Tag: angels

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MADE A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS IN THE INCARNATION FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH

October 16, 2020

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

MADE A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS IN THE INCARNATION FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Heb. 1:9, A.V.

Notice that it was “by the GRACE of God” that Christ the Creator, was both “made a little lower than the angels” in the mystery of the Incarnation and by that same “grace of God” ‘taste death for every man.” Every diligent and thorough Bible student should take this profound scripture into proper account when addressing familiar lines “by grace you are saved, not of your works lest any MAN should boast.” Remember these: God does not boast; only fallen man does. Now this:

“A little lower than angels.’ When Jesus became man He was made [according to the divine plan of redemption ‘prepared  before the foundation of the world’] a little lower than the angels, or as the margin reads, ‘a little while inferior to.’ Thus Jesus in a very real sense took our nature WITHOUT losing His Godhead, though He [temporarily] relinquished the independent use of the prerogatives of Deity. At no time did He exercise His divine powers EXCEPT as He received commandment from God. (John 4:31: 5:19). As a man He was at all times subject to God. 

“For the suffering of death.’ The KJV affirms that Jesus became man that He might SUFFER and DIE. He was made ‘a little lower than the angels for [the purpose of] suffering and death.’ The Revised Version affirms that it was as a REWARD for His suffering and death that Christ was ‘crowned with glory and honor.’

“By the grace of God.’ Christ’s sufferings here are not considered as PUNISHMENT laid on Him, for it was ‘by the GRACE of God’ that He tasted death for every man—a significant expression. Some of the older manuscripts instead of ‘by the grace of God’  have ‘apart from God,’ which suggests that Christ in His death suffered ALONE without the SUSTAINING presence of God. This would give point to His DESPAIRING cry, recorded in Matt. 27:46: ‘And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast Thou FORSAKEN Me?’

“Taste death for every man.’ This does not mean, as some suggest, that He merely tastes LIGHTLY of death, and did not suffer the WHOLE measure. GETHSEMANE shows that He ‘drank the cup to the dregs and tasted death as NO OTHER MAN ever tasted it!” —M.L. Andreasen, The Book of Hebrews, pp.95, 96.
Ponder on these! Bless all, NMF. 

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Devotionals

HEBREWS 2:9

October 13, 2020

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

HEBREWS 2:9
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death; crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

The following is a laser-focused Christ-centered discourse. It lifts our minds and thoughts far above the unprecedented, record-smashing, multi-layering strife and confusion that branched out overnight as it were, from the Covid pandemic that opened up the year 2020. Let us “turn our eyes upon Jesus” and away from the raging storms without and within our hearts.

“But we SEE Jesus. The ‘but’ here denotes contrast. Man does ‘not yet’ have dominion, ‘but we see Jesus.’ He has dominion, even while He was here, on earth. He sent Peter to catch a fish, and in the fish’s mouth was found the coin needed for the occasion. (Matt. 17:27.).

“He told the disciples to let down the net, and they caught a multitude of fish. (John 21:6.). He commanded the winds and the waves, and they obeyed Him. (Matt. 8:26.) He cursed the fig tree, and it withered.(Matt. 21:19.)

“He exorcised demons, healed the sick, and raised the dead.(Mark 5:13; Matt. 8: 14, 15; John 11: 43,44.). He multiplied the loaves and the fishes, walked on the water,  and rebuked Satan. (Mark 8: 1-9; Matt. 14:25; 4:10,11.)

“There was no situation of which Jesus was not the Master! ‘We see not yet’ man in possession of these powers, ‘but we see Jesus.’  He is prophetic of the possibilities of man.” – M.L. Andreasen, The Book of Hebrews, pp. 94, 95.

Jesus the Man, “is prophetic of the possibilities of man”—-that’s any penitent sinner who is “hungering and thirsting after righteousness,” who is willing to “take up his heavy cross of self-denial, daily, in order to “come after Christ” and follow His life example on earth. God bless all, NMF 

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Devotionals

ANGELS ARE OUR COMPANIONS ASSIGNED ‘TO KEEP US IN ALL OUR WAYS’

October 5, 2020
FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

ANGELS ARE OUR COMPANIONS ASSIGNED ‘TO KEEP US IN ALL OUR WAYS’

“For unto the angels has He not put in subjection the world to come.”

Heb. 2: 5

“God has not put the world to come in subjection to the angels. Because of SIN man fell very low in the scale of values. When Christ identified Himself with humanity and became a man, a NEW DIGNITY became
ours. We are now closely united with God in a fellowship that is EVEN CLOSER than that which the angels know. In this NEW RELATIONSHIP God did not put man in subjection to angels! We deal directly with Christ without any [angelic] intermediary.” p. 90.

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Devotionals

GRACE IS FOR FALLEN MEN, NEVER FALLEN ANGELS

September 9, 2020

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

GRACE IS FOR FALLEN MEN, NEVER FALLEN ANGELS 

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men.”

Titus 2:11, KJV.

“Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Rom. 5:!

  1. “Have sinned,” is not the same as “will.”

“By disobeying the commands of God, man [beginning with the first Adam], men fell under [the condemnation] of His Law. This called for the GRACE of God to appear in behalf of sinners. We should never have learned the meaning of this word, grace, had we not fallen!

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MORE ABOUT THE ANGELS AS ‘MINISTERING SPIRIT’

September 7, 2020

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

MORE ABOUT THE ANGELS AS ‘MINISTERING SPIRIT’. See Hebrews 1: 13, 14.

“Angels were held in high esteem by the Jews, so much so that apostle Paul at one time WARNED against angel worship. (Col. 2:18). This tendency to reverence angels doubtless made Paul’s argument in Hebrews very effective. If the Jews, or some of them, thought angels worthy of worship, God’s command to the angels to worship Christ must have made a deep impression upon the Jews. If Christ were so much higher than the angels that they were required to worship Him, then He must indeed be none less than God Himself.”

“That angels—though they are but ministers, servants—are accorded a high place and entrusted with great responsibilities, is clearly taught in the Old Testament.

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Devotionals

ANGELS: DO WE REALLY KNOW WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY DO?

September 6, 2020

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

ANGELS: DO WE REALLY KNOW WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY DO?

“Who maketh His angels spirits.”

Heb. 1:7, KJV.

“The angels are God’s ministers. They are His servants, doing His will. As the wind and the waves obey His will, as the fire accomplishes His design, so God uses His angels as they are needed.”

“Some see in this verse a reference to the cherubim and the seraphim. ‘Spirits’ is the same word  elsewhere used for ‘winds,’ and of the cherubim it is written. ‘And He rose upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, He did fly upon the wings of the wind.’ Ps. 18:10.”

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Devotionals

TO ALL WHO REJECT OR DOUBT THE DEITY OF CHRIST, CONSIDER THIS

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

TO ALL WHO REJECT OR DOUBT THE DEITY OF CHRIST, CONSIDER THIS

“And again, when He (the Father) bringeth in the First-begotten into the world, He saith, Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

Heb. 1:7, KJV

“Let all the angels of God worship Him.’ These words are not found in our present Hebrew Bible, but are recorded in the Greek Septuagint [LXX].”

“This command to the angels is confirmatory of the Deity of Christ. As one of the Godhead, Christ was worshipped before He came to the earth. When He became man the question would naturally arise among the angels as to their right to worship Him; For if He was man, and ONLY man, He had NO right to receive worship.”

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Devotionals

THE SONSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST

August 30, 2020

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

THE SONSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST

“For to which of the angels did He [the Father] ever say: You are My Son, today I have begotten You? [Ps. 2:7]. And again: I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son?” .

Heb.1:4,5, NKJV

“You are My Son. Angels are never called sons of God INDIVIDUALLY, though they appear to be so called COLLECTIVELY. (Job 2:1). Nor are they begotten of God but CREATED [‘as ministering spirits,’ Heb. 1:7]. But not so Christ. He is God in His own right, not a created being [but God Creator Himself]. Apostle Paul speaks of God’s—-“Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David ACCORDING TO THE FLESH: and declared to be the Son of God WITH POWER, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Rom. 1:3,4, KJV.  In his speech in Antioch Paul said:

“We declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers [the godly Patriarchs of ancient Israel], God hath FULFILLED  the same unto US their children, in that He hath raised up Jesus again: as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee.” Acts 13:32,33.”

“These Scriptures declare that the Son ‘WAS MADE’ of the seed of David ACCORDING TO THE FLESH,’—that is, ‘declared to be THE SON OF GOD with power.’ (Rom. 1:4). The reading is not that Christ BECAME the Son of God, or was MADE the Son of God, but declared TO BE the Son of God. He that was Son BECAME flesh [in the incarnation]. John 1:14. Jesus did not become GOD, for He was ALREADY God. He was simply declared TO BE the Son of God.”  Andreasen, The Book of Hebrews, pp. 64, 65.

There is a vital distinction and reason why Jesus is addressed as both “the Son of God,” and the “Son of man.” The former refers to His divinity as Deity; the latter refers to the flesh-and-blood human nature that He incarnated into four thousand years after the fall of Adam (and Eve) in Eden. O what an unparalleled sacrifice of condescension—-the Creator taking on the fallen nature of His creature!  Ponder upon these things.”
Bless all, NMF.