As I write this after my quiet time with God this morning, it is the very end of my December; and we’re looking down the barrel of a new year, … that time when we human creatures are culturally and personally driven to review our past year and go into “New Year’s resolution” mode. Maybe you, as I am, are in this mode of thinking.
I think most of us, as we head into the New Year, would like to change something, do something better, or go into a restart mode of thinking; and so, if you feel that way (at least a little bit), stick with me here and let me share a few “starting over in the New Year” thoughts.
Each year, my computer is programmed to have me go back – on December 31 – and read/meditate on a poem which was written a number of years ago by the radio Bible teacher, Woodrow Kroll. It’s entitled, “START OVER.” Let me share it with you here.
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Start Over --- Woodrow Kroll
When you've trusted Jesus and walked His way,
When you've felt His hand lead you day by day,
But your steps now take you another way …
START OVER.
When you’ve made your plans and they’ve gone awry,
When you’ve tried your best 'til there’s no more try,
When you've failed yourself and you don’t know why …
START OVER.
When you’ve told your friends what you plan to do,
When you’ve trusted them but they’ve not come through,
Now you’re all alone and it’s up to you …
START OVER.
When you’ve failed your kids and they’re grown and gone,
When you’ve done your best but it turned out wrong,
And now your grandchildren have come along …
START OVER.
When you've prayed to God so you’ll know His will,
When you’ve prayed and prayed but you don’t know still,
When you want to stop cause you’ve had your fill …
START OVER.
When you think you’re finished and want to quit,
When you’ve bottomed out in life’s deepest pit,
When you’ve tried and tried to get out of it …
START OVER.
When the year's been long and successes few,
When December comes and you’re feeling blue,
God gives a January just for you …
START OVER.
Starting over means victories won,
Starting over means a race we run,
Starting over means the Lord’s “Well done,"
… so don’t just sit there ..
START OVER.
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And each year, as I am right now, I see at least a little bit of myself in Kroll’s poem; and I feel the need, from a deep-seated conviction, to move forward and “START OVER” with some aspect of my life. And having read the poem yourself, maybe you’re feeling a drive to lose some weight, to exercise more, or to manage the time or money God has given you more prudently or productively. Aw common, friend, admit it! You’d like to do a “start over” in some aspect of your life, wouldn’t you?
Well, as Woodrow Kroll so poetically writes, we can change, if we decide to … START OVER; and I’d like to give you some very powerful thoughts from no less than God’s word to help us be successful in doing our own, very personal, START OVER for this upcoming New Year. In each segment below, I will give you a passage from the Bible which I believe is going to help me do my START OVER for this next year. My prayer is that these words from this humble servant – but more importantly from God’s truth – will help you do your own START OVER into this next year. Actually there are many truths from Scripture which God can use to give us a START OVER boost into the New Year; but here are a few.
However, up front I need to make it clear that my writing and thoughts from here on are unashamedly for Christians who’re reading here. Since I will be invoking God’s word, if you’re reading this as a non-believer, or you don’t think that the Bible is absolute truth, you might as well just save your time and quit reading my thoughts. But, if, like me, you believe any scholarly translation of the Bible to be a vessel of God’s truth, then come along with me and let’s look at how God’s Spirit, the Author of His word, can give us some real help in our START OVER project.
And right here, one more important point, … my consciousness was pricked with the desire to be personally and spiritually successful in my START OVER for this upcoming year. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had New Year’s resolutions which fell by the wayside, in failure, … usually quite early into the year when I had declared these resolutions. I’ve done all the classics, … made resolutions to lose weight, which I need to do again this year; or maybe it was the ever-faithful, “I’ll exercise more” goal, both of which usually were broken in about a month or so. Therefore, if I’m going to be doing any START OVER moves this year, I want it to be a success. How about you?
Well, in that regard, I could not help but think of the very pertinent START OVER story of Joshua, right at the outset of the book in the Old Testament by his name. I’m sure many of you remember the historical context of the first nine verses of the Book of Joshua. Let me print them out for you here in the NIV …
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Joshua 1: 1 – 9 … 1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
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I’m sure you probably remember this passage in context. Old Joshua was very likely all upset about his mentor, Moses, having just died; and God was charging Joshua to take His people across the Jordan into the long-awaited “promised-land.” And you just know in this “START OVER” task, Joshua had to have been feeling a bit overwhelmed. Certainly he had never done anything like this because Moses had always been THE leader of God’s people; but here he was thrust into that role. Overwhelming? You bet!
But God was there for Joshua, and above we read the very words of God, encouraging old Josh to move forward; and the Lord even gave this leader, probably feeling inadequate to the task, a START OVER prescription. Read verse 8 in bold above; and you’ll see that God told Joshua that he would be successful in this God-led task if – and only IF – Joshua would stay in God’s word, following the Lord’s truth, day and night, and doing everything in that Book of Truth to insure that Joshua would stay on track as he led God’s people into God’s promised land.
I don’t know what you’re promised-land is. Maybe it’s being a more healthy you. Maybe it’s being a better steward of God’s finances. But somehow you know that you need to START OVER; and you desire to do it right this time. Well, one principle we can glean from Joshua 1: 8 above and God’s charge to Joshua, is that to be spiritually successful we need to be in God’s word and follow it obediently – day and night!
That’s also the message of such Old Testament passages as those I’m going to lay out for you right here … Psalm 119: 105 … Your word is a lamp for my feet, … a light on my path. Or … Proverbs 3: 5 – 6 … Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; … in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
These three verses, the one from Joshua 1: 8 and the latter two, were drummed into my consciousness years ago with the help of a mentor, who taught me the spiritual value of Scripture memory. And I hope that you have seriously undertaken this discipline in your life as well. You see, when something comes up in my life; … maybe a controversy; … maybe a serious decision I must make; … very often a Scripture I have memorized will bubble out of from my consciousness, by the Holy Spirit, I believe, to help give me God’s truth or to guide me, especially if I’m moving to START OVER in some aspect of my life.
Even right now, as I write this, the very words of Jesus, which I memorized years ago from the NKJV, are bubbling up to give me guidance. They are found in Luke 9: 23; and you may know this exhortation which Jesus made to many of His disciples, … “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” It’s almost like Jesus is saying to me, “Bill, if you really want to do a START OVER, just let Me lead you; and if you’ll just surrender your circumstances to me, I’ll help you get this thing done!” And in this I’m also bolstered by two other truths which I’ve memorized from God’s word, … Proverbs 3: 5-6 again [quoted above] and Paul’s writing to believers in 1st Corinthians 10: 13 (if you don’t know this one, please go look it up).
As I’m sitting here, all of these truths are saying to me, “Bill, if you’re looking for a START OVER, let ME guide you into My promised-land; and when I give you MY START OVER, just for you, … you’ll know that doing it is the best START OVER for you; and also, if you go for it, following Me, and staying in My word, I’m going to lead you to success.” How about you? Is that what God’s truth, as I’ve laid out here, is saying to you? If not, I’d sure like to know what God is saying to you – from His word – about the need for you to follow God’s will for you in a START OVER.
My friend, God has given me my START OVER for the New Year. It is to read, meditate on, and journal (i.e., blog) what God gives me daily in reading through the chronological Bible reading program our church will be using in this next year. After some seeking and prayer, that’s where God is leading me into my own START OVER. ... What’s yours? ... I’d sure like for you to share your own START OVER with me; and if you’d be so inclined, you can email me @ willieb13@rocketmail.com and let me know your START OVER for the year … and maybe what God has given you from His word to encourage you as well.
Bill Berry, … December 31, 2011
Saturday, December 31, 2011
December 31, 2011 … The Preeminence of Christ
Passage of the Day: Colossians 1: 18 - 19 [see highlight verse in bold/underlined in the context of the entire passage] … 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, …
My Journal for Today: This is the final devotional study focusing on Christology on the final day of this year. Note that John MacArthur has chosen to focus his teaching to believers about Christ by using Col. 1: 15 – 19 in these last days of the year; and we read MacArthur in his Strength For Today entry, charging his readers to “… be encouraged to meditate on the glory of Christ as revealed in this passage.” He goes on to write “… doing so will help you be transformed into Christ’s image and will prepare you to behold His glory in Heaven.”
And as we enter into a new year, meditating on the glory of Christ is a wonderful and most practical resolution for next year. For, as we read in Col. 1: 18 above, Christ is the Head of His Body; and we, the Church, make up that Body. Christ is our source and/or our beginning. He is the first and preeminent One from all who have been or ever will be raised from the dead for God’s glory.
Therefore, as we close out one year and enter into another, God’s Spirit leads me in this moment to return to a 19th century hymn, … the chorus which I have quoted several times in my devotionals this past year and one which penetrates my heart as I listen to it as I write this, … [And if you’d like to hear/sing along with this old hymn as you meditate here – go to this link]
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Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
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As I’ve said, and hopefully practiced in my devotional life, … given the preeminence of Christ in the heart of any believer, … there can be no more powerful or practical meditation than can be found in the words of that hymn and the hope we have in Christ especially for the New Year.
Everyday this month, I’ve exhorted any who are reading these devotional entries to “stay tuned.” And the only way that I would do this for the New Year would be to say “STAY TUNED to Christ” in your life as you surrender to God’s Spirit and allow The Lord to rule and reign in your heart.
My Prayer Today: I look longingly, Lord, on You for all things in this upcoming new year. Amen
My Journal for Today: This is the final devotional study focusing on Christology on the final day of this year. Note that John MacArthur has chosen to focus his teaching to believers about Christ by using Col. 1: 15 – 19 in these last days of the year; and we read MacArthur in his Strength For Today entry, charging his readers to “… be encouraged to meditate on the glory of Christ as revealed in this passage.” He goes on to write “… doing so will help you be transformed into Christ’s image and will prepare you to behold His glory in Heaven.”
And as we enter into a new year, meditating on the glory of Christ is a wonderful and most practical resolution for next year. For, as we read in Col. 1: 18 above, Christ is the Head of His Body; and we, the Church, make up that Body. Christ is our source and/or our beginning. He is the first and preeminent One from all who have been or ever will be raised from the dead for God’s glory.
Therefore, as we close out one year and enter into another, God’s Spirit leads me in this moment to return to a 19th century hymn, … the chorus which I have quoted several times in my devotionals this past year and one which penetrates my heart as I listen to it as I write this, … [And if you’d like to hear/sing along with this old hymn as you meditate here – go to this link]
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Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
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As I’ve said, and hopefully practiced in my devotional life, … given the preeminence of Christ in the heart of any believer, … there can be no more powerful or practical meditation than can be found in the words of that hymn and the hope we have in Christ especially for the New Year.
Everyday this month, I’ve exhorted any who are reading these devotional entries to “stay tuned.” And the only way that I would do this for the New Year would be to say “STAY TUNED to Christ” in your life as you surrender to God’s Spirit and allow The Lord to rule and reign in your heart.
My Prayer Today: I look longingly, Lord, on You for all things in this upcoming new year. Amen
Friday, December 30, 2011
December 30, 2011 … Sustaining the Universe
Passage of the Day: Colossians 1: 17 [see highlight verse in bold/underlined in the context of the entire passage] … 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, …
My Journal for Today: Today in his Strength for Today devotional entry, John MacArthur highlights and discusses something that is a bit overwhelming in scope for many Christians (well, at least yours truly!) … that Christ holds all that He has created together to fulfill His Covenant plan for all time (see Col. 1: 17). Thinking of the vast expanse of all Christ created in the universe (see John 1: 1 – 3), little ole me would seem to be a very small part of God’s grand cosmic scheme. And one day, as we read in 2nd Peter 3: 10 - 13, God is going to fold all His former creation by fire into nothingness, creating a New Jerusalem (i.e., new Heaven) for His church; and that includes – you guessed it - little ole me. And though God is the Alpha and Omega and was/is the great I AM (see Micah 5: 2, Rev. 22: 13, and John 8: 58), He is MY Savior and Lord, making little ole me of infinitely great importance to Him and a very real part of why our Lord will bring down His new Heaven for His Bride (as was promised in John 14: 1 – 4).
And all I can say, very meekly and humbly here, is … WOW!
Think about this in the grand scheme of the universe. God created little ole ME (and you) for HIS glorious purpose; and so, this makes it a very BIG deal for me to live my life in accord with His purpose (i.e., His will). Meditate on this further, my dear one! Just as Christ, the Alpha and Omega, will sustain the whole universe He created; so, in His purpose and timing, He will sustain me (and you) as well … as part of His very special plan for His Bride.
Really, bringing this into focus makes one realize just how important it is for us to live in pursuit of and vigilance for God’s plan for our lives. That’s what Peter discussed as he referred to Paul’s teachings on this matter (in 2nd Peter 3: 14 – 18); and most certainly it’s all about what Paul was preaching/teaching in a number of his New Testament letters … that our lives are to be lived in obedience to God’s will so that God’s plan for our lives can be fulfilled in our relationship with Christ.
As we enter this upcoming new year, are we, as Christians, aspiring to and living out God’s will for our lives? If not, there is no better place and time for us to make the commitment to do so than right NOW! I pray that I do that; and I pray, dear one, that you do so as well. But we have one final day this year to concentrate on Christ and what He has done for us as believers; and I would predict that you’ve already said it for me – “… stay tuned!”
My Prayer Today: Hold me, Lord; and sustain me for Your design in Your time. Amen
My Journal for Today: Today in his Strength for Today devotional entry, John MacArthur highlights and discusses something that is a bit overwhelming in scope for many Christians (well, at least yours truly!) … that Christ holds all that He has created together to fulfill His Covenant plan for all time (see Col. 1: 17). Thinking of the vast expanse of all Christ created in the universe (see John 1: 1 – 3), little ole me would seem to be a very small part of God’s grand cosmic scheme. And one day, as we read in 2nd Peter 3: 10 - 13, God is going to fold all His former creation by fire into nothingness, creating a New Jerusalem (i.e., new Heaven) for His church; and that includes – you guessed it - little ole me. And though God is the Alpha and Omega and was/is the great I AM (see Micah 5: 2, Rev. 22: 13, and John 8: 58), He is MY Savior and Lord, making little ole me of infinitely great importance to Him and a very real part of why our Lord will bring down His new Heaven for His Bride (as was promised in John 14: 1 – 4).
And all I can say, very meekly and humbly here, is … WOW!
Think about this in the grand scheme of the universe. God created little ole ME (and you) for HIS glorious purpose; and so, this makes it a very BIG deal for me to live my life in accord with His purpose (i.e., His will). Meditate on this further, my dear one! Just as Christ, the Alpha and Omega, will sustain the whole universe He created; so, in His purpose and timing, He will sustain me (and you) as well … as part of His very special plan for His Bride.
Really, bringing this into focus makes one realize just how important it is for us to live in pursuit of and vigilance for God’s plan for our lives. That’s what Peter discussed as he referred to Paul’s teachings on this matter (in 2nd Peter 3: 14 – 18); and most certainly it’s all about what Paul was preaching/teaching in a number of his New Testament letters … that our lives are to be lived in obedience to God’s will so that God’s plan for our lives can be fulfilled in our relationship with Christ.
As we enter this upcoming new year, are we, as Christians, aspiring to and living out God’s will for our lives? If not, there is no better place and time for us to make the commitment to do so than right NOW! I pray that I do that; and I pray, dear one, that you do so as well. But we have one final day this year to concentrate on Christ and what He has done for us as believers; and I would predict that you’ve already said it for me – “… stay tuned!”
My Prayer Today: Hold me, Lord; and sustain me for Your design in Your time. Amen
Thursday, December 29, 2011
December 29, 2011 … Christ Is The Creator
Passage of the Day: Colossians 1: 16 [see highlight verse in bold/underlined in the context of the entire passage] … 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, …
My Journal for Today: I think we’ve all, on a clear night, have looked into the night sky, being awe struck by all the stars we see. And then to think that there are billions of galaxies, each of which have millions or billions of stars that we can’t see with the naked eye. … Wow!
And the Apostle Paul, through the message of today’s passage to believers at Colosse, wanted to make it clear to Christians who had been exposed to heretical teachings about Jesus that it was Christ who had created all we see in the heavens. However, MacArthur writes something we all need to keep in mind, “Even more amazing is, not that man [sees the stars] or has gone into space, but that God came to earth. In Christ, the invisible God who created everything and everyone became visible to man. How sad that while man looks into space, he refuses to look at the One Who came to earth.” … To any Christian who reads this, do I sense an “AMEN?”
Certainly the lost – i.e., those who refuse to worship the God-Man - reject the One Who became our Savior. But I’m afraid that even Christians all too often do not worship God with the awe Christ, our Creator, deserves. For those who reject or humanize Christ’s deity, such ignorance of worship is understandable; but we who call Him “Lord” should come to our Savior, before His throne of grace, absolutely and utterly in awe. Think of it! We are able, because of God’s grace, to come to the very Creator of the universe with our any/all of our needs and to petition the exalted Lord Himself, anytime, anyplace. Is that not the most awesome deal there ever was?!!
And yes, in these waning December days there will be a little more opportunity to learn and to meditate more about Him; so, as I’ve said each day this month, “Stay tuned!”
My Prayer Today: O, Lord, please forgive my pitiful worship. You are the Great I AM; and I bow before You this day. May I live for You as well. Amen
My Journal for Today: I think we’ve all, on a clear night, have looked into the night sky, being awe struck by all the stars we see. And then to think that there are billions of galaxies, each of which have millions or billions of stars that we can’t see with the naked eye. … Wow!
And the Apostle Paul, through the message of today’s passage to believers at Colosse, wanted to make it clear to Christians who had been exposed to heretical teachings about Jesus that it was Christ who had created all we see in the heavens. However, MacArthur writes something we all need to keep in mind, “Even more amazing is, not that man [sees the stars] or has gone into space, but that God came to earth. In Christ, the invisible God who created everything and everyone became visible to man. How sad that while man looks into space, he refuses to look at the One Who came to earth.” … To any Christian who reads this, do I sense an “AMEN?”
Certainly the lost – i.e., those who refuse to worship the God-Man - reject the One Who became our Savior. But I’m afraid that even Christians all too often do not worship God with the awe Christ, our Creator, deserves. For those who reject or humanize Christ’s deity, such ignorance of worship is understandable; but we who call Him “Lord” should come to our Savior, before His throne of grace, absolutely and utterly in awe. Think of it! We are able, because of God’s grace, to come to the very Creator of the universe with our any/all of our needs and to petition the exalted Lord Himself, anytime, anyplace. Is that not the most awesome deal there ever was?!!
And yes, in these waning December days there will be a little more opportunity to learn and to meditate more about Him; so, as I’ve said each day this month, “Stay tuned!”
My Prayer Today: O, Lord, please forgive my pitiful worship. You are the Great I AM; and I bow before You this day. May I live for You as well. Amen
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
December 28, 2011 … The Inheritance of Christ
Passage of the Day: Colossians 1: 15b NIV … [see highlight verse in bold/underlined in the context of the entire passage] … 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.
My Journal for Today: Today’s verse, again from Colossians 1, tells us much about the preeminence of Christ as the God-Man. Paul was writing to the Church about heretics in his day who wanted to deny Christ’s deity, much like the Jehovah-Witness cult would today, using today’s verse as support for their beliefs, saying that the reference to “firstborn” would indicate that Jesus of Nazareth, being a firstborn human, could not therefore be the eternal God.
However, as MacArthur indicates in his Strength for Today entry for this date, such an interpretation and/or translation of Col. 1: 15b, ignores the Greek meaning for the term “firstborn,” which is “prototokos.” This term can, as Jehovah’s Witnesses contend, mean the firstborn in a family, whether human or animal. However, when it refers to royalty or positional authority, in this case referring to Christ’s position in and over creation, it takes on a broader, more encompassing connotation. In the latter case it refers to ranking by inheritance or position; and here Paul is referring to Christ’s ranking as THE ONE with the right of inheritance over all creation.
If any rational person were to study Col. 1: 15 – 17, he/she would see that the context clearly argues against any who would say that Christ couldn’t be God because of His human birth. Rather, we can declare from this text, with Paul, that Christ, though born a human, was, is, and always will be The One from Whom all creation emanates.
You know, … if you’re a golf fan, many times when a prominent golfer tees off in a tournament on TV, you’ll hear somebody yell, “You ‘da man!!” in the background. Well, when it comes to Jesus, we should be shouting out loudly, “YOU are THE Man, dear Jesus!!” And all should hear from our lips and see in our lives the truth of divinity in this man, Jesus, the Son of God, for Whom we should live our lives in worship.
I don’t know about you, but this study in Christology this month, with the help of God’s Spirit and John MacArthur has been most edifying, reminding me of Who Christ is and what He has done for all mankind in His incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, glorification, and intercession. Just a few more days; but stay tuned for a bit more about our Lord; and learning anything more about The Christ is worth the effort.
My Prayer Today: You are THE ONE, Lord! Amen
My Journal for Today: Today’s verse, again from Colossians 1, tells us much about the preeminence of Christ as the God-Man. Paul was writing to the Church about heretics in his day who wanted to deny Christ’s deity, much like the Jehovah-Witness cult would today, using today’s verse as support for their beliefs, saying that the reference to “firstborn” would indicate that Jesus of Nazareth, being a firstborn human, could not therefore be the eternal God.
However, as MacArthur indicates in his Strength for Today entry for this date, such an interpretation and/or translation of Col. 1: 15b, ignores the Greek meaning for the term “firstborn,” which is “prototokos.” This term can, as Jehovah’s Witnesses contend, mean the firstborn in a family, whether human or animal. However, when it refers to royalty or positional authority, in this case referring to Christ’s position in and over creation, it takes on a broader, more encompassing connotation. In the latter case it refers to ranking by inheritance or position; and here Paul is referring to Christ’s ranking as THE ONE with the right of inheritance over all creation.
If any rational person were to study Col. 1: 15 – 17, he/she would see that the context clearly argues against any who would say that Christ couldn’t be God because of His human birth. Rather, we can declare from this text, with Paul, that Christ, though born a human, was, is, and always will be The One from Whom all creation emanates.
You know, … if you’re a golf fan, many times when a prominent golfer tees off in a tournament on TV, you’ll hear somebody yell, “You ‘da man!!” in the background. Well, when it comes to Jesus, we should be shouting out loudly, “YOU are THE Man, dear Jesus!!” And all should hear from our lips and see in our lives the truth of divinity in this man, Jesus, the Son of God, for Whom we should live our lives in worship.
I don’t know about you, but this study in Christology this month, with the help of God’s Spirit and John MacArthur has been most edifying, reminding me of Who Christ is and what He has done for all mankind in His incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, glorification, and intercession. Just a few more days; but stay tuned for a bit more about our Lord; and learning anything more about The Christ is worth the effort.
My Prayer Today: You are THE ONE, Lord! Amen
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
December 27, 2011 … God Becomes Visible
Passage of the Day: Colossians 1: 15 [see highlight verse in bold/underlined in the context of the entire passage] … 15 He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, …
My Journal for Today: Today’s highlight passage to the Colossians (and to all believers) from Paul states, “He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God.” And Hebrews 1: 3 states, “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” And Jesus Himself declared (in John 14: 9), “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” This was true for all those men and women who were blessed to see the live Jesus as He walked the earth. When they saw Jesus, they saw God. And I have a tendency to think that those folks who lived and walked and saw Jesus, had an advantage over those before Him and we who come later. However, as John MacArthur rightfully points out, Christ has been the “image of God” from all eternity, not just from the time of His incarnation, that event of all times which we have just celebrated at Christmas and during the Advent Season.
As the God-Man, however, Jesus presented all mankind with an exact human “eikon” (Greek for “likeness” from which we get our English word “icon”) in the flesh of the invisible God. For a season of time He was the invisible God in visible humanity. And now we know that Christ’s claim that He was/is, in the flesh, the “I AM” of the Old Testament (see John 8: 58) was true. Jesus of Nazareth was/is God in the flesh, which Paul often, and forcefully, proclaimed, as he did in today’s text (see also Col. 2: 9 and Titus 2: 13). And that is the image that we, as Christians should reflect as we aspire/attempt to walk in Christlikeness [see and remember Eph. 4: 1-2 and Phil. 2: 5 cited earlier this month]. When Christ commanded us to shine His light through our good (i.e., Godly) works (as He did in Matt. 5: 16), we need to look no further than to the God-Man model of Jesus Christ to see what kind of light we should be shining into this sin-darkened world so that the lost as well as sinful Christians can see Christ in our lives, glorifying the Father in Heaven.
What about you? Will you join me this day, tomorrow, and into the New Year with the goal of shining the Light of Christ in what we think, say, and do? And to that end, stay tuned as we finish our December study of Christ so that we can be brighter lights in the New Year.
My Prayer Today: O, Lord, shine Your Light through me. Amen
My Journal for Today: Today’s highlight passage to the Colossians (and to all believers) from Paul states, “He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God.” And Hebrews 1: 3 states, “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” And Jesus Himself declared (in John 14: 9), “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” This was true for all those men and women who were blessed to see the live Jesus as He walked the earth. When they saw Jesus, they saw God. And I have a tendency to think that those folks who lived and walked and saw Jesus, had an advantage over those before Him and we who come later. However, as John MacArthur rightfully points out, Christ has been the “image of God” from all eternity, not just from the time of His incarnation, that event of all times which we have just celebrated at Christmas and during the Advent Season.
As the God-Man, however, Jesus presented all mankind with an exact human “eikon” (Greek for “likeness” from which we get our English word “icon”) in the flesh of the invisible God. For a season of time He was the invisible God in visible humanity. And now we know that Christ’s claim that He was/is, in the flesh, the “I AM” of the Old Testament (see John 8: 58) was true. Jesus of Nazareth was/is God in the flesh, which Paul often, and forcefully, proclaimed, as he did in today’s text (see also Col. 2: 9 and Titus 2: 13). And that is the image that we, as Christians should reflect as we aspire/attempt to walk in Christlikeness [see and remember Eph. 4: 1-2 and Phil. 2: 5 cited earlier this month]. When Christ commanded us to shine His light through our good (i.e., Godly) works (as He did in Matt. 5: 16), we need to look no further than to the God-Man model of Jesus Christ to see what kind of light we should be shining into this sin-darkened world so that the lost as well as sinful Christians can see Christ in our lives, glorifying the Father in Heaven.
What about you? Will you join me this day, tomorrow, and into the New Year with the goal of shining the Light of Christ in what we think, say, and do? And to that end, stay tuned as we finish our December study of Christ so that we can be brighter lights in the New Year.
My Prayer Today: O, Lord, shine Your Light through me. Amen
Monday, December 26, 2011
December 26, 2011 … Defending the Faith
Passage of the Day: Colossians 1: 15 – 19 … 15 He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, …
My Journal for Today: Okay, we move from Paul’s strong declaration of Christ’s humanity and deity in Philippians 2 to another passage, this time in Colossians, the first chapter, where the Apostle stood strong for the reality and truth of Jesus Christ being the God-Man.
Today, in our post-modern culture, Christians are often challenged by those who deny Christ’s deity, just as Paul was when Epaphrus, the evangelist/founder of the church at Colosse, apparently wrote to Paul about the same type of ill-informed heresy we see now in our post-modern world. Paul writes, from prison in Rome, to his Christian brothers/sisters in Colosse, his spirited defense of true Christian doctrine to help Epaphrus and other Colossian believers to understand that teachings or beliefs which de-emphasize the preeminence of Christ and emphasize human knowledge/understanding distorting the true gospel are nothing but heresy, concocted by man to elevate himself and to humanize God. As we read in today’s text, Paul stood strong for the truth of Christ’s deity and authority over all things. Actually, today’s passage is a powerful exposition of God’s truth concerning Christology, … i.e., Christ’s deity and preeminent authority as LORD of all.
When we, as assertive believers, witnessing our faith, are confronted by those who choose to ignore the evidence of history and reject the deity of Christ (as I did for many years, calling myself “agnostic”), those who know and believe the truth must stand as was exhorted by Peter in 1st Peter 3: 15 – 16, when he wrote, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have [in Christ]. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” And today in our highlight passage in Colossians 1, we have a role model presentation of such a defense of the faith.
For years I did all I could to discount the witness of Christians who tried to stand for their faith when I challenged them with my doubts and questions. I would not listen to their testimonies of how Christ had brought them to a place of faith in His deity or from their stories of His transforming grace. But finally, in 1983, one such testimony of a young quadriplegic man who found His strength in Christ’s grace brought me to a place where I could reach out and find the truth of Christ’s Lordship. But it took many Christians, standing for their faith over many years to break through my veneer of egoism. So, you may encounter those, as I was, who will discount the truth of Jesus being God in the flesh. But stand in your faith! Stand like Paul did for the Colossians, telling the truth of Christ and how He has shaped and changed your life.
There’s great power in a personal testimony. In fact, one might argue about biblical interpretations, claiming (though falsely) that the Bible is irrelevant. But no one can argue with a strongly stated testimony. My testimony is mine! And no one can tell me that my belief in Christ has not changed my life. At 39, I was a hardened and cynical agnostic [probably more accurately called an “atheist”], deeply entrenched in habitual sin for most of my adult life. My marriage was almost broken; and my career was near the breaking point as well because of my spiritual weakness. And then came Christ; and my surrender to follow Him as my Lord changed everything. And here I am today, writing this as an Ordained Minister of the Gospel and an Elder in my church with a wonderful, renewed marriage and fulfilling life of ministry. Only Christ, and His Lordship in my life, could have shaped the person that is Bill Berry today. As they say down here in the South, “It’s a God thing!”
A mocker or disbeliever can misinterpret Scripture or foolishly deny the deity of Christ to my face; but, no one could tell me that my story isn’t true! And I hope that you will take any opportunity you might have into this upcoming New Year to declare to those who challenge Christ in your life so that you can let your story tell the truth about Christ’s deity and how He is transforming you.
And with that in mind, we will be exploring more of Paul’s exposition of Christ’s Lordship in his letter to the Colossians; so, yes, … stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: I will stand for You always, Lord. Amen
My Journal for Today: Okay, we move from Paul’s strong declaration of Christ’s humanity and deity in Philippians 2 to another passage, this time in Colossians, the first chapter, where the Apostle stood strong for the reality and truth of Jesus Christ being the God-Man.
Today, in our post-modern culture, Christians are often challenged by those who deny Christ’s deity, just as Paul was when Epaphrus, the evangelist/founder of the church at Colosse, apparently wrote to Paul about the same type of ill-informed heresy we see now in our post-modern world. Paul writes, from prison in Rome, to his Christian brothers/sisters in Colosse, his spirited defense of true Christian doctrine to help Epaphrus and other Colossian believers to understand that teachings or beliefs which de-emphasize the preeminence of Christ and emphasize human knowledge/understanding distorting the true gospel are nothing but heresy, concocted by man to elevate himself and to humanize God. As we read in today’s text, Paul stood strong for the truth of Christ’s deity and authority over all things. Actually, today’s passage is a powerful exposition of God’s truth concerning Christology, … i.e., Christ’s deity and preeminent authority as LORD of all.
When we, as assertive believers, witnessing our faith, are confronted by those who choose to ignore the evidence of history and reject the deity of Christ (as I did for many years, calling myself “agnostic”), those who know and believe the truth must stand as was exhorted by Peter in 1st Peter 3: 15 – 16, when he wrote, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have [in Christ]. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” And today in our highlight passage in Colossians 1, we have a role model presentation of such a defense of the faith.
For years I did all I could to discount the witness of Christians who tried to stand for their faith when I challenged them with my doubts and questions. I would not listen to their testimonies of how Christ had brought them to a place of faith in His deity or from their stories of His transforming grace. But finally, in 1983, one such testimony of a young quadriplegic man who found His strength in Christ’s grace brought me to a place where I could reach out and find the truth of Christ’s Lordship. But it took many Christians, standing for their faith over many years to break through my veneer of egoism. So, you may encounter those, as I was, who will discount the truth of Jesus being God in the flesh. But stand in your faith! Stand like Paul did for the Colossians, telling the truth of Christ and how He has shaped and changed your life.
There’s great power in a personal testimony. In fact, one might argue about biblical interpretations, claiming (though falsely) that the Bible is irrelevant. But no one can argue with a strongly stated testimony. My testimony is mine! And no one can tell me that my belief in Christ has not changed my life. At 39, I was a hardened and cynical agnostic [probably more accurately called an “atheist”], deeply entrenched in habitual sin for most of my adult life. My marriage was almost broken; and my career was near the breaking point as well because of my spiritual weakness. And then came Christ; and my surrender to follow Him as my Lord changed everything. And here I am today, writing this as an Ordained Minister of the Gospel and an Elder in my church with a wonderful, renewed marriage and fulfilling life of ministry. Only Christ, and His Lordship in my life, could have shaped the person that is Bill Berry today. As they say down here in the South, “It’s a God thing!”
A mocker or disbeliever can misinterpret Scripture or foolishly deny the deity of Christ to my face; but, no one could tell me that my story isn’t true! And I hope that you will take any opportunity you might have into this upcoming New Year to declare to those who challenge Christ in your life so that you can let your story tell the truth about Christ’s deity and how He is transforming you.
And with that in mind, we will be exploring more of Paul’s exposition of Christ’s Lordship in his letter to the Colossians; so, yes, … stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: I will stand for You always, Lord. Amen
Sunday, December 25, 2011
December 25, 2011 … The Purpose of Christ’s Exaltation
Blogger's Note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!!!
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9, 11 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: Everything Jesus did, through His incarnation, which we celebrate on this date, and through His life, death, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation, was/is for the glory of God, The Father (see Phil. 2: 11). It is true that God, The Father, declares Himself to be the One and only God (see Exodus 20: 2 – 3 and Isaiah 45: 5a). However, as MacArthur relates in today’s Strength for Today entry, both Matt. 17: 5 and John 5: 23 declare, from the majesty of the Trinity, that all who honor God, The Son, give glory to God, The Father. They are One; and our lives are lived to glorify our TRINITARIAN God.
Therefore, as I meditate here on Christmas morning, I’m drawn, with conviction, to the realization that when I confess Christ as my Lord and I live in obedience to His word, doing all I can to reflect His Light into the world, I give honor and glory to The Father just as did His Son, Jesus (see Matt. 5: 16). And when the fruit of God [see Gal. 5: 22 – 23], the Spirit, are manifest in my life, again God, The Father, is glorified (see John 15: 8).
So, in this time of Advent reflection and celebration of Christ’s birth, we see that Christ’s exaltation by God, The Father, was to affirm that Christ would be glorified by His Church; and in so doing, God, The Father becomes greatly glorified. And likewise, when we worship Christ as our Lord with lives being directed by the Holy Spirit, we become the “living sacrifices” described by Paul in Rom. 12: 1; and in so doing we bring glory to our Father in Heaven. It is perfect circular redundancy; and the more it becomes our life of worship, we live to be God’s glory.
That is what all of this Christology has been about this month. I pray that it has touched you the way it has me; and tomorrow we switch to another passage from Paul in Colossians to round out these last few days in December; so, stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: On this special day to honor my Lord’s birth, may my life be lived to honor You, my Father in Heaven. Amen
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9, 11 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: Everything Jesus did, through His incarnation, which we celebrate on this date, and through His life, death, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation, was/is for the glory of God, The Father (see Phil. 2: 11). It is true that God, The Father, declares Himself to be the One and only God (see Exodus 20: 2 – 3 and Isaiah 45: 5a). However, as MacArthur relates in today’s Strength for Today entry, both Matt. 17: 5 and John 5: 23 declare, from the majesty of the Trinity, that all who honor God, The Son, give glory to God, The Father. They are One; and our lives are lived to glorify our TRINITARIAN God.
Therefore, as I meditate here on Christmas morning, I’m drawn, with conviction, to the realization that when I confess Christ as my Lord and I live in obedience to His word, doing all I can to reflect His Light into the world, I give honor and glory to The Father just as did His Son, Jesus (see Matt. 5: 16). And when the fruit of God [see Gal. 5: 22 – 23], the Spirit, are manifest in my life, again God, The Father, is glorified (see John 15: 8).
So, in this time of Advent reflection and celebration of Christ’s birth, we see that Christ’s exaltation by God, The Father, was to affirm that Christ would be glorified by His Church; and in so doing, God, The Father becomes greatly glorified. And likewise, when we worship Christ as our Lord with lives being directed by the Holy Spirit, we become the “living sacrifices” described by Paul in Rom. 12: 1; and in so doing we bring glory to our Father in Heaven. It is perfect circular redundancy; and the more it becomes our life of worship, we live to be God’s glory.
That is what all of this Christology has been about this month. I pray that it has touched you the way it has me; and tomorrow we switch to another passage from Paul in Colossians to round out these last few days in December; so, stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: On this special day to honor my Lord’s birth, may my life be lived to honor You, my Father in Heaven. Amen
Saturday, December 24, 2011
December 24, 2011 … A Call to Worship
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 10 - 11 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: Yes, … same passage as yesterday; and any time a Bible teacher, like John MacArthur or yours truly, surveys a passage repeatedly, it will be for emphasis; and that is most certainly the case here. Studying Christology this month, MacArthur wants his Strength for Today readers [like me] to see the wondrous future which lies ahead for the unfallen Angels, for all redeemed believers whose spirits await glorified bodies in Heaven, and for all the living, who, like myself, worship Christ as Savior AND LORD.
Think on it, … meditate on it, … and celebrate it in this Advent season! For all rational humans who “confess” (i.e., affirm and/or acknowledge) the exalted Christ as Lord AND Savior will be able to worship our Lord in perfect and glorified closeness for all eternity (see that clearly stated in Romans 10: 9 – 13). However, for all rational beings who do not confess Jesus as Lord, there awaits the horror of bowing to worship The Christ as Lord in the eternal pit of separation, darkness, and the fires of hell.
Yes, ALL rational created beings will bow the knee of worship to the risen and exalted Christ, … the King of kings and Lord of lords. And I pray that whomever reads this has completely surrendered to the Living Lord, declaring in faith that HE is your Savior AND Lord. And I pray, on this Christmas Eve, that your life joins mine in celebrating the Advent birth of our risen Lord with our lives of sacrifice and service, … lives of living worship (see Romans 12: 1-2 which can be our only gift to Him for His gift to us, … the greatest gift of all.
No more words really need be written here about Christ; but there is more … so, yes, … stay tuned; we still have one more week in this current devotional study about Christ – and then a whole lifetime, actually an eternity, to get to know Him more closely!
My Prayer Today: May we all worship Your Holy and exalted Name, dear LORD. Amen
My Journal for Today: Yes, … same passage as yesterday; and any time a Bible teacher, like John MacArthur or yours truly, surveys a passage repeatedly, it will be for emphasis; and that is most certainly the case here. Studying Christology this month, MacArthur wants his Strength for Today readers [like me] to see the wondrous future which lies ahead for the unfallen Angels, for all redeemed believers whose spirits await glorified bodies in Heaven, and for all the living, who, like myself, worship Christ as Savior AND LORD.
Think on it, … meditate on it, … and celebrate it in this Advent season! For all rational humans who “confess” (i.e., affirm and/or acknowledge) the exalted Christ as Lord AND Savior will be able to worship our Lord in perfect and glorified closeness for all eternity (see that clearly stated in Romans 10: 9 – 13). However, for all rational beings who do not confess Jesus as Lord, there awaits the horror of bowing to worship The Christ as Lord in the eternal pit of separation, darkness, and the fires of hell.
Yes, ALL rational created beings will bow the knee of worship to the risen and exalted Christ, … the King of kings and Lord of lords. And I pray that whomever reads this has completely surrendered to the Living Lord, declaring in faith that HE is your Savior AND Lord. And I pray, on this Christmas Eve, that your life joins mine in celebrating the Advent birth of our risen Lord with our lives of sacrifice and service, … lives of living worship (see Romans 12: 1-2 which can be our only gift to Him for His gift to us, … the greatest gift of all.
No more words really need be written here about Christ; but there is more … so, yes, … stay tuned; we still have one more week in this current devotional study about Christ – and then a whole lifetime, actually an eternity, to get to know Him more closely!
My Prayer Today: May we all worship Your Holy and exalted Name, dear LORD. Amen
Friday, December 23, 2011
December 23, 2011 … Responding to Christ’s Exaltation
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 10 - 11 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: Today’s passage, and John MacArthur’s teachings on the Phil. 2: 10 – 11 passage in today’s Strength for Today entry, point to the inevitable response that all created beings ultimately will have before the throne of the risen and exalted “Lord,” and that is to humbly “bow” in worship. The Apostle Paul’s declaration of this truth here as well in Romans 14: 11 where Paul quotes from Isaiah 45:23, writing “It is written: 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' “ Paul’s forceful statement and quote from Scripture exempts NO ONE!
The subjunctive mood, involving the phrase “every knee should bow” means that such worship WILL take place at some point in God’s future plan for mankind as prophesied first by God through Isaiah (again 45: 23) . Some will have done so voluntarily, as has yours truly. However, some – and many more unfortunately – will come before the glorified and exalted Christ, bowing in stark terror to recognize His Lordship, realizing that God’s wrath awaits their rejection or willful apathy of Christ during their lives. And sadly these latter souls may have known Jesus as a historical figure or as a man if they were privileged to have seen Him walk on this earth. Some may have even recognized Him as the Savior of all mankind. However, unless they have acknowledged Christ as their “Lord” during their lifetime [as we’ve been studying here the past few days], their bowing in worship at His second coming will have been too late to receive the grace of His salvation.
That’s why Paul exhorts in Phil. 2: 5 – 11 for all believers to take on the humility of Christlikeness by choice while living, worshipping Christ as “Lord” in life so that the believer can receive His saving grace, serve the Lord in life [see Romans 12: 1], and worship The LORD forever in Heaven. Prayerfully, reading this, you know - that you know that you know - that you’ve humbly received Christ as Savior AND Lord. As I wrote yesterday … if you haven’t done so, DO IT NOW, so that when that time comes in glory you will be counted among those who humbly received the salvation offered by our Lord.
Yes, you guessed it by now – there’s even more Christology to come. Stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: Lord, I will humbly declare it again and often – You are my Lord! Amen
My Journal for Today: Today’s passage, and John MacArthur’s teachings on the Phil. 2: 10 – 11 passage in today’s Strength for Today entry, point to the inevitable response that all created beings ultimately will have before the throne of the risen and exalted “Lord,” and that is to humbly “bow” in worship. The Apostle Paul’s declaration of this truth here as well in Romans 14: 11 where Paul quotes from Isaiah 45:23, writing “It is written: 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' “ Paul’s forceful statement and quote from Scripture exempts NO ONE!
The subjunctive mood, involving the phrase “every knee should bow” means that such worship WILL take place at some point in God’s future plan for mankind as prophesied first by God through Isaiah (again 45: 23) . Some will have done so voluntarily, as has yours truly. However, some – and many more unfortunately – will come before the glorified and exalted Christ, bowing in stark terror to recognize His Lordship, realizing that God’s wrath awaits their rejection or willful apathy of Christ during their lives. And sadly these latter souls may have known Jesus as a historical figure or as a man if they were privileged to have seen Him walk on this earth. Some may have even recognized Him as the Savior of all mankind. However, unless they have acknowledged Christ as their “Lord” during their lifetime [as we’ve been studying here the past few days], their bowing in worship at His second coming will have been too late to receive the grace of His salvation.
That’s why Paul exhorts in Phil. 2: 5 – 11 for all believers to take on the humility of Christlikeness by choice while living, worshipping Christ as “Lord” in life so that the believer can receive His saving grace, serve the Lord in life [see Romans 12: 1], and worship The LORD forever in Heaven. Prayerfully, reading this, you know - that you know that you know - that you’ve humbly received Christ as Savior AND Lord. As I wrote yesterday … if you haven’t done so, DO IT NOW, so that when that time comes in glory you will be counted among those who humbly received the salvation offered by our Lord.
Yes, you guessed it by now – there’s even more Christology to come. Stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: Lord, I will humbly declare it again and often – You are my Lord! Amen
Thursday, December 22, 2011
December 22, 2011 … Submitting to Christ As LORD
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9, 11 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: I know, if you’ve been following my blogs the last few days, it may seem like I’m being redundant. But trust me, my fellow believer, this repetition is important stuff!
Yesterday, we briefly looked at the untenable position (at least in my estimation) of one who believes that Christ is his Savior but has not truly received Him as Lord. Today, John MacArthur in his devotional entry stresses the inability for one to call himself “Christian” and hold this position. He writes this, “Jesus is Lord; and if you refuse Him as Lord, you cannot call Him Savior.” These are challenging words and perhaps even convicting for some, especially for those who believe they have the “fire insurance” of salvation, knowing that they are sinners and believing Jesus died for them as their Savior.
But when one reads, in today’s passage (Phil. 2: 9, 11), that God, The Father, has established Christ as “LORD;” and then, if you go on to read Romans 10: 9, one must see that to be truly saved one must believe and confess, with a heart-felt commitment, that “Jesus is LORD.” As I wrote yesterday, it’s a “package deal,” and one cannot have all that salvation affords without making Christ his Lord as well as his Savior.
Okay, I’m being repetitive again! But my following friend, this is worthy of repetition! I’m afraid there are many who sit in church pews every Sunday, who would call themselves “Christian” if they were surveyed as to their “beliefs.” And if you ask them, “Is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life,” they may even answer affirmatively. However, their lives cannot attest to the reality of Christ being their Lord because the fruit of the Spirit is not on their tree of life (see Gal. 5: 22 – 23). Rather, one finds the fruit of the flesh, growing so evidently (see Gal. 5: 19 – 21) with only token and occasional verbal repentance – but no real life transformation to give witness to the reality of Christ’s Lordship in their life.
These are those who will tragically say at Heaven’s gate, “Lord Jesus, I have always called you, “my Lord,” … to which He would say, “I never really knew you.” And these nominal “christians” thought they had the fire insurance of Heaven and they will spend eternity in hell because they had not received and acknowledged the Lordship of Christ in their lives. So, my friend, is this not SERIOUS business? THEREFORE …
To any who read this: I declare this to be VERY serious business [!]; and though this is the Advent Season, a time of joyful celebration of Christ’s birth, it is a most serious time of year if one has not truly given over his or her life to Christ’s Lordship. I truly pray, as I write this, that anyone reading this and needing to surrender to Christ as Lord as well as Savior will DO IT NOW! Move into the New Year with a newly established commitment and covenant with Jesus as your Savior AND your Lord. Find someone whom you respect as a Christian and confess to them, as well as to God, that you need to be in TOTAL surrender to Christ as Lord AND Savior. Ask that person to help you be accountable to Christ’s Lordship; and develop an action plan (a “battle plan,” if you will) to this new level of covenant surrender. If you do this, I could imagine Christ one day, in Heaven, saying to you, “Well, done, my friend. As your Lord, I have smiled on your service.”
And so, let us move on to grow even closer to our LORD. Stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: I will say it again. Dear Jesus, You are my LORD! Amen
My Journal for Today: I know, if you’ve been following my blogs the last few days, it may seem like I’m being redundant. But trust me, my fellow believer, this repetition is important stuff!
Yesterday, we briefly looked at the untenable position (at least in my estimation) of one who believes that Christ is his Savior but has not truly received Him as Lord. Today, John MacArthur in his devotional entry stresses the inability for one to call himself “Christian” and hold this position. He writes this, “Jesus is Lord; and if you refuse Him as Lord, you cannot call Him Savior.” These are challenging words and perhaps even convicting for some, especially for those who believe they have the “fire insurance” of salvation, knowing that they are sinners and believing Jesus died for them as their Savior.
But when one reads, in today’s passage (Phil. 2: 9, 11), that God, The Father, has established Christ as “LORD;” and then, if you go on to read Romans 10: 9, one must see that to be truly saved one must believe and confess, with a heart-felt commitment, that “Jesus is LORD.” As I wrote yesterday, it’s a “package deal,” and one cannot have all that salvation affords without making Christ his Lord as well as his Savior.
Okay, I’m being repetitive again! But my following friend, this is worthy of repetition! I’m afraid there are many who sit in church pews every Sunday, who would call themselves “Christian” if they were surveyed as to their “beliefs.” And if you ask them, “Is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life,” they may even answer affirmatively. However, their lives cannot attest to the reality of Christ being their Lord because the fruit of the Spirit is not on their tree of life (see Gal. 5: 22 – 23). Rather, one finds the fruit of the flesh, growing so evidently (see Gal. 5: 19 – 21) with only token and occasional verbal repentance – but no real life transformation to give witness to the reality of Christ’s Lordship in their life.
These are those who will tragically say at Heaven’s gate, “Lord Jesus, I have always called you, “my Lord,” … to which He would say, “I never really knew you.” And these nominal “christians” thought they had the fire insurance of Heaven and they will spend eternity in hell because they had not received and acknowledged the Lordship of Christ in their lives. So, my friend, is this not SERIOUS business? THEREFORE …
To any who read this: I declare this to be VERY serious business [!]; and though this is the Advent Season, a time of joyful celebration of Christ’s birth, it is a most serious time of year if one has not truly given over his or her life to Christ’s Lordship. I truly pray, as I write this, that anyone reading this and needing to surrender to Christ as Lord as well as Savior will DO IT NOW! Move into the New Year with a newly established commitment and covenant with Jesus as your Savior AND your Lord. Find someone whom you respect as a Christian and confess to them, as well as to God, that you need to be in TOTAL surrender to Christ as Lord AND Savior. Ask that person to help you be accountable to Christ’s Lordship; and develop an action plan (a “battle plan,” if you will) to this new level of covenant surrender. If you do this, I could imagine Christ one day, in Heaven, saying to you, “Well, done, my friend. As your Lord, I have smiled on your service.”
And so, let us move on to grow even closer to our LORD. Stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: I will say it again. Dear Jesus, You are my LORD! Amen
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
December 21, 2011 … Jesus Is Savior AND Lord
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9, 11 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: What I’m about to write may not sit well with some who call themselves, “Christian.” However, today’s repeated passage again declares – for emphasis – that Jesus Christ is “LORD.” And this has a stark and powerful implication when it comes to salvation. According to John MacArthur in his entry today for Strength for Today, the truth that Jesus is LORD is affirmed over 700 times in the New Testament; and no more clearly than in Acts 2: 36, where Peter in his great evangelical sermon declared, “…let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord AND Christ.“ [All caps to emphasize the conjunction “AND,” which connects Jesus as Christ AND LORD.]
It is an enigma to MacArthur, and to yours truly, that some, who think they are “Christian,” can believe - and even teach - that one can be saved by receiving and believing in Jesus, The Christ, BEFORE they receive Christ as their Lord. And I totally agree with MacArthur in today’s devotional entry when he asserts that such an assumption is “… completely unbiblical, … in effect … saying Christ isn’t Lord until we give Him permission to be so in our lives.” Looking at Acts 2: 21 and 16: 31 clearly shows, as MacArthur proclaims, “… to be saved, you must confess Jesus as LORD.
Salvation is a package deal, … acceptance of Jesus as CHRIST AND LORD. We cannot separate out Christ, the Savior, from Christ, the Lord; because without Christ’s authority as Lord of all, Jesus [whose Name means “God Who saves”] could never be the saving Christ. So, as Christians, we must realize that to be saved – i.e., truly born again as believers – Christ must be our LORD to be our Savior; and as saved Christians, Christ’s authority and Lordship will rule over our lives forever! We can only be “living sacrifices” and live transformed lives, as Paul wrote about in Romans 12: 1 – 2, if Christ is truly the LORD of our life.
Therefore, as we move through the Advent season, we need to ask ourselves, “Have I truly repented of my sin condition and confessed Christ as The LORD of my life in believing Him to be my Savior?” If not, NOW is the time do so – and be saved by the authority of Christ, as Lord AND Savior. And making Jesus “the LORD” means total submission to His Lordship with all that such surrender entails. Perhaps this year is the year that you will truly bow before God’s throne of grace and make Christ the LORD of ALL THINGS in your life.
And to that end, we will see more of our LORD this month. Stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: O, dear Jesus, You are LORD of all!! Amen
My Journal for Today: What I’m about to write may not sit well with some who call themselves, “Christian.” However, today’s repeated passage again declares – for emphasis – that Jesus Christ is “LORD.” And this has a stark and powerful implication when it comes to salvation. According to John MacArthur in his entry today for Strength for Today, the truth that Jesus is LORD is affirmed over 700 times in the New Testament; and no more clearly than in Acts 2: 36, where Peter in his great evangelical sermon declared, “…let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord AND Christ.“ [All caps to emphasize the conjunction “AND,” which connects Jesus as Christ AND LORD.]
It is an enigma to MacArthur, and to yours truly, that some, who think they are “Christian,” can believe - and even teach - that one can be saved by receiving and believing in Jesus, The Christ, BEFORE they receive Christ as their Lord. And I totally agree with MacArthur in today’s devotional entry when he asserts that such an assumption is “… completely unbiblical, … in effect … saying Christ isn’t Lord until we give Him permission to be so in our lives.” Looking at Acts 2: 21 and 16: 31 clearly shows, as MacArthur proclaims, “… to be saved, you must confess Jesus as LORD.
Salvation is a package deal, … acceptance of Jesus as CHRIST AND LORD. We cannot separate out Christ, the Savior, from Christ, the Lord; because without Christ’s authority as Lord of all, Jesus [whose Name means “God Who saves”] could never be the saving Christ. So, as Christians, we must realize that to be saved – i.e., truly born again as believers – Christ must be our LORD to be our Savior; and as saved Christians, Christ’s authority and Lordship will rule over our lives forever! We can only be “living sacrifices” and live transformed lives, as Paul wrote about in Romans 12: 1 – 2, if Christ is truly the LORD of our life.
Therefore, as we move through the Advent season, we need to ask ourselves, “Have I truly repented of my sin condition and confessed Christ as The LORD of my life in believing Him to be my Savior?” If not, NOW is the time do so – and be saved by the authority of Christ, as Lord AND Savior. And making Jesus “the LORD” means total submission to His Lordship with all that such surrender entails. Perhaps this year is the year that you will truly bow before God’s throne of grace and make Christ the LORD of ALL THINGS in your life.
And to that end, we will see more of our LORD this month. Stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: O, dear Jesus, You are LORD of all!! Amen
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
December 20, 2011 … The Authority of Christ’s Name
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9 – 11 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined and my emphasis IN ALL CAPS] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: For emphasis and due importance, John MacArthur, in today’s Strength for Today entry returns to highlight the phrase “JESUS CHRIST IS LORD,” emphasized in all caps here and above from Phil. 2: 11. Yesterday we explored the renaming process which Jesus [it would be advisable for you to go back and read my entry for 12/19 if you haven’t read it], the re-ascended God-Man, “Jesus,” has assumed from God, the Father, the Name above all names, being re-coronated as “Lord” and sitting at the Right Hand of His Father in Heaven. And from there Christ, as ”LORD” of all, could intercede as High Priest for all whom had come to Him in faith, declaring Him to be Lord and Savior by their repentance and living worship [Rom. 10: 9-13 and Rom. 12: 1].
As we noted yesterday, the reference to the Name for Jesus as “LORD” is the Greek term “KURIOS,” which can be a general term for a supreme ruler with all authority. However, in this context, it would refer to God, The Messiah, Whom Jews had used the Hebrew equivalent of “J@hovah,” the proper Name in Hebrew for the One true God. An Old Testament example would be in Isaiah 45: 21, where we read, “Was it not I, the LORD [Y@hovah]? And there is no God [Elohiym] apart from Me, a righteous God [El] and a Savior [Yasha]; there is none but Me.”
Here you see [in parentheses] various references in the Hebrew language to the supreme God; but when He refers to Himself, by Name, the Name God, the Holy Spirit, uses in Scripture is “J@hovah,” of which the Greek equivalent was/is “Kurios” and the English is “Jehovah.” I use “Y@hovah” because the Jews of that day would not even write or try to pronounce that name because it was considered so unspeakably holy. Their verbal equivalent was “Yahweh,” which we see referenced in Bible translations occasionally. In other words, names were of vast importance to those who read from the Scriptures in the Old Testament of that day.
And so, here we have the God imposed Name above all names given to the exalted One, Jesus, Who is now our “LORD,” the High Priest in Heaven, the Name to which He should be referred and given all reverence due Him. He is the Savior, J@hovah, to Whom all knees will bow and tongues confess as “LORD.” Yes, He is J@hovah, … Kurios; … he is MY LORD!
Really, this matter is emphasized by MacArthur (and by myself here) to allow us all to understand and declare the reverence Christ deserves to command in our thought processes, our prayers, and our witness. But as I’ve indicated in days past, I’m afraid that all too often I hear others, even so-called “Christians,” trying to humanize THE LORD, giving Him name references, like “The Big Guy” or “Papa God.” I know that the latter comes from a Scriptural reference to “Abba Father,” as we read Jesus referring to His Father in Heaven in Mark 14: 36 or Paul’s similar reference in Romans 8: 15. Others may be able to give our God proper reverence by using a term like “Papa God.” However, I - personally - am uncomfortable using such a personalized reference in referring to “MY LORD.” When I hear that kind of name for God, I recoil a bit; … only because I do not desire, as one of God’s children, whom He created for His glory, to try to bring God down to my level. Others may feel right about such a personal name for God, our Lord; but I am not one of those.
God is not to be humanized. He is God; … and we are not! He is “LORD;” … and we are not!! He is our King of kings; and He is our Lord of lords; and we must give Him the Named authority in our lives to which He deserves. He is J@havoah … Kurios … LORD! Only then can we come to His throne of grace with the humility He deserves as we pray before that Throne and our High Priest in Heaven hears our prayers. And I hope you are reading into my words the fear of God and the reverence to which I hold my “Lord” God. May I never try to Name Him in such a way as to trivialize Who He is in MY heart. Others can call our Lord whatever they are at peace to do so; but when I pray, “In the Name of Jesus,” may I always be thinking and feeling in my heart of hearts that He is now – and ever more will be - my “Lord.”
Yes, we’re being redundant here; but our LORD is deserving of this repetition and emphasis; and there will be more; … so, … yes, … stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: Again, all that needs to be said with regard to Your Name, Lord, is HALLELUJAH! Amen
My Journal for Today: For emphasis and due importance, John MacArthur, in today’s Strength for Today entry returns to highlight the phrase “JESUS CHRIST IS LORD,” emphasized in all caps here and above from Phil. 2: 11. Yesterday we explored the renaming process which Jesus [it would be advisable for you to go back and read my entry for 12/19 if you haven’t read it], the re-ascended God-Man, “Jesus,” has assumed from God, the Father, the Name above all names, being re-coronated as “Lord” and sitting at the Right Hand of His Father in Heaven. And from there Christ, as ”LORD” of all, could intercede as High Priest for all whom had come to Him in faith, declaring Him to be Lord and Savior by their repentance and living worship [Rom. 10: 9-13 and Rom. 12: 1].
As we noted yesterday, the reference to the Name for Jesus as “LORD” is the Greek term “KURIOS,” which can be a general term for a supreme ruler with all authority. However, in this context, it would refer to God, The Messiah, Whom Jews had used the Hebrew equivalent of “J@hovah,” the proper Name in Hebrew for the One true God. An Old Testament example would be in Isaiah 45: 21, where we read, “Was it not I, the LORD [Y@hovah]? And there is no God [Elohiym] apart from Me, a righteous God [El] and a Savior [Yasha]; there is none but Me.”
Here you see [in parentheses] various references in the Hebrew language to the supreme God; but when He refers to Himself, by Name, the Name God, the Holy Spirit, uses in Scripture is “J@hovah,” of which the Greek equivalent was/is “Kurios” and the English is “Jehovah.” I use “Y@hovah” because the Jews of that day would not even write or try to pronounce that name because it was considered so unspeakably holy. Their verbal equivalent was “Yahweh,” which we see referenced in Bible translations occasionally. In other words, names were of vast importance to those who read from the Scriptures in the Old Testament of that day.
And so, here we have the God imposed Name above all names given to the exalted One, Jesus, Who is now our “LORD,” the High Priest in Heaven, the Name to which He should be referred and given all reverence due Him. He is the Savior, J@hovah, to Whom all knees will bow and tongues confess as “LORD.” Yes, He is J@hovah, … Kurios; … he is MY LORD!
Really, this matter is emphasized by MacArthur (and by myself here) to allow us all to understand and declare the reverence Christ deserves to command in our thought processes, our prayers, and our witness. But as I’ve indicated in days past, I’m afraid that all too often I hear others, even so-called “Christians,” trying to humanize THE LORD, giving Him name references, like “The Big Guy” or “Papa God.” I know that the latter comes from a Scriptural reference to “Abba Father,” as we read Jesus referring to His Father in Heaven in Mark 14: 36 or Paul’s similar reference in Romans 8: 15. Others may be able to give our God proper reverence by using a term like “Papa God.” However, I - personally - am uncomfortable using such a personalized reference in referring to “MY LORD.” When I hear that kind of name for God, I recoil a bit; … only because I do not desire, as one of God’s children, whom He created for His glory, to try to bring God down to my level. Others may feel right about such a personal name for God, our Lord; but I am not one of those.
God is not to be humanized. He is God; … and we are not! He is “LORD;” … and we are not!! He is our King of kings; and He is our Lord of lords; and we must give Him the Named authority in our lives to which He deserves. He is J@havoah … Kurios … LORD! Only then can we come to His throne of grace with the humility He deserves as we pray before that Throne and our High Priest in Heaven hears our prayers. And I hope you are reading into my words the fear of God and the reverence to which I hold my “Lord” God. May I never try to Name Him in such a way as to trivialize Who He is in MY heart. Others can call our Lord whatever they are at peace to do so; but when I pray, “In the Name of Jesus,” may I always be thinking and feeling in my heart of hearts that He is now – and ever more will be - my “Lord.”
Yes, we’re being redundant here; but our LORD is deserving of this repetition and emphasis; and there will be more; … so, … yes, … stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: Again, all that needs to be said with regard to Your Name, Lord, is HALLELUJAH! Amen
Monday, December 19, 2011
December 19, 2011 … Christ’s New Name
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9 – 11 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: Names in the 1st century and even earlier in the middle-eastern historical cultures, in what we might refer to as “Old Testament times,” were important designators of character; and changes in name, especially from persons of authority, were almost like titles of promotion or affirmation from the one who renamed a given person.
Think of how God renamed Abram to become “Abraham;” or when The Lord, God, renamed Jacob to be “Israel.” Jesus renamed Simon, the fisherman, to be “Peter” to designate whom Christ knew Peter would become in God’s kingdom. Certainly Simon, the impulsive, foot-in-the-mouth fisherman, who denied Jesus three times, would not be recognized at the time he bolted and ran in the garden to be “Peter,” the rock of faith who would become the steady foundation for those of faith in early Christendom. But Christ knew the character which would be reflected in the name “Peter,” and so our Lord had renamed Simon to be “Peter,” the man who would one day be transformed into one of the foundational pillars of His Church.
If I may personalize this discussion a bit [as humbly as I can], at birth I was named “William” by my parents. I’ve since learned that my given name comes from the Germanic origin of “Wilhelm,” which in two parts means “wil,” referring to will or desire and “helm,” which refers to a helmet or protection. This name, therefore in other cultures, came to refer to “conqueror” or “protector/leader” and was given to such a legendary leader as William, the Conqueror, the first peasant king of England. There was also William Wallace, the legendary Scottish rebel leader, and William Tell, the legendary 14th Century Swiss hero and warrior; and finally there was William of Orange, the famous Dutch hero/leader. Certainly, however, as I was living my early life, deeply into the dualism of hidden sexual sin, one would have never thought my name might reflect the transformed character who would one day lead a ministry like Battle Plan Ministry. Obviously God knew something about how my name would mean something more for His purposes later in my life.
Really, I find it fascinating that God would inspire my parents to dub me “William” at birth and then through a wondrous set of circumstances, I would become one whom God would lead to conquer the will of sin in my life and to ultimately lead a ministry for those who desire to likewise conquer their own self-will and live lives as conquerors in freedom from the will of the flesh. This happened because I, “William,” was willing to surrender my “will” to God’s “protection,” which is the definition of the name I was given at birth. Go figure!
Well, in today’s passage (Phil. 2: 9 – 11), we read that God, The Father, renamed Jesus upon His exaltation, giving Him a Name that was above every other name. John MacArthur, in today’s Strength for Today devotional, points out that many in reading verse 10 (see above) of today’s passage assume that this special Name given to Christ by God, The Father, was “Jesus.” However, if this were the case, this would not be a change of names. He was already named “Jesus.” No, … a careful reading of the text reveals that Jesus’ exalted new Name upon His re-glorification was “Lord.” Verse 11 clearly exposes that the exalted Christ, once re-glorified and re-coronated, would henceforth be called “Lord” by all in Heaven and should be that to all of us who live on earth. This Name, “Lord,” which is “Kurios” in the Greek, is defined from the Greek as “God, the Messiah.” And that Name, “Lord,” for Jews would be “Y@hovah,” … the supreme God … the great “I Am.” As verse 11 declares above, no other Name can reflect glory upon God, The Father, as does ”Lord;” and it is the Name to which we should give our Savior, reflecting best His character and glory to all who Know Him.
To me this is such exciting stuff, especially contemplated here at Christmas, as we reflect upon our LORD during the Advent season. But stay tuned, there’s even more.
My Prayer Today: As my Savior, You are my LORD forever! Amen
My Journal for Today: Names in the 1st century and even earlier in the middle-eastern historical cultures, in what we might refer to as “Old Testament times,” were important designators of character; and changes in name, especially from persons of authority, were almost like titles of promotion or affirmation from the one who renamed a given person.
Think of how God renamed Abram to become “Abraham;” or when The Lord, God, renamed Jacob to be “Israel.” Jesus renamed Simon, the fisherman, to be “Peter” to designate whom Christ knew Peter would become in God’s kingdom. Certainly Simon, the impulsive, foot-in-the-mouth fisherman, who denied Jesus three times, would not be recognized at the time he bolted and ran in the garden to be “Peter,” the rock of faith who would become the steady foundation for those of faith in early Christendom. But Christ knew the character which would be reflected in the name “Peter,” and so our Lord had renamed Simon to be “Peter,” the man who would one day be transformed into one of the foundational pillars of His Church.
If I may personalize this discussion a bit [as humbly as I can], at birth I was named “William” by my parents. I’ve since learned that my given name comes from the Germanic origin of “Wilhelm,” which in two parts means “wil,” referring to will or desire and “helm,” which refers to a helmet or protection. This name, therefore in other cultures, came to refer to “conqueror” or “protector/leader” and was given to such a legendary leader as William, the Conqueror, the first peasant king of England. There was also William Wallace, the legendary Scottish rebel leader, and William Tell, the legendary 14th Century Swiss hero and warrior; and finally there was William of Orange, the famous Dutch hero/leader. Certainly, however, as I was living my early life, deeply into the dualism of hidden sexual sin, one would have never thought my name might reflect the transformed character who would one day lead a ministry like Battle Plan Ministry. Obviously God knew something about how my name would mean something more for His purposes later in my life.
Really, I find it fascinating that God would inspire my parents to dub me “William” at birth and then through a wondrous set of circumstances, I would become one whom God would lead to conquer the will of sin in my life and to ultimately lead a ministry for those who desire to likewise conquer their own self-will and live lives as conquerors in freedom from the will of the flesh. This happened because I, “William,” was willing to surrender my “will” to God’s “protection,” which is the definition of the name I was given at birth. Go figure!
Well, in today’s passage (Phil. 2: 9 – 11), we read that God, The Father, renamed Jesus upon His exaltation, giving Him a Name that was above every other name. John MacArthur, in today’s Strength for Today devotional, points out that many in reading verse 10 (see above) of today’s passage assume that this special Name given to Christ by God, The Father, was “Jesus.” However, if this were the case, this would not be a change of names. He was already named “Jesus.” No, … a careful reading of the text reveals that Jesus’ exalted new Name upon His re-glorification was “Lord.” Verse 11 clearly exposes that the exalted Christ, once re-glorified and re-coronated, would henceforth be called “Lord” by all in Heaven and should be that to all of us who live on earth. This Name, “Lord,” which is “Kurios” in the Greek, is defined from the Greek as “God, the Messiah.” And that Name, “Lord,” for Jews would be “Y@hovah,” … the supreme God … the great “I Am.” As verse 11 declares above, no other Name can reflect glory upon God, The Father, as does ”Lord;” and it is the Name to which we should give our Savior, reflecting best His character and glory to all who Know Him.
To me this is such exciting stuff, especially contemplated here at Christmas, as we reflect upon our LORD during the Advent season. But stay tuned, there’s even more.
My Prayer Today: As my Savior, You are my LORD forever! Amen
Sunday, December 18, 2011
December 18, 2011 … The Privileges of Christ’s Exaltation
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] …
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: Yes, we’re back again in Phil. 2: 9 this morning as John MacArthur continues to help me (us) appreciate the explanation of the reverse of the incarnation of Christ. Having become a babe in a manager, … having chosen to be a servant, … even a slave; and having died ignominiously on a cross, … Christ was raised from the grave, brought by God’s Spirit into Heaven, seated on God’s Throne, crowned as King of kings and Lord of lords, and established to His Royal Priesthood as Head of His Church.
He, Who was rejected by man, was accepted by God. He, Who had chosen obedience and humility to His Father, was once again given all power and authority in heaven (see Eph. 1: 22 – 23, which states, 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.) … And so, He, Who had been spat upon by the religious leaders of His day, became the High Priest for God’s Church and our intercessor/advocate forever.
Is this not the most glorious thing that one could ever contemplate – especially in this time of year, the Advent Season, when we remember His incarnation and the promise of His second coming? And John MacArthur closes his exposition and devotional on this date by emphasizing a point of enormous importance, doing so by quoting the Puritan, Thomas Walton, who wrote, “As sure as Christ is exalted, … so sure will He instate believers in all that glory … (read Christ pleading this for His Church in John 17: 22).”
What an incredible hope and encouragement this is, especially for those of us who’ve been lifted out of the tarpits of habitual sin and rebellion by His wondrous gift of saving grace. To be able to walk with Him and for Him in this life is truly the realization of the words of John Newton’s Amazing Grace (hum and sing those first bars with me), “Amazing grace … how sweet the sound … that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost; but now I’m found … was blind but now I see.”
But wondrously, it doesn’t stop there; … yes, … there’s more! Stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: All praise and thanks, dear Lord, for your exalted place in glory; and a place saved for me! Amen
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: Yes, we’re back again in Phil. 2: 9 this morning as John MacArthur continues to help me (us) appreciate the explanation of the reverse of the incarnation of Christ. Having become a babe in a manager, … having chosen to be a servant, … even a slave; and having died ignominiously on a cross, … Christ was raised from the grave, brought by God’s Spirit into Heaven, seated on God’s Throne, crowned as King of kings and Lord of lords, and established to His Royal Priesthood as Head of His Church.
He, Who was rejected by man, was accepted by God. He, Who had chosen obedience and humility to His Father, was once again given all power and authority in heaven (see Eph. 1: 22 – 23, which states, 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.) … And so, He, Who had been spat upon by the religious leaders of His day, became the High Priest for God’s Church and our intercessor/advocate forever.
Is this not the most glorious thing that one could ever contemplate – especially in this time of year, the Advent Season, when we remember His incarnation and the promise of His second coming? And John MacArthur closes his exposition and devotional on this date by emphasizing a point of enormous importance, doing so by quoting the Puritan, Thomas Walton, who wrote, “As sure as Christ is exalted, … so sure will He instate believers in all that glory … (read Christ pleading this for His Church in John 17: 22).”
What an incredible hope and encouragement this is, especially for those of us who’ve been lifted out of the tarpits of habitual sin and rebellion by His wondrous gift of saving grace. To be able to walk with Him and for Him in this life is truly the realization of the words of John Newton’s Amazing Grace (hum and sing those first bars with me), “Amazing grace … how sweet the sound … that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost; but now I’m found … was blind but now I see.”
But wondrously, it doesn’t stop there; … yes, … there’s more! Stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: All praise and thanks, dear Lord, for your exalted place in glory; and a place saved for me! Amen
Saturday, December 17, 2011
December 17, 2011 … The Meaning of Christ’s Exaltation
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9a [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: Okay, today we’re back again in Phil. 2, with a focus on the one phrase from verse 9a, “… God exalted Him (Christ) to the highest place.” I believe John MacArthur, in Strength for Today, has taken his readers back to the theology of Christ’s exaltation so that we can gain a more complete understanding of what Christ gave up in His incarnation, life, and death on earth and what He attained in living as the God-Man.
MacArthur poses an interesting rhetorical question in his devotional entry for today, writing, “… how could Jesus be exalted since He was (already) fully God?” However, by returning to Christ’s High Priestly prayer, we read Christ (in John 17: 5) asking His Heavenly Father to be restored to His former glory. And ultimately, as we read in today’s verse, when this actually happened, which it did in His ascension and re-coronation (as we’ve seen), Christ reacquired His former status in the union of the God-Head – but with something added!
Now, restored to His glory bound position in the Trinity in the Godhead, and having lived out the reality of sinless humanity, the exalted Christ could – and has – become High Priest, Who can – and does – intercede and be the Advocate for God’s people (i.e., those who’ve received Him as Lord and Savior). And as our re-glorified God-Man Priest, … our Messiah, … my Lord … knows and has felt all that I am; and as my Savior-Priest, He can and does intercede for me before God, the Father, with infinite empathy, shielding my sin nature from the wrath of God and letting me wear His Own Robes of Righteousness to cover my rags of sin. When God, the Father, looks at me (or you, if you’re saved), He doesn’t see my sin. He sees my positional purity, having been covered by the blood of the Lamb of God, His Son.
I hope you’re getting the picture of our fully restored Savior in Heaven and what He set aside to become a Man like no other man, becoming a Servant King on my (and your) behalf. But there’s more; so, as I keep saying this month, … stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: O, Lord, I praise Your Holy and Priestly Name! Amen
My Journal for Today: Okay, today we’re back again in Phil. 2, with a focus on the one phrase from verse 9a, “… God exalted Him (Christ) to the highest place.” I believe John MacArthur, in Strength for Today, has taken his readers back to the theology of Christ’s exaltation so that we can gain a more complete understanding of what Christ gave up in His incarnation, life, and death on earth and what He attained in living as the God-Man.
MacArthur poses an interesting rhetorical question in his devotional entry for today, writing, “… how could Jesus be exalted since He was (already) fully God?” However, by returning to Christ’s High Priestly prayer, we read Christ (in John 17: 5) asking His Heavenly Father to be restored to His former glory. And ultimately, as we read in today’s verse, when this actually happened, which it did in His ascension and re-coronation (as we’ve seen), Christ reacquired His former status in the union of the God-Head – but with something added!
Now, restored to His glory bound position in the Trinity in the Godhead, and having lived out the reality of sinless humanity, the exalted Christ could – and has – become High Priest, Who can – and does – intercede and be the Advocate for God’s people (i.e., those who’ve received Him as Lord and Savior). And as our re-glorified God-Man Priest, … our Messiah, … my Lord … knows and has felt all that I am; and as my Savior-Priest, He can and does intercede for me before God, the Father, with infinite empathy, shielding my sin nature from the wrath of God and letting me wear His Own Robes of Righteousness to cover my rags of sin. When God, the Father, looks at me (or you, if you’re saved), He doesn’t see my sin. He sees my positional purity, having been covered by the blood of the Lamb of God, His Son.
I hope you’re getting the picture of our fully restored Savior in Heaven and what He set aside to become a Man like no other man, becoming a Servant King on my (and your) behalf. But there’s more; so, as I keep saying this month, … stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: O, Lord, I praise Your Holy and Priestly Name! Amen
Friday, December 16, 2011
December 16, 2011 … Seeing the Majesty of Christ
Passage of the Day: Hebrews 1: 1 - 14 … [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] 1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So He became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs.
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and He will be my Son"? 6 And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship Him." 7 In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire." 8 But about the Son He says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set You above your companions by anointing You with the oil of joy." 10 He also says, "In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But You remain the same, and your years will never end." 13 To which of the angels did God ever say, "Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"? 14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
My Journal for Today: Today’s devotional by John MacArthur in Strength for Today, taking a departure from the first chapter from our study of Philippians 2, moving to that of Hebrews, Chapter1, which expresses a truth that is all too absent in the world today, and one which is sorely wanting even among Christians; and that is a surrendered awe for the majesty of the exalted Lord, … our Savior, Jesus Christ. Certainly the so-called “secular” world shows no reverence for Christ. Rather, there is a growing disdain for even His Name to appear in our culture as we see a growing movement to have the concepts of “Christ” or “God” stripped from all public venues. And all too often we find Christians trivializing our Lord with public or verbal references such as “The Man upstairs” or “the big guy in Heaven.” I even balk a bit when I hear someone pray to “Papa God,” though I know that there is some Biblical precedence for this reference in the phrase “Abba Father.”
As I read, study, and meditate on today’s text from Hebrews 1 suggested by MacArthur, I’m reminded by God’s word that Christ is the “Heir of all things” and the unique Son of God; and from Revelations 5: 1 – 7 [linked here for your study] we see that He is the “Lion of Judah” and the “Radiance of God’s glory,” … the One and only One, Whose blood was shed as the “Lamb of God” so that you and I, as believers, could become Kingdom Priests to serve God as Heirs to His throne. Now is that not an image that needs to be lifted up and given a lifestyle of worship in our culture?
Why then do men mock Him and crucify Him socially in our culture? Why do we Christians have a tendency to humanize our Lord so much and so often. Of course, we can see how a world devised and led by Satan would be blinded to and or in antipathy of Jesus; but why do we Christians want to bring Our Lord down to human level, trivializing the exalted Name of Christ? As we’ve been studying this month in Phil. 2, God, the Son, was exalted and re-coronated unto His throne in Glory by God, the Father; and He has provided the way, through His Spirit, for our eternal glory as His heirs. The least we can do is to worship Him in the Glory and with the Name He deserves. He is our LORD!
Don’t you agree that we, as Christians, should (no, I say we “must”) elevate Christ’s image in our lives to reflect the truth of the One we serve and worship? Only by doing so with the worship of our lives, our 24/7 witness to His Name, … a worthy walk of faith, … will we reflect His radiant Light into the dark world for all to see Him in us and to be able to glorify our Father in Heaven (see and mediate on a verse that you probably have memorized, Matt. 5: 16).
This morning I’m convicted to the bone; so I look forward to the remainder of our series to elevate the Name of Christ in my heart and mind. That’s why again I say, “Stay tuned.”
My Prayer Today: O Lord, as ever, I stand in awe and bow before Your majesty. Amen
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and He will be my Son"? 6 And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship Him." 7 In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire." 8 But about the Son He says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set You above your companions by anointing You with the oil of joy." 10 He also says, "In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But You remain the same, and your years will never end." 13 To which of the angels did God ever say, "Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"? 14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
My Journal for Today: Today’s devotional by John MacArthur in Strength for Today, taking a departure from the first chapter from our study of Philippians 2, moving to that of Hebrews, Chapter1, which expresses a truth that is all too absent in the world today, and one which is sorely wanting even among Christians; and that is a surrendered awe for the majesty of the exalted Lord, … our Savior, Jesus Christ. Certainly the so-called “secular” world shows no reverence for Christ. Rather, there is a growing disdain for even His Name to appear in our culture as we see a growing movement to have the concepts of “Christ” or “God” stripped from all public venues. And all too often we find Christians trivializing our Lord with public or verbal references such as “The Man upstairs” or “the big guy in Heaven.” I even balk a bit when I hear someone pray to “Papa God,” though I know that there is some Biblical precedence for this reference in the phrase “Abba Father.”
As I read, study, and meditate on today’s text from Hebrews 1 suggested by MacArthur, I’m reminded by God’s word that Christ is the “Heir of all things” and the unique Son of God; and from Revelations 5: 1 – 7 [linked here for your study] we see that He is the “Lion of Judah” and the “Radiance of God’s glory,” … the One and only One, Whose blood was shed as the “Lamb of God” so that you and I, as believers, could become Kingdom Priests to serve God as Heirs to His throne. Now is that not an image that needs to be lifted up and given a lifestyle of worship in our culture?
Why then do men mock Him and crucify Him socially in our culture? Why do we Christians have a tendency to humanize our Lord so much and so often. Of course, we can see how a world devised and led by Satan would be blinded to and or in antipathy of Jesus; but why do we Christians want to bring Our Lord down to human level, trivializing the exalted Name of Christ? As we’ve been studying this month in Phil. 2, God, the Son, was exalted and re-coronated unto His throne in Glory by God, the Father; and He has provided the way, through His Spirit, for our eternal glory as His heirs. The least we can do is to worship Him in the Glory and with the Name He deserves. He is our LORD!
Don’t you agree that we, as Christians, should (no, I say we “must”) elevate Christ’s image in our lives to reflect the truth of the One we serve and worship? Only by doing so with the worship of our lives, our 24/7 witness to His Name, … a worthy walk of faith, … will we reflect His radiant Light into the dark world for all to see Him in us and to be able to glorify our Father in Heaven (see and mediate on a verse that you probably have memorized, Matt. 5: 16).
This morning I’m convicted to the bone; so I look forward to the remainder of our series to elevate the Name of Christ in my heart and mind. That’s why again I say, “Stay tuned.”
My Prayer Today: O Lord, as ever, I stand in awe and bow before Your majesty. Amen
Thursday, December 15, 2011
December 15, 2011 … Christ’s Coronation and Intercession
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9a [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: With the help of John MacArthur, I (we) have seen that Christ’s exaltation involved four elements; and yesterday we looked at two of them: RESURRECTION and ASCENSION. However, it was the latter two, CORONATION and INTERCESSION, which allowed believers to have freedom from the condemnation of our sin condition; and this was due to the establishment of Christ’s Heavenly Priesthood.
Both Mark 16: 19 and Ephesians 1: 20 – 22 document that upon Christ’s ascension into Heaven, He was seated at the Right Hand of God, The Father, on the Throne of Glory with all power, authority, and dominion restored to Him. And besides this re-coronation to His Throne, which He had set aside (i.e., remember our discussion about the kenosis) during His earthly incarnation and ministry, our Lord was given the role of our eternal High Priest to be our advocate, interceding on behalf of saved believers forever. Both Hebrews 4: 15 and 7: 25, as we read two days ago, clearly declare Christ’s Priesthood and intercession in sending His Spirit to minister to the lives of declared Christians; and that process has granted believers like me (and prayerfully, you) faith, repentance, forgiveness, and God’s grace to become completed in Christ from sanctification in our lives on this earth and glorification in the next life in Heaven. I would charge you to do a deep reading through Ephesians, Chapters 4 – 9, to get the full picture of the importance and outcome of Christ’s coronation and intercession. And having just done that, I would also charge my followers here to go back and read Christ’s wondrous prayer for His disciples in John 17: 6 – 26 - to which I’ll link you here - His intercession having begun even before He ascended into Heaven.
And how can a Christian meditate on that John 17 prayer, what is really THE LORD’S PRAYER, and not come away in wonder at the Savior, Who was about to go to the Cross on our behalf, praying this prayer for His Father’s children? In the prayer, in John 17: 5, we read Jesus imploring His Father, “…Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” And that is what our focus on this day has been, … Christ’s re-glorification and re-coronation into His eternal Priesthood.
OH GLORY UPON GLORY, our High Priest lives and ever moves to intercede for His subjects; and I pray that you, as I am, are one of those subjects. And tomorrow we leave Phil. 2 for a day to delve into another wondrous passage about Christ’s glory. Stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: O Lord, all I can say from my meditation today is HALLELUJAH [!] and Amen !!!
My Journal for Today: With the help of John MacArthur, I (we) have seen that Christ’s exaltation involved four elements; and yesterday we looked at two of them: RESURRECTION and ASCENSION. However, it was the latter two, CORONATION and INTERCESSION, which allowed believers to have freedom from the condemnation of our sin condition; and this was due to the establishment of Christ’s Heavenly Priesthood.
Both Mark 16: 19 and Ephesians 1: 20 – 22 document that upon Christ’s ascension into Heaven, He was seated at the Right Hand of God, The Father, on the Throne of Glory with all power, authority, and dominion restored to Him. And besides this re-coronation to His Throne, which He had set aside (i.e., remember our discussion about the kenosis) during His earthly incarnation and ministry, our Lord was given the role of our eternal High Priest to be our advocate, interceding on behalf of saved believers forever. Both Hebrews 4: 15 and 7: 25, as we read two days ago, clearly declare Christ’s Priesthood and intercession in sending His Spirit to minister to the lives of declared Christians; and that process has granted believers like me (and prayerfully, you) faith, repentance, forgiveness, and God’s grace to become completed in Christ from sanctification in our lives on this earth and glorification in the next life in Heaven. I would charge you to do a deep reading through Ephesians, Chapters 4 – 9, to get the full picture of the importance and outcome of Christ’s coronation and intercession. And having just done that, I would also charge my followers here to go back and read Christ’s wondrous prayer for His disciples in John 17: 6 – 26 - to which I’ll link you here - His intercession having begun even before He ascended into Heaven.
And how can a Christian meditate on that John 17 prayer, what is really THE LORD’S PRAYER, and not come away in wonder at the Savior, Who was about to go to the Cross on our behalf, praying this prayer for His Father’s children? In the prayer, in John 17: 5, we read Jesus imploring His Father, “…Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” And that is what our focus on this day has been, … Christ’s re-glorification and re-coronation into His eternal Priesthood.
OH GLORY UPON GLORY, our High Priest lives and ever moves to intercede for His subjects; and I pray that you, as I am, are one of those subjects. And tomorrow we leave Phil. 2 for a day to delve into another wondrous passage about Christ’s glory. Stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: O Lord, all I can say from my meditation today is HALLELUJAH [!] and Amen !!!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
December 14, 2011 … Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] …
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: If you’ve been following this month as I dwell with John MacArthur on the subject of Christology, and even more specifically on Christ’s character of humility, it may seem like MacArthur and I are lingering with redundancy on certain elements of the Apostle Paul’s passage in Phil. 2: 5-11. Well, this may be so; but I can see that MacArthur is doing so because of the importance of the subject matter – and that is CHRIST. If we are to live up to the exhortation [in Phil. 2: 5] to be like Christ, then it’s vastly important that we understand EXACTLY Whom we’re emulating – and that’s our Lord and Savior. Hence MacArthur is dwelling [and I’m joining him] on the important aspects of Christ’s character this month. As I’ve said along the way, ”Stay tuned!”
Here we are again, looking at Christ’s exaltation after His death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven; and I must admit that if Strength for Today had not lingered on this subject, I would not likely have seen how important and wonderful this matter of Christ being exalted is to our knowing our Lord. Yesterday MacArthur mentioned – in passing – four components of Christ’s exaltation that we need to understand: resurrection, ascension, coronation, and intercession. Today our author/shepherd elaborates on the first two of these; and the first is RESURRECTION.
In Acts 13: 32 – 39 [PLEASE be sure to read this – linked for you here in NASB!], we read Dr. Luke’s account of Paul preaching to the Jews (and some Gentiles present) in a Synagogue in Antioch. There Paul gave the people a history lesson, preaching the good news of Christ being the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies [several are referenced in this passage], Christ having been raised from the dead to save God’s people from their sin. In this passage in Acts, Paul’s preaching quoted from Ps. 2: 7, Is. 55: 3, and especially from Ps. 16: 10 where David had prophesied that The Messiah would never decay in the ground [a prophesy of Christ’s resurrection]. And MacArthur emphasizes this wondrous lesson where he writes, “Christ’s death and resurrection provided forgiveness and freedom from sin, the law, and death.” And we Christians, especially in these days of commercialized Christmases, need to take time to dwell on this gift of amazing grace to all mankind. And we need to recognize that without the truth of the resurrection, Christianity falls into nothingness.
Next we read from Acts 1: 9 – 11 and 2: 33 an exposition of the second component of Christ’s exaltation, … His ASCENSION, where our Messiah and Savior was lifted up to sit at the Right Hand of God, The Father, on His Throne of Glory in Heaven. And my beloved, we need to dwell on this! We will be exalted as well; but not until we live out this Spirit-enabled life as Christ’s witnesses (see Act. 1: 8); and we are either resurrected after our death or we are transported to Glory when Christ comes again. And I don’t think I’ll ever be able to wrap my finite mind around this latter truth … that God would think so much of ME that He would humble Himself as a man, walk on earth displaying His deity, die in humiliation on a cross, be resurrected by God’s Spirit, ascend to Heaven, be re-coronated by God, the Father, into His former Glory, and now to intercede for ME in Heaven. No, I may not completely grasp these truths; but I believe them as THE GOSPEL truth!
And tomorrow we’ll go into more of Christ’s exaltation … so, (yes), stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: And with Your charge, Lord, to witness in Your name, I go forth. Amen
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: If you’ve been following this month as I dwell with John MacArthur on the subject of Christology, and even more specifically on Christ’s character of humility, it may seem like MacArthur and I are lingering with redundancy on certain elements of the Apostle Paul’s passage in Phil. 2: 5-11. Well, this may be so; but I can see that MacArthur is doing so because of the importance of the subject matter – and that is CHRIST. If we are to live up to the exhortation [in Phil. 2: 5] to be like Christ, then it’s vastly important that we understand EXACTLY Whom we’re emulating – and that’s our Lord and Savior. Hence MacArthur is dwelling [and I’m joining him] on the important aspects of Christ’s character this month. As I’ve said along the way, ”Stay tuned!”
Here we are again, looking at Christ’s exaltation after His death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven; and I must admit that if Strength for Today had not lingered on this subject, I would not likely have seen how important and wonderful this matter of Christ being exalted is to our knowing our Lord. Yesterday MacArthur mentioned – in passing – four components of Christ’s exaltation that we need to understand: resurrection, ascension, coronation, and intercession. Today our author/shepherd elaborates on the first two of these; and the first is RESURRECTION.
In Acts 13: 32 – 39 [PLEASE be sure to read this – linked for you here in NASB!], we read Dr. Luke’s account of Paul preaching to the Jews (and some Gentiles present) in a Synagogue in Antioch. There Paul gave the people a history lesson, preaching the good news of Christ being the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies [several are referenced in this passage], Christ having been raised from the dead to save God’s people from their sin. In this passage in Acts, Paul’s preaching quoted from Ps. 2: 7, Is. 55: 3, and especially from Ps. 16: 10 where David had prophesied that The Messiah would never decay in the ground [a prophesy of Christ’s resurrection]. And MacArthur emphasizes this wondrous lesson where he writes, “Christ’s death and resurrection provided forgiveness and freedom from sin, the law, and death.” And we Christians, especially in these days of commercialized Christmases, need to take time to dwell on this gift of amazing grace to all mankind. And we need to recognize that without the truth of the resurrection, Christianity falls into nothingness.
Next we read from Acts 1: 9 – 11 and 2: 33 an exposition of the second component of Christ’s exaltation, … His ASCENSION, where our Messiah and Savior was lifted up to sit at the Right Hand of God, The Father, on His Throne of Glory in Heaven. And my beloved, we need to dwell on this! We will be exalted as well; but not until we live out this Spirit-enabled life as Christ’s witnesses (see Act. 1: 8); and we are either resurrected after our death or we are transported to Glory when Christ comes again. And I don’t think I’ll ever be able to wrap my finite mind around this latter truth … that God would think so much of ME that He would humble Himself as a man, walk on earth displaying His deity, die in humiliation on a cross, be resurrected by God’s Spirit, ascend to Heaven, be re-coronated by God, the Father, into His former Glory, and now to intercede for ME in Heaven. No, I may not completely grasp these truths; but I believe them as THE GOSPEL truth!
And tomorrow we’ll go into more of Christ’s exaltation … so, (yes), stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: And with Your charge, Lord, to witness in Your name, I go forth. Amen
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
December 13, 2011 … Elements of Christ’s Exaltation
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] …
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: Yesterday we considered and saw the perfect evidence of God’s law of reciprocation, the wondrous balance of God’s justice for God, the Son, Who humbled Himself for mankind that we might be lifted up to Glory with Him. However, this law worked first and foremost – and perfectly - for Jesus; and what a wondrous sequence it is to contemplate the exaltation of Christ, following the kenosis [i.e., emptying] of His glory and majesty in the incarnation, … that He, having died for mankind, would be resurrected by God, the Holy Spirit, ascended to Heaven to the Right Hand of God, The Father (see Acts 2: 32 – 33; Acts 5: 30 – 31) and then to be honored above all by His Coronation so that He might serve eternally in intercession for you and me and His Church as our High Priest (see Hebrews 4: 14 and 7: 25). Contemplate these truths, fellow Christian!
As John MacArthur puts it in his Strength for Today entry today, “He (Jesus) rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. Then He was seated on the throne of God to intercede as High Priest of His people.” Oh, … I hope you are as much in awe as I am to meditate and contemplate the truth that as believers who have received Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will one day be resurrected (should He not come again during our lifetime), and we will be exalted to sit with Him and to rule in eternity with Him. Is that not mind-blowing in its implications!!
Think about the spirit of this Advent season – our Christmas. Is it not a small, small gift to be able to serve our Lord on this earth for the gift of exaltation He has given us? But that’s all our Lord wants from us – the gift of our surrender and service to Him. And really it’s all I have to offer Him. He has everything! And, as one of our staple exhortations from Christ, Luke 9: 23, documents, what Jesus asks of me (and you) is for me to give up myself and follow Him. It’s really not too much to request for me to contemplate giving my all for Him during this Advent season (and beyond in my life).
What about you who might be reading this? Are you giving our Lord enough of yourself for Christmas [and for life, for that matter]? Well, there will be more time to mediate on this during the rest of December; … stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: May I always be diminished, Lord, that You may increase! Amen
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: Yesterday we considered and saw the perfect evidence of God’s law of reciprocation, the wondrous balance of God’s justice for God, the Son, Who humbled Himself for mankind that we might be lifted up to Glory with Him. However, this law worked first and foremost – and perfectly - for Jesus; and what a wondrous sequence it is to contemplate the exaltation of Christ, following the kenosis [i.e., emptying] of His glory and majesty in the incarnation, … that He, having died for mankind, would be resurrected by God, the Holy Spirit, ascended to Heaven to the Right Hand of God, The Father (see Acts 2: 32 – 33; Acts 5: 30 – 31) and then to be honored above all by His Coronation so that He might serve eternally in intercession for you and me and His Church as our High Priest (see Hebrews 4: 14 and 7: 25). Contemplate these truths, fellow Christian!
As John MacArthur puts it in his Strength for Today entry today, “He (Jesus) rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. Then He was seated on the throne of God to intercede as High Priest of His people.” Oh, … I hope you are as much in awe as I am to meditate and contemplate the truth that as believers who have received Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will one day be resurrected (should He not come again during our lifetime), and we will be exalted to sit with Him and to rule in eternity with Him. Is that not mind-blowing in its implications!!
Think about the spirit of this Advent season – our Christmas. Is it not a small, small gift to be able to serve our Lord on this earth for the gift of exaltation He has given us? But that’s all our Lord wants from us – the gift of our surrender and service to Him. And really it’s all I have to offer Him. He has everything! And, as one of our staple exhortations from Christ, Luke 9: 23, documents, what Jesus asks of me (and you) is for me to give up myself and follow Him. It’s really not too much to request for me to contemplate giving my all for Him during this Advent season (and beyond in my life).
What about you who might be reading this? Are you giving our Lord enough of yourself for Christmas [and for life, for that matter]? Well, there will be more time to mediate on this during the rest of December; … stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: May I always be diminished, Lord, that You may increase! Amen
Monday, December 12, 2011
December 12, 2011 … Exaltation Follows Humility
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9 - 11 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My Journal for Today: In today’s entry of Strength for Today, John MacArthur helps those who pursue God through his devotional to see from God’s word (in the highlight passages from Phil. 2 above) that Christ’s humiliation in His incarnation, life, and death on the cross, as well as His exaltation (again, see today’s passage) are very powerful and practical examples of God’s economy of justice. It’s really a straightforward formula; but it’s also an infinitely challenging message for all mankind to accept and implement. THE FORUMULA is that when one humbles himself, he will be exalted. Jesus was our earthly model of humility [Phil. 2: 6 – 8]; and in today’s passage [Phil. 2: 9 – 11] we read of Christ becoming our heavenly and perfect example of God’s exaltation out of His earthly and perfect humility.
MacArthur reminds me [us] that the Apostle Peter [in 1st Peter 1: 10 – 12] had pointed to Christ fulfilling the prophesies of the ancient Prophets concerning the Messiah. And the Author of Hebrews wrote of Christ [in Heb. 12: 2], “… Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” So, the Apostle Paul’s purpose in our passage from Phil. 2 was to illustrate, not only Christ’s humble emptying of His majesty in His Incarnation; but also to document His re-entry into heavenly glory as a result of His humiliation on the cross. So it’s worthy of repeating, … Christ, therefore, is not only our human example of humility, He is also our heavenly example of God glorifying anyone who is willing to humble himself and receive God’s Son as Lord and Savior.
That economy and balance of justice is also documented in James 4: 10, where we read, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” And as I’ve documented before, that is the message that was also laid out by Solomon in Prov. 3: 34 and repeated by Peter in 1st Peter 5: 6 … that God gives His grace to the humble but resists the proud. So, Jesus was God’s model of His scale of justice; and His word repeats the lesson often. >>> BUT, do we get it?!
Unfortunately, all too often I’ve had to learn the lesson of God’s economy with regard to humility the hard way. I know the lesson in my head; but my deceitful heart [see Jer. 17: 9] brings me often to a place where God has to teach me humility in the face of my pridefulness. I have to be brought low because I’ve chosen to exalt myself rather than choose to humble self and surrender to my Savior [again see the truth of Jesus’ command in Luke 9: 23]. When will I see - from the heart - that it’s so, so, so much better for me to CHOOSE to be humble and let God exalt me for being like Christ?
Just like Christ, one day as a believing Christian, I (and all Christians) will be lifted up to be with my (our) Lord in Heaven, … not because of anything I will do in humility, … but because of what Christ has already done for me (us) in perfect humility. Oh how I (we) need to meditate on this at this time of year, especially letting this message encourage us in our trials. But as we do so in reading this, we can look forward this month to even more about our Lord; so, … yes, … stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: Blessed am I by Your exaltation, Lord. Amen
My Journal for Today: In today’s entry of Strength for Today, John MacArthur helps those who pursue God through his devotional to see from God’s word (in the highlight passages from Phil. 2 above) that Christ’s humiliation in His incarnation, life, and death on the cross, as well as His exaltation (again, see today’s passage) are very powerful and practical examples of God’s economy of justice. It’s really a straightforward formula; but it’s also an infinitely challenging message for all mankind to accept and implement. THE FORUMULA is that when one humbles himself, he will be exalted. Jesus was our earthly model of humility [Phil. 2: 6 – 8]; and in today’s passage [Phil. 2: 9 – 11] we read of Christ becoming our heavenly and perfect example of God’s exaltation out of His earthly and perfect humility.
MacArthur reminds me [us] that the Apostle Peter [in 1st Peter 1: 10 – 12] had pointed to Christ fulfilling the prophesies of the ancient Prophets concerning the Messiah. And the Author of Hebrews wrote of Christ [in Heb. 12: 2], “… Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” So, the Apostle Paul’s purpose in our passage from Phil. 2 was to illustrate, not only Christ’s humble emptying of His majesty in His Incarnation; but also to document His re-entry into heavenly glory as a result of His humiliation on the cross. So it’s worthy of repeating, … Christ, therefore, is not only our human example of humility, He is also our heavenly example of God glorifying anyone who is willing to humble himself and receive God’s Son as Lord and Savior.
That economy and balance of justice is also documented in James 4: 10, where we read, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” And as I’ve documented before, that is the message that was also laid out by Solomon in Prov. 3: 34 and repeated by Peter in 1st Peter 5: 6 … that God gives His grace to the humble but resists the proud. So, Jesus was God’s model of His scale of justice; and His word repeats the lesson often. >>> BUT, do we get it?!
Unfortunately, all too often I’ve had to learn the lesson of God’s economy with regard to humility the hard way. I know the lesson in my head; but my deceitful heart [see Jer. 17: 9] brings me often to a place where God has to teach me humility in the face of my pridefulness. I have to be brought low because I’ve chosen to exalt myself rather than choose to humble self and surrender to my Savior [again see the truth of Jesus’ command in Luke 9: 23]. When will I see - from the heart - that it’s so, so, so much better for me to CHOOSE to be humble and let God exalt me for being like Christ?
Just like Christ, one day as a believing Christian, I (and all Christians) will be lifted up to be with my (our) Lord in Heaven, … not because of anything I will do in humility, … but because of what Christ has already done for me (us) in perfect humility. Oh how I (we) need to meditate on this at this time of year, especially letting this message encourage us in our trials. But as we do so in reading this, we can look forward this month to even more about our Lord; so, … yes, … stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: Blessed am I by Your exaltation, Lord. Amen
Sunday, December 11, 2011
December 11, 2011 … God’s Unfathomable Ways
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 8 [ NIV - see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!
My Journal for Today: John MacArthur begins his Strength for Today devotional on this date by reminding his readers (that’s me!) of what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 11: 33, writing (from the NASB), “Oh, the depth … of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” And Paul was agreeing with David, the Psalmist (in Ps. 36: 6) who wrote, “Your judgments (are like) the great deep.” We also read God say, through the Prophet in Isaiah 55: 8 – 9 [NIV], “8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
When we consider the passage we’ve been studying this month [i.e., Philippians 2: 5-11], certainly no human would have ever scripted God coming to mankind in the way His Incarnation unfolded from God’s plan. And even Christ’s Disciples had trouble recognizing their Messiah, even though they knew of the Old Testament prophesies and walking with Him as they saw Jesus fulfill so many of those prophesies. And in today’s devotional, John MacArthur even speculates on what Jesus’ thoughts might have been about mankind, when MacArthur wrote, ” Somewhere along the path of Christ’s descent, you’d think He would have said to Himself, These people really aren’t worth redeeming. This is too degrading and humiliating!” But thankfully, MacArthur analyzes that Christ’s humility was such to the Heavenly Father that God, the Son, had no such thoughts. Our Lord was inexorably set on a path to humble Himself as a man to the point of death to become the Lamb of God and save mankind.
Who would have thunk it ?! A babe, born in a manger, not a palace; … a boy raised as a carpenter’s son, rather than as a powerful prince; ... and the King of kings, living out his adult years with a ragtag group of itinerants, rather than leading an army against Rome in deliverance of God’s people. And yet, this was the wild and wondrous plan which God used to redeem mankind, culminating in the horror and humiliation Christ endured to shed His blood in atonement for Man’s sin. But no wonder the Disciples of Christ, even His inner circle had trouble seeing Jesus as THE KING of kings and LORD of lords.
As MacArthur states for this date, “God’s ways ARE unsearchable; His truths profound. And His plan to redeem us was accomplished by Christ’s humiliation.” As the kids would say today, “Go figure!” … However, for the one who does figure it out, or at least seek it out (i.e., reasoning and responding in faith from his/her heart), he/she will plumb God’s incredible plan for eternal life from the depths and treasures of the very mind of God [so beautifully summarized in John 3: 16, which you probably have memorized].
That’s where one finds The Good News of the Gospel and gets a glimpse personally into the most incredible display of humility ever fashioned for us to follow. Yes, God’s heights are so incredibly high; but they must be scaled. They are so vastly deep; but they must be plumbed. That, to me, is the essence of any Advent season; and as we move on into this Christmas Season, there will be more; … so, again, stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: Too high and deep are Your ways, Lord; but help me to find them as I seek to know You, my Lord and Savior. Amen
My Journal for Today: John MacArthur begins his Strength for Today devotional on this date by reminding his readers (that’s me!) of what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 11: 33, writing (from the NASB), “Oh, the depth … of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” And Paul was agreeing with David, the Psalmist (in Ps. 36: 6) who wrote, “Your judgments (are like) the great deep.” We also read God say, through the Prophet in Isaiah 55: 8 – 9 [NIV], “8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
When we consider the passage we’ve been studying this month [i.e., Philippians 2: 5-11], certainly no human would have ever scripted God coming to mankind in the way His Incarnation unfolded from God’s plan. And even Christ’s Disciples had trouble recognizing their Messiah, even though they knew of the Old Testament prophesies and walking with Him as they saw Jesus fulfill so many of those prophesies. And in today’s devotional, John MacArthur even speculates on what Jesus’ thoughts might have been about mankind, when MacArthur wrote, ” Somewhere along the path of Christ’s descent, you’d think He would have said to Himself, These people really aren’t worth redeeming. This is too degrading and humiliating!” But thankfully, MacArthur analyzes that Christ’s humility was such to the Heavenly Father that God, the Son, had no such thoughts. Our Lord was inexorably set on a path to humble Himself as a man to the point of death to become the Lamb of God and save mankind.
Who would have thunk it ?! A babe, born in a manger, not a palace; … a boy raised as a carpenter’s son, rather than as a powerful prince; ... and the King of kings, living out his adult years with a ragtag group of itinerants, rather than leading an army against Rome in deliverance of God’s people. And yet, this was the wild and wondrous plan which God used to redeem mankind, culminating in the horror and humiliation Christ endured to shed His blood in atonement for Man’s sin. But no wonder the Disciples of Christ, even His inner circle had trouble seeing Jesus as THE KING of kings and LORD of lords.
As MacArthur states for this date, “God’s ways ARE unsearchable; His truths profound. And His plan to redeem us was accomplished by Christ’s humiliation.” As the kids would say today, “Go figure!” … However, for the one who does figure it out, or at least seek it out (i.e., reasoning and responding in faith from his/her heart), he/she will plumb God’s incredible plan for eternal life from the depths and treasures of the very mind of God [so beautifully summarized in John 3: 16, which you probably have memorized].
That’s where one finds The Good News of the Gospel and gets a glimpse personally into the most incredible display of humility ever fashioned for us to follow. Yes, God’s heights are so incredibly high; but they must be scaled. They are so vastly deep; but they must be plumbed. That, to me, is the essence of any Advent season; and as we move on into this Christmas Season, there will be more; … so, again, stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: Too high and deep are Your ways, Lord; but help me to find them as I seek to know You, my Lord and Savior. Amen
Saturday, December 10, 2011
December 10, 2011 … The Humility of Christ
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 8b [ NIV - see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!
My Journal for Today: As Christians, all of us aspire to grow in Christlikeness. In the Phil. 2 passage from which we’ve been studying this month, verse 5 says that our attitudes as Christians should be the same as that of our Lord. So, as individuals, and collectively as the Body of Christ, we should be doing all we can to capture and live with the attitude of Christ. And here in this wondrous passage, the Apostle Paul tells believers that the #1 attitude to which we ought to aspire is that of HUMILITY; and I’m here to tell you that this is one of the toughest lessons I have to learn as a disciple of our Lord.
You may already know that humility, along with meekness, are the only two adjectives Jesus ever used to describe Himself (see Matt. 11: 29); and we learn from passages like 1st Peter 5: 6 and James 4: 6, as well as Prov. 3: 34, that God honors humility by pouring His grace into those who humble themselves in obedience to God or His word. However, when it comes to the Phil. 2: 8 comparison test, all too often I come up short with my ego exhibiting pride, falling way short of the humility modeled so perfectly by my Savior.
And what a model of humility we have in Jesus, especially as He fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophesies concerning His passion and death on the cross. He was totally humbled to the will of His Father by dying on “the tree,” the most ignominious and humiliating form of capital punishment ever devised by man, and one which was hated by the Jews (see Deut. 21: 22 - 23). During all of His unjust trials before His crucifixion, He spoke not a word; and we see our Lord totally surrendered to the will of His Heavenly Father … that He be would become the Lamb of God to save ME! Me, of all people; but that was our Lord’s humble mission in life, … to serve me, and you, and all who would receive His humble and graceful act of atonement … that we might have eternal life. Is that not THE model of humility?
And now, in His word, I read from the inspiration of His Spirit, that I am to have His humility (again Phil. 2: 5); and Christ’s own words from Luke 9: 23 with regard to discipleship ring in my heart/mind as well … that I am to deny my self … and follow Him. So, the lessons of life in this regard continue; and I will enter my thoughts here today, doing all I can to humble myself to my Lord and to others. It’s a daunting task; but it is one I must learn and live.
So, I (we) move on … and there’s more to come. Yes, you’re getting it by now; … stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: It is my humble prayer, Lord. Again I pray, Lord, help me to be humble! Amen
My Journal for Today: As Christians, all of us aspire to grow in Christlikeness. In the Phil. 2 passage from which we’ve been studying this month, verse 5 says that our attitudes as Christians should be the same as that of our Lord. So, as individuals, and collectively as the Body of Christ, we should be doing all we can to capture and live with the attitude of Christ. And here in this wondrous passage, the Apostle Paul tells believers that the #1 attitude to which we ought to aspire is that of HUMILITY; and I’m here to tell you that this is one of the toughest lessons I have to learn as a disciple of our Lord.
You may already know that humility, along with meekness, are the only two adjectives Jesus ever used to describe Himself (see Matt. 11: 29); and we learn from passages like 1st Peter 5: 6 and James 4: 6, as well as Prov. 3: 34, that God honors humility by pouring His grace into those who humble themselves in obedience to God or His word. However, when it comes to the Phil. 2: 8 comparison test, all too often I come up short with my ego exhibiting pride, falling way short of the humility modeled so perfectly by my Savior.
And what a model of humility we have in Jesus, especially as He fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophesies concerning His passion and death on the cross. He was totally humbled to the will of His Father by dying on “the tree,” the most ignominious and humiliating form of capital punishment ever devised by man, and one which was hated by the Jews (see Deut. 21: 22 - 23). During all of His unjust trials before His crucifixion, He spoke not a word; and we see our Lord totally surrendered to the will of His Heavenly Father … that He be would become the Lamb of God to save ME! Me, of all people; but that was our Lord’s humble mission in life, … to serve me, and you, and all who would receive His humble and graceful act of atonement … that we might have eternal life. Is that not THE model of humility?
And now, in His word, I read from the inspiration of His Spirit, that I am to have His humility (again Phil. 2: 5); and Christ’s own words from Luke 9: 23 with regard to discipleship ring in my heart/mind as well … that I am to deny my self … and follow Him. So, the lessons of life in this regard continue; and I will enter my thoughts here today, doing all I can to humble myself to my Lord and to others. It’s a daunting task; but it is one I must learn and live.
So, I (we) move on … and there’s more to come. Yes, you’re getting it by now; … stay tuned!
My Prayer Today: It is my humble prayer, Lord. Again I pray, Lord, help me to be humble! Amen
Friday, December 09, 2011
December 9, 2011 … Christ’s Outward Appearance
Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 8a [ NIV - see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!
My Journal for Today: The most important question anyone will ever confront and answer in this life is “Who is this Man, Jesus?” At one point, as documented in Matt. 16: 15-16, Jesus even asked His inner core of disciples this pointed question, "Who do you say I am;” to which Peter got the pop quiz right by intellectually responding, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” But Jesus knew that Peter, even though he answered with the true answer, he and the Disciples had not yet internalized that truth; and they would later fall in disbelief several times before Jesus died on the cross.
For years I was a fool and pretended the answer to Jesus’ question was unimportant. But finally I came to recognize the ultimate importance of answering that question correctly; and I was brought to a place by God so that I could see Him for Whom He really was and is … and that is Jesus, The Messiah and the Son of the living God.
Today’s verse in the Phil. 2 passage (i.e., verse 8a), in the context of the verse immediately proceeding, i.e., verse 7, shows the degree to which Christ was willing to experience the humiliation of humanity to reveal His deity in a way that mankind could identify and see Who He really is. But having been one of those blinded to His deity, I now wonder how mankind, including myself, could not see Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, … the Savior of all mankind. The “fools” of Christ’s day, even most of the ones who saw Him physically, even as He performed wondrous miracles, saw only Jesus’ “appearance” as a man. That word “appearance” in today’s verse is the Greek term “schema,” from which we get our word, “scheme.” It means the “outer form” of anything … that which we can see or perceive with our senses.
In other words, as Christ walked the earth, even doing incredible miracles that only God could do, most of those around Him only chose to only see His “schema,” … His humanity; and most could not – or would not – see God in the God-Man. That even included the twelve chosen disciples who were closest to our Lord during His three years of earthly ministry. As I said above, I was that way for 39 years of my life. I would have been like those in John 6: 42 or 8: 48, rejecting Jesus for Whom He really was/is. Our human, selfish logic often only allows us to see the outer “schema” of a person, not being willing or able to see inside to perceive the real person – or in the case of Jesus, being blind to His deity. Though I must admit that it’s tough for me to see how his twelve disciples, who had seen Jesus feed thousands from a few fishes and loaves and who saw Him walk on water, could bolt and run when he was taken by the Romans and Jews to be crucified. But truth be told, had I been one of His inner circle, I probably would have been one of the cowards myself.
Take it from one who knows; … it’s so easy to humanize God or to rationalize the truth concerning Jesus, rather than to deal with Christ or His word personally. Jesus and His truth demands that we accept Him for Whom He is … in faith. Jesus of Nazareth was/is God! And His Gospel is truth, the real message of the Advent Season in which we find ourselves at this time of the year! We must accept it and deal with it … from the inside out – totally – not just the outer skin.
I pray that we’ve all done that … but stay tuned … we will get to know this Jesus even further during the rest of this month. >>>
My Prayer Today: Lord Jesus, You are my King and my Lord! Amen
My Journal for Today: The most important question anyone will ever confront and answer in this life is “Who is this Man, Jesus?” At one point, as documented in Matt. 16: 15-16, Jesus even asked His inner core of disciples this pointed question, "Who do you say I am;” to which Peter got the pop quiz right by intellectually responding, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” But Jesus knew that Peter, even though he answered with the true answer, he and the Disciples had not yet internalized that truth; and they would later fall in disbelief several times before Jesus died on the cross.
For years I was a fool and pretended the answer to Jesus’ question was unimportant. But finally I came to recognize the ultimate importance of answering that question correctly; and I was brought to a place by God so that I could see Him for Whom He really was and is … and that is Jesus, The Messiah and the Son of the living God.
Today’s verse in the Phil. 2 passage (i.e., verse 8a), in the context of the verse immediately proceeding, i.e., verse 7, shows the degree to which Christ was willing to experience the humiliation of humanity to reveal His deity in a way that mankind could identify and see Who He really is. But having been one of those blinded to His deity, I now wonder how mankind, including myself, could not see Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, … the Savior of all mankind. The “fools” of Christ’s day, even most of the ones who saw Him physically, even as He performed wondrous miracles, saw only Jesus’ “appearance” as a man. That word “appearance” in today’s verse is the Greek term “schema,” from which we get our word, “scheme.” It means the “outer form” of anything … that which we can see or perceive with our senses.
In other words, as Christ walked the earth, even doing incredible miracles that only God could do, most of those around Him only chose to only see His “schema,” … His humanity; and most could not – or would not – see God in the God-Man. That even included the twelve chosen disciples who were closest to our Lord during His three years of earthly ministry. As I said above, I was that way for 39 years of my life. I would have been like those in John 6: 42 or 8: 48, rejecting Jesus for Whom He really was/is. Our human, selfish logic often only allows us to see the outer “schema” of a person, not being willing or able to see inside to perceive the real person – or in the case of Jesus, being blind to His deity. Though I must admit that it’s tough for me to see how his twelve disciples, who had seen Jesus feed thousands from a few fishes and loaves and who saw Him walk on water, could bolt and run when he was taken by the Romans and Jews to be crucified. But truth be told, had I been one of His inner circle, I probably would have been one of the cowards myself.
Take it from one who knows; … it’s so easy to humanize God or to rationalize the truth concerning Jesus, rather than to deal with Christ or His word personally. Jesus and His truth demands that we accept Him for Whom He is … in faith. Jesus of Nazareth was/is God! And His Gospel is truth, the real message of the Advent Season in which we find ourselves at this time of the year! We must accept it and deal with it … from the inside out – totally – not just the outer skin.
I pray that we’ve all done that … but stay tuned … we will get to know this Jesus even further during the rest of this month. >>>
My Prayer Today: Lord Jesus, You are my King and my Lord! Amen
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