first posted 01/05/04

Isaiah 49:1-7   The Redeemer of Israel
Revelation 21:22-27  The New Jerusalem
Matthew 12:14-21  Fulfillment of prophecy

The Servant speaks; The Lord called him from the womb and named him in her womb. The Lord made his mouth like a sharp sword. The Lord made him like a polished arrow, and hid him away in the Lord’s quiver. He called him his servant, Israel, in whom the Lord will be glorified. Although his ministry seems futile, the Lord is his reward. The Lord’s servant's original mission to gather and restore the people of Israel has become a mission to all people on earth. The Lord promised that his servant, despised and abhorred by the nations, the lowly servant of the rulers, will be exalted. “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you” (Isaiah 49:7c, d).

The Revelator’s vision of the New Jerusalem in heaven: There is no need for a Temple, because all heaven is the Lord’s Temple. The presence of the Lord fills all of heaven. There is no spiritual darkness in heaven because there is no sin. The Lord is spiritual light and there is no spiritual darkness in him. Everyone will walk in the light of God’s righteousness (they will conform to God’s righteousness) There won’t need to be locks on the doors or gated walls around the city, because the unrighteous will not be allowed to enter; only those who belong to Jesus; who have been purified by his blood and led by his Spirit.

The Jewish religious authorities wanted to destroy Jesus. Jesus, knowing this, withdrew. “Many followed him and he healed them all, and ordered them not to make him known” ( Matthew 12:15b-16).  He thus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 42:1-4 quoted in verses 18 to 21, specifically verse 19, about not seeking publicity or stirring up a commotion. The prophecy declared that his mission was to bring justice and hope to the Gentiles (non-Jews) also.

The servant is the nation of Israel, because she was called to be God’s people. In another sense, the servant is Jesus Christ, who was perfectly obedient to God, even to death on the cross (Matthew 26:39). "The Lord called him from the womb and named him in her womb" (Isaiah 49:1b, compare Luke 1:30-31, 35). "The Lord made his mouth like a sharp sword" (Isaiah 49:2a: compare Revelation 1:16, 19:15; see Hebrews 4:12). Jesus is the example for us of the ideal servant of God. In a sense, the entire nation of Israel fell away from serving the Lord. Historically they fell away over and over and God kept calling them back.

From the beginning of Jesus ministry, he was rejected by all but a few, and even his inner circle fell away (Matthew 26:56) and even denied him (Matthew 26:73-75) at the point of Jesus’ crucifixion, so that finally, on the cross, the faithful servant Israel had come down to one person: Jesus. Then, after the resurrection, the disciples began to return and be restored into the “New Israel”, which is the Christian Church. Jesus said, "and I, when I am lifted up ("crucified"; see John 12:33), will draw all (people) unto myself" (John 12:32).

The cross marks the dividing line between the old Israel and the “New Israel” which is the Church. The prophecy that kings shall see and arise and prostrate themselves because of the Lord (the Redeemer of Israel; v. 7a), who is faithful (Isaiah 49:7c, d), was fulfilled at the visit of the Magi (or Wise Men; see Matthew 2:1-12), which the (Western) Church traditionally celebrates on this date (the twelfth day after, or “of,” Christmas) as the Epiphany (the first “manifestation” of Christ to the Gentiles). [The Eastern Church uses a different calendar.]

The revelator’s vision of the New Jerusalem is that of the “New Israel” (the Christian Church; “the bride of Christ”) united with the Lord in Heaven in the “New Jerusalem,” the Holy City of God.

Jesus mission wasn’t only to the Jews. Long before his birth, the prophets foresaw that his mission was also to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:6-7. Jesus heals all who come to him in faith (Matthew 12:15). He does not turn anyone away: He won’t break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick (Matthew 12:20a). God is faithful. He does what he says he will do. What he says will happen, happens!

Jesus is the only way get into the “New Jerusalem”; the only way to become a member of the “New Israel.” “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called (who prove that they have heard and recognized God’s call by receiving Jesus), Christ (is) the power of God and the Wisdom of God’ (1 Corinthians 1:23-24).

Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Jesus is God’s only provision for salvation (Acts 4:12). Jesus has promised (John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:31-46) that there is a Day coming when he will judge the living and the dead (both those alive at his coming, and those who have died; and he will judge who is spiritually alive and who is spiritually dead; see 1 John 5:11-13). Those who have accepted and obeyed him as their Lord and Savior will receive eternal life in the “New Jerusalem” with him. Those who have refused to accept and obey him as Lord and Savior, will receive eternal death and destruction in Hell with Satan and Satan’s demons. The Lord gives us the choice; it’s our decision where we will spend eternity.  

first posted 01/06/04

Deuteronomy 8:1-3   Man shall not live by bread alone
Colossians 1:1-14      Spiritual growth
John 6:30-33, 48-51   Jesus is the bread of life

Moses warned the people that when they came into Canaan, they were to be careful to continue to keep the Lord’s commandments, so that they might prosper under the Lord’s blessings. They were to remember what they had learned in the forty years in the wilderness in submission to the leading of God. The Lord had used the wilderness experience to humble and test them. The Lord had humbled them and let them hunger, and fed them with manna, which they had never before known, so that they would learn that “man does not live by bread alone, but by everything which proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (v. 3b).

Paul wrote to the church at Colossae in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) from prison. He commended them for their faith in Christ Jesus and for their love for all the saints, and encouraged their hope of their reward in heaven. He reminded them of the Gospel which they had learned from Epaphras, Paul’s missionary co-worker. Paul’s prayer for the Colossians was that they would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that they could lead a life fully pleasing to God, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; that they might be strengthened, by God’s might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to God for making it possible for us to share in the inheritance of the saints, having transferred believers from the dominion of darkness (sin) into Jesus’ kingdom of light (righteousness), having received redemption and forgiveness of sins through Jesus.

After Jesus had fed the five thousand (John 6:1-14) the multitude sought him at Capernaum. Jesus told them not to seek him just because he fed them with physical bread; the multiplication of the bread was a sign pointing to something greater ( John 6:25-30). They asked him then what sign Jesus would do so that they might see (see as proof) and believe, citing the example of Moses providing manna, bread from heaven, in the wilderness.

Jesus pointed out that it was not Moses who provided the bread from heaven, but God. The true "bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world" ( John 6:33)  Jesus then declared “I am the bread of life”. The Israelites who ate the manna in the wilderness died eventually, because that bread did not give eternal life. The bread of heaven is that which gives eternal life. Jesus declared “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh” ( John 6:51).

It is in the wildernesses of life that the Lord can teach us to trust and obey him, because that’s when it is easiest for us to recognize that we need help outside of ourselves; help which only he can provide. Success and prosperity have a way of seducing us into believing that we are self-sufficient. God wants his people to learn that just “putting bread on the table,” even in extravagant abundance, is not enough. The true necessity that sustains life is God’s word; Jesus is God’s Word in the flesh (John 1:1-3, 14).

Paul urges believers to grow in faith, hope and love, and in the knowledge of God and of his word; to spiritual maturity, so that we will know his will and will be able to bear fruit in good works and praise to God. Since life comes from “everything which proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3b), we should be attentive to God’s word. It should be our purpose as believers to read the Bible, so that we can come to knowledge of God’s will for ourselves, and to seek to please him by obeying him.

The multitude of the five thousand, which had been fed, sought more physical bread and missed the spiritual significance of what Jesus had done. When Jesus told them that they were seeking the wrong goals, they asked him for proof so that they might believe him (John 6:30). They had already not only seen proof, not merely tasted it, but eaten all they could eat of it, in the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand; further “proof” would make no difference. Faith does not occur because of proof. They were fixated on material things. They brought up the miracle of manna in the wilderness because they hoped that Jesus might repeat that miracle, giving them more physical bread. [They would not have been any more content with manna than their forefathers were; the Israelites came to loath manna in the wilderness, so he fed them quail until they couldn’t stand that (Numbers 11:4-20)]

There is no such thing as material security; material security is an illusion. How much does it take to be secure? Always, just a little more! Security cannot be obtained through material things.  Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things (material necessities) will be yours as well” (Matthew 6:33). The reason he said “seek first” is because if we focus on our material needs, we’ll never get around to seeking our spiritual necessities, and if we’re focused on material things we can’t appreciate spiritual things, any more than could the five thousand who ate the bread.

Only Jesus is the true bread of life. Have you recognized the spiritual reality of Jesus, or are you too busy and preoccupied with “getting ahead”. Do you want to grow to spiritual maturity, or do you just want God’s help to win the lottery? Have you thought about where you’re going to spend eternity?

January 8

first posted 01/07/04

Exodus 17:1-7   Water from the rock
Colossians 1:15-23   Christ the image of God
John 7:37-52       The source of living water

After leaving Egypt, as the Israelites moved into the wilderness there was no water to drink and the people began to complain to Moses, saying that he had led them into the wilderness to kill them with thirst. Moses replied, asking them why they were criticizing Moses and putting God to the “proof” (test) to see whether God was with them or not. Moses was afraid that the people were ready to stone him, so he prayed to the Lord asking for help. The Lord said that he would stand before Moses there on the rock at Horeb. Moses was to take the rod with which he had struck the Nile (Exodus 7:14-24) and strike the rock. Water would come out of it for the people to drink. Moses did so and Israel’s thirst was quenched by water from the rock. They called that place Massah, meaning “proof”, and Meribah, or “contention” (because the people had been contentious with Moses and God).

Jesus “is the image of the invisible God, the first-born (therefore having priority and authority over) of all creation” (Colossians 1:15; see John 1:1-2; 14).  All things were created by him and for him. He holds creation together. He is the head of the Church, his body of believers. He is the first-born (again: having priority and authority over) from the dead. He is pre-eminent in everything. “In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). Through Jesus, God reconciles (a change from enmity to friendship) all things to himself, making peace by the blood of the cross. We were once estranged from him, hostile in mind, and doing evil. God initiated our reconciliation by sacrificing his body of flesh on the cross to cleanse us so that we might be holy, blameless and irreproachable before him, provided that we continue to trust in Jesus without wavering from the hope of the gospel which Paul proclaimed and the Bible records.

On the last (seventh) day of the Jewish feast of Tabernacles (or Booths), which commemorates Israel’s wilderness wanderings, Jesus stood up and proclaimed “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’  Now this he said about the Spirit”... (John 7:37b-39a).  [During the feast water is carried from the Pool of Siloam to the temple in a golden pitcher as a commemoration of the water from the rock in the wilderness, and a symbol of the promise of messianic deliverance*.] When the people heard this some thought Jesus was the prophet (Elijah was expected to return to herald the coming of Messiah. John the Baptist fulfilled that role: see Matthew 11:14; 17:12). Some believed Jesus was the Messiah (Christ). Some refused to accept Jesus as the Christ, based on scripture, because they believed Jesus had come from Galilee, not realizing that he had been born in Bethlehem. So there was “contention” among them; some wanted him arrested, but no one laid hands on him.

The Israelites had a long history of doubting God and being contentious with him, in spite of God’s repeated demonstrations of his faithfulness and his power to do what he promised.

We are all sinners by nature, hostile to God in thoughts and deeds (Romans 3:23; 6:23). God initiated our reconciliation (he made the first move) by becoming fully human and dying for us on the Cross, as a sacrifice for our sins (Romans 5:8), so that we might be cleansed from our sins and restored to fellowship with him, provided that we trust and obey Jesus, holding fast to the Gospel promise without wavering. Jesus is God, made visible in human flesh; fully God and fully human. [Thomas, the doubting disciple, when he experienced the risen Jesus and resolved his doubt, declared that Jesus was his Lord and his God (John 20:28) and Jesus did not refute him.]

On the festival of Israel’s wilderness experience, marked by the ritual symbolizing God’s gift of water from the rock (and the promise of the Messiah), Jesus declared that he is that rock; the source of the water of life; and the one who gives the gift of the Holy Spirit, the mark of the Messianic age (Joel 2:28-29), which was poured out on believers for the first time after Jesus was glorified (i.e. crucified, risen, and ascended into heaven), on Pentecost (Acts Ch. 2). The gift of the Holy Spirit is like not a cistern, a private reservoir; it is a flowing river from Christ to be channeled through believers to others.  Jesus was the fulfillment of the symbolism of the water from the rock (1Corinthians 10:4).

Human nature is still inclined to doubt and contentiousness. Those who recognize their thirst for the water of life will come to the Rock which is Jesus Christ, and he will satisfy their spiritual thirst, and fill them with his Holy Spirit. Only Jesus can satisfy our deepest needs and longings. Only Jesus can give us the water of eternal life. Only through Jesus are our sins forgiven. Only through Jesus can we be restored to fellowship with God (John 14:6).

*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, John 7:37-39n, p. 1295-1296, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962

January 9

first posted 01/08/04

Isaiah 45:14-19   Wealth of the Nations
Colossians 1:24-2:7    Riches in Christ    
John 8:12-19    Jesus, the light of the world

The wealth of the nations shall come to Israel. They will acknowledge that there is no God but the God of Israel, the savior. All idolaters will be put to shame and confounded, but God’s people will be saved with everlasting salvation; they will not be shamed or confounded to all eternity. The Lord, the creator of heaven and earth declares, “I am the Lord, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:18d). God has revealed himself (to Israel and the world). He has made his word known; he hasn’t kept it a secret. All creation bears witness to him. The Lord’s word is truth; he declares what is right.

Paul wrote to the Colossians while he was in prison. He was able to rejoice in spite of his circumstances, for the opportunity to help complete Christ’s mission for the sake of Christ's body, the Church. Paul’s mission, along with all Christians, is to make the word of God fully known, a mystery which had been hidden for ages, but now revealed to his saints through Jesus Christ. To the saints (consecrated to God; believers in Christ) God has revealed that Christ’s salvation is for all people, not just Israel. The commission of every Christian is to proclaim Jesus, warning and teaching everyone, so that everyone might come to spiritual maturity in Christ, in whom is all wisdom and knowledge. Be careful therefore, so that you are not led astray from the gospel of Jesus by anyone with beguiling words.

During the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2), Jesus proclaimed, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jophn 8:12). The Pharisees accused him of lying. Jesus testified that his testimony to himself was true. Jesus had intimate knowledge of and fellowship with God the Father [which no one can have except through Jesus (John 14:6)].  Jesus said that his testimony met the requirements of Jewish Law that there be at least two witnesses, because his Father (God), who sent him, bears witness to Jesus' testimony.  The Pharisees asked Jesus where his Father was, assuming that Jesus had meant Joseph, his mother’s husband. Jesus told them that they did not know his Father, because they did not know Jesus.

The prophet foresaw that God’s plan of salvation included all nations. On Epiphany*  the Wise Men (or Kings) brought precious gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to honor Jesus’ birth, beginning the fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision of the wealth of nations coming to Israel (God’s people). God has had a plan of salvation ever since the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden (Genesis Ch. 3). The whole history of Israel and the Bible narrative is the testimony of the working out of God’s plan to save us from sin and death; to provide our Savior. God has revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).

Jesus is God’s only plan for our salvation (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the mystery, the plan God had, to provide a savior for all people, which was unknown and therefore a mystery, until Jesus was born, died on the cross, and rose again from the dead. His closest disciples didn’t begin to understand the mystery until after they experienced the resurrected Jesus. Paul (formerly Saul) did not know Jesus personally until after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven [which occurred 40 days after the Resurrection (Acts 1:3)], but he had a personal relationship with Jesus which began with his encounter on the road to Damascus (Acts Ch. 9). (Paul is thus the prototype of the modern Christian.) Christians are called to grow in knowledge of scripture and in personal fellowship with Jesus through his Holy Spirit unto Christian maturity. Without complete knowledge of the scriptures, one is vulnerable to all sorts of false doctrines and false teachers, and it is through study of the Bible that Jesus is revealed to us. Apart from a personal relationship with Jesus there is no salvation.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; no one can come to God the Father but by him (John 14:6). The Pharisees claimed to know God, but if they had, they would have recognized Jesus. Jesus is God made visible in the flesh. (Colossians 1:15). “No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Matthew 11:27c; see also John 14:7). Jesus proclaimed that he is the light of the world. Light is truth; understanding. Jesus proclaimed that he is the light of life. (I’m intrigued by what science tells us about the concept of the speed of light. According to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, speed greater than the speed of light is impossible to attain, because as one approaches the speed of light, time slows down. At the speed of light, time stops, relative to that reference. For instance, a traveler going at the speed of light would not age, but those who stayed home would continue to age normally. To me, this suggests the hint of a scientific discovery of a basis for a concept of eternity, although I don’t want to seem to advocate attempts to “prove” God’s word.)

The feast of Tabernacles had two features worth noting. One was the carrying of water from the pool of Siloam and pouring it on the altar of the Temple commemorating God’s gift of water from the rock during the wilderness wandering (Exodus 17:1-7). The other was the lighting of great lamps in the Temple court, as a memorial to the pillar of fire by night during their wilderness wandering. This was the context in which Jesus declared himself to be the light of the world.  

Notice that Jesus spoke these words in the Treasury of the Temple (John 8:20). Jesus is “the riches of the glory of this mystery which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”  [The Greek word translated "glory" means abundance, wealth, treasure, honor; it also means the splendor of God’s presence, and the bliss of heaven.(Colossians 1:27)] In Jesus, we can have “all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2: 2b-3).

Jesus said, “He who follows me will not walk in darkness (unrighteousness)” (John 8:12b). That we not walk in darkness is both a command and a promise. We can’t follow him and continue to practice unrighteousness, but if we will follow and obey him, his blood will cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:6-7). He will save us from the penalty of our sin, which is eternal death, and give us eternal life (Romans 6:23).

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

*Epiphany means manifestation (revealing) or coming. January 6th is the designated Day of Epiphany celebrated by the Church as the coming of the Magi (“wise men”) to Jesus, and thus the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles (non-Jews).

January 10

first posted 01/09/04

Jeremiah 23:1-8   The righteous Branch
Colossians 2:8-23   Warning against false doctrine
John 10:7-17   The Good Shepherd

Using the analogy of shepherd and sheep, the prophet Jeremiah declares that the Lord rebukes “shepherds” of his people who neglect their responsibilities and let the “flock” be scattered and destroyed; who have put their own selfish interests ahead of their responsibility to God and their concern for God’s people. The Lord will hold them accountable. The Lord will gather the remnant of his flock and bring them back to their fold. The Lord will prosper and multiply his flock. The Lord will set shepherds over them who will care properly for them. They will no longer have reason to be afraid or dismayed, and none will be lost. The Lord will raise up a righteous Branch who shall reign and deal wisely. He will execute justice and righteousness. In his day, God’s people will be saved and will dwell securely. He will be called, “The Lord is our righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6). In that day, the significant saving act of God commemorated by God’s people will not be the Exodus from Egypt, but the return from the Dispersion.

Paul warns believers: “See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” ( Colossians 2:8-9). Christ is the head of all rule and authority, and in him believers have fullness of life. Through Jesus, we are restored to the covenant relationship with God which was symbolized in the Jewish ritual of circumcision. Our “circumcision” is of the heart, a deep inner spiritual change in our attitude, rather than merely an external, physical mark. The waters of Christian Baptism symbolize our union with Christ in his death and resurrection. Where once we were condemned to death for our sins, we have been made alive with Christ, through faith in him, and God has forgiven us all our sins. Jesus bore the penalty for our sins on the Cross. Jesus won for us the victory over sin and death on the Cross. Paul was writing the Colossians to correct some doctrinal errors which they had adopted, involving dietary laws and festival observances, and the worship of angels. Such practices have only the appearance of wisdom and devotion; they have no real value in controlling the sinful human nature.

Using the analogy of Shepherd and sheep, Jesus declared that he was the “door” to God’s “sheepfold”. Others who have come (messianic pretenders) are thieves and robbers (false christs). Jesus is the only entrance to salvation and God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He has the interests of the “sheep” at heart. He gave his life for the sake of the sheep. He surrendered his self-interest for the sake of the sheep. He won’t abandon them in their time of need. He has a close personal relationship with each one of his sheep. His sheep are not restricted to one group or region (John 10:16a). His sheep are those who listen and obey his words ( John 10:16b). Jesus voluntarily gave his life for us; he was not simply the victim of circumstances. He declared that he would rise again from the dead.


Jeremiah foretold the coming of the Messiah, the Good Shepherd, the righteous Branch (a sprout from the stump of the family tree of King David). Through the Good Shepherd, God will gather, restore and save his people, and bring them into God’s eternal heavenly kingdom. The Lord’s saving act bringing his people into his eternal heavenly kingdom will eclipse that of the Exodus from Egypt and the return of his people from exile in Babylon. The Lord promised to set shepherds over his flock who would care for them properly (Jeremiah 23:4). The Lord will punish the unfaithful shepherds, those who have not obeyed God’s will, but have pursued their own selfish interests and have worked against the best interests of God’s people.

Paul is an example of a faithful shepherd of the flock at Colossae (in the region of Phrygia in Asia Minor; i.e. in present-day Turkey). False teaching had taken root in the congregation and Paul was writing from prison (Colossians 4:3) to address it. Paul’s teaching is relevant to believers in every time and place; the same false doctrines are still circulating. There are groups today that deny the deity of Christ. Paul warns believers not to be deceived, but instead to be informed of the basic doctrines of the Gospel (through the hearing and reading of the Bible) and to grow to Christian maturity [through daily fellowship with the Lord (Colossians 2:19)] so that they won’t be victimized by false teachers and unfaithful shepherds.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to send the Good Shepherd, the Son of David, the Savior; the Messiah (Christ). Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6); Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (Acts 4:12; 1 John 5:11-12). Jesus declared that he was going to die for our salvation and that he would rise again from the dead (John 10:17-18). Those who trust and obey Jesus will have a close personal relationship with him and he with them (John 10:14b-15a; John 14:21; Revelation 3:20). Jesus is going to return to judge everyone who has ever lived on Earth (Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:28-29) He will separate his “sheep” from the “goats” (Matthew 25:32). His sheep, who have trusted and obeyed him, will receive eternal life in Heaven with him (Matthew 25:34). The unfaithful shepherds and all who have rejected Jesus and refused to obey his words will receive the punishment of eternal death in Hell with Satan and his demons. (Matthew 25:46; Romans 6:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10).

God is faithful. He fulfills his promises; he keeps his word! Do we believe it and act on that belief? Where will we stand on the Day of Judgment? Where will we spend eternity?

January 11

first posted 01/10/04

Isaiah 55:3-9   Seek the Lord while he may be found
Colossians 3:1-17   New life in Christ
John 14:6-14   Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life

Isaiah cries, “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). Forsake wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts and return to the Lord so that he may have mercy upon you. Turn to the Lord and he will pardon and forgive you. God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts and his ways are higher than our ways, by an order of magnitude as great as the height of the heavens!

Paul teaches the Colossians and all believers that if we have been baptized into the resurrection of Christ (Colossians 2:12), then we have been raised with Christ to new life. That life is where Christ is, in the kingdom of God; therefore we should set our minds on that kingdom and not on the things of this earth. Since we are baptized into Jesus death to sin and the things of this earth, we need to eliminate from our lives the earthly sins which we used to do: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, anger, wrath, malice, slander, foul language, deceit and prejudice (Colossians 3:11).  Don’t continue in the old nature, but live according to the new nature as we have Christ for the example. Christ is to be the central focus of our lives and our relationships with others. We are to practice the Christian virtues, which belong to our new nature: compassion, kindness, meekness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, love, peace, and thankfulness. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…teach and admonish one another in all wisdom…”, doing everything in the name of Jesus, so that Jesus will be glorified by what you do, and that you might show your thankfulness to God through him  (Colossians 3:16-17).

Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6).  If one knows Jesus, he knows the Father. Jesus is a unity with the Father. Jesus’ works bear witness that he and the Father are one. Believers will do the works of the Father, just as Jesus has done, and they will do greater works (perhaps in quantity) because of Jesus’ limited time on earth (John 14:12). Jesus promised that whatever believers ask in his name, as if Jesus were himself doing it and so that Jesus and thus God the Father are glorified, he would do. Believers will keep Jesus commandments because they love him (John 14:15; see John 14:21). Their obedience will reveal whether they truly believe and love him. Those who believe and obey Jesus will receive the gift of the Counselor (advocate, intercessor, comforter; i.e. Holy Spirit). Believers will do the works of the Father in the name of Jesus, through prayer (John 14:13-14), obedience (John 14:15) and the Holy Spirit (John 14:16).

We must seek the Lord while there is opportunity. Now is the time to seek him, while the opportunity exists to come to him. God’s ways are holy and righteous. We must forsake wickedness and unrighteousness in order to have fellowship with him.

Believers receive new life by grace (i.e. as a free gift) through faith in Jesus Christ. We don’t earn salvation by doing good works or by giving up sins (Ephesians 2:8-9). We need to live out that new life in obedience to Jesus’ commands. What good is a fresh start if we immediately revert to our former “lost” condition? Those who love and trust Jesus will want to learn his teachings so that we can apply them in our lives. Our goal should be spiritual growth to Christian maturity, unto the likeness of Christ (Colossians 3:10,16).

One must believe in Jesus in order to come to faith in God, not the other way around, as illogical as it may seem to us. What a person does, testifies to what he believes; one cannot believe in Jesus and disobey his commandments (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46; 1 John 1:6). The works Jesus did, believers will also do, by prayer, obedience and the Holy Spirit. Jesus will give the Holy Spirit only to those who believe and obey him (John 14:15-17, Isaiah 42:5). The question to answer is, “Do you know Jesus?”

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)? 

January 12

first posted 01/11/04

Genesis 49:1-2, 8-12   Jacob’s blessing on Judah
Colossians 3:18-4:6   The Christian’s duty to family
John 15:1-16   The Christian way of life

Jacob [who was known as Israel after his struggle with God at Peniel (Genesis 32:28)] gave a death-bed blessing to his twelve sons (who became heads of the twelve tribes of Israel) containing a messianic oracle regarding Judah. Judah is portrayed as a Lion, which represents pre-eminence among the tribes. “The Scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to who it belongs (or ‘until Shiloh comes’, or ‘until he comes to Shiloh’) and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (Genesis 49:10). “Binding his foal to the vine and his ass’s colt to the choice vine, he washes his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes” (Genesis 49: 11). Marvelous fertility shall ensue (Genesis 49:12).

Paul instructs believers regarding duties involving all personal relationships among family, work, and social contacts. All are to be submissive in love to one another. All are to focus our efforts on pleasing the Lord, rather than trying to satisfy the expectations of others or of doing right only when we are being watched. Trust in the Lord to reward good behavior and punish evil. Believers are to grow in knowledge of Jesus and the Bible [by spending time daily in the word and in personal fellowship and prayer with Jesus (Colossians 4:2), so that they will be able to spread the Gospel (Colossians 4:3-6)].  

Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1). [Compare Jesus, the true vine, with Genesis 49:11; Matthew 21:1-5; Zechariah 9:9.] Jesus is the true vine, the calling to which Israel had failed (Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 2:21; Ezekiel 19:14). [The nation of Israel had come down, at the point of the crucifixion, to one person: Jesus Christ). Believers are the branches (John 15:5). Branches cannot bear fruit unless they are connected to the vine. The vinedresser prunes the branches so that they will bear the maximum fruit. If the branches bear no fruit, they are pruned away, gathered up and burned. Jesus said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). Bearing fruit for the kingdom will be the proof of who is a true disciple (John 15:8).

Those who keep Jesus commandments will abide in his love, as Jesus kept his Father’s commandments and remained in his Father’s love. Jesus commands us to love one another. The love he is referring to is the self-sacrificing love that he exemplified when he died for our sins on the cross, which he proclaimed in advance. Our obedience is a measure of our love for Jesus, but we could not love Jesus if he had not first loved us. In his love for us Jesus selected us and made it possible for us to bear fruit that would endure. He promises to supply everything we need to be fruitful for the kingdom of God.

King David was of the tribe of Judah. God promised David that he would establish an eternal kingdom through a descendant of David (2 Samuel  7:12-16). Genesis 49:10c can be interpreted in several ways. The original Hebrew translates literally “until he comes to Shiloh.”  Shiloh, about ten miles north of Bethel, was the center of worship and the Priesthood from the conquest of Palestine (Joshua 18:1-10) until the Ark of the Covenant fell into the hands of the Philistines (1 Samuel Ch 4). The Hebrew word means “peaceful.” Shiloh can be taken as designating the messiah, “the peaceful one”, (the Prince of Peace) to whom the eternal kingdom referred to in verse 10 indeed belongs. [Jesus is also described as the Lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5).]

At the Last Supper Jesus instituted the sacrament of Communion, using wine as the sacramental element representing his blood, shed for our sins on the Cross (Matthew 26:26-28). Jesus’ blood cleanses us from sin;  John’s vision in Revelation 7:13 describes those who have been saved during the great tribulation as having washed their robes and made them white (sinless) in the blood of the Lamb. In Matthew's account, when Jesus entered into Jerusalem the week before his crucifixion in the event we commemorate as Palm Sunday, he rode in on an ass and a colt, the foal of an ass  (Matthew 21:1-7; compare Zechariah 9:9b).

Paul points out that believers are to practice what Jesus taught. Believers are to be disciples of Jesus; they are to grow spiritually through daily Bible reading and a personal fellowship in prayer with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. One cannot testify to something one hasn’t personally experienced. Unless one has a personal knowledge of and fellowship with Jesus, one can’t share that testimony with others. One can’t effectively share God’s word with others without having read it. One cannot apply Jesus teachings one’s daily life unless one first reads God’s word. Jesus declares that we cannot bear fruit for the kingdom of God without abiding (constant, stable, continuing) fellowship with him (John 15:4-5).  

Jesus is the fulfillment of Jacob’s prophecy. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to David of an eternal king. Jesus is the vine which produced the “wine” of our salvation. He is also the vine which sustains us and causes us to grow and bear fruit for the kingdom of God. We must stay in close fellowship with Jesus in order to bear fruit for the kingdom. It’s not enough to call ourselves “Christians;” it’s not enough to attend church on Christmas and Easter, or even once a week. We need to have a personal daily relationship with Jesus; we need to be disciples; we need to be obedient to his teachings. Only those who have had a personal daily fellowship, who have been obedient to his commands, will bear the fruit which will prove that they have truly been his disciples (John 15:8).