Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105) Mount
Baker
Beacon Volume 02, Number 27
07/02/2023 Published by
Mt. Baker
church of Christ Location:
1860 Mt. Baker HWY
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 30821
Bellingham, WA 98228
(360) 752-2692 Sunday:
Bible Classes..........9:30 AM
Worship..10:30AM; 6:00PM
Wednesday:
Bible Classes.........7:00 PM
Web site:
Mt. Baker church
Editor......John Bass
| In this issue:
“HE IS A NEW CREATION”
Steven J. Wallace “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”
(2 Cor. 5:17).1 A new slate. When we obey the gospel, our record of sin is washed away and our slate is made clean. Every sin has been forgiven and will not be laid against us in God’s court (Jer. 31:34). In his second epistle, Peter addressed the danger of a shortsighted and forgetful Christian, saying: “For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins” (2 Pet. 1:9). It is so important for the child of God to recognize and continue to remember that his debt of “old sins” has been paid for. He should never take for granted God’s grace nor forget the debt which he was forgiven through the blood of the beloved Christ (1 Pet. 1:19; Rev. 1:5). Remembering our debt will affect our view of God and our view of our fellow man (Matt. 18:21-35). Let us rejoice that our slate is made new, but let us also sorrow that it had to be made new. Let us never forget that we were cleansed from our old sins. A new birth. One of the new things of being in Christ is that we are born again (Jn. 3:3-5; 1 Pet. 1:23). Thus, when we are baptized into Christ’s death, we bury the old man of sin and begin life anew (Rom. 6:3, 4). Paul states, “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (Rom. 6:6). Our “old sins” and “old man” have been done away with when we were baptized into Christ. Nothing can speak more of a new beginning than a new birth. This is how an old man can begin anew, and as the phrase would imply, it brings in other new things. A new outlook. Christ died for our newness of life, and therefore our outlook should be toward Him. “And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15). Old goals are replaced by new ones. Old troubles and trials fade away into new hopes. Self-promotion is replaced by a mind that will “esteem others better than himself” (Phil. 2:3). Self-will is replaced with letting “the will of the Lord be done” (Acts 21:14; cf. Eph. 5:17). Worldly thinking is overcome with new pursuits that set the mind on things above (Col. 3:2). As a new creation, how does your priority list read? What does your treasure look like? “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).
1 Unless noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Top
IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN
Mike Thomas "In Jesus' name" is as much a part of our prayers as "our Father in heaven." Our supplications would feel incomplete without it, even if we do not fully realize its implications. For many, it is something that must be said before the amen. Yet when we understand what we are saying, we will be humbled by the privilege of praying "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20). Here are a few thoughts to consider from it.
We should know that the phrase is not a blanket statement or magic chant we must utter to get what we want. Instead, it is a humble plea for God to receive our prayer through Jesus - the one and only Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5), and a sincere request for Him to consider our petition. We are so unworthy of approaching our holy God because of our sins and wickedness. Yet, because of the powerful blood of Jesus Christ, we can go boldly before the throne of grace and have our prayers heard as forgiven sinners. Who among us is worthy of such honor? Yet, that is what is possible because of Jesus' name. "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). This is why Paul wrote, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17). To pray in that glorious name is our way of letting the Father know that we acknowledge the greatness and importance of Jesus and that without Him we would have no chance of having our prayers heard. Amazing!
To pray in Jesus' name is to also let God know that we seek His will being done in response to our request. We may want a particular outcome to our prayer, but "in Jesus' name" we understand that He knows what is best for us and that we are willing to abide in His response. When Paul was facing an unwanted burden, he found consolation in accepting Jesus' will with his circumstance instead of what he wanted. He wrote:
"Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of
Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).
The apostle John said it this way, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5:14). So, we wrap up our request with the Lord's name because we are letting God know that we will accept whatever He thinks is best for us. It is a humble acknowledgment that even Jesus Himself uttered when confronted with His own trials - "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). We are imitating His example in petitioning the Father through His authority as Christ.
And then we pray in our Savior's name because we want it to be known that we intend to live by His will regardless of how He answers our prayer. We are declaring through Jesus that we intend to obey Him in all things. God's word says, "One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination" (Proverbs 28:9). Yet since we are praying in our Lord's name, we are acknowledging our awareness of our need to obey God for our prayers to be heard. It is like Peter wrote, "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil" (1 Peter 3:12). We humbly come before the Ancient of Days through His Son because we want Him to know we intend to obey His word in all things.
So, let us pray to our merciful God with conviction, humility, reverence, and great confidence. We are approaching Someone Who loves us, cares for us, and will do what is best for us; and because of His Son, we can do so. And since we are bathing our prayers in our Savior's name, we are demonstrating our understanding of God's word and a willingness to accept His response.
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ
Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21).
In Jesus' name, amen.
Top
Created by John Bass, last updated. 07/10/2023 The Mount Baker Beacon is a weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA.
Send all questions, comments to the editor, John Bass at (360) 325-5149 or johnbass2468@gmail.com |
.png)
