The Word of the Lord

“He [Jesus Christ] was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His Name is called The Word of God.” [1]

It came to me yesterday morning while reading the Book of 1 Kings in the Bible, that wherever the Scripture says, “The Word of the Lord came to... [such and such a person]...” that this “Word of the Lord” is the pre-incarnate Son of God. The significance of this revelation to me was that it shifted my awe from the human receiver of the Word to divine the Giver of the Word… our Lord Jesus Christ! It lifted the weight of hearing from God off of me the hearer and placed the burden of it on Christ the speaker. My part as His ambassador is to meditate on His Holy Word as recorded in the Bible, and to anticipate Him to reveal Himself to me in it.

Our Redeemer Jesus Christ is referred to as the “Word of God” in other places in the Bible as well. For example, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” [2] Praise the Lord!

The glory of a person hearing God speak is God’s miracle. He is willing to speak to those who have ears to hear. [3] The Messiah, God’s Son, is the Word of the Lord. He speaks to us when we listen.

[1] Revelation 19:13
[2] John 1:1-3
[3] Matthew 11:15; 13:9; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8; 14:35

Who has Believed our Report

“Who has believed our report?” asks the Lord in Isaiah 53:1.

This morning, I was remembering a conversation with a man named Tyrone at Good Samaritan Ministries in Washington Park, Illinois. He said that he believed in a higher power but not in the God of the Bible.

The Lord brought Good News to Tyrone about loving him so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for him. To give him eternal salvation based on what Jesus did for Tyrone. He listened but did not receive the Good News. I’m praying for him and hope to see him again.

This morning, I looked up Isaiah 53:1, but then, was led to Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” And then, I found myself unable to stop reading until I reached Isaiah chapter 58. Such Good News!

I am praying for more encounters with people who need to hear Good News, and for vigor and vim from the Holy Spirit to share it.

Open My Eyes that I Might See

“Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” [1]

The Lord has been leading me to pray for a spiritual awakening in America.

The Bible says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” [2] The first commandment is to love God. When we love Him, He opens our eyes to see what we otherwise miss. “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” [3]

The Apostle Paul prayed for people this way, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.” [4]

I’m praying like this for you my friends, for my wife, for my children, for my grandchildren, for my fellow church members, for my co-workers, for my fellow Americans, and for my fellow people on the earth today.

“Open my eyes that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see.
Open my eyes; illumine me,
Spirit divine!” [5]

[1] Ephesians 5:14
[2] 1 Corinthians 2:9
[3] 1 Corinthians 2:12
[4] Ephesians 1:17-19
[5] Author: Clara H. Scott. Hymn title: “Open my eyes that I may see”

Glory in the Lord!

It is in Jesus Messiah that David and his descendants are blessed.

David wanted to build a house for the Lord. The Lord commended him for his desire to build for Him, but God informed David that all blessings would flow to those who have a relationship with Him through faith in His Son – God’s Son. In Him, Jesus, would all people be blessed…

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your Seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish His kingdom. He shall build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. I will be His Father, and He shall be My Son.” [1] This Son is Jesus!

Thus, Paul urges us to avoid divisions based on human personalities, saying, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” [2]

The key point here is, “Was Paul crucified for you?” Was any human being or human organization without sin that it could give it’s life on the cross to atone for your sins? The answer is no. Only Jesus Messiah was without sin. Only He takes away our sin and unites us with God His Father.

God has ordained one Messiah for both Jew and Gentile. His Name is Jesus! It is to Him that all allegiance and glory is due. As Paul said, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” [3]

[1] 2 Samuel 7:12-14
[2] 1 Corinthians 1:10-13
[3] 1 Corinthians 1:31

Ask of Me

The Lord says, “Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.” [1]

Will you join me in asking our Heavenly Father for the nations, that the nations will hear the Good News of His Son Jesus Christ through me.

Atonement (at-one-ment with God and one another) is a gift paid for by Jesus Christ. The atoning sacrifice of Christ for sins is applied to all who believe in Him and profess Him as our Lord and Savior, but how they will know unless someone tells them?

I am old and gray headed, so it is the appropriate time in my life to pray the following prayer that is recorded in the Bible...

“Now also when I am old and gray headed, oh God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” [2]

[1[ Psalm 2:8
[2] Psalm 71:18

Clothed in the Righteousness of Christ

We all fall short of the glory of God. We need a righteousness that is better than our own. The righteousness that we need is that of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the One who fulfills the prophecy written in the Book of Jeremiah.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, ‘That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’” [1]

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” [2]

We receive the righteousness of Christ imputed to us when we believe in Him. Praise the Lord!

[1] Jeremiah 23:5-6
[2] 2 Corinthians 5:20-21

Believe the Good News

The Good News is that God declares people righteous who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. God deems those who live by faith in His Son Jesus Christ as righteous.

“In it [the Gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” (Romans 1:17) Faith in what or whom? Faith in Jesus Christ.

The repentance is a repentance of unbelief regarding the goodness, grace and love of God towards you. Repent of humanistic religions that place the weight of salvation on your shoulders.

Believe the Good News that Christ has done all that is necessary for your salvation. Receive eternal life as a gift that was purchased for you by Christ when He died for your sins and mine on the cross.

Freedom to Live Right is in Jesus Messiah

Jesus Messiah is the true David, King of Israel. All God's blessings come to us through His grace. He has been appointed King of kings, and Lord of lords...

“God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously and govern the nations on earth. Selah Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.” [1]

King Jesus is the One who conquered our sin. He set us free from the shackles of sin so that we lose our appetite to sin and gain an appetite to be like Him: clean and holy, doing what is right.

“...As you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [2]

“Thank You Lord Jesus for binding us to Your righteous ways. Praise You for empowering us to bear holy fruit for Your glory. And thank You for the GIFT of eternal life.”

[1] Psalm 67
[2] Romans 6:19-23

Foolish or Virtuous? I Choose Virtuous!

As I read Proverbs 31 just now, the Lord revealed to me that the Book of Proverbs in the Bible reflects the metaphor that runs throughout the Bible. Namely, that those who forsake the Lord are compared to a woman who makes foolish choices that result in her destruction and in the destruction of those who join in her promiscuous ways; while those who love the Lord are compared to a faithful bride who is greatly loved, preserved, and provided for by God.

From Proverbs:

“A foolish woman is clamorous; she is simple and knows nothing. For she sits at the door of her house, on a seat by the highest places of the city, to call to those who pass by, who go straight on their way: “whoever is simple, let him turn in here”; and as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, “stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell.” [1]

“Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so, he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” [2]

The virtuous wife is virtuous because she has accepted and committed to one husband: Jesus Christ. He has redeemed, cleansed, and empowered her by His love to live a new life.

Redeemed: “When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” [3]

The harlot: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” [4]

The bride: “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’” [5]

Praise be to God! He is faithful to His people. He will keep His promise to bring us who believe in His Son Jesus Christ to His heavenly kingdom.

[1] Proverbs 9:13-18
[2] Proverbs 31:10-12
[3] Romans 5:6-11
[4] Revelation 17:1-2
[5] Revelation 21:2-4

Christ’s Love is Better than Worldly Fame or Fortune

Jesus compared our hearts to soil and His Word to seed. He compared cares of the world and deceitfulness of riches to thorns which choke God’s Word in one’s life so that it does not produce fruit. [1]

The Psalmist compared those who trust in worldly wealth to beasts that perish.

“Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.” [2]

The Psalmist had no confidence in worldly wealth, but he did have confidence in God to redeem his soul from the grave, and to resurrect him to a better life…

“Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me. Selah” [3]

He describes an element of the worldly culture that hasn’t changed since he wrote the Psalm a few thousand years ago…

“Though while he lives, he blesses himself (for men will praise you when you do well for yourself), he shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish.” [4]

Sadly, riding on the crest of a wave of praise from people could be the very sign of one’s own destruction. Jesus warned us, “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” [5]

Jesus emphasized serving and loving God and others during our earthly lives as opposed to seeking notoriety and fleshly pleasure. A life lived for Christ bears witness to our confidence in the words of Jesus about eternity.

It is not easy to go against the flow of the world. To sacrifice what we could have had in this world for the sake of God’s glory and to put others before ourselves! Therefore, the Psalmist noted: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise.” [6]

Loving God and others helps us to avoid false notions about ourselves, laziness and hateful ways…

“Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” [7]

“The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.” [8]

“He who hates, disguises it with his lips, and lays up deceit within himself; when he speaks kindly, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin.” [9]

Jesus calls us to love God and others because He wants our joy to be full.

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” [10]

[1] Matthew 13:22
[2] Psalm 49:11-12 
[3] Psalm 49:14-15 
[4] Psalm 49:18-20 
[5] Luke 6:24-26 
[6] Psalm 51:17 
[7] Proverbs 26:12 
[8] Proverbs 26:16 
[9] Proverbs 26:24-28 
[10] John 15:11-13

Christ Wins Evil Loses

The other day, I watched a movie entitled, “The Courageous Heart of Irene Sendler.” The Lord Jesus empowered her to save the lives of nearly 2,500 children from being exterminated. She was tortured by the governing authorities and would have been executed by them if the Lord had not intervened on her behalf.

It should be obvious to all that saving innocent children from extermination is not a crime, but hatred and lies (SIN) had darkened the hearts and minds of her leaders. Their narrative was not to be trusted. Irene, trusted in Christ despite the propaganda that waged against Him and His Word. In the end, those authorities fell. Irene survived, and so did those 2,500 children. Praise the Lord!

It is in this context that Psalm 37:34-40 becomes relative and meaningful...

“Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. I have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; indeed, I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the blameless man and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.”

In Christ - Humanity Restored

Being the people of God - in Christ - humanity/personability is restored.

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus, come!

The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, ‘Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’” [1]

The Gentiles, Italians, received the gift of the Holy Spirit just as the Jewish apostles did according to the above the passage. We non-Jewish believers in Jesus had our first Pentecost-type experience that day. Peter used the fact that the Italians were speaking in tongues and magnifying God to say to his fellow Jews, the Gentiles should be allowed to be baptized with water.

What did Peter preach prior to the Holy Spirit’s outpouring? He preached:

God shows no partiality…
Those who fear Him are accepted by Him.
Those who work righteously are accepted by Him.
Peace is in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is Lord of all.
This word was proclaimed throughout Judea.
God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit.
God anointed Jesus with power.
Jesus went about doing good.
He healed people of demonic oppression.
God was with Jesus.
Peter witnessed what Jesus did.
The Jerusalemites crucified Jesus.
God raised Jesus up on the third day.
Jesus was seen alive after being dead by witnesses of God.
Peter ate and drank with Jesus after His resurrection.
God commanded Peter to preach Jesus to people.
God commanded Peter to testify that Jesus will judge all people.
God’s prophets testify that sins of believers in Jesus are forgiven. [2]

The good news is that God is still pouring out His Holy Spirit on believers in Jesus, especially when we offer ourselves to Him to proclaim His Gospel to people. Praise the Lord!

[1] Acts 10:44-47
[2] Acts 10:34-43

Times of Refreshing from the Lord

“Do you show contempt for the riches of God's kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” [1]

Complaining and campaigning against deceiving, bribing, and defrauding may bring about a measure of positive change in our nations, but repentance is what we really need. We need God to graciously lead our nation to repent of how we treat His Son whom He sent to save us from our sin. Jesus Christ is the only One who can cleanse peoples’ hearts from sin and give them a new and steadfast heart to do what is right.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit convicts of the sin of unbelief... not believing in Christ. [2]

The Apostle Peter preached, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.” [3]

As each of us determine to dedicate ourselves to honoring Jesus and Jesus alone, God will turn the tide in our nation, so that corrupt people fall from leadership, and good-willed people arise.

“Dear Heavenly Father, please, in Your kindness, forbearance and patience, bring about a return to faith in Jesus Christ in this land. The kind of faith that knows and professes that only He takes away our sin and gives us appetites to do and uphold what is right. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.”

I was blessed years ago to have four Russian Christians share at a meeting with people in China about what happened before the demise of the cruel and atheistic government in the USSR. The Christians began repenting and serving the Lord. These four Russians were from a Bible school in Siberia that had more than 700 students. They were sending missionaries out to the world.

The Lord promised, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

The thing to remember is that when a seed is planted, it takes time to grow and produce a harvest. Let us turn to the Lord now so that the harvest of blessings can come sooner rather than later.

The Apostle Peter wrote, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” [5]

[1] Romans 2:4
[2] John 16:8-9
[3] Acts 3:19-20
[4] 2 Chronicles 7:14
[5] 1 Peter 5:6

Joshua and Jesus

King Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem heard how Joshua conquered two great kingdoms and was about to absorb Gibeon (a kingdom of mighty men without a fight). He was greatly afraid. He sent messages to four kings and asked them to help him conquer Gibeon before they surrendered to Joshua. [1]

“The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.” Joshua armies surprised the enemies. The Lord routed them. As they retreated, the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them, and they died. “There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.” [2]

The Lord will use a similar approach to the nations who war against Him before He returns: “And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.” [3]

Joshua asked the Lord to cause the sun and moon to hold their positions until His enemies were defeated, and the Lord answered his prayer. “And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.” [4]

I remember being inspired to pray a type of Joshua’s prayer once when a co-laborer in Christ wanted to secure a teaching position in China. I prayed that the sun would not go down until he had a position even if we had to visit many universities. He got a position at the first stop. The Lord had directed our steps to the right place.

The Lord gave Joshua the victory. The five enemy kings fled to a cave. Joshua had a large stone rolled in front of the cave. What does this remind you of? Who else had a stone blocking an entrance? Jesus Christ! Joshua completed the mopping up operation of the defeated armies, then, he had his men roll the stone away. He had his captains place their feet on the necks of the kings, and then, said to them, “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” Afterward, Joshua struck them and killed them, and hanged them on five trees. Who else on a tree, but for our sin, not His own? Jesus Christ! Jesus defeated our greatest enemy: sin. [5]

Many more kings gathered against Joshua, but the Lord said to him, “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel.” The Lord did as He said. And the Lord said of Joshua, “He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.” [6] Like Jesus, he sought to fulfill all that God expected him to accomplish.

The Lord says that He hardened the hearts of His foes against His people so that He might destroy them. He even destroyed the giants in the land. None of them survived except the ones who were in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod. [7]

The apostles told those who opposed Christ, “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” [8]

It is only in Jesus that there is forgiveness of sin. It is only in Jesus that there is mercy and salvation from God. Those who know Jesus testify to this, and so does the Holy Spirit.

A leader named Gamaliel told those who arrested the apostles, “If this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.” They agreed, and after beating the apostles, they released them. The apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus and continued to teach and preach Jesus as the Christ. [9]

The question is, “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? They want to defy the Lordship of Christ and humiliate those who profess Him, but God laughs. God has declared His Son to be the King whom all should worship. “Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” [11]

[1] Joshua 10:1-5
[2] Joshua 10:8-11
[3] Revelation 16:21
[4] Joshua 10:12-14
[5] Joshua 10:15-27
[6] Joshua 11:1-8, 15
[7] Joshua 11:20-22
[8] Acts 5:30-33
[9] Acts 5:34-42
[10] Psalm 2

Jesus is Alive and Well, and Returning Soon

“Do not envy the oppressor and choose none of his ways; for the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, but His secret counsel is with the upright.” [1]

Prefer the Lord not perversity! Don’t oppress, enjoy sweet fellowship with God.

“The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the just. Surely, He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.” [2]

Prefer just living over wickedness. Pride leads to scorn of the Lord, while humility leads to enjoying His grace. Glory or shame hang in the balance!

“Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about 5,000.” [3]

While a small group of corrupt and oppressive rulers used lawfare against those who proclaimed the resurrection of Christ from the dead, others, about 5,000 men, believed their message and embraced Christ as their Lord and Savior.

“Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” [4]

Like the mustard seed that is as small as a grain of sand but yields a plant that grows rapidly and is hard to get rid of, so is the Kingdom of Christ. His kingdom conquers all kingdoms. Therefore, let us ask God to heal, and do signs and wonders in the Name of His Son Jesus to help people believe in Him. The greatest sin is not to believe in Jesus for without faith in Him there is no forgiveness of sin. Salvation is by faith in Christ alone.

“With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” [5]

Jesus is alive and well and returning soon.

[1] Proverbs 3:31-32
[2] Proverbs 3:33-35
[3] Acts 4:1-2, 4
[4] Acts 4:30-31
[5] Acts 4:33

A Cheerful Countenance

“To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.” [1]

Jesus Christ is able and willing to turn us who turn to Him from sin. What's more, He replaces destructive, deceiving, and defrauding ways with constructive, commendable, and charitable ways.

“A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” [2]

Jesus Christ fills our heart until overflowing with love, joy, and peace. No one can help us to cope with and overcome the miseries of this evil world like Jesus does.

“Yes, Lord Jesus, we give to You our sins and ask You to forgive us, and to give to us Your blessings that yield glory to You and love to those around us. It is Your Name, Jesus, that I pray. Amen.”

[1] Acts 3:26
[2] Proverbs 15:13

The Earthly and Heavenly Promised Land

Circumcision and Baptism

The Lord ordered Joshua to have the sons of Israel circumcised in preparation to inherit the Promised Land…

“At that time, the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel…” “So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed. Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.’ Therefore, the name of the place is called Gilgal (Rolling) to this day.” [1]

Moses had given the people the spiritual significance of circumcision before this day when he wrote, “And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” [2] It was a dethroning of the flesh’s desires to enthrone the spirit’s desire to love God.

Paul spoke of circumcision in a similar fashion, when he wrote, “A Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.” [3] Circumcision was to be done for God’s praise as an expression of a man’s love for and dedication to God.

The apostle describes baptism as a circumcision of Christ; a burial of the sinful self and a resurrection by the power of God as a sanctified self; a person being set apart by God for His use instead one’s own selfish use: “In Him [Christ] also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him [Christ] in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him [Christ] through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Him [Christ] from the dead.” [4]

Passover and Christ

The Lord led His people to observe the Passover before they took possession of the Promised Land: “Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal and kept the Passover on the 14th day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day.” [5]

Passover is symbolic of Jesus delivering those who trust in Him from the slavery and penalty of sin. Egypt is not just a geographical location it is also a state of mind: “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” [6]

“Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.” [7] Manna is symbolic of the Bible that came down from God and fed our souls. Once, we enter the Promised Land of eternal paradise, we no longer need Bibles because we are with Him to whom the Bible bears witness. Our pilgrimage is over. We are in New Jerusalem.

After circumcision and Passover, the Commander of the Lord’s armies met Joshua. After baptism and recognizing Christ’s atoning sacrifice for our sins, Jesus, the Commander of God’s army appears to us in the Scripture more brilliantly than He ever did before. By His Word He leads us onto victory over every foe and brings us into the Heavenly Promised Land which is eternal. Praise the Lord!

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, ‘Are You for us or for our adversaries?’ So, He said, ‘No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’” [8]

This is what Peter was talking about during his Pentecost message: “Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” [9] Jesus is the Messiah, the One who completes the Old Testament stories.

The impact of Peter’s message was that his listeners were convicted of their need to do something, “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’” [10]

Peter urged them to repent of sin, be baptized and to receive the Holy Spirit: “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’” [11]

The people who believed, responded with action: “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” [12]

The apostles’ doctrine that they studied, the fellowship that they enjoyed, the bread that they broke and the prayers that they prayed were due to being born again into a new and lively hope via God’s Messiah, Jesus His Son. Praise the Lord!

[1] Joshua 5:2, 8-9
[2] Deuteronomy 30:6
[3] Romans 2:29
[4] Colossians 2:11-12
[5] Joshua 5:10-11
[6] 1 Corinthians 5:7; John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18–19
[8] Joshua 5:13-14
[9] Acts 8:36
[10] Acts 8:37
[11] Acts 2:38-39
[12] Acts 2:41-42

By God’s Grace – A Sphere of Influence

The Lord provided Paul a sphere of influence: “We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God Himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.” [1]

The Lord speaks to us through Paul, saying, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” [2]

“In accordance with the faith God has distributed to you!” Both Moses and Jeremiah had faith in God but had serious doubts about themselves. God helped their faith by assuring them that He would help and resource them.

When Jesus called His disciples to serve Him, it was a call to training. He walked with them. He taught them. He showed them how to serve people. He did miracles to boost their confidence in His ability.

Jesus Christ has authority over heaven and earth. He does amazing things as we yield our lives to Him. As we trust that nothing is impossible for God! As we believe in our hearts and profess with our mouths that He is Lord.

What things move you to tears, frustration, anger? For example, if injustice moves you time and time again then that is a clue that maybe you are called to be a voice in the justice arena, maybe in speaking up for those who are downtrodden, or in speaking words of life and encouragement into them. Who do you find yourself praying for the most?

Our Lord Jesus is faithful to increase our sphere of influence when we serve Him faithfully. “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter the joy of your Lord.’” [3]

[1] 2 Corinthians 10:13
[2] Romans 12:3
[3] Matthew 25:23

Saving Sinners Judging Sin

It is a good and praiseworthy thing that when Jesus Messiah came the first time it was to conquer our sin and not to conquer the Romans. If Jesus had come to judge the world in righteousness before He came to pay the penalty for the sins we have committed, He would have had to pronounce us all guilty and conquer us all. But now, that He has come and paid the penalty for our crimes, we need to believe in Him, receive Him and profess Him as our atoning sacrifice, our Savior, to be spared from the righteous judgment of God that is to come.

As Adrian Rodgers said, “If a judge acquits a criminal than he becomes a criminal. God had to make a way to deal with sin so that He could remain just and be the justifier of those who believe in Jesus.”

“God set forth Christ as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” [1]

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” [2]

[1] Romans 3:25-26
[2] 1 Peter 3:18

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” [1]

Believing in God the Father and believing in His Son Jesus Christ does calm my heart when it is troubled. The sure promise of a home with God, prepared by Jesus who died on the cross for my sin comforts me. He has prepared a place for me, and at the right moment, He will come for me.

“I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” [2]

What’s more, I am never without help in this journey called life. The Spirit of truth abides with me. I am not an orphan. My Heavenly Father mentors me, encourages me, corrects me, and enlightens me by His ever-abiding Holy Spirit.

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” [3]

Indeed, I am blessed to enjoy mountaintop experiences with God as I read His Word, walk with His Word as one does a friend, and experience His loving presence. I have a goodly heritage of those who love His Name. In fact, recently, as I was considering the suffering of the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord revealed to me that he was never alone. His fellowship was with God, and with the people of God who went before him such as Moses, Samuel, David, and Elijah. Their words and personalities still live on via the Bible. His fellowship is with me, as I read his words. His voice continues to live and nurture many people via the printed page.

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace, I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” [4]

Yes, whenever my heart is troubled, I just stop, and wait. Yes, there He is! My Helper! The Holy Spirit! Such peace! Such joy! Such hope! Such love that my heart is able to love again, and give again, and God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is glorified! Praise the Lord!

[1] John 14:1-3
[2] John 14:16-18
[3] John 14:23
[4] John 14:25-27

What Do You Seek?

Jesus asks us, “What do you seek?” What do we want to see? His disciples wanted to be where He was…

“Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, ‘What do you seek?’ They said to Him, ‘Rabbi’ (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), ‘where are You staying?’” [1]

We see the Lord as we look to Him in His Holy Word the Bible. He reveals Himself via the prophets, apostles and via our Lord Jesus Christ in the Bible.

In the early days of the Bible the prophets were called seers…

“Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire of God, they would say, ‘Come, let us go to the seer, because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.’” [2]

Our Lord Jesus assured us that if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness that He will provide for our earthly needs.

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” [3]

The Lord says that we will find Him if we seek Him with all our hearts…

“You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” [4]

The revelation of God and of His kingdom is a gift that He graciously gives to those who seek Him, who find Him and who want to help others see Him as well…

“He answered and said to them, ‘Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.’” [5]

Jesus said that we must come to God as a child to enter His kingdom…

Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” [6]

What a prize! What an outcome! To see God’s kingdom present with power…

Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” [7]

[1] John 1:38
[2] 1 Samuel 9:9
[3] Matthew 6:33
[4] Jeremiah 29:13
[5] Matthew 13:11
[6] Matthew 18:3
[7] Mark 9:1

Savior, Please Help Me to SEE

“The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.” [1]

The Lord Jesus by His sacrifice on the cross made a way for me to enter a better Promised Land than the Israelites did when He brought them out of Egypt. By faith in Christ, I escape for eternity the dark kingdom of the oppressive devil and am brought by Christ into the Heavenly Father’s glorious Kingdom to live forever.

“He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath; for He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again. How often they provoked Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!” [2]

I am so glad that the Lord is full of compassion. I am so glad that He forgives my sins, but I do not want to neglect such a great salvation by forgetting to thank, obey and serve Him.

Jesus once said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” Some Pharisees asked Him, “Are we blind also?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore, your sin remains.” [3]

“Thank You Lord Jesus for making me and others aware by Your Word of our blind spots so that we look to You, the Light of the World, and You help us to SEE."

[1] Deuteronomy 8:7-10
[2] Psalm 78:38-40
[3] John 9:39-40

God’s Promised Victory to His People

Events in Exodus parallel events in Revelation. Israel’s subjugation by “Egypt” symbolizes the evil one’s desire to enslave and defile God’s people. God intervenes for His people when they pray and cry out to Him. God graciously does mighty miracles to rescue His people from the grip of the evil one.

Satan’s goal is to subjugate and defile God’s bride. He wants Israel to be a city of harlotry and not a holy city married to God. The opening of the seven seals by Christ in Revelation begins His judgments of righteousness against the works of the evil one. Just as Jesus, the Son of God, carried out the will of His Father to die on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of humanity, He will carry out to the letter the will of the Father and judge the world in righteousness.

“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.” “The Lord is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth.” [1]

In Exodus, the Lord tells Moses, “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So, I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey…” [2]

In Revelation, the Lord gives John a vision of a scroll with seven seals. No one, but Jesus Christ is worthy to open the scroll and release the judgments contained therein. When seal number five is opened, “souls who had been slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held… cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.” The end-time judgments on evil are God’s response to the sufferings and prayers of His people. [3]

In various places in Revelation the prayers of the saints are called the incense of heaven. “And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thundering, lightnings, and an earthquake.” [4] The prayers of God’s people fuel His response to evil.

These events will occur in connection with and following Christ’s return, as they occurred in connection with and following Moses’ return to Egypt after a time of being away from them. Moses brought Israel out to establish a new country governed by the Word of God. Jesus Christ leads His people to a city whose founder and maker is God.

Egypt released Israel when the Lord slew the firstborn son of whoever failed to place the blood of lamb over the doorposts of their dwelling. The Revelation-era saints overcome the Satan by the blood of the Lamb. [5]

Exodus recounts God’s rescue of His enslaved people from the mighty grip of evil and its powerful ruler. Revelation was written during a time when another powerful nation, Rome, and its leader, dominated God’s people the Church. The Lord says no worldly power can keep Him from bringing His people to Himself.

God carried Israel on eagles’ wings and brought them to Himself. God also saves His people from the dragon who seeks to destroy her in the last days. His bride is given two eagle’s wings to fly into the wilderness. [6]

Satan’s helpmate in the battle for the hearts of people is described as an immoral harlot. God’s helpmate is described as His bride who is beautiful and eventually adorned with the finest adornments of God. Satan’s partner is destroyed with fire. God’s bride is brought into His presence to abide with Him forever. [7]

The Exodus imagery of oppressed people converted into a kingdom of priests for God resonates with the Revelation imagery of God’s persevering people “made to be a kingdom and priests.” This thought is repeated in the worship song of the four living creatures and twenty-four elders who proclaim that God had purchased the Church by His blood and “made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” [8]

[1] Revelation 19:11; Psalm 96:13
[2] Exodus 3:7-8
[3] Revelation 5:1-10; 6:9-10
[4] Revelation 8:4-5; see also Revelation 5:8
[5] Revelation 12:11
[6] Exodus 19:4; Revelation 12:13-17
[7] Revelation 17:1-6; 21:1-26
[8] Revelation 1:6; 5:10

Old Testament Joshua a Type of New Testament Jesus God’s Son

Joshua was the one God chose to bring the people into the Promised Land. His name is the Hebrew form of the name Jesus. He is a type of Jesus.

“Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying: ‘Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.’ And the Lord said to Moses: ‘Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.’ ‘…At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation.’” [1]

“Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.” Joshua, in the context of being a type of Jesus, is the one who leads God’s people into a place of bountiful provision and a place of glorious rest. [2]

The Law (Moses) did not bring people into the Promised Land, the Gospel (Jesus) did. The Law points us to our need for a Savior and Shepherd other than ourselves. The Savior and Shepherd that we need is Jesus Christ.

“And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So, I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.’” [3]

Just as no one else except Jesus, God’s perfect Son, the Lamb, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, was able to carry out God’s plan of redemption of sinners, so no one else except Jesus can carry out God's end-time judgments against the evil of this world. Jesus receives the scroll and is able to loose the seals.

Just as Jesus faithfully carried out God’s plan of redemption of the world, so will He faithfully carry out God’s plan of judgment on the evil one and his followers. He will bring Satan and Satan’s followers to an end. It is recorded in the Book of Revelation.

Old Testament Joshua brought the people into the Promised Land, and he executed judgment on the pagans who rejected the one true God. New Testament Jesus brings His followers into the eternal Promised Land, and executes judgment on the devil, the devil’s angelic helpers, and on the devil’s human accomplices. In the end, Jesus Christ lives and reigns with His flock victorious. Glory to God!

[1] Numbers 27:15-18, 21
[2] Deuteronomy 1:38; Hebrews 4:8
[3] Revelation 5:1-5

True Love

“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the Gospel of God?” [1]

As a servant of God’s Word, I pray that He will help me to represent Him well both by word and deed. I have failed Him often. I ask Him to forgive me often. I am convinced by the Word of God that He is judging the world in righteousness. In due season, His judgments are manifest on earth. Peter says that God’s judgment first begins in His own house among His own people, then, spreads to those who are not a part of His family. We see this principle in the Book of Jeremiah.

When Jesus found in His Father’s house those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business, He had made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen. He poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” He told the religious leaders that after they destroyed His temple (His body by crucifixion) He would raise it up in three days. [2] After His resurrection, Jesus filled those who believed in Him with the Holy Spirit. In this way, His house reaches to the ends of the earth. Each believer in Him is a part of His house. He inhabits us who believe in Him.

Peter warns us against a temptation that the devil uses to sabotage servants of God’s Word (the devil even tried this tactic on Jesus – see Matthew 4:8-10). Peter warns us against those who “receive the wages of unrighteousness…” who “have hearts trained in covetous practices…” who “have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.” [3]

Jesus said to the believers in the Pergamos Church, “I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.” [4]

The story of Balaam is recorded in Numbers chapters 22-24. A pagan king hired him to curse Israel. Sadly, Jehovah Witnesses often quote Numbers 23:19 to say that Jesus is not God in the flesh: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.” But Numbers 24:1 says “Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery…” The verse they quote is when Balaam used sorcery to speak for God. When Balaam spoke by the Spirit of God, he prophesied of Jesus, “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel.” [5] Later, the Israelites executed Balaam by sword. He had counseled the pagan king to send seductive women into the camp of Israel to seduce the men. Sin with these women brought the curse on Israel that Balaam could not bring on them via sorcery. [6]

Jeremiah the prophet counseled his scribe Baruch this way, “’Do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,’ says the Lord. ‘But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.’” [7]

Peter counselled pastors, saying, “Shepherd the flock of God, which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly.” [8]

Jesus said to His disciples, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [the clothes and food you need] shall be added to you.” [9]

Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Simon the Sorcerer sought to purchase the Holy Spirit with money. [10] They are negative examples for us to avoid.

The Word of the Lord says, “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” [11] May our Heavenly Father in His grace, help us to choose love for Him and people over selfish ways. May He help us to guide people to Him who loves them with true love.

[1] 1 Peter 4:17
[2] John 2:14-19
[3] 2 Peter 2:13-15
[4] Revelation 2:14
[5] Number 24:2; 17
[6] Numbers 31:8; 16
[7] Jeremiah 45:5
[8] 1 Peter 5:2
[9] Matthew 6:33
[10] Matthew 26:15; Acts 8:18-24
[11] Proverbs 11:4

The Spirit of Prophecy is the Testimony of Jesus

“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” [1]

The key that opens the way to knowing God and understanding the Bible is Jesus Christ. When one bows before Him with faith and a humble heart and asks Him to reveal God via the Bible, He does.

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”

In the passage above, Jesus was speaking to people who wanted to kill Him. They had Scriptures, but Scripture did not have them. They had Scriptures but lacked a relationship with the Author of the Scriptures. When the God of the Scriptures stood before them in human flesh, they argued with Him and hated Him. Jesus effectively told them that the Scriptures testify that He is the Messiah.

“Then he said to me, ‘Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’ And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’” [3]

The marriage feast of people with God is a supper with the Lamb, that is Jesus Christ. The people who sit at this banquet table looked to the Lamb of God to save them while on the earth, now they are with Him for all eternity.

When John fell at the feet of the angel to worship him for revealing to him these amazing truths, the angel stopped him. The angel told him, “Worship God!” He explained to John that he too was a brother and servant of the TESTIMONY of JESUS. He stated a very important truth about the prophetic ministry for all who want to represent God to others. The truth is, “the TESTIMONY of JESUS is the SPIRIT of PROPHECY.”

May all we who use the Name of Jesus use His Name rightly! He deserves our praise, gratitude, testimonies, and worship!

[1] John 1:18
[2] John 5:39
[3] Revelation 19:9-10

God Revealed!

“They said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’” [1]

It is heartwarming when the Lord Jesus makes the Bible understandable and applicable to you.

“He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” [2]

Jesus helps even simple-minded people to see and understand God...

“I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.” [3]

The revelation of Creator God to a person is a divine miracle worked by His Son Jesus Christ…

“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” [4]

Saul of Tarsus, later known as the Apostle Paul, vehemently opposed the Christian faith until God graciously revealed His Son Jesus Christ to him. After Paul got the revelation of Jesus, he went everywhere talking and writing about Him…

“When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood.” [5]

Jesus Christ reveals the Kingdom of God to His servants… 

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants…” [6]

If you find the Bible to difficult to understand, ask the Heavenly Father in the Name of Jesus to forgive your sins, and give you His Holy Spirit to help you understand Him and His Word. Come to Him, with a heart that wants to know Him, and wants to represent Him truthfully and lovingly to others.

“…No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” [7]

God is ready to reveal Himself to those who want to know and serve Him.

[1] Luke 24:32
[2] Luke 24:45
[3] Matthew 11:25
[4] Matthew 11:27
[5] Galatians 1:12-13
[6] Revelation 1:1
[7] 1 Corinthians 2:11-12

Jesus Christ is the One whom God has Sent to Save Us

Example One: Seventy men receive a portion of the Spirit that is on Moses. Seventy disciples receive a portion of the Spirit that is on Jesus.

“The Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.” [1]

“After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.” “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’” [2]

Example two: Moses has a multitude in the wilderness that wants to be fed meat. The Lord miraculously provides meat for them. Jesus feeds a hungry multitude in the wilderness.

“Moses said, ‘The people whom I am among are 600,000 men on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’ Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered for them, to provide enough for them?’ And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Has the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.’” [3]

Great crowds of people are following Jesus. His disciples come to Him and say, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” They said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” He said, “Bring them here to Me.” Jesus “took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples.” “They all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.” [4]

Example three: Joshua wants Moses to forbid a man from prophesying. Moses defends the man who is prophesying. John wants Jesus to forbid a man from casting out demons in the Name of Jesus. Jesus defends the man’s ministry.

“A young man ran and told Moses, and said, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ So, Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, ‘Moses my lord, forbid them!’ Then Moses said to him, ‘Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!’” [5]

John said to Jesus, “’Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side.’” [6]

Example four: The Lord gave Jeremiah the sign of an almond tree’s faithful blossoming in due season as a sign that His prophetic Word would surely come to pass. Jesus gave His disciples a vision of a fig tree’s faithful blossoming in due season as a sign that His prophetic Word would surely come to pass.

“The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a branch of an almond tree.’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.’” [7]

“Then He spoke to them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So, you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” [8]

Conclusion: Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is the One that God has sent to save us. All Scripture points to Him. He is the Savior of the world, and your Savior when you believe in Him and profess Him.

[1] Numbers 11:16-17
[2] Luke 10:1, 17
[3] Numbers 11:21-23
[4] Matthew 14:13-21
[5] Numbers 11:27-29
[6] Mark 9:38-40
[7] Jeremiah 1:11-12
[8] Luke 21:29-33

Circumstances Change But His Love Remains the Same

“At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed; they kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.” [1]

“So, when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” [2]

The Lord led the Israelites by a cloud through the wilderness. See Numbers 9 for more details. The same Lord, we call Him Jesus, leads us His followers today. As He led the Israelites in the wilderness, as He led His disciples in the Gospels, so He leads us who follow Him by His Word and His indwelling Holy Spirit. The setting and the circumstances change from time to time, but His presence, His love and His blessings remain constant and steady.

The kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The journey has twists and turns, but the faith, hope and love that He gives us remains the same. [3]

When I consider what the Lord Jesus is doing for me, and for His other followers, I want to praise Him and say, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” [4]

[1] Numbers 9:23
[2] Luke 5:11
[3] Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 13:13
[4] Psalm 107:1

Our Lord’s Vision for a Temple Filled with Love

“‘Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!’ Then His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.’ So the Jews answered and said to Him, ‘What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” John 2:16-21

Jesus is zealous for temples filled with His Holy Spirit where faith, hope and love abound. This is my prayer for God's people today as we gather in the Name of His Son Jesus to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.

Carefully Handling God’s Word

Friends, the first four words that the devil spoke to our first parents formed a questioned… “Did God really say?” [1] His goal is to pollute or defile our understanding of God and God’s Word. No where in Scripture does God grant artistic license to alter it or to take lightly what He actually said.

I realized how bad the practice of using artistic license is as I got back to doing careful exegesis on Bible texts that I preach. Studying the text in the original language, checking the geography, checking the context of the passage, reading commentaries, and studying the passage in the light of the fact that the whole Bible points to Jesus Christ as being the one and only Lord and Savior of mankind. To represent Jesus accurately we need a relationship with Him and we need to ask Him to guide us by His Holy Spirit to represent Him well.

Beware of artistic expressions of God’s Word that add and takeaway from the original Bible text. 

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

[1] Genesis 3:1

[2] 2 Timothy 2:15

The Appeal for Charity by Jesus

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” [1]

Have you ever heard this verse quoted just before the collection plate is passed around in an assembly, and money is collected? This morning as I read this passage, the Lord led me to read this verse in the context of what actions and teachings preceded it in the chapter.

The Pharisees had questioned the legality of the disciples of Jesus plucking grain from a grain field and eating it on the Sabbath Day. Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” The scribes and Pharisees were also filled with rage at Jesus because He healed a man on a Sabbath Day. [2] They were concerned that Jesus was being too generous with people and judging them too lightly.

After praying all night, Jesus chose twelve men to be His apostles. After that, Jesus healed numerous people of illnesses. After that, Jesus described to these people the traits of blessed people. He speaks of loving one’s enemies, doing good to those who hate you, blessing those who curse you, and praying for those who spitefully use you, and being kind to the unthankful and evil because these are character traits of the Heavenly Father. [3]

It was in this context that Jesus taught His listeners about being generous with their treatment of others. Instead of judging and condemning, being forgiving and charitable! Giving what? Love! God’s love.

“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” [4]

[1] Luke 6:38
[2] Luke 6:1-11
[3] Luke 6:12-36
[4] Luke 6:37-38

Minister by the Power of the Spirit

“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.” [1]

What preceded the “then” in the above verse? Jesus is moving among people with power. News of Him is spreading everywhere. He teaches at religious gatherings. Everyone seems to be onboard with Him.

Prior to the outbreak of powerful ministry, Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist. As He prayed, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove. The Father declared with a voice from heaven, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” [2]

Prior to the outbreak of powerful ministry, Jesus fasted for forty days. He was hungry. He was in a desolate place. The devil came against Him when He was physically weak. He said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus could have done the miracle, but He did not need to prove to the accuser of the brethren who He is. Ministry is about love for God and others, not about proving to the devil one’s connection with God. Jesus declared that He lived by the Word of God. [3]

Prior to the outbreak of powerful ministry, the devil offered to Jesus the kingdoms of the world in exchange for His heart. The devil wanted Jesus, God’s Son, to worship Him. How ridiculous! The fast-talking salesman, the devil, likes to sell to God’s people what is already our established inheritance from God. Don’t bite on that lie! Jesus didn’t. Jesus replied, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” [4]

Prior to the outbreak of powerful ministry, the devil tempted Jesus to jump off the temple and not die to prove that He was the Son of God. No, Jesus, did not need to prove who He was. Besides, there were prophecies in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 about how His death and resurrection would happen. He would fulfil those words, not the devil’s counterfeit offers. His tight relationship with the Heavenly Father kept Jesus ever aware of who He was, and what He should do. Jesus told Satan, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” [5]

Jesus experienced ups and downs as He served the Word of God here on earth. For example, in the town where He grew up, the people tried to throw Him off a cliff after He declared to them that He was the promised Messiah from God. However, evil reactions neither stopped Him from rescuing numerous people from their bodily pains and afflictions, nor from preaching in places where religious people gathered to hear from God. [6]

[1] Luke 4:14-15
[2] Luke 3:21-22
[3] Luke 4:1-4; Revelation 12:10
[4] Luke 4:5-8
[5] Luke 4:9-12
[6] Luke 4:16-30; 4:40; 4:44

Our Lord Jesus Opens and Closes Doors

The promise that I have been recently trusting the Lord Jesus to bring about in my life, and in the lives of those I love is recorded in Isaiah 22:22. (See the photo).

“Lord Jesus, please open the doors that bring us close to You… that bring glory to Your Name. Please open the doors Lord Jesus that help us to reveal You accurately and impactfully to others. Please close those doors that distance us from You.”

Forever Grateful to the Lamb of God

I am forever grateful to the Lamb of God who took away my sin and the sins of the world, and who is coming again, to bring me and all who believe in Him to the paradise of God.

The Significant Contributions of Jeremiah to Religious Thought by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Details

…King examines Jeremiah’s contributions to religious thought, particularly his New Covenant, his argument against “artificial worship,” and his conception of personal religion. …King concludes by summarising Jeremiah’s message for contemporary Christianity: “the worst disservice that we as individuals or churches can do is to become sponsors and supporters of the status quo.”

The personality of Jeremiah is one of the most fascinating studies in Old Testament history. There is no other sacred author who has taken us with such intimacy into his life, both public and private. We not only get the kernel of his discourses, but we are able to dwell with him in his moments of disillusionment; we are aware of the “inner conflict between his desire for inconspicuous retirement and his devotion to truth and civil duty;”1  we hear him as he secretly talks with God. His life and character are full of surprises which stimulate thought on great moral and religious problems…

Jeremiah came to prophesy at a time which was ripe for a mighty appeal to be made to the masses and to take advantage of the new spirit of the time that had taken hold of Judah. He saw that the wind of pride and evil had become the whirlwind of spiritual desolation. He saw Judah and the moral and spiritual degeneracy into which she had sunk. Isaiah and Micah had raised their voices and gave a tremendous impetus to the revival work of Hezekiah. Zephaniah had done likewise at the beginning of Josiah’s reign, and a little before his time. The time had come for another voice to be raised, to sound the note of warning to Judah. It was this great prophet that appeared at the capital and the Temple, whose message sprang from a heart touched with the deepest tenderness. Such was the prophet Jeremiah—such potency, such persuasion, such pleading in pointing out to Judah the way of escape from impending doom.

The Life and Times of Jeremiah

Jeremiah was born of priestly parentage, toward the middle of the seventh century, in the little town of Anathoth. He prophesied under Josiah and his sons from the year 626 to the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC.2  He was contemporary with the prophets, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Ezekiel, Daniel.

As stated above, Jeremiah possessed a dynamic personality. “The Book of Jeremiah,” says A. B. Davidson, “does not so much teach religious truths as present a religious personality. …His inner experiences can be traced throughout the Book. He was in perpetual pain because of the stubbornness of his people,3  and their tragedy caused his tears to flow day and night.4  He loved his people with his whole heart.5  This deep love for his own people expressed itself at times in impatience with them, and a desire to escape from them.6  Amid the bewildering changes of his time, Jeremiah was made to realise that he had been marked from his mother’s womb for a great errand and yet this errand becomes his shame and torture.7  Because Jeremiah possessed this mild and peculiarly sensitive disposition, many came to call him “the weeping prophet.” It would be a great mistake, however, to suppose that he was lacking in courage. A careful study of the facts will show that he was one of the bravest men in Judah.

What were the conditions of the world during the life of Jeremiah? Stated briefly, the most important events which occurred within the life of Jeremiah were these: (1) An invasion by the Scythians (ca. 626 BC). (2) The discovery of the Book of the Law (Deuteronomy) in the Temple and resulting reforms by King Josiah (ca. 621 BC). (3) The overthrow of the Assyrians by the Chaldean (Babylonians), in 612 BC (4) Immediately after the fall of Assyria, the armies of Egypt invaded Judah, defeating King Josiah (ca. 608 BC). (5) The contest for world supremacy between the Babylonians and the Egyptians. In 605 BC. the Egyptians were defeated at the battle of Carchemish. Then comes the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. (6) The first attack on Jerusalem was in 598 BC. The entire city falls in 587 BC.5

Such were the conditions that characterised the times of Jeremiah. Only through gaining a thorough knowledge of these moving events will we be able to understand the prophecies of Jeremiah, for prophecies spring out of immediate occasions. The situations they deal with, the personal moods, attitudes and temptations they are meant to meet, are always contemporary.

In this paper, …I will present three contributions. (1) Prophecies against Unreal Worship. (2) The New Covenant. (3) Personal religion.

The New Covenant

An important element in the teaching of Jeremiah is the establishment of a New Covenant. This prophecy immediately impresses us by the wonderful spirituality of its tone, and by its evangelical character. Dr. Driver laconically states: “By his conception of the New Covenant, Jeremiah surpasses in spirituality and profundity of insight every other prophet of the Old Testament.”8

Jeremiah… brought forth that noblest of all spiritual conceptions… “I will put my law in their inner parts and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin will I remember no more.”9  In every {respect} the New Covenant will differ from the Old. The law written upon stone is to be replaced by the law written in the heart. As stated by Dr. Matthews, “this law written in the heart required no Torah, canonised by an emotionally conditioned populace and then easily subverted by legalism. Nor were manuals of worship, altars, and a Temple, that so often become ends in themselves, required to aid the spirit of man in communing with his Maker. Nor was residence in the Holy Land essential to the highest religious life. True religion was not rooted in the soil of Palestine, but in the hearts of men and women.”10  The law written in the heart will become an inseparable part of man’s moral being. Principles would take the place of external ordinances. Such principles as truth, and justice, and purity, love to God and love to man, would be enshrined in the hearts of men. This, said Jeremiah, would lead to an ideal state, in which the sins of the people would be forgiven. The children of the New Covenant would be the sons of God, no longer subject to external laws of the state, but ruled by impulses to good, acting upon the heart as a principle which grows from within.

…Let us briefly list the positive features of the religious relationship established by the New Covenant. (1) Inwardness: “I will put my law in their inner parts;” (2) Individualism: “all shall know Me;” (3) Forgiveness of sins: “their sins I will remember no more.”11  All of this states one central truth, the inwardness of true religion. It is this inwardness of true religion which causes men to do the will of God spontaneously from inward inclination rather than from commands of an external law. No one can deny the fact that this prophecy… is one of the profoundest anticipations in all the Old Testament. “Liberating religion from all externals, at the same time the New Covenant strengthened and democratised it by placing responsibilities squarely on the shoulder of the individual, and purified and deepened it by making it a matter of conscience. The New Covenant, the law written in the heart, was one of the great visions of religion.”12  

Unreal Worship—Temple and Sacrifice

Another line which can be added to the column of Jeremiah’s contributions to religious thought is his stand against artificial worship. This attack {was} started against the Temple. …The Deuteronomic reformation culminated in the centralisation of national worship in the Temple at Jerusalem. This Temple was the pivot of the nation’s religion. It was a national institution, linked intimately with the fortunes of the race. …The Temple was the apple of the people’s eye. To criticize it was to set aflame the fires of both religion and patriotism. And this was the very thing that Jeremiah did. He saw that the Temple had been relegated to a position of empty formalism which substituted a superficial reverence for the doing of Yahweh’s will. He saw that sacrificial offerings were taking the place of sacrificial living. These conditions led Jeremiah to cry out against the evils of the Temple and sacrifice. All of this is found in the sermon which Jeremiah preached in the Temple. “The primary purpose of this address was to utter a strong polemic against the Temple and the worship there. Anything which Jeremiah may have added about the future fate of the people was subsidiary to this leading aim.”13  …Let us investigate the assumptions growing out of this address.

In the first place, Jeremiah declares that public religion is an organised hypocrisy. In it religion was divorced from morality. He saw that the Temple was worse than a false defence, for it was given to aiding the evils of the day. It had become in Yahweh’s eyes, a cave for robbers to shelter themselves in. Men stole, murdered, played the fool, and broke their promises, only to run under the shadow of the Temple for protection.

“Behold, ye trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; and come and stand before me in my house, which is called by my name, and say, we are delivered to do all these abominations.”14

Here one can see the profound convictions of a striving prophet. He deals with a problem that is a danger of all religions. It states the important truth that ritual is never to be used as an end within itself... It would be unfair to say to say that the functionaries of the Temple deliberately meant to inculcate evil or immorality, but they drifted into the belief that the Temple was more important than the distinction of good and evil, the sacrifices more vital than sin. It therefore took the fortitude and mind of Jeremiah to expose these pressing faults.

All of this would seem to throw the fault on the Deuteronomists, but not rightly so. The Deuteronomists had no intention to bring about this state of things. They set out to organise religion, and we must admit that it brought about considerable external success. The Deuteronomists, however, failed to see that religion is not something which can be organised, rather it is a spontaneous outflow from men’s contact with a divine spirit. As soon as an external compulsion is attempted it leads inevitably to hypocrisy. This is the marked difference between the reformers and Jeremiah. The former were content to see crowds observe the ritual, even if their lives did not make the mark. Jeremiah cared nothing about external ritual if it did not produce internal change.15

In the second place, Jeremiah announces that since the Temple has become the symbol of a false religion God is about to make an end to it. At this point Jeremiah again went contrary to tradition, for those on the traditional side claimed that with the Temple in their midst the Hebrews could stand inviolable against the world. …Against all the spiritual orthodoxy Jeremiah argues to the contrary. The very first point of his speech is: “Trust ye not in lying words, saying, the Temple of the Lord, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, are these.”16 

The Temple might have been the bulwark of the nation in past days, but times are changed, and the only thing that could save it now was to thoroughly improve both methods and practices, to see strict justice present, to prevent the exploitation of strangers, the orphan and the widow, and to avoid the murder of the innocent. Only on these conditions would they survive and retain their land.17  With history on his side the prophet points to the remains of Shiloh and pronounced the doom of the Temple to be as certain as the fate that had overtaken the old sanctuary.

“But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now because you have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not and I called you, but ye answered not; therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.”18

Personal Religion

Important as are his other contributions to the body of religious truth, Jeremiah’s teaching on Personal Religion is of greatest permanent value. With Jeremiah religion is an immediate, personal relationship between the Lord and the individual soul; it means obedience and devotion of the individual to his God. “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people and I will be their God; and they shall return unto me with the whole heart.”19  Here Jeremiah passes beyond his predecessors in the direction of the teaching of Jesus. Through his inner struggles, Jeremiah was able to experience a more personal and more tempestuous relation with his God.

This idea of personal religion is expressed nowhere greater than in the life of Jeremiah. Despised and rejected by men he clung the more tenaciously to the Lord and His will. He was sustained by that fellowship with Heaven which made his “inner resistance superior to every outward pressure.” On the one hand we hear him cry, “I am become a laughingstock all day, everyone mocks me. The word of Yahweh is made to me a reproach and a derision all day.”20 

Again, he cries, “Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and contention to the whole earth.”21

On the other hand, we hear Jeremiah saying that he is sustained by his life with God. “I am with thee saith Yahweh, to deliver thee.” With this promise Jeremiah began his ministry, and he has left us the record of how it became fulfilled. It is probable that Jeremiah himself wrote down from time to time the account of his intercourse with God; or else he dictated it to Baruch.

That Jeremiah stood alone is in a real sense correct. In many instances he could cry with Elijah, “I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life to take it away.”22  The prophet had literally nothing left but God. To God therefore he went for companionship, relief, encouragement, assurance and all that was needed to go on. “Out of the Hebrew prophet, there is created in Jeremiah a new spiritual type—the Old Testament saint: the man who, when flesh and heart fail, finds in God the strength of his heart and his portion forever.”23  It remains for us to sketch briefly the outstanding features of this type of personal religion, as exhibited in Jeremiah.

First, his religion is marked by its strong individualism. In the case of Jeremiah this is naturally accounted for by the peculiar circumstances of his life; it was through such experiences that Jeremiah had to move from the realm of national religion to that of personal religion. Throughout the “Confessions”24  we can see that Jeremiah felt himself absolutely cut off from religious fellowship with men. The bond between him and his nation was broken, therefore he threw his all on Yahweh. When he couldn’t understand certain problems facing society he went to Yahweh. Listen as he cries to Yahweh: “Righteous art thou, O Yahweh, when I contend with Thee; yet would I reason the cause with Thee: wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? Wherefore are they at ease that deal very treacherously? Thou art near in their mouth and for from their heart.”25  Over against their treachery Jeremiah sets his own integrity. “But Thou, O Yahweh, knowest me; Thou seest me, and triest my heart towards Thee.”26 

In this we can see that tone of sincerity which sounds throughout Jeremiah’s life. We can see the purity of one who always lives intimately with God. Finally, we see Jeremiah as he reaches complete trust and harmony with his God; Yahweh is his “hope”27  and his strong protector against his persecutors.28  Having completely overcome his despair, Jeremiah found his deepest joy in the world of Yahweh 29 and became, as Yahweh had said at the time of his call,30  a wall of brass capable of resisting all attack.31 

Second, out of Jeremiah’s piety grows a trust in the unerring righteousness of God. It was this trust in the unerring righteousness of God that was the basis of his personal religion. He saw Yahweh as the Righteous Judge, the all-seeing Searcher of hearts, who gives to every man according to his deeds.32  Jeremiah came to this conception of God because of the divine working within him. It was the eye of Yahweh that was forever searching the thoughts and intents of the heart. Jeremiah’s great moral sincerity grew out of his realisation of the omniscience and righteousness of God.

Third, Jeremiah is original in his exercise of prayer. Jeremiah “is the father of true prayer, in which the wretched soul expresses both its subhuman misery and its superhuman confidence …Some scholars hold that the prophetic revelation always came in answer to prayer. …He prays for healing. “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for Thou art my praise.”33  He prays for help against his adversaries. “Let them be confounded that persecute me but let me not be confounded; let them be dismayed but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil and destroy them with double destruction.”34 

To Jeremiah prayer was more than petition. It was no escape from the harsh realities of life. It was an “intimate converse with God, in which his inner life is laid bare, with its perplexities and struggles and temptations.”35  It is such a prayer that contains the assurance of an answer. In one of the most touching passages of his “Confessions,” Jeremiah becomes aware of the answer which solves all his internal problems.

“Therefore, thus saith the Lord, if thou return, then will I bring thee again, and then shall stand before Me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as My mouth; let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. And I will make thee unto this people a brazen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee, for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.”36 

Jeremiah, throughout all his doubts and difficulties, was able to be carried forward by the secret assurance that this business was not his business but God’s business, and this alone supported him under the most pressing perplexities and loneliness. …His communion with God, which was for him the biggest single fact in life, led him to inevitably to the undermining of ecclesiastical religion. The Temple he slashes with scone and ridicule.37  In another passage he scones the magical properties of the Ark.38  He stings with sweeping criticism the priests who were supposed to be the mediators between God and man. …But amid all that Jeremiah proved that God can be found.

…Did Jeremiah ever reach the point of believing that all individuals could have personal relations with God as he did? The answer is yes. He concluded this from his own experiences. He perceived that what religion was to him it must be to all men—the response of the heart to the voice of God. It was this thought that was continually touching the balloon of nationality until finally it burst. This was a supreme contribution, for it shifted the center of gravity in Judaism from the nation to the individual.

Conclusion

We must conclude that Jeremiah left certain ineffaceable contributions to religious thought which are still relevant to our contemporary culture. He stepped on the religious stage sounding the trumpet for a new idea of God, and the signal for another forward march of the soul. He had seized on a great and revolutionary truth, and with that truth, like a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, went ahead of his times. In many instances the picture drawn by Jeremiah is an idealistic one, and an ideal which has not yet been realised—the New Covenant for example. But the ideal is there; it at least serves as a standard by which we may measure ourselves, a goal which we may all strive to attain.

Jeremiah is a shining example of the truth that religion should never sanction the status quo. This more than anything else should be inculcated into the minds of modern religionists, for the worst disservice that we as individuals or churches can do to Christianity is to become sponsors and supporters of the status quo. How often has religion gone down, chained to a status quo it allied itself with. Durkheim and other sociologists rejoice to find in each religion simply the reflection of the State’s opinion of itself foisted upon the divine, and along this they agree that no advancement can be looked for in spiritual affairs. Therefore, we must admit that men like Jeremiah are valuable to any religion. Religion, in a sense, through men like Jeremiah, provides for its own advancement, and carries within it the promise of progress and renewed power. But what is societies reaction to such men? It has reacted, and always will re-act, in the only way open to it. It destroys such men. Jeremiah died a martyr.

It is obvious that if we judge Jeremiah by the ordinary standards of the world, his work was a failure. He was lightly esteemed in life. He became the supreme example of what Deutero-Isaiah called the suffering servant. He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. But in after years his unheeded prophecies became the favourite book of the scattered Hebrew race. Many of the Psalms, as we saw above, re-echo his words, and depict scenes such as only Jeremiah could have passed through. It is for these reasons that Jeremiah came to be regarded as the greatest of them all.39 

References:

1. R. C. Knox. Knowing The Bible. (New York: Macmillan Co., 1936). p. 99

2. Jeremiah 1:2-ff

3. Jeremiah 8:18, 21, 22; 15:18

4. Jeremiah 9:1; 10:19

5. Jeremiah 8:18–22; 14:20, 21

6. Jeremiah 4:31; 8:21, 22; 9:12

7. Jeremiah 1:5 with 15:10; 20:14-ff

8. S. R. Driver, An Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament, (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1903). p. 275

9. Jeremiah 31:31-ff

10. I. G. Matthews, The Religious Pilgrimage of Israel, (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1947). p. 164

11. Skinner, op. cit., p. 329

12. Matthews, op. cit., p. 165

13. Adam C. Welch, Jeremiah His Times and His Work, (London: Oxford University Press, 1928) p. 137

14. Jeremiah 7:8–10

15. Skinner, op. cit., pp. 175–176

16. Jeremiah 7:4

17. Jeremiah 7:5-7

18. Jeremiah 7:12–14

19. Jeremiah 24:7

20. Jeremiah 20:7-f

21. Jeremiah 15:10

22. I Kings 19:10

23. Skinner, op. cit., p. 223

24. The term has been applied to such passages as Jeremiah 11:18–23; 12:1–6; 15:10–21; 17:9–18; 18:18–23; 20:7–12

25. Jeremiah 12:1-f

26. Jeremiah 12:3

27. Jeremiah 17:14

28. Jeremiah 17:11

29. Jeremiah 15:16

30. Jeremiah 1:18

31. Jeremiah 15:20

32. Jeremiah 17:10; 12:1; 12:3; 20:12

33. Jeremiah 17:14

34. Jeremiah 17:18

35. Skinner, op. cit., p. 214

36. Jeremiah 15:19, 20, 21

37. Jeremiah 7:9

38. Jeremiah 3:16

39. Matthew 16:14; John 1:21

Source: MLKP-MBU, Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers, 1954-1968, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston University, Boston, Mass.