The Heavens Declare

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard.

Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world.

In them He has placed a tent for the sun,

Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.

Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them;

And there is nothing hidden from its heat. Psalm 19:1-6 NASB

What about those who have never heard?

Answer: they’ve heard, through natural revelation. They can see the heavenly display of God’s handiwork. Every sensible human knows there had to be a designer for such beauty and symmetry as we see in the visible sky and in the earth itself, with all the flora and fauna that make up our ecosystem. Every human is born with individual volition. No matter what his culture or geographical location, he is aware of the universe; the orderliness of creation reveals God’s glory. Each person then makes a decision: do I want to know more about the Person who created all this? If yes (positive volition at God-conciousness), God will make certain to enlighten that person before he dies. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men (Titus 2:11). Then he has to decide: do I believe in the provision the creator has made for my salvation? Do I care? If yes (positive volition at gospel hearing), God will give him the information he needs to believe in Jesus Christ and be saved, and the doctrinal knowledge he needs to live as a child of God.

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are  true; they are righteous altogether.

They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:7-11

God’s special revelation is His
Law: His revealed will, perfect.
Testimony: His truth, absolute.
Precepts: His orders, righteous.
Commandment: His authority, clarifying.
Fear: reverence, trust.
Judgments: His justice, fair.

God’s Word is more valuable than fine gold; more delightful than any delicacy. We are warned by His Word and rewarded by the keeping of it.

Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.  Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me;

Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Psalm 19:12-13

We are never wise enough or mature enough to be aware of all our failures (discern errors). We humans do commit sins of ignorance (hidden faults; unintentional sins Leviticus 4:2). God is gracious to us in our ignorance. But what about presumptuous sins? That one sounds ominous, because some of us are quick to presume. Presumption is wrong. It is important to know the Word of God and obey the Word of God, as it is revealed to us. Guesswork and speculation come from  arrogance. Defiance and disobedience to God’s commands constitute blasphemy (Numbers 15:30-31). There is no excuse for presumption, but it seems to be a weakness in some believers, and can neutralize our fellowship with God. David knew about presumption, in King Saul and in himself. I’m pretty familiar with it, myself. It is a great transgression. We need help overcoming that in our daily walk.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

Lord, please do your perfect will in me.

Higher Ways, Higher Thoughts

Isaiah 55 ESV

8 ...my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰ “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

 

God is not some vague, feel-good, benevolent being defined only by a distorted emotion (unregenerate man's idea of "love").

 

God is a person; the original person, and the source of all that exists.

 

He has an hierarchy among the angelic creation as well as among mankind. He has a system of protocol. He has identified Himself to mankind and has provided logistical support to those who are positive to His plan of grace.

 

All humans are born condemned, as the result of Adam’s original sin. Salvation is free to all, but not all will receive it, because it requires faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and some will not believe.

 

The Father raises the spiritually dead by giving eternal life to all who believe in His Son. The Son has this same power. He IS the atonement. He IS the propitiation. Therefore, He, like His Father, gives life to those who were formerly dead in their sins. The final judgment, however, belongs to the Son. As the unbelievers are gathered before Him at the great white throne, He will demonstrate to them that their human good can never measure up to His own perfect righteousness, which they have rejected. The Father will not judge them, because He judged their sins in His Son. This leaves them to face the One who paid for their sins on the cross.

 

People who say they believe in God but cannot accept the work of Christ for their salvation do not really believe in God. The Father and Son are one. If the Father is not honored, the Son is also not honored (“I believe in the love Jesus taught, but cannot accept that Old Testament God”) – this dishonors the Jesus they claim to love. He, Jesus Christ, IS that Old Testament God. He is Lord of the Armies. If the Son is rejected, the Father’s plan is rejected. Jesus is God, God is Jesus. If you reject the one, the other is dishonored. The unbeliever cannot win.

 

For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. John 5:26-27 ESV

God the Father and God the Son share the same eternal life, as well as nine other characteristics of divine essence. One of those is perfect Justice (judgment). The Son will be the final executor of God’s Justice, because He has the unique qualification of being the Perfect Man.

“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me” John 5:30

Jesus was here in physical body to do the work the Father had planned for His creation and had authorized Him to do. This was all decreed in eternity past. Jesus’ one purpose in life was to fulfill the plan of the Father. Criticism of the Son was pointless, because He was following His Father’s protocol plan, and nothing would interfere with that.

In these comments, Jesus gave The Jews an introduction to the doctrine of the oneness of the persons of God.  We call it the doctrine of the Trinity. God is one in essence. Each person of the Trinity - Father, Son, Holy Spirit – has exactly the same essence: Sovereignty, Righteousness, Justice, Love, Eternal Life, Omniscience, Omnipresence, Omnipotence, Veracity, Immutability. Each manifests these characteristics in different forms. God the Father, the planner of all creation and history, is spirit and eternally invisible. God the Holy Spirit, a partner in creation, restoration and regeneration, is also spirit and cannot be seen, but can be experienced; convincing of sin, awakening the human spirit to faith in Christ, and nurturing the believer in growth to spiritual maturity. God the Son is the bodily person of God – seen, felt, heard – born into the human race as the Perfect Man and Perfect God in one person forever. We call that the Hypostatic Union – the unique person of the universe.

Jesus was speaking to people so blinded by religion they had no concept of grace or of the personalities of God. As He began His public ministry, Jesus kept His message simple, to accommodate the ignorance of His audience. We, too, must present simple, basic truths until we have the attention of those who want to know more. Hitting them with advanced doctrinal vocabulary is overwhelming to them and obscures our witness.

Jesus’ claim of equality with God was the final outrage to The Jews. From this point on, they earnestly plotted to destroy Him.

 

 

 

J. Vernon McGee's Outline of The Psalms

After having mentioned McGee's intro and outline in an earlier post, I think it good to share that with you as well as the Scofield. There are many very good scholars who study and teach the Psalms, but those two are my favorites.

From McGee:

The theme of the book of Psalms is Psalm 150.

The book corresponds to the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses) and covers all *dispensations.

There are five distinct sections.

1. Genesis Section: Psalms 1-41
    Man is seen in a state of blessedness, then fall and recovery. (Man in view)

    This section covers the entire book of Psalms and gives the history of all dispensations, as is true
     of Genesis.

    Psalm 1 - Perfect Man (Last Adam)
               2 - Rebellious Man
               3 - Perfect Man Rejected
               4 - Conflict between Seed of Woman/Serpent
               5 - Perfect Man amidst Enemies
               6 - Perfect Man amidst Chastisement (Bruising Heel)
               7 - Perfect Man amidst False Witnesses
               8 - Repair of Man comes through Man (Bruising Head)
               9-15 - Enemy and Antichrist Conflict, Final Deliverance
               16-41 - Christ amidst His people, sanctifying them to God

2. Exodus Section: Psalms 42-72
    Ruin and Redemption (Israel in view)

    Psalms 43-49 - Israel's Ruin
                 50-60 - Israel's Redeemer
                 61-72 - Israel's Redemption

3. Leviticus Section: Psalms 73-89
    Darkness and Dawn (Sanctuary in view)

    Tabernacle, Temple, House, Assembly, Congregation in every Psalm

4. Numbers Section: Psalms 90-106
    Peril and Protection (Earth in view)

5. Deuteronomy Section: Psalms 107-150
    Perfection and Praise of Word of God

    Psalm 119 - Word of God in every verse. Longest chapter in the Bible.


*A dispensation is defined traditionally as a period of time during which a particular revelation of God’s mind and God’s will is operative, and during which man is tested as to his obedience to that specific manifestation of God’s will, purpose, and plan.  The believer’s orientation to both time and to human history is vitally necessary for understanding God’s plan and God’s purpose.
   Dispensations constitute the divine administration of history.  In fact, the Greek word translated “dispensations” also means administration of some organization.  Dr. H.A. Ironside defined dispensations in his book, In the Heavenlies, as follows, “It is an economy or a particular order or a condition of things prevailing in a special age which does not necessarily prevail in another age.”
   In every dispensation, God has a plan for believers, and in grace He provides the means for executing that plan.  We must understand the other dispensations and then learn why only one dispensation is called the “dispensation of grace” (Eph 3:2).
   While there is a different plan for believers in each dispensation, there is only one way of salvation throughout human history: personal faith in Jesus Christ.  In all of human history, there is only one Savior, Jesus Christ, and He is revealed in different ways in different dispensations.

(Excerpt from Doctrine of Dispensations, http://gracebiblechurchwichita.org/?page_id=58)

Knowledge of Dispensational Truth gives the believer an understanding of where we are in human history and what to expect regarding the plan and purpose of God. Without it, the Bible remains a confusing series of stories and poems the believer does not know how to apply. Those who insist there are contradictions in scripture simply do not comprehend dispensations. -LD


              

Scofield Introduction to Psalms

Book Introduction - Psalms
The simplest description of the five books of Psalms is that they were the inspired prayer- and-praise book of Israel. They are revelations of truth, not abstractly, but in the terms of human experience. The truth revealed is wrought into the emotions, desires, and sufferings of the people of God by the circumstances through which they pass. But those circumstances are such as to constitute an anticipation of analogous conditions through which Christ in His incarnation, and the Jewish remnant in the tribulation ( 10:21, refs), should pass; so then many Psalms are prophetic of the sufferings, the faith, and the victory of both. Psalms 22 and 50 are examples. The former--the holy of holies of the Bible-- reveals all that was in the mind of Christ when He uttered the desolate cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" The latter is an anticipation of what will be in the heart of Israel when she shall turn to Jehovah again ( Deuteronomy 30:1 Deuteronomy 30:2 ). Other Psalms are directly prophetic of "the sufferings of Christ, and the glories which should follow" ( Luke 24:25-27 Luke 24:44 ). Psalm 2 is a notable instance, presenting Jehovah's Anointed as rejected and crucified ( Psalms 2:1-3 ; Acts 4:24-28 ) but afterward set as King in Zion. The great themes of the Psalms are, Christ, Jehovah, the Law, Creation, the future of Israel, and the exercises of the renewed heart in suffering, in joy, in perplexity. The promises of the Psalms are primarily Jewish, and suited to a people under the law, but are spiritually true in Christian experience also, in the sense that they disclose the mind of God, and the exercises of His heart toward those who are perplexed, afflicted, or cast down. The imprecatory Psalms are the cry of the oppressed in Israel for justice--a cry appropriate and right in the earthly people of God, and based upon a distinct promise in the Abrahamic Covenant ((See Scofield "Genesis 15:18") ), but a cry unsuited to the church, a heavenly people who have taken their place with a rejected and crucified Christ. ( Luke 9:52-55 ). The Psalms are in five books, each ending in a doxology:

1. Psalms 1-41.
2. Psalms 42-72.
3. Psalms 73-89.
4. Psalms 90-106.
5. Psalms 107-150.

This Treasure

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 NASB

Paul knew he was a minister of the gospel by the grace of God, through no virtue of his own. His priority was always the unadulterated Word of God, accurately presented, free from all speculation, mysticism and shameful manipulation. Give them the Word. They will believe it or not. We don’t need to dress it up to make it more attractive to the worldlings, or the mystics, or the legalists. It is GOD’s Word. The Word was with him before anything was created (John 1:1). It (He) created and sustains US. We do not need to defend or make excuses for It (Him). The Word Itself (Himself) will awaken the spirits of those who are positive to the truth about God. It will not return void, but will accomplish that whereunto it was sent (Isaiah 55:11).

The gospel is veiled, or hidden, only to those who refuse to believe God’s Word. They are natural men, with no human spirits. They are therefore incapable of comprehending the plan and purpose of God. Satan himself has blinded them, with their own consent; because if they WANTED to understand, God the Holy Spirit would open their eyes. Paul, himself, had been violently opposed to Christianity, because he thought it denied the truth of God. He was sincerely wrong, however, and was willing to understand truth when it was presented to him. That’s the difference in unbelievers. Some are willing, and waiting to be awakened. Others are determined to reject and deny the Lord Jesus Christ and the Way of the cross. They cannot ever understand, because they are willfully blind.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.  For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

There are phrases here and there in the Bible that send me into ecstasy. “this treasure in earthen vessels” is one of them. "This treasure" is the glorious gospel of Christ. "Earthen vessels" are clay pitchers. We Christians are entirely human; common; ordinary; made of earth, descended from the earth-man, Adam. God has chosen to use US, lowly earthlings, to be the conduits of His gospel message—to teach His Word to His Churches—to represent His character in the world. WE, clay pots, are the ambassadors of Jesus Christ in the devil’s world. No matter what circumstances we are in, we manifest Jesus—His life and His death—in our bodies. His death defines our life. We are doing this because as weak as we are, we humans know our God is all powerful and has a plan and purpose for us in whatever generation we live. He has assigned His angels to observe how we, with the indwelling Holy Spirit, will endure the tribulations of the angelic conflict on our field of battle. His Holy Spirit and His written Word, stored in our souls, are our equipment. We have instant access to Him anywhere, anytime, by the exercise of prayer. Spoken or unspoken. Eloquent or crude. He understands us, and the Holy Spirit helps our inadequacies. Earthen vessels. Clay pots. Vessels to be USED, not set on a shelf and polished. Somehow, this concept thrills me beyond expression. I may soar for a while, on this one.

But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.  For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,  while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:13-18

We speak what we believe. We know that God, Who raised Jesus, will raise us all, making His grace evident to the universe. So, yeah, our bodies are dying, but our eternal souls and spirits are thriving in the nurture of God’s Word. All we see around us is perishing, temporary. But we have spiritual, eternal realities which are of far greater importance than anything we can see, hear or touch. Those realities are our present position and our destiny, IN CHRIST.