A Family of Grace: 100 Devotionals from Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians

A FAMILY OF GRACE

Copyright © 2014 by Bryan R. Coupland. All rights reserved

Published by: Spring Glen Publishing

Box 530751

Debary, FL 32753-0751

Unless otherwise indicated, Bible quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, except for quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN – 978-0-9831235-4-5

eISBN: 9780983123569

LCCN – 2013907834

Cover – www.designbystacy.com

Back cover photo – http://photoinspiration.weebly.com

1. Family 2. Devotionals 3. Raising children 4. Bible study

Printed and bound in the United States of America

DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate A Family of Grace to my sister, Marsha Durham. She is my only sibling and I thank the Lord for her.

I would also like to dedicate this book to Vince and Chris Divito, very close friends as well as relatives (wife’s sister and brother-in-law). You have both been a blessing in our lives.

This book is also dedicated to our brothers Fred (deceased) and Richard Browarski.

You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings (God’s Word) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:14, 15

FOREWORD

Godly Christians over the years have found great value in regularly having a time set aside for family devotions. This beneficial exercise is borne out of a godly desire to spiritually invest in one’s children in light of the divine mandate:

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

This New Testament imperative is in sync with the divinely inspired Old Testament words of Moses written centuries ago that instructed Jewish parents,

Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

God makes it very clear that He wants believing parents to take seriously the crucial needs to formally teach God’s Word and spontaneously communicate a biblical perspective to their children in the various contexts and teachable moments of life. Yet as both a parent and a pastor I have asked the question, Where do I begin with teaching my children and how can this be done effectively? While the spontaneous communication of a biblical perspective to one’s children must flow out of a parent’s own walk of faith with the Lord and having the Word of God on the launching pad of their own thinking, a regular time of family devotions can be one means in seeking to formally teach our children. And to assist in this godly desire, Bryan Coupland has provided for parents a very helpful resource titled, A Family of Grace – 100 Devotionals from Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians.

This is the third in a ‘Family Devotional Trilogy’ of books:

- Growing a Wise Family (from Proverbs)

- Good News for the Family (from Luke)

- A Family of Grace (from Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians)

Each of these 100 devotionals in A Family of Grace includes a title, a Scripture text to be explained and often illustrated with a story, some questions from the text to be discussed, and then the right answers to the questions (so the parent and child can get it right). These devotional books truly fill a real void in biblical Christianity as there is little devotional material available for elementary age children into teens.

What I also appreciated about A Family of Grace was that in explaining these Christo-centric prison epistles of the apostle Paul, the great truths of God’s grace for one’s eternal salvation, security, identity in Christ, abiding in Christ, and spiritual growth are clearly set forth to the benefit and blessing of both child and parent. In a day of doctrinal confusion regarding the question, What must I do to be saved? Bryan Coupland answers scripturally with, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. (Acts 16:31) This can be seen by his comments on Galatians 2:16:

You were once a guilty sinner, but I am now declaring you to be ‘justified’—you are debt free. You are born again because you trusted in Jesus’ payment for you.

I found this clarity refreshing in light of much teaching today that demands some sort of works to be saved or to stay saved (though they are not always called a work). Coupland states regarding Ephesians 2:8, 9:

Ephesians 2:8, 9 are wonderful verses like John 3:16 that explain simply how a person can become a born again Christian. We learn that salvation is by grace, meaning that we don’t deserve it. We receive salvation by faith alone in the Gospel, and not by any good works that we have done. To further underline the fact that our new birth is from God and not by being good enough, Paul writes, ...it [your salvation] is the gift of God. Isn’t that awesome? The Creator of our universe has given us a gift that cannot be paid for—because Jesus already did.

Commenting on the believer’s new position or identity in Christ from Galatians 2:20 (which is seldom taught or emphasized in our day), Bryan writes:

Do you have a list of your top five favorite Bible verses? I don’t have an actual list, but if I did, this verse would definitely be on it. Let’s break it down to see why it is so rich.

Paul first states that he died when Christ died. This only happened in a spiritual sense because he obviously wasn’t nailed to Calvary’s cross with Jesus. What he means is that Jesus died on the cross in order to pay our sin debt—and He paid it in full. Spiritually speaking, when Paul trusted in Christ and was saved, he died to the power and control of sin in his life. He was no longer a slave to sin where he had no strength to resist it, as in his unsaved years. If we have trusted in Christ, we can claim the same thing as Paul.

In addition, Coupland insightfully remarks about the flip side of the believer being in Christ, namely Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

People are saved by faith, but many having been born again, feel that they then have to strain and struggle to do good works. Count me in that number. As a young man, I loved the Lord Jesus and wanted to please Him and serve Him. But rather than depending on His life within me, I strove in my own ability to live the Christian life. Because I was looking to me for the wisdom and strength and not to Christ, I was very busy, but seldom content.

For one thing, I didn’t know how much prayer, Bible reading, witnessing, church attendance, Christian activities etc. was enough to please God. So I tried to do more, and found that the uncertainty caused a lack of peace and joy in my heart. Thomas’ book [Ian Thomas - The Saving Life of Christ] points the reader to Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. (See also Ephesians 3:20, 21)

What I failed to realize was that there is only one person’s life that perfectly pleases God the Father and that is Jesus’ life. And the beautiful thing is that from the moment of salvation onward, Jesus lives in me through the Holy Spirit.

The second thing is that only Jesus knows how to live the Christian life through us and He is waiting to do that. As long as we strive in our own strength and wisdom to do God’s will as Christians, Jesus stands back and lets us do it. He won’t compete with our fleshly activities.

We can pray and say something like, Lord Jesus, I know from Your Word that You live in me. Only You can live the Christian life. So, by faith, I am going to stop struggling to please You in my own strength, and let You lead me, give me wisdom, and bring to my mind all that You want me to do.

In conjunction with a Christian life lived by God’s grace through faith in Christ as your life, I am grateful for Coupland’s comments regarding Colossians 2:6:

Let me stop here and give you a little assignment. What advice would you give a relatively new Christian to help him know what is most important in growing in Jesus Christ—in five words or less? [PARENTS: It might be profitable to stop here and give the family members opportunity to share their ideas.]

Here is my contribution—abide in Christ by faith!

ABIDE – It’s an awesome privilege for born again believers to realize that from the moment of their salvation, they have become children of a heavenly Father who loves them more than human words can even describe. Our relationship with Him begins at our conversion. He wants to teach us more and more about His amazing personality. Like a shepherd who cares deeply for His sheep, He wants us to learn to abide, rest, relax, trust, and depend on Him for everything. Then He’s able to pour out more of His love on us.

IN CHRIST – In John 15:1-7 the apostle John records Jesus’ teaching on abiding in Christ in great detail. Our Savior likens our intimate relationship with Him to branches fall Christians] that are joined or connected to Him, the main root and trunk of a vine. The nutrients necessary for producing fruit [fruit of the Spirit - Galatians 5:22, 23] flow up through the root and the trunk into the branches. As long as the branches remain connected to the vine, they will be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, gentle, good, faithful, meek, and self-controlled. It’s the life of Jesus flowing through His obedient children.

BY FAITH – How do we know all these things are happening that I’ve just described? That’s where faith comes in. Hebrews 11:6 says, And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a reworder of those who seek Him.

Unlike popular Christian teaching today on living the Christian life after one’s salvation with an emphasis on do this and don’t do that legal obedience, I find this grace emphasis so refreshing! For a crucial and critical truth that perhaps 90% of born again Christians do not seem to recognize or know is this: you live the Christian life the same way that you were saved—by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, enabled by the Holy Spirit; not by law, self-effort, or trying harder etc. And though some today understand this Scriptural truth for their justification before God, they miss the mark regarding this identical truth for progressive or practical sanctification in time. The Christian life involves daily active dependence upon the Lord coupled with passive production (as you do not produce the fruit; Christ does!)

Thank you, Bryan, for being used of the Lord to meet a real need, not only for devotional material for Christian homes, but devotionals that are grace-oriented that can lay a solid biblical foundation of grace for our children that reject the counterfeits of legalistic performance, mystical experience, and ascetic practices, for the real deal.

Dennis Rokser

Pastor-teacher, Duluth Bible Church, MN

July, 2013

INTRODUCTION TO PARENTS

Studying through these four letters written by the apostle Paul has been one of the most exhilarating times of Bible study I have ever experienced. These books are like a treasure chest, just lying there on our desks waiting to be opened and explored. What encouraging promises for us from Almighty God! What declarations of love from our divine Savior! What insight, wisdom, and discernment the Holy Spirit has made clear for every culture and language. It’s our spiritual food and drink.

These books are anything but dry and tasteless. Paul’s letter to the Galatians is strong but loving. Like a spiritual father he grieves for the young believers as he sees them moving from their initial grasp of God’s grace to an adulterated message of works by the Judaizers. Tenderly but frankly he asks them, You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you... (Galatians 3:1)? Farther along Paul likens their actions of unbelief to an Olympic event: You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth (Galatians 5:7)?

As always, God’s apostle to the Gentiles draws his flock back to the cross of Christ: "But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14).

The letter to the Ephesian church is both doctrinal and very practical. The thrilling truth that Christians are in Christ is driven home repeatedly. In Chapter one, the phrases, in Christ...in Him...in the Beloved...in the Lord Jesus are used fifteen times. The fact that we are in our dear Savior means we are seated spiritually in heaven with Him at God the Father’s right hand.

Paul explains in detail the mystery of Christ (Ephesians 3:4), which William MacDonald defines as, a wonderful truth never revealed before, but now made known... What is the mystery? ...to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members [with Jews] of the body [the Church], and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel... (Ephesians 3:6).

As always, the apostle stresses that it’s the cross of Christ that unites mankind: "...and might reconcile [bring together] them both [Jew and Gentile] in one body [of Christ, the Church] to God through the cross..." (Ephesians 2:16).

The Ephesian letter closes with clear instructions for the Christian family—husbands, wives, and children—and finally a vivid picture of the spiritual armor of God.

Philippians is an expression of Paul’s joy in Jesus Christ and his love for the believers in Philippi. Chapter two describes beautifully how Jesus, although fully God, did not feel He had to compete with the Father for power, but willingly and humbly laid His authority aside in order to come to earth as a man. We read, "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8).

Paul is transparent about his own life as he reviews all his past accomplishments in the Jewish religion, and then sums up their true value by saying, But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ (Philippians 3:7). The focus of his being is, ...that I may know Him... and, ...I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:10, 14).

It may be unrealistic to talk about one book of the Bible being more of a favorite than others, but I do love Paul’s letter to the Colossians. One main reason is the detailed description of the person of Christ in the first chapter. We read, ...so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him [Jesus]... (Colossians 1:18, 19).

Over and over in this sensitive letter to the young Christians in Colossae, Paul stresses that they are not only in Christ, but He lives in them. They don’t need to chase after those who teach legalism and lies [the Gnostics] because Jesus Christ is enough: For in Him [Jesus] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority... (Colossians 2:9, 10).

Along with Ephesians, this letter to the believers in Colossae contains God’s formula for a joyful, fruitful Christian family. There is little doubt that the common thread of these four letters is the cross of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul made it clear that Christ’s death on Calvary’s tree was branded into his spirit when he declared, For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). Then in Colossians 1:20 Paul triumphed, "... and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace [for us] through the blood of His cross."

PARENTS: These marvelous letters from the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul are absolutely essential to spiritual growth. Some of the principles may be heavy sledding even for teens, such as dying with Christ; putting off the old nature; and putting on the new nature. The important thing is that you take your time going through these doctrinal areas, even if you have to read the same devotional several days in a row. Ask plenty of questions so that you know when to move on. One of the most liberating answers I’ve found when I was asked a question to which I didn’t know the answer, is, I don’t know, but I’ll find out. Also, saturate these time with prayer!

May God richly bless your family. May He especially bless you, the parents, for recognizing the importance of a daily devotional time—even when your children say, Are we going to be done soon? I’ve got a lot of homework tonight.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION TO GALATIANS

1. An Epistle And An Apostle

2. Let’s Say Grace!

3. The True Gospel And A Different One

4. Who Were Saul And Paul?

5. From A Cruel Pharisee To A Zealous Christian

6. The Who’s Who Of Galatians

7. Circumcision - The Sign of God’s Covenant

8. Peter, You’re Being A Phony!

9. Justification - What’s That?

10. Crucified With Christ

11. Don’t Mess With The Gospel!

12. How Did You Receive The Holy Spirit?

13. Before Moses, There Was Abraham

14. You Only Have To Be Perfect

15. Is The Law Of Moses Bad?

16. A Servant Or A Son?

17. Christians - Born And Adopted Into God’s Family

18. When Can We Call God, Daddy!

19. They Would Have Given Paul Their Eyes

20. The Son Of Flesh And The Son Of Promise

21. Why Choose A Yoke Over Freedom?

22. Who Tripped You?

23. Does Freedom Mean I Can Do Anything?

24. A Constant Battle - The Flesh vs. The Spirit

25. Our Choices And The Outcomes

26. Restoring A Fallen Friend

27. Helping Him Carry His Burden

28. Sow Corn And You Will Harvest Corn

29. Wearing Jesus’ Brand

30. It’s Best To End On Grace

INTRODUCTION TO EPHESIANS

31. What Does It Mean To Be A Saint?

32. Blessed With Every Spiritual Blessing

33. Redemption - Bought With A Price

34. When Being Sealed Is Good

35. The Eyes Of Your Heart

36. We Were Walking Dead

37. Keep Looking Down!

38. The Gift That Continues To Give

39. Tear Down This Wall!

40. A Living, Growing Building

41. There’s Nothing Like A Good Mystery

42. When It’s Good To Be Bold

43. Paul’s Prayer For The Ephesians

44. Rooted And Grounded In God’s Love

45. Exceeding Abundantly Beyond All

46. No One Left Behind

47. We All Like Gifts

48. How Does A Knee Joint Work?

49. The Mystery Of The Missing Candy

50. What’s With Forgiveness?

51. Don’t Be A Garbage Mouth!

52. Walk As Children Of Light!

53. No Such Thing As A Happy Drunk

54. The Wife - A Woman To Be Praised

55. The Husband - A Lover And A Giver

56. God’s Specific Message To Children

57. What’s A Father To Do?

58. The Employee, The Boss, And Our Heavenly Father

59. Putting On The Whole Armor Of God - Part One

60. Putting On The Whole Armor Of God - Part Two

INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPIANS

61. What Are Bishops And Deacons?

62. How To Pray For Your Children

63. The Growth Of The Church Amid Suffering

64. To Live Is Christ And To Die Is Gain

65. A Family Of One

66. More Important Than Me?

67. Jesus - Mighty God And Humble Servant

68. The Way Down Is The Way Up

69. Work Out Your Own Salvation!

70. What Does A Faithful Christian Man Look Like?

71. Counting It All Rubbish

72. Knowing Jesus Christ More Deeply

73. The Greatest Athlete

74. Learning What Jesus Is Like

75. My Passport Says Heaven

76. The Love Test

77. Don’t Be Anxious! Be Peaceful!

78. What’s On Your Mind?

79. Godliness With Contentment - Part One

80. Godliness With Contentment - Part Two

INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS

81. How Can I Pray For You?

82. Transferred From Darkness To Light

83. What Is Jesus Really Like? - Part One

84. What Is Jesus Really Like? - Part Two

85. Christ In You, The Hope Of Glory

86. Are You A Genius?

87. Walk With Christ The Way You Received Him!

88. What’s That Nailed To The Cross?

89. The Day That Satan Lost Control

90. Why Stick With The ABC’s?

91. Dead Though Alive

92. The Old Me Isn’t Pretty

93. The New Me Is Jesus

94. It’s All In The Family

95. Who Are You Working For?

96. Be Devoted! Be Alert! Be Thankful!

97. How To Talk With Unbelievers

98. Be An Encourager!

99. The Recipe For A Faithful Man Or Woman

100. A Family Of Grace

INTRODUCTION TO GALATIANS

Galatia, an area in what is today Turkey, was inhabited by a barbarian Gentile people called the Gauls who had invaded Asia Minor from Europe. Later it became a Roman province.

Wherever Paul planted churches, the Judaizers were not far behind, trying to corrupt Paul’s message of grace with law keeping. These Pharisees, who Paul graciously called believers, had trouble letting go of their legalistic traditions, particularly circumcision, and wanted to add this requirement to simple trust in Jesus (Acts 15:5).

There are various dates and locations quoted for the writing of this book, but some scholars (Hendricksen) believe Paul penned it after his second visit to the Galatian churches from Corinth about AD 52.

In order to deal with this matter of including the Law of Moses in with faith in Christ as a means of salvation, a council was held in Jerusalem of the apostles, elders, and the church members in that great city. Paul and Barnabas were chosen to represent the church of Antioch in Syria.

The attendees at this council reached the conclusion that spiritually speaking, there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles—both need to be born again by faith in Christ apart from good works. However, during these transitional days of the formation of the Church, in order to not be a stumbling block to the Jewish believers, it was agreed that they abstain from certain practices: committing fornication, eating foods offered to idols, and eating animals that were strangled or not properly bled out. Paul and Barnabas carried a letter from the council to the church at Antioch stating their conclusions. [NOTE: For the purpose of this book, when Church is capitalized, it means the universal or global body of believers in Christ. When church is not capitalized, it refers to a particular, local group of believers i.e. the church at Antioch.]

Meanwhile, the Judaizers continued to preach their burdensome message of law-keeping to the Galatian churches at Antioch, Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium, loudly insisting that salvation is by faith in Christ, but also had to be accompanied by circumcision in males. Paul responded by writing this letter to the churches of Galatia, warning the believers of this dangerous teaching of the Judaizers and clarifying simply that salvation is the free gift of God totally apart from man’s works.

It is the purity of