“I will praise Thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto Thee.
I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth: for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name.
In the day when I cried Thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
All the kings of the earth shall praise Thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of Thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.
Though the LORD be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly: but the proud He knoweth afar off.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thou shalt stretch forth Thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and Thy right hand shall save me.
The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of Thine own hands.” Psalm 138:1-8 (KJB)
Word
Jesus Prayed For Us
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.” John 17:20-21 (KJB)
Though I have changed the title this post is a repost from September 14, 2010. Though there may be many who think Jesus prayed only for Himself, His disciples of that day, it is quite clear to us in the words above that He prayed for those who would believe on Him through their word. Though many years have passed their word is still being passed from one person to another.
There will probably be some who read the posts on Jesus’s prayer for His followers/disciples, and think, and believe, that this prayer was only for those 12 or so disciples who walked with Him through the streets of Jerusalem, along the shores of Galilee, and over the roads of Judea. If that would be the case then, the prayer is almost without merit. That would invalidate the promises, and you had just as well take away the cross and resurrection as well.
Now, hear what Jesus prayed next:
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.” John 17:20-21 (KJV).
There are at least a couple of things which Jesus requests in this portion of the prayer. First He lets it be known that this prayer is not just for Peter, James, and John; but also for Tim, Tom, Jane, and Jill. All those who have believed in Jesus through the words of the disciples. That means all those believers who have believed since the day Jesus prayed this High Priestly prayer.
The second request of this prayer (of these two verses) is that we might be one in Himself and the Father. To begin with; when anyone reads this prayer how can they deny what Jesus asked for. Jesus was admitting to being one with the Father. He has requested that we may all be one in Himself and the Father. Having been separated; in the darkness, on the cross; from the Father because of sin, Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection made this possible for all who will believe and follow Him.
Hearing
“He that heareth you heareth Me; and he that despiseth you despiseth Me; and he that despiseth Me despiseth Him that sent Me.” Luke 10:16 (KJB)
Hearing the words and teachings of Jesus, and hearing the gospel is the pathway to knowing the holy, righteous, and Just God. Jesus has pronounced “Woe” upon some cities because of their refusal to hear (Luke 10:13-15).
Many times Jesus says, “He that hath ears, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15; 13:9; Luke 8:18; 14:35). Of course our ears are for hearing. However, too often we do not hear what is being spoken to us by others even though we are looking them in the face, hearing the words, and their sounds; yet we do not hear.
In the verse above Jesus likens hearing the disciple to hearing Him. It would seem that the “Not hearing” is the despising of the disciple, thus the Lord Himself.
The words of the Lord, even spoken by His children; a born again child of God; is as spoken from the Lord Himself. To reject the word of the Lord is to despise Him. The Dictionary.com site defines “Despise” = “Despise = “to regard with contempt, distaste, disgust, or disdain; scorn; loathe.”
That is certainly not the way a disciple of Jesus Christ should be about hearing the word of the Lord. It is, however, the attitude of many.
Let us who are of Christ Jesus have our hearts and minds and ears open to the word of the Lord. Let us have hearing ears, not despising Him. When we hear Jesus Christ we hear the Father as well.
Hear the word of Jesus Christ the Son of God today. Hearing, call on His name in repentant faith believing that He died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and He rose again.
The Eyes and the Ears
“The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,
‘Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.’ ” Ezekiel 12:1-2 (KJB)
I thank the Lord God of Heaven and earth, for my eyes and my hearing as often as I think of the blessing. That is almost every day, and sometimes several times through the day.
The above text tells us that this rebellious house had eyes, but did not see; and ears, but did not hear. That means to me that they had chosen not to see what God did; and chose not to hear what God said.
This is a people to whom God had blessed with His word, His commandments, and they would also (and did) be the people through whom God would bring the Savior into the world.
When Jesus came into the world many still refused to see and hear. Even though it was quite clearly spoken in their covenant word of God, many of the elite scribes and priests refused to see and hear the One God had sent.
The Body of Christ, the Christian Church needs to realize today that we have been given the one way to salvation from sin and death; we have only one word from God; and today, neither any other day is the day to refuse to see God fulfilling His word, or hearing what He says.
See, and witness the power of God through the cross of Jesus Christ. Hear what God says, and do it. Several times Jesus said, “He that has ears to hear, let him hear”.
“eyes to see, and see not, … ears to hear, and hear not — fulfilling the prophecy of Deu_29:4, here quoted by Ezekiel (compare Isa_6:9; Jer_5:21). Ezekiel needed often to be reminded of the people’s perversity, lest he should be discouraged by the little effect produced by his prophecies. Their “not seeing” is the result of perversity, not incapacity. They are willfully blind. The persons most interested in this prophecy were those dwelling at Jerusalem; and it is among them that Ezekiel was transported in spirit, and performed in vision, not outwardly, the typical acts. At the same time, the symbolical prophecy was designed to warn the exiles at Chebar against cherishing hopes, as many did in opposition to God’s revealed word, of returning to Jerusalem, as if that city was to stand; externally living afar off, their hearts dwelt in that corrupt and doomed capital.” From the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary for Ezekiel 12:1-2
Stuck Tongue
“And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me,
‘Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.’
Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.
Then the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me,
‘Go, shut thyself within thine house. But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them: and I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.’ ” Ezekiel 3:22-27 (KJB)
The LORD has called Ezekiel to be a watchman for the people of the captivity in Babylon. God has identified them as still a hard, stiff necked people. The prophet is to proclaim what the LORD gives him to speak; and without fear of them (Ezekiel 3:7-9). He is to prepare them for the seventy years that lie ahead for them as captives. They are to be faithful to God and His word.
If they will not hear, and heed the word of the LORD, the prophet’s tongue will become stuck to the roof of his mouth.
When people of any age do not listen too, neither heed the message of God’s word He will cease to send it; thus the stuck tongued prophets.
In chapter 2 verse 5 the LORD says to Ezekiel, “And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.”
When we do not respect, hear, heed, and to the word and will of God the word of God will become obsolete to us, unimportant, unheard, and left undone. That is when we are in serious trouble; and God becomes silent.
Christian will you take up your Bible today and hear what God says to you? If you do not hear God speak through His written record; you will hear all sorts of lies from “teachers”, “leaders”, “Pastors”, and others who say they speak for God, and they will lead you away. The true voice of God will become silent.
The word of God tells us that Jesus Christ the Son of God is God the Son (John 1:1, 14), and that He is the only way to God and eternal life. Hear Him.
What if the Will of the LORD was to Surrender
‘But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.” Jeremiah 38:20 (KJB)
The word “Surrender” is not a word most people of Adam’s race wants to use. We have phrases from the past here in the USA like, “Better dead, than Red”, and most people my age and older knows the meaning of that phrase. I know, and I feel that way still today, but that is not the topic at hand.
Surrender is the giving up of yourself to someone of greater power, or value than oneself. We like our freedom and our freedoms we have here in the United States of America. Let us think for a moment about the words of Jeremiah to the king of Judah who was Zedekiah.
Jeremiah had been locked up, thrown in a miry pit, and left to die (Jeremiah 38:1-13), and had been rescued, with the approval of the king, by an Ethiopian named Ebedmelech. The king had sent for the prophet seeking his counsel, and Jeremiah gave him the word and will of the LORD. In verses 13 – 19 the king is given the word of the LORD, the way of the LORD, and will of the LORD. That word can be summed up in one word; that word “Surrender”.
The word from God for the Christian today is surrender your word to God’s word. Surrender your will to God’s will. Surrender your way to God’s way. When we do so; even if that way seems tough, rough, rocky, slippery, and like it might be a loss of our freedom – Surrender.
Zedekiah was not being commanded to surrender to the enemy. He was being commanded to surrender to GOD.
We are not being commanded to surrender to our weaknesses, fears, failures, foolish ambition, or an enemy. The command is “Surrender to the One who has our best interest at heart and mind”. He knows what is best. The end result for Zedekiah was not good (Read chapter 39). He did not obey. He did not surrender.
Think of Jesus Christ the Son of God, God who became flesh, humbled Himself, surrendered to the will of His Father, even unto death; so that He might redeem unto Himself all who would be given to Him by the Father. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and He rose again. Hear Him, and call on His name and He will give you eternal life with Him.
Evidence Given Us From God
“This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son.
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” 1 John 5:6-12 (KJB)
From the Geneva Bible Translation Notes for 1 John 5:6…
“(8) This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus Christ; (9) not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the (g) Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
(8) He proves the excellency of Christ, in whom only all things are given us by six witnesses, three heavenly, and three earthly, who wholly and completely agree together. The heavenly witnesses are, the Father who sent the Son, the Word itself, which became flesh, and the Holy Spirit. The earthly witnesses are water, (that is our sanctification) blood, (that is, our justification) the Spirit, (that is, acknowledging of God the Father in Christ by faith) through the testimony of the Holy Spirit. (9) He warns us not to separate water from blood (that is sanctification from justification, or righteousness, begun from righteousness imputed) for we do not stand on sanctification, but so far as it is a witness of Christ’s righteousness imputed to us: and although this imputation of Christ’s righteousness is never separated from sanctification, yet it is the only matter of our salvation.
(g) Our spirit which is the third witness, testifies that the holy Sprit is truth, that is to say, that that is true which he tells us, that is, that we are the sons of God.” Geneva Bible Translation Notes
The Word Was God
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” John 1:1-5 (KJB)
Why is there such a concerted effort by some to disavow the truth of Scripture that Jesus is God incarnate, God in the flesh? It is stated clearly in the first fourteen verses of John chapter one.
Jesus Christ is the word that became flesh, and dwelt among us.
One reason I think that certain organizations of religion try to argue against His deity; or to be more clear on it; co-equal with the Father, is that they have a doctrine of their own to protect. That is why they constantly are changing their own translation of the Bible, and the verses which clearly testify of Christ true identity, and relationship to the Father, to read in a way that makes Jesus deity, but not co-equal with Him.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Son of Man, who is God the Son. Scripture, untwisted by man, constantly unveils the truth that Jesus Christ is indeed Deity alongside, equal with the Father [YHWH].
When GOD Seems to be Silent
“Unto You will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if You be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy oracle.” Psalm 28:1-2 (KJB)
This Psalm of David is the prayer of a man who is crying out to God; maybe even yelling out, shouting out to God for a hearing of his requests, or “supplications”, as he states it, which is his earnest prayer. An individual who has a real need which they see, feel, or fear; one who knows the Almighty will go to Him with that need just as David, and plead, yearn, beg for an answer to their prayer.
In the New Testament we are told…
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16
Now, let us get something straight. We do have someone to pray to. It is not prayer that is the power. It is the One who gives the power to whom we direct our prayers. If our hearts are not of Him, His word, His way, His will, His heart and mind, then, we will not get an answer.
I have made a commitment to the Lord which may seem empty to some, maybe brave and bold and dangerous to others. A few years ago I was praying, and said to Him, “If you never again answer a prayer of mine, I will still trust in You.” I can still say that. I know that He never fails to accomplish, to finish His word. He does what He says He will do.
What do you do when God is silent? Keep on praying and keep on trusting in Him.
I Trust in You LORD
“Unto Thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You: let me not be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me.” Psalm 25:1-2 (KJB)
This is the 25th day of writing through the Psalms again. I know that I missed yesterday, yet this is still the 25th day of Psalms. I appreciate all who take your valuable time to come here to read these studies, and I do pray that when you do God blesses you abundantly with His Spirit to enlighten your understanding of God, His Word, and His Spirit; and His work in you.
The Psalmist (David) is declaring the LORD as his God. He also declares, “I trust in You.” That ought always to be the heart of the believer who has given heart, soul, body, and mind to Him.
When we give our life to God through His Son Jesus Christ there is no room for shame, but praise, love, joy, peace, and a life filled with the love of God in us for others, and mostly for Him who loved us that He gave His only Son to die on the cross for our sins.
Do we have enemies? Most definitely. Those who hate God, and work against His word, His will, and His way are His enemies; they are my enemies and if you love God; they are your enemies as well. We have a promise from God that has been given to all God’s people down through the ages…
“So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19
Christmas Day Twenty and Seven
What do I want for Christmas today?
I want to choose my words so as to build, and not to destroy; to speak wisely and constructively; to speak words of life and not death; that others may be drawn to God through His word and Spirit.
“Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Proverbs 29:20 (NKJV)
Christmas Day Sixty Two
What do I want for Christmas today?
I want to live in this nation, and for this nation to be a righteous nation, and lead by righteous leaders with a President who will lead in righteousness, and his rule be established in righteousness which is only through submission to the cross of Jesus Christ, His Spirit and His Word.
“Take away the dross from silver, and it will go to the silversmith for jewelry. Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.” Proverbs 25:4-5 (NKJV)
Christmas Day – 110
What do I want for Christmas today?
I want to live in a land, a nation, a country where everybody loves everybody, a place where people are helping each other when they are in need; I want to live in a place where everybody loves GOD, His Savior, His law, His Word, and everyone walks with Him; and when we do the latter the other happens.
Christmas Day One Hundred and Fourteen
What do I want for Christmas today?
I want to always know the heart and mind of God for my life, and to walk in it, that His name would be glorified.
I thank you Father for the cross of Jesus which makes this possible through Your Holy Spirit and Your Word.
Fire in Your Mouth
“Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD’S. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against Me, saith the LORD. They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not He; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine: and the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them. Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make My words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.” Jeremiah 5:10-14 (KJV)
It seems to be a trend among people today. If we hear a word contrary to what we believe a mass of people will lie about it and deny it. Even if it is true there is much lying and denial; especially if it is according to the word of our Lord and God.
The people of Jeremiah’s day; the people to whom he preached denied God. They lied about God. God had said that judgment was coming. The prophets of the people said, “There is no judgment coming. We are God’s people. The temple will stand forever.” God was telling the people the words of their prophets were going to fail, and fall to the ground.
GOD says through His prophet Jeremiah that judgment was going to come from the north from a foreign invader. The people denied it, and the prophets lied about it. It came just as God said it would.
To lie and deny does not make the truth untrue. No matter how hard you try to be positive about a negative truth; it is still true.
The people who were “Not the LORD’S” would call prophets of God the wind, and God says that His Word will not fail. They will be put to shame.
The Word of God is powerful, and shall not fail. Deny it all you want. Lie about God all you can; however the word will still stand, even after you fall, and perish. God will have His way even after your ways fail.
God has done all that is in His power to do to redeem to Himself a people who love Him. That redemption is provided through the cross of His Son Jesus Christ. Believe Him and live. Deny Him and perish. Your choice.
It Is Not Hidden
“For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (KJV)
There is nothing secret about the word of God. Something I do not understand is why some want to seek out some “code” to “hidden things” or whatever; especially since we do not practice much of what we do know of God’s word.
The verses for today tell us that we do not need to go to heaven to know God, or to find His way. It is near. He gave it to Moses, revealed it to the people, and Christians have it today as well. It is easy to understand. All it takes is to read it, to hear it, and to heed what God says.
If this holy word of God was in the mouths and the hearts of the children of Israel; how much more is it in the hearts of those who are born of the Spirit of God today – the Christian.
There are some who say, “If God would just reveal Himself to me I would believe Him.” Really? He has done that, and we crucified Him. Yet you will not believe.
The apostle Paul quotes these verses in Romans 10:6-8. These words; all the words of Moses speak of the One to come; He came, He bled, He died, He was buried, and He arose bodily from the grave, and forever lives. He will save you as you cry out to Him.
“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13 That is how very near He is to you. His name is Jesus.
Above His Name
The name of GOD is a name above every name. The name Jesus is the name above every other name (Philippians 2:9-10). Jesus is the Living Word of God; the Word become flesh (John 1:14) and dwelling among us.
Sometime ago I read a comment someone made on Facebook, about something they had said in writing. They were sorry for the abusive, expletive use of a word or words they had used. It is as though they wrote without thought. I can somewhat understand a sudden outrage in speech, but not in writing. Writing something down takes some thought; although I have read some things that did not take much thought; probably some of my own writing would fit into that category 🙂 .
Anyhow, I only mention that to say, God has spoken His Word, and it is sure and steadfast, it is eternal, and He has said that it would not return unto Him void (Isaiah 55:11), so it will not. He has also given us His written word, and by this Word we know Him, His name, His Son and His name, and the person of His Spirit.
The Psalmist has written,
“I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth: for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name.” Psalm 138:2 (KJV)
I have probably written too much already. Let me let the writer of the Treasury of David clarify it for you;
“I will worship toward thy holy temple,” or the place of God’s dwelling, where the ark abode. He would worship God in God’s own way. The Lord had ordained a centre of unity, a place of sacrifice, a house of his indwelling; and David accepted the way of worship enjoined by revelation. Even so, the true-hearted believer of these days must not fall into the will-worship of superstition, or the wild worship of scepticism, but reverently worship as the Lord himself prescribes. The idol gods had their temples; but David averts his glance from them, and looks earnestly to the spot chosen of the Lord for his own sanctuary. We are not only to adore the true God, but to do so in his own appointed way: the Jew looked to the temple, we are to look to Jesus, the living temple of the Godhead. “And praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth.” Praise would be the main part of David’s worship; the name or character of God the great object of his song; and the special point of his praise the grace and truth which shone so conspicuously in that name. The person of Jesus is the temple of the Godhead, and therein we behold the glory of the Father, “full of grace and truth.” It is upon these two points that the name of Jehovah is at this time assailed – his grace and his truth. He is said to be too stern, too terrible, and therefore “modern thought” displaces the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and sets up an effeminate deity of its own making. As for us, we firmly believe that God is love, and that in the summing up of all things it will be seen that hell itself is not inconsistent with the beneficence of Jehovah, but is, indeed, a necessary part of his moral government now that sin has intruded into the universe. True believers hear the thunders of his justice, and yet they do not doubt his lovingkindness. Especially do we delight in God’s great love to his own elect, such as he showed to Israel as a race, and more especially to David and his seed when he entered into covenant with him. Concerning this there is abundant room for praise. But not only do men attack the lovingkindness of God, but the truth of God is at this time assailed on all sides; some doubt the truth of the inspired record as to its histories, others challenge the doctrines, many sneer at the prophecies; in fact, the infallible word of the Lord is at this time treated as if it were the writing of imposters, and only worthy to be carped at. The swine are trampling on the pearls at this time, and nothing restrains them; nevertheless, the pearls are pearls still, and shall yet shine about our Monarch’s brow. We sing the lovingkindness and truth of the God of the Old Testament, – “the God of the whole earth shall he be called.” David before the false gods first sang, then worshipped, and then proclaimed the grace and truth of Jehovah; let us do the same before the idols of the New Theology.
“For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” The word of promise made to David was in his eyes more glorious than all else that he had seen of the Most High. Revelation excels creation in the clearness, definiteness, and fulness of its teaching. The name of the Lord in nature is not so easily read as in the Scriptures, which are a revelation in human language, specially adapted to the human mind, treating of human need, and of a Saviour who appeared in human nature to redeem humanity. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the divine word will not pass away, and in this respect especially it has a pre-eminence over every other form of manifestation. Moreover, the Lord lays all the rest of his name under tribute to his word: his wisdom, power, love, and all his other attributes combine to carry out his word. It is his word which creates, sustains, quickens, enlightens, and comforts. As a word of command it is supreme; and in the person of the incarnate Word it is set above all the works of God’s hands. The sentence in the text is wonderfully full of meaning. We have collected a vast mass of literature upon it, but space will not allow us to put it all into our notes. Let us adore the Lord who has spoken to us by his word, and by his Son; and in the presence of unbelievers let us both praise his holy name and extol his holy word.
Believe the LORD. Trust His Word and be saved.
-Tim A. Blankenship
Observations From John – 032611
We begin reading through the gospel of John in today’s reading. Chapters 1 – 3.
John’s gospel is clearly showing forth the deity of Jesus Christ. The Son of God comes in the flesh; in the likeness of sinful flesh, yet without sin. It is clear from reading verses 1-5 of chapter one that the WORD is God, and God is the WORD.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” John 1:1-5 (KJV)
To remind you of the four evangelists who were inspired by God to write this “God-breathed” Scripture, Matthew appears to write of the King and His kingdom; Mark writes of His service; Luke writes of Jesus as the Son of Man – His humanity; and John shows Him as Deity – even as being the Creator of all that is – “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.”
“As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.” Ezekiel 1:10
and the apostle John writes in the Revelation of Jesus Christ…
“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.” Revelation 4:6-7
Of course you will notice that Ezekiel calls one animal an “Ox” while John refers to that animal as a “Calf”. These are from the Bovine created animal. The picture is still clear. Jesus came to serve us and to give His life a ransom for all who will believe in Him. Notice too that John writes of the “Flying eagle”; certainly declaring the All Present, All Knowing, All Powerful, and never changing character of GOD.
John also declares to us…
“And the WORD was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” 1:14
He is also declared by John the Baptist as being the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (1:29).
The only way to eternal life is through Jesus Christ, Son of the Living GOD. John writes…
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” 3:36
That is the Observations from John for today.
-Tim A. Blankenship
Observations From Deuteronomy – 030211
If you are following my Bible Reading plan today’s reading is Deuteronomy 29 – 31. I pray you are learning and growing in our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord is giving Moses some final instructions before he dies. Moses will not be allowed to cross into the Promised Land which He is giving to the people of Israel, due to his sin of striking the rock, rather than speaking to it (Numbers 20).
The verses I want us to observe from today are,
“For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, ‘Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, ‘Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?’ But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (KJV)
The LORD has just given them promise that He will make them plenteous in the works of their hands, the “fruit of their body”, and fruit of the land, if they shall hear and do and keep His commandments (30:9-10). Then, the LORD proceeds to tell Moses that the command is not hidden, nor far away.
So many people want to blame God for sin in the world. Sin is due to the transgression of the human heart against God. We are all born with that transgression. To those who want to argue against that think of this: Do we need to teach children to lie if they are going to lie? NO! Every child will practice the deceit of lying without being taught to do so. They will even steal to get what they want. The reason for that is because there is evil in every human heart. Children must be taught to be truthful and honest, and it does not happen easily. There are many adults who must learn these truths. There is only one child who ever lived who was truthful and honest, faithful and true until His death; and that was Jesus Christ; because He was the Son of God, had the heart and blood of God; and God cannot lie.
Since the word, the commandments, are not hidden, neither are they far away the children of Israel are without excuse concerning any disobedience. They have heard God speak. They have heard His commandments. Yet, we will see as they enter into the Land of Promise they still struggled with obedience.
Christians struggle with obedience today, due to the sinful flesh. We hear God’s Word, but do not obey. We see God’s work in our own hearts and lives yet fail Him. It is sad to say, however, those who profess to know Jesus Christ, and can disobey/sin against Him without regret or remorse and repentance have never experienced the saving faith possible only through the blood of Christ.
For the Christian we have the Spirit of God; the Holy Spirit; living within us. We are empowered to live the life of Christ within us (Read Romans 8:1-15). He is our Comforter, Guide, Counselor, and Corrector and points us to our Lord and Savior.
James wrote,
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:22-25
Let’s be sure to hear God’s Word, hide it in our hearts; that we might do it, and live a Biblical, Christian life.
-Tim A. Blankenship
Not Of The World
Remember the prayer which I refer to as the “Lord’s Prayer” is not the one which is often called the “Lord’s Prayer”. The one to which I refer is found in John 17, and is our Lord’s prayer to the Father for His glory and for His disciples as well as all the future one’s who will follow Him.
Today we look at verse 14:
“I have given them Thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:14 (KJV).
It is important for us to realize that His Word has been given us for a reason. It has been entrusted to us not for secrecy, secret interpretations, or secret organizations. It has been given us to take into all the world. Even though the follower of Jesus is hated by the world, we are called to live in the world, and show forth the glory of Jesus Christ.
We show forth His glory by showing forth the power of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus to change our lives. What has Christ Jesus wrought in you? If you have been saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross, then He has given you a New Life; you have been born again. You have been born into His kingdom; which is an everlasting kingdom which shall never perish.
The world is that which is perishing. The ones who are fearful and unbelieving. The ones who hate God and all that is godly. Yet, the Word is given to us to share with the world. We have been called out from the world of the flesh and the devil. We are called to live in the world, but not to be of it.
“Come out from among them and be ye separate” (2 Corinthians 6:17) is not a command to have nothing to do with the people of the world, but rather to not have anything to do with their ways of worship; their gods. We are to show forth only the glory of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. The only way we do that is going about our daily lives in the presence of the world; loving God, one another and those who are dying in this world.
-Tim A. Blankenship
Whatsoever Thou Hast Given Me…
We are already at Memorial Day of 2010, and there are many things which can concern and worry us. What is dear to you? What do you cherish more than anything else? Is it health, family, your children, your grandchildren, your spouse, your career? There was something dear and cherished by Jesus, and He shared them with those He knew and loved.
“Now they have known that all things whatsoever Thou hast given Me are of Thee. For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send Me” John 17:7 (KJV).
If you look at the first sentence of these two, you must ask the question “What has the Father given the Son? That question is quickly answered by the following statement. God’s Word is a very precious item to the Lord. Jesus lived to glorify the Father/God by living according to His Word, preaching it, and giving it to those who followed Him.
Giving the Word of God to others is still a priority of God’s people. It must be given. We must ask ourselves the begging question, “Have I received the Words the Father gave the Son?” The disciples did, and it was His disciples for whom He prayed, “They have received them”. It is because they had “Received them” that they were able to know, “Surely I came out from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send Me”. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ; you are His disciple, and this prayer is for you too.
When you want to know the Personal Truth personally you will hear, and receive His Word. It will be precious to you. Jesus Christ, the Living Word; will especially be precious to you.
-Tim A. Blankenship
LOOKING FOR JESUS – GENESIS
I am going to begin reposting these since I lost the original post. If you do not want to read them again, that is okay. There may be some new readers who come by this way and will be blessed by their reading.
For anyone else I will post on Chapter 11 of The Revelation of Jesus Christ on Monday morning. GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
LOOKING FOR JESUS – GENESIS
In writing previously of LOOKING FOR JESUS I have dealt with future events. I think it would do a great service to see that Jesus can also be found in the Old Testament. He can be found as the Living/Spoken Word of God in Creation; He can be found in direct prophecies concerning His incarnation – God becoming flesh and dwelling among men; He can also be seen in His pre-incarnate manifestations, and many times in types or shadows of persons or events.In the Revelation of Jesus Christ chapter 19 and verse 10 we find these words at the end of the verse, “…For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Now, when it comes to Jesus it has almost always excited me to find Jesus in the Old Testament, and that gives me a better understanding of who Jesus really is. It is the declaration of John the Apostle that prophecy is about Jesus.
Where many sermons and writings in our world today have much to do with our personal problems, anxieties, desires, etc., it seems to me that Jesus is much neglected in our churches. My purpose and aim in writing is to lift up Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. That is what I pray is done in these writings of LOOKING FOR JESUS, and the others as well. When you get Jesus as Lord of your life, your aim in life will be to glorify Him, and when those problems, anxieties, desires, etc. come along they will not seem so big.
Look in Genesis 1:3,6,9,11,14,20,24,26,29. In these verses it says, “And God said,…” It seems to me that that is the Voice of God, and that Voice is the Person of the Word of God going forth creating the things which God Says.
Now to some who read this you may think me to be a little off base, but read John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And in verse 14 of John one, “And the Word was made flesh, and He dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)full of grace and truth.” Was Jesus present at the creation of all things? Of course. John even goes on and says, “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” You can also see Paul’s writing in Colossians 1:14-20.
Now look with me in Genesis 3:8-10. This takes place following the rebellion of Adam and Eve. “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”Who was it that Adam and Eve heard in the garden? It is my conviction that it was the Living Word of God. Who did Adam and Eve have sweet communion with? The One who would be born as the Man Jesus.
Let me take you now to the fifth chapter of Genesis. That is only a genealogy. It is the first of the Bible. It is of the lineage of Seth, the holy line of God, and within this list of generations can be found a message of the gospel by looking at the meanings of the names. You can find these meanings in Strong’s Concordance. That is where I checked it out the first time I heard this. The names begin with Seth which means Appointed, Enos means Mortal, Cainan equals Sorrow, Mahalaleel equals Blessed God, Jared is Came down, Enoch is Experience, Methuselah equals Death which would bring, Lamech means Strength, and Noah means Rest/Comfort. Take those meanings and put them in sentence form – Appointed mortal sorrow, Blessed God came down experienced death which would bring strength and rest/comfort.
Truly God’s Word is inspired by His Holy Spirit. I do not know about you, but that is really WOW!. What is even greater is that God became flesh to take the judgment for our sins, then carry them away in burial and rise again for our justification, and eternal life.
I pray all who read this know this God/Man who is Lord and Savior.There will be more from Genesis later.
Edited for tags, and some paragraphing by t.a. 03/24/10
Broken Pieces 