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Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

2 Samual 22:2-3 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.

Today we are focusing on Jesus being the “horn of our salvation”. It has taken me awhile to connect with the word “horn”. I kept going back to the day my son brought the baritone home for 5th grade band.  That is my 21st century exposure to the horn. I am far removed from the meaning as used in the Bible. The horn in the Bible is one of power and strength which is exactly what I want it to be when talking about my salvation. The above verses are essentially the same found in Psalms and in 2 Samuel. David wrote these words of praise and thanksgiving after he defeated Saul.

A horn is part of an animal that protects them from harm and fights for them. It is a part of their body that is eternal….it never dies. It remains strong and competent even after the body has been separated from it. Have you ever seen a video of rams fighting? It’s not for the faint of heart and they typically fight to the death or until one of them retreats. They don’t kick or punch, they just ram their mighty horns together to the death. The winner is the strongest and most powerful of the herd and is able to carry on their lineage. Humans used these horns as trumpets to “sound the alarm” or as vessels to fill with oil. They also used them to fashion weapons and to adorn the 4 corners of the altar in the Old Testament. They were symbols of strength and power that no human could fabricate. Again, this is what I want when I’m talking about my salvation…the strongest and most powerful, the winner.

Jesus is the “horn of my salvation” – He is the strongest and most powerful. He fought for me to the death. There is no greater sacrifice than this.

I have tried to practice daily words of affirmation in the past. I would stand in front of the mirror in the morning and tell myself all the good things about me to set the tone for the day. It never worked…….because I was always floundering and changing my mind and having to continually remind myself that I was good enough. I have redirected my affirmations to remind myself of who God is in my life and the power that he has to do mighty things through me. These verses are great examples of these affirmations.

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are my rock, my fortress and my deliverer from all that I will face today. In you I will take refuge. You are my shield of protection and the mighty horn of my salvation. You are my stronghold – not the things of this world that seem to weigh me down. Thank you Father for these promises. Please bring these promises to my mind throughout the day when I feel overwhelmed or defeated. Thank you for saving me.

Amen

 

 

Todays Reading: Isaiah 43:15; Luke 1:35; I John 2:20

A Portion from the Nicene Creed

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.

The Holy Spirit is one of the most abstract, yet most personal manifestations of God that we interact with on a daily basis. We are currently in the Easter Season of the liturgical calendar.  Several years ago, it was revealed to me that Easter was not only a specific day, Resurrection Day, but Easter is a season of joy and happiness and new life that begins on Resurrection Sunday and last for 50 days ending with Pentecost Sunday (the fifth Sunday after Passover).  It is this particular day that the Holy Spirit and mankind reunited.

We as a people are able to reconcile God the Father.  There are many religions that believe in a higher being and creator.  The people of the book: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all can trace back our origins to God the Creator.

God the Son: Jesus Christ, it the pinnacle transformation of God for Christians.  Jesus is the ultimate union of God and Man in a single being.  This union allowed God to create a life that was able to fully feel, breathe, and comprehend the completion of the human experience.  This allowed Christ to fully understand the full gambit of emotions and experiences that we all have face or will face in our life including death.

God the Spirit is one that has been in more direct intimate union with us more the other images of God since creation.  This is the best gift that we as Christian believers have available to us: God the Spirit. He is the comforter to all of our needs.  He is the true manifestation of God in us and abides within each of us.  This full purpose of Christ coming to earth was to reconcile the people with the Spirit which was disconnected in the garden.  The reason that it is hard for many to understand God the Spirit is because of the relationship with God the Father and God the Son. These relationships have to be created and maintained in order to see the fullness of the power of the Spirit.

To better understand this relationship lets look at our relationships.  I have been blessed to have many relationships throughout my life.  Many of the long-term relationships are forged on many different experiences and encounters. These relationships I have been son, brother, spouse, father, and friend.  In each of these relationships I have been intimately invested for the course of the relationship.  There have been elations and points of disputes in all of the roles, but we persist. If at any point I didn’t have open communication with these relationships, the connection would be damped or lost completely.  These connections have to be matured and maintained on a periodic basis.  The more frequent the interactions; the more connected with the individual you will be and the communication aspect will reflect it. There are times when I have a certain feeling or a time that I am under an immense amount of pressure and one of my close friends will call me without me first contacting them.  This type of relationship is one that God the Spirit is searching for in each of us.  He wants to be able to comfort and direct us in the times of the most difficult and challenging, but first we have to create the relationship with God the Father and God the Son.

For many of us we have to have tangible items to connect us with the intangible.  Here are some examples that have been given in the scriptures that can direct us to the true nature of God the Spirit. I believe a way that God communicates with us about his being is in the tangible elements of Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth.

                                                     Fire

Acts 2: 1-4

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested^[a] on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

~ God the Spirit appeared as actual fire to the believers on the day of Pentecost

Jeremiah 20:9

For the word of the Lord has become for me
    a reproach and derision all day long.
⁹ If I say, “I will not mention him,
    or speak any more in his name,”
there is in my heart as it were a burning fire
    shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in,
    and I cannot.

~ After being persecuted for prophesying Jeremiah tells that God the Spirit is like fire that is captured in him and will not allow him to be silent about the goodness and judgement of God.

                                                       Water

John 7: 37-39

³⁷ On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as^[f] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” ³⁹ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

                                                       Wind

Job 38:1 -3

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

² “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
³ Dress for action^[a] like a man;
    I will question you, and you make it known to me.

 Genesis 1: 1-2

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

                                                      Earth

Thinking of Spirit as earth, the Spirit is the one that creates the Shalom or inner peace within all that recognize him.  In the Jewish tradition Shalom means to make complete something that is not whole.  Imagine a fortress wall.  The main purpose of the wall is to maintain strength and fortify against intrusions.  If there are several bricks missing from the wall the integrity is compromised and the fortress is prone to attack.  This is our spiritual wall.  We all have many places that are weakened from current attack, past attacks, and future attacks.  If we are trying to mend these on own we will fail.  But God the Spirit is able to locate all of the weaknesses and re-fortify our walls if we have a relationship with Him.  He alone is able to give us this complete Shalom and peace that transcends our understanding.

One final thought:  God the Spirit was there before the earth was formed.  God the Spirit breathe life into Adam.  God the Spirit spoke through the prophets.  God the Spirit conceived Christ.  God the Spirit rose Christ from the dead.  God the Spirit communicated and performed miracles in the apostles.  God the Spirit is within each of us waiting to do amazing miracle in us if we allow Him.

God the Spirit,

Allow us to welcome you into our lives and acknowledge you in all that you do and have done for us.  Amen.

 

Leviticus 11:44 – For I am the Lord your God;  so consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy.  You shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm or crawls on the ground.

Joshua 24:19 – Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord [if you serve any other gods], for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His].  He will not forgive your transgression [of His law] or your sins.

1 Samuel 2:2 – There is no one holy like the Lord, There is no one besides You, there is no Rock like our God.

Isaiah 6:3 – And one called out to another, saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts;  The whole earth is filled with His glory.”

Revelation 4:8 – And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes all over and within [underneath their wings];  and day and night they never stop saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy [is the] Lord God, THE Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all], Who was and who is and who is to come [the unchanging, eternal God].”

The Greek word, “hagios”, is used 235 times in the New Testament.  The word is used in reference to many different things in the Bible.  The word is an adjective, a word that describes a characteristic of a person, place or thing.  

The word “hagios” is used in the Bible to describe things.  The ground is described as being “hagios”.  Faith is called “hagios”.  Women have been described as “hagios”.  Conversation and conduct are sometimes called “hagios”.  A city, a place, a covenant, a commandment, and the scriptures have all been called “hagios” in the Bible.  

God himself is described as “hagios”.  The one thing that is referred to as “hagios”, far more times than anything else in the Bible is the Spirit of God.

Do you have any idea what the English word for “hagios” is?  The word is ‘holy’.  God is holy, and the Spirit of God is holy!  But what does the word really mean?  The fundamental meaning of the word “hagios”, is ‘different and unlike the rest’.  So when the Bible says that God is holy, it means that God is different from all else.  And the Holy Spirit of God, is a Spirit that is different from all other spirits.  There is none like it.  It is unique, and it is separate and it is exclusive.

When the word holy is used to describe something other than God or His Spirit, it means that the thing being described is different from the world, and that it is “like God” in some way.

It is easier to think about God being holy and set apart than to think our ourselves as holy.  But what about you and me?  We are also called to be holy.

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;  for it is written:  “Be holy, because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:15 & 16

When I read this verse and think that I am to be holy because God is holy, I get overwhelmed because I know that I will fail.  But, we might misunderstand what this scripture is saying.  God is not saying that we need to be as holy as He is (that is impossible).  He told us to be holy BECAUSE He is holy.  

Holiness means absolute purity of our walk before God.  Every thought we think, every thing we do.  Thankfully, God, the Holy One, sent His Son Jesus for us so that we have any chance to live a Holy life here on earth.  We have to acknowledge our sin and accept the forgiveness He has offered.  Then God shares His own holiness with us in the person of His Son.  He washes away every sinful stain, then actually allows Jesus Christ to become our holiness.

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

1 Corinthians 1:30

In the Christian life, this is the process that we continue to live through.  We learn more about God’s holiness and consequently we learn more about our own sinfulness.  Then we acknowledge the sin, enjoy God’s forgiveness and give Him more control in our life.  We grow a little more in His holy likeness.  

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

2 Corinthians 7:1

As we grow in His image we become more and more set apart unto Him.  The more we get to know God as the Holy One, the more joy we bring to living.

When you think of someone who is “holy”, what comes to mind? Is it a perfect person who lives a completely spotless life, someone spending every waking moment in prayer and Scripture? Someone who has devoted their entire life to helping the sick and poor in God’s name? Someone who’s given every penny they own to the church? The word has such weighty connotations it’s easy to consider anything “holy” to be unnatural in this broken world – but the reality is simpler. Coming from a Hebrew term for separation, holiness is a quality denoted to anything or anyone set apart as separate from normality. Only God is perfectly holy – separated completely from sin and anything imperfect. Nothing and no one is like God; free of fault, perfectly just, and wise beyond our understanding. Only God Most High is holy in every single aspect, but anything, from place to artifact to person, that has been recognized by God as special and not entirely of this world could be considered holy in some aspect.

Importantly, we should think of ourselves as holy. As Christians, our faith should ideally guarantee our wholehearted pursuit of holiness. But human nature is sinful and broken, and of course we have trouble committing to spiritual purity and connection with God on our own accord. Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross accomplishes with a totality we aren’t capable of achieving. It makes overcoming sin, separating yourself from the ways of the world, and forming that resulting personal connection with God a possibility. As 1 Corinthians 1:30 says, “because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” From Jesus’s death we have been made clean, redeemed and set right, and in His resurrection, the sting of death has been eradicated and our sanctification has been made eternal.

In 1 Peter 1:16, the apostle Peter references God’s commands in Leviticus 20:26: “you shall be holy, for I am holy.” Last weekend, we celebrated Jesus’s victory over death that guaranteed our sanctification. Now that we are free to follow God’s commands, how has this verse, this call to be holy, been reflected in your own life? How have you lived differently this week in response to the call of Easter Sunday? How have you acted on God’s word and acted in the same righteous, generous, and blameless manner that we have been commanded? Think about the ways you’ve embodied holiness this week. Maybe you’ve consciously treated others more kindly when it did not come easily. Maybe you went out of your way to show generosity towards a family member or friend in need, offering help purely as its own reward. Perhaps when your old sinful habits and urges crept into your consciousness, you turned heavenward to the Redeemer instead of inward to your own self-gratification.

However you have felt changed, whatever form Jesus’s purchase of your sanctification took, it pleases God and makes you further set apart from sin: more holy, more like His example. The Lord delights in the kindness, justice, and righteousness we display, taken from His example. And of course, to further follow the Lord’s example is to further learn how to be more like the holy God we serve. I pray in the meantime for this pure holiness be revealed to you through God’s word and through the changes He makes in your life. It is not easy for people in this world to turn away from the sin that permeates it, to consciously separate themselves from its ways, but anything is possible for our holy God.

 

Jude 24

 

The book of Jude was written by Jesus’ brother Jude, who was a leader in the early church. This book was written as a warning against false teaching. At this point in history it seems that people were opposing the incarnation of Christ and the call to Christian ethics, so Jude spoke to the importance of the relationship between true doctrine and right conduct. In these short 25 verses, Jude points out that there are ungodly people that have wormed their way into churches and profess that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. He goes on to say that all through out the Bible there are examples of how God dealt with people who chose to not stay faithful to His instruction. In verse 12 he says that these people are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck us, and that they are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. He goes on to say in verse 16 that these people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want. Then he tells us in verse 19 that these people are the ones who are creating divisions in the church and that they follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s spirit in them. Then in verse 20 Jude starts his instruction to believers. “You must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.” Jude closes his letter with the blessing, promise and declaration of verses 24 and 25. “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!”

We can see the same type of issues in our society today. We are often challenged in our faith and drawn to take advantage of God’s mercy. Temptation is never far away because there are people everywhere who don’t have the Spirit of God in them. Did you notice the instructions God left us in verse 20 to combat these people and their propositions? Build each other up in our faith, pray for each other and await God’s mercy. These instructions are so practical! Right now, most of us have the gift of time, so we actually can search out ways to build each other up that would be meaningful. We have more time now than ever to spend lifting others to God in prayer. Waiting on God’s return feels more comforting than usual with all that is going on in the world right now.

Look again at verse 24. “All glory to God who is able to keep you from falling away.” How are we so loved and so blessed that God offers to keep us from falling away from Him to false teachers? He loves us so deeply that He protects our hearts and minds when we commit to following Him, and He tells us how we can re-enforce our commitment to Him through building each other up in faith, praying for each other and waiting on Him. The most beautiful gift, to me, is that He promises to bring us with great joy to heaven with Him, without a single fault! I can hardly wrap my head around this promise when I know what is in my heart, and how I behave, and how often I choose other things over God. I don’t deserve the gifts in this promise. I am so far from “without a single fault” and I am powerless to present myself any other way to God. He knew this would be the case for every single one of us. He wanted so much to be with us for eternity because of His huge love for us, that He made a plan that caused Him to pay the price for our sin instead of us having to do it for ourselves. He took the punishment for our wrong, so we could be presented without a single fault. I have known this truth since I was 4 years old, and I still can’t really grasp the full reality of this plan or the completion of it. I don’t know all that God knows and I am not the same kind of love that He is. But I have seen His personal love for me in so many tangible ways, that I know whether I can understand all of it or not, that His plan is real and true. I don’t have words to describe my gratefulness inside. I hope this morning, that each of us takes a few minutes to try to express our awareness and esteem for our loving Father and the good good gifts He provides.