finished work

Jul

2010

Faith in God’s Word…

“…it is impossible for God to lie … This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil…” (Heb 6:18-19 NASB)

Journal,

One of the greatest changes in my walk with the Lord can be traced to a decision I made in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 1971. Without going into detail as to why I made this decision, it is enough to say that a decision needed to be made.

I decided that if the Scriptures were absolutely true then no person or institution had the right to make them mean something that they don’t mean. From that moment on I would take God’s Word fully as my guide. I made a covenant with my heart to find out for myself what God’s Word had to say about whatever, and that I would do my best with God’s help to order my life accordingly. It was that decision that put me on the high ground of a faith journey far beyond anything I had ever known. That was almost forty years ago. And yes, I can truly say with David,

“For it is You who blesses the Righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12)

It is amazing how a quality decision concerning God’s Word can absolutely revolutionize a person’s life. From the moment of that decision I found myself entering into a new spiritual domain of adventures and vistas. I also discovered what it meant to have an Abraham-type walk with the Lord. (One-on-one; wholly separated and consecrated to the Lord.)

Yes, I had found the key to life. Jesus said that many will not find it. But it really isn’t that hard to discover. The issue is in application. The key involves the full Lordship of Jesus and in learning to live from the mouth of God.

This was the great lesson behind Israel’s wilderness wanderings. All their trials had a single focus. It is this same focus that God has been trying to teach His people in ages gone by.

Listen carefully and see if you can pick up on the key of life:

“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.” (Deu 8:3 NASB)

Are you ready to understand? That is what I want to talk about in this journal entry.

So let’s began with...

Instructions from God

The one thing Satan must do to disrupt a Christian’s life is to cast doubt on God’s Word. This is ‘bottom-line’ spiritual warfare. You will find it in play in the garden of Eden. Notice the issue that Satan challenged Eve on —

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has God said, “You shall not eat from any tree of the garden”‘?” (Gen 3:1 NASB)

Did you catch it? Has God said?

Satan begins by putting a twist on God’s Word. His goal is to undermine the truth of God. He does this by twisting and turning, by adding to and by taking away, by distorting and by making crooked the straight ways of the Lord.

This is Satan’s primary footing for deception. Satan is called in the Scriptures both a liar and a deceiver. Eve was deceived!

Satan is the source behind sorcery. Sorcery is spiritual rebellion against God by the use of occultic forces. Sorcerers are spiritualists or mediums who work under the false anointing of demons. This very much includes the false prophet. Little do some realize that sorcery includes astrology and other forms of fortune telling, or anything else that seeks to govern our lives aside from faithfully trusting in Jesus Christ.

Sorcery is about control. It is strongly linked to prideful flesh. Paul brings this out when Elymas the magician tries to turn a governing official away from the message of the gospel.

Notice:

“But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, and said, ‘You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?'” (Act 13:9-10 NASB)

When Jesus was confronted by Satan in the wilderness what was the battle about?

“Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down…

“…for it is written, “He will command His angels concerning You; and “on their hands they will bear You up, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.”‘” (Mat 4:5-6 NASB)

Satan sets about with manipulation of God’s Word. He is doing much the same as he did with Eve; take things into your own hands rather than listen to the heavenly Father. How often have we fallen for this trick.

However, there is a distinct difference. With Eve there was no written Words. Just the direct instructions from the Lord. Over time the Lord gave us His written Word as an added protection in our walk of faith. It is also in the written Word that we become better acquainted with the Shepherd’s voice. Christian maturity has much to do with learning to hear from God for yourself.

The point is that God has given us words to live by. Join the book to Jesus and you have the keys to living a victorious Christian life. We find this in Paul’s instructions to Timothy:

“…and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2Ti 3:15-17 NASB)

And this brings us to a closer look at…

Distinctions on the Bible

The Bible is a book of redemption but it is also a living book. Genesis actually answers all the fundamental questions concerning God and man. It opens with, “In the beginning [absolute beginning of created things] God created the heavens and the earth.”

The Hebrew word for create is bara. It is never used in any way other than with divine activity. Genesis tells us about God, about the origin of universe, about the creation of man, and the origin of soul. It introduces the issue of sin, and gives us the promise of salvation.

It sets forth the out-calling of Israel and tells of the Messiah who will be the Savior of all mankind. Genesis is the source book from which all the Scriptures flow.

What about Revelations? This book completes God’s holy writ. If you take away Genesis you lose all explanation of heaven, the first earth, the first Adam and the fall. Take away Revelations you lose the completed truth, which is the new heaven, the new earth, man redeemed, and the last Adam.

This is why the book of Revelations concludes with,

“And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.”

The Bible is a living book. It is the only book on this planet that can prove it is from God. It is the only book that records history before it happens. It is the only book that sets forth thousands of prophecies and allows man to see those prophecies fulfilled. It names nations that will rise and fall. It proves its origin in the millions of lives that are radically changed.

Note the following:

“Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure'” (Isa 46:9-10 NASB)

Also,

“He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” (Eph 1:9-11 NASB)

The most wonderful thing about the Bible is that it tells it just like it is. It doesn’t brag on human flesh. It tells of a great fall. It tells of a great love. It tells of a great Savior.

But the Bible is especially a living book. You will literally find God speaking to you from the pages of the Bible.

Consider this prophecy that concerns Jesus and those being called out of darkness:

“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.” (Isa 29:18-19 NASB)

So, what do we have left? It all has to do with…

The Believing

The most important thing a person can do in life is to take the message of the Bible to heart. There are many voices clamoring for our faith. The voice we must listen to is the same voice that dictated what was to be placed in the written Word. Paul tells us to learn to never exceed what is written.

If we believe wrong, we will receive for the wrong of our beliefs. Destruction always begins where the Word of God is rejected. The prophet said,

“For when the earth experiences Your judgments the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” [Isa26:9]

What we are to believe has been clearly defined in God’s written Word. Interestingly enough, the written Word can be likened to a path that leads to God’s living Word, which is Jesus Christ Himself.

Just some things to think about. Here is a song that will speak to the deep of your heart. Take time to listen to ‘Glorious Impossible.’

In love with Jesus,

Buddy

Mar

2010

Of His fullness we have received…

“For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” (John 1:16 nasb)

Journal,

A difficulty we have in interpreting Scripture is the tendency to read our own belief systems into the text. This is called eisegesis, or ‘reading into.’ The proper way to interpret Scripture is called exegesis, or ‘reading out of.’ (Most doctrinal failure is a problem of eisegesis.)

To properly understand what a Biblical writer means when he uses a certain term, we have to understand how that term was used during his time. When John says, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace,” we need to know how the term ‘fullness‘ was used at that time.

The Greek word ‘pleroma‘ means ‘that which fills,’ and it comes from ‘pleroo’, or, ‘ to fill with a content.’ As used by the gospel writers, pleroma had a two-fold meaning. It meant that believers have been brought to fullness in Christ’s sphere of life.

In this case there is nothing we need to do to be any closer to God, than being ‘in Christ.’ This fullness of our sphere of relationship takes place in the new birth. It is not some later added spiritual experience.

The term also means believers are filled absolutely by the person of Christ as the Giver. No believer has more of Christ than another believer. If of His fullness we have all received, then there is nothing else we need to receive. It is here that we get the idea of Christ living out His life in us. Paul had this idea in mind, when he said,

“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 life in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal2:20)

Then you had the nonliteral use of pleroma or pleroo by the gospel writers which was, “to fill up to a specific measure.” or, “to fulfill a divine demand or claim.”

We see this when Jesus speaks to the rejecting Jewish leadership…

… saying, “Fill up (pleroo), then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.” (Matt23:32) This meant that they would become completers of all those who killed the prophets in times past. He goes on to say,

“Upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, to the blood of Zechariah.” (V35)

In coming back to how this term applies to the new covenant, let’s go another step. Paul says,

“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled (pleroo) the law.”

Paul is saying that the love of God that is poured out in our hearts in the new birth, is now the governing principle of the new covenant, and that by walking in the Spirit of love we automatically fulfill, or reach the full goal of the Law of Moses.

Paul’s point is that Christ has removed any need for performing rituals. Anyone can perform a ritual, but only those truly born of God’s Spirit have the capacity to fulfill the love walk.

There is a final sense in the word ‘pleroma’ which has to do with completeness, or to finish up a thing.

This is a very important concept, since it relates back to our original reference Scripture. Listen again;

“For of His fullness (pleorma; or, ‘completeness’) we have all received.”

Again listen carefully to Paul;

“For in Him [Jesus] all the fullness [pleroma] of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete [pleroo], and He is the head over all rule and authority.” (Col2:9,10)

Paul’s emphasis is our completeness in Christ. Completeness means there is nothing you can add to make it any more complete.

Children of the Great I AM.

At the very moment of the new birth, a believer is made complete in Christ. No one can take from that. Nor is there anything to add to that. All the apostles agreed on this issue of our completeness. This is the sum and substance of the new covenant. And it is because of this sum and substance, that John said we are given “grace upon grace.”

Grace upon grace means that at no time in a believer’s life will he or she be able to get beyond God’s redeeming grace. Is that what it means? Hear again the apostle;

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He *lavished* on us, in all wisdom and insight.” (Eph1:7,8)

The key word is ‘lavished.’ Perisseuo means a super abundance, or be over and above anything needed or required. God can lavish grace on all His children because we have received the fullness of Christ. We are children of the Great I AM.

The struggle

This continued to be a struggle for the early believers just as it is for many today. With them you had the judaisers on one hand, who said you must fulfill the law of Moses, and, on the other hand, you had the gnostics and philosophers who had plenty of additions. These kinds of systems have always been around.

In coming against the gnostics who were troubling the young believers, John had this to say;

“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”

He then says, “By this, love is perfected (brought to completion) with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He [Christ] is, so also are we in this world.“ (1John4:15,17)

John is bringing out another view of our relationship to God. He says that Christ perfectly represents every believer in heaven. And this is where our salvation lies. You can also refer to this as the life exchange of the cross. Christ took our life to Himself in His death on the cross, and, He, in turn, gave us His perfect life to be our standing with heaven.

There is so much more to be said but I hope you are getting the picture. But here are a couple more just for good measure:

“There is no fear in love; but perfect casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears [punishment] is not perfected in love.”

Then how about this one:

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days … For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Heb8:10- 11)

Well, have you received the fullness of Christ? Think about it. In the meantime listen to this beautiful song, ‘It Is Finished!’

There you have it.

Keep looking up.

In love with Jesus,

Buddy

Mar

2010

How secure are you in Christ…

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.” (Isa 40:28 nasb)

Journal,

Did you know that the book of Isaiah is often spoken of as the ‘fifth’ gospel. This is because from beginning to end you will find Isaiah calling attention to God’s Messiah. And like all God’s prophets of old, Isaiah is recording history before it happens.

The Bible holds vast treasures of wisdom and knowledge. These treasures can be found in the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi. They then continue in the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation. The treasures are not hidden from us. They are hidden for believers. This is why David said, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.” Psalm 119:18

Did you also know that the entire Bible wraps around the Lord Jesus like a garment? Oh yes indeed. This is why it is so important when reading the Scriptures, to look for Jesus.

You see, Jesus is not only ‘the’ Word of God, Jesus is the very heart and soul of the Bible. The story of redemption is the underpinning message of the entire Bible. Try to make it something else and you miss the very essence of God’s Word. Paul is careful to tell us that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. (Cf. Col2:3)

Jesus said to certain Jewish leaders,

“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)

The apostle Peter also allows us to understand that it was the Spirit of Christ resting upon the prophets of old, that gave the prophets what they were to speak and to write. Peter says,

“As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.” (1Pe 1:10-11)

What does any of the afore have to do with the believer’s security in Christ. It has everything to do with it. God spoke through Isaiah, saying…

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The message is that God finishes the work that He begins. God had a plan in place for the redemption of the human race before creation began. And this is where our security lies.

The apostolic writer says that Jesus Christ is both the author and the finisher of our faith. If Jesus is the author and the finisher of our faith, this tells us that our salvation rests entirely upon what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do. Jesus is the architect to our salvation. What the Lord began, He also finishes.

Thus we hear from the cross, “It is finished!”

Paul bears witness to this, in saying, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Php 1:6)

Again lets hear God speak to us from the prophet Isaiah:

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ (Isa 41:10)

Well, we’ve seen God’s part in our salvation walk. What then is our part. Listen very carefully to…

The credo of the believer’s walk.

It is wonderful indeed to explore the writings of the Old Testament prophets. But now lets find out what can be summarized as the creed of a believer’s walk. The apostle Paul lays it out as he writes:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; …

“…as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.'”(Rom 1:16-17)

Paul is quoting from the prophet Habakkuk. In fact the apostle tells gospel ministers to never exceed what has been written by the prophets. The New Testament takes up from the prophets and completes itself in the finished work of the cross.

The issue is that the walk of faith has a single focus. It is never an issue of feelings, or of faith in faith, or other strange messages that seem to make their way through the ranks of Christendom. The walk of faith has always been about trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ to carry out His purposes in our lives.

Jesus Christ by AshraFekry. Our faith is an out-walking of the message of our redemption in Jesus. Righteous men and women are able to rest entirely in this message of our great Savior, from whose love we can never be separated.

It is also true that our faith is able to enlarge itself as the truths of God’s Word unfolds. The Word of God is the very channel through which faith flows.

Not only that – God says He is going to do something extra, extra special to make sure our journey home is secured. He says, ‘I am going to place My own Spirit in each and every one of My children.

And Jesus says, ‘Not one of them is missing!’

Well, by now you’ve discovered my favorite gospel singing group. Yep, you guessed it, ‘The Isaacs.’

So here is your song for today. Listen to ‘Sweet Holy Spirit,’ by the Isaacs.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

finished work

Faith in God’s Word…

Of His fullness we have received…

How secure are you in Christ…

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