30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
LUKE 19 28-40 BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD 08 Exercise Shalom by faith
📖 Luke 19:28-40
15Jan2021 - *Exercise Shalom by faith* - _Luke 19:28-40_ - BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD 8 – Bible reading: _Genesis 1:26-28_
The disciples were voicing out a prophecy, which was not appreciated by the religious leaders.
If Jesus was, who the disciples and the people were prophesying Him to be, then they (religious leaders) would need to surrender and submit to Jesus as King. This, they were not willing to do.
Isn’t this man’s condition today? When we understand that Jesus is King, then the King requires that we surrender and submit to His lordship and authority over us.
We prefer to have Jesus as our Saviour, as our friend, as our healer and so forth, which are all valid but if we do not accept His kingship over us then we do not belong to His kingdom. Let each of us be certain if Jesus is not your King, He is not your Saviour too. He has to be first your Lord and then your Saviour.
_Luke 19:37-38 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, (38) saying: " 'BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!' *Peace in heaven* and glory in the highest!"_
The peace or the Shalom of God is four-dimensional. (1) Man ought to be in communion, in a harmonious relationship with God, (2) man ought to be in a harmonious relationship within himself, (3) man ought to be in a harmonious relationship with one another and (4) man ought to be in a harmonious relationship with creation.
Man and woman had the Shalom of God, in the garden of Eden, which was life in the kingdom of God. When man sinned, they were sent out of the garden, they were banished from the Shalom of God.
Man is dead/alienated/broken in all of the four dimensions of Shalom. God’s heart longs for man to be reconciled back with Him and come back to the garden, to the Shalom experience, which is the experience of the kingdom of God.
Jesus restored each of the four dimensions of Shalom at the cross and provided the way for us to come back into the kingdom of God, into the Shalom experience in God’s kingdom.
So, when we invite and receive Jesus into our lives as our King, we are back into His kingdom, into the Shalom of God, which is life in all its fullness or the abundant, eternal life.
First of all, Jesus restored us our harmonious relationship with God. _Romans 5:10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life._
From being enemies, we were brought into being citizens of the kingdom of God, this resulted in us being saved. Do we see the order? Lordship to Jesus comes first, followed by salvation.
_Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,_
From being reconciled with God, Jesus also gave us a harmonious relationship within us.
_Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,_
Sin caused death in us. We were dead in our inner person and were alienated from God. By forgiving us our sins, at the cross, Jesus brought us from death to life.
Thirdly, through the cross, Jesus restored a harmonious relationship between us as persons.
_Ephesians 2:14-18 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, (15) having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, (16) and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. (17) And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. (18) For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father._
Jesus abolished in His flesh the enmity between Jews and non-Jews. All of humanity now have access as one family, to the Father, through the cross.
Finally, Jesus restored us a harmonious relationship with the environment.
Man was to have the rule over creation in the image of God but because of our alienation from God and also because we were victims and prisoners in the clutches of the devil, we have been plundering and destroying creation. Creation too has been rebelling against man and causing all the calamities and catastrophes, which we currently suffer.
_Colossians 1:20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross._
We have now been brought back into the kingdom of Jesus through the cross and we have been bestowed with the Shalom of God.
What we have received by faith, we now need to bring into action, for faith without works is dead.
*Thought to ponder*
``Imagine holding a signed cheque in your hand, not depositing it in the bank and not having it credited into your account. Jesus has provided Shalom for us but we continue to live inconsequential lives```