Monday, January 22, 2024

Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge

 

in whom [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:3 ESV)
From the free stock images of Pixabay

The Old Testament reports about Solomon’s extraordinary knowledge and wisdom that people from distant nations came to visit and listen. Kings from faraway lands sent emissaries. Since those were pagans, they have had minimal knowledge the One True God. Yet somehow they valued knowledge and wisdom. Even with its preoccupation with material treasures, the world recognizes that knowledge and wisdom are desirable things.

The ultimate treasury of knowledge and wisdom according to Colossians 2:3 is Christ. Christ is the treasury, the storehouse, the vault of all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

The problem with the unbelieving world is this: though they acknowledge that knowledge and wisdom are valuable enough to be sought and stored up, they refuse to come to the ultimate source— Jesus Christ. Jesus rebuked the unbelieving scribes and Pharisees by pointing out that the Queen of the South came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon yet unbelievers reject the wisdom of Jesus when in fact he is greater than Solomon! (Luke 11:31)

Brothers and sisters, we may not be knowledgeable and wise according to the world’s standards. We may not have the intellectual sharpness they possess. We may not have reached the level of educational training that they reached. We may not have the academic accolades that they have received. If you are in Christ, God has opened the vault. The treasury of knowledge and wisdom is is accessible to the believer. Instructed by the word of God and guided by the Spirit, we have the mind of Christ.


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Sunday, January 14, 2024

Three Big Things


This morning I just wanna give three things that make God worthy of our praise and worship. Of course, anyone can easily add some other things to this list. As it has been said, at any given moment one can enumerate 10,000 reasons to bless the Lord! Yet the three things in my list are really, really big ones. 
Without further delay, here are three big things that make God worthy of our praise and worship:

1st, The Excellence of His Character and Attributes- 1 Chronicles 16:29 exhorts us, “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name”. His name refers to all he is as a personal being. His excellencies deserve nothing less than all glory. It is but proper to ascribe all that glory because it is due. Just to name a few of his excellencies: eternality, aseity, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, omnisapience, immutability, truthfulness, faithfulness, goodness, love, mercy, grace, holiness and righteousness. All these things together manifest his matchless splendor.

2nd, The Mere Fact that He is Our Creator- We are not self-existent. Someone else brought us into existence. He is Creator and we are mere creatures. That fact alone is sufficient enough for us to adore and serve him. Psalm 95:6, "let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!". In Psalm 100, one of the reasons given why we should serve him with gladness is because “It is he who made us” (v. 2). Lastly, the 24 elders in Revelation 4 fall down before God as they cast their crowns and utter these words of praise:

Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (v.11)

3rd, The Provision of Redemption through His Son- We were born in sin. We were by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). We were utterly powerless to save ourselves. And God has no obligation to provide for us redemption— but he did! The cost for doing so is the life of his Beloved Son— a price of matchless value. He has now required that all acknowledgment of his worthiness do so in a Christ-centered manner. The Father has exalted his Son and "bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). And in the fifth chapter of Revelation, the one seated on the throne holds a scroll sealed with seven seals. Yet it only made the Apostle John weep for no one was found worthy to break the seals and open the scroll. He was weeping intensely until one of the elders comforted him with the assurance that someone is worthy. It is none other than the conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He is worthy because he was slain, and by his blood ransomed people from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

These things brothers and sisters are big reasons for us to worship God in service and adoration. Let every worshiper rise up. Let us all together praise and worship God.

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