Month: September 2024

And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20:28*

The Lord Jesus Christ is God. The Bible clearly states this, giving Him this title at least seventeen times. Yet there are those who would still try to dispute this fact, ignoring the obvious. Even so, they cannot deny that Christ possesses all the attributes that are uniquely God’s.

1.     Creator – the ability to make something from nothing (Colossians 1:16)
2.     Eternal – from everlasting to everlasting (Revelation 1:4, 8)
3.     Glorified – having a supernatural radiance (Revelation 21:23)
4.     Immutable – His never-changing character (Hebrews 13:8)
5.     Infinite – without bounds or limits (Romans 8:38-39)
6.     Object of worship – God alone should be worshiped (Matthew 28:9)
7.     Omnipotent – all-powerful (Matthew 28:18)
8.     Omnipresent – all-present (Matthew 18:20)
9.     Omniscient – all-knowing (John 21:17)
10.   Self-existent – having life in Himself (John 5:26)
11.   Sinless – holy, pure, and without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21)
12.   Sovereign – the supreme ruler of all (1 Timothy 6:15)

We need to come to Christ as Thomas did, bowing the knee and confessing Him as our “Lord and God.”

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!
                          – Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

*see also John 1:1; Romans 9:5; 1 Timothy 1:17, 3:16; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1 plus 10 other references

 July 15 

Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
John 4:42

No one would have expected anything of any importance to have come from it. After all, it was nothing more than a casual conversation with an imperfect stranger at a nondescript rest stop in the middle of nowhere after a long, tiring journey – or so it seemed. But Jesus was God and He knew the deeper, importance of all things and was actually right there on purpose and for a purpose. The Lord chose to be at that place at that time to reach out to a troubled woman with the goal of setting her free from her sin. 

The Samaritan woman not only recognized Jesus as the Messiah, but proclaimed His coming to her whole neighborhood. Conventional wisdom would not have expected any Samaritan to be a seeker of the true God, much less an entire town. Probably hundreds of people came to listen to Jesus and acknowledge Him as the Christ. The half- hour lunch break turned into two full days of special meetings. In the end, that group of non-kosher Jewish wannabes gave Christ one of His most significant titles – Savior of the World. Their understanding of who the LORD‘s Anointed was, was more insightful than anyone else’s at this time. They realized that He was the One who would not only save the pure-blooded sons of Abraham, but everyone else in this sin-cursed world that needed saving. 

The experience must have had a lasting impression on the apostle John, because he invokes the title again in his first epistle: “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the World.” (1 John 4:14). 

It’s the core of the gospel: “For God so loved the world […] that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). 

July 31

And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:4

Since the verse above is pulled out of context, it’s a little difficult to understand what it is talking about. Actually, the Apostle Paul was making a reference to the Old Testament story of Moses getting water from the rock. Truth be told, the miracle was performed on many occasions.

Rocks by nature aren’t very absorbent. There is no such thing as a soggy rock. Also a huge amount of water would be needed. Do the math. Most scholars agree that the Israelites numbered around 3 million people and probably had hundreds of thousands of heads of  livestock. Calculating a gallon of water per day per person with two gallons per day per animal, they’d need at least 200,000 gallons of water per hour, (i.e. 55 gal./sec.) everyday day for 40 years. That’s not allowing for baths, washing clothes or spillage. Even if they got that much, it would have to be rationed.

In reality, the water coming out of the rock would have to be a small river that would constantly flow and allow for water seeping into desert sand. Once they found this kind of water source, they wouldn’t find another. But, they did leave it and then found another water-producing rock and then another and then another.

If the desert was full of these “gusher-rocks” then it wouldn’t be a desert. Truth is that God was performing a daily (hourly) miracle to provide His people with water and this miracle followed them as they wandered the wilderness for forty years. In the verse above, Paul tells us that it was actually Christ in His capacity of Creator that was producing the H2O out of stone. It was the Second Person of the Trinity come down from heaven to follow His people and provide what they needed to live. This time He manifested Himself as the Rock.

October 16

…But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form
of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Philippians 2:7*

Seven Hundred years before the Savior walked the hills of Galilee, the prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming Servant of Jehovah (Isaiah 52:13-15). Even the scribes and doctors of the law of Jesus’ day had serious problems with the prophecy. It was clear that God’s Servant was to suffer and be cruelly treated in order to justify many, but other prophesies presented the Messiah as an all-powerful king. To explain the apparent contradiction, some suggested that God would send two different Anointed Ones.

The religious leaders failed to see the two separate missions of Christ. Before He could reign and rule over Israel, He first had to stoop to conquer. When the Lord came to die on Calvary, He was the Suffering Servant. When He comes the second time, it will be as King of Kings.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He fed the hungry, attended the sick, and washed dirty feet. Finally, when his time of service was over, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8).

Men became slaves to the Devil by emulating their owner. Lucifer is a prideful creature who has the power to hold in bondage all those given to self-exaltation. It is deception to covet power and authority at all cost. But it’s bad business to gain even the whole world and lose one’s soul (Matthew 16:26).

Our master told his disciples “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Strange logic indeed it seems – until one realizes that there is nothing greater than being like the Lord. Being conformed to the image of Christ is glorious.

*see also Isaiah 42:1, 52:13, 53:11; Matthew 12:18; Acts 3:13, 26, 4:30

October 15

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying,
“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Matthew 16:13,14*

It was a title of unbelief spoken by those who still didn’t really know the Savior. It was a form of leveling that put Jesus on par with other well-known religious men.

Yet for all the inadequacies of the title, it was true nonetheless. He was a prophet. If they had only believed it, they could have been saved.

Christ prophesied more about hell and eternal judgment than any other preacher in the Bible. He clearly told of His death on the cross and gave the signs of His second coming.

At the great white throne, Christ can look down on those faithless ones and say, “Your ears didn’t hear the words I said. I spoke of repentance, yet you didn’t change. You know that the Messiah had to suffer, but you were unmoved at my death. I warned you that the Son of Man would come without warning, yet you were unprepared. You called me a prophet, and so I am. Out of your own mouth I will condemn you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity.”

How sad! At the very least, Jesus was One of the Prophets, but people never bothered to listen to what He had to say.

*see also Mark 8:28; Luke 9:19

July 19

And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, “These things says the Amen, the
Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God…”
Revelation 3:14

When I was a kid, I thought that “amen” was the final word in prayer. It was like a radio operator signing off by saying, “Roger; over and out.” My sister used to think it was a code word meaning, “Open your eyes.” Later, someone told me that it’s like the saying, “So be it.” I can’t help but feel how few people understand the word, much less visualize how Christ is the Amen.

The word really is an exclamation mark which the Lord would use even at the beginning of His teachings. Many times, Christ started His teaching by saying: “Assuredly, I say to you.” The same Greek word can be put at the beginning or end of a statement.

Jesus chose “Amen” as the first and most weighty of His credentials to present to the Laodicean church. Believers there had become wishy-washy in their faith and needed to refocus on the supreme authority of Christ.

Amen says it all; it is superlative. Everything Christ says is true, and by necessity the universe conforms to His utterance. No one else can possibly add anything more or dare claim this title for Himself. In being the Amen, Christ calls the world to attention and is the final word for all eternity. Assuredly, He who has ears – “Open your eyes.”

July 18

For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth.
Job 19:25*

Many ideas that were readily understood centuries ago are almost entirely lost on modern man. Redemption cannot really be understood without a knowledge of slavery. In Christ’s day, with over 75% of the Roman Empire being slaves, the principle was very clear.

A slave was the possession of another. He was born without rights, power, property, or independence. He would die in that same state, and if he had children, the only inheritance he could pass onto them would be his hopelessness.

The only way out of slavery was redemption. A freeman with the cash could purchase the body and soul of a man and then release him as if the money were no big deal. This almost never happened, since the very rich are rarely concerned about those who are not their equals.

Satan was the owner, and mankind was his slave. Christ was the rich man, and since the devil had no use for the monetary units of Earth, the price was life for life (Exodus 21:23). We know that Man was purchased with the blood of the Redeemer (1 Peter 1:19), but why He would even want to do such a thing will be a mystery forever.

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child, and forever, I am.
                          – Fanny Crosby (1820- 1915)

*See also Psalm 19:14; Isaiah 41:14, 60:16; plus 14 other references

July 17

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord,
“who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:8*

All strength + All power + All energy = Almighty. This title focuses on the omnipotence of Christ, making every other mighty thing in our experience appear feeble by comparison.

Strength – Man has magnified his own muscular strength many millions of times through the machinery he is capable of constructing. Big earth-moving equipment can literally move mountains. The huge drag-line cranes found in open pit mines can scoop up and lift twenty tons of ore in a single bucket load. Very impressive. However, the blue whale, a creature of the Lord’s design, hurls five times that weight into the air every time it leaps from the ocean.

Power – The most powerful instrument at man’s disposal is the nuclear bomb, capable of reducing an entire city to rubble. The thousands of such weapons found in arsenals around the world can destroy human civilization many times over. However, even if every one of these big firecrackers were to go off, they could only scorch the surface of the planet. Christ has the power to melt down all the elements of earth with just the words of His mouth (2 Peter 3:10).

Energy – Every form of energy found on earth can be directly or ultimately traced back to the sun. It warms the world and energizes living things. However, there are stars that are so gigantic that they could hold one hundred million of our suns within each of them. When these finally burn out, Christ can make more. After all, He is Almighty.

*also 48 Old Testament references, including 31 in the book of Job

July 16

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

Separate from sinners – what does that mean, exactly? It can’t mean that Jesus was physically apart from sinners, because He wasn’t. He touched lepers, ate with those of dubious reputation, and graciously let a repentant prostitute wash his feet with her hair. Christ was the Spiritual Physician who did house calls for chronically sin-sick souls.

The Lord never sinned in thought or deed even though He came to a world contaminated by sin. His holiness set Him apart in glaring contrast to sinners around Him, and the closeness of His righteousness convicted them of their sin and drove them to repentance.

When my wife and I first went down to South America as missionaries, we lived in the small town of Shell Mera. There were a missionary hospital, a Christian school, two missionary aviation groups, and maybe 30 Christian workers. Five miles away was the city of Puyo, where most of the shopping was done. In between the two places were three houses of prostitution. The practice was legal there.

Since we would pass these places repeatedly in the time we lived there, my wife, Carol, became very burdened for the souls of these women. She asked around about what outreach had been done for these ladies of the night, and none ever had been. She asked several missionary ladies if they would go with her to give them literature and invite them to a Bible study, but none would. They were worried about having an appearance of evil.

Finally, an older Ecuadorian lady, who was extremely poor, agreed to go with Carol, and they met with several of the prostitutes in the Christian woman’s small wooden shack.

They met together a number of times before we received a letter from our commending church in the States advising Carol to stop her visits. However, the letter came too late; the damage was already done…to the stronghold of Satan! Five of the “ladies” got saved, left their profession, and returned to their homes. Praise God for slow international mail service!

(Very soon after that, we moved to an Indian village deep inside the jungle, so no further outreach was done.)

July 14

Who has believed our report? And to whom
has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
Isaiah 53:1*

Some years ago, a picture appeared on the sports page of the heavyweight boxing champion holding his newborn baby. What was impressive about this photo was the man’s arms – massive, muscular, clearly instruments of hurt. Yet with all the power they conveyed, they offered comfort and tenderness to the tiny infant cradled within them.

The Old Testament mentions both God’s “outstretched arm” (Deuteronomy 26:8) and the “arm of His strength” (Isaiah 62:8). He can nurture and console as a compassionate father or fight as an invisible warrior. How the Arm of the LORD is revealed depends solely on whether an individual is a member of the family, or an enemy of God.

The gospel of John explains that Christ is the personification of this ancient title. He has the power and might to defeat the devil and all of His followers, yet He offers compassion to embrace, uphold, and heal. Only at Calvary when these lovely arms were stretched out in pain was the Arm of the LORD most fully revealed – conquering sin and death and loving mankind all at the same time.

Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine Arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
                              – Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

*See also Isaiah 51:9, 62:8; John 12:38

July 13