Wednesday – March 9, 2016
Wow, it is hump day and again each of us must prepare for the ingestion and digestion of God’s Word making it our own. This camel is quite taken with himself or herself, God has got to have a great sense of humor for this looks like a face only a mother could love as they say.
Yesterday we left off talking about the mystery of God which was hidden in God but now is on full display for all to see and in fact is being taught to all by the Church. You have probably heard the term that the “Old Testament” is Christ concealed, and the “New Testament” is Christ revealed. Well that is exactly what is talked about in these passages from Colossians 2:1-4 and Ephesians 3:9-12. Let us look again at the Ephesians text in a different Bible translation.
Ephesians 3:9-12 (ESV)
9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things,
10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
There seems to be a general consensus in the Church that all that has unfolded since Genesis 1:1 was a grand scheme put in place by God and has been playing out according to His original plan. That is an obnoxious lie from the darkness in which the devils have their existence. The original intent of our God whose kindness is beyond measure was for mankind, His sons and daughters, to exist forever in an expanding perfection using their God given authority and expressing their power and creative capacity under the leadership of Elohim (pleural Godhead). Just as we plan for contingencies (we got that from our Father) so did God plan for the contingency that man would choose to sin.
As we look at Ephesians 3:10 we find that the Church, you and I, the ones who have been called out and answered that call, are the ones educating the angels (both good and bad angels) of the multifaceted wisdom of God. The mystery of God, the redemption by Christ Jesus, by God Himself, is now openly unfolded for all of us to see and walk in. There is an old hymn “O what a Savior” and some of the words follow taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
“O What a Savior” is a hymn penned by the Free Will Baptist hymnist Marvin P. Dalton in 1948.
Lyrics
Once I was straying in sin’s dark valley,
No hope within could I see,
He came from Heaven, my Blessed Savior To save a poor lost soul like me.
O what a Savior, O hallelujah!
His heart was broken on Calvary,
His hands were nail scarred,
His side was riven,
He gave His life-blood for even me.
He left the Father with all His riches,
With calmness sweet and serene,
Came down from Heaven and gave His life-blood,
To make the vilest sinner clean.
I was for sure one of those “vilest sinner” who was made absolutely clean, once again in His glorious image and likeness for His very own pleasure and glory.
Because of The Christ I can be bold and confident in my ready access by my faith in Him to the throne of God. Unfettered access, without fear or timidity, just like one of our children coming into our home, fathers house, can run and throw themselves into our arms so can we throw ourselves without hesitation into the arms of our Heavenly Father, our Jesus, our Holy Spirit. O What a Savior!
Hebrews 4:16 (KJV)
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Writing this brings tears of great joy and thankfulness.
By Pastor David R. Wood
