BONDS OF GRACE AND GLORY

BONDS OF GRACE AND GLORY   

"Remember my bonds" Col. 4:18

                                                      

                                                                                                     

That is the last word but one, in one of the most wonderful letters Paul wrote; certainly the letter which in conjunction with that to the Ephesians constitutes the crowning height of all his teaching. It is not quite the last word. That follows, and in agreement with all his life and teaching turns back to God, and out towards others, in the parting wish "Grace be with you." Yet it is very suggestive that there should come the cry which reveals his consciousness of limitation and suffering. The whole letter had been written in prison, and surely during the writing the place had flamed with light. Paul had been seated in the heavenlies. The most wonderful visions of the GLORIES of his Lord had passed before him, and he had seen himself and all Christian souls filled to the FULL, COMPLETE in the FULLNESS, the COMPLETENESS, of this Lord of surpassing GLORY. He saw that all things come to a good end, perfected souls, even his bond(s) because of the God of all grace was in control with His plan from eternity past. Having finished, he took the pen in his own hand to write the salutation; and as he did so, the weight of the chain which bound him was felt and perhaps its pain also. Then his heart went out toward his comrades, and he craved their sympathy and help: "Remember my bonds." How close that human touch brings him to all of us, and how much more powerful becomes all his high spiritual teaching because of it! It is always so. The great things of spiritual interpretation are always made more powerful to others when they are reinforced by the touch that reveals our fellowship with those whom we serve in the sense of need. And yet in spite of the chain, he wrote his salutation: "Grace be with you."

SIN, SORROW, AND IGNORANCE DEALT WITH PROPERLY

SIN, SORROW, AND IGNORANCE DEALT WITH PROPERLY 

"I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; and Thou forgave the iniquity of my sin" Psa. 32:5

This is the second of the seven Psalms which are usually called Penitential. (The others are 6, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143). It is one of the greatest songs in the Psalter. In it, human experience is vividly revealed. SIN, SORROW, AND IGNORANCE are all expressed; and their inter-relationship is recognized. It is a Psalm of penitence, but it is also the song of a ransomed soul rejoicing in the wonders of the grace of God. SIN IS DEALT WITH; SORROW IS COMFORTED; IGNORANCE IS INSTRUCTED. The fundamental matter is that of SIN, and the power of the song is created by the contrast it makes between the soul HIDING sin, refusing to acknowledge it, and that same soul CONFESSING it, such as the two thieves on the cross (Luke 23:32-43). While there was continuance of silence on the part of the sinner, the hand of God was heavy upon him, and his life was withered. When the confession was made, that sinner found the heart of God, and life was healed, and songs took the place of sighing. These words which are emphasized reveal the Divine heart in the most wonderful way. In them God is set forth radiantly as "a God ready to pardon." Note carefully that when this man said he would CONFESS, God FORGAVE. So ready is He to PARDON, that He does not wait for the actual and formulated expression. The yielding of the will, the decision of the soul, this is what He seeks. Di­rectly He finds it, His forgiveness is granted, and the soul is restored to the consciousness of communion. This is finally illustrated in the teaching of Jesus. The father's kisses were upon his returning boy, before any word of confession was uttered (Luke 15:11-32). It was upon the bosom of his father that he gave expression to the confession already made in his will. Such is our God.

ISRAELS SIGNS MIRACLES AND WONDERS

ISRAELS SIGNS MIRACLES AND WONDERS

“And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed. And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.” Mark 16:20

That is Mark's last word about the Lord. He is co-operating with His messengers in the delivery of their message, and confirming the word by deeds of power (Heb. 2:4) which are the signs of His presence. The previous statement reveals Him as sitting at the right-hand of God, having been received up into Heaven. These two pictures should always be in our mind as we go forth on His business. He is the triumphant One. All He came to do, He did. His return to the Father was that of VICTORIOUS ACCOMPLISHMENT. But it was not a return to inactivity. From that supreme place of authority and power He directs and accompanies all the journeying’s and activities of those who are His messengers to men.

Two matters should be carefully noted. First, that He works with the preachers of the Word, in the actual work of preaching and here in His attempt to VERIFY THE MESSAGE AND THE MESSENGER SENT TO THE NATION. He has changed His method with the preaching of the Church to Gentiles as it differs from preaching to Israel, but too often we are in danger of preaching as though in the act we are alone. It is not so. In proportion as we are true to Him and His message, we may rest assured that He is Himself actually, by the Holy Spirit, working with us, making His own direct appeal to those who are listening to us. The truth is full of comfort. Then, second, we must recognize that it is He Who gives the signs, as He was doing to Israel He has changed His method with the church. It is not for us to choose what He should do and how He does these things. Today they are wholly spiritual; sometimes they are wrought in the mental and physical realms. The methods He uses to save men today are of His doing. He shall change His methods again at His Second Coming as Israel comes back into the picture as He brings His Kingdom rule to be established on this earth. Our only responsibility today is that of preaching the Word, and baptizing as He commanded (Matt. 28:19). He will use the methods as He knows to be necessary for the fulfillment of His purpose, and to the glory of His name. It is through the foolishness of preaching that men are saved.

<signs, miracles,wonders> See Holman article. The three Greek terms here are quite generally used in the New Testament to describe miracles. Dunamis {miracles}points to the source of the miracle: it is an act or display of divine "power." Teras {wonder} describes the immediate effect it is intended to produce: it is a prodigy or "wonder." Simeion {signs}indicates the purpose of the miracle: it is a "sign" pointing to something beyond it. Men are attempting to reproduce those things which lack that purpose today but they shall begin at the second return to again produce wonder in Israel, pointing the nation the right direction and they shall recognize the true Source of those displays and they shall finally respond correctly and the whole nation shall be saved as prophesied (Rom. 11:26), part of the plan before the very beginning (Eph. 1:11).

Cf. Acts 2:43; 2 Cor 12:12; Mark 16:20; Heb. 2:4; John 5:20.

TRUE AND FALSE GOVERNMENTS INTERESTS

TRUE AND FALSE GOVERNMENTS INTERESTS  

"The heads thereof, judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money" Micah 3:11

The second of Micah's messages was addressed to the RULERS, and was concerned with the coming of GOD'S TRUE RULER. Its first movement is contained in this chapter. It consisted of a denunciation of those in AUTHORITY, both PRINCES and PRIESTS and PROPHETS, and an exposure of the falseness of their authority. In these words the whole evil is graphically stated, and relentlessly unmasked. The HEADS, that is the CIVIL RULERS OR PRINCES, exercised their judicial function for reward. They were open to bribery their decisions could be bought by those able to reward them. The PRIESTS taught for hire, and therefore their teaching was accommodated to the desires of those who paid them. The PROPHETS were seeking for money, and therefore let this be carefully noticed—they guessed. That was not the true method. The PROPHET speaks what God gives him to speak.

But God's word cannot be bought. Therefore the PROPHETS turn to wizardry, to necromancy (prediction using spirits); they divine. In each case the inspiration of the exercise of authority, whether that of PRINCE, OR PRIEST, OR PROPHET, was the desire of SELF-ENRICHMENT. This is the evil principle in false authority. WHEN GOVERNMENT IS IN THE INTEREST OF THE GOVERNING CLASSES, INSTEAD OF THE GOVERNED, IT IS EVIL. Let all human attempts at government, whether autocratic or democratic, be examined in the light of this principle, and an explanation will be found of PERSISTENT FAILURE, and also of any measure of REAL SUCCESS. The true government is THEOCRATIC and seeks for perfection of its flock (Jude 24). By the true method of governing and its levels were decided before the world was even decided in a meeting before the beginning of this world (Eph. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:9- see article Triune Meeting Before The Beginning), Tsarists and the reign of the proletariat stand condemned. Rule, inspired by the self-interest of the rulers, spells ruin.

WATER AND SPIRIT of JOHN 3:5

WATER AND SPIRIT 

 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5

Jesus was speaking to the teacher of Israel who himself was teaching the Jewish nation concerning the appearance of the Kingdom of God and the necessary requirements for entrance. Obviously Nicodemus was teaching in error as Jesus points out to him. By grace John the Baptist was sent with a correcting message giving the preliminary step to accept the greater message which was to come from the Messiah Himself. So here Jesus goes on, very beautifully answering Nicodemus in the realm of interpretation. Listen to Him. He said, "Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God."  Mark the continuity. You have been hearing the ministry of one who baptized you in water who was a God sent messenger, and who also taught you Another would baptize you in the Spirit (John1:33). Except you are born of all that the water baptism of John signified, which is repentance; and that which the Spirit baptism accomplishes, regeneration, you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. (Titus 3:5) "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit."   This was a two-step process that Nicodemus did not understand as well as many today. The heart gets prepared by the word of God and when responded to accomplishes salvation and entrance into His Kingdom that lasts forever.

This was the preliminary foretaste to prepare oneself to accept the greater message from the Greater Preacher One did this by the acceptance of John’s message and submitting to a display of that acceptance. The baptism of water here was a washing which was the symbol of repentance, the human condition necessary to the remission of sins. The baptism of the Spirit was the fact of regeneration, the Divine answer to the fulfillment of the human condition.

Thus our Lord declared that in order to enter the Kingdom of God there must be on the part of man repentance, and also on the part of God the regeneration of the spirit of man. An earthly as well as a heavenly answer to the message preached and taught.

“Water and the Spirit” here has the connotation of “water, even the Spirit.” The death and rebirth illustrated by John’s baptism, in which Nicodemus and his colleagues on the council had been so interested (John 1:25) was merely symbolic of rebirth in the Spirit. Some expositors have equated the “water” here with the Word and others have taken it to mean the water in the mother’s womb, but the context surely refers to baptism, and that is certainly what Nicodemus would have understood it to mean. The essential conclusion of Christ’s reply was that regeneration by the Holy Spirit was prerequisite to entering the kingdom of God. Paul used the same baptismal figure of the new life in Romans 6:4 and called it “the washing of regeneration” in Titus 3:5. Scripture helps to interpret scripture.

HOW TO HAVE MYSTERIES DISCLOSED

MYSTERIES DISCLOSED  

"The mystery of God, even Christ" Col. 2:2

The phrase occurs in the record of another of the Apostle's prayers. His desire for all the saints was that they MIGHT KNOW "The mystery of God, even Christ." That he desired this shows us that in the true Christian sense a MYSTERY is not something which cannot be KNOWN. It is something which man is unable to discover or explain; but it is something which may be DISCLOSED to him, and which therefore he may KNOW. And that is perhaps Paul's ultimate word about Christ. The last word has never yet been spoken about Him. There is nothing more wonderful than the persistence and ever-increasing discussion of all sorts and conditions of thinking men concerning the Person of our Lord. The subject is never exhausted; it never becomes out of date. Again and again men feel that they have formulated a Christology, only to find that some others have seen other facts not included in their system. And so He moves on, the Enigma of the ages, the INCLUSIVE WORD, WHOSE ULTIMATE SECRET IS NOT EXPRESSED, THE VERY MYSTERY OF GOD. Nevertheless through all the intellectual processes, He finds the heart of man, and gives Himself to it, so that in Him the heart finds rest, joy, satisfaction. Multitudes of simple souls, who are unequal to any explanation, live in daily COMRADESHIP with Him. They KNOW Him, and KNOW Him well. They are more intimate with Him than with their dearest earthly friends. They tell Him all their griefs and joys, their doubts and hopes, their successes and failures; and then they hear Him speak to them positively, prevailingly because He is the most easily found and also having the ultimate power. He is indeed the Mystery of God, profound in the wonder of His being, and yet so real that the tiniest child talks of Him with sweet FAMILIARITY.

ESCAPING DEATHS GRAPPLE TO A HAPPY ENDING

ESCAPING DEATHS GRAPPLE TO A HAPPY ENDING

"I have no good beyond Thee" Psa. 16:2

This is the first Psalm headed "Michtam." There are five others (56 to 60). The meaning is obscure. Thirtle says: "The term, Michtam, seems best explained by a personal or private prayer or meditation." This one is attributed to David, but nothing can be said decisively as to the time of its writing. As a whole it is a song of exultant confidence. In its opening petition the consciousness of danger is revealed, but this is the occasion for a glad confession of assurance in the deliverance of God. Whoever wrote it, and under whatever circumstances, its final value is that it is distinctly Messianic. Peter (Acts 2:25-31) and Paul (Acts 13:34-37) not only quote it in reference to our Lord, but argue its Messianic intention. The words we have emphasized reveal the deep secret of this holy confidence. The singer declared that he knew no well-being apart from God-Jehovah, as his SOVEREIGN LORD (John 13:13). Only of our Lord Jesus Christ, as an expression of unvarying experience, was this always true. The will of God was His delight, His meat, His one and only passion; and that as surely in His death as in His life. Therefore, to quote Peter: "It was not possible that He should be holden of it” (Acts 2:24) (that is, death). The measure in which, through His infinite grace, we are enabled to say in very truth, "We have no good beyond Thee," is the measure in which—whatever the perils opposing us, or the apparent calamities overtaking us—we may also be confident in the deliverance of God. In life, and all its experiences, through death itself, we shall be delivered and brought to His presence, in which is fullness of joy, and to His right hand, where are pleasures forevermore (Jude 24 and many more).