Archive for January 2014

“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;…” (2 Corinthians 5:11)

January 22, 2014

two edged sword

Bereansearching is simply intended to serve as a vehicle to lead the reader to safety and security from the just wrath of God for sin (one sin is enough to send any of us to Hell). And Jesus made clear this warning in Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him (God) which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

This last statement by Jesus is key to understanding that Hell is not just the “grave”, as killing the body only sends a person to the grave, but God destroys BOTH Body and Soul in HELL!

Only through the substitutionary sacrifice for that sin by Jesus Christ , Who as God and Savior served as the supreme sacrificial Lamb of God, can we be free from that punishment. Hence this Bereansearching blog is simply seeking to persuade all to put their trust for their eternal souls in Jesus Alone.

The detailed expositions of  a few portions of Old Testament scriptures provide the proofs that the Bible is the Word of God and is the vehicle that God uses to bring us to that Truth and the saving faith in that Truth. (Romans 10:17, “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.“)

For more on this singular motivation, please review the Introduction to the Bereansearching Blog.

 

Psalm 19 as a Devotional…”Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17)

January 22, 2014

Bread

Introduction

Each and every day, we all need at least a few moments to step back, and take a deep breath, and remember Who God Is, and to meditate on His Word…and to remember that God is Truth, God’s Word is Truth, and that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and also The Word made flesh. Just as Psalm 23:1 teaches us to ask God for “our daily bread,”  we also should remember that The Daily Bread is Jesus, as we read in John 6:35, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst“.  The more we read and meditate on God’s Word the Bible, the more and more The Word, Jesus, becomes a Living part of us.

Remember when Jesus broke the bread at the last supper (1 Corinthians 11:24), how Jesus clearly identified the physical bread with Himself.  While that bread was instituted by Jesus as an earthly sacrament of remembrance, we know that Jesus is intimately identified with, and as, the Spiritual Bread, the Word (as found in the Bible).  Therefore when we read the Bible, we are being Spiritually fed by Jesus.

In another post in this bereansearching blog, Psalm 119 is discussed in terms of “Discernment.”  It was mentioned that there are several similarities with Psalm 19.  Please take a moment to read and reflect on this short, but extremely rich and fulfilling morsel of that Bread of Life:

Psalm 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalm 19 can be viewed as a reflection and encapsulation of the whole Bible…much as we can see in the longer version in Psalm 119.

The Key Takeaways from Psalm 19

The first 6 verses of Psalm 19 involve God speaking to us from His temporal “creation” and the last 8 verses involve God speaking to us by His verbal/written eternal “Word” (represented by the “law”, “judgments”, “testimony”, “statutes”, and “commandments”).  Together both creation and the Word testify of God and His Glory and Majesty.

The #6 relates to “physical/temporal” creation (6 days) that are themselves allegorical references to point us to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the #8 points to the resurrection of The Word (on the eighth day, Easter Sunday) and the new “eternal” creation with Jesus Christ Who is the Word made flesh!

God’s knowledge is only known if God teaches it to us!

God’s Creation

Regarding creation, we know from Colossians 1:16, “For by him (Jesus) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Moreover, the created things (earthy/temporal) are a reflection of the things unseen (spiritual/eternal) as we read in Romans 1:18-20, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”  (Remember also what Jesus said in John 3:12, “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you [of] heavenly things?“)

Other verses to ponder include Isaiah 44:21-28, where God declares how His Creation testifies of His Glory and Majesty, and His Redemption and eternal Temple building by His Shepherd, Jesus (typified by Cyrus), which all confound the wisdom of the wise.

Note also how verses 4-6 talk about the “sun” and compares the sun to a “bridegroom”. When we compare Scripture with Scripture, we know both of these are allegorical references to Jesus.  Remember that we see Jesus pictured as the “Sun” in Malachi 4:2, “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.”

And Jesus is also the “Bridegroom” coming from Heaven for His Bride, the eternal Church as we read in Matthew 9:15, “And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.”  Remember also the “Parable of the five wise and the five foolish virgins” waiting for the bridegroom in Matthew 25:6, “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.”  See also John 3:29 and Revelation 18:23.  And remember also what we read in 2 Corinthians 11:2, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ.

God’s Word

Regarding God’s Word, God’s Word is the source and effectuator of Salvation.

Romans 10:17&18, “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

In Acts 1:8, we read where the Great Commission of Jesus is given, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both inJerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

2 Timothy 3:16&17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

James 1:18, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

And remember also what we read where Jesus said in Matthew 24:35 (and Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33), that while this creation and all of its physical/temporal types will disappear, The Word of God will remain for ever… “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

1 Peter 1:25, “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.