Monday – September 5, 2016
Greetings and blessings from Eastern Gate Ministries and The Three Minute Word Publication. Today is a Federal Holiday in the United States called Labor Day.
The following is a direct quote from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. “Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the country.” This holiday like most if not all the other holidays we celebrate today are focused on the creature, the created, and not the Creator. That is not to say that American workers have not been a critical component for businesses of all kinds. And there has been a role for labor unions. However, what about the business owner that took the risk with his or her own money to start the business? What about the government that created and maintained an environment in which an entrepreneur would take a risk with their time, money, and reputation? Finally, and most importantly, America is not an exceptional nation because of any of these things but because of our covenant with God. The first exceptional nation was Israel but when Israel forgot God they ceased to be an exceptional nation and God allowed (legally forced) them to be taken captive. America is captive and doesn’t even know it. It is like the story of the frog in a pot of cold water with the water very slowly being heated and before the frog realizes it he is cooked. We are cooked but we have an option the frog didn’t have and that is repentance followed by the tearing down of the high places. High places are unGodly ideas spoken and acted upon which result in stealing, killing, and destruction in individual lives and the life of this nation. Our unGodly leaders and followers then advocate more laws, more regulations, in short more government in the ongoing effort to be our own god rather than turning to God and His ways in repentance.
I will now return to our study of Ephesians picking up with Ephesians 1:7.
Ephesians 1:5-8 (KJV)
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
From Ephesians 1:6, I discussed the concept of praise which is identifying what God wants to be in our lives and declaring that for our lives. I discussed that the glory of God is frequently the person of the Holy Spirit who brings about the expression of Gods’ goodness. The word grace in this verse may refer to the favor shown us by God or others or the person of the Holy Spirit. In this case it is the Holy Spirit, He is the quickening Spirit, the One who makes us alive in Christ when we declare Jesus as our Lord. To paraphrase the ‘a’ segment of this verse we could say: “I declare all that God is and His goodness expressed in my life by the word of the Holy Spirit (grace)”. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that has made us acceptable in the beloved (Jesus). Of course it its foundation it is the work of Jesus that destroyed the works of the devil and made it legally permissible for the Holy Spirit to quicken us, translate us into the Kingdom of God, seat us in the Most Holy Place in Christ Jesus at the right Hand of Majesty on High, apply the Blood of Jesus cleansing us of all sin bringing us into Covenant and right standing (righteousness) with the Father (Elohim), and one of these days cause us to have in incorruptible body like our Jesus. Jesus is the beloved (adored, cherished, favorite, treasured, and dearly loved) spoken of in this verse but because of Him, you and I are also beloved of God.
Romans 1:7 (KJV)
7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God is not just referring to the Christians at Rome as beloved by Him, He is referring to us all, for He (God) is no respecter of persons.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 (KJV)
13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
The following is a couple of examples of persons in the Old Testament beloved of God.
Deuteronomy 33:12 (KJV)
12 And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
Nehemiah 13:26 (KJV)
26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.
As much as the Father wanted a family, sons, He could not tolerate sin, it is an anathema (abhorrence, abomination, curse) to Him. The sin problem had to be resolved and the man that sinned could not resolve the problem by definition being a flawed vessel. God Himself had to come into the earth and pay the price of sin. Scripture tells us early on that the life is in the blood. In the beginning God created a man who was a “living soul” however sin and resultant and necessary separation from God caused him to become a ‘dead soul’. A sinless man sinned so a sinless man had to pay the price of sin. Jesus the Christ was that sinless man that paid the price that no one else could pay. Verse seven tells us that “we have redemption through his blood”. God initiated a Blood Covenant with Abram/Abraham in Genesis chapter twelve. The parties to this covenant were Jehovah God, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and Abram/Abraham. Jesus the Christ consummated that Covenant at Calvary. Jesus reclaimed us from the enemy who held us as prisoners of war and restored us to a place superior to Adam in Him in the family of God. We were not restored to be like Adam we are like Jesus Christ. Adam was not in Jesus Christ, they had no safety net (Jesus Christ).
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
