Colossians 2 - 2006.09.23

"For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the godhead bodily" Colossians 2:9

Our text last week affirmed the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ from the standpoint of His performance as Creator; this week's terse declaration affirms it with direct reference to His person. It is either the most audacious claim ever made, or one of the most awesome truths ever disclosed. It is an unabashed, unequivocal declaration that Jesus Christ is God.

Some years ago I had a controversy of sorts with a church member who objected to my affirmation that Jesus is God. The idea however, was not mine; that is what the scriptures teach, so stated here and reinforced in many other passages. It is the claim of the Bible that in the person of the virgin born Jesus, the God of creation was made tangible and visible to man, in a form quite like our own.

Before the Child was born, Joseph, her husband-to-be, having discovered that Mary was already pregnant and "minded to put her away privately," was afforded a dream to clarify the situation. At the conclusion of that dream he was reminded of the prophesy of the Isaiah, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us [Mt. 1:18-23]." Mary, he was informed, was the vehicle through which that prophecy was about to be fulfilled. Subsequently, in a clear reference to Jesus Christ, the scriptures declare that it is "God [Who] was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory [I Tim. 3:16]."

In the course of His ministry Philip said to Jesus on one occasion, "Lord, show us the Father… " Jesus replied, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works [John 14:9-10]." From this at lest two significant things follow: Jesus, as the Son of God, is distinct from the Father; but, He is also the full and perfect expression, or manifestation, of the Father. This, of course, agrees with the notice in Hebrews 1:3 that the Son is "the brightness of [God's] glory and the express image of His person." Jesus is not the Father, but He and the Father alike are God.

This doctrine of the deity of Christ is reinforced in another significant way. When Jesus flatly declared "I and My Father are one," then "the Jews took up stones… to stone Him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God [John 10:30-33]." Here it is not Himself, nor His supporters, but His enemies who recognize and affirm that He is laying claim to equality with God.

From all of this, many significant things follow. Let me cite a few. First, we will never know God better, nor understand Him more fully than we come to know and understand Jesus Christ. There is nothing for us to learn about God that cannot be discovered in Him and that, for now, through His word.

Second, when we deal with Christ, we are dealing with God. Those who reject or disregard the Lord Jesus Christ are rejecting God; those who receive and obey Him are responding directly to God. "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also [I John 2:23]." You cannot have one without the other; you cannot honor the one without honoring the other.

In a correlative statement with reference to Christ, we read "In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge [Col. 2:3]." Knowledge is information; wisdom is the right understanding, correlation and use of knowledge. Jesus Christ, in Whom dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, is the divine treasury of both. One may know and understand many things, but he is not wise, and understands nothing as he should until he knows Jesus Christ. And only a fool would reject Him! (Cf Ps. 14:1, 53:1)

For HIS glory and our good,

"Pastor" Frasier

Colossians 1 - 2006.09.16

"For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence." — Colossians 1:16-18

A brief glance at the context of this passage will show that the subject is the Lord Jesus Christ. What is affirmed of Him here is a major contribution to the doctrine of His deity; that Jesus Christ is God.

The first affirmation is that He is "before all things," and the creator of "all things," declared twice in this short passage. This is but one of several passages affirming the same colossal truth. The apostle John declares, "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made [Jn. 1:3]." To the Corinthians the apostle Paul wrote, "to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him: and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him [I Cor. 8:6]." In Ephesians he refers to "… God, Who created all things by Jesus Christ [Eph. 3:9]." The writer to the Hebrews declared, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds [Heb. 1:1,2]."

We are by these passages moved into the realm of pre-creation, before anything was "made"— to find Christ already there, in eternity past. He is the "first cause" of all that is defined as created or made. Ultimately, He is that "Word of God" by which "the worlds were framed." (cf Heb. 11:3)

The second declaration is that Christ is the sustaining cause of all creation: "by Him all things consist." It is He who made them, and He who makes them to stand, or to endure. In the epistle to the Hebrews it is put this way; He "made the worlds," and is "upholding all things by the word of His power." (cf Heb. 1:2,3) If one may say it reverently, He is the "glue" that holds creation together. Remove Christ from the equation, and the whole creation will fall into disarray.

There is a remarkable parallel passage in the Psalms, with reference to creation, which reads, "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast [Ps. 33:6-9]." This Old Testament passage anticipates the New Testament truth that the Lord (Jesus) is the source and sustainer of the whole creation. And in another passage in the Psalms we are reminded that the same voice that created all has the power to terminate it: "The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered His voice, the earth melted [Ps. 46:6]."

The third significant observation in our text is that all things were made "for Him." The creation is not ours, it is His, and its destiny is in His hands. He not only owns the cattle on a thousand hills, He owns the hills as well. And this agrees with the declaration in Heb. 1:2 that the Father has "appointed [Him] heir of all things." In a day when man intensifies his challenge to the authority of Christ, it is well to remember that there is a day coming "… when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet [I Cor. 15:24b-25]."

With the same power and authority He exercised "in the beginning," Christ will one day restore His own order in His now fallen creation. "For the [creation] was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the [creation] itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God [Rom. 8:20-21]."

"Even so come, Lord Jesus!"

For HIS praise,

"Pastor" Frasier

Philippians 4 - 2006.09.09

"Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, rejoice." —Phil. 4:4

The call to perennial joy in a world where sin abounds may seem like plea for the impossible. Yet, God never commands what cannot be accomplished by His grace. "Rejoice!" That is what we are commanded to do, and not just in one isolated instance. Perhaps one reason we have difficulty with this order is that we tend to equate joy with happiness. It is my judgment that happiness, though in the English dictionary equated with joy, is in scripture distinct from it. Happiness is a feeling of elation or well being based on circumstances. It is a property of the soul, experience centered, transitory and superficial. Joy, on the other hand, is deep, enduring and essentially a spiritual quality. "The fruit of the Spirit is…joy [Gal. 5:22]." Those whose Christian experience knows little of the Holy Spirit will have difficulty maintaining joy.

If the circumstances of our life are favorable, we may be happy; if they are not, we may be sad and/or depressed. Joy has nothing to do with circumstances. It has to do with God, and rises above the circumstances of this life. When the Lord Jesus was facing crucifixion, the scripture says that "for the joy that was set before Him [He] endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God [Heb. 12:2]." And the apostle Paul wrote this epistle of joy from the dubious luxury of his Roman imprisonment. He had earlier remarked on those who opposed him and who preached Christ from an ulterior motive, "Some preach Christ even of envy and strife… supposing to add afflictions to my bonds [Phil 1:15-16]," yet added, "What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth,Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea and will rejoice [v.18]." Adverse circumstances did not diminish joy.

The apostle James adds to this doctrine, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trial of your faith worketh patience (endurance) [James 1:2-3]." So, even in adversity we are called upon to rejoice. Joy rises not from the process, but from the prospect set before us, for which the process is the necessary preparation.

Happiness is related to the emotions and rises and falls with external circumstances. Joy is related to the will and by faith rises above the circumstances. The prophet Habakkuk, in a favorite passage of mine, put it this way: "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet , and he will make me to walk upon mine high places [Hab. 3:17-19]."

A major aspect of the difference between happiness and joy is focus. We are not here instructed to rejoice in every circumstance, but rather, to "rejoice in the Lord." Thus when our joy is diminished, it is a clear indication that our focus has shifted from heaven to earth, from Christ to the crises of this life. That is perfectly natural, and proof that joy is a supernatural quality. The Savior said to His disciples, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full [John 15:11]," while alerting them that they would face persecution for their faith. They were to focus on His word to sustain them in the trials that would soon come.

The greatest challenge in this text is the word, "alway." Few of us reach that level of spiritual consistency, yet that is God's will for us. In I Thessalonians 5:16 the Spirit of God exhorts "Rejoice evermore;" literally, always, the same emphasis as in our text. If God is not able to impart that quality to us, the command is presumptuous. If the command is valid, then the resources are available to the believer, and our failure lies either in our understanding or in our faith (or both.) Note, however, that in I Thessalonians the command to rejoice evermore is followed by two others of equal force: "Pray without ceasing," and "in everything give thanks." Prayer and praise are correlatives of sustained joy, and without them our joy will f alter.

"Rejoice;" that is our calling. "Alway;" that is to be our constancy. "In the Lord;" that is our concentration, that is the key.
Yours for HIS joy,

"Pastor" Frasier

Philippians 3 - 2006.09.02

"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself." Philippians 3:20-21

Every truly born again believer, who has engaged the inevitable struggles and conflicts of the new nature vs the old, entertains a great longing for the ultimate victory of the Spirit over the flesh. The heart longs, yea, yearns for the day when "faith shall be sight," and the last vestiges of "the old man" will finally disappear. In a word, we long for the day when the war will be over, and we can retire in the glory of His presence, freed at last from the residue of sin in our mortal bodies.

In the meantime, we have the word of God to sustain our hope, even when we have lost a skirmish with the adversary here and there. Passages like the one before us today are immense comfort and encouragement in the rough and tumble of this present evil world, in our "vile bodies."

One if the great encouragements the scripture affords the us is the divine perspective that regards the believer as having already ended his earthly career at the cross through union with Christ. Here, for example, we are taught that we have an altogether new political orientation; "our citizenship is in heaven." (That is a better rendering for today's reader, certainly, than "conversation.") In the mind of God we have moved out from under the vagaries of human government and become citizens of the kingdom of heaven, under the benevolent government of the "King of kings and Lord of lords." (With that in mind, incidentally, it ill behooves the Bible Christian to be incited to enthusiastic support of his earthly commonwealth. Wherever Christians are found, they are ambassadors of Christ, and their first loyalty is to Him. They should respect and obey the government under which God has placed them as His representatives, but must be ever subject to a higher loyalty, and the fact that all human government will ultimately fail.) In addition to a heavenly citizenship, note that God regards the believer as having already died (Col. 3:3) and as already "seated with Christ in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6)."

Citizens of heaven, "hid with Christ in God," and already seated with Christ in the heavens; that is our spiritual situation, and it should define the believers' perspective. As we reflect upon it and affirm it, it will radically change our attitude toward life in the present world.

For now, of course, our bodily presence is in this world, waiting to catch up with our "real life," and so eagerly expecting the return of the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. We are "at home in the body, [and] absent from the Lord," and, if we have entered into the reality of our situation in Christ, we will be "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify [us] unto Himself [as] a peculiar people, zealous of good works [Titus 2:13-14]." That is the Christian's expectation, and there is no greater stimulus to hope or holiness than the sustained assurance that Jesus is coming again—and it may be today!

That expectation will eventuate in the full and final transformation every sincere believer longs for—the transformation of our bodies into likeness to the sinless body of our risen Lord. The apostle John sums it up, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is [I John 3:2]." Note that he identifies our divine sonship, like our heavenly citizenship, our true eternal life and our position as seated with Christ in the heavenlies, as a present possession, awaiting only the appearing of Christ for its full manifestation.

Our position, then, is in heaven; our passion is for the return of our victorious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; and our prospect is that of being changed into His likeness, fully and finally! May God give us the desire and the dynamic to live up to this glorious heritage in "the today of our experience," knowing, however, that it is in His perfection that our hope lies, not in ours!

Yours for an enduring hope,

"Pastor" Frasier