Colossians 1:18 – “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

What factors differentiate a genuine Work of God from everything else we see around us in the marketplace of religion? On the most basic level, pleading the blood of Jesus has led us to three fundamental discoveries: preaching the revealed Word, following the guidance or direction of the Holy Spirit instead of human opinions, and having our relationship with Christ express itself through a genuine participation in a local Body of the faithful church.

continue

Leviticus 5:5-6 - ”When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned and, as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for his sin”

Animal sacrifice was the only way to atone for sins in the Old Testament.  Without the shedding of blood, there was no forgiveness (see the description in Hebrews 9:22).  The book of Leviticus is entirely about priestly sacrifices, ceremonial cleanness, and other priestly duties – all of which foreshadow the work of Jesus, our Great High Priest.  The various sacrifices described in Leviticus all foreshadow different aspects of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross.  His atonement was multi-faceted, and we see all the facets in different Old Testament passages.  This passage describes the “sin offering,” the most basic sacrifice of atonement.

continue

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

This is not a conditional love (“I love you if you do something for me” or “I love you because you did something for me”) but a love “in spite of”, which is not a feeling, but a commitment to someone’s well being, no matter what.  This is the true mark of the disciple.

continue

Isaiah 58:8-9 – “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.  Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: ‘Here am I.’ ”

The Bible gives many different names and titles for the Lord Jesus: the Word, the Son of Man, the Desired of the Nations, etc.  Some of these are vivid comparisons to everyday objects, showing one of the aspects through which He reveals Himself: the Bread of Life (John 6:35; John 6:48), the Light of the World (John 8:12, John 9:5), the Gate (John 10:7; John 10:9), and the Bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16).

continue

Song of Solomon 5:2-8 – “I slept but my heart was awake.  Listen! My lover is knocking: ”Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”  I have taken off my robe— must I put it on again? I have washed my feet— must I soil them again?  My lover thrust his hand through the latch-opening; my heart began to pound for him.   I arose to open for my lover, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh,  on the handles of the lock.  I opened for my lover, but my lover had left; he was gone.  My heart sank at his departure.  I looked for him but did not find him.  I called him but he did not answer.  The watchmen found me  as they made their rounds in the city.  They beat me, they bruised me;  they took away my cloak,  those watchmen of the walls!  O daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you—  if you find my lover,  what will you tell him?  Tell him I am faint with love…”

The Bible says that “God rewards those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 - ekzeteo in the Greek).  In contrast, He does not necessarily reward those who seek Him only casually or sporadically.  Such people are not displaying any faith.  The promise of Scripture is that He rewards those who seek Him diligently, wholeheartedly.

continue

Matthew 27:45-54 - “From the sixth hour until the ninth hour, darkness came over all the land . . . When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  The earth shook and the rocks split.  The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.  They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many people…”

As Jesus was dying on the cross, many people stood there mocking him, reviling him for His inability to deliver himself from that situation.  He seemed helpless and alone to them, but there were some remarkable manifestations of God’s power were taking place at that moment.   Let’s consider the significance of these events.

continue

1 Samuel 16:1 - The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel?  Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem.  I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

When the Lord rejected Saul as King of Israel, the prophet Samuel grieved over his fall or apostasy for a long time. We also grieve over those who drift away from the Work of God.

continue

1 Samuel 11:2 – “But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel…”

continue

2 Samuel 23:14-17 – At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.  David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”  So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord.  “Far be it from me, O Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it...

In the Bible, the life of David provides a prophetic illustration of the Holy Spirit’s work, the Project of God that He wants to do in our midst. The events of David’s life and reign stand in contrast to those of Saul, his immediate predecessor, who is a prophetic illustration of empty religion – that which starts out in God’s project and then deviates to follow human opinions and agendas. We can learn many important lessons about what pleases God if we study the life of David and his relationship with God.

continue