Word for Life in Love— Scripture Meditations By Stephen Brown
The six days of creation started beginning with God. He begins as the man Jesus and is the beginning of man made in the image of God. He starts as the Son of Man and ends as the perfected Son of God united in the flesh of man.
In the end we receive the image of God and just as He received the flesh of man and we receive His Spirit to become the sons of God in the body of Christ. Awaiting us will be our resurrected bodies which will be like His.
Matthew 5:5 ESV
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
The meek are those who have humbled themselves at the feet of Christ and placed their trust in Him as the Lord in their life. They overcome the world of self and receive the life of Christ.
Those who overcome the world will reign with Him.
Revelation 5:10
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
Revelation 3:21
The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
This mourning leads to repentance. Repentance opens the door to the kingdom of heaven. All who repent will receive the Holy Spirit who is our Comforter/Helper sent by Christ. We are blessed in the presence of the Lord who abides within. Those who mourn will receive the morning star.
The six days of creation started beginning with God. Jesus is the beginning of man made in the image of God. In the end man receives the image of God and become the sons of God in the body of Christ. Awaiting us will be our resurrected bodies which will be like His.
Matthew 5:1-3 ESV
The Sermon on the Mount
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
The Beatitudes
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Only the poor in spirit can come to Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven. Only someone poor in spirit can repent and make a straight way for Christ. We can only make room for His Spirit if our spirit is not puffed up with pride. The way to God is a narrow path and few will find it. If you are in Christ, you found it.
Proverbs 8:18-21 (ESV)
18 Riches and honor are with me,
enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
in the paths of justice,
21 granting an inheritance to those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.
The wisdom of the Lord brings to us our inheritance of the blessings of heaven. The wise man walks with Him to claim it.
Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
These cosmic powers here on earth and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places battle against God in the battlefield of the heart of man.
There is darkness in the light of heaven, just as there light in the darkness of the earth. All things of creation will be righted by the justice of our Creator.
4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
These verses capture the big picture of God’s purpose in creation. He divided creation into light and dark, into heaven and earth. Then He begins to separate the light from the darkness, which will be the light of the world entering the darkness of man, first in the flesh of Jesus, then in the flesh of you and me. The difference in the life of man is like the difference between night and day.
And God saw that the light was good.
Nehemiah 9:9-12 (ESV)
9 “And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. 11 And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. 12 By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go.
Christ came to earth and made a name for Himself, a name He will share with us. We are being carried over the sea of the world into the dry land of the kingdom of heaven. Those who are opposed to God will sink as a stone in the waters of man. Jesus leads us in the way we should go because He is the way.
Revelation 3:7 (ESV)
To the Church in Philadelphia
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.
Revelation 3:12-13 (ESV)
12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The holy and true one is Jesus. He is the Holy Son of God and is the way, truth, and the life of the Father. It is He who opened the door of heaven and He alone will shut the door.
That door leads to the new Jerusalem and the Bride of Christ who bears His name and becomes the living temple of God because He dwells in us.
Nehemiah 8:12 (ESV)
And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
Jesus declared the word of the gospel to all the world. It has gone to the ends of the earth. Understanding that word is an ongoing process as new people arrive on the planet and as the Holy Spirit continues to lead us into all truth.
There is great joy that comes with the word revealed and great comfort as our faith in Jesus grows stronger.
Revelation 3:1 (ESV)
To the Church in Sardis
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
Revelation 3:5-6 (ESV)
5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
The seven spirits of God are the seven flames that burn before His throne. They represent the fullness of the refining fire of the Holy Spirit that abides in the Church of the body of Christ. The seven stars represent the light of the world present in His body.
The one who conquers the world of the earth within with the obedience and perseverance made possible by faith will be clothed in heaven in the image, or likeness of Jesus.
If we persevere in confessing Jesus, He will confess us and will never blot our names from the book of life. If we follow the leading of the Spirit and listen to His words, we will find the way to the Lord and see Him face to face.
Revelation 2:12 (ESV)
To the Church in Pergamum
“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Revelation 2:16-17 (ESV)
16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
The words of His mouth come to us by the Holy Spirit who is the sword of truth, who divides the soul from the spirit. The soul is the natural man who inhabits a body of death. The spirit awakened by His Spirit will inhabit a body of life, and that everlasting.
The hidden manna is the bread of life. The white stone is one clothed in the righteousness of Jesus who becomes a stone of the living temple of God. The new name we receive will be our new life as the perfected sons of God. Only those who know the Lord as the sons of God will know the Lord as part of His family, flesh of His flesh and bone of His bones.
Revelation 2:18 (ESV)
To the Church in Thyatira
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
Revelation 2:25-29 (ESV)
25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Christ has eyes that see creation through the pure and Holy eyes of the Father, for the word is God. His feet are like burnished bronze that the refining fire perfected as the way of salvation through His death and resurrection in the flesh of man.
The one who overcomes the world will rule the world with the authority of our Father. The morning star is the light of the world. As sons of God, we will shine as the children of light and be revealed as sons of God. This will be the Bride of Christ that descends with Christ from heaven as the new Jerusalem and the temple of God.
Psalms 105:4 (NASB)
Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face continually.
Those who persevere to the end will see Him face to face. In the meantime, the light of His face shines on us continuously as we continue to seek Him. We have become one with Him in the world. It will be a glory of another kind when we become one with Him in heaven.
Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)
Ask, and It Will Be Given
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
The blessings of heaven are there for the asking. If we ask for forgiveness, we will be forgiven. If we seek the Lord to fill our hearts with His grace and truth, we will find our hearts filled with His presence. If we knock on heaven’s door, it will be opened and we will receive our inheritance as the sons of God.
All along the way the Lord is with us and He waits to receive us face to face. It is up to us to go in that way.
Revelation 2:8 (ESV)
To the Church in Smyrna
“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
Revelation 2:11 (ESV)
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
The word of Jesus Christ comes through His Holy Spirit. Jesus is the beginning and end of man made in the image God. Those who die to Him come to life in Him, which is life eternal in fellowship with God. Let us each listen to His Spirit who delivers His word to the heart of man.
1 Peter 1:15-16 (ESV)
15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
We are not perfect, but we are holy, a people of God. We are the holy ground of His presence in the world as the Holy Spirit dwells in the body of Christ.
Our perfection will be achieved when we are resurrected and meet Him face to face. We will be like Him in body and Spirit, a son of God.
Revelation 2:1 (ESV)
To the Church in Ephesus
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
Revelation 2:7 (ESV)
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
The seven stars and the seven lampstands represent the Church as a whole until His return. Seven is the number of perfection and completeness. These letters of Christ apply to the Church which is the body of Christ. The letters end with a promise to the one who overcomes the worldly nature of man by persevering in faith and obedience to the Lord.
The angels of the churches is the Holy Spirit who speaks to each one of us. Those who persevere in faith and the leading of His Spirit will be joined with the Lord as the Bride of Christ. It will be glorious to enter and be in the paradise of God, but more so if we can eat from the tree of life.
Nehemiah 4:21-23 (ESV)
21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.
The enemies of God surround us and threaten the house of God which is the body of Christ.
Let us do the work of the Lord while we still have the light of day. We have the sword of truth in our hands and are clothed in the armor of God. Let us persevere in our faith and reliance on the Lord. He is ever with us.
Nehemiah 2:20 (ESV)
Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”
Only the Jews have Jerusalem as their portion, or inheritance. Only the Jews have the right to Jerusalem bestowed on them by the will of God. Only the Jews have the deed to Jerusalem which is the word of God.
Luke 3:21-22 (ESV)
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
At the baptism of Jesus, the heavens were opened. They were opened to the flesh of man through the obedience of Jesus, the Son of Man. This allowed the the Holy Spirit to descend to the earth and enter Jesus in bodily form.
God entered the flesh of man through through the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the obedience of Christ, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended bodily into the flesh of man. Thus Jesus would become the exact image of God in creation. He was the begotten Son of God in the form of man who came to dwell among us.
The body of Christ received the fullness of the Holy Spirit at His baptism of the water of repentance, though the He was without sin. This was done to fulfill the way of the righteousness of man. He opened the doors of heaven and showed us the way to pass through them.
When He ascended into heaven in bodily form, the Spirit went with Him. With the flesh of man raised into heaven, the Spirit of God would return to earth and be given to the new body of Christ, which are those who believe in Jesus and His work of the salvation of man.
When the time is right, those in the body of Christ will likewise ascend in bodily form into heaven to be with Christ. The Holy Spirit will return from the earth in bodily form which is the body of Christ.
John 14:15-17 (ESV)
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
Revelation 1:1 (ESV)
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
The servants of God are His people of Israel. Revelation shows the conclusion of the wrath of God for their disobedience and their reconciliation with the Lord.
The body of Christ is made up of the children of God. From this body will come the Bride of Christ.
John 15:14-15 (ESV)
14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
Psalms 102:25-26 (ESV)
25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
Verse 26 might be translated:
They will wander away, but you will remain;
They will all fail, clothed in deceit
You will change them like a garment, and they shall be renewed
At the end, the Lord will stand clothed in the New Creation. So it will be for the body of Christ.
Mark 6:2-3 (ESV)
2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
They heard His wisdom and yet took offense at Him. This is another example of “judging a book by its cover” rather than the content within. It is the difference between seeing and knowing. True understanding lies in the knowing.
It is more desirable to know Christ than to see Him. It determines whether or not we remain in His presence at the wedding supper with His Bride.
John 14:4-5 (ESV)
4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Thomas had not yet realized that the path to God was in the person of Jesus, his teacher and guide. The journey can only be made by personally knowing Jesus and walking with Him. Anyone can know the way by believing in the Son of God. Come and see.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
To believe in God is to believe in Jesus, for they are one. When we enter the body of Christ, we become one with them. The Holy Spirit abides in our hearts to comfort us with His truth and life.
Jesus is the Son of God who is God in creation.
God the Father is the God of the beginning of creation and later Jesus confirms that He is the beginning and the end. All of creation is made by, through, and in Him. He is the word of God that was in the beginning.
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.
We now live in these tents of our mortal bodies. The mansions Christ is preparing for us is when we are clothed with immortality, when our bodies are resurrected and translated into the fullness of a new creation.
Psalms 139:14 (ESV)
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
The natural man is fearfully and wonderfully made. He shares the wonder and glory inherent in all of God’s creation. He shares the breath of life God gave every creature and beast of the earth.
The final work of creation is when man receives the breath of God. The Holy Spirit fills us with the life of God and our souls know the joy and peace of eternal life.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (ESV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
Christ is the new creation. He is God with us. Those in the body of Christ have the Spirit of God within and are no longer of the world.
In Him we move and have our being.
John 1:6-8 (ESV)
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
John personified the role of Israel to bear witness in the world of the coming of the Lord. They have been bearing the light to prepare us to receive the truth of God.
The first Adam revealed the darkness of man. The second Adam is the light of the world. The word of God bears witness of the coming of His light that draws man from the darkness until man becomes one with God in the body of Christ.
John 1:38-39 (NIV)
38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
The trajectory of our life will be shaped by the faith and perseverance that characterize our walk. It is by faith we are saved and by perseverance we will be with Jesus. Both work together as we follow Him. He invites us to come and see where He is staying. I don’t think we will be disappointed.
Acts 1:5 (ESV)
for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
The greatest Old Testament prophet according to Jesus was John. The Law was given to lead us to repentance. John’s baptism symbolizes that repentance that prepares us for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He seals us in the salvation of Christ and leads us into the truth of God.
Ezra 7:10 (ESV)
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.
I have set my heart to study the word of the Lord, and to do it and to proclaim His word to others. This is the essence of being a disciple of Christ.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Why do bad things happen to good people? To make them better. To teach us of the world and ourselves. Life happens to all people, good or bad. Life is for learning and the highest wisdom is fearing God. It is a narrow road the leads to Him, but He has made a way.
Ezra 6:19-20 (NIV)
19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. 20 The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves.
In the first covenant, the priests and Levites would purify themselves and were thus ceremonially clean to serve the Lord.
In the New Covenant, we wash ourselves with the waters of repentance and we are purified by the gift of the mercy of Christ. Not just ceremonially clean, but purified in the holy and refining fire of the Holy Spirit. It is not something we do, but He does for us. He washes our feet clean as we continue to follow Him in the wilderness of the world.
2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
The Holy Spirit is the breath of God. His Spirit hovered over the darkness of the deep waters in Genesis, overshadowed Mary in the Gospels, and descends on the body of Christ in the world today. He will resurrect our bodies to be with and be like Jesus.
He is the Spirit of truth and gives witness of that truth, which is profitable for salvation.
Psalms 102:18-22 (ESV)
18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
19 that he looked down from his holy height;
from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die,
21 that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD,
and in Jerusalem his praise,
22 when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.
We are that generation that has come in the name of the Lord. We are freed from the death of sin and able to worship Him in Spirit with our spirits reborn in His presence.
Let us declare His name with praise and thanksgiving.
Matthew 11:30 (ESV)
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
His yoke is light because we are no longer burdened by the weight of death.
John 18:36 (NIV)
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
He came into our world to open the door to life in His kingdom, which is in another place. Those who pass through this door will find themselves in another place, yet in the same body. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within, preparing and transforming us into the body of Christ.
The kingdom begins in the heart of every believer and will multiply until His kingdom is fully established on earth.
