The Solemn Promise

At devotion, Ipoh Old Town White Coffee Restaurant, Medan Ipoh: reading Hebrews Chapters 3 and 4 TEV.

3:1 and 4:14 appears to be the opening and closing statements of a long discourse on our knowledge of Yeshua, the great high Priest of our faith. 3:1 tells us to think of Yeshua, whom God sent - High Priest of our faith; while 4:14 ends with the injunction to hold firmly to our faith, knowing that we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God.

In between those two verses above is a discourse warning against losing our faith, our "courage and confidence in what we hope for" (3:6), against having "evil and unbelieving hearts" that turn away from the living God (3:12).

This warning is based on the prophecy of Psalm 95: 7 - 11, as the Holy Spirit says (3:7) with particular reference to the word, "Today" - the LXX puts it this way, "If you hear God's voice today . . ."

Through this warning, we are told to help one another everyday as long as this "Today" of Psalm 95: 7 applies to us. In other words, everyday is a "Today" for all believers in Yeshua the Anointed One. (3:13). In this manner, we are to help one another to "hold firmly to the end" the confidence that we had at the beginning (3:14).

After the reminder about "Today" of Psalm 95:7 being everyday of our lives, 3:15ff goes on to dwell on the word "rebelled" (put to test) as found in Psalm 95: 7 - 8.  The following is a comparison of this passage in TEV and the LXX:

TEV	LXX
Listen today to what he says "Don't be stubborn as your ancestors were  at Meribah as they were that day  in the desert at Massah	If you hear God's voice today,  do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were  when they rebelled against God.

The above verses of Psalm 95: 7 - 8 refer to the rebellion at Massah and Meribah, recorded in Exodus 17:1 - 7 and in Numbers 20: 2 - 13 respectively.

Note that the rebellion of the Israelites (3:18) both at Massah as well as at Meribah arose from their unbelieving hearts. This unbelief is the subject of the warning in 3:6 and 3:12. Particularly, 3:19 tells us that they failed to enter the land because they "did not believe".

A closer look at 3:16 - 18 shows that :

• They were all who had heard God's voice,
• They all had been led out of Egypt by Moses,
• With all of their rebellious way, God was angry for 40 years in the desert.
• This culminated in Psalm 95: 7 - 11 (referring to Num. 14: 20 - 23, Deut. 1:34 - 36; 12: 9 - 10) - where God solemnly promised that all of them "will never enter the land where I would have given them rest" !

Recall that 3:7 pointed out the significance of "Today", 3:15 brought to our attention "rebelled", and 3:18 led us to God's "solemn promise".

Now, as we move on to 4:1, we are confronted with the word, "Rest".

to be continued . . .

Is it right to serve in the Armed forces?

Saturday, 13-11-2010

This post is written in response to some views expressed by friends who believe that it is wrong to serve in the armed forces because our Lord had said in Matthew 5:38 - 42,

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Other scriptures were also quoted to support their pacifist views. For example, "He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (Revelation 13:10), and of course, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13)

A thought that came immediately to my mind was about two accounts in the New Testament - one in Luke chapter 3 and the other in Acts chapter 10 - about soldiers who turned sought after God and turned to him in repentance.

Luke 3:14 records that when soldiers came to John the Baptist and asked him for advice on their repentance, John did not tell them to leave the army, but had instead told them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."

The words "be content with your wages" rang loudly at me. It is obvious that in calling these soldiers to repentance, John did not tell them to leave their jobs. Instead they were to continue in them - to be content with their wages, and not to extort money from the public with violence.

Furthermore, not a single teaching of John the Baptist was ever repudiated by our Lord as erroneous. As such the words of John to the soldiers in Luke 3:14 can be taken as a clear and authoritative indication that soldiers did not have to leave the army in their endeavour to repent from sin.

A question that one should ponder over at this juncture is:

- - - WHAT exactly was John the Baptist sent for? - - -

Wasn't he sent to call the people of God to repentance in preparation for the Messiah's appearance? Are we to suspect that his instructions to those soldiers that day were faulty or inadequate in some way, that had to be subsequently corrected by the Messiah himself or by the disciples? 

No such correction is recorded in the NT. I find no instance in the NT that indicates any error in the call to repentance made by John the Baptist. He called those soldiers to repent - without telling them to leave the army.

Some people would refer to Acts 18:24 - 26, to point out that a Jew, Apollos of Alexandria who knew only of the Baptism of John, had to be brought aside and taught the way of God more accurately by Aquila and Priscilla - an incident that apparently indicates some error or inadequacy in the teachings of John the Baptist.

This incident, however, has nothing to do with the correctness of John's teaching about repentance. Instead it was because Apollos had not yet heard about Yeshua, the Messiah - he knew only of the baptism of John! Other than that, nothing is said about any errors in Apollos' beliefs or teachings.

On the contrary, knowing only the Baptism of John, and before being brought aside by Aquila and Priscilla, Apollos was already described as one who "spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord" (Acts 18:25) This is testimony that John's teachings about repentance was sound.

Likewise, the apostle Peter (who certainly knew more than just the Baptism of John), when called to speak to the Gentile household of Cornelius in Caesar-ea did not tell Cornelius the Centurion to leave his job as an army officer. In fact we read in in Acts 10 that, while being in active duty, Cornelius was already described as devout, God-fearing, often giving alms and calling on God in his prayers. Furthermore, while Peter was preaching to his household that day, the Holy Spirit fell upon all of them - including Cornelius himself.

This army office, the first Gentile believer in the Messiah, Cornelius the Centurion, did not have to resign from the army to be born again as a child of God.

May peace from God our Father and from our Lord Yeshua the Anointed be with you all.

Calling on the Name of the Lord - which Name?

Tuesday, 05-10-2010

A discussion about the legitimacy of using the name Yahweh in our prayers and worship.

I have recently come across an article, http://www.seekgod.ca/htname.htm, which carries out a critical evaluation of what people regard as the true Name of God by drawing attention to how the theophoric element YH is rendered in Hebrew texts (depending on whether it's used as a prefix or suffix) and comes to an interesting conclusion.

The author appears to have aptly pointed out that there is no record at all in the gospels of our Lord Jesus calling God by the name YHVH.

Instead he addressed God as 'Father" in his prayers and in all his discourses he would refer to God as "My Father" or "The Father". In the same manner, he taught his disciples to say "Our Father who is in Heaven" in the Lord's prayer.

Perhaps, the only time he didn't address God as Father was when he hung dying on the cross, crying out, "Eloi, eloi, lama sabachtani?" i.e. "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Even at the point of death, our Lord did not call God by the name YHVH.

Likewise, after his resurrection, he told the women in John 20:17 to "Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."


Q: "The very usage of the YHVH is when Eve said in Gen 4:2 "I have gotten a manchild with the help of the LORD. After that further down the chapter we see this verse. Genesis 4:26 And to Seth, to him also son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD. " So we see at this stage that men began to call on the name of the LORD. They must have know how to call YHVH. Moses and all the prophets also called YHVH. It was pronounced in the presence of the Pharoah and also Israelites when Moses had delivered them from Egypt. Actually all along YHVH 's name was been called and used."

A: "Another article entitled, Must we call God by a sacred Name?, by a monotheistic Christian author expresses somewhat balanced views on what you have observed from the OT.

After acknowledging that YHVH was originally used in the OT, the author nevertheless goes on to discuss the question of whether it is necessary for us to actually call our God by his sacred name. He asserts that the original pronunciation of YHVH is lost and, as in the earlier article which I have mentioned, he observes that our Lord Jesus never called YHVH by his name, but instead called him "Father".

Towards the end, and to my surprise, this article takes a step further to address the question of whether Christians should address even the Lord Jesus personally by his name "Jesus". He points out interestingly from the Gospels and the Epistles that his disciples never addressed him face to face in the second person as "Jesus" but instead as "Lord" and called him "the Christ, the Son of the Living God".

As such, while I agree with you, by examples you have cited from Genesis and from the account of Moses in Exodus, that God's people called upon His Name YHVH in the OT, I would at the same time be concerned that the exact pronunciation of the Sacred Name is debatable and that neither our Lord Jesus referred to God by His Name nor command his disciples to do so."

Q: " in the OT, Psalm 79:6 says,""Pour out Thy wrath upon the nations which do not know Thee, And upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Thy name." Psalm 80:18, "Then we shall not turn back from Thee; Revive us, and we will call upon Thy name."
It seems to me implication is that those who do not call on His name will only stir up His wrath and those who do not call on His name may have turn their hearts from Him. And when the heart be revived will call upon His Name. in the Psalms I see the joy and delight of David calling on the name of the LORD.
In the OT, Israelites must remember the goodness of God, How to exalt the name of YHVH? Israelites must call on His name. Isaiah 12:4, "And in that day you will say, "Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted."
Zechariah 13:9 "And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, 'They are My people,' And they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'" - those who are refined by fire are those who call on His Name. God will say to them, they are MY people. and the people will say YHVH is my God.
Coming to the NT, Romans 10:13 for "Whoever will call upon the name of the LORD will be saved."
I see that again Paul said that those who call upon the Name of the LORD will be saved. Who are those who call on the name of the LORD? They are those who believe in God. Only those who believe in His Name will call on Him.
2 Timothy 2:22 "Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart" This verse, 2Tim 2:22 seems to imply that there are a group of people who are calling on the name of the LORD. "

A: " I am reminded that in the NT, God has highly exalted our Lord Jesus and has given to him a name above all other names. In Phil. 2:9-11, the apostle Paul wrote:

"God did highly exalt him, and gave to him a name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee may bow -- of heavenlies, and earthlies, and what are under the earth -- and every tongue may confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Thus, we see that in the NT, our Father, YHVH, is glorified when we confess and bow at the name of his Anointed, our Lord Jesus.

Furthermore, when Paul and Sosthenes greeted the Corinthian Christians in 1 Cor. 1:1-3, they referred to them as: "those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all those calling upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place -- both theirs and ours:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!"

This strongly indicates that the early Christians called upon the name of Yeshua (meaning YHVH Saves) instead of calling upon the name YHVH itself, a name which many believe that in the NT times, had already been regarded as an ineffable* Name by the Jews themselves.

*ineffable = cannot be pronounced

As such, in instances like Romans 10:13 (Joel 2:32) and 2 Tim. 2:22, it is the name Yeshua (Jesus) rather than the name YHVH that Paul was referring to when writing about "calling upon the name of the Lord".

Thus, it may be argued that when Paul quoted Joel 2:32 in Rom. 10:13, he regarded the name Yeshua (or YHVH Saves) so highly - as a name above all other names - that he had used it in place of YHVH in his teaching.

When these observations are taken together with the earlier ones about the practice of the Lord Jesus not calling God YHVH, but instead "Father" and "My God, my God . . ." in his dying moments, one must conclude that calling upon the name of Yeshua (Jesus) is the proper practice in the NT.

Let us remember that when our Lord gave the great commission to his disciples in Matt. 28:18-20, he said "All authority is given to me in heaven and on earth . . ." , and that in Acts 4:12, there is no other name given under heaven among men by which we must be saved. It is no surprise that the apostles had taught the NT Christians to call upon the name of our Lord Jesus."

Reasons why you should not believe in The Trinity.

Saturday, 25-9-2010

The following are some points raised by a friend recently on the doctrine of the Trinity, and my replies to them:

(1)
Jesus is submissive to the Father. But only in humanity sense, but not divine sense. He is submissive to the father until the end, but only in humanity sense.

My reply:
Regarding the first point that Jesus was submissive to the Father "only in the human sense, but not in the divine sense" I'd like to point out that this is not taught in the NT.
Instead the NT teaches us that the Son of God learned obedience from his sufferings and that he became the source of eternal salvation to those who obey him only after he has been made perfect. (Heb.5:8,9).
Similarly, Phil. 2:8,9 teaches that God exalted him and bestowed on him the name above every name because he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on the cross.
Words like "learned obedience", "made perfect" clearly shows that the Son of God is not God himself.
Likewise the fact that God "exalted" and "bestowed on" him a name above all names again clearly tells us that our God is also the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are at least four instances in the NT where the apostle referred to God as the God of our Lord Jesus Christ - 2Cor 1:3, Eph. 1:3, Col. 1:3, 1 Pet. 1:3 etc
In fact if you browse through the Pauline epistles you will find that the apostle Paul has in many places worshipped, praised, given thanks and prayed to God alone and never to the Lord Jesus. For a more detailed list please visit:
http://thefishermanspage.blogspot.com/2010/03/thanksgiving-prayer-and-praise-in.html

After Jesus was raised by God, he said to his disciples in John 20:17,
"I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."
As such, the only sense in which we should understand the submission of the Lord Jesus Christ to God our Father is the sense of a man submitting to God. Any other sense is a distortion of the truth.

(2)
But the YeHoVaH=triune God himself according to trinity, when u said God raised Jesus up, trinitirian might think the God is refer to the triune God, not the father...and the preacher said that God cant shows us love if he is not 3 persons in one, which is relational ( involved that kind of relationship in order to show love)

My reply:
Interesting reasoning. If Jesus were part of the 3-in-1 God, it will be very hard to understand why the apostles repeatedly asserted that GOD raised Jesus from the dead, instead of just "God The Father" raised "God the Son" from the dead.
I read somewhere that there are 27 or more scriptures in eight NT books that say that God raised Christ from the dead. Haven't checked it out yet, but I know of a few, as follows:

This Jesus has God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. (Acts 2:32)
Paul, an apostle-not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. (Gal. 1:1)
Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.(Acts 4:10)

But God raised him from the dead, (Acts 13:30)

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. (Romans 7:4)

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:12)

who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:21)

We can conclude that our Lord Jesus had no power to raise himself from the dead. He had to be raised by God, the same God called YHVH, the same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The same God whom our Lord Jesus affirmed when he recited the Shema:Hear O Israel, YHVH our God, YHVH is one. Deut 6:4 / Mark 12:29
God cannot die. The whole idea that God raised himself from the dead is absurd.

(3)
3a. i don't see what is the BIG problem of Paul addressed distinctly between God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This in fact, is Paul's assertion of the two persons of the Trinity. I am glad he did, because he distinctly differentiated the two roles of God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ (for example, the Father did not die on the cross for our sins, the Son did).
3b.Thanks, I found something interesting
Psa 2:7 "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD(YWHW): He said to Me(Jesus), 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ... YeHoVaH is the Father of Jesus... which the speaker denied by saying YeHoVaH is the Triune God....

My reply:
Amen. Psalm 2:7 indeed teaches us that YHVH is the Father. It is a prophecy written in the voice of the first person singular pronoun "me" - the Son of YHVH.
The fact that God is the Father and the Father is God is explicitly mentioned all over the NT, is beyond all doubt and I've cited some NT references in my previous comment.
What is less well-known among Christians, and even among Jewish people, is that the OT also refers to God, YHVH, as THE Father. e.g.

Isiah 64:8

But now, O YHVH, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

Isaiah 63:16

For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O YHVH, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.

Deut. 32:6

Do you thus repay YHVH, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?

This is the BIG problem for believers in the trinity - who believe "God the Father" as one of the 3-in-1 instead of believing the fact so explicitly stated in both OT and NT, the truth that God IS the Father.
Our Lord Jesus said, beyond all doubt, when he prayed to the Father in John 17:3 - "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
Let us love the explicit assertions that has been so clearly written down in scripture instead of dabbling with implicit allusions which have deluded so many generations of Christians.

May I add: If we turn to John chapter 8, we find that,
(1) The Father sent Jesus, and the Father was with him (v. 16, 29).
(2) Subsequently, in verse 42 - Jesus said more succinctly, that God sent him.
Thus, it is clear that when Jesus referred to his Father, he was referring to the Only true God, YeHoVaH Almighty: his God and our God (see John 17:3, 20:17).
(3) Jesus told only what he heard from the Father, who sent him (v.26, 38, 40).
(4) He always did what pleased the Father (v.29).
(5) Note especially verse 40, Jesus told the truth that he heard from God.
Here, again, we can see without doubt that God is the Father.

(4)
thank you for highlighting Psalm 2:7.
The writer of Hebrews 1 also quoted Psalm 2:7 in verse 5:
5For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”?
6And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
7In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire.”
8But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom."
Look carefully at verse 8: about the Son..., "Your throne, O God...." - which means the Son is God.
And who is saying that? who is the "He" in verse 8? God the Father!
God the Father is saying to God the Son.

My reply:
I'd like to point out that Hebrews 1:8, a quotation of Psalm 45:6,7 can be also be translated as "God is your throne forever . . ." . For example, please see the footnote for this verse in the TEV, and also the NEB.
Furthermore, in the next verse Heb. 1:9, we can read that. "You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions."
cf Psalm 45:6,7 - "you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;" (ESV)
Our God is also the God of our Messiah. It is God who anointed his firstborn son, our Lord Jesus, with the oil of gladness, to be our eternal King.

There is no such thing as "God the Son" in the new testament. Instead there is only One True God, YHVH, our Father, and Jesus, the Christ, the only begotten Son of God.


Concluding remarks:
I pray that we all will hold fast to the truth that we can see so clearly in the scriptures - that there is no such thing as "God the Son" nor "God the Holy Spirit", but only God, our Father, our Only True God who raised Jesus, our Messiah from the dead and gave him a name above all other names.

Let us remember that as we wait for the end, our Lord Jesus will reign until God has put all enemies under Jesus' feet in fulfillment of Psalm 8:6, cf 1 Cor. 15:27

"You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,"

(Reference: 1 Cor. 15:20-28)

After the Son of God has destroyed all rule, authority and power, he will deliver the kingdom to God and he will be subjected to God, so that "God may be all in all" 1 Cor. 15:24, 28

Have the Ten Commandments been abolished?

Tue, 17-8-10, Reading Romans 13, followed by 1 Cor. 9.

I have recently replied to a friend's assertion that the Ten commandments, along with the Law, have been abolished:
Dear (brother). Thank you for making the observation from Heb. 7-9 that the first covenant has been made obsolete. However, I'm not sure if we can categorically assert, solely on the basis of Heb.9:4, that the Ten commandments has already been made obsolete too. This is because, we read in other places in the NT that:

• (a) we should "uphold the Law" (Rom. 3:31),
• (b) we are to practice love in fulfilling commandments like the 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th (Rom.13:9,10)
• (c) we are to obey the 5th commandment - it is the first of the Ten Commandments that carry a promise (Eph. 6:2), and
• (d) we can be sure that we know God, "if we keep his commandments" and live just as our Lord Jesus did.(1 John 2:3-6)

It is noteworthy that our Lord Jesus lived in this world by obeying God's commandments, including the fourth.
And finally, I'd like to ask with reference to Jeremiah 31:33, which is quoted Heb. 8:10 (see also Heb. 10:16):

. . . I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

What are THOSE laws that are put into our minds, and written in our hearts today? Are those some new laws that are different from the Law given in the OT, particularly the Ten Commandments? If so, why are we commanded to obey the commandments above? and If not, then shouldn't we uphold ALLthe Ten commandments?
This morning, at devotion:
Reading Romans 13, followed by 1 Cor. 9.
While Paul wrote in Rom 13:8-10 that he who loves another has fulfilled the law, and that love is the fulfillment of the law, he explicitly referred to several of the Ten Commandments in 8:9 as examples: regarding adultery, murder, theft, bearing false witness and covetousness.
This clearly shows that, to the apostle, the Ten Commandments have NOT been abolished, i.e. they are not to be ignored, but they are, instead, to be upheld in our lives. In other words, when we say we fulfill the law by practising love, we do NOT say that the commandments are obsolete or done away with. Instead, we make it come true in our lives.
Then, moving on to 1 Cor.9, my attention was drawn to Paul's detailed explanation of why he believed that, as an apostle who preached the gospel of Christ, he was entitled to "reap material things" from the Corinthian Christians. He did this by referring to Deuteronomy 25:4, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain" (NKJV), likening his work to that of the ox treading out the grain and hence his right to "eat and drink" (1 Cor.9:4), and arriving at the conclusion that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel (1 Cor. 9:14).
Nevertheless, the apostle made up his mind graciously to forgo that right, and chose instead to preach the gospel of Christ without charge (1 Cor. 9:18)
To me, this morning's reading is one of the most inspiring occasions in my devotions over the recent months. It has answered a question which I have asked from time to time about what Paul wrote in Rom. 3:31, How shall we "uphold (establish) the law"?. It makes me ponder over the fact that very few preachers teach like him: using the truth of the Torah as the basis for reasoning and argument and for deciding on what is good for Christian living.
Brothers and sisters, let us imitate the apostle Paul in our reasoning and understanding. Let us use the truth of the Torah, along with the Neviim (prophets) and Chetuvim (writings) as the basis for our lives. This was the "Scripture" referred to in 2 Tim. 3:16,

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness"

Let us teach and practice the Torah.

The Two Great Assurances

Sunday, 8-8-2010. 1 John 2: 3-6 TEV

3 If we obey God's commands, then we are sure that we know him

4 If someone says that he knows him, but does not obey his commands, such a person is a liar and the truth is not in him.

5 But whoever obeys his word is the one whose love for God has really been made perfect. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God:

6 whoever says that he remains in union with God should live just as Jesus Christ did.

This morning, as I was meditating on this short passage in John's first epistle, I realise that we can be sure of two very important conditions in our Christian life.

The first assurance we have is stated in v.3, which says that we can be sure of our knowledge of God, "if we obey God's commands".

This statement is followed by an elaboration in verses 4 and 5 of a two-fold implication. Firstly, anyone who claims that he knows God but disobeys God's commands is lying, and "the truth is not in him" (v4). Secondly, on the other hand, anyone who keeps God's commands (or God's words, v5), has made perfect his love for God.

The second assurance in our Christian life is found in v.5b,6: which may be understood as a reflection of or a parallel to the earlier in v3 above. It says that we can be sure of our union with God if we live just as Jesus Christ lived.

This reminds us of our Lord's prayer in John 17: 21-23, for all believers to be in union with God, in the following words:

"I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you . . ." (v.21)

and

". . . I in them, and you in me so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me"(v.23)

This also helps us to understand what our Lord had said earlier in John 10:38, telling the people who wanted to stone him for his alleged blasphemy, ". . . that you may know once and for all that the Father is in me and that I am in the Father".

This was the kind of union that our Lord Jesus had with God, and this is the same union with God that we can assure ourselves of, if we live just as our Lord had lived when he was in this world.

Brothers and sisters, Hebrews 5:7 tells us that our Lord Jesus in his life on earth offered up prayers and petitions "with loud cries and tears" to God who could save him from death. It was because our Lord was humble and devoted that God heard his prayers. Verse 8 of the same chapter further says that Jesus learnt to be obedient to God through his sufferings.

Let us therefore hold fast to these two great assurances in our lives: to obey God's commands and be sure of our knowledge of God, to live like our Lord Jesus did, in learning obedience through sufferings. and be sure of our union with God.

Did Jesus claim to be God?

Tue 13July2010

Over the past ten months since I stopped believing in the trinity and turned to YHVH, our Heavenly Father, as the Only True god, I've often been posed a question by well-meaning trinitarian Christian friends who are very concerned about my "falling away" from the Faith.

The question is, "Didn't our Lord Jesus himself claim to be God?" And it is usually substantiated by references to John 11:25, where our Lord said, "I am the resurrection and the life . . ." and also John 5:18, "Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God."

The Jews first accused our Lord Jesus of having broken the Sabbath.

Our Lord had just healed a sick man at the pool of Bethesda by Sheep gate of Jerusalem. This man had been an invalid for thirty-eight years of his life. It must have brought great joy to that man and all his family and friends.

Alas, it was not so for the Jews. For that day was the sabbath, and our Lord had told the man to pick up his mat and walk. To those Jews, the mere act of picking up one's mat and walking with it was tantamount to breaking the fourth commandment. Thus, both Jesus and the man whom he healed were accused of having broken the Sabbath.

On another occasion in Luke chapter 6, his disciples had merely picked some heads of grain, while walking through a grain field, rubbed them in their hands and ate the kernels.

The Pharisees took offence at that incident. In their eyes, the disciples had broken the fourth commandment. When questioned by some of the Pharisees, our Lord had told them in his reply that "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath".

Did Jesus break the Sabbath? All of us know that this accusation was based on narrow interpretations by those Jews on what constituted "working" on a Sabbath day. As such, their accusation was false, we know that Jesus didn't break the fourth commandment.

Similarly, the Jews also accused Jesus of making himself equal with God in John 5:18. Our question now is,

"Did Jesus claim to be God?"

In John 5: 26, 27, Jesus said "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man."

This clearly shows that both life and authority were granted by the Father, who alone is the Only True God. As such, when Jesus said in John 11: 25 that he is the resurrection and the life, he did not mean that he is the ultimate source of life. Instead, he meant that he had life in himself which was granted by his Father in heaven.

Furthermore, in John 5:43, 44: Jesus also said, "I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?"

Again, without any doubt, it is clear that when Jesus described himself as having come in His Father's name, he meant he had come to seek the honor that came from the Only God!

Also, in Matthew 26:64, our Lord replied the High Priest who had put him under oath and asked him to state whether he was the Messiah, the Son of God:

"It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Note that the Son of Man sits at the right hand of the Power (YHVH), the Son of Man is NOT the Power himself.

Eventually, at his crucifixion, the chief priests, along with the scribes and elders, mocked Jesus with these words, " . . . He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God." (Matthew 27:43)

Even his accusers acknowledged explicitly that he trusted in God, and it was for that reason that they mocked him at his crucifixion. They did not mock him for claiming to be God himself.

My brothers and sisters, I am certain that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did not claim to be God.

The Ten Commandments.

Draft started on Tue 13July2010

The Ten Commandments or the Ten Words (Ex 34:28, Deut. 5:22)
I have been pondering over the well-debated question of whether the Ten Commandments have been ignored, neglected or even, possibly, disobeyed by most of today's Christians. I have not come to a conclusion, and this post merely states my reflections on this matter:

1. Both Gal 5:14 and Rom 13:8-10 assert that having the Love of God in us is the fulfillment of the Torah. The passage in Rom. 13 lists the 6th to 10th commandments as examples. And it is in line with the Lord Jesus' teaching that Lev.19:18 is the second of the two greatest commandments on which "hang all the commandments and the Law". My question is how about the first five commandments? How does Love fulfill them, in particular the fourth?
2. Did Paul and the other Apostles observe the sabbath along with Jewish feasts and holy days? 1 Cor. 16:8 tells of Paul tarrying in Ephesus until Pentecost. Were those the only celebrations observed by Christians in NT times?
3. Ironically the 4th commandment - the least talked about or taught in Church - appears to be the most elaborate of the Ten commandments. It is the longest commandment of all.
4. 1 Cor. 7:19 says that keeping the commandments of God is what matters. This is consistent with all that the Lord Jesus had taught in his sermon on the Mount - "You have heard that it is said . . . . but I tell you . . ." largely elaborates on how to obey the Ten commandments from the heart.
5. The Apostle Paul taught from the Torah of Moses in 1 Cor. 9:9 (Deut 25:4). Similarly, he taught from the Neviim in 1 Cor. 14:21 (Is. 28:11,12). Another significant example is 2Cor. 6:16 where Paul referred to Lev 26:12, Jer 32:38, Ezek 37:27 Isaiah 52;11, Ezek 20:34, 41 and 2Sam 7:14 with the words, "And God has said . . ." The apostle clearly upheld the OT scriptures in his life. (Rom. 3:31)
6. A caution, however, is given in Gal 6:16, which appears to be the epitome of the entire epistle to the Galatians, "walk according to this rule" citing circumcision as the case in hand, v. 15 says,"Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.".
7. What is this "rule"? Many Christians today interpret this to be the abolishment of the Torah, and to imply that we no longer live under any obligation to keep the Torah, including the Ten Commandments? see 2Cor. 3:11, "that which is fading away", Eph 2:15, Christ "abolished in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations"
8. In Acts 15 and the entire epistle to the Galatians, the issue was that some people insisted on circumcision according to the custom of Moses - in order to be saved!
9. Strangely, no such issue was raised by the opponents of Paul regarding the keeping of the Sabbath. Wouldn't they be even more unhappy with Paul's teaching if the Gentile churches did not, perhaps along with Paul himself, observe the seventh day as a day of rest?
10. It may be highly likely that the early Christians who turned to God from idols had also learned from the apostles to observe the sabbath. As such the Judaizers had nothing to say against them on this matter.
11. And how about Paul's arguments in Rom. 14 "4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God."
    
    Was Paul referring to the 4th commandment when he talked about some people esteeming one day as better than another?
12. (To be continued)

The Heavenly Man.

Friday 21-5-2010, John 6: 22-70, 1 Corinthians 15: 35-58 NKJV

And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. 1 Cor.15:49

This post is a list of verses from John 6 and 1 Corinthians that talk about Jesus being a man and yet he appears to say that he came from heaven.

Note the words said by Jesus in the synagogue in Capernaum (John 6:59)

(A) Critical Questions:

John 6: 41 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” 42 And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

John 6: 52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”

Jesus of Nazareth. Everyone around him knew his parents. Some of them probably grew up in the same neighbourhood with him. He was a Jew from their community. He was one of them.

But that day, Jesus startled those Jews. He told them that he wasn't exactly one of them.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

(B) Jesus, the bread of life, is a man from heaven:

John 6: 32Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

John 6: 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

John 6: 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.

John 6: 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

Cross references:

1 Corinthians 15: 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15: 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.

1 Corinthians 15: 45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

1 Corinthians 15: 47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.

1 Corinthians 15: 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.

1 Corinthians 15: 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.


(C) Jesus will raise up all who believe in him on the last day:

John 6: 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6: 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

(D) A saying too hard for some to accept.

John 6: 60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”
John 6: 61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?

John 6: 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
John 6: 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

John 6: 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The Lord Jesus was patient with his disciples.

The Lord Jesus – a patient and gentle teacher.

A sermon delivered in Ipoh Garden Baptist Church on Sunday 1-6-2008

Mark 14: 27-31
cf Matt 26: 31-35, Luke 22: 31-34, John 13:36-38

Outline:
I The Lord was Patient with Their Intentions
- to be great
II The Lord was Patient with Their Ignorance
- about what was ahead
III The Lord was Patient with Their Insufficiency
- they would forsake Him.
Introduction
A quality that all teachers need, and can never have too much, is patience. Teachers are often made to feel that their efforts are futile – when their students don't appear to achieve the learning objectives after weeks of lessons, drills and practice. I've occasionally told my students that there are two topics in my subjects they should beware of: the first is, ""Playing guitar to cows" while the second is, "Teaching cows to climb trees." (These are popular Chinese proverbs used to depict the difficulty faced by teachers in trying to teach inattentive and unintelligent students.)
Indeed a teacher must be patient. In one of his pastoral letters to the young pastor Timothy, the apostle wrote, "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil . . ." (2 Timothy 2:24-26)
Similarly, we see in this morning's lesson that our Lord Jesus was patient with the failures of his disciples. He taught them things which were too hard for them to grasp, and he waited patiently for them to come to their senses.
This account of our Lord's conversation with his disciples is also reported, with some variations, in all the other gospels. The following table gives a comparative overview of this event in all four gospel accounts:

The Lord Jesus predicts Peter's denial.

Mark 14: 27-31	Matthew 26:31-35	Luke 22:31-34	John 13:36-38
After the Lord's supper, they went to Mt. Olives	(same)	NIL	NIL
Jesus told them, "You all will stumble (be offended) because of me this night."	(same)	NIL	NIL
Quoted Zechariah 13:7, "I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered"	(same)	NIL	NIL
"But after I've been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee". Peter replied the Lord, "Even if all stumble (are offended), yet I will not be."	(same)	The disciples debated about who would among them be the greatest. After supper, Jesus said, "Simon, Simon, satan has desired to have you (has asked for you), that he may sift you as wheat [TEV to separate good from bad / wheat from chaff]. But I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail, that when you're returned (KJV converted / TEV turned back), strengthen your brethren.	After supper, Jesus gave them the new commandment. Peter asked Jesus, "Where are you going?" The Lord replied, "Where I go you can't follow now, but afterwards"
Jesus told Peter, "Truly, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me thrice"	Jesus told Peter that before the cock crowed, Peter would deny him three times	-	-
Peter said (more vehemently),"If I die, I will not deny you!" All the others said likewise	Peter said, "Though I die with you, yet I will not deny you" All the others said likewise	Peter said, "Lord, I am ready to go with you, both to prison and to death"	Peter asked, "Why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for your sake"
-	-	Jesus replied, "I tell you Peter, the cock shall not crow this day befoe you shall three times deny that you know me"	Jesus: "Will you lay down your life for my sake? Truly, truly, I say to you. The cock shall not crow till you have denied me thrice"
Jesus' conversation with all his disciples.		Jesus' conversation with Peter alone

(1) Jesus was patient with their intentions – "who is the greatest"
The intentions or motives of the disciples were concealed beneath their claims and confidence of dying together with the Lord Jesus – most likely their true intentions were to attain glory and greatness. This is evident from the passage immediately preceding the account in Luke, in verses 24-30, which tells of a strife among the disciples as to who would be greatest (including Peter!).
Jesus had just finished his last supper with them – after giving them the bread and cup of wine, telling them that his body was broken for them, he told them that one of them would betray him to his enemies.
Instead of paying attention to his warnings – v.24-30 tells us that "they began to argue among themselves, who was the greatest. The Lord had to remind them that to be great, they had to be like a servant who serves others. And he promised them that they would eat and drink at his table and sit on thrones to rule over the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jesus was about to give his body and blood as the only unblemished sacrifice for the sins of the whole world – yet the disciples were preoccupied with their intention to be greatest among themselves! Indeed, Jesus had to be patient with their intentions.
(2) Jesus was patient with their ignorance – that he was in great sorrow.
The disciples were oblivious to the fact that their Master, their Teacher whom they had followed for three years was about to face one of the most sorrowful and dreadful moments in his life – a humiliating trial, torturous whipping and a slow death by crucifixion.
They didn't know, at the time of this conversation, that their Lord would soon be praying with great intensity and sadness in the Garden of Gethsemane, that, if possible, God would take this tribulation from him.
They also didn't know that Jesus was to be so sorrowful that his sweat was to become like blood dripping to the ground, and that an angel from heaven had to come and strengthen him.
So when the Lord Jesus quoted to them the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7, when he told them that all of them would stumble, that they would, literally "run away and leave me", he knew that they had no idea, not a clue of how grave the circumstance would turn out to be.
Such was the patience of our Lord Jesus. He was patient with their ignorance.
(3) Jesus was patient with their insufficiency – that they would all stumble and desert him.
Particularly with Peter, who stumbled very badly indeed. He followed Jesus from a distance. He denied three times, the final time with an oath, that he was ever acquainted with Jesus.
Mark 14:71, "I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know the man you are talking about!"
But Luke 22:31,32 tells us that Jesus prayed for him that his strength would not fail, that he would return from this stumbling to strengthen others.
Conclusion
There are many valuable lessons to be learned from the Lord Jesus' private teaching and conversations with his disciples.
The accounts in Mark 15, Matthew 26 and John 13 may appear to portray our Lord as being somewhat stern and blunt with his disciples. For example, when Peter asserted that he would lay down his life for his Master's sake, Jesus told him, "Truly, truly I say to you . . . will you lay down your life for my sake? The cock shall not crow till you have denied me three times."
It is when we look more carefully into the account in Luke 22 that we can see our Lord as a gentle, patient teacher – patiently waiting for Peter to come to his senses.
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat [TEV to separate good from bad / wheat from chaff]. But I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail, that when you're returned, strengthen your brethren"
Brothers and Sisters, let us imitate our Lord Jesus in our lives, to be gentle, able to teach patiently and "in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil . . ." 2 Timothy 2: 24-26.

That we may know God, our Father.

Saturday, 8-5-2010, Ephesians 1:15-23

Morning devotion at Tiara Beach Resort, Port Dickson, while attending the annual retreat of Temerloh Gospel Chapel.

Pauls' prayer for the Ephesian brethren tells of the greatness of God our Father and his great works.

Firstly, we can see in this passage that God is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus (v.3, 17). Our God in heaven is the Father of glory. (v.17) And it is only He who can grant us the spirit of wisdom and revelation for our knowledge of him. (v.17b).

Secondly, note that Paul prayed for the Ephesian Christians to know the hope of God's calling and to know the "riches of the glory" of God's inheritance in us.

Thirdly, it is the exceeding greatness of God's power - His might - which God worked in Christ when God raised Christ and seated Christ at His right hand (v.19,20).

Indeed, our Lord Jesus Christ is now seated at the right hand of God, in a position "far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come" (v.21). All these are granted to Christ by the Only True God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ who, like the Ephesian brethren, put your faith in the Lord Jesus and who show love for all the saints, let us pray for one another like the apostle Paul had prayed, that we may know God our Father: the God and Father of our Lord Jesus.

We know that God has put all things under the feet of Christ, and has given him to be head over all things to the church. (v.22)

Philippians 4:20
Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen

Jesus honoured God, his Father.

Tuesday, 11-5-2010, John 8

The Father sent Jesus, and the Father was with him (v. 16, 29). Subsequently, in verse 42 - Jesus said more succinctly, that God sent him. Thus, it is clear that when Jesus referred to his Father, he was referring to the Only true God, YHWH Almighty: his God and our God (see John 17:3, 20:17).

Jesus told only what he heard from the Father, who sent him (v.26, 38, 40). He always did what pleased the Father (v.29). Note especially verse 40, Jesus told the truth that he heard from God. Here, again, we can see without doubt that God is the Father.

Furthermore, Jesus honoured his Father and did not seek his own glory. (John 8:49,50). He did not honour himself, but instead received honour from his Father. (John 8:54).

Dear Christians, I urge all to ponder over how much, or perhaps how little, attention we have paid towards honouring God, our Heavenly Father, in our lives. In our Churches today, we have been continually surrounded by and immersed in teaching, proclaiming, affirming and singing that invariably honours Jesus "as God", to such extent that we have neglected, even ignored almost altogether, giving our honour to our only true God, YHWH, our Father in heaven.

All the calls that we hear Sunday after Sunday, from gospel meetings to revival meetings, in Youth fellowship and Adult fellowship, telling us to Praise Jesus, to Bless Jesus' Name, and to proclaim Jesus as Lord (in the sense that he "is God") has subtly and successfully lulled us into worshipping our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the son of God, who is the Son of Man, whom the apostles call "a man" (Acts 2:22) and "the man" (1 Timothy 2:5), as if he is the real God!

In doing so, we have turned away from worshipping YHWH, as our only true God.

Brothers and Sisters, I urge you to follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ to live our lives in honour of God our Father. Like Jesus, let us endeavour to please our Father in all that we do. Let us not seek our own glory but instead, like our Lord Jesus, seek to honour YHWH, our God and our Father in Heaven.

"Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name"!

P.S.:
For a survey of how the early Apostles honoured the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, please view my earlier post: Thanksgiving, Prayer and Praise in the Epistles.

See an updated summary of this post: The Master Yeshua honoured God.

Wash, make yourselves clean.

Sunday, 25April2010, Isaiah 1:16-20

Over two consecutive mornings last week, I had, before leaving for work, come across the same passage from the first chapter of the book of Isaiah during my devotion. The verses which caught my attention on both occasions were v. 16-17:

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.

In all my thirty-five years of Christian faith, I had often been told that only God washes us clean from sin and evil. For example, 1 John 1:9 tells us that God is faithful and just, and He will forgive us of our sin and will purify us from our wrongdoings when we confess our sins to Him.

Again, in Titus 3:5, we are told that God saved us through His Spirit by the washing of regeneration, i.e. by baptism. Likewise, in the passage that I read this morning, in Isaiah 1:18, YHWH says that He will make us as clean as snow, and as white as wool.

In such manner, for more than three decades of my Christian faith, I have been reminded by preachers and teachers through bible studies and discussions, that we cannot remove our own sins: that there is nothing we can do about our unrighteousness before YHWH God, that only God can wash us clean.

This week's encounter with Isaiah chapter 1, however has opened my eyes to a verse which commands us to remove our own sins. "Wash yourselves clean . . ." verse 16 tells us. Indeed, here in this passage it is recorded by Isaiah that YHWH has a command for the people of Jerusalem, with whose sacrifices YHWH had become tired (v.19) and whose prayers YHWH would not listen, even when they lifted their hands to Him (v.15).

And this command is, "Wash, make yourselves clean"!

This surprised me somewhat. It tells me that I had mistakenly held the belief that we Christians cannot do anything at all about our sins. It alerts me to the error of feeling helpless about my wrongdoings. Instead, I am awakened to God's command to His people in Jerusalem: that we, among ourselves, a nation belonging to YHWH , must do something about our sins - sins which may even be "red as scarlet and as crimson". I am awakened that God's command to me today is that we wash ourselves and make ourselves clean.

How shall we obey this command of YHWH , our God? The answer is found immediately in the next statement in verse 16, through verse 17:

". . . Stop all this evil that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil and learn to do right." (TEV)

That is how we wash ourselves. That's how we make ourselves clean - by ceasing to do evil and learning to do right. Verse 17 goes on to elaborate more on what we must do among the people of YHWH :

"See that justice is done. Help the oppressed, give orphans their rights, and defend the widows."

Note that YHWH 's command to his people in Jerusalem at that time was to help the oppressed, defend the fatherless and the widows who were in their midst. This was the sin of Israel. This was the matter. In the sight of YHWH, they should cease to do evil to their own people, and learn to do good, again to their own people.

Surely, that was the nature of the evil that YHWH 's people in Isaiah chapter 1 had to wash themselves of. Their hands were covered with the blood, verse 15 says. And it was the blood of their own people.

Dear Christians, let us look at ourselves, in our churches today. Let us ask YHWH Almighty, our God and Father to help us search our hearts. Like the people of YHWH in Jerusalem, let us remove all oppression of our own people from among our midst.

The sin of Israel then, may be our sin today too. Have we neglected to do good? Have we forgotten about the rights of the fatherless in our midst? And have we failed to defend widows and orphans among us? Perhaps, like the people of Israel, these are the "scarlet" and "crimson" sins in our Churches today. Our God, YHWH, our Father in heaven wants to make us clean as snow, and white as wool. (v.18)

By the blood of the sacrifice of His son, whom He raised from the dead, God our Father can cleanse us from all our righteousness (1 John 1:9). There remains, but one thing for all of us to do in our Churches today - to wash ourselves and make ourselves clean of any ongoing oppression and injustice among us.

"If you will only obey me, you will eat the good things the land produces. But if you defy me, you are doomed to die." (Isaiah 1:19)

The Eyes of YHWH

Sunday, 4April2010, Zechariah 4: 1-14 ESV

Early morning devotion at Mines Wellness Hotel, after attending IKUPM 36th Anniversary Dinner at Mines Shopping Fair the previous evening.

"for YHWH -- His eyes go to and fro in all the earth, to show Himself strong [for] a people whose heart [is] perfect towards Him" 2 Chronicles 16:9 YLT (when Hanani the seer rebuked King Asa for depending on the King of Syria instead of depending on YHWH, his God.)

Zechariah speaks of a vision in which he saw a lamp-stand with seven lamps (4:2). In v. 10, the angel who spoke to Zechariah in that vision explained that they represent the eyes of YHWH which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.

A vision with some similarity is also given to the apostle John in the New Testament. In Revelations 4:5, John saw a vision of God on his throne and seven lamps of fire were burning in front of the throne - "which are the seven spirits of God".

Subsequently, in Revelations 5:6, John saw the Lamb of God with seven horns and seven eyes - "which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth".

Furthermore, the angel had said to Zechariah earlier in 4:6 those famous words, "This [is] a word of YHWH unto Zerubbabel, saying: Not by a force, nor by power, But -- by My Spirit, said YHWH of Hosts."

It appears that the eyes of YHWH, shown to Zechariah as a lamp-stand with seven lamps, are indeed His spirit, seen by John as seven lamps of fire and also as seven eyes on the Lamb of God. It is noteworthy that both the eyes of YhWH in Zechariah's vision as well as the "seven spirits of God" in John's vision are seven-fold in nature, and both are moving throughout the earth.

Today's passage from Zechariah chapter 4 reminds me of the verse in 2 Chronicles 16:9, quoted above, which explains the purpose of God's eyes i.e. to show Himself strong on behalf of people whose hearts are perfect towards him.

Sadly, in 2 Chronicles 16, we read that King Asa's heart was not perfect towards YHWH, i.e. he did not trust his God completely. In verse 9, Hanani the seer went on to tell King Asa, " thou hast been foolish concerning this, because -- henceforth there are with thee wars".

Thus it is clear that the spirit of YHWH moves all over the earth, akin to His eyes, seeking out everyone who turns to Him and trusts in Him as God with a perfect heart. To such people, YHWH shows Himself strong on their behalf.

Dearly beloved brothers and sisters, let us avoid the folly of King Asa. Instead, let us put our trust completely in the name of our God, YHWH, with perfect hearts.

Jesus - Our Mediator

Monday, 26April2010, Hebrews 7 - 10: selected verses

"for one is God, one also is mediator of God and of men, the man Christ Jesus"
1 Timothy 2:5 YLT

At the end of my last post two months ago entitled, "Jesus, the Son of God", I have mentioned that our Lord has accomplished three things for us, namely,

1. He is the Model of our faith,
2. He is the Mediator of our salvation and
3. He is the Master of our obedience.

I had also explained briefly on the first point, that our Lord Jesus is the Model of our Faith, for our empowerment, our endurance and most of all for our emulation as we live as testimonies for Christ in this world.

Today, I'd like to continue with the second point, that our Lord Jesus is the Mediator of our salvation. I have surveyed chapters 7 through 10 of the epistle to the Hebrews and have come across the following descriptions of what our Lord Jesus, the Son of God, has done for us:

(1) He is our High Priest

A prophecy in Psalm 110:4 tells of YeHoVaH declaring to his anointed, Messiah,

"YeHoVaH has sworn and will not relent, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek".

This prophecy is quoted at least three times, in Hebrews 5:6, 7:17 and again in 7:21.

In commenting on this verse, Hebrews 7:24,25 says that our Lord Jesus, the priest who lives forever, is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him. Note carefully in these verses, the reason why Jesus can do this is because he always lives to make intercession for them.

Further, in 7:28 the writer goes on to say that our Lord Jesus has been made perfect forever. This is followed subsequently in 8:1 which tells us that Jesus is a High Priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

This helps us to understand more clearly why our Lord Jesus had said in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth and the life, and that "no man comes to the Father except by me". Indeed, the whole purpose of our Lord Jesus, the sinless man, the only begotten Son of God, having to live as a servant, resisting temptation, to be tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin (Heb 4:15), to learn obedience in his sufferings (Heb 5:8), is to be made perfect by God, so that all men can come to God through him.

Having obeyed his Father completely, even to the point of death on the cross, he was raised from death by God and is given a place at the right hand of God forever - where he always lives to intercede for all those who come to God through him.

Behold our Lord Jesus: he is made perfect by God to be our High Priest, forever.

(2) He ministers in the True Temple

Hebrews 8:2 says that Jesus is a minister of the holy place in God's true temple. This is not any man-made temple on earth. Instead it is the temple of God which is put up by the Lord (i.e. YeHoVaH) and not by man. This reminds us of the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (Young's Literal Translation) where he says, " have ye not known that ye are a sanctuary of God, and the Spirit of God doth dwell in you? if any one the sanctuary of God doth waste, him shall God waste; for the sanctuary of God is holy, the which ye are".

Yes, indeed we, the body of Christ make up this temple of YeHoVaH, the true temple in which our Lord is the high priest who ministers in the holy place, the temple built by God and not by the hands of man.

Verse 6 goes on to elaborate on the ministry of our Lord Jesus in this true temple of God. It compares our Lord's ministry with that of the Levitical priests who serve under the Law of Moses. It points out to us that Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry than those earthly priests. Furthermore, he is the mediator of a better covenant than the covenant under Moses.

Similarly if we turn to chapter 9 verse 15 we read that our Lord is the mediator of a "new covenant" by means of his death. This explains for us the mean of the words, "has obtained" mentioned earlier in Heb. 8:6, telling us that this excellent ministry of our High Priest, in the true temple of YeHoVaH is made possible only by our Lord's death on the cross. It was by means of his sacrificial death, a death from which YeHoVaH God raised him, and glorified him, that Jesus, our Messiah, becomes our Mediator of this more excellent ministry and this better covenant.

Indeed, our Messiah, has come as High Priest of the good things to come, with a greater and more perfect tabernacle - not made with hands, and not of this creation! (Heb. 9:11)

Behold, our Lord Jesus: by his death, he has obtained a more excellent ministry than the earthly Levitical priests. He ministers in the true temple of YeHoVaH.

(Posting resumed on: Sun. 15-5-2010)

(3) He Offered himself to God

Finally, Hebrews 9:14 tells us that our Lord Jesus offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, through God's eternal Spirit. In doing so, his blood cleanses our conscience "from dead works" so that we may serve the living God. This further explains the assertion made two chapters earlier in Hebrews 7:24,25, that he is able to "save to the uttermost" those who come to God through him.

Furthermore, it is stated in Hebrews 10: 10-12 that this sacrifice of our Lord's body is a "once for all" sacrifice which is effective for all sins forever. No other sacrifice is ever needed again. And our Lord has been raised by God, to be seated at God's right hand and is given a transformed and glorified body, never to die again. Now, at the right hand of the throne of YeHoVaH Almighty, our Lord Jesus waits for his enemies to be subject to his authority, figuratively, to be made his footstool (v.12 and 13).

Conclusion:

In his days on earth, our Lord Jesus had always obeyed God, his Father. He always did things that pleased his Father. (John 8:49). He honoured his Father and did not seek his own glory. (John 8:49,50). He did not honour himself, but instead received honour from his Father. (John 8:54). In fact, he went about teaching his disciples that only those people who does the will of his Father will enter the kingdom of heaven!

It was because of such complete obedience to God his Father that our Lord had successfully become the Mediator between God and man.

He gave himself, his body, as the unblemished, once-for-all sacrifice to God. He was raised by God from the dead to become our eternal high-priest. He lives forever, interceding at the right hand of God, having the ability to "save to the uttermost" all who come to God through him.

And his ministry is a more excellent ministry than that of the Levitical priests on earth, for he ministers in the true temple of God, a temple not made with hands but instead comprises all of us who have died together with him and who have been made alive with him.

Today, our Lord Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of God, waiting for his enemies to be subject to him. Psalm 8: 6 contains a prophecy of God giving Christ authority over all of God's creation and putting all things "under his feet",

"You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet."

The apostle Paul explained this prophecy in 1 Corinthians 15 by saying that Christ must reign until God has put all his enemies, under his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death itself. In the end, i.e. at the resurrection, Christ will deliver the kingdom to God after destroying "every rule and every authority and power". (v.20 - 28 ESV)

Dear Christian, let us hold fast to the truth: that our Lord Jesus learned to obey God in his sufferings (Heb. 5:8) and, in doing so, has been made perfect by God to be our mediator forever (Heb. 7:28).

Behold the Anointed One, the eternal high priest, the mediator between God and Man, the man Christ Jesus.

The Peace of God, the God of Peace

Saturday, 10April2010, Philippians 4:6-9 YLT

"for nothing be anxious, but in everything by prayer, and by supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God; " v. 6

About three days ago, I read a heartbreaking news report about a man in the province of Guangdong in Southern China who beat his daughter to death on a street in full view of the public. While beating the child, he scolded her for refusing to attend "night school" - a type of cram school where many students are forced to attend in order to improve their chances of passing university entrance exams in future.

The news report says that students in China face intense pressure to pass such "make or break" entrance exams in order to join the ranks of the educated strata of society. Such competitive pressure leads to very anxious parents who appear to have no choice but to force their children to undergo gruelling hours of study starting from a tender age.

The Chinese girl who died from such cruel treatment by her father was only nine years old!

This makes me think of my own country, even of my town where I have been living and working for the last twelve years, where parents are facing similar anxieties over the future of their children. I've come across many students who have been given no choice at all by their parents, but who instead have been forced to attend a string of tuition classes after school throughout the week, both in the day-time as well as at night.

One of them, a family friend's daughter, once pleaded with her mother saying, "I can't take it anymore. If you make me attend any more tuition classes, I will die . . ." . My wife tried unsuccessfully to persuade the mother to reduce the number of tuition sessions for her daughter. Her reply was typical, "We are not educated people. If she can't go to good schools and universities in future, will you be responsible?"

It appears that parents everywhere are anxious. So anxious that, they have almost taken over their children's lives "by proxy" - making every decision for the kids, from the time they get up in the morning to the time they go to bed at night. I know of another family who even have to feed their primary school child his lunch in the family van each afternoon - in their hurry to bring him to his first tuition class immediately after school dismisses!

I feel sad for the hundreds and hundreds of pitiful school-children who are robbed of their happy childhood solely because their parents are anxious over their future "success in life". In my opinion, these parents have unwittingly destroyed the emotional and mental health of a whole generation of young people.

Such powerful and overwhelming anxiety: it gives parents no time to pause and think of better alternatives. Isn't there a better way of dealing with these "make or break" circumstances? Isn't there some way of having peace of mind, or peace in our hearts over this nagging issue?

Yes, dear Christian parent, there is. The word of God tells us in Philippians 4:6,7:

"for nothing be anxious, but in everything by prayer, and by supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God; and the peace of God, that is surpassing all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus." v. 6,7

The answer for us is to make known our requests to our God by our prayers and supplications - with thanksgiving. By doing so, we can have peace in our hearts. Not any kind of short-lived, momentary and fleeting peace, but the peace of God. This peace that is of God is higher than our understanding. It "guards our hearts and thoughts" in Christ.

By having the peace of God guarding our hearst, we Christian parents can escape from the anxieties of this world and avoid falling into the cruel ways of so many parents around us.

And instead of being preoccupied with the anxieties of our children's "make or break" success in exams, there are better things for us to think of and be occupied with. Verses 8 and 9 says:

"As to the rest, brethren, as many things as are true, as many as [are] grave, as many as [are] righteous, as many as [are] pure, as many as [are] lovely, as many as [are] of good report, if any worthiness, and if any praise, these things think upon; the things that also ye did learn, and receive, and hear, and saw in me, those do, and the God of the peace shall be with you." v.8,9

Yes, besides having the peace of God guarding our hearts, we can also have the God of peace being present with us. When we stop getting entangled with being anxious over many things of this world, but instead "think upon" things which are true, upright, pure, lovely and things which are of good report, the God of peace will be with us.

May the peace of God guard your hearts. May the God of peace be with you all.

Motherless children, Fatherless Christians

Monday 05April2010, John 15:1-17 CEV

Last Saturday was a memorable day for me. I had arrived with my family at the Hokkien cemetery in Sungei Jelok in Kajang in the early afternoon to clean up my late father's grave and to reflect briefly on his days together with us before he had left us after a long illness in 1995.

As we were walking down a gentle hill-slope to return to our car, we met a group of three children who had just arrived at the cemetery. If I remember correctly they were a sister with her two brothers, and they all appeared to be of about primary school age. They were talking happily to one another as they ran towards one of the newer graves in front of us.

Following behind them, a short distance away was a gentleman who called out loudly to them in Chinese, "Over here! This is your mummy's grave. This is where your mummy is buried. Next year ask your papa to bring you here again, understand?" And the children nodded quietly to this man, whom I presume by then was their uncle.

The kids had come to their mummy's grave empty-handed. They stood close to each other, looking somewhat awkwardly after hearing what their "uncle" had told them. Their happy chatter had stopped suddenly and there appeared to be a tinge of sadness and longing on their faces for their mummy.

I was saddened by the scene.

As we continued to walk down-slope to our car, I turned to my wife ChooyLin and remarked, "Poor children! They are so young and they've lost their mother already. . ." I couldn't understand why their father was not with them that afternoon, and why they had to be brought there by an uncle, if indeed the gentleman was their uncle. I only wished somebody could bring their mummy back.

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That evening ChooyLin and I attended the 36th Anniversary Dinner of IKUPM at a restaurant in the Mines Shopping Fair. It was a pleasant evening, filled with the joy of meeting with brothers and sisters who studied and fellowshipped together with us back in the 1980s in the CF. The current batch of students were also warm and friendly. At our table was Grace, LiNa, Gloria, Sheryl, Eugene, Au Yong Chee Meng and also Colin (who later went over to a nearby table).

We chatted happily together, and soon the sadness of seeing those three empty-handed children at their mother's grave began to fade from our thoughts.

All the more so, when a very interesting, meaningful and entertaining sketch was performed by three very talented young people on stage by BiYao @ Gobby depicting a young graduate who was being severely tempted by a seductive looking Devil played by BeeKoon as he stepped into the working world, while a serious sounding Angel played by Ivan Lee tried repeatedly to urge him to turn to God. Eventually, after falling badly, this young man decided to pick himself up and return to God - to the joy of the Angel and the dismay of the Devil.

I enjoyed the sketch very much and I must congratulate Gobby, Ivan and Bee Koon for their excellent acting on stage. By then I had all but forgotten about the sad scene of the motherless children at the Kajang cemetery, when quite unexpectedly I came across a passage of scripture printed in the programme booklet. It was the passage from John 15:1 - 17 taken from the Contemporary English Version, which I'd like to quote below:

"Jesus said to his disciples:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit. You are already clean because of what I have said to you.

Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. If you don't stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire.

Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honored. I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.

I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. And you are my friends, if you obey me. Servants don't know what their master is doing, and so I don't speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me.

You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. So I command you to love each other. "

I have read this passage many times before but that evening I noticed, for the first time, that in the midst of our Lord Jesus' commands to his disciples to abide in him and to obey him, there were at least three references to the Father. Once at the beginning, several times in the middle and once more at the end of the passage.

At the beginning of the passage, I read that our heavenly Father is our Gardener. God is our Father who cuts away fruitless branches from the vine and trims the fruitful ones so that the fruitful disciples will bear even more fruit. Every Christian who abides in the commands of our Lord Jesus remains as part of this vine in this garden.

And those of us who bear fruits in Christ will be pruned, trimmed and tended to by our Father in heaven, so that we will bear even more fruits. However, we must beware of the pitfall of living fruitless lives should we depart from obeying Christ in our lives - our Father will cut such people away from his kingdom!

Then about halfway through the passage, I realised that our heavenly Father is our Guide. The Lord Jesus told his disciples that their fruitfulness in life was to glorify his Father (rather than to glorify Jesus himself). He went on to tell them twice that he his love for the disciples was guided by his Father's love: first by saying that he loved them just as his Father has loved him, and again by saying that he would keep loving them if they obeyed him just as his Father keeps loving him because he had obeyed his Father.

Indeed, it is clear that our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the only begotten Son of God looked to his Father in heaven as his guide in his love for his disciples and in his obedience to his Father. This is the same God who is our heavenly Father today, who is our guide as we obey the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And finally, at the end of the passage, I saw that our Father in heaven is our Giver. The Lord Jesus told his disciples that he had chosen them and had sent them out to produce fruit in life that will endure. And then his Father will give them whatever they ask for in Jesus' name. This is the joy that all who follow and obey the Lord Jesus Christ can have everyday of their lives: the joy of being chosen, of being sent out to live fruitful lives and the joy of receiving from our heavenly Father whatever we ask in the name of Christ.

Suddenly it occurred to me that those three poor little motherless children whom I encountered at the Kajang cemetery could still have hope and joy in life. Although they can't have their mother back in this world, someone can tell them that there is an everlasting Father in heaven.

There is a Father for these little children to turn to the rest of their lives. They can turn to God always as their Father!

Sitting there at the dinner table, looking at this passage in the programme book, I was strongly convicted that we Christians must live our lives by continually turning to our Father in heaven to be our Gardener, our Guide and our Giver. A Gardener who tends our lives to become more fruitful. A Guide for our love towards others and for our obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And a Giver for all that we ask in Jesus' name, in obedience to Christ.

Now my sadness for those motherless children at the cemetery is accompanied by another sadness. It is the sadness of knowing that there are many Fatherless Christians around me. Christians who profess and confess the name of Christ, but who do not turn to God: the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear Christian, I urge you to return to our Father in heaven in your life. In your prayers, ask good things from our Father. In your obedience to the Lord Jesus, glorify the Father. In your love for others, follow the Father's love just as our Lord Jesus had done so in obedience to his Father.

Let us beware, that we do not become Fatherless Christians.