Lift Jesus higher?

Last week, the song leader in church led the congregation to sing exuberantly, clapping, tapping and swaying along:

"Lift Jesus higher!
Lift Jesus higher!
Lift him up for the world to see!"

What did the Lord Jesus mean when he said "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (John12:32,33)? Is it appropriate to sing such a song?

I couldn't join in the lusty and vibrant singing but instead stood quietly with sadness, with regret and with some disgust. I was disheartened.

This is because the expression "to be lifted up" as used in the NT times was a common way to refer to being crucified, i.e. to be lifted and hung high up on a stake / cross.

This expression is used at least three times in the Gospel according to John,

John 3:14, 15 NKJV
(Jesus speaking to Nicodemus, referring to Numbers 21:9)
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 8:28 NKJV
(Jesus replying the Pharisees)
When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself, but as My Father taught me, I speak these things.

John 12:32,33 NKJV
(Jesus speaking in public)
". . . And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself." This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

If only the song-leader and the congregation realised this morning the meaning of "lifted up", if only they knew the solemn situation conveyed by and signified by this expression, yes, if only they knew. Then they wouldn't be tapping their feet, swaying their bodies and clapping hands to the catchy tune and lyrics of this song.

For in doing so, the members of the congregation were calling on one another to crucify the Anointed One all over again on an even higher stake or cross - higher and higher!

What the congregation thought was a powerful proclamation of Jesus the Christ turned out actually to be a call for painful punishment of Jesus all over again.

Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed One. Let us not call one another to crucify our Master all over again. Instead, let us call one another to a life of obedience to the teachings of our Master.

Galatians 3:27 NASB
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

A Warning to Judah: on keeping the Sabbath.

Sunday 9-3-14 Devotion at Tanjung Tualang, (continued)

Reading from Jeremiah 17:20-27

A warning to Judah about the Sabbath.

(1) It was a warning to ALL Judah.
Just as the gates of Jerusalem was used by both King and commoner alike, this warning from God was given to both the Kings of Judah as well as to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem who enter by these gates (v.20)

(2) Take heed, hear and receive (v.21-23)
Take heed:

• bear no burden out of the house on Sabbath Day.
• do no work
• hallow (sanctify) the day, as YHWH commanded their fathers

But their fathers did not obey YHWH. They did not hear. And they did not receive instruction (v.23)

(3) The warning comes with a promise (v.24-26)
Kings and princes will pass through the gates of Jerusalem.
They shall sit on the throne of David:

• on horses
• in chariots
• accompanied by the people of Jerusalem.

Their city will remain forever.

(4) The Warning of Punishment.
If the people do not heed YHWH

• to hallow the Sabbath Day
• to refrain from carrying burdens through the gates of Jerusalem

Then YHWH will burn the gates and will devour the palaces with unquenchable fire.

Written in the heart: a warning to Judah

Sunday, 9-3-14, these are notes taken during my personal devotion at my in-laws home in Tanjung Tualang.

Reading from Jeremiah 17:1 - 10

(1) Written in the heart
Just like the expression used in Jeremiah 31:31ff where YHWH promised to put his Torah into our hearts, here Jeremiah 17:1,2 tells us that Judah's sin is written in their hearts:

• with an iron pen
• with a diamond point
• engraved on the tablet of their heart and on the horn of their altars.

(2) The Curse before the Blessing
YHWH tells Judah of the Cursed Man (v.5,6) first, before He tells of the Blessed Man (v.7,8). This appears to be a solemn warning to Judah

(3) The Cursed Man (v 5,6)
He trusts in man and makes flesh his arm.
His heart departs from YHWH
He is like a shrub in the desert:

• he does not see good coming
• he inhabits parched places

(4) The Blessed Man (v 7,8)
He trusts in YHWH.
He puts his hope in YHWH.
He is like a tree planted by the waters, with its roots spread out:

• he does not fear heat coming
• he has green leaf
• he will not be anxious in times of drought
• he will not cease to yield fruit

(5) The Deceitful Heart (v 9,10)
It is deceitful above all things.

• desperately wicked.

None can understand it.
Only YHWH searches the heart (see Psalm 139:23,24, where David asks God to search his heart)
and tests the mind.
YHWH rewards every man

• according to his ways
• according to his doings (fruits)

Only God can see our hearts and minds while we order and amend our ways and deeds.

Peter Explains How David Understood His Prophecy.

(Bible Reading)
Peter Explains How David Understood His Prophecy.
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In my previous post, I posed several questions about the apparent of failure of God's promise in King David's reign and that of his successors. The sworn promise of an everlasting kingdom stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River is yet to materialise until today.

Where is David's kingdom today? And who is his chosen seed?

The answer is found in the testimony of Peter on the Day of Pentecost as he addressed a large crowd of Jews from various regions around the Mediterranean.

Read Acts 2: 29 - 36 (NASB and LXX Brenton will be used in this article).

Let us look closely at Peter's testimony.

In verse 29, Peter addressed the Jews, his fellow countrymen, as "brothers", saying that he wanted to speak to them plainly about their ancestor King David. Peter began by drawing attention to the significance of the following facts about the renowned King David:

King David had died.
King David was buried.
And his grave was with them to that very day.

Peter than pointed out that David was not only a king. He was also a prophet! (verse 30). As such, David knew exactly what God had promised him - alluding to the prophecies recorded in 2 Samuel 7: 12-13 and Psalm 132:11.

Psalm 132:11, 12 NASB
The Lord has sworn to David
A truth from which He will not turn back:
“Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.
“If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I will teach them,
Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.”

Psalm 132:11 LXX
11 The Lord sware in truth to David, and he will not annul it, saying, Of the fruit of thy body will I set a king upon thy throne.
12 If thy children will keep my covenant, and these my testimonies which I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon thy throne for ever.

2 Samuel 7:12-13 NASB
When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.
He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

2 Samuel 7:12-13 LXX
And it shall come to pass when thy days shall have been fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, even thine own issue, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build for me a house to my name, and I will set up his throne even for ever.

A survey of the first passage shows us that:
God has made a solemn promise, He has sworn, and He will not turn back from it.
God swore that He will make on of David's sons as King. (Psalm 132:11).
David's dynasty will continue forever if his successors remain faithful to God's covenant. (Psalm 132:12)

Similarly, in  2 Samuel 7: 12-16, God promised to make sure that David's dynasty will continue forever.

2 Samuel 7:16 NASB
Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever;
your throne shall be established forever.

2 Samuel 7:16 LXX
And his house shall be made sure, and his kingdom for ever before me,
and his throne shall be set up for ever.

Coming back to the passage in Acts chapter 2, Peter explains in verse 30b that David, being a prophet, understood this sworn promise as something that God was going to do in the distant future rather than something that would happen immediately after his own reign. See verse 31a.

It is because of David's prophetic understanding of this Messianic promise in 2 Samuel 7, later recorded in Psalm 132, he spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah in Psalm 16.

Psalm 16:10 LXX
because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
(Quoted by Peter in Acts 2: 27 and 31)

In other words, David's prophetic, messianic understanding of God's solemn promise of a son who would reign after him and whose kingdom would last forever is expressed in his prophetic statement in Psalm 16:10 that this successor is the everlasting Messiah whose body would not be left to rot in the grave.

Now, Peter points out, neither King David nor any of his descendants lived forever. Remember Acts 2: 29b which was stated earlier, that David's corrupted body remained in the grave until that very day. Clearly, the prophecy of the everlasting Messiah was not fulfilled in David's life.

Instead, this prophecy was fulfilled by the Jesus (Yeshua). Peter testifies in verses 32-33 that God had raised Jesus from death and this was witnessed by the apostles themselves.

Not only that, Peter also added one more point: after God had raised Jesus from the dead, Jesus had ascended to the right hand of God. (verse 33). Yes, the Messiah sits at the right hand of YHWH today.

In verses 34-35, referring to one more messianic promise from Psalm 110, Peter stressed the fact that it was not King David who ascended to God's right hand in heaven. Instead, David wrote of another, one whom David himself called Adoni (my Master).

Psalm 110:1 NASB
The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

Psalm 110:1 LXX
The LORD said to my Lord,
Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Who is David's master (Lord)? Which descendant of David sits at the right hand of God Almighty today?

Peter gives the answer emphatically in Acts 2: 36 (NASB):

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified."

Questions for Critics of Yeshua the Messiah

Reading from Psalm 89 (NASB, with LXX Brenton)

Psalm 89:3-4 NASB
3 I have made a covenant with My chosen;
I have sworn to David My servant,
4 I will establish your seed forever
And build up your throne to all generations.

Psalm 89:3,4 LXX
3 I made a covenant with my chosen ones, I sware unto David my servant.
4 I will establish thy seed for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations.

Verses 3 and 4 the above psalm by Ethan the Ezrahite says God has promised that a descendant of David will always be king and that David's dynasty (seed) will be preserved forever. (The term "dynasty" is used in the GNT).

Question 1: Where is this everlasting seed today?

For the last 2,000 years why was there no king over Israel? Even after the nation of Israel was formed in 1948, why wasn't David's dynasty restored? And why is Israel today governed by a secular government instead of one that governs according to the Torah of Moshe?

Next, in Psalm 89: 20 - 25, we read that King David was supposed to be anointed by God and that God would empower him to defeat all his enemies, extending his kingdom from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River.(see GNT version)

Psalm 89: 20-25 NASB
20 “I have found David My servant; With My holy oil I have anointed him,
21 With whom My hand will be established; My arm also will strengthen him.
22 “The enemy will not deceive him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23 “But I shall crush his adversaries before him, And strike those who hate him.
24 “My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him, And in My name his horn will be exalted.
25 “I shall also set his hand on the sea And his right hand on the rivers.

Psalm 89:20-25 LXX
20 I have found David my servant; I have anointed him by my holy mercy.
21 For my hand shall support him; and mine arm shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall have no advantage against him; and the son of transgression shall not hurt him again.
23 And I will hew down his foes before him, and put to flight those that hate him.
24 But my truth and my mercy shall be with him; and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 And I will set his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.

Question 2: Where is this anointed king today?

Did King David become that all-powerful invincible King promised in the psalm above? Was David himself really that anointed, chosen One?

Furthermore, it is written in Psalm 89: 26 - 29 that God will make King David his first-born son the greatest of all kings.

Psalm 89:26-29NASB
26 “He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 “I also shall make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.
28 “My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall be confirmed to him.
29 “So I will establish his descendants forever And his throne as the days of heaven.

Psalm 89:26-29LXX
26 He shall call upon me, saying, Thou art my Father, my God, and the helper of my salvation.
27 And I will make him my first-born, higher than the kings of the earth.
28 I will keep my mercy for him for ever, and my covenant shall be firm with him.
29 And I will establish his seed for ever and ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

Verse 29 reiterates the assertion made earlier in verse 4, that David's seed and his throne would be as permanent as the days of heaven, being established forever.

Question 3: Did David's seed persist?

King David had only one son who reigned after him, Solomon, who ruled over all 12 tribes of Israel for only a brief 40 years. (2 Chronicles 9:30-31). No sooner had Solomon's son Rehoboam ascended to the throne that Jeroboam ben Nebat led the 10 northern tribes to break away as "Israel", leaving Rehoboam with only the southern territory of Judah.

2 Chronicles 10:19 puts it alarming in a nutshell, "So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day."!

If David's descendant Rehoboam ben Solomon could not even hold dominion over the northern 10 tribes of Israel, how then can one call him him the first-born son, the greatest of all kings? (Psalm 89:26-29)

And how can we claim that King David has vanquished all his enemies? (Psalm 89:20-25)

Likewise, Israel today can't even take back control over the whole city of Jerusalem for herself, how can we say that King David has set his hand in the sea and his right hand in the river, alluding to his kingdom stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River?

Where is David's kingdom today? And who is his seed? The answer to these questions can be found in the testimony of the Apostle Peter to a large audience of Jews on the Day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2:29-36. I shall explore this answer in my next post.

Just believe, and you will receive?

Matthew 21: 18 - 21 NIV
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

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This morning, I posted a critical review of Joel Osteen's book, "Break Out", that points out significant twisting and misquoting of scripture and some serious false teachings. A brother who probably felt uncomfortable with the review asked me what was so wrong about Joel's teachings, particularly the one about believing and receiving. He referred to the account in Matthew chapter 21 above and pointed out to me the simple lesson:

If you have faith ---> No doubt ---> Say --->it will be done.

I have read the passage from Matthew 21 many times over the last 30 years, and I have always wondered what our Lord Jesus meant in 21:21, "If you have faith, and not doubt, you can do what was done to the fig tree . . ."

A similar verse is found in Mark 11:24, ". . . whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

I'd like to point out several observations about this verse:

Firstly, this was the only incident recorded in the Gospels ( Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14 and 11:20-25) where our Lord commanded a fig tree never to bear fruit again. He did not go everywhere commanding other trees, mountains, rivers, rocks, to wither, move into the sea, dry up or break open etc throughout the three years of His ministry. It was only that one particular single special incident and I think this special incident was done to teach the disciples one single unique lesson.

Secondly, this unique lesson is found in the last verse of the passage, Matt.21:22 and also in Mark 11: 24. Both of these verses DO NOT say

"If you have faith, say it, it will be done". 

Instead, the verses say,

"If you believe, ask for it in prayer, you will  receive it" 

Many people read this passage and ignore the "prayer" part. Our believing must be carried out as part of our praying, not just believing alone.

Thirdly, there is one more part to this special lesson for the disciples which is not recorded in Matthew 21:22 but is recorded in Mark 11:24, 25. Please let me quote below:

Mark 11: 24, 25
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

Yes, believing alone is not enough. We must also forgive others who have done wrong against us. If not, our Heavenly Father will not forgive us. And if God does not forgive us, He will not answer our prayers. In that case our believing will be no use at all.

Fourthly, a similar teaching is also found in the letter of Hebrews. In Hebrews 11:6, we read that anyone who comes to God must believe that God IS (i.e. God exists) and that God rewards those who seek Him earnestly.

From this verse, we can see the complete meaning of Jesus' words in Matt. 21:22, "If you believe . . .". It means our believing is not just about something we want to see happen. Instead, it is about our genuine, honest, sincere trust in God our Father. We Christians are powerful people because we trust in the Only True God who really exists and who really rewards us when we seek him with all our hearts.

Finally, in the letter of James, the brother of our Lord Jesus, we can learn one more teaching that helps us understand Matt.21:21 better. It is the teaching that we must not boast about what we plan to do.

James 4: 13-16 NIV
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Here, we see that we must be careful not to boast about tomorrow. We must not say "I believe my business will expand, I believe my money will increase, I believe, I believe . . ." After all, our Lord Jesus did not go around believing and saying various things to all kinds of trees, mountains, rivers, stones or sea! He commanded only ONE fig tree to stop bearing fruit in all his years of ministry.

Conclusion:
Our Lord Jesus' teaching in Matthew 21:18-22 is a single special lesson to teach his disciples to believe God when they pray. This believing in prayer can only be carried out if we are willing to forgive others, so that God will also forgive us of our sins. It also requires believing that God really exists, that God really rewards us when we seek him.

Furthermore, we must be careful not to boast about tomorrow. Instead, we must say in our believing hearts, "If it is the will of the LORD, then I will . . ."

Yes, if it is the will of God our Father, then we can move mountains into the sea. Perhaps in our lifetime of 50, 60 or 70 years we may move only one small mountain, or maybe none at all.

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, let us believe God when we pray.

The King and the Needy

(These notes were first written on 19Dec13, and expanded upon today)

Psalm 72, entitled, "A Prayer for the King", is the last Psalm in the second book of Psalms (Ps.42 - 72)

This Psalm closes with the words, "This is the end of the prayers of David son of Jesse" (GNT)

Two themes are seen in this Psalm:

• The King
• The Poor and Needy

The King:

He is  worshipped (bowed down to) by his enemies, and by those who are in the wilderness.

verse 9
The peoples of the desert will bow down before him;
his enemies will throw themselves to the ground.

He receives gifts from the King of Sheba in the south and the King of Seba across the Red Sea.

verse 10
The kings of Spain and of the islands will offer him gifts;
the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him offerings.

In fact, all kings will fall down before him and all the nations will serve him

verse 11
All kings will bow down before him;
all nations will serve him.

Such a powerful king. He must be the wealthiest and the most feared of all kings on earth. One would expect such an absolute monarch to spend all his time ensuring that he maintains his hold on power and that his enemies will always be kept under his rule.

Would such a king be concerned with his poor and needy subjects?

The answer surprisingly is Yes.

The Needy

The word "poor" occurs three times in the GNT of this psalm, viz. verses 4, 12 and 13. The first two of these instances also carry the word "needy", as seen below:

4 May the king judge the poor fairly;
    may he help the needy
    and defeat their oppressors.

12 He rescues the poor who call to him,
    and those who are needy and neglected.

13 He has pity on the weak and poor;
    he saves the lives of those in need.

Such a powerful king, yet kind merciful to the needy. It is fitting therefore for him to receive the benediction in verse 15:

May the king's name never be forgotten;
may his fame last as long as the sun.
May all nations ask God to bless them
as he has blessed the king.

Finally, it is necessary to note that the successful reign of the King is made possible by the hand of God Almighty Himself:

verse 18, 19
Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!
He alone does these wonderful things.
Praise his glorious name forever!
May his glory fill the whole world.
Amen! Amen!

Now, who is this king, so powerful that all other kings will bow before him, and that all nations on earth will serve him? We know that King David did not accomplish such power. He did not rule over all the other peoples, nor did he have dominion over all other kings on earth.

Such a king must be the Anointed One, the chosen King of the Most High. Psalm 72 is a prophetic psalm about the Messiah, who will one day come and judge both the living and the dead. (2 Timothy 4:1)

Acts 10:42 ESV
And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

Brothers and Sisters, let us heed the words of the ancient prophets and apostles. Let us watch and pray. Let us prepare ourselves for the coming King who rescues the poor and help the needy. He is coming to rule over all the nations of the earth.