Month: September 2024

Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted
up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory
shall come in. Who is this King of glory?….
Psalms 24:7-8*

The Psalmist asks a question of each man and woman on planet earth. Everyone needs to know the answer, because the most important test in anyone’s lifetime will be given on the final day of judgment. Do you know the answer?

               Who is this King of Glory?

– The LORD strong and mighty.
– The LORD mighty in battle.
– The King of Kings.
– The Lord of lords.
– The LORD of the hosts of heaven.
– The one who puts all His enemies at His feet.
– The destroyer of death and the devil.
– The one before whom every knee shall bow.
– The one who is the fullness of the godhead in bodily form.
– The one every tongue will confess as Lord.
– The one who illuminates New Jerusalem with His presence.
– The maker and sustainer of the universe.
– Image of the Invisible God.
– THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

He is the King of Glory.

*see also Psalms 24:10

July 26

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.
Philippians 2:9

By its nature, fame is a fleeting thing that usually lasts just until the present record or exploit is surpassed by someone else. There are a few exceptions who stand head and shoulders above the rest, finally achieving lasting recognition. Their reward is the enshrinement of their name as the symbol of greatness in the minds of men and women. However, even the grandest of grand grow dim and lose their luster when compared to the one whose Name is Above Every Name.

Einstein …Christ is smarter.
Lincoln …Christ liberated more slaves.
Solomon …Christ is wiser.
Caesar …Christ is more historical; He divides human history.
Nobel …Christ gives better prizes.
Rockefeller …Christ is richer.
Napoleon …Christ conquered more.
Mozart …Christ has more talent.
Schwarzenegger …Christ is stronger.
Aristotle …Christ is more profound.
Hilton …Christ takes in more guests.
Kennedy …Christ is more famous.
Windsor …Christ is more noble.

“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” (Philippians 2:10).

July 25

For our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:29

Two young boys straddled an old wooden bench pretending it was their spaceship. Space suits woven with imagination enabled them to explore “Jupiter” and “Mars.”

“Now, let’s fly to the sun,” said one to the other. “It will be fun to walk around in the flames.”

A chuckle came from the other room, and with it the voice of authority: “You’re going to burn up.”

“Don’t worry, Dad,” retorted the young voice. “Our space suits are made out of that fire-proof stuff.”

“That doesn’t matter,” came the final word. “The sun’s so hot that your whole spaceship would melt away before it came within a million miles of the sun.”

“OK,” said the boy, “we will go to the moon.”

Too often, God’s holiness is also taken very lightly. People seldom remember that He is completely unapproachable for sinful man. He is a Consuming Fire. No sinner alive can even stand before the glorified Christ. Both Ezekiel and John had short glimpses of Jesus’ fiery splendor, but fell down as dead men when they saw it.

When Christ came to earth as the Savior, He veiled His glory for a short time to redeem fallen man. However, He will retain His radiance for the rest of eternity, never again to lay it aside. It is only because He clothes His ransomed creation with His own glory that there will be fellowship in heaven forever.

To believers, Christ is our Refuge, Stronghold, and Fortress. We have nothing to dread or fear. To those who refuse to believe, at the Great White Throne, the Lord Jesus will be seen as a Consuming Fire. Now is the time to be concerned and do something about that.

July 24

Who is this King of glory? The LORD
strong and mighty, The LORD Mighty in Battle.
Psalm 24:8

Bible scholars consider Psalms 22-24 a Messianic trilogy. Psalm 22 presents the agony and death of God’s Suffering Servant, while Psalm 23 shows the love and care of the Good Shepherd right now during the church age. Then comes Psalm 24, showcasing the King of Glory sitting on the throne of David during the Millennial Kingdom. Even the Jewish sages during the time of Christ regarded this Psalm as referring to the Messiah.

The reason for starting this way is because some theologians and groups deny that the above title does or could ever belong to Jesus. This brand of Christianity is so opposed to war and violence that absolutely nothing could ever justify it. Maybe they’d concede that the title above belongs to the God of the Old Testament, but never to their “Sweet Savior meek and mild, wouldn’t hurt a little child.” Sorry, folks; the title is Christ’s! He is the LORD Mighty in Battle.

In Revelation 19, there is a long description of how Christ will come on a white horse leading the whole host of warrior angels to judge and make war on earth “in righteousness” (verse 11). The focus is on Satan and the Beast with his a huge army; they will be obliterated. On that day, good will overcome evil, and the justice of God will be evident.

Reality check – there are a lot of evil, rotten, no good, nasty bad guys out there that would kill you as soon as look at you. They don’t need much of a reason. You’re a Christian; you’re an American; you have more money than them; or they just don’t like you. They are God-haters who are waging war on Christ and His Church.

In times like these, we need to believe in and pray to the LORD Mighty in Battle.

July 23

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:10-11**

Fear falls upon you suddenly when you come face to face with the unexpected or unnatural. You don’t need it or want it, but that is never a consideration.

Shepherds stood minding their own business on a cold winter’s night when the darkness was broken with the glory of the LORD. It would have been a privilege to behold such a sight, had a warning be given, but to encounter the power of God when you are unprepared only produces terror. Beads of sweat formed on the sheep-keepers’ brows, and their knees knocked together as they fell down to the cold ground to hear the good news that the angel came to proclaim.

“Don’t be afraid, a Savior is born,” they were told. It was the only message that could have truly dealt with this fear.

Sin has been controlling mankind with fear ever since Adam tried to hide himself from the LORD in the Garden of Eden. Only a Savior capable of conquering sin could be strong enough to bring peace on earth.

Savior – a majestic title for such a tiny child…
Yet He Himself formed the wood
That now makes up His cradle,
And designed the tree
That will one day be His cross.
                                           – Cindy Maddox

*the first title given to Christ at His birth
**see also Acts 5:31, 13:23; 2 Timothy 1:10; Isaiah 45:21; plus 32 other references

December 2

In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1**

“The Word” – What kind of title is that to give somebody? It’s not so much a description as it is a means to describe. A lot of people might find that a little hard to understand.

Actually, the title denotes the Lord’s mission more than His person. Translated from the Greek word “Logos,” the idea that comes across is that of expression and communication. The Word makes known the thoughts in the mind of a speaker. As such, Jesus is the full Revelation of God as well as the Revealer of God.

Before time began, Christ was already the articulation of all that God is, being God Himself. By coming to earth, He became the embodiment of the divine message to Adam’s race. Just the fact that the Lord was there meant that God was making a statement. The symbols and ceremonies that had served for centuries were no longer needed. The Word became flesh, and people could finally experience God with all distance gone. Holiness, grace, and mercy passed from the realm of the theoretical and were played out for all to see on the little hill of Calvary.

Thou art the Everlasting Word,
The Father’s only Son,
God manifestly seen and heard,
And heav’n’s beloved One.
                         – Josiah Conder (1789-1855)

*This title was exclusively used by the apostle John
**See also John 1:14; 1 John 1:1, 5:7; Revelations 19:13

July 21

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Romans 16:24**

The Lord Jesus Christ is the most complete of all the titles given to the Savior because it speaks of both who He is and what He has done.

“Lord” conveys His majesty and deity. It is a commanding title of authority, position, and power. Every knee will bow before the Lord, and obedience is to be given without question. It places Him above all things and gives Him the preeminence.

“Jesus” was His personal name. From the birth of baby Jesus in Bethlehem to the death of Jesus of Nazareth on the cross of Calvary, the human experience of Christ is portrayed. His disciples called Him by His name in the confidence of friendship, yet He is no less approachable now than He was 2000 years ago.

“Christ” was anointed to fulfill a purpose. He came to earth to destroy the power of sin and death and to restore mankind to fellowship with God. It was only by being fully God and fully man that full redemption could be attained.

Lord Jesus Christ, we seek Thy face;
Within the veil we bow the knee;
Oh, let Thy glory fill the place,
And bless us while we wait on Thee.
                           – Alexander Stewart (1843- 1923)

*The last title of Christ used in the New Testament
**1 Corinthians 1:7; Titus 1:4; 2 Peter 1:8; Revelation 22:21; plus 90 other references

July 20

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