Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Why Did Jesus Come?
Mar 20th, 2020
Weekly Bible StudyHugh Davidson
Categories: Commentary;Book Study;Exhortation

In John 1:32-34 it says, “And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.”

In this passage we hear John the Baptist’s testimony of who Jesus is. And unlike many of Jesus’ disciples John knew Jesus since he was a boy. After all, his mother and Jesus’ mother were cousins. They probably played together and went to the same school at the synagogue. And yet, here we see John’s testimony and it’s that Jesus, who he had known all his life, is the Son of God.

When John said, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove” this is the second mention of an animal in this chapter. The first was a lamb. And when you think about it, there are all kinds of human characteristics that we say animals portray. For instance, we might say someone is sly as a fox, as warm as a puppy, as playful as a kitten, works like a horse, quick as a bunny, dumb as an ox or as subtle as a snake. I’ve even heard someone described as cheerful as a bird with a mouth full of worms.

In a sense we could say that referring to Jesus as a lamb could be a reference to His purity since the lamb was considered to be a clean animal in the Old Testament. And then there’s also the gentleness and innocence of the lamb but I think the key here is seeing how Jesus fulfilled the prophetic picture in being the perfect offering for the sins of mankind.

I don’t think the image of the dove is meant to convey the meaning that Jesus is so gentle or so harmless that He’ll overlook sin but it’s meant to fulfill a scriptural type from the Old Testament. We see this in Genesis 8:8-13 after the whole world had been drowned in the flood. It says, “Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; and the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.”

The dove symbolized the fact that the act of judgment had passed and in a very real sense Jesus came to assume our judgment so that those who put their trust in Him would be free from the judgment of God. Any judgment that we deserved was poured out on Calvary’ cross. And the judgment we miss is described for us in Matthew 25:31-34, 41 and 46 where it says, “When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: and these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

You see, this is why Jesus came, lived a perfect life and then died an awful death. It was to save us all from eternal judgment with all the pain and punishment that never ends. You can always tell when you’re talking to a member of one of the false cults by what they say about hell because for the most part they try to discount hell altogether. One of Satan's favorite lies is to try to convince people that the suffering of hell is something they experience while they live in this world and that God somehow owes them something after all they’ve gone through in this life. And then he also tries to get them to believe the lie that death only brings a state of sleep or rest. It’s like my older brother said to me, “Death is like lying in beautiful fields of flowers with classical music playing in the background.” And when I tried to explain that he wouldn’t be able to see the flowers with all the smoke or hear the music with all the screaming going on he didn’t want to hear any more. (You see, I try to be sensitive, but it’s a waste of time.)

Listen, hell is a real place according to God's word and anyone who says it isn’t, is promoting false doctrine. And the only way to escape hell is by becoming a child of God so you can go to heaven. And do you know what the strange thing is? There are only two choices. There’s not heaven, hell and downtown Montreal but only heaven and hell. And the only limit that’s placed on salvation is by those who refuse to accept it. So, if someone isn’t saved, then it isn’t God’s fault because He’s not only provided the means of salvation but He’s also provided a written record of it in the word of God. And we who’ve received the salvation He’s provided are commanded to share it with the rest of the world starting with our families, our town, our country and then the uttermost part of the world. So, tell me, how are you doing so far?

By Strength of Hand the Lord Brought us Out - Exodus 13:14
Mar 20th, 2020
Morning MeditationF. B. Meyer
Categories: Meditation;Inspirational;Book Study

FOUR times over in this chapter Moses lays stress on the strong hand with which God redeemed His people from the bondage of Egypt; and we are reminded of "the exceeding greatness of His power, which is to us-ward who believe'' (Eph 1:12-20).

God's strong hand reaches down to where we are. - It would have been useless if Israel had been bidden to help itself up to a certain point, whilst God would do the rest. The people were so broken that they could only lie at the bottom of the pit, and moan. God's hand reached down to touch and grasp them at their lowest. So God's help is not conditional on our doing something, whilst He will do the rest. When we are without strength, when we have expended our all in vain, when heart and flesh fail - then God comes where we are, and becomes the strength of our heart and our portion forever.

God's strong hand is mightier than our mightiest adversaries. - Pharaoh was strong, and held the people as a child may hold a moth in its clenched fist. But a man's hand is stronger than a child's, and God's than Pharaoh's. So Satan may have held you in bondage; but do not fear him any more, look away to the strength of God's hand. What can it not do for you?

We must appropriate and reckon on God's strong hand. - It is there toward them who believe, as a locomotive may be next a line of carriages; yet there must be a coupling-iron connecting them. So you must trust God's strength, and avail yourself of it, and yield to it. Remember that His arm is not shortened, nor His · hand paralyzed, except our unbelief and sin intercept and hinder the mighty working of His Power.