A Faith Like Job

 for those of us who have tried to arrange our lives for growth and service to Him have done something wrong. It's just that God tests us to demonstrate to everyone - ourselves included - the level of faith, the level of commitment we really have to Him. Job couldn't figure out what he had done wrong. He hadn't done anything wrong. He just didn't see the big picture, because it was impossible for him to see - with his eyes of flesh.  Passing tests of that incredibly difficult nature takes seeing things with the eyes of faith, even when all our earthly senses tell us not to trust God. We have to learn to trust Him in spite of what we see.

God is taking us by the hand like little children, His own precious little children, and He is leading us to places it is good for us to go. We may not want to go the dentist to be drilled or the doctor to be shot, and, as little children, we may not understand why this is necessary. But we learn to trust the love and goodness of our parents. Where this analogy breaks down, of course, is that little children really don't have much choice in the matter. We believers in Jesus Christ have the option to fail these tests. The world tells us we're nuts to trust God when everything is falling apart, when we are getting beat up for no apparent reason, when it is abundantly clear that there is no hope whatsoever - we are cooked, and that is that.

But God laughs at the impossibilities of the world. He made the world in an instant through our Lord Jesus Christ, and He has the power to change everything and anything instantly, to make that which is as not, and to bring back that which is no more. God can raise the dead. He raised our Lord. He has promised to raise us. The very worst the world can threaten us with is death - and we profess to believe that we have already gained victory over death in Jesus Christ. If that is true - and it most certainly is - why then are we so prone to fearing things that are not nearly as bad as death? In my observation and experience, it is ever because we allow ourselves to get wrapped up in the details of the "show" we are running. We are indeed responsible to "run a good show", to organize and execute a responsible life, and, human beings that we are, we tend to want to make it run as smoothly as possible. Even when we have separated ourselves from the lusts of the world, this focus on life from our narrow point of view is something of which we have to beware - and believe me when I say that I am preaching to myself as much as to you. 

Trusting God absolutely is, of course, easy in principle, hard in practice. Again, the contemporary U.S. Christian model says it's easy to be a Christian, but Christ told us to count the cost first (Lk.14:28), and that the road was a hard one (Matt.7:13-14). Paul reminds us that the road to the Kingdom is fraught with trial and suffering (Acts 14:22). Being Christian destines us for suffering (1Thes.3:3). It does seem that overwhelming suffering and seemingly insurmountable testing is rare in our day - to the extent that this is true, it is it doubtless because in the lukewarm era in which we live such testing would usually be completely pointless and would not result in God's glory (see the link:  in CT 2A "Lukewarm Laodicea"). There is no point in refining slag - only gold is worth bringing to a greater and greater level of purity (Ps.68:8-12; 1Pet.1:6-7).

Covenant

A covenant is a solemn agreement to engage in or refrain from a specified action

  The covenants in the Bible

 
The Adamic Covenant can be thought of in two parts: the Edenic Covenant (innocence) and the Adamic Covenant (grace) (Genesis 3:16-19). The Edenic Covenant is found inGenesis 1:26-30; 2:16-17. The Edenic Covenant outlined man’s responsibility toward creation and God’s directive regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Adamic Covenant included the curses pronounced against mankind for the sin of Adam and Eve, as well as God’s provision for that sin (Genesis 3:15).

The Noahic Covenant was an unconditional covenant between God and Noah (specifically) and humanity (generally). After the Flood, God promised humanity that He would never again destroy all life on earth with the Flood (see Genesis chapter 9). God gave the rainbow as the sign of the covenant, a promise that the entire earth would never again flood, and a reminder that God can and will judge sin (2 Peter 2:5).

Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3, 6-7; 13:14-17; 15; 17:1-14; 22:15-18). In this covenant, God promised many things to Abraham. He personally promised that He would make Abraham’s name great (Genesis 12:2), that Abraham would have numerous physical descendents (Genesis 13:16), and that he would be the father of a multitude of nations (Genesis 17:4-5). God also made promises regarding a nation called Israel. In fact, the geographical boundaries of the Abrahamic Covenant are laid out on more than one occasion in the book of Genesis (12:7; 13:14-15; 15:18-21). Another provision in the Abrahamic Covenant is that the families of the world will be blessed through the physical line of Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 22:18). This is a reference to the Messiah, who would come from the line of Abraham.

Palestinian Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). The Palestinian Covenant amplifies the land aspect which was detailed in the Abrahamic Covenant. In this covenant, God, because of the people's disobedience, would cause them to be scattered around the world (Deuteronomy 30:3-4), and He would eventually restore the nation together (verse 5). When the nation is restored, then they will obey Him perfectly (verse 8), and God will cause them to prosper (verse 9).

Mosaic Covenant (Deuteronomy 11; et al). The Mosaic Covenant was a conditional covenant that either brought God's direct blessing for obedience or God's direct cursing for disobedience upon the nation of Israel. Part of the Mosaic Covenant was the ten commandments found in Exodus 20, but also the rest of the law which contained over 600 commands—roughly 300 positive and 300 negative. The history books of the Old Testament (Joshua-Esther) detail how Israel succeeded at obeying the law or how Israel failed miserably at obeying the law. Deuteronomy 11:26-28 details specifically the blessing/cursing motif.

Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:8-16). The Davidic Covenant amplifies the seed aspect which was detailed in the Abrahamic Covenant. The promises to David in this passage are very significant. God promised that David's physical line of descent would last forever and that his kingdom would never pass away permanently (verse 16). This kingdom, furthermore, would have a ruling individual exercising authority over it (verse 16). Obviously, the Davidic throne has not been in place at all times. There will be a time, however, when someone from the line of David will again sit on the throne and rule as king. This future king is Jesus (Luke 1:32-33).

New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The New Covenant is a covenant made first with the nation of Israel, and ultimately with all mankind. In the New Covenant, God promises to forgive sin, and there will be a universal knowledge of the Lord. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His people. Now that we are under the new covenant, both Jews and Gentiles can be free from the penalty of the law. We are now given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Church Is The Body Of Christ

All who acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord belong to His Body, which is the Church.

ROMANS 10:9 NKJ 
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

COLOSSIANS 1:24 NKJ 
24 . . . the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,

1 CORINTHIANS 12:27 NKJ 
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

EPHESIANS 5:30 NKJ 
30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

The Church, or Body of Christ, is composed of many members. Not every member has the same function or calling. God did not create or call each member to do the same thing.

Others Are Important 

We should recognize other parts of the Body of Christ and not criticize them. God has not given to any of us full and complete understanding of everything. Because we do not know what God has called others to do, we cannot judge whether they are being faithful to do God's will.

We should assist, encourage, bless, and pray for other members of the Body -- just as we would members of our physical body.

Different Tasks 

A big temptation is to assume everyone should be doing what God has called us to do. God has made it clear to us, shown us the need and importance -- so that we will do what He has called us to do.

But, we must always remember that we are not the head of the Body of Christ -- we are only members who take our orders from the Head.

Because God loves everyone and desires to help them, He calls people to minister to them on a level and in a way that they will receive. Because people will never all be the same, ministers of God will always be different also.

Different Gifts 

ROMANS 12:4-8 NKJ 
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 
7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 
8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Many Members 

1 CORINTHIANS 12:12,14,17-27 NKJ 
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many. 
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 
18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. 
19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be? 
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." 
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 
23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 
24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 
25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. 
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

Each Member Does Its Share 

EPHESIANS 4:11-16 NKJ 
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, 
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ -- 
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Do Not Judge Others 

ROMANS 14:4 NKJ 
4 Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

Most likely, we will not understand, or agree with, all that other members of the Body of Christ may do. That is because our assignment is different, and we do not have all the knowledge that our Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, does.

ROMANS 14:10,13 NKJ 
10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 
13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.

Division 

The devil wants to bring division and strife to the Body of Christ -- over anything -- in any possible way. We must resist the devil and walk with God in peace and love.

MARK 3:24 NKJ 
24 "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:3 NKJ 
3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

JUDE 1:19 NKJ 
19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

TITUS 3:10 NKJ 
10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition,

1 CORINTHIANS 1:10,13 NKJ 
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 
13 Is Christ divided? . . . .

Love As Christ 

When we criticize others who claim to be following Jesus, we show our spiritual immaturity. Jesus commanded us to love with an unselfish, self-sacrificing love. He said people would know those who were His followers because they would display His kind of love.

JOHN 13:34-35 NKJ 
34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 
35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

The Birth of Jesus

An Angel Visits Mary

One day about 2,000 years ago an angel named Gabriel appeared to a young Jewish woman named Mary. Gabriel told Mary she would have a son, Jesus, who would be the Son of God! Mary was confused and worried about this sudden news, but she had faith in God and said, "I am the Lord's servant; let it be as you say."

Journey to Bethlehem

Mary and her husband-to-be, Joseph, lived in a town called Nazareth. But they had to travel to the city of Bethlehem to register for a census ordered by the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. Both Nazareth and Bethlehem are in the country now called Israel. It is about 65 miles (105 km) from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and the trip probably took them several days.

When Joseph and Mary got to Bethlehem, there was no place for them to stay because the inn was already full. They ended up spending the night in a stable, a place where animals were kept. There was probably fresh hay on the floor that they used for beds.

That night, Jesus was born. There was no crib, so they laid baby Jesus in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. The manger probably had fresh hay in it and made a nice bed for the baby.

Shepherds Visit Jesus

  

That night, some shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem, keeping watch over their flocks of sheep. An angel appeared to them and gave them the good news that a Savior, the Messiah, had been born. The angel told the shepherds they could find Jesus lying in a manger. Suddenly a whole group of angels appeared saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

The shepherds hurried into Bethlehem and found Jesus in the manger, just as the angel had told them. After they had seen Jesus,

Wise Men Visit Jesus

Some time later, wise men, or magi, from eastern countries saw a star in the sky that signaled the birth of a new king. They came to Judea, the region around Jerusalem and Bethlehem, to worship Jesus, the new king.

A man named Herod was the king of Judea. He called the wise men to a meeting and told them to find the new king so he could go and worship him, too.

The wise men continued on to Bethlehem and followed the star until it was directly above the house where Jesus was. They found Mary and Jesus in the house and knelt down to worship Him. They brought Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, some of the finest things in the ancient world. Frankincense was burned to make a sweet smell, and myrrh was an expensive perfume.

After visiting Jesus, the wise men had a dream that warned them not to go back to King Herod, so they took a different route home.

Journey to Egypt

King Herod lied when he told the wise men he wanted to worship Jesus. He was afraid this new "king" would replace him as king of Judea. He did not understand that Jesus would grow up to be king of God's spiritual kingdom, not king of Judea.

What Herod really wanted was to find Jesus and kill Him! Herod was furious when he realized the wise men had not come back to tell him where to find Jesus. He sent his soldiers to Bethlehem to kill all the children under two years old, thinking Jesus would certainly be one of the ones killed.

But God had told Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt. Joseph took Mary and Jesus to live in Egypt where they would be safe from Herod. Joseph, Mary and Jesus stayed in Egypt until Herod had died, and then they returned to Nazareth.

Question

Was Jesus born on Christmas day? We celebrate Jesus' birth on Christmas, but no one really knows what day Jesus was born, or even exactly what year. In 336 A.D., the Western Church, based in Rome, chose December 25 to celebrate as Christmas, meaning "Christ's Mass." The Eastern Church chose January 6. The day was named Epiphany, meaning "appearance." Eventually the period from December 25 to January 6 became known as the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Lessons

The stories of Jesus' birth link to both the past and the future. The circumstances of Jesus' birth show He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of a Messiah (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23). He was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:5-6). He was called out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:15).

Jesus was born in a stable - the most humble of circumstances. Similarly, Jesus showed us how God's favor rests with the poor and downtrodden. The Gentile wise men came to worship Jesus. Later, the Gentiles would make up most of the Christian world. Herod's attempt to kill Jesus foreshadows His crucifixion about 33 years later.

Who is Michael the Archangel in the Bible?

Michael seems to be an important individual in heaven. Archangel means "chief of the angels", so Michael must be the chief of the angels. He is the leader of the angels. (Later on this page, we will find out from the Bible that Michael is actually the commander of the Lord's army of angels in heaven.)

The name Michael has an important meaning as well, it means: "(one) who is like God. The computer lexicon describes Michael as: "one of, the chief, or the first archangel who is described as the one who stands in time of conflict for the children of Israel".
There seems to be a lot of confusion about archangels and Michael. Much of our information seems to come from a lot of different sources. On this blog I want to find out what the Bible itself actually says about Michael. So, let's start by looking at the places where Michael is actually mentioned in the Bible.

Daniel 10:12-13

 ¹²Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

 ¹³But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Daniel 10:20-21

 

²⁰Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.

 ²¹But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

Daniel 12:1-3

 ¹And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

 ²And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

 ³And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

 Now we see Michael who is called the great prince, standing up, and when he does a time of trouble starts and God's people are delivered. Why is it that God's people are delivered when Michael stands up? Why not God or Jesus? And why is Michael described as standing for the children of thy people?

Jude 1:9

 ⁹Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

 In Jude we see Michael confronting Satan when Moses was resurrected. Many people think of Michael as being just an angel. If this is true then why would an angel be used in such a direct confrontation as to confront Satan? Why shouldn't God or Jesus be doing these important confrontations? (By the way, this text can be easily misunderstood. We need to relate it to other parts of the Bible. There is more on Jude 1:9 in the middle and also toward the end of this page.)

Revelation 12:7-12

 

 

⁷And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

 ⁸And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

 ⁹And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

 ¹⁰And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

 ¹¹And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

 ¹²Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Finally in the book of Revelation, we see that there is a war in heaven. The opposing sides are described as Michael and his angels against the dragon which we know as Satan and his angels. The war in heaven is very important. Why isn't God or Jesus taking part in the war. Why are the angels described as being Michael's angels and not God's or Christ's angels?

Just reading these few texts from the Bible seem to create more questions than answers. Who is Michael anyway? Michael is the archangel, the chief of the angels. He is described as one of the chief princes and our prince. When He stands up, things happen. He is described as standing for the children of thy people. So when He stands, there is a time of trouble that results in God's people being delivered, every one who's name if found written in the book. He contends directly against Satan and the angels in heaven are described as being Michael's angels.