The Offering

Philippians 4:1 “Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.”

There are many people in this world who believe that whatever is true to them is good enough. They might condemn another position or live in apathy and think that as long as they are true to their belief, it will manifest itself accordingly.

Not all claims are true. Truth is found in the One who formed this world and declared His truth by the life He lived.

Jesus declared Himself to be Truth.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

A conclusive statement must be backed by an established Truth.

Jesus’ offering of obedience was accomplished in love. When a follower of Christ demonstrates love to God, they do so in faith by obedience to God’s authority.

Since Jesus’ life was a conclusive statement, it lends itself to certain questions regarding the prophecies contained in God’s Word.

If Jesus was obedient to the Father, who are followers of Christ called to be obedient toward? Why was Jesus’ life an offering? What does love have to do with obedience? How are people who are opposed to God included in God’s plan?

Many of these types of questions are asked by skeptics and students of inquiry. There are those who endlessly search for Truth but never commit towards a path.

Every answer to life is answered in God’s Word.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

The Bible illustrates the very basis of why Jesus came to die upon the cross and the answers to life were completed at His resurrection.

Asking Questions

If I’m fellowshipping with other men, particularly in the setting of a discipleship format I typically like to ask a lot of questions. Listening to someone talk about their life can give a tremendous amount of insight into what has led them to the place they are in now.

“What is your story?” is a good starting spot when getting to know someone. Sometimes I’ll ask a few follow up questions, particularly when I hear about a person or event that was formative in their life. The idea isn’t just to pry and and ask personal questions, the hope is that as I gain insight into the crossroads of their lives that led them to where they are today, I can understand how the Truth of God’s Word was either ignored or embraced in their lives.

By asking questions and then listening, you too might become a sounding board for others. When someone who is broken and hopeless receives the Truth of God’s Word, it softens the heart and allows others to see God for who He is and not how this world has falsely represented Him.

Colossians 1:15 “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

Jesus was and is the perfect revelation of the Father because Jesus is God. He could not have revealed the Father if He had not been perfect.

John 14:9 “Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

When I look into the life of Christ and how He instructed His disciples, I’m struck by the manner in which He taught them.

1. For one, He selected each of them, which means He had a purpose from the beginning. Jesus made it very clear that He came to do His Father’s will. It was the will of the Father to redeem mankind from sin and death, it was by the perfect sacrifice of Christ that we might receive His grace, and it was through His disciples that the Word began to spread throughout the earth.
2. With each successive move, Jesus demonstrated a plan. Whether it was how He went about confronting the world, breaking down walls of hatred, fulfilling God’s requirement of righteousness, revealing Truth, or establishing the Kingdom of God, each move was calculated and with purpose.
3. The very short duration by which the Messiah fulfilled prophecy showed that God had a greater purpose after the ministry of Jesus concluded in the flesh.

Here is a conclusive statement: *God’s people are a continuation of what Jesus began.

Fulfillment of Purpose

What is Jesus’ purpose for His people today?

It is the same purpose He instituted in His disciples when He was with them.

John 16:5-7 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” 

The continuation of Jesus’ earthly ministry has been given to His followers but He has not left them alone in the journey. Jesus sent His Spirit to inhabit His people’s lives, empowering them to do what He did, to walk as He walked, and to continue the work of the Father that He followed so very closely.

A great honor has been bestowed upon those who have died to their old lives and have been resurrected into newness of life in Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:1-3 “Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.”

An epistle is simply a letter.

Believers are God’s love letter to those who are walking in sin and darkness. God’s love is expressed through Christ upon the cross but we must not forget what led Him there…..His love.

The wages of sin is death, it is only by death that we can be brought into new life. The Moral law is the standard by which everyone has fallen short. It is that standard when shared with the world that makes them knowledgeable of their position before God. They remain in a state of enmity or hostility toward God if they remain separate from Christ.

Believers hold the answer in their hearts, they carry it within the very substance of who they are. It is the Spirit of God who calls sinners to new life. When godly love is shared with the lost, it is God’s standard of righteousness they hear, and it is the grace of God in Christ that calls sinners to repentance.

When Christians live faithfully, they offer their lives as a gift to the King of kings.

Another conclusive statement declares that Obedience is the common trait found among followers of Jesus.

When believers walk faithfully in Christ, they fulfill the purposes of Christ in them. This is how God’s people express their love toward Him, by loving others.

Matthew 10:42 “And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

What can be gained in Christ that His people don’t already have?

For those who walk in the Spirit, they know what I am saying. Jesus is everything. There is more joy in fulfilling one of His purposes than a million ways that this world attempts to bring fulfillment by possessions, position, or worldly applause.

The Premise

The statement made in the beginning is fulfilled by the premise of God’s promise. His reward is fulfilled by obedience. Believers are allowed to partake of the love of God He demonstrates to the world. God’s glory isn’t only directed toward His people but through them as well.

The offering believers give to Christ will become crowns of obedience. Those crowns all are reflective of the glory of the Son.

One day all people will get to see the fullness of God’s love, either in reward or in judgment. I truly believe that when people see the glory of God, they will wish they had done more for Him in life.

You have the opportunity now, present your offerings of obedience and be found among the faithful.