Koinonia

Jonah 1 YOU CAN’T RUN FROM GOD The story of Jonah is one that is well known. Even people who do not espouse to any “religious beliefs” or “spirituality” have heard of the story of Jonah being three days and nights in the belly of a great fish. Jesus Himself believed the literal account of Jonah and the whale (or great fish). He said that it was a type of how He would be three days and three nights in the belly of the earth before He rose again (Matthew 12:40). Hallelujah! Jesus is risen, beloved. Truly, the good news of salvation is of The Lord and from The Lord. But Jonah is a book that is packed with practical lessons for any person who is a follower of Jesus Christ. It is a book that teaches us that it is impossible to flee from the presence of God. It is a book that teaches us that our sin and rebellion against God affects others and sometimes puts others in danger. It’s a book that teaches how racial resentment can be so deep that it can blind us from heeding the commands to preach the gospel. It teaches us that God’s grace and the gift of repentance are extended to the most wicked of people. But above all things is the singular message that God is ultimately in sovereign control over whales and winds, gourds and people.

JESUS BY HIMSELF PURGED OUR SINS The introductory verses of Hebrews 1 are some of the most majestic and breathtaking descriptions of the beauty and glory of The Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the final word of God to mankind. All previous prophets and manners of revelation pointed to Him. The Father has appointed Him to be the heir of all things. By Him, everything in creation came into existence. Jesus is the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of Him in bodily form. Mystery of all mysteries is that this perfect, sinless, Son of God became a sacrificial lamb to atone for the sin of the world. Atonement is God’s work, not man’s. Only God can take away our sin. Only God can forgive men of their sin. Jesus Christ, the final and perfect Lamb of God by Himself purged our sins. By Himself, Jesus purged our sins. Jesus is our salvation. Jesus is our righteousness. Jesus is the only answer for our sin debt. Jesus and Jesus alone is the only means of grace and access to The Father. Looking unto Jesus saves us. Looking unto Jesus sanctifies us. The elements of the bread and the cup remind us of a simple, but profound truth. Jesus Himself has purged our sins. Because He has paid the price for our sin, He is seated at the right hand of God, and we, by grace through faith, are seated in Him.

They Forgot What He Said Why is it that we tend to remember the things that we should forget, but forget the things that we should remember? For three days after His death and burial, the disciples of Jesus were confounded, confused, discouraged, and depressed. As far as they were concerned, all of their hopes of Him being their King and Messiah had vanished. When the women went to the tomb of Jesus on the third day, they brought with them spices to anoint His body. Obviously, they were expecting to find Jesus lying there in the grave. Much to their surprise, when they arrived at the tomb something was “wrong”. Instead of finding the dead body of Jesus, two men (presumably angels) stood by them in shining garments and asked them the question, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.” (Luke 24:4-6) These woman no doubt had heard Jesus say, “The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” (Luke 24:7; Matthew 20:19) But they had apparently forgotten. Whenever heaven is asking earth a question, it is never a request for information. It is to impart revelation. Or, in this case, it was to impart to us the importance of hearing and believing what Jesus said. Oh, that we would hear and believe what Jesus speaks to us, and live our lives accordingly!

Regeneration: Fact or Fiction? This morning, the apostle Paul makes the distinction between a sincere follower of Jesus Christ who has been born of The Spirit and is bearing fruits of repentance and are working out their salvation with fear and trembling, and those whose “faith in Jesus” is nothing more than an empty verbal profession of faith that lacks the evidence of repentance and regeneration. Every epistle seems to indicate the fact that every congregation consists of a mixed multitude of wheat and tares, both possessors and professors of faith in Christ. Paul addresses his concern for those whose lifestyle does not match their alleged testimony of having experienced the regeneration power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He does not want them basing the assurance of their salvation on a false profession of faith. It is abundantly clear that our assurance of salvation does not lie in any work that we do, but by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) in the finished work of Jesus Christ. The veil has been torn. We can only draw near to God because of Who Jesus is and what He did for us. But, it is equally clear that when we trust in Him, we can see the evidence of God’s Spirit bearing fruit in our lives. Jesus said that you can tell a tree by its fruit (Matthew 12:33). Reader, is your life bearing the fruit of regeneration by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ?

Victory in Jesus One of the Apostle John’s favorite phrases is “born of God”. That phrase of course speaks of the new birth. Jesus told a very devout and religious man that unless he was born again, he would neither see nor enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:1-5). John, writing under the inspiration of The Holy Ghost, writes important fundamental truths regarding Christian doctrine and practical Christian living. Many world religions believe that Jesus is the Christ within the context of their belief system. But only the sacred, God-breathed writing of Scripture identifies Jesus Christ as God born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18), the spotless (1 Peter 1:19) “Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). By grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, those who call upon Him as Lord are given a new heart and the gift of eternal life. Believers are transformed from a life of despair, to a life of victory, for “this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4) This victory in Jesus is not a life of sinless perfection, but a life of growth in grace and in the knowledge of God. This victory in Jesus is not a life that is regulated or bound by the chains of manmade rules, rituals and regulations, but a life of fellowship with The Lord in The Spirit, with the overflow being a life of loving sacrifice for the glory of our Master, Jesus Christ. Reader, have you been born of God? Call upon The Name of The Lord Jesus today, “for whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)