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20
Dec
2010

A Kingdom of the Heart

“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.”

Titus Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian who lived from 37 A.D. to about 100 A.D. He lived during the time of the apostles. Josephus was a member of the priestly aristocracy of the Jews, and was taken hostage by the Roman Empire in the great Jewish revolt of 66-70 A.D. His Hebrew name was Yoseph Ben Mattithyahu. Josephus recorded some of the earliest history of Jesus Christ.

While there are those who like to besmirch Josephus and attempt to discount whatever he had to say about Jesus Christ, the fact remains that he is one of the early historians that calls attention not only to Jesus, but also to James the brother of Jesus, and to John the Baptist. Many of the earliest Christians held his writings in high esteem. They saw Josephus writings as ‘a kind of fifth gospel’ because of his regard to Jesus Christ.

While the Jews totally disregarded the writings of Josephus since they saw him as a traitor, the church’s love for him has kept his writings forthcoming for the later generations of believers. There is no question that Josephus was acquainted with the Christian movement. He had to have been aware of Jesus since so many of the people including a great many priests had become obedient to the Christian faith.

This is how the spread of the gospel is recorded in Acts —

“The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.” (Act 6:7)


Journal,

As a young minister I began my meager minister’s library with a handful of books. (Hard to realize its been forty-six years since I took up my call to the Lord’s ministry; 1964.) My ‘meager’ library consisted of four books, a Holman’s King James Bible, a Halley’s Bible Hand Book, a Matthew Henry’s Commentary, and one other book. The one other book was titled, ‘The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus.’

Three of my original four books have long since been replaced. Can you believe that I still have my original copy of, ‘The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus’. That old tattered book sits on my library shelf like an old friend. Every time I think about ‘Josephus‘ I have this nudge to take it up and begin reading it again. Somewhere I became distracted with other studies and never finished reading the entire book. (OK, I get the message. Josephus is at the top of my list.)

One of the things that has always lingered in my mind about Josephus was a statement he made about Christians. He wrote, “And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.”

I’ve often wondered why Josephus spoke of the early Christians as a tribe? Keep in mind that the earliest believers where Jewish and the language of ‘tribes’ was deeply instilled in them. For example when the apostle Paul compared his former Hebrew lineage to his new life as a Christian, he said…


“… for we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee…” (Php 3:3-5)


Paul spoke of his former life as being of the tribe of Benjamin and how he set about to persecute Christians. Now he directs attention to the ‘true circumcision,’ which is a circumcision of the heart and not of the flesh. Those who have this heart circumcision can be known. They glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. (Even before the time of Jesus, the Jewish nation had become ‘flesh’ centered. They treated other people groups as worthless. Place your cursor over these Scriptures: Matt3:5-9; 23:31-35; Luke 11:52,53; Acts 10:27,28; 1Th2:14,15)


God’s Heavenly Tribe

When Josephus spoke of Christians as a tribe he saw something in Christians that related to kinship. The term ‘tribe’ generally speaks to a group of people related to one another by blood or marriage. From this kinship comes a social distinction. The early Christians were very much related by blood. Their hearts had been sprinkled by the blood of Jesus. They had become a distinct and separate people among the nations. All true Christians remain that way to this very day.

Peter describes Christians as a distinct spiritual people:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but not you have received mercy.” (1Pe 2:9-10)

“… to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.“ (1Pe 4:13-16)

Paul says that Christians are the true circumcision of God and that our citizenship is in heaven. Thus we are heavenly citizens in earthly bodies. We are a distinct people group. Peter goes on to call Christians a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation; that we glorify God in the name Christian.


A Kingdom of the Heart

The kingdom of God’s beloved Son is not of this world. It is a kingdom of the heart. This is why there is no ‘Lo, the kingdom is here.’ Or, ‘Lo, the kingdom is there.’ There are no special anointed places in the earth that contain the kingdom of God. No religious group can lay claim to being God’s true church in the earth.

When Pilate asked Jesus about His kingdom, this is how the conversation went:


“Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?’ Pilate answered, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?’

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’ Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’

“Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, ‘I find no guilt in Him.'” (Joh 18:33-38)


Notice carefully that Jesus did not say He was king of the Jews. What He said was that His kingdom was not of this world or of this realm. The earthly kingdom of the Jews was soon to be destroyed. In 70 a.d., it would disappear from the face of the earth.

The kingdom of God’s Son is wholly spiritual, wholly heavenly, wholly eternal, and wholly of the heart. The Lord also said that everyone who is of the truth, that is, everyone who calls upon Him as their Lord and Savior, will have a personal relationship with Him and will always be able to hear His voice.

Jesus is a King. Have you asked Jesus to be Lord over your life? It isn’t hard to enter into God’s kingdom. It all begins with the cross. In the cross of the Lord Jesus is the God’s plan of salvation for all the earth.

I could share a great many Scriptures that set forth God’s plan of salvation. The truth of the matter is simple enough. Both Paul and Peter said, “And it shall come to pass that whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

David was the one who said that God puts a song of salvation in his mouth. (Psa118:14) Here is God’s salvation plan in a song. Listen with your heart as Robert Parson sings ‘God’s Plan of Salvation.’



There you have. Why not right now ask the Lord to be Lord of all your life.

May the Lord richly bless you in your obedience to Him,

Buddy

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13
Dec
2010

Ten Nuggets of Gold


“Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [Ps. 110:1.]” (Heb 12:2 Amplified Bible)



Journal,

This journal entry is primarily for those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Bible tells believers not to be sluggish in our faith walk but to follow after those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. In this study I will share ten things that can help make up for a strong walk of faith. These ‘nuggets of gold’ are some of things that I’ve learned in my forty-five years as a servant of the Lord.

Rather than provide a fuller commentary with each nugget, I will generally give Scripture references that apply to that nugget. Place your cursor over the Scripture reference and it will appear. (If the full reference doesn’t show, click on the ‘more’ at the bottom left where the Scripture is shown.) Each nugget of gold addresses an issue to take to heart…

I – Leave the Old Life Behind

Keys: Rom4:5-8; 2Co5:17-21.

Whether as a sinner, or you stumbled as a believer.

 

 

II – Do a Faith Check Up

Keys: The ‘working out’ and ‘testing’ principles: Cf. Phil2:12,13; 2Co13:5.

Our faith walk is deeply personal. Don’t compare yourself to others.

 

 

III – Draw on God’s Grace

Keys: Grace for today. Lam3:21-24; John1:16

Learn to dine from God’s table daily.

 

 

VI – Retake Lost Ground

Keys: Isa30:15; 54:17 – Repentance is worship

 

 

IV – Strengthen Your Heart in Faith

Keys: Prov4:20-23

‘Speak truth in your heart’ means to meditate on that which is of the Lord.

 

 

V – Don’t be a Doubter

Keys: James 1:5-8.

Doubt can honeycomb your whole personality.

 

 

VII – Allow the Lord to Choose for You

Keys: Gen13:14; Psa16:5,6; Isa25:1; Jer29:11. Throw away your design for life.

 

 

VII – Live by Your Last Instructions

Keys: John 21:20-22. Remember Jonah

 

 

VIII – Leave Room for the Unexpected

Keys: Isa55:8-11; Eph3:20,21 Stop measuring.

 

 

X – The Language of Faith is Laughter

Keys: Gen17:15-19; 18:10-15; Psalm 126:1-3

Isaac means ‘laughter.’ Paul says that we are the children of laughter. Gal4:28

 

 

Do you remember a special time when the Lord put laughter in your mouth? Laughter and joy are the natural outflow of a heart filled with faith. We laugh because we know that God is true to all His promises.

While you meditate on these ‘nuggets’ here is a song that will minister to your heart.

‘He Came Down To My Level’ by the Gaithers.

 


Much love coming your way,

Buddy


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06
Dec
2010

The Master Key to Life

I received a call, ‘Brother Martin, my daughter is going through a rough time with a divorce. Would you come and share with her?’ After talking with the daughter I soon found there was another need. As I was about the leave the mother said, ‘Brother Martin, I hear believers talk about how alive the Bible is for them, but its not that way for me.’

I knew this lady loved the Lord. What I was about to share would become a life changer for her; ‘Sister, you need to stop reading the Bible like a newspaper to gather information. If you would began reading your Bible like you were looking into the eyes of God, it would come alive for you.’ Then I gave her a Scripture to look at. Hebrews 4:12,13 says,

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

The very next day I received a call from this dear sister, “Brother Martin, the Bible has come alive for me!”



Journal,

The above incident happened about twenty-five years ago. I’m relating the story from memory. Over the many years I’ve often shared this story and this maxim. It has become a life changer for many. But this isn’t some new revelation. It is a truth that belongs to all God’s children. It has to do with an awesome way that the Lord speaks into our lives. What many don’t realize is that the Bible is God’s primary speaking place. The Bible is a book of life. It unfolds around the Son of God.

What prevents the Bible from becoming a living book to many has to do with attitude. We of a western mindset often study the Scriptures to acquire knowledge. We relish in intellectual simulation. We often have scholastics in view. And so we analyze the Bible and love quoting the Scriptures to prove our points of doctrine. It’s not that all these things are necessarily wrong. However, it is easy to miss the very heart of what the sacred writings are about.

God’s ancient people didn’t study the Scriptures for intellectual stimulation or merely to acquire information. To them the study of God’s Word was the highest form of worship. They studied the Scriptures to draw near to God. The sages had a saying that when people are studying the Scriptures they must never ever be disturbed because the Shekinah is passing among them. [The Shekinah speaks of God’s divine presence.]

Concerning God’s Son, the prophet Isaiah laid it out:

On that day the deaf will hear words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the LORD, and the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 29:18,19)

Then we have this from Jesus:

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40 NASB) — Testify [martureo] To bear witness. Moses and all the prophets bore witness to Jesus as Messiah. —

The short side is to understand that Jesus Christ Himself is the ‘Master Key to the Bible.’ Set aside Jesus and the Bible becomes just another book. The Bible wraps around Jesus like a garment. Learn to clothe your life with the Word of God and you’ll always live in victory regardless of the circumstances about you.

It is David who gives the prophetic insight into how the Bible enfolds and unfolds with Jesus. Jesus is the alpha and the omega of life. Listen:

Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired; My ears You have opened; burnt offering and sin offering You have not required. Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.” (Psalms 40:6-8 NASB)

— This is a Messianic prophecy. The word ‘scroll’ in Hebrew, megallah, means ‘volume’ or ‘writing’ or ‘roll’. This Scripture is quoted in Hebrews. (Heb10:7-9) The Greek for ‘scroll’, kephalis, speaks of the head of the rod and the spindle around which the scrolls were rolled. Thus we have that Jesus is the center around which all the sacred scrolls are wrapped. —


Do you remember the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus? Jesus joined with them without revealing who He was. The Lord then speaks to them through the writings of Moses and the prophets. Listen:

“And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:27)

— To begin with Moses meant He began with the book of Genesis and then walked them through all the prophets. What was their response? When Jesus vanished they said,

“Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32 NASB)

There you have it. The Lord meets with us in the Scriptures. He opens our hearts and minds to behold the treasures of our salvation in Christ. Jesus is a personal Savior. He speaks to us in personal ways. And His primary speaking place will always be the Bible.

So, what I shared with the lady was not anything new. It has to do with what Augustine called…


The Internal Testimony

The doctrine of the ‘internal testimony of the Holy Spirit’ goes back to Augustine and to other early Church theologians. It is part of the evangelical perspective of the Scriptures. This doctrine sets forth certain things in particular.

  1. That the Bible is self-authenticating; that the Scriptures bear witness to their own authority; that the Holy Spirit both awakens and deals deeply with the human heart through the use of Scripture.
  2. That the Bible has been shaped by God as a meeting place between God and man. Where Paul says, “All Scripture is inspired by God,” he is including the thought of the Scriptures being an oikos (dwelling place) of God.
  3. That the reader must become open and honest hearted before God without preconditions; meaning it is dishonest to try to make the Scriptures mean something that they don’t mean.

 

The internal testimony revolves around the witness of righteousness and the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Heb 11:4)

Jesus said,

If any man is willing to do His [God’s] will, he shall know of the teaching [reality of the gospel] whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself.” (John 7:17)

There are several Scriptures where the internal testimony is set forth. Cf. Isa. 29:11-14, 18,19; Jer 1:11,12; 1Co. 2:9,10,14-16; 2 Co 3:15-18.



Warnings against unprincipled men

In addition to the internal testimony, every believer needs to be aware of how the enemy tries to distort the truths of God. The apostle Peter gave a caution and a warning with regard to ‘unprincipled’ men. Unprincipled men include the false prophet and the false teacher.

Peter knew that Paul had been given awesome insights into the work of Christ and into His kingdom. (Keep in mind that Paul had been caught up to the third heaven. Cf. 2Co12:1-4) Peter also knew that some of what Paul had been permitted to share could be twisted into distortions of the truth.

Listen and take to heart Peter’s warning:

 

 

…and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2Pe 3:15-18)

Carried away [sunapago] – Idea of being led astray; beguiled.

Unprincipled men [athesmos] – kjv has ‘wicked men’. These are deceivers who lead into error.

Paul spoke of these men: “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2Tim3:13)


Guiding Principles for studying God’s Word

Here are some principles for studying the Bible that should be kept in mind —

Principle #1 – It is important to understand that the Bible has a story to be told to all people. God communicates to us in terms we can best relate to. Much of the Bible is analogical in nature. (Shepherd/sheep, body of Christ, building upon a rock, etc.)

Principle #2 – All study should be done in a framework of coming to know God and with a special view to the work of Christ. When this framework is followed the outcome will be Scripture clarity.

Consider these portions:

 

Peter wrote,

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:2-3 NASB)

Then we have this from Jesus:

‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’
Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.'” (Luke 24:44-47 NASB)

 

Principle #3 – Understand that revelation is the general pattern of the Bible. Therefore most doctrines found in the Old Testament do not come into maturity until they are brought into the New Testament. This does not mean there are no mature doctrines in the Old Testament. It means we must keep Christ at the center of our theology. Augustine said, ‘Distinguish the times and you will harmonize the Scriptures.’

Principle #4 – ‘Believe in order to understand.’ Augustine taught that love is a form of spiritual intuition necessary for a deeper apprehension of Scriptures. He also taught that the obscure passage must yield to the clear passage, and that no Scripture is to be interpreted so as to conflict with other Scripture. Then we have this adage, ‘Where the Bible is silent we are to be silent.’


Well, thats enough for today.

The only question left is, ‘Have you been looking into the eyes of God lately?’


Here is a special song for your meditation. Listen with your heart. ‘Revelation Song.’

 


Love in Christ Jesus,

Buddy

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29
Nov
2010

When Wisdom Becomes Foolishness


Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.” (Isa 29:13-14 NASB)



Journal,

With the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D., the seed bed was already in place for the rabbis to create an entirely new Judaism. This new Judaism would branch out from the sect of the Pharisees. It was this seed bed that Jesus spoke against:

Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Mt15:3)

Without question this new Judaism had a number of problems. They had a powerful contender for the hearts of the Jewish people from a fast growing movement in Judaism that was taking on the name Christian. Rabbinic Judaism began developing alongside Christianity but in opposition to the Christian faith.  The Christian faith would soon outgrow its Jewish clothing to encompass all the nations of the world. Rabbinic Judaism would forever remain very small in comparison.

That was the beginning of their problems. Whereas Rabbinic Judaism had no temple or a priesthood in place, the Jewish Christians could easily appeal to Moses and the prophets with regard to their Lord and Savior. The Messiah had come and was now the high priest of the new covenant. No further sacrifice was needed. The eternal blood of the covenant had been shed. The Spirit of Messiah now resided in the hearts of all true believers.

In a letter written to Jewish people we read this:

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb 13:20-21 NASB)


The path of foolishness begins…

The depth of foolishness began with the rejection of Jesus Christ. But how could the rabbis counter the Christian movement? Over time they began issuing warnings to the Jewish peoples about reading certain portions of the Old Testament. A curse was placed upon the reading of the book of Daniel and trying to calculate the times of Messiah. A strong warning was put in place against the study of Ezekiel with a special view to the ‘chariot of God.’ (Daniel set forth the very time for the coming of Messiah. Ezekiel spoke of the ‘form’ of God.)

The former testament began to taking on a dead shroud for the Jewish people. The glory of Israel had been rejected.

Paul wrote about the death shroud:

 

But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” (2Co 3:14-16 NASB)


It continued. The rabbis discarded the Septuagint translation, the writings of Josephus and the writings of Philo. The Targums were held at a distance. Everything that could have any bearing on Jesus Christ must be discarded. The people would have to view the Scriptures through another lens, the lens of the rabbis. They would set themselves up as the ‘final voice of God’ to the people. Even God would learn from them. (Don’t be surprised. This is in the writings of the rabbis.)


Why was Jesus and the apostles such a threat to the Jewish authorities

Why is the big question – Why does Talmudic Judaism to this day carry such a blindness to those who are held in its sway. Why is Judaism filled with such darkness? It all has to do with authority. The authority of the Jewish leaders was in question. In Talmudic Judaism the rabbis have actually taken the place of God. They consider themselves to be greater than Moses or any of the prophets. Their word is the final word.

We ought not be surprised? The Old Testament warned that the traditions of the elders would evolve into rabbinic Judaism. Listen again as God speaks through Isaiah, saying,

Because this people draws near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence consists of tradition learned by rote….

…Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.” (Cf. Isaiah 29:13,14)

It is crucial to place the apostolic writings in their proper role. The apostles were not simply called to be apostles to the Church. They were apostles to Israel, with Paul having an extended role with a view to the Gentiles. It is in this sense that apostles took up the mantle of the prophets of old. Jesus said to them,

I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others [the prophets] have labored and you [the apostles] have entered into their labor.” (Jn4:38)

The prophets spoke to the coming of Messiah. They were His beforehand servants. The apostles spoke after the fact, that is, Israel’s Messiah had come, had ministered to the people, had been rejected, was crucified, rose from the dead, ascended on high and is now at the right hand of the glory on high. The apostles were His witnesses.

A second thing that needs to be understood has to do with Israel’s judgment of 70 A.D., over the rejection of Jesus Christ. These two issues are placed side-by-side by the Lord. Listen carefully:

So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them [the prophets], and you build their tombs. For this reason the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation.” (Cf. Luke 11:46-51)


A Matter of Redemption

This is a matter of redemption history. Why would the blood of the prophets and apostles be charged against that generation? It would be due to the greater sin of their leaders. If anyone should have recognized Jesus Christ as Israel’s Messiah, it would be that generation. All the prophets from ancient time spoke of the days of Christ. And the time of Messiah had been prophesied by Daniel.

The deeper side is that when the high priest and the elders of Israel rejected Jesus Christ, they were rejecting God Himself. You see, the blood that ran through the veins of Jesus was the very blood of God. And because they had rejected God Himself, there was no other sacrifice to be had. All that was left was a judgment. Israel would be given a transitional time for entering into the new covenant of Christ.

But there is more to the greater sin. Jesus said to Pilate,

You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” (Jn19:11)

The greater sin was the sin of knowledge. Many of the leaders especially of the Pharisees knew that Jesus was the Messiah. I realize we find this hard to believe, but a careful search of the gospels shows this to be the case. (It wasn’t the godly leadership that rejected Jesus. It was those of the house of Satan.)

And so we hear in the book of Hebrews this final warning:

For if we go on sinning willfully [Jewish people by rejecting Jesus] after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.”

The apostolic writer goes on to say,

Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Cf. Heb10:26-31)

The book of Hebrews has to do with whole of the Jewish people. It was written as a final warning not long before the destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple in 70 A.D.  The temple went up in a fiery judgment. The time of transition was over. The gospel had been sent to the Jew first. The new covenant no longer had a Jewish exclusiveness to it. It would belong to the people of the world. For God so loved the world….

 

Christianity was not some upstart religion

The point is that Christianity was not some upstart religion to be counted among the various movements in Judaism of the day. The testimony of God, the testimony of Moses, the testimony of the prophets, of David, of John the Baptist, the testimony of nature itself, the wonders and miracles, and the testimony of those Jews who had truly received Him as Lord and Savior, all bore witness against those who would reject Him. No further testimony was needed. That testimony remains in place today along with multiplied millions of people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior.

An example of the testimony is where Paul wrote,

Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.”

When hearing this the Jewish mind would instantly go to the prophet Ezekiel.

When Jesus said,

And what if you should see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before,”

… their minds would have gone to the book of Daniel and other of the prophetic writings. (Cf. Ph2:6; Jn6:62)

These terms ‘form of God’ and ‘Son of Man’ were almost exclusively used with regard to the One who was spoken of as the ‘Wisdom’ of God, the ‘Form’ of God, the ‘Glory’ of God, the ‘Power’ of God, the ‘Son’ of God, the ‘Rock’ of Israel, and the ‘Shepherd’ of Israel. There are other appellations, but these will suffice for now. The fact remaining is that Jesus is all that these names speak of and more. The testimony was so plain that the rabbis had to remove the testimony from the people. Thus a curse was placed upon the reading of Daniel, etc.

Why such a curse upon Daniel? Not only did Daniel prophecy the time of the coming of Messiah, but he also had a vision concerning the Messiah receiving His kingdom. Daniel’s vision was a beforehand vision concerning the ascension of Jesus Christ. The prophets of old spoke in ‘prophetic perfects.’ This means they saw the very thing they were prophesying. It was as though they were there. So Daniel saw Jesus coming to the throne.

What gives wonder to this is that the apostles saw the earthly departure of Jesus into the heavens whereas Daniel saw Jesus entering into His glory.

What the apostles saw:

And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” (Act 1:9 NASB)



What Daniel saw:

I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days, and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” (Dan7:13,14)


The Son of Man – The Form of God

The ‘Son of Man’ designation by the time of Jesus it had become a major designation for the Messiah. The term ‘form of God’ was an expression that had a special view to Messiah. This expression actually reaches back to Moses.

When Moses entered the holiest of holies, he stood before the radiant glory that rested over the mercy-seat. In the resplendent light, Moses saw a form. While the Hebrews were commanded not to make any actual form to represent God, listen to what God says to Miriam and Aaron:

‘If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses, He is faithful with all My household; with Him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, even Moses.'” (Num12:6-8.)

Did you catch it? When Paul said that Jesus existed in the form of God, this meant that it was Jesus who appeared over the mercy seat in the radiant light. Paul explains it also by saying that Jesus is ‘the image of the invisible God.’ So we have God who is unseen, but who is fully seen in Jesus Christ. Thus we have Paul saying that in Jesus is the fullness of Deity in bodily form. We also know that Paul himself had been accosted by the radiant light on his way to Damascus.

What does all this have to do with the wisdom of the wise perishing? It has much to do, indeed. When Isaiah spoke of the wise losing their wisdom, it was with a view to rabbinic traditions that would eventually evolve into a full-blown religion called Talmudic Judaism.

The point at hand is that Talmudic Judaism is a blinding religion. It places a death shroud over the book of God. In fact the best thing you could ever tell a Jew is for them to read their own Bible. If they will do that, it will destroy the shroud of Talmudic Judaism.

Here again we must come back to Isaiah. Listen:

The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, ‘Please read this,’ he will say, ‘I cannot, for it is sealed.'” Then the book will be given to the one who is illiterate, saying, ‘Please read this.’ And he will say, ‘I cannot read.'”(Isa29:11,12)

What I’ve just shared is the prelude to the earlier quote from Isaiah, where God says, “The wisdom of their wise men will perish.”


What is going to make the wise men’s wisdom perish

It comes back to the book that will be opened by Jesus and will continue to be opened by God’s servants through the ages.

God speaks further in Isaiah, saying,

On that day the deaf will hear words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord, and the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Vv18,19)


Yes, the gospel messaged weaves itself through all the Old Testament. And Talmudic wisdom will deflower itself and show itself for what it really is. It has been a death shroud to hide the glory of Israel from the Jewish people. Two thousand years ago and old man prophesied over the child Jesus and His mother, saying,

Behold, this Child is appointed for THE FALL and RISE of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed.” (Luke 2:34)

The fall came with the rejection of Jesus. The rise comes with the acceptance. The cross was a sign that has been opposed by Rabbinic Judaism throughout the church age.

Oh yes, the Bible is a wonderful book. It is the only book of any religion that actually records history before it happens. It is the only book that speaks from the throne of God. Listen to this ancient prophecy given by Moses. (It is alluded to by Peter on the day of Pentecost 33 a.d.)

Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; For they are a perverse generation, Sons in whom is no faithfulness. ‘They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.” (Deu 32:20-21 NASB)   — This quote is from the song of Moses. Compare Rev15:3


And so we hear the apostle Paul quote from Isaiah the prophet, saying,

For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.’ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1Co1:19,20)


Take time to listen to the Song of Moses and the Lamb…



In Christ always,

Buddy

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22
Nov
2010

What can make me whole again – Nothing but the Blood of Jesus

“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.'”

(Rev 5:9 NASB)


 

Readers,

I’ve had much interest on a journal entry that I provided in July, 2010, entitled, ‘The Voice of the Blood.’ This entry is based on that earlier entry but with a few allowable differences. The most important thing to understand about God’s work of salvation involves the blood of Jesus. The old-time song says it well enough —

What can take away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.


Let’s begin with King Messiah

David often spoke of the Lord as his God and as his King. And because David had prophetic visions of Jesus and personal encounters with the Lord, he could speak of Jesus the Messiah long before He walked among us.

Consider a few statements from David:


“Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psa 2:12 NASB) — This Psalm is quoted from by the apostles in Acts 4, about Jesus as the anointed King. It has to do with both the first and the second coming of the Lord. The day of Pentecost was the coronation day of Jesus. The kingdom of God today is noted as‘the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.’Cf. Col1:13 — At the end of the age of redemption the Lord hands over the kingdom to His Father. Cf. 1Co15:22-25.

“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’ The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of Your enemies.'” (Psa 110:1-2 NASB) — Quoted by Jesus and by Peter with a view to Jesus being exalted to the right hand of the Father. This is the most quoted part of Psalms to be found in the New Testament.—

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows.” (Psa 45:6-7 NASB) — Quoted in the book of Hebrews with regard to the exaltation of Jesus. —

“Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.” (Psa 24:8-10 NASB) — With a view to the second coming of Jesus as the King of glory —


A King is exactly who Jesus is

While we readily acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we must always keep before us that He is a King and has a kingdom. A King is exactly what Jesus is. And in order for a king to rule, he must have a kingdom.

The term kingdom (basileia) in Greek speaks of sovereignty, or power. In an abstract sense it refers to the power exercised by a king. So the kingdom of God refers to God’s direct ruling power. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of great power.

Now we turn to Jesus. Follow carefully the conversation between Pilate and Jesus. In questioning Jesus, Pilate becomes frustrated. His wife had a dream about Jesus and warned Pilate not to do Him any harm.

Pilate says,

Are you the King of the Jews?”

Some think that Pilate asked this in jest. I don’t believe this is the case. Pilate is too disturbed to be joking around.

The Lord responds,

Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”

Pilate is confused. He responds,

I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”

It is here that Jesus begins to explain His kingdom. Listen carefully;

My kingdom is not of this world. [It’s not simply a Jewish kingdom.] If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Jesus said that His kingdom is not of this world or of this realm. World [kosmos] speaks of a worldly order. Realm [enteuthen] has to do with ‘from a place’. Jesus says His kingdom is not an arrangement or an adornment to be seen with the eyes. It is not from ‘this place.’ It is neither a worldly kingdom nor a Jewish kingdom.

Pilate responds,

So You are a king?”

What Jesus says next puts His kingdom rule into its spiritual essence.

You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Cf. John 18:33-37)


 

A kingdom not of this world

Now we come to the crux of the matter. If the kingdom of Jesus Christ is not of this world, then His subjects must not be of this world.

The Lord points out that only His subjects are able to hear His voice.

And the Lord says His kingdom is all about truth.

Now we have all the elements that describe the Lord’s kingdom.

(1) His kingdom is not of this world.

(2) His subjects are not of this world.

(3) Only His subjects hear His voice.

(4) His subjects do not fight. (Not in the sense of worldly kingdoms. Their weaponry is not of the flesh.)

(5) His kingdom is about Truth.

What does this tell us up front? It tells us that the kingdom of Jesus Christ cannot be put in religious terms. Religion is what man does. Relationship and reality is what God does for us in Christ.

Hence the dilemma —

If His kingdom is not of this world, and His subjects are not of this world, and only His subjects can hear His voice, and His kingdom is about Truth, and His subjects do not fight, how can we ever expect to recognize His kingdom? How can anyone find it? How can anyone enter into it?

 

 

Recognizing the kingdom

Every born again person knows the answer to this or they would not be born again. The only way to enter into what Paul calls ‘the kingdom of His Beloved Son,’ is to have a personal invitation from the King. And the only way to be born again is to take to yourself Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Savior and King.

Thus we have the gospel message. Many people are not aware of just how powerful the gospel really is. The gospel is an official message from God’s heavenly kingdom and in the gospel is a personal invitation from the King to His kingdom. The gospel carries in it the voice of the King.

I’ve been a gospel minister since age 24. I’m now 70. The most wonderful thing that I’ve experienced in my life as a minister of the gospel is to see people actually brought into the kingdom of the beloved Son of God.  In my many years I seen untold numbers brought into the kingdom that is not of this world.

Here is just one incident that has been forever etched in my memory.


I Have a Message from the King

We were on our way to a village in Honduras near the border of Guatemala. As we were nearing the village, I asked the Lord what He wanted me especially say to the people. He placed on my heart to begin my message by saying, ‘I come to you as an ambassador of the kingdom of God, and I have a message for you from the King.’

“That was the first thing that came out of my mouth. A total stillness settled over the crowded building. I began sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then it  happened – An old Indian stood up and began to make his way towards me. Once again I stood amazed at the power of the gospel. The old Indian heard the voice of the King. He was making his way to accept God’s invitation to enter the kingdom of His beloved Son. He was ready to give his heart to Jesus.

 

But what actually happened to the old Indian? This brings me to the story of the blood and the only thing that can take away our sins.


The blood of the King

To enter into the kingdom of the beloved Son, you must have an invitation. This is the job of the servant of God and of the Holy Spirit. The invitation is sent through God’s servants in the gospel message.

Jesus said,

 

And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”(Joh 16:8 NASB)

The gospel message is about the blood. The gospel is God’s invitation to turn from the kingdom of darkness and to the kingdom of His beloved Son. In this turning the blood of Jesus is sprinkled on the sinner’s heart. And in this turning comes the believers transfer out of darkness into the Lord’s kingdom.
The blood speaks to the throne of God. First, as a person turns from their former master Satan, and thus receives Jesus Christ as Lord, and Savior, and King, something marvelous takes place in their heart.

Listen very carefully to Peter:

“…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:

“May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

“… to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”(1Pe 1:2-5 NASB)

Every statement that Peter makes is without measure. What does the blood of the King speak over us? It speaks mercy and grace. You may be concerned with the idea of the blood of Jesus speaking. Listen:


 

 

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”(Heb 12:22-24 NASB)

Abel’s blood cried our for vengeance against his brother Cain. The blood of Jesus speaks from the finished work of the cross. It speaks of mercy and truth and grace and forgiveness and love and acceptance. The blood speaks of joy that is beyond expression and full of glory.

This is why we sing,

‘What can take away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.’
An invitation of life.

The world has a standing invitation.

John says,

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:11,12)

It is important to understand what John means by believing. Our salvation is not based on some emotional work up. It is based on an open declaration of faith in Jesus Christ. Believing in the Bible has to do with the heart. It is an outflow of the deepest of our heart.

The Greek word for believe [pisteuo] means to put faith in a person, to rely on, to trust in, to adhere to. (It is the Greek word that we get our English word ‘glue’.) To believe in His name means to accept who Jesus really is, that is, to believe in the full message of the gospel, and in His authority. We actually believe out of darkness and into life.


What about the truth part and the voice part?

Well, I’ve covered this a bit. The gospel is a message from heaven. It carries all the authority and power that is needed to cause a person to be born again.

The word ‘truth’ in Greek, speaks of the reality that is behind an appearance. To realize truth is to become fully aware of the Person and Presence of Jesus Christ. It is a heavenly reality.

When a person is born from above, that birth brings a new spiritual reality into their life. The realness does not go away. It will be there from today, to the next today, to the next today, and forever. Out salvation is eternal.

His voice also speaks of the Lord’s Kingly ministry. The issue of Jesus being our King is very real to a believer. And hearing His voice is also very real. Jesus explained it this way;

I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”

And again,

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (Cf. John 10)

 

Where do we go from here? Listen to this old-time song. It has a message for you.



Much love,

Buddy

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18
Nov
2010

Strong Consolation – Terror Expectation


“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

“For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

“How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Heb 10:19-30 NASB)

Journal,

Is it possible that the world as we know it has entered the countdown of the age? Do we really have cause for concern? Actually no one knows the exact timing for the Lord’s return but we have ample prophetic descriptions of the times to know that everything is coming into place.

The Scriptures above may have a similar parallel that equates the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. with what is soon to take place in the near future. Hebrews was written not long before a judgment of God came on Jerusalem. Thousands of Jewish people encircled the city on crosses. Other thousands would be taken as slave.

While the parallel may not be exact it does carry an eerie sense for what is to come. At the same time these Scriptures hold a strong consolation for those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ. We know that many thousands of Jews are coming to faith in Jesus.

I want to break down the afore Scriptures so that we can see both the consolation for believers and the horror that will descend on those of the world who have no regard for Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

But before I do that please take note of the following video. It has to do with a, “revered rabbi in Israel who died about 4 years ago at the age of 108 who, before he died, said that the Messiah had appeared to him and revealed His name.” (Thanks Doug for the video.)


 

Is Ariel Sharon still alive? Yes. Go here for the latest report as of November 10, 2010 –

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/10/ariel-sharon-may-leave-hospital

 

In a prior Journal entry I shared this ad that was put in the Jerusalem Post by an anti-missionary Jewish rabbi:

What Are We Doing Wrong, and What are They doing right? Why Have more Jews Converted to Christianity in the Last 19 Years than in the Last 1,900 Years?” Rabbi Tovia Singer – Jerusalem Post [Of course he was out to sell his 24 tape package for $113.]

 

Now for our text Scriptures. Let’s begin with…


The testimony of the blood

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:19-22)

The apostolic writer is using Old Testament imagery. Once a year the high priest entered into the holiest of holies. He carried a basin of blood that would splatter on his robe and on his feet, leaving a trail from the sacrificial altar all the way to the mercy-seat of God. Jewish readers would have grasped the significance of this picture.

Through the cross we now have a new and living way, that is, we walk a living trail made alive by the blood of Jesus, and we are now invited to enter into the holiest of holies at will. Not only is the trail a living trail but our very hearts have been sprinkled clean by that same blood. So our hearts have also been made alive.

The significance of having our bodies washed with pure water could well be an allusion to water baptism. The early Christians very much considered water baptism as part of the covenant experience. However, bodily washing may also speak to our acceptance before God as a whole being. Paul refers to this as ‘the washing of water with the word.’

 

…so that He might sanctify her [the church], having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” (Eph 5:26-27 NASB)



Holding fast our confession of faith in Jesus

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Heb10:23-25)

Here the cautionary warnings begin. To hold fast their confession is a clear juncture to how salvation begins. Our continual confession of Christ is the benchmark of a living faith. It is possible that some of the intended readers of this letter had never made a clear demarcation in their hearts with regard to the law of Moses and their allegiance to Jesus Christ.

An indicator of this was likely is some of them ‘forsaking‘ the assembling with other believers. This was such a time of duress for the Jewish church. They were being persecuted and reviled for their confession of Jesus. And while many still attended the synagogue, the pressure was on to renounce Jesus. But the Lord said this division even in the family would happen. This was the ‘sword‘ He came to bring. The sword linked to the confession.

 

Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” (Mat 10:32-38 NASB)


Did you know that the Messianic community [Christian Jews] in Israel are undergoing considerable persecution? Take time to view this video of the Hebrew Christian Ami Ortiz, the son of Hebrew Pastor David Ortiz, who experienced a deadly bomb that was sent to his home by an orthodox Jew.


 

The warning of a terror to come

Keep in mind that the book of Hebrews deals with only one sin – The sin of rejecting Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of Israel and of all mankind.

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Heb 10:26-29 NASB)


Once again the ‘sinning willfully’ had to do with the rejection of Jesus Christ. This was a terrifying place to be. If they turned from Jesus, after having heard the message of the gospel, a message that went to Israel first, it was the same as trampling the Son of God underfoot, and as an insult to the Spirit of grace. Judgment was swiftly on its way.

This warning is a clear reflection on something the Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah;

In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.” (Isaiah 63:9,10 nasb)

 

The warning becomes more intense.

 

For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb 10:30-31 NASB)


What was going to happen to Jerusalem in a short while would be beyond imagination. Jewish factions would turn on one another. And the Roman soldiers would cover the city with a thirst for blood that would be uncontrollable. Thousands of crosses would ring the city. Multiplied thousands would become slaves. A raging fire would consume the temple while blood flowed through the streets of Jerusalem. No longer would there be a vestige of Old Testament Judaism with its sacrifices.

Was this a judgment of God? Absolutely. Jesus described it more than once. When the women were mourning over Him as He carried His cross, the Lord said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.” (Cf. Luke 23:28-31)


Note: According to the historian Epiphanius, for some unknown reason there was a temporary pulling back of the Roman forces. During this time the Jewish Christians made their escape to Pella. Over the centuries this tradition was held without question. Certainly we know that the Lord always makes a way for His people, when there seems to be no way.

 

A final word of consolation

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But my righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” (Heb10:35-39)


There you have it. Can there be a parallel to this for the world today? What do you think? Take time to listen to this song – Jesus is Coming Soon

Much love to be found in Jesus,

Buddy

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15
Nov
2010

The Promise of the Father


 

“And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
(Luk 24:49 NASB)

 

Journal,

The Bible uses the term ‘metamorphoo’ to describe changes that take place in a person’s life when they truly receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. [meta = over. morphe = form or shape] At the moment of true faith, the Spirit of Christ enters the heart of the believer and a seal is placed upon the believer’s heart. The seal is called ‘the seal of redemption’.

From that moment on the nature and attitudes of Christ are thus transposed into this person’s innermost being. It is this experience Jesus spoke of when He said,

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” (Joh 7:38 NASB)


The action that places the believer into Christ is called the believer’s immersion into Christ or the believer’s baptism into Christ. It is in our heavenly birth that we are made one with Christ. The apostle also speaks of this action as our being clothed with Christ. In another place Paul says that our life is now hidden or concealed in Christ. Thus we have the miracle of the cross.

This brings us to the major thought in our Scripture reading. What did Jesus mean when He directed attention to the promise of the Father?

 

The Sphere of the Spirit

The promise of the Father reaches back into eternity. We see it played throughout the pages of the Bible. The promise was the promise of a new life to come. Even before the fall of Adam the scene of new life is set forth in creation itself.

Notice carefully how the Spirit of God and the Word of God meet together in bringing forth new life:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” (Gen 1:1-3 NASB)


It is this scene that will be played out time and time again each time a new person is birthed into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Note the elements:

  1. Formless and void. The sinner’s life of darkness.
  2. The Spirit of God begins to move over the heart of the sinner, arranging and preparing.
  3. Then God says, ‘Let there be light’, and the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ enters thebelieving person’s heart and now we have another child of the living God.


Does this sound like an overreach on my part. Listen to Paul:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.

“For God, who said, ‘light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

(2Co 4:3-6 NASB)

 

A point needs to be made. Anyone can be religious. Being born again is not an emotional work-up, nor is it simply mental acquiescence. A person can be a church goer all his or her life and be nothing more than religious in nature. It happens all the time. Suddenly this person wakes up. It dawns on them that they have missed the boat. What made the change. The Light of the gospel of Jesus Christ begins to penetrate their heart. Their darkness was a religious darkness. They were simply religious sinners into ‘church-idolatry’. And now they become a truly born from heaven child of God.


The Day of New Life – Pentecost

When Peter began to preach on the day of Pentecost, he called attention to the Father’s promise. Concerning the Holy Spirit, Peter said,

For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:39)


Then we have this from Isaiah;

For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants; and they will spring up among the grass like poplars by streams of water.” (Isa44:3,4)

 

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a term that speaks of the covenant experience wherein a believer receives the life of Messiah. The apostle said,

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1Co12:13)

 

 

The Covenant of Christ

The most beautiful picture we have of the Father’s promise of our new life in Christ is found in the analogy of the Vine and the branches. (John 15:1-8.

Look at it closely —

 

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” (Joh 15:1-8 NASB)


It is easy to misunderstand what the analogy of the Vine and branches is about. The Vine had long been a symbol of Israel’s covenant relationship with the Lord. Over the temple door was the emblem of the vine. Jesus had in view Israel itself. Those of Israel who reject Him would become the rejected branches.

When Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing,” the Greek word ‘meno‘ means to stay in place, or to remain within a sphere.

We have a picture of this when God said to Abraham,

I am God Almighty; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you.” Gen 17:1,2

The word covenant in Hebrew is ‘berith.’ In Greek it is ‘diatheke.’ Both words speak of a declaration of the will of God concerning His own commitment, promises, and conditions by which He enters into relationship with man. God is the initiator and completer of the covenant. This is why the vine is a vivid picture of our new covenant relationship in Christ. The believer is to look to the Lord Jesus for everything in life.

What did Jesus tell the disciples about their vine life?

Without Me you can do nothing.”

Our perfect example for the vine life is Jesus Himself. Not one time in His earth walk do we ever see Jesus defensive or frustrated. His secret is in something He said;

I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 5:30)

 

The flow of new life

It really isn’t hard for a child of God to learn to live in the flow of new life. There are things we need to understand. First, we need to understand that God has a perfect will for all of His children. Secondly, we need to know that God is the only One who can work His will in our life. And finally, we must learn the great principle of new covenant life. Listen:

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal 2:20 NASB)


It is in our trusting in Jesus that we come to know more about this wonderful thing called God’s providence. There is no part of a believer’s life that the Father is not vitally concerned with. The prophet of old said,

The Lord’s lovingkindness indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lam3:22,23


As we learn to walk in loving submission to the Lord, we are given a promise of fruitfulness. The privileges and experiences of a new covenant child of God are awesome indeed. Where the Old Testament saint relied greatly on a prophet and priest mediator, the new covenant child of God has direct, open, and immediate access to the Lord, at any moment, and under any circumstance.

What do you think about ‘The promise of the Father’. Would love to hear from you.

Let this song minister to your heart. – ‘I Believe in Jesus’.

Much love to be found in Jesus,

Buddy

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09
Nov
2010

When Zion travails – She brings forth children

The Jewish philosopher Martin Buber wrote:

From my youth onwards I have found in Jesus my great brother. That Christianity has regarded and does regard him as God and Savior has always appeared to me a fact of the highest importance which, for his sake and my own, I must endeavor to understand…I am more than ever certain that a great place belongs to him in Israel’s history of faith and that this place cannot be described by any of the usual categories.”


Albert Einstein observed:

“As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene…No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus.  His personality pulsates in every word.  No myth is filled with such life.”


The former president of Hebrew Union College, Rabbi Kaufman Kohler addressed Congress in 1893 in the following fashion:

“No ethical system or religious catechism, however broad and pure, could equal the efficiency of this great personality, standing, unlike any other, midway between heaven and earth, equally near to God and to man…Jesus, the helper of the poor, the friend of the sinner, the brother of every fellow-sufferer, the comforter of every sorrow-laden, the healer of the sick, the up-lifter of the fallen, the lover of man, the redeemer of woman, won the heart of mankind by storm.  Jesus, the meekest of men, the most despised of the despised race of the Jews, mounted the world’s throne to be earth’s Great King.”


Journal,


While reading the Jerusalem Post an ad jumped out at me. The ad was by a Jewish rabbi who was coming against Christian missionaries. I thought, ‘What a strange thing for a Jewish rabbi to say.’

See what you think. The ad read:

What Are We Doing Wrong, and What are They doing right? Why Have more Jews Converted to Christianity in the Last 19 Years than in the Last 1,900 Years? Rabbi Tovia Singer – Jerusalem Post [Of course he was out to sell his 24 tape package for $113.]

If I were a Jew reading this ad, I wouldn’t be concerned with buying Tovia’s tapes. I would want to know why more Jews have converted to Christianity in the last 19 years than in the last 19 years?

Let’s see if we can put a face on this. The only place to begin is to…


Take a delve into a bit of history

The Bible of the early Church was the very same Bible used by all the Jewish people. The earliest believers simply studied Moses and the prophets. They did this in light of the new covenant. The Holy Spirit was ever-present to guide these new believers into the wonderful treasures of Christ as found in the former covenant. They began to realize that the entire Bible wraps itself around Jesus.

You can imagine the activity of the Holy Spirit among the early believers in helping them draw on the sacred writings of Moses and the prophets. And even when the memoirs of the apostles were being collected, Paul still admonished believers to never exceed what had been written by Moses and the prophets. (1Co4:6)

Paul’s point is that everything that is taught in the Christian Church must agree with what had been set forth in the former testament. Thus we have the idiom, ‘The new is hidden in the old, and the old is revealed in the new.’

The theology of the early Church did not have the complexities that later came to dominate the Christian faith. For one thing the early believers never departed from the ancient creed of Israel.

Paul wrote,

Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” (Paul is drawing from the Schema of Israel – 1Co8:6. Cf. Deut6:4)


Grappling with Israel

An issue that Christians have concerned themselves with through the centuries has had to do with our relationship to the people known as the Jews. The issue is not put to rest by quoting Scriptures such as,

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendents, heirs according to promise.” (Gal. 3:28,29)

This Scripture has to do with our salvation in Christ. It was not intended to resolve the relationship of Christ Jesus, the Church, and the Jewish people. Yes, even the earliest Jewish Christians also struggled over the Jewish question.

This brings us to…


The oracles of God

Knowing that a great part of the Jewish nation through their leaders had rejected Jesus as the Messiah, someone asks Paul a question;

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?” (Rom3:1)

Paul’s reply is straight forward. He says,

Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.” (Rom3:2)

Being entrusted with the oracles of God meant that while the sacred writings of God were intended for the whole of mankind, they were to be preserved in safe keeping by the Hebrew people. No other people group would have a set of writings that could literally detail future events.

Think about it. Which of the prophets were not of the stock of Abraham? Which of the apostles were not of the stock of Abraham? The Bible we read today was God’s gift, given to the world through the Hebrew apostles and prophets.

Someone may say, “Well, Noah was not a Jew. Nor were Enoch or Adam or even Abraham.” The answer is quite simple. We would not have known about Noah or Enoch or Abraham had it not been for the Hebrew man, Moses.

The world would not have known where the Messiah would be born, and when He would be born had it not been for the prophet Micah and Daniel. Men from the east would not have journeyed so far to find the infant Jesus, had they not studied these ancient oracles.

Paul was saying that the Hebrews alone were entrusted with preserving God’s living words in safe keeping. This trust was for the benefit of all of humanity.



The prophets speak

These oracles would be bound in a book. Some of the things in the book would not be understood completely until an appointed time. The book spoke of the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. Jesus holds the key to the book.

Isaiah wrote,

On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord, and the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa29:18,19)

Notice that it is the needy of mankind who will rejoice in the Holy of Israel. This reaches back to the truth we must not forget;

For God so loved the world.” (John 3:16)

But that isn’t the only question Paul had to answer. Some Gentile believers wanted to boast against the Jewish branches that had been broken off from the redemptive faith. Someone asked him does that not place the Gentiles before the Jews.

His response was,

Not at all; for we have already charged that both the Jews and the Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, `There is none righteous, not even one, etc.” (Rom3:9,10)



About the appointed times

Moses knew that the Lord did not select the tribal people of Jacob because they were more righteous than other people.

The book of Revelation calls attention to Moses with regard to a song.

The song of Moses, the bond servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.” (Rev15:3)

Moses sang about the Lamb. Take time to study the Song of Moses and you will find the story redemption and the history of the Hebrews laid out wonderfully. (Deut32)

In this song, Moses says something about the Hebrew people that may sound strange. He says,

They have acted corruptly toward Him, they are not His children, because of their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deu32:5)

The One they acted corruptly towards was ‘the Rock of Israel,’ the very One of whom the new covenant people of God would be built up upon. What was this defect that disallowed the Hebrew nation from being God’s children? The defect was the sin of Adam. They carried the sin defect as did all the people of the earth.

Peter alludes to this very Scripture on the day of Pentecost in admonishing the Jews to turn to Jesus. It says,

And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, `Be saved from this perverse generation.'” (Acts 2:40)

The apostle did not want the people thinking that because they were Jews, that automatically saved them.

Moses said more about the times

Would that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would discern their future!”

Moses reaches across history, and speaks of their scorning the Rock of their salvation; that they would be scattered among the nations. Then he says,

In the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.” (Deu4:30)

Hearing the voice of Jesus is the very key to redemption. Now we come back to our original question. What relationship does the Christian  have to the Jewish race? The answer is that God’s redemption plan unfolds itself around this people.



It begins and ends in Jerusalem

Think about it for a moment – Where did the new covenant have its inception? Did it begin in Rome? Did it begin in China? The new covenant was put in place in Jerusalem. Where does it complete itself? According to the prophets, according to the apostles, and according to the Lord Himself, the new covenant will complete itself in Jerusalem. It makes a full circle back to its beginning point.

One day the Jewish people will look at the nail pierced hands of Jesus and ask the question,

What are those wounds between your arms [hands]?”

The Lord will say,

Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” (Zech. 13:6)

The prophet further says that when the Lord returns, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. (Zech14:4) The Mount of Olives is just east of Jerusalem.


The wounded or pierced Messiah is a major theme of prophecy.

Isaiah says,

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell on Him, and by His scourging we are healed.”

He goes on to say,

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” (Isa53)

The wounds that Isaiah speaks of in this chapter are the very wounds that Zechariah says theJewish nation will see in the second coming of Christ.

Paul said to the Gentiles believers,

I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery so that you will not be wise in your own estimation that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, etc.” (Rom11:25,26)

Paul cautions the Gentile branches not to exalt themselves over the Jewish branches that have been broken off. He reaches into the distant future to explain a mystery. One day, he says, after the gospel has penetrated all the nations and the full measure of salvation has been preached among the Gentiles, an interesting thing will happen. The Jewish people are going to turn to Jesus with a full heart. Then, he says,

All Israel will be saved.” [Perhaps ‘all Israel’ has in view all true believers in Jesus Christ, those of the nations and those of Israel.]

When Jesus wept over Jerusalem, he said,

From now on you will not see Me until you say, `Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'” (Mat23:39)

He was weeping over a physical Jerusalem. This can only be fulfilled in a physical Jerusalem.

With this the prophets agree. God speaks through Hosea, saying,

I will go away and return to My place until the acknowledge their guilt and seek My face.” (Hosea 5:15)

What guilt must they acknowledge? They must acknowledge that the Man of the cross was and is the true Messiah of Israel, the Lord God revealed in the Son.


The birth pangs of redemption

At some point in redemption history all the nations are going to make a stand against Jerusalem. It is in this time frame that the Spirit of grace will once again be poured out on Jerusalem. Zechariah 12:9, says,

And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

Listen further – Zechariah 12:10 says,

I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”

What did Jesus say over Jerusalem?

You will not see Me until you say `Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'”

What does Zechariah say?

They will look on Me [Jesus/Yeshua] whom they have pierced.”

All this takes place as the Spirit of grace is poured out. The partial blindness is fully removed.


Mourning for an only Son

The terms used in Zechariah, are terms used in the New Testament. He says,

They will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son.”

The `only son’ imagery speaks of God’s only begotten son. Then,

they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a first born.”

The first-born imagery also belongs to Jesus Christ.

The greatest revelation of all is that they will know that Jesus Christ is somehow Yahweh incarnate.

The prophet said,

They will look on Me whom they have pierced.”

In this prophetic portion it is Yahweh who is speaking.


Hosea also lays out the great substitution doctrine of Christ:

Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His goings forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth” (Hosea6:1-3)

So again, what relationship does the Church have with the natural race of Abraham?

Paul said,

From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.” (Rom11:28)

Strange isn’t it. What other reason can there be for this strange attraction Christians and Jews have for one another? Rabbi Tovia said it well enough, ‘More Jews are converting to Christianity in last 19 years than in the past nineteen centuries.’

What did Moses say in this regard? He said,

When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.” (Deu4:30,31)


From sea to shining sea.

The prophet said of Israel,

In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout, and they will fill the whole world with fruit.” (Isa 27:6 NASB)

The greatest friends of Israel today are evangelical Christians. We know that one day the promise will be fulfilled when ‘All Israel will be saved.’ Yes, Indeed – One day that nation in the middle east called Israel, will call upon the Lord Jesus.

What does this have to do with ‘Sea to Shining Sea.’ Much indeed. This Thursday is Veteran’s Day. I’ll complete this entry with a video of the Christian warriors of Christian Challenge. And, yes, we love Israel. Her weeping may last for a night but a shout of joy comes in the morning. (Psa30:5)



Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Veteran’s Day Tribute from Christian Challenge on Vimeo.

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06
Nov
2010

Yes, there really are aliens among us

“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” (1Pe 2:11 NASB)

 

Journal,

This is one of those ‘above’ and ‘below’ teachings that is at the very heart of true Biblical Christianity. You will find these above/below sayings scattered through the New Testament. You also find them in the former testament. Yes, there are aliens on planet earth. Every true Christian is an alien. The Bible says that we are from above.

Consider some variations of the above/below statements:

He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.” (John 3:31)

You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.”(John 8:23)

You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” (John 19:11)

But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.” (Gal4:26)

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Col3:1,2)

The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.” (1Co15:47,48)

And then this of believers:

If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” (John 15:19)

 

I’ve placed these Scriptures at the fore of this study as sort of pre-conditioner for where we are going in this study.

Let’s begin with …


The Puzzled Ruler

(Cf. John 18:33-38)

The conversation was not going as he expected. For one thing Pilate’s wife warned him not to do harm to “this righteous man.” She had a dream about Jesus. So when Pilate asked Jesus if He was the king of the Jews, the Lord said,

“Are you saying this on your own initiation, or did others tell you about Me?”

Of course Pilate was echoing one of the accusations being brought against Jesus. In his baffled state, he says,

“I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”

The Lord responded,

“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be turned over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Pilate then says,

“So You are a king?”

This is when he hears,

“You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”

Pilate is bewildered;

“What is truth?”

There you have it.

 

 

So what is truth

Would you really like to know? I can tell you what truth is not. Truth is not a religion. Religions are all the efforts of man. When you hear someone say, ‘Our church has the truth,” don’t even bother yourself. Truth is not some sort of religious commodity to be attained through a church.

Truth is the  story of the cross. Not long after His conversation with Pilate, the rest of the story plays out at the cross. In a short time God’s very own Son will hang on a cross. A sign above His head will read in three languages,

‘Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.’

The languages were Hebrew (possibly Aramaic), and Greek, and Latin. These were the languages of the known world. Pilate had it written in contempt of the Jewish leadership who were responsible for the crucifying of Jesus.

The chief priests were indignant,

Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.'”

Pilate responded,

What I have written I have written.” Cf John 19:19-22

 

Wise men still seek Him

The prophets wrote about Him. Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel, and countless other righteous men and women of former times had encounters with Him.

Isn’t it interesting how wise men came from the east asking questions about Jesus.

Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” (Mat2:2)

And there He was, the One of whom the sages from the east were seeking, hanging on a cross.

Do we still have the Jesus haters among us? Some time back I was in dialog with certain people of the Jewish faith. One man retorted, ‘I am not going to worship a Jew on a stick.’

What a sad little man. While all the world is seeking after life and discovering Jesus, included multiplied thousands of Jewish people, and we still have this sort of Jesus vilification.

But of course the story doesn’t end at the cross. On the day of Pentecost we hear the apostle Peter declare quite plainly,

Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36)

Peter told them that Jesus was the promised Son of David, destined to David’s throne. Now He was ascended into the highest heavens.


What is it about the cross

What is the significance of the Man hanging on a cross? No significance at all if that was where He would be left. He would simply be another prophet of Israel, following the trail of the many prophets before Him.

But of course Jesus was far from being a prophet. He was God manifest in the flesh.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it was to begin its delivery with Jerusalem,

“Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God.'” (Isa40:9)

The one hanging on the cross was the God of Israel.

And the message of the cross points to His resurrection from the dead, to His ascension into heaven, to His being seated at the right hand of the Father, and to the bringing forth of a new creation, those who would be born of heaven.

The significance of His ascension and glorification is that the kingdom of God had entered into its completed redemptive stage. All of eternity would rest its case on the finished work of Calvary. This brings us to the reality of the ‘above’ and ‘below’ truths.


OK, here comes the aliens

When a person is actually born again, which, by the way, literally means ‘to be born from above,’ this person becomes a new creature. This new creature is now a citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem. Much of what is said of Jesus can be said of every child born from heaven.

Listen:

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Php 3:20-21 NASB)

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with  Him.” (Rom 8:16-17 NASB)

The point is that once a person is born again, their spiritual center shifts. One moment they were earthy creatures, the next moment they have entered into the kingdom of the beloved Son. And this kingdom is “not of this world.” Its center will not be found in this world.

Forget the isms, schisms, divisions, sectarians and all that concerns religious jargon. Those things are not the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. They are of the world.

None of this does away with the flocking of God’s children. We are to congregate in groups that are ordained of the Lord. But the visible church cannot in itself fully represent the full measure of the body of Christ. You will find born again children of God throughout Christendom. And it has nothing to do with church affiliation. It altogether has to do with our being born from above.

When Jesus said, “I am not of this world,” he later said the very same thing about all God’s children. In His high priestly prayer, Jesus reached across time. He speaks of all who will come to Him. Jesus said,

I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” (John 17:14)

 

Heavenly citizens in earthly bodies

If we were to take Scripture by Scripture concerning our being from above, it would simply thrill your heart. And this is the idea. Our hearts need to thrill over what it means to belong to Christ. The greatest problem facing many Christians today is that of learning about their true identity as heavenly citizens. We are right now heavenly citizens living in earthly bodies. We have to learn what this means to us on a spiritual level.

What needs to be understood is that every child of God has a spiritual support base that is out of this world. This is exactly what Paul is talking about when he says,

Set your mind [be intent on] the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and you life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col3:2,3)

This also what Jesus meant when He said,

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt6:33)

Seeking His kingdom is another way of saying, ‘Seek His direct rule in your life.’ There is no kingdom without a rule. And to the ancient people of God, to seek God’s righteousness meant to look to God’s faithfulness in which He acts as the good Shepherd of His people.

Jesus is not speaking of positional righteousness which belongs to every child of God. He is speaking of our learning to walk in the ways of the Lord. The Lord said if we would learn to do that, then everything else in life, that is, all our needs, whatever they may be, will simply be added to us.

Think about it. Yes indeed, we are aliens in this present world.

Here is a song that speaks to our heavenly life. Let it minister to your heart. ‘Yes, I Know,’ by Gaither Vocal Band


Jesus loves you,

Buddy

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04
Nov
2010

To be Known by God

“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me.” (John 10:14)


Journal,

In this study we will look more closely at a spiritual phenomenon that is unique to the Christian faith. It can be compared to ‘imprinting’ that takes place between children and their parents, and to the imprinting that takes place in nature.

Jesus spoke of the new covenant imprinting experience by the use of a prophetic picture. He said of true believers,

Out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

This is a picture of a believer who is deeply acquainted with the spiritual life that comes to us from our heavenly Father. The living waters accords to the revelation of Jesus and to the covenant life that we share with Him.


Nature itself calls attention to our imprint from God.

You see it everywhere. Imprinting is what causes the penguin chick, and the mother penguin to recognize one another. Even in the midst of literally hundreds of thousands of birds chirping loudly, and covering the beaches like a huge blanket, the mother penguin knows her chick.

How does the mother penguin know her chick? Imprinting. The mother penguin knows sooner than does the chick. It is the same with our heavenly Father. He knew us, and loved us long before we had a capacity to return our love to Him.

John wrote,

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1John4:10)

Paul also wrote,

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.'” (2Tim2:19)


Did you notice that the foundation of God carries a double seal? Look closely. God knows everyone one of His people, and, His people are to stay away from wickedness.

Also keep the word ‘knows‘ those who are His in view. Later we will read of a group who claimed to do all their works in the name of Jesus, but Jesus said that He never ‘knew‘ them. The same Greek word is used in both instances. The comparison is to the false prophet who operates under in occultism. (More later.)


A closer look at the human family.

Infants imprint with the mother soon after birth and even to some extent while in her womb. What happens is that the infant begins to recognize the ‘sounds‘ of the mother, of her smell, and various other stimuli. The baby remembers her voice as she sang over him while still in the womb.

Think about it. Why does the mother adjust her voice to a special tone when speaking, or singing, or playing with the infant. Fathers do this also. This is nature. It relates to imprinting.

One of the strongest stimuli is always, ‘the voice.’

Is there any Bible for such a thing as imprinting in a spiritual sense? Jesus said,

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27,28)


And again,

I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” (John 10:16)


Now hear it from David, from Jeremiah, and from Paul:

[David]

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.” (Psa 139:13-14 NASB)

[To Jeremiah]

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer 1:5 NASB)

[Paul]

But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son…” (Gal 1:15-16 NASB)





God’s heavenly children

In the case of God’s heavenly children, imprinting is a work of the Holy Spirit. It begins with our heavenly birth. It is through the spiritual process of imprinting that believers come to know and to recognize the voice of Jesus.

This is why Jesus said,

I am the good Shepherd, and I know My own and my own know Me.” (John 10:14)

Sometimes there is a struggle with imprinting on the side of the believer. Paul wrote the Galatian Christians, and said,


My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.” (Gal 4:19)

Paul was not speaking of them being born again, again. His concern was for their inability to know and recognize the things of the Lord in their lives. The Greek word for ‘formed’ is ‘morphoo.’ It literally means ‘to form the nature of.’

This statement can be translated, “Until you become Christ like in your life and attitude.” The idea carries over as a sense of imprinting.

Generally new believers begin to imprint quickly. This is especially true when their spiritual environment is conducive to learning the voice of Jesus early on. But bad teaching can interfere to some degree with the imprinting process for new believers. This was happening with the Galatians believers. .

Paul said a similar thing to the Ephesian Christians. He said,

We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him.” (Ephesians 4:14)


Bonding with the heavenly Father

A major cause of immaturity among believers is their failure to bond properly with the heavenly Father. They become restless and unbalanced. They are easily misled. Sometimes you find them wandering from one church to another. (A pastor’s greatest job is to help believers bond with God.)

If a young believer is not under the kind of teaching that will lead him to believe deeply in his salvation and in God’s love, this believer can become fear driven. God is a loving Father. The first need of a child of God, is the need to know they are loved without conditions. This is set forth by the apostle John when he said that God loved us before we were able to love Him.

This is also why Paul instructed us to be very careful with the weak and to never put an obstacle or stumbling block in a brother’s way. We are to encourage and let each believer progress on the level where he is. He said,

To his own Master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4)


The saddest story of all.

Jesus said there would be a group standing before Him who had used His name, yet He consigned them to a state of eternal lostness.

Listen carefully:

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Mat 7:21-23 NASB)

This portion is not as difficult to understand as it may seem. Jesus is addressing false prophets. The false prophets will use the name of Jesus but it isn’t Jesus of the Bible or the God of redemption that they are representing. They were preaching ‘another’ Jesus. They are preaching a false gospel.

The apostle said that these false preachers are actually under a curse:

 

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” (Gal 1:8 NASB)



To be accursed means to be devoted to destruction. Paul explains how this realm of ‘falseness’ is occultism at work. (Read my prior journal entry, ‘The Corinthian Dilemma – The Demise of a Church.’)

Follow closely:

“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully. …

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.” (Cf. 2Co 11:3,4,13-15 NASB)

When Jesus said of the false prophet, ‘I never knew you,’ this simply means that they were never born of His Spirit. (Jesus knows all who belong to Him.) Their imprint was from the evil one.

Think about these things. The Lord will give you the understanding that you need.

In the meanwhile, here is a song that will minister to our heart…‘He Leadeth Me,’ by the Martins.


Much love to be found in Jesus.

In Christ always,

Buddy

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