Category: Christ

Revelation 3:1 (KJV) As Christ Directs

Revelation 3:1 (KJV)
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

 

I think John Gill is on track when, of Revelation 1:4 he writes, “…by these seven spirits are intended the Holy Spirit of God, who is one in his person, but his gifts and graces are various; and therefore he is signified by this number, because of the fulness and perfection of them…”

 

The Lord Jesus claims possession of the stars or angels (pastors) as well as that of the seven Spirits of God. His possession speaks of his authority over. The pastor of each church is subject to Christ. He is not in charge but he is under the direction of the Lord.

 

The same may be said of the Spirit of God. Though He is co-eternal and equal to Christ in every way He is subjected to Christ in the same manner that Christ is subjected to the Father. The Spirit’s ministry upon churches, each loved of Christ, is directed by Christ. The

  • perfections,
  • completions, and
  • fullnesses

of the Holy Spirit are poured out to Christ’s own churches as Christ directs.

 

 

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2007.

Revelation 3:1 (KJV) As Christ Directs

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Revelation 1:7 KJV Coming With Clouds

Revelation 1:7 (KJV)
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

 

Concerning the opening words of this verse, John Gill writes,
“The manner of his coming will be “with clouds”; either figuratively, with angels, who will attend him both for grandeur and service, or literally, in the clouds of heaven…”

 

Albert Barnes says,
“The design of introducing this representation of the Saviour, and of the manner in which he would appear, seems to be to impress the mind with a sense of the majesty and glory…”

 

Jamieson, Faucett and Brown adds to this that clouds often represent “wrath to the sinner.”

 

Clouds can mean:
Something of grandeur to us
Those billowy shining white clouds are a magnificent sight to behold.

 

Something of peace to us
I am reminded of my brother and me in our youth, laying in the grassy yard, looking at the clouds as they peacefully floated by.

 

Something ominous to us
This became the most real to me when, for a brief time, I lived in Oklahoma. Dark clouds there often indicated hailstorms and possible tornadoes.

 

 

So when Christ comes:

  • It is magnificent and glorious to the believer
  • It signals a time of great peace to those who are his but
  • It ushers in a great storm of tribulation for those who have refused him

 

 

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2007.

Revelation 1:7 (KJV) Coming With Clouds

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2 John 1:1-2 (KJV) By Truth, John meant Christ

2 John 1:1-2 (KJV)
The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

 

The word truth is used five times in the first four verses of this thirteen-verse letter. With only a bit of examination, one can see that, by truth, John meant Jesus Christ.

 

He loves these people in the Lord
Indeed, it is because of the Lord he has cause to know them. If it had not been for the Lord he would have been fishing with his brother.

 

He has known the Lord
Through personal contact and communication. Further, many others have come to know Him through the ministry of John and other witnesses.

 

The Lord dwells in us and shall be with us forever
This is true of the Holy Spirit and of the Word of God but is so obviously applied to Christ in this case.

 

This letter is a battle for the truths surrounding Jesus Christ. But more so it is a battle for Christ.

  • It is Christ who is defamed by heresy
  • It is Christ who is betrayed by backsliders
  • It is Christ who is trampled by those who lightly treat the faith

 

Some people argue that truth is relative. Jesus Christ is not. He is. He is the same yesterday today and forever. He is the way the truth and the life for all men.

 

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2007.

2 John 1:1-2 (KJV) By Truth, John meant Christ

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1 John 5:1 (KJV) Jesus Christ, the Fulcrum

1 John 5:1 (KJV)
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

 

The contest of the spiritual world revolves around Jesus Christ.

  • His person
  • His presence and
  • His passion

are become the fulcrum over which faith becomes a broken religion or an elevating devotion. Here is the dividing line between those who say they love God and those whom God says love Him. If you love God you will in turn love the one who is begotten of Him; Jesus Christ.

 

By using the concept of the begotten here, the Apostle points us to the incarnation. This is that breaking point for so many religions

  • The Catholics venerate Mary almost more than Christ
  • The Mormons and JW’s make Christ less than God with us
  • The Muslims reject that Christ was more than a great prophet
  • The eastern religions are ignorant of Christ
  • The atheists deny Christ
  • The worldly ignore Christ

To love God is to love Christ. To love Christ is to not merely believe in His existence but to embrace His every teaching.

 

 

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2007.

1 John 5:1 (KJV) Jesus Christ, the Fulcrum

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1 John 2:26 (KJV) Spiritual Seduction

1 John 2:26 (KJV)
These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

 

The apostle speaks of the seduction so matter-of-factly that it must have been happening at the very moment. John took proactive and immediate measures to stop the work of seduction before it had time to work its wickedness.

 

I pause to identify the character of Seduction:

It is subtle and often difficult to see
This is especially true of the seduced.

 

It is flattering and appeals to the ego
Attention given, even by one who should not give the attention is none-the-less attractive.

 

It is sinful
No one is seduced into the right. The very nature of seduction is to lead away from the right.

 

It is destructive
Seduction like all sin when it is finished leads to death.

 

Those who are lost are no less seducers today than they were two thousand years ago. They are more varied and perhaps more brazen now than ever before. Anyone who knows the Lord should be happy that there is someone to step in and stop the seduction before it causes damaging consequences to one’s faith.

 

 

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2007.

1 John 2:26 (KJV) Spiritual Seduction

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1 Peter 2:6 Clearing Up Confusion

1 Peter 2:6 (KJV)
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

 

This world can be a confusing place. Relationships can be confusing:

  • Livelihoods can be confusing
  • Politics can be confusing
  • Moral positions can be confusing
  • Finding purpose and meaning can be confusing
  • Questions of eternal consequence can be confusing

 

The Bible here tells us how to clear out the confusion. It is in believing on Christ. But be careful. To many this is a spiritual technicality. They believe that they believe in Christ and therefore have honored this text and yet they still find their lives are confused. The passage says “believe on Him.” That is:

  • to put faith in him
  • to trust him
  • to lean on him

There is a chasm that stands between saying, “I believe in Jesus” and truly trusting Jesus.

  • When I trust him I believe him concerning relationship issues such as my place in marriage or in raising children
  • When I trust him I believe his message about moral issues regardless of what others say and do
  • When I trust him I believe him in issues of calling and purpose for life
  • When I trust him I know that no man cometh unto the father except by him

 

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2007.

1 Peter 2:3 Clearing Up Confusion

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James 2:8-11 KJV Guilty of a “Lesser Commandment”

James 2:8-11
If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

 

We tend to associate James 2:10 with the verses following it regarding two of the Ten Commandments; against adultery and murder.  It is key, I believe, to associate it also with the verses preceding it regarding what might by many be considered a lesser commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves.

 

This “lesser commandment” though not found among the ten, is part of those laws of the Old Testament[1] and was especially singled out by Christ as second only to “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine…“[2]

 

Two things come to mind:

  • The importance of loving and respecting all persons
  • The serious mistake of attempting to earn righteousness through these laws

If a man is trying to earn his righteousness through keeping the law and just one time prefers one man above another he has committed a sin as heinous as adultery or murder.

 

God offers a better righteousness through faith in Christ. His righteousness liberates us to then practice good works for the sake of the work and not as a futile effort to please God in the flesh.

[1] Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

[2] Matthew 22:37

 

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2007.

James 2:8-11 Offend in one point

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Let It Die Already

Hebrews 8:13 KJV

In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

 

Years ago I pastored a young lady who had a childhood friend who was battling what turned out to be terminal cancer. Since this lady and her family were brand new in our church, they were excited about our church and anxious to get their friends to come there with them. One of those friends, of course, was this woman with cancer. She never came to our church but we got regular updates on her declining condition from the family who had recently joined.

 

The battle with the cancer was brutal. At one point the friend in our church blurted out to me, “Why doesn’t she just give up and die already?” I knew what she meant. I knew she meant well and that death would end the unbelievable suffering her friend was enduring. Still, it struck me odd, almost cruel. As far as I could tell this new member in our church was about as gracious and compassionate a person as I have ever been blessed to know. But she wanted this struggle to be over.

 

The incident reminds me of the very emotional struggle of replacing Old Testament laws with New Testament faith.

  • There is no question that the new is here
  • There is little debate that it is better

But some refuse to let the fight die.

 

As strange as it may seem, the gracious and the compassionate position is to urge the old to simply “vanish away.”

  • It is not unkind or hateful to urge Jews, especially those who claim to have faith in Christ, to make a clean break from the Old Testament Law.
  • It is an act of love to push Christians who are Gentiles by birth away from Judaistic rituals and toward a Bible believing New Testament Baptist church.

 

God has a plan that will one day restore Israel’s holy and rightful place. But that is the business of the future. Today’s business is to lead all men, Jew or Gentile:

  • to Christ,
  • to baptism and
  • to common fellowship in a local New Testament Bible believing Baptist church.

 

 

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2007.

Baptist Hebrews 8:13

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A New Priesthood

Hebrews 7:1-3 KJV

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

 

Melchisedec has been an underlying subject throughout chapters five and six but rises to the surface as the focal subject of this chapter. Though there is considerable debate as to exactly who he was, it is without question that both the Psalmist and Apostle meant him as a figure of Jesus Christ. Speaking of Christ as being a priest after the order of Melchisedec there are at least three things we know about this order:

It is not the after the order of the Old Testament priesthood

Thus, it precedes it and then replaces it. The modern Messianic Jews, as were the Judaizers of early Christianity, very much mistaken in attempting to marry the two.

It is better than the Old Testament priesthood

It is not merely an alternative. It us not intended that those who prefer to worship their Messiah may do so under a form of Judaism and those who understand Him to be Christ may worship Him in church. New Testament church theology is the perfection of the weak Old Testament law theology.

It is an eternal and not temporal priesthood

The Aaronic priesthood was given for a specific time. The Melchisedec priesthood existed previous to it and survives after it. The Aaronic priesthood was to be done away (though unbelieving Israel had yet to put it away) but the Melchisedec priesthood, like Melchisedec himself, has no end of days.

 

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2007.

Hebrews 7:1-3

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The Author of Eternal Salvation

Hebrews 5:9 KJV

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

 

Christ was never made in the sense of creation.

  • He has always been
  • He became flesh
  • He increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man but
  • He was not created

However, as a man, Jesus perfected the role of a man. He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. He suffered in His flesh and, in that suffering, offered prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears.

 

And it was in this perfection He became the author of our salvation.

 

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2007.

Hebrews 5:9 Jesus Christ is the author of eternal salvation

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