Month: November 2024

For He received from God the Father honor and glory
when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory:
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
2 Peter 1:17

Context! Extremely important in interpreting scripture, but absolutely essential in understanding the names of Christ. Who said it and where it was said are sometimes more important than what the title means. That is certainly clear in this verse.

Any title that matters is handed down from a higher power. That’s why almost all the names of Christ are God-breathed. Holy men of God wrote them down as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Normally, it’s a quiet process. God dictated to a human writer everything He wanted to communicate to Adam’s race: Sometimes through visions, sometimes through divine ideas that came into the writer’s head, but always the mind of God.

The context here is different. The voice of God thundered from heaven, and all who heard it fell down to the ground and curled into a fetal position. Impressive? It carried an impression that lasted the rest of their lives. Peter continues, “And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain” (2 Peter 1:18).

Actually, this supernatural, verbal affirmation that Jesus was the well-pleasing, Beloved Son of God came on two separate occasions: The first at His baptism (Matthew 3:17), the second at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:5). In both cases, God the Father was proud to announce to the world, “That’s My Boy!”

God could have used a lot of adjectives to describe His Son: faithful, obedient, holy, wonderful, only; but He chose Beloved. God the Father has a special relationship with God the Son, which is rooted and grounded in love. Now, in Christ, believers can become beloved sons and daughters of God, all because Jesus is and always has been God’s Beloved Son.

 January 15 

Which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they
known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.
1 Corinthians 2:8

Lord, the title of power and dominion. Usually there is some kind of modifier that goes with it to clarify exactly what the Lord has authority over. If I were to say “my Lord,” I’d be talking about my boss, the one who tells me what to do and I do it. The phrase “Lord of lords” refers to the highest authority, the one who orders around all the rulers and very important people on earth.

So, then, the Lord of Glory is in charge of glory. He owns it. It’s His, and He reveals that glory to those who manage to get a glimpse of Him.

Romans 3:23 says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It’s no wonder, then, that so many people are clueless as to what glory actually means and show a surprising lack of curiosity to understand it.

The word conveys a sense of beauty, majesty, and splendor. Early Jewish rabbis coined the term “Shekinah” glory to explain the presence of God on earth. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and then to the children of Israel in the pillar of fire in the wilderness. The “Shekinah” was the supernatural light of God when He appeared. It illuminated the Ark of the covenant and filled both the Tabernacle and the Temple at their dedications. This special shekinah glory of God was reflected on Moses’ face and caused it to glow.

When Christ was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds “and the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Luke 2:9). It was terrifying and beautiful at the same time.

Heaven doesn’t have night, dark alleys, or shadows. “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light” (Revelation 21:23). That makes total sense. After all, Jesus is the Lord of Glory.

 January 14 

For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one,
for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.
Hebrews 2:11

The one who sanctifies is a sanctifier. Common sense will tell you that, but common sense doesn’t tell you what a sanctifier does – He sets people apart for God’s service, makes them holy, and equips them for a holy work.

When the Apostle Paul gave instructions to his disciple Titus, he told him that Christ “gave Himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14 KJV). Salvation wasn’t given just to get us out of hell and into heaven; it was also with the purpose of making us Christ-like.

In both the Old and New Testament, we’re told to be holy, because God is holy. The nation Israel couldn’t do it, nor can we without a Sanctifier. In the New Covenant, Christ puts God’s laws in our hearts and writes them on our minds (Hebrews 10:16). Holiness becomes the outward result of the Lord’s sanctifying work in our lives.

In Romans 12:1 and 2, Paul exhorts the saints (those sanctified former sinners) to become a living sacrifice. Serving Christ, then, is just a holy, acceptable, reasonable response to being saved. As we agree with God and do what He wants us to do, we’ll understand that God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect.

All around us, there are dysfunctional people with broken lives who desperately want to change. The problem is that many druggies and alcoholics spend years taking only twelve steps, instead of walking hand in hand with the Sanctifier.

 January 13 

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write,
“These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword.”
Revelation 2:12

This title calls to mind a terrifying vision of Christ that the Apostle John had of the Lord on the Isle of Patmos. Everything seemed on fire; His face and skin shone like the sun, and His feet glowed like molten brass. He had seven stars in His right hand, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword.

I’ve seen a number of paintings trying to depict this scene, and they are all spooky. Some almost have a comic book superhero quality about them. In the end, every human illustration is distracting, because it doesn’t paralyze the viewer in awe and fear.

To me, it doesn’t matter if this description of Christ is literal or figurative. Whatever John saw brought him to his knees in submission, and that was the desired effect. When Christ dictated the letter to the church in Pergamos, He told them it was from He Who Has the Sharp Two-edged Sword. The Lord was trying to invoke the same fear and trembling from a compromising Church. They were sacrificing to idols, committing sexual immorality, and allowing false doctrine in the church. The Lord was not happy.

The next time He Who Has the Sharp Two-edged Sword appears is in Revelation 19 when He is riding on a white horse with the host of heaven behind Him to make war on the Beast and His armies. Again, the sight of Him will bring terror to the hearts of the kings, captains, and mighty men that dare oppose Him.

This battle is in the future, not very long from right now, but the certainty of the outcome has already been written down for all to see. Not to faithfully fulfill this prophesy would make God a liar, and that’s not going to happen.

He who has an ear, let him hear what He Who Has the Sharp Two-edged sword says to the churches, “Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth” (Revelation 2:16).

 January 12 

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

After reading verses like, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31), or “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!” (Revelation 6:16), and then coming across a description of Christ as Harmless, I want to stop and wonder, “Where did that come from?”

It all has to do with perspective. The feeling of standing before an M-1 Abrams Tank that is coming at you at full speed is very different than if you were sitting in the passenger seat of the same tank. Likewise, there is a huge difference between standing before the great white throne and standing beside it.

Titles such as “The Judge of the living and the dead” (2 Timothy 4:1), “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6), and “Lion of Judah” (Revelation 5:5) demonstrate that the Lord of lords is to be feared. He will come and execute judgment on this speck of a universe that crucified the King of Glory. Christ-rejecters be warned!

But Christ has many roles to fill and as High Priest, He intercedes for the saints. To believers who have been justified and sanctified by His blood, there is nothing to be afraid of; He is Harmless.

Human beings crucified Jesus, so collectively, we all have blood on our hands. But the blood that condemns also saves. The difference is faith. God’s grace is either received or rejected. A sinful life is either transformed or it isn’t. The Savior is either loved or despised. And on Judgment Day, Christ will either be terrifying or Harmless.

 January 11 

Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
Galatians 3:20

As Savior, Christ is the “Mediator between God and Man” (1 Timothy 2:5), but He is a lot more than that. He brings everyone together.

Politicians, educators, and advertisers spend a lot of their time disaggregating the general population. People are broken down into core groups where they can be pigeonholed and treated differently:

                   Race – Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, or Other
                   Age – Children, Teens, Middle-aged, Old, or Decrepit
                   Socioeconomic – Poor, Middle-class, Rich, or Filthy Rich
                   Gender – Male, Female, or something else

Satan has divided people since the dawn of creation, and the desire to dominate those who are different is the motivation for war, terrorism, and oppression. When someone is not like everyone else, he can be marginalized and eventually controlled. God doesn’t see divisions as a good thing.

The Lord Jesus came to break down the barriers that separate people from each other and bring peace (Ephesians 2:14). Things like gender, background, income, or education are irrelevant when people are saved and all become one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old distinctions that separated us from others should also pass away, and all that matters is being a new creation in Christ.

Sometimes, I can’t get along with people at work. Sometimes, I disagree with my wife. Sometimes, I don’t see eye to eye with fellow Christians. That’s when I could really use a good Mediator.

 January 10 

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom
from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:30

Today’s title is an extremely important one, even though I don’t remember ever hearing anyone preach on it. Jesus not only became our redemption and justification, He is also our sanctification.

Too many Christians today are still spiritual babies. They’ve been attending church for years, so they should be ready to teach others – ain’t gonna happen! Most don’t have enough doctrine in their head to fill a thimble, and far too few could even give a definition of sanctification, must less tell you how it applies to Christ.

During the summer, I teach grade school kids at Christian camps. When I ask them who knows how to spell “sanctification” all the home-schoolers raise their hands. So my job is to teach the public school kids. I lift up my hand and one by one put up a finger as I spell “sanctification: C-L-E-A-N, sanctification.” I’ll do this three or four more times during the lesson and when I’m finally done, the public school kids have gotten it. The home-school kids, on the other hand, just want to argue with me that the word starts with an S followed by a whole bunch of letters.

The Apostle Paul describes a long list of nasty lifestyles that typify those who are not going to heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). He then goes on to say: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God.”

There is no way that we can save ourselves. It’s a miracle, and the Lord has to do it. In the same way, we can’t clean up our own act. Christ has to do that, too. The grace that saves is the same grace that transforms a person from self-destructive behavior. Jesus is not only our Savior, He’s our “Sanctification: C-L-E-A-N, sanctification.”

 January 9 

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; “For YAH,
the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.
Isaiah 12:2

Twice the title YAH appears in the New King James Bible (besides the verse above, also Isaiah 26:4). Other versions employ the name “Jehovah,” “Yahweh,” or “the LORD.” In all these cases, the translators looked for an English rendering of the Hebrew “tetragrammaton” – YHWH (sometimes also written JHVH). That’s not easy. Four consonants without vowels make the word unpronounceable in any language.

Used 6,300 times**, YHWH is one of the three major titles for God in the Old Testament.*** Most of the time, the NKJV utilizes the term “the LORD.” This is in keeping with Jewish tradition begun three centuries before Christ. God’s name was regarded to be so sacred by the pious keepers of the Law that it was forbidden to be spoken in public. When the Hebrew Scriptures were read out loud, the title “LORD” was substituted in its place. Soon the original pronunciation was totally lost, and God appeared to be more distant and unknowable than ever before.

People could forget how to call out to God by name, but He knew every man, woman, and child on this planet by their names, and He reached out to them. YHWH, the Creator God (Isaiah 43:1) came in human form (Colossians 1:16). The self-existent One, who had life in Himself (John 5:26) became close and approachable, the visible manifestation of the Great I AM (John 8:58).

God became flesh and then came up-close and personal to Adam’s race. He was given the name that is above every name (Philippians2:9), but YHWH was always hard to pronounce, so in the New Testament, He was called “Yeshua,” which means “Salvation” in Hebrew. In English, we say “Jesus.”

*Christ’s personal name in the Old Testament.

**see also Genesis 17:1; Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 6:1 plus thousands of other references

***It is regarded by many to be the actual name of God and in essence conveys the message “I AM” (Exodus 3:14).

 January 8 

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 42:2

The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and men became living beings (Genesis 2:7). Only life can produce life. Try as they may, scientists have never produced life from non-living parts. Every living thing on earth got its life energy from the Living God, but humans were the only creatures to receive the direct, life-giving breath of God. We’re special.

Sin brought separation between people and their life source. Because of that, birth kicks off the aging process, and everybody is slowly growing old and dying. Something inside every person wants to reconnect with the one who gave them their first breath. Call it a “God-shaped vacuum,” or call it a “hunger for righteousness,” but there’s something in our spirit that desires to know the Living God and eternal life.

The problem is that it’s not easy. In fact, it can be frightening. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). He’s Holy; we’re not. He’s sinless; we’re mean and disobedient to the core. We dare not approach Him in that condition.

A Living God who is invisible and intangible doesn’t seem real or approachable. Since we can’t go to Him, He came to us. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Living God also became a living, breathing man with skin on the outside and muscle, bone, and blood on the inside. While we were dead in trespasses and sins, he took the death that should have been ours to give us His unending life.

The establishment executed Christ because He challenged the powers of the ruling class and upset the status quo. Although the death sentence was served, death never really took hold. How could it? He is the Living God.

 January 7 

As for God, His way is perfect; The word of
the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
Psalm 18:30

God is called a shield 24 times in the Old Testament, including 17 times in the Psalms alone. To those who used them and knew how they worked with armor, “Shield” was an appropriate title for the Lord of Hosts. Much more than just something to hide behind, a shield projected power as well as protected.

Most people today are almost clueless in regards to ancient warfare. Most sword fights on television are without shields. In those conflicts, if one of those contestants had just a buckler (a small, 10-inch shield), they would have a huge advantage over someone without one. The curved surface is for deflecting the enemies’ sword or arrow. Instead of simply absorbing the force of a blow, a good shield will knock the enemy’s blade out of the way and make him vulnerable.

The Christian life is fraught with conflict. Criticisms, persecutions, physical sufferings, the stresses of modern life, and even satanic oppression can attack the believer daily in one form or another. The Lord Jesus is our Shield, but He doesn’t just stand in the way so bad things don’t happen; He deflects them so we’re not brought down by them. We can continue to advance and overcome the enemy – not hide and hope he’ll go away.

We rest on Thee, our shield and our defender!
Thine is the battle, Thine shall be the praise;
When passing through the gates of pearly splendor,
Victors, we rest with Thee, through endless days.
                                                                                                                           – Edith G Cherry (1897)

(The song above was sung by the five missionary martyrs of Ecuador just before they died in January of 1956).

 January 6