EXALTING GOD’S WORD

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17 NKJV).

These words were spoken in prayer by the Lord Jesus in His great highly prayer recorded here in John 17. Thus, we want to focus on two subjects in this verse: the preparation through the Word of God and the purity of the Word of God.

Preparation through the Word of God - “Sanctify them by Your truth.” Here the Lord Jesus is praying for the service of His disciples. The word “sanctify” means to set apart, and in this context, it means setting apart for God’s exclusive service. This setting apart involves preparation for service. And here, it is especially a preparation of the heart through the Word of God. When we read and study the Word of God earnestly and faithfully, we will have a heart prepared to serve the Lord. Many church folks fail to have much heart dedication for the work of the Lord because they are not very devoted to the Scriptures. Ignore the Scriptures and we will be ignored by God when it comes to service for Him.

Purity of the Word of God - “Your word is truth.” Three things can be said about the purity or fidelity of the Word of God:

Attestation: The Lord Jesus is the One Who declared the Word to be true. There is no better witness anywhere than Deity. The Word of God has the best witnesses available, including God, that will testify of its integrity.

Affirmation: Many things affirm the fidelity of the Scriptures. The spade of the archeologists is continually affirming the Scriptures. Prophecy is scoffed at by many, but it is ever affirming the Scriptures. Even science and history affirm the Scriptures. It is foolish to dispute the Bible’s integrity.

Authority: If the Word of God is true, then it is authoritative! No other book can claim the authority which the Bible has. The Bible is the final authority on all matters of which it speaks. We need to submit to the Word of God in all areas of our lives. If we oppose the Word, it will be to your shame.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The Bible is the one Word of the one God about the one way of salvation through the one Savior, Jesus Christ!”

Graeme Goldsworthy (1934 -)

Australian Evangelical Anglican Theologian

Word Study

Far away (far off)

In Eph. 2:17 we read, “And He came and preached peace to you who were far away (far off), and peace to those who were near” (NASB).

“Far away (far off)” is the Greek word makrán (μακράν = mak-ran'). It literally means a long way off. The word is used to express the extension of both time and space. When used of time it can mean long-lasting or enduring. When referring to space the word denotes distant, far, or it may mean far stretching, or deep. In the New Testament makrán was used by the Lord Jesus to denounce the scribes for the hypocritical pretense of their long prayers (cf. Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47). It was also used by Luke in the Parable of the Prodigal Son who “journeyed to a far country” (cf. Luke 15:13). In context, makrán is used figuratively to describe the Gentiles who were separated from Christ and thus were a long way off from God (spiritually).

Did You Know…

According 2 Cor. 12:7, the apostle Paul was given “a thorn in the flesh” to keep him from being conceited.

Bible Quiz

What are we commanded to do in order to “stand against the wiles of the devil?”

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to John’s vision in the Book of Revelation, what was the fine linen that clothed the bride of the Lamb? “The righteous acts of the saints” (Rev. 19:8).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

The Seed of Jacob (Gen. 28:14; Luke 3:34)

"Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 28:14 NJKV).

Jacob had heard about the great God who appeared to Abraham and to Isaac, but now this same God met him in a personal way. This was a life-changing experience for Jacob. Earlier in vv. 30-4, Isaac had told Jacob that the covenant was his. Now the voice of God Himself confirmed it. God promised him land, a nation (“your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth”), and a blessing (“in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed”). These words were for comfort and hope to Jacob at this critical crossroads in his life. Essentially, God repeated to Jacob the terms of the covenant He had given to both Abraham (Gen 12:1-3) and to Isaac (Gen. 26:2-5). This is the promise of a Messiah and was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. As the descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Lord Jesus is the One who brought blessing to the entire world by His sacrificial death on the cross (cf. Gal. 3:8-16).

Did You Know – Christian History

Peder Palladius was born in 1503, in Ribe, Denmark. He was a Danish theologian, Protestant reformer, and bishop of Zealand (Lutheran diocese in Denmark).

Palladius grew up near Ribe and attended school there (1510-1515). His father, Esbern Jensen, as a devout layman. Though his father was illiterate, he had memorized much of the gospel and chastised his son when he failed to recite them properly.

When the Reformation began in Germany, it was inevitable that Luther’s ideas would make it across into neighboring Scandinavia. The most vigilant efforts of Denmark’s government and its established church could not stop German ideas, books, and preachers from slipping into the country. Palladius was still a student when Reformation ideas arrived. He found himself agreeing with the Reformation call to a life of faith grounded on the word of God alone. He was also drawn to the writings of Melanchthon.

In 1537 the Danish church broke completely with Rome. King Christian had Johann Bugenhagen consecrated several bishops outside of the apostolic succession. At the same time Palladius had just completed his doctoral exams at Wittenberg, the center of Lutheran thought in Germany. He was summoned by King Christian III who appointed him to the highest church office in Denmark - Superintendent of Zealand, as well as theology professor at the University of Copenhagen.

Palladius showed everyone what a bishop should be. Not only did he visit all of the 390 parishes under his oversight, but he held hundreds of seminars, preached, taught at the university, and wrote books that explained complicated theology so simply that the common folk could understand it. As the first protestant bishop in Denmark, he oversaw the conversion of ecclesiastic affairs. He helped create the church ordinance which founded the Church of Denmark, produced a Danish translation of the Bible, and removed Catholic images and rituals from his diocese. The hard-working bishop Palladius also prepared a liturgy in the Danish language. Of course, some Danes didn’t want to become Lutherans. Palladius instructed their bishops to accept this hesitancy with patience and educate them in the new doctrine. When Palladius died, on January 3, 1560, he left behind a lasting legacy of devotional and professional writings. His life had been so zealous that the new generation eagerly studied his works to imitate him. A shoemaker’s son was the chief agent of reform in Denmark.

A Little Humor

It was Christmas and the judge was in a merry mood as he asked the prisoner, “What are you charged with?” “Doing my Christmas shopping early,” replied the defendant. “That’s no offense,” said the judge. “How early were you doing this shopping?” “Before the store opened.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Death guarantees the sinner’s penalty and the saint’s promotion!”