Colossians 1:12

In my next few entrees I will be looking at Colossians 1:12 – 17, there is no real reason why I picked this text other then it was part of my reading today and it seemed to jump off the page at me. I will do my best to try to explain what I saw in it, while trying to stay theologically sound.

(Col 1:12) Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Just as the apostle makes an end of his petitions to God for the Colossians, he starts into this portion of text with thanks giving for what God has done in and for them and us already.

What God hath done in us:

Which hath made us meet – the Greek word used here is ἱκανόω hikanoō.
Meaning to make sufficient, or abundant. * note * the text does not say who Has made us. That does not mean that it is not saying “who hath made us”, I struggled with this because I believed that it was saying “who hath made us” in its context, yet it would seen to imply that it is the act of giving thanks that hath made us meet to be partakers. It was not until I looked at the word it’s self and saw that “which” is really nothing more then a representative for a noun or a thing. We call that a pro noun relative, or a substitute. In it’s usage in this verse it is the pro noun of God the father, which (ß he he he! I used it!!) is the same as saying,” who hath made us”. With all that said I can now make my point that, God made us meet, or sufficient to be partakers of the inheritance. It was not of us, for as we all know there is none good. Let us take this fast minute to praise our Lord and King! For he and he alone hath made us sufficient to be partakers!!!

of the inheritance - A plain allusion to the division Of the Promised Land among the different families of the twelve tribes of Israel. This was a type of the kingdom of God, in which portions of eternal blessedness are dispensed to the genuine Israelites; to them who have the circumcision of the heart by the Spirit, whose praise is of God, and not of man.

What God hath done for us:

Of the saints in light - Connect with inheritance: the inheritance which is in light. This need not be limited to future glory. The children of God walk in light on earth. And so the inheritance it’s self, maybe a reference to the future glory that awaits us. “In light” maybe a reference to the grace God flows out onto his children in their current state.
Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

quotes for today

(all of the quotes that follow are from this months news letter, the old paths. it can be found at sermonindex.com)

The Godly Person
Weeps!
CHRIST CALLS HIS SPOUSE His "dove" (Song
2:14). The dove is a weeping creature. Grace dissolves
and liquefies the soul, causing a spiritual
thaw. The sorrow of the heart runs out at the eye. A
godly heart grieves that it is not more holy. It troubles
him that he falls short of the rule and standard
which God has set. "I should", he says, "love the
Lord with all my heart. But how defective my love
is! How far short I come of what I should be, no, of
what I might have been!"
Thomas Watson (1620-1686) - Non-conformist
preacher in England. Wrote many influential books in
his day and is read widely by many evangelicals in
our day.


Troublemakers in the
Church
WE NEED MORE TROUBLEMAKERS in the
church! I pray that every member of the body of
Christ would become a troublemaker! We need an
army of troublemakers who have become so full of
the Holy Ghost they will stir up and trouble New
York City and every other city around the world;
trouble their wicked institutions - challenge the
established dead churches - trouble the leaders, the
mayors, the city councils, the community leadership!
In other words, we need Holy Ghost troublemakers
moving in the Spirit, proclaiming the kingship
of Christ so effectively that whole cities are
stirred!
David Wilkerson - A watchman to our current
generation. Was used of God to establish teen challenge
rehabilitation centers. Pastor of Times Square
Church in New York city.




Jonathan Edwards

“Resolution One: I will live
for God. Resolution Two: If no
one else does, I still will.”
“The happiness of the creature
consists in rejoicing in
God, by which also God is
magnified and exalted.”
“The way to Heaven is ascending;
we must be content
to travel uphill, though it be
hard and tiresome, and contrary
to the natural bias of our
flesh.”
“A greater absurdity cannot
be thought of than a morose,
hardhearted, covetous, proud,
malicious Christian.”
“All the graces of Christianity
always go together. They so
go together that where there is
one, there are all, and where
one is wanting, all are wanting.
Where there is faith, there
are love, and hope, and humility;
and where there is
love, there is also trust; and
where there is a holy trust in
God; there is love to God; and
where there is a gracious
hope, there also is a holy fear
of God.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) - He is known as
one of the greatest and most profound of American
theologians and revivalists. Famous for his sermon
named: “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God.”

take up thy cross

on my way to work i listened as the fellow read from the gospel of mark, and Luke. he told that old story, a crowd is gathered and screaming. a man draws neer to see what the tumult is all about. just as he pushes his way through to the front to see he wishes he had never came to look at all. for he See's a man, beaten more then any before him. covered in blood, with a crown of thorns upon his head and a cross on his back. it is passable that just as this man has seen enough and would have left a roman guard grabs him and forces him to take up the cross for this man can bear it no more, and then in that moment part of the burden upon Jesus' back is lifted. this man has taken up his cross.

do we? do you? are you willing to or must God force you the way he forced this man?

if you are willing to take up this cross, no matter what the cost. just think of how you will be taking up part of the Lords burden by doing what ever he needs of you. part of the work that the lord is doing in the world for the kingdom will now fall upon your back, and lift ever so slightly the burden of the Lords task at hand. is that not worth the crushing force of a cross on your back, i say it is!

make you self willing to do the work of the Lord today, no matter what the cost!!

no greater joy!!

after work yesterday Shannon and i went downtown to hand out tracts and preach in the mists of rush hour. though it was a very different experience then the normal Saturday morning, i must say it was a time of joy for me. as i study some of America's church fathers i see in them what John Piper calls Christian hedonism. This can be summed up in this quote, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him". WOW! that statement changed my way of thinking forever. i always viewed Christian deeds as being our duty, i now see that duty is not enough to sustain us, for we as humans will always seek happiness and joy. what better way to achieve said joy then through God. it's a better way because as we fulfill our needs of joy, God gets glory! and i truly believe that God has done everything through out history down to the creating of bugs and snails for one reason alone. you guessed it, his glory! so in conclusion i must say that it was really great to get to go downtown and fulfill our commission, get filled with joy, and bring God the glory he longs for!!

live like hell? then you'll burn in it!!

i have been thinking today, and here is what i came up with. i do not believe in the "carnal Christian" doctrine. I'm not saying by no means that i plan on becoming the judge of who is and who is not a christian. but! i do know this. Jesus saved us FROM sin, so if we stay in it and make no attempt to get out....... that's not being saved!! this you would think would be a given but there are some who will go around and try to let everyone know that if there is a time when they said a prayer and asked Jesus into they're heart then they are saved and if some one is worried about it they say tell satin to leave you alone, or take him to the little date in the back of your bible and say "see devil, i got saved at the revival meeting on this date here". now, i say this. just because you said a prayer at the crusade five years ago does not mean your a christian. if that where true do you realize 95% of America is saved!!! yet they drink, fornicate, they are full of pride and idolatry. yet praise God they are all brothers in the lord! now i know that there are none righteous no not one, and that we have all come short of God's glory. but we can not forget that to be born again means TO BE BORN AGAIN, you know like a new life. the good ol puritans had no problem perching Holiness and holding they're congregations to it. i think that's the big difference between then and now. today we tell people that they can say a prayer and than that they can still be saved as a carnal Christian, then we get all flustered when 90% of the Church is living like the world. what!!! do we have any idea what they are being told!!! of course they are not changing, let them listen to just one of the good ol sermons from any of our American church fathers and i bet we see a reaction then!

I NEED HELP!!

im trying to study the E.S.V and find out what it was translated out of and if there are errors in it ( if any ) also, if it omits verses or not. i have been looking all night and can find nothing but praise about this bible. are we to believe there is another version out there as sound as my beloved K.J.V.? i would never put my K.J.V. down anyway but want to be informed on this because i see this version popping up everywhere!

men hate the light

i had a talk with a friend tonight. me and this friend talked for some time before i hear his girl yelling in the background. she is upset that he is talking to me about the things we where talking about. so, he puts her on the phone and we start to talk. within a few minutes i was able to get to the heart of her anger. she was lost and in darkness, and she is not happy about it but the world has convinced her that there is no truth. ugh! how man has denied his creator! so anyway, we go on with talking about the things of the world, life, death and God and just as i think she is starting to open up to the possibility that there is more to life and that she can know it, i here him yelling in the background! :0/ oh man, now he is mad that she is talking to me about the things she will not talk to him about. it was like satin chiming in just as the truth started to break through her icy heart. i was just takin back at how true God's word is and to see it play it's self out right before me really brought that truth home for me. it is of a truth that light has come into the world but men love the darkness more then the light!!!