"For
this cause we also, (because of their love and testimony)
since the day we heard it, we do not cease to pray for you,
(and now here comes the Apostle’s desire on behalf of these new
believers) and to desire that you might be filled with the
knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;"
How
many professing Christians today can claim to have any of this? Not
very many! Because this is deep, this is not just the stuff on the
top of the surface like the scum which floats when there is the
presence of pollutants in the flowing water. (I
must pause here to say this, Paul states that he serves the gospel
with his spirit [in Romans 1:1, 9, 16:25, 1Corinthians 15:1,
Ephesians 6:19] and then that he did not water down or blend his
gospel with the old religion or anything else that he grow up in
[
2
Corinthians 2:17, 4:1-7 [verse is our targeted verse 2], Romans 2:16, Galatians 1:11, Colossians 1:5, 1Thessalonians 1:5,
2:2, 4; 2Timothy 1:10].) This is down in the deep
still waters of the things that really matter in the knowledge of His
Will, in His Wisdom and spiritual understanding (the pearl of
greatest cost or price). You know, how many times have you heard
people say, "Well you know, it’s just blind faith." No,
it’s not just blind faith. We’re supposed to know what you
believe. In Truth or Fact we are all required to know just as
Israel was required to have known the day of the Lord's first
visitation, but did not! All the prophets spoke of it but the
Priesthood and therefore the people didn't know Him. We are all
suppose to have an understanding of the Word. So that when Paul says
if someone asks, "What is the hope that you have?" You
should be able to show them from the Word. And that is what he means
by “being skilled at it and be able of,” turn to portions of
Scripture and let the people read it. This is what God’s Word says.
He also says "that you might be filled", that
it will just control our and then their lives, and thinking, in the
knowledge of His Will and Wisdom and spiritual understanding. Now
verse 10. This comes down into the nitty gritty of their everyday
lives, Monday through Saturday, no but Sunday also.
Colossians
1:10a
"That
ye might walk worthy of the Lord (a person that the Lord
Christ would not have to be ashamed of and be what kind of a person?)
unto all pleasing,"…
I
personally do not buy this stuff that a believer has to constantly be
like sandpaper to the world around them. I don’t think that’s
necessary. I don’t think we have to constantly rub people the wrong
way. But we are to be able and empowered to speak Truth at all cost
of Love which is over flowing without compromise. We’re not
going to just go with the flow. Because
there is great error in the multitude of people, such as the crowds
that rise up to be a riotous, and often times become a mindless
gathering. We do not have to be irritating those people around
us. Paul never teaches that. But as we stand for the Truth, we do it
in a way that is pleasing to those around us, Jesus was very skillful
in this, He is it's Master. And that is what he’s praying for. Now
we've said that we’d stop at the word "fruitful"-
Colossians
1:10b
"…being
fruitful in every good work,…"
That
is not the merit of salvation, remember. Salvation is not of works.
We do not work for salvation, just as we do not work for Redemption.
But we work for rewards. And if we are going to have rewards, we are
going to have to have fruit. Now that is a term that is used quite a
bit in the New Testament. We are going to take you back and are going
to chase a few of them down. Let’s go all the way back to John’s
synoptic gospel and a portion of Scripture that most people are
fairly acquainted with and that is the vine in chapter 15. Let’s
start at verse 4. These are the words of the Lord Himself during His
earthly ministry. But before I do I want to reveal this about the
word, “LORD or LORD”
as it is often used. Here is the definition of it; Master,
Father, husband, husbandman and the word vine, also in the ancient
old English use it means the one who is the guardian of the bread.
With this in mind turn to John chapter 15.
John
15:4-5
"Abide
in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear (carry,
it does not produce) fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the
vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me, and I in him,
(there’s that positional phrase that Paul enlarges on in this
chapter and others that we studied in Ephesians, especially) the
same bringeth forth much (what?) fruit (who
brings forth the fruit?): for without me ye can
do nothing."
We
can not help carrying fruit. If you have a healthy relationship with
Christ as a result of believing this Gospel then we are positioned in
Christ and consequently we are going to be a fruit bearer. But the
last part of the verse is the key: "For without me ye can
do nothing." So whatever we do, we do it with His power,
and His help and the result is that we are going to carry fruit,
because He is the fruit producer in us. Now let’s turn on over to
Romans chapter 7, where again we have the word fruit used in a
different connotation instead of a vine and branch (remember also
Abraham is the root of the vine for Israel, but at the time of his
calling he was a gentile, a son of man, and we become the branches
[we benefit from his fatness] and Christ is the fluid, ie. water, which flows
through both out through the branch to produce the fruit, this fruit
is the same fruit of the fig tree metaphor, which is true goodness
and truth, in Matthew 21:10-19, Mark 11:1-14). We are talking here
about a marriage relationship. Now this of course is Paul’s basic
doctrine of being separated from the Law, and all of it’s demands,
which end through death, which releases both parties from the oath.
By and through Grace then we come into a totally different
relationship.
No comments:
Post a Comment