John 19
Soldiers mock Jesus verse 1- 3
THEN Pilate therefore took Jesus – and scourged HIM
and the soldiers platted a crown of thorns
and put it on HIS head
and they put on HIM a purple robe – and said
Hail – King of the Jews
and they smote HIM with their hands
Pilate brings Jesus before the people verse 4- 5
Pilate therefore went forth again – and said to them
Behold – I bring HIM forth to you
that you may know that
I find NO FAULT in HIM
THEN came Jesus forth – wearing the crown of thorns
and the purple robe
Pilate said to them
BEHOLD the man
Leaders reaction “Crucify HIM” verse 6 – 7
When the chief priests therefore and officers saw HIM
they cried out – saying
Crucify HIM – crucify HIM
Pilate said to them
Take you HIM and crucify HIM
for I find NO FAULT in HIM
The Jews answered him – We have a law
and by our law HE ought to die
BECAUSE HE made
HIMSELF the Son of God
Conversation between Jesus and Pilate verse 8- 11
When Pilate therefore heard that saying
he was the more afraid
and went again into the judgment hall
and said to Jesus
Whence are YOU?
BUT Jesus gave him no answer
THEN said Pilate to HIM
Speak YOU not to me?
know YOU not that
I have power to crucify YOU
and have power to release YOU?
Jesus answered –
You could have no power at all against ME
EXCEPT it were given you from above
HEREFORE he that delivered ME
to you has the greater sin
Pilate presents Jesus again to the people verse 12- 17
And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release HIM
BUT the Jews cried out – saying
If you let THIS MAN go – you are not Caesar’s friend
whosoever makes himself a king
speaks against Caesar
When Pilate therefore hear that saying
he brought Jesus forth and sat down in the
judgment seat in the place
that is called the Pavement
BUT in the Hebrew – Gabbatha
And it was the preparation of the Passover
and about the sixth hour
and he said to the Jews
BEHOLD your King
BUT they cried out – away with HIM
away with HIM – crucify HIM
Pilate said to them
Shall I crucify your King?
The chief priests answered
We have no king but Caesar
THEN delivered he HIM therefore to them to be crucified
and they took Jesus – and led HIM away
And HE bearing HIS cross went forth into a place
called the place of a skull which is called in the Hebrew
Golgotha – where they crucified HIM
and two other with HIM – on either side one
and Jesus in the midst
Jesus crucified verse 18- 22
And Pilate wrote a title – and put it on the cross
and the writing was
JESUS OF NAZARETH THE
KING OF THE JEWS
This title then read many of the Jews
FOR the place where Jesus
was crucified was nigh to the city
and it was written
in Hebrew – Greek – Latin
THEN said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate
Write not – the King of the Jews
BUT that HE said
I am King of the Jews
Pilate answered
What I have written I have written
Soldiers cast lots for clothes of Jesus verse 23- 24
Then the soldiers – when they had crucified Jesus
took HIS garments and made four parts
to every soldier a part
and also HIS coat – now the coat was without seam
woven from the top throughout
They said therefore among themselves – Let us not rend it
but cast lots for it – whose it shall be
that the Scripture might be fulfilled
which says
They parted my raiment among them
and for my vesture they did cast lots
These things therefore the soldiers did
Women at the cross verse 25- 27
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus HIS mother
and HIS mother’s sister
Mary the wife of Cleophas
and Mary Magdalene
WHEN Jesus therefore saw HIS mother
and the disciple standing by – whom HE loved
HE said unto HIS mother
Woman – BEHOLD your son
THEN said HE to the disciple – BEHOLD your mother
and from that hour that disciple
took her unto his own home
Death of Jesus Christ on the cross verse 28- 37
After this – Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished
that the Scripture might be fulfilled said – I thirst
Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar
and they filled a sponge with vinegar
and put it upon hyssop – and put it to HIS mouth
WHEN Jesus therefore had received the vinegar
HE said – It is finished
and HE bowed HIS head – and gave up the ghost
The Jews therefore
BECAUSE it was the preparation
that the bodies should not remain upon the cross
on the Sabbath day
(for that Sabbath day was an high day)
BESOUGHT Pilate that their legs might be broken
and that they might be taken away
THEN came the soldiers – and brake the legs of the first
and of the other which was crucified with HIM
BUT when they came to Jesus
and saw that HE was dead already
they brake not HIS legs
BUT one of the soldiers with a spear pierced HIS side
and forthwith came there out blood and water
AND he that saw it bare record – and his record is true
and he knows that he said true – that you might believe
FOR these things were done
that the Scripture SHOULD BE FULFILLED
A bone of HIM shall not be broken
AND again another Scripture said
They shall look on HIM WHOM they pierced
Burial of Jesus verse 38- 42
And after this Joseph of Arimathaea – being a disciple of Jesus
but secretly – for fear of the Jews
besought Pilate that he might
take away the body of Jesus
and Pilate give him leave
He came therefore – and took the body of Jesus
and there came also Nicodemus
which at the first came to Jesus by night
and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes
about an hundred pound weight
THEN took they the body of Jesus
and wound it in linen clothes with the spices
as the manner of the Jews is to bury
Now in the place where HE was crucified there was a garden
and in the garden a new sepulcher
wherein never man yet laid
THERE laid they Jesus therefore
BECAUSE of the Jews’ preparation day
FOR the sepulcher was nigh at hand
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and say unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you that you may know that I find no fault in him. (156 “fault” [aitia] means cause, case, reason, crime, accusation, guilt, wrong, or blame)
DEVOTION: Pilate was the man in the middle. The religious leaders wanted HIM crucified. They didn’t want to just judge HIM by their laws because they didn’t have the right to put someone to death. They didn’t care when it came to Stephen later on and to others who were followers of Jesus but at this time they wanted to be able to blame the government for HIS death.
Twice Pilate came to them stating that he didn’t find any reason to put HIM to death but the people led by the religious leaders just shouted “Crucify HIM.” The leaders had convinced the common people that it was in their best interest to crucify Jesus.
Finally, Pilate gave up. He said it was going to be on their shoulders that Jesus was crucified. They agreed. They didn’t fully understand what they had agreed to but they did it anyway because the religious leaders told them to.
We need to hold our leaders to the standard of the Word of God. This is especially true of our church leaders. So many leaders are leading people away from the Word of God.
There are television programs about the Bible that are not true to the Scriptures that many are telling people to watch. I watched some of the latest documentary and they are not staying true to the Word of God and people will believe them because anything that is on television must be true. Wrong. Check out what you hear and see and read with what the Bible really teaches.
Religious leaders need to lead people rightly in what is taught in the Word of God. They will have their judgment if they lead in the wrong direction. Church members need to go home each Sunday and check the references used, in the worship service, with what the Bible says to be true.
CHALLENGE: We can ill afford to follow our religious and community leaders into wrong thinking and wrong actions. Otherwise we will be crying out “Crucify HIM.”
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 11 Jesus answered, You could have no power at all against ME, except it were given you from above: therefore he that delivered ME to you has the greater sin. (1849 “power” [exousia] means authority, right, ability, capability, permission, freedom of choice, efficacy, dominion, license, freedom of choice)
DEVOTION: Power is only given by the LORD. We might think that we have power but in reality the LORD gives and takes away power. It has been stated many times in the Word of God that kings are set up by God and taken down by God.
We might not like the present power struggle we are going through in our nation. We have many who hate Christians who stand for the rights of the unborn child and who think that marriage should only be between one man and one woman. Those are God’s rules and HE will deal with those who go against HIS rules at some time in the future.
Jesus is relating to Pilate that he really doesn’t have power of HIS future. The LORD is the only one who has that power. The Father requires a payment for the sins of the world. The payment is a perfect sacrifice. There was no other sacrifice but Jesus who could meet HIS standard. On the basis of the death of Christ all those who become followers of Christ are forgiven for eternity.
Jesus is also conveying the truth that those religious leaders who took HIM to the cross will face judgment for their actions. They are presently waiting in a place of torment until the day of the final judgment at the Great White Throne.
CHALLENGE: We receive power from the LORD to do the work that HE has given us to do for HIS glory today. Use the power available to reach all those who are in your world.
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: 17 And HE bearing HIS cross, went forth into a place called the place of the skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha. (941 “bearing” [bastazo] means to take up with the hands, to take in order to carry, to put upon one’s self to carry, to sustain, support or uphold.
DEVOTION: Jesus had taught the disciples that they were to take up their cross daily and follow HIM. This was done while they were in training with HIM.
On the way to be crucified Jesus carried his cross a short distance. The reason for this was that HE had been physically abused all night. HIS physical strength was gone. Remember HE had a human body just like us.
The Bible tells us that the soldiers made a man by the name of Simon carry the cross most of the way. There is a movie out that shows Jesus carrying the cross and then Simon and then Jesus again. The Bible doesn’t say one way or the other. We know that Jesus was given sever treatment by the soldiers before HE began carrying the cross. HE had to be weakened by this treatment. As we read in the Bible, all the things done to him before he died on the cross, as well as, the torment of the cross – do we appreciate what he did for us?
Do we understand all that he did for us? Are we taking up our cross daily and serving him? We each have a cross to carry in our physical lives here on this earth. Part of the ministry of carrying the cross means that there will be suffering while we are here on this earth. Jesus told the disciples that they would be persecuted for following HIM. The disciples were all killed by the Romans. John was the last one to be killed. He went through exile, boiling in oil and other treatments before he died according to tradition. Also, Peter was crucified upside down because he didn’t think he should be killed the same way as Jesus, according to tradition.
Jesus told his disciples that they had to take up their cross daily. We have to do the same. What is our cross to carry? Each of us has a different cross to carry. Why? Because each of us is called to a different ministry. Do we sometimes think that our cross is so much harder than others have to carry? We are given different gifts to use for HIS glory. While we are carrying it today, please remember all that Jesus went through to carry his cross for us.
CHALLENGE: We need to thank him for our little crosses that we are carrying. HE carried the sins of the world on HIS cross. We have him to help us support our burdens. Praise HIS name.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. (2065 “besought” [erotao] means ask, beseech, pray, desire, entreat, request, urge, or question)
DEVOTION: We find that Joseph was a rich man. He was a counselor which waited for the kingdom of God. He was a just and good man. He was the only one who had not consented with the Sanhedrin to crucify Jesus. He was a man of principle. He bought a sepulcher that was close to the place where Jesus was crucified.
Nicodemus was there to help him with the burial of Jesus. Remember he was the member of the Sanhedrin that came to Jesus by night to find out how he might enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus told him that he had to be “born again.” He didn’t seem to understand the concept. He had to have a spiritual birth, not only a physical birth.
These two men wound the body of Jesus in linen clothes with spices. This was the normal way that Jewish bodies were buried. HIS body was placed in the sepulcher. The tomb was sealed.
Both Joseph and Nicodemus were brave at this point because they did something that the rest of the religious leaders would not do. They were believers and they stood with Jesus rather than against HIM.
When the chips are down will you stand up for Jesus no matter what others might think. CHALLENGE: Would you give up a prestigious position to follow Jesus? It would only happen if we were challenged. It might come to that before we go to meet the LORD in the sky.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Passover verse 14
Sabbath verse 31
Jews’ preparation day verse 42
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Law verse 7
Scripture might be fulfilled verse 24, 28, 36, 37
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God verse 7
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Jesus verse 1, 5, 9, 11, 13, 16, 18- 20, 23, 25, 26, 28, 30, 33, 38-40
Scourged verse 1
Crown of thorns verse 2, 5
Purple robe verse 2, 5
King of the Jews verse 3, 14, 19, 21
No fault verse 4, 6
Man verse 5
Son of God verse 7
No answer verse 9
King verse 14, 15
Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews verse 19
King of the Jews verse 21
I thirst verse 28
It is finished verse 30
Gave up the ghost verse 30
Spear pierced HIS side verse 34
Burial of Jesus verse 38- 42
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Pilate verse 1, 4- 16, 19, 21, 22, 31,
Power to crucify
Power to release
Soldiers verse 2, 3, 23, 24, 32
Caesars verse 12, 15
Pavement (Gabbatha) verse 13
Written in Greek and Latin verse 20
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Mockery of Jesus verse 1- 3
Fault verse 6
Afraid verse 8
Greater sin verse 11
Secretly verse 38
Fear of the Jews verse 38
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Power from above verse 11
True verse 35
Believe verse 35
Disciple of Jesus verse 38
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Chief priests verse 6, 15, 21
Officers verse 6
Jews verse 7, 12, 14, 20, 21, 31, 38,40
Golgotha verse 17
Written in Hebrew verse 20
Mary (Jesus’ mother) verse 25- 27
Mary’s sister verse 25
Mary the wife of Cleophas verse 25
Mary Magdalene verse 25
Joseph of Arimathaea verse 38
Nicodemus verse 39
Church (New Testament people of God)
Disciple (John) verse 26, 27
Disciple of Jesus (Joseph) verse 38
Last Things (Future Events)
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DONATIONS
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QUOTES regarding passag
19:11. Behind Pilate’s ‘power’ (exousia, ‘authority’), however, Jesus discerns the hand of God. Typical of biblical compatibilism, even the worst evil cannot escape the outer boundaries of God’s sovereignty—yet God’s sovereignty never mitigates the responsibility and guilt of moral agents who operate under divine sovereignty, while their voluntary decisions and their evil rebellion never render God utterly contingent (e.g. Gn. 50:19–20; Is. 5:10ff.; Acts 4:27–28). Especially in writing of events that lead up to the cross, New Testament writers are bound to see the hand of God bringing all things to their dramatic purpose (cf. Carson, ‘OT’, esp. 247–248), no matter how vile the secondary causalities may be; for the alternatives are unthinkable. If God merely outwits his enemies, whose evil sets both the agenda and the pace, then the mission of the Son to die for fallen sinners is reduced to a mere after-thought; if God’s sovereignty capsizes all human responsibility, then it is hard to see why the mission of the Son should be undertaken at all, since in that case there are no sins for the Lamb of God to take away.
Pilate’s authority, then, was given to him from above (anōthen; cf. notes on 3:3, 5). Therefore (dia touto) the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin. The force of the Therefore is not immediately clear, and some suggestions are almost certainly wrong. Morris (p. 797), for instance, plausibly argues that Caiaphas is the betrayer, the one who handed Jesus over to Pilate, and that Caiaphas is ‘ultimately responsible’ since Judas was merely ‘a tool’ and Pilate was serving under the delegated authority of God himself. But if Judas was a tool, he was a culpable tool; moreover, if God’s sovereignty mitigates Pilate’s responsibility, why should it not similarly attenuate the responsibility of Caiaphas (cf. 11:49–52!)? (Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (pp. 600–601). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.)
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Pilate had his opportunity for truth and was found wanting. Disturbed by Jesus’ silence, he asked, Don’t You realize I have power …? True, Pilate had some power, but he was a pawn. Yet he was responsible for his decisions (cf. Acts 4:27–28; 1 Cor. 2:8). In reality, God is the only One who has ultimate and full power. Pilate, Jesus said, was under God and therefore responsible to Him: The one who handed Me over to you is guilty of a greater sin. In this statement was Jesus referring to Judas, Satan, Caiaphas, the priests, or the Jewish people? Perhaps Caiaphas is the best choice since he is the one who handed Jesus over to Pilate. Pilate was guilty (cf. the words in the Apostles’ Creed, “suffered under Pontius Pilate”). But Jesus put more weight on Caiaphas as the responsible one (cf. John 11:49–50; 18:13–14). (Blum, E. A. (1985). John. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 338). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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John 19:11 records our Lord’s last words to Pilate, words that reveal His faith in the Father and His surrender to His will (see 1 Peter 2:23; 4:19). All authority comes from God (Rom. 13:1ff). Jesus was able to surrender to Rome and the Jews because He was first of all yielded to God. Pilate was boasting about his authority (John 19:10), but Jesus reminded him that his so-called authority was only delegated to him from God. One day God would call him to account for the way he had used his privileges and responsibilities. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 381). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above” (John 19:11). For His Father’s honor and as a rebuke to Pilate, the Lord once more spake, giving His last official testimony before He was crucified. Blessed it is to mark carefully the words of grace and truth which now proceeded from His lips. How easy for Him to have given the lie to Pilate’s boast by paralyzing the tongue which had just uttered such blasphemy! How easy for Him to have made a display of His power before this haughty heathen similar to what He had done in the Garden! But, instead, He returns a calm and measured answer, equally expressive of His glory, though in another way. A careful study of His words here will reveal both His voluntary lowliness and His Divine majesty—how wonderful that both should be combined in one brief sentence! (Pink, A. W. (1923–1945). Exposition of the Gospel of John (p. 1031). Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot).
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19:11 Jesus’ statement here indicates that even the worst evil cannot escape the sovereignty of God. Pilate had no real control (vv. 10, 11), yet still stood as a responsible moral agent for his actions. When confronted with opposition and evil, Jesus often found solace in the sovereignty of His Father (e.g., 6:43, 44, 65; 10:18, 28, 29). he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin. This could refer either to Judas or Caiaphas. Since Caiaphas took such an active part in the plot against Jesus (11:49–53) and presided over the Sanhedrin, the reference may center on him (18:30, 35). The critical point is not the identity of the person but guilt because of the deliberate, high-handed, and coldly calculated act of handing Jesus over to Pilate, after having seen and heard the overwhelming evidence that He was Messiah and Son of God. Pilate had not been exposed to that. See notes on 9:41; 15:22–24; Heb 10:26–31. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Jn 19:11). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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Ver. 11. Jesus answered, &c.] With great intrepidity and courage, with freedom and boldness, as being not at all dismayed with his threatening, or affected with his proud boasts, and in order to expose the vanity of them: thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: meaning, not from the Jewish sanhedrim, whose court of judicature was in the temple, which was higher than the other part of the city; nor from the Roman emperor, or senate of Rome, the higher powers; by whom Pilate was made governor of Judea, and a judge in all causes relating to life and death; but reference is had to the place from whence he came, and to the decree and council of God above, and the agreement between the eternal three in heaven. Christ speaks of a power he had against him, that is, of taking away his life; he had no lawful power to do it at all; nor any power, right or wrong, had it not been given him by God: and which is to be ascribed, not merely to the general providence of God, without which nothing is done in this world; but to the determinate counsel of God, relating to this particular action of the crucifying of Christ; otherwise Christ, as God, could have struck Pilate his judge with death immediately, and without so doing could as easily have escaped out of his hands, as he had sometimes done out of the hands of the Jews; and, as man and Mediator, he could have prayed to his father for, and have had, more than twelve legions of angels, which would soon have rescued him: but this was not to be; power was given to Pilate from heaven against him; not for any evil he himself had committed, or merely to gratify the envy and malice of the Jews, but for the salvation of God’s elect, and for the glorifying of the divine perfections: and to this the Jews themselves agree in general, “that all the things of this world depend on above; and when they agree above first, (they say,) they agree below; and that there is no power below, until that דאתייהיב שולטנותא לעילא, power is given from above; and the whole of that depends on this:” therefore he that delivered me unto thee, hath the greater sin; מן דילד, than thine, as the Syriac version adds; and to the same purpose the Persic. Pilate had been guilty of sin already in scourging Christ, and suffering the Roman soldiers to abuse him; and would be guilty of a greater in delivering him up to be crucified, who he knew was innocent: but the sin of Judas in delivering him into the hands of the chief priests and elders, and of the chief priest and elders and people of the Jews, in delivering him to Pilate to crucify him, according to the Roman manner, were greater, inasmuch as theirs proceeded from malice and envy, and was done against greater light and knowledge; for by his works, miracles, and ministry, as well as by their own prophecies, they might, or must have known, that he was the Messiah, and son of God: and it is to be observed, that as there is a difference in sin, and that all sins are not equal, the circumstances of things making an alteration; so that God’s decree concerning the delivery of his son into the hands of sinful men, does not excuse the sin of the betrayers of him. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 2, p. 108). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
1 Peter 4
In the face of suffering, we should follow Christ’s example.
INSIGHT
Life is often very trying whether you are a Christian or not. Difficult circumstances fall on the righteous and unrighteous alike. However, the Christian life often adds to our difficulties. We may be discriminated against because of our faith, or our beliefs may eliminate the “easy” ways out of a problem. But Christ does not ask us to suffer anything for Him that He was not willing to suffer for us. Someday we will be rewarded for our diligence and faith. (Quiet Walk)
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At a museum, I lingered near a display of ancient lamps. A sign revealed they were from Israel. Decorated with carved designs, these oval-shaped clay vessels had two openings—one for fuel, and one for a wick. Although the Israelites commonly used them in wall alcoves, each was small enough to fit in the palm of a person’s hand.
Perhaps a little light like this inspired King David to write a praise song in which he said, “You Lord are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light” (2 Samuel 22:29). David sang these words after God gave him victory in battle. Rivals from both inside and outside his own nation had been stalking him, intending to kill him. Because of his relationship with God, David didn’t cower in the shadows. He moved forward into enemy confrontations with the confidence that comes from God’s presence. With God helping him, he could see things clearly so he could make good decisions for himself, his troops, and his nation.
The darkness David mentioned in his song likely involved fear of weakness, defeat, and death. Many of us live with similar worries, which produce anxiety and stress. When the darkness presses in on us, we can find peace because we know God is with us too. The divine flame of the Holy Spirit lives in us to light our path until we meet Jesus face to face.
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt (Daily Bread)
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THE SIMPLICITY OF FAITH
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:5
Simplicity of faith is one of the most difficult lessons to learn. Most of our defeats, I think, are due to the fact that we parley with sin, we attempt to fight it on our own. The rest of faith, in a sense, means that there are times when we do not even attempt to fight this battle against sin but simply look to Christ.
Perhaps an illustration will make my point clear. I once read a little pamphlet that was very simple but that, it seemed to me, shared the whole essence of this particular aspect of the doctrine. It was the story of a Christian in South Africa, traveling out in the country, and he came to an agricultural community. Owing to certain floods in the country, he had to stay where there was a kind of saloon or public house. He was amazed and saddened at the sight of the farmers, many of whom, he noticed, came there and spent in a few days all the money they had been able to earn and save as the result of their hard work through the year. They had a powerful craving for drink that they could not conquer.
He was especially attracted to one poor man who seemed to be a particular victim to this terrible affliction, and he began to talk to him. First of all he began to reason with him, pointing out the suffering that his wife and children had to endure. The poor man admitted it all and told the story of how he had been almost unconsciously led into it and found himself a helpless slave to drink before realizing that anything had happened—how he would give the whole world if he could stop it, but he was now a victim of it. Then this Christian went on to tell him about faith, the possibility of overcoming, and told him about the Lord Jesus Christ who had come into this world to save us. I will finish the story in tomorrow’s meditation.
A Thought to Ponder: Simplicity of faith is one of the most difficult lessons to learn.
(From Life in God, pp. 57-58, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Good Fight
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12)
Scripture frequently refers to the Christian life and work in athletic or combative terms. When all things are considered, reason compels the Christian to enter into the race and fight.
First, our Commander is worth following. He leads us into battle and stands with us on the front lines receiving the fiercest fire: “Let us run with patience the race. . . . Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Second, we are well-armed and protected. The “whole armour of God” includes the girdle of “truth,” the “breastplate of righteousness,” shoes of “the preparation of the gospel of peace,” “the shield of faith,” “the helmet of salvation,” and “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:13-17). The warrior’s mouth is filled with prayers and bold speech (vv.18-20); his sword has no scabbard, and his back has no armor, for retreat is unthinkable.
The goal of our fight urges us on. We strive to undermine the kingdom of darkness and to fill it with light. Each must battle on to exalt our Leader and to champion His Word. “Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3).
To the victor belong the spoils. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne” (Revelation 3:21). We no longer will be soldiers, but kings; we will trade our battle armor for robes, washed and made “white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). Our helmet will be replaced by an “incorruptible” crown (1 Corinthians 9:25)—“a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give [us] at that day” (2 Timothy 4:8). (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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