The Daily Seed: I Want to Know You More

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

I Want to Know You More - Hebrews 1:1-4

On Monday morning this week, my prayer was simple: "Lord, I want to know you more." I've been a Christian all my life and yet, my prayer is always: "I want to know you more. Reveal yourself to me in a new way. Give me fresh insight into your person. Reveal your character to me and through me." Confident that God would be faithful to answer me in His Word, I opened my Bible. This is what He said:

The Scripture

Hebrews 1:1-4 - 1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

The Facts

In the past, God spoke through the prophets (v. 1)
In these last days, he has spoken to us by His Son (v.2)
He [Jesus] is the heir of all things (v.2)
Through Jesus, God made the universe (v.2)
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory (v.3)
The Son is the exact representation of his being (v.3)
Jesus sustains all things by his powerful word (v.3)
After Jesus provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (v.3)
Jesus became superior to angels (v.4)
The name Jesus inherited is superior to theirs (v.4)

The Lessons

In the past, God didn’t speak directly to His people. He spoke through the prophets. The prophets were godly men. God couldn’t speak directly to His people. He couldn’t have a relationship with them because of their sin.
Since the death of Jesus (“in these last days”), which atones for our sin, the Father is able to speak to us through Jesus, who makes the way for us to have relationship with the Father.
All things belong to Jesus
Jesus has been with the Father since before the Creation of the Universe since the Father made the Universe through Him
We see God’s glory through Jesus
Jesus is exactly the same as God
Jesus is so powerful that even by His words, he sustains all thing
Jesus is majestic
Jesus is superior to angels
Jesus is equal to the Father

Lessons for Me

What sin in my life is keeping me from relationship with the Father? If the Father’s voice is silent and seems distant, what areas of my life do I need to examine to see the things I need to confess? Let me ask the Holy Spirit in me to reveal those areas of my life that might be hindering my relationship with the Father.
I am not capable of removing sin from my life; only Jesus can do that for me. Only through a relationship with Jesus Christ will I hear the voice of the Father and KNOW His will and His purpose for my life.
Do I treat people, myself, my children, my money, my home … all things … as if it belongs to Jesus? It does. How do I treat items I “borrow” from someone else for a time versus the way I treat things that I “own?” How can I change the way I approach everything and everyone in my life to reflect its rightful ownership?
Do I worship Jesus as God? Do I become so focused on Jesus as Friend, as Emmanuel – God with Us – that I forget that He is fully God? (Related to #6 below)
Do I worship Jesus with a sense of His glory and God’s glory?
Do I worship and acknowledge (and live) Jesus as God or have I somehow demoted Him in my mind? (Related to #4 above)
Do I seek Jesus to reveal and unfold His power in my life? Do I specifically ask Him to?
Do I worship Jesus with a sense of His majesty?
Do I value and understand that because Jesus is above the angels due to his name, that I, having been adopted by grace into the family of God as well, also share the same name as Jesus and am also an heiress to the Kingdom? Do I live in that Truth, with a grateful heart, every single day?

Conclusion

Jesus is:

How we communicate with God
Our means of relationship with God
The owner of all things
The same as God
The reflection of God’s glory
God
Powerful
Majestic
Superior to angels

Amen.

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How I Study Scripture

There are many methods for studying Scripture. My Scripture study is based on a method used and taught by Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Ruth Graham and Dr. Rev. Billy Graham. The method is simple, but yields tremendous insight when we ask the Holy Spirit to first open our eyes to a fresh understanding of His Word.

I am going to keep these posts pure to how I study it. What you will see here on this blog is exactly what I write in my journal. I will give you an outline of the form here, with a very brief explanation of each part.

You will notice that the passages I study are brief. There are certainly no rules for studying scripture, but I'm interested in quality, not quantity. I'm in no rush, so I will take just a few verses each day (4-10 typically) and go deep into them, attempting to understand what they say, what they mean, and how they apply to my life.

Here is the format I will use:

The Scripture

I will always give you the Scripture passage, copied and pasted from Biblegateway. I use the NIV translation, but it's often interesting to look at other translations and compare the words used. This is a great way to increase your understanding of a particular passage.

The Facts

The aim here is to write out the outstanding FACTS from each verse. Do not paraphrase. Do not interpret. Do not insert your own words, not even a synonym. If we are to understand God's Word for us, let's stick to God's words. These are the FACTS of the passage using the exact words in the verses.

The Lessons

This is where I try to see what the facts mean. For each fact, I look for a spiritual principle. Is there a promise to claim? A warning to heed? An example to follow (or not follow)? A hope to cling to? A truth to declare? The numbers here will correspond 1-to-1 with the facts above.

Lessons for Me

Here is where I take the spiritual principles or promises or warnings or examples or hopes or truths and turn them into a reflection. I do this in the form of a question because the intention is to cause me to examine my own life. These questions often become the basis of a prayer time following my Scripture study where I ask the Holy Spirit to help me apply these principles in my daily life.

Facts Outline

Sometimes my posts will include a facts outline, which is a tool I use to help me find the main thrust of a passage.

Conclusion

I will try to offer a conclusion of what I see as an answer to my initial question in the form of a summary. For example, in the post for January 14, 2009, my prayer that morning -- what I was seeking -- was to know Jesus more. By just studying the first four verses in Hebrews 1:1-4, I came up with quite a few characteristics of Jesus that helped me to know Him more, and I listed those there.

The Aim

The aim is the one main application of the passage for my life, summed up in as few words as possible.

This is really a simple format for personal Scripture study and I have been so blessed in the short time I have been utilizing it as a tool for my study time.

Remember, the most important tool we have is the Holy Spirit. It is so important to bathe our Scripture study time in prayer: at the start, by asking the Holy Spirit to give you new insight and understanding; throughout your study, as you come across something that is perhaps difficult to understand; and at the conclusion, in thanksgiving for all that has been revealed and to humbly ask Him to help you apply it in your life.

I hope you will be able to follow along and it will make sense to you. More importantly, I hope that you will also gain insight and understanding and perhaps find an application for your own life.

Do You KNOW You Will Go to Heaven When You Die?

From my earliest days, I grew up going to church and from that experience, I knew that Jesus loved me and wanted to save me from my sin. When I was a little girl of about the age of six, I told my mother I wanted to invite Jesus into my heart and so she led me in a simple prayer. The prayer went something like this:

Dear Jesus, I know that I do things I shouldn't because I am a sinner. I am sorry for those things. Please forgive me of my sin and come and be in my heart forever. I want you to be the leader of my life. Amen.

That's it. That's all it took. No lightening struck. No thunder rolled. But, the moment I prayed that prayer, I became born again into the family of God and because of that moment in time, I KNOW. Because I prayed that simple prayer as a little girl, I KNOW I am going to heaven when I die. Do you KNOW?

Want to know more? Read here.

The Daily Seed