JULY 6

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES:

NAMES GIVEN TO JESUS IN THE BIBLE:

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WORLD BREAD SUPPLIER LIKE JOSEPH

ARK OF THE COVENANT

SACRIFICE UPON THE BRAZEN ALTER IN THE TABERNACLE

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This month we will read the book, “Whatever Happens – How to Stand Firm in Your Faith When the World is Falling Apart.”  By a contemporary author of many best-selling Christian books, Robert J. Morgan.  He took care of his wife when she had MS, until she went home to her Savior.  “He knows of which he speaks.”  I pray that this book blesses you.

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WHATEVER HAPPENS……..RELY ON REVITALIZING GRACE

Philippians 1:1-2:

“Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ,   to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:    Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Christian, the hero in John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” had just started out for the Celestial city when he stopped at Interpreter’s house and learned helpful lessons for his journey.  Interpreter took him from room to room displaying various items of significance.  In one room a fireplace blazed with a roaring fire, but the devil was throwing buckets of water on the flames to douse them.

Christian asked in amazement, “How does the fire keep burning?”

Interpreter beckoned him through the door to the backside of the wall where a man behind the hearth was pouring a constant stream of oil onto the flame, making it unquenchable.

How grateful we are for the secret supply of grace and peace that floods our hearts by the Holy Spirit!  The book of Philippians begins with the verse above.  There’s enough truth in those two verses to fill an ocean, but for the sake of simplicity let me show you three grammatical prepositions that link the clauses and allow us to follow the logic of Paul’s words.

Prepositions are just little things, some of our smallest words, but they’re very important.  In a parade, it makes a big difference if you’re  “before” the elephant or “behind” the elephant.  If you’re going to fly, you must be “over” the ground, not “on” it.

So let’s look at Paul’s three primary prepositions.  He tells us that he and Timothy are “servants OF Jesus Christ.” Sent to all the people who are “IN Christ Jesus.”  Then he extends to his readers grace and peace “FROM God our Father.”

Paul listed those in the order that was natural in writing of his letter, but let’s tackle them in the order they unfold in our lives:

SAINTS IN CHRIST

Paul addressed his letter to “all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi.”  Most translations say “to all the saints in Philippi.”

In the Word of God in the New Testament, the word “saint” simply indicates a Christ follower…..more specifically, a born-again believer.

In the Old Testament, the equivalent Hebrew term described the God of Israel, His name, and the things connected to Him.  We read about holy ground, the holy  temple, the holy place, and the holy of holies.  God’s Old Testament people were to be holy, keeping His laws and reflecting His purity to the nations of the earth.

In the New Testament, God the Father is described as holy and so is God the Son.  God the Holy Spirit actually has the word in His title.  But to our surprise, we also discover that we who know Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, are called saints, or in other places, “God’s holy people.”

It’s important for us to think of ourselves in those terms, (if we indeed have made Jesus our only Lord and Savior, and have given ourselves entirely to Him.)  Our self-image and behavior are influenced by how we talk about ourselves to ourselves.  If you think of yourself at one of God’s holy people, you will act that way.

We’re His holy people in a two fold way  First, as followers of Christ,  INSTANTANEOUS holiness is conferred on us at the moment of belief. 

Second, as we grow in Christ, the Lord’s PROGRESSIVE holiness develops within us.  We can see both of these aspects in Hebrews 10, particularly in 10:10: “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

The moment we receive Christ as Savior, we are made righteous in God’s sight.  Our sins are transferred to Christ, and His holiness is transferred to us.  The righteousness of Jesus Christ is wrapped around us.  We’re shielded by His enveloping holiness.  The devil may accuse us, but he cannot successfully attack and condemn us.  We may not yet be all we should be, but we are wrapped in and vested with the holiness of Christ.

Four verses later, in Hebrews 10:14 we read:

“For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”

David Allen, in his commentary on Hebrews, wrote, “the author is making good use of the Greek tense system of language here to contrast the perfect finished work of Christ on the cross with its sanctifying effect on believers (verse 10) with the ongoing work of progressive sanctification here in verse 14.”

Theologians use the phrase “already but not yet” to describe this process.  We are instantaneously declared holy when we receive Christ as Savior, but we progressively become more holy as we follow Him in discipleship.  We are God’s holy people IN Christ.

That was Paul’s trademark phrase – IN CHRIST.

The word “in” means to be positioned or placed within a certain environment.  Think of the atmosphere.  We’re surrounded by air, and air is within us, in our lungs.  If we’re locked in a vacuum chamber and the air gives out, we’re no longer in the air and the air is no longer in us.  We’ll die.

When we receive Jesus Christ as Savior, we are enveloped in Jesus.  He is the environment of the soul.  He is in us, and we are in Him – His holy people.

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