Him who is from the Beginning

I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.

1 John 2:13

One of the few perks about being old is the right to say “been there, done that.” I went to school in the 1950's before ballpoint pens were invented and we still used fountain pens. I ate at McDonald's restaurants before they served 50 million and I remember the introduction of the Ford Mustang back in 1964. When young people today think these things have been around forever, I feel like him who is around from the beginning.

The Apostle John addressed the church fathers as the oldest and wisest men in the assembly. They had been around for a long time and could certainly teach the young people a thing or two. But John needed to remind them of their true sense of maturity; they knew Him who is from the Beginning.

The Lord Jesus was around before the wheel and the campfire was invented. He existed before the earth was formed and before the very first star got fired up. Before time began, there were no reference points to the universe, but things still happened back there. The angels, principalities, and powers were created and God sat on His throne. Christ was around back then too, but it is just called “Eternity past.”

When God finally got around to making matter and energy, time was invented simultaneously. The moment that happened is called “the Beginning.” Christ got the clock ticking. He was Him who is from the Beginning.

*see also 1 John 2:14; 1:1

Root of David

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."

Revelation 5:5

A large variety of vegetation can be transplanted with just a small piece of root. The new plant will have all the characteristics of its parent although the size and shape might differ greatly.

The Lord Jesus was the Root of David and the parallels between the two are remarkable.

Characteristic	David		Christ
Birthplace:	Bethlehem		Bethlehem
Gossip Material...	...for having both a prostitute and a foreigner in family tree		...for being thought to be conceived out of wedlock
Early Occupation:	Shepherd of sheep		Shepherd of Israel (Matthew 15:24)
Anointed...	...by the prophet Samuel to be King of Israel		...by the Holy Spirit to be Christ of God
Betrayal...	...by his own son, Absalom		...by his disciple and close friend, Judas Iscariot
Rejected King:	Lived through two civil wars (with Isbosheth and Absalom)		The mob in Pilates court shouted for their King to be crucified (Matthew 27:22)
Relationship to God:	A man after the Lord's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14)		Is the well pleasing, beloved Son of God (Matthew 17:5)

Come O Root of David and reign on the throne of the son of Jesse.

*see also Revelation 22:16

Drink Offering

So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it.

Genesis 35:14*

After Jacob had a vision of a ladder to heaven, he set up a rock as a pillar and then poured oil on it as an act of worship (Genesis 28:18). More than 20 years later, Jacob returned to the same spot and again poured out oil. This was long before Moses gave instructions for drink offerings, but in every case, three aspects of sacrifice are always present.

1. Poured out - When a liquid is poured out on the ground it never can be retrieved again for anything useful. The world would look on this as a waste, but the drink offering was a free-will offering given in gratitude to God. The Apostle Paul poured out his life in service for the gospel of Christ and considered it a sacrifice that he was joyfully willing to give (Philippians 2:17).

2. Precious - Oil and wine are not cheap. A quart and a half of wine was poured out every morning and every evening in the daily sacrifices and then much more was given on top of that for feast days and public worship. David once poured out water as a drink offering, because his three mighty men risked their lives to break into a Philistine garrison to get him a jug of water. David said that it represented the life's blood of his men and it was too precious to drink. Instead he poured it out in worship to God. 

3. Praise - as a part of the grain offering, the drink offering was included in the sweet smelling sacrifices that the LORD delighted in. It had nothing to do with sin and transgression and everything to do with worship and appreciation. The liquid of this sacrifice was usually wine, which was sipped and then the rest poured out to God, as if both the creature and the Creator were making a toast together. 

The Lord Jesus Christ freely gave His life as a Drink Offering to the Father. On the cross of Calvary the Savior poured out His precious blood to save the human race of their sins, for the praise of the glory of God. 

*used 66 times in various ways in scripture. 

Head over All Things to the Church

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church. 

Ephesians 1:22

The Apostle Paul just finished a seven verse, 166 word prayer for the Ephesian church that was all contained in just one sentence. The old missionary focused on the beauties of Christ as he asked God to reveal a better knowledge of the Savior to the believers. It was the sentence prayer that seemed to never end and by the time he finally got to he period, Paul hadn't gotten to the bottom line. He added it in this verse; they needed to know that Jesus was the Head over All Things to the Church. 

Christ certainly isn't over all things to the world, because He isn't their Lord. Satan is the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4), but people also follow a panthion of lesser gods that include prosperity, power, passion, and pride. It's no wonder that people today seem confused and pulled in different directions. 

It's not supposed to be that way for the body of Christ. The Lord is Head over All Things to the Church and supplies and equips every believer for every situation (Ephesians 1:23). Jesus is the facilitator  of every committee, Head-pastor over the head-pastor, as well as the CEO over every program, project, and person in the church. Well, it doesn't always happen that way, but that is how it's supposed to be. 

True, sometimes He is not acknowledged as Head over All Things to the Church. Some local churches operate by tradition. They've always done things a certain way so long, there's no need for Jesus to give them direction now. In some places, the pastor does everything. Why should the congregation have to do anything?; "after all, that's what he is paid for".  Sometimes even the preacher can go on for years recycling old sermons, so no inspiration or divine guidance is ever needed. 

That's probably why Paul had to remind the Ephesians that Jesus is the Head over All Things to the Church. He's in charge; He bought it; He directs it. It would probably be a good idea for those who are a part of it to ask the Guy-in-charge what He wants them to do.

Head of Every Man

But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

1 Corinthians 11:3

Spoiler alert!! Today's meditation is clearly politically incorrect. You may want to skip over it, if you are easily offended or if you don't want your preconceived ideas to be challenged.

Most other commentaries on the titles of Christ put a period where the first comma is and then leave off the whole rest of the verse. That way they can avoid controversy and explain the phrase out of context and not ruffle any feathers. They simply say that Jesus is everybody's boss whether male or female and we all ought to obey Him. I guess I can't argue with the conclusion, but that's not what it says in this verse or chapter.

The section that the title comes from is dealing with male and female roles in the Christian home. The man and woman in the verse are husband and wife. The husband is tapped to be the spiritual head in the family and submits to Christ, just as Jesus submitted to the father when he said "...not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). When it says, "the head of every man is Christ" it means that the father of the family is responsible for his household following the Lord and is directly accountable to Him. The part that says, "the head of the woman is man" means that the wife is to support her husband in building the Christian home by submitting to him. 

Obviously, this teaching rubs people the wrong way, even to the point of having some churches teach that 1 Corinthians chapter 11 was the culture of the day and therefore is not relevant to our modern society. That's interesting, because they still accept 1 Corinthians 11:1 where Paul says, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."

If somebody is your boss, you do what he says; you don't just blow him off by saying, "We don't do that anymore." The bottom line is: the Head of Every Man is Christ. 

Minister of the Sanctuary

Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

Hebrews 8:1-2

Many ministers are overpaid and under-worked!...or at least that's what some people think. They see the preacher give two or three half hour sermons each week and a few times a year speak at a wedding or a funeral. They think that is all they do and they wish that they had it so easy. 

Although there are lazy people in any profession, preaching is just the tip of the iceberg for most Christian workers. Most of what a true servant of God does  never comes into the public view. Hours are often spent discipling others, making phone calls, and visitation. More time yet is spent in prayer, meditation, and Bible study. What ministers do to be holy is the key to what they do, even if it isn't seen or appreciated by others. 

Christ Jesus, in His capacity as High Priest, atoned for the sins of every believer on the cross. He continues to intercede on their behalf and separate each believer for service for God. After this world is dissolved the Lord will become Minister of the sanctuary in the New Jerusalem. What exactly He'll be doing isn't revealed but Jesus isn't lazy and there will be much to do. Worship will be a constant activity and the True Tabernacle will be up and running. Whatever that is done there was foreshadowed in the books of Exodus and Leviticus regarding Moses' Tabernacle of meeting. A lot of the imagery of the Old Testament will finally make sense then and up there.

In heaven we'll be able to see the Throne of Grace, streets of polished gold, and real-live cherubim. We'll also see our glorified Lord and Savior there serving as the Minister of the Sanctuary. 

Righteous

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1 John 2:1

Absolute zero in minus 459.67 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale - that sounds pretty precise, but no one has ever been able to ever get something that cold, because it is the total absence of all heat. It would make atoms completely stop moving. 

To be totally free from sin is to be righteous. Living in a sinful world with all the lusts and evil thoughts that abound here, righteousness is a concept that is  approached rather than obtained. The Christian life is the process of working with God to crucify the sinful human nature by working with God to live righteously (Galatians 5:24-25). This may be an impossible-to-reach goal this side of heaven, but each believer is encouraged to get as close to it as he can.

Christ is the only one who is truly Righteous. He never had a bad attitude, flew off the handle, made poor choices, nor snapped under pressure. Everything He thought, felt, or did was totally right. As God, He could not do wrong, but even in His human capacity, He chose to be sinless.

Believers become more and more righteous as they progressively conform to the image of God's Son (Romans 8:29). It's not easy to keep one's thoughts on everything that is true, noble, just, pure, and lovely (Philippians 4:8), but Jesus certainly did. When Christians have the mind of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:16), they are able to do that also. They begin to be righteous even as He is Righteous. 

Redemption

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God --- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

1 Corinthians 1:30

To modern Americans redemption is little more than buying back a wedding ring or set of power tools from the pawn shop. There is not a lot of risk involved and losses are not disastrous. However, in past history, failure to pay off a debt could result in years in prison, a lifetime of slavery, or worse. 

In Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Antonio, a cash-poor but wealthy ship owner cosigns a loan with a businessman who holds deep resentment towards him. The loan is without interest, but if the loan isn't paid back in full by a certain date, the adversary demands a "pound of flesh." Antonio loses his ships in a storm and has nothing with which to pay on the day of reckoning. Even when others offer double the original sum, the lender is not satisfied and demands that the contract be followed to the letter. 

Satan wants far more than a pound of flesh from every man, woman, and child. He wants their souls to suffer the torments of hell along with him forever. Sinful man is the property and the redemption price is unimaginable torment and suffering. When Christ was rejected by His nation, betrayed by a friend, mocked, and beaten by thugs, whipped until His back was raw and then nailed to a cross to die, He redeemed the whole human race. Our freedom from hell and the bondage of sin wasn't cheap.

People blame God for eternal judgment in the lake of fire, but He is not the one responsible. Sinners are debtors to Satan and he is the one that demands the wages of sin be paid in full. It is the Lord Jesus Christ, on the other hand, who offers to be their Redemption. 

Second Man

The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:47

Contrary to conventional wisdom, the theory of the evolution of living organisms cannot be seen occurring today, nor can be demonstrated in the fossil records. However, where an evolutionary process is clearly evident is in the automotive industry. 

I was in college in 1967 when the Chevrolet Camero first came out. It was a muscle car that immediately became popular, but the demands of consumers changed over time and so did the Camero. Today, the "Fifth Generation" of this car is available in showrooms which means that the original design has gone through five major engineering overhauls at General Motors. That included hundreds of thousands of tweaks and adjustments. The hundreds of engineers that worked on the project would argue that it was all accomplished by intelligent design and nothing was left to mere chance. 

God did an excellent job when He created human beings. Adam was the first man and that same make and model is still available everywhere on the planet today. However, there is one major problem with the design - the sin problem. The good news is that the product has been recalled and each one needs to go back to their Creator for an upgrade.

People are put together exclusively with dust, atoms, and energy that come from a sin-cursed world - Earth. What is needed is a complete core exchange that doesn't come from around  here (i.e. it needs to be heavenly). 

Christ Jesus is the Second Man and He is the Lord from Heaven. He came to this world with the express purpose of fixing the problem and making a permanent upgrade available to everyone who requests it. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

Judge of Israel

Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; He has laid siege against us; They will strike the Judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.                  

     Micah 5:1

         This title is exceedingly sad. I wish it wasn't there. But, the prophesy is there and the Jewish people who have rejected their Messiah will be condemned by the Judge of Israel whom they struck down with a rod.

Today, if you disrespect a sitting judge, he could throw you in jail for a week and hold you in contempt of court. What would he do if you threatened him with physical force or actually hit him? It certainly wouldn't be good. 

The Jewish people have suffered greatly because they crucified the One that God made both Christ and Lord (Acts 2:36). Soon and very soon the Lord Jesus will come again to this planet and at that time many of His titles will be fulfilled. Many sons of Israel will look upon Him Whom they Pierced (Zachariah 12:10) and acknowledge Him as Savior. He will finally be received as the "Mashiach" (Messiah) and as Shepherd of Israel. Those who still harden their hearts at His coming will find Him to be the Judge of Israel. 

Yes, it is true that on that day, Satan, the Antichrist, and the unbelieving Gentile nations will also be judged, but I don't feel sorry for them. Israel and the Jewish people have always been the apple of God's eye and God longs to re-establish fellowship with them.

Christ wants to be the "Shalom" (peace) of Israel not the Judge of Israel. Please pray for revival to come to the Jewish people.

Shepherd of Israel

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!

Psalm 80:1

The Lord Jesus is the Shepherd of Israel. The chief priest and scribes said so much when the wise men came to King Herod seeking the Christ child: "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel” (Matthew 2:6). 

Even though the Savior healed the demon-possessed daughter of the Canaanite woman, He first stated, ""I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24). Coming as the Root of David, He came to shepherd the flock, before He could reign as king. But the flock of Israel refused to follow the Christ. Even so, this Good Shepherd gave His life for the sheep (John 10:11). 

With less than a week before the crucifixion, the Lamb of God still desired to lead His flock although He used a different metaphor: "...How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings...” (Matthew 23:37). 

Before the Shepherd of Israel could lead His sheep to the still waters, He was struck down and the flock was scattered (Matthew 26:31). That means that the title has yet to be fulfilled. Before the Jewish Messiah can bring peace and reign over Israel, the children of Jacob must acknowledge the sin of rejecting the Shepherd who came to save them. 

450 years of idolatry led to 70 years of the Babylonian captivity. But rejecting the promised Messiah resulted in nineteen and a half centuries without a Temple or means for atonement. The nation of Israel today still rejects Yeshua (Jesus) as Maschiach (Messiah) so lasting Shalom (peace) is not possible. 

Please pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and that the Jewish people can finally receive the promised Shepherd of Israel. 

He who has the Seven Spirits of God

"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.

Revelation 3:1

This is a hard one. Although indisputably a name of Christ, I've never seen this one in any other listing of the titles of the Lord. That's probably because it is difficult to explain. 

The Apostle John reminds his readers of his vision of the Triune God in chapter one of Revelation. "...Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ..." (1:4-5). Here, the Trinity is portrayed: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The imagery is repeated in chapter four where the throne room of heaven is in focus. The four living creatures chant, "Holy, holy, holy" to "the Lord God Almighty" who is seen as the One who sat on the throne (Father), the Lamb (Christ), and the "seven lamps of fire [...] which are the seven spirits of God" (Holy Spirit) (Revelation 4:5). Here again, the threefold nature of God is revealed.

Yes, it is understood that Jesus is the second person in the Trinity, but there is another problem. Does the phrase, "seven spirits of God" mean that the Holy Spirit is a committee formed by several lesser spirits? That is certainly not the case. 

The idea that comes across is the fullness of the Spirit. Seven is the number of completeness and gives the idea of everything that is there. Seven days are one full week. When a sailor boasts of having sailed the Seven Seas, he's claiming to have been everywhere in the one great worldwide ocean. 

When Christ is presented as He who has the seven Spirits of God, He is linked to the Holy Spirit and His deity is affirmed. 

The church of Sardis had a name that was alive but was actually spiritually lifeless. Such churches certainly exist today. They go through the formalism of religion without ever having been born again. They desperately need the Spirit of life to indwell them, but first they need to come to Him who has the Seven Spirits of God.

Blessing

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3

           "Blessing" has been defined as God’s favor and protection, but it’s more than that, even though it’s really hard to understand in this sin-cursed world. Sometimes, when I don’t understand something well, I look at its opposite and if I can comprehend that better, I just turn it around.

          A curse is the opposite of a blessing and after the fall, all of creation was cursed. Cancer, sickness, aging, and violence didn’t exist in paradise. Plants and animals were re-created to show the effects of the curse and since then, it’s been hard to focus on blessing.

          The jungle is a beautiful place with hundreds of species of orchids and a menagerie of colorful birds, but it’s exactly where I’d go to demonstrate the effects of the curse. There, most plants are poisonous, parasites are numbered in the thousands and all the bugs are big, and bite.

          In my opinion, the Bullet Ant is the personification of the curse. These terrible predatory creatures are just under an inch long and inflict a sting that is comparable to being shot with a bullet. On the 4 point Schmidt sting pain index, they are rated 4+. Someone on the internet described it as, “Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a 3 inch nail in your heal.” This description is a little melodramatic, but they nailed what it feels like.

          These ants are common in the jungle and wander alone so they are really hard to spot. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I really dislike these critters. One crawled up my pants leg and bit me three times before I could kill it. I hurt so bad that I couldn’t walk and had to crawl back to my house just using my hands.

          The extreme opposite of that is blessing. It is something planned for and perfected by God for the creation He formed in His own image. This is a far cry from having good luck or good fortune; it is everything good that God has given to a repentant sinner. The bottom line is this: Jesus Christ did not come into the world to bring us blessing …He is Blessing.