Rebekah: The Bride of Christ in the Beauty of Holiness

Rebekah: The Bride of Christ in the Beauty of Holiness

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Several biblical symbols represent the church. Among them is the church's calling as the holy, radiant, spotless Bride of Christ, the Lamb of God. Many times women in scripture picture the attributes of the church as that Bride. None is flawless, but each is beloved. Even so, the church, the Bride of the Lamb, though not without flaw, is dearly loved of our Lord.

After the death of his wife Sarah, Abraham sent his servant to hand Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor, Abraham’s brother.  The purpose of the journey was to acquire a bride for Abraham’s son Issac. 

The servant asked God for a specific sign to guide his choice of the intended bride.  ^“Then he said, "O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.  Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink'--let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master."  (Genesis 24:12-14 NKJV)
 

Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah, the daughter of Nabor came to the well.  When the servant asked her for water, she fulfilled the request by offering to water the camels as well.  ^“Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.” (Genesis 24:16 NKJV)

In this short passage, we see Rebekah demonstrating several qualities of a mature Christian:  beauty, purity, servanthood, and hospitality.

▪ beauty:  We are to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.  (1 Chronicles 16:29, 2 Chronicals 20:21, Psalm 29:2, and Psalm 96:9) Pretty is superficial.  Beauty emanates from within, from holiness.

▪ purity:  “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8 NKJV) It is in purity of heart that we are able to discern the heart and hand of God.   

 ▪ servanthood: “But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:34-35 NKJV).  We are called to serve not to be served.  Everything we do for the Lord has value in the Kingdom of God.  God’s blessings are on those who clean the toilets the same as on those who stand in the pulpit.

▪ hospitality: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2 NKJV).  Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”(Matthew 11:28 NKJV). We, too, are to offer rest and comfort to those in need.

Later in Rebekah’s life, out of her favoritism for her son Jacob, she stepped out of the beauty of holiness and sought to fulfill the promises of God in her own time.  She brought strife and dissension into her family.  What a powerful warning this is for the church!  Christians too often seek to fulfill the promises of God through selfish ambition and political intrigue both in the secular world and in the congregation and the domination.  We, too, can move out of the beauty of holiness and into selfish desires.  It happened to Eve when she ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  It happened to Sarah when she offered Hagar to Abraham as a wife.  “Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2 NKJV).

The Abrahamic Covenant—4

The Abrahamic Covenant—4

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

We must understand that God relates to His people through covenants.  A covenant is greater than a promise.  A covenant is a bond in which each of those involved in the matter say, “Everything I have is yours.”  Covenant is total commitment.  In covenant with God, even though we are not totally committed to Him, He is totally committed to us. 

Each of God’s covenants contains a message for the time when it was established, a message for the Church today and a message for the future. 

The essentials of the Abrahamic covenant are outlined in Genesis 12:1-3 (NKJV): “Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."  

In previous posts, we have seen the importance of separation unto God, the purpose of our lives, and the favor (barak) of God towards believers.  The fourth essential element in the covenant is that “in you (Abraham) all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  Each of God’s covenants leads us to His Son Jesus. It is through the sacrifice of Jesus that all the families (nations) of the earth shall be blessed.  Simply put, the message of the gospel is to the Jew first and then to the gentile (to the non-Jew) (Romans 1:16).

Let’s follow the scripture path to our Savior.  In the genealogy of Jesus presented in Matthew 1, our Lord’s earthly lineage is traced to Abraham.  In that genealogy, Jesus descendancy from David is also recorded. That lineage was prophesized during the time of the Exodus more than 400 years after Abraham. 

 A pagan prophet, a gentile, Balaam, had been hired to curse the Israelites.  However, God intervened and allowed Balaam only to bless God’s people.  Part of that blessing can be found in Numbers 24:17 (NKJV): "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel.”   

 A star generates is own light.  It does not reflect light from another source.  Many scriptures in the New Testament describe Jesus as Light and the Light of the World.  When Jesus was 8 days old, according to the custom, Joseph and Mary presented Him at the temple.  There Simeon, an aged man, blessed the Child, (Luke 2:29-32 (NKJV).  "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."  Simeon prophesied that salvation is for both the Jew and the Gentile.

Other scriptures: 

▪John 1:4 (NKJV) In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

John 8:12 (NKJV) Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

▪ John 1:9 (NKJV) That was the true Light which gives light to every person coming into the world.

▪ John 9:5 (NKJV) As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Christians, too, are called to be light in the world:

Matthew 5:13-16 (NKJV) "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Hundreds of years after Balaam, the prophet Isaiah spoke, (Isaiah 11:1-2 (NKJV): There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”  

Jesse is a descendant of Jacob, of the tribe of Judah, the father of King David and, thus, fulfillment of the prophecy of Balaam.

The prophecy of Isaiah continues, (Isaiah 11:10 (NKJV) "And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious."  Jesus brings the blessing of salvation to both the Jew and the non-Jew.

In the Revelation given to the apostle John, Jesus Himself confirms that He is the fulfillment of the prophecy.  Revelation 22:16 (NKJV) "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star."

In Him all the families of the earth can receive the blessing of salvation.  He is the same yesterday, today.  

 Scripture tells us, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31).   Believe that He is the Son of Jehovah God; believe that He paid the price for your sin; believe that He rose again from the dead.  Enter into the Kingdom of God.  Receive His blessings so that you may bless others.  

Baruch HaShem Hamacsiach Yeshua Baruch HaShem Adonai. Blessing in the name of Messiah Jesus.  Blessing in the name of the Lord.

Sarah: The Bride of Christ Fulfilled

Sarah:  The Bride of Christ Fulfilled

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Several biblical symbols represent the church. Among them is the church's calling as the holy, radiant, spotless Bride of Christ, the Lamb of God. Many times women in scripture picture the attributes of the church as that Bride. None is flawless, but each is beloved. Even so, the church, the Bride of the Lamb, though not without flaw, is dearly loved of our Lord.

Sarah, the beloved wife of the patriarch Abraham is such a picture.  Most of us know her story. Her name originally was Sarai (princess). Like many in her era, she was married to her half-brother Abram. Abram later became Abraham, the mighty patriarch of Israel.  As a young woman, Sarai traveled with Abram from Ur to Haran.  She was sixty-five years old when she and Abram entered the land that God had promised.  

Childless, Sarai’s heart ached to give Abram a child.  In that pain, she gave her handmaiden, Hagar, to Abram.  Her heart ached even more when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.  How often in our own lives have we taken what we thought were the right steps only to find that we were on the wrong path?

When Sarai was ninety and Abram was one hundred years old, God changed their names to Sarah and Abraham and renewed His promise to them.  In their advanced years, God’s promise was fulfilled in the birth of their son Isaac.  Issac means laughter.

Sarah’s life teaches the Church that we must wait patiently for God’s timing in the fulfillment of His promises to us.  God’s timing is impeccable.   Anything that we may do in an effort to hasten fulfillment can lead to grief and disappointment.  When we wait patiently for the Lord, we are walking in faith.  “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.” Hebrews 11:11 (NKJV)  It is our faith that gives birth to Issac, gives birth to our joy and laughter.

God has spoken promises over His own.  He who has promised is faithful to fulfill those promises.  Worry, doubt and unbelief rob us, like they robbed Sarah, of the peace and joy God desires for us.  The chorus of a hymn by Ira Stanphill says it so well:   “Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand, but I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hand.” In her later years, Sarah walked in such faith.  It was not too late for Sarah, and it is not too late for us.

In his first epistle, the Apostle Peter penned a stirring description of wives, and because the Church is the Bride of Christ, the passage also describes all Christians, male and female, in our walk with our Lord.  “Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror” 1 Peter 3:3-6 (NKJV).

Like Sarah, we are to be submissive to our Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ.  The gentle, quiet spirits of the redeemed are an adornment that is precious to our God.  It is in that adornment that we find fulfillment and joy.

The Destiny of our Nation Redux A Word to Celebrate the Fourth of July

The Destiny of our Nation Redux  

A Word to Celebrate the Fourth of July

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

As Christians and concerned citizens, we can easily be overcome by the barrage of discouraging reports that fill our newspapers and television and computer screens. Our economy is not what we want it to be. Our family structure is threatened. Sensuality seems to have become our god. Devastating tornadoes and floods have left many American homeless, frightened and in despair. Many feel that God has abandoned us or has, at least, withdrawn His blessing from us. If God has turned His back on us, where, then, is our hope?

   Whenever we have questions about our heavenly Father, the first place to look is in the Book He has written for us. In Jeremiah 17:7-8 , we read, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit." According to His Word, if our hope is in the Lord, we can prosper in the midst of and in spite of the circumstances around us.

   Asher Intrader, a Messianic Jewish rabbi who holds dual citizenship in the United States and in Israel teaches that the fulfillment of a nation's destiny lies not within the halls of the Congress in Washington or the Knesset in Israel, but within the hearts of believers. To understand the destiny and purpose of God for a nation, we must look with spiritual discernment at the believing remnant within that nation. Believers are the representatives within America and every other nation who carry the destiny that God sees for that nation.

   We often quote 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves , and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." We quote this passage and point our fingers at non-believers and declare their need to repent. We often choose to overlook the fact that God is calling His people, believers, not unbelievers, into repentance and holiness.

   In Genesis 18:17-23 , God agrees to spare Sodom from destruction if only 10 righteous men can be found within the city walls. In Ezekiel 22:30, God says that He will spare Jerusalem if only one righteous person is willing to stand in the gap and intercede for the city. It is a righteous remnant who can, through the power of the Holy Spirit, bring into fulfillment the destiny of a people.

   How can we, as individuals, join the righteous remnant whose intercession can determine the destiny of our nation? Today many of God's people are praying what we have come to call "The Harp" prayer based on 2 Chronicles 7:14:

   H: humble ourselves

   A: Acknowledge God

   R: Repent of our sins

   P: Pray for our land

 Proverbs 14:34 declares, "Righteousness exalts a nation."  The righteousness that exalts a nation is not righteousness as determined by man. Through the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary, righteousness has been imputed to those who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior. (Romans 4:22-25) When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God assigns righteous to us and empowers us to live righteously in Him.

   Righteous living is seen in those who honor God by following His ways. (John 14:15) Jesus said, "if you love me, keep my commandments." Through our imputed righteousness in Jesus Christ, we are to live lives that honor Him. 

  Not only does righteous living honor God, but righteous living also brings blessing into our lives. Many blessings come to us because, through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are able to make better choices. God's Holy Word has given us a road map to attaining the heart attitude for righteous living.  Righteousness goes hand in hand with biblical regeneration. "Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (II Corinthians5:17). Regeneration and consecration bring with them new life, and new desires and new goals.

  It is in that new life consecrated to God that we will become more than conquerors in the chaotic world around us. It is there that believers will, through righteous living and intercession, fulfill the destiny that God sees for our nation. When we believers humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, God will forgive our sin and heal our land. 

  Our God is Jehovah Jirah, the God who provides . When we forget that, we will act out of our fear rather than out of our faith. Our nation's current financial crisis has caused many believers to forget our Lord's ability to provide. We panic rather than pray. The crisis appears to be a overwhelming, but "with God nothing will be impossible." (Luke 1:37)

   Matthew 6:31-33 says:"Do not be over-anxious, therefore, asking 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For all these are questions that Gentiles are always asking ; but your Heavenly Father knows that you need these things all of them. But make His Kingdom and righteousness your chief aim, and then these things shall all be given you in addition." (MSNT) The key to divine provision is seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

  We are conscious of the war of terror that is being waged on the international front. We are not so aware of the war of terror that is being waged within our own hearts. The news media reports what happening in the world, but can offer no solution or hope. Even most believers have resolved to expect the worst.

   How can believers reconcile what we see and hear around us with God's word that He delights in us and has a future and a hope for us? We must walk in faith in the promises of God. Philippians 4:19: "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Do you need faith? God will supply it. Do you need hope? God will supply it. Do you need wisdom? God will supply it. Is a solution to our nation's needs available? Yes, and God has it.

   As consecrated, regenerated believers walking in His righteousness, let's intercede before the throne of God on behalf of our nation. Let's declare His promises and walk in His hope. 

   As we prepare to battle spiritually for our nation, we must remember that part of Joshua's war preparation was a face-to-face encounter with the preincarnate Messiah as the Commander of the Army of God. Joshua5:13-14a : "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho , that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?"

   So He said, "... as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped.”

      When we truly have an encounter with Jesus, we can only bow before Him and worship. When we have an encounter with Jesus, we have an encounter with holiness. His holiness demands our holiness. God commands believers, “Be holy because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16  

   What is holiness? Holiness is being physically and mentally pure and morally blameless. We cannot intercede for sexually purity in our nation if we are living in sexual sin. We cannot intercede for the morality of our nation if we are living in dishonesty, deceit, and decadence.  If we want the spirit of abortion to be broken in our nation, Christians must stop having abortions. If we want the spirit of substance abuse to be broken in our nation, Christians must stop abusing substances. If we want the spirit of overindulgence to be broken in our nation, Christians must stop 

 overindulging. If we want holiness in our nation, Christians must walk in holiness.

   I am responsible for the holiness of only one person, myself. God said He would spare Jerusalem if only one righteous person would stand in the gap and intercede (Ezekiel 22:30). The question each of us must ask is, "Am I willing to be walk in holiness and be one righteous person to stand in the gap and intercede for this nation?"

   It is time for God's people to reclaim our holiness, consecrate our lives to Him, receive His righteousness and intercede for not only for our nation, but for His Kingdom .

   Let's pray a “Harp" prayer based on 2 Chronicles 7:14: "Lord, I humble myself before you and acknowledge that You alone are my God and my Savior. I repent, first of all, for my own sins, and then for the sins of my nation. I pray that You, in Your mercy, will heal our land. In Jesus' Name, Amen