The Names of God - Author of Eternal Salvation

Author of Eternal Salvation (Jesus)

Hebrews 5:9-10 (ESV)

And being made perfect, he became the source (KJV – author) of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

There are not many messages preached or books written on the subject of the Priesthood of Jesus. He is often referred to as a priest, but where did He get His credentials? You may say, “He was the Son of God!” True, but He operated on earth as the Son of Man. If He was not a man then all are still lost. It took the innocent blood of a human to atone for the sins of mankind.

When God gave Moses The Law He also divided Israel into thirteen separate groups, or tribes. Jacob had twelve sons. God chose Levi as His own and made them priests of the new law. In order to keep the number at twelve, God divided the descendants of Joseph into groups represented by Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Those born in the tribe of Levi were priests. Jesus descended from Judah, and therefore not a priest according to the Law. So, where did he obtain His priesthood? He is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is first mentioned when he encountered Abraham.

Genesis 14:17-20 (ESV)

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)

And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

Melchizedek was not from the nation of Israel. He could not have been from Levi (this happened before Jacob was even born!). His priesthood is described as eternal – it has no beginning and no ending. This is where Jesus obtained His priesthood – from the Order of Melchizedek.

Therefore, He can save us eternally. The passage in Hebrews refers to Jesus as “the Author of Eternal Salvation.” Jesus wrote a New Covenant between God and man. He authored a plan of salvation that, for the first time in history, could save eternally. Until this time the blood of animals would cover sin for a year. Now, after Jesus was crucified, raised from the dead, ascended to Heaven, and was seated at the right hand of the Father, He offers eternal salvation. He sent the Holy Spirit for the purpose of drawing all people to the Father, and provided the means by which all people can be saved – He shed is own blood.

Once you allow the Author to write your story it becomes a tale of the love of the Father seeking out His son or daughter and redeeming them back for the Kingdom of Heaven, making them royal heirs of God.

The Names of God - Jesus, Our Advocate

The justice system in the United States is one of the most fair systems in the world for deciding who/what is right or wrong relative to the law. In the case of a criminal trial the defendant is presumed innocent until all of the evidence/testimony, both for and against, is heard by either the judge or jury.

Normally there is a prosecutor representing the people (i.e. the “state” or rule of law) in order to make certain all the laws in place are followed to the letter. On the other side of the courtroom there is a defense attorney, an advocate for the one being tried, to make sure that the defendant is given a fair opportunity to be heard.

In 1 John 2:1 Jesus is described as our “advocate with the Father.”

1 John 2:1 (ESV)

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Why would we need an advocate before the Father if we are Christians? Revelation 12:10 gives us one reason.

Revelation 12:10 (ESV)

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

This one described as “the accuser of our brothers” is none other than the devil. Every time we fall short of the mark (sin) the accuser (prosecutor) brings this up to God, the Righteous Judge. The evidence is presented and a pronouncement of “guilty” is requested by the accuser.

Then the Advocate rises in our defense to intercede on our behalf. Look at a few definitions that will help us more fully understand what is happening. John uses the Greek word parakletos to describe the role of “advocate.” It means, “an intercessor or consoler.” We understand what it means to console, but what is this thing called intercessor?

Normally the word intercessor is used to describe someone who prays for another. That is certainly one aspect of the meaning, but it does not fully describe an intercessor. The Greek word for intercessor is: entynchano, which is made up of two other words: en – “a preposition denoting a fixed position in place, time or state” and topos – “to occupy a space.” When you put these words together it literally means “to take your place,” “or to stand in your place.”

So in response to the “accuser of the brothers” Jesus rises to “intercede” or take our place and say, “Father, they are guilty but I took the blame for this on the cross. Their debt is paid and they are free to go.” The Father (judge) responds with, “Your sins are forgiven!” In Christ, this is always the verdict! It’s called grace. We have been marked “forgiven” for eternity. This brings such freedom when you fully understand that we are no longer guilty because of the sacrifice of Jesus. It truly is finished!

The Ascension

When the Disciples saw Jesus for the last time it must have been quite a sight. The account recorded by Luke in the book of Acts says, “And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.” Acts 1:9 (ESV)

Think about when you are about to be away from people that are important to you, such as family, close friends, or possibly even an employer or employees. The last thing you say to them is usually very important. I love you! Be sure to … Don’t forget to … If {this} happens then call … Hopefully those you are leaving behind already know these things, but because it is important you want to make double sure they know it.

I believe the same thing is true about the final encounter the Disciples had with Jesus. He is leaving earth to be seated at the right hand of His Father in Heaven. There He will continue His reign as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. There He will make intercession for us, speaking to the Father on our behalf. However, before He left He gave some last minute instructions to those closest to Him.

Acts 1:6-8 (ESV)

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

After all the events of Easter week, His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Passover meal with the Disciples, being betrayed, tried, and crucified, then buried and coming back to life three days later, He then lived among them again for several weeks before this moment. Still some wanted to know if He would conquer Rome and free Israel. He told them to not worry about those things, “but …”! This is it. The final word He gave them. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes! He will empower you to be witnesses!

He could have reiterated the greatest commandments, “Love the Lord with all your heart, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.” He could have highlighted a few choice moments from the Sermon on the Mount, like the Beatitudes or one of the parables. He could have had them all recite “The Lord’s Prayer”, or a myriad of other things. But what He chose as His parting words would be the most important thing that would happen next in God’s plan to fully restore mankind back into fellowship with Himself.

The Holy Spirit, as Jesus called Him, “Another Comforter”, would soon be sent to inhabit the Believers. This would change things in a profound way. Until now, the Holy Spirit had come “upon” people, but now He would live “in” them. This is what made the New Covenant “better”, because now we have God within!

Blessings!

Dudley

The School of Worship

The second volume in the Trilogy on Worship has been released. It's called The School of Worship. This title comes from the genesis of the idea that lead to me writing the trilogy. I was searching for ideas for blog posts when I came across a list of topics on worship I had accumulated while preparing for a class to teach in our Bible School at church. As I was reading through the list it suddenly occurred to me: This would make a great book! Hence, the name The School of Worship.

It is not a technical book on music, or worship for that matter. It is a study of worship in Scripture and beyond. I hope you will take time to read it. If you do, I would love to hear from you. You can find the book on Amazon.com in both print and Kindle formats. If you're local to Florence I will have some print copies this week. Let me know if you want one.

If you haven't read the first volume, The Call to Worship, I encourage you to do so. It explains more fully the relationship that God desires with every person.

Blessings!
Dudley

Father's Day 2019

John Eldridge once said, “The deepest wound we will experience in life is the father-wound.” I believe this. However, the greatest blessing you can receive on earth is the Father’s Blessing!

When a father messes up it can cause great harm to his children. This happens because it is wired in a child’s DNA by God to expect a blessing from their father. We see throughout scripture the power of a father’s blessing. It set the course for the rest of the child’s life. The words of a father, good or bad, penetrate deep into the soul of the child and either sets a foundation of stone upon which the child can build a life, or father-wounds can damage the life-building site in the heart of a child that some will never overcome.

Father’s Day is coming in a few days. It has often been a mixed bag of emotions for me – mostly from the lack of my father’s presence in my life. He died when I was nine. But even beyond that, Father’s Day reminds me of my experience of being a father. It is one of the greatest feelings I have ever experienced – to see a new life brought into the world, full of life and potential to accomplish anything their heart desires.

Father’s Day also brings back every memory of when I totally blew fathering. There were many times my children wanted to draw close and I, consciously or sub-consciously, pushed them away. Looking back, I believe it was due to my lack of confidence in my ability to show them the right way. Oh, how I wish there were some do-overs in life. I have approached each of my children through the years and apologized for the times I blew it. I hope it helped them, but I still live with the frustration of knowing I could have, and should have, done better.

This is where my faith in God has been my rescue. First of all, I know God, the greatest Father of them all, has forgiven me for my shortcomings. Secondly, He has promised to help my children when they call on Him. So, now my prayer is that they will (and have) found the grace to call on God to fix the places that I’ve messed up, and give them the ability to move beyond any “father-wounds” that I caused and, in turn, receive the Father’s Blessing for their life.

Dads, if you are avoiding your children because of the hurt you have caused your children, take Father’s Day this year as an opportunity to bless them. Tell them that you love them. It may be the hardest thing you will ever do, but do it. You both will be glad you did.

Children, if you are estranged from your father, take a step toward him. Let him know that, regardless of what has happened, you love him. It is not worth living life without the blessing of father-son or father-daughter relationships. It is NEVER too late.

If your father is no longer living, I challenge you to write him a letter and express all that you have in your heart, and bless him. Even if you do not feel he is deserving of your blessing, it will help you. I know this from experience. Do not continue to live your life with ill feelings toward your dad. If you need help with any of this then message me. I happen to know a great counselor that can lead you through this process and help you find a fuller, happier life. It is possible! 

Happy Father’s Day!!

Praise, Worship, and Other Things – Part 7

Praise, Worship, and Other Things – Part 7

The last article dealt with New Testament worship. Specifically, what Jesus meant when He said, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 (ESV) Worship is a spiritual activity. It is our spirit communing with the Holy Spirit. It is the place where we fellowship with our Creator God. The most common form of this is prayer.

But what does “worship in truth” really mean? I think it is much more simple than we try to make it. The only absolute truth we have is the Bible, the Word of God. As long as we sing songs filled with the Word, or based solely on scripture, we are singing “truth.”

There is a verse closely related to this found in a very unlikely place when thinking of worship: The Ten Commandments. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7 (ESV) Usually this is explained to mean, “No cussing!” Even though that is good counsel, that is not the meaning of this verse. If you study this out in the original language you find it means: Do not speak wrongly about God!

My wife is a counselor. She sees many people that will say things they have learned about God that are not accurate. She usually does not try to correct doctrine, but she will always correct wrong beliefs about the character and nature of God. It is important what we say about Him. Our speech should accurately reflect the truth about who God is. Our worship should come from a place of understanding God as revealed in scripture.

This is what Jesus was attempting to do with the woman at the well in John 4. She was attempting to impress Jesus with her spiritual understanding. He told her in vs. 22, “You worship what you do not know.” We need to know the One whom we worship. We need to learn of the character and nature of God so we will not engage in “vain” worship. Truth keeps our worship from being irrelevant and irreverent.

Worship in spirit. Worship in truth. Besides these two I do not know of any other constraints on New Testament worship. What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear from you. E-mail me at ibworshipin@gmail.com. Call or text to 256.366.4201.

facebook.com/ibworshipin

Twitter: @ibworshipin

Instagram: @ibworshipin

Let’s worship together.

Blessings!

Dudley