In HIM & With HIM & Through HIM
“And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings,
having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
(Colossians 2: 13-14 NASB 2020)
- Who do I know who needs to hear the good news of God’s deliverance? &
- Who do we know who needs Jesus more than anything this life has to offer?
Today, I find myself pausing to consider just exactly what Jesus did—for each of us.
Circumcision is a medical procedure that often occurs within the week following a baby’s birth, and rightly so, because it must be terribly painful. The cutting away and the removal & the opening to what was once closed. Yes, most definitely painful.
My sin is dirty, ugly, black, and often hidden beneath the surface of my skin so that no one from the outside may see the fullness of my sinfulness.
What about you? Would you say the same?
Sinfulness. Ugliness. Dirtiness. Uncleanliness. Hidden. Keeping us Separated.
“And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him,”—that’s when God sent Jesus to us, while we were still dead, while we were still trapped, and while we were still uncircumcised within our flesh. God did! God sent Jesus to our heart’s door! God sent Jesus to us to make the way for us to receive HIM!
“He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, having canceled the certificate of debt . . .” —God made us alive with Jesus! God forgave us of all our sins! God canceled our debt! God did! God performed a miracle! God made us one with Him!
“and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”—God took all of our sin, the very thing that separated us & HE took it out of the way! God did! God allowed His Only Son to be nailed to the cross—for you & for me—for all of humanity! GOD DID!
In HIM & With HIM & Through HIM
- Have we truly ever considered just what Jesus did for us upon the cross?
- Have we truly ever bowed to God in humility, falling face down at His feet?
- Have we ever really thought about what God did IN JESUS & WITH JESUS & THROUGH JESUS?
Today, I find myself deeply focused upon the way God changed me from covered with my sin to completely clean because of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
On this day, I saw my list of names, of those who tell me they do not know Jesus.
This day, I am reminded who is really in need of God’s deliverance.
Today, I know people who need to meet Jesus.
Today, I know people who need Jesus MORE THAN what this world can ever offer.
Today I know people (by name), & I wonder, what am I willing to do, to say, to become—in order for them to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and LORD?
The power of God is alive within every believer.
The power of God is alive within me.
God’s power.
God’s cleansing, making me clean in & through the work of Jesus!
God came to earth, to mankind, through Jesus, and everything GOD IS dwells within JESUS—within His earthly body.
God came to earth (through Jesus) to make us complete.
God performed a circumcision of my heart, taking out my sin-filled heart and replacing it with a clean heart.
- God did this for me!
- God did this surgery for all believers!
Without hands—God did this!
A spiritual surgery.
Uncircumcised to Circumcised.
Buried in Sin—to Buried with Him (with Jesus Christ) in baptism.
Buried in Sinfulness—to Raised with Him through Faith.
- God did this Miracle!
- God’s work—the raising of someone from the dead!
“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over every ruler and authority;
and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ,
having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”
(Colossians 2: 9-12 NASB 2020)
The power of God is alive within every believer. Yes, God’s power. God’s cleansing, making us clean in & through the work of Jesus!
Uncircumcised.
We were forgiven! We were made alive “together with Him.”
God canceled our sin-debt.
We were hostile against God.
God’s love drew us to Him!
We were dead & against God.
God made us alive, together with Him forever—through Jesus!
We were separated by our sinful nature against God.
God took that which kept us apart from Him—our sins—and HE MADE THE WAY!
God made the only way for us to know His Salvation by the death of Jesus, His Son upon the cross!
- GOD DID!
- GOD PERFORMED THIS MIRACLE!
- GOD CANCELED OUR DEBT!
- GOD FORGAVE US OF OUR SIN!
- GOD TRIUMPHED OVER ALL HUMANITY’S SINS—THROUGH THE PUBLIC DISPLAY OF JESUS UPON THE CROSS!
- LET US NEVER FORGET WHAT GOD DID FOR US!
“And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings,
having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”
(Colossians 2: 13-15 NASB 2020)
Without HIM
Without the death of Jesus—we are nothing.
Without the burial of Jesus—we are nothing.
Without the resurrection of Jesus—we are nothing.
BUT PRAISE GOD . . .
In HIM we are made—to become ALL THAT WE ARE!
BUT PRAISE GOD . . .
With HIM we are made complete—to become ALL THAT GOD OFFERS!
& PRAISE GOD . . .
Through HIM we are made sufficient—to become THE CHILDREN of GOD!
PRAISE GOD . . .We Gain EVERYTHING!
In HIM & With HIM & Through HIM!
THROUGH JESUS!
THANK YOU, JESUS!
“And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings,
having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
(Colossians 2: 13-14 NASB 2020)