Tag Archives: Jesus

Day 348: The Scroll & The Lamb

Joel 1-3; Revelation 5

Revelation 5 opens with a question…

Who has the authority to open the scroll??

Jesus is the only one who can open the scroll. He is the Lion of Judah (Gen 49:9) and the Root of David (Isa. 11:1,10; Jer. 23:5-6). He is slain lamb who was foreshadowed by both the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12) and Isaiah’s suffering servant (Isaiah 53). Jesus, the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, came and stood in the center of the throne and took the scroll from God.

What is the importance of the scroll??

Dr. Paul Gardner gives this answer, “As we shall see later, the content of the scroll concerns God’s whole plan of salvation and judgment for this earth from the cross through to the final culmination of his purposes in the new heavens and the new earth.”

He goes on to say,

“This lamb, with all the marks of his death upon him, is in fact standing and has the great figures of heaven in attendance. The lamb has horns indicating his strength and power, and his eyes are looking everywhere as his Spirit searches out his people, saving them and protecting them.” (P. Gardner, Revelation, pg 84).

John’s description of Jesus in the throne room of God is a visual representation of the gospel!! And if John’s descriptions of Jesus weren’t enough to convince you of His divinity, the response of those within the heavenly throne room prove without a doubt, that Jesus is Divine. For as Revelation 4 culminated in the worship of the Father, so does Revelation 5 end with the worship of both the Father and the Son.

This is the backdrop of the appalling judgment to be described in the scrolls. Judgment comes only to those who refuse the sacrifice of the Lamb – who was judged in our stead. Judgment comes to vindicate the suffering church – who suffers for the glory of the Son!

The book of Joel describes a final judgment day, “the day of the Lord,” when Jesus will come to judge the earth (Joel 2:1-11). Joel describes God’s judgment in all its terror and pleads with the people to repent – for God relents when His people repent!!

For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome;
who can endure it?

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster (Joel 2:11-13).

Joel ends his book with the promise that God will use the final judgment upon the earth to avenge the blood of His Son and His people (Joel 3:21). Woe to the one who is not covered by the blood of the Lamb! Although we long for Christ’s return, we take comfort in His delay and pray earnestly for those we love to enter the fold of Christ!

Disclaimer: I humbly and cautiously offer an interpretation of the book of Revelation based on my Reformed understanding of Scripture, an Amillennialist eschatology, and a heavy reliance on the book,Revelation, The Compassion and Protection of Christ by Dr. Paul Gardner.

Day 346: The Great Love of God

Hosea 9-11; Revelation 3

I think one of the most beautiful aspects of Hosea is the focus on God’s love. In the midst of Israel’s heinous worship of the baals – which included sexual rituals and other despicable practices, God’s love for His people, although spurned, was tender.

How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath (Hosea 11:8-9).

God would not destroy Israel, but instead He preserved a remnant – a people who would survive invasion and exile and return to rebuild Jerusalem. But even more significant…He would preserve a people who would be washed clean by the blood of the Lamb and be given a new robe of righteousness. These people are His church.

The church is not just like Israel, the church is in fact the true Israel – for the true Israel has always been those who look to God in humble faith for their salvation – not necessarily those born in the direct line of Abraham. In other words, God’s family is born of spiritual descent.

We see that God’s tender love for his family is still active among His people in the personal and intimate words He gives the seven churches.

Consider the church in Philadelphia which lay in an active earthquake area. They endured evacuations and rebuilding because of earthquakes…. “In the midst of insecurity from earthquakes on the one hand, and attacks on their faith on the other, Jesus promises final stability and protection forever in his presence in the heavenly city which will come one day.” (P. Gardner, Revelation, pg 61).

Also, details within Jesus’ letter to Laodicea revealed His intimate knowledge of them. Laodicea was a wealthy and proud city, so Jesus counseled them “to buy from [him] gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich” (3:18). He was teaching the church that their earthly wealth was poverty in God’s kingdom, and true wealth came from humble dependence on God alone.

Also, the very familiar words of Jesus standing at the door and knocking (3:20) – were given to this self-sufficient church who had spiritually locked Jesus out of their congregation and lives. He promised to come in and restore the bonds of fellowship to those who would open their lives to Him through repentance and dependence. Jesus was firm with the church of Laodicea because He loved them (3:19)!

We are benefactors of this Great Love of God! He knows us intimately and loves us deeply. He loves us so much that He is willing to reprove our complacency and restore our faith. I pray that His love would compel us to return to Him in humility and persevere in obedience…until He comes again!

Disclaimer: I humbly and cautiously offer an interpretation of the book of Revelation based on my Reformed understanding of Scripture, an Amillennialist eschatology, and a heavy reliance on the book, Revelation, The Compassion and Protection of Christ by Dr. Paul Gardner.

Day 345: God’s desire for repentance

Hosea 5-8; Revelation 2

Ephraim (or Israel) is like a dove,
silly and without sense,
calling to Egypt, going to Assyria.
As they go, I will spread over them my net;
I will bring them down like birds of the heavens;
I will discipline them according to the report made to their congregation.
Woe to them, for they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!
I would redeem them,
but they speak lies against me (Hosea 7:11-14).

From the first sin committed in the garden, God has always given His people the opportunity to repent. God is our Father, and he longs for our repentance – not just our initial turning to Him in salvation, but an ongoing, returning and surrendering before Him.

Israel did not respond to God’s patient kindness, so He disciplined the nation in the form of a foreign invader. Why? To bring about repentance!

God’s desire for repentance is at the center of the book of Revelation.

In today’s reading, Jesus begins his letters to the seven churches. Even though Jesus’ words were addressed to a specific church, we must not fool ourselves into thinking His words were not for us…for He ended each letter with the same exhortation, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches,” teaching us that His words were meant for all churches in all times.

Jesus’ words to the churches were encouraging because he shared details which revealed he was intimately acquainted with their strengths and weaknesses. He knew them. But we should be sobered by his warnings – especially to Ephesus and Pergamum. Both churches were warned to repent of their accommodation with the world. We as the modern church must strive against the waves of our culture that threaten to dilute the call to repentance, faith and holiness! Jesus warned that our churches would die in the wake of compromise.

Another sobering truth that we glean from Jesus’ letters is the extreme suffering each church was undergoing, not the least of which was in Smyrna. Jesus says to them that “for 10 days you shall have tribulation” (2:10). Like most numerical references in Revelation, this number is figurative and teaches that the time of tribulation has a set time – it is limited. Many of the Christians in Smyrna would be put to death for their faith, but Jesus promised them the “crown of life” and ironically, even though they would endure the “first death,” they would not face “the second death” or the final judgment for those who die outside of Christ (2:11).

Most encouraging is the promise given to each church who “conquers” or “overcomes.” The promise is different for each church – but applicable to every one who perseveres and overcomes the temptations and suffering in this world.

Are you one who “overcomes”? Are you willing to sacrifice the wealth and riches of this world to gain the riches of God’s eternal Kingdom? Are you willing to walk through the narrow gate of repentance to “eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7)?

May we be among those who conquer life’s trials and persevere in faith to enter into the presence of our KING!

Disclaimer: I humbly and cautiously offer an interpretation of the book of Revelation based on my Reformed understanding of Scripture, an Amillennialist eschatology, and a heavy reliance on the book, Revelation, The Compassion and Protection  of Christ by Dr. Paul Gardner.

Day 344: Our Covenant-Keeping-God

Hosea 1-4; Revelation 1

[Israel] shall eat, but not be satisfied;
they shall play the whore, but not multiply,
because they have forsaken the Lord
to cherish whoredom, wine, and new wine,
which take away the understanding (Hosea 4:10-11).

The prophet Hosea lived when the kingdom was divided into Israel in the north and Judah to the south. Specifically, Hosea lived in the tumultuous decades preceding the Assyrian invasion and fall of the northern kingdom – when Israel was diluting her faith with the pagan worship of the fertility god, Baal.

God called Hosea to do something very unusual – to emulate His own broken relationship with Israel…specifically, to seek a whore for a wife (1:2-3), to name his illegitimate children “No Mercy” and “Not My People” (1:6-9), and then to rescue his runaway prostitute wife from the hands of slavery (3:1-3).

God called Hosea to love the unworthy in order to show Israel that their covenant God loved them. God promised the unfaithful Israel that he would one day forgive and restore…

“And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ […] I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

And I will have mercy on No Mercy,
and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’;
and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’ (Hosea 2:16-20; 23)

This is the grace of our Covenant-Keeping-God…who died for us while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:8) and who has purposed to bring all things in heaven and on earth under the authority of Christ (Eph 1:10)!

We read of His power, majesty and absolute sovereignty in the opening chapter of Revelation (1:13-16). Revelation records the vision given to John to encourage the suffering church. It is a book which has great value for us today as we learn of God’s plan not only to judge the ungodly and redeem the righteous but most importantly, to exalt the risen Savior as King over all heaven and earth!

I pray our journey through the last pages of God’s redemptive story will encourage us to wait all the more faithfully for Jesus’ return. May our eyes be fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith!

Disclaimer: I humbly and cautiously offer an interpretation of the book of Revelation based on my Reformed understanding of Scripture, an Amillennialist eschatology, and a heavy reliance on the book, Revelation, The Compassion and Protection  of Christ by Dr. Paul Gardner.

Day 340: God is Life

Psalm 146, Psalm 148, Psalm 150; 1 John 5
(Psalms 147 & 149 were read on Day 273)

Today we end both 1 John and the book of Psalms. We have spent 44 straight days in Psalms!

1 John ends fittingly with John’s purpose for writing…

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:12-13).

In Jesus is life. When we believe in the Son, he gives us new life through His Spirit and equips us to love others and keep His commandments. Because of the Spirit’s power at work within us, John writes that His commands are not burdensome (vs. 3). Rather they are life to the believer!

John’s purpose was encouragement. We, too, should be encouraged by John’s message. It is a message of hope because it’s the gospel!! Our response to the gospel should be a deep internal gratitude – which pours out as praise…

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150, the final Psalm!)

Day 338: God is Truth

Psalm 140-141; 1 John 2:18-3:24
(Psalm 142 was read on Day 108)

John begins this section of Scripture by teaching that false teachers were already in their churches. He called these false teachers “antichrists” because they were “against Christ” (2:22).

John reminded the church to do two things when faced with false teaching… “Abide in what they heard from the beginning.” In other words, abide in the Word of God (2:24). And secondly, abide in the Holy Spirit (2:27). The Spirit should affirm what the Word says. It never gives “special revelation” that contradicts the Word of God.

False teachers were claiming this “special revelation” when they tried to lure the church away from gospel teachings. The primary false teaching John was refuting in these chapters was an early form of Gnosticism, specifically that Jesus did not come in the flesh.* They argued that if Jesus were separated from the flesh, then the born-again aspect of Christians was also separated from the flesh. This false premise led to the wrong conclusion that Christians could sin in the flesh and it didn’t affect their “born-again” spiritual state. In effect, they were permitting lawlessness by proclaiming that all Christians were sinless – because the deeds done in the flesh were separated from the real “spiritually born-again self.” John refuted this teaching by stating over and over again that your “doing” reflected your “being.”

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as [Jesus] is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning (1 John 3:7-8).

John was reminding the church of the truth…that Jesus came in the flesh (1:1), that all Christians struggle with sin (1:8), and when we sin, we have an advocate, Jesus the Son of God (2:1)!!

John exhorts us to examine our lives…carefully, in the light of the truth. If we are truly God’s children, our lives should reflect his righteousness. But we are not perfect, so if we are becoming complacent and falling into patterns of sin, we must run to our Advocate to find forgiveness (1:9)!

John is writing to the church tenderly. He says, “My little children. I write these things to you so that you may not sin” (2:1). And he reminds us of the incredible truth that we have been adopted into the family of God – and given a new nature so that we might be called His children.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are (1 John 3:1).

Friends, this is truth. We are God’s children. Our Father is the King. And our inheritance is vast beyond all measure!

*More information on the false teaching John is refuting can be found in this sermon by John Piper.

Day 323: A counter-cultural gospel

Psalms 92-94; Hebrews 13

And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire (Leviticus 16:27).

According to Old Testament law, the priests could eat the meat of the goats and bulls sacrificed in most offerings. But they were not allowed to eat the sacrifice offered on the Day of Atonement – the one day in which the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for himself and the people. This sacrifice was burned “outside the camp.”

The author of Hebrews alludes to this point of the law as he closes his letter with a beautiful picture of the gospel:

The bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood (Hebrews 12:11-12).

Jesus was crucified outside the city of Jerusalem as a criminal. He suffered reproach for our sake. In the world’s eyes, he was a weak and sad failure. But in God’s Kingdom, his death makes him victorious!

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting (Psalm 93:1-2).

As we choose to live our lives according to God’s ways, we will also suffer reproach. The author exhorts us to stand under the love of Christ as we face the tides of culture. He calls us to sacrifice our sense of entitlement to care for the poor and encourage the prisoner. He calls us to lay down our pride and submit to our leaders. He calls us to keep ourselves pure for one spouse. And he exhorts us to live simply instead of satisfying our hunger for wealth and position.

We live in a culture which is constantly screaming at us to abandon God’s ways. It is difficult to walk in the ways of God, but God does not leave us to tough it out on our own. No. He is our helper. He will never leave or forsake us!

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 12:20-21).

Day 322: An Enduring Love

Psalms 88, 90-91; Hebrews 12
(Psalm 89 was read on Day 228)

Hebrews 12 is one of my favorite chapters in all of Scripture…

First, I love the example of Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.” As the world seems to swirl and threatens to sweep me up in its busyness and noise, I remember to “fix my eyes on Jesus” and to “run the race that is set out before us with endurance.” The Christian life is a marathon, folks – not a sprint!

I also love the teaching that God disciplines those that he loves. This would have been an especially comforting truth to the recipients of this letter who were suffering and experiencing persecution. For me, it is easy to believe the lie that my suffering is punishment from God. Like Job, I am tempted to despair in the midst of hardship for fear that God has abandoned me. I can feel like the psalmist in Psalm 88…

O Lord, why do you cast my soul away?
Why do you hide your face from me? (Psalm 88:14)

But Hebrews 12 teaches me that God uses suffering and difficult circumstances as a means of discipline in my life. He disciplines me because he loves me – not because he is angry. He is committed to molding my character, and he loves me enough to care more about our relationship than my happiness.

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11).

Hebrews 12 ends with the reassurance that we no longer have to fear God’s judgment. Because of Christ, we are spared from the wrath of God! So we do not approach God in terror as the Israelites faced Mt. Sinai. No! We come to Mt. Zion…

to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant (Hebrews 12:22-24).

We come to a God of grace and steadfast love! When we are pressed in on every side with difficulty and suffering, we are to fix our eyes on Jesus – who loves us and gave Himself for us. We are to trust in His character. He is trustworthy and abounding in steadfast love! He disciplines us because he loves us! Hear the comforting words of our God…

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation” (Psalm 91:14-16).

Day 321: Hall of Faith

Psalms 84, 86-87; Hebrews 11
(Psalm 85 was read on Day 227)

Faith. Without it, it is impossible to please God.

The author of Hebrews has laid out his case for the Supremacy of Christ. He has exhorted them to not drift away from Christianity back to the familiar ways of Judaism – but rather to strive to keep the faith.

Now he gives an entire chapter full of examples of faith from the Old Testament. These are people who persevered to claim their reward. Think of the encouragement this would bring to these young Jewish converts…

First, they would see that God’s grace pre-dated Abraham, and reached all the way back to Abel! This would remind them that their new faith in Christ was the exact same faith which was credited to Noah and Abraham as righteousness!

They would also be encouraged that imperfect men such as Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Japheth were included as men of faith. Perfection is not a requirement. It is faith in God which justifies the sinner.

Ultimately, they would be challenged to pattern their lives after these Old Testament heroes – men and women who suffered greatly because they believed a God they could not see and died before God’s promises were fulfilled. Yet they continued to trust in the goodness of God…

Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me (Psalm 86:3-7).

Faith is not just some shot in the dark, wishful thinking. A true, saving faith is a sure anchor for the soul based on the truth of God’s word. It is the belief that the unseen is more real than the seen.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

What do we hope for? A city on a hill, the New Jerusalem, filled with the glory of the Lord. We look forward to the day when every tear will be wiped away and the dim reflection of His presence in this world will be seen clearly in all His glory. We hope for Jesus and the wedding feast of the lamb and an eternity in perfect relationship with the Savior and with fellow man. These aren’t just wistful dreams – these are truths that we should be willing to die for!!!

Where is your faith? Do you place your hope in your own fleeting material wealth or aspirations of success? Is your hope in your spouse or in your children? Or is your hope in the unseen, yet eternal God who is trustworthy and true? Don’t sacrifice eternity for a lesser, instant pleasure.

Strive to enter His rest; persevere in your faith, and be one who overcomes to the end!

Day 319: Draw near!

Psalms 75-77; Hebrews 10:1-25
(Psalm 74 was read on Day 226)

The previous chapters of Hebrews have been building to a climax found in Chapter 10. Here we read the author’s final and convincing argument of why Jesus is superior to the Mosaic law in every way.

The bottom line: “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).

The sacrificial system of the Old Testament paved the way for Jesus…

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (Hebrews 10:14).

Jesus, the sacrificial lamb, our High Priest and King – has opened the way through the curtain to the presence of God. He sits at God’s right hand to make intercession for us night and day!

Because of the great truths so systematically presented in the first 10 chapters of Hebrews, the author urges the young Jewish Christians to draw near to God!!

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus […] let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:19-23).

He is faithful. He is trustworthy…Even when the church suffers persecution, poverty and death – God is faithful. Therefore, the author encourages them to meet together for the purpose of encouragement and mutual strengthening.

Likewise, we cannot expect to persevere in the faith without the support and encouragement from other believers, especially through relationships in our local churches. This is God’s design – We are to draw near to God and to each other to find strength and help in our time of need. And as we lay aside our individual rights to come together to support one another, the world takes notice, and Christ is glorified!

We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is near.
We recount your wondrous deeds (Psalm 75:1).