means in the days to come – but for today suit up with the belt of TRUTH and the breastplate of righteousness – and don’t forget to fit your feet with the peace that comes from the Gospel, the Good News about Christ.

The gospel is, broadly speaking, the whole of Scripture; more narrowly, the gospel is the good news concerning Christ and the way of salvation.

gotquestions.org
Reflection on the Journey
  • What does Ephesians 6:15 teach us about the importance of having our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace?
  • What are some practical ways we can prepare ourselves to share the Gospel with others?
Going Further:

Be sure and check out today’s LGG Blog Post