An Observation on John 21:11

"Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken." John 21:11

This verse comes near the conclusion of the famous story in John 21, where the disciples have caught nothing after fishing all night. A man they do not yet recognize tells them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, where they catch all those fish; the disciples then realize that it is Christ.

Here is the part that jumped out at me today (a part not previously noticed): There were not merely 153 "average" fishes; they were 153 "great" fishes! The Greek word for "great" here is megas, the familiar word from which we get mega- and similar roots in English. Mega-, of course, refers to something which is unusually large in size, mass, etc.

The point here is this: When Jesus Christ gives us something, it is not just the "average" sort of thing we can get anywhere....it is great! His blessings are not only abundant but also exceedingly above what we ask or think. No doubt the fish those disciples ate that morning were also delicious and nutritious, in addition to being sizable. God's gifts are always good and always great.

Hymn of the Week: O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Charles Wesley wrote this hymn to commemorate the first anniversary of his salvation. The hymn has been set to no less than seven different tunes (Azmon is probably the most common, but Lyngham is my favorite) and the poem actually consists of nineteen stanzas. The entire poem can be read here, but here are a few selected stanzas:

Aside: Note how the third stanza, like my previous post, discusses the "name of Jesus."

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.

I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God,
For me, for me He died!

Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heaven.

The Name of Jesus

"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." (John 20:31)

"9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:9-11)

In just a few moments of study, and with these two verses to catalyze the process, here are several thoughts about the name of Jesus Christ:

• It is not to be blasphemed or taken in vain (Ex. 20:7).
• His name is "hallowed" (Matt. 6:9; Luke 11:2) and is to be "made holy" by us.
• All manner of spiritual things are to be done "in His name" (Matt. 18:5, 20; 28:19-20; Mark 9:41; Luke 9:48; Acts 2:38; 10:48; 2 Thess. 3:6; 2 Tim. 2:19; Heb. 13:15)
• Miracles were done by the apostles in His name (Luke 10:27; Acts 3:6, 16, 4:10; 16:18)
• Preaching is to be done in His name (Luke 24:47; Acts 9:27)
• Salvation comes through believing in and calling on His name (John 1:12; 3:18; Acts 2:21; 4:12; Rom. 10:13)
• Sanctification comes through His name (1 Cor. 6:11)
• Prayers are to be in His name (John 14:13-14; 16:23-24)
  
• Those who "hold fast" His name are praised (Rev. 2:13)

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Col. 3:17)

And there is much more! Take a little time to make a study of this yourself—it will be most rewarding.

Thoughts on John 20:28

"And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God."

The story is a familiar one: Thomas, absent at the Lord's first post-resurrection appearance to the disciples, tells the disciples that "except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe." (vs. 25). A week later, Jesus meets His disciples again, and virtually quotes Thomas, inviting him to do just what Thomas claimed he wished to do.
Notice how quickly Thomas's tone changed. Immediately aware of his error, he believes and says just one sentence.

As Jesus said in the preceding verse, it is better for us to believe Him without seeing Him; but our response should nevertheless be the same: To call Him "My Lord and my God." There is no mystery in the Greek here; the sentence is both simple and plain. Do we call Him this, and live our life as if we believe it? Or do we refer to Him as something less, living in a manner that denies His lordship over us?

One More Reason Not to Vote for Guiliani

It has now been reported widely (click here to read a typical example) that former New York City mayor and current presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani has said he will be rooting for the Red Sox in this year's World Series. Giuliani is typically a very strong Yankees fan—this is perhaps his most endearing trait. The comment was made in Massachusetts, which is close to New Hampshire...

And here I thought that Hillary Clinton was the only one who stooped low enough to flip-flop baseball loyalties for political gain.

A Beautiful Evening in Michigan!

This beautiful sunset, as seen from my back yard this evening, is yet more evidence that we have a wonderful Creator God. I even had a friend, driving by my house on the highway, within minutes of this photo being taken, who commented on this. Did evolution cause this beauty? We think not.

This bottom photo was taken less than two minutes before the top photo. Notice the incredible change in color!

Humor for all of you teachers out there...

A teacher enters a room to find two boys arguing. She asks them why they are arguing. One boy replies, "We found a $10 bill on the floor. To decide who gets it, we're having a contest to see who can tell the biggest lie." "That's terrible!" exclaimed the teacher. "When I was your age, I didn't even know what a lie was!" The boys gave the teacher the $10 bill.

Thoughts on the Red Sox

With just a few outs to go, it appears that the (grrrr....) Boston Red Sox will be facing the Colorado Rockies in the World Series. My wife, a Cleveland Indians fan, and I, a New York Yankees fan, trying to think biblically about this, came up with a few verses that sum up our thoughts on the matter:

"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?" Psalm 2:1

"Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause." Psalm 35:9

"But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied." Psalm 38:19

"22 Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.
23 Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually." Psalm 74:22-23

"Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me." Psalm 102:8

Jeremiah, questioning the Lord about the wicked, asks, "Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?
2 Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.
3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter." (Jeremiah 12:1-3)

And Psalm 108:13 is our hope for next season: "Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies."

The Master's Men Conference

Yesterday, October 20, I attended the Master's Men Conference at Faith Baptist Church of Davison, MI. This was my second trip to the conference; six other men from my church also drove the 150-ish miles to attend.

As with previous years, it was a great, uplifting, and convicting time. It is a blessing to be among such a large group of men who, like me, desire God's will and work in their lives; and who enjoy singing and hearing the preaching of the Word.

Steve Pettit was the main speaker. His two messages were convicting about what characteristics the godly man should demonstrate and in what activities (Bible reading, meditation, prayer) he should participate. There were also about a dozen "breakout" sessions to choose from; each man could choose three during the day. Our group collectively attended nearly all of them.

If you ever get an opportunity to be in that part of Michigan next year (or any year) for the conference, and you're a man, I encourage you to go.