by John Carpenter | Jun 16, 2013 | Devotional
“These things I have spoken unto you — that in me you might have peace. In the world — you shall have tribulation — but be of good cheer — I have overcome the world!” Jn.16:33
Jesus spoke this wonderful word of encouragement shortly before He went to Calvary. When He suffered the affliction of the cross He endured the worst of conditions — for those He came to save.
Although His outward physical condition was about to become one of unbelievable agony, yet His inner-spiritual position was one of unshakable security. Earlier from Jn.14:10-11 — He told the disciples that He was “in the Father” and that the things He said and did were not of His own authority, but of the authority of the Father. Even so are we in a like relationship with Christ — having been eternally positioned in Him. For in Jesus (who is our peace) we have peace — whereas in the world we have tribulation. But, praise His name — the Lord Jesus has overcome the world.
The grace of faith readily receives this word from God. What an understatement it truly is that in this world we will have tribulation. Everyday proves the veracity of this declaration, and it is certain that our Lord knew this to be true when He said it. What He means to convey unto us — for the strengthening of our faith — is that even though we must endure the tribulation that fills up the conditions of this world, we who are positioned in Him will have peace…because He has overcome the world of tribulation.
“Tribulation” connotes the pressures that we are under on virtually every level of our life. Whereas the word for “peace” communicates the thought of our being in union with our Lord. We are, therefore, by grace united with the only one who has indeed “overcome” the world. That is to say that He has subdued it and brought it completely under His reigning control…Hallelujah! It is no wonder, then, that He also encourages us to “be of good cheer” — which literally means that we are to, in Him, be brave and courageous in the presence of all the world’s trials and pressures.
Is.48:10 declares that the Lord has literally chosen and tried His people “in the furnace of affliction”. We are reminded from this passage of the experience of the three Hebrew boys in the midst of the fiery furnace…with the Son of God. They came out without even the odor of smoke on their clothes.
And finally, Acts 14:22 relates to us how Paul and Barnabus went back through Lystra, Iconium and Antioch “strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom of God’.” And, positioned in Christ — we cannot fail.
– For Christ’s Glory Only!
John Carpenter
“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer”
by John Carpenter | May 20, 2013 | Devotional
“He“Praise ye the Lord! O give thanks unto the Lord — for He is good! For His mercy endureth forever.” Ps.106:1
“Bless the Lord God of Israel — from everlasting — to everlasting! And, let all the people say — Amen! Praise ye the Lord!” Ps.106:48
This text comes to us as the first and last verses of this very revealing Psalm. For in it is declared a whole litany — of both — the perpetual defeat of the sinful rebellion of man’s fallen condition — and the continual victory — of almighty God’s faithfulness and grace. And, as it was with the weak and feeble fallen people of Israel of old — even so is it the same with us today. For — their prayer of verses 4 and 5 — needs to become our prayer also: “Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people! O visit me — with thy salvation — that I may see the good of thy chosen — that I may rejoice in the goodness of thy nation — that I may glory with thine inheritance!”
How often it is — that we, too, forget God — as vs.7 relates concerning the Israelites: “They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies — but provoked Him…”. And yet, we, too, earnestly plead — that He remember — us! You see, it was their affliction — brought upon themselves — by their forgetting Him and provoking Him — that, in turn, provoked them to pray and urgently cry out unto Him — for their deliverance. Then comes the wonderful and gracious words of verses 8 and 12: “Nevertheless [or, in other words, in spite of themselves] He saved them — for His Name’s sake — that He might make His mighty power — to be known!” [or, so that He might reveal unto them — His mighty sin-delivering power] Their sinful fallen affliction — provided the perfect backdrop for God’s gracious and mighty deliverance! Which, in turn, set the stage for the evidence and expression — of how our Lord’s grace of faith always appears: vs.12> “Then — believed they His words. They sang His praise.”
Verse 43 seems to be a mirror that reflects our lives in this world — for it says: “Many times — did He deliver them — but they provoked Him with their counsel — and were brought low for their iniquity.” Over and over — it seems — that even the true child of God — find themselves following the counsel of their own fallen fleshly understanding — which cannot ever be trusted! That’s a sure course — right into grievous affliction!
But, praise the Lord — He is in control — and ever so quick to forgive us — and respond so perfectly to our cry! They experience the grace and lovingkindness of verses 44 and 45: “Nevertheless — He regarded their affliction — when He heard their cry. (45) And He remembered for them — His Covenant — and repented [or, pitied and consoled them] according to the multitude of His mercies.” For all of God’s children — in every generation — even though we seem to fight an unending and an up hill battle with our yet fallen condition — He remembers us in accordance with — the gospel of His eternal New Covenant — and receives us in His mercy — and His way of truth!
“Save us, O Lord our God — and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy Name — and to triumph — in thy praise!” Ps.106:4
-For Christ’s Glory Only!
John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Apr 3, 2013 | Devotional
“He that believeth in me — though he were dead — yet shall he live!” Jn.11:25
With these words — our Lord utters something of a mystery. For how can any one who is dead — believe? Obviously this is a gospel truth — or, Jesus would not have said it. But, what does He really mean by this?
He already taught from Jn.6:63 — that it is the Holy Spirit who quickens unto life. So, the answer must in some way include Him — the Holy Spirit — in the working out of this matter. Indeed — a regenerated sinner — is a true believing sinner. And, a living soul who has been quickened by the Spirit of Christ — in essence — is a living
“dead man”! You may say, how can this be? There is a mysterious mysticism about this. We can be quickened by the Holy Spirit — where all we once were — was dead in our sins! According to the “law of Moses”– we are — in these bodies of dust — still on a course to keep an appointment with death — even though we have been blessed with God’s grace of saving faith. Now, we are just true believing sinners — saved by grace! “For by grace — are ye saved through faith — and that not of yourselves.”
Jesus tells us that it is the work of God — that we believe in Him — whom the Father sent. And, it is because of this grace of faith — that we call upon the Name of the Lord — and seek the Lord daily, in our living out our lives while still in this world. It is by faith — that we hunger and thirst after His righteousness — and experience being filled. It is by faith we look — not at the things which are seen — for they are temporal — but, at the eternal things which are not seen. We focus our thoughts and our perspective opinions on the blessed things of the person and work of the eternal Son of God!! And, dwelling upon these wonderful things — we are content — even though we still traverse — through the darkest of trials.
In doing this — we become fixed on our risen Savior — who is our very life…even though we are very dead. Col.3:1-3 puts it this way: “If ye then be risen with Christ -seek those things which are above — where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. (2) Set your affection on things above — not on things on the earth. (3) For ye are dead — and your life — is hid with Christ — in God!”
This is knowing Christ — and the power of His resurrection — as described from Phil.3:10. Which occurs by being blessed with a regenerating revelatory realization that is spoken of from Eph.2:6. Quickened to believe that you have been raised up together with Christ — and made to sit together in heavenly places in Him. Indeed, our resurrected Lord — is made to be unto us a life quickening spirit. [1Co.15:45]
In this way, therefore, we — by the grace of faith — see the connection between the resurrection from the dead of our Lord Jesus Christ — and our experience — in Him — of putting away the dross — of our dead, worthless flesh!
by John Carpenter | Mar 14, 2013 | Devotional
“The Lord hath laid on Him — the iniquity of us all!” Is.53:6 “For He hath made Him to be sin for us…” 2Co.5;21 “Who His own self — bare our sins — in His own body — on the tree…” 1Pe.2:21
In these terse statements of holy scripture — from three different men — Isaiah, Paul and Peter — there is reference being made to the one and the same person — the Lord Jesus Christ. And, that which is being referred in regards to Him is the eternal purpose — of the eternal three-in-one, holy and almighty God! This is referring — specifically — to when God the Father and God the Holy Spirit — literally “cut”– in the person and work of God the Son — the — from everlasting unto everlasting — covenant — to eternally save all His loved and chosen ones “in Christ” [Eph.1;1-3] .
Let’s reflect and meditate upon these three texts — written by these three different men. Let’s begin with Peter’s first. Peter was an eyewitness of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. He could bare testimony to what had actually happened at Calvary. The Holy Spirit revealed to Him — that what He actually saw was when God the Father made Christ Jesus, the Savior the owner and the bearer — in His own body — of all our sins — on His own cross — at Calvary. His death was truly an holy and eternally atoning death! His death was divinely directed and approved — by Triune God!
Paul’s statement dogmatically clarifies the gospel grace truth — that Christ’s death was a substitutionary death. As you may recall, the whole of 2Co.5:21 says: “For He hath made Him to be sin for us — who knew no sin — that we might be made the righteousness of God — in Him!” What a perfectly wonderful transaction of substitution was historically made on that day by the determinate counsel of the most high God!
Finally, Isaiah’s statement — because it was prophetically revealed and written over seven centuries before the actual time that the eternal, incarnate Son of God would historically come to pass — is perhaps the most remarkable! Isaiah is the only one of the three who gives us a graphic description our crucified Lord and Savior. We know, therefore, that what He wrote was entirely by — and because of — divine revelation! But, like Peter and Paul — Isaiah was granted a revelatory realization of the purpose of the Savior’s death, viz., to eternally redeem His people from their sins. He explicitly says: “the Lord hath laid on Him — the iniquity of us all”. Note the tense of the verb. He saw that the Lord — had already caused it happen — our sins — and our Savior — to meet! How wonderful is that? Because the Lord Jesus Christ was (and, still is — thanks to His resurrection) the eternal Son of God — all the sins and iniquities — of all the eternally loved and chosen children of God — were, in essence, taken away — from eternity — in eternity — and for eternity! Hence, does Rev.13:8 refer to the Book of Life as: “the Book of Life — of the Lamb slain — from the foundation of the world!” Praise the wonderful name of our Lord!
– For Christ’s Glory Only!
John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Feb 10, 2013 | Devotional
“And the Lord went before them — by day in a pillar of a cloud — to lead them the way. And, by night in a pillar of fire — to give them light; to go by day and night. (22) He took not away — the pillar of the cloud by day — nor the pillar of fire by night — from before the people!” Ex.13:21-22
The occasion that this text refers to is the very first time that the children of Israel saw the mighty way in which — the delivering Lord God — was going to manifest His presence in guiding and protecting them. This divine phenomena showed up — right when they come to the Red Sea. It led them there — and then protected them from their enemies till they crossed through it on dry ground! It continued to lead them on — throughout their 40 year wilderness journey. In fact, every place that they put up the Tabernacle — this manifestation of God’s preserving presence showed up.
We see a wonderful parallel between the constant presence of the pillar and the prevalent place that the Word of God comes to have in the lives of all His true children. The Holy Spirit uses it to lead us through each day as well. We find from God’s written word — the path of salvation and of life and peace and strength and hope. From it we receive much encouragement and eternal assurance — that God is sovereign and in complete and total control — of all things — at all times!
Like the pillar that provided its guidance and protection during the daytime — every time they were to move from one place to another — even so does the Word of God bless us with that wisdom which is from above — and that Godly instruction so that we can know the way wherein we are to walk. And, then there’s the night — and there are many dark nights in the life of child of God as they traverse this worldly wilderness — that same pillar of cloud suddenly becomes a pillar of fire! Fire to light the way — and at the same time — to ward off the enemy. Fire to gloriously contrast the times of darkness that we must often go through.
Is.4:5-6 alludes to this when God says from there: “And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion — and upon her assemblies — a cloud and smoke by day — and the shining of a flame fire by night — for upon all the glory shall be a defense. (6) And there shall be a tabernacle — for a shadow in the daytime from the heat — and for a place of refuge and for a covert from storm and from rain.”
We learn from this — that it is the Lord, Himself, who is our guiding pillar of cloud by day — and our protecting pillar of fire by night! Like the line of the hymn says: “The Lord’s our Rock — in Him we hide — a shelter in the time of storm!” Jn.1:14 very appropriately tells us: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt [or, literally: “tabernacled”] among us — and we beheld His glory — the glory as of the only begotten of the Father — full of grace and truth!” Praise the eternal and incarnated Son of God — the Lord Jesus Christ!
For Christ’s Glory Only!
-John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Jan 28, 2013 | Devotional
Wherefore, holy brethren — partakers of the heavenly calling — consider the apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus…” He.3:1
With 2013 having already begun — along with all of the aspirations and resolutions that worldly wisdom promotes to make a positive impact upon a New Year — perhaps the exhortation of this verse should captivate our thoughts and desires. There’s not a more worthy person — than the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ — that could be more profitable for us to seriously consider — than He who is our sovereign/Savior substitute! So, instead of focusing all our attention upon ourselves — and all the vain ways that we feel we could improve ourselves in the coming New Year — let us by the Holy Spirit — look at, and more closely observe, that which our Lord is — and what He has already done — for us. Let us consider Him — who can eternally save us — and — not just change — but, transform our lives! And, according to this text — this will we do — if, indeed, we are truly His “holy brethren” — and are “partakers” — of His heavenly calling.
Let us consider — for this New Year — Jesus as the, “Apostle”, or the messenger, of the glorious good news — of all that He has done — to historically prove Himself to be Jesus, the Christ — the Anointed One — and our eternal Savior. The word, apostle, literally means: a delegate. And, in this context — someone who acts specifically as an Ambassador of the gospel of God [Ro.1:1]. Plus — definitively — this word does not fulfill its intended meaning for “apostle” — apart from also including the divine capability to perform miraculous powers. Works done — in order to substantiate the divine mission of the messenger. And, our Lord Jesus certainly did that> “…the works which the Father hath given me to finish — the same works that I do — bear witness that the Father hath sent me.” [Jn.5:36] “Believe me — that I am in the Father — and the Father in me — or else, believe me for the very works sake!” [Jn.14:11]
Let us consider — for this New Year — Jesus as being the High Priest of (lit.) our confession! He is — in fact — a most unique High Priest — in that He is “perfect”. It is His perfection that sets Him apart from all the other priests — throughout all the history — of fallen mankind! He.7:28: “For the law (lit.) appointeth men high priests which have infirmity (or, which have imperfection) — but the Word of the oath (The immutable sworn Word of holy God) — which was since the law — maketh the Son — who is consecrated [Or, lit. perfected] forevermore!”
This is another aspect that makes Him unique as the High Priest of our confession — He is our perfect and eternal High Priest! The Word of the oath of the Most High God — concerning His Son — is this: “Thou art a priest — forever!” How is this so?! He.7:23-24 tells us> “And they truly were many priests (or, they of the Old Covenant law of Moses) — because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death — (24) but this man (or, lit. “He”, Jesus, the eternal Son of God) because He continues forever — hath an unchangeable priesthood!”
So, therefore, throughout this coming New Year — let us consider Him who is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession — who is able to save to the uttermost — all them that come unto God by Him — in understanding that, He — being made perfect — because we needed to be made perfect — became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that hear and believe Him — and, He ever liveth to make eternally effective intercession for them.
For Christ’s Glory Only-
John Carpenter
