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By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Bible Study, Jesus Written on December 22, 2011

The Government of King Jesus

Government of Jesus As we watch the comedic behavior of some of our elected officials in Washington D. C., we long for the return of Jesus when He will rule and reign over all the earth with righteousness and justice. If we ever wonder what His government will be like, we don’t have to look any further than His birth.

The birth of Jesus reflects what the future reign of Jesus will look like.

One Scripture that describes His government is Isaiah 9:6. It says this:

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Those four “names” are not really names, but are descriptions of his name (singular). Over at Scripture-on.com, I wrote the following about this verse:

When Jesus rules and reigns, He will be a “Wonderful Counselor”, making wise decisions for the good of all. “Mighty God” might be better translated “Mighty is God” or “Mighty of God.” Jesus, of course, is God incarnate, but this verse does not teach it. Instead, it is teaching that His might and power as ruler comes from God. Similarly, “Everlasting Father” does not mean Jesus is God the Father. It means that Jesus is the benevolent father of all people, watching over them and caring for them as His own children. Finally, He is the “Prince of Peace.” Though many governments promise peace, true peace comes only through Jesus Christ.

And for these reasons we cry, “Maranatha!” Come, Lord Jesus!

Head on over there to Scripture-on.com for the rest of this post.

By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Luke, Music and Art Written on December 21, 2011

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The Christmas Song of Mary

Mary Mother of Jesus Christ

Though the Magnificat is sometimes referred to as a Christmas song of Mary, she didn’t actually sing it after Jesus was born, but about nine months before His birth (see Luke 1:39-56).

Regardless, the significance of the song is not when she sang it, but what it is she sang. Here is an except from a sermon I preached on the Magnificat many years ago:

Mary’s song is a beautiful reminder of all that God has done for us and has promised to do for those who follow after Him. It is a new song that burst from the lips of Mary based on what she knew Scripture to say.

This song, for me, seems to end abruptly. All of a sudden, it’s just over. It stops. Maybe Mary drifted off into humming her tune. Maybe Luke didn’t record all of her song. But I think her song ended just as recorded here—with an abrupt stop.

Why? Because her song is not over. This was just the first verse of millions more to come. She sang many more stanzas throughout her life, and the men and women of God throughout time who allow the words of Scripture to penetrate their minds have added many more words to this song.

You can add your own verse too. Your life is a stanza in the greatest song ever written. You are part of a divine symphony. How are you playing your piece?

It’s like the end of the book of Acts. Acts 28 ends without any conclusion. It seems that there should be an Acts 29. And there is. There is no end to Acts, because you and I are continuing to write chapters in that book which records the acts of the Christians in the church. You and I are Acts 29, and 30, and 31 and on and on. It’s similar with Mary’s song. You and I are writing more stanzas.

“It must never be forgotten that whenever Christ has entered into the human heart, a new song has been put into the mouth of the believer. Christianity in the heart means music in the life. A religion without joy is a landscape without the sun. Christianity without the elevation of music is as an eagle with broken wings.”

By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Luke Written on December 19, 2011

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The Troubles of Joseph and Mary

One of my favorite passages is Isaiah 28:27-28.

…caraway is beaten with a rod, and cummin with a stick. Grain must be ground to make bread…”

Do you ever feel like the caraway, the cummin, and the grain in this verse?

Do you ever feel like life is beating you with a stick? Like you are being ground to pieces?

Do you ever feel like all the world is against you? Like nothing goes your way? Like even God has turned away from you?

You have financial problems, and health problems, marital problems, family problems, job problems, car problems, and on and on it goes.

Joseph and Mary faced many of these troubles as well, and they had the added pressure of being the parents of the promised Messiah. Imagine that burden!

This scene is from "The Nativity Story" which is one of the best movies about the birth of Jesus I have ever seen.

By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Bible Study, Discipleship Written on November 24, 2011

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Scripture on Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

As you enjoy time with family, eating lots of food, watching football, playing games, or whatever it is you do on Thanksgiving, remember to focus on what today is really about: giving thanks to God for all His blessings He showers upon us.

To help you do that, I want to direct you to one of my other websites: Scripture On.com, specifically, the page on Thanksgiving. If you want a few verses or devotional insights to encourage you about Thanksgiving, you might find some of the Scriptures on this page helpful.

One of my joys in life is studying and teaching Scripture, and while I have Grace Commentary.com for this, it requires too much study to write regular posts. So last week I launched Scripture On.com where I could write daily insights from Scripture on various topics and Bible passages. As I add more content, it will not only serve as a place for you to find Scriptures on these various topics, but I will also try to write daily posts which could serve as a daily devotional for you and your family.

By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Bible Study, Close Your Church for Good Written on October 20, 2011

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Hand This Man Over to Satan

In 1 Corinthians 5:5 and 1 Timothy 1:20, Paul says he hands people over to Satan for the destruction of their flesh.

What does this mean and how is it accomplished?

There are a few main views:

Let Satan Kill Him

Some believe that the man who is handed over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh will suffer premature death. They noted this word “destruction” (Gk. olethros) is used three other times in Scripture (1 Thess 5:3; 2 Thess 1:9; 1 Tim 6:9) and refers to physical death as a result of sin. Some believe this is what happened to Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11), or what Scripture means when it refers to “the sin unto death” (Rom 6:16; 1 John 5:16).

In this case, handing someone over to Satan is like giving them a death sentence. Related to this, some believe that handing someone over to Satan means that we are consigning them to everlasting torment in hell. This is the sort of thinking that has led to so much judgment, condemnation, and killing of other people throughout church history, and is a complete misunderstanding of the text.

Destruction of the Sin Nature

A second, softer view is that Paul is not referring to physical death, but what some refer to as “the mortification of sin,” that is, the destruction of our sinful tendencies and fleshly desires. Proponents of this view point out that in 1 Corinthians 5:5, Paul contrasts “flesh” with “spirit.” While “flesh” can refer to the physical body, it most often refers to the “sinful nature” in mankind (cf. Gal 5:17), especially when placed in contrast to “spirit” as in 1 Corinthians 5:5. So the destruction of the flesh would not be physical death, but the process of learning to defeat temptation and sin.

Some authors have referred to this as the “mortification of sin.” In support of this view, when Paul speaks of handing two believers over to Satan in 1 Timothy 1:20, they did not die but were still alive and well, and still causing problems for Paul and the church in Ephesus (cf. 2 Tim 2:17; 4:14).