Category Archives: Jesus
Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What [is] his name, and what [is] his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
Proverbs 30:4
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:9-11
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Acts 1:9-11
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Revelation 22:20b-21)
Merry Christmas from Proverbial Thought!
4 Comments | tags: Acts, Book of Proverbs, Christ, Christmas, Christmas Hope, Coming, Holidays, Jesus, Luke, Merry, Revelation, Second Coming | posted in hope, Jesus
First of all, I would like to thank Daniel Klem for his posts on Advent. They were a blessing and obviously much appreciated.
Secondly, for all of you who have been regular followers of this blog over the years, thank you for reading and praying for all involved.
But to the main point, tomorrow we celebrate the birth of someone who was not only spoke of extensively in the New Testament, but also in the Proverbs.
As a matter of fact, in the next to the last chapter, one of two that are attributed to people other than Solomon, a wise man named Agur asked a very profound question (or several in one):
Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What [is] his name, and what [is] his son’s name, if thou canst tell? – Proverbs 30:4
Was Agur asking about a simple man? A mortal?
Or, as the context suggests, was he asking questions reflecting the nature of “the holy” (v. 3), the one of whom every word is pure and “is a shield to those who put their trust in him” (v. 5).
I believe it was the latter.
To put it simply, at least a thousand years before there was no room for Him in the inn, Agur was asking about the Holy One’s Son.
His name is… Jesus.
1 Comment | tags: Christmas, Jesus, Son of God | posted in Jesus
It is Christmas Eve! Our Lord is coming!
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. -Revelation 22:16-17, KJV
In the beginning, God created everything, including us. We sinned and messed it all up.
God sent His messengers throughout history to warn us and guide back to Him, including the shadows of His own Son in people like Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, and King David.
Then Jesus came to redeem us through the line of David, by dying on the cross.
May we never grow weary of hearing it: He died to save us from our sins!
Those of us who believe it are members of His Bride – the Church – and He offers His Bride the living water that is the Holy Spirit.
We shall find an end to all suffering, pain, thirst, and hunger upon His return.
Therefore, we echo the words of Him and the Apostle John from Revelation 22:20:
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
1 Comment | tags: Advent, Amen, Bride, Bridegroom, Christ, Christmas, Christmas Hope, Church, Come, Coming, Creation, Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus, Living water, Lord, Peace, Revelation, Second Coming | posted in Creation, hope, Jesus
Welcome to the fourth week of Advent!
Tradition holds that the final week of Advent is all about Love and Adoration for our Lord and Savior.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:9-11, KJV
Jesus, the God-Man, came and lived as one of us to redeem us from death into life. Because of this, He has been exalted by the Father. How much more should we make Jesus famous around the world?
The day is quickly coming when the choice to love and worship Jesus will be taken away. We will either be in the group that gets to love and worship Him for eternity or the group that is in anguish and hates Him, so may we go out to help convince as many as we can to follow Him now!
Exalted Lord, thank You for loving us and coming for us. Help us to spread Your love to our world.
5 Comments | tags: Adoration, Advent, Christ, Christmas, Christmas Hope, Coming, Desire, Jesus, love, praise, Second Coming, worship | posted in desire, Jesus, Love
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. – John 19:25, KJV
What was the whole reason Jesus made His first coming to the Earth?
To die as a propitiation for our sins on the cross.
And of all of the thousands who followed Him during His ministry, the 120 disciples who remained the most faithful, the remaining 11 Apostles, and His family, who remained nearby at His death?
The Apostle John and a few women, including His mother, Mary. She may not have understood everything Jesus did or taught, but she stayed near Him even at His supposed end.
And there is our example: like Jesus’ mother, we do not always understand how God is moving, how what is happening can work out for good, or how His Kingdom will come to full fruition; but we do know He has promised to return to fully redeem us and banish all evil pain and suffering, though we may not understand the whole plan.
And we, too, shall remain faithful until the end, by the power of blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. (Revelation 12:11)
Our great God, strengthen our faith, because You are faithful, and grant us peace, patience, and wisdom as we wait for Your return.
1 Comment | tags: Advent, Christmas, Christmas Hope, Coming, Faithful, Faithfulness, Follow, Follower, God, Gospel, Jesus, John, Knowledge, Mary, Mother, Patience, Peace, promises, Second Coming, The Cross, The Mary's, Understanding | posted in Faithfulness, Jesus, Peace, Promises
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. -Matthew 3:7-9, KJV
It is not enough to come from a Christian (or Jewish) home.
With Jesus’ first Advent, it was mostly the religious leaders who refused to change, because they “knew it all” about faith.
As we await Jesus’ second Advent, it is not enough to have grown up in church or attend church regularly. It takes repentance and a willingness to actually listen to the teachings and commands of Jesus, to show love and compassion to others and commitment to God’s truth.
Do not trust in your ancestry or upbringing. Do not rely on the faith of your parents, siblings, or friends. Turn to Jesus for yourself, and believe.
Saving God, do not let me rely on my own knowledge, skills, or history. Give me a passion for You, Your Word, and Your Church.
1 Comment | tags: Advent, Christ, Christmas, Coming, faith, Faithfulness, Family, Jesus, Knowledge, Ownership, Path, paths of life, Repent, Repentance, Second Coming, truth, Vipers | posted in Jesus, Knowledge, Paths of Life, Truth
The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. -Deuteronomy 18:15-19, KJV
As we continue through Advent season, we look back on what one of the greatest prophets (Moses) foretold of the coming Messiah.
The Hebrews were afraid of seeing God, and rightly so. They were still rebellious in heart, and they were afraid of dying at the sight of their Lord and even at hearing His voice.
Yet, God reminded them through Moses that He is their Savior, and one day One would come, a fellow Israelite, who would be their greatest Prophet who spoke directly from the Father.
The One who was in their midst as a burning pillar of fire and column of smoke would one day confront the sin of Israel and the rest of the world. If we refuse to listen to the words of this One, God will hold us accountable on the day that He returns. But instead of a column of fire, all that things will burn on His return, making all things new, except those who reject Him.
His first coming was the rebuke with forgiveness. His next coming will be in full judgment.
When we trust in the Lord, we no longer fear death. His birth led to our new life.
1 Comment | tags: Advent, Christmas, Column, Coming, fire, Jesus, judgment, justice, Moses, Pillar, Prophet, Second Coming, Smoke, Word | posted in Jesus, Justice, Word of the Lord
But thou, Beth–lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. –Micah 5:2, KJV
Did you know that there is only one reference in the entire Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) that mentions where the coming Messiah would be born?
Yet it reminds us that God takes care of all of the details, even to the smallest piece.
Micah reminds us that, though we are often faithless and destitute, out of the House of Bread (Bethlehem) would come the faithful Bread of Life (Jesus – John 6:48) who will be lifted to the highest place in the highest heaven.
Micah longed for His coming, as we long for His return.
Faithful Father, fill us with the life of Your Son, the faithful One who redeems and satisfies.
1 Comment | tags: Advent, Bethlehem, bread, bread of life, Christ Jesus, Christmas, Coming, Faithful, Faithfulness, Faithless, Food, House of Bread | posted in Faithfulness, food, Jesus
Welcome to the first week of Advent!
Tradition holds that the first week of Advent reminds us of the importance of prophecy and that we are desperately in need of a Savior. The Hebrew Bible – the Old Testament – reveals much through the Prophets and Wisdom literature and poetry.
If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;
If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.
For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:
Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:
And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday: thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.
And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.
Job 11:13-18
We first need to see our need for cleansing from sin. Then we need to remember that, through Christ, we have already been cleansed of our sin.
This knowledge gives us hope.
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Psalm 27:14
Therefore, we no longer wait, as Israel did, for an unknown Savior. Rather, we wait for the return of our Lord, when all misery, pain, and tears will cease. He shall reign as God and Lord over a remade and perfect Creation.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-7
Heavenly Father, we have sinned against you, but You sent Your Son to save us from our sin. Thank You for revealing Jesus’ first coming through Your Prophets of old and His immanent return through the Apostles. Give us a grateful heart and a sense of urgency to spread this Good News with the world with humility and grace.
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As we here at Proverbial Thought (& More) consider our next step, how about a short series for the season of Advent.
Whether you celebrate holidays or think most of them come out of the hearts of man, let us agree that it is okay to turn to the Bible, even if we follow a liturgical calendar, which is where the season of Advent originated. Remember, traditions are okay as long as they do not contradict Scripture.
As Paul explained (my own paraphrase):
Someone celebrates one day as better than another, while someone else considers every day the same. Decide for yourself and understand why. The one who celebrates the day, dedicates it to the Lord. The one who feasts, feasts in honor of the Lord, because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from celebrating and feasting still dedicates each day to the Lord while giving thanks to God.
Why do you say the other is under God’s judgment? Or why do you question their salvation? We will all stand before God’s judgment seat. (Romans 14:5-6, 10)
Therefore, don’t let others judge you about food and drink, or what festival or holiday or a Sabbath you observe. (Colossians 2:16)
The word “Advent” is Latin for “Coming”, so it a time to remind ourselves of Christ’s first coming to redeem lost sinners and that He will be coming again to be with His people forever.
Therefore, for the next few weeks, as we head toward the celebration of Jesus’ birth, join us as we set our minds on Israel’s Messiah, the Savior of the world.
Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
-Proverbs 30:4, KJV
1 Comment | tags: Advent, Celebrate, Holidays, Season, Second Coming | posted in hope, Jesus
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