Hebrews 1:5-6 (KJV) Again and Again

 

Hebrews 1:5-6 (KJV)

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

God uses arguments of repetition to support, back up, and amplify the message He intends the reader to receive. In this case, that message is the superior nature of Christ over the angels.

The Bible makes abundantly clear that angels exist. They are ministering spirits. They are of supernatural character. They abide in a world unseen to the human eye but very present and very helpful.

They are created beings.

They are not to be worshipped

On the other hand

• Jesus was not created but begotten
• Jesus, though in heaven today was visible to man
• Jesus is the very Son of God
• Jesus is to be worshipped

By the angels

and

By us

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5500 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Hebrews 1:5-6 (KJV) Again and Again

Philemon 1:23-24 (KJV) Don’t Go Easy

 

Philemon 1:23-24 (KJV)

There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus;
Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.

At the time Paul wrote this letter, Demas was still with him. This is significant because this is while Paul was in the Roman prison. So, I think it is safe to say that, at this point, the fate of Paul had not been determined. 

• He wrote of Philemon’s preparing him a lodging. 
• He trusted that the prayers of the believers might lead to his release.

But at some point, the situation changed. By the time Paul wrote Second Timothy, he knew that “the time of his departure [was] at hand.”[1]

It was in this context that Paul wrote 2 Timothy 4:10 (KJV)
For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; …

This context puts a new light on what Demas loved. It was his life. Paul was about to be executed for his faith. Demas forsook him, almost certainly, so as not to be next on the chopping block.

This also sheds light on the expectations of the Apostle. I think of his reaction to Mark when he left Paul and Barnabas. Paul was nearly unforgiving of a man who would quit under pressure. Though that was eventually resolved, Paul’s attitude toward those who left him in tough times did not change.

It seems to me that one lesson would be that, while we ought to always leave room for restoration, we should not go easy on those backing down from Christ.

---

[1] 2 Timothy 4:6 (KJV)
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5500 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Philemon 1:23-24 (KJV) Don’t Go Easy

Titus 3:3 (KJV) “We Ourselves Also Were…”

 

Titus 3:3 (KJV)

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

The Bible tells us exactly why we ought to:

• Speak evil of no man
• Be gentle and
• Show meekness

It’s because “we ourselves also were…”

The basis for Christian kindness is the realization that we are no better than any other man. We are what we are today only by the grace of God.

If we then look at this conversely, we discover that those who speak evil, brawl, and act proudly: Have forgotten from whence they came

Worse, presume upon the grace of God in their life. 
They ignore or maybe deny by their actions that it was God who brought them out.

There is a place for earnest admonition and even rejection of the heretic.[1] But there is never a good excuse for unkindness.

---

[1] Titus 3:10 (KJV)
A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5500 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Titus 3:3 (KJV) “We Ourselves Also Were…”

Psalms 92:7 (KJV) Take It To The Bank

 

Psalms 92:7 (KJV)

When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:

This is a statement of faith. But it is also more. It is a promise of the Lord. So we can, as they say, take it to the bank.

History records both the rise and the fall of the wicked. 

I believe it was World War I that they called “the war to end all wars.” So terrible was the loss, and so great was the victory that people thought it impossible for men to do so wickedly again. 

But wickedness did rise up again.

There are times when evil has such dominance in the world that we cannot imagine its defeat. I think that must have been the thought of many during World War II in Germany and parts nearby. Perhaps that is what led so many to side with the Nazis. They could just not see how it could be defeated.

But they were defeated. For some time, it appeared that good would reign in the world.

As long as we are in this world, there will be times when good prevails. But as strange as it is, that will give way to times of wickedness when the workers of iniquity flourish.

God’s Word assures us that, in those times, it is only so that they shall be destroyed forever.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5500 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Psalms 92:7 (KJV) Take It To The Bank

Psalms 89:1-4 (KJV) Instead of Venting, Try This

 

Psalms 89:1-4 (KJV)

I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.

A beautiful transition takes place in verses 2-4 of this Psalm. Ethan, who is said to have been the writer, begins with a praise.

Psalms 89:1 (KJV)
I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

Whatever else he has to say, he started by singing the mercies of the Lord and by determining he would continue to do that to all generations. There was something to be concerned about, but before that was addressed, he determined that he would not be a murmurer.

Matthew Henry said, “We think, when we are in trouble, that we get ease by complaining; but we do more – we get joy, by praising.”

We may be eased by complaining, but we find joy in praising.

But then there is this transition. 

The Bible goes from Ethan’s praise to God’s promise. As Ethan determined to praise the Lord, God took over the text and began to speak through him.

There may be some relief a person feels when he gets his troubles “off his chest.” I suggest it would just be better to praise the Lord and allow Him to begin encouraging you because of it.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5500 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Psalms 89:1-4 (KJV) Instead of Venting, Try This

Psalms 87:3-4 (KJV) Jesus Was Born There

 

Psalms 87:3-4 (KJV)

Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.
I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.

Some writers claim that this cannot be a reference to Jesus. I think, so long as we are reading what others write, we ought not to discount them too quickly. But, on the other hand, they are just men, as are we. We must never be flippant in our study of the Word of God, but we ought to be sensitive to the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

The context has to do with Jerusalem. That’s beyond question. Though other areas are mentioned, the focus of this Psalm is Jerusalem/Israel. And in that context, Jesus was born there (not in the city of Jerusalem, but near to it and in the Promised Land of Israel).

The Jews have been a despised people, it seems, forever. One of the major concerns I see today is the growing tendency for proclaiming Christians to express their despite for the Jews. I take huge exception. Though a saved Jew should come out of that religion and unite with a New Testament Baptist church, the Jews, and the land of Israel, should be fondly thought of among true Christians. If, for no other reason, because Jesus was born there.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5500 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Psalms 87:3-4 (KJV) Jesus Was Born There

Psalms 85:1-3 (KJV) Revival, Forgiving, and Mercy

 

Psalms 85:1-3 (KJV)

LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

This psalm pleads, in verse 6, “Wilt thou not revive us again?” That’s interesting because the Psalmist has already acknowledged that:

• God had been favorable
• God had returned them to their land
• God had forgiven their iniquity
• God had covered their sin
• God had taken away His wrath
• God had turned from His anger

Yet still, he prays for revival, forgiving, and mercy.

I take from this that reviving ought to lead us, not to be settled in our reviving, but to seek even greater reviving.

I never want to think that God’s favor has brought me where I ought to be. Until I get to heaven, it has only brought me farther down the path. I haven’t yet attained. There is still much ground to be possessed. There is still plenty of room to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord.

To that end, I wish to live and to pray.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5500 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Psalms 85:1-3 (KJV) Revival, Forgiving, and Mercy

Psalms 83:18 (KJV) Not For Vengeance

Psalms 83:18 (KJV)

That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

This Psalm is imprecatory in nature. The Psalmist is pleading for judgment upon the enemies of himself and his nation. 

He has declared to the Lord the dangers he perceives these enemies are to the cause of the Lord.

He has called upon God 

• to make them perish, 
• to make them as stubble in the wind, 
• to consume them as wood in the fire, 
• to drive them to fear in the storm, 
• to fill their faces with shame.

The key to the entire Psalm is verse 18.

The Psalmist’s heart is not for vengeance upon his enemies but for God to be glorified.

• Vengeance is personal. It loses the big picture. 
• Vengeance is as evil as those without God because it forgets God. 
• Vengeance has no regard for the heart of God, but only for the hurt we have felt.

Our world needs the Lord.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5500 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Psalms 83:18 (KJV) Not For Vengeance

Psalms 81:5 (KJV) Profane Language

 Psalms 81:5 (KJV)

This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.

This is a shocking passage that I doubt we consider as much as we ought. The Bible says that God heard a language He did not understand when Israel was in Egypt.

God is omniscient. He knows everything. He knows the Egyptian language, even the ancient one. But it was foreign to Him; it was strange to Him in that it was not dedicated to Him.

• They spoke of goals that God was not behind.
• They spoke of gods that God knew to be idols.
• They spoke of powers that they did not believe to be ordained of God.

Perhaps they spoke words that were profane, vulgar, and foul.

• They spoke with cruelty and hatred concerning the people of God
• They spoke of the domination
• They spoke of the death of their children
• They spoke of their destruction

God knew how to speak the language of the Egyptians. But He did not understand how they used it for such ungodly purposes.

Could it be that God has trouble understanding your language?

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5500 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Psalms 81:5 (KJV) Profane Language