Tag: King
Bearing Witness to the Truth!
Scripture reading for November 8th: John 18, Psalm 73, Proverbs 6
John 18: 35-38 “Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You over to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But My kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world–to bear witness to the Truth. Everyone who is of the Truth listens to My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is Truth?””
The Jews had turned Jesus over to Pilate, the Roman governor as an insurrectionist because they wanted to execute Him. Pilate questioned Jesus concerning His kingdom and title. Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world. He also admitted that His purpose was to bear witness to the Truth of His Kingship and kingdom. Pilate was mystified. He had heard Jesus’ claims and was confused about whether they were Truth. This is the state of many in our world today. They know about Jesus and have heard His Gospel, but their hearts refuse to listen to Truth. They instead believe a lie and remain in a state of confusion and end up in eternal judgment. They point their finger at Jesus in accusation instead of lifting their hands in worship. Only the Truth, Jesus Christ, Son of God, can set us free!
Psalm 73:27-28 “For behold, those who are far from You shall perish; You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to You. But for me, it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my Refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for the Truth of Jesus as King and Your heavenly kingdom. Thank You for revealing the Truth to me and all who believe, saving us from eternal judgment and confusion in this life. Open the eyes and hearts of my friends and family to see the Truth of the Gospel today. Use me in any way You can to share the Gospel Truth with a heart of compassion and love reflecting Your Son.
Proverbs 6:12-13 “A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, . “
Walking in love and truth
Scripture reading for November 29th: Zechariah 12-14, Psalm 94, 2nd John
2nd John: 4-9 “I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady–not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning–that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments: this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”
In Jesus Christ, love and truth are joined together. John’s second letter is short and to the point concerning Christ’s commandment to love one another. This commandment is not new, but one given by God from the beginning to His people. Loving one another involves faith in God’s Word and obedience to it. Jesus Christ came in a human body and lived a sinless life of faithful obedience to His Father. As God’s Son, He alone is worthy of our love and obedience. Only through abiding in His Word do we have confidence and know that we have the Father and the Son! Beware of deceivers who deny Jesus as God’s Son and His teachings as truth!
Psalm 94:14-15 “For the Lord will not forsake His people; He will not abandon His heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.”
Prayer: Father God, I know You through Your Son Jesus Christ and cling to Him as my Savior. Through Your gift of the Holy Spirit, I am now able to joyfully obey Your Word and seek to know and apply it to my life. You are my Lord and King and I choose to follow Jesus and walk in His truth. May my walk bring Your love and truth to those still in the darkness of sin and bondage of self.
Zechariah 14:9 “And the Lord will be King over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be One and His Name One.”
Repent and be baptized!
Scripture reading for April 15th: Judges 19-21, Acts 2
Key Scriptures: Acts 2:36-39 “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.””
Peter, after the baptism of the Holy Spirit, preached to a crowd gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost. He declared Jesus Christ as Lord and Christ. Those who heard him were convicted and asked what they could do. Peter gave clear instructions: “Repent and be baptized.” He also instructed them to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was for all who believed in Jesus and repented of sins, even Gentiles! This was prophetic preaching and three thousand were saved and baptized that day. Doing what was right in God’s eyes brought salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Faith confession and prayer: Lord, You alone are my King, Lord, and Christ! Help me today to share this good news in the power of the Holy Spirit. I trust You to bring conviction and draw people to Christ Jesus. I know obedience to the Gospel brings salvation and eternal life.
Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
The Mighty One!
Scripture reading for August 7th: Isaiah 29-33
Key Scriptures: Isaiah 33:20-22 “Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them. For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; it is He who will save us.”
God called His people to look upon Mount Zion, Jerusalem the peaceful city. It was likened to a tent that would never be moved. It would be like a place of broad rivers and streams, although no natural river was there. The River there would would flow from the throne of God and bring life and peace to all the inhabitants! God would be Judge, Lawgiver, and King! This last verse inspired the writers of our constitution to create three branches of government–judicial, legislative and executive.
Rejoice in our King’s rule: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face and His name will be on their foreheads.” (Revelation 22:1-4)
The Joy of Restoration!
Scripture reading for January 5th: Genesis 14-18
Cause for Rejoicing: Genesis 14:16-20 “He (Abram) recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions together with the women and the other people. . .Then Melchizedek, King of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And Blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”
Abram’s nephew Lot and his family and servants were taken captive by desert marauders. When Abram heard about it he pursued them and he recovered Lot and all that was lost! On his return, a mysterious king, Melchizedek met him with a meal of bread and wine and blessed him in the name of the Creator, God Most High. This so moved Abram, that he gave this Priest/King a tenth (tithe) of all the spoils. This came before the law about tithing!
Cause for rejoicing: God restores what is lost! He defeats our enemies and blesses us with a meal of bread and wine! We joyfully give our tithe and honor our Creator/Priest/King! “This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of the Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. first, his name means “king of righteousness” then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace. Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.” (Hebrews 7:1-3)
“Sit at my right hand”
Scripture reading for June 25th: Psalms 107-110
Psalm 110 is one of David’s psalms that was used by Jesus Christ to confound his adversaries. Jesus was being tested by the teachers of the law to try to prove that he could not be the messiah. To counter their arguments, Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1 and attributed it to King David speaking under the power of the Holy Spirit. “The Lord said to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” (Psalm 110:1) “David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” (Mark 12:36-37a) Jesus’ question was designed to help these teachers of the law connect with the plain teaching of God’s Word that the messiah would be a son of David as well as his Lord! (2nd Samuel 7:12, 13, 16) This is a hard concept for us to grasp and this psalm has been difficult for some to understand throughout history.
The psalm is a prophetic picture of the messiah who would come from the line of David. This messiah would sit at God’s right hand and rule until the Lord God put all His enemies under His feet. The messiah would be made or declared a priest as well as a ruling king! A priest represents the people before God by intercession and sacrifice. The king was to rule on behalf of God. These offices were not combined in the Old Testament history of God’s people. There was one person in history who was both a priest and a king. His name was Melchizedek. (Genesis 14:18-20) (Hebrews 5:5-10, 6:19-7:28) Melchizedek was the King of Salem (Peace) and a priest of the Most High God. He received tithes from Abraham and blessed Abraham. This descendant of David who was to come would be a priest and king like Melchizedek!
Priests normally did not sit down while at work. This King who was seated at God’s right hand who also was a Priest was invited to sit! He was sitting down, because His work of sacrifice on behalf of the people was completed! (Acts 5:31) (Ephesians 1:20) David was seeing a vision of the throne in heaven following the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who offered His own sinless body as the payment for the sins of the whole world! John the Baptist remarked of Jesus: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) Jesus now is interceding for us as a priest before God, seated at His right hand! (Romans 8:34)
This King/Priest is ruling in the midst of His enemies now, waiting for them to bow their knees! (Psalm 11o:2,3) He is marshaling His troops for a day of battle! There is a coming day of wrath where all enemies who have not become one of his troops by bowing their knees will suffer a crushing defeat! (Psalm 110:5-6) This King will judge nations and crush rulers of the earth! He will be refreshed after the battle and exalted as the King of Glory! (Psalm 110:7) Truly, this King is the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of David, David’s Lord!
Instructions for the future!
Scripture Reading for February 26: Deuteronomy 17-20
The passage today is another example of God’s foreknowledge. In Deuteronomy 17, Moses gives instructions to the Israelites about what will transpire after they enter the promised land. He said that they would want a king like the other nations around them. (Deuteronomy 17:14) We know from history, that is exactly what happened! God’s Word is always true and is worth listening to! I believe these passages will help us today.
The first rule of choosing a king, is to appoint one chosen by the Lord Himself! He must come from his own brothers so he can understand the people and the problems they face. A foreigner will not have a proper understanding and in the case of Israel, would not understand God’s special dealing with this nation. (Deuteronomy 17:15) Jesus Christ was God’s chosen ruler to be king over His people! He is actually king over the universe! He is one of us, being born of a woman. He was tempted in all ways like us, yet without sin. He came from the Father, and knew and willingly did the Father’s will!
Another factor in choosing the proper king had to do with their moral character. The king was not to gather large numbers of horses or send people to Egypt to get them. This king was not to take a large number of wives, because the wives would lead his heart astray. Some of these wives might lead the king into idolatry and cause his downfall. He must not gather large amounts of silver and gold. (Deuteronomy 17: 16-17) These things often lead to idolatry and pride and take the king’s focus off of serving the Lord and the people. Jesus Christ met all these characteristics! He did not put his trust in military power and certainly did not lead the people to Egypt. He also did not marry here, but is still betrothed to a Gentile Bride. He certainly did not gather silver and gold, but was a man of contentment with whatever was provided here. He owns the universe and is not greedy or idolatrous!
The last instructions for the king was that he was to write for himself a copy of the law taken from priests. The purpose was that the king would know the law and Word of God and keep and uphold it in his kingdom. It was to help him with pride and thinking that he was better than his brothers. It would help him revere God and honor Him alone.(Deuteronomy 17:18-20) Of course, Jesus Christ perfectly honored His father and kept the law. He read the law regularly and identified with his brothers in their need by giving Himself for them. The result is a long reign for eternity!
This instruction is good for any who are in authority! Pride is a constant temptation and so is greed. Sexual temptations also beset leaders. Would that we trust the Word of God! Choose Jesus for your king today!