LOVE MADE PERFECT – LIKE HIS
Wednesday – August 7, 2019, Av 6, 5779
Greetings to our wonderful and precious friends and partners of this Ministry and followers of this blog. None of you are taken for granted and are prayed for each day. If you are reading this on Facebook please take a moment to “love” the teaching and “share” it. Thank you for partnering with us to spread the Truth. The featured pictures this week are of various scenes here in Maine and Friday will be of my help-meet and yours truly as usual. We speak the love of God to one and all. Now, let’s turn our attention to our primary Bible text and delve as deep as the Holy Spirit will take us today.
John 11:53-57 (KJV)
53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.
55 And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.
56 Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast?
57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.
When I left off yesterday, we were examining verse fifty-four which led us into a discussion, an extraordinarily serious discussion about fear. Jesus did not walk openly with the Jews because that was the will of the Father and not due to fear of the Jews (fear has torment). Except at the Cross and in Hell was Jesus tormented but even on the Cross and in Hell He had no fear. Love, Godly love (agape) is a spiritual force and is far superior to any natural force. It is imperative that each of us make the quality decision that the Word of God is true, not just for others but for me, and there is no other truth, no other outcome, period. We don’t stop loving (agape) a person even when they are nailing us to a cross. I also ended yesterday with enumerating the Bible Numerology of the 1st John passage so let’s refresh memory to the passage and numbers.
1 John 4:16-19 (KJV)
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, 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 casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
Sixteen is the number of love, seventeen is the number of victory, eighteen is the number of bondage, and nineteen the number of faith. Isn’t it interesting that having unshakeable faith in the love of God, knowing that God is love comes in the sixteenth verse? If God is love, we also are love since we are made in His image and likeness. We have His spiritual DNA and soon in the Resurrection we will have His physical DNA. This deal cannot be touched by any other deal. Verse seventeen tells us that doing verse sixteen brings us to a place where we will have no fear in the “day of judgment” (Bema of Christ) for as He is today (His love) so is ours (our love) in this world. Yes, it is possible, the Bible says so right here! It is interesting that verse eighteen tells us about the bondage of fear, torment is an awful prison and is never of God. We can use fear and torment as a barometer to evaluate our love of God and what we believe about God’s love towards us. I know that I for one have some work to do and that work will not stop until there is zero fear concerning ALL things. We end this exercise with verse nineteen, nineteen is the number of faith. This verse makes it clear that if God had not loved (agape) us we would have no hope of loving Him back and entering the wonderful salvation offered so freely to all.
Now, back to our text from the Book of John and verse fifty-four. We are told here that Jesus went “into a country” and “into a city named Ephraim”. We first see this name as one of the sons of the Patriarch Joseph.
Genesis 41:52 (KJV)
52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
The name means not only to be fruitful but double fruit. Adam was the first-born son of God in the earth (sinless man who sinned) and Scripture refers to Jesus as the last Adam (sinless man who did not sin) (1 Co 15:45). The first born in Jewish Law receives the double portion and Jesus is the first-born from the dead, spiritual death. Jesus going to Ephraim is a prophetic picture of His being the first born (from the dead) and as the first-born son having the double portion. By the way, each of us in Him as also first-born sons, joint heirs and partakers of the double portion. Review these wonderful Scriptures.
Romans 8:29 (KJV)
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Colossians 1:18 (KJV)
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Hebrews 12:22-23 (KJV)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Because He lives, we live also, rejoice, and again I say rejoice!
Until our next publication, as a Bible Teacher and Prophetic Voice I speak this blessing over each and every one of you, receive it by faith in Jesus name!
Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)
24 The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;
26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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