Our Guide even to Death

For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.
Psalm 48:14

  The Amazon rainforest can be a scary place with snakes, tarantulas, and jaguars. And then there are the really dangerous animals like stinging caterpillars and bullet ants. In spite of this, many people are curious to see the jungle, so they employ tour guides who are totally familiar with the territory and know everything there is to know about the great unknown.

Death is an even scarier place, because once you go there, you don’t come back…or at least, almost no one comes back. Christ has been there and done that, so is most wonderfully qualified to be our Guide even to Death.

Jesus is the Way, and we can’t get to heaven except through Him (John 14:6). He is also the Door to any place worth going to (John 10:9). He’s the way to salvation, abundant life, and victory over sin. To get there, He has to lead and we follow. The Lord can also take us through places that we don’t want to go: depression, persecution, tribulation, and grief. There is also that experience we are hard wired to avoid at any cost: death. In knowing Him, Christ can be our Guide even to Death.

 He leadeth me! O blessed tho’t!
           O words with heav'nly comfort fraught!
           Whate'er I do, where'er I be,
           Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me!
           And when my task on earth is done,
          When, by Thy grace, the vict'ry's won,
          E'en death's cold wave I will not flee,
          Since God thro' Jordan leadeth me!

                                      Joseph H. Gilmore (1834-1918)

Him Who is Able to Present you Faultless

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.
Jude 24

 This verse makes me smile. Jesus is going to present me faultless before God and the Lord knows that I have many faults. It’s been said, “to err is human”, but I guess I am more human than most. That doesn’t really matter, because some way and some how Christ will conform me to His image (Romans 8:29).

Salvation is complicated. It isn’t a matter of simply issuing a “Get out of Hell Free” card to someone once they say a sinner’s prayer. A sinner is not just saved from the punishment of sin; he’s saved from sin itself. The Savior starts transforming him into a new creation; old things are passed away and everything becomes new (2 Corinthians 5:17). A soul’s human nature gets washed, sanctified, and justified (1 Corinthians 6:11). Believers are chosen by God to be adopted into His family and accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:4-6). The job isn’t easy, but in the end, Christ is able to present them faultless before the throne of grace.

This title applies to the Lord in His role as Intercessor as He pleads for and purifies the saints: “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

“That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).

The Lord Jesus has been working in my life for over fifty years and has polished out a lot of rough edges. I know I’m not Christ-like yet, but I’m getting there. Please have patience with me, because I’m being re-created by Him who is able to present me faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.

  

Beloved

To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:6*

Falling in love is a beautiful experience. It’s an exhilarating departure from the commonplace and logical into the excitement of emotional highs and the thrill of reaching out to touch someone. Besides, it’s a lot of fun. The marvel of being in love is only surpassed by the wonder of being loved by another.

Apart from being the lover of our souls and the ultimate standard by which all love is measured, Christ is the object of our love – the recipient of our devotion and desire. "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). We are our Beloved’s and our Beloved is ours. (Song of Solomon 6:3).

Although Christ may not need our love, He wants it and desires it as earnestly as any husband would from his wife. He is jealous and disappointed when other things crowd Him out.

Some people think that they honor Christ by putting Him first in their lives. But that isn’t what He wants at all. It would be like me coming home and telling my wife, “Carol, you’re number one for me, but Alice is number two, Susan is number three and Mary is number four.” She wouldn’t be happy until all the competition for affection was gone.

When Christ is truly our “Beloved” He will not just be first in our lives, He will be only.

*See also Matthew 12:18; Song of Solomon 1:16, 2:10, 8:14 plus 25 other times in the book.

Only Wise God

To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.

Romans 16:27 (NASB)

In Isaiah 44:6 the LORD, the King of Israel declares, “I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.” Two verses later He adds, “You are My witnesses” meaning that if people would only open their eyes, this truth would be self-evident.

The prophet then focuses on the foolishness of man-made gods “Those who make an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They are their own witnesses” (Isaiah 44:9). People try to put themselves or the things they love in place of the True God. They woefully fail. If they were being honest with themselves, they would see that too.

But the general population is too proud and self-absorbed to admit that they have created for themselves a pantheon of false gods and they deny the one and only wise God.

 One of these fabricated deities is “Mother Nature.” A number of years ago I visited a science museum that had an exhibit titled “Mother Nature is the Greatest Engineer.” It showed the "intricate and remarkable designs of Mother Nature" and man’s attempts to copy “her” breakthroughs in engineering. They said “she” perfected her blueprints over 4.5 Billion years and now scientists can learn from “her achievements.”

There is even a new branch of science called Biomimicry in which researchers do reverse engineering to see what makes plants and animals able to do the marvelous things they do. Since God never patented his creation, people feel free to steal His design and then credit Mother Nature or the blind forces of evolution for the wonders of the living world.

It makes no sense that random mixing of chemicals could produce any life, but it does prove what God said: “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man --- and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:22-23).

Jesus Christ is our Great Creator (Colossians 1:16-17) and the Only Wise God. 

Friend

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
John 15:15

Friendship is a mutual relationship. The idea that “if you’re my friend, I’m your friend” has been a concept established long before Facebook. Christ calls believers friends and goes on to say that He lays His life down for His friends (John 15:13-14). Clearly this is no ordinary friendship.

Communication, shared interests, and companionship are three aspects that bind friends together. The closer the friendship, the fewer the secrets. Jesus told His disciples that He revealed to them the whole counsel of God. He told them His plans, His schedule, and His method of doing things. Angels don’t know any of that; they’re just servants. Christ shares these things with us, because He’s our Friend.

The Savior is the "friend of sinners" (Matthew 11:19). He wants to save us and we want to be saved. Faith is nothing more than agreeing with Christ, that what He says is true and we’re going along with His plan. We are not servants that earn our favor with the Master by doing work for Him. No, He’s our Friend and we work together for a common purpose.

He is the "friend that sticks closer than a brother' (Proverbs 18:24) which goes far beyond casual friendship. We can cast all our cares upon Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). He’s there when we need Him and never seems to get bored when we ramble on in prayer.

Now, we get to the part that I don’t understand. With such a Friend like Jesus, why would anyone “de-friend” Him? Yet, it happens all the time. People stop praying, stop talking. They try carrying their load of sin and grief by themselves, instead of putting on the Master’s yoke. It boils down to losing faith; no longer agreeing with Him that He’s right. I hear what they’re saying, but that doesn’t mean it makes sense. They just need to return to the Lord. He still wants to be their Friend.

  

Undefiled

For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens.
Hebrews 7:26

After raising our eight boys, my wife, Carol, and I decided to do the unimaginable and took in four foster sons ages 6, 5, 3, and 1. Since we’re both in our 60’s, I blame the decision on senility; we truly forgot how hard it was. However, the repressed memories started coming back after a day or two. One such recollection was the smells and challenges of having two kids in diapers at the same time.

Old Testament law mandated that anyone who touches human waste is unclean and must separate himself from the rest of society until evening. Wow, families with toddlers back then would have been doomed to long term social isolation. I live at a time when I have certain-fit diapers, baby wipes, and Lysol spray at my disposal, but the house still seems to remain in perpetual defilement. It brings new meaning to the word “messy house.”

The ceremonial uncleanliness of Old Testament law was given to establish the principle of separation from things that contaminate. The Lord Jesus made it very clear what the real problem was: "Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man” (Matthew 15:17-20).

As High Priest, Christ was required to be ceremonially clean in everything. He would have kept a kosher diet and fulfilled the letter of the law of Moses. His accusers looked at every detail of Jesus' life to find something to charge Him with, but failed. They finally brought charges against Him for healing on the Sabbath. However, there was a  problem. He had healing power they didn’t! He was Undefiled!

The Lamb of God was morally pure, without hypocrisy, and totally righteous. All the fruit of the Spirit was ripe and constantly evident. He was tempted in every way that we are, yet Undefiled.

Love

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:16

 “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so” (Anna B. Wanney, 1860). Most everyone associates Jesus as one who loves, but not everyone sees Him in the verse above. Many people, when they come across the G word in the Bible, just assume it’s talking about God the Father and not the Son. God is love, but is it a name of Christ?

God is Love no matter how He shows Himself, but this verse shows clearly that God the Son is the personification of Love. John said that he had known and believed this love that God had for mankind. He chooses two words that he uses repeatedly in referring to Christ. This is called "linkage".

The Apostle talks about abiding in love and abiding in Christ. This expression calls to mind the Lord’s discourse of the true vine in John’s gospel chapter 15 where He says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ” (verse7). Christ goes on to say “abide in my love” (verse 9). This way of analyzing the verse is called "allusion".

When 1 John chapter 4 is seen in overview, the pieces fit together. “Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (verse 7). “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (verse 9). “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (verse 15). “And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (verse 21). When surrounding verses work together to establish a point, it’s known as "context". In this case “God is love” = “Jesus is love.”

Christ is the embodiment of love. When you look at Him with the eyes of faith, you can see Love. Since Love is emotion and feeling, it’s complex and difficult to define. However, if you know the Savior, you truly know what love is, because Jesus is Love.

  

Light

This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

John 1:7-8*

One theme that is increasingly apparent in the genre of futuristic and fantasy literature is the theme of light verses darkness. It’s not just the idea of good guys against the bad guys, but about the vast power of darkness swallowing up actual light energy; it's about noble warriors fighting against overwhelming odds to restore light to the universe.

Something else is going on here; it’s the battle of science fiction versus science non-fiction. Imagination is often brought down by cold, hard facts. The fact is that darkness, just like silence and vacuums, doesn’t even exist. They are just the absence of something that does exist (light, sound, and matter).

If you were to go into a cave that hadn’t been exposed to light in 100 years and then light a match, the darkness would quickly dissipate. (When I say quickly, we’re talking about the speed of light). Darkness can’t hold a candle to it.

On the first day of creation, God made light energy; it hadn’t existed before. From that day forward darkness had to yield to light. They can’t co-exist together.

There’s no sun, moon, lamps, or flashlights in heaven, because Jesus is there and He is the source of all light (both physical and spiritual). “Darkness” is a word that will forever be dropped from the heavenly vocabulary.

Hell is described as a place of “outer darkness” (Matthew 8:12). Christ is not there, so there will be no light.

Jesus came to this world to be our source of light. “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend (or overcome) it” (John 1:5).

  *Context John 1:1-9

Chief Shepherd

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
1 Peter 5:4

 The verse above is the conclusion of an admonition by the Apostle John to church elders that they “shepherd the flock of God” (1 John 5:1-4). Just like a shepherd taking care of sheep, the oversight of the local church needs to feed and care for God’s flock (i.e. believers in Christ).

The Latin word for shepherd is “pastor” which is the origin of the English word for a minister or preacher. Just as the church’s pastor is responsible for for his spiritual sheep, he also must be accountable to the head Pastor, or as it is in this verse, the Chief Shepherd.

This title of Christ is unique, because it is only used in reference to the leadership of the local church. There could not be a Chief Shepherd unless there were also under-shepherds who are spread out in different fields looking over literally hundreds of critters who are unable to take care of themselves.

Pastors, Elders and people in full-time ministry sometimes feel that the congregation is their flock, but the truth of the matter is that the spiritual lambs belong to the Good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep (John 10:11). With some degree of regularity these under-shepherds must answer to the Chief Shepherd “How are my sheep doing? Are they healthy? Is the flock growing? How many were lost to the wolves?”

1 Peter 5:2 explains other areas in which the Head Pastor will examine the assistant pastors: attitude and motivation. “Why did you even take this job? Do you feel you have to do it or do you want to do it? Are you in it for the money or status? Or do you want to please me?”

I understand that not everyone will have to answer to the Chief Shepherd, so they might not be interested in the title. Even so, I’m scheduled to meet with Him at the judgment seat of Christ and I want to get all my sheep in a row. He has a crown of glory to give me that doesn’t fade away, but that’s not why I do any of this. All I really want to do is be pleasing to my Chief Shepherd.

Greater than Solomon

The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

Matthew 12:42

Disparity?  Do you think? Today, the 85 richest people on the planet have a net worth of more than 3.5 Billion of the poorest (the lowest 50% of all humanity). The wealthiest 1% of the world own 99% of all worldly goods. --- That's nothing! King Solomon made Israel's economy so rich that silver was considered as stones, but than he only dealt with gold and then controlled the world supply.

For decades now, the president of the United States has been hailed as the "most powerful man in the world". However, Ol' Solomon was the first to own that title and his place in the history books will remain long after the leaders of today are forgotten.

All that having been said, Christ Jesus is Greater than Solomon in every aspect.

Wisdom -       Christ is the "Wisdom of God".

Wealth -         The Lord made all the gold and galaxies in the universe.

Long-life -     Jesus is eternity years old and has another eternity to go.

Power -          All the mighty ones on earth will flee the wrath of the Lamb.

Victory over enemies - The Savior has conquered sin, death, and hell.

Holiness -      Solomon was bankrupt in this regard.

Disparity -     The Lord of Glory's great wealth and power are shared with His joint-heirs.

Bottom Line: Christ is Greater than Solomon.

Rabboni

Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher).
John 20:16

 The difference between a Rabbi and a Rabboni is just a matter of degrees. In American universities there are three levels of academic achievement: Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate. In the same way, teachers of the Torah advanced in their scholarship.

The first level for a Jewish sage was that of a Rab (literally Master). The origin traces back to the development of synagogues during the Babylonian captivity. The Rab was the ruler of the synagogue and was designated by the congregation by the laying on of hands.

The middle level was that of a Rabbi and developed after the return of the exiles to Jerusalem. The title means “my master” and referred to a master teacher who would attract disciples to him. They would serve their Rabbi and he would both teach and provide for them.

The highest level was Rabboni, meaning “my great Master.”  Only the most respected sages that would see their disciples for a number of spiritual generations were honored this way.

Mary Magdalene called her Lord "Rabboni". As a woman of questionable reputation, she was not known for her scholarship. What she was known for was that she was a sinner who was forgiven much. She bestowed the high honor on the Risen Lord.

The only other mention of the title Rabboni was by the blind beggar, Bartimaeus. Again, he was not a direct disciple of Jesus and being blind, he couldn't read, much less study the Hebrew scriptures. However, he had great spiritual insight.

When Jesus was passing through Jericho, the blind man called out the Messianic Title, “Son of David”, to Him. When the crowd would hush him up, he called out even louder. When Christ asked him what he wanted, Bartimaeus replied, “Rabboni,” (My Great Master), “That I may receive my sight” (Mark 10:51).

  

Rabbi

“But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.”
Matthew 23:8*

 The Hebrew word “Rahbee” and its Greek counterpart “Hrabbi” both mean “my teacher” or “my master.” It was a term of respect and authority given to men of renown who were teachers of the law.

Gamaliel is generally considered the first to officially receive the title “Rabbi” around 30AD. To earn the title one needed to be the president of the Sanhedrin as Gamaliel was or to receive ordination from that group. It is thought that since the Jewish counsel disapproved of Jesus of Nazareth, they wanted to diminish what people called Him by adding bureaucratic requirements for official recognition.

Christ may not have had a framed diploma or been given an ordination ceremony, but that’s what people called Him (John 6:25). The apostles all addressed Him as Rabbi because they were chosen by Him to be His disciples. It was also the title of honor and respect that Nicodemus chose to give Him when he visited the master by night. Although Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, he was also a seeker of wisdom and truth and didn’t rush to judgment about the Galilean as did the other council members.

Judas Iscariot also addressed Jesus with this title. It’s never recorded that the betrayer ever called Him Lord,  Messiah, or Christ, but “Rabbi, Rabbi” were the last words he spoke before betraying the Savior with a kiss (Mark 14:45). It was like saying, “Nothing personal, but you’re just my teacher and I’m dropping this class.” Judas followed Jesus as a means to a scholarly career. When that didn’t seem to work, he cashed in his chips and bailed.

Charles Darwin, Joseph Stalin, and other atheists have gone to seminary. People can study the teachings of Christ without being transformed by them. It’s quite easy to call Jesus “Rabbi”; it’s something totally different to call Him Lord and Savior.

  *plus 14 other times in Matthew, Mark, and John.

  

God Full of Compassion

But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
Psalm 86:15*

King David viewed the Lord as the strong and powerful God who taught his “hands to make war” (Psalm 18:34), but He was also the God full of compassion who forgave him of his terrible sins. David certainly feared the Lord, but even when he faced the wrath and judgment of God for his willful transgressions, the king knew that God would not utterly abandon him if he cried out to the God who was filled with compassion and mercy.

This God that David knew was almost totally forgotten by the children of Israel at the time Jeremiah began to preach. The prophet begged the nation of Judah to humble themselves and repent so that God could hold back his wrath and show them mercy. They refused and the promised judgment did fall and the nation was destroyed. Only a small number escaped because they were taken captive. God is compassionate and yet He judges sin. This dual nature is hard to understand, so Christ was sent to be a clear and understandable object lesson.

Jesus saw the poor and downtrodden and reached out to  them. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, and raised the dead. But the problem is that people still get hungry the next day or fall victims to any one of the thousands of diseases on another day. Even the resurrected just live to die again. Since Christ as truly God full of compassion, He dealt with the core issue, the sin problem.

People need to totally get out of this sin-cursed world and into the presence of holiness, but that is not going to happen if people take their sin with them. For that reason, Christ took on Himself the sin of the world so that the sons and daughters of God could take on His righteousness. Now, when believers finally leave this planet, they can go to a place where they will never again be hungry, get sick, or face death, and they will live forever with their God full of compassion.

*see also Psalm 111:4

Head

…who is the head --Christ -- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:15,16

The scripture portion above is actually a small part of a very long, complex sentence that lasts for six verses and goes on for 158 words. The theme of this section (Ephesians 4:11-16) is spiritual gifts. However, there is too much material to cover in a short devotion, so I’ll focus on the most vital; I’m going for the Head.

The Church is like a body that is made up of many different parts and doing a variety of jobs. All are necessary and every member needs each other. Christ is the head of the body and without Him, nothing would be coordinated and nothing would get done. Heads come in all shapes and sizes, but they all do the same thing – command and control the rest of the body. Even the most primitive of animals has a head. At first, the lowly earthworm seems like it has two tails, since it’s missing eyes, ears, and a nose. However, about a half an inch behind the mouth on a night crawler and inside the animal itself is a tiny structure, smaller than a pin head, called the central ganglia. If that is removed or even damaged, the worm becomes brain dead. It can’t move or do the things worms do.

The pastor, the bishop, or the president of a denomination is not the head of the Church; that is Christ’s job alone. When each member is in tune with the leading of the head of the church, everything works together and great things can be accomplished. When the connection is cut off from the head, the body is essentially paralyzed and begins to die. This is usually the problem when the church is unable to move forward.

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:9-10).

  

Thief in the Night

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:2*

I really don’t like thieves but then, no one really wants their belongings taken from them. In my lifetime, I’ve had our car stolen and our home burglarized and both times I felt a sense of helplessness. Not only was I upset with the thieves, I has upset with myself; I should have done more. I could have and should have locked the doors.

In the verse above, it is actually the Day of the Lord that is called the Thief in the Night. However, when Christ addresses the church in Sardis, He says, “I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you” (Revelation 3:3). Later in the book, the Lord again speaks: “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches” (Revelation 16:15). Therefore, since Jesus is the one who is coming on the Day of the Lord as a Thief in the Night, it is a legitimate name of Christ.

The Savior made it clear that he didn’t come to earth to steal or kill but to give abundant life (John 10:10). Although He warned people repeatedly of His return, most haven’t believed and aren’t prepared. Just like the aftermath of a home invasion, many will feel unprepared and helpless on the Day of the Lord. For them, Christ will have come as a Thief in the Night.

That is not the case for believers. The Apostle Paul says, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4). For Christians who are watching and expecting the rapture of the church, Jesus comes wearing the titles of the Lord of Glory and King of Kings. It is only to the Christ rejecters and scoffers of His second coming that He will be seen as a Thief in the Night.

*see also 2 Peter 3:10

  

Man

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 2:15

With all the titles that affirm the deity of Christ, it almost seems that the Holy Spirit felt it necessary to bring us down to earth and remind us that Jesus was also a man. He had dual citizenship. Existing before the creation of the world, He was clearly divine but, having been born on planet Earth, He was also human.

Although He was born at a time when there wasn't the myriad of bureaucratic regulations of today, every aspect of Christ's humanity was documented. Jesus had a birth certificate.

Mary and Joseph made the 80 mile trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register for the national census. When they got there, Mary was in labor and the job of having a baby took precedent over everything else. By morning, mother and Child were resting, so Joseph was able to take care of official business. He would have registered Jesus as his firstborn on that very first Christmas day.

Jesus was also given a death certificate. When Christ died on the cross, Pontius Pilate asked the centurion to confirm that Jesus was in fact dead. That fact being established, the governor wrote an edict to authorize His burial.

The life of Christ was historically documented. The Romano-Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, confirmed the existence of Jesus of Nazareth in his history book written in 93 A.D.

Christ Jesus is the perfect Mediator between a Holy God and the sinful human race. He is the only begotten Son of God, so the fullness of God was evident in His physical body. The Lord was like us in every way, yet without sin, so He became a natural bridge between God and people; He could only do that because He was 100% God and 100% Man.

He Who has Begun a Good Work in You

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Philippians 1:6

It’s probably just me, but when I read the title and verse above, the word “circumlocution” comes to mind. That means using a whole lot of words to say something that could be said in just a few. Now, it’s not the same as rambling because that usually gets off topic. Circumlocution is on topic, but verbose.

That having been said, I put a lot of thought into trying to condense the title He who has begun a good work in you, and I couldn’t come up with anything that was an exact fit. The closest I got was “I.T. guy.”

An I.T. guy is a person who works with Information Technology (i.e. computers) and sets you up with all the software you need to get everything started. Once that’s done, he’s just a phone call away whenever the computer crashes or gets sick with a virus. You have confidence that he’ll be there to complete the job until the day the warranty runs out.

Christ began the good work of salvation in the lives of every believer, but His work and relationship with each continues on a daily basis. He cleans, sanctifies, and glorifies each saint as they go on in their daily walk of faith. This relationship is not only continuous, but progressively gets better until the Christian either dies and enters glory or the church is raptured.

Well, my explanation of the title He who has begun a good work in you, has become somewhat circumlocutious not to mention a little garrulous and pedantic. I should have just given my paraphrase of the verse instead: “Being confident of this very thing, that Christ’s got’ya covered” (Philippians 1:6 RKV).

  

Last Adam

And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:45

Before anyone can understand the Last Adam, there needs to be a clear understanding of the first Adam. Adam was the prototype of God’s greatest creation. Unlike the animal kingdom, the first human was a spiritual being capable of language, reason, emotions, and discovery.

The engineering put into the human was amazing. The components of the physical structure consisted of several inter-dependent systems that caused the creature to move, turn raw materials into energy, increase in size and abilities, as well as make more of the species. Each body system was composed of microscopic, self-replicating parts called cells that could repair themselves when damaged.

If the hardware was fantastic, the software was even more so. Designed to be in the spiritual image of God, Adam #1 could love, show empathy, have original thoughts, and solve complex problems. More amazing yet was that he was capable of devotion, holiness, and fellowship with God. Placed in the perfect environment, Adam and all his future generations were designed to never die. However there was one flaw.

As long as there was no temptation, everything worked perfectly. But as soon as there was an opportunity to sin, everything fell apart. Take all temptations from people today and the human condition improves remarkably.

Since a perfect world no longer exists, the Last Adam, Jesus Christ, came in to fix the problem. Being both God and Man, the Savior became the mediator between Adam’s race and the Holy God.

In dying on the cross for the sins of men and women, the Lord became a substitute replacing mankind’s broken relationship with God with the perfect fellowship that He had with the Father. Through faith in the Crucified One, believers are accepted in the Beloved and the age old problem of Sin is finally fixed. The flaws of the first Adam are done away with and the world is offered a free, eternal upgrade through the Last Adam.

Maker

"Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'?”
Isaiah 45:9*

Absurd and ridiculous; something out of a cartoon - That's the image of a lump of clay arguing with its potter and giving instructions on how it wants to be made. Yet, that is a frequent occurrence between human beings and their Maker. If the truth were known, there's a greater disparity between the most intelligent man and his Creator, than a genius and a glob of dirt.

This verse pronounces a curse to those who would dare to criticize God for making them the way they are. However, in this "enlightened age" society sees nothing wrong with that. People undergo hormone treatment, operations, and cross dressing in order to change their gender, still the DNA of every cell in their body would argue otherwise. The Bible proves itself true by saying, "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:18).

Faith is the process of agreeing with God. A believer agrees with what God is, says, and has done. To argue with any of it is to not believe.

The Lord Jesus Christ made the world and everything in the heavens (Hebrews 1:2 and 10). In fact, there is nothing made that He didn't make (John 1:3). As Maker of the human race, the Savior customized every individual that ever lived. All were made for a purpose and on purpose, so it dishonors the Creator to envy others for their strengths, intelligence, or appearance.

Life has been given to each one as a joy and privilege, so each man and woman should come to their Maker with thanksgiving for the gifts He has given.

*Isaiah 17:7, 22:11, 54:11

He-who-shall-not-be-named

But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name. So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
Acts 4:17-18

The arch villain in J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” book series is an evil sorcerer called Lord Voldemort. So terrible and intimidating is this antagonist that most characters refer to him as “He-who-shall-not-be-named.”

After Christ’s crucifixion the Jewish Sanhedrin made the Savior’s name illegal. Peter and John were beaten and imprisoned for using it and Stephen was executed for preaching in that forbidden name. Throughout church history, believers have had their property seized and have been tortured, hanged, and burnt at the stake for mentioning “He-who-shall-not-be-named.” 

         Pakistan, March 12, 2014: the homes of over 200 Christian families and a number of churches burned to the ground by an angry mob. They were accused of testifying to their faith in Jesus Christ by going to church.

Palmelkh, Saudi Arabia, April 7, 2014: A young Filipino girl employed as a maid had her mouth and left eye sewn shut with fish line for the crime of saying that Christ Jesus was her Savior.

Islamic State occupied Iraq, December 27, 2014: A spokesman for ISIS announced to the remaining Iraqi Christians: “We will break your crosses and enslave your women.” Earlier in the year, hundreds of Christian men and boys were executed for not converting to Islam and 3,500 Christian women were sold as slaves.

         China, July 14, 2015: The Communist government continued its program to remove crosses from government licensed churches. Those who refuse have their churches bulldozed and their pastors imprisoned.

Soon and very soon, the Anti-Christ will set up his world kingdom and then for a very short time, the name that is above every name will become He-who-shall-not-be-named.

         Oh Lord, how long!!? How Long!!?

Even so come Lord Jesus!

Head of all Principality and Power

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Colossians 2:9-10

During the Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas proposed a system of angelic hierarchy in his book Summa Theologica. He developed and elaborated on an idea first suggested by late fifth century Theologian, Pseudo-Dionysius. Aquinas’ aggrupation of celestial beings included three levels or “spheres,” each with a triad of angels.

Highest Sphere: Heavenly Counselors

1.     Seraphim (listed from highest to lowest)

2.     Cherubim

3.     Thrones

Middle Sphere: Heavenly Governors

1. Dominions

2. Virtues

3. Powers

Lowest Sphere: Messengers and Soldiers

1.     Principalities

2.     Archangels

3.     Angels

                  Aquinas based his hierarchy roughly on Colossians 1:16 and Ephesians 1:21. He mentioned the Cherubim guarding the tree of life as well as Isaiah’s, Ezekiel’s, and Apostle John’s mention of the throne of God. Although the Roman Catholic church today still holds these levels of angelic authority as church doctrine, there is little in actual scripture to support this belief.

                  Although interesting, angelology is not elaborated on much in the Bible, but one thing is very clear. Jesus Christ is God. In His body was the fullness of the Godhead and He is the Head of all Principality and Power, and anything else anyone wants to add to the list. 

Everlasting King

But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
Jeremiah 10:10

Today, September 9, 2015, Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom has become the longest reigning female head of state in the world, displacing Queen Victoria, who reigned 63 years, 216 days. Sobhuza II of Swaziland holds the record for male monarch at 82 years, 254 days. A little better known is King Louis XIV of France who sat on the thrown for 72 years, 110 days. In 1830, King Louis the XIX of France became the shortest reigning sovereign with just 20 minutes on the job.

Over five millennia of human history have seen world leaders and their governments come and go, none ever reaching a century of being figurehead of their domain. Christ will outshine them all when he rules 1,000 years on earth, after the Anti-Christ is destroyed. Then, He'll reign in heaven as the Everlasting King.

Some might argue that this title is referring to God the Father and not the Son. To clear that up, one would only have to go to 2 Peter 1:11 which says, “for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Simple logic then concludes, if the Son of God has an everlasting kingdom, He must be the Everlasting King.

Living forever without having to go through destructive campaign cycles, political attack ads, regime change, revolutions, coup d’états, wars and rumors of wars, it must be heaven. True paradise will not have injustice, corruption, or oppression. This certainly was impossible when men and women ruled the world, but is very obtainable under Christ.

Hail King Jesus! – the Everlasting King!

Helper

"The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
Hebrews 13:6

I get really frustrated when I lose things. It can be my car keys, my wallet, or something I just had in my hand five minutes ago. I throw things around trying to find it and I can't do anything else until it is found.

Lately, my son Jeremy has had the audacity to interrupt me while I was melting down to ask, “Have you prayed about it?”

Actually, I found the question to be quite offensive. After all, I'm the preacher! I'm the spiritual one! I don't want to bother the Lord of the Universe with anything so trivial as lost keys. If the truth were known, I do eventually pray for my lost keys, but that's long after I've also lost my temper, my peace of mind, and my sanctification.

The worst part of my son's advice was that he is right. I tried it and it worked. I've found my stuff sometimes in a matter of minutes and other times before I can finish the prayer. The time lapse is so ridiculously short that it is obvious that God is trying to teach me a lesson. I can almost hear Him say to me, “Of course, you'd rather spend hours of fruitless frustration and bad attitudes than ask Me for help!” I've been humbled not only before my son, but also before my God.

Christ wants to be our Helper, but He also wants us to ask Him for help. When we tell Him that we can do something by ourselves and don't need His help, He just sighs and backs off. Joseph Scriven nailed it in his hymn What a Friend we have in Jesus when he said, “Oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!”

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32). In other words, if Jesus wanted to die on the cross to be our Savior, what makes us think that He doesn't want to be our Helper?

Peace

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation

Ephesians 2:14

Jewish people have a real thing about peace. In Hebrew it is called “Shalom.” That’s the way they say hello and goodbye and it’s how they give a blessing. It’s interesting that the highest concentration of these peace conscious individuals is in Israel, where rocket attacks or bombing can occur at almost any moment.

The Savior came to bring them peace. He has reconciled both Jews and Gentiles by breaking down the old wall of separation between them. He continues to knock down barriers and “to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20).

Christ didn’t come to this troubled world to bring us peace; He is our Peace. Sorrows, frustrations, trials, and tribulations melt away when the Lord Jesus is in our hearts and we’re trusting Him. What happens and how it happens is rather difficult to explain; I suppose that’s why the Apostle Paul explained it as “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

To the world, peace is the absence of conflict. But what Christ has brings peace into a conflict and overcomes it. While Christ hung on the cross, even before He died, He rested in peace. This same unexplainable peace has been given to the Lord’s followers:  “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” (John 14:27).

Peace is who the Lord Jesus Christ is. When life gets really overwhelming and the stress and anxiety begins to become unbearable, flee to the arms of the Savior, cast all your burdens on Him, “and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).