to the praise of his glorious grace

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Ephesus_Selcuk_2Ephesians 1.  The hope of a slave, living in Ephesus in the first century was that he might somehow win his redemption and become part of the great and powerful society in which he was a mere servant. A significant portion of the great city consisted of slaves. The churches of Ephesus probably contained many slaves. Paul used this hope as a metaphor to talk about the hope to which all believers are destined. We are destined to display the praise of God’s glorious grace (6).  Our future consists of:

  1. holiness (4)
  2. sonship (5)
  3. bringing praise to God (6,12,14)
  4. unity in Christ (10)

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is that they would be given insight into the power of God at work in their lives right now. Just as Christ is now exalted in the heavens as head over all things, so the church is exalted because we are his body, his fullness (16-23).

LORD, it is so easy to get caught up in the dismal world of what we are not. Reveal to us the glorious hope that we have in Christ, our inheritance. And may the destiny that we have in Christ inspire us to live as your sons today.

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boasting in the cross

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

SDC12594 Galatians 6.  Paul was motivated by what Christ did for the Galatians on the cross. He said “far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (14). Paul had not preached to the Galatians because he wanted to change them, he preached to the Galatians because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. The Gospel is not about how good we can become. It is about how good God is. God’s goodness sent his only begotten Son to the cross to die in our place. God’s goodness and grace as seen on the cross of Calvary leads not to our glorifying ourselves, but to glorifying Christ.

LORD, may we only boast in who you are and what you did for us.

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resurrection or restoration?

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

SDC12593Isaiah 26-27.  Is Isaiah promising resurrection here, or merely the restoration of Israel?  He uses language of physical resurrection: “Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead” (26:19). But then he seems to be predicting that the exiles will return to the land (27:13).  In chapter 26, Isaiah speaks of the former lords who ruled over Israel (like the Egyptians and Assyrians). These are dead, have been destroyed, and all memory of them has been wiped out (14).  But Israel remains.  Israel has reason to hope. That hope is not a choice between resurrection  and restoration, but a combination of the two. God will not forget his nation, nor will he forget a single believer within it.

LORD, we trust in you for a resurrection from among the dead.

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not silent

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

SDC12592 Psalm 115.  God is there, and he is not silent, even though Israel’s enemies see him as non-existent because he is not represented by an idol.  By making some noise — blessing and praising the LORD we can show that he is the sovereign of the heavens. This psalm encourages Israel to stop acting like dead people — who are asleep in silence awaiting resurrection day (17).  Idol worshippers create gods who (like the dead) can make no noise (5, 7) and the idolaters eventually die and become silent like their idols (8).

LORD, today we resolve to make some noise — to show that we serve a God who is not silent, and cannot be silenced.

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being led by the Spirit

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Galatians 5:16-26.  Paul tells the Galatians to walk by the Spirit. That means letting the Holy Spirit be the controlling power in their motivations, and the deciding influence in their actions. That is being led by the Spirit (18), which is passive.

It being passive makes it harder for us because it involves letting the Holy Spirit take control and do what God wants to do in our lives, not what we want to do, and it means doing what God wants to do in his way, not our way.
But that is the only way we are going to produce the Spirit’s fruit, instead of our own fruit. Jesus said “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8). He also said “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (15:5 ).
That reinforces the idea that Paul is getting across to the Galatians. Fruit bearing is passive: God wants to grow the fruit on us.

LORD, we submit to your process. Grow your fruit on us.

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the gospel for the free

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

Galatians 5:  1-15.  What does standing in freedom look like? Paul had told the Corinthians “faith, hope, and love abide” (1 Corinthians 13:13). To abide is to remain, to stand firm. A person who is trusting in God and not himself for his salvation is going to manifest these three character traits.
We see that here in Galatians 5. Instead of by works the believer is to live by faith (5), he will produce works, but that will be faith working (6).
Instead of despairing because he cannot do it all himself, the believer eagerly waits for the hope of righteousness (5).
Instead of biting and devouring others, the believer serves others through love (13). Love is his means of demonstrating his faith (6). And love actually helps him do what his slave counterpart cannot do: fulfill the law (14).

LORD, we confess to you that – all too often we have tried to live the Christian life on our own terms, to fulfill the law the best way we know how. We know that is wrong. Only one person could fulfill your law.
But we also know that he did. By his sinless life and sacrificial death Christ bought our freedom. We are free! We ask you today to help us to stand firm in that freedom. Help us not to get entangled in any kind of bondage. Enable us to live by faith, to wait eagerly for our hope, and to manifest our faith by serving one another through love. In Jesus’ name. Amen

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we have waited

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

SDC12591 Isaiah 25.  We have waited for the LORD to save us by subduing the oppressor (1-5,10-12).  We have waited for the feast which all peoples will enjoy on Mt. Zion (6). We have waited for the day when the veil of death is swallowed up for all nations (7-8a). We have waited for the LORD to eliminate sorrow and shame (8b). We have waited for the day of rejoicing and gladness when we can say “this is our God, we have waited for him” (9).

LORD, thank you for being the stronghold and shelter in which we can wait for your deliverance. Grant us perseverance as we wait for your ultimate answer to our prayers.

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choosing God on his terms

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

terms Galatians 4.  You and I have to make the same choice as the Galatians did. We can decide to do our best, and hope that God accepts it. That is the choice of Hagar, of Ishmael, of the letter, of Sinai, it is a choice to enslave ourselves.
Or, we can take God on his terms. We can say, God, I cannot do it myself. I trust in Christ and his finished work on the cross. I trust in your Holy Spirit to guide me in the Christian walk. And I trust in You, heavenly Father, to bring me into the inheritance you have planned for me.

LORD, we choose you on your terms.

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when pride took over

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

pride Galatians 4.  What turned these victors in to victims? It was pride. Yes, that’s right… pride. In verse 17, Paul says “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.” The “they” are the troublers, the Judaizers. They came to Galatia as “super-Christians.” They said to the Galatians “Hey, you overcame your bondage to demons. That’s good. But now it’s time for you take the next step. Become super-Christians like us.

But Paul knew what was really going on. He realized that the temptation to pride was coming from the same place that the demonic bondage had come from. The Galatians were being enticed to go forward when in fact they would really be going backward.

LORD, help us to live by faith in the Son of God who died for us. Help us to rest in the all-sufficiency of what Christ did for us on the cross, what he is doing now in our hearts, and what he promises to do for us for ever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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benefits of adoption

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

adop Galatians 4:1-7.   Being adopted into the family of God takes away your burdens, and substitutes benefits.
The first benefit is redemption. Paul says “you are no longer a slave (7).” Gentiles are redeemed by the same blood of Christ that redeemed believing Jews (5).
The second benefit is relationship. The Holy Spirit within us enables us to cry out to God (6), and the blood of Christ, having cleansed us, enables God to hear us, because it has reestablished redeemed humanity to the status of sons of God.
The third benefit is reward. We are now heirs. We will inherit the kingdom of God, immortality and will keep our status as sons throughout eternity.

LORD, thank you for taking away the burden of sin and death, and granting us an eternal relationship with you.

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