CREATION TRUTHS

“I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me!” (Jer. 27:5 NKJV).

While the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon were seeking to enlist Zedekiah’s help in a revolt against Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Lord gave Jeremiah a message for the kings of these nations. The message was about the person of creation, the power for creation, and the proprietor of creation.

Person of creation – “I have made the earth . . .” Here we have God declaring that He is the Creator of the earth and of men and beasts. On the other hand, evolution is an explanation of the universe that leaves out God. Evolution is not supported by Scripture and is a direct attack upon God. Folks who choose to believe in evolution do not want God in their lives. However, the Bible makes it very plain that God is the Creator.

Power for creation – “By My great power.” The power of God is “great.” When we believe and understand this truth, no miracle or any act of God is an impossibility. Unbelievers either deny the existence of God, or they will make God small, weak, or impotent. However, no other power is as great as Divine power. When Divine power is involved, there is no difficulty accepting any great work by God.

Proprietor of creation – “I . . . have given it to whom it seemed proper unto me.” As Creator, God owns this creation and He can whatever He please with it. In our verse, God’s sovereignty over creation is specifically applied to the rule of Nebuchadnezzar. He gave Nebuchadnezzar his power to rule. No one rules except by God’s permission. And He can and will change rulers when He so pleases because He is Sovereign.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The soul’s deepest thirst is for God Himself, who has made us so that we can never be satisfied without Him!”

Frederick Fyvie (F.F.) Bruce (1910 – 1990)

British Biblical Scholar and Author

Word Study

Disturbed

In 1 Thess. 3:3 we read, “So that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this” (NASB).

Disturbed is the Greek word sainō (σαίνω = sah'ee-no). It mean shaken, unsettled, perturbed or deceived, or deluded. Figuratively sainō means being carried away emotionally by circumstances.

In classical Greek sainō means to wag, to move to and fro as dogs wag their tails in friendliness. Metaphorically, it means to flatter when used of people. In its passive form it can mean beguile, deceive. There is no reference to sainō in the Septuagint. In the New Testament, sainō only occurs once, here in 1 Thessalonians 3. Sainō pictures one who has become so emotionally disturbed as to be shaken in his/her beliefs and even to give up his/her beliefs.

Further, the word is in the present tense which speaks of being continually disturbed. Paul’s desire is that in spite of sufferings, believers would stand firm and that the sufferings might even serve to deepen their faith.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be exalted by God because of His sacrifice (Isa. 53:12)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt.28:18

Did You Know…

In the Bible it states that the Son of God has given us understanding (1 John 5:20).

Bible Quiz

According to 1 Peter, how is the ignorance of foolish men to be silenced?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: What did John the Baptist say Jesus would baptize with? “The Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt. 3:11).

Names of the Lord Jesus Found in the Bible

“Living Water”

"Jesus answered and said to her, if you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water!” (John 4:10; cf John 7:38 NKJV).

1. Meaning – The Lord Jesus is our spiritual drink.

2. Insights – The Lord Jesus Christ is the fountainhead of the life that wells up inside every believer like an unending spring.

3. Related Titles – Spring of Living Water (Jer. 2:13); Fountain (Zech. 13:1); Life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45).

Did You Know – Christian History

John Mason Neale was born January 24, 1818 in London, England. He was an English Anglican priest, scholar and hymn writer.

Neale was educated at Sherborne School, Dorset, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1842 and was offered a parish. However, because of chronic ill health, was prevented from taking it. In 1846 he was made warden of Sackville College, an almshouse, a charitable residence for the poor.

In 1854 Neale co-founded the Sisterhood of St. Margaret, an order of women in the Anglican Church dedicated to nursing the sick. To other Church of England men, this looked like a return to nuns; they were furious. Many were very suspicious of anything suggestive of Roman Catholicism. This was not the first time that Neale had ruffled feathers. He had denounced churches that allowed the wealthy to box off sections of the church to separate themselves from the common people. His appeals for the restoration of churches and for improved church architecture also irritated other clergymen.

He was mauled at the funeral of one of the sisters. Crowds threatened to stone him or to burn his house. An evangelical pastor incited a riot against him at Lewes. The man’s daughter had become one of the nurses and had caught scarlet fever and died, leaving the sisters a large sum in her will.

Neale translated the Eastern liturgies into English, and wrote a mystical and devotional commentary on the Psalms. However, he is best known as a hymn writer and translator, having enriched English hymnody with many ancient and mediaeval hymns translated from Latin and Greek, including the following: “A great and mighty wonder,” “All glory, laud and honor,” “Alleluia, song of gladness,” “Christ is made the sure foundation, “ “Come, ye faithful, raise the strain,” “Creator of the stars of night,” “Jesus, Name all names above,” “Let us now our voices raise,” among others. He also wrote the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslas.” More than anyone else, Neale made English-speaking congregations aware of the centuries-old tradition of Latin, Greek, Russian, and Syrian hymns.

Neale died on the Feast of the Transfiguration, August 6, 1866. Although evil was spoken against him in his own day, he is honored by the Church of England on August 7 every year.

A Little Humor

One day the zoo-keeper noticed that the monkey was reading two books - the Bible and Darwin’s The Origin of Species. In surprise he asked the ape, “Why are you reading both those books?” “Well,” said the monkey, “I just wanted to know if I was my brother’s keeper or my keeper’s brother.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Rejecting God’s way is simply asking for trouble!”