Wednesday January 25, 2017
“We serve a God of order”
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He
chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be
holy and without blame before Him in love – Ephesians 1:3-4
The Plan of Grace
As we conclude the section dealing the broken image of God and benefits
of what Christ has done for us, we are left with two questions that will serve
as blueprint for the rest of our study: 1) How do I get into Christ to receive this
salvation which is in Him? This will be answered by examining the
biblical teachings on entering the Christian Life. 2)
How do I get the grace and character of Christ into my life? We will
answer this by examining the biblical teachings on sanctification and the
outworking of the Christian life.
Students of Christian doctrine used to speak about what they called the
order, or plan, of salvation. They meant that in his dealings with men God
worked according to a pattern… He had a plan. They meant that sinners restored
to the image of God will have their experience of God’s grace in basically
similar ways because ultimately their needs are the same.
Over and over again Jesus clearly referred to a pattern and goal by which
his life was determined. He liked to think of it as heading towards a special
hour in which everything for which he was preparing himself would be
accomplished. He held back from certain activities because of his consciousness
of the divine timetable (John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27). By the beginning of
the book of the passion (John 13 – 21) Jesus knew that the time had come for
him to leave this world and go to the father (John 13 one), and so he prayed,
father the time has come (John 17:1).
Challenge: God’s plan
is perfect. You may not be aware of it or frustrated that you “seem” or feel lost
in all of it. Trust Him with your life, now and the next step. Commit
everything to Him. Give thanks for where you are now because He has you in the
palm of His Hand!
This Day in Christian History:
Jan 25, 1964 –
Irene Farrel died a martyr as a Baptist Missionary in Zaire, Africa. Killed
by a rebel group called Jeunesse (“Youth”) who terrorized the Congo
countryside. They shut down schools and massacred Christians whose teachings
competed with their Marxist ideology.
Memory Verse: (Sun Jan 22)
Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand – Ephesians 6:13
Ko ia, mou to‘o ‘a e mahafu kotoa ‘a e ‘Otua, koe‘uhi ke mou lava ke
talitu‘u ‘i he ‘aho ‘o e fai mai ‘a e kovi; pea kuo lava kotoa pē kae tu‘u pē
– ‘Efeso 6:13
Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)
Week 4 – Gen 47-48; Psalm
25; Gal 3
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