Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Faith

God In The Flesh, Part 2

Faith

‘And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.’
I Timothy 3:16

As we continue in our study of 1 Timothy 3:16, let’s allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten our souls of the importance of Jesus’ humanity; God was manifested in the flesh.

John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And verse 14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

A firm essence of Christianity is believing that God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, came to earth in human flesh. He was fully God while simultaneously fully man. He is the God-Man.

Jesus laid aside His glory in heaven and took upon Himself mortal flesh so that He could become sin for us. Christ was perfect in every sense of the meaning. Perfect in completion and perfect in excellency.

Only those who believe that Christ was God manifested in the flesh can receive and fully understand the mystery of godliness in their life. The life of Christ is made manifest in the life of believers at the moment of salvation.

God wants to be with you and in every part of your life. Will you open the door to let Him in? Can you open your heart to receive His grace and mercy? Will you allow Him to come in to every area of your life?

Pray

Lord, I invite you into my life. I want You to be in every part of my life. Help me to lean on You for wisdom and understanding. Thank You for coming down from heaven to meet me right where I am.

Without Controversy, Part 1

Faith

‘And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.’
I Timothy 3:16

1 Timothy 3:16 is a wonderful verse and loaded with great truths. For the next few days we will break apart each phrase and dig deeper into the meaningful fundamentals of our Christian faith. The Apostle Paul reveals to us, and ages to come, a mystery of godliness.

In keeping the context of chapter 3, Paul is writing to Christian leaders instructing them on godly conduct, internal and external purity, and spiritual living. Each of these elements are expressed in the believer’s behavior.

The grace of God is made available to all who believe. This wonderful truth needs to be taught and spoken without controversy. It’s unfortunate when Christians debate or deny the fundamental truths of Christianity.

People develop personal beliefs by revelation of God’s Word and through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but sound doctrine is based upon Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and glorification. Debating or denying these truths cause controversy.

Godliness is weaved into every born-again believer and is not something conjured up. Godliness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that needs to be evident in our lives so that Christ is glorified. The more that Christ shines the more that people will believe.

Pray

Lord, thank You for saving my soul and making me a new creature. Thank You that the Word of God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. May my behavior reflect the glory and riches of Your great grace.

Stephen Dedman

A Personal Revival

Faith, Trust

“”Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭22:31-32‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Are you in need of a personal revival? In today’s verse we witness a downward spiral in the life of Peter. If you know much about Peter, he was a man who was one of the first to follow Jesus as a disciple. He was one that was in the inner circle of Jesus with James and John. He spoke boldly for Christ and was zealous for the things of God. But what we see in Luke 22:31-35 is that Jesus was preparing Peter for what was about to take place.

In verse 33, “Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”” Then Jesus said, “Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”” ‭

As Jesus predicted, so it was. Through the night, before Jesus was to be crucified, Peter denied knowing Jesus thee times and just as the rooster crowed he realized he had failed. So what could have caused Peter’s faith to fail so fast?

Fear caused Peter to be sifted like wheat. Satan went full force against the one who boldly stated he would die for Jesus. But when Peter was faced with possibly going to prison or dying, he caved under the pressure. He was strong in self-confidence but weak in faith.

We must be strong in our faith. We can only be strong in faith when we are close to Jesus. When we put Jesus away or put him in the back seat we allow our faith to weaken. A personal revival increases our faith in Jesus. It sets our soul on fire for the things of Jesus. How long has it been since you’ve experienced a personal revival?

Lord, I need you to revive my soul and set me on fire. Help me to be a powerful witness for you.

Daily Devotional