I suppose most people in redemptive history have developed a sort of philosophic idea in their minds and hearts of who God is [even atheists]. They may develop these ideas from something they read from somewhere else or from someone they have talked to. They may even claim to develop ideas on their own. For example, a Muslim believes that Allah is God Almighty. A Jehovah’s Witness believes that “Jehovah” is God but apart from the deity of Christ. The Buddhist believes in Karma and many rebirths or an ultimate Nirvana or “spiritual enlightenment” that comes from self-suffering or ascetic performance. The common denominator among most religions is not only man-centered and revolving around religious performance, but the God they claim to be “the true God” has also been molded and shaped into their fashion, as an idol. In this they attempt to free themselves from the law. False doctrine results in false epistemologies and fails to observe depravity of the human soul in its truest sense because it does not acknowledge the only perfect righteousness acceptable by God or the true heinousness of sin.
The Word of God [apart from Allah, the Watchtower and other non-canonized Scriptures] speaks for itself, apart from man. The true Word of God describes not only ultimate authority over man with propositions in the Scriptures, but His complete character is described simultaneously. In other words, not only is the true God the one who commands every man everywhere to repent, but that He also demonstrates His character in exalting His name. How does He exalt His name? He first and foremost does not look to man for affirmation in His exaltation because He is self-sufficient and self-existent. Not only is He perfect in Holiness, which makes Him perfectly righteous, but He is omnipotent, omniscient and unapproachable apart from His Sovereign decrees. He is not only an infinite number of things that man cannot understand with an infinitely wretched, feeble and worm-like mind, but He is simply incomprehensible. As He declares His name to be above all things, He declares not only repentance, but also reminds us that He has made everything the eye can see. He has made heaven and earth, the human body, all animals, the universe and single-celled organisms.
These things are only able to be explained by a human to other humans because God has made them. The fact that God made me reminds me of how he captures the entirety of creation with His Word. He reminds me that He has made heaven and earth, which is everything I can see and beyond my scope of comprehension. At the same time, He declares His own righteousness and that He is infinitely above all things. Because He has caused me to see that He is infinitely above all things, He also causes me to see who other religions acknowledge a great deal, but without reverence. This infinitely incomprehensible Holy God who has made heaven and earth has made Himself knowable in the person of Jesus Christ. He therefore strips any self-exultation of man. He brings him to nothing. He causes all insolent ascetic and non-Christ exalting religions to falter upon the rebellious and man-glorifying epistemologies that end in self-destruction. This God-Man is the very manifestation of God to man in the flesh as He declared Himself to be when He walked this earth. Muhammad never claimed to be God in the flesh. Neither did Gandhi. Jesus did not claim to be a good leader or just a prophet. He claimed to be God. This proclamation ultimately lead to His bloody death on the Cross. His power reverberates in the resurrecting power of the Gospel. The true Messiah claimed to be God. The true Messiah died. The true Messiah also rose again and ascended to the right hand of the Father. The true Messiah, Jesus Christ, came to save sinners who will not and cannot save themselves. The true Messiah is still incomprehensible, majestic, excellent and infinitely glorious beyond all measure. His unfathomable Mercy is heard throughout the land. He humbled Himself to be a man and to wash the feet of His disciples. Yet, He is also the Judge and Lord of Heaven and Earth; the maker of all things.
“But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
2 Corinthians 4:2-6
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
10 possible meditations for a devotion
1.) Jesus Christ actually walked this planet and historically died on the Cross. Meditate on the historical reality of Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection.
2.) The blood of Jesus’ being shed is the only forgiveness for sins that is possible. Not only that, the power of that blood is enough to forgive all sins forever and thus imparts eternal life of bliss and perfect fellowship from the Creator to the undeserved sinner.
3.) Singles should rejoice in this season to do the work of an evangelist and fulfilling the Great Commission to speak the words of eternal life to the dead and lost.
4.) Married couples should pray to love their spouses in a way that brings the most glory to God according to His Word. Husbands meditate upon the Love of Christ and how He sacrificially loves His church. Wives submit to your husbands in reverence for Christ.
5.) This life on earth is merely a vapor. Meditate on eternity and how losing your life for the sake of Christ makes this world less and less attractive. This world will pass. The Word of God lasts forever.
6.) Meditate on the fact that the Holy Spirit prays for you in your weakness. When you are weakest physically, spiritually and emotionally, then you are strongest in Christ.
7.) We are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, given life and the ability to be obedient to God. Meditate on how He has sanctified you with His Word and Spirit to be more like Him and thus preparing you to be with Him, face to face for eternity.
8.) Meditate on Christian persecution and what it means to be persecuted or killed for preaching salvation in Jesus Christ.
9.) Meditate on becoming a student of God’s Word. The very God who caused the new birth provided the very words that cause sanctification to understand Him more accurately and love Him more rightly until glorification. Know more of the doctrine of God.
10.)Meditate upon Old Testament Scriptures and read commentaries by respected authors to understand them.
2.) The blood of Jesus’ being shed is the only forgiveness for sins that is possible. Not only that, the power of that blood is enough to forgive all sins forever and thus imparts eternal life of bliss and perfect fellowship from the Creator to the undeserved sinner.
3.) Singles should rejoice in this season to do the work of an evangelist and fulfilling the Great Commission to speak the words of eternal life to the dead and lost.
4.) Married couples should pray to love their spouses in a way that brings the most glory to God according to His Word. Husbands meditate upon the Love of Christ and how He sacrificially loves His church. Wives submit to your husbands in reverence for Christ.
5.) This life on earth is merely a vapor. Meditate on eternity and how losing your life for the sake of Christ makes this world less and less attractive. This world will pass. The Word of God lasts forever.
6.) Meditate on the fact that the Holy Spirit prays for you in your weakness. When you are weakest physically, spiritually and emotionally, then you are strongest in Christ.
7.) We are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, given life and the ability to be obedient to God. Meditate on how He has sanctified you with His Word and Spirit to be more like Him and thus preparing you to be with Him, face to face for eternity.
8.) Meditate on Christian persecution and what it means to be persecuted or killed for preaching salvation in Jesus Christ.
9.) Meditate on becoming a student of God’s Word. The very God who caused the new birth provided the very words that cause sanctification to understand Him more accurately and love Him more rightly until glorification. Know more of the doctrine of God.
10.)Meditate upon Old Testament Scriptures and read commentaries by respected authors to understand them.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Eternal Protection
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:11-16
What a dreaded thought to be an enemy of the infinite Almighty God. To love hatred and to have an openly rebellious heart against the law of the Lord is to be under His wrath. The King of Righteousness is promised to return with a robe dipped in blood, due to wrath and establish righteous judgment upon unjustified sinners. The reprobates are gathered with all of their unregenerate thoughts and deeds and will serve their just punishment. Those who are proud in heart and spirit and who have cumulatively compiled all their sins will be judged with as He strikes the nations as the Word of God.
However, if you are one of His remnant that are broken hearted over sin and defilement of the flesh, then who better to defend your unrighteous deeds then the very One who built the everlasting bridge with His blood? Brethren, Jesus Christ, who is faithful and true according to His eternal promises, infinitely secures His chosen vessels of honor. There is nothing that can separate you from Him. Just as His Almighty wrath is an unstoppable and impenetrable decree, so is His Great Mercy on those whose sins He has graciously passed over and given them His Holy Spirit. If you hate sin and love the brethren, then you are in God’s army and are battling even now. His sword does not bring death and destruction to those He has given His very name and Righteousness. Justification is of an infinite kind and only given by an infinite being. Take courage, saved sinners. If you are fighting the tricks and wiles of the Devil in this world with your own sword, the Word of God, then Jesus Christ, the King of Kings has eternally secured your name in the Book of Life. Not even death itself will prevail.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:
‘For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are account as sheep for the slaughter.’
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:35-39
What a dreaded thought to be an enemy of the infinite Almighty God. To love hatred and to have an openly rebellious heart against the law of the Lord is to be under His wrath. The King of Righteousness is promised to return with a robe dipped in blood, due to wrath and establish righteous judgment upon unjustified sinners. The reprobates are gathered with all of their unregenerate thoughts and deeds and will serve their just punishment. Those who are proud in heart and spirit and who have cumulatively compiled all their sins will be judged with as He strikes the nations as the Word of God.
However, if you are one of His remnant that are broken hearted over sin and defilement of the flesh, then who better to defend your unrighteous deeds then the very One who built the everlasting bridge with His blood? Brethren, Jesus Christ, who is faithful and true according to His eternal promises, infinitely secures His chosen vessels of honor. There is nothing that can separate you from Him. Just as His Almighty wrath is an unstoppable and impenetrable decree, so is His Great Mercy on those whose sins He has graciously passed over and given them His Holy Spirit. If you hate sin and love the brethren, then you are in God’s army and are battling even now. His sword does not bring death and destruction to those He has given His very name and Righteousness. Justification is of an infinite kind and only given by an infinite being. Take courage, saved sinners. If you are fighting the tricks and wiles of the Devil in this world with your own sword, the Word of God, then Jesus Christ, the King of Kings has eternally secured your name in the Book of Life. Not even death itself will prevail.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:
‘For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are account as sheep for the slaughter.’
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:35-39
Friday, January 30, 2009
The Coming Branch
“Then the Angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘If you will walk in My ways, And if you will keep My command, Then you shall also judge My house, And likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk Among these who stand here.
‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign;
For behold I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH. For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the Lord of hosts,
‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts,
‘Everyone will invite his neighbor Under his vine and under his fig tree.’”
Zechariah 3:6-10
Consider yourself blessed if you are able and willing to walk in the ways of the Lord. For walking in His ways are indeed, keeping His commands. By keeping His commands, you have proven to have passed from death to life. Thus, you have received an eternal inheritance, being grafted into the BRANCH.
Sinners are only willing and capable to walk in the ways of the Lord after being shown they are ‘grafted in’ and that their iniquity is removed. In that day, the sinner is shown the utter helplessness and hopelessness without the only HOPE presented before them. They are then forever grateful for the infinite forgiveness of that iniquity that would otherwise stand against them in complete justice.
There are no offerings and sacrifices that will suffice for the forgiveness of our sins. Infinite transgressors of the law in utter finitude are justly and only deserving of Infinite punishment, according to the Law. We are therefore only forgiven from the Infinite Servant, The Branch. His body and infinite greatness is the eternally decreed wondrous and beautiful perfect once and for all sacrifice for the iniquities of mankind. The Branch provides the eternally living water and the only peace and satisfaction to reconcile us to the Father. We are then granted access to boldly enter the throne of Grace as adopted sons and daughters.
Hallelujah.
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of the commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” Ephesians 2:13-17
‘If you will walk in My ways, And if you will keep My command, Then you shall also judge My house, And likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk Among these who stand here.
‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign;
For behold I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH. For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the Lord of hosts,
‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts,
‘Everyone will invite his neighbor Under his vine and under his fig tree.’”
Zechariah 3:6-10
Consider yourself blessed if you are able and willing to walk in the ways of the Lord. For walking in His ways are indeed, keeping His commands. By keeping His commands, you have proven to have passed from death to life. Thus, you have received an eternal inheritance, being grafted into the BRANCH.
Sinners are only willing and capable to walk in the ways of the Lord after being shown they are ‘grafted in’ and that their iniquity is removed. In that day, the sinner is shown the utter helplessness and hopelessness without the only HOPE presented before them. They are then forever grateful for the infinite forgiveness of that iniquity that would otherwise stand against them in complete justice.
There are no offerings and sacrifices that will suffice for the forgiveness of our sins. Infinite transgressors of the law in utter finitude are justly and only deserving of Infinite punishment, according to the Law. We are therefore only forgiven from the Infinite Servant, The Branch. His body and infinite greatness is the eternally decreed wondrous and beautiful perfect once and for all sacrifice for the iniquities of mankind. The Branch provides the eternally living water and the only peace and satisfaction to reconcile us to the Father. We are then granted access to boldly enter the throne of Grace as adopted sons and daughters.
Hallelujah.
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of the commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” Ephesians 2:13-17
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Comfort of the Holy Spirit
The epitome of the Christian life on earth rests in the Holy Spirit. Storms arrive at seemingly inopportune times as the sin nature rises up in angst against the Almighty Lord. Paul states, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13, 14. This promise rests not on man’s abilities as he is the utmost inconsistent and rebellious creature. In a world saturated with sickness and death, the only sense of relief and eternal security is by the blessed indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a believer. The promise rests in the revelation of God’s word to the heart of a believer, filling him with everlasting fruit of the Spirit and knowledge of the Glory of Christ. A believer should rest as he puts on Christ and perseveres to mortify the flesh and put to death the sins of the body. We should take on sickness with gladness as we submit our requests before the infinitely Sovereign Lord to heal our already sin-sick bodies. May we see the promise of the sealing of the Holy Spirit as a merely passing through this life into transient glory, while preaching the glorious Gospel of Christ to those who are infinitely dead in sins. We are not citizens of earth, but citizens of heaven. We are sealed because we were purchased by the blood of Jesus, eternally delivered from sin, sickness and death. He receives us unto Himself because He has done it all.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Psalm 145
“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Psalm 145:8-9
In all eternity, the character of the Lord is immutable. He is therefore by nature, gracious, compassionate and slow to anger. These attributes of His nature cannot and will not change. The reflection of His eternal compassion subdues the hearts and natures of man in an instant. He draws near to the transgressors, bringing them in from a foreign land into the land of the living. He has sought out those who are dead and would otherwise be eternally forsaken and judged according to the strict righteousness of the Law and gives them life. Those who are willing and able to give grace to others are those who are shown great mercy by our Lord. Those who are compassionate upon the poor, naked and blind are those who see the eternal compassion of the Lord. Those who are becoming slow to anger as they are able display the love and mercy of our Creator, being changed from a hateful wretch by nature are those to whom the Lord is slow to anger. Each aspect of the complete character of God is indeed dependant upon those whom He has clothed in the righteousness of His Glorious Son.
Psalm 145:8-9
In all eternity, the character of the Lord is immutable. He is therefore by nature, gracious, compassionate and slow to anger. These attributes of His nature cannot and will not change. The reflection of His eternal compassion subdues the hearts and natures of man in an instant. He draws near to the transgressors, bringing them in from a foreign land into the land of the living. He has sought out those who are dead and would otherwise be eternally forsaken and judged according to the strict righteousness of the Law and gives them life. Those who are willing and able to give grace to others are those who are shown great mercy by our Lord. Those who are compassionate upon the poor, naked and blind are those who see the eternal compassion of the Lord. Those who are becoming slow to anger as they are able display the love and mercy of our Creator, being changed from a hateful wretch by nature are those to whom the Lord is slow to anger. Each aspect of the complete character of God is indeed dependant upon those whom He has clothed in the righteousness of His Glorious Son.
Monday, December 22, 2008
The Law is treated as a foreign language to those who are perishing
The purpose of the law is to convict of sin. The knowledge of it already dwells within the conscience of even the most hardened sinner. Unregenerate knowledge utilizes a language from the enemy [Satan] that is common among other unregenerate sinners. It is a relatively agreeable language, in that, sin is the common derivative. Certain gods and idols are uniquely fashioned to our liking and can easily transfer from one to another like a contagious disease. Because man is fallen, it is the agreeableness of the sin nature that seeks the opposite of what the law states, birthing self-indulgent pleasure; making man his own God and thus having forever committed moral suicide [Gen. 3:5]. “Honor your father and mother.” The sin language that sinners speak, at the very most, naturally do not agree to honor, love and respect those God has used to bring about their birth. “You shall not murder.” At the very least, we love to hate and approve of others who do the same. Apart from Grace, we cannot escape those things we naturally speak and do. The sin nature is a universal death language that is common among all mankind.
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