Page Three: “The Shadow of Things To Come” 4/14/13
You know there is a place for food and drink and days to worship and even feast days. But, folks, the most critical question is this. “Do you see where the Source of your life is?” It’s in the Kingdom of God; the realm you can’t see; the realm where there is true righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
And beyond the things you cannot see, the Kingdom of God also will see to it that your material needs are supplied. So, do you have any needs? Everyone everywhere has needs. Remember, God created us with needs. And here’s how Jesus sees those needs. Matthew 6:8 “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” Then the LORD taught this same lesson as we read form the Gospel of Luke. Luke 11:5 “And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; (6) For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? (7) And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. (8) I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.” Your heavenly knows well in advance what you have need of. And is He not able to supply you with all you need? First, the Kingdom of God is sufficient to supply all your needs. Second, don’t let anyone judge you by their “spiritual standards.” Many times what happens to those who get near to God is this. They create a system that works for them. Then, they begin to believe that if it works for them, it must work that way for everyone else. |
Yet, also way too often, the rules we make for our own lives simply don’t fit others. If, for example, we feel we should fast once a month and spend one hour each day in prayer and only sing hymns and not eat meat and give twenty per cent of our income to the LORD. How in the world is that going to benefit a family that is struggling financially or with medical bills and in need of further medical treatment? ?
The things that were being espoused in the city of Colosse were, as Paul says, “a shadow of the better things.” Look again at verse sixteen. Colossians 2:16 “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: (17) Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” The outward things that we use to worship the LORD are really only a shadow of the true things. Hebrews 10:1 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect….” The law, the sacrifices, even the priesthood were all shadows cast by Someone and something else. So, folks, have high standards for yourself and your spiritual life. But don’t make your spiritual standards the standards the only standards that work. How much better to find the things in the kingdom of God, the righteousness of God, the peace of God, and the joy of God as your strength. And these are the things that will, not only satisfy you. They’ll satisfy those around you as well. Live by the invisible King and His kingdom and don’t let others judge you according to their standards of new moon worship days, of specific foods and drink, of even the Sabbath Day. God is your Nourisher. He and He alone can and will supply all you have need of both in the material realm as well as the immaterial realm. |