The Reason Entire.
In the French…..the reason entire is one word that stresses what everything else is connected to….the whole cause of all.
And God has a “reason entire” for us believers.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
(Most commentators say that Joshua, the book where Israel fought and got their inheritance God promised them…..is the companion book to Ephesians, the book where the inheritance we have in Christ is spread before our eyes, and we are invited to get it.)
Paul is speaking to Christians about the wonderful blessings we have in Christ, in the heavenlies…..
…..and this is how we are given access to them….by being born again…saved by grace, through faith.
It is all of God, not of us. We do not, and can not, earn our salvation.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Here is the “reason entire” for our existence. The reason we were brought into being for….to walk in the good works that God has ordained for us.
(When I was a child, and I heard these verses, I thought it strange that God says…..”not of works, lest any man should boast”…..
….then turn around and say we should….”walk in good works…”.
I thought the difference was “bad” works and “good” works. But that is not the case.
When God speaks of “works” in scripture…..there are two different kinds:
The works we do for ourselves, or others….good or evil….it is spoken of as “our ways” in scripture.
Or,
The works we do as obedience to Christ Jesus…..”for His sake”
Again, it comes down to the “reason entire” we do works….for us….or for Christ.)
Here is God’s purpose manifested…..His heart shown.
We are to walk with Him in the obediences He places before us.
Fulfilling the obediences, yes….but also fulfilling and receiving the inheritance God has for us….in and through them.
Think of Israel fighting for their land. Each battle was a victory…..hurrah!
But also it was a victory for the grand Purpose of becoming and manifesting God’s chosen nation!
So with us.
Each victory we have…..small or large obediences that we do for His sake….is a part in the overall Victory of Christ in the earth.
His reason entire…..His cause of choosing us in eternity past….
…..is that we might manifest…..like a spectacle….to an assembled Universe (and that is our Universe around us day by day)….
……that Christ Jesus is worthy to be obeyed, adored, and praised!
1 Corinthians 4:9 “For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.”
Spectacle here means like on a stage…..each, fulfilling their part….that the whole story might be shown to those watching.
But God does not leave us to do it on our own…..no, He “ordains”….or makes full provision for all that comes into our lives.
Let me repeat that…..He makes full provision for all that comes into our lives.
(I have had to have that repeated to me often….especially during trying times.
But God is so good to repeat it to me. He does not tire of training us…..He has not….nor will He ever leave us to ourselves…..unless we choose it.)
The battles are many…..but it is for a grand end…..that we might be the manifestation of Jesus Christ on the earth.
For the world does not really see Him, except through us.
May each of us see and fulfill God’s Purpose, by our obediences, in our day to day battles.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 