Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder
Be With Me is a daily 7 minute chronological walk through the New Testament hosted by Michael Smith. It is for everyone who is curious about what Jesus actually said and did in the gospels. Most episodes will leave you with at least one good thought to chew on for the rest of the day. We start with the Bible and hopefully end with Awe. We are walking through the chronological events of Jesus' life and then thoughtfully considering them. It is meant to spur the devotional life of the Christian and the not-yet-Christian. We occasionally venture into the Old Testament when it helps our understanding of the New Testament events. Everybody has 7 minutes. Everybody needs to wonder. Be With Me is hosted by Michael Smith who has absolutely no special qualifications to do a podcast. He is not a pastor. He has not been to seminary. He does not lead a mega-church. He is not a professional and he has no more credentials than you do. He does, however, follow a great God with an observant eye and a curious heart. Each day, he starts with a study bible and aims for astonishment. ‘be with him’ for 7 minutes as he sets out daily to discover the God who invites us to ‘Be With Me.’
Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder
Killing Hostility between God and Man S31e53 Mt 5:9
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How are men made to be at peace with God?
Peace is made by the most violent of activities: the Cross. It is there that He takes the alienated, the hostile and the evil, and makes peace with them.
What happens to the previous state of hostility? It is killed at the cross.
Join me for a 7 minute look at this state of war and peace.
https://youtu.be/ir3XsuVMBy4
Killing Hostility between God and Man S31e53 Mt 5:9
How are men made to be at peace with God?
Col1:19-22 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23
Break that down:
In Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell
In other words, It took God HIMSELF to fix this mess
Job #1 was to reconcile all things that were out of order to himself—this means people
How is this done? How is peace made?
Peace is made by the most violent of activities: the Cross
A crucifiction of an innocent man, representing and enduring a punishment that was actually for you
Remember, you were alienated from God, HOSTILE in mind, doing evil deeds: Alienated hostile and evil
Let’s pause right there: nobody likes to think of them selves as Alienated : a stranger and estranged from One you were meant to be with. Especially here alienated positionally
Hostile(in mind) being an enemy, in opposition to, odious to.—you thought that God Stunk.
Being in opposition of mind towards God.
Being a stinker way you operate between your ears andworse: Both BEING a stinker and Thinking the worst of God
Present tense: do you think that God STINKS?
Mt 5:7 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
EVIL: of deed. The apple of action does not fall far from the tree of the mind.
Remember who you were: you were alienated positionally, you were hostile of mind, you were stained with deeds of evil.
These are the people that are made right by the body of Jesus taken all the way to death on the cross.
He takes the alienated, the hostile and the evil and makes peace with them.
If they were not so, then great peace which came at great cost could not be made by the great PEACE MAKER
Here is a big point: you have had the great work done for you .
We have had the great work of the great peacemaker done for us. What shall I do with such a peace mediator?
How shall I respond on a day that I find myself NOT in a state of war with God.
Time to be a peacemaker to those who still rage against the Lord.
Like we said before: who needs a fistful of mercy? Those who don’t deserveit from our view.
But this apparently, is NOT the way God thinks: we know how He thinksbecause He tells us and He shows us: Here He reconciles, He makes peace, He pays with most valuable blood and suffering to make peace with the alienated, the hostile and the evil.
Eph 2: 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
Benefits: the far off have been brought near by blood.
He Himself is our peace. He unifies the conflicting parties.
He breaks a dividing wall of hositility
He remedies hostility by KILLING it with what happens on the cross
Here is the good news: He proclaims peace to you who were far off and peace to those who you who were near.
Perhaps you today are far from God—these are favored listeners here
Perhaps you are near, within arms reach—oh can there be anything but a call to reach out and grab it with a big YES. I’m sorry. I agree with you God. I believe in your proclamation
And for the believer: understanding the depth of the rescue.
In our walk of reverence, the remember the place where we came from: evil,alienated, and hostile of mind.
My observation in myself and in my fellow believers is that rather than dismissing or looking away from our previous position…
Rather, I find that a little meditation on the evil, the alienated, and the hostile state that existed, makes the PEACE richer.
For example, it is like remembering the sacrifices of WWII to stifle evil, and bring peace to the world. I appreciate the sacrifices made. I am more grateful to think about the peace that has been delievered. I am grateful to the Lord in bringing peace.
How are men made to be at peace with God?
Peace is made by the most violent of activities: the Cross
What happens to the previous state of hostility? It is killed at the cross