Blessed are the Pure in Heart

In the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount there is a pronouncement of blessings. Blessings for those who are true disciples of Christ. Blessings for those who possess certain spiritual characteristics, the characteristics of true disciples, who, therefore, are true Christians. As you go through the pronouncement of these blessings, every blessing is spiritually rich and spiritually beneficial. Every blessing pronounced is an extravagance of the grace of God, and to have them in total is much like drinking out of a fire hose. However there is one blessing that stands out from all the rest because it is the greatest of these blessings, it is the pinnacle of these blessings, it is the blessing by which all others pale; and, indeed, it may well be the greatest promise He made, and it is found in verse 8..."Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." This has been called one of the greatest verses in all of Scripture, one of the greatest sayings of Christ, the most gracious words that ever came from His lips.

We know from Exodus 33 that no one can see God and live. From I Timothy 6:16 we learn that the Lord dwells in unapproachable light and no man has seen or can see Him. So to see God would be a most unimaginable blessing, and I Corinthians 13:12 gives us additional insight into what is entailed in seeing God as it tells us this, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known."

In I Corinthians 13:12 we see that for those who believe there is a seeing of God, the sight of faith (as we also see in Hebrews 11:24-27); but that is likened to a dim reflection, of which the fullness of sight and with it the fullness of knowing are yet to be. From this verse we understand that in seeing God we will fully know God. Since God, Himself, is the highest and most supreme Being, seeing Him and knowing Him would be the highest and most supreme blessing, and to receive this blessing is the highest and most extravagant grace one could ever receive.

We have learned that the recipients of this supreme blessing are those who are pure in heart. So the question for us to consider is who exactly are the pure in heart. Let's look at what the Scriptures tell us about these people.

Those who are pure in heart:

Love God

I Timothy 1:5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 Hear, O Isreal!, The Lord is our God, the Lord in one! You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  These words I am commanding you today shall be on your heart

Deuteronomy 10:12 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul.

Mark 12:30 and you shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, and with all your souls, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.

This is not the state of the natural man

Romans 1:29-31 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful.

II Timothy 3:2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

The love of God will be evidenced by

1.      Love of neighbor

Mark 12:31 the second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no other commandment greater than these.

Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor

2.      Love of the Brethren

John 15:12 This is my commandment that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

I Peter 1:22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.

3.      Obedience to God

John 14:15 If you love me you will keep My commandments

John 14:24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words

I John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

Those who are pure in heart:

Seek God

Psalm 27:8 When you said, Seek My face, my heart said to You, Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.

Psalm 105:3-4 Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.  Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually.

Jeremiah 29:13-14a You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me will all your heart.  I will be found by you….

Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

I Chronicles 28:9 As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts.  If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if your forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.  Let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God for He will abundantly pardon.

Matthew 6:33  Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness….

Psalm 119:2, 10 How blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart….With all my heart I have sought you; do not let me wander from Your commandments.

Those who are pure in heart:

Find God

Hebrews 11:6 And 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 seek Him.

Jeremiah 29:13-14a You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me will all your heart.  I will be found by you….

Psalm 63:1-5 O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and your glory.  Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You.  So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.  my soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

Jeremiah 24:7 I will give them a heart to know Me.

If we understand correctly that the unsaved and unregenerate do not seek God (Romans 3:10-18) and are haters of God (Romans 1:31, II Timothy 3:1-5), then we are left with the conclusion that those who are pure in heart are those who heart has been cleansed, been made pure (Ezekiel 36:26, John 13:8-10; 15:3), and filled with love (Romans 5:5).  In other words, no one truly seeks God until he has been saved; and then he spends a lifetime of seeking after God, and God rewards his seeking by disclosing more and more of Himself.

And how do we see God?  We see God in the Word of God. We see God in the person of Jesus Christ. No greater blessing can be bestowed.  Make this your desire, make this your prayer, make this your quest today. 

Our Response to Answered Prayer

Too many times when God answers our prayers we

 disregard it because it doesn't come packaged as we "expected."

Victory in Christ

For Jesus Christ the road to Calvary was the road to victory.

For us, the daily taking up of our cross is the key to victory in 

the living out of our Christian life.

Guarding Against Self in Our Preaching

Brother pastors, as you prepare for Sunday are you intent

on showcasing God's wisdom or your own?  Are you preparing

for your people to hear from God, or hear from you?  Is it God's

Word you are preaching or your own?  Do you have more

confidence in your own word than God's word, or more 

confidence in your own machinations than the work of 

the Spirit?  

I Corinthians 2:1-5, Romans 1:16

The temptation for all of us is to serve ourselves and trust

ourselves rather than the Lord, even in our preaching.  Let 

us be like Joshua and chose this Lord's day to serve and

trust Him and Him alone in our preaching.

II Timothy 2:21

The Longings of the Christian Heart

The longings of the Christian heart are

inspired by God and fulfilled by God.

Psalm 37:4

Presenting the Lord

As preachers, does the way we present

the Lord inspire people to get out of

bed to come worship Him?

 .

The Christian Life

Don't be fooled by the glib preacher.  The Christian life is not about being "authentic," it's about being like Christ, for it is being like Christ that makes one truly authentic.

Biblical Confidence

If we are going to restore confidence in the Bible,

we must start with restoring it in the hearts of  church

leaders.  If the Doubters lead the Doubtful they will 

never arrive at Certainty.

Colin Adams

The Trinity-Mystery and Reality

The Trinity, though a mystery, is a theological reality revealed through the pages of Scripture. We see the Trinity at work in:

Creation
Genesis 1:1-2, 1:26-27; John 1:1-3, Hebrews 1:2, I Corinthians 8:6

Salvation
I Peter 1:1-2, John 6:44, 15:26, 16:8, Ephesians 4:30

Church Life
I Corinthians 12:4-7, 11-12, 18, 24, 27

Giving of Scripture
Hebrews 2:2-4, II Peter 1:19-20

The Ministry of Christ
Matthew 3:13-4:1

We do serve and worship a triune God, not three gods, or one god who manifests himself in three different ways; but a God who is Father, Son, and Spirit all at once, for all time. The footprints of the Trinity are all through the Scriptures. Some are more visible than others, but there are many which can be found by those with a nose for the truth.

The Trinity... Mystery? Yes!...Reality? Yes!...Which should cause us all to worship with awe and wonder, because there is truly no other god like Him.

The Three Most Distinctive Christian Doctrines

There is much that separates Christianity from every other religion, but I believe there are three doctrines that are the most distinctive and provide the greatest degree of separation from the other religions, and also from sects that call themselves Christian.  In fact, these three doctrines are foundational to other key doctrines of the Christian faith. These three doctrines are the Trinity, the Incarnation, and Penal Substitutionary Atonement.

What the Gospel Offers Us

...to study the God of the gospel--the God who handed over his Son, who raised him up again, and who sent his Spirit into our hearts--is to be propelled toward the study of God's triune being, his divine attributes, his actions of creation and revelation, as well the divine purpose and plan for all things.  In the gospel we do not find a catalogue of human religious sentiments offered up for our perusal, no buffet of philosophical theories for us to snack on.  In the gospel there is no unearthing of relics and ritual to ponder like broken pottery pieces from a dead civilization, nor are we offered merely modern mantras promising nice things for nice people. To do the contrary, the gospel offers us much more, something much better than anyone could envision:  the gospel is the offer of God himself.  For in the gospel, God is the giver and gift all at once, a gift of life and love that comes by sharing in the life and love that is in his Son.  This is the God of the gospel, the God who commands the attention of all of our intellects, the God who pushes the boundaries of our imagination, the God who stimulates our creative energies in art and music and literature, and the only God worth singing and studying about.


Michael F. Bird
Evangelical Theology
Page 91

God and the Gospel

To hold the gospel in contempt is to hold God in contempt. To disdain the gospel is to disdain God. To  reject the gospel is to reject God. For God is the gospel, and the giver of the gospel. He has given the gospel with the command to repent and believe (Mark 1:15). To not believe the gospel is to disdain the gospel, to hold the gospel in contempt, and to reject the gospel; and reveals the heart's attitude toward God.

Understanding the Love of God-Part II

In Part I we saw how God has a particular and specific love for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that He loves us with the same love with which He loves His Son. This is a familial love, a love that a father has for his own son. This familial love is not for those who are of the world, those who have not been adopted into the family of God, those who have not believed on Christ, His person and His finished work on our behalf. So let's see what else we can glean about this wondrous love of God.

His Particular Love is an Eternal Love

Remember when we were looking at the love of the Father for the Son and we saw that He loved both the Son and His own before the foundation of the world (John 17:24, Ephesians 1:4). This means that before time began God already loved us. God's love for us is from eternity past, so in the eternal mind of God there has never been a time when He did not love us. This fact should give all of us who belong to Him a security in our relationship with Him. It also highlights His unmerited grace in bringing us to Himself. Before we were born, and could do anything good or bad He already loved us with an everlasting love. His love for us has always been, it will always be, and everything connected with His purpose for us revolves around this eternal love with which He loves us. Why can we never be separated from His love, as was stated in Romans 8:32? Because His love for us will never cease! We see a picture of this in Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness." The Lord is talking to Israel in this passage, but in it we see pictured His eternal love for those who are His own. Think about what it means that God has always loved you with the same love with which He has always loved His Son. Because God loves us with the same love with which He loves His Son, He would no sooner let us go than He would His own Son. What a humbling truth! At a minimum it should fill your heart with thanksgiving and humble your soul.

Additionally, if you think about how Romans 8:29... for those whom He foreknew He predestined... and Ephesians 1:4-5...In love He predestined us to adoption as sons...go together, you will see that to be foreknown is synonymous with being foreloved.  So, in the foreknowledge of God for those whom He would predestine to salvation, there was also present an eternal love for those very people.  So those who are His own, whom come to Him by faith in His Son, have been known and loved by God for all eternity.

His Particular Love is an Electing Love

I commented earlier that to be beloved is to be the object of a particular love or the particular object of someone's love. We are the beloved of God, and therefore we are the particular object of His love (those on whom He bestows His love), and the object of His particular love (the same love with which He loves the Son, a familial love). But there is also something that goes along with being His beloved. Let's look at some Scriptures together to see what that is.

Ephesians 1:4b-5a In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ.
Colossians 3:12a So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved....
II Thessalonians 2:13-14 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Thessalonians 1:4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you;
Jude 1:1 Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:

Did you notice that God has only called beloved His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and those whom He has chosen beforehand for salvation. He calls no one else beloved.  Did you also notice the connection between love and predestination; being beloved and being chosen, called, and kept. Because we are the particular objects of His particular love (His beloved), He chose us out of the world unto Himself, and has given us to His Son. This particular love is a love of choice, not compulsion. He chose to set His affection upon us, and the result of this is His drawing of us to Himself. He loves whom He chooses and He chooses whom He loves, and those who are not loved with this particular love are not predestined for salvation, they are not chosen, called, or kept. We see that He only saves those on whom He has set His particular love, this eternal love, which is the same love with which He loves His Son.  This is all done in accordance with the kind intention of His will to accomplish His eternal purpose, which God the Father carried out in Christ the Son.

When we start contemplating this we soon bump the ceiling of our understanding. And that is okay. This causes many questions to come up, the foremost of which is, "Why did God choose to love me, and therefore save me, and not person X?" One day we will know fully as we have been fully known, but until that time we can be in rapt wonder of the greatness of the mind of God, and how incomprehensible His ways are. This truth is transcendent, one that is above and beyond us and our rational capabilities. Suffice it to say that there is enough here to cause us to bow low before Him in holy reverence and awe. It is truths like this that set God apart as God, and let us know that He is truly a God who is deserving of all worship.

His Particular Love is a Saving Love

Because we are loved with a particular love, God has chosen us, and because He has chosen us we are saved. To be loved with this particular love is to be chosen, selected out of the mass of humanity headed for hell, for salvation. The outcome of this love is our salvation, our deliverance from the penalty, power, and ultimately, the presence of sin. The wages of sin is death, and the consequence of sin is the just judgement of a holy God. However, we see this in Ephesians 2:2-7... But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus... Apart from the love of God we would not know salvation. In His choosing to love us our salvation was guaranteed and our eternal state was fixed. I am reminded of a statement by A. W. Pink to the effect that the crucifixion of Christ did not make our salvation possible, it made it certain.

II Timothy :8b-9 ...according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. The love of God is most manifest in the person of Christ, and it is through the person and work of Christ that He has brought salvation to those whom He has set His great love upon. God's love for His beloved is in accordance with His eternal purpose which has been carried out in Christ. 

Christian friends, rejoice and be glad, be thankful and worshipful, that God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation. Marvel at the wondrous love with which you are loved by the Father. Give thanks to God for loving you so, for loving you with the same love with which He loved the Son, and for placing this saving love upon you.

Yes, there is a general love of God for all of mankind, and in God's love for mankind He has made salvation available to whosoever would turn from their sin, from seeking their own way, seeking their own desires, speaking their own word; and, in repentance and faith turn to the only One who can save, and ask Him to set His saving love on them.

Understanding the Love of God-Part I

 These next two posts are reposts from a few years back, which I thought would be good to repost.

Today I want to talk about the love of God, which, I believe, is the grandest theme in the Scriptures. The love of God is what has prompted Him to do all that He has done on our behalf. Yes, I know that ultimately all things are for His glory, but it is through His love that His glory is most vibrantly and visibly expressed. In I John 4:8 &16 we see that God is love. He doesn't possess love, but He is love; and that love is manifested in, an oh so tangible way, in and through the person of Christ. So let's press on to know more fully this love which is part and parcel of the very nature of God. It is part of who He is and cannot be separated from Him.

The general love of God

First, there is the general love of God for mankind. I know that there are those among our hyper-reformed brothers that will say that God does not love mankind, but only the elect, and that He is angry with the wicked every day. While it is true that God is angry with the wicked every day, it does not, and has not, kept Him from loving mankind. Let's look at some examples from Scripture.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Again, there are those who will say that this verse only applies to the elect, and if this verse were the only verse like it in the Scriptures, which it is not, then that argument might have some weight. However, the word for world here is kosmos. It is used 151 times in the NT and always means this created world, its order, or the people who inhabit it. Also, in this verse we see the word whosoever. It does not say for God so loved the elect, that they would believe in Jesus (even though that is true, and we shall see more on that later), but that God so loved the world that whosoever believes in Christ shall be saved. Whosoever is very clear in its meaning and it means anyone who will. A synonomous verse to John 3:16 is II Corinthians 5:19...God was in Christ reconciling the world (kosmos) to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them (Compare this little section with Acts 17:30), and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. God has made reconciliation with Himself available to the world (unredeemed humanity). Why? Because God has a general love for mankind. It is also interesting to note here that the word for love used in John 3:16 is agapao, which is the word for love used in I John 4:8, 16. God can not deny Himself, or be other than He is, so we see this love of God revealed in His love for this world, and the people who inhabit it.

Additionally, let's look at Titus 3:4-5 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us... The phrase, love for mankind, is one word in the Greek and that word is philanthropia, from which we get our word philanthropy. It is composed of two Greek words, phileo--which means brotherly love; and anthropos--which means mankind. This is a very specific word to denote God's charitable, benevolent love and kindly disposition for all of mankind. It is used only one other time in the NT and that is in Acts 28:2.

But, let's don't stop there, let's look at Matthew 5:43-48, the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus says "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as you heavenly Father is perfect." Notice that Jesus is saying here that we are to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, and to do that we must love not only those who love us, because even the most despised (tax collectors) do that; but also those who hate us and persecute us; and what is implied here is that God loves those who are His enemies (which He would automatically since He is love). So God does love the wicked, even those who are his enemies, which we all are until He saves us (Romans 5:10).

Finally, let's look at the story of the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-22. We all know the story about how he turned away from Christ because he did not want to give up his possessions. But what is interesting here is the attitude of Jesus towards this young man. Let's pick this story up in 10:21 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack; go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." Here we see the heart of God, revealed through Christ, and His love (agape) for this one person, and how this love prompted Christ to reveal to this young man what was between him and heaven, even though He knew the young man would reject Him and walk away; and it is interesting to note here that even though Jesus felt a love for this young man, He let him walk away from Him and spurn His offer of salvation.

Because of God's love for this world, mankind, all those who are his enemies, and, yes, even individuals, He has made salvation available to all, by giving His Son, that whosoever believes in His Son will have life eternal. God is love, and He cannot be other than who He is, and we see His love for mankind revealed in these verses.

The particular love of God for His Son

However, there is another dimension to the love of God, and to understand that we need to look back into eternity past to see it. God gives us a glimpse of it in John 17:24 in the prayer of Christ, "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given me, be with Me where I am so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world." We see here that the Father has loved the Son, God the Father has loved Jesus the Son, since before time began. So for all eternity there has been the love of the Father for the Son. A father's particular love for his own son has always existed between God and Christ. Now we also see here that Jesus wants this love to be known by those whom God has given Him (the elect) as they will see it manifested in the glory bestowed on the Son by the Father when they are with Him.

We see this attitude of the Father towards the Son manifested in Matthew 3:17 For this is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. To be the beloved of someone is to be the particular object of their love, or the object of someone's particular love. We see this stated in a more distinct way in Colossians 1:13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son (literally, the Son of His love). The Son has always been the particular object of the love of the Father, so we can safely say that the Father has a particular love for the Son, and can understand that because we see it paralleled in this world by the particular love each father has for his own son. We see a manifestation of this love of the Father for the Son in John 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. So the Father loves the Son in different way than the Father loves the world as the Son is the beloved of the Father, He is the particular object of His love, and this love has always existed between the Father and the Son.

The particular love of God for those who are His own

How does God love us, those who belong to Him? We know He loves the world, he loves mankind, but how does He love us, those whom He has called out of the world. To understand this let's go back to John 17:23-24, 26. Again this is Jesus praying, "I in them and You in Me, that they maybe perfected in unity, so the the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with me where I am so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world...and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. It is important to note here that in verse 23 Jesus states that the purpose behind the unity of those who believe in Him would be that the world, the same kosmos that God loves with a general love, would know that not only that the Father sent the Son, but that the Father loves those who believe in the Son with the same love with which He loves the Son. The truth given here, that God loves those who believe in His Son with the same love with which He loves the Son is a staggering truth, one that is almost incomprehensible, and is surely inexplicable. It always causes me to pause and catch my spiritual breath. But, while contemplating this great and wonderful truth, we must also not miss the fact that God does not love the world with the same love with which He loves the Son, this love is only for those who place their faith in Christ Jesus.

The Familial love of God

As we have already seen in John 17 God loves us with the same love with which He loves the Son. Tie this in with Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. We see that God's plan from before the foundation of the world was for those of us who name the name of Christ as our Savior to be the brethren of His Son, and that Christ was to have the place of preeminence as the firstborn of the sons of God. It is not those of the world who are the brethren of Christ, but only those whom God has predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. Therefore the love of God for the Son is only for those who are among the family of God.

This is said a little differently, but just as succinctly in I John 3:1. Notice how beautifully John expresses the richness of this truth. See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God, for such we are. The love of the family is reserved for those who are members of the family, and the familial love we see here upon the earth is a dim and imperfect expression of the familial love of God as we have been created in His image, and this image has been marred by sin. This familial love of God is lavishly and graciously bestowed only upon those who are His children and we never see in Scripture those of the world being called the children of the living God. It is only those whom God has called out of the world and place their faith in Christ who become His children.

This is said much more strongly and forcefully in Ephesians 1:4-5a just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world....In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself. This verse brings together all the other verses concerning our status as children of God and tells us how God went about making us His children and the brethren of Christ. We have been adopted. Even better, we see that the reason behind our adoption is the love of God. We know from John 17:24 that the Father loved the Son before the foundation of the world, and from this verse in Ephesians we see that we were also loved before the foundation of the world. What does this mean? It means that God loved us with the same love He had for the Son, that familial love, before the foundation of the world, and because of that love and out of that love He predestined us for adoption as his children. What a wonderful and deep truth to dwell upon, that from eternity past God loves us with the same eternal love with which He loves Jesus and the outworking of that love is our admittance into the family of God; and now we can get insight into why Paul could boldly cry out in Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. It reminds me of Psalm 36:7-8 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of your house; and You give them to drink of the river of your delights. Oh, the wonder and magnificence of it all!

To be continued

 https://morris-pressingon.blogspot.com/2014/02/understanding-love-of-god-part-ii.html

A Preacher's Prayer for Sunday

Lord, let me not preach in the weakness

of my flesh, or with the babble of my own

words; but move me to preach in the

power of the Spirit, and with the authority

of Your Word.

The Key to Focusing on the Things of the Lord

The Lord will accomplish what concerns me;

Your lovingkindness, O Lord is everlasting;

Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Psalm  138:8

The truth that the Lord will accomplish what

concerns me frees me to focus on what

concerns Him.

A Satisfying Life

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst

for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6

The Christian life rightly lived is a life that

is well lived; and a Christian life that is 

well lived is a life that satisfies.  This is a

life that leaves a good taste in your mouth. 

God's Faithfulness

O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You,

 I will give thanks to Your name; For You

have worked wonders, plans formed long

ago, with perfect faithfulness.

Isaiah 25:1

Remember, God's faithfulness is perfect, and in His 

being faithful to you, He is also being faithful

 to carry out His eternal plan.   

Understanding Hebrews 6:4-8

When considering a verse or a passage, always remember that context is King, so the verse or passage must always be first looked at within its immediate context, and then the context of the chapter, then book, and, finally, within the scope of all of the Bible.  So to properly understand  Hebrews 6:4-8, we must give consideration to its place in the book of Hebrews.

When we consider the book of Hebrews, we see that it is written to a group of Jews who were being swayed and pressured to leave Christianity and return to Judaism.  So the author of Hebrews states the case for the supremacy of Christ and the New Covenant against Judaism and the Old Covenant.  Along with his laying out the supremacy of Christ we see that he lays out a series of warnings throughout the book that build one upon another as they are given (2:1-3, 3:7-19, 4:1-11, 6:4-8, 10:26-31, 12:15-17, and 12:25-29). These warnings are for those who would reject His word and therefore, reject His Son. 

The book starts out in 1:1-2 by saying that God has spoken, first to the fathers through the prophets, and in these last days in Christ.  So, the first warning, 2:1-3, is to pay attention to the Word that has been spoken, both Old and New Testament, and therefore not neglect (let slide by) the great salvation that has been offered in Christ. The next warning, 3:7-19, is when you hear His voice (through the Scriptures, the Word that has been spoken) don't let your heart be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, don't have an evil and unbelieving heart, listen to the word and don't be disobedient and therefore unbelieving. The third warning, 4:1-11, is don't fall short of His rest by rejecting His word because your heart is hardened, but receive the Word by faith and don't follow the example of the Jews in the wilderness. The fourth warning, 6:4-8, is more bluntly stated, and it is this:  If you have experienced the work of His Spirit both in person and corporately and have been enlightened (you see the light spiritually and know that it is the truth),    

{This enlightenment comes from:

1. Tasting of the heavenly gift (personal encounter/experience with the convicting work of the Spirit of Truth ie John 16:8). 

2. Having been made partakers of the Holy Spirit (Shared corporate experience of the presence of the Spirit ie I Corinthians 14:24-25).

3. Having tasted (experienced) the word of God, they know it is true as it has spoken to them ie Romans 10:8, Hebrews 4:12.

4. Having tasted the powers of the age to come (know the reality of the resurrection and understand its place as the forerunner and guarantee of our resurrection, our victory over death and Hades in Christ) ie I Corinthians 15:35-57, Hebrews 2:14-15.}

then having this much enlightenment and personal experience with spiritual reality so that you know it is true, don't willingly reject it/turn your back on it (which is what it means to fall away), because if you do, you cannot be renewed to repentance.  This is not deception or ignorance, but a willful rejection, . The fifth warning, 10:26-31,  is once you know the truth, but reject it by willfully continuing in your sin, then nothing but a terrifying judgment awaits in the hands of God (this also ties in and gives commentary on 6:4-8). The sixth warning given, 12:15-17, concerns Esau.  Esau knew the truth, knew his birthright was the Messiah who would come through him as the firstborn to bless the world (See how the gospel was given to Abraham Galatians 3:6-8 and Genesis 12:3. Reiterated in Genesis 22:18.  Given to Isaac in Genesis 26:45, and Jacob in Genesis 28:14), but he rejected it/despised it; and as a result God rejected him and would not grant him repentance even though Esau sought it with tears (ties in with the warnings of 6:4-8 and 10:26-31). The seventh warning, 12:25-29, ties right back with the opening of the book in 1:1-2; and it is don't refuse Him who speaks to you, either through men (prophets and their writings, words of Christ from the apostles) or from God; for you need to consider whom you are dealing with for your eternal destiny, for He is a consuming fire from whom you cannot escape.

It also helps to understand that believing the gospel is a command given by Christ (Mark 1:15).  So not to believe, especially in light of the type of revelation this group had been the recipient of, is very much a willful act of disobedience, a willful hardening of the heart;  and we see the correlation of belief/obedience and unbelief/disobedience in Hebrews 3:18-19, 4:2, 4:6, 4:11, 5:9, 10:36, 13:21, and also in John 3:36.

So in light of all of this we see that Hebrews 6:4-8 fits in with the author’s purpose of warning the Jews not to be disobedient and turn away from Christ, but to continue on in Christ, and to accept Him as the greater, better, and complete way to God. 

A Word of Encouragement for Sunday

As we look forward to Sunday,

let us be prepared with joyful

anticipation as we get to preach

great truths about 

THE GREAT TRUTH,

Jesus Christ, Himself!

As I heard a man once say,

"There may be those who preach

the gospel better, but there are

none who preach a better gospel."

Preach on, brothers, preach on.