Psalm 8
God’s glory teaches all of his Sovereignty verse 1- 2
O LORD our Lord – how excellent is YOUR name in all the earth
Who has set YOUR glory above the heavens
out of the mouth of babes and sucklings have YOU
ordained strength because of YOUR enemies
that YOU might still the enemy and the avenger
God’s creation of man verse 3- 5
When I consider YOUR heavens – the work of YOUR fingers
the moon and the stars – which YOU have ordained
What is man – that YOU are mindful of him?
and the son of man that YOU visit him?
for YOU have made him a little lower than the angels
and have crowned him with glory and honor
God’s assignment for man verse 6- 8
YOU made him to have dominion over the works of YOUR hands
YOU have put all things under his feet – all sheep and oxen
yea – and the beasts of the field – the fowls of the air
and the fish of the sea – and whatsoever passes
through the paths of the seas
God’s name is excellent verse 9
O LORD our Lord – how excellent is YOUR name in all the earth
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:1 O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens! NKJV
(Strong’s Hebrew #117 אַדִּיר [ʾaddiyr /ad·deer/] adj. From 142; TWOT 28b; GK 129; 27 occurrences; AV translates as “nobles” seven times, “excellent” four times, “mighty” five times, “principal” three times, “famous” twice, “gallant” once, “glorious” once, “goodly” once, “lordly” once, “noble one” once, and “worthies” once. 1 great, majestic. 1A of waters of sea. 1B of a tree. 1C of kings, nations, gods. 2 great one, majestic one. 2A of nobles, chieftains, servants)
DEVOTION: As we prepare to worship and spend time with the Lord either in church or in private it is always correct to consider who you are giving praise and worship to! An old hymn that the church sang is, “There’s Something About That Name” written by Gloria and Bill Gaither. In it they convey the idea that the psalmist is bringing here with the word excellent. The Gaither’s proclaim, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Let all Heaven and earth proclaim; Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, But there’s something about that name!”
This name is so large, broad and powerful that it conveys the image of the Lord controlling all the earth. The psalmist wanted the Jewish people to capture and be enthralled with this Lord whose name was above the earth and the heavens. How excellent, wondrous, and worthy is the Lord you are worshipping this weekend!
CHALLENGE: Spend some time before you worship considering the LORD of your adoration! Do you see Him as excellent and the maker and sustainer of Heaven and earth? (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained (3559 “ordained”[kuwn] means to be firm, be stable, be established, or be fixed)
DEVOTION: Before the creation of the world the LORD was there. HE is timeless. HE is eternal. HE is sovereign.David is writing this psalm of praise for his LORD. He knows that the LORD has established this earth. He knows that the LORD holds the world in his hands. He knows that the LORD gives everything that is alive the air to breath and the power to breathe it.
The heavens were fixed at the time of creation. The LORD created the sun and the moon to give us light. HE established the movements of the earth. HE knew before HE created the world what it would take to support life on this planet. Only the hand of God can change the course of them. HE created man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into him life.
Our every breath depends on the LORD. Yet, the LORD considers us important to HIS plan for eternity. HE has given us glory. We were created after HE created the angels. We are lower than the angels but there is coming a day when the children of God will judge the angels.
We live in a stable universe. The LORD is in control. We need to come each day into HIS presence and thank HIM for HIS provision. We need to magnify HIS name to all the earth.
Are we a thankful people? Are we thankful for where HE has us today? Should we be? HE knows what is best for us. At time we may not think so but it is so.
CHALLENGE: We need to be walking down the road singing praises to the LORD. Those of us who sing off key should praise HIM daily. God understands our hearts. Don’t let anyone take your praise for the LORD away for you at any time.
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: 4 “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that you visitest him?” (Visitest, 6485 פֶּקֶר [paqad], to pay attention to, observe, to attend to, to seek, look about for, to seek in vain, need, miss, lack, to visit, to visit upon, punish, to pass in review, muster, number, to appoint, assign, lay upon as a charge, deposit.)
DEVOTION: God could have made the world and just left it alone. However, HE did not. HE continues to be involved in HIS creation. The doctrine which deals with this is God’s providence.
However, from the time right after the Fall, God promised to intervene in history in a way that only HE could intervene. He promised to provide someone who was a descendant of Adam who would bruise Satan’s heel (Genesis 3:15). Jesus became God visiting us in the flesh (Isaiah 7:14).
So we rejoice in the fact that God did not simply leave us here without any hope after man sinned. Rather HE continues to be actively involved in the affairs of everyday life and be concerned about what is happening with those of us who are HIS children. This is the lesson of Job—that God continued to be involved in all that was going on in Job’s life, even when it seemed to Job that God was distant.
Do you and I live in awe of the fact that God would be concerned about us and what is going on in our lives? Give HIM thanks today for the fact that HE wants to be involved in all that is going on in your life. (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 5 For YOU have made him a little lower than the angels, and have crowned him with glory and honor. (5849 “crowned” [‘atar] means to surround, to encircle, to crown with a wreath, tohonor, or conceived of as placing an ornamental headdress or crown on the head of a victor)
DEVOTION: Humans are a little lower than the angels but yet they are given a ornamental headdress by the LORD. They are special in the sight of the LORD. We are special in the sight of the LORD.
We have to make sure that we understand that the LORD has blessed us with many blessings when HE created us. HE gave us a special place in creation. HE put us over this world to work it and to even name the animals.
We are special in the sight of the LORD and the angels want to study us to understand why. It is interesting to realize what our place is in creation. God wanted us to be a little lower than the angels but higher in relationship to the animals.
Yet we find that humans have worshiped animals more than God at times. Humans are fickle. They want to be special but they act like they don’t care where they are in relationship to God.
We have a special place in God’s eyes. HE sent HIS Son to die on the cross for our sins, so that, we can spend eternity with HIM in heaven. Yet, most humans want nothing to do with HIM.
There is coming a day when we will face the LORD. We will face HIS judgment regarding what we have done with HIS Son. Our responsibility is to become a genuine follower of Jesus Christ, in order to, receive all the blessing HE wants to give us.
The majority of humans throughout history have rejected Jesus Christ and will spend eternity in a literal place called hell with the devil and his angels. Sad but true!
CHALLENGE: If you are a genuine believer, you have so much to look forward to when you meet Jesus. If you have not chosen to be a follower of Jesus you will spend eternity in hell with the devil and his angels and it will not be a party!
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: 9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is YOUR name in all the earth! (117 “excellent” [addiyr] means majestic, mighty, magnificent, inspiring awe or reverence in the beholder, can be related to size, strength, power or authority, or beautiful)
DEVOTION: Sometimes we like the name we were given at birth. We had nothing to do with it but our parents liked the name and gave it to us. I have the same name as my father and our oldest son has the same name.
Names have meaning. God’s name is a majestic name. It is an awesome inspiring name. It is a name to be feared by those who don’t honor HIM.
HE is the creator of the universe. HE is the creator of humans. HE is the creator of angels. HE created the earth on which we live.
We are commandment to call on HIS name when we want something from HIM. Our prayers are to be directed to HIM alone. If we are genuine believers, we go into HIS presence many times a day to talk with HIM about what is happening in our lives. HE is there to help us through every situation we find ourselves in. HE is available 24 hours a day.
We serve a God who cares about our every need and is willing to provide for us what HE thinks we need. Sometimes the two are not the same but HE knows what is best for us. Our responsibility is to praise HIM every moment of every day by our actions, words and deeds.
Are we praising HIM enough in our daily life? That is a question we have to ask ourselves on a regular basis because we can take HIM for granted and this is not something that should happen.
CHALLENGE: Keep short accounts with the LORD. Keep HIS praise continually on our mouth and in our actions.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 9
Lord – Adonai (Master, Owner) verse 1, 9
O LORD, our Lord verse 1, 9
Excellent is YOUR name verse 1, 9
Glory above the heavens verse 1
Heavens the work of YOUR fingers verse 3
Moon nad stars ordained by LORD verse 3
Mindful of man verse 4
Visits man verse 4
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man a little lower than angels verse 5
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Babes and sucklings verse 2
Enemies verse 2
Avenger verse 2
Man verse 4
Son of man verse 4
Man a little lower than angels verse 5
Dominion over the works of God’s hands verse 6, 7
over sheep, oxen and beasts of the field
over fowl of the air and fish of the sea
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Glory verse 5
Honor verse 5
Dominion verse 6
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church, please use that method. Thank you.
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QUOTES regarding passage
5, 6. In the most obvious sense of the Hebrew (as in rv, rsv), verse 5 would seem to allude to the image of God, mentioned in Genesis 1:26 which underlies our verses 6–8. But the lxx takes God (’ĕlōhîm) in its rarer, generic sense, to mean supernatural beings, i.e. ‘angels’ (cf. 1 Sam. 28:13; Ps. 82:1, 6f.), and Hebrews 2:7, 9 follows that translation. Little can sometimes mean ‘for a little while’ in both Hebrew and Greek, which is the sense probably implied in the Epistle.
The New Testament opens up fresh aspects of this passage. James 3:7f. points out that man can tame everything but himself, while Hebrews 2:8 in a double comment on our psalm reminds us that while all is ‘not yet’ subjected to man, our Forerunner is already ‘crowned with glory and honour’. Paul looks still further ahead in 1 Corinthians 15:27f. to the fall of the last enemy and the handing back of all delegated power to the Father. As ever, the coming of Christ revealed a whole landscape on the horizon to which the Old Testament was pointing. The New Testament writers had enough confidence in this material (as our Lord had in e.g. Ps. 110:1 and Exod. 3:6) to win its full depth of meaning from it. (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, pp. 84–85). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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Why does God pay attention to “frail creatures of dust”? Because He has made them in His own image, and they are special! Instead of humans being “a little higher than animals,” as science believes, they are actually “a little lower than God.” The word elohim can mean angelic creatures (see Heb. 2:7), but here it definitely means “God.” The Lord crowned Adam and Eve and gave them dominion over the other creatures (Gen. 1:26–27). We are co-regents of creation with the Lord! The angels are servants (Heb. 1:14), but we are kings, and one day, all who have trusted Christ will be like Him (1 John 3:1–3; Rom. 8:29).
People today live more like slaves than rulers, so why aren’t we living like kings? Because our first parents sinned and lost their crowns, forfeiting that glorious dominion. According to Romans 5, sin is reigning in our world (v. 21) and death is also reigning (vv. 14 and 17), but Jesus Christ has regained the dominion for us and will one day share it with us when He reigns in His kingdom (Heb. 2:6–8). When Jesus ministered here on earth, He exercised the dominion that Adam lost, for He ruled over the beasts (Mark 1:13; 11:1–7), the fowl (Luke 22:34), and the fish (Luke 5:4–7; Matt. 17:24–27; John 21:1–6). Today He is on the throne in heaven and all things are “under his feet” (1 Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1:22; Heb. 2:8). The phrase means “completely subjected to Him” (47:4; Josh. 10:24; 1 Kings 5:17). Through the exalted Christ, God’s grace is reigning today (Rom. 5:21) so that God’s children may “reign in life” through Jesus Christ (v. 17). He has made us “kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 1:6). By faith, “we see Jesus” (Heb. 2:8–9), crowned in heaven, and that assures us that one day we will reign with Him and receive our crowns (Rev. 20:1–6).
To summarize: God the Father created us to be kings, but the disobedience of our first parents robbed us of our crowns. God the Son came to earth and redeemed us to be kings (Rev. 1:5–6), and today the Holy Spirit of God can empower us to “reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17). When you crown Jesus Christ Lord of all, you are a sovereign and not a slave, a victor and not a victim. “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent in your name in all the earth!” (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., pp. 42–43). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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8:6–8. David reflected on man’s position as God’s representative in His Creation. After God made Adam and Eve, He commanded them to have dominion over all the earth (Gen. 1:28). All living creatures were to be under them. But because of sin that dominion has never been fully realized. In fact it was through a subordinate, the serpent, that man rebelled against God’s order. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 798). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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8:5–8 You have made him a little lower than the angels: The response to the rhetorical questions of v. 4 is stunning. Man, as male and female, stands at the summit of God’s creation. The Hebrew text is “You have made him to lack little of God.” The Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, translates the Hebrew word meaning “God” as angels. The author of Hebrews bases his argument in Heb. 2:5–9 on the Septuagint. So both readings are true. God made human beings in His image, just a little lower than angels. The words crowned him with glory fill out and explain the parallel phrase “a little lower than the angels.” God created human beings as majestic creatures who were to rule over His creation. But in our fallen state, we are profoundly disfigured, a perversion of the majesty God has intended (9:20). However, Jesus restores those who put their trust in Him. In Christ, we recover majesty; in Him, we become the people that God wants us to be. Whenever we feel worthless, the words of this psalm should encourage us. We and all other human beings are valuable because God Himself created us in His own glorious image. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1997). The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (Ps 8:5–8). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
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8:4–6 Quoted in the NT at 1Co 15:27, 28; Eph 1:22; Heb 2:5–10. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 8:4–6). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; hthou hast put all things under his feet:
Thou didst give all power and all things into his hands, Matt. 28:18; John 13:3. Thou hast put all things, both in heaven, where are the angels mentioned ver. 5, and in the earth, air, and sea, as it follows; for nothing is excepted besides God, 1 Cor. 15:25, 27; Heb. 2:8. Under his feet, i.e. made them subject to him, as this phrase oft signifies. See Deut. 33:3; Judg. 5:27; Psal. 18:38; 110:1. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 11). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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Ver. 6. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands, &c.] All power in heaven and in earth being given to him: when he was raised from the dead, and when he ascended on high, and was set down at the right hand of God, he was made or declared Lord and Christ; Lord of the hosts of heaven, of all the angels there, King of saints, King of kings, and Lord of lords. All things in heaven and earth, which God has made, are put into his hands, to sub-serve his cause and glory, and for the good of his people; for he is head over all things to the church. The Ethiopic version reads, all the works of thy hands; among whom are angels. This is a greater dominion than was given to the first man, Adam, Gen. 1:28. Thou hast put all things under his feet; or put them in subjection to him, as the phrase signifies, and as it is interpreted, Heb. 2:8. Good angels are subject to him, as appears by their ministration to him, their dependence on him, and adoration of him, 1 Pet. 3:22. devils are subject to him, whether they will or no; and so are wicked men, whose power and wrath he is able to restrain, and does; and the church is subject to Christ, as her head; and so all good men, willingly and heartily, and from a principle of love, obey his commands: yea, all creatures in the earth, air, and sea, are in subjection to him; an enumeration of which is given in the following verses. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 556). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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5–6. These verses come in with greater fulness, to explain and to confirm what went before: how the Son of God was made a little, or for a little space, lower than the angels, during his incarnation and ministry upon earth. For, as the Covenant-head of his church and people, he was before all things, and by him all things did consist, consequently he was above angels. His goings forth were of old, from everlasting. He was the first born of every creature, saith the apostle, the image of the invisible God, the appointed heir of all things, and by whom God made the worlds. Now all these can only refer to Christ as Mediator, both God and man in one Person. His name, Mediator, is suited to both his natures, and not separate from either, but in the union of both forming one Christ. Hence the Psalmist, in contemplating the wonders of redemption, and by such a wonderful way, thus exclaims, What is man, that thou art mindful of him! (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: Job–Psalms (Vol. 4, pp. 185–186). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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They Have Their Reward
“Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” (Matthew 6:2)
Evidently in our Lord’s Day there were individuals who, when they went to the synagogue to give of their money, did so with great show, even having a trumpeter go before them to announce their actions. They also prayed openly “standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men” (v. 5). Jesus called them hypocrites.
The Greek word for hypocrite was used primarily for a stage actor—one who acted as if he were another person, perhaps using a large mask to hide his true identity. In this case, the hypocrite played the part of a generous person or a pious person who, out of a heart of concern for the poor or out of genuine love for God, would give or pray abundantly. But under the “mask” was only a desire to have others recognize and glorify him. Perhaps they received the applause of the onlookers, to which Jesus remarked, “They have their reward” (v. 5), even as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets receive theirs.
The word “have,” an ordinary word, is here modified by a prefix that changes its meaning to “have in full” and was commonly used on business receipts to mean “paid in full.” No payment or service was expected to follow the close of the transaction.
How sad it is when we do “Christian” work today for the praises of men and not the glory of God. Whatever comes of our work will be here; there will be no more reward to follow. Rather, let us give, or pray, or work, in secret, as it were, “and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly” (v. 4). (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Good Soldiers
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:3-4)
From a Kingdom perspective, a good soldier has several responsibilities. Initially, we can expect challenges, wherein we might “suffer trouble as an evil doer” (2 Timothy 2:9), endure afflictions (2 Timothy 4:5), or even be afflicted (James 5:13).
Ultimately, a soldier has one purpose, “that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” Put another way, “do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). Soldiers are called out of the normal life of a nation and dedicated to executing the will of the king.
Thus, from a spiritual perspective, “know ye not that friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). The source of that friendship is a focus on walking by the flesh, which has no good thing in it and cannot please God (Romans 8:8).
We are to “war a good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18) and to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12) because “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).
Fighting God’s battles with God’s armor ensures the ultimate victory promised by our King, Creator, and “captain of the host of the LORD” (Joshua 5:14). “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it” (Isaiah 25:8). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Galatians 6
Christians are to look out for one another and bear one another’s burdens.
INSIGHT
John Donne once wrote: “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main. . . . If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less.” What Donne wrote generally and poetically, Paul wrote specifically hundreds of years earlier: “Restore” one another and “bear one another’s burdens” (vv. 1-2); “do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (v. 10). We are part of one another, and we are to live for one another in harmony and mutual concern. We are all part of the same “continent”-the “continent” of Christ. (Quiet Walk)
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DESTINED FOR GLORY
We shall be like him. 1 John 3:2
“We shall see him as he is.” “Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Do you know that you are destined for that? We shall see Him as He is—what a blessed, glorious vision to see the Son of God in all His glory, as He is, face to face—standing and looking at Him and enjoying Him for all eternity. It is only then that we will begin to understand what He did for us, the price He paid, the cost of our salvation. You and I are destined for that glorious vision; we shall see Him as He is, face to face.
But consider something still more amazing and incredible. We shall be like Him. “We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” This is John’s way of addressing the whole doctrine of the resurrection of our bodies, the ultimate final resurrection, the ultimate glorification of God’s people. What John is telling us, in other words, is that when that great day comes, we shall not only see Him—we shall be made like Him. Paul says that God’s purpose is that we shall be “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). That is the argument, and that is the doctrine.
In other words, while we are here on earth, the Holy Spirit is working in us, doing His work of holiness in us and ridding us of sin, so that eventually we shall be faultless, blameless, without spot, and without rebuke. We shall have been delivered from every sin and vestige and appearance of sin within us; and in addition to that, our very bodies shall be changed and shall be glorified.
A Thought to Ponder: We shall see Him as He is—standing and looking at Him and enjoying Him for all eternity.
(From Children of God, p. 33, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Follow the Leader
“Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ).” (Philippians 3:17-18)
Godly leaders are responsible for living exemplary lives so that those whom they teach will both follow and eventually become leaders of others. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ,” Paul demanded of the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 11:1). “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works,” he instructed Titus (Titus 2:7). But Paul was first a follower of the life example of Christ.
Today’s verse uses some unusual terms to both define the responsibility to follow and mark those walking after Paul’s lifestyle. Memos is Greek for “follow,” compounded with a prefix that means “together.” Our English word “mimic” comes from memos. We are expected to imitate the examples of those who lead godly lives, who themselves are committed to emulate the Lord Jesus.
Further, we are expected to “mark” those living after godly examples. The Greek word skopeo is the strongest word among several for identifying someone or something. It has the sense of intense observation. In the secular literature, it is sometimes used for a spy. God expects us to pay careful attention to those who “have the rule over [us]” (Hebrews 13:17).
And we are to watch out for those who may influence us for evil. There are “enemies” of the Lord Jesus. Those are sometimes among us, and we must “mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). May God give us the discernment to know the difference between “good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Insight from the Spirit
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CHILDREN OF GOD
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1 John 3:1
How have we become children of God? John answers in this way: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us.” This is a very interesting way of putting it. John does not merely say that God has shown His love to us, nor that He has revealed it or manifested it or indicated it. He does not merely say that God loves us, though He does love us and He has shown and displayed His love to us. “Yes,” says John, “but He has gone further—He has bestowed His love upon us.” Now that means there is a sense in which God has put His love into us, implanted Himself if you like, infused or injected His love within us, and we must emphasize that because what really matters is the word that, which should be translated “in order that.” “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, in order that we may become, be made, the children of God”; that is what John actually says.
In other words, what really makes us children of God is that God has put His own life into us. God’s nature is love, and He has put His nature into us so that we have the love of God. We cannot be children of God if we are not like God; the child is like the parent, the offspring proclaims the parentage, and God in that way makes us His children. He puts His own nature into us, and we become His children, and that nature that is in God is in us, and it is acting and manifesting and expressing itself. Paul says that “the love of God…is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost” (Romans 5:5).
A Thought to Ponder
What really makes us children of God is that God has put His own life into us.
(From Children of God, pp. 16-17, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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CHINA RATTLING SABER AT TAIWAN (Friday Church News Notes, October 15, 2021, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “Could Taiwan defend itself against Chinese invasion?” London Times, Oct. 8, 2021: “The incursion of 150 Chinese fighter aircraft and bombers inside Taiwan’s air defence identification zone over four days this week was a test of Beijing’s war plan for invading the island, one of America’s authorities on Chinese and Taiwanese security said. ‘This wasn’t about China retaliating for something the West had done, such as the exercise involving American and British aircraft carriers off the Philippines. It’s more likely to have been a dry run for testing their ability to execute their war plans,’ said Ian Easton. The first physical sign of an invasion would be the lights going out. A cyberattack, hitting every power station to cripple Taiwan’s ability to defend itself, would lead the way to a full-scale Chinese air, airborne, amphibious and ballistic missile assault that would include ‘decapitation’ missions to neutralise leadership figures. ‘The [People’s Liberation Army’s] doctrine calls for emphasising operations in the speed domains–space, cyberspace, the air and the electromagnetic–and quick victory,’ Andrew Krepinevich, an American defence policy analyst and former Pentagon official, said. ‘If the PLA acts according to its doctrine, we would likely see a massive cyberattack supported by large-scale jamming and other forms of electronic warfare on the island to disable its critical infrastructure and military command links.’” “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars” (Matthew 24:5).
(Fundamental Baptist Information Service)
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