Suggested Reading: Child Keeping ~ God’s Blessing to Parents
Month: September 2020
An Excavation of John 17 ~ Unearthing the Truths of the Atonement
As I have read through the Bible every year for years on end, grace has abounded to me in wisdom and understanding. With the aid of the Holy Spirit, the finger of God pointed out certain truths. Light was shone on the things that seemed to matter each year as I read.
In the Old Testament, the chapter I could not get through without lingering and memorizing was Isaiah 53.
In these last days, even as I meditate on other parts of God’s Word, I have not been able to get past John 17.
Memorization and meditation have required me to stop so as to know that I am standing on solid ground. That is not enough. This hard surface needs to be broken up. There are layers here, a covering over of the truth hidden for centuries. The atoning work of Christ has been trampled underfoot. Buried deep within the world’s way of education are the nuggets of truth we now have to dig for.
John 17 is a source of one of these truths, but without this main one, revealed in Jesus’ open prayer to the Father in heaven, none of the others are explainable. And now, at this point, I am not able to speak of what is hidden here. I just know at this time in my life, in this new age and stage, I cannot go anywhere, be anywhere ~ even alone ~ without having my Father’s revelation in the twenty-six verses of this chapter of John’s gospel.
I have for weeks been eating, drinking, sleeping with these words recorded the last night of Jesus’ life before His crucifixion. I sense here the means of finishing my course with joy ~ the treasures hidden here are worth every moment of my thought and time, meditation, memorization and documenting.
I invite you to pray, to join me in reading, studying, meditation and memorization. Lend me not only your ear but share whatever you uncover of this lost treasure so that I can record our findings. I have read commentaries, but so far, these do not speak of the deeper truths I am looking for. Sometimes, we are the few our Father puts to the task.
As I venture to be a part of a small prayer group in our church and to perhaps begin a ministry for Christian widows, I believe this project of John 17 will be a major source of wisdom and knowledge and also, for our other series and books. I will post again on this subject as the Lord leads. Thank you for your prayers and comments.
Gracious Father, as you woke me this morning, you reminded me how we begin each week. “Now upon the first day of the week, ….. they came to the sepulcher, bringing the spices they had prepared, and others with them. And they found the stone rolled away.” I come from the empty tomb having worshipped my risen Lord and Savior yesterday. I come to this day with pick and shovel, to be “about my Father’s business.” I desire to find in this day those truths needful for faith and obedience and, as those who are taught, “to speak a word to the weary.” I pray we all seek to discover the truths of life you have given us through your written Word and your precious Living Word, Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen.
3: The Essentiality of God in Power
What power rules the world? Men and women like to think they have power. Many influence others to a limited degree but no finite person has power over all things. Some are given power in human governmental affairs. Some have power in companies over employees and the manufacture of certain goods. But they do not have the power to control time and events.
Only one person has claimed the power over all things for all earthly time and eternity. Blessed are those who believe the claims of Jesus Christ who was given this power by God, His heavenly Father, Creator of the heavens and the earth.
Anyone who has said the Lord’s Prayer has spoken His words, giving all power to His Father ~ “for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” (Matt. 6:13).
When God created the heavens and the earth, and man in His image, He did so according to His plan and His power. Since Jesus came to earth, was crucified for the sins of His people, rose from the dead, and descended back to the Father, He has been given “all power in heaven and earth,” (Matt. 28:18) “upholding all things by the word of His power” as He sits at “the right hand of the Father” (Heb. 1:3).
For us, as His people, to have any hope and power over our enemies, we must acknowledge His power over all things. It is His power given to us that enables us to triumph over His enemy and ours.
I had thought I might use only a few references in each category but His Word is so rich in the revelation of Himself and His promises, the following list could serve as verses for memorization, devotions, and meditations. Copy and save them until later if you cannot read them now.
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all.” 1 Chr. 29:11
“Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.” Ps. 21:13
“God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.” Psalm 62:11
“He is clothed with power;” Psalm 65:6
“He rules by His power forever;” Psalm 66:7
“Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,” Psalm 110:3
“Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.” Psalm 66:3
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” Ps. 147:5
“They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;” Psalm 145:11
“For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” 1 Cor. 4:20
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12
Power in Jesus Christ
“Jesus saith unto him, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Matt. 26:64
“Christ is the head of all principality and power:” Colossians 2:10
“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Rev. 12:10
“For both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:24
Power Given to His People
“But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.” Ps. 59:16
“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Lk. 24:49
“God gives strength and power to His people.” Psalm 68:35
“Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” Ps. 71:18
“He giveth power to the faint; Isaiah 40:29
“Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst. Isaiah 50:2
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” Jn. 1:12
“As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” Jn. 17:2
“our faith is in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:5
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Cor. 1:18
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” 2 Cor. 4:7
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Cor. 12:9
“And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,” Eph. 1:19
“of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.” Ephesians 3:7
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” Eph. 3:20
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Eph. 6:10
“Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;” Colossians 1:11
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim. 1:7
“Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Pet. 1:5
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” 2 Pet. 1:3
“Stephen was given power for miracles among the people.” Acts 6:8
“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Acts 16:18
“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:4
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Rom. 15:13
Power Given to the Enemy
“When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” Lk. 22:53
“Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above:” Jn. 19:11
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“To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty,
dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”
Jude 1:25
“And after these things I heard a great voice
of much people in heaven,
saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour,
and power, unto the Lord our God.”
Rev. 19:1
Gracious Father in heaven, no words are sufficient to thank you for the precious promises that assure us of your power over all things, the power of Christ, the power of your Holy Spirit, over us, in us, and through us and all to your glory and for our joy. We praise you in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
© 2020 Fran Rogers
Related Article: Grace: A Realm Within a Realm, Within a Realm
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2. The Essentiality of God as Creator
In the beginning
I have never before been aware of my need to return to my roots. I was almost twenty-two years in my father’s house. Now, there is a void after fifty-nine years with my husband, Jerry. But my heart is still full of the life my Heavenly Father gave me twenty-eight years ago. This is my reason for living and reaffirming “the rock from which I have been hewn” (Isaiah 51:1).
There are few who can discern the times and live in accordance with the foundation that was set in the beginning. As I continue to consult the one true source of life, I am being brought back to the basics.
As I contemplate going back, I am overwhelmed even with the words themselves. And as with other projects that concern my relationship with God, this one seems more than I can handle. But I will begin and see where He takes me.
In the beginning GOD
My dad taught me much about foundations. He had no more than an eighth-grade education, yet he was a faithful son, husband, father, brother, employee, manager of a retail store, and owner of an auto-parts store. During those times, he was also building single-family houses and built a small church. He retired in his seventies as a swimming pool contractor.
He had no formal training for construction, but following a blueprint, he physically dug the ground, poured a concrete foundation, laid concrete blocks, sawed (he did not have an electric skill saw) and nailed wood plates, joists, flooring, walls, rafters, roofing, etc.to provide a secure habitation for a family.
God, Himself, is our blueprint, revealed through His written Word. Without Him, we have no blueprint ~ no foundation ~ no concrete plans. All is left to chance and circumstances which only lead to chaos.
Those who have no blueprint for their lives only destroy what others have built and, in the end, destroy themselves and each other.
At this point, I want to share an acrostic that has helped me keep GOD in His highest habitation.
Glory ~ Himself all glorious in His person and place.
Order ~ His constant attendance within His kingdom.
Dominion ~ His authority over all things.
In the beginning God created
I will never fully understand God. I can only read, listen to others who know Him, and pray for Him to continue to reveal Himself to me through His Word, through others, and my circumstances. I cannot comprehend His ability to create. I simply accept the words, ask Him to write them on my heart and in my mind to believe He is the Creator, “who rewards those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The first ten words of the Holy Bible are the most basic words in a human vocabulary. We can talk about everything in the world. We can talk about God and all we know about Him. We can say we believe in God, but what will that mean if we do not start with the first statement of God’s Word?
These ten words are the first words and the foundation of our knowledge of Him. These words form the basis of truth for the Christian. We cannot skip to the middle or to the end for a foundation of our faith and our hope.
God, as Creator, sets Himself first and above all else. Before anything was, He was. Reading and listening to other opinions only serve to confuse and unsettle us.
There are many references added at the end of this chapter that speak and verify the truth of these ten words. But here we want to direct our attention to the importance, the necessity, the essentiality of writing these ten words on our hearts and minds, and the minds of our children.
Without this basis ~ this foundation ~ any structure we try to build will fall or be destroyed by others. This basis will eventually lead us to the spiritual foundation ~ the Spiritual rock of our salvation and eternal life, Jesus Christ (Luke 6:46-49; 1 Corinthians 3:11).
Mentally ~ if not literally ~ print these words on each of your fingers and the fingers of your children. Print them on heavy paper and set them on your table. And if ever we needed this tattoo on our hearts, it is now (Heb. 10:16).
A few days ago, from our backyard neighbors, I heard their young son chanting the words, “I will….” over and over. I could not understand the words after the word “will” but it reminded me of the world’s chanting for what it wants. There is no mutual chant. Each person or group has its own desires which change even as the wind. While others are shaking their fists, we can show a difference with outstretched hands with the truth of God’s Word.
Now is a good time to begin to catechize your children. From the Shorter Catechism, the first question is, “Who made you?” The answer, “GOD.”
The second question is, “What else did God make?” The answer, “God made all things.”
The third question is, “Why did God make you and all things?” The answer, “For His own glory.”
“Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
Isaiah 43:7
From this foundation, we go on to build our houses in His kingdom, to live according to His blueprint, and to show others the difference in His kingdom and the world, in life and death, truth and deception, light and darkness, construction and destruction.
“He created them male and female, and blessed them
and called them Mankind in the day they were created.”
Genesis 5:2
“Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it:”
Isaiah 42:5
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.”
Isaiah 65:17
Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:3; Genesis 2:4; Genesis 5:1; Genesis 5:2; Psalm 148:5: Isaiah 40:26; Isaiah 45:7;Isaiah 45:8; Isaiah 45:12; Isaiah 45:18; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11
“So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth?
Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind?
Have not I, the Lord?”
Exodus 4:11
Genesis 1:7; Genesis 1:16; Genesis 1:25; Genesis 1:31; Genesis 2:3; Genesis 2:4; Genesis 2:9 Genesis 2:22
Gracious Father, our Creator and Sustainer, providing all things you have prepared for us before the foundation of the world, I thank you and praise you for your order and dominion which redounds to your glory and our joy. Thank you for creating all man would need before you created him. Grant us your Spirit to know you, keep us in your Word, and through us, speak your Word to others. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
© 2020 Fran Rogers
Images: Google