Bible Doctrine Series-Jehovah-Shammah

Jehovah-Shammah—“the Lord is there (Ezekiel 48:35). The Hebrew word shammah is defined as “there, in that place, therein.” Jehovah-shammah means “The Lord is there.” This was the name given in description of the New Jerusalem envisioned by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 48:35). This city will be measured and built meticulously; being apportioned and assigned for the people of God. In the book of John, Jesus culminated His talk with His disciples during His final Passover feast. He had told them of His upcoming betrayal, the necessity of His leaving them, and their need to love one another as He had loved them. To encourage their troubled hearts and give them an eternal view toward which to hope, He left them (and us) with this promise: John 14:2-3 “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare as place for you. And If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” When Jesus left His disciples, He told them He was going to prepare as place for them in order that they may, at a later time, join Him. During the interim, all of us as His disciples must be prepared through the work of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:17 sheds this light “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” As believers we have been born-again with a new spirit, birthed by His spirit, sinless and unable to sin. Now He is in the process of saving our souls—teaching us to renew our mind, working in us to will and to do His good pleasure. He is educating us on how to correctly use our emotions, just as we might learn to read the gauges and lights on our car to alert us to any problems in the making. He will make evident what He has accomplished in our inner man by saving our body, eventually transforming it into a flawless, spiritual dwelling place. This salvation process is not just individual, it is collective. We are not independent of one another. We are parts of a whole, essential to each other; our own well being depends upon the health of every other member in the body of Christ. Because He is holy, his bride must also be holy. He gave Himself for His bride to save her, sanctifying and cleansing her with His Word, so He might receive her unto Himself without spot or wrinkle. At the marriage supper of the Lamb, His bride, the Church, will be clothed in fine linen, which is the righteous acts of the saints. Jehovah-shammah is the God who is there; He delights to be where His people are. When the marriage feast is over the millennial honeymoon is complete; when the enemy, his armies and followers have been judged and sentenced, God will make a new heaven and a new earth. This is the consummation of God’s timeless plan for us. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The True and Living God

“I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God” (Isaiah 43:11-12). I remember as a freshman in Bible College reading an article, written by an ungodly individual, that was critical of the Christian faith. He said the Christian faith is "Nothing more than a psychological crutch." My response was how dare he attack my God and my faith. Then it dawned on me, he had not experienced the power and grace of God that comes through the new birth. The above verse does bring to mind the question, Is belief in God something for the weak, a childish gullibility, a way of side stepping reality? From [Freud’s] perspective, God is merely a creation of the human mind, a projection emanating from human need and desire rather than a distinct reality or being that exists independently of the human mind. Freud’s notion of God acting as an idealized father figure for humans, providing a cushion from the harshness of the real world and a comforting friend in the midst of life’s troubles, reduces God to a human construct. Indeed, for Freud, God is made in humanity’s own image and is the “ultimate wish-fulfillment”; God does not actually exist but is merely the creation of humanity’s imagination and desire for a loving father figure. Can we as believers respond to this? Is God really able to be explained away so easily by one aspect of psychology? The answer is a resounding no. As the song writer stated "He lives, He lives, I know my Savior lives, for He lives within my heart." Our verses for today reminds us we are here as witnesses to "Declare the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light" (I Peter 2). Unlike the blind unbeliever we are recipients of God's blessings. We are the people who anticipate His mighty deliverance yet to come. How dare we remain silent? There is no place for discouragement or retreat in our lives. To be discouraged is to lack courage. No believer has the luxury of discouragement, for we are in a battle for truth. Jesus Christ is our Commander and Chief, and He won the battle for us back at Calvary. Thus we fight from victory, rather than for victory. The same God who made the corpse of Jesus our living Lord is the same God Who is mighty to save. Being a witness of the living God, ought to humble us. Jacob was humbled when God touched his thigh, he was renamed Israel and walked with a limp the rest of his life. We ought to beware of any Christian leader who does not walk with a limp. Sometimes God orders circumstances into our lives to develop humility and create greater dependence upon Him. It is because God works greater through weakness than strength. The truth is we can get humility voluntarily or involuntarily. Its much easier if we get it voluntarily. "God gives more grace to the humble" one way or the other we'll get it. For God commissions humble, trusting, witnesses to do His Kingdom work. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Turning Bad News Into Good News

"Also our enemies said, 'Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work" (Neh. 4:11). What did Nehemiah do when he was threatened? He "Prayed and posted a guard." This is why the Lord has commanded us to "Watch and pray" (Matt. 26:41). We must be "God's fellow workers (II Cor. 6:1): neither doing everything ourselves nor expecting God to do everything for us. The background to the above verse is as follows. The king sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem and gave him authority to rebuild the wall. When he and the people living, there started building the wall, they were vehemently opposed by two individuals, Sanballat and Tobiah. The Israelites were forced to complete their work in an odd fashion, half of them worked while half of them stood guard. Have you ever struggled with the balance between faith and practical action? When faced with a difficult situation, do you take immediate action or wait for an answer to your prayers? The truth is we all have our Sanballats and Tobiahs (they may be circumstances or people). I can remember times of building, when for every block I put on the wall, my enemies tore two of them down. Its during these times we are faced with the question of what to do about it. We can determine we will work twice as hard. or we can sit back and pray that God will provide an answer. The correct answer might not be one or the other but both. Nehemiah didn't do just one, he did both. He prayed and asked God's guidance and then acted. His actions were not impetuous or prideful, but of faith. Take time to look at the faith chapter, Hebrews II. You will find men and women who didn't just sit around, they were people of action. Abel offered. Noah prepared an ark. Abraham obeyed and went out. Sarah conceived. Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter and forsook the riches of Egypt. Rahab received the spies. Their faith in God could not be confined to the mind alone. When we receive bad new we should pray to our God and take the necessary steps to defend ourselves against the threat. Once we begin taking these steps we must avoid projecting what might happen in the future. Worry about the future can lead to depression. We simply don't know what the future holds, "Take no thought for tomorrow." We must live, by God's grace, one day at a time. In a crisis "Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" (Luke 12:24). So let's turn our bad news over to the Lord, He specializes in turning bad news into good news. The wall was completed in 52 days. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Presence of God

We live in a culture that places a premium on human reason. The Savoy business manager and the cunning strategist are in high demand. We are affected by the thinking of our society more than we realize. God wants us to follow and obey Him. We pray "Thy Kingdom come, Your will be done..." We as believers often come up with a plan and ask God to bless it. Moses knew without God's presence, he was toast. Note his appeal to the Lord. "If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here" (Exodus 33:15). One great danger in Christian service is to become complacent in our daily duties. At such a time God often allows a crisis to arise which forces us back to our knees. This is usually when we cry out to God, asking for His Presence to return, and for His blessing to again be seen on our lives and service. Things were going well for Moses as he led the people out of Egypt. Then God called him to Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God, to receive the Ten Commandments. While he was on the mount, the people fell away from the Lord by returning to the ways of Egypt and building and worshiping a golden calf under Aaron's command. They didn't just fall away, they fell away to the ways of Egypt. This brought tragic results. God's presence left the people. When Moses came down and saw what had happened, he immediately saw the solution. Having God's presence return was the only way they could go forward and have success. "How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" (Ex 33:16). Do others see the presence of God in your current activities? Are you doing God's work in God's way, for His glory? Do you see His finger prints all over your activities? If not, ask Him to show up, and don't take another step without Him. Let us determine in our hearts, If He doesn't go with us, we won't go. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.