Author: rickkhol

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 

O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble, Why should You be like a stranger in the land, And like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?
Jeremiah 14:8

Jeremiah was given a tough message to preach. God’s wrath was going to fall on what was left of Judah. The nation of Israel was already completely destroyed, and those in Jerusalem were soon to die of the sword, sickness, and hunger. On the one hand, 99.9% of the population was going to die, but the good news was that those who were dragged away into slavery would survive, prosper, and return to build Jerusalem up again.

God’s promises are a sure thing. When the exiles saw the completion of God’s judgment on the Jewish people in the Promised land, they chose to believe that the second part would be true also. God’s people set themselves apart from idolatry and clung to the Hope of Israel.

True hope is much more than wishful thinking. It is an expression of faith that is convinced of God’s predicted outcome, even when conventional wisdom would suggest otherwise. It is the belief that God’s Word is a sure thing even though the odds are stacked against you.

Today, Israel is surrounded by more than a billion enemies who have sworn to kill them. Those radicals live in the lands rich in petroleum, so they are able to buy bombs and weapons without hard work or a productive economy. The little land of Israel survives by selling fruit grown in the desert and by being on the cutting edge of technology. This is where the David and Goliath story began. But now, even the United States is turning its back on the apple of God’s eye, and odds have never been worse.

Jeremiah addressed the Hope of Israel as a person (i.e., the Savior). The problem is that Israel today has missed out on her Messiah and, with that denial, has also missed out on the hope God offers.

God has called on His people to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. As we do that, we also need to pray for great revival among the Jewish people that they will receive Yeshua as their Messiah and cling to the Hope of Israel.

 January 5 

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will
be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 10:9

Doors come in many shapes and sizes. It can be as simple as a slab of ice that covers the opening to an igloo, or an inlaid ivory and gold masterpiece before the throne room of the king. When all is said and done, a door is just a device that allows easy access to a place that was designed to keep other things out.

Some doors come equipped with locks or even armed guards to determine who can go in and who stays out. A bank would be worthless if everyone could go in and out anytime they wanted. Heaven has a Door. His name is Jesus. In Luke 16, Christ told a story about a very rich man (unlisted name) and a very, very poor man named Lazarus. Lazarus was a believer and the other guy wasn’t. In the end, they both died. After his fancy funeral, the soul of the billionaire was cast into Hades. Lazarus died full of sores on some side street; no one paid much attention. That is, no one except for Jesus.

When his body was cold, the angels of God carried his soul to paradise and he was cradled in Abraham’s bosom. When the rich man saw that, he wanted to go there too – Not Allowed! Then, he wanted that lowly Lazarus to bring him some water – Also not Allowed!

People don’t get to heaven just because they want in, or even because they think they deserve it. The bottom line of the story is explained in the chorus of the African-American spiritual, “Rock my Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.”

So high, you can’t get over it
So wide, you can’t get around it
So low, you can’t get under it
You gotta go through the Door.

 January 4 

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
John 12:24

Now, is this a title, or is it a parable? It’s both. In context, this verse comes right after the triumphal entry. The Lord has just told His disciples that the hour had come for Him to be glorified. He had already told them that He was coming to Jerusalem to die, and they didn’t get it. He now tries to get through to them by saying that He is going to be like a grain of wheat.

Once a farmer sows his seed, there is no way to get it back. Wheat is just a fancy grass, and there’s a lot that can go wrong. If there’s too much or too little rain, it’s too hot or too cold, or there are too many bugs, it just won’t produce. That’s not even figuring in dust storms, hail, wheat rust, mildew, and rot. Hungry farmers throughout the centuries have learned not to plow the last of their grain into the ground. If they do, there’s no guarantee that they’ll have anything to eat later.

Most farmers I know are religious (I’m talking family farmers, not big corporations). They have to believe that there is a power greater than themselves that makes things to grow, and they trust Him to do His job if they do theirs. It takes a lot of faith to take tomorrow’s meal, bury it in the dirt, and pour water on it.

Christ somehow had to convince His disciples that the capital punishment He was about to receive was not just a senseless act of injustice. He was going to be glorified by it, and they were the ones that were going to benefit.

The disciples knew it was dangerous to go to Jerusalem, but He went anyway. He had to go; He had to die. If He didn’t go, there never would have been eternal life. He could never have provided for their spiritual sustenance. He first had to become a Grain of Wheat.

 January 3