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Isaiah 28:16, 1 Peter 1:19, Matthew 11:28

Jesus is the precious cornerstone!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 19, 2022

Jesus is referred to as a “cornerstone” and in Isaiah we get the idea of a “precious” cornerstone. Isaiah 28:16 says, “…thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: Whoever believes will not be in haste.” There are three titles for Jesus in this passage with a conclusion. Jesus is a tested stone, a precious cornerstone and a sure foundation. Conclusion, who rests the hope on him will not be “let down.” First, Jesus is a “tested stone.” Being “tested” means to have proven true! We often sing in our churches “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.” That it’s “tested” means it has proven itself over the long haul. James Boice asks a compelling question of us, “So why don’t we stand on this foundation and build on it? If you wanted to build a house and had a choice between a solid rock and sand for your foundation, wouldn’t you choose the solid rock? If you were investing for your retirement years and had a choice between a proven blue-chip firm and a fly-by-night, over-the-counter adventure, wouldn’t you choose the blue-chip firm? Why, then, should you do differently with your life, which is of far greater value than a house or a bank account? Why should you not build on a foundation that will stand firm when the tempests of life come.1

Jesus is a “precious cornerstone and a sure foundation.” Jesus indeed the “rock of ages.” Stones are sometimes called “precious.” It refers to their desirable nature and worthy. The primary thing that’s “precious” to you and I as believers in Jesus is his blood. 1 Peter 1:19 explains that it wasn’t precious metal or precious gems that redeemed our souls from hell, it was “…with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” When something “appreciates” in value it’s not so much that it was made that much better as the fact that it was viewed differently. I think that’s the way with the “precious” blood of Jesus. MacArthur tells this story: “One of the curators of the museum, a man with great appreciation for art, overheard two men discussing a masterpiece. One man said to the other, ‘I don’t think much of that painting.’ The curator, feeling obliged to reply to the man’s statement, said to him, ‘Dear sir, if I may interrupt, that painting is not on trial; you are. The quality of that painting has already been established. Your disapproval simply demonstrates the frailty of your measuring capability.’ Similarly, Jesus is not on trial before men; men are on trial before Him.”2

When Jesus calls people to himself he says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all of you who weary and heavy laden. I will give you rest.” The invitation is certainly as valid today as it was when Jesus spoke it 2000 years ago. But the certainty of Jesus statement rest solidly on the Old Testament prophecy that Jesus was fulfilling when he issued that call. In just a few verses before the one quoted above, Isaiah 28:12 says, “…to whom he has said, ‘This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose’” That verse then concludes with “yet they would not hear.” When Isaiah said this he was addressing a nation that was searching here and there for alliances with foreign powers to protect them from the Assyrians. Wiersbe says it well, “If they had faith in Jehovah, they would not be rushing here and there, trying to forge alliances, a practice that only leads to shame and failure (Rom. 10:11). A solid rock is better protection than a flimsy covering of lies!3

1 James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 107–150: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 1016.

2 John F. MacArthur Jr., Drawing Near—Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993), 198.

3 Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Comforted, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 73–74.

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John 1:3, Colossians 1:16

Jesus is the Creator of All Things

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 18, 2022

John explains in the first chapter of his Gospel that Jesus is the creator of all things. John 1:3, says, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” But that’s not the only passage that makes that claim in the Bible. Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him (Jesus) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

It seems that science has been used to discredit the Christian faith. But a serious look at the created order around us both through a microscope and a telescope should move us to worship its creator. I like David Guzik’s commentary on the Colossians passage. It’s worth looking at. He writes about some of the marvels of creation after stating, “There is no doubt that Jesus is the author of all creation. He Himself is not a created being. When we behold the wonder and the glory of the world Jesus created, we worship and honor Him all the more.” Then he recites some of the marvelous aspects of Jesus’ creation. Let me point out a few of these.

First, Comets have vapor trails up to 10,000 miles long. If you could capture all that vapor, and put it in a bottle, the amount of vapor actually present in the bottle would take up less than 1 cubic inch of space.

Second, Saturn’s rings are 500,000 miles in circumference, but only about a foot thick.

Third: If the sun were the size of a beach ball and put on top of the Empire State Building, the nearest group of stars would be as far away as Australia is to the Empire State Building.

Fourth: The earth travels around the sun about eight times the speed of a bullet fired from a gun.

Fifth: There are more insects in one square mile of rural land than there are human beings on the entire earth.

Sixth: A single human chromosome contains twenty billion bits of information. How much information is that? If written in ordinary books, in ordinary language, it would take about four thousand volumes.

Seventh: According to Greek scholar A.T. Robertson, all things were created has the idea of “stand created” or “remain created.” Robertson adds: “The permanence of the universe rests, then, on Christ far more than on gravity. It is a Christ-centric universe.”1

1 David Guzik, Colossians, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Col 1:15–20.

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Genesis 9:13

The Battle Bow

Filed Under: Bible Translation by Chuck
January 17, 2022

I am still thinking about my New Year’s resolutions and when things get tough, I always wonder why I bother making them. According to Kathy, I can get grumpy. As I read Genesis 9 I realized that it’s the story of God’s resolution. It Records the Covenant God made with man after the horrific flood which destroyed all life upon the earth. He promised that he would never again destroy all life by a flood. The sign of this promise would be the rainbow which regularly appears in the sky after storms. Rainbows always make us smile!  Genesis 9:13 is one of the all time favorite Bible verses from the book of Genesis. I think of the mark God gave Cain that assured his protection from those who would take vengeance on him. In this passage however God gives us all a “mark” or a sign in the sky that He will never again destroy the earth like he did in the days of Noah. God says, “I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” Several commentators noticed that the Hebrew word for “bow” refers to the “battle bow” of an archer. This suggests that God put aside his weapon of death and signed a peace treaty with mankind and the earth as a whole.

When God thinks of His resolutions, I don’t think he gets grumpy, do you? I couldn’t help but think of the hundreds of thousands of people in Indonesia who lost their lives in the Tsunami (flood?) some time back. I heard that just before the Tsunami hit the oceans receded hundreds of feet leaving fish and shell fish, clams, etc on dry land. Many residents didn’t realize that the huge recession of the waters from the beaches was an ominous sign of something brewing out to sea. They excitedly collected all the seafood they could carry. Many were still gathering it when the wave struck! There was another tsunami this past week (Mid January 2022) near Tonga. The last I heard was “A massive underwater volcanic eruption sent a plume of ash into the atmosphere and triggered a tsunami warning across the Pacific over the weekend. The scope of the damage on the island of Tonga is still unclear.”

Not being in Management, I don’t know why God allowed such a catastrophe. We can but entrust into his hands those who lost their lives. For the rest let’s pray that they, Like Noah and his sons, will indeed see God’s rainbow in some astounding way. And for us, Jesus told us that there would be a judgment day that would come like it did in the days of Noah. I hope I’m not found picking up fish, clams and shellfish when it comes.

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Revelation 22:13, Hebrews 1:1-2

Jesus is All in All!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 17, 2022

At the end of the book of Revelation John, 22:13,  the Apostle, quotes Jesus’ words to him: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”  Some suggest that these three statements in this verse all mean about the same thing, but i’d argue that they all might have a slightly different focus. The “Alpha and the Omega” of course refers to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet! Jesus is everything that God has to say to us. His message to mankind is in Jesus and that’s why Jesus is called “The word.” He is not just the first and last letters of the alphabet, he’s everything in between as well. As John says, “in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.” The first two verses of The book of Hebrews explains this truth. It says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Everything that God has to say to us can be heard in the Son. His chief message is seen often but clearly expressed in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, so that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus is the clear message of God’s love for you and me!

The “First and the Last” deal with ordinal numbers. This seems to be “temporal.” I mean it has to do with our time on earth. It’s the life span of each of us along with the lifespan of the current age which will come to an end when Christ returns. It’s Jesus way of telling us that he has this thing called “death,” the end of life, under control. I believe this is seen in Revelation 1:17-18, back at the beginning of the book when Jesus uses this phrase to refer to himself and discusses his victory over death. That passage says, “When I (John) saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

But Jesus is also the “beginning and the end.” Jesus bats “clean up.” It’s the “And they lived happily ever after” which began with “once upon a time.” Jesus is the beginning of the story and the end of the story. Since the book of Revelation has to do primarily with the second coming this of course points to it. The Preacher’s commentary says, “The central importance of the doctrine of the second coming of Jesus Christ is that Jesus Christ stands at the end of history. He holds in His hand the destiny of the whole. Jesus Christ also stands at the end of history (i.e. my history) – the destiny of my own life. History does not trail off into emptiness, nor does it endlessly repeat its themes, like a vast confined circle. History from the biblical perspective has a meaningful beginning through the decision of God. History has the decisive center which is the radical intervention of God—the eternal Word and event Jesus Christ. History moves toward the decisive fulfillment. The same Jesus Christ who stands at its beginning and at its center also stands to greet us at its end.”1

1 Earl F. Palmer and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, 1, 2 & 3 John / Revelation, vol. 35, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1982), 240–241.

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Revelation 22:16, various

Jesus is the Bright Morning Star

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 16, 2022

In the final book of the Bible near the end, Revelation 22:16, Jesus is called the “bright morning star.” It says, “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” John is not making up this image. It’s in the book of Numbers in the Old Testament. It says in Numbers 24:17, “I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” The “star” that shone in the night skies over Bethlehem pointed the way for the three kings from the East to find Jesus. . Every Christmas we celebrate that star’s appearing. It was a miraculous sign. In The Star Hymn by Ignatius, who died around 110 AD, we read, “A star shone forth in heaven brighter than all the stars; its light was indescribable and its strangeness caused amazement. All the rest of the constellations, together with the sun and moon, formed a chorus around the star, yet the star itself far outshone them all, and there was perplexity about the origin of this strange phenomenon which was so unlike the others.” 1 It’s not only mentioned in Balaam’s prophecy as mentioned in Numbers but Isaiah, the best Christmas prophet in the OT, mentions the idea in Isaiah 60:3. It says, “And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

If you research the “bright morning star” you’ll see that many people want to associate it with Venus. One writer agrees with that and says, “Most scholars believe (and I tend to agree) that this is a reference to Venus, perhaps the brightest light in our sky next to the sun. Venus is one of the most recognizable planets in the sky, visible with the naked eye, even when the sun has risen. Though not a star, early astronomers referred to Venus as “the morning star” because it typically appeared in the western sky around 4:00 am just prior to the sunrise” (see https://damonjgray.medium.com/jesus-the-bright-morning-star-b8bdb129b5c0). The handbook for Bible translators that the United Bible Society published seems to want to associate this as the morning “dog star” also. It comes while it’s still dark but you can see it even after it gets light. The picture we can get from this is just like the morning star announces the coming of the new day, so too will the “bright morning star” of revelation announce the inauguration of a new era. The Handbook says this, “As the morning star announces the day, Jesus is the sign and evidence of the coming of God’s new Day.2 Furthermore, sailors have navigated by the stars, and this star particularly, for centuries.

But at John ends his Revelation it’s with the hope of Christ’s return to earth to set things right. Hope is the message from the bright morning star. Exell writes, when you see the “Bright morning star,” “You know that the sun will soon rise and shine, and then there will be light enough for everything. You will be able to see the fields and the woods, and the beautiful flowers, and all the glorious things that God has made. That morning star gives us the hope that the darkness will soon be gone, and the light of day be shining all about us. And Jesus may well be compared to such a star, because when He rises and shines on our hearts He fills them with the sweet hope that the darkness of this world will soon pass away, and the bright, clear light of heaven will be shining around us.”3

1 Michael William Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, Updated ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 149.

2 Robert G. Bratcher and Howard Hatton, A Handbook on the Revelation to John, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1993), 322.

3 Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator: Revelation (London: James Nisbet & Co., n.d.), 759.

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Zechariah 6:12-13

Jesus is the Branch and the Builder

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 15, 2022

Much of the book of Zechariah has to do with the coming reign of Christ on the earth. In the New Jerusalem there will be the temple of God. But I’m thinking we should not think of it as a temple similar to what the Israelites had in the Old Testament. Zechariah 6:12-13 reads, “And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne.” It was in Matthew 16:18, that Jesus made it clear that “he” would be the builder as Zechariah said. It reads, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Now, i’m pretty confident that the old testament phrase the “Temple of the Lord” is taken over by the New Testament writes to speak of a spiritual structure consisting of all believers in Jesus. It won’t be just a Jewish temple. It will contain all believers alike. Paul says this in Ephesians 2:19-22, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

Notice that the Zechariah passage calls the builder “The Branch.” It’s a mixing of metaphors I know but that’s not bad grammar in this case. It’s intentional. Jesus is going to be the fulfillment of both images. He’s the builder and he’s the Branch. Thus, the two figures of speech both point to Jesus. The agricultural imagery can be confusing at times because when Jesus speaks of it, he calls his followers the “branches.” In John 15:4-5 he says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches.” Jesus is the “root” of Jesse as well as Isaiah says and Paul quotes in Romans 15:12, “And again Isaiah says, ‘The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” The root of Jesse, the main branch from the house of David, will grow naturally as it spreads across the earth. But the product is seen as the “abiding place” of God. The builder then constructs the temple consisting of human branches that are referred to as stones. There is no doubt that it’s the Lord Jesus, himself, who is building his house! He is building his holy temple out of spiritual stones that are imperfect but he makes them perfect. He promised a greater Builder and a greater Glory, One who would far surpass in workmanship any of the structures erected by man. Living stones cut from the quarries of human nature and polished to excellence and perfection by the Spirit of God were to be built by Him into a holy temple in the Lord. The temple Christ builds is constructed from perfected lives, every stone bearing evidence of the character and nature of the Builder Himself. Both images are appropriate.

The Psalmist, David who long to build a temple for God but was denied that privilege says in Psalm 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” But the building of the “dwelling place” (Temple!) of God was not to be out of stone stones! He would use living stones and that’s what Peter says in 1 Peter 2:4-5, “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Rolls concludes, “The temple Christ builds is constructed from perfected lives, every stone bearing evidence of the character and nature of the Builder Himself. The inter-relationship of redemption is to be centered in eternal fellowship. The dedication of this temple when completed will mark the brightest and most blessed day that ever dawned; for it ushers in a reconstituted kingdom (Zechariah 6:13), a reconfirmed victory (14:4) and a regenerated world (14:9). Then we shall rightly adore the Builder for His wisdom, will and work, while angels wonder and worship (Ephesians 3:10).”1

1 Charles J. Rolls, The Indescribable Christ: Names and Titles of Jesus Christ: A-G (Loizeaux Brothers, 1984).

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Psalm 96:9, various

Jesus is our “Holiness”

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 14, 2022

The Psalmist exhorts his readers in song in Psalm 96:9, “Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!” I’ve always been afraid of the Biblical exhortations for me to be “Holy.” I know that I’m not! Moses told the people in Leviticus 19:2 what God told him to say; “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” To make the matter worse, Peter quotes from this passage and reinforces the command to us. In 1 Peter 1:14-16, he writes, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” Pondering on Psalm 96 that says holiness is beautiful, I have struggled with understanding what holiness really is. Whatever it is, it must be beautiful. The English Standard Version translates this passage in Psalm 96 as, “Worship the Lord in the Splendor of holiness.”

I think we’ve misunderstood the idea of holiness. It seems i want to associate it with some kind of grimness! Steadman has it right for me, “We think of holy people as those who look as if they have been steeped in vinegar or soaked in embalming fluid. I used to think of the word that way, and holiness was not attractive to me at all. It repelled me.”1 One of the things I really like about my Logos Bible Software is that I search every word in the English bible and trace it back to it’s original language manuscript form but then take that form back to the “lemma.” That’s the form of the word that you would look up in a dictionary. If you ran across the word “loved” you wouldn’t look up “loved” you would look up “love.” Love is the Lemma of loved, lovely, lovable etc. All of these forms come for a single root word and I can search for the root word also. Without going through a lot of linguistic gobble goop, let me say the “holy, holiness, etc” all come from the root word that means “whole.” I wonder if Ray Steadman has the same software because he writes, “This is the word wholeness. So that holiness means ‘wholeness,’ being complete. And if you read wholeness in place of holiness everywhere you find it in the Bible you will be much closer to what the writers of that book meant. We all know what wholeness is: It is to have together all the parts which were intended to be there, and to have them functioning as they were intended to function.”1

Now, that would be a beautiful thing! Let me continue Steadman’s quote: “That is what God is talking about. He says to this people, ‘you shall be whole, because I am whole.’ God is complete; he is perfect. There is no blemish in God; he lives in harmony with himself. He is a beautiful person. He is absolutely what a person ought to be. He is filled with joy and love and peace. He lives in wholeness. And he looks at us in our brokenness and says to us, ‘You, too, shall be whole.’” Then comes Jesus to make us whole! Jesus was the subject of the book of Leviticus in the sacrificial system that manages man’s brokenness. Jesus is our guilt offering. our peace offering our trespass offering or our sin offering. In Him we can find “holiness.” If we think of “holiness” as related to our own righteous behavior, we are lost and discouraged. But when we realize that Christ’s holiness can be ours through faith in him we hear “good news.” Isn’t that what the Gospel is? But, I don’t feel holy or “whole”. Right, but Jesus is. Through faith in Christ we are grafted into Him. This is what Paul meant when he wrote in Romans 11:15, “If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.”

1 Ray Steadman, Leviticus Commentary, n.d.

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Jeremiah 8:22, various

Jesus is the Balm of Gilead

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 13, 2022

Paul Robeson was a negro bass soloist and sang with many famous bands and performed in many movies as well. He makes “Ole’ Man River” come alive! But my favorite of his songs is “There is a Balm in Gilead.” I’m sure the title of that song comes from Jeremiah 8:22 where the prophet asks, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?” The song answers Jeremiah’s question. It says, “There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul.” I’ve looked in vain to find Gilead on the map. There’s no such place today and it’s even confusing as to where it was in Jeremiah’s day. We have no idea what kind of balm it was or how it was made. Ryken says, “Gilead was the land just east of the Jordan River. It was known for its healing balsams. When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, he was sold to a caravan taking balm from Gilead down to Egypt (Genesis 37:25). Scholars have been unable to determine how the balm of Gilead was made, but it seems to have been a soothing, aromatic resin made from a tree or plant. It might be compared to aloe vera. The balm of Gilead was useful in keeping wounds from putrefying.”1 But Jeremiah wasn’t talking about a physical sickness. He was addressing the disease of their sins. It was the “soul-sickness” that the people of Judah needed a physician for. According to Jeremiah and other prophets the sins of the people are “putrifying” or are already “putrefied” and they needed immediate attention. The saying “There is no balm in Gilead” has taken on a meaning in and of itself. According the “Manners and Customs of the Bible,” “Today the expression is sometimes used to mean there appears to be no healing or comforting to be found anywhere. It’s an expression of near hopelessness and despair.”3

Augustus Toplady understood the “balm of Gilead” as being the proclamation of the truth of Jesus Christ. To him sound doctrine and teaching was what could heal a soul. He says it’s originally the Apostle Paul that says this. Toplady writes, “He (Paul) calls the system of gospel truths, sound doctrine: ὑγιαινουση διδασκαλια, salutary, health-giving doctrine; not only right and sound in itself, but conducing to the spiritual strength and health of those that receive it: doctrine, that operates like some efficacious restorative or an exhausted constitution; that renders the sin-sick souls of men healthy, vigorous and thriving; that causes them, through the blessing of divine grace, to grow as the lily, and to cast forth the root as Lebanon, to revive as the corn, and to flourish as the vine, to diffuse their branches, and rival the olive-tree, both in beauty and fruitfulness.3

What the people of Judah needed was someone who could heal all their diseases. To finish Ryken’s quote, “They needed a Great Physician. What they needed, of course, was Jesus Christ. They needed the Christ who, like Jeremiah, wept over the sins of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). But Jesus did more than weep for his people. The Scripture says that he went around “preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23). More than that, he died to heal them from the wounds of sin. Jesus Christ is the balm in Gilead. He is the physician who heals the wounds of God’s people.”1

1 Philip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations: From Sorrow to Hope, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001), 169–170.

2 James M. Freeman and Harold J. Chadwick, Manners & Customs of the Bible (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998), 369.

3 Augustus M. Toplady, The Works of Augustus M. Toplady, vol. 3 (London: Richard Baynes, 1825), 13.

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