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Christian Soapbox, Journal, Nathan Dooley, Psychology, Spiritual Insights

Lamb of God

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INTRODUCTION

Hi my name is Nathan, and welcome to my blog if we don’t know each other and it’s your first time here. This past Friday – Sunday (April 2-4, 2021) was not only a memorial time for me personally, but for this world even if the world hates knowing it (John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.).

How this is personal to me is what you’ll read as each of these particular posts with the featured photo describes my experience with the Lamb of God. There is so much on my heart and mind that needs worked out; the freedom to write whenever throughout the day is such an awesome exercise for doing just that, working out my salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.). And so what is my hope by this exercise?

My hope is that you, the reader, will discover new insights along with me about the Word of God by our common devotion to Jesus Christ our Lord. If you love the Lord, you’ve come to the “write” place, and I’m so excited to go through the trials of discipline with you as we discover more of our Savior together until we’re resurrected to life with Him by the glory, wisdom, and power, of God.

LAMB OF GOD

“The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

—John 1:29

Now although the Bible doesn’t explicitly say from the book of Genesis that it was an innocent lamb slaughtered for the covering of Adam and Eve ( Genesis 3:21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.); I believe it was an innocent lamb—by the fact that Jesus was identified as “the Lamb of God”—that clothed Adam and Eve, symbolizing the grace of God later to be revealed as Jesus of Nazareth who took away the sin of the world by being slaughtered on that cross (Matthew 20:18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”).

Why is the Lamb of God relevant to Adam and Eve?

The reason I believe the Lamb of God is relevant to Adam and Eve is because of the plan and process in which God accomplished to save us from our curse that eternally separates us from God, having been held captive to the rogue nature of a good serpent which manifests as … sin. I say “good serpent” to mean what God said when He created all things, and saw all things to be very good—including the crafty serpent in which He made (Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?). Which then begs the question…

If God is good, and if God is Love, how was it possible for an eternally good creature, created by an eternally loving God, turn from it’s own created nature as good, to be evil by deceiving Eve?

The answer, discovered with faith in Jesus Christ, is learned by the experience of spiritual discipline, but found in the book of Ezekiel (28:14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 “You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you.). Unless created beings were created to be robots of self-awareness, it doesn’t make sense that I would have the choice to be evil or good.

Therefore, I know that I wasn’t born as a created robot of self-awareness by the fact that I have the knowledge of good and evil; I can do either good or evil, but the choice comes with a risk. God didn’t create me to be good or evil, or even to be as in-between—under the curse of sin as a sinner while alive by the grace of God to exist separate from Him (And thank God for that!). So by the Lamb (grace) of God, I have the freedom to be good or evil at will – by the knowledge of both – but again, not without risk. According to this verse Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—; I can either be good, or be evil, as both of these archetypes are evident in my soul to breathe both influences.

By archetypes I mean Jesus Christ and Satan; Jesus Christ is good, and Satan is evil, both of which are alive in my life as the knowledge of the truth bears witness to the condition of my soul; truth is recognized by my awareness of the curse in me through Adam as a sinner dying in sin, having sinned against the Word of God from the very beginning in Adam.

All human flesh and blood of Adam and Eve since the very beginning does not inherit the kingdom of God—hence the Lamb of God. I have more to build on from here, soon…

I die devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Then you will discern the fear of the Lord | P2-V5

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The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

Proverbs 2; I die daily devotional.

5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God.

My dad may not remember this, but I remember because it was a good kind of trauma. I was little, maybe like … 7. We were at this place called Sand Beach where we would go swimming during the summer in the small town of Iowa Park TX (it’s no longer Sand Beach).

There was a tall straight slide, no twists or turns, but straight at the water with a lip at the end, just after the shallow point of the pool; there was a floating string line that you would have to swim under (or lift over your head if you were lame—joking) that divided the deep-end from the shallow-end of the pool; there was a diving board at the corner of the deepest area of the pool.

I won’t forget being with my dad at the diving board; I remember going to the end of the board and stopping, frozen in place, just staring at the pretty blue water thinking to myself about how intimidating it was… “Should I jump?”, but wouldn’t. My dad was there with me, but I was unsure what was expected of me if I made the decision to… jump.

I didn’t jump, but my dad, being with me, picked me up, and threw me in!

FEAR

Then you will discern the fear of the Lord…

I knew I couldn’t swim, but more importantly, so did my dad. I didn’t know it at the time, but discovered what it meant to discern the fear of the Lord by this event; my dad tossing me off the diving board into the deep-end of the water. When he threw me in, I won’t forget being beneath the surface of the water, seeing the air bubbles rise, waiting beneath as the disturbance of the water settled above me; as I looked at the surface of the water remember seeing the light of the sun piercing through, my eyes transfixed with certainty, holding my breath as hope manifested in confidence knowing… “My dad will get me.”

I had nothing to fear!

Why?

Because I knew there was someone above the surface of the water that knew how to swim, but more importantly, I knew that he loved me and wouldn’t let me drown.

Then I see him…!

*SPLASH!*

There he is, level with me under the water, he lifts me to the surface, and I breathe in the fresh air saying…

“LETS GO AGAIN!”

DISCOVER

And discover the knowledge of God…

We have an Eternal Father above the surface of this world. We are waiting below the surface of the water, holding our breath, and there is good news!

Our Father knows exactly where we are and how to swim…

…there is nothing to fear!

We can confidently say that our Father loves us!

This world likes to create waves by causing all kinds of storms, but don’t forget…

Matthew 14:28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

The Son of Man is going to return in the glory of our Father, and the world cannot drown us when our faith is in the One Who lived to die so that we might believe and have eternal life in Jesus Christ.

But do you doubt!?

If you doubt, then just as Peter cried out, “Lord, save me!” You do the same, and don’t doubt that He can. Did Peter doubt that Christ could save him? No. And therefore, we shouldn’t either. So don’t doubt, we’ll get through it, don’t worry…

…HAVE FAITH!

Our Father is level with us in the water, believe and have faith that He will lift you to the surface, but this time…

…Let’s not go again!

  • Do you feel like you’re drowning?
  • Do you respect the power of God’s Word?
  • Do you believe our Father will save you in Christ?
  • Is there sin that is preventing your confidence in your salvation through Jesus Christ?
  • What is the knowledge of God in your own words?

RECOURCE

[BP]

Proverbs 2 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; 18 For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; 19 None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life. 20 So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P2-V5) Commentary
II. What success we may hope for in the use of these means. Our labour shall not be in vain; for,

  • 1. We shall know how to maintain our acquaintance and communion with God: “Thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord (v. 5), that is, thou shalt know how to worship him aright, shalt be led into the meaning and mystery of every ordinance, and be enabled to answer the end of its institution.’ Thou shalt find the knowledge of God, which is necessary to our fearing him aright. It concerns us to understand how much it is our interest to know God, and to evidence it by agreeable affections towards him and adorations of him.
  • 2. We shall know how to conduct ourselves aright towards all men (v. 9): “Thou shalt understand, by the word of God, righteousness, and judgment, and equity, shalt learn those principles of justice, and charity, and fair dealing, which shall guide and govern thee in the whole course of thy conversation, shall make thee fit for every relation, every business, and faithful to every trust. It shall give thee not only a right notion of justice, but a disposition to practise it, and to render to all their due; for those that do not do justly do not rightly understand it.’ This will lead them in every good path, for the scripture will make the man of God perfect. Note, Those have the best knowledge who know their duty, Ps. 111:10.