LIFE WITH CHRIST. Articles of Comfort and Blessings Offered to the Reader. Father Matta El-Meskeen

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1 Father Matta El-Meskeen LIFE WITH CHRIST Articles of Comfort and Blessings Offered to the Reader In this issue Father Matta writes about what the Father has planned and did for man and his future, which will be followed next issue about the Son. Note: All quotations are taken from the New King James Version, if not otherwise mentioned. Volume Three Chapter 21 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Eph 1:3-6 T HIS IS THE GOLD CHAIN OF FAITH, studded with diamonds of grace. Divine revelation speaks on behalf of the apostle Paul about the very beginning of time, before the foundation of the world, about how God insisted on creating man anew. He turned man into a new and spiritual creation, sustained by blessing, all the spiritual blessing of a new and heavenly creation. This is done through Christ Jesus, as we are elected to become saints in Him, without blame in the heavenly love. Our spiritual existence, sustained by holiness, is right before the Father. Motivated by God s special love for man above any other creature, all of this divine truth was there for man before time and the ages. We draw the attention of the reader to the primacy of man in God s infinite plan; he is actually right before the eyes of God. The divine motive was God s love for man in His Son Jesus Christ, fulfilled very plainly at the end of time, with the coming of His only Beloved Son to redeem man from the slavery of sin, to break its dominion and waive the punishment of death. It was God s economy for the new man in accordance with His infinite thought. Our election by God the Father, was always inherent in Christ. It is as though the 1

2 Father had entrusted Him with the destiny of man, to be handled by Him alone, and only to be further sustained, in time, by the Holy Spirit. Amazingly, the secret of the infinite creation of man and his election in Christ, as well as his right to adoption in the only Beloved Son Jesus Christ, was all according to God s preordained purpose and economy. Man was to become a new and spiritual creation, praising the glory of God, destined for a life above, to extol the glory of God forever. This is how God the Father planned the life of man in the fullness of His blessing, for him to reach the full height of praise and worship, now and forever. The ultimate purpose of God the Father in creating man and filling him with heavenly blessings is praise and worship, delivered as a commandment, a commandment of perpetual praise, attributed through grace. The perceptive reader notices that the first exchange between God in heaven and the new man, was actually through the first new man, the Son of God born of a virgin. The first divine communication was with St Mary, the blessed virgin. The angel introduced the message of the Father saying: Rejoice, highly favored one. 1 Thus, man was born having inherited the grace which filled up the being of the Virgin Mary, not through procreation, but as a gift from God, passed down from the angel to humankind. Since the shouting of the angels came down from heaven, carrying God s new message to man, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! 2 It is remarkable that the link between praise and glory given to God actually ran parallel to the birth of the new man. The angel s announcement of the birth of the new man implied his commitment towards the glory of God; a commitment towards which the new birth in the Person of Christ Jesus, who endowed us with God s great love and care, is the end. The reader further notices that Christ kept repeating that He did not speak to us of His own, nor did He do works of His own. Only as He was shown and instructed by the Father, so did the Son. 3 This statement is oft repeated because Christ underscores in all situations that He is sent from the Father to do and say as the Father, For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me ; For I have not spoken on my own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 4 Thus it is made clear before the reader that, from infinity, the Father has looked out for man and planned to make him a new and worshipful creation. Christ has fulfilled the work and deeds that were spoken to Him by the Father, regarding man. The Father s plan for man was thus transferred to the hand of Christ when Christ fulfilled all that He was shown and taught by the Father. Subsequently, He passed this same function on to man. Word for word, all works required of us come 1 Luke 1:28. 2 Luke 2:14. 3 John 5:20. 4 John 6:38, 12:49. 2

3 directly from Christ. In God s understanding, whoever believes in Christ must, of necessity, immediately believe in the Father. Praise for the Son is at once praise for the Father, I have finished the work which you have given Me to do. 5 October 29, John 17:4. Chapter 22 Making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. Eph 1:16-20 W HO IS THE GOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, Father of glory? Obviously, the Heavenly Father. The apostle Paul speaks here about the Heavenly Father of Christ from whom He came. He also declares that the Heavenly Father is the One who gives us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ Jesus. What is meant by The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; what is the enlightenment of the eyes of our understanding? Here Paul subjects us to the same test which he himself undertook. The reader ought to know that knowledge in the spiritual life does not depend on rational understanding, but is rather a gift of God called the spirit of wisdom. It makes us discern the finite from what belongs to the Heavenly Father. The spirit of wisdom undertakes to reveal divine truths which are the mysteries of God. The spirit of wisdom is, as well, an internal eye opener for man, i.e. what the apostle Paul calls the eyes of your understanding, the tool of revealing divine facts. Understanding for Paul the apostle is the equivalent of the mind in the body; understanding follows the spirit, while all the time laying before it the heavenly truths. The apostle Paul reveals the work of a mind open unto God in uncovering the knowledge of hope in His calling. And what is the hope of His calling? It is the matters which the Father prepared and planned to give the spirit of man in order for the latter to live in the knowledge of the Father and His mysteries. It also reveals the mystery of the Father in what was acquired from the saints who live with Him, extolling Him forever. Paul the apostle verbalizes the appropriation of the saints by the Father, and of His making them members of His household, 1 His inheritance. Thus, the expression the Father inherits the saints is an extremely sublime expression. 1 See Eph 2:19. 3

4 The statement to open the eyes of our understanding reveals the greatness of God s mighty power towards those who believe in Christ. It also reveals the power of the work of God which was manifested in the raising of Christ Jesus from the dead and in His sitting at the right hand of God in heaven. It is remarkable that divine revelation focuses on us where it comes to the resurrection of Christ, considering it done for our sake. Paul defined this point elsewhere by calling it our resurrection too. Even more amazing is the fact that divine revelation expressed through the apostle Paul considered the seating of Christ on the right hand of the Father, also includes us, i.e. we too are seated on the right hand of the Father through Christ. 2 All these matters are simply stunning; we are certain we have been dismissed from paradise, from before the face of God and have roamed the earth as strangers. All of nature with its volcanoes, earthquakes and its terrifying and recurring floods regards us as enemies. Man throughout his life has only met with bitter oppression from both nature and animals. Everyday thousands perish, while most of the inhabitants of the earth writhe in hunger, thirst, pain and nakedness without shelter. This same man now enjoys the care, love and succor of the Father, and a great future, in the bosom of God in His heavenly home, i.e. the eternal kingdom, has been laid out for us. Brethren, this message that I write you today is full of the mysteries of the Heavenly Father. We are not only required to understand it well, but also to offer the Heavenly Father his due of eternal praise and glory. The Lord Jesus came from the Father and gave us salvation, redemption and knowledge of the Father in order for us not to cease in giving glory and honor throughout our lives. I say glory and eternal glory, and it is much more important than food and drink. Whatever occupies man is vanity in comparison to kneeling before the Father and offering him thanksgiving, loyal and sincere love as to a loving father, who invested an eternal inheritance in us, especially life in His grace and light in heaven. October 29, Eph 2:6. ************************************************************************************** The Monastery of St Macarius With the Lord s Grace Archangel Michael Coptic Care has been registered in the USA to serve and help the poor of Egypt in a significant way. Our Tax ID # Your contribution to the Archangel Michael is all TAX DEDUCTIBLE. You will receive a yearly report of your contribution for your tax record. Please write the check to: Archangel Michael Coptic Care. Mail your check to: P.O. Box # 1574, Centreville, VA 20122, USA 4

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