The Suffering of the Messiah

Psalm 22; ASV

1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Why art thou so) far from helping me, (and from) the words of my groaning?

2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou answerest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, (saying),

8 Commit (thyself) unto Jehovah; let him deliver him: let him rescue him, seeing he delighteth in
him.

9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb; Thou didst make me trust (when I was) upon my
mother's breasts.

10 I was cast upon thee from the womb; Thou art my God since my mother bare me.

11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have compassed me; strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

13 They gape upon me with their mouth, (as) a ravening and a roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; it is melted
within me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought
me into the dust of death.

16 For dogs have compassed me: a company of evil-doers have inclosed me; they pierced my hands
and my feet.

17 I may count all my bones; they look and stare upon me.

18 They part my garments among them, and upon my vesture do they cast lots.

19 But be not thou far off, O Jehovah: O thou my succor, haste thee to help me.

20 Deliver my soul from the sword, My darling from the power of the dog.

21 Save me from the lion's mouth; yea, from the horns of the wild-oxen thou hast answered me.

22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the assembly will I praise thee.

23 Ye that fear Jehovah, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and stand in awe of him, all
ye the seed of Israel.

24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face
from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

25 Of thee cometh my praise in the great assembly: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied; they shall praise Jehovah that seek after him: let your heart
live for ever.

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto Jehovah; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

28 For the kingdom is Jehovah's; and he is the ruler over the nations.

29 All the fat ones of the earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him, even he that cannot keep his soul alive.

30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord unto the (next) generation.

31 They shall come and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done it.

Jehovah's Perfect Revelation

Psalm 19; ASV

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.

2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language; their voice is not heard.

4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course.

6 His going forth is from the end of the heavens, and his circuit unto the ends of it; and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

7 The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul: the testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of Jehovah is clean, enduring for ever: the ordinances of Jehovah are true, (and) righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the droppings of the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern (his) errors? Clear thou me from hidden (faults).

13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous (sins); let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be clear from great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer.

Imitate What is Good

“Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good.  He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God” (3 John 11; NKJV). 

We are to do good, to imitate good, because God is good.  Evil is not of God.  Evil is of the Devil.  As the children of God we are to imitate our Father by doing good.
 

Diotrephes was not of God.  He was concerned with things that are not of God:  preeminence among brethren, not receiving brethren, prating against brethren with malicious words, forbidding others to receive brethren (3 John 9-10).  Diotrephes was of his father the Devil:  “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer and a liar from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44; NKJV).
 

Demetrius had “a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself” (3 John 12).  Demetrius had a good testimony because he imitated God.
 

What about me?  Do I imitate my good God or do I imitate the evil one?  Let us see God and imitate what we see for “he who does evil has not seen God” (3 John 11).

Progressive and 2 John 9

“Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son.” (2 John 9; ASV)

Proago – to precede (Strong’s); to go before (Thayer’s)

Traveling onward and away from the teaching of Christ hath not God.

“At least we are doing something.”

Perhaps you are “doing something” without God…

One can “progress” to the point that one loses the light of truth.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105; KJV)
 
“…hath not God…” (2 John 9; KJV)

These Three Agree As One

1.  Water - Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River, when the Father spoke from Heaven - Matthew 3:13-17

2.  Blood - the historical death of Jesus on the cross - John 12:28-33

3.  The Spirit - given to bear witness of Christ - John 15:26; 16:14


1 John 5:6-13; NKJV

6 This is He who came by water and blood — Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 

7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 

8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. 

10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 

11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 

12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

How We Can Know That We Love the Brethren

Question:  How can we know that we love the brethren?

The Two-Fold Answer:  1) We love God 2) We keep our Father's commandments

1 John 5:1-5; NKJV

1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 

4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. 

5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Why We Love Him

Apart from Him we would not know love.

Apart from Him loving us we would not know how to love.

Apart from Him we would not love Him or others.

1 John 4:17-21; NKJV

17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 

19 We love Him because He first loved us.

20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 

21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.