Tag: prophet

Devotional 136: Prince of Peace

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Matthew 10:34-39

Christ Brings Division

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

As the Lamb of G-d, we call him the Prince of Peace, and yet His own words tell us that was not His purpose. Consider when John the Baptist speaks of the harvest (Matthew 3:1-12) 

The harvest is a violent time of axes and fires, cutting down and throwing away, threshing and cleaning. It will not be a peaceful time, for it will be the wrath of G-d dispensed on His enemies for the last time. As the Father has given us grace through His Son, the unrepentant and unbelieving, having had the opportunity to repent and believe, have sealed their own eternal fate.

Throughout the Word, it says the wicked will be cut off. In Proverbs, it says they will be cut off without remedy.

Proverbs 2:21-22

21 For the upright will dwell in the land,
And the blameless will remain in it;
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth,
And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

Proverbs 29:1

Happy Is He Who Keeps the Law

29 He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck,
Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Jesus tells us this:

22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

If the Father’s wrath still abides on His Chosen during the harvest, how much worse will it be for those under the covenant of grace? (Matthew 11:20-24)

We often stumble, as did John the Baptist, over the question of the exact nature of Jesus’ mission: It was to spread the gospel of grace, but it was also to lead man to repentance and spare Him on the day of judgment, so that the soul would be redeemed to the Father who created it. As Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Think of how precious a soul must be, that G-d and the Devil both fight for it.”

We have in the story of Exodus how the sprinkling of the blood of a spotless lamb saved the Israelites. It was the same calling on the Lamb of G-d, who was also the Son of G-d.

But John the Baptist spoke of Jesus not only as the Lamb of G-d (John 1:29-34), but the Lion of Judah (Matthew 3:12)  To him, it was all going to happen, but it was only the first part that Jesus came to fulfill in John’s lifetime.

As he saw Jesus healing and doing signs and wonders, preaching repentance, forgiveness, and redemption, and wreaking spiritual havoc among the teachers of Israel who corrupted the Word to secure their own wealth, power, and influence, he also lost heart.

Matthew 11: 2-6

2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

Jesus’ own cousin, in fact, turned out to be one of ‘the others’ referred to in Hebrews that was not delivered from death by human capriciousness, vanity, and hate.

The difficulty for all of us who wait upon the Lord is that we live in the times between those manifestations. We have the first part recorded for us to refer to, but we are living in the times Jesus spoke of  regarding the unraveling of man’s faith in G-d and his obedience to the Word.

The peace we speak of is after the enemies of G-d have been purged. The Word tells us we will look for those who’ve contended with us, and with G-d, and they will not be found. (Isaiah 42:12)

Our Lord was a prophet, but it is that nature of prophecy to only say what will happen, not when.  As His word came to pass on the temple in A.D. 70 (Matthew 24:1-3), so too, will all that He’s told us that the disciples have written to us, come to pass as well.

We would also do well to remember that even non-believers of matters heavenly held Him to be a prophet as well. (John 4:19)

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus, 

In the time that I have walked with You, been delivered, prophesied, moved in my gifting, increased the influence of my ministry, seen my family grow and prosper and give thanks to the Father for blessing me through Your hands, as He has given You authority in all things,  I have stumbled in my humanity in misunderstanding, and not understanding, the things of Heaven that you speak. 

There are times I am as baffled as the Apostles and the crowds You spoke to so frequently.

And yet, in matters of the spirit, like the two men You spoke with on the road to Emmaus, my heart burned within me as the Holy Spirit revealed the truth of the Gospel to me, convicted me of my sin, and sealed me for salvation by leading me to godly repentance. Until that point I was a believer, but not a follower, and certainly not a servant.

The Holy Spirit even now still reveals to me, for I myself war between flesh and spirit, and Your disciple Paul speaks of the Word as two-edged sword that cleaves the two.

Help us to remember that even as the Holy Spirit comforts us now, Heaven will be taken by force, for the enemy will make one last bid for dominion over it as well as the earth through his own agents of faithlessness, immorality, and scorn.

Help us to follow Your voice, and keep to the Narrow Way. 

We see even now the signs You give in the heavens and earth, cloaked beneath ‘science,’ which sets itself above You, devoid of the purpose of fulfilling Your Word. 

Lord, as we’re surrounded, let us too bring the sword of Your Word to bear, let our works shine before men that they glorify the Father, let our blessings be such that none are in need among us, or because of us, and let it be in such abundance that we overflow in our spirit and need not ask:

“Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 

May it be that You always answer us, “Assuredly, I say to You…”

May it be done to us as You have said.

Amen.

Devotional 110: Now We Believe

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John 4:39-42

The Savior of the World

39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word.

42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

As believers, we’ve likely heard multiple sermons of Jesus’ encounter and conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. It was such an uncommon thing that the disciples were taken by surprise when they returned from their dinner run to find Jesus speaking to her.

She had a reputation among her neighbors, so much so that she came out alone.

Jesus begins his lesson on being the living water, and speaks to her marital and spiritual conditions. His own reputation by now is such that the Samaritans, despised of the Jews, have taken hope in the message that they too can be redeemed through faith.

John 4:25

25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

The exchange between them happens, and she is so intrigued by His words that she leaves the water there and goes to tell the people of her city that a prophet is among them.

Her reputation notwithstanding, they are eager to see for themselves, and the most extraordinary thing happens: those who are despised of the Jews urge Jesus to stay and minister among them, and He does.

“And many more believed because of His own word.” Having heard the power and authority of His words, they confirm the answer to her question, “Could this be the Christ?”

What a gracious Lord we serve! He makes even those who were the mortal enemies of His own people have faith in the Gospel.

But then, Jesus’ enemies always recognized His deity:

Luke 4:33-36

33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. 36

And again:

Luke 8:26-28 A Demon-Possessed Man Healed

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!”

If the demons know Him as the Son of G-d, and obey His word, how can we who claim to love him by faith, and worship Him in spirit and truth, do any less?

It’s interesting to note that the demons proclaimed Him, but the Pharisees and Sadducees did not.

Today, the enemies of Christ (and we who believe in Him) are once again Legion, but we are divided among ourselves and confused in our limited, comfortable, mortal interpretation of the Word of an eternal G-d. It’s a lot like when David moved the ark without the Father’s blessing and guidance, we lean on our own understanding, and reap the results.

For example, in an effort to soften the blow of impending condemnation, some churches have stopped proclaiming to the world that its works are evil, no longer say the word ‘sin,’ and have made their peace with that which G-d calls abomination because it is now legal and popular, and we find ourselves once again divided among class, race, and politics.

We are commanded not to judge, but we are also commanded not to compromise. We do, even with our silence which is for a few reasons: 1-we don’t want to become social media targets. 2- we don’t want to lose friends with differing opinions, so we decide to keep the peace and ‘agree to disagree,’ or 3- we’re afraid of the consequences and retaliation we and our families can fall victim to at anytime.

Let us keep in mind that the Lord Jesus was a prophet, and all that He proclaimed came to pass in His lifetime, just as the end times will one day be manifest. I think we’re beginning to see the start of it now, more so than at any other time.

If the enemies of Christ don’t doubt Him, and judgment begins with the Children of G-d, it’s time for those in the faith to recognize that perhaps His power, prophecies, and proclamations concerning Himself are true, and bring ourselves in line with His word about who the Father is and what He wants: to be reconciled with His children in the new earth, His presence a light in the new Heaven, where there will be no more sun and moon, and we’ll have no memory of this sinful, evil world.

And there will be no more sin because the enemies of G-d will no longer exist, anywhere.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

Your will is so aligned with the Father’s that even the demons can’t be in the presence of Your holiness. For them, it’s torment. It gives the Father no pleasure to punish a rebellious angel with chains and fire, or to cast a rebellious soul from His life giving presence into outer darkness, yet there is no middle ground. The disciple You loved tells us that the faithless abide in the Father’s wrath.

Help us to hold fast to Your truth when the consequences are made manifest, and the perils of judgment on a faithless land begin to increase and surge all around us. There is no safe place, there are no hiding places, and You are yet giving us time to repent, believe the Gospel, and be saved. 

Let me follow Your example, that even those against me can see a difference as I clean up the dirty places of my life once more, and get back under Calvary’s covering.

Today, right now, I put from me all that does not glorify You in thought, word, and deed.

Today, right now, help me to love and minister to our enemies at the table You set before me in their presence.

Help me to forgive them as well, continuing to speak the goodness of Your name and have them see the difference in me has come about through Your grace and the Father’s willingness to reveal You to me. 

Help me to speak the Truth, planting seeds for others to water, and still others to reap.

Let my love for You be as unwavering as my faith in You, and let my life be consecrated to You for the Kingdom’s sake, and to the Father’s glory. 

I ask it in Your name.

May it be to us as You have said.

Amen.

 

Devotional 94: He Marveled

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Mark 6:4-6

4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

To marvel implies a much greater sense than to be ‘surprised.’ Here’s a working definition:  to be filled with wonder or astonishment.  

It is both a verb and a noun, yet when we see it applied to Jesus in the form of a verb, we know then that He was truly in one of two places: one where faith was strong, or one where it was not.

How could the Messiah, who came from the Father to deliver us from evil, be made to marvel at our faithlessness? If He in fact knew what was in a man, and never wavered from His mission, and seen the heart of the people toward Him, why would He be surprised?

Verse 4 tells us He already knew that, but Verse 6 seems like He didn’t.

I suggest it was quiet, more like a silent grief. Who wouldn’t choose salvation of their soul, redemption from the grave, and eternal life? Who would choose separation from an omnipotent and loving Creator? Having lost our earthly fathers, who would choose to not be with their Heavenly Father?

Here was the Promised, at the height of His ministry, in the midst of His own, doing signs and wonders and miracles, turning sinners to G-d and reaching the lost, willing to give of Himself to the point of death to atone for sins He never committed, and yet…

“He marveled at their unbelief.”

We live in a world of beauty. Who would willingly leave Eden? The vistas of our planet, the power of its nature, the temperateness and variety of its climes, and the comforts of life blind us to the Truth that there is something better.

We also live in a world of evil: we use words like ‘exclusive’, and ‘illegal.’ We worship mammon, forgetting the treasure is the King’s. (Haggai 2:8), we enslave and slaughter, and give over to the lusts of our flesh, and that which G-d has allowed us to have dominion over, we have used to replace Him. Science is used as an argument against an infinitely creative G-d, though we have not fathomed the depths of His universe. Even Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is an atheist, titled his series: The Inexplicable Universe. He mocks G-d and Christians, yet the title speaks for itself. (As Pilate said, ‘What I have written, I have written,” not knowing the truth of it).

The unbelieving claim a morality with no compass; it is as selective and subject to imperfection as sectarian faith, and in fact, leads to a belief that one’s own goodness is sufficient, so there is no need to refocus, repent, or return to anything other than their own center. The appeal is in the ritual, the mantra, the chanting, the incense, the doing of things.

Grace requires nothing, and is undeserved, and claims a true and lasting forgiveness that allows us to stand blameless before the Father on the day of judgment.

Who wouldn’t choose that?

And then we have the story of the centurion:

6 Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” 10 And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

A pagan’s humility and faith in the Son of G-d made Jesus marvel. He found Himself in a place where faith was strong.

Do we really want the Son of G-d to come to us, cleanse us, reveal our hearts, renew our minds, and put right spirits within us?

Then let us humble ourselves, and believe, and give the Prophet honor among us.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

In the times we forget Your promises, let us remember that judgment starts with the children of G-d, and that many who say to You ‘Lord, lord,’ will be denied, and that some who have never uttered Your name will be grafted in, because they have proven to be worthy workers by doing the Father’s will. 

It is those, You tell us, who are Your brothers and sisters (Matthew 12:50)

Your power and love were such that it touched the heart of pagans, and cleaved the heart of Pharisees.

We are but sheep, and sheep are easy to pick off, easy to deceive, easy to kill, and we have an enemy in the fold.

But You are the Good Shepherd, and assure us no one can snatch us from Your hand.

I ask also, Lord, that You keep us from leaping out of Your grasp.

Forgive me for the times when the faith of pagans outstripped my own, where the praises of rocks replaced my own, and I have placed an idol on the altar where the Father’s Word should be.

Let us remember that prophets don’t speak of time, but events, and the events we see now are the events You foretold, and You tell us Your word is truth (John 17:17).

We would be sanctified by it, and live in the year of the Lord’s favor, saved by faith in You from the day of the Lord’s wrath. 

In the days ahead, Lord Jesus, I would have You marvel at my turnaround, and rejoice in my repentance. Anoint me once more, and sing over me, and purify me, that I may be redeemed from the power of the  grave, and live eternally with You.

Only say the word, Lord, and I shall be healed.

I would be a sign, a wonder, and a testimony to the Father’s will, that all who see my light through You will marvel at it, and turn to G-d, giving Him the glory.

Let it be done to us as You have said.

Amen.