My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HEAD OVER ALL

Ephesians 1:22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,

Did you catch it? Who did God give to the church here? Let’s replace the pronouns in this verse with proper names and try to get a picture of what is going on

And God put all things under Jesus feet and gave Jesus as Head over all things to the church

God has given to the church Jesus as the Head over all things.

Now as I glibly read some of these passages in the past, I came away thinking Ephesians spoke the same truth as Colossians. I wonder about that assumption now.

Colossians 1:18 speaks of Jesus as the Head of the Church

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

This is a statement of fact, and defines Who Jesus is in relation to the church. Ephesians 1:22 has a different message, with Paul’s focus in Ephesians being the Body of Christ, the church. In Ephesians, Paul describes Jesus as the Head over all.

Jesus is not restricted to being the Head of the church as in Colossians, but the Head over all, providing to the church the confidence that Jesus has all authority.

Did not Jesus speak the same?

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Recapping, Paul is revealing to the gentile Christians of Ephesus the Headship, or authority of Jesus over all things. He goes on to describe the “all things” in Ephesians 6, 10-18, speaking of the evil forces behind the foolish actions of lost men and women.

Jesus is HEAD OVER ALL.

But the snippet of truth that struck me this morning, is that God gave Jesus as HEAD OVER ALL – to the church.

Now there are a number of ramifications if we consider this for a moment.

To give is an act of sacrifice. Jesus as HEAD OVER ALL, being a gift to the church is a truth I have rarely considered. We don’t deserve this type of Savior – surely we do not deserve Him, yet He is granted to us, not merely as a Savior, but as the HEAD OVER ALL.

The Father gave to the church. Again, we often think of our salvation as being Christ centered, and that is very true, yet the Father is the One who sacrificed His own Son for the church, and in this verse the Father is providing Him as the HEAD OVER ALL to the church.

As the church, we are a people who are very highly favored by having One over us that is the HEAD OVER ALL, over all governments, religions, philosophies and

He is not equal to any, has no competitor, and there are non equal to Him.

Isaiah 46:5 “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?

ALL things are subject to His will, and as the church we have access to the King of Kings, the One with all authority.

What more can be said? He is HEAD OVER ALL!

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HEAD OF THE CHURCH

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

We have considered our Lord as the HEAD OF ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY, HEAD OF EVERY MAN, HEAD OF THE BODY, and for this post, spend a few minutes considering Jesus as the HEAD OF THE CHURCH.

But Carl, are you not merely repeating the same truth we just reviewed, that is Jesus as the HEAD OF THE BODY?

Somewhat, but I am a believer that words have meanings, and for the apostle Paul to use both HEAD OF THE BODY and HEAD OF THE CHURCH as distinct descriptions for the Messiah, I am convinced there must be a nugget of truth to consider. Of course, for our time here, it will only be a nugget, for I will attempt to restrain myself to a short discussion.

For Paul to call the Master the HEAD OF THE CHURCH, is to call Jesus the Master, the Authority of the Ekklēsia.

Let’s remember the core thought of the term church. In Greek, the term is ekklēsia. To be of the ekklēsia is to be of a gathering, an assembly drawn together for a purpose. This gathering, this grouping of people – not a building, but the people – is the ekklēsia. Some ekklēsia (in the general sense of the word) gather for various purposes, but the ekklēsia that Paul describes gathers because Jesus is the HEAD. There is no other reason for a bunch of misfits, strangers, oddballs, lollygaggers and ne’er-do-wells to gather together other than to worship and hear from the Lord Jesus.

Some ekklēsia come together for volunteer work, self help meetings, gossip sessions or complaining contests. If any gathering (ekklēsia) gathers without Jesus firmly set as the HEAD, it is a gathering that has no eternal value, nor of any lasting real benefit for those coming together.

As discussed in HEAD OF EVERY MAN, I lean to the Complementarian view of headship, which states that to be HEAD is to imply authority, leadership, or preeminence. Our passage this morning reinforces this concept as the apostle describes Jesus as the HEAD OF THE CHURCH. Paul is focusing on one truth, a truth that is critical for believers.

Jesus is the HEAD OF THE CHURCH. It might seem super obvious to some, but consider. Jesus is not merely the source of life for all, as He is the Creator of all, but as the Redeemer of the ekklēsia (church), and as the LORD over the church, He has been granted all authority over the church, and by no contest, He is to be considered preeminent in all things, for He in truth is.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

No other person is to be vnereated in the church than Jesus Himself. He is to be the only focus of the true ekklēsia.

My friend as you read this short consideration of the HEAD OF THE CHURCH, and if you attend an ekklēsia that is not focused on the HEAD, consider your ways.

He is the HEAD OF THE CHURCH.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HEAD OF THE BODY

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

We spoke of the significance of the term “head” in an earlier post, and of alternate ways of understanding the word. For a refresher, or if interested in the findings, see Names of God – HEAD OF EVERY MAN.

As discussed earlier in the previous post, I am of the complimentarian camp – see my post for explanation – and the definition discussed in that post that complies with the complimentarian point of view is that kephalḗ (the greek word for head) implies authority, leadership, or preeminence.

This perfectly fits our context in Colossians and provides support for the view discussed earlier. But that was then, and our post this morning is about the Head of the Body, the Risen Christ.

In using this metaphor, Paul provided truths that are abundant for the believer to consider. As the Head of the Body, Jesus is

The DIRECTOR OF LIFE

Many times I default to the position that the heart of the physical body is that which provides life, but is it not more accurate to think that the head, specifically the brain, (or even more specifically, the mind), is the source of life. The mind is the “machine” that directs actions to and from each component of the body, controls movements of the body separately and in relation to each organ, limb and complex system, manages and minimized damages to the body, directing healing to areas in need and supports the complete functioning of the body in unison with each part.

I think this metaphor is perty dang good when we take a few moments to consider the Lord as the Head of the Body, His church.

The Center of Vision

My physical head contains two eyes, complex organs that accepts light, interprets vision, discerns objects and obstacles, provides primary information for the body and reveals the life that exists in the Body. Though many suffer the loss of sight, for the Church of Christ, our Head has perfect vision and He has no weakness in providing clear direction and goals, through His vision for the Church.

I think this metaphor is perty dang good when we take a few moments to consider the Lord as the Head of the Body, His church.

The Mystery of Sences

Though the Lord is invisible to our earthly sight, He provides us the Spirit Who impresses our senses, speaks to our hearts, directs the mind of the church, (and of it’s individual saints) and protects the Body as we venture through this dangerous world. He deals with the mystery of life without any difficulty, and is in control of His Church, through His directing us via Word and prayer.

I think this metaphor is perty dang good when we take a few moments to consider the Lord as the Head of the Body, His church.

He is truly the HEAD OF THE BODY. It is amazing that Paul called Him who is over all of creation as the Head of the the Body, the Church, after speaking of His preeminence over all created things

Colossians 1:16, 17 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

It is as if to be the Head of the Body was the cap stone of achievement for the Crucified One. May His name be praised, even as we recognize Him as the Head!

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HEAD OF EVERY MAN

1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

We are entering a topic that has become a hot topic for the last half century in the church. We will be thinking about headship in this verse, and I want to confess I have been influenced by conservative churches as to what headship means.

One church we were associated with was an open brethren, which allowed no women to speak in the service, with the women wearing head coverings, showing submission to the husband as per 1 Corinthians 11.

During our time there we enjoyed great times of fellowship and made wonderful friends, but we never “made it “converted” to the head covering practice. As a matter of fact, one of the elder’s wives, (who publicly wore a head covering to show her submission to her husband) told her husband, the elder of the church to come talk to my wife about this “sin”. I was not in the discussion at all! He visited my wife, and when I got home that night from work, I questioned even more the reason for the doilies on wives “of submission”. Too much to discuss in this post, but do you see any problem here?

Two views are raging in the church regarding the teaching of headship. A brief review may be of help.

Complementarian

In 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Ephesians 5:23, kephalḗ implies  authority, leadership, or preeminence. Some may assign an inequality in the husband / wife partnership when this view is considered but I fear they may think different positions in life equal different values before God. This is preposterous in my mind. Each of us have our talents and calling, and each of us are equal before God, with the value of the blood of Christ assigned to each sinner!

Egalitarian

Using Genesis 2, the egalitarian (equal) view leans into the meaning of kephalḗ as source, origin, or progenitor. It is as the husband is the “source” of the wife, and not her ruler.

I have noticed that this view seems to be gaining steam in the last half century, coincidentally with the rise of feminism. Coincidence, or simply the revelation of truth completely apart from the massive cultural shift we have all experienced? I will leave that to my reader.

Nevertheless, I will admit this view has not made sense to me, since the argument might be made that if the man is the source of the woman, he has the right of ownership, or can at least claim management over her. This also is preposterous, so I must be understanding the egalitarian view incorrectly.

One other claim by the egalitarian view is to equate the head of a family to a “boss”. This is bringing the worlds view of business management into the Lord’s institution of a godly family. Of course this is preposterous. To be the head of a family is to mimic the Savior (who is our Head) in leadership servanthood, dying for others within the family, and showing concern and loving care for those in the family instead of himself.

To be the “boss” in the family is a distortion of the headship teaching, for our great example and Savior, the HEAD OF EVERY MAN, is the suffering Savior, the meek and gentle One who has all authority over heaven and earth.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HEAD OF ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY

Colossians 2:10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

As I quickly read what Paul claims here, I have not been too discriminating. I have read this verse for decades (not continuously, mind you) but as I go through the book of Colossians, I usually breeze by this verse without asking any questions.

Today, I’m a gonna ask questions!

What is the difference between rule and authority? Is there a difference? What is Paul talking ’bout?

Paul uses these two descriptions earlier on in this epistle, when he pens Colossians 1:16.

Col 1:16  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

So let’s do a quick review of these two terms.

Rule

The Greek word is ἀρχή archḗ, and is commonly used in an absolute sence, speaking of beginnings. This term is used in reference to the Lord Jesus throughout the New Testament, for He is the ultimate First Person.

Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

But in our verse this morning, the application cannot be referring to Him, as Paul declares Jesus is over this “archḗ”.

Paul is referring to a leader, one who is first in his class or category. It goes without saying that since Jesus is over this one described as “archḗ”, He is over all of the “archḗ’s” minions and subjects.

Paul describes both rulers and authorities as created in verse 16, we can suppose these are spiritual beings. Of course this verse alone does not identify them as wicked, and it may be a disservice to the verse to restrict these as wicked. Is not the Lord the Master of All?

Relating to His dominion over wicked spirits, we would refer to Ephesians to get that clarity. Paul provides no doubt that is in his thoughts as he uses these two terms relating to the enemies of our soul in Ephesians.

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

In summary, Jesus is over rulers, those created beings that are first in their class or category, those who rule over others, even the highest rulers, whoever they may be, in this created world we live in.

Authority

The Greek word is ἐξουσία exousía, and speaks of power, the ability or liberty to do as one pleases. This word is used often in the New Testament, many times relating to the power or authority of the Lord Jesus.

Take a gander at a great example.

Matthew 9:6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he then said to the paralytic–“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

Every time I read this verse, it gives me a chill to think the Lord told those around him, including those hunting Him down, that he had the power, the freedom to forgive sins! Unbelievable! No wonder the darkened mind of those around Him were shocked. He is simply a shocking Savior!

Back in our verse in Colossians, this term speaks of the power resident in those whom Jesus is over. Those that are created, the “archḗ” (rulers) down through the ranks, have a delegated power, a freedom to inflict their will on those they are allowed to harm.

Our Savior is HEAD OF ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY. He is over each and every created being, no matter where that created being sits in the hierarchy. He exercises limitations to the delegated power each of those created beings are allowed to exercise. Paul speaks of Jesus being over the created beings and over their delegated power.

He is the HEAD, or MASTER of all. Given that, it should be no surprise that He could say He had the authority to forgive sins on earth.

That one incident is still so shocking though. But it shouldn’t be since our Savior is HEAD OF ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL

Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

I love this verse, and the fact Paul clarified the manner of God’s working in the church. He does not react to outside forces, current events, or problem situations due to an outside influence.

The work of God is not reactionary. He is first in the causing of all work related to our salvation, sanctification and glorification. He has predestined the Body of Christ, the church, (not individuals within the Body) to be predestined according to the counsel of His will. It is his plan, His counsel and His will that is preeminent in relation to the Body of Christ.

Now I used to be fatalistic in relation to the passage above, thinking that the predestination is related to individuals in the church, having been influenced by teachers within the church, and the individualistic leanings of our culture. Me me me, it is all about me!

For some reason, God had chosen me as opposed to Fred or Wilma, or Frank. Why, and how could I relate humbly to those God did not chose? And if God did not choose Fred or Wilma or Frank, was I wasting my time on them? Was I frustrating the will of God in loving them? How could I “love my enemy” when it seemed that God was purposely passing them by, allowing them to enter destruction?

I found the concept of “individual election and predestination” caused me untold conflict upon realizing the implications of the teaching. But the teaching was widespread, and seemingly very popular.

Thankfully, as I attended a church that subscribed to this teaching, an elder was bold enough to lay it on the line. He openly preached from the pulpit, that which was mostly left unsaid, that God was pleased to see the unelected destroyed, that it glorified God in the destruction of souls, and predestination applied to the individual for salvation AND damnation.

I walked out of that service stunned, and realized I had a problem. A huge problem that I needed to come to grips with. Thankfully, as I found myself unseated from my previous understanding of fatalism – some call it Calvinism or the “doctrines of grace” – I began to understand an alternate “heretical” position. It really didn’t take too long, for I found a clue in the very next two verse’s verses from Paul’s pen. Yes, Paul speaks of how individual saints in Ephesus entered into the counsel of God’s will in verse 13.

Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Notice when Paul speaks of individuals, he does not say that God chose each individual in eternity past, forced the Spirit on each individual and locked each individual into His will. (I am being extreme here!) He speaks of individuals hearing truth, and believing IN HIM.

Which is the topic of Paul’s discussion. Being in HIM.

The counsel of God’s will determined that being in Him was the manner of salvation, the work of God predetermined by the counsel of His will was the group, the Body of Christ. Not individuals, though individuals join by hearing the truth and believing in HIM, but the Church itself as the Body of Christ.

What a freeing realization that God’s will is not restrictive, exclusionary and limited. His care and love for the most heinous sinner is active, open and unlimited, offered by the hand of Jesus, though it is a bloodied, pierced hand.

No, our God is active in all of creation through the Body, with the Body and for the Body in bringing about His will, for it is He only WHO WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL, in bringing about the honor and glorification of Him who is the head of the Body, Jesus Christ the Lord.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO WEIGHS THE HEART

Proverbs 24:12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?

It is a common saying. He is walking about with such a heavy heart.

In our vernacular, that is usually a statement that speaks of deep sorrow, or sadness in the life of the subject.

When we read this verse, the weighing of the heart is not related to sorrow or sadness, as may be implied by our common saying.

In the proverb we are considering, we are considering the inner knowledge each man lives with and how God relates to it. For God to weigh the heart is another way of say God searching the soul.

One important consideration is that the passage is not making a neutral statement, a simple fact that God knows our inner thoughts. The verse speaks of God not disuaded from the facts by our denials. As fallen men and women, we are easily disuaded from the truth, convincing ourselves of stories that make us feel better, that increase our confidence (in self) and that comfort our weak hearts.

I think Solomon knew this deeply, as he reflected on his own life/ There is wisdom in considering this, for as he told himself many stories, excusing his life before God, he knew God was “weighing the heart”.

Yet he rebelled against this knowledge.

Knowing that God is alive and active in our very inner core should motivate us to perform good works, to “not deny” the truth, to admit our sin and weakness and to understand God is a just God. Consider the verse as it speaks of “rendering to each man according to his deeds”. The Word is explicit.

Psalm 62:12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.

Jeremiah 17:10 “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Ezekiel 18:30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.

Ezekiel 33:20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”

Some may claim that this teaching is an Old Testament teaching, that it is not valid under the New Covenant. I often thought this way until I considered a sampling of verses below.

Romans 2:6 He will render to each one according to his works:

2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

Of course this teaching has to be balanced with the understanding we can do nothing apart from the Master and that all that is good comes from our connection with the Lord Jesus.

And out of the self sacrifice of our Savior, we have the privildge, opportunity and strength in the Spirit to do good deeds as He directs. Yes, HE WHO WEIGHS THE HEART, is the same who provided the Savior to draw us to Him, to give us strength, to direct us into good works, and to glorify Him.

And in the midst of all His blessings, He continues to weigh our hearts, helping us to live in the truth, in Jesus.

May we reap blessings, and honor God from being rooted in Him.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO SUPPLIES THE SPIRIT

Galatians 3:5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith–

Paul provides the Galations a progression of the experience of the Spirit in the beginning of chapter 3.

Galatians 3:2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?

Paula begins his argument for the necessity of a Spirit filled (controlled) life with the initial meeting of the believers with the Spirit. Upon the hearing of the gospel, those who believed received. They were not required to perform any works, such as a circumcision or a baptism, or a compliance with any works that may be required by those trying to influence them after Paul left.

They received upon belief in the crucified Messiah.

Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Next, Paul emphasizes the beginning of the faith of these believers. Though this may be a reiteration of the initial act of faith that brought them into the Body of Christ, I understand it to be directed to the initial days/weeks/months the believers were walking in the Spirit prior to the “influencers” arriving, and confounding these saints.

Then we get to our verse of consideration. Paul closes his initial argument of the necessity of the Spirit controlled life as the norm for the believer by reminding the believers of the source of this tremendous gift, that the Spirit is given by God, and that the means of provision is by faith and not works.

He provides Scriptural proofs of this truth for the remainder of the chapter, and I would encourage my reader to take time to reread the passage.

For this morning, let us dwell on the gift of the Spirit provided by God, through a heart faith in the Messiah. Whether we are new in the faith by an hour, a decade or half a century, each of us has that blessing to know the Lord through the Spirit in our daily lives.

Story Time

I am just returning from visiting my northern grandchildren. Really a good time! We had a special time with my youngest grandson we were visiting. During the visit, a small dispute with his sister erupted and we had a chance to discuss the issue of the dispute and that to be a believer is a daily challenge to exercise forgiveness towards even those we know best.

It is a daily challenge to live the Christian life, and we can be thankful that it is HE WHO SUPPLIES THE SPIRIT is none other than the God we worship.

He provides all our needs!

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO STRUCK DOWN GREAT KINGS

Psalm 136:17 to him who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever;

We are in a psalm this morning that has the constant refrain of “for His steadfast love endures forever”. The psalmist begins with statements of praise toward the Lord, the God of God’s and the Lord of Lords, and transitions to the mighty acts of creation for 6 verses, each act of creation displaying His steadfast love.

Starting in verse nine, the psalmist focuses his description of the steadfast love of God to the nation of Israel, and how He brought the family of Abraham out of slavery and through the Red Sea.

All the previous statements regarding God’s works may be considered positive and generally a blessing. That is until verse 15, where the psalmist speaks of “shaking off”, or overthrowing the Pharoah of Egypt. The psalmist them continues speaking of those who had to be “dealt with” in order to establish and protect His new nation.

Dealing with a nation in our verse speaks of striking down great kings. Remember that when a king is struck down, the people he ruled over fall into turmoil. Sometimes the turmoil is minor, and sometimes it is a major upheaval in the nations life. Consider Egypt. Their history after the exodus was impacted greatly. For those kings that were not compliant with God’s will, they also fell and the people associated with the king suffered.

How can the psalmist claim that God’s steadfast love endures forever, when the action includes secondary impacts that are detrimental to those around the nation?

Two thoughts come to mind.

Those who opposed God and His will suffered due to their refusal to join into the work of God. Many times in the history of Israel we find a foreigner being accepted into the nation of Israel, avoiding judgement and falling under the covenantal blessing of God. Rahab is an example.

Though the psalmist is focusing on the nation of Israel, and how God has acted in the formation and continuation of the nation of Israel, the psalmist takes an interesting turn as the passage closes. The last few verses do not use the term “Israel”, but describes those who…

• were of a low estate,
• were helpless (rescued from foes)
• receive food from Him (gives food to all flesh)

The psalmist spends time narrowing down on the acts of God specifically for the nation of Israel, but finishes with God’s general “steadfast love” for all.

Our selfish “my kingdom” reactions to the will of God may place us on the hurting side of life, but the steadfast love of God endures forever.

HE WHO STRUCK DOWN GREAT KINGS is still on the move throughout the earth, conquering each man’s will, taking out those who oppose His will, and offering forgiveness through manifold and multiple opportunities for those who will be of a low estate, willing to admit their helplessness and receive the good news of a God who STRUCK DOWN GREAT KINGS, even our greatest enemy, death and destruction.

Let us remember the priorities of our God. He is a long term Planner and intermediate impacts along the way (that are surely difficult for our sensitivities), should not consume our perspective.

He is One whose steadfast love endures forever!

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO STRETCHES OUT THE HEAVENS

Isaiah 40:22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;

It was a few days back when we considered this verse, but in relation to the name of God being HE WHO SITS ABOVE THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH.

As a refresher, Isaiah is speaking to the people of God as he compares their God with the idols they have chased after. In this passage, and specifically with this name. Isaiah provides a picture of One who stretches out the heavens.

Though the ancients didn’t have telescopes, radar satellites, or rockets into space, they did spend time under the stars. The life of the ancient Hebrew was not a life of ignorance regarding the heavens, for they spent much more time under the stars than the average modern. We may talk of light years, and galaxies beyond any distance we can comprehend, but the ancients, dare I say, comprehended the skies even as we do. With our eyes. And our minds, as much as possible.

Ask yourself – what is a light year? What impact is that on your life? Dare I say that one night under the stars, will communicate the vastness of the heavens better than a number that cannot be comprehended.

As some may know, I am an early bird, waking in the morning before 5 always, and sometimes before that. If it isn’t a work day, and I have the opportunity, I will venture outside to get in my hammock, and simply star gaze with the naked eye. The longer I stare, the greater the mystery of the heavens, the beauty of the stars, and the littleness of me. Stargazing is a very humbling experience!

How could Isaiah explain this other than to speak of the act of stretching out the heavens as a merely human activity, as if the wife was stretching the curtain over the window. A seemingly effortless task, and that is the point. Isaiah is describing a God who is not worn out by this impossible to imagine task, but completes it as if it was the simply pull of a curtain.

One additional item occurs to me. Isaiah mentioned our God stretches out the heavens, as if it was a current action on behalf of the Lord. Did he understand the idea of an expanding universe? Is this another incidence that the prophet spoke a truth that he may not have even understood in his day? The Scriptures are wild, and to find these nuggets of truth buried in the Word is truly a blessing to consider.

Let us be thankful to HE WHO STRETCHES OUT THE HEAVENS, for His mighty creative work, and the sacrificial blood He spilt for our lives. He is an incredible God that we will never be able to fully understand, or come close fathoming His incredible love for us.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO STIRS UP THE SEA

Jeremiah 31:35 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar– the LORD of hosts is his name:

It seems like forever since I published on this general set of verses back in 2020. I was addressing the outworking of Jeremiah’s prophecy of the continual existence of Israel despite the obvious destruction and decimation of the nation in AD 70.

If this seeming unfulfilled promise of God to national Israel disturbs you, or fuels your unbelief in the God of the Bible, it may be to your benefit to consider what took me 20 years to figure out. The post should only take a few minutes to read, and hopefully my explanations make some sense for those who want to understand. Anyway, venture over to Nation or Church – Jeremiah 31:35-37 if I have piqued your interest.

A few verses to review to make this point. First, let’s consider Isaiah. He speaks of the abundance of the sea as compared to the wealth of the nations. A very common Hebrew parallellism!

Isaiah 60:5 …the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

Isaiah also likens the wicked to the foaming sea, with the mire and dirt being thrown on the shore.

Again, whne Isaiah likened the wicked, or the nations to a tumultuous sea, bringing it’s filth to the land, is it not picturesque of the influence of the nations on the people of God?

Even with this very short study, we can see the connection of the nations with the sea. Might we extend that thought in our phrase we are considering? (Hang on folks, for this gets knotty!) Is the picture of the Lord stirring up the nations an accurate picture? Might we see that the Lord is active in the tumult of the world for His will to be accomplished? This is difficult stuff, but consider.

Isaiah 51:15 I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar– the LORD of hosts is his name.

Consider the image and the impact of his name, for we certainly see much tumult in the world today. Thankfully, we know that as the people of God, we have a refuge in Jesus, a place where confusion is absent, where peace of heart and a quiet mind can rule the life of the saint and reside in the family of God.

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,

No matter how you see this verse in relation to the nations, let us thank God for the Savior Jesus, who is the ONE WHO STIRS UP THE SEA.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO SITS IN THE HEAVENS

Psalm 2:4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

I always liked this verse, but probably for the wrong reason. Hopefully it isn’t with evil intent, imagining our God in heaven, rubbing his hands together, laughing out loud because he knows the traps He has set for the “dirty sinners’ out there. Of course, I do not include myself amongst the intended victims. Maybe something wrong there! Yes there is something wrong when this old fellow thinks others deserve judgement but he is exempt from the fate.

This passage is dealing with the kings of the earth, those earthly rulers who seek to usurp control from the rightful King. In this context, the Lord on His throne and from that perspective, is reflecting the utter futility of the efforts of mere men, though they feel they rule over others.

When our passage speaks of the Lord holding them in derision, it speaks of a mockery of the situation. He is not concerned over any effort of man to dethrone Him. He is the Lord!

Yet the leaders of this world are drunk on power. They seek more and more authority over God’s creation, and in the process, reveal their mismanagement, and selfish motivations. Any desire of man to replace God as the King over any of creation is fraught with unassailable obstacles, most of which is the man’s own evil heart and wicked imaginations. Nothing good and meaningful can rise out of the self serving motivation of man.

Consider – even the King of Kings was a sacrificially serving man, One who sought out others, seeking their good as opposed to His will. Only the One who followed after God with all His life is worthy to lead, the One who showed His leadership by serving, His love by dying and His authority by rising up from the grave.

Yes, God mocks, laughing in derision those who oppose Him. Not in the manner I imagined, but in the futility of the effort. Mere man a king to replace Jesus.

He has risen and is the ONE WHO SITS IN THE HEAVENS.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO SITS ABOVE THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH

Isaiah 40:22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.

Isaiah is in the process of comparing the God of Israel with idols, by way of questioning his people.

Isaiah 40:21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

Questions are a great way to stimulate a discussion. Jesus often asked questions. Questions are a fantastic teaching tool!

Don’t you think so?

As a question is provided, a recipient naturally builds a defence in thier mind. Once a question has been understood, hopefully a discussion can occur, an argument can be entered into, and minds can be changed. And when I say minds can be changed, I am referring to the Biblical concept of repentance! This obviously is the intent of Isaiah and he is brutal!

One question would be sufficient for Isaiah to deliver to the saints, considering the topic of the discussion. One well placed question about the God of Israel should “stop thier mouths”.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

Of course, when Isaiah “machine guns” multiple questions to God’s people, the recipients will not only be speechless, but dumbfounded. That is, if they are honest with themselves, with Isaiah and with the God they are related to.

Four questions were blasted to the saints regarding the difference of thier God compared with idols.

• Do you not know?
  • Of all the people of the earth, these folks knew God was unlike idols!
• Do you not hear?
  • Of all the people of the earth, these folks heard God speak, unlike an idol!
• Has it not been told you from the beginning?
  • Of all the people of the earth, these folks had been introduced to God at the beginning of their formation as a nation! Idols were to be rejected by this people from the very beginning.
• Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
  • Of all the people of the earth, these folks understood God hated idols.

Yet they worshipped idols.

Isaiah then begins to describe – once more for this people who knew and understood thier God – of the God they had walked away from.

Thier God is the One who is over, or above the circle of the earth.

He is over creation, not a part of it.

Whether the word “circle” can be describing the earth as a sphere or simply the horizon each man sees, the point is clear. The God they had abandoned, the God they were being called back to, the God who was leading, guiding, disciplining and teaching is not of this creation, but above.

And when Isaiah says above, though the immediate message is that God is in the heavens, above the creation in relation to distance, I want to consider it is more applicable that Isaiah is referring to God as being over the circle of the earth in relation to His authority over all.

God is in authority over all of His creation. He is in charge, unlike the idols that are merely stone and wood, made of the creation God created.

Yes, our God is more than any idol, much more! He is on His throne, and not only reigns by the authority of His creative acts, but more so through His defeat of death. Though the creation was plummetted into death by our decision, He has rescued it by defeating death itself. Death itself has died, and He rules!

Yes – Jesus is better! He is the One WHO SITS ABOVE THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO SEARCHES MIND AND HEART

Revelation 2:23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

We touched on this verse in the previous post, observing a consistency of teaching in the Word about God giving according to our works based on His searching of the mind and heart.

This general teaching of a man’s works flowing from his heart and mind is a truth all honest people give mental assent to. It is a different matter when it comes to the heart accepting it when specific instances occur in a persons life.

What do I mean?

In the theoretical world, and due to our mind craving justice, we have no qualms with works recieving appropriate judgement. Good works naturally should recieve a good reward. Bad works naturally should recieve a bad reward. This truth makes sense logically.

In the practical world, and in specific cases, our hearts and emotional sensitivities get in the way of seeing this truth worked out in our experience.

Our culture, a reflection of a societies heart, increasingly seeks to protect the wrong doer, and to punish the righteous one. There are many instances in the news where it seems justice is upside down, where the acceptance of wrong is considered right.

Isaiah spoke of the tendency of a people to call evil good and good evil.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Even at the judgement of the Lord, during His humiliation in front of His accuser’s, the crowd sought the guilty and condemend the Righteous One.

Luke 23:18 But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”–

So it is natural, even expected that when we come to a harsh truth such as in the Lord’s message to the church at Thyatira in Revelation 2, that we tend to shy away from such stark statements.

Statements such as…

• Revelation 2:22 ….I will throw her onto a sickbed
• Revelation 2:22 ….those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation,
• Revelation 2:23 …I will strike her children dead

We tend to admit in our minds that evil works demand justice, but then we see the reference to children being struck dead. That is a heart wrencher!

But wait. What is it to be a child of “that woman Jezebel”? What is it that this woman, and any association with her, causes such a seemingly harsh judgement of the Lord Jesus?

A few verses back provides some guidance.

Revelation 2:20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

The church is tolerating Jezebel. This is the rebuke to the believers. Could it be a rebuke to a specific leader in the church? Maybe, for some of the ancient transcripts speak of “your woman Jezebel”, possibly referring to a leaders wife or his close associate.

As for Jezebel herself, she claims she is a prophetess, assigning God’s authority to herself. Incredible hutzpah for one to claim the authority of God as a prophetess, but seemingly an easy thing for some to assume, even in our day!

As a self styled prophetess, she influences the saints, and possibly her husband, an elder in the church, to enjoin into sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. Immorality and idolatry? Where have we seen this attack on the faithful before? She not only teaches the mind, but seduces the heart of the saints into both of these sins for the church.

It is noteworthy to understand that both of these sins were closely associated with the trade guilds of the city this church resided in. Somewhat similar to a union nowadays, but this guild would require participation in these activities to continue finding work, and therefore make a living.

To bring this post back to our original verse, it is important to note that Jesus has a problem with the church tolerating this teaching. Bad teaching is to be rejected from the body.

But judgement was falling on Jezebel, and her children. Those children most assuredly were adherents to this sinful teaching, following this self styled sinning woman. Those within the church had to repent, or judgement would fall on them.

As an aside, if those within the church community were true believers, how does my reader understand the Lord’s reference of the Lord striking her children dead? I have addressed this topic in a past post for those who many be curious – Conditional Security – Revelation 2:18-26

One of the outcomes of this judgement is that the church would know that God is the One WHO SEARCHES MIND AND HEART. He knows what is going on in the depths of our person. Those thoughts and emotions, if allowed to fester and grow, will produce works of a similar nature, and though He is ever patient, He is not One that will allow corruption in the body forever.

Galations 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

He is the ONE WHO SEARCHES MIND AND HEART. For those seeking the Lord’s will, this is a comfort, and as mentioned in our previous post, we have the mind of the Spirit, which produces the right thoughts. A blessing we surely do not deserve!

For those following after anyone else, be it a false religion, a false prophetess, or a corrupt teacher, beware. He is seaching your heart and mind even as we draw our next breath.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO SEARCHES HEARTS

Romans 8:27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

To search implies there is an examination, an effort to find something, to investigate, even to hunt. To search is that something is being sought, that in the search there is a hunter and the hunted.

We see this image in the the Old Testament when Jeremiah reminds the saints in his 17th chapter

Vs 10 -“I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

The Lord is looking, searching the heart of man. Pursuing after the motives, hidden though they may be from the man himself, exposing the intents of our hearts, if we are honest with Him.

But note the difference in the two passages. In the Old Testament, there was a sense of exposure and justice, that with the exposure of the heart, equal and appropriate rewards would be granted out.

Now it depends on your stance regarding the heart of man in how you see the “rewards” being granted out by the Lord in this searching, but I would suggest the context is definitely of sin, death and judgement being meted out, for the very previous verse speaks of the deceitfulness of our hearts, and of the utter frustration of the man in understanding his own heart.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

So with Jeremiah, the context speaks of God searching out the heart of man, primarily for the exposure of this deceit, and the just recompence of his deeds, which is sourced out of his heart!

This teaching is not of the Old Testament only, for we find this very thought coming from the lips of Jesus in Revelation 2:23

Revelation 2:23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

The churches will know that the Lord, in striking Jezebel’s children dead, is He who searches the heart. In this verse, the Lord is revealing the at the death of the (spiritual) children of Jezebel, and the tribulation/sickbed that Jezebel in thrown into, will provide ample evidence of Jesus searching hearts and rewarding according to each ones works.

Now that we have established the searching of hearts resulting in just rewards, lets come back to our beginning verse in Romans 8.

Romans 8:27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit…

No recompense is mentioned in this verse. Notice that we have the heart and mind mentioned in this verse, much like the previous verses, but it is the saints heart and the Spirit’s mind that is discussed. No just recompence due to evil hearts, and wicked minds, but as the remainder of the verse indicates,

…the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Intercession occurs by the Spirit. Prayer and pleading for the saint.

Paul knew his Old Testament, and how the heart and mind were revealed by God in His searches, and the resultant “rewards” provided. Even in the church age, when those who rebel as Jezebel, this truth remains.

But Paul is speaking of life in the Spirit, of the grace filled, sacrificial love of God ruling in the saint’s life. Consider the difference, for the gospel of the Messiah provides His people the Spirit, and in the giving, provides support and encouragement we do not deserve.

There is a very real cause and effect in our practical lives, and bad decisions cause bad consequences. Yet for the Spirit led believer, there is a very real truth that God does not “give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

We are a most blessed people, having been offered “the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us.

Yes, we are a most blessed people!

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO SANCTIFIES

Hebrews 2:11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

The apostle, (or his representative) is writing to the Hebrews, describing the salvation provided by Jesus, and that Jesus is far superior to every past blessing and experience of the faithful. In every instance of comparison, Jesus far outshines any claim to fame the faithful Hebrew might make.

There is simply no comparison! Jesus is better! Better than anything or anyone associated with the prior covenant.

Our passage highlights the act of sanctification, and the first consideration is to note that it is God who sanctifies. It is not that God tries to sanctify, or that He wants to sanctify, or that it is His pleasure to sanctify, but the He Himself sanctifies.

But what does that mean?

Well…

In the book of Hebrews there are two truths regarding sanctification, and to review these truths it is necessary to consider Hebrews 10

Hebrews 10:10-14

10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Notice in verse 10, that belivers are sanctified by the body of Jesus Christ once for all. The sanctification of the believer is complete, and completely dependent on the Lord Jesus, His past act on the cross, and according to the covenant He has provided.

It is done!

But wait. In just a few short verses, the apostle brings to us a process of being sanctified, for we must notice that he states that “by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified”

The eternal perfecting of the believer, is for those who are currently being sanctified.

Hold up now. Are we sanctified once and for all or are we in process of being sanctified?

You see now why I was hesitant earlier to define what is going on in the book of Hebrews. When we see a portion of Scripture that seems to contradict itself, we must consider that a mark of inspiration, a sort of proof that truth may have two faces. Let me try to explain, at least the way I understand it .

For the believer, the blood and body of Christ on the cross was the defining moment of sanctification for the believer. In the mind and heart of God the Father, the saint was one with the Savior, fully accepted, fully set apart and fully committed to the will of the Father.

But the apostle goes further, helping the believer understand that ths sanctification is to be experienced, pursued, chased after, desired and clung to. Our positional sanctification, which is such a precious truth, such a lofty possession of the believer, such a blessing only found in Jesus, is to be experieinced in our daily lives.

It is not enough to only be sanctified in the heavens, but to be sanctified in the earth, where we get dirty, where we stumble and toss about. Sanctification in the war we live in is the battle for the believer today. To know we are fully sanctified before the Father due to the body of Christ is the magnet that keeps pulling us to Him. The draw of the Son on the believer is never ending, a ceaseless effort of the Holy One to make us holy, to be sancitified before Him.

To be before Him, we must be holy.

Hebrews 12:14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

For this we must be thankful that HE WHO SANCTIFIES is He who has sanctified us by His own death.

It is an astounding salvation, and I just need to say it one more time.

Jesus is better!

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO REMEMBERED US IN OUR LOW ESTATE

Psalm 136:23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever;

In our psalm this morning, if we were to read the entire 136th Psalm, we would find the psalmist referring to the Lord’s mercy and steadfast love in the past for His people.

Over and over again the psalmist recounted the many acts of the God of Israel for His people. From creation through the deliverance of the exodus, along with battles fought to gain and maintain their time on the promised land, the Lord had proven His steadfast love to the nation in the past.

Our verse this morning speaks of the current time, of the times the psalmist lived in. It was no longer recounting days of old that the Lord proved His love, but the very time the psalmist lived in, the present situation.

And the psalmist claims the Lord remembered.

Now of course the psalmist is not merely referring to the fact that the Lord, who is all knowing, has a set of facts about His people before His eyes. The psalmist isn’t speaking of the Lord’s ability to recall He has a people. Does that even make sense, knowing the God we serve?

When the Old Testament speaks of the Lord remembering, it is not merely that God recalls his people. God never “recalls” a fact or a situation. He is all knowing. When the Old Testament speaks of God remembering, it is telling us that God is acting for His people, delivering them from a trial, or even refraining from a justified discipline. Examples are many.

Noah is a good example.

Genesis 8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.

God remembered Noah and acted. Another example was Rachel, and her childbearing.

Genesis 30:22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.

God remembered Rachel and acted. An example of God remembering not, (or not acting) may be found in Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 34C… For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

God’s act of remembering in this instance, or should I say His active non-remembrance, entailed the death of His Son, the torture and crucifixion of His Only begotten.

Even in His promise to not remember, God acted.

So for our passage this morning, the psalmist speaks of the Lord remembering His people. For us today, we need the Lord to act on our behalf, to bring to life the Body of Christ that is dormant, quiet and self satisfied.

The psalmist speaks to us today, for if we are to see God “remember” us, it will be due to our lowly state, a time of humility, of lowliness.

A people of God that is proud, self sufficient and haughty will not see God remember them, acting on their behalf.

Yes it is likely the psalmist was speaking of an inflicted lowliness for God’s people, a difficult time for the people of God due to outer forces being unleashed on them. They had been humbled, and in the humbling, God acted.

The humbling of the people of God continues to be the playbook of the Lord, that those who are humbled are ready for grace, they are open to God “remembering” them. It is a consistent truth we would do well in remembering!

James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

The psalmist may have spoke of an inflicted humbling, yet for us today, we have the command to humble ourselves.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

In both of the verses above, the humbling comes with an exaltation, with the Lord remembering and acting on behalf of the humble.

Our God hasn’t changed. He is the God Who remembers us in our lowly state. May we experience the exaltation, understanding it is through humility and seeking the low estate!

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

289

HE WHO RAISED CHRIST JESUS

Romans 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Notice how clear Paul is in his description of the God who gives us life. He brings to the believer’s attention a number of clarifications that may be worthy of considering.

First, Paul speaks of the God who raised Christ Jesus as Spirit. His emphasis is on the person of God, not any moral codes, regulations, rules, bylaws or religion that we may be associated with. It is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus, dwelling in each of us that Paul speaks of.

Which brings to our attention a second point to consider, that is the dwelling of the Spirit of God in the believer. Some may refer to this as the indwelling, and is an emphasis of the apostle Paul in this passage. His first reference to “dwelling” is in 7:17, where he speaks of sin dwelling in the body.

Romans 7:17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

For the remainder of chapter 7, he speaks repeatedly of sin dwelling in the body, but shifts gears in chapter 8.

Now in chapter 8, we are not considering death and sin in the body, dwelling and destroying, but the Spirit of God dwelling and enlivening the body.

Paul had laid a framework in our minds regarding the concept of dwelling in the previous chapter, helping us identify a parallel condition. Sin dwelled in our bodies. Dwelled throughout our lives, deeply in our innermost being, permanently in our actions and thoughts (seemingly), and without any respite or rest from it’s ravages.

It is that type of dwelling that we carry over into the next chapter, yet all the negative aspects of this dwelling will be turned on it’s head. It is not death dealing sin that dwells in our body as believers, but life giving Spirit permeating our lives.

Easy to say Paul, for you surely are using flowery words to build up your teaching. Au contraire, mon ami, Paul is not one to make a claim and then hope for the best. Paul is linking the life giving Spirit in our lives with the Life giving Spirit that RAISED JESUS from death. He refers to the most astounding, historically proven, evidentiary phenomenon ever witnessed on earth. The raising of the Son of God from a cruel torturous death.

Story Time

We had our grandsons out on the farm this weekend and as I was reading the Word to them as a bedtime story, I so happened to be in John 11, with the story of Lazarus.

As I provided more and more expression to the story of Jesus amongst those crying at the death of His friend, I ended the story as Lazarus came out of the grave, and then closed the Bible. I looked at my oldest grandson, and emphasized that no one has done this before. A man was dead and Jesus simply said to come forth. And he did!

His eyes expanded a wee bit, and though he has not experienced death in his young life, his expression reinforced the wonder of this miracle.

Yet as I considered the Messiah’s resurrection, I was reminded again that it is unlike Lazarus in many ways. Lazarus was raised to die again. It was as if he was resuscitated from death. Now I do not want to make light of the miracle of Lazarus, but in comparison to the raising of Jesus from the dead, it was a mere shadow of the reality.

Jesus was raised from the dead, never to die again. Never. Death has been killed, dying by the hand of God as the Messiah was called forth from the tomb!

This is the God we serve.

HE WHO RAISED CHRIST JESUS is the Spirit that resides in us, dwelling in our lives and providing guidance, compassion, strength and love.

He is good!

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

288

HE WHO OPENS AND NO ONE WILL SHUT, WHO SHUTS AND NO ONE OPENS.

Revelation 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

The concept of control is emphasized in this verse, of access to opportunities, to privileges and to greater blessings by the use of this terminology. It is somewhat common in the Word to find this over explanation of the authority over a situation.

Consider the Old Testament passage in Job

Job 12:14 If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open.

Centuries later, Isaiah picked up on this saying, expanded the emphasis and described the Messiah and His authority to provide access (or restriction) to the kingdom.

Isaiah 22:22 And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

This passage is the very passage John was referring to in our verse this morning. Isaiah is initially speaking of His “servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah”, and of how this man would be a “peg in a secure place”. It is a wonderful passage, speaking of the steadfastness and security of the Lord, that all the promises of God hang on God’s “Peg in a secure place” – that is the Lord Jesus in His ministry to His people.

A reiteration of a similar truth, that is of one having complete authority over a situation is recalled in Matthew when the Lord speaks to Peter this amazing promise.

Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

For our passage, the Lord is describing Himself with this name in the context of the Philadelphians being rejected from the synagogue. These young believers were being barred from the only religious community they had known, that they had grown up in, and that may still had many of their loved ones in.

Man, and any religion he is controlling, have just a few tools to influence their adherents. Peer pressure, fear and guilt are common, but their most powerful weapon is exclusion.

Take it from one who has been asked to leave a church body, a church body that we served in, we taught in, we gave to and we prayed for. People that we loved and prayed with, joined together under the church leadership and asked us to leave. It was heartbreaking, destructive and painful.

For these Philadelphians, they were rejected due to their allegiance to the Suffering Savior. The Jewish synagogue was committed in their denial of their Savior, and pain was the result.

Pain for the the Philadelphians, for they lost connections with loved one. Yet in the midst of this pain, they maintained a faith in the One who has the keys to the Kingdom, and not merely power over membership in a religious “club”. The Body of Christ is the greater good, the greater blessing, the greater connection. He is the One we need to look to for access that matters.

It is good to remember that the Body of Christ is a living organism that is not dependent on man’s rules, laws or organizations.

All of man’s religions have no authority like HE WHO OPENS AND NO ONE WILL SHUT, WHO SHUTS AND NO ONE OPENS.

Let’s be so thankful, that though we may pass through some rejection from those around us, He who is above us has provided us access!

May God’s name be praised.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible