Shepherd's Lighthouse Church

2 Tim 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does  not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any  two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

2 Tim 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Pastor Allister Begg said in part A of his excellent sermon, “The Evangelical Crisis”:

“What is contained in a sermon has to be framed in the big picture, or what is called, the Meta-narrative.  What is said is from the Scriptures and fits with the over-arching plan of God.  From the good in Creation to the bad of the Fall to the new of Redemption and to the perfect of Heaven.

And that within that great sweep of God’s purpose, the unearthing of the text with mind-searching logic, and heart stirring passion is the task of the person entrusted with the responsibility. ”

2 Tim 4:1-2 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:  Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

God has assured us that He is a revealer to those who seek Him with all their heart.

^"… you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find him, if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deut 4:29

Psalm 119:2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!

Over the years I have searched the Scriptures with diligence, seeking to understand what God has put there to His glory; and with the guidance of His Holy Spirit I have been thrilled to discover our God’s true intent in many of the pictures and examples He has given us in His Word. 

Together these pictures present for our edification what Allister Begg has called the “over-arching plan of God”.

Remember that God has promised in Jer 29:11 that He has a plan for us, “.. a plan not to harm us, but to prosper us and to give us a future.” 

It has been my delight to share what the Lord has revealed to me with anyone who would hear and understand. 

Not that I would be admired but that God would be exalted; 

And that we could experience together that thrill that can only come from the Holy Spirit leaping within us as we marvel at the integrity of God’s Holy Word.

The meta-narrative of the Bible is simply the promise that what was lost in Adam would be restored in Christ Jesus.

While many are content to accept the classical arguments for the existence of God as the reason for their faith, I find my faith in the integrity of God’s Word.

God has skillfully hidden His meta-narrative in many historical events of the OT – these I refer to as living parables.

They are parables in that they present pictures of the person and purpose of the promised redeemer, and they are “living” because they are historical events and conditions that happened to real people. 

It is precisely because of these living parables and their fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth that I can say with the utmost confidence that the Bible is the supernatural Word of God.

First of all take note of the fact that the content of the Bible was written over a period of about 1500 years by 40 different people.

Contrary to the claims of so many who would attack the veracity of the Scriptures, the Biblical record faithfully anticipates the coming of Christ in ways that the writers could not possibly have understood.

There had to be times when they would put down their writing instrument in wonderment of what they had just written.

Why?  Because much of what they were writing was completely outside of their experience and totally detached from their time and culture. 

So much of what was written could only be understood centuries later when the elements of the parable came to pass.

This is the true nature of prophesy - God is not a prognosticator.

He is not a fortune teller.

All the attempts to interpret or explain the meaning of Biblical prophesy continues to meet with endless speculation.

This is because God's prophetic Scriptures are only understood after the fact.

As an example, we can see in the OT pictures (types snd shadows) what could only be understood by crucifixion – a means of execution that was unknown at the time that the parables were written.

Also the meta-narrative had to faithfully connect the beginning of the promise (the protevangelian) with its fulfillment in Christ and His Cross.

This it has done in so many ways that are well beyond coincidence or accident.

Just one of the elements that relate is the word “pierce” in its various forms.

We can find one of these pictures in Joshua leading the people from the wilderness into the promise by the crossing of a barrier facilitated by one who was pierced (Zaretan: from a root meaning, to pierce or puncture).  Joshua 3:16

This event occurred at the Barley Harvest; the exact time of the resurrection of Jesus almost 15 centuries before the fact.

We can find another in the recovery of an ax (barzel: from a root meaning, to pierce) from the Jordan river in the same location about six centuries before the Cross of Christ. 2 Kings 6

In Psalm 22:16 it speaks of being pierced in the hands and feet 1000 years before the Cross of Christ.

In Zechariah 12:10 it declares, “… they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced …”

This was five centuries before Jesus.

On the cross Jesus was pierced in His head with a crown of thorns, in His hands and feet with nails, and in His side with a spear.

Even the means of Christ’s death being a cross could not be known before the fact because stoning was the Jewish method of punishment.

The elements surrounding His crucifixion was beyond His control.

These and many more pictures are scattered throughout the OT and should persuade all but the most implacable and recalcitrant individuals to say, surely here is strong evidence that the Bible is not of human origin.

I hope that I have shown something of how God has embedded Himself in His Word and made the Scriptures come alive in a way that gives Him the glory that He deserves.

Psalm 138:2 says, “I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.”

I know that there is disagreement on the translation of this verse. 

But I believe that God has preserved this translation as it is in the KVJ for the following reasons:

John 1:1-5 proclaims, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

God has many names – each corresponding to His attributes.

Yehovah Yireh - Provider. 

Yehovah Rapha - Healer.

Yehovah Nissi - Banner. 

Yehovah Tsidkenu - Righteousness. 

To name a few of the common ones…

The priesthood of ancient Israel called Him Eli Laah Shadai El Elian Adonai - Jehovah - the mighty self existent One; the adorable Master.

He has many, many names -

But He has only ONE WORD – and Jesus is that WORD.

Col 2:9 declares that He is the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form.

Col 1:16-17 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on  earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Col 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the  firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 

What is in a name?

Shakespeare said that, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” 

But the name without the Word is just a label - it is the Word of God that completes the name of God.

The Word is the substance.

Jesus is the WORD of God. He is the Aleph and the Tav,

He is the beginning and the end. 

He is the cause and the effect.

Jesus is the promise and the fulfillment.

He is the invisible made visible. 

He is the unknown made known.

He is the incomprehensible made understandable.

And He is our defense against a formidable adversary.

He is Adonai – our Lord and Master.

He is Jesus our soon coming King.

He was destined from eternity past and He will lead the faithful into eternity future.

And Phi 2:10-11 declares that, “… Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord of all to the glory of God.”

Amen