Today in the Word for April 26 - May 5
Today in The Word
Monday April 26, 2021
What does it mean to be blessed in the heavenly realms? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Paul in Ephesians 1:3-5 tells us:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight…for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—”
Part of what it means to be blessed in the heavenly realms is that God planned for our reconciliation to him in heaven before he even created the physical universe! God chose to invest in our salvation and adoption into his family before he spoke even one star into existence. After all, Rev 13:8 reminds us that Jesus:
“…was slain from the creation of the world.”
God’s plan to rescue us is older than creation itself. Jesus’ death on the cross that made it possible to be adopted into God’s family was God’s ‘pleasure and will’ long before our sinful acts. It is amazing that we are blessed in the heavenly realms by God’s plan before we even existed in the earthly realm. God cares about humankind!
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in The Word
Tuesday April 27 2021
What is part of God’s purpose in sending Jesus to earth? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Ephesians 1:9-10 reads:
“he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”
When the timing was perfect, God sent Jesus to earth to fulfill his purpose. And that purpose had to do with unity. He purposed to bring unity to both heaven and earth under Christ. Jesus is to be the ultimate leader of all—physical reality and spiritual reality. Heavenly beings, humanity, and the created world will all come under the Lordship of Jesus.
And in a world so deeply divided, isn’t it good to realize that God’s ancient purpose is to unify? Our petty differences are trivial compared to the overarching truth that Jesus will bring together heaven and earth. The spiritual and the physical can be one in Jesus, and that is a unity worth celebrating!
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in the Word
Wednesday April 28 2021
Is Jesus in the ‘heavenly realms’? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Paul continues to use the phrase ‘heavenly realms’ in Ephesians 1:19-20:
“…That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”
God’s resurrection power raised Jesus to the highest place in the ‘heavenly realms.’ He is above all others.
As humans, we invoke many names. We invoke the names of our gods. We invoke the names of satanic powers. We invoke the names of our superstars of music, sports and film. Tens of thousands will call out the name of their favorite star. Dictators, gurus, and titans of industry have had their name and image invoked by millions. But Jesus’ Name is above ‘every name that is invoked.’
And he is not only above those ‘invoked names’ in some misty distant future. He is above all other names now—in this present age. Jesus’ status is in the realms highest place possible. He is at the right hand of God the Father in ‘heavenly realms.’ I think he deserves our highest praise.
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in the Word
Thursday April 29 2021
Does God’s great power in Jesus’ life affect us? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Paul in Ephesians 1:19-20 makes a crucial connection:
“and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”
God’s resurrection power that exalts Jesus to the highest place possible is amazing. Yet Paul says that power is the same “…incomparably great power for us who believe…” Do we fully recognize that God’s resurrection power is for us? God’s incomparable power is not just neutral. It is for us. I recognize we may feel weak, but we are grace recipients of God’s power. The greatest display of God’s power in all of scripture is the same as the power he keeps directed toward those who believe.
Do you need to remind yourself today the God’s incomparably great resurrection power is for us who believe?
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in the Word
Friday April 30 2021
We learned in Ephesians 1 that Jesus has been seated in the heavenly realms by God’s great power. Is there more? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Ephesians 2:6-8 reads:
“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God…”
Not only has Jesus been seated in the heavenly realms by God. We have been seated in the heavenly realms too. Does that seem impossible? It is possible by God’s great grace. Jesus’ death makes it possible to rise above our sin. Jesus’ death makes it possible for our spiritual lives to connect to God who is Spirit. Relationally, we are in the ‘heavenly realms’ even now. God’s power that restored Jesus to his ‘heavenly realm’ invites us to the same. And this is not just a future possibility, it is a present reality.
God has that kind of power. Will we rise to the occasion?
And that’s the Word. Tune in Sundays at 10:30 on the Deer Lodge Assembly Facebook page for our Livestreamed service or join us at the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in The Word
Monday May 3, 2021
Should you be in an art gallery? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Ephesians 2:6-10 reads:
“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace…For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
God planned to make something of us through his power at work in Jesus. The grace he pours into our lives makes it possible to ‘show off’ the riches of that grace. We are his handiwork. We are his artistic work. We are the canvas upon which he paints something beautiful and places us on display. We are God’s beautiful ‘grace-art!’
Do you sometimes feel unattractive? You belong in an art gallery. You are the handiwork of the Great One.
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in The Word
Tuesday May 4, 2021
Is there more to God’s power than his ability to seat us individually in the heavenly realms with Christ? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Ephesians 3:9-11 reads:
“…this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
It is not only that God’s resurrection power worked in Jesus to exalt him to the highest place in the heavenly realms. It is not only that God’s resurrection power further raised a human to the heavenly realms beside Jesus. This passage makes very clear that God’s eternal purpose was to make the Church known to the authorities in the heavenly realms. Jesus’ salvation did not just raise individuals. By Jesus’ work, God invented the Church. And this corporate organism of humans called the Church will be a demonstration of God’s grace in the heavenly realms.
The great mystery to be revealed in our time is God’s Church. Are you a part of God’s demonstration of his power and grace?
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in The Word
Wednesday May 5, 2021
Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Ephesians 3:10 reads:
“…the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms”
Who are these authorities in the heavenly realms? Are they angels? No, Paul goes on to say in Ephesians 6:11-12:
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
The Church is on display before evil authorities. God wishes us to stand against Satan’s power. Satan is not the ultimate ruler. God armors us to be able to stand against him. The Church is his demonstration that Satan is not the ultimate power. God is.
When we act boldly in his strength, and not in our own, we fulfill his eternal purpose. We settle the question once and for all as to who holds ultimate power. Satan may bully us, but God can transform, elevate, and empower us. We are to demonstrate this truth.
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.