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Last week I had written a blog about humility as the Lord has been teaching me quite a bit on this subject recently. In fact, just the other day I heard John MacArthur say on the radio that the only people that are able to forgive are humble people. This statement could not be any truer. Forgiveness is impossible if a heart is full of pride. Actually, I would go as far as to say that it is impossible to please God in our daily walk if humility does not permeate our lives and attitude.
With that being said, David Jeremiah has been preaching a series of messages on the Book Song of Solomon. His main theme is marriage, love, and sex as you might suspect if you have ever read the Song of Solomon.
As a quick overview, Song of Solomon has two primary characters or narrators. There is a woman called the Shulamite and a man who is King Solomon. It is a poem that moves the reader from the couple’s courtship to marriage to consummation. Its imagery is powerful and its lyrical content is beautiful.
While there are many wonderful spiritual jewels contained in this short book on marriage and love, I wanted to focus on the one thing that I think makes a marriage all that it is intended to be from God’s point of view. This critical aspect is the relationship of the wife and husband to Jesus Christ. I realize this may seem elementary but as I look at my own marriage, I have come to realize over the years that the most important facet to my overall happiness and contentment is based upon my relationship to the Lord and my husband’s relationship to the Lord. For you see if either my relationship or my husband’s relationship with the Lord is not where it should be then we will not treat each other as the Lord has intended and the Lord says our prayers will be hindered as a result (1 Peter 3:7).
As I mentioned previously, humility is the foundation for all other virtues to flourish in the life of the believer and this is also true in marriage and all of life’s relationships. It is so easy to be offended, isn’t it? Whether it is our spouse, our kids, a co-worker, or a friend. I have found in my own walk that the closer I am to the Lord, the less offenses bother me and the more I am able to focus on the things that the Lord says are most important – loving Him with my heart, mind, and soul and loving my neighbor as myself. It is within the servant’s attitude that we find the abundant life, but so often it is hard to not put ourselves first in everything.
Marriage by nature puts us into subjection to another person as 1 Corinthians 7:4 states, “The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.” Pretty powerful text. But if we are to truly live it then we need to be at the cross daily, realizing who we are before Christ. Otherwise our marriage will begin to come apart at the seams.
It is staggering to think that we have such power when it comes to our spouses but we do. We can either use that inherit power to build them up or tear them down. On this note, a couple of years ago, I heard a speaker at a marriage conference say that God has given us our spouses in order to mold us into the image of His Son. He said this in reference to all the annoying things that we dislike about our spouses that we wish they would change. While the audience chuckled, his point was valid in that the Lord always has the same purpose for us in life as His children and that is to bring us into greater conformity to His Son. What better person to use to accomplish this task than our spouse whom we live with and interact with every day?
My hope and prayer is that my own testimony before the Lord would be an encouragement to my husband in His walk and vice versa. Please feel free to comment to let me know how the Lord is shaping you into a picture of His Son in your relationships.
Showing posts with label David Jeremiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Jeremiah. Show all posts
Friday, February 11, 2011
Monday, June 21, 2010
Salvation Signified in a Name
For the past six months I have been listening to David Jeremiah’s radio series on the Book of Revelation. This past week he preached on Revelation chapter 19 which details the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. It may surprise you to know that there are more than 700 different names for Jesus in the Bible! The number is staggering at first glance, but as we come to the Marriage Supper it is interesting to notice that Jesus refers to Himself as the Lamb. He could have chosen 699 other names but He chose this one. Why? David Jeremiah believes He selected this name because it is how every believer comes to know Jesus at first introduction.
As I thought about this concept over the past several days, it may be the most plausible explanation I have heard on this subject. For you see when we first encounter Jesus personally it is as the Lamb slain for our sins. Although He is also Creator of the universe, the Prince of Peace, the Bread of Life and the True Vine, if we do not know Him first as our sacrificial Lamb, the other names hold no significance. In fact, I would suggest that it would be impossible to know Jesus by His other names unless He is our Lamb first.
The Biblical significance of the title is rendered in the context of earlier lamb symbolism contained in the Old Testament. It was the blood of a lamb in Exodus 12 that protected and saved the Israelites during the first Passover. This link is made explicit in 1 Corinthians 5:7 as Paul declares Christians are saved by Christ as their true paschal lamb. It is also worth noting that the first words John the Baptist utters upon seeing Jesus is, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
So, it is not hard to understand why this title is the one Jesus uses at the Marriage Supper which will take place at the end of the seven year Tribulation period just prior to Christ’s return to the earth to rule with His saints for 1,000 years. It is here that all believers will be ushered into a love feast with their Messiah. It will be a glorious consummation beyond the comprehension of the human mind. The Lamb will sit down to eat with those His blood has redeemed.
What a tremendous picture to contemplate! What a divine reality to allow to permeate our minds and shape our daily walk. He is first and foremost our Lamb and He will be our Lamb when we sit at His table.
Do you know the Lamb? If not, you can know Him today. It is no coincidence that the name Jesus means “God saves.” This was His mission when he came to earth – to save sinners. Romans 10:9-10 declares that if a person shall “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Please do not delay your decision one more day. The Lamb is waiting to be your eternal Passover.
“From Heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride; With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.” - Samuel J. Stone
As I thought about this concept over the past several days, it may be the most plausible explanation I have heard on this subject. For you see when we first encounter Jesus personally it is as the Lamb slain for our sins. Although He is also Creator of the universe, the Prince of Peace, the Bread of Life and the True Vine, if we do not know Him first as our sacrificial Lamb, the other names hold no significance. In fact, I would suggest that it would be impossible to know Jesus by His other names unless He is our Lamb first.
The Biblical significance of the title is rendered in the context of earlier lamb symbolism contained in the Old Testament. It was the blood of a lamb in Exodus 12 that protected and saved the Israelites during the first Passover. This link is made explicit in 1 Corinthians 5:7 as Paul declares Christians are saved by Christ as their true paschal lamb. It is also worth noting that the first words John the Baptist utters upon seeing Jesus is, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
So, it is not hard to understand why this title is the one Jesus uses at the Marriage Supper which will take place at the end of the seven year Tribulation period just prior to Christ’s return to the earth to rule with His saints for 1,000 years. It is here that all believers will be ushered into a love feast with their Messiah. It will be a glorious consummation beyond the comprehension of the human mind. The Lamb will sit down to eat with those His blood has redeemed.
What a tremendous picture to contemplate! What a divine reality to allow to permeate our minds and shape our daily walk. He is first and foremost our Lamb and He will be our Lamb when we sit at His table.
Do you know the Lamb? If not, you can know Him today. It is no coincidence that the name Jesus means “God saves.” This was His mission when he came to earth – to save sinners. Romans 10:9-10 declares that if a person shall “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Please do not delay your decision one more day. The Lamb is waiting to be your eternal Passover.
“From Heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride; With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.” - Samuel J. Stone
Monday, May 24, 2010
A Glimpse Behind The Prayer Veil
During the past couple of weeks the Lord has been teaching me much about prayer. Not only the power of prayer but how it works in the physical world as well as the spiritual realm. I wanted to share a fascinating truth from Scripture that I hope will bless your heart.
In the Book of Daniel, chapter 10, the Lord provides an in-depth look into prayer that is riveting and unlike any other passage in the Bible. At the start of this chapter, the prophet Daniel receives a disturbing message which prompts him to begin praying to understand its meaning. The text says he prays for three weeks and then is visited by an angel, who most scholars believe is Gabriel. It is at this point that Gabriel reveals to Daniel what has been happening in the spiritual world during the time he has been praying, “Then he said to me, 'Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.'” (10:12-14)
I have read several commentaries on these verses and they all agree that the prince of the kingdom of Persia who resisted Gabriel was an angel of Satan. Bearing this in mind, it is interesting to notice that as soon as Daniel began praying his prayer was heard and answered immediately by God who sent Gabriel. It is at this point that an intercepting agent of Satan (the prince of Persia) sought to detain Gabriel and perhaps would have restrained him even longer than 21 days if the Archangel Michael did not get involved in the battle. It is also worth mentioning that perhaps the answer may have been postponed even longer had Daniel grown weary of praying every day for three weeks.
This entire scenario that is revealed in Daniel perfectly pictures Ephesians chapter six where the Apostle Paul states that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (6:12) This is a powerful truth, isn’t it? As we beseech the throne room of God, spiritual forces are battling either on our behalf or against us. Given this reality, it is possible that one man or woman praying on earth can move angels into action.
Pastor David Jeremiah said on this subject of prayer that when Christ died on Calvary he sealed the fate of Satan once and for all. But the final execution of Satan’s judgment when he is bound and thrown in to the lake fire will not take place until the end of the world. In the meantime, it is up to the Church of Jesus Christ to enforce Satan’s judgment. But how do we do this? It is through the power of Christ’s death and resurrection that we have the power to thwart Satan’s plans by humbling ourselves, as Daniel did, before the throne room of God. Pastor Jeremiah went on to say that we should not pray deliver us from evil but deliver us from the evil one. So often, we pray for things and never pray against the powers of darkness. We are engaged in a battle, and if we are indeed wrestling against the powers of darkness as Paul states, than we need to engage in the conflict by praying against the forces that are seeking to destroy our churches, our families, and our young people.
I think often as Christians we feel defeated in prayer and do not realize the power we have to change our world. It is the prayers not the mayors that make the world go around.
So, let us approach the throne room of God boldly and execute what Paul tells us we have the power to do in 2 Corinthians, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (10: 3-5).
No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil; not that he practices it, but he suffers from it." - Guy H. King
In the Book of Daniel, chapter 10, the Lord provides an in-depth look into prayer that is riveting and unlike any other passage in the Bible. At the start of this chapter, the prophet Daniel receives a disturbing message which prompts him to begin praying to understand its meaning. The text says he prays for three weeks and then is visited by an angel, who most scholars believe is Gabriel. It is at this point that Gabriel reveals to Daniel what has been happening in the spiritual world during the time he has been praying, “Then he said to me, 'Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.'” (10:12-14)
I have read several commentaries on these verses and they all agree that the prince of the kingdom of Persia who resisted Gabriel was an angel of Satan. Bearing this in mind, it is interesting to notice that as soon as Daniel began praying his prayer was heard and answered immediately by God who sent Gabriel. It is at this point that an intercepting agent of Satan (the prince of Persia) sought to detain Gabriel and perhaps would have restrained him even longer than 21 days if the Archangel Michael did not get involved in the battle. It is also worth mentioning that perhaps the answer may have been postponed even longer had Daniel grown weary of praying every day for three weeks.
This entire scenario that is revealed in Daniel perfectly pictures Ephesians chapter six where the Apostle Paul states that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (6:12) This is a powerful truth, isn’t it? As we beseech the throne room of God, spiritual forces are battling either on our behalf or against us. Given this reality, it is possible that one man or woman praying on earth can move angels into action.
Pastor David Jeremiah said on this subject of prayer that when Christ died on Calvary he sealed the fate of Satan once and for all. But the final execution of Satan’s judgment when he is bound and thrown in to the lake fire will not take place until the end of the world. In the meantime, it is up to the Church of Jesus Christ to enforce Satan’s judgment. But how do we do this? It is through the power of Christ’s death and resurrection that we have the power to thwart Satan’s plans by humbling ourselves, as Daniel did, before the throne room of God. Pastor Jeremiah went on to say that we should not pray deliver us from evil but deliver us from the evil one. So often, we pray for things and never pray against the powers of darkness. We are engaged in a battle, and if we are indeed wrestling against the powers of darkness as Paul states, than we need to engage in the conflict by praying against the forces that are seeking to destroy our churches, our families, and our young people.
I think often as Christians we feel defeated in prayer and do not realize the power we have to change our world. It is the prayers not the mayors that make the world go around.
So, let us approach the throne room of God boldly and execute what Paul tells us we have the power to do in 2 Corinthians, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (10: 3-5).
No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil; not that he practices it, but he suffers from it." - Guy H. King
Friday, February 5, 2010
Heaven Is Where Jesus Is
This week I was listening to Pastor David Jeremiah on WEZE radio as he began a series called “Discovering the Mysteries of Heaven.” He said he felt compelled to preach on this topic because even though heaven is referenced many times during sermons and within the Bible he felt many people still do not have a clear understanding of what heaven actually is and what Christians will be doing there throughout eternity. You can listen to the series by going to his Website and clicking on the Radio tab.
What I wanted to discuss here was a principle that Pastor Jeremiah shared yesterday during his second sermon on heaven. He had said that throughout all his study on the topic there was one Spiritual truth that was woven throughout all the Scriptures. As he shared this principle he began to cry as he said it was impossible for him to share it without emotion. What he went on to say really touched me and I hope it will bless you as well.
He said that heaven is where Jesus is. Heaven is where Jesus is. On the surface this appears to be a simple truth but when you really comtemplate it and realize that we will be with Jesus forever, it may be the most glorious truth in all of the Bible.
He went on to say that the Scriptures speak more of the person of Jesus in relation to heaven than the place itself. For example, in John 14:2-3 Jesus states, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” It is interesting to notice that Jesus never talks about the place of heaven in specifics in this passage other than the mansions but he does emphasize that He will come to get his followers at the time of their death and take them to be with Him.
This same thought is echoed again by Jesus in the gospel of Luke as he tells the thief on the cross who had just recognized Jesus as Savior, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
The Apostle Paul also speaks about being with Jesus after death in his second letter to the Corinthian church, “We walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5: 7-8) Paul again speaks about his life with Christ after death in his letter to the Christians at the church of Philippi, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. (Philippians 1:21-23) Paul rarely, if ever, talks about the physical aspects of heaven throughout his epistles. His focus is always on leaving this world and being with the Lord. For Him, the thought of just being with the Lord was heaven.
Over this past year, I have come to acutely understand this marvelous reality that heaven is where Jesus is. Previously in my Christian life, I used to focus on the place of heaven, imagining the many mansions, the streets of gold, the pearly gates. I also used to ponder living life without disease, sorrow or the fear of death. While all of these things are wonderful aspects of heaven, the quintessential truth that trumps them all is the thought of being with Jesus – simply being with the Savior in a glorified body, free of government, free of sin, and most of all free to worship the King of Kings, the Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace throughout all eternity. Wherever Jesus is, is good enough for me.
What I wanted to discuss here was a principle that Pastor Jeremiah shared yesterday during his second sermon on heaven. He had said that throughout all his study on the topic there was one Spiritual truth that was woven throughout all the Scriptures. As he shared this principle he began to cry as he said it was impossible for him to share it without emotion. What he went on to say really touched me and I hope it will bless you as well.
He said that heaven is where Jesus is. Heaven is where Jesus is. On the surface this appears to be a simple truth but when you really comtemplate it and realize that we will be with Jesus forever, it may be the most glorious truth in all of the Bible.
He went on to say that the Scriptures speak more of the person of Jesus in relation to heaven than the place itself. For example, in John 14:2-3 Jesus states, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” It is interesting to notice that Jesus never talks about the place of heaven in specifics in this passage other than the mansions but he does emphasize that He will come to get his followers at the time of their death and take them to be with Him.
This same thought is echoed again by Jesus in the gospel of Luke as he tells the thief on the cross who had just recognized Jesus as Savior, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
The Apostle Paul also speaks about being with Jesus after death in his second letter to the Corinthian church, “We walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5: 7-8) Paul again speaks about his life with Christ after death in his letter to the Christians at the church of Philippi, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. (Philippians 1:21-23) Paul rarely, if ever, talks about the physical aspects of heaven throughout his epistles. His focus is always on leaving this world and being with the Lord. For Him, the thought of just being with the Lord was heaven.
Over this past year, I have come to acutely understand this marvelous reality that heaven is where Jesus is. Previously in my Christian life, I used to focus on the place of heaven, imagining the many mansions, the streets of gold, the pearly gates. I also used to ponder living life without disease, sorrow or the fear of death. While all of these things are wonderful aspects of heaven, the quintessential truth that trumps them all is the thought of being with Jesus – simply being with the Savior in a glorified body, free of government, free of sin, and most of all free to worship the King of Kings, the Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace throughout all eternity. Wherever Jesus is, is good enough for me.
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