Colossians 1:21

Colossians 1:21 says, And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.  Paul said that by their wicked works, or sin, that the people of Colosse, who were Gentiles, had been alienated from God, but now through Jesus Christ's sacrifice for their sins on the cross, and by putting their faith in Him, they could be reconciled to God.  Until we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are alienated from God by our wicked ways, but once we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are reconciled to God.  Verse twenty-two adds, In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:  Paul said that through His life here on earth, including His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead that Jesus Christ made it possible for anyone to be presented to the heavenly Father as unblameable and unreproveable if they put their faith in Him.  This is still the only way to be reconciled to God, and Jesus Christ has already made the sacrifice for everyone so all anyone has to do to be reconciled is put their faith in Him.  Verse twenty-three continues, If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;  Paul told them that they could have this reconciliation to God if they put their faith in Jesus Christ and were unmoveable in that faith.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we should be unmoveable in our faith, but if we do falter at times, we are forever a part of the family of God.  God Himself seals us as His and nothing can ever take us away from Him.  Paul said he was a minister of the gospel,  which came by his calling from God.  As followers of Christ, we are all called to proclaim the gospel to those around us, even if we are not called to preach.  Verse twenty-four states, Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:  Paul said that he rejoiced in his sufferings for the sake of the gospel for the glory of Jesus Christ and the benefit of the church.  We as Christians should have the same attitude today, but too often we are ready to give up on witnessing for God at the least little inconvenience in life.  Verse twenty-five adds, Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;  Paul again said that he was made a minister of the gospel by the dispensation, or calling, of God.  If someone is truly a minister today, it has to be by the calling of God and then they must allow the Holy Spirit to speak through them.  Verse twenty-six continues, Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:  Paul said that the mystery of the gospel had been hidden for ages, but now had been made known to the saints, those who accepted Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation.  For too many people today, the truth of the gospel of Christ is still hidden, because they are still ruled by the things of this world.  Verse twenty-seven declares, To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:  Paul said it was God Who made known the gospel of Christ and the riches of glory that this mystery made known to the Gentiles.  Paul did not just decide on his own to go and share the gospel with the Gentiles, but he was sent by God.  We as followers of Christ are commissioned by God to go into all the world and share the gospel, even to those who we may not like.  Verse twenty-eight adds, Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:  Paul said that he preached the gospel of Christ so that everyone who accepted it could be presented perfect before God by their faith in Jesus Christ.  This should still be our desire today.  Verse twenty-nine continues, Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.  Paul said that he continued to strive to present the gospel to everyone he met because this desire worked mightily in him.  We need to have this same desire today if we are to be effective in reaching the world for Jesus Christ. 

Colossians 1:9

Colossians 1:9 says, For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;  Paul said that since they heard about the faithfulness of the followers of Christ at Colosse that they had not ceased to pray for them, and to desire that they might be filled with the knowledge of God with all wisdom and understanding.  We need to pray for this today for our fellow believers and for us ourself.  Knowledge and wisdom come only from God,and we cannot attain it if we do not put our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse ten adds, That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Paul said they prayed for them so that they might be fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  He did not pray that they would become richer in the material things of this world, but in the heavenly things of God.  We need to pray today, not for material blessings, but for an increase in God's kingdom and our faithfulness in working for that purpose.  Verse eleven continues, Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;  Paul prayed for them to be strengthened with all the might of God according to His glorious power, so that they would have patience as they endured long-suffering with joyfulness.  Too often, as Christians, if the least little thing goes wrong in life, we begin to question God and whine about it.  We need to bear the problems of this life with faith and long-suffering instead.  Verse twelve states, Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:  As Paul told the people at Colosse, we need to give thanks to our heavenly Father Who has made us worthy to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints of light by our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse thirteen adds, Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:  This is what accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord did for the people then and is what it still does for us today.  We are delivered from the power of sin and darkness and translated into to the kingdom of Christ.  This is not something we can do for ourselves, but is something that God did for us when Jesus Christ died for our sins.  Verse fourteen continues, In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:  Paul said that redemption from sin and restoration with God comes through the blood of Jesus that He shed willingly on the cross for our sins.  There is no other way to salvation.  Verse fifteen declares, Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:  Paul said that Jesus was the image of the invisible God, and the first born of every creature.  Jesus was not the physical image of God but the spiritual image, and He is also the Creator of all things and the first born in redemption.  Verse sixteen adds, 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:  Paul further explains that Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things.  We need to always acknowledge the power of Christ.  Verse seventeen continues, And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.  Paul declared that Jesus Christ, though He had recently come to earth as a man was the eternal Son of God, existing before all things and making all things.  Verse eighteen states, 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.  Paul said that Jesus is the head of the church, those who put their faith in Him, and He is the firstborn from the dead so that He could have dominion over death.  Death came into the world because of disobedience of man to God, and the dominion of spiritual death was defeated by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to atone for our sins.  Verse nineteen adds, For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;  Paul said the heavenly Father gave all fulness of the Gospel to the Son, Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty adds, And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.  Paul then said all things on earth or in heaven are reconciled by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.  If we accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord,  then we can be at peace with God.  He has died for our sins, and we are called to die to all the things of this world when we put our faith in Him.

Colossians 1:1

Colossians 1:1 says, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,  Paul begins by identifying  himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.  He didn't refer to any of his academic achieve-ments nor to his former position of authority in the Jewish community.  As followers of Christ, if someone asks us who we are, or if we are introducing ourselves to people, do we identify ourselves as Christians before anything else?  Paul also said he was an apostle by the will of God.  Whatever we as Christians are today, it should be by the will of God.  He also said that Timotheus, or Timothy, his brother was with him, though Timothy had once failed him.  We cannot let past failures of others to live up to our expectations keep us from ever accepting them as our brothers and sisters in Christ if they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse two adds, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Paul then said he was writing to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse.  These saints were not some super Christians, but were those who had put their faith in Jesus Christ and were therefore set aside from the world by their relationship to Him.  As Christians, we are all saints of God today.  Paul wished them grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  God will give us peace today once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, but only if we live by faith in Him once we do.  Verse three continues, We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,  Paul then said he gave thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  This separated them from the Jews, who believed in God the Father, but did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.  In order to be a part of the family of God, we must put our faith in Jesus Christ as God's Son and the only way to salvation.  Verse four states, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,  Paul said he had heard of their faith in Christ Jesus and their love to all the saints.  They did not have instant or even easy communication in those days, so Paul must have heard of this by other people talking about the Christians at Colosse.   People should hear about our faithfulness to Jesus Christ today, and this should be expressed by our love for other people because of our faithfulness to God.  Verse five adds, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;  Paul said because of their accepting the gospel hope was laid up for them in heaven.  He did not promise the worldly success and riches.  Our hope as followers of Christ should not be for the things of this world, but for the hope of heaven.  Verse six continues, Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:  Paul said their faith bore fruit for God, as it did with all who put their faith in Jesus Christ.  We as Christians today should first and foremost be bearing fruit for Christ.  Verse seven says, As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellow- servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;  Paul also recognized Epaphras as a dear fellowservant who had ministered to the Christians at Colosse.  Paul never set himself above other Christians, and neither should we.  Verse eight adds, Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.  Paul said Epaphras had also declared the love of the people of Colosse in the Spirit of God for each other and those around them to Paul.   People should be able to speak of the love that we have for each other and for those around us because of our leadership by the Holy Spirit today if we are a follower of Christ. 

Deuteronomy Review Concluded.

Through the rest of Deuteronomy, we have an account of the wanderings and then the organization of the Israelites. Moses led in this under the leadership of God.  We today as the church need to be organized under the leadership of the Holy Spirit so that we are united in doing God's work.  The people were given their inheritance by the division of the land by God, including the two and a half tribes who remained in the land across the river.  They got their inheritance before the Promised Land was claimed, but they were still required to go and help the rest of the people claim it.  We as Christians already have our heavenly home assured to us, but we still have a responsibility to help others come to Christ so they can claim their's as well.  We cannot just sit back content as long as there are lost people in the world, and we also need to be content with what God blesses us with and not always want more and more.  The Levites, the priests, did not inherit any land, but were to rely on God's provision for them.  We today as followers of Christ are the priests of God, and will never have an inheritance in this world.  The people of Israel were given a promise of success in capturing the Promised if they remained faithful to God, and we have the promise of everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ, and because of that, we need to remain faithful to Him in all that we do.  We have the record of the appointment of Eleazar to replace Aaron, which happened when Moses was still alive.  Though Aaron was the priest of God, he like Moses never went into the Promised Land on earth, but he went on the the everlasting Promised Land called heaven.  Then, we have a record of the appointment of Joshua to replace Moses,  and then the death of Moses.  Though Moses was a great man of God, he was still expected to obey God's commands and so are we as Christians today.  When we are saved by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we are to live by the directions of the Holy Spirit.  Moses was not indenspinisble in God's kingdom, and neither is anyone today.  Next,we will look at the book of Colossians. 

Deuteronomy Review Continued

The people Isreal were called on to be impartial in their judgment of others, and we must be too if we are called on to judge others.  The people were reminded of the report of the spies who first went into the Promised Land, and how they reported on the goodness of the land and brought back proof.  They, except for Joshua and Caleb, also said that the people there were too powerful for the people of Israel to defeat, and this was without proof or faith in God.  We too often see proof of the goodness of God but cannot see proof that He that He will protect us in the face of the enemy.  This is the problem with living by sight and not faith.  After the report of the spies, the people began to murmur against God.  This is also something that we often do if things are not going our way in life.  We want to blame God.  This led to the promise of God to make the people of Israel a great nation in a land that He would give them, the land that they were just across the river from, being passed on to their children.  We don't want to be a generation that refuses to put our faith in God and therefore have His promise of everlasting life pass over us.  Still, God would continue to lead them throughout their wilderness wanderings, even though they would still murmur.  If we have truly put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we are forever a part of His kingdom, even though we may murmur in doubt and miss many of the blessings of God.  They were also told that they were not to bother the Edomites, who were descendants of Esau, nor were they to battle the Moabites, who were descendants of Lot.  They were not a part of the people of Israel that God chose to work through but they were a part of His promise to Abraham. We are not all a part of the same physical family of God today as Christians, but we are all a part of the same family spiritually, and we should not be at war with one another. 

 

Deuteronomy Review

First in Deuteronomy, we see that the people of Israel had wandered in the wilderness for forty years.  This was because of their unwillingness to put their faith in God when they first arrived at the Promised Land.  If we encounter Jesus Christ today when we are lost, we are on the edge of the Promised Land, but if we refuse to put our faith in Him, we will wander in the wilderness of sin until or unless we do.  A whole generation of the people of Israel were denied access to the Promised Land because of their lack of faith, but we cannot afford to lose a whole generation today because they refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, because the gospel of Christ is passed from one generation of Christians to the next.  Now, it was time for the people of Israel, that next generation, to go in and claim the Promised Land under the power and authority of God.  We will not go into our Promised Land, Heaven, in this lifetime, but we must claim our place now by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and living under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.  They were to appoint wise rulers under the leadership of God.  God had led them by Moses and Aaron, but they were not to be with them in the Promised Land, but God still would.  We today as Christians must appoint wise leaders in the church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and we need to acknowledge that when one leader dies or moves on that God will appoint another and we must then follow him.  The first time the people of Israel were at the edge of the Promised Land, they lacked the faith to go in, and Moses called on them to not do so again.  This generation for the most part had not witnessed the miracles that God did to gain their release from Egypt, but Moses called on them to put their faith in Him still.  We did not see Jesus as He walked and talked on the earth and was crucified for our sins, but we must put our faith in Him if we are going to get to go into Heaven one day.  Though they had refused to put their faith in God and go into the Promised Land, God did not desert them, but guided them throughout their wilderness wanderings.  God does not give up on people easily, but continues to call them to Him even if they first refuse to accept Him.  Still, lack of faith caused one generation, those who should have been the first generation in the Promised Land, to never enter.  Lack of faith in Jesus Christ will cause us to never be allowed to enter into Heaven and claim what would have been our place.

Deuteronomy 34:1

Deuteronomy 34:1 says, And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,   Moses went up Mount Nebo to the top of Pisgah and God showed him the Promised Land.  He did't get to go in, but he did get to see the earthly Promised Land.  Moses went willingly and alone to the place where he knew he was going die, because he knew he was going to the heavenly Promised Land then.  We should never desire anything in this world more than we desire our heavenly home as Christians.  Verse two adds,  And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,  Verse three continues, And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.  This was quite a view, but it was nothing compared to the one that he was soon to have.  No matter how great things may look in this life, they are nothing compared to what Heaven will be like. Verse four states, And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.  God told Moses that this was the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that He was allowing Moses to see it, but He was not allowing him to enter it.  Of course, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob never even saw the Promised Land here on earth, but they were all now in the Promised Land of Heaven.  God's promises may not happen in our lifetime, but they will surely happen in His time schedule.  Verse five adds, So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.  Moses died in accordance with God's word, and so will we, but as followers of Christ that is just the beginning of our life in heaven.  Verse six continues, And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.  God buried Moses in an unmarked and unknown grave.  If they had known where Moses was buried, they might have turned his grave into a place to be worshipped.  I believe that is why we aren't told nor do we need to know where the tomb of Jesus is.  Verse seven concludes, And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.  When Moses died at one hundred twenty years of age, he was still physically strong.  His not going into the Promised Land was not due to his failing health, but due to his act of disobedience in the desert.  Verse eight says, And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.  After Moses went up the mountain to die, the people of Israel mourned for him thirty days.  They knew why he was going up the mountain and that he wasn't coming back down.  Verse nine adds, And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.  Joshua, who had been appointed Moses's replacement was said to be full of the Spirit of Wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him in accordance with God's direction.  It wasn't Moses who gave Joshua the Spirit of Wisdom, but it was God Who did.  When one Christian leader dies today, God will call someone to replace him, and we like the people of Israel did with Joshua need to listen to him as he leads us by the Spirit of God to follow God's way.  Verse ten continues, And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,  We are then told that there was never another prophet in Israel like Moses whom God knew face to face.  Of course, there is One greater Who came, and that is Jesus Christ, but He was not a prophet, but the fulfillment of all prophesy.  Verse eleven states, In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,  Verse twelve adds, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.  Then, the book of Deuteronomy concludes by referring briefly of all the great things that God had done while Moses was the leader of the people of Israel.  At the end of our life, it would be wonderful if people could remember great things that God has accomplished for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom through our life.  We will next review some of the things we learned in Deuteronomy.