Things that weren't told

John 21:25

And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.

It seems that from what John indicates here at the close of his gospel, that we are only told a fraction of all the things that could be told about the earthly ministry of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. When one looks at the first chapter of Mark's gospel we see there an action-packed full day from v21 to v34 for the tireless servant of God. We see also in v35 that the next day he rises a great while before day for prayer! Sometimes we think we've had a busy day but I think nothing compared to the full days of the Son of Man. The example of Creation in Genesis 1 must surely be our guide as to how God uses his days. Each day there was mighty accomplishments and awesome creatorial feats, each divided by the statement "and the evening and the morning were the xxx day". There must have been so much more that went unrecorded in those 3 and a half years f public service! Perhaps we will know more of this when we get to glory and spend eternity with Him.

1 Corinthians 2:9-11

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

If our first reference took us to the PAST, then this reference takes us to the PRESENT. Sometimes we here v9 quoted in relation to our future in Heaven, but then v10 reminds us that these things are for us here and now, as revealed by the Spirit of God!

We are reminded that these things are the deep things of God and v11 may be better rendered "the thoughts of God", what a tremendous thing! That we can know the thoughts and mind of God should surely thrill the heart of every believer. They have not been told or revealed to the world, they can know nothing of this, these things are revealed to believers by the indwelling Holy Spirit, later on we read "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." What a privilege! There is always more we can obtain from God's Word, we shall never exhaust it, the Spirit will always reveal new things to us, but we must apply ourselves and read and study the Word if we are to benefit from it. As we have learned though, these things are not obtained by academic achievement or intellectual prowess, but are available to every believer by the Holy Spirit who "shall teach you all things."

1 Kings 10:4-8

And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.

Sometimes we apply these verses to our present experience with coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ, but I would like to look to the FUTURE with this reference. After all, these words were spoken as the Queen of Sheba met King Solomon face to face, so I would like to encourage our hearts by reminding us that one day soon we shall meet the "greater than Solomon", great David's greater Son. John tells us in Revelation 22; "And they shall see his face..." how this should lift our hearts!

So the Queen surveys the scene before her and she took it all in - the glory of the king, and surely nothing will compare to the glory of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in that coming day. She takes in the glorious abode he had built, and surely our minds turn to John 14; "In my Father's house are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you." She sees the multitude of servants and their apparel, and my mind went to Revelation 19 when John describes the Church - "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." 

The Queen proclaims - "Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom" and my mind once again turned to the future scene described in Revelation 22 - "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him" No more sadness, sorrow or suffering!

The Queen is overcome and amazed, for the half was not told her and surely this is will be our response when we see all that God has in store for us! I think of that chorus we sometimes sing:

"Wonderful Savior, wonderful Friend,

Wonderful life that never shall end;

Wonderful place, He has gone to prepare,

Wonder of wonders I shall be there!" 

 

3 incorruptible things in 1 Peter 1

Peter in the first chapter of his first epistle reminds us of 3 unchanging, incorruptible and eternal truths for the believer in Christ. They stand in stark contrast to the unstable, ever-changing, unreliable and restless world in which we find ourselves:

"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away" v 24

An incorruptible inheritance (v 4)

Peter reminds his readers that although they were enduring present testing and  sufferings, there was a glorious prospect ahead of them. The inheritance was:

• incorruptible


• undefiled


• it wouldn't fade away


• it was reserved in heaven for them

What a word of encouragement for them and for us today!

An incorruptible redemption (v 18)

Peter reminds them that they were bought with a price (1 Cor 6 and 7) and that this payment had not been made with the corruptible measures of man, but with something invaluable and precious! The precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's value is inestimable before God, it never devalues or diminishes, and it can never be cancelled out! What was paid at Calvary is for all eternity, praise his name.

The incorruptible Word of God (v23)

Finally Peter reminds us that we have been born again, we have new life from that seed that was planted, the incorruptible Word of God.

I think the words of the Lord Jesus were in Peter's mind here as he recalled the parable of the sower. The seed was dispersed by the sower, with differing results. Both Mark's and Luke's Gospel make it clear that the sower sowed the Word of God (the Gospel) and it is this that germinates and grows into fruit (salvation). The Word of God is incorruptible and endureth forever, it is his Word and is perfect, complete and inerrant.

"And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you"

Give thanks and praise God!

Yours in Christ, Mark

 

Top 5 Bible Study Aids...

[caption id="attachment_62" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Another important study aid; a good cup of coffee..."][/caption]

Hopefully this will spark a bit of constructive debate/feedback! I thought it might be useful to offer to you all my recommendations on what I consider to be my own choice of top 5 Bible study aids. Of course everyone will have their own thoughts on what works best for them, but these are mine, feel free to put your comments on your own views below the post! Joking aside, I have no doubt that if these 5 things were to find a place in your Bible study that you would appreciate the benefit they bring. So in no particular order...

1. Wide Margin Study Bible

I really believe in Bible marking, it helps you to remember good thoughts/meanings/structures about a passage whether they are gleaned in private study or in a teaching meeting. It also helps to have them their on the Bible page in front of you (rather than strewn around in notebooks all over) so they are readily available when referring to a passage in future meetings and can really help you build up a good knowledge of a section as these notes grow over time. I have an Oxford wide margin that I have tentatively started to mark, their are other suitable Bibles to use, just make sure the paper is thick enough and the margins big enough to be useful! Best pens for marking? I haven't found better than Pilot G-Tec C4's yet at the time of writing, they don't bleed through my Bible pages, the nib is tiny for small writing and they are just a couple of quid each.

2. Vines Expository Dictionary

You've got to have it, you just have to. My grandad gave me mine when I was a teenager and it has been invaluable to me over the years. Want to learn more about a word? Look it up in Vines and he will shed light on the meaning and different shades of meaning in relation to the word. Even looking up simple words that you think you know the meaning of can produce further benefit and understanding, which is the wonderful thing about the Word of God.

3. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Again, an essential Bible study tool. This is really how I started doing little studies, by looking up a word, noting down the references of interest and then trying to link them and build something from it. This is a very satisfying way to study the scriptures and it has stayed with me and provided me with lots of satisfying mini studies over the years. With Strong's you can also look up a word and it will give you the word in the original language and it's root meaning, this too can also be helpful in your understanding of a passage.

4. Online Bible/e-Sword etc...

Of course if you don't like big books for some reason, or if you are too young and trendy and love your computer then a good alternative to the 2 books above is to use a good online Bible, or if you are like me you can use it in conjunction with the books! I always find it handy to have as it is so quick to look for references and copy and paste into other documents. Also it comes with Strong's built in so you can just hover over a word and it will give you the Strong's number and tell you the original word and meaning. Super. You can also often get other study aids, books and resources that come with an 'online' Bible. The other great plus point is that they are often free (I use e-Sword and I believe this is still free, although donations can be made) so it is great value.

5. Morrish's Bible Dictionary

The title is a little confusing, as it's more of an encyclopaedia than a dictionary really. Just look up what you are interested in and you get a neat summary of the subject, with lots of references and helpful insights. Want to know more about the history of the Philistines? Want to do a character study on John Mark? Want to learn about Ephesus? Then use this book, it's a useful and invaluable study tool.

Bonus Item - Jensens Surveys

Ok so my 5 items are up but the online Bible was kind of an optional extra... The other study aid I have found very useful was Jensens Survey of the Old and New Testament, 2 books that have been very useful for me. The survey encourages you to speed read a book, then reread more carefully and pick out main sections of a book, themes, chapter divisions and such like. The guide also includes many useful charts, maps, tables and diagrams all designed to encourage a wider understanding of a book, hence the term 'survey'. The occasions I have used this to compliment my study it has been very useful and I have enjoyed studying this way.

So there we have it, a list of helpful books and aids that I offer as they have formed the mainstay of my Bible study for years now. Of course many other things could have been mentioned, commentaries and such like but I feel the best study aids are the ones that encourage self-study rather than actually giving you the teaching on a plate. Far better to get it yourself, although it's always nice to couple your own study with some wider reading from other gifted teachers of the Word.

Feel free to add your own Top 5 in the comments section, we could well revisit this topic soon!

Yours in Christ,

Mark.