And Sits at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty

“It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God.” Romans 8:34 ASV

Many people of think of sitting as a restful activity. Office workers who sit at a computer terminal all day would probably disagree. I am an author and I sit most of the day, when not walking my dog, producing books and blogs and seminar notes. Sitting does not mean idleness. Like millions of people who sit to work, Christ is also at work.

What is He doing? In John 14 He told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them. That is one thing He does. In Romans 8 it tells us that He is making intercession for us. We sin and we need an advocate to plead our case before God. Jesus is that Advocate interceding for our sins. In Ephesians 4 we are told that He is giving gifts to Church leaders to equip the Church for His glory. At the same time, in the manifest power of the risen Christ, He is accompanying His Church in their witness to the world and protecting His Church from the gates of hell. Christ is not resting as He awaits His return. He is ever loving and caring for His bride the Church.

Almighty God, We thank you that Christ is ever active in our behalf. Amen.

  The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

 

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He Ascended into Heaven

“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” Acts 1:9 NKJV

On the Thursday ten days before Pentecost it was customary for the church to celebrate this important event – the ascension of Christ into heaven. It was a time for the church to focus on the final command that Christ had given before His ascension and to celebrate the wonderful work Christ does for His Church since His ascension. Just prior to ascending into heaven Christ commissioned the church to be His witnesses in all the world. He commanded them to make disciples and baptize them. He promised that He, with His power and authority as the ascended Christ, would always go with them.

Today the world still waits for us to fulfill that Great Commission given us by Christ. It is estimated that of the nearly seven billion people on earth about half of them have never even heard of Christ. Billions more have heard of Him only as a great teacher or prophet. We have the joy today to still be part of that great cloud of witnesses that will testify to a world dying in sin that there is hope and forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God. 

Almighty God, We thank You that at Christ’s ascension He gave us work to do that can give us joy and bring others hope. Amen. 

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The Third Day He Rose Again from the Dead

“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Mark 8:31 NKJV

While we must preach Christ crucified, we must never leave out Christ resurrected. We don’t serve a dead leader. We don’t serve an unfortunate martyr. We don’t serve a mythological symbolism of Spring. We serve the Risen Savior. Christ arose – Hallelujah! We serve the Son of God who bodily rose again from the dead, left hell defeated in His wake and lives forever to sustain His people.  

What does it mean to us, day to day in our ordinary lives, that Jesus rose again. In short, it means everything. It means that He is alive to give us aid and comfort in every need. It means that we are never alone. We are not dependent on the simple memory of a dead man; we have the daily blessed fellowship with our risen Savior. We cannot face something He didn’t already face and now, He who conquered every foe on earth can stand beside us to also win the victory each day. But not only in this life are we blessed. Because He lives, death is defeated and we can pass from life unto life forevermore.

Almighty God, Thank You for the resurrection and its blessings to me each day. Amen. 

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He Descended into Hell

“Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?” Eph. 4:9 KJV

In the beautiful old hymn, “Open Wide, Ye Doors” we find this simple line, “He has wrested Satan’s throne”. This is the victory of Christ’s descent into hell; He rose again. By descending and ascending Christ destroyed Satan’s power of the fear of death that he had wielded over mankind since the Garden. Christ was able to declare to all those bound by death that the door of heaven was open to all who had believed God’s promise of sending the Savior.

Paul illuminates this point by adding in Ephesians that Christ “led captivity captive”. In the game “Capture the Flag” one goal is to capture your opponent’s players and put them in your “jail”. The opponents must them try to free them and return them to their rightful territory. Essentially they lead captivity captive to the safety of home. Christ descended and ascended with those who had died in faith and took them “home”. Praise God that Christ has broken Satan’s power, wrested Satan’s throne and now will take all who believe in Him “Home” forever. Death has lost its sting.

Almighty God, We thank You that Christ has won the victory over Satan for us. Amen. 

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Christ Crucified - Part 2

“But we preach Christ crucified”1 Cor. 1:23 NKJV

The crucifixion of Christ is not simply a verification of Scripture. It is the means of salvation for all mankind. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “The Son of Man must be lifted up”. He likened His being lifted up to Moses raising up the bronze serpent in the Wilderness so that all who looked at it could be saved from the plague of snakes. Then Jesus said again later to His disciples, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me”.  By this statement He signified both the style of His death and His offer to all mankind to come to Him for salvation.

If we preach Christ without preaching Him crucified for our sins, we have missed the point of preaching altogether. It is the message of the Cross that offers forgiveness of sins through the shed blood of the Son of God. As Scripture says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission (forgiveness of sin)”. It is the Cross that gives us daily hope that we can offer confession for sins and that God, through the blood of His Son, will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Almighty God, Thank You that You let Your Son be crucified for me. Amen.

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Who Suffered Under Pontius Pilate, Was Crucified, Dead, and Buried

“That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried” I Corinthians 15:3-4 NKJV

Was the death of Jesus Christ a surprise, an unexpected event of history that intruded itself in an untimely way on a good and decent man? Not at all. Certainly it came as a shock to His disciples who apparently hadn’t paid much attention to the things He had told them for the last year and a half of His earthly ministry. To those who followed Him for the wrong reasons like nationalism or social security, it came as a disappointment. But to God the Father and to the Son it came about just as prophesied and planned for eternity.

His death had been prophesied and pictured repeatedly in Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus. They were prophesied repeatedly in the Psalms and the prophets. The entire Scriptures are replete with the absolute declaration that the Son of God would die as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of man. The Apostles’ Creed declares with utmost certainty that the Christian believes the words of the Scriptures to be inspired and true. Believers base their faith on the revealed integrity of Almighty God who could both plan and finish that plan for the salvation of His creation.

Almighty God, Thank you for Your sure and certain word, our Bible. Amen.

  The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

 

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Who Was Conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son” Isa. 7:14 NKJV

For those who want to discredit the Bible, the miracles that are performed all through the pages of Scripture are their favorite target. Of course to deny them means that they must deny the contemporary accounts, or original sources, and they must deny the multiple eye witnesses who verify every miracle. But if you want to deny things you can simply say they didn’t happen, say it loudly and often and hope no one notices you offer no proof of your claim. The miracle of the Virgin birth is one they really hate because it would mean that Jesus wasn’t just a man.

But God insists on this very point. Jesus is not just a man. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of a virgin. In Genesis chapter 3 God said the deliverer would come from the seed of the woman. That is specific. In Isaiah God said it would be a virgin woman. By the birth of Isaac in Genesis God clarified that the promised seed would come by an impossible miraculous birth. The New Testament puts its stamp on that truth. Thank God for the miracle of Jesus’ birth.

Almighty God, You are the God of might and miracles. Thank you for the Virgin birth of our Savior. Amen

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And in Jesus Christ His Only Son Our Lord

“Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, Son of God” John 11:27 NKJV

The Old Testament promised a Savior who would be God’s anointed, the Christ of God. The New Testament reveals the Savior, God’s anointed, the Christ of God. His name is Jesus and as Paul said of him, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” (Col. 2:9) Christians don’t place our faith in or worship a man; we worship God in the flesh. We don’t follow a great teacher or a great idealist or a great healer or a great social champion; we follow God in the flesh.

From the time of the Apostles onward men have denied that Jesus was really God. That denial is nothing new. Our declaration of hope and eternal life is that He is really God. As Acts 20:28 says, it was the blood of God that purchased our salvation. God incarnate, the second person of the eternal Trinity, died for our sins. We are washed with divine blood. Because He is eternal He can offer eternal life to all who believe in Him as Jesus Christ our Lord who is the Son of God.

Almighty God, Thank You for giving us Your divine Son as our only possible Savior. Amen. 

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Maker of Heaven and Earth

“The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth” Isa. 40:28 KJV

What is the first thing we ascribe to God the Father Almighty? We give Him credit for the work of His hands. We give Him credit for our very lives and being. We are His creation. We are not a product of chance or random mutation of genetic material. We are His creation. He is our Creator. This recognition elevates Him to His proper position and places us in ours. We are not God; He is. All the fine creative abilities He has given man are bare specks on a canvas compared the wonder and grandeur of His. He made no mistakes in His creation while we, like the potter in Jeremiah, squash our imperfect pots and must remake them again and again to get them right.

When we think of His mighty work we can see what an insult it is to Him that mankind has chosen to worship the creation more than the Creator. Creation is beautiful only because He made it so. The fault lines in creation only exist because of the curse placed on our sin. So when we begin this wonderful confession, we begin by placing ourselves where we belong – the created not the Creator.

Almighty God, We humbly recognize that You are our Creator and Master. Amen.

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I Believe in God the Father Almighty

“And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty” Exodus 6:3 KJV

The oldest regularly used confession in Christendom is the Apostles’ Creed. It boldly sets forth the Christian’s statement of faith. Everyone believes in something, even the atheist. A person’s god may be education, government, social causes, finance, evolution, immorality or as many possibilities as there are people. They would articulate that they believe those things are what drives our lives, makes us happy and are the foundation we can rest upon. The Christian says, “I believe in God the Father Almighty.”

The word believe means that “I have placed my faith in”. There are many other things in the world around us that captivate our time and attention. But for the Christian their faith in God surpasses all the other affairs of life when it comes down to where we will lay our head at night. We trust in the One who is Almighty. We trust in the One who can do all things and do them well. We trust in His integrity, His promises, His presence and His Gospel. This confession has stated the simple fact of faith for nearly two millennia, and continues to resonate today with all the peace and joy it declares.

Thank You, Almighty God, that You really are all You are cracked up to be. Amen.

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I Will Dwell in the House of the Lord Forever

“I go to prepare a place for you and I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also.” John 14:3 NKJV

Our confidence in the Good Shepherd is not merely temporal hope. We do not hope in Him for this life only. If we did, Paul said, we would of all men be the most pitiable. Christ is risen from the dead! Alleluia! Since He lives we too shall live. We shall not just live, but we will live with Him forever. This glorious and blessed hope was that of Job as he went through the great trials of his life. He said, “And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.” This was the hope of David who looked forward to dwelling in God’s house forever.

This hope helps to lift us beyond what happens to us every day on earth. Hebrews eleven gives us the Hall of Fame of the Faith. It records what the saints of old endured for the hope that David spoke of in this psalm. This earth is not our final home. We cannot keep what we have here but we will be kept by Who we have here. Jesus Christ, our certainty and hope, will keep us with Himself unto life everlasting. Amen.

Precious Shepherd, Thank You for the blessed hope of eternity with You. Amen.

  The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

 

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Surely Goodness and Mercy

“I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever” Ps. 89:1 KJV

Around 400 years after the great psalmist of Israel King David died, the country had so abandoned their worship of God that He sent them away into exile and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. In the midst of the overwhelming sorrow of that event Jeremiah the prophet wrote the book of Lamentations. It is an extensive confession of guilt and expression of the pain inflicted by God for Israel’s great sin.  In the very middle of that lamentation is a brilliant ray of sunshine, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed; His compassions fail not; they are new every morning; Great is Thy Faithfulness!”

God’s goodness and mercy are not always found in bouquets of flowers and sunny days. They are with us always, even in the darkest times of our lives. David had known many years of struggle and pain. He had fled from his home, lost his wife, lived as a hunted refugee in a strange land, but he said that God’s goodness and mercy followed him all the days of his life. God’s goodness was not a circumstance; it was a truth. That is still true today.

Precious Shepherd, Help us to understand that Your goodness and mercy is always true to the sheep of Your pasture. Amen.  

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My Cup Runneth Over

“There shall be showers of blessing” Ezek. 34:26 KJV

We have heard this phrase since childhood, “You’ve had enough”. Maybe it was ice cream or staying up late or anything we wanted that we really could have had enough of. Our loving parents knew where to draw the line for our well being. Now we have probably had to say the same thing to our children or grandchildren. But there is a commodity about which we can never say, “You’ve had enough.”

We can never have enough of the richness of the grace of God. He pours it forth unto our heads from His mighty throne of grace and we can never say that we have had enough of it. We can think of so many aspects of God’s grace that we could alphabetize them from A to Z many times. We need His grace at every juncture of our day – His strengthening grace, His forgiving grace, His patient grace, His caring grace. We need them for our own needs and to meet the needs of those around us. So, God anoints us with so much grace that our cup runs over. Praise be to God on high.

Precious Shepherd, Thank you for the bottomless cup of Your grace poured out upon us. Amen.  

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Thou Anointest My Head with Oil

“And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil” Ex. 30:25 NKJV

The oil of anointing had a very important function in the Old Testament. It was made with a special formula that was not to be replicated. It was to be used for the function of anointing that which was to be holy and separated to the Lord. In Exodus this oil was used to anoint all the articles in the tabernacle and the priests. Pure olive oil was to be used in the lampstand to keep it lit at all times. Oil was also used in the anointing of kings and prophets. If it was to be set apart by God it was anointed with oil.

All those born again to a living hope in Jesus Christ are also called to be set apart, holy for the Lord. We are called His temple, kings and priests. We are commissioned to tell everyone of the truth of God and His Word as prophets of the Most High God. For all of this we need anointing and God has anointed His Church with the oil of the Holy Spirit that we might effectively live for Him and serve Him.

Precious Shepherd, Thank You for anointing us with Your Holy Spirit to be useful in service to You. Amen.  

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Thou Preparest a Table Before Me

“That you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom” Luke 22:30 NKJV

Scripture clearly teaches us that each believer has a terrible enemy. He is called the accuser of the brethren.  He is called a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He is called the father of lies. He is a murderer who only seeks our harm. He is that serpent of old, the devil himself. As long as we dwell in this world he will remain our enemy. He is not alone as our enemy. All those who live for the lust of the flesh and eyes and pride of life are opposed to the truth we share and the hope we have.

In the midst of this mighty force of opposition and hatred, God calls us to His table. Paul calls it the Lord’s Table and we celebrate it often in our churches. It is the table of remembrance that we have a mighty and victorious Savior who cares for us in the midst of our foes. It declares to us the forgiveness of our sins that Satan would use as accusations against us. It refreshes and renews us in the Holy Ghost who will strengthen us to live victoriously in this wicked world each day.

Precious Shepherd, Thank you for the table of communion with you, the table of mercy, strength and forgiveness that we need to live in this world.  Amen.

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For Thou Art With Me

“For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 NKJV

When I was in college one instructor was intent on breaking down the convictions of those in the class who held to the value of life or a deep sense of morality. She would create a scenario in which we had to choose between holding to God’s word and compromising because of circumstances. At the start the class was divided about 2 to 1 in favor of making the compromise. The instructor kept adding additional circumstances to break down the will of those standing on the side of truth. Near the end there were only two of us left on the side of no compromise. Then there was only me.

I admit that it was always easier when there was someone with me. When the last person left me to stand alone I really did feel alone. But then the still small voice of the Shepherd said, “I am with you. I will never leave you alone.” With Christ as our Good Shepherd we can always be assured that we are never alone. He cares for His sheep and stays with the flock in all circumstances.

Precious Shepherd, Thank you for never leaving me alone. Strengthen me with that assurance each day.  Amen.  

  The  Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

The Shadow of Death

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” 1 Cor. 15:55 KJV

Death is a topic that many people seem to want to avoid. Young people want to assume that the exhilaration of their lives will go on without end. Others want to avoid the conversation because of great fear of the unknown. But we cannot escape death; it is all around us. Warriors die in battle; friends and relatives succumb to age or disease or accidents and die; our cultural heroes die. Death is, in fact, the most certain of all facts of life.

All of our lives are essentially lived in the shadow of death. But death itself can be only a shadow if we know that life is on the other side. As we walk along a path on a sunny day we relish the sunshine, but suddenly a cloud passes over. The cloud has not hurt us, but it has cast a shadow on our path. Then the cloud disappears and it is sunny again. That is what the promise of passing from life unto life means to the believer. The shadow of death is only the temporary interruption of the sunshine of this life being exchanged for the superior life of eternity with our Shepherd.

Precious Shepherd, Help us to see beyond the shadows to the light of Your presence beyond and then to fear not.  Amen.  

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For His Name's Sake

“And holy is His name.” Luke 1:49 NKJV

The names of God are such precious promises to His people that we should rejoice in them and lay hold of their truth. Mary, the mother of our Lord, used one of His names in her beautiful anthem of praise known as the Magnificat. What God does for us, she said, is according to the nature of His name. David said the same thing in Psalm 23.  The shepherd does things for the sheep for “His Name’s sake.”  

Abraham called God “The Lord Provides” for God had provided a sacrifice instead of Isaac. Moses called God “The Lord is our Banner” for under his Name they had defeated their enemies. In Psalm 46:7 the psalmist calls God “The Lord of Hosts” because he trusted in the deliverance of God from enemies around Judah. There are many such names and titles to God used throughout Scripture. God is behind each one.  Each one gives the sheep of His pasture a certain promise that only God can provide, and He will do it because His name is on the promise. 

Precious Shepherd, Your Name comforts and assures us.  Help us to rest in its promises today. Amen. 

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In Paths of Righteousness

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”  II Tim. 3:16 NKJV

Paths are a common word in Scripture.  The path is often spoken of in a spirituals sense.  In Psalm 119:105 the psalmist says that God’s word is light unto our path.   In Proverbs 3:6 Solomon tells us that if we acknowledge the Lord He will direct our paths.  Consistently we see that the right path taken is the path that is directed by God.  Conversely we see in Psalm 1 that there is another path, the path of sinners.  David says blessed is the man who does not walk in the path of sinners.  There are two distinct paths in life and our Shepherd leads us in the right one.

How He leads is seen clearly in the Bible.  Psalm 119 uses 169 of its 172 verses to extol the virtue of the Scriptures as a guide for life.  Psalm 1 says that the man is blessed who delights in God’s law or word.  As Paul wrapped up his final instructions to Timothy as to how to teach and live, Paul told him that the standard for both doctrine and a life of righteousness is found in God’s word. 

Precious Shepherd, Open my eyes that I may see the right path in Your word.  Amen.

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He Leadeth Me

“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’." Isa 30:21 NKJV

In the New Testament we see how the Holy Spirit led the church at Antioch to set aside Paul and Barnabas for missionary service.  We see later how He led Paul to travel into Europe and minster there.  In the Old Testament we see how God led Abraham to go from Ur to the Promised Land.  We see how God directed the steps of the Israelites in the wilderness.  Over and over we see God leading His people. Those are not just Bible stories.  Those are real life facts about how God will lead those who will follow. 

We have the One True God whose name is the God Who Changes Not (Mal. 3:6) He didn’t stop leading at some obscure time in the past. As the God Who Changes Not, He still does what He always did.  He cares for His people.  He leads His sheep.  He provides for His flock.  His Spirit which rested on people in Bible times dwells within His people today.  He still speaks to us in His word today and says, “This is the way, walk in it.” 

Precious Shepherd, Make my ears sensitive to Your voice that I might follow where You lead. Amen.  

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