SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/14/2015
9:26 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The
Unfolding of the Vision PT-6-7
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Revelation 1:16b-16c
Message of the
verses: Over the last few days we
have been looking a the unfolding of the vision that John saw when he turned
around looking for where the voice that he heard came from and what he saw was
the risen Jesus Christ. Now as we look
at what he saw we will hear about it in chapters two and three when the risen
Christ tells John what to write down for the seven churches that He has already
mentioned. The details of what He looks
like will be used in what Christ has to say to the churches. You see we are now living in the church age,
and that began in Acts chapter two on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit
came upon those who were in the upper room waiting for something that they did
not know would happen, but obeying the Lord Jesus Christ who told them to wait
in Jerusalem for something to happen to them.
What happened to them was the giving of the Holy Spirit who is given to
everyone who believes and is saved. The
church age will end at the Rapture of the Church something we discussed when we
studied the forth chapter of 1 Thessalonians verses 13-18. The vision of the Lord Jesus Christ shows
what He is doing during this age of the Church.
When we get into chapters 4-22 we will see what He will be doing after
the Church has been taken to heaven. Now
back to the last two parts of the vision.
Christ Protects
His Church (Revelation 1:16b): “and out
of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword.”
First we want to look at Revelation 19:15, 21 “From His
mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and
He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the
fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And
the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on
the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.” We can see from these two verses that the
sword that comes out of the Lord Jesus Christ’s mouth is used to protect, and
in the case of verse 16b it will be used to protect the external threats of the
church. However when we see this sword
we can be assured that it will also be used to protect the evil that can raise
up inside the church, and when we go through chapters two and three we will see
some examples of this evil that came up inside some of those churches, and is
coming up inside churches today. There
is a parable that Christ gave while on earth about the wheat and the tares that
gives a little bit of an example of what we are talking about here in that
there will grow up both wheat and tares and the tares will be difficult to
discern from the wheat as there are times in churches when there are those who
proclaim to be believers but are not and it is hard to tell that they are not. MacArthur mentions two different verses on
how this sword will work: “12 For the word of God is living and active and
sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul
and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and
intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but
all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do
(Hebrews 4:12-13).” Next we will look at
2 Thessalonians 2:8 “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will
slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His
coming.” MacArthur goes on to write “all the power of the forces of darkness,
including death itself (the ‘gates of Hades’; Matt. 16:18), will be unable to
prevent the Lord Jesus Christ from building His church.”
Christ Reflects His Glory through His Church (Revelation
1:16b): “and His face was like the sun
shining in its strength.”
“John’s vision of the glorified Lord of the church
culminated in this description of the radiant glory evident on His face, which
John could only describe as like the sun shining in its strength. John borrowed that phrase from Judges 5:31,
where it describes those who love the Lord (cf. Matt. 13:43). The glory of God through the Lord Jesus
Christ shines in and through His church, reflecting His glory to the world (cf.
2 Cor. 4:6). And the result is that He
is glorified (Eph. 3:21).” These are the
words found in John MacArthur’s commentary for this section of Revelation. I want to now give the references in the
order found in this quote.
“"Thus let all Your
enemies perish, O LORD; But
let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might."
And the land was undisturbed for forty years.”
"Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE
FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let
him hear.”
“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.”
“to Him be the glory in the church and
in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: It is truly my
desire to bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ in my life is what I can see
that I want to do from this section of Scripture.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To love the Lord with all of my heart, soul,
and strength, and to realize in my heart and mind that He loves me and then act
like He loves me.
Memory verses for the
week: 2Peter 1:5-8.
5 Now for this very reason also,
applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your
moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge self-control, and in your
self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your
godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are
increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Three times” (2 Kings 13:18).
Today’ Bible question: “How old was Jairus’ daughter?”
Answer in our next SD.
1/14/2015 10:07 AM
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