A PICTURE OF GOD!

Time with Jesus - 29 Aug 2013

Hi all,

John Gill

We call them anthropomorphisms. But what are they? According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary they are an interpretation of what is not human or personal in terms of human or personal characteristics. 

He will Cover You
with His Feathers

A good example is: ⁴ He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection. Psalms 91:4 NLT

Matthew Henry

Now if you think God has wings and feathers, you are mistaken. Jesus said, ²⁴ For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:24 NLT To the best of my knowledge, the vast majority of us have no idea what “spirit” looks like. We have never seen a spirit. Therefore, at best, our description comes from our imagination.

John Wesley

The Gospel of John records the following: ⁸ Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." ⁹ Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? John 14:8-9 ESV

Charles Wesley

For a number of years I struggled with Philip’s question and Jesus’ answer. Then I came across John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible. He was an English Baptist pastor, biblical scholar, and theologian who held to a firm Calvinistic soteriology. Born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, he attended Kettering Grammar School where he mastered the Latin classics and learned Greek by age 11. He continued self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew, his love for the latter remaining throughout his life. (Courtesy Google) His Comments on John 14:9 are recorded hereunder.

John 14:9 ESV	From John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible – Verse by Verse
Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you	Conversing familiarly with you, instructing you by my ministry, and performing so many miraculous works among you, for so long a time; see Heb_5:11
and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?	Surely you cannot be so ignorant as this comes to; as you have seen me with your bodily eyes, as a man, you must, know that I am God by the doctrines I have taught you, and the miracles I have wrought among you
he that hath seen me;	not with the eyes of his body, but with the eyes of his understanding; he that has beheld the perfections of the Godhead in me:
hath seen the Father;	the perfections which are in him also; for the same that are in me are in him, and the same that are in him are in me: I am the very image of him, and am possessed of the same nature, attributes, and glory, that he is; so that he that sees the one, sees the other
how sayest thou then show us the Father?	such a request is a needless one, and betrays great weakness and ignorance

Name	Date of Birth	Date of Death
John Gill	23 November 1697	14 October 1771
Matthew Henry	18 October 1662	22 June 1714
John Wesley	17 June 1703	2 March 1791
Charles Wesley	18 December 1707	29 March 1788
George Whitefield	27 December 1714	30 September 1770

John Gill’s comments seem to be one of the best understandings of “what does God look like”? You and I may not have seen Jesus in the way Philip saw Him. Indeed ±2000 years later it’s impossible to be certain. 

Shroud of Turin

There are no drawings or sketches of Him. Of course, if the Shroud of Turin is the shroud over Jesus’ face after He was placed in the tomb, it may be that we do have a good idea what He looked like. But we do not know for certain if the Shroud of Turin was Jesus’ burial shroud.

The Shroud with Image
of a Crucified Man

John Gill’s commentary was written in the 18^th century. For this reason, it is rejected by many, particularly by those who believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church. For me, I prefer his interpretation because it is uncluttered with the opinions of many commentators who have been influenced by subsequent Bible commentaries. 

Shroud Image and
Artist's painting of Image

Another reason is because of a number of men of God from that era whom we still respect in the 21^st century. The above table gives the names of 5 men of God from that era who were more or less contemporaries. Matthew Henry died in the year 1714, 6 months before George Whitefield was born.

George Whitefield

Nevertheless, although some of them may have differed from each other doctrinally, even today they remain in our memories as men who served Jesus Christ faithfully and sincerely. Phyllida and I feel very comfortable with their opinions and teachings, albeit from some 250 years ago.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 29 Aug 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	A PICTURE OF GOD!
One of the cutest little stories I’ve come across is about the young girl and her drawings. She was very busy working on her latest picture. Her teacher asked her, “What are you drawing?” “A picture of God” the little girl replied. “But nobody knows what God looks like” said the teacher. The little girl replied, “They will when I’ve finished”. One of our greatest problems is the fact that we don’t know what God looks like! We are inclined to ask why? The simple reason is because it has been forbidden by God. 2 "I am the LORD your God, -- 3 "Never have any other god. 4 Never make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. 5 Never worship them or serve them, Exodus 20:2-5 GW. People ask why this is so important from God’s point of view? There are a number of reasons. The first is because we should not even ask this question. God only forbids our doing things which would harm other people and our relationship with Him. He has said, “Don’t do it!” That should be sufficient reason for us. The next reason is related to the little girl in our story above. We don’t know what He looks like. How do we describe someone we know very little about? (ask any politician) It would be a complete guess. Worse than that. It would be inadequate as a description of God. How does one describe a Being Who is infinite but displays a number of human characteristics? It’s a bit like playing Russian Roulette with all the barrels loaded. No matter how we envision Him, it would be wrong. Worse than that. It would be a picture of a false god. Yes He has described some of His “qualities”. But these are incomplete. When we remember that everything He is, He is infinitely. How do we draw or describe a picture of infinite love? Another point is, because it is unnecessary. In reply to Philip’s request that Jesus show them the Father, Jesus replied, 9 "I have been with all of you for a long time. Don't you know me yet, Philip? The person who has seen Me has seen the Father. So how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? John 14:9 GW In spite of all the above, there is a way to get a glimpse of the Father. Look at Jesus dying on the cross. In response to the question, “How much does the Father love us”, we can say, “Enough to send His Son to die for us”. Another way is to see his hands stretched out and pointing, as it were, to infinity. How do we describe this? It’s utterly impossible. But the picture of Jesus Christ and His redeeming love displayed on the cross is a beautiful description of God. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, will keep me safe. Psalms 4:8 NLT	We wonder what God looks like. We really do not know. And trying to imagine Him is not the way to go. He sees that as idolatry. An idol in the mind, Is just as much an idol, as the any we can find. Don’t think that in this century they simply don’t exist. Take a look around you and read my little list! Chelsea, Leeds and Sunderland and Manchester’s two clubs. The Yankees and the Phillies and the Chicago Cubs, The Kiwi’s and the Proteas, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Fighting with a cricket bat to do the best they can. And then there’s the Olympics which always draws a crowd. Men worship at these temples, which all are not allowed. Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar, a Brand new SUV. People gather round them and quickly bow the knee. Federer and Henman and both the Williams gals, All the sporting superstars and their related pals. Then there’s Hashim Amla, Tendulka and Shane Warne. And don’t forget Prince William and others royal born. Prince Harry and his picture which made the centre fold; And all those modern paintings the galleries want sold. And then there’s Pavarotti, the Beatles and Tom Jones. Josh Groban, Celtic Women and then the Rolling Stones. They have got their following who worship night and day. Don’t say they are not idols, they’re catog’rised that way! You see the massive temples, their many fans applaud. Loftus Versveld, Wimbledon, The Wanderers and Lords. The Super Bowl, The GABBA; wherever folk pack in, To sing their team’s achievements, not knowing it’s a sin! But they will have to answer to the Lord God High above. About these foreign idols, that all the people love. If only they would realise and somehow come to grips, With Jesus Christ the Superstar puts all them in eclipse. Then when their teams have fallen to the bottom of the pile. Perhaps they then will see how much that Satan will beguile. But then it will be far too late. Their last chance will be gone. And in the grip of Satan, they’ll have to carry on. Jim Strickland Written 29th August, 2012
			4 He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection. 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Psalms 91:4-5 NLT
			37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Matthew 23:37 TNIV
			3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. Psalms 121:3-5 ESV
			4 I long to live in your holy tent forever. There I find safety in the shadow of your wings. Selah Psalms 61:4 NIrV
			12 It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you. Psalms 139:12 MSG
			32 If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? Romans 8:32 MSG
			22 Whether it is Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life or death, present or future things, everything belongs to you. 23 You belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. 1 Corinthians 3:22-23 GW
			2 "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2 ESV

TALE OF TWO TREES

Two Trees

The "Fruit" of the
Tree of Life

Time with Jesus - 28 Aug 2013

Hi all,

In 1952, at school in Marist Brothers, Bird Street, I made friends with someone I shall refer to as “Peter”. He lived just round the corner from us, with his mother in a hotel room in Havelock Street, near the corner with Rink Street. St Georges Park was nearby.

St Georges Swimming Pool

There is an Olympic size swimming pool in the park. That’s where many of the school boys and girls who lived nearby spent the warm and pleasant afternoons, particularly in the summer.

Although he was only ten years old, Peter had learned to dive. His “speciality” was from the 3 metre diving board. It was a forward 1½ turn, summersault, pike position. He made it look so easy. My attempt was a disaster, best described as a “belly-flop” which left me “gasping for breath” in the water. It was the sort of result that most of us don’t want to repeat.

Belly Flop

Mom and Dad didn’t like Peter. They said he was a bad influence on me. They didn’t really interfere other than hinting they would prefer me not to associate with him. On reflection, I suppose they were right. The reason was because we decided to play truant one day.

Peter’s mom went to work. We met and went to his hotel where we planned to spend our school hours hiding from the rest of the world. There weren’t many places we could go anyway. To wander round the street in school uniform during school hours would have been a recipe for disaster! So we stayed in the hotel garden. 

Loquat Tree

There, we spotted a loquat tree full of ripe loquats. Personally, I’ve never been fond of loquats. However, because we were “in hiding”, we loaded a couple of paper bags with the fruit which we had every intention of eating. On closer examination we realised they were inedible – too many worms and other creepy crawlies. Even so, we ate a couple of them and ended up feeling nauseous.

Adam, Where are You!

There were repercussions. How do you tell your parents you’ve been playing truant? The evidence was there on my report card at the end of term. As far as they were concerned, I’d been at school every day. So why did my report card show that I was absent on one occasion? “Where were you that day?” I remember them asking.  It was a fair cop. Mom and dad took me out of the school at the end of the year and sent me to another. We had relocated and the new school was much nearer.

Give it a Try
You won't die

My experience of playing truant and eating loquats is not grossly different to that of Adam in the garden. My parents question, “Where were you that day?” is not grossly different from, “Adam, where are you?” Loquats are not exactly the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But we shouldn’t have eaten them anyway. For a couple of 10 year old boys, playing truant from school was not good. It was evil and is sin. If you add to that a penalty of eating unsuitable fruit from a loquat tree, the fall of man picture becomes a bit clearer. In a way I was “banished from the garden” and went to live elsewhere. Sure, for me it only meant going to a nicer house and a different school. Perhaps our experience was only the “shadow” of what took place in Eden.

A Snake in the Grass

From that day to this, I’ve not seen Peter. I can’t say he was a serpent, a “snake in the grass”. What I can say is that playing truant that day, was like trying to do a forward, 1½ turn, summersault, pike position and succeeding in nothing more than a belly flop.

Did I learn a lesson? Not to the same extent as Adam. I didn’t “die” that day. That took place sometime earlier and elsewhere. But I did learn that if I transgressed my parents’ clear instructions and example, it would be the worse for me. That day is more than 60 years ago. 

Much to my regret, my parents have both passed away. I only wish I still had an opportunity to tell them all about what really happened. Somehow, I think they know all about it anyway.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 28 Aug 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	TALE OF TWO TREES
Over the past ± 55 years I’ve come across two types of people. One believes in God. The other doesn’t. The believers may be classified in many different ways. Usually we talk about Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and Christians. These comprise the vast majority of believers. Among those who include themselves among the Christians, there is a huge variety of different persuasions. A comparatively small minority of these are born again, Bible believing, Christians. Phyllida and I include ourselves among their ranks. We believe the Bible is inerrant and totally trustworthy. We may not have all the answers to everything. But if it comes to a matter of opinion, we choose Biblical truth over and above the opinion of even the most erudite professor of any university. This means we believe the story about Adam, Eve and the fall of man. We feel no need to justify our position. If God’s Word states it, we are convinced it is true. Stubborn? Yes. Objectionable? Where necessary! Pig Headed? Absolutely, provided it is Kosher! We haven’t yet come across anything to contradict this Scripture. Many have tried and failed. We have a phrase we apply to every challenge. “I believe” If people say, “You are stupid!” we reply, “I believe!” Today’s Scriptures focus on trees and eternal life. There is a clear connection between the two. No doubt there was a great variety of trees in the garden. Two are referred to specifically. One was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God forbade Adam from eating the fruit of this tree. The other was the tree of life. Presumably a diet of this fruit would give mankind immortality. In other words, provided man fed regularly on this fruit he would continue to live. How this all worked is the million dollar question. What we know is that from the day Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, apparently it has not been found. This “tree” appears in various parts of Scripture. There is a sense in which Jesus Christ is the tree of life. Certainly all life comes from God and is at the behest of His Son Jesus. John’s Gospel makes this claim unreservedly. 6 Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 NLT Precisely how this fits together is not known. What we do know is that when He was crucified and nailed to the “tree”. In some mysterious way He became the “fruit” of that tree! To find life we need to be in Him. So we must be crucified with Christ Galatians 2:20 NLT. Then we too are integral with the “Fruit” of the tree of life. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			9 The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground--trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden He placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:9 NLT	The Lord planted a garden. We do not know the size. But this we know for certain. It was perfect in His eyes. Sin had not yet touched them, so plants would never die. They kept on stretching upwards, till they nearly reached the sky. After God made Adam, he got a job of work. He took care of the garden. No need to go to kirk! There really was no reason. They chatted every day. In the cool of the evening, they talked and talked away. Adam tended Eden. I’m not sure what that means. Flowers, peas and parsnips; and even runner beans? His home was in a forest of yellowwood and pines. Acacia, and willow with interwoven vines. And there within those confines, our man was free to rove. Along with fruit and nut trees all dotted round the grove. Two trees were also in it. One was the tree of life. The other would bring knowledge of sickness, death and strife. How long that Adam stayed there, the Bible doesn’t say. Which isn’t so surprising; it’s not needed anyway. We know about the story, of the way God gave him Eve. We know about the serpent, who intended to deceive. We know about that which we are unable to refute! That Adam was persuaded and he ate forbidden fruit. An apple or an orange; we all have had a guess? But after he had eaten it, the world was in a mess. The garden was in chaos; plants withered up and died. The orchard was invaded by plant disease and flies. They saw that they were naked; their righteousness had gone. And so they sewed up fig leaves for clothes they could put on. The forest was affected in ways we do not know. Except we think that trees became quite difficult to grow. And when the Lord confronted them, about this dreadful mess, They knew He hadn’t come to them, to comfort and to bless. Now they had the knowledge of things evil and things good. Their banishment from Eden, they quickly understood. And every day thereafter, man’s tried to find the tree, They believe will give them all, their immortality. Jim Strickland Written 28th August 2102
			11 This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son. 1 John 5:11 MSG
			16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV
			21 For just as the Father gives life to those He raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone He wants. John 5:21 NLT
			26 The Father has life in Himself, and He has granted that same life-giving power to His Son. John 5:26 NLT
			7 He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7 NIV
			2 The river flowed down the middle of the city's main street. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing 12 crops of fruit. Its fruit was ripe every month. The leaves of the tree bring healing to the nations. Revelation 22:2 NIrV
			13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom. Blessed is the one who gains understanding 16 Long life is in her right hand. In her left hand are riches and honour. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways. All her paths lead to peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who hold her close. Those who hold on to her will be blessed. Proverbs 3:13, 16 & 18 NIrV
			30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30 TNIV