Word for Life in Love— Scripture Meditations By Stephen Brown
John 17:17-19 (ESV)
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
Those in the body of Christ participate in the life of the word. Those in Christ are in the word of God. Jesus sanctifies us with His death and resurrection and through His Spirit of truth. We are therefore holy, even as He is holy.
Psalms 102:18 (ESV)
Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
The generation that will see Jesus Christ are all those reborn into His life. From the first disciples to the last one that signals the blowing of the last trumpet of our resurrection.
We will be like the angels, neither marrying or given in marriage, uniting heaven and earth in our new creation.
Matthew 22:14 (ESV)
For many are called, but few are chosen.”
There are many called to enter the body of Christ, but few will be chosen as the Bride of Christ. Consider the virgins who were not ready when the bridegroom came for them.
Hebrews 2:13-14 (ESV)
13 And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”
And again,
“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
Man is the unique creature of all creation who is born and capable of being reborn as a child of God and a brother of the Son of God. As such, we become the Bride of Christ and become one with Him.
The Holy Spirit conceives a son of God in everyone who believes in Jesus and receives Him. We are made virgins with our repentance and His cleansing blood. As virgins we conceive a holy one of God, a child of promise.
Exodus 33:20 (ESV)
But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
We must die to the Lord and be resurrected before we will see Him face to face. Then we will see Him as He is and that we are like Him.
1 Peter 1:12 (ESV)
It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
To the angels being angels is their natural state. From their perspective mankind would be supernatural. Earth is the realm of death with life apart from God. It is populated with mortal life that is quick in passing and void of meaning.
Jesus descended into the realm of death and preached the good news to all who will listen. How precious is life that is awakened from the dead. The meaning of life is found in the life of God.
Matthew 1:23 (ESV)
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
Jesus was born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit.
You and I are reborn a virgin by the Holy Spirit. In us a child of God comes into this world.
He is the first man who is made in the image of God. In the end, those in the body of Christ are made in His image. We will be like Him. He is the beginning and the end.
Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Jesus is the first child born of God. The Son of Man and the Son of God.
Each one of us who receives the Holy Spirit is reborn as a child in the kingdom of heaven. The gift of His grace allows us to become sons of God. When we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we should give thanks for the supernatural reality of our own rebirth.
We follow in His steps as a son of man who has become a son of God. We shall be with Him.
Behold a star shines forth
In the darkness of night
The light of the world
That gives the blind sight
The Son receives our flesh
A gift from heaven above
The salvation of all mankind
The word of God’s love
If we would only hear it
Of what His Spirit would say
The light of the morning star
Would rise on a new day
Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
The exact image of God in creation is the resurrected Christ, the Son of God in the perfected flesh of man. We are made in His image because He took our image for His own.
God will rest in creation in the image of the man. We will rest in creation in the image of God. We both choose each other for life, for eternal life. Heaven and earth become one.
The word of God is accomplished.
John 16:33 (ESV)
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
The world to be overcome is the heart of man. When we take our heart and give it to Him, we join Him on His throne. Our hearts become one.
Matthew 22:29-30 (ESV)
29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
Christ is The angel of the Lord who is clothed in the perfected flesh of man. The Holy Spirit brought Him to us and resurrected His flesh from the dead. Heaven and earth were joined together in Jesus.
The Spirit will do the same for us of those who have entered the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit will raise us to Him, resurrecting us from the dead. We will be like angels in heaven, but more importantly, we will be like Him.
John 14:26-27 (ESV)
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
The peace He leaves with us is the presence of the Holy Spirit that comes with our reconciliation with our Father in heaven. It is a peace that is beyond our understanding and is ours by faith. It is only by faith that we are saved.
John 14:21 (ESV)
Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.
The flow of love between God and man with the gift of His grace and life which is answered with the obedience of man. It is a continuous and dynamic interaction which forever characterizes our fellowship with Him. It is life in the Trinity of His presence.
John 14:24 (ESV)
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
Jesus is the physical and Spirit manifestation of God in creation. God the Father is beyond creation, which is an expressed word of God. Through the Spirit God entered His creation in the form of man. First in Jesus, then all who join Him in the body of Christ. We know this because He is with us.
John 16:23-24 (ESV)
23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
James 4:3 (ESV)
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Our joy and His glory are the ultimate reasons for going to our Father in prayer. As we transform into a new creation and begin to comprehend with the mind of Jesus, we will seek those things that align with His will and purpose, which is for the best for us.
This is our heart’s desire, which won’t be fully revealed to us until our resurrection.
2 Chronicles 29:15 (ESV)
They gathered their brothers and consecrated themselves and went in as the king had commanded, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD.
Today the temple of the Lord is the heart of man. If we confess Jesus as our Savior, we receive the justification which consecrates us into His righteousness. His word begins to cleanse our hearts to the purity needed for the kingdom of heaven.
We gather in the unity of the Spirit that is the body of Christ.
1 Peter 2:2-3 (ESV)
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
If we have tasted that the Lord is good through the gift of His Holy Spirit, we will not be satisfied with the water of the world. If we have been transformed into the children of the kingdom of heaven, we will grow into His salvation feeding on the living water of the Lord.
We will act in deed according to His word.
John 14:2-3 (ESV)
2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
He prepares us with the presence of the Holy Spirit. We become the house of God, the new and living temple. He will come again to raise us in perfection like Him. This will be our new home.
Mark 13:32 (ESV)
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
When God looks at me He sees Jesus, even as I am being made in His image. One day I’ll be resurrected and be like Him.
Matthew 24:12-13 (ESV)
12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
There is an end. Jesus is the beginning and the end. His love endures forever because He is the great “I AM.” Our love is a choice, as is salvation.
We will be known by our love. It is the light of the world.
John 12:24 (ESV Strong's)
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Each person who believes in Jesus becomes a grain of wheat that falls to the earth of that man or woman. If that person dies to the word, they will bear much fruit.
This is the working out of our own salvation. Receiving the Holy Spirit brings us into the garden of Eden. Obedience to His will bring us to the tree of life.
Mark 9:24 (ESV)
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
To believe in Jesus the Son of God is the salvation of man. Those who do enter the body of Christ.
To obey and love Jesus is to overcome the world. Those who do become the Bride of Christ. He will help us if we ask. He invites us and longs for us to join Him.
30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
It is a fearful thing to be a person of God’s people under the law because no one can keep it. We have seen this with Adam and the people of Israel.
To be under the mercy and grace of Christ casts away all fear of God as we are embraced in His Spirit of love and truth.
Romans 12:12 (ESV Strong's)
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
The word of God transforms us into a living prayer. To live is Christ.
Matthew 21:12-13 (ESV Strong's)
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
The temple of the new covenant is the risen body of Christ. His Spirit comes to us and cleanses our hearts, transforming us into a house of prayer. We become new creations who are suitable companions for the Son of God.
It is written and is coming to pass.
Psalms 24:6 (ESV Strong's)
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
There is one generation of those who seek and find God. These will be revealed as the sons and daughters of God who are like the angels in that they do not marry and are not given in marriage, but have become the Bride of Christ.
This is the generation who will see God.
Psalms 24:3-5 (ESV Strong's)
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
The holy place is the Holy of Holies established in the heart of the believer who receives the Holy Spirit of God. This is the foundation of a pure heart sought by God.
Our blessing is the righteousness of Christ which becomes our own.
Psalms 24:1-2 (ESV Strong's)
A PSALM OF DAVID.
1 The earth is the LORD'S and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
The earth began without form and void, “and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” The Spirit descended into the hearts of man and we are being made in the image of God. When we see Him face to face, we will be like Him.
Psalms 25:1 (ESV Strong's)
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
Every creature on earth who has the breath of life has a soul and spirit life. Every creature who comes from the earth is destined to die and return to the earth.
Every creature who is reborn from above is destined to live in the kingdom of heaven.
When we lift our soul to the Lord, He will lift us up the rest of the way.
John 19:34-35 (ESV Strong's)
34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.
Eve was fashioned from a bone taken from the side of Adam. She became his bride and companion.
The bride of Christ is reborn from the water of our repentance and His blood which covers our sins. The body of Christ becomes His bride and companion.
2 Samuel 7:12-14 (ESV Strong's)
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
Eve was fashioned from the body of Adam. The Lord tells David that the Son of God will come from his body. The Bride of Christ will come from the body of Christ. From the body of Christ a house and temple will arise that will establish His kingdom forever.
By His stripes we are healed.
John’s 9:1-3 (ESV Strong's)
1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
We are all blind from birth to the light of Jesus Christ. We can see the sun, but not the Son of God. He draws us to Him so that the works of God might be displayed.
Being born in the darkness allows mankind to choose the light. Being created in the light allows the angels to choose to abide in the darkness. The inhabitants of heaven and earth both can choose to abide with God.
Isaiah 60:19 (ESV Strong's)
The sun shall be no more
your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
give you light;
but the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
The Lord will reside in Jerusalem. Isaiah says it and Revelation confirms this to be the case.
Revelation 21:23
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
Psalms 8:3-4 (ESV Strong's)
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Man is the only creature in all of creation who can receive and abide with the Spirit of God. He is the only one who can enter in an intimate relationship with God.
John 20:6-10 (ESV Strong's)
6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger as a baby when He came to save this world. Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a tomb as a man crucified and dead to save the world.
He came out of the swaddling clothes when He was resurrected and rose from the grave. The face cloth for the grave was no longer needed. Now when we see Him face to face, we will see Him as He truly is and we will be like Him.
He began this journey in the Spirit to enter the flesh of man. We begin our journey in the flesh of man and enter the Spirit of God. We meet in the middle of the union of heaven and earth.
John 19:28-30 (ESV Strong's)
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
The sour wine is the tainted blood of our sin filling the cup of His sacrifice on our behalf. The blood of the sacrifice was usually sprinkled with hyssop. The word of God drank from the cup of God’s wrath for our sin.
The Holy Spirit had already departed. Jesus the man was left to die on that cross alone.
John 4:24 (ESV Strong's)
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
If God is Spirit, then it makes sense the way to Him is through His Spirit. Jesus was sent by God and came by the Spirit into the Son of man. He opened the way back for our flesh to God the Father by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The unity of His Spirit seals us in His life.
Jesus had to leave before we could receive the Holy Spirit because only the body of Christ is the temple and dwelling place of His Spirit.
Exodus 3:2-3 (ESV Strong's)
2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”
The light of God reveals itself in the darkness of the man who is looking and turns aside. It is the answer to the why and the meaning of life.
The fire of God will consume or refine.
John 6:11 (ESV Strong's)
Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.
Jesus is the bread from heaven. Fish are those who have come from the waters of mankind. This meal signifies the union of heaven and earth as they are eaten together.
Matthew 25:1-2 (ESV Strong's)
1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
Is it possible to believe in Jesus, to be cleansed of sin as a virgin in Christ, and yet not be ready for His return? What did Jesus say? What would you say?
Psalms 24:1-2 (ESV Strong's)
A PSALM OF DAVID.1 The earth is the LORD'S and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
From the darkness of the the sea of mankind, the Lord cast His light and revealed the earth of man. This is the ground Adam was to tend and work before it was cursed for his disobedience.
The word of God is sown in the hearts of mankind and a great harvest will take place.
2 Chronicles 15:1-2 (ESV Strong's)
1 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
True then and true today. We can follow Him or turn back. It is always up to us.
We are made in God’s image when we enter the body of Christ because He took our body for His. This is the work and presence of the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 60:21-22 (ESV Strong's)
21 Your people shall all be righteous;
they shall possess the land forever,
the branch of my planting, the work of my hands,
that I might be glorified.
22 The least one shall become a clan,
and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I am the LORD;
in its time I will hasten it.
Israel is the olive tree from whom the branch of the Lord grows into the tree of life. The Bride of Christ is grafted into that tree as wild olive branches who are supported by the the root of Israel. This is done for and by the glory of God.
This will happen in its time.
.
Jeremiah 6:16 (ESV Strong's)
Thus says the LORD:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
The ancient path is prepared from the foundation of the world. Those who choose its way are predestined to be with the Lord.
Isaiah 54:5-8 (ESV Strong's)
5 For your Maker is your husband,
the LORD of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
6 For the LORD has called you
like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
says your God.
7 For a brief moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
8 In overflowing anger for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the LORD, your Redeemer.
God the Father is the husband of Israel. God the Son is the Bridegroom of the Bride of Christ: the Church.
The Lord of Hosts and our Redeemer are one.
Isaiah 45:7 (ESV Strong's)
I form light and create darkness,
I make well-being and create calamity,
I am the LORD, who does all these things.
The creation account begins with darkness and light.
The Garden of Eden contained both the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the tree of life.
They both represent the same thing and pertain only to man and his relationship to God. These are necessary to create man in the image of God. It is the Lord who is doing this new thing with us. All things work to the good for those who love the Lord.
Isaiah 44:18 (ESV Strong's)
They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand.
Every idol is made by someone who can’t see or comprehend the light, and thus remain in the darkness. They can only make what they know and reflect who they are.
Isaiah 44:7-8 (ESV Strong's)
7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
8 Fear not, nor be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
And you are my witnesses!
Is there a God besides me?
There is no Rock; I know not any.”
The word of the Lord was delivered by the Jews, by Israel. They are the appointed people to give witness to God. The ultimate manifestation of the word was the Son of Man who is God among us in the flesh of man, who came through the flesh of the Jewish nation.
He is the Rock who became a stone of stumbling and ultimately the cornerstone of the risen church. This rock is the firm foundation that cannot be shaken. It is the stepping stone into the kingdom of heaven.
Isaiah 44:1-2 (ESV Strong's)
1 “But now hear, O Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!
2 Thus says the LORD who made you,
who formed you from the womb and will help you:
Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
Israel has been chosen from the womb to be the servant to God in bringing His light into the world. They were predestined for this honor and burden.
The Church is formed after rebirth from above and transforming into the image of Christ. We are not chosen, but called. We choose to receive His life for our own. He welcomes all who will come.
Isaiah 43:18-19 (ESV Strong's)
18 “Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
The new thing is that the living waters rain down from heaven through the Holy Spirit who shows the way out of the wilderness and quenches the thirst of man for the word of God.
Isaiah 43:16 (ESV Strong's)
Thus says the LORD,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,
Moses parted the Red Sea for Israel to escape Egypt and Pharaoh’s army.
Jesus has made the way through the waters of mankind to escape the darkness of man for the light of God. He is the ark of our salvation that will come to rest on a new earth.
John 4:1-2 (ESV Strong's)
1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples),
The baptism with water is a sign of man confessing and coming to Jesus. It signifies making our hearts ready for the Lord, making His path straight through the wilderness of our hearts. It is something we do to acknowledge our faith in Him to cleanse us from our sin.
Jesus baptizes with the fire of the Holy Spirit that takes a ready heart and begins to transform us into new creations in the image of God with His abiding presence.
