Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Your Experience
April 30
“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is inside you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living inside of you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives within you.” Romans 8:9-11
There is power in Jesus and in His wondrous name to transform anyone, heal anyone, to save dying souls that are going to hell, to bring millions to the knowledge of salvation, to bring nations to their knees in repentance by asking for forgiveness for all manner of individual and national sin.
Believers, in the behalf of their countries may pray the wonderful prayer of II Chronicles 9:14, “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Believers can also trust Jesus to change their families from unregenerate and rebellious children to people of faith and integrity. He can change a person’s professional life as the individual begins to appropriate the charge of Colossians 3:23; “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it as unto the Lord.”
He can redeem you from anything with which the enemy has bound you. He desires to make you whole in body, mind, spirit, finance, relationship. He wants the entirety of your being to reflect the glory of His holy name.
When you give your life to Jesus, you will discover that the prince and power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) no longer has any authority over you! You will find yourself to be “more than a conqueror,“ Romans 8:37, because of Christ's glory. You will know from your own experience that the power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, and that His power is greater than all the powers of darkness, just as we are told in Romans 8:9-11.
“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is inside you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living inside of you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives within you.” Romans 8:9-11
There is power in Jesus and in His wondrous name to transform anyone, heal anyone, to save dying souls that are going to hell, to bring millions to the knowledge of salvation, to bring nations to their knees in repentance by asking for forgiveness for all manner of individual and national sin.
Believers, in the behalf of their countries may pray the wonderful prayer of II Chronicles 9:14, “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Believers can also trust Jesus to change their families from unregenerate and rebellious children to people of faith and integrity. He can change a person’s professional life as the individual begins to appropriate the charge of Colossians 3:23; “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it as unto the Lord.”
He can redeem you from anything with which the enemy has bound you. He desires to make you whole in body, mind, spirit, finance, relationship. He wants the entirety of your being to reflect the glory of His holy name.
When you give your life to Jesus, you will discover that the prince and power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) no longer has any authority over you! You will find yourself to be “more than a conqueror,“ Romans 8:37, because of Christ's glory. You will know from your own experience that the power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, and that His power is greater than all the powers of darkness, just as we are told in Romans 8:9-11.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Some Sweet Tomorrow
April 29
“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Hebrews 4:1. 2.
Not everyone who hears the Word will spend eternity in Heaven. In Matthew 13:4-7, Jesus makes this quite clear with a parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.”
This indicates that there are many things that can steal away the truth of God in the lives of those who hear it. Perhaps it will be overwhelmed when a man is beset with trial regarding his employment in a troubled economy, which is contradictory to all Christ stands for (see Matthew 6:25).
Perhaps it will be swallowed up by the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (see I John 2:16) when a man cannot let go of the things he desires to own. When his perception of himself is rooted in the possessions he accrues, he cannot relinquish them in order to embrace the eternal treasure that was claimed for him at Calvary.
When anything other than Jesus becomes paramount in a believer’s life, his life is no longer on the path toward his eternal rest, his knowledge of truth is no longer leading him to the profit that has been promised to those who are “…faithful unto death…” that they might obtain “…a crown of life,” Revelation 2:10.
What can cause an individual to reject eternal reward for mere, fleeting temporal treasure? Paul states clearly in Hebrews 4:2 that this happens when the word is not mixed with faith. He states this truth even more bluntly in Hebrews 11:6 where he says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for those who come to Him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Only those who “diligently seek Him” can begin to fathom the great disparity between temporal and eternal treasure. Only those who truly love Jesus can let go of all the world promises to those who serve mammon today in exchange for the hope that is within of eternal treasure on some sweet tomorrow.
“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Hebrews 4:1. 2.
Not everyone who hears the Word will spend eternity in Heaven. In Matthew 13:4-7, Jesus makes this quite clear with a parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.”
This indicates that there are many things that can steal away the truth of God in the lives of those who hear it. Perhaps it will be overwhelmed when a man is beset with trial regarding his employment in a troubled economy, which is contradictory to all Christ stands for (see Matthew 6:25).
Perhaps it will be swallowed up by the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (see I John 2:16) when a man cannot let go of the things he desires to own. When his perception of himself is rooted in the possessions he accrues, he cannot relinquish them in order to embrace the eternal treasure that was claimed for him at Calvary.
When anything other than Jesus becomes paramount in a believer’s life, his life is no longer on the path toward his eternal rest, his knowledge of truth is no longer leading him to the profit that has been promised to those who are “…faithful unto death…” that they might obtain “…a crown of life,” Revelation 2:10.
What can cause an individual to reject eternal reward for mere, fleeting temporal treasure? Paul states clearly in Hebrews 4:2 that this happens when the word is not mixed with faith. He states this truth even more bluntly in Hebrews 11:6 where he says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for those who come to Him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Only those who “diligently seek Him” can begin to fathom the great disparity between temporal and eternal treasure. Only those who truly love Jesus can let go of all the world promises to those who serve mammon today in exchange for the hope that is within of eternal treasure on some sweet tomorrow.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Reminder: May 1: NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
Please keep this event in mind and please participate if you are able. Whether you fast all day or fast one meal or don't fast at all ... simply pray ... please lift your heart and your prayers to the Lord in the behalf of YOUR nation on this crucial day of united prayer.
Commended to the Word of God's Grace
April 28
“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified, “ Acts 20:32.
To be commended to the word of God’s grace is a secure place to abide. As quoted here, it has the power to build the inner man and to strengthen the outer man so whatever forces the evil one employs against believers, they may be brought to nothing by the steadfastness of the truth embodied in the Lord’s word that cannot fail and cannot lie.
Billy Graham came to this conclusion in the early years of his ministry and prayed, “I have seen enough of the transforming power of this Word to know that God is behind it…. I take it by faith…and trust Him to make clear to me what it means.”
Some people may refute the assertion that God cannot lie by saying that He is God and He can do anything He wishes. But they are forgetting the fact that God has set one perimeter for Himself—He cannot go against His own character. No one can prevent the Holy One from doing exactly as He pleases, and it pleases Him to be true to Himself.
Scriptural verification of His complete integrity and veracity may be found in many places, including the following:
Hebrews 6:18 tells us - "...in which it was impossible for God to lie..."
Numbers 23:19 says - "God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?"
Titus 1:2 says - "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie..."
1 Samuel 15:29 says - "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for He is not a man, that He should repent."
And Romans 3:4 tells us - "God forbid: yes, let God be true, but every man a liar..."
The word ‘repent’ in the above scriptures means to turn around, to go the opposite way from the course. God cannot turn from who He is; He cannot turn back or turn away from who He is.
Because of the honor of His name, He is established in holiness and in integrity as well as in power. Therefore, we who trust in Him may be confident that we are ever secure in Him. The Christ who died to set us free from the bonds of sin is also able to keep us in the hollow of His hand through all the challenges of life.
Let us not be concerned by the challenges of our immediate circumstances or by world events as they unfold, for we “know Whom we have believed and are persuaded that He is able to keep all that we have entrusted to Him,” II Timothy 1:12.
“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified, “ Acts 20:32.
To be commended to the word of God’s grace is a secure place to abide. As quoted here, it has the power to build the inner man and to strengthen the outer man so whatever forces the evil one employs against believers, they may be brought to nothing by the steadfastness of the truth embodied in the Lord’s word that cannot fail and cannot lie.
Billy Graham came to this conclusion in the early years of his ministry and prayed, “I have seen enough of the transforming power of this Word to know that God is behind it…. I take it by faith…and trust Him to make clear to me what it means.”
Some people may refute the assertion that God cannot lie by saying that He is God and He can do anything He wishes. But they are forgetting the fact that God has set one perimeter for Himself—He cannot go against His own character. No one can prevent the Holy One from doing exactly as He pleases, and it pleases Him to be true to Himself.
Scriptural verification of His complete integrity and veracity may be found in many places, including the following:
Hebrews 6:18 tells us - "...in which it was impossible for God to lie..."
Numbers 23:19 says - "God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?"
Titus 1:2 says - "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie..."
1 Samuel 15:29 says - "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for He is not a man, that He should repent."
And Romans 3:4 tells us - "God forbid: yes, let God be true, but every man a liar..."
The word ‘repent’ in the above scriptures means to turn around, to go the opposite way from the course. God cannot turn from who He is; He cannot turn back or turn away from who He is.
Because of the honor of His name, He is established in holiness and in integrity as well as in power. Therefore, we who trust in Him may be confident that we are ever secure in Him. The Christ who died to set us free from the bonds of sin is also able to keep us in the hollow of His hand through all the challenges of life.
Let us not be concerned by the challenges of our immediate circumstances or by world events as they unfold, for we “know Whom we have believed and are persuaded that He is able to keep all that we have entrusted to Him,” II Timothy 1:12.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Coming ... May 1 ... National Day of Prayer
If you are physically able to do so, please consider participating in the National Day of Prayer. We as a nation need the intervention of our Lord and Savior to rescue us. We as a world must implore His mercy and grace upon us if we are to overcome the onslaught of evil that is in our midst.
Here is a small history of this event from CHPP:
The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. Our Task Force is a privately funded organization whose purpose is to encourage participation on the National Day of Prayer. It exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America's leaders and its families. The Task Force represents a Judeo Christian expression of the national observance, based on our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.
The National Day of Prayer is a vital part of our heritage. Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history, including President Lincoln's proclamation of a day of "humiliation, fasting, and prayer" in 1863. In 1952, a joint resolution by Congress, signed by President Truman, declared an annual national day of prayer. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May. Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. Last year, all 50 state governors plus the governors of several U.S. territories signed similar proclamations.
Here is a small history of this event from CHPP:
The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. Our Task Force is a privately funded organization whose purpose is to encourage participation on the National Day of Prayer. It exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America's leaders and its families. The Task Force represents a Judeo Christian expression of the national observance, based on our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.
The National Day of Prayer is a vital part of our heritage. Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history, including President Lincoln's proclamation of a day of "humiliation, fasting, and prayer" in 1863. In 1952, a joint resolution by Congress, signed by President Truman, declared an annual national day of prayer. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May. Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. Last year, all 50 state governors plus the governors of several U.S. territories signed similar proclamations.
Traverse the Sea of Lostness
April 27
“(They are) raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever,” Jude 1:13.
This brief verse is a rather scathing indictment against someone…but against whom? Taken out of context, it would appear that Jude (a half-brother of our Lord) has some harsh things to say about unbelievers, but in fact he is speaking here of leaders within the church.
Jude’s accusation is that these false pretenders of faith in Christ are, in fact, the perpetrators of contention and strife within the Body of Christ. Jude’s reference here indicates that they are like raging storms at sea which froth and foam discord within the Church.
We know about the potential outcome of different points of view among religious groups. We know that they can become divisive to the point of culminating in an actual ‘split,’ a separation of one portion of the body of believers from another. New churches and even new denominations have been formed because of doctrinal differences.
This kind of breech is not unique to our day. In fact a sharp conflict ensued between Paul and Barnabas that resulted in two missionary teams going forth rather than the one they shared together. Paul and Barnabas argued because Paul did not want to include Mark, Barnabas' cousin who had deserted them on a previous missionary journey, on their next venture.
Scripture does not record the results of Barnabas' missionary activity, but we know Paul continued the ministry that propelled the gospel across Europe and into the known world and ultimately into history.
Even though they were not of one mind regarding Mark, they remained true to one purpose-- spreading the saving message of Jesus--and God honored their efforts. They acknowledged their division, then continued to work toward the furtherance of the gospel. Unfortunately, all divisions between believers do not result in the kind of success story that Paul had.
We can speculate that because of the silence of the Scriptures regarding Barnabus’s missionary journey, his efforts were not noteworthy. (See Acts 15:36-41.)
We can also resolve to settle our disagreements amicably and to be so focused on the dispersion of the gospel among the lost that we won’t have time to indulge petty differences. However, if any who have departed from the true faith are in leadership among us, we must earnestly strive to remove them from their high office so people of mature faith in Christ will be at the helm of this great ship that traverses the Sea of Lostness to bring those who are lost to the Shore of Salvation.
“(They are) raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever,” Jude 1:13.
This brief verse is a rather scathing indictment against someone…but against whom? Taken out of context, it would appear that Jude (a half-brother of our Lord) has some harsh things to say about unbelievers, but in fact he is speaking here of leaders within the church.
Jude’s accusation is that these false pretenders of faith in Christ are, in fact, the perpetrators of contention and strife within the Body of Christ. Jude’s reference here indicates that they are like raging storms at sea which froth and foam discord within the Church.
We know about the potential outcome of different points of view among religious groups. We know that they can become divisive to the point of culminating in an actual ‘split,’ a separation of one portion of the body of believers from another. New churches and even new denominations have been formed because of doctrinal differences.
This kind of breech is not unique to our day. In fact a sharp conflict ensued between Paul and Barnabas that resulted in two missionary teams going forth rather than the one they shared together. Paul and Barnabas argued because Paul did not want to include Mark, Barnabas' cousin who had deserted them on a previous missionary journey, on their next venture.
Scripture does not record the results of Barnabas' missionary activity, but we know Paul continued the ministry that propelled the gospel across Europe and into the known world and ultimately into history.
Even though they were not of one mind regarding Mark, they remained true to one purpose-- spreading the saving message of Jesus--and God honored their efforts. They acknowledged their division, then continued to work toward the furtherance of the gospel. Unfortunately, all divisions between believers do not result in the kind of success story that Paul had.
We can speculate that because of the silence of the Scriptures regarding Barnabus’s missionary journey, his efforts were not noteworthy. (See Acts 15:36-41.)
We can also resolve to settle our disagreements amicably and to be so focused on the dispersion of the gospel among the lost that we won’t have time to indulge petty differences. However, if any who have departed from the true faith are in leadership among us, we must earnestly strive to remove them from their high office so people of mature faith in Christ will be at the helm of this great ship that traverses the Sea of Lostness to bring those who are lost to the Shore of Salvation.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
In Vain or In Power?
April 26
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain,” Exodus 20:7
The commandments of the Lord are not grievous. Those who profess faith in the One, true and living God, Creator of heaven and earth, the One who is “Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” Isaiah 9:6, the One who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever,” Hebrews 13:8, the One whose Word is “yea and amen,” II Corinthians 1:20, does not require man to do anything that is not ultimately beneficial to man himself.
But He does exact a high expectation where His Holy Name is concerned. He has said in His Commandments that man must never take His name in vain (see Exodus 20:7. We hear the name of Jesus bantered about by many who would never darken the door of a church. Unfortunately, there are some who do profess to know Him as Savior who also use His name irreverently.
Those episodes of blasphemy are inexcusable, but there is another way in which His name is employed in vain and that is not a way that is recognized for what it is, even among those who purport themselves to be knowledgeable of His Word and its meaning. Perhaps there are Bible scholars who would dispute the following, but its veracity is undeniable.
Besides blatant misuse of the name of Jesus, most of Christendom also takes His name in vain with the best of intentions! How many times have we prayed earnest prayers in Jesus’ name without seeing any results other than our own disappointment? Can the lack of answers to our sincere supplications in Jesus’ name be because we are using His name in vain? If so, how are we misusing the only holy name upon the earth, the only name given under heaven whereby men might be saved? (See Acts 4:12.)
Please ponder for a moment this one thought: If a prayer goes unanswered, it has been in vain. It has been to no avail. That is not to say that every prayer that crosses our lips has to have been conceived in the mind of God, but the Word does tell us that prayer prayed in accordance with His will shall be done.
Indeed, 1 John 5:14-15 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, He hears us: And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask shall be done.” Why then does so much of what we ask remain undone?
Perhaps it is because we have prayed in vain; perhaps it is because that even in using the Lord’s name, our prayer has been in vain. How can that possibly be? Because anything that is of none effect is in vain. Anything that is without purpose is in vain. If we beseech the Lord God Almighty and our prayers are without faith, our supplication must be in vain!
The Word tells us as much! James 1:6 says, “When you ask, you must believe and not doubt. A man who doubts is like the waves of the sea, driven and tossed. Let him not think that he shall receive anything from the Lord.”
Does it not behoove us then to “Ask in faith, nothing wavering,” as James begins this verse? Yes, it does! May we cultivate that sense of expectancy in our prayers, that sense of trust that relies on the integrity of the One who promised, so our prayers will not be in vain, but in power!
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain,” Exodus 20:7
The commandments of the Lord are not grievous. Those who profess faith in the One, true and living God, Creator of heaven and earth, the One who is “Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” Isaiah 9:6, the One who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever,” Hebrews 13:8, the One whose Word is “yea and amen,” II Corinthians 1:20, does not require man to do anything that is not ultimately beneficial to man himself.
But He does exact a high expectation where His Holy Name is concerned. He has said in His Commandments that man must never take His name in vain (see Exodus 20:7. We hear the name of Jesus bantered about by many who would never darken the door of a church. Unfortunately, there are some who do profess to know Him as Savior who also use His name irreverently.
Those episodes of blasphemy are inexcusable, but there is another way in which His name is employed in vain and that is not a way that is recognized for what it is, even among those who purport themselves to be knowledgeable of His Word and its meaning. Perhaps there are Bible scholars who would dispute the following, but its veracity is undeniable.
Besides blatant misuse of the name of Jesus, most of Christendom also takes His name in vain with the best of intentions! How many times have we prayed earnest prayers in Jesus’ name without seeing any results other than our own disappointment? Can the lack of answers to our sincere supplications in Jesus’ name be because we are using His name in vain? If so, how are we misusing the only holy name upon the earth, the only name given under heaven whereby men might be saved? (See Acts 4:12.)
Please ponder for a moment this one thought: If a prayer goes unanswered, it has been in vain. It has been to no avail. That is not to say that every prayer that crosses our lips has to have been conceived in the mind of God, but the Word does tell us that prayer prayed in accordance with His will shall be done.
Indeed, 1 John 5:14-15 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, He hears us: And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask shall be done.” Why then does so much of what we ask remain undone?
Perhaps it is because we have prayed in vain; perhaps it is because that even in using the Lord’s name, our prayer has been in vain. How can that possibly be? Because anything that is of none effect is in vain. Anything that is without purpose is in vain. If we beseech the Lord God Almighty and our prayers are without faith, our supplication must be in vain!
The Word tells us as much! James 1:6 says, “When you ask, you must believe and not doubt. A man who doubts is like the waves of the sea, driven and tossed. Let him not think that he shall receive anything from the Lord.”
Does it not behoove us then to “Ask in faith, nothing wavering,” as James begins this verse? Yes, it does! May we cultivate that sense of expectancy in our prayers, that sense of trust that relies on the integrity of the One who promised, so our prayers will not be in vain, but in power!
Friday, April 25, 2014
Be the Church Triumphant!
April 25
“God, who has begun a good work in you, will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ,” Philippians 1:6.
According to the Apostle Paul, “There is none righteous, no not one,” Romans 3:10.
Paul knew the fallacy of ‘works.’ He knew because he had striven his whole adult life to please God by his works. “The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify,
if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today,” .Acts 26:4-6.
When Paul encountered Jesus along the Road to Damascus, Jesus said, “Paul, Paul, why do you persecute Me?” Acts 9:4.
Paul responded, “Who are you, Lord?” Acts 9:5.
Jesus said, “Isn’t it hard for you to kick against the spikes?”
Paul, trembling and astonished said, “Lord, what will You have me to do?”
And the Lord said to him,” Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”
Saul knew that he was in the presence of Deity and was not facing a mere mortal as he had in the past. With this face-to-face confrontation with Jesus, Paul’s attitude changed from desiring to murder all the Christians to “Lord, what will thou have me to do?”
Saul was no longer an unbeliever because he had met the risen Lord! Seeing the risen Lord was one of the requirements of being classified as an Apostle.
Jesus told Saul, who would soon be called Paul, to rise and go into the city of Damascus.
Now he was going in as a disciple and not as one with murder on his agenda. He was directed to go into the city and the Lord would raise someone up to meet him as he entered who would help him in his transformation from persecutor of the fledgling Church of Christ to faithful disciple and Apostle of the risen Lord.
Paul knew from first-hand experience that everyone who professes Christ must have that inside-out regeneration. We cannot become all we are meant to be as believers if we cling to the trappings of our former life—no matter how laudable they may appear.
If we do not, we become the unfortunate generation ‘prophesied’ by William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army who said, “The chief danger of (our time) will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and Heaven without Hell."
We will become the people of II Timothy 3:5 who, “…have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.” May we pray to be revived! May we allow Jesus to make us like Him, so we may be the Church Triumphant!
“God, who has begun a good work in you, will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ,” Philippians 1:6.
According to the Apostle Paul, “There is none righteous, no not one,” Romans 3:10.
Paul knew the fallacy of ‘works.’ He knew because he had striven his whole adult life to please God by his works. “The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify,
if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today,” .Acts 26:4-6.
When Paul encountered Jesus along the Road to Damascus, Jesus said, “Paul, Paul, why do you persecute Me?” Acts 9:4.
Paul responded, “Who are you, Lord?” Acts 9:5.
Jesus said, “Isn’t it hard for you to kick against the spikes?”
Paul, trembling and astonished said, “Lord, what will You have me to do?”
And the Lord said to him,” Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”
Saul knew that he was in the presence of Deity and was not facing a mere mortal as he had in the past. With this face-to-face confrontation with Jesus, Paul’s attitude changed from desiring to murder all the Christians to “Lord, what will thou have me to do?”
Saul was no longer an unbeliever because he had met the risen Lord! Seeing the risen Lord was one of the requirements of being classified as an Apostle.
Jesus told Saul, who would soon be called Paul, to rise and go into the city of Damascus.
Now he was going in as a disciple and not as one with murder on his agenda. He was directed to go into the city and the Lord would raise someone up to meet him as he entered who would help him in his transformation from persecutor of the fledgling Church of Christ to faithful disciple and Apostle of the risen Lord.
Paul knew from first-hand experience that everyone who professes Christ must have that inside-out regeneration. We cannot become all we are meant to be as believers if we cling to the trappings of our former life—no matter how laudable they may appear.
If we do not, we become the unfortunate generation ‘prophesied’ by William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army who said, “The chief danger of (our time) will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and Heaven without Hell."
We will become the people of II Timothy 3:5 who, “…have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.” May we pray to be revived! May we allow Jesus to make us like Him, so we may be the Church Triumphant!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
To All That Are Afar Off
April 24
In Chapter One of the Book of Acts, the Body of Christ saw Jesus received back into Heaven from which He came to accomplish the work of salvation, to deliver mankind from his lost condition. Here, the promise was given that the Holy Spirit would come, that the Holy Spirit would be the engine to ignite the Church with the fire John the Baptist prophesied would baptize believers (see Luke 3:16).
Then, in Chapter Two, the engine was exploded to life! The promise arrived and believers were transformed from leaderless, purposeless rag dolls to powerful proponents of the message of salvation who would “turn the world upside-down,” Acts 17:6.
Today’s world is plummeting into lostness. The darkness of sin and error is swallowing man into false religion and godless lifestyles. We need an infusion of the power of the Holy Spirit today!
As we read this mighty promise, may we appropriate the power it assures us is ours, for verse 39 declares, “The promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” We are called. The Holy Spirit is ours!
Acts, Chapter 2
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
In Chapter One of the Book of Acts, the Body of Christ saw Jesus received back into Heaven from which He came to accomplish the work of salvation, to deliver mankind from his lost condition. Here, the promise was given that the Holy Spirit would come, that the Holy Spirit would be the engine to ignite the Church with the fire John the Baptist prophesied would baptize believers (see Luke 3:16).
Then, in Chapter Two, the engine was exploded to life! The promise arrived and believers were transformed from leaderless, purposeless rag dolls to powerful proponents of the message of salvation who would “turn the world upside-down,” Acts 17:6.
Today’s world is plummeting into lostness. The darkness of sin and error is swallowing man into false religion and godless lifestyles. We need an infusion of the power of the Holy Spirit today!
As we read this mighty promise, may we appropriate the power it assures us is ours, for verse 39 declares, “The promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” We are called. The Holy Spirit is ours!
Acts, Chapter 2
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
The Engine of the Church
April 23
The Body of Christ was given its reason to exist when the Lord adjured us to, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature," Matthew 16:15; and in the Book of Acts, the power of the Holy Spirit was infused into the Body so His assigned task could be accomplished.
While some belief systems are propelled by the power of the sword, the Church founded on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus has grown by the power of the Holy Spirit of the Living and True God as He moves upon sinners and compels them to the foot of the cross where they are saved by grace.
The Holy Spirit is introduced in Acts, Chapter One and the entirety of this Book of the Bible is established on the work He does through believers in Christ who are infused with His power.
This is a wonderful history lesson, but it is also a profound truth that believers today may appropriate. May we be inspired--filled with the Holy Spirit--and may we do exploits in the behalf of the Kingdom of Christ, TODAY!
Acts, Chapter One
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.
13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
The Body of Christ was given its reason to exist when the Lord adjured us to, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature," Matthew 16:15; and in the Book of Acts, the power of the Holy Spirit was infused into the Body so His assigned task could be accomplished.
While some belief systems are propelled by the power of the sword, the Church founded on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus has grown by the power of the Holy Spirit of the Living and True God as He moves upon sinners and compels them to the foot of the cross where they are saved by grace.
The Holy Spirit is introduced in Acts, Chapter One and the entirety of this Book of the Bible is established on the work He does through believers in Christ who are infused with His power.
This is a wonderful history lesson, but it is also a profound truth that believers today may appropriate. May we be inspired--filled with the Holy Spirit--and may we do exploits in the behalf of the Kingdom of Christ, TODAY!
Acts, Chapter One
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.
13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Under the Blood
April 22
"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
"Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
"Utterly amazed, they asked: 'Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!' Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, 'What does this mean?'
"Some, however, made fun of them and said, 'They have had too much wine.'Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: 'Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'” (See Acts 2:1-13)
Are we living in “the Last Days”? Some people, believers in Christ and non-believers, are sure that we are. The violence, the cataclysmic events that seem to be escalating at a rapid pace are, they say, sure signs of the wrath of God that will soon swallow man and his sin into oblivion.
Others say man has always been violent. They point to the Romans and their horrific imposition of their will upon subjected peoples. They point also to the Huns and to the Muslims who have left a stain of blood upon their page of history. Christians are faulted for their treatment of the Jews as well as for the Crusades which were waged to claim the Holy Sites, where Christ lived and healed and died and rose, for Christian control.
People of the religions of the world have proven again and again that even men of faith in a great Being fall short. It is as Jesus said, "There is none good; no not one," Romans 3:10.
On the other hand, some believe that earthquakes and tsunamis and natural weather cataclysms are cyclical; that there is nothing happening today that hasn’t occurred many times over on our volatile planet. Indeed, many believe that the earth as it is today, rather than being spoken into existence by the Word of God (see Genesis, chapters 1 and 2 and Psalm 33:9) was formed out of significant violent upheaval.
If the evil of the day, both natural and human-generated seems worse, it’s because the news travels with such rapidity. Or is it? The reality is that no matter how the end of days occurs, no matter when it happens, there is a final day coming for each of us. Are we prepared to meet it? Are we prepared to see our Maker face-to-face?
There is one and only one way to be able to stand justified before our Holy God and that is under the blood of Jesus. May we place ourselves under that cleansing flood so that no matter whether He rends the heavens when His foot shall stand again on the Mount of Olives (see Job 19:25, Zechariah 14:4 and Acts 1:11) and He raptures us to Himself, or whether He taps our shoulder and takes us home individually, we will be found in His presence ever-more.
"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
"Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
"Utterly amazed, they asked: 'Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!' Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, 'What does this mean?'
"Some, however, made fun of them and said, 'They have had too much wine.'Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: 'Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'” (See Acts 2:1-13)
Are we living in “the Last Days”? Some people, believers in Christ and non-believers, are sure that we are. The violence, the cataclysmic events that seem to be escalating at a rapid pace are, they say, sure signs of the wrath of God that will soon swallow man and his sin into oblivion.
Others say man has always been violent. They point to the Romans and their horrific imposition of their will upon subjected peoples. They point also to the Huns and to the Muslims who have left a stain of blood upon their page of history. Christians are faulted for their treatment of the Jews as well as for the Crusades which were waged to claim the Holy Sites, where Christ lived and healed and died and rose, for Christian control.
People of the religions of the world have proven again and again that even men of faith in a great Being fall short. It is as Jesus said, "There is none good; no not one," Romans 3:10.
On the other hand, some believe that earthquakes and tsunamis and natural weather cataclysms are cyclical; that there is nothing happening today that hasn’t occurred many times over on our volatile planet. Indeed, many believe that the earth as it is today, rather than being spoken into existence by the Word of God (see Genesis, chapters 1 and 2 and Psalm 33:9) was formed out of significant violent upheaval.
If the evil of the day, both natural and human-generated seems worse, it’s because the news travels with such rapidity. Or is it? The reality is that no matter how the end of days occurs, no matter when it happens, there is a final day coming for each of us. Are we prepared to meet it? Are we prepared to see our Maker face-to-face?
There is one and only one way to be able to stand justified before our Holy God and that is under the blood of Jesus. May we place ourselves under that cleansing flood so that no matter whether He rends the heavens when His foot shall stand again on the Mount of Olives (see Job 19:25, Zechariah 14:4 and Acts 1:11) and He raptures us to Himself, or whether He taps our shoulder and takes us home individually, we will be found in His presence ever-more.
Monday, April 21, 2014
High Priestly Prayer--for Unity
The significance of unity among the body is more profound when we realize that it was central to the Lord's High Priestly prayer in John 17, which He prayed prior to His crucifixion. It included several aspects, among which was His prayer for unity among believers. Review these five prayer points before reading the commentary of MacKintosh:
17:1-5: Petition for glorification based on the completion of His work
17:6-10: Petitions for His disciples
17:11-19: Petition for the preservation and sanctification of "His own" in the world
17:20-23: Petition for unity of "His own"
17:24-26: Petition for the union of "His own" with Himself
The last two petitions are for unity, as characterized by:
"I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are One," - John 17:22. May we who believe in Jesus, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth," Revelation 13:8, live in the oneness of our faith in Jesus.
17:1-5: Petition for glorification based on the completion of His work
17:6-10: Petitions for His disciples
17:11-19: Petition for the preservation and sanctification of "His own" in the world
17:20-23: Petition for unity of "His own"
17:24-26: Petition for the union of "His own" with Himself
The last two petitions are for unity, as characterized by:
"I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are One," - John 17:22. May we who believe in Jesus, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth," Revelation 13:8, live in the oneness of our faith in Jesus.
Dwell Together in Unity
April 21
“It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing— life forevermore,” Psalm 133:3.
C. H. MacKintosh says: The expression "the dew of Hermon" has, it seems, long proved "a geographical puzzle" to some. But to one who has the mind of Christ it is no puzzle, but a most striking and beautiful figure . Hermon is the very loftiest peak in all the land of Palestine, and from its snowy cap, when all the surrounding country is parched, the refreshing dew descends upon the mountains of Zion; and this is one of the figures used by the Holy Ghost to illustrate the beauty and pleasantness of brethren dwelling together in unity.
Let us quote the entire psalm.
"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments. As the dew of Hermon that descended upon the mountains of Zion; (The interpolated words, "and as the dew," spoil the beauty of the figure), for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."
Here we have two lovely illustrations of unity among brethren. It is like ointment descending from the head of the high priest to the skirts of his garment; and it is like the dew descending, in refreshing power, from Hermon's snowy top.
How truly delightful!! And yet they are but figures used to set forth the divine idea of unity among brethren. How is the unity to be promoted? By living sufficiently near to our great priestly Head to catch the fragrant ointment as it descends from Him—to be living so near the Man in the glory as that the refreshing dew of His grace may drop upon our souls, thus rendering us fragrant and fruitful to His praise.
This is the way to dwell in unity with our brethren. It is one thing to talk about unity, and another thing altogether to dwell in it. We may profess to hold "the unity of the body," and "the unity of the Spirit"—most precious and glorious truths surely—and all the while be really full of selfish strife, party spirit, and sectarian feeling, all of which are entirely destructive of practical unity.
If brethren are to dwell together in unity, they must be receiving the ointment from the Head, the refreshing showers from the true Hermon. They must live in the very presence of Christ, so that all their points and angles may be molded off, all their selfishness judged and subdued, all their own peculiar notions set aside; and anything that stands between them and the fullness of Christ in them must be flung to the winds.
Thus there will be largeness of heart, breadth of mind, and depth of sympathy. Thus we shall learn to bear and forbear. It will not then be loving those who think with us and feel with us as to some pet theory or other. It will be loving and embracing "all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity," Ephesians 6:24.
The blessed Head loves all His members, and if we are drinking into His spirit, if we are learning of Him, we shall love all likewise. No doubt, those who keep His commandments enjoy His special love—the love of complacency; and so we cannot but specially love those in whom we trace most of His blessed Spirit. But this is a totally different thing from loving people because they adopt our line of truth, or our peculiar views. It is Christ, and not self; and this is what we want, if we are to "dwell together in unity," Psalm 133:1.
“It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing— life forevermore,” Psalm 133:3.
C. H. MacKintosh says: The expression "the dew of Hermon" has, it seems, long proved "a geographical puzzle" to some. But to one who has the mind of Christ it is no puzzle, but a most striking and beautiful figure . Hermon is the very loftiest peak in all the land of Palestine, and from its snowy cap, when all the surrounding country is parched, the refreshing dew descends upon the mountains of Zion; and this is one of the figures used by the Holy Ghost to illustrate the beauty and pleasantness of brethren dwelling together in unity.
Let us quote the entire psalm.
"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments. As the dew of Hermon that descended upon the mountains of Zion; (The interpolated words, "and as the dew," spoil the beauty of the figure), for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."
Here we have two lovely illustrations of unity among brethren. It is like ointment descending from the head of the high priest to the skirts of his garment; and it is like the dew descending, in refreshing power, from Hermon's snowy top.
How truly delightful!! And yet they are but figures used to set forth the divine idea of unity among brethren. How is the unity to be promoted? By living sufficiently near to our great priestly Head to catch the fragrant ointment as it descends from Him—to be living so near the Man in the glory as that the refreshing dew of His grace may drop upon our souls, thus rendering us fragrant and fruitful to His praise.
This is the way to dwell in unity with our brethren. It is one thing to talk about unity, and another thing altogether to dwell in it. We may profess to hold "the unity of the body," and "the unity of the Spirit"—most precious and glorious truths surely—and all the while be really full of selfish strife, party spirit, and sectarian feeling, all of which are entirely destructive of practical unity.
If brethren are to dwell together in unity, they must be receiving the ointment from the Head, the refreshing showers from the true Hermon. They must live in the very presence of Christ, so that all their points and angles may be molded off, all their selfishness judged and subdued, all their own peculiar notions set aside; and anything that stands between them and the fullness of Christ in them must be flung to the winds.
Thus there will be largeness of heart, breadth of mind, and depth of sympathy. Thus we shall learn to bear and forbear. It will not then be loving those who think with us and feel with us as to some pet theory or other. It will be loving and embracing "all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity," Ephesians 6:24.
The blessed Head loves all His members, and if we are drinking into His spirit, if we are learning of Him, we shall love all likewise. No doubt, those who keep His commandments enjoy His special love—the love of complacency; and so we cannot but specially love those in whom we trace most of His blessed Spirit. But this is a totally different thing from loving people because they adopt our line of truth, or our peculiar views. It is Christ, and not self; and this is what we want, if we are to "dwell together in unity," Psalm 133:1.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Happy Easter
April 20
Happy Easter!
May the Lord bless you as you celebrate the most glorious event in human history and may you always walk in the knowledge that, "the same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you," Romans 8:11.
Matthew 28:1-20
1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead [men].
5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him [away] while we slept.
14 And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.
Happy Easter!
May the Lord bless you as you celebrate the most glorious event in human history and may you always walk in the knowledge that, "the same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you," Romans 8:11.
Matthew 28:1-20
1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead [men].
5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him [away] while we slept.
14 And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
In the Tomb
April 19
Many prophetic words are written about the Messiah in the Bible that were penned centuries before the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ. They affirm the veracity of His claim of Messiahship and are persuasive evidence to seekers of every generation who are searching for a Savior that Jesus is indeed the Object of their quest. The following passages are among the many that were inspired by God toward that end.
Isaiah 11:1-5, 10
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot -- yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.
Isaiah 53
1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Many prophetic words are written about the Messiah in the Bible that were penned centuries before the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ. They affirm the veracity of His claim of Messiahship and are persuasive evidence to seekers of every generation who are searching for a Savior that Jesus is indeed the Object of their quest. The following passages are among the many that were inspired by God toward that end.
Isaiah 11:1-5, 10
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot -- yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.
Isaiah 53
1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Friday, April 18, 2014
The Cross
The Cross by Jim Dennison
The cross has been controversial for 20 centuries. What actually happened on this Good Friday at a place called Golgotha? Consider the first-century non-biblical records. We know from Roman historian Tacitus that "Christus . . . suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus" (Annals XV.44). We know from Jewish historian Josephus how he died: "Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross" (Antiquities 18.3.3).
We know from Josephus what happened next: "he appeared to [his followers] alive again the third day." And we know from Roman administrator Pliny the Younger how they responded: "They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ as to a god."
Without opening a New Testament, we can confirm the facts of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. But other questions remain. One reader asked recently, "When did sin leave Jesus? At what moment did the Father accept Jesus back?" Most theologians believe that the Father transferred the sin of humanity to his Son in the moment when Jesus cried from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Jesus was later restored to fellowship with his Father, so that he could say, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).
I was also asked, "Could there have been a different way for Jesus to die for the world's sin? Such as: hanging, or being dragged behind a chariot?" Yes and no. Jesus' death would have paid our debt, however it occurred. But the manner of his death was predicted a thousand years before it happened and seven centuries before crucifixion was invented.
In Psalm 22, David wrote, "they have pierced my hands and feet—I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots" (vs. 16-18). None of these descriptions were true of David, but each was fulfilled precisely at the cross.
Why did God lead the psalmist to describe his Son's death so far in advance? So we would know that Jesus' crucifixion was no accident or coincidence. He was "the lamb who was slain from the creation of the world" (Revelation 13:8, NIV). While we can ask many questions about the cross, never be confused about this fact: Before time began, the Father knew he would send his Son to die for you.
I spent two hours this week in a federal courtroom at the invitation of the judge, a godly man and dear friend. It was a fascinating experience. The defendants before him were sentenced to some form of punishment for their crimes. Imagine yourself on trial before such a judge. Justice demands that he sentence you to death. Then, before you are led away, he sends his only son into the courtroom. His son takes the chains off your hands and feet, shackles himself, and shuffles away with the officer to be executed. The judge watches his son die in your place so you can be set free.
Would you ever again wonder if that judge loved you?
The cross has been controversial for 20 centuries. What actually happened on this Good Friday at a place called Golgotha? Consider the first-century non-biblical records. We know from Roman historian Tacitus that "Christus . . . suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus" (Annals XV.44). We know from Jewish historian Josephus how he died: "Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross" (Antiquities 18.3.3).
We know from Josephus what happened next: "he appeared to [his followers] alive again the third day." And we know from Roman administrator Pliny the Younger how they responded: "They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ as to a god."
Without opening a New Testament, we can confirm the facts of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. But other questions remain. One reader asked recently, "When did sin leave Jesus? At what moment did the Father accept Jesus back?" Most theologians believe that the Father transferred the sin of humanity to his Son in the moment when Jesus cried from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Jesus was later restored to fellowship with his Father, so that he could say, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).
I was also asked, "Could there have been a different way for Jesus to die for the world's sin? Such as: hanging, or being dragged behind a chariot?" Yes and no. Jesus' death would have paid our debt, however it occurred. But the manner of his death was predicted a thousand years before it happened and seven centuries before crucifixion was invented.
In Psalm 22, David wrote, "they have pierced my hands and feet—I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots" (vs. 16-18). None of these descriptions were true of David, but each was fulfilled precisely at the cross.
Why did God lead the psalmist to describe his Son's death so far in advance? So we would know that Jesus' crucifixion was no accident or coincidence. He was "the lamb who was slain from the creation of the world" (Revelation 13:8, NIV). While we can ask many questions about the cross, never be confused about this fact: Before time began, the Father knew he would send his Son to die for you.
I spent two hours this week in a federal courtroom at the invitation of the judge, a godly man and dear friend. It was a fascinating experience. The defendants before him were sentenced to some form of punishment for their crimes. Imagine yourself on trial before such a judge. Justice demands that he sentence you to death. Then, before you are led away, he sends his only son into the courtroom. His son takes the chains off your hands and feet, shackles himself, and shuffles away with the officer to be executed. The judge watches his son die in your place so you can be set free.
Would you ever again wonder if that judge loved you?
Good Friday
April 18
JESUS IS CRUCIFIED
Each of the four Gospels is completely true and reliable although there are differences among the human scribes regarding the telling of the crucifixion story because each is written from the point of view of the individual who penned the words as they were inspired by God. This was by divine design.
With the human limitations posed by my knowledge and intelligence, I could not handle the overload of knowing all that Jesus said and did in His earthly life and ministry. Each Gospel writer presents the truth from a slightly different perspective, giving us an important slice of the truth. John indicates that he has selectively recorded a number of significant signs, so that the reader might come to “believe” in Jesus as the promised Messiah, thereby obtaining eternal life (see John 20:30-31).
In their accounts of our Lord’s crucifixion and death, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Synoptic Gospels, all mention Simon of Cyrene. They describe the mockery of Jesus by the crowd, by the Jewish religious leaders, and by the two robbers who were crucified beside our Lord.
They tell us about the three hours of darkness, and Matthew and Mark record the cry of our Lord, “My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken Me?” The Synoptic Gospels refer to the women who kept their vigil at the cross, as close to their Lord as they could get. In the Synoptics, we read of the curtain of the temple being torn in two, from top to bottom, and of the soldiers casting lots for our Lord’s garments.
Each Gospel has its own unique contribution to the overall picture of what took place when our Lord suffered and died on the cross of Calvary. Matthew gets our attention with his account of the earthquake, which followed our Lord’s death, so that the tombs of some in the vicinity of Jerusalem were opened, and these resurrected folks made appearances in Jerusalem, Matthew 27:52-54.
An additional fact found in Mark 15:21 informs us that Simon of Cyrene is the father of Alexander and Rufus.
In Luke 23:34 the physician lends his perspective to the story by telling of Jesus on the road to Calvary. Luke also tells of Jesus' prayer that God forgive those who were crucifying Him. Luke tells of the Lord’s conversation with the one of the two thieves who believed in Him and received His assurance that He would attain paradise. In 23:46 Luke shares a record of the Lord’s words, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit!” Perhaps Luke’s most unique contribution is his account in 23:48 of the people leaving the scene of our Lord’s execution, “beating their breasts.”
John’s Gospel is truly unique in its portrayal of our Lord’s death. John may have been the only Gospel writer to have been an eye-witness of the crucifixion (see John 19:35). John omits much that is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, including:
Any reference to Simon of Cyrene
Everything but a brief reference to the two others being crucified beside Jesus
The mockery of the crowd, the Jewish religious leaders
The two thieves
The cry, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”
The three hours of darkness
The torn veil of the temple
The testimony of the centurion
John’s material in our text can be summarized in this way:
Verses 17-22: Yet another “sign” in John: The “King of the Jews”
Verses 23-27 Lottery and loyalty: four men and four women, at the foot of the cross
Verses 28-30 Two statements made by Jesus on the cross: “I thirst.”; “It is finished!”
Verses 31-37 No bones broken, but a pierced side
In all these accounts we see the depth of the suffering that the sinless, holy Christ endured for us. Every time we sin, whether willfully or by being overtaken with a relentless fault that will not easily release us from its grasp, we know we can bow before Him again and ask His forgiveness again. We know we can be bathed afresh in the font of Emmanuel’s veins.
On this day of all days may we reflect upon the goodness and mercy of our God and His “unspeakable Gift,” II Corinthians 9:15. On this day, may we deeply ponder the significance of one Man dying for the sins of all men, I Timothy 2:4, and may we renew our commitment to Jesus and bow humbly before Him as our Savior and soon-coming King.
JESUS IS CRUCIFIED
Each of the four Gospels is completely true and reliable although there are differences among the human scribes regarding the telling of the crucifixion story because each is written from the point of view of the individual who penned the words as they were inspired by God. This was by divine design.
With the human limitations posed by my knowledge and intelligence, I could not handle the overload of knowing all that Jesus said and did in His earthly life and ministry. Each Gospel writer presents the truth from a slightly different perspective, giving us an important slice of the truth. John indicates that he has selectively recorded a number of significant signs, so that the reader might come to “believe” in Jesus as the promised Messiah, thereby obtaining eternal life (see John 20:30-31).
In their accounts of our Lord’s crucifixion and death, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Synoptic Gospels, all mention Simon of Cyrene. They describe the mockery of Jesus by the crowd, by the Jewish religious leaders, and by the two robbers who were crucified beside our Lord.
They tell us about the three hours of darkness, and Matthew and Mark record the cry of our Lord, “My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken Me?” The Synoptic Gospels refer to the women who kept their vigil at the cross, as close to their Lord as they could get. In the Synoptics, we read of the curtain of the temple being torn in two, from top to bottom, and of the soldiers casting lots for our Lord’s garments.
Each Gospel has its own unique contribution to the overall picture of what took place when our Lord suffered and died on the cross of Calvary. Matthew gets our attention with his account of the earthquake, which followed our Lord’s death, so that the tombs of some in the vicinity of Jerusalem were opened, and these resurrected folks made appearances in Jerusalem, Matthew 27:52-54.
An additional fact found in Mark 15:21 informs us that Simon of Cyrene is the father of Alexander and Rufus.
In Luke 23:34 the physician lends his perspective to the story by telling of Jesus on the road to Calvary. Luke also tells of Jesus' prayer that God forgive those who were crucifying Him. Luke tells of the Lord’s conversation with the one of the two thieves who believed in Him and received His assurance that He would attain paradise. In 23:46 Luke shares a record of the Lord’s words, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit!” Perhaps Luke’s most unique contribution is his account in 23:48 of the people leaving the scene of our Lord’s execution, “beating their breasts.”
John’s Gospel is truly unique in its portrayal of our Lord’s death. John may have been the only Gospel writer to have been an eye-witness of the crucifixion (see John 19:35). John omits much that is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, including:
Any reference to Simon of Cyrene
Everything but a brief reference to the two others being crucified beside Jesus
The mockery of the crowd, the Jewish religious leaders
The two thieves
The cry, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”
The three hours of darkness
The torn veil of the temple
The testimony of the centurion
John’s material in our text can be summarized in this way:
Verses 17-22: Yet another “sign” in John: The “King of the Jews”
Verses 23-27 Lottery and loyalty: four men and four women, at the foot of the cross
Verses 28-30 Two statements made by Jesus on the cross: “I thirst.”; “It is finished!”
Verses 31-37 No bones broken, but a pierced side
In all these accounts we see the depth of the suffering that the sinless, holy Christ endured for us. Every time we sin, whether willfully or by being overtaken with a relentless fault that will not easily release us from its grasp, we know we can bow before Him again and ask His forgiveness again. We know we can be bathed afresh in the font of Emmanuel’s veins.
On this day of all days may we reflect upon the goodness and mercy of our God and His “unspeakable Gift,” II Corinthians 9:15. On this day, may we deeply ponder the significance of one Man dying for the sins of all men, I Timothy 2:4, and may we renew our commitment to Jesus and bow humbly before Him as our Savior and soon-coming King.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
What Is Crucifixion?
Instead of the usual post, those of the next few days will be a compilation of information regarding the events of Easter week that have been collected from the research of others as well as directly from the Bible. May you, dear reader, use these sobering accounts to ponder more fully the totality of the sacrifice our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made for you.
April 17 Holy Thursday
What is crucifixion?
The general answer to that question is as follows:
Crucifixion provided a death that was particularly painful (hence the term excruciating , literally "out of crucifying"), gruesome (hence dissuading against the crimes punishable by it) and public (hence the metaphorical expression "to nail to the cross"), using whatever means were most expedient for that goal. Crucifixion methods varied considerably with location and time period.
The Greek and Latin words corresponding to "crucifixion" applied to many different forms of painful execution, from impaling on a stake to affixing to a tree, to an upright pole (what some call a crux simplex ) or to a combination of an upright and a crossbeam
If a crossbeam was used, the condemned man was forced to carry it on his shoulders, which could have been torn open by flagellation, to the place of execution. A whole cross would weigh well over 300 pounds (135 kilograms), but the crossbeam would weigh only 75-125 pounds (35-60 kilograms).
The Roman historian Tacitus records that the city of Rome had a specific place for carrying out executions, situated outside the Esquiline Gate, and had a specific area reserved for the execution of slaves by crucifixion. Upright posts would presumably be fixed permanently in that place, and the crossbeam, with the condemned man perhaps already nailed to it, would then be attached to the post.
The person executed may sometimes have been attached to the cross by ropes, but nails are mentioned in a passage of Josephus, where he states that, at the Siege of Jerusalem (70 A.D.), "the soldiers out of rage and hatred, nailed those they caught, one after one way, and another after another, to the crosses, by way of jest", and in . Objects, such as nails, used in the execution of criminals were sought as amulets.
Frequently, the legs of the person executed were broken or shattered with an iron club, an act called crurifragium which was also frequently applied without crucifixion to slaves. This act hastened the death of the person but was also meant to deter those who observed the crucifixion from committing offenses.
In popular depictions of crucifixion, possibly derived from a literal reading of the translated description in the Gospel of John, of Jesus' wounds being 'in the hands', the condemned is shown with nails in their hands. Although historical documents refer to the nails being in the "hands", the word usually translated as "hand", in Greek, referred to arm and hand together, so that, words are added to denote the hand as distinct from the arm.
A possibility that does not require tying is that the nails were inserted just above the wrist, between the two bones of the forearm. The nails could also be driven through the wrist, in a space between four carpal bones. The Gospel word translated as "hand", can include everything below the mid-forearm.
A foot-rest attached to the cross, perhaps for the purpose of taking the man's weight off the wrists, is sometimes included in representations of the crucifixion of Jesus, but is not mentioned in ancient sources. These, however, do mention a small seat attached to the front of the cross, about halfway down, which could have served that purpose.
The length of time required to reach death could range from a matter of hours to a number of days, depending on exact methods, the health of the crucified person and environmental circumstances.
Death could result from a variety of causes, including blood loss and hypovolemic shock, or infection and sepsis, caused by the scourging that preceded the crucifixion or by the nailing itself, and eventual dehydration. One theory holds that, when the whole body weight was supported by the stretched arms, the typical cause of death was asphyxiation because the condemned would have severe difficulty inhaling, due to hyper-expansion of the chest muscles and lungs.
The condemned would therefore have to draw himself up by his arms, leading to exhaustion, or have his feet supported by tying or by a wood block. Indeed, Roman executioners could be asked to break the condemned' person’s legs, after he had hung for some time, in order to hasten his death. Once deprived of support and unable to lift himself, the condemned would die within a few minutes.
April 17 Holy Thursday
What is crucifixion?
The general answer to that question is as follows:
Crucifixion provided a death that was particularly painful (hence the term excruciating , literally "out of crucifying"), gruesome (hence dissuading against the crimes punishable by it) and public (hence the metaphorical expression "to nail to the cross"), using whatever means were most expedient for that goal. Crucifixion methods varied considerably with location and time period.
The Greek and Latin words corresponding to "crucifixion" applied to many different forms of painful execution, from impaling on a stake to affixing to a tree, to an upright pole (what some call a crux simplex ) or to a combination of an upright and a crossbeam
If a crossbeam was used, the condemned man was forced to carry it on his shoulders, which could have been torn open by flagellation, to the place of execution. A whole cross would weigh well over 300 pounds (135 kilograms), but the crossbeam would weigh only 75-125 pounds (35-60 kilograms).
The Roman historian Tacitus records that the city of Rome had a specific place for carrying out executions, situated outside the Esquiline Gate, and had a specific area reserved for the execution of slaves by crucifixion. Upright posts would presumably be fixed permanently in that place, and the crossbeam, with the condemned man perhaps already nailed to it, would then be attached to the post.
The person executed may sometimes have been attached to the cross by ropes, but nails are mentioned in a passage of Josephus, where he states that, at the Siege of Jerusalem (70 A.D.), "the soldiers out of rage and hatred, nailed those they caught, one after one way, and another after another, to the crosses, by way of jest", and in . Objects, such as nails, used in the execution of criminals were sought as amulets.
Frequently, the legs of the person executed were broken or shattered with an iron club, an act called crurifragium which was also frequently applied without crucifixion to slaves. This act hastened the death of the person but was also meant to deter those who observed the crucifixion from committing offenses.
In popular depictions of crucifixion, possibly derived from a literal reading of the translated description in the Gospel of John, of Jesus' wounds being 'in the hands', the condemned is shown with nails in their hands. Although historical documents refer to the nails being in the "hands", the word usually translated as "hand", in Greek, referred to arm and hand together, so that, words are added to denote the hand as distinct from the arm.
A possibility that does not require tying is that the nails were inserted just above the wrist, between the two bones of the forearm. The nails could also be driven through the wrist, in a space between four carpal bones. The Gospel word translated as "hand", can include everything below the mid-forearm.
A foot-rest attached to the cross, perhaps for the purpose of taking the man's weight off the wrists, is sometimes included in representations of the crucifixion of Jesus, but is not mentioned in ancient sources. These, however, do mention a small seat attached to the front of the cross, about halfway down, which could have served that purpose.
The length of time required to reach death could range from a matter of hours to a number of days, depending on exact methods, the health of the crucified person and environmental circumstances.
Death could result from a variety of causes, including blood loss and hypovolemic shock, or infection and sepsis, caused by the scourging that preceded the crucifixion or by the nailing itself, and eventual dehydration. One theory holds that, when the whole body weight was supported by the stretched arms, the typical cause of death was asphyxiation because the condemned would have severe difficulty inhaling, due to hyper-expansion of the chest muscles and lungs.
The condemned would therefore have to draw himself up by his arms, leading to exhaustion, or have his feet supported by tying or by a wood block. Indeed, Roman executioners could be asked to break the condemned' person’s legs, after he had hung for some time, in order to hasten his death. Once deprived of support and unable to lift himself, the condemned would die within a few minutes.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Be Not Afraid
April 16
And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! Luke 12:4-5
Jesus knew the Author of life. He understood death. Because He was perfect in the entirety of His being, He did not suffer the anxiety of mere man; He did not share our dread of death.
Man spends a lifetime seeking to avoid the inevitable, endeavoring to prolong his life and to make his life rich and full. Jesus knew that none of that is important. In fact, He said, “Give no thought to what you will eat or what you will drink or what you will wear; do not concern yourselves with the fleeting things of this life,” Matthew 6:25, Luke 12:22.
Jesus wanted our focus to be on the things of God, on the things that abide forever. Proverbs 23:5 asks, “Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven,” and Jesus emphasized the veracity of those words in His ministry.
Because His focus was on our eternal salvation rather than on His own temporal well-being, He was able to go steadfastly toward Jerusalem at a time when there was seething animosity against Him there on the part of those who were conspiring His death (see Matthew 19:1 and Mark 9:30).
Jesus knew the fate that awaited Him. In John 12:32 He said, “And if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me.” He knew that He had to die in order for the plan of salvation to unfold according to the intent of the Heavenly counsel that set it in place. Therefore, He did not evade death and He did not want those who follow after Him to dread that unavoidable eventuality.
No matter what life brings to the believer, whether “persecution or peril or nakedness or sword,” Romans 8:35, none of that can “separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Romans 8:38, 39. Jesus wants us to live with the courage of the ages to gird us for whatever time allots to us, and He demonstrated that resolve to us.
Let us allow Him to fill us with Himself so we may exude His strength and His conviction and His fearlessness at our own time of challenge.
And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! Luke 12:4-5
Jesus knew the Author of life. He understood death. Because He was perfect in the entirety of His being, He did not suffer the anxiety of mere man; He did not share our dread of death.
Man spends a lifetime seeking to avoid the inevitable, endeavoring to prolong his life and to make his life rich and full. Jesus knew that none of that is important. In fact, He said, “Give no thought to what you will eat or what you will drink or what you will wear; do not concern yourselves with the fleeting things of this life,” Matthew 6:25, Luke 12:22.
Jesus wanted our focus to be on the things of God, on the things that abide forever. Proverbs 23:5 asks, “Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven,” and Jesus emphasized the veracity of those words in His ministry.
Because His focus was on our eternal salvation rather than on His own temporal well-being, He was able to go steadfastly toward Jerusalem at a time when there was seething animosity against Him there on the part of those who were conspiring His death (see Matthew 19:1 and Mark 9:30).
Jesus knew the fate that awaited Him. In John 12:32 He said, “And if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me.” He knew that He had to die in order for the plan of salvation to unfold according to the intent of the Heavenly counsel that set it in place. Therefore, He did not evade death and He did not want those who follow after Him to dread that unavoidable eventuality.
No matter what life brings to the believer, whether “persecution or peril or nakedness or sword,” Romans 8:35, none of that can “separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Romans 8:38, 39. Jesus wants us to live with the courage of the ages to gird us for whatever time allots to us, and He demonstrated that resolve to us.
Let us allow Him to fill us with Himself so we may exude His strength and His conviction and His fearlessness at our own time of challenge.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Receive the Precious Gift
April 15
“Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Matthew 9:10-13
The Pharisees were exceedingly critical of Jesus. They didn’t like when He ate (see Mark 2:23-27), they didn’t approve of the people who flocked around Him (see above), they didn’t like where He came from (see John 1:46), they didn’t approve of His healing of the sick and lame and deaf and dumb and blind (see Luke 11:15).
The bottom line of their assessment of Him is that they wanted Him to die for the people (see John 11:48-50.) In saying this, the High Priest Caiaphas was prophesying, for indeed, Jesus had come to save the nation, the Jewish people, and the entire world from sin by taking the punishment for the sins of all the world!
Why did He eat with them? Because He loved them, because He wanted them to know that Someone had entered the realm of time to make sense of their weary lives, Someone had entered time to give them rest.
Matthew 11:28 says, “"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus knew the burden of sin was a heavy one to carry and He came to lift it. What better place to begin His search for the lost and burdened of humanity than among the tax collectors (who cheated the people by extracting more than their legal tax burden in order to pad their own pockets) and the sinners?
The Pharisees were quite smug in their own self-righteousness (see Luke 18:9-14). It would have been pointless for Jesus to approach them. No doubt He wanted very badly to confront the most influential men of the nation with the reality of their sin, for who better than they to then instruct the people of the way to salvation! But other than Nicodemus, we are told of no religious leader who followed Jesus.
May we not be like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day to whom He referred as “white-washed sepulchers,” pure in external appearance but filled with rotting bones. May we, like the tax collectors and sinners, recognize our need of salvation so we may be bathed in the cleansing flow of Emmanuel’s veins.
It doesn’t matter how bad we’ve been…Jesus has paid the price for all our sin. Let us receive His precious gift.
“Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Matthew 9:10-13
The Pharisees were exceedingly critical of Jesus. They didn’t like when He ate (see Mark 2:23-27), they didn’t approve of the people who flocked around Him (see above), they didn’t like where He came from (see John 1:46), they didn’t approve of His healing of the sick and lame and deaf and dumb and blind (see Luke 11:15).
The bottom line of their assessment of Him is that they wanted Him to die for the people (see John 11:48-50.) In saying this, the High Priest Caiaphas was prophesying, for indeed, Jesus had come to save the nation, the Jewish people, and the entire world from sin by taking the punishment for the sins of all the world!
Why did He eat with them? Because He loved them, because He wanted them to know that Someone had entered the realm of time to make sense of their weary lives, Someone had entered time to give them rest.
Matthew 11:28 says, “"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus knew the burden of sin was a heavy one to carry and He came to lift it. What better place to begin His search for the lost and burdened of humanity than among the tax collectors (who cheated the people by extracting more than their legal tax burden in order to pad their own pockets) and the sinners?
The Pharisees were quite smug in their own self-righteousness (see Luke 18:9-14). It would have been pointless for Jesus to approach them. No doubt He wanted very badly to confront the most influential men of the nation with the reality of their sin, for who better than they to then instruct the people of the way to salvation! But other than Nicodemus, we are told of no religious leader who followed Jesus.
May we not be like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day to whom He referred as “white-washed sepulchers,” pure in external appearance but filled with rotting bones. May we, like the tax collectors and sinners, recognize our need of salvation so we may be bathed in the cleansing flow of Emmanuel’s veins.
It doesn’t matter how bad we’ve been…Jesus has paid the price for all our sin. Let us receive His precious gift.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Persuaded
April 14
As a Christian, don't be surprised if a lot of your friends think you've gone off the deep end when you speak of a literal antichrist. Many people in our world today are very dismissive of the Bible and what it teaches, so any inclusion of a basically Biblical message into your thinking may be misunderstood by some, even among your friends who profess faith in Christ. They well might conclude that you've become a bit fanciful in your thinking.
But I believe you are honing in on the 'bulls-eye' of today's woes and of the horrific time that is prophesied in Scripture when you affirm your expectation that an evil entity, the antichrist, will appear on the world stage.
I don't agree with the opinion of some people that the 'antichrist' is a world view rather than a man for a couple of reasons.
First, and perhaps foremost, the evil one, the devil, satan, lucifer, whatever you want to call that wicked entity who has poised himself against everything that is God, has stated, "I would be like the Most High," Isaiah 14:14. From his fall, when he led a rebellion in heaven that saw a third of the angels follow him to perdition, he has evidenced that fact.
He was an angel, perhaps an archangel, right up there with Michael and Gabriel; he was not content to be the chief musician of heaven (perhaps his former role explains why some kinds of music can have such a profoundly negative influence over people--but that's another point.)
The evil one wanted to be 'like God,' not in goodness, not in mercy, not in honor or character or...any other good thing. No, he wanted two things:
1. to exert the power of God
2. to receive the worship due only to God.
False religions give him both of these things and, in my estimation, it will therefore be through an existing fallacious belief system that he will endeavor to enslave the whole earth. Old slewfoot wants to control the world and he wants the world to worship him; religions that direct men away from Jesus Christ and Him crucified give him this to a degree, but he wants it all.
Second, he endeavors to imitate God. God came to earth as a MAN to redeem man from the sinful clutches of satan. The Holy One came to earth as a baby who matured into the fullness of what manhood was originally intended by God to be when He fashioned Adam. Indeed, Jesus is referred to in Scripture as, "the Second Adam," I Corinthians 15:45 says, "The first man, Adam, became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit."
To my thinking, then, satan will, because he imitates God to deceive men, come in the form of a child who grows up to to assume his evil purposes. The evil one wants "to be like the Most High." Therefore, he will purport himself to be Christ at His second coming; he will purport himself to be good and to be the world's 'problem solver.'
If I understand Scripture correctly (and I may be wrong) he will be so effective in his deception that the Jews will think he is their awaited Messiah. The antichrist will reign from Jerusalem. The Bible says that "If it were possible, the very elect would be deceived," Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22. That scripture tells me that lucifer will be very convincing--BUT--it won't be possible for him to deceive true believers in Christ. The specificity of word-use in the Bible is amazingly accurate; since it says, "If it were possible..." that little word 'if' is a powerful indicator that deceiving 'the elect' will not be possible.
It all makes sense if you believe. If you don't, it's nonsense. As the Bible says, "The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to those who are saved, it is the power of God," I Corinthians 1:18.
In I Corinthians 1:25, Paul goes on to write, "The foolishness of God (that one Man could die for the sins of all men) is wiser than men and the weakness of God (Jesus being crucified and dying for us--a seeming triumph of the devil!) is STRONGER THAN MEN!"
The Biblical account indicates that half way through the time that is allotted to him, the antichrist will reveal his true character. The slaughter will begin. The antichrist and his henchman, the false prophet will not tolerate anything but complete allegiance to and worship of the evil one.
This time of unprecedented evil will continue until Jesus Himself destroys the antichrist and his false prophet and his wicked intent. May we pray to be among the elect who cannot be deceived, and may we ever keep our hope fixed on the One in whose promises we trust.
Let us not be among those who say, “Where is the promise of His coming? Since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation,” II Peter 3:4. Let us rather be among them who say, “I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that HE is able to keep all of that which I have committed to Him against that day,” II Timothy 1:12.
As a Christian, don't be surprised if a lot of your friends think you've gone off the deep end when you speak of a literal antichrist. Many people in our world today are very dismissive of the Bible and what it teaches, so any inclusion of a basically Biblical message into your thinking may be misunderstood by some, even among your friends who profess faith in Christ. They well might conclude that you've become a bit fanciful in your thinking.
But I believe you are honing in on the 'bulls-eye' of today's woes and of the horrific time that is prophesied in Scripture when you affirm your expectation that an evil entity, the antichrist, will appear on the world stage.
I don't agree with the opinion of some people that the 'antichrist' is a world view rather than a man for a couple of reasons.
First, and perhaps foremost, the evil one, the devil, satan, lucifer, whatever you want to call that wicked entity who has poised himself against everything that is God, has stated, "I would be like the Most High," Isaiah 14:14. From his fall, when he led a rebellion in heaven that saw a third of the angels follow him to perdition, he has evidenced that fact.
He was an angel, perhaps an archangel, right up there with Michael and Gabriel; he was not content to be the chief musician of heaven (perhaps his former role explains why some kinds of music can have such a profoundly negative influence over people--but that's another point.)
The evil one wanted to be 'like God,' not in goodness, not in mercy, not in honor or character or...any other good thing. No, he wanted two things:
1. to exert the power of God
2. to receive the worship due only to God.
False religions give him both of these things and, in my estimation, it will therefore be through an existing fallacious belief system that he will endeavor to enslave the whole earth. Old slewfoot wants to control the world and he wants the world to worship him; religions that direct men away from Jesus Christ and Him crucified give him this to a degree, but he wants it all.
Second, he endeavors to imitate God. God came to earth as a MAN to redeem man from the sinful clutches of satan. The Holy One came to earth as a baby who matured into the fullness of what manhood was originally intended by God to be when He fashioned Adam. Indeed, Jesus is referred to in Scripture as, "the Second Adam," I Corinthians 15:45 says, "The first man, Adam, became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit."
To my thinking, then, satan will, because he imitates God to deceive men, come in the form of a child who grows up to to assume his evil purposes. The evil one wants "to be like the Most High." Therefore, he will purport himself to be Christ at His second coming; he will purport himself to be good and to be the world's 'problem solver.'
If I understand Scripture correctly (and I may be wrong) he will be so effective in his deception that the Jews will think he is their awaited Messiah. The antichrist will reign from Jerusalem. The Bible says that "If it were possible, the very elect would be deceived," Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22. That scripture tells me that lucifer will be very convincing--BUT--it won't be possible for him to deceive true believers in Christ. The specificity of word-use in the Bible is amazingly accurate; since it says, "If it were possible..." that little word 'if' is a powerful indicator that deceiving 'the elect' will not be possible.
It all makes sense if you believe. If you don't, it's nonsense. As the Bible says, "The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to those who are saved, it is the power of God," I Corinthians 1:18.
In I Corinthians 1:25, Paul goes on to write, "The foolishness of God (that one Man could die for the sins of all men) is wiser than men and the weakness of God (Jesus being crucified and dying for us--a seeming triumph of the devil!) is STRONGER THAN MEN!"
The Biblical account indicates that half way through the time that is allotted to him, the antichrist will reveal his true character. The slaughter will begin. The antichrist and his henchman, the false prophet will not tolerate anything but complete allegiance to and worship of the evil one.
This time of unprecedented evil will continue until Jesus Himself destroys the antichrist and his false prophet and his wicked intent. May we pray to be among the elect who cannot be deceived, and may we ever keep our hope fixed on the One in whose promises we trust.
Let us not be among those who say, “Where is the promise of His coming? Since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation,” II Peter 3:4. Let us rather be among them who say, “I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that HE is able to keep all of that which I have committed to Him against that day,” II Timothy 1:12.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
April 13, 1970
"Houston, we've had a problem here..."
It was the thirteenth scheduled lunar space exploration mission, scheduled for liftoff at the thirteenth minute after the thirteenth hour. The Lunar landing was scheduled for the thirteenth day of the month. All it lacked was a Friday to be a paraskevidekatriaphobe’s worst nightmare. Unfortunately, no one at NASA was superstitious.
Or, perhaps, fortunately. If anyone had stopped or made changes to the schedule of Apollo 13, the world may have missed one of the greatest adventures in space exploration history.
Problems Began Before Launch
Apollo 13, the third planned Lunar-landing mission, was scheduled for launch on April 11, 1970. There were problems even before the launch. Just days before, Astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly was replaced by Jack Swigert when it was learned he may have been exposed to German measles, and did not have the antibodies necessary to be immune (Mattingly never contracted the disease.). Shortly before launch, a technician noticed a higher pressure on a helium tank than expected. Nothing was done about it besides keeping a close watch. A vent for liquid oxygen would not close at first and required several recyclings before it would shut.
The launch, itself, went according to plan, if an hour late. Shortly afterward, though, the center engine of the second stage cut off more than two minutes early. In order to compensate, controllers burned the other four engines an additional 34. Also the third stage engine was fired for an extra 9 seconds during its orbital insertion burn. Fortunately, this all resulted in a mere 1.2 feet per second greater speed than planned.
Smooth Flight - No One Watching
The first part of the flight went fairly smooth. As Apollo 13 entered the Lunar corridor, the Command Service Module separated from the third stage and maneuvered around to extract the Lunar Module. Once this was completed, the third stage was driven on a collision course with the moon. This was done as an experiment and the resultant impact was to be measured by equipment left behind by Apollo 12. The Command Service and Lunar Modules were then on "free return" trajectory, which, in the case of complete engine loss, would slingshot them around the moon and on course back to Earth.
The evening of April 13 (EST), the crew of Apollo 13 had just finished a television broadcast explaining their mission and about life aboard the ship. Commander Jim Lovell closed the broadcast with this message, "This is the crew of Apollo 13. Wish everybody there a nice evening and a, we're just about to close out our inspection of Aquarius and get back to a pleasant evening in Odyssey. Goodnight." Unknown to the astronauts, the television networks had decided that traveling to the moon was such a routine occurrence; none of this was broadcast over the air. No one was watching, though soon the entire world would be hanging on their every word.
Routine Task Goes Awry
After completing the broadcast, flight control sent another message, "13, we got one more item for you when you get a chance. We'd like you to err, stir up your cryo tanks. In addition err, have a shaft and trunnion, for a look at the comet Bennett if you need it."
Astronaut Jack Swigert replied, "OK, stand by."
Moments later, the technicians in flight control heard a disturbing message from Apollo 13. Jack Swigert said, "OK Houston, we've had a problem here."
Dear Reader,
If you are a student of history, you know that after a grueling ordeal in space, and after a vigil had been kept by all the nations of the world who reached out in prayer for the deliverance of these men from the jaws of death, the Apollo 13 astronauts returned safely to earth.
May you be reminded at the point of your need that the Christ you love and serve is greater than anything you are facing or will ever face! As HE responded to the prayers of the world in the behalf of these American heroes, so will HE RESPOND TO YOUR PRAYERS. "Have faith, little flock; it is His desire to give you the Kingdom," Luke 12:32.
It was the thirteenth scheduled lunar space exploration mission, scheduled for liftoff at the thirteenth minute after the thirteenth hour. The Lunar landing was scheduled for the thirteenth day of the month. All it lacked was a Friday to be a paraskevidekatriaphobe’s worst nightmare. Unfortunately, no one at NASA was superstitious.
Or, perhaps, fortunately. If anyone had stopped or made changes to the schedule of Apollo 13, the world may have missed one of the greatest adventures in space exploration history.
Problems Began Before Launch
Apollo 13, the third planned Lunar-landing mission, was scheduled for launch on April 11, 1970. There were problems even before the launch. Just days before, Astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly was replaced by Jack Swigert when it was learned he may have been exposed to German measles, and did not have the antibodies necessary to be immune (Mattingly never contracted the disease.). Shortly before launch, a technician noticed a higher pressure on a helium tank than expected. Nothing was done about it besides keeping a close watch. A vent for liquid oxygen would not close at first and required several recyclings before it would shut.
The launch, itself, went according to plan, if an hour late. Shortly afterward, though, the center engine of the second stage cut off more than two minutes early. In order to compensate, controllers burned the other four engines an additional 34. Also the third stage engine was fired for an extra 9 seconds during its orbital insertion burn. Fortunately, this all resulted in a mere 1.2 feet per second greater speed than planned.
Smooth Flight - No One Watching
The first part of the flight went fairly smooth. As Apollo 13 entered the Lunar corridor, the Command Service Module separated from the third stage and maneuvered around to extract the Lunar Module. Once this was completed, the third stage was driven on a collision course with the moon. This was done as an experiment and the resultant impact was to be measured by equipment left behind by Apollo 12. The Command Service and Lunar Modules were then on "free return" trajectory, which, in the case of complete engine loss, would slingshot them around the moon and on course back to Earth.
The evening of April 13 (EST), the crew of Apollo 13 had just finished a television broadcast explaining their mission and about life aboard the ship. Commander Jim Lovell closed the broadcast with this message, "This is the crew of Apollo 13. Wish everybody there a nice evening and a, we're just about to close out our inspection of Aquarius and get back to a pleasant evening in Odyssey. Goodnight." Unknown to the astronauts, the television networks had decided that traveling to the moon was such a routine occurrence; none of this was broadcast over the air. No one was watching, though soon the entire world would be hanging on their every word.
Routine Task Goes Awry
After completing the broadcast, flight control sent another message, "13, we got one more item for you when you get a chance. We'd like you to err, stir up your cryo tanks. In addition err, have a shaft and trunnion, for a look at the comet Bennett if you need it."
Astronaut Jack Swigert replied, "OK, stand by."
Moments later, the technicians in flight control heard a disturbing message from Apollo 13. Jack Swigert said, "OK Houston, we've had a problem here."
Dear Reader,
If you are a student of history, you know that after a grueling ordeal in space, and after a vigil had been kept by all the nations of the world who reached out in prayer for the deliverance of these men from the jaws of death, the Apollo 13 astronauts returned safely to earth.
May you be reminded at the point of your need that the Christ you love and serve is greater than anything you are facing or will ever face! As HE responded to the prayers of the world in the behalf of these American heroes, so will HE RESPOND TO YOUR PRAYERS. "Have faith, little flock; it is His desire to give you the Kingdom," Luke 12:32.
Happy to Help Out
April 13
"Live in peace with each other. ... Encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone." 1 Thessalonians 5:13-14
Happy to Help Out
It had been a long day on Capitol Hill for Senator John Stennis. After parking the car, he walked toward his front door. Then it happened. Two people came out of the darkness, robbed him, and shot him twice.
Another politician was driving home when he heard about the shooting. He turned his car around and drove directly to the Walter Reed Hospital, where Stennis would be operated on for seven hours. News of the shooting of Senator Stennis, the chairman of the powerful Armed Forces Committee, shocked the nation, and the hospital staff was swamped with the incoming calls about the Senator’s condition.
The politician spotted an unattended switchboard, sat down, and voluntarily went to work. He took calls until daylight. Then finally getting up, he stretched, put on his overcoat, and went over to say good luck to the other operators.
“I’m Mark Hatfield. Happy to help out,” he said. Then Senator Mark Hatfield, a conservative Republican who often disagreed withs the liberal policies of Stennis, a Democrat, unobtrusively walked out. Unknown Author
We live in a time when many people not only wish ill upon their perceived enemies, upon those who oppose their goals, but they also endeavor to perpetrate ill against those who seem to stand between them and their aspirations.
We have individuals who tell slanderous lies about those who stand in their way; we have politicians who denigrate one another and fabricate all manner of ill against their opposition; we have terrorists who wreak havoc upon those whose worldview differs from their own.
In all these scenarios and in others too numerous to mention, we see people trampling underfoot the Word of the Lord which admonishes, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31.
Jesus did not utter this timeless admonition merely to sound lofty in the hearing of His listeners through the generations; He lived them. As He hung on a cross, after being scourged with 40 lashes of the notorious Roman ‘cat of nine tails,’ after being spat upon, after being mocked, He said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do,” Luke 23:34.
Are we ready to lay aside our petty differences, our animosities, in order to, as did Senator Hatfield--to step in to help when a political opponent had been fiercely attacked? Are we ready to lay aside our desire for retribution as did Jesus when He was humiliated and physically abused unto death?
If we can’t, we are on the world’s wave length, not God’s, for He has admonished us that unless we forgive others, we cannot ourselves be forgiven, Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:32. With such a weighty matter as our eternal salvation in the balance, should we not let go of our ‘right to be right’ and allow ourselves to forgive as Jesus forgave?
"Live in peace with each other. ... Encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone." 1 Thessalonians 5:13-14
Happy to Help Out
It had been a long day on Capitol Hill for Senator John Stennis. After parking the car, he walked toward his front door. Then it happened. Two people came out of the darkness, robbed him, and shot him twice.
Another politician was driving home when he heard about the shooting. He turned his car around and drove directly to the Walter Reed Hospital, where Stennis would be operated on for seven hours. News of the shooting of Senator Stennis, the chairman of the powerful Armed Forces Committee, shocked the nation, and the hospital staff was swamped with the incoming calls about the Senator’s condition.
The politician spotted an unattended switchboard, sat down, and voluntarily went to work. He took calls until daylight. Then finally getting up, he stretched, put on his overcoat, and went over to say good luck to the other operators.
“I’m Mark Hatfield. Happy to help out,” he said. Then Senator Mark Hatfield, a conservative Republican who often disagreed withs the liberal policies of Stennis, a Democrat, unobtrusively walked out. Unknown Author
We live in a time when many people not only wish ill upon their perceived enemies, upon those who oppose their goals, but they also endeavor to perpetrate ill against those who seem to stand between them and their aspirations.
We have individuals who tell slanderous lies about those who stand in their way; we have politicians who denigrate one another and fabricate all manner of ill against their opposition; we have terrorists who wreak havoc upon those whose worldview differs from their own.
In all these scenarios and in others too numerous to mention, we see people trampling underfoot the Word of the Lord which admonishes, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31.
Jesus did not utter this timeless admonition merely to sound lofty in the hearing of His listeners through the generations; He lived them. As He hung on a cross, after being scourged with 40 lashes of the notorious Roman ‘cat of nine tails,’ after being spat upon, after being mocked, He said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do,” Luke 23:34.
Are we ready to lay aside our petty differences, our animosities, in order to, as did Senator Hatfield--to step in to help when a political opponent had been fiercely attacked? Are we ready to lay aside our desire for retribution as did Jesus when He was humiliated and physically abused unto death?
If we can’t, we are on the world’s wave length, not God’s, for He has admonished us that unless we forgive others, we cannot ourselves be forgiven, Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:32. With such a weighty matter as our eternal salvation in the balance, should we not let go of our ‘right to be right’ and allow ourselves to forgive as Jesus forgave?
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Confident
April 12
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place,” Acts 2:1.
There are many views about the role of the Holy Spirit among Christian denominations. Obviously, the Holy Spirit was present at creation. Genesis 1:2 states, “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep…” The resultant transformation of the panorama of the world testifies to the amazing impact He had upon the creation of this planet.
Nor do believers dispute the role played by the Holy Spirit at the inception of the Church. Few among those who accept the Biblical version of how the Church came to be dispute the significance of the Third Person of the Trinity in that activity which is fully described in Acts 2:1-21:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
It is obvious that the power of the Holy Spirit, moving upon ordinary men in that day, as well as upon the compelling speech He gave through Peter, was the impetus that was needed to ‘jump-start’ the fledgling Church. Few, of any denomination, dispute that reality.
But many believe that’s all it was; they feel the Church in its infancy required a special unction from the Heavenlies and that the Holy Spirit came to perform that necessity. They are not so sure about the rest. However, there are among believers those who embrace to their hearts the entirety of the Word of God in the matter.
They believe that people of faith in Christ will prophesy and see visions and dream dreams They believe that the Holy Spirit will indeed be poured out upon God’s servants and handmaidens.
When reports predict the appearance of several ‘blood moons’ in conjunction with Jewish holy days, they are convinced that these are among the signs in the heavens that are spoken of (see Luke 21:11, Luke 21:25 and Acts 2:19).
All that they see convicts them to pray with even greater fervency that men will be saved, for as the Word says, that great and terrible day of the Lord is coming, Malachi 4:5. They are certain everyone who calls upon the name of Jesus will indeed be saved from the wrath to come; that everyone who names Him as Savior will escape from the ravages of time. They are confident that everyone who receives Jesus into his heart will be saved for the glory of Heaven!
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place,” Acts 2:1.
There are many views about the role of the Holy Spirit among Christian denominations. Obviously, the Holy Spirit was present at creation. Genesis 1:2 states, “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep…” The resultant transformation of the panorama of the world testifies to the amazing impact He had upon the creation of this planet.
Nor do believers dispute the role played by the Holy Spirit at the inception of the Church. Few among those who accept the Biblical version of how the Church came to be dispute the significance of the Third Person of the Trinity in that activity which is fully described in Acts 2:1-21:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
It is obvious that the power of the Holy Spirit, moving upon ordinary men in that day, as well as upon the compelling speech He gave through Peter, was the impetus that was needed to ‘jump-start’ the fledgling Church. Few, of any denomination, dispute that reality.
But many believe that’s all it was; they feel the Church in its infancy required a special unction from the Heavenlies and that the Holy Spirit came to perform that necessity. They are not so sure about the rest. However, there are among believers those who embrace to their hearts the entirety of the Word of God in the matter.
They believe that people of faith in Christ will prophesy and see visions and dream dreams They believe that the Holy Spirit will indeed be poured out upon God’s servants and handmaidens.
When reports predict the appearance of several ‘blood moons’ in conjunction with Jewish holy days, they are convinced that these are among the signs in the heavens that are spoken of (see Luke 21:11, Luke 21:25 and Acts 2:19).
All that they see convicts them to pray with even greater fervency that men will be saved, for as the Word says, that great and terrible day of the Lord is coming, Malachi 4:5. They are certain everyone who calls upon the name of Jesus will indeed be saved from the wrath to come; that everyone who names Him as Savior will escape from the ravages of time. They are confident that everyone who receives Jesus into his heart will be saved for the glory of Heaven!
Friday, April 11, 2014
Desire of the Nations
April 11
“I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory," says the LORD of hosts,” Haggai 2:7.
“Why?” That question haunts mankind when natural disasters and man’s inhumanity to man defy our ability to grasp. Why? We ask, are there mudslides and earthquakes and terrorist attacks and random shootings and disease and war? Why?
Some of it can be attributed to the geological configuration of an area that makes it vulnerable to certain types of natural, destructive events. Some of it can be explained by societies that stamp hatred for those who are not like themselves upon their young. Some can be blamed upon the proclivity of people to advance their own agenda at any cost.
But, “Why?” The bottom line of any rationale is that we live on a fallen planet. The beautiful paradise of Genesis 2 and 3 is recognizable for its beauty, for indeed, there are lovely evidences of God’s original handiwork in many places in our world, but the peaceful interaction of the various species of animals, including the Holy One’s supreme creation, Man, has long since vanished.
The seismic and oceanic events cannot be placed at the feet of sinful man, but the societal and interpersonal problems we face are certainly attributable to our sinful nature that leaves us flawed in our ability to interact with others of our species. In our vanity, we fail again and again to gain any real advantage, for all our striving, all our duplicity, all our selfish goals leave us empty.
Though we may achieve a momentary ‘high’ from our endeavors, we are left with a profound sense of the veracity of I John 2:16 which affirms that, “All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” And these do not leave us satisfied.
But we do have a HOPE, and His name is Jesus. He who is “the Desire of the Nations,” will come to us again when we have collectively longed for the peace and the hope and the truth and the righteousness and the love that only He can impart to this dark planet, to our dark hearts.
When we are truly shaken to our core by the renegade storms and the tumultuous oceans and the erupting earth beneath our feet and the insufferable way we treat one another, HE WILL COME AGAIN! The Temple will be filled with His glory.
When the Temple of man’s spirit (see I Corinthians 6:19, 20) will be surrendered to His Spirit, and man will be filled with the glory of the indwelling Christ, then shall we be at peace with all men and then shall we have paradise restored.
“I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory," says the LORD of hosts,” Haggai 2:7.
“Why?” That question haunts mankind when natural disasters and man’s inhumanity to man defy our ability to grasp. Why? We ask, are there mudslides and earthquakes and terrorist attacks and random shootings and disease and war? Why?
Some of it can be attributed to the geological configuration of an area that makes it vulnerable to certain types of natural, destructive events. Some of it can be explained by societies that stamp hatred for those who are not like themselves upon their young. Some can be blamed upon the proclivity of people to advance their own agenda at any cost.
But, “Why?” The bottom line of any rationale is that we live on a fallen planet. The beautiful paradise of Genesis 2 and 3 is recognizable for its beauty, for indeed, there are lovely evidences of God’s original handiwork in many places in our world, but the peaceful interaction of the various species of animals, including the Holy One’s supreme creation, Man, has long since vanished.
The seismic and oceanic events cannot be placed at the feet of sinful man, but the societal and interpersonal problems we face are certainly attributable to our sinful nature that leaves us flawed in our ability to interact with others of our species. In our vanity, we fail again and again to gain any real advantage, for all our striving, all our duplicity, all our selfish goals leave us empty.
Though we may achieve a momentary ‘high’ from our endeavors, we are left with a profound sense of the veracity of I John 2:16 which affirms that, “All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” And these do not leave us satisfied.
But we do have a HOPE, and His name is Jesus. He who is “the Desire of the Nations,” will come to us again when we have collectively longed for the peace and the hope and the truth and the righteousness and the love that only He can impart to this dark planet, to our dark hearts.
When we are truly shaken to our core by the renegade storms and the tumultuous oceans and the erupting earth beneath our feet and the insufferable way we treat one another, HE WILL COME AGAIN! The Temple will be filled with His glory.
When the Temple of man’s spirit (see I Corinthians 6:19, 20) will be surrendered to His Spirit, and man will be filled with the glory of the indwelling Christ, then shall we be at peace with all men and then shall we have paradise restored.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
We May Stand
April 10
“The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand,” Proverbs 12:7.
Make no mistake about it, wickedness shall not be tolerated by the Holy One who inhabits eternity, the One who dwells in a high and holy place, Isaiah 57:15. We strut our hour upon the stage, as Shakespeare eloquently observed but when our part has been played and we exit the stage of life, there is a day of accounting that awaits us.
Numbers 32:23 states very emphatically, “…be sure your sin will find you out.” What we think we’re getting away with, what we think is justified, what the world may condone –all unrighteousness is a stench in the nostrils of God—and He wants no proximity to it (see Isaiah 65:5).
Apart from the salvation that Jesus supplies freely to man in his depravity and hopelessness, there is no hope for us because we have transgressed the law of God and no unrighteousness may dwell before Him. We may look good to one another. The “I’m OK; you’re OK” thinking is pervasive and we hardly recognize sin.
We certainly don’t call it sin. When men angle and connive for power and wealth; when governments impose their power over the God-ordained rights of men; when every manner of transgression is justified and extolled; when good is called evil and evil is called good, we know we are living in an age of delusion.
We are living in a surreal world where the only law that is upright and eternal has been pulled down and an artificial law conceived in the mind of the evil one and spoken by the tongue of man who embraces evil has been set up on high where foolish men bow before it.
If we will, we may receive the cleansing of the shed blood of Jesus; if we will, we may embrace the crucified Lord to our bosom as He draws us close to His heart of love. If we will, we may be washed, we may be made new, we may be born again…if we will, the evil day will have no power over us. If we will, we may dwell in His house of the righteous and we may stand.
“The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand,” Proverbs 12:7.
Make no mistake about it, wickedness shall not be tolerated by the Holy One who inhabits eternity, the One who dwells in a high and holy place, Isaiah 57:15. We strut our hour upon the stage, as Shakespeare eloquently observed but when our part has been played and we exit the stage of life, there is a day of accounting that awaits us.
Numbers 32:23 states very emphatically, “…be sure your sin will find you out.” What we think we’re getting away with, what we think is justified, what the world may condone –all unrighteousness is a stench in the nostrils of God—and He wants no proximity to it (see Isaiah 65:5).
Apart from the salvation that Jesus supplies freely to man in his depravity and hopelessness, there is no hope for us because we have transgressed the law of God and no unrighteousness may dwell before Him. We may look good to one another. The “I’m OK; you’re OK” thinking is pervasive and we hardly recognize sin.
We certainly don’t call it sin. When men angle and connive for power and wealth; when governments impose their power over the God-ordained rights of men; when every manner of transgression is justified and extolled; when good is called evil and evil is called good, we know we are living in an age of delusion.
We are living in a surreal world where the only law that is upright and eternal has been pulled down and an artificial law conceived in the mind of the evil one and spoken by the tongue of man who embraces evil has been set up on high where foolish men bow before it.
If we will, we may receive the cleansing of the shed blood of Jesus; if we will, we may embrace the crucified Lord to our bosom as He draws us close to His heart of love. If we will, we may be washed, we may be made new, we may be born again…if we will, the evil day will have no power over us. If we will, we may dwell in His house of the righteous and we may stand.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
While He May Be Found
April 9
“Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, before the decree is issued, or the day passes like chaff, before the LORD's fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the LORD's anger comes upon you! Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, you who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. it may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD's anger,” Zephaniah 2:1-3.
It isn’t something we want to face; it isn’t something we want to believe, but we, this nation, the entire Earth, are ripe for judgment. We deserve the fierce anger of the Holy One who is “of purer eyes than to look upon sin,” Habakkuk 1:13. Indeed, if He is looking upon us, we are filling His eyes with the sin He disdains.
Everywhere we turn there is a relentless pursuit of evil among us. We break our vows, we pursue false gods, we extol evil and eschew good. We have turned righteousness on its head in the name of tolerance and we have set the law of God at naught in the name of doing what is right in our own eyes.
There are some who believe judgment has already come upon us. Mudslides swallow communities of people, many of whom will never be found. Earthquakes occur at divers places throughout the earth as well as beneath the seas. Terrorism is a feverish explosion of man’s inhumanity to man. Wars settle nothing. Havoc is rampant within the spirit of man who sees circumstances spinning beyond his control.
Yet at this point of unprecedented chaos and devastation, the Word of the Lord comes to us with hope. He tells those who are meek and who seek justice to continue to pursue righteousness, to continue to evidence humility before Him in order that we may find a refuge from His wrath.
He does not tell us that His wrath will not come. His holiness demands that a penalty be paid that justice be required, but what He does tell us is that there is a place of refuge when that fearsome time arrives. Isaiah 32:2 says, “And a Man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”
We know that Man is Jesus. We know that if we will take refuge in Him, He will forgive our sin. In Isaiah 1:18, the prophet assures, “Though your sins be scarlet, they shall be washed white as snow.” We can be hidden from the anger of our Holy God if we will but take refuge in the arms of Jesus, the righteous One who bore our sins and gave us His salvation.
Let us seek Him while He may be found, for He is not far from any one of us (see Isaiah 55:6, 7, Acts 17:27.)
“Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, before the decree is issued, or the day passes like chaff, before the LORD's fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the LORD's anger comes upon you! Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, you who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. it may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD's anger,” Zephaniah 2:1-3.
It isn’t something we want to face; it isn’t something we want to believe, but we, this nation, the entire Earth, are ripe for judgment. We deserve the fierce anger of the Holy One who is “of purer eyes than to look upon sin,” Habakkuk 1:13. Indeed, if He is looking upon us, we are filling His eyes with the sin He disdains.
Everywhere we turn there is a relentless pursuit of evil among us. We break our vows, we pursue false gods, we extol evil and eschew good. We have turned righteousness on its head in the name of tolerance and we have set the law of God at naught in the name of doing what is right in our own eyes.
There are some who believe judgment has already come upon us. Mudslides swallow communities of people, many of whom will never be found. Earthquakes occur at divers places throughout the earth as well as beneath the seas. Terrorism is a feverish explosion of man’s inhumanity to man. Wars settle nothing. Havoc is rampant within the spirit of man who sees circumstances spinning beyond his control.
Yet at this point of unprecedented chaos and devastation, the Word of the Lord comes to us with hope. He tells those who are meek and who seek justice to continue to pursue righteousness, to continue to evidence humility before Him in order that we may find a refuge from His wrath.
He does not tell us that His wrath will not come. His holiness demands that a penalty be paid that justice be required, but what He does tell us is that there is a place of refuge when that fearsome time arrives. Isaiah 32:2 says, “And a Man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”
We know that Man is Jesus. We know that if we will take refuge in Him, He will forgive our sin. In Isaiah 1:18, the prophet assures, “Though your sins be scarlet, they shall be washed white as snow.” We can be hidden from the anger of our Holy God if we will but take refuge in the arms of Jesus, the righteous One who bore our sins and gave us His salvation.
Let us seek Him while He may be found, for He is not far from any one of us (see Isaiah 55:6, 7, Acts 17:27.)
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
...By the Law...
April 8
“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets.” Romans 3:19-21
“There is none righteous, no not one,” Romans 3:10. None of us, no matter how good we think we are, no matter how well we compare to others (“They who compare themselves among themselves are not wise,” II Corinthians 10:12), no matter how highly we may be thought of—none of us—can stand before our Holy God in the merit of who we are or what we’ve accomplished.
Even if who we are and what we’ve accomplished has been oriented around the purposes of the Kingdom of Christ, we have no credentials that entitle us to enter the presence of God. None.
The only way for us to enter into the Holy of Holies, the only way for us to stand before the King of kings and Lord of lords is through the shed blood of Jesus and the robe of righteousness He places over us when we lay our lives at His feet and receive His salvation.
If we choose to cling to our obedience to the law as our ‘ticket’ to salvation, we will be disappointed. If we elect to place our meritorious deeds before God as our claim to His eternal blessings, we shall fail utterly.
As Paul says so succinctly in the passage quoted above, all the law can do for us is make us aware of our own inadequacy.
As Paul laid aside all the accomplishments of his long and devoted service to the religion of his youth in order to lay hold on the salvation Jesus supplied to him (see Philippians 3:4-8), so must we. Until we abandon every other claim to heaven—every claim but Christ crucified in our behalf—we cannot enter the portals of glory.
With that truth before us, must we not hold out our arms to receive Him who allowed His arms to be stretched out on a cruel cross to receive us!
“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets.” Romans 3:19-21
“There is none righteous, no not one,” Romans 3:10. None of us, no matter how good we think we are, no matter how well we compare to others (“They who compare themselves among themselves are not wise,” II Corinthians 10:12), no matter how highly we may be thought of—none of us—can stand before our Holy God in the merit of who we are or what we’ve accomplished.
Even if who we are and what we’ve accomplished has been oriented around the purposes of the Kingdom of Christ, we have no credentials that entitle us to enter the presence of God. None.
The only way for us to enter into the Holy of Holies, the only way for us to stand before the King of kings and Lord of lords is through the shed blood of Jesus and the robe of righteousness He places over us when we lay our lives at His feet and receive His salvation.
If we choose to cling to our obedience to the law as our ‘ticket’ to salvation, we will be disappointed. If we elect to place our meritorious deeds before God as our claim to His eternal blessings, we shall fail utterly.
As Paul says so succinctly in the passage quoted above, all the law can do for us is make us aware of our own inadequacy.
As Paul laid aside all the accomplishments of his long and devoted service to the religion of his youth in order to lay hold on the salvation Jesus supplied to him (see Philippians 3:4-8), so must we. Until we abandon every other claim to heaven—every claim but Christ crucified in our behalf—we cannot enter the portals of glory.
With that truth before us, must we not hold out our arms to receive Him who allowed His arms to be stretched out on a cruel cross to receive us!
Monday, April 7, 2014
Treasure
April 7
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways,” James 1:5-8.
Wisdom may not seem like as valuable a gift as does wealth or power. If one were asking God for the best of His bestowals he would be more inclined to request incalculable wealth or absolute power. He would try to persuade the Lord that he could be trusted with such commodities and that he would implement them judiciously.
There is, however, one individual who asked for wisdom in II Chronicles 1:10-12, and that was Solomon. The Holy One had told him that he might request anything that his heart desired and that it would be his. Solomon replied, “Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for how else can I judge them?”
God’s response was, “Since you haven’t asked for wealth or honor, wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches also.” It seems the Lord was telling Solomon that since his desire was that he would rule with justice and fairness, he could be trusted as well with the thing for which he did not ask—riches.
Much historical evidence points to the assertion that King Solomon was 'the richest man who ever lived,' so even if he falls somewhat short of this title, he certainly can be considered to have been greatly blessed of God in the area of financial acumen.
Many of us desire to have great wealth. That is evidenced by the fact that so many participate in ‘get rich schemes’ such as investing in risky ventures or purchasing lottery tickets. Perhaps the reason these often lack the success for which we hoped is because that in doing so we demonstrate a great lack of the wisdom God gave to Solomon.
May He help us to be “content with what we have,” Hebrews 13:5, knowing that avarice in all its forms is part of the enemy’s great deception that would have us preoccupied with the love of money and the pride of life,” for as I John 2:15 tells us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.”
Life’s distractions are designed to take our focus from the things of God, from the things that are eternal, by weighing us down with temporal desires and concerns. May our loving Savior help us to keep our eyes on Him so nothing of the world can rob us of the true treasure to which we are heirs by the power of the salvation He bought for us.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways,” James 1:5-8.
Wisdom may not seem like as valuable a gift as does wealth or power. If one were asking God for the best of His bestowals he would be more inclined to request incalculable wealth or absolute power. He would try to persuade the Lord that he could be trusted with such commodities and that he would implement them judiciously.
There is, however, one individual who asked for wisdom in II Chronicles 1:10-12, and that was Solomon. The Holy One had told him that he might request anything that his heart desired and that it would be his. Solomon replied, “Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for how else can I judge them?”
God’s response was, “Since you haven’t asked for wealth or honor, wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches also.” It seems the Lord was telling Solomon that since his desire was that he would rule with justice and fairness, he could be trusted as well with the thing for which he did not ask—riches.
Much historical evidence points to the assertion that King Solomon was 'the richest man who ever lived,' so even if he falls somewhat short of this title, he certainly can be considered to have been greatly blessed of God in the area of financial acumen.
Many of us desire to have great wealth. That is evidenced by the fact that so many participate in ‘get rich schemes’ such as investing in risky ventures or purchasing lottery tickets. Perhaps the reason these often lack the success for which we hoped is because that in doing so we demonstrate a great lack of the wisdom God gave to Solomon.
May He help us to be “content with what we have,” Hebrews 13:5, knowing that avarice in all its forms is part of the enemy’s great deception that would have us preoccupied with the love of money and the pride of life,” for as I John 2:15 tells us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.”
Life’s distractions are designed to take our focus from the things of God, from the things that are eternal, by weighing us down with temporal desires and concerns. May our loving Savior help us to keep our eyes on Him so nothing of the world can rob us of the true treasure to which we are heirs by the power of the salvation He bought for us.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
In Christ
April 6
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” Colossians 2:9
Who is Christ? This is the question that all men must decide for themselves and the conclusion that each man reaches defines who he is for time and eternity.
In Matthew 16:13-20, this exchange occurred between Jesus and Peter:
Jesus: “Who do men say that I AM?”
Peter: “Some say You are John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others say You are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Jesus: “Who do YOU say that I AM?”
Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
Jesus: “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father which is in Heaven. I say unto you that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
When Peter stated the truth of who Jesus is, the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus affirmed not only that the words he spoke were the truth but that those words of truth are the foundation of faith! Jesus affirmed that it was upon those words of truth that all believers (the Church) would be established.
Involved in the concept of Jesus being the Son of God is the perception, which is still manifested in many cultures today, that a firstborn son is the complete representation of his father. It is his firstborn son who is able to stand before men and convey the will of his father; it is the firstborn son who is the heir of all his father possesses.
This concept among men springs from the reality that Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. Jesus represents the Father and all the Father stands for. Until a man appropriates this irrefutable truth, he cannot, as Jesus says in John 3:3, see the Kingdom of God.
But once a man has been “born again,” once he has appropriated the truth of the ages unto himself, he is established on the unshakable rock that Peter affirmed; he is part of the Church eternal and triumphant.
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” Colossians 2:9
Who is Christ? This is the question that all men must decide for themselves and the conclusion that each man reaches defines who he is for time and eternity.
In Matthew 16:13-20, this exchange occurred between Jesus and Peter:
Jesus: “Who do men say that I AM?”
Peter: “Some say You are John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others say You are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Jesus: “Who do YOU say that I AM?”
Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
Jesus: “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father which is in Heaven. I say unto you that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
When Peter stated the truth of who Jesus is, the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus affirmed not only that the words he spoke were the truth but that those words of truth are the foundation of faith! Jesus affirmed that it was upon those words of truth that all believers (the Church) would be established.
Involved in the concept of Jesus being the Son of God is the perception, which is still manifested in many cultures today, that a firstborn son is the complete representation of his father. It is his firstborn son who is able to stand before men and convey the will of his father; it is the firstborn son who is the heir of all his father possesses.
This concept among men springs from the reality that Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. Jesus represents the Father and all the Father stands for. Until a man appropriates this irrefutable truth, he cannot, as Jesus says in John 3:3, see the Kingdom of God.
But once a man has been “born again,” once he has appropriated the truth of the ages unto himself, he is established on the unshakable rock that Peter affirmed; he is part of the Church eternal and triumphant.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Judgment vs. Mercy
April 5
“Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the LORD spoke, saying: By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.’ So Aaron held his peace.” Leviticus 10:1-3
Surely these men did not deliberately intend to sin. However, notice how quickly God's sense of justice reacted, striking these men dead in their tracks and burning them to cinders. Obviously, they either did or failed to do something far more serious than ever entered their minds. Is not God's reaction a vivid warning, especially to those who come near Him? Are we not among those who come near Him?
Look at the evidence more closely and observe God's sense of justice. First, these men were the sons of Aaron, and Moses was their uncle. One would think that, if anybody among those two to three million Israelites had a close relationship with God, that family did. So one might think there may have been some leeway in God's judgment, but there was not! God reacted swiftly and violently.
Second, the charge against them was not because they consorted with prostitutes. No human sacrifices were planned or made. The charge was that they used "profane" or "strange" fire.
But we need to look further. Just a few days before this startling event, Exodus 40 reveals the construction of the Tabernacle had been completed and its furniture arranged. Leviticus 1 begins listing the final procedures made for God to dwell in the Tabernacle. In Leviticus 8, the priesthood was consecrated, and in Leviticus 9, they made their first official offering using the Tabernacle and its furniture. Leviticus 9:22-24 says:
Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
This spectacular and serious event shows the offering's acceptance by God.
To this point, all was well, but we must consider a solemn command given by God to the Levites regarding their responsibilities in Leviticus 6:12-13:
And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A perpetual fire shall burn on the altar; it shall never go out.
The altar fire was to be rekindled continually from its own coals, which remained from God's acceptance of the original offering. What was Nadab and Abihu's sin? They used coals from a fire not ignited by God. It was not from His hand and therefore was foreign fire.
If we read between the lines here, we can easily see that Aaron was shocked. He went right to the top of human leadership to get this straightened out, and Moses gave him God's answer: Do not mourn. Do not show any agreement with Nadab and Abihu. Do not show any disagreement with God's judgment.
Why? God's judgments are never wrong. Nadab and Abihu got what they deserved. God saw every aspect of their act as it unfolded. They had added or subtracted to what God commanded and died. They had tried to get by with what they carnally felt was acceptable.
The instruction is clear: Among those consecrated by God to serve Him and His family, His instructions must be explicitly followed. They totally disregarded what He had commanded in Leviticus 6:12-13. There is no ambiguity in the instructions. They had been completely and adequately informed. Each step and each instrument in the process had been designed to teach certain spiritual concepts. They had thought that common fire was good enough, but in their careless, presumptuous neglect, they had blatantly twisted God's Word.
This incident vividly illustrates that the wages of sin is death. Leviticus 10:3 says Aaron held his peace; he knew the judgment was correct. It was a shocking demonstration, but we can be certain that, because God is love and is supremely sovereign in His judgment, His every decision will be as correct as His judgment of Nadab and Abihu, since He Himself is the standard.
God is not a holy terror lying in wait for us to do something wrong, but He provides us examples such as this and several others of what He can do in response to sin. When He responds like this, He is fully justified. He wants us to consider His justice so that we will be better prepared to evaluate our calling properly and then live by faith.
— John W. Ritenbaugh
Our Brother Ritenbaugh has expounded a truth that may not ordinarily be contemplated or discussed among us—or even preached to us in our churches. We live in an age when many teachers, according to II Timothy 3:6,7, are among those “…that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts, they are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
The fate of Aaron’s sons shows us clearly something our finite minds do not want to see and our teachers do not want to tell us—our God is holy, beyond our ability to conceptualize. Though He may be patient with us when we pursue our foibles and lusts and when we indulge our half-hearted worship, He is totally justified in making ours the same fate that befell Nadab and Abihu.
How often have we engaged in worship, not out of reverence for the Holy One but as an expression of our own delight in being caught up in the euphoria of the moment? How often have we bent and twisted the unchanging Word of God to attempt to conform it to our will rather than searching it to discern God’s perfect will?
Indeed, we have, like Nadab and Abihu, substituted our human fire for God’s holy fire, and we, like them, deserved God’s instant wrath; but HE was merciful! But HE allowed us to go on in our foolishness another day.
Why? Why would God require the ultimate penalty of Aaron’s sons but allow us to have the opportunity to repent and go forth into a higher plane of loving and serving Him? Without His definitive answer, we may only speculate as to the “Why” of His mercy. Perhaps it is because Aaron is not our father and Moses is not our uncle—we have not grown up at the feet of such mighty servants of God so God expects less of us.
However, that rationale falls apart when we factor in the reality that we, upon coming to faith in Christ, have an even greater One as our Teacher—we have the Holy Spirit who has been sent to “teach us all things,” John 16:13.
Rather than striving to understand the mercy He has extended to us, can we not simply accept it with thankful hearts and go forward into a deeper, more precious walk with the One who has shed His grace upon us? Can we not turn from the flippancy of our faith to the steadfast embrace of our faith and then extol the Blessed One who gave Himself that we might be forgiven even the grievous sin of trivializing the true worship of our Holy God!
The one thing Nadab and Abihu did not have was a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Let those of us who know Him, those of us who have the indwelling Holy Spirit, make our worship truly sacred. Let us never mingle the sublime with the profane, for we have been given a rich treasure of incalculable worth. Let us always cherish God’s “unspeakable GIFT,” II Corinthians 9:15.
“Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the LORD spoke, saying: By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.’ So Aaron held his peace.” Leviticus 10:1-3
Surely these men did not deliberately intend to sin. However, notice how quickly God's sense of justice reacted, striking these men dead in their tracks and burning them to cinders. Obviously, they either did or failed to do something far more serious than ever entered their minds. Is not God's reaction a vivid warning, especially to those who come near Him? Are we not among those who come near Him?
Look at the evidence more closely and observe God's sense of justice. First, these men were the sons of Aaron, and Moses was their uncle. One would think that, if anybody among those two to three million Israelites had a close relationship with God, that family did. So one might think there may have been some leeway in God's judgment, but there was not! God reacted swiftly and violently.
Second, the charge against them was not because they consorted with prostitutes. No human sacrifices were planned or made. The charge was that they used "profane" or "strange" fire.
But we need to look further. Just a few days before this startling event, Exodus 40 reveals the construction of the Tabernacle had been completed and its furniture arranged. Leviticus 1 begins listing the final procedures made for God to dwell in the Tabernacle. In Leviticus 8, the priesthood was consecrated, and in Leviticus 9, they made their first official offering using the Tabernacle and its furniture. Leviticus 9:22-24 says:
Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
This spectacular and serious event shows the offering's acceptance by God.
To this point, all was well, but we must consider a solemn command given by God to the Levites regarding their responsibilities in Leviticus 6:12-13:
And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A perpetual fire shall burn on the altar; it shall never go out.
The altar fire was to be rekindled continually from its own coals, which remained from God's acceptance of the original offering. What was Nadab and Abihu's sin? They used coals from a fire not ignited by God. It was not from His hand and therefore was foreign fire.
If we read between the lines here, we can easily see that Aaron was shocked. He went right to the top of human leadership to get this straightened out, and Moses gave him God's answer: Do not mourn. Do not show any agreement with Nadab and Abihu. Do not show any disagreement with God's judgment.
Why? God's judgments are never wrong. Nadab and Abihu got what they deserved. God saw every aspect of their act as it unfolded. They had added or subtracted to what God commanded and died. They had tried to get by with what they carnally felt was acceptable.
The instruction is clear: Among those consecrated by God to serve Him and His family, His instructions must be explicitly followed. They totally disregarded what He had commanded in Leviticus 6:12-13. There is no ambiguity in the instructions. They had been completely and adequately informed. Each step and each instrument in the process had been designed to teach certain spiritual concepts. They had thought that common fire was good enough, but in their careless, presumptuous neglect, they had blatantly twisted God's Word.
This incident vividly illustrates that the wages of sin is death. Leviticus 10:3 says Aaron held his peace; he knew the judgment was correct. It was a shocking demonstration, but we can be certain that, because God is love and is supremely sovereign in His judgment, His every decision will be as correct as His judgment of Nadab and Abihu, since He Himself is the standard.
God is not a holy terror lying in wait for us to do something wrong, but He provides us examples such as this and several others of what He can do in response to sin. When He responds like this, He is fully justified. He wants us to consider His justice so that we will be better prepared to evaluate our calling properly and then live by faith.
— John W. Ritenbaugh
Our Brother Ritenbaugh has expounded a truth that may not ordinarily be contemplated or discussed among us—or even preached to us in our churches. We live in an age when many teachers, according to II Timothy 3:6,7, are among those “…that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts, they are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
The fate of Aaron’s sons shows us clearly something our finite minds do not want to see and our teachers do not want to tell us—our God is holy, beyond our ability to conceptualize. Though He may be patient with us when we pursue our foibles and lusts and when we indulge our half-hearted worship, He is totally justified in making ours the same fate that befell Nadab and Abihu.
How often have we engaged in worship, not out of reverence for the Holy One but as an expression of our own delight in being caught up in the euphoria of the moment? How often have we bent and twisted the unchanging Word of God to attempt to conform it to our will rather than searching it to discern God’s perfect will?
Indeed, we have, like Nadab and Abihu, substituted our human fire for God’s holy fire, and we, like them, deserved God’s instant wrath; but HE was merciful! But HE allowed us to go on in our foolishness another day.
Why? Why would God require the ultimate penalty of Aaron’s sons but allow us to have the opportunity to repent and go forth into a higher plane of loving and serving Him? Without His definitive answer, we may only speculate as to the “Why” of His mercy. Perhaps it is because Aaron is not our father and Moses is not our uncle—we have not grown up at the feet of such mighty servants of God so God expects less of us.
However, that rationale falls apart when we factor in the reality that we, upon coming to faith in Christ, have an even greater One as our Teacher—we have the Holy Spirit who has been sent to “teach us all things,” John 16:13.
Rather than striving to understand the mercy He has extended to us, can we not simply accept it with thankful hearts and go forward into a deeper, more precious walk with the One who has shed His grace upon us? Can we not turn from the flippancy of our faith to the steadfast embrace of our faith and then extol the Blessed One who gave Himself that we might be forgiven even the grievous sin of trivializing the true worship of our Holy God!
The one thing Nadab and Abihu did not have was a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Let those of us who know Him, those of us who have the indwelling Holy Spirit, make our worship truly sacred. Let us never mingle the sublime with the profane, for we have been given a rich treasure of incalculable worth. Let us always cherish God’s “unspeakable GIFT,” II Corinthians 9:15.
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