For—With—In

~ God Interacts With His Own People ~

God Is For His People (saving)  ~  “What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.  Who is he who condemns?  It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us” (Romans 8:33-34).  God is for us and He is our Justifier.   

God Is With His People (keeping)  ~  “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.  For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’  So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6).  “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.  And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you” (2 Thessalonians 3:3-4).  “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).  God is with us and He is our defender.

God Is In His People (dwelling)  ~  “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?  For you are the temple of the living God.  As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them.  I will be their God, and they shall be My people’” (2 Corinthians 6:16).  Jesus praying to the Father said, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:20-26).   God is in us and He guides us.   

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Faith Word Pictures

~ Graphic Images of Faith ~

Christian faith can be seen in a variety of word pictures.

Faith is like a Heart  ~  “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).

Faith is like the heart’s response to the call of the Lord.

Faith is like a Hand  ~  “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13).  Faith is like an outreached hand that reaches out and receives the gift of God gaining great wealth.  

Faith is like the Soul  ~  “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12). 

Faith is like the soul’s reliance on the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Faith is like an Eye  ~  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him;’ for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:1-10). 

“So he answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, ‘Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.’ And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha” (2 Kings 6:16-18). 

Faith is like the spiritual eye of the soul, that looks into the unseen, and sees things which are beyond the vision of the human eye, knowledge, or understanding.

Faith is like a Link  ~  “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22). 

Faith is like a link that connects us with Christ and God the Father. 

Faith is like a Wire  ~  “Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’” (Galatians 3:5-6). 

Faith is like a wire along which the electricity of God’s power runs and communicates with us. 

Faith is like an Operator  ~  “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace” (Hebrews 11:30-31).

Faith is like an operator which causes the feet to run in glad and swift obedience, as is illustrated in Israel’s marching around Jericho according to the divine direction. 

summary:  Obedience is the proof of faith.  Where there is no obedience there is no faith.  Therefore if we would triumph, we must obey. 

How about you? Can you add some word pictures of faith? We’d love to hear a comment from you.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Christ—Jehovah, 2of9

~ The Title “Jehovah-Jireh” ~

Jesus said, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). 

There are quite a number of Jehovah titles.  This series will focus on seven Jehovah titles which embrace the fullness of Jesus Christ for His people.  These titles include the completeness of Jehovah’s name as it is manifested in the life of Jesus Christ for His people.  These titles show how the Messiah completely meets His people’s need from their guilt to their future glory. 

Jehovah-Jireh ~  means “the Lord will provide,” “God will provide,” or “God my provider.” 

This name was revealed in Genesis 22:14 when Abraham was about to offer up Isaac and the Lord stopped him and provided a lamb...the substitute for Isaac.  This powerful story from the Old Testament has strong overtones deep within the message of the New Testament through Jesus and His work on the cross. The name Jehovah-Jireh speaks of the Lord God providing a lamb, His Son, for our redemption and being our provider for all that we need.  “So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord Will Provide.’ (Jehovah-Jireh)  And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided." (NIV)    

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, in that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). 

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

Messiah, 136

~ Messiah Would Be a Descendant of Jesse ~

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isaiah 11:1). 

The Messiah  

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham…  and Jesse begot David the king…  And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ” (Matthew 1:1,6,16).

“Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.  Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: ‘For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name.’  And again he says: ‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!’  And again: ‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!  Laud Him, all you peoples!’  And again, Isaiah says: ‘There shall be a root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope.’  Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:7-13). 

~~~ 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