Having affirmed his hope that the Colossians will persevere in the truths of the gospel, Paul goes on to reveal to the church at Colossae his passion for that very gospel and the purpose and energy it gives to him. And he does not hesitate to mention his sufferings, which are a direct result of his passion for the gospel. But not surprisingly, he readily professes that his hardships do not diminish his passion or divert his purpose related to the gospel of Christ, but instead, he keeps going because he is “in Christ".
Despite being the ultimate Prophet to whom all other prophets pointed, the Lord Jesus was rejected by friend and foe alike. Yet He proceeded to the cross undeterred, filled with compassion for those He came to save. Only such a Savior could redeem us from our sin and empower us to follow Him without fear.
Many people claim to know Jesus but will be surprised on the last day when He says He doesn’t know them! Jesus warned us ahead of time so that by His grace, we might avoid surface religion and seek to be known by Him as He is freely offered in the gospel. Though the way of true discipleship is exceedingly narrow, it is also exceedingly blessed as we follow the King in whom all life, growth, and fruitfulness are found.
As bad as physical bondage is, it is nothing compared to the spiritual bondage imposed by sin. Sin is so enslaving that we may even believe we are doing God’s work while actually opposing Him, as with the synagogue ruler in Luke 13. Only the Lord Jesus, who completely bound Himself to the will of His Father, is able to truly free us through His death and resurrection as we look to Him in faith.
Abijah was not a good king. But on one occasion, he set himself apart from his adversary (Jeroboam), his father (Rehoboam), and even his own reputation, by remembering, revering, and relying on the LORD. As we look at 2 Chronicles 13, we will consider what we can learn from the stories of these three kings, but more importantly, how our ability to remember, revere and rely upon the LORD depends on the King who always did this perfectly for our sake.
The apostle John lived with Jesus for approximately three years, beholding all His miracles and hearing all His teaching, but it was not until he arrived at the empty tomb that he truly believed. Jesus’ resurrection remains at the essential core of the Christian faith, and our Lord continues to draw people to the empty tomb where they find life and forgiveness in Him.
The sweep of daily life can draw our hearts and minds far from the things of eternity, but tragedy can powerfully awaken us to the reality of death, judgment, and our need for a Savior. Jesus calls us to repentance unto life, that we might know both the joy of His salvation and the joy of walking in obedience to His commands.
Paul concludes his important teaching on God’s reconciliation of sinners to Himself by noting that believers must persevere to the end, remaining established, firm, and unmovable. But this raises the question as to whether Paul is teaching that after we are saved by grace, are we to work to keep our salvation? We will explore Paul’s teaching that Christians are to both persevere in the faith and be sovereignly preserved by God’s gracious work in Christ applied by the Holy Spirit.
In Luke 12, Jesus warns us that in this life, the gospel comes with conflict as well as salvation. There is a cost to following Jesus as His disciple. But there is a far greater cost to not following Him, or to denying what we know to be true about Him. Our Lord teaches us how the grace of discipleship makes the cost of discipleship not only acceptable, but our great joy through the One who paid the price for our sin on the cross.
Believers are not meant to wander aimlessly through the Christian life. We are to anticipate our Lord’s glorious return and live accordingly. In Luke 12, Jesus warns us of complacency and calls us to an active and vigilant faith in the One who readily obeyed the will of His Father on our behalf, Jesus Christ.