Messiah, 67

~ Messiah Would Be Accused by False Witnesses, 2 ~

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

“False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not” (Psalm 35:11).

The Messiah  

“Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, ‘We heard Him say, “I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands”’ But not even then did their testimony agree” (Mark 14:57-59). 

“Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, ‘This fellow said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days”’” (Matthew 26:59-61). 

~~~ EXPLANATORY “MESSIAH” NOTES ~~~   

(1)  Each Saturday ALN posts an example of a Hebrew Scriptures prophecy (or foreshadowing) related to the coming Messiah which was fulfilled in the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(2)  While extensive it will not be a complete list—there are hundreds of prophecies of the coming Messiah which have been fulfilled by one man—Jesus Christ at His First Coming.

(3)  It is important that there are many more prophecies of the Messiah, yet unfulfilled, which Christians believe will be fulfilled at the time of His Second Coming.  A particularly relevant Scripture verse in this regard is: “Do not despise prophesies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

(4)  These posts will typically consist only of Scripture—which speaks for itself.  Sometimes italicized or bold font will be used by ALN for emphasis.

(5)  The numbering of these fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah is used to differentiate individual posts. It is not chronological (either by time of the prophecy or by sequence in the life of the Messiah).  The posting sequence will, for the most part, be in the order that the prophecies appear in Scripture.

(6)  Because of the chosen methodology (#5 above) we will find many specific prophecies repeated multiple times throughout the Scriptures.

(7)  These serial posts are in addition to our regular Tuesday ALN postings on random topics.

(8)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Jesus Christ, 11

Jesus Christ, 11

~ Jesus Christ’s Threefold Headship ~

Head of Creation  ~  “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:15-17).

Head of Every Person  ~  “But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:3a).

Head of His Church  ~  “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18). Jesus Christ is vital and brings vitality to His own!

the key question: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). This is the most important question you will ever answer. If you do not answer it, or answer it incorrectly, you have made the biggest mistake anyone can make!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Quote: Jim Elliot, 5

~ Prophet’s Role ~

Do you  know what a prophet does?

The following is an excerpt from a book.

“Now as a prophet Jesus Christ comes to do two things. All of you have heard before of that meaning of a prophet before which says that a prophet not only foretells things, but he tells things forth. That is, a prophet is one who speaks of things that ought to come before they happen, and then they happen. A prophet is a man who writes history before it occurs. Besides that a prophet is a man who stands in the local situation and he describes what ought to be done because of what’s existing.” 

~ from “JIM ELLIOT: A Christian Martyr Speaks to You” edited by Robert Lloyd Russell, pg 25 (ISBN: 9781615797646)

Learn more about this important book at Amazon, the Publisher, or the Author’s website. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Messiah, 66

~ Not A Bone Would Be Broken, 4 ~

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

“He guards all His bones; not one of them is broken” (Psalm 34:20).

The Messiah  

“Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken.’  And again another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced’” (John 19:31-37).

Comment 

In the time of Christ the standard operating procedure was to break the bones of those who were crucified. In this psalm, written about a thousand years before Christ, it was prophesied that His bones would not be broken. (In previous Messiah posts we have noted three even earlier prophecies regarding Christ’s bones not being broken!)

~~~ EXPLANATORY “MESSIAH” NOTES ~~~   

(1)  Each Saturday ALN posts an example of a Hebrew Scriptures prophecy (or foreshadowing) related to the coming Messiah which was fulfilled in the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(2)  While extensive it will not be a complete list—there are hundreds of prophecies of the coming Messiah which have been fulfilled by one man—Jesus Christ at His First Coming.

(3)  It is important that there are many more prophecies of the Messiah, yet unfulfilled, which Christians believe will be fulfilled at the time of His Second Coming.  A particularly relevant Scripture verse in this regard is: “Do not despise prophesies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

(4)  These posts will typically consist only of Scripture—which speaks for itself.  Sometimes italicized or bold font will be used by ALN for emphasis.

(5)  The numbering of these fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah is used to differentiate individual posts. It is not chronological (either by time of the prophecy or by sequence in the life of the Messiah).  The posting sequence will, for the most part, be in the order that the prophecies appear in Scripture.

(6)  Because of the chosen methodology (#5 above) we will find many specific prophecies repeated multiple times throughout the Scriptures.

(7)  These serial posts are in addition to our regular Tuesday ALN postings on random topics.

(8)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Forgive & Forget?

~ Have You Been Told It’s Not Enough to Forgive? ~

God expects us to use good judgment. Robert E. Lee is reported to have said, “Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment.” There is a lot of truth in that statement. We should learn from our mistakes. A wag has commented, “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.”

A Troublesome Phrase  ~  One thing that irks me a lot is the phrase, “You haven’t really forgiven someone if you haven’t forgotten the issue.” Excuse me, I don’t think so! God gave us memories and He intends for us to use them. If anyone can find a valid Biblical basis for that concept, I would love to hear from you.

It is my belief that we should be able to forgive someone’s actions but that it takes time to regain trust and confidence in the offending party. In other words, often there are consequences to negative actions against one another. Since we are all sinners, we all provide others with opportunities to forgive us.

The Source  ~  If we assume good intentions when people use the phrase “forgive and forget,” we might ask where does the notion come from? The answer is simple, Christians are to become like Christ and there is a well-meaning, though somewhat misguided, part of our Christian doctrine which emphasizes Christ’s “forgetfulness.” 

Much of our past and current doctrine comes from the hymns and songs we sing. Consider this great old 1800s hymn by Sydney Smith:

I’ll give you a piece of good news today,

    My sins are remembered no more;

For Jesus has taken them all away,

    My sins are remembered no more.

They’re forgiven, forgotten and buried and gone,

    My sins are remembered no more;

They’re atoned for and covered by God’s dear Son,

    My sins are remembered no more.                        

While this hymn presents a great truth (when properly understood), it can easily be misunderstood. Certainly the words are in keeping with Scripture. For example,

“Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17).  

The Paradox  ~  All Scripture needs to be interpreted through the lens of all other Scripture. Concerning the nature of God we know from many portions of Scripture that He is omniscient (all-knowing). (That is a given and we will not take time today to explain or defend that position.) If God were to forget, in our human sense, then He would suddenly not know something and therefore would no longer know everything!

The Reality  ~  The solution is really quite straightforward. Verses such as Hebrews 10:17 would communicate better to us in our language if they were worded such as “Their sins and iniquities I will hold against them no more” or “The consequences of their sins and iniquities will be eradicated because of the blood of My Son—Jesus Christ.”

Correct Actions  ~  After sincere repentance by the offender, should we forgive the offender? Absolutely. Should we feel guilty because we remember an offense against us? We should not continue to hold bitterness or anger towards the offending party and we should try to regain the full relationship as it was before the offense was committed.  Will we ever truly forget the offense? In many cases we will, while in other situations with deep wounds it may take years (or never) to completely forget. Meanwhile we are to love as we are loved, to seek to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to let go of bitterness, resentment, and revenge. 

Complications  ~  What if the offending party has never sought forgiveness with a truly repentant attitude? This is much more difficult, but the right path for the Christian is the same.

The Bottom Line  ~  Since God sent His only Son to the Cross in order that you might be forgiven of all your sins, how can you not forgive a sinful act done to you by a fellow sinner? 

additional comment:  On November 16, 2010, Abundant Life Now posted a somewhat related topic “Does God Change His Mind – The Answer Might Surprise You.”

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW