Olive branch

Genesis 8:1-22

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A previously hostile nation offering terms of peace.  A business competitor bringing a promising deal.  A chastened husband presenting a bunch of flowers.  Any of these cases might be called “bearing an olive branch.”

There are different views about how the olive branch became associated with peace.  But its importance in the flood story should be instructive.

“And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:  And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.  Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;  But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.  And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;  And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.”  (Genesis 8:6-11)

Both the dove and the olive (with its oil) are associated with the Holy Spirit.  And bringing us to new creation is especially the work of the Spirit.  So here is a double sign from the Spirit that there is life beyond judgement.  The dove has gone to the new land and taken of the oil-filled tree.  He has brought back this firstfruits of new life to all who are gathered to the safe place (the ark).  He has taken from the life-giving tree and brought back an earnest (a guarantee) of new creation life.

When the people receive this token they know that the wrath of God is past and a new world beckons.  True peace can now be experienced – not just peace between people but the ultimate peace, that between man and God.

This peace is for us today.  The Spirit brings to us the new life of Christ – the Spirit-filled Man.  He assures us of peace with God and life beyond sin, death and judgement.

God has given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.  (2 Corinthians 1:22)

Alleluia

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Revelation 21-22

What makes for a happy ending?

Let me suggest four factors:  The good guys win.  The bad guys get their just deserts.  There’s a wedding.  And you finish on a song.

There’s something immensely uplifting about a story that wraps up with this kind of victory.  But the bible claims that history is headed towards just such a conclusion.

In Revelation 19 we see all these elements:

The Good Guys Win

In verse 6 we learn what it is that heaven and earth will sing:

Alleluia:  for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”

This verse might be familiar to you from Handel’s Messiah – it’s the most repeated line of the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’.  (Hallelujah is just another way of spelling Alleluia).  It celebrates the day when God will be the only power reigning in the world.  No more evil, death, curse, sickness or sin.  The Lord God Almighty will rule in unopposed glory.

Perhaps when you thought of “the good guys” you thought of someone else.  But the bible insists that the future belongs to the Almighty Father, ruling through His Christ by the power of His Spirit.  They are the “good guys”.  In fact, they are the only “good guys”.  Everyone else is either with them or against them.  But the future belongs to God.

The Bad Guys Get Their Just Deserts

A key part of the future celebrations will be the justice of God’s final judgement.  We will sing with gusto:

“true and righteous are his judgments.”  (verse 2)

And His judgements will burn against the devil and his servants:

“these [are] cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (verse 20)

Brimstone was an old word for sulphur.  We have thought previously about “fire and brimstone”.  We’ve noted how many people seem to fear “fire and brimstone” preaching more than “fire and brimstone” itself.  Yet the bible insists there is an eternal judgement for the devil and for all who follow him.  The bible does not conceal this, it celebrates it.

In the fairytales and the films we cheer when the wicked get their comeuppance.  In the same way, Scripture says that when Jesus returns His people will cheer as Satan and his followers are judged.

But notice this:  In an ultimate sense, the human race isn’t either the good guys or the bad guys.  The ultimate division is between God and the devil.

Yet there are those who end up on God’s side, and there are those who end up on the devil’s side.  Therefore the vital issue is this, How do we ensure we’re with the good guys?

That’s what the next element answers…

The Wedding

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”  (Revelation 19:7-8)

Have you ever wondered why all happy endings include a wedding?  Why are our stories about the guy and the girl finally getting together?  The Bible says that all of history is headed towards a wedding.  Our future hope is a cosmic marriage feast where we will celebrate the union of Jesus and His people.

In the verses above, Jesus is described as “the Lamb” because He is the great Sacrifice who died for our sins.  And His people are called “his wife” because they are united to Him as in a marriage.  This is the key to whether we end up with God or not:  Are we united to Jesus?

When my wife and I got married we said these vows to each other:

“All that I am I give to you
And all that I have I share with you.”

This provoked sniggers in the congregation since everyone knew we were broke.  Essentially we were pledging to merge our debts!

With Jesus and us, it’s very different.  We are in debt.  Colossally so.  Our sins are more than we can ever pay off.  But Jesus is rich – royally rich.  And here’s what happens when we unite to Him:  He takes our debts and we get His riches.

This is why Jesus died as our Lamb.  He died to absorb all our debts – all our sins – and to pay them off in full.  Now He can turn to us and say,

“All that I am I give to you
And all that I have I share with you.”

All His royal status and connections, all His royal inheritance, all His riches become ours in an instant.  That’s why Revelation 19 speaks of Christ’s people being “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white.”  None of us deserve to wear white, we are naturally unclean through our sin.  But on the ultimate wedding day and in the presence of God, Christ’s people will wear dazzling white.  Those who say “I will” to Jesus instantly receive His riches, i.e. His righteousness.  Jesus takes our filth and gives us His purity.  For free and forever.

This is the good news.  The Handsome Prince marries the girl in the gutter and instantly she goes from rags to riches.

This is how we can have our own happy ending.  It’s how we cross over from the “bad guys” to the “good guys”.  We cannot buy our way into this Family.  No amount of good deeds will earn such a future.  But anyone who says “I will” to Jesus marries into the ultimate Royal Family.  They cross over from rags to riches, from the bad guys to the good guys and from a tragic ending to an eternal inheritance.

Which leaves only one response…

Singing

Four times in this chapter the people cry out in a loud voice, “Alleluia.”  It’s a Hebrew word that means “Praise the LORD.”  And this is what we are built for – celebration, singing and praise.

When an artist has delivered a spine-tingling performance, when your team lifts the trophy, when the concert of a lifetime concludes on a rousing crescendo, we rise to our feet and pour forth praise.  It’s ecstatic.  And it’s where creation is headed.  Under God, this world is straining ahead on tip-toes towards the Hallelujah Chorus.

When Jesus returns, His people will shout for joy because on that day the good guys win, the bad guys get their comeuppance and we celebrate the ultimate wedding.  We won’t just sing.  We won’t be able to stop ourselves singing.

Spend a moment anticipating this glorious future:

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5)

However your year has ended, and whatever the next year holds, be assured:  the people of Jesus are headed for an almighty and eternal Alleluia.

So then, have a very Happy New Year!

Armageddon

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Revelation 16:12-21; 19:1-21

Armageddon is well known in our culture as the “final battle” for the future of the planet.  But the way people imagine this battle differs greatly from the biblical reality.

According to Hollywood, “Armageddon” is a special effects punch-up where the outcome is doubtful right up to the last minute.  According to the Bible, “Armageddon” is all build-up and no follow-through.  It’s a case of “first round, first minute” for the good guys!

Before we consider it, we’ll set the scene in the book of Revelation.  If you like, you can skip the outline below, but it shows some of my “working” for why I consider “Armageddon” the way that I do…

Outline of Revelation

In Chapter 1: John sees a vision of the risen Christ.

In Chapters 2-3:  Christ addresses seven churches.

In Chapters 4-5: As a slain Lamb, the Son approaches the enthroned Father and takes the scroll from His hand – here are the title deeds to creation.

Then we have the largest section of Revelation: from chapter 6 to chapter 20.  This shows the unravelling of the scroll.  Jesus, the Lamb, unfolds God’s history.  These chapters show us the history of the world from Christ’s first coming until His second.

And so chapters 21-22 show us God’s new world – the new heavens and new earth.  This is the ultimate “happily ever after”.

Most people think of Revelation as a book about the future, yet the great majority of the book tells us about the present. What we see in chapters 6-20 are are 7 action replays of this history from different angles.  So we see…

Chapter 6: The opening of the seven seals.

Chapter 8-11: The blowing of the seven trumpets.

Chapters 12-14: We meet the unholy trinity:  the Dragon (Satan), the Beast and the False Prophet (his earthly intermediaries).  We also meet the anti-church: Babylon.

Chapters 15-16:  The pouring out of the seven bowls of judgement.

Then we see the defeat of the four evil forces…

Chapters 17-18: The destruction of Babylon (the false church)

Chapter 19: The destruction of the Beast and the False prophet.

Chapter 20: The destruction of Satan.

Armageddon

Some may not agree with my outline, but it seems clear to me that these are not seven consecutive scenes of judgement.  Here are seven “action replays” of the same reality viewed from different angles.

One of the reasons I take this view is because of “Armageddon”.  There are three final “punch-ups” narrated in Revelation.  They correspond to the defeat of Babylon, the defeat of the Beast and False Prophet and the defeat of Satan.  Either God fails to eradicate evil twice but gets it right on the third attempt, or all three descriptions are true descriptions of “the end.”

If that’s right, then the “Armageddon” passage is one of three angles on the same last battle.  See if you can spot the common theme in all three tellings:

[They were gathered] to the battle of that great day of God Almighty…. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.  (Revelation 16:14-17)

And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him.  (Revelation 19:19-20)

Satan shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.  (Revelation 20:7-10)

Did you notice the common theme?  There is a menacing build up followed by a complete non-event of a conclusion.  There’s stockpiling of weapons, there’s amassing of troops, there’s sabre-rattling.  But the minute God’s had enough – it’s over.  There’s a knockout punch before the bell has sounded.

Evil is not an equal and opposite force which gives God a run for His money.  As we saw with “the bottomless pit” – darkness is no match for light.  Emptiness is no match for fullness.

Do you worry about the future?  Does it seem like the darkness will win?

Take heart, the Lamb wins.  When push really does come to shove, Armageddon is no contest!

Welcome to the King’s English

In 2011 there were many celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible.

This blog was just one attempt to raise awareness about the impact of this translation on the English speaking world.  Throughout 2011 I blogged on a phrase each day that has passed into common parlance: popular phrases like “labour of love”, “beast of burden”, “wits’ end” and “scapegoat”; but also phrases that should be more popular, like “filthy lucre” and “gird up thy loins”.

Each day I’ve tried to draw us to the centre of the Scriptures – the Lord Jesus.  These are not daily pep-talks aimed at the will.  They are daily doses of the grace of Christ to warm our hearts and establish us in the truths of the gospel.

Purchase the devotional here as either a quarterly or an all-year version. Paperback, hardback and eBook versions are all available.

Below is a full list of all devotions with their associated Scriptures.

 

OT Phrases

In the beginning – Genesis 1:1

Let there be light – Genesis 1:3

Let us make man in our own image – Genesis 1:26

Be fruitful and multiply – Genesis 1:28

And Behold, it was very good – Genesis 1:31

God rested – Genesis 2:3

The breath of life – Genesis 2:7

The Garden of Eden – Genesis 2:8

Adam – Genesis 2:19

Spare Rib – Genesis 2:21

Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh – Genesis 2:23

To leave and cleave – Genesis 2:24

One flesh – Genesis 2:24

They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed – Genesis 2:25

Forbidden fruit – Genesis 2:17

Pride goeth before a fall – Proverbs 16:18

Fig leaves – Genesis 3:7

Dust to Dust – Genesis 3:19

The sweat of your brow – Genesis 3:19

Eve – Genesis 3:20

East of Eden – Genesis 3:24

Cherubim – Genesis 3:24

How are the mighty fallen – 2 Samuel 1:27

Knowing… In the biblical sense (Carnal knowledge) – Genesis 4:1

Am I my brother’s keeper? – Genesis 4:9

The Land of Nod – Genesis 4:16

Begat – Genesis 5:3

Methuselah – Genesis 5:22

Noah – Genesis 5:29

Two by Two – Genesis 7:9

Forty days and forty nights – Genesis 7:12

Olive branch – Genesis 8:11

Rainbow – Genesis 9:13

Tower of Babel – Genesis 11:9

Abraham – Genesis 12:1

Fear not – Genesis 15:1

Covenant – Genesis 15:18

Circumcision – Genesis 17:10

Sodom and Gomorrah – Genesis 18:20

Fire and brimstone – Genesis 19:24

Test of faith – Genesis 22:1

Coat of many colours – Genesis 37:3

The fat of the land – Genesis 45:18

A stranger in a strange land – Exodus 2:22

Burning bush – Exodus 3:2

I AM WHO I AM – Exodus 3:14

A land flowing with milk and honey – Exodus 3:8

Putting words in his mouth – Exodus 4:15

Let my people go – Exodus 5:1

Taskmasters – Exodus 5:6

Plagues (of biblical proportions) – Exodus 11:1

Hard hearted – Exodus 4:21 (Ezekiel 3:7)

Passover – Exodus 12:11

Red sea – Exodus 13:18

Fleshpots – Exodus 16:3

Bread of heaven (Manna) – Exodus 16:4

On eagle’s wings – Exodus 19:4

Thou shalt – Exodus 20:3

Graven images – Exodus 20:4

I am a jealous God – Exodus 20:5

Taking the LORD’s name in vain – Exodus 20:7

Remember the Sabbath day – Exodus 20:8

Honour thy father and thy mother – Exodus 20:12

Thou shalt not covet – Exodus 20:17

Eye for eye, tooth for tooth – Exodus 21:24

Golden Calf – Exodus 32:4

Stiffnecked – Exodus 32:9

Face to face – Exodus 33:11

Longsuffering – Exodus 34:6

High Priest – Exodus 28:1 (Leviticus 21:10)

Atonement – Leviticus 1:4

Peace offering – Leviticus 3:1

Unclean, unclean – Leviticus 13:45

Scapegoat – Leviticus 16:8

Love thy neighbour – Leviticus 19:18

God bless – Numbers 6:24

Spy out the land – Numbers 13:16

Wilderness wanderings – Numbers 14:13

Brazen serpent – Numbers 21:9

Balaam’s Ass – Numbers 22:21

Fell flat on his face – Numbers 22:31

What hath God wrought – Numbers 23:23

Thou shalt love the LORD thy God – Deuteronomy 6:5

Man does not live by bread alone – Deuteronomy 8:3

The apple of his eye – Deuteronomy 32:10

Kiss of death – Deuteronomy 34:5

Our hearts did melt – Joshua 2:11

Jordan – Joshua 3:1

Shibboleth – Judges 12:6

Samson and Delilah – Judges 16:4

Doing what is right in your own eyes – Judges 21:25

Shelter under his wings – Ruth 2:12

Messiah – 1 Samuel 2:10

God save the king – 1 Samuel 10:24

A man after his own heart – 1 Samuel 13:14

David and Goliath – 1 Samuel 17:4

David and Bathsheba – 2 Samuel 11:2

The way of all the earth – 1 Kings 2:2

Wisdom of Solomon – 1 Kings 4:29

The Queen of Sheba – 1 Kings 10:1

Put your house in order – 2 Kings 20:1

Carried away – 2 Kings 25:21

The LORD gave and the LORD hath taken away – Job 1:21

Miserable comforters – Job 16:2

Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards – Job 5:7

Escaped by the skin of my teeth – Job 19:20

I know that my Redeemer liveth – Job 19:25

Gird up thy loins – Job 38:3

I repent in dust and ashes – Job 42:6

Old and full of days – Job 42:17

Blessed – Psalm 1:1

The heavens declare the glory of God – Psalm 19:1

My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me – Psalm 22:1

Laughed to scorn – Psalm 22:7

The LORD is my Shepherd – Psalm 23:1

The valley of the shadow – Psalm 23:4

My cup runneth over – Psalm 23:5

The ends of the earth – Psalm 72:8

Bite the dust – Psalm 72:9

Strength to strength – Psalm 84:7

Three score year and ten – Psalm 90:10

As the flower of the field, so he flourisheth – Psalm 103:15

At their wits’ end – Psalm 107:27

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy – Psalm 126:5

Praise the LORD – Psalm 150:1

The words of the wise – Proverbs 1:6

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart – Proverbs 3:5

Spare the rod and spoil the child – Proverbs 13:24

Soft answer turns away wrath – Proverbs 15:1

Vanity of vanities, all is vanity – Ecclesiastes 1:2

There is nothing new under the sun – Ecclesiastes 1:9

To everything there is a season… – Ecclesiastes 3:1

Eat, drink and be merry – Ecclesiastes 8:15

Two are better than one – Ecclesiastes 4:9

A fly in the ointment – Ecclesiastes 10:1

A little bird told me – Ecclesiastes 10:20

Cast thy bread upon the waters – Ecclesiastes 11:1

Of making many books there is no end – Ecclesiastes 12:12

My beloved is mine and I am his – Song of Songs 2:16

White as snow – Isaiah 1:18

It shall come to pass – Isaiah 2:2

Swords into ploughshares – Isaiah 2:4

Woe is me – Isaiah 6:5

Immanuel – Isaiah 7:14

Unto us a child is born – Isaiah 9:6

The lion shall lie down with the lamb – Isaiah 11:6

Take root – Isaiah 37:31

A drop in the bucket – Isaiah 40:15

They shall mount up with wings as eagles – Isaiah 40:31

Seeing eye to eye – Isaiah 52:8

Led like a lamb to the slaughter – Isaiah 53:7

Rise and shine – Isaiah 60:1

Bind up the broken-hearted – Isaiah 61:1

No rest for the wicked – Isaiah 57:21

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard – Isaiah 64:4

Holier than thou – Isaiah 65:5

A new heavens and a new earth – Isaiah 65:17

Be horribly afraid – Jeremiah 2:12

Can a leopard change its spots? – Jeremiah 13:23

Great is thy faithfulness – Lamentations 3:23

Sour grapes – Ezekiel 18:2

Thus saith the LORD – Ezekiel 37:5

Feet of clay – Daniel 2:33

The writing is on the wall – Daniel 5:5

Daniel in the lion’s den – Daniel 6:7

For ever and ever – Daniel 7:18

Play the harlot – Hosea 3:3

Reap the whirlwind – Hosea 8:7

Jonah and the whale – Jonah 1:17

Sackcloth and ashes – Jonah 3:8

From of old, from everlasting – Micah 5:2

The desire of all nations – Haggai 2:7

Prisoners of hope – Zechariah 9:12

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Christmas Phrases

Thou shalt call his name JESUS: (for he shall save his people from their sins.) – Matthew 1:21

Hail, thou that art highly favoured, (the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.) – Luke 1:28

My soul doth magnify the Lord – Luke 1:46

She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn – Luke 2:7

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night – Luke 2:8

Mine eyes have seen thy salvation – Luke 2:30

Behold there came wise men from the east – Matthew 2:1

Gold and frankincense and myrrh – Matthew 2:11

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Other Gospel Phrases

In the beginning was the Word – John 1:1

The Word was made flesh – John 1:14

Shining light – John 5:35

Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world – John 1:29

Turning water into wine – John 2:1

Baptism of fire – Matthew 3:11

The heavens opened – Matthew 3:16

It is written – Matthew 4:4

Fishers of men – Matthew 4:19

Physician heal thyself – Luke 4:32

Verily, verily I say unto thee – John 3:3

Ye must be born again – John 3:7

Blessed are the poor in spirit – Matthew 5:3

Blessed are they that mourn – Matthew 5:4

Blessed are the meek – Matthew 5:5

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled – Matthew 5:6

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy – Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God – Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God – Matthew 5:9

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake – Matthew 5:10

The salt of the earth – Matthew 5:13

Ye are the light of the world – Matthew 5:14

Hiding your light under a bushel – Matthew 5:15

Every jot and tittle – Matthew 5:18

Hell fire – Matthew 5:22

Turn the other cheek – Matthew 5:39

Going the extra mile – Matthew 5:41

Love your enemies – Matthew 5:44

Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth – Matthew 6:3

Our Father which art in heaven – Matthew 6:9

Hallowed be thy name – Matthew 6:9

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven – Matthew 6:10

Give us this day our daily bread – Matthew 6:11

Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors – Matthew 6:12

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil – Matthew 6:13

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen – Matthew 6:13

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also – Matthew 6:21

Ye cannot serve God and mammon – Matthew 6:24

Take no thought – Matthew 6:25

Consider the lilies – Matthew 6:28

Seek ye first the kingdom of God – Matthew 6:33

Judge not, that ye be not judged – Matthew 7:1

The mote and the beam – Matthew 7:4

Pearls before swine – Matthew 7:6

Seek and ye shall find – Matthew 7:7

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you – Matthew 7:12

Strait and narrow – Matthew 7:13

Wolf in sheep’s clothing – Matthew 7:15

By their fruits ye shall know them – Matthew 7:16

Building on sand – Matthew 7:26

Outer darkness – Matthew 8:12

Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth – Matthew 8:12

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son… – John 3:16

…that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life – John 3:16

O ye of little faith – Matthew 8:26

Be of good cheer – Matthew 9:2

They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick – Luke 5:31

Wise as serpents, harmless as doves – Matthew 10:16

I send you forth as lambs among wolves – Matthew 10:16

He that findeth his life shall lose it – Matthew 10:39

The very hairs of your head are all numbered – Matthew 10:30

Shout it from the rooftops – Matthew 10:27

The friend of sinners – Luke 7:34

My name is Legion, for we are many – Mark 5:9

Good Samaritan – Luke 10:33

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest – Matthew 11:28

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear – Matthew 11:15 (Matthew 13)

Fell by the way side – Matthew 13:4

Pearl of great price – Matthew 13:46

The head of John the Baptist – Mark 6:24

The crumbs under thy table – Matthew 15:27

A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions – Luke 12:15

Highways and hedges – Luke 14:23

Cross to bear – Luke 14:27

Lost sheep – Luke 15:4

Prodigal son – Luke 15:12

The far country – Luke 15:13

Safe and sound – Luke 15:27

Fatted calf – Luke 15:23

He was lost and is found – Luke 15:32

Dives and Lazarus – Luke 16:19-20

Feeding the Five Thousand – Mark 6:44

I am the Bread of Life – John 6:35

The keys of the kingdom – Matthew 16:19

Get thee behind me Satan – Matthew 16:23

What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? – Matthew 16:26

Transfigured – Matthew 17:2

Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief – Mark 9:24

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her – John 8:7

I am the Light of the world – John 8:12

Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free – John 8:32

I am the Good Shepherd – John 10:11

What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder – Matthew 19:6

Suffer little children, and forbid them not – Matthew 19:14

Camel through the eye of a needle – Matthew 19:24

Regeneration – Matthew 19:28

Jesus wept – John 11:35

A millstone about his neck – Matthew 18:6

The last shall be first and the first last – Matthew 20:16

Many are called, few are chosen – Matthew 22:14

Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass – Matthew 21:5

Den of thieves – Matthew 21:13

Out of the mouths of babes – Matthew 21:16

Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s – Mark 12:17

They do not practise what they preach – Matthew 23:3

The blind leading the blind – Matthew 23:16 (Luke 6:39)

Strain at a gnat and swallow a camel – Matthew 23:24

Whited sepulchres – Matthew 23:27

I would have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth her chickens – Matthew 23:37

Wars and rumours of wars – Mark 13:7

Signs of the times – Matthew 16:3

Talents – Matthew 25:15

Well done, thou good and faithful servant – Matthew 25:21

Sheep and goats – Matthew 25:32

Foot washing – John 13:1

In my Father’s house are many mansions – John 14:2

I am the way, the truth and the life – John 14:6

I am the Vine, ye are the branches – John 15:1

Greater love hath no man than this – John 15:13

Jesus took bread and blessed it – Matthew 26:26

This is my body – Matthew 26:26

This is my blood – Matthew 26:28

Abba, Father – Mark 14:36

Let this cup pass from me – Matthew 26:39

The spirit is willing, the flesh is weak – Matthew 26:41

Betrayed with a kiss – Luke 22:48

Thirty pieces of silver – Matthew 27:3

My kingdom is not of this world – John 18:36

Crucify him, crucify him – Luke 23:21

Pilate washed his hands – Matthew 27:24

Crown of thorns – Matthew 27:29

Hail King of the Jews – Matthew 27:29

Father, forgive them they know not what they do – Luke 23:34

Gave up the ghost – John 19:30

It is finished – John 19:30

He is not here, he is risen – Matthew 28:6

Doubting Thomas – John 20:24

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost – Matthew 28:19

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Rest of NT

The fruit of his loins – Acts 2:30

Cut to the heart – Acts 2:37 (Acts 5:33)

Damascus Road Experience – Acts 9:3

Turned the world upside down – Acts 17:6

In him we live and move and have our being – Acts 17:28

It is more blessed to give than to receive – Acts 20:35

Saints – Romans 1:7

A law unto themselves – Romans 2:14

Hope against hope – Romans 4:18

God forbid – Romans 6:2

The wages of sin is death – Romans 6:23

Vengeance is mine – Romans 12:19

O wretched man that I am! – Romans 7:24

The powers that be – Romans 13:1

Stumbling block – 1 Corinthians 1:23

The time is short – 1 Corinthians 7:29

All things to all men – 1 Corinthians 9:22

Faith that can move mountains – 1 Corinthians 13:2

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things – 1 Corinthians 13:7

Now we see through a glass darkly – 1 Corinthians 13:12

Faith, hope and love – 1 Corinthians 13:13

In the twinkling of an eye – 1 Corinthians 15:52

O death where is thy sting – 1 Corinthians 15:55

Letter of the law – 2 Corinthians 3:6

Suffer fools gladly – 2 Corinthians 11:19

A thorn in my flesh – 2 Corinthians 12:7

Anathema – Galatians 1:8 (1 Corinthians 16:22)

A man reaps what he sows – Galatians 6:7

The unsearchable riches of Christ – Ephesians 3:8

Let not the sun go down on your wrath – Ephesians 4:26

Likeminded – Philippians 2:2

Passeth all understanding – Philippians 4:7

Bowels of mercies – Colossians 3:12

Labour of love – 1 Thessalonians 1:3

Filthy lucre – 1 Timothy 3:3

Money is the root of all evil – 1 Timothy 6:10

Itching ears – 2 Timothy 4:3

Fight the good fight – 2 Timothy 4:7

Finish the course – 2 Timothy 4:7

Keep the faith – 2 Timothy 4:7

Twoedged sword – Hebrews 4:12

Once and for all – Hebrews 10:10

This is “the life” – 1 John 1:2

Dearly beloved – 1 John 4:7

God is love – 1 John 4:8

Alpha and Omega – Revelation 1:8

Bottomless pit – Revelation 9:11

Armageddon – Revelation 16:16

Alleluia – Revelation 19:1

Christmas Present?

bible

Did you know that the King’s English exists as a paperback and on Kindle? Maybe it would make a good Christmas present for someone you know. Or perhaps it could aid you in your own Bible reading for 2014.

I make virtually no money from the sale of them, I just offer them as a resource. Others have enjoyed them, you might too…

KE recommendations

 

All In One

All 365 devotions in one volume, from “In the beginning” to “Alleluia”.

As a paperback: £13.95

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

As a hardback: £21.99

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

Also available as a Kindle…

From Amazon.com: $3.09

From Amazon.co.uk: £1.93

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January – March

The first quarter takes in Genesis to Ruth – “In the beginning” to “Shelter under his wings.”

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

Kindle version US: $2.99

Kindle version UK: £1.92

Click here to order print edition on Lulu

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April – June

In this quarter we travel from 1 Samuel right up to the opening of the Gospels.

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

Kindle from Amazon.com ($2.99)

Kindle from Amazon.co.uk (£1.89)

Click here to order print edition on Lulu

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July – September

In this quarter we hear the teaching of Christ from the Gospels.

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

Kindle from Amazon.com ($2.99)

Kindle from Amazon.co.uk (£1.96)

Click here to order print edition on Lulu.

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October – December

In the final instalment we reach an exultant “Alleluia.”

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

Kindle from Amazon.com ($3.08)

Kindle from Amazon.co.uk (£1.91)

Click here to order print edition on Lulu

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Thanks very much to James Watts for the cover designs!

Alleluia

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Revelation 21-22

What makes for a happy ending?

Let me suggest four factors:  The good guys win.  The bad guys get their just deserts.  There’s a wedding.  And you finish on a song.

There’s something immensely uplifting about a story that wraps up with this kind of victory.  But the bible claims that history is headed towards just such a conclusion.

In Revelation 19 we see all these elements:

The Good Guys Win

In verse 6 we learn what it is that heaven and earth will sing:

Alleluia:  for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”

This verse might be familiar to you from Handel’s Messiah – it’s the most repeated line of the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’.  (Hallelujah is just another way of spelling Alleluia).  It celebrates the day when God will be the only power reigning in the world.  No more evil, death, curse, sickness or sin.  The Lord God Almighty will rule in unopposed glory.

Perhaps when you thought of “the good guys” you thought of someone else.  But the bible insists that the future belongs to the Almighty Father, ruling through His Christ by the power of His Spirit.  They are the “good guys”.  In fact, they are the only “good guys”.  Everyone else is either with them or against them.  But the future belongs to God.

The Bad Guys Get Their Just Deserts

A key part of the future celebrations will be the justice of God’s final judgement.  We will sing with gusto:

“true and righteous are his judgments.”  (verse 2)

And His judgements will burn against the devil and his servants:

“these [are] cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (verse 20)

Brimstone was an old word for sulphur.  We have thought previously about “fire and brimstone”.  We’ve noted how many people seem to fear “fire and brimstone” preaching more than “fire and brimstone” itself.  Yet the bible insists there is an eternal judgement for the devil and for all who follow him.  The bible does not conceal this, it celebrates it.

In the fairytales and the films we cheer when the wicked get their comeuppance.  In the same way, Scripture says that when Jesus returns His people will cheer as Satan and his followers are judged.

But notice this:  In an ultimate sense, the human race isn’t either the good guys or the bad guys.  The ultimate division is between God and the devil.

Yet there are those who end up on God’s side, and there are those who end up on the devil’s side.  Therefore the vital issue is this, How do we ensure we’re with the good guys?

That’s what the next element answers…

The Wedding

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”  (Revelation 19:7-8)

Have you ever wondered why all happy endings include a wedding?  Why are our stories about the guy and the girl finally getting together?  The Bible says that all of history is headed towards a wedding.  Our future hope is a cosmic marriage feast where we will celebrate the union of Jesus and His people.

In the verses above, Jesus is described as “the Lamb” because He is the great Sacrifice who died for our sins.  And His people are called “his wife” because they are united to Him as in a marriage.  This is the key to whether we end up with God or not:  Are we united to Jesus?

When my wife and I got married we said these vows to each other:

“All that I am I give to you
And all that I have I share with you.”

This provoked sniggers in the congregation since everyone knew we were broke.  Essentially we were pledging to merge our debts!

With Jesus and us, it’s very different.  We are in debt.  Colossally so.  Our sins are more than we can ever pay off.  But Jesus is rich – royally rich.  And here’s what happens when we unite to Him:  He takes our debts and we get His riches.

This is why Jesus died as our Lamb.  He died to absorb all our debts – all our sins – and to pay them off in full.  Now He can turn to us and say,

“All that I am I give to you
And all that I have I share with you.”

All His royal status and connections, all His royal inheritance, all His riches become ours in an instant.  That’s why Revelation 19 speaks of Christ’s people being “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white.”  None of us deserve to wear white, we are naturally unclean through our sin.  But on the ultimate wedding day and in the presence of God, Christ’s people will wear dazzling white.  Those who say “I will” to Jesus instantly receive His riches, i.e. His righteousness.  Jesus takes our filth and gives us His purity.  For free and forever.

This is the good news.  The Handsome Prince marries the girl in the gutter and instantly she goes from rags to riches.

This is how we can have our own happy ending.  It’s how we cross over from the “bad guys” to the “good guys”.  We cannot buy our way into this Family.  No amount of good deeds will earn such a future.  But anyone who says “I will” to Jesus marries into the ultimate Royal Family.  They cross over from rags to riches, from the bad guys to the good guys and from a tragic ending to an eternal inheritance.

Which leaves only one response…

Singing

Four times in this chapter the people cry out in a loud voice, “Alleluia.”  It’s a Hebrew word that means “Praise the LORD.”  And this is what we are built for – celebration, singing and praise.

When an artist has delivered a spine-tingling performance, when your team lifts the trophy, when the concert of a lifetime concludes on a rousing crescendo, we rise to our feet and pour forth praise.  It’s ecstatic.  And it’s where creation is headed.  Under God, this world is straining ahead on tip-toes towards the Hallelujah Chorus.

When Jesus returns, His people will shout for joy because on that day the good guys win, the bad guys get their comeuppance and we celebrate the ultimate wedding.  We won’t just sing.  We won’t be able to stop ourselves singing.

Spend a moment anticipating this glorious future:

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5)

However your year has ended, and whatever the next year holds, be assured:  the people of Jesus are headed for an almighty and eternal Alleluia.

So then, have a very Happy New Year!

Armageddon

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Revelation 16:12-21; 19:1-21

Armageddon is well known in our culture as the “final battle” for the future of the planet.  But the way people imagine this battle differs greatly from the biblical reality.

According to Hollywood, “Armageddon” is a special effects punch-up where the outcome is doubtful right up to the last minute.  According to the Bible, “Armageddon” is all build-up and no follow-through.  It’s a case of “first round, first minute” for the good guys!

Before we consider it, we’ll set the scene in the book of Revelation.  If you like, you can skip the outline below, but it shows some of my “working” for why I consider “Armageddon” the way that I do…

Outline of Revelation

In Chapter 1: John sees a vision of the risen Christ.

In Chapters 2-3:  Christ addresses seven churches.

In Chapters 4-5: As a slain Lamb, the Son approaches the enthroned Father and takes the scroll from His hand – here are the title deeds to creation.

Then we have the largest section of Revelation: from chapter 6 to chapter 20.  This shows the unravelling of the scroll.  Jesus, the Lamb, unfolds God’s history.  These chapters show us the history of the world from Christ’s first coming until His second.

And so chapters 21-22 show us God’s new world – the new heavens and new earth.  This is the ultimate “happily ever after”.

Most people think of Revelation as a book about the future, yet the great majority of the book tells us about the present. What we see in chapters 6-20 are are 7 action replays of this history from different angles.  So we see…

Chapter 6: The opening of the seven seals.

Chapter 8-11: The blowing of the seven trumpets.

Chapters 12-14: We meet the unholy trinity:  the Dragon (Satan), the Beast and the False Prophet (his earthly intermediaries).  We also meet the anti-church: Babylon.

Chapters 15-16:  The pouring out of the seven bowls of judgement.

Then we see the defeat of the four evil forces…

Chapters 17-18: The destruction of Babylon (the false church)

Chapter 19: The destruction of the Beast and the False prophet.

Chapter 20: The destruction of Satan.

Armageddon

Some may not agree with my outline, but it seems clear to me that these are not seven consecutive scenes of judgement.  Here are seven “action replays” of the same reality viewed from different angles.

One of the reasons I take this view is because of “Armageddon”.  There are three final “punch-ups” narrated in Revelation.  They correspond to the defeat of Babylon, the defeat of the Beast and False Prophet and the defeat of Satan.  Either God fails to eradicate evil twice but gets it right on the third attempt, or all three descriptions are true descriptions of “the end.”

If that’s right, then the “Armageddon” passage is one of three angles on the same last battle.  See if you can spot the common theme in all three tellings:

[They were gathered] to the battle of that great day of God Almighty…. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.  (Revelation 16:14-17)

And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him.  (Revelation 19:19-20)

Satan shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.  (Revelation 20:7-10)

Did you notice the common theme?  There is a menacing build up followed by a complete non-event of a conclusion.  There’s stockpiling of weapons, there’s amassing of troops, there’s sabre-rattling.  But the minute God’s had enough – it’s over.  There’s a knockout punch before the bell has sounded.

Evil is not an equal and opposite force which gives God a run for His money.  As we saw with “the bottomless pit” – darkness is no match for light.  Emptiness is no match for fullness.

Do you worry about the future?  Does it seem like the darkness will win?

Take heart, the Lamb wins.  When push really does come to shove, Armageddon is no contest!

Bottomless pit

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Revelation 11:1-12:17

The word in Greek is “Abyss.”  Jerome’s Vulgate left it untranslated.  John Wycliffe rendered it “the pit of depnesse”.  But it’s been William Tyndale’s turn of phrase that has endured: “bottomless pit”!  Rightly, the KJV decided it could not improve on Tyndale.  The phrase occurs seven times, all in the book of Revelation (where sevens abound!).  Take this representative example:

They had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. (Revelation 9:11)

The sense of the “bottomless pit” (or “abyss”) is an unbounded chaos.  Infinite emptiness. An immeasurable depth.  Limitless nothingness.  This place of destruction and corruption is highlighted at the beginning and end of the Bible.

In the opening verses of Scripture we read about a void opened up in the creation of heaven and earth:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  (Genesis 1:1-2)

“The deep” is the Abyss.  And its presence is felt in the second verse of the Bible!

God, having created a reality beyond Himself, is faced, not with a mere extension of His divine being, but with something distinct from Himself. God is light but here is darkness.  God is full but here is an emptiness.

This is not to suggest that such a realm is evil the fall is yet future.  But in His good creation, there is something beyond God which needs enlightening and filling full.  This is what the work of creation involves.  Over the six days God forms and then fills the universe, acting redemptively upon what is, by nature, “without form and void”.

God separates light from darkness and sea from dry land. He divides and adjudicates – “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further” (Job 38:11).  God’s creative work is all about undoing the abyss. He brings light, fullness and form – bounding the boundless.

Yet somehow there is a sphere that stands against the spreading goodness of God.  There is an abyss.  And when evil enters the world, the abyss becomes a natural hiding place from the Light of the world.

This realm of evil does not stand on an alternative foundation.  The only true foundation can be the living God.   No, God’s enemies have nothing to stand on.  Their realm is groundless – a bottomless pit.

Think about this negative reality.  The realm of evil is not an equal and opposite kingdom.  It is darkness, somehow resisting God’s radiant light.  It is a boundless emptiness, somehow resisting God’s glory filling the earth.  It is rebellion without a cause.

Sin and evil have no ultimate foundation, no reasons, no footing.  They are madness.  Those swallowed by the bottomless pit can only keep falling.  Think of the tragedy: it’s one kind of death to fall far – it’s another to fall forever.

What hope is there in the face of this abyss?

Paul writes to the Romans to tell them that we have no hope against the powers of darkness.  None of us can ascend to heaven and none of us can plumb the bottomless pit.  But Christ has come down from the heights.  And He has risen from the abyss:

Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)  Or, Who shall descend into the deep [the abyss]? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead)  (Romans 10:6-7)

We don’t have to climb up to heaven and we don’t have to climb out of the bottomless pit.  Christ has done it all.  He is the Radiant Light of the Father.  He is the Spreading Goodness of God.  And He has come to plunder Satan’s house (Mark 3:27).  He has entered into our darkness and risen to bring us home.

We cannot reason with evil – it’s insanity.  We cannot climb out of the bottomless pit – there is no footing.  But Christ has done it all.  We need only trust Him and He’ll turn our pit to paradise:

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (Romans 10:9)

Alpha and Omega

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Revelation 1:1-20

What is the book of Revelation?  Christian psychedelia?  Religio-political prognostication?  End-of-the-world prophecy?

In chapter 1 we see that it’s a letter from John based on visions of Christ.

“I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:  and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia.”  (Revelation 1:9-11)

John is in tribulation as he writes – imprisoned on the island of Patmos due to his Christian witness.  Yet tribulation is precisely the point at which we find our deepest fellowship with Jesus.  And here John has a vision of Christ – an “apocalypse”, (meaning revelation).

Appropriately enough, the very first way in which Jesus describes Himself is:  “Alpha and Omega.”  The phrase comprises the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and, according to the KJB, it comes four times in Revelation (1:8,11; 21:6; 22:13).  You could update the saying to mean something like “I am the A to Z of reality.”  Let’s think about what it means for Jesus to be Alpha and Omega.

Alpha

At key points the Lord Jesus is described as the “First” or the “Beginning.”  (Isaiah 48:12; Proverbs 8:22; Colossians 1:18).  Eternally at the right hand of the Father, Jesus is that primordial Other who is Himself the rationale for everything else other than God.  As the Father’s eternal Counterpart, Jesus becomes, in time, the Alpha, the First, the Beginning, the Way out from God into a whole universe of others.  By the Spirit, the Father’s outgoing life radiates in and through Jesus.  Therefore Jesus defines and shapes all else.  Nothing makes sense without Jesus, “the Alpha.”

Omega

Isaiah could not describe the LORD Jesus as “the first” without calling Him “the last” (Isaiah 48:12).  Colossians could not call Him “the beginning” without saying He is “the Firstborn”, meaning Heir. (Colossians 1:18).  And Revelation can never call Him “Alpha” without also calling Him “Omega”.

It’s not just that all things come from Christ, they are also destined for Him.  Redemption is not the salvation of creation towards another goal.  It is the bringing of all things back to their true Source and Meaning.  We are made by Christ and headed for Christ.  In this way, God will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28).

What place does Jesus have in your thinking?  It seems to me that there are many ways in which we diminish the Person of Christ.

Perhaps we begin our thinking about God without Jesus, imagining an essentially christless doctrine of God onto which we add a Jesus-gloss.

Perhaps we begin our reading of the Bible without Jesus, imagining an essentially unitarian God in the Old Testament, to which Messiah is later added.

Perhaps we begin our understanding of the world without Jesus, imagining an essentially neutral and non-Christian world, to which Christ is an added extra.

Let’s reclaim the true meaning of repentance (that is, to change ones mind).  I know for myself that I do not think highly enough of Jesus.  Yet if we saw Him correctly we would know that we cannot think highly enough of Jesus.

Therefore let’s determine to repent:  to begin and end all our thinking with Jesus:  the Alpha and the Omega.

God is love

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1 John 4:7-5:21

It’s universally popular.  You can find it cross-stitched on Granny’s mantle-piece and emblazoned on a rock star’s T-shirt.  It tumbles from the lips of bible-thumping fundamentalists and soft-spoken gurus.  But what does it mean?

Let’s consider four points…

Because God is love, there is relationship, radiance, room and response.

Relationship

1 John 4:8 says “God is love.”  It doesn’t say ‘God is loving’, which would be true.  But God is love.

This could not be true of a single-personed God.  Just imagine an eternity past of utter solitude.  If God was an individual, He’d never know anything of love, of sharing, of give and take, back and forth.  He is defined by being alone.  He is defined by being supreme.

If such a god brings creation into existence it will be the first time he has had to relate to anything.  And such a god is definitionally supreme.  So how is this god going to relate to its creatures?

This god can only dominate you.  This god can only lord it over you.  The very being of this god is power and supremacy.  And you must be its slave.

But what about our God?

Our God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit (as 1 John 4:9-14 unpacks). Therefore, for everlasting ages past there has been giving, sharing, back and forth, give and take, exalting the other, blessing the other.  The early church used to refer to it as a dance (perichoresis).  And it’s a dance like all the best dances when the partners bow to each other and defer to each other.

That has been the Trinity’s existence from all eternity.  Our God enjoys having others alongside.  Our God lives to bless the other.  Our God is love.

Radiance

When you read “God is love” in context you realise that “God” refers particularly to the Father.  In the next verse we read how “God” sent His Son.  So “God is love” tells us particularly of the Father’s being.  Eternally He has been defined by love because that is who He is – He is Father.  And fathers beget.  Fathers give life.  That is the definition of a father.  You are not a father unless you have given life.  But the Father has been eternally life-giving.

Wind back the clock into the depths of eternity and you will always find the Father begetting His Son.  (This is what the Nicene Creed means when it says that Jesus is “eternally begotten of the Father.”   The Father has always been giving life to His Son).  There has never been a time when God was not Father – when He was not Life-giver, Lover.

There was a whole eternity when God was not Creator.  There was a whole eternity when God was not Lawgiver.  Creator and Lawgiver are not fundamental to who God is.  Of course we readily imagine that God’s prime job description is Maker, Ruler or Judge.  But it’s not. And Trinity means it can’t be.  Far more fundamentally God is Love.  And He was love long before He was Creator, long before He was Law-giver.  Long before He was Judge.  His Fatherliness is the most basic thing to say about Him.

Which means that God has always had a radiating quality.  The Father has always been giving life (begetting), always shining His Light (Hebrews 1:3), always speaking His Word (John 1:1), always loving His Son – and this in the power of the Holy Spirit.  God’s very nature is an outgoing, radiating nature.  He is a Fountain of life and blessing, because “God is love.”

Room

All of this means that there is room in God.  Perhaps that sounds like an odd phrase, but just listen to how John speaks in verse 16:

“God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”  (1 John 4:16)

What an astonishing thought! “Dwelleth in God.

Think of the lonely god for a second.  With such a god you might make your way towards him if you slave really hard.  But you would always be outside Him.  Now think of the Trinity.  By the Spirit we are grafted into the Son and brought to the Father.  In other words, by trusting the Son we are brought in on the love that God is.  We dwelleth in God!

All the other gods keep you at arm’s length.  In Islam only a few of the righteous will even get to see Allah, on one day and from a great distance.  But because the Living God is Trinity we are wrapped up in God.  Filled with the Spirit, clothed in the Son, doted on by the Father.  2 Peter 1:4: “We participate in the divine nature.”

Response

Finally, there is response in God. Think of the dearly beloved Son of God. For all eternity He has responded to His Father – receiving His love, trusting His care, obeying His words, offering His praise – and all by the power of the Holy Spirit.  But at Christmas time, this perfect response to the love of God was earthed into our humanity.  Here’s what John says:

“God is love.  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”  (1 John 4:8-9)

The Beloved Son takes flesh and lives a fully human life of response to God.  He receives, trusts, obeys and praises the Father in our name and on our behalf.  And now, says John, we live through Him.  In other words, we come in on the perfect response of the Son.  We live in perfect correspondence to the Father through Jesus.

Just as Christ lived our life in our name, now we live His life in His name. We not only pray “in Jesus’ name” but do all things, whether “in word or deed, in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by him.” (Colossians 3:17).

The wonder of “God is love” is immense.  But without the truth of Christ’s response, “God is love” could only condemn me.  “God is love” but I’m full of hate and indifference.  ”God is love” but my heart is sluggish and cold.  Yet God sent the True Responder to His love into the world.  And now we live through Him.  Hard-hearted, hate-filled sinner though I am, Jesus has saved me.  He has propitiated the Father’s wrath (v10) and offers the perfect response of gratitude and worship on my behalf.

God is love and now, through Jesus, I dwell in love.  Hallelujah!