The King was Jehoiachin of Judah. And … “He did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.” 2 Kings 24:9 relates this sad information.

This man, the leader of his nation, ignobly surrendered to the enemy during the Babylonian siege of the city, but was captured … “And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out (to give up)to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.” 2 Kings 24:12, just giving you some background on today’s Text verse.

Nebuchadnezzar immediately “jailed” King Jehoiakim. The verb “took” used here by the Hoy Spirit is “laqach,” meaning “apprehended, seized,” often with brute force!

And he remained in prison 30 years!

Then … a new King comes!

His name is “Evilmerodach,” simply meaning “soldier of Merodach.” He is then a warrior king! (The name’s first four letters, “evil,” do not have any connotation of sin in them at all.) In reality it turns out he is surprisingly a gracious King!

Now today’s Verse … “And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up (released) the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison; and he spake kindly to him.” Quoting 2 Kings 25:27, amazing behavior for that primitive day, among the Babylonians at that!

And that “undeserved favor” somehow shown to a despicable King (Jehoiachin the wicked coward) is what has caught my attention this morning!

The Babylonian Monarch “lifted up the head” of King Jehoiachin! (That does not mean he decapitated him!) It does mean he released him from prison, gave him a measure of freedom, as we shall see. The verb “lifted up” is “nasa” in Hebrew … and means (is actually translated) “FORGIVE” 16 times in the King James Version! This is glorious!

I myself know a Kind King who “lifted me” out of Prison, too! King Jesus, sinless King Jesus! And Mercy, how my Jesus has “spoken kindly to me!” Words like “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Just one example of many, Matthew 11:28.

But there’s more, many more blessings lavished upon Jehoiachin … “And they changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life. And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.” 2 KIngs 25:29-30

Jesus, too, has given me a change of clothes! (Taking my sin-spotted garments and exchanging them for a robe of pure righteousness!)

Jesus has “fed” me very well, too! The “Bread of Life,” plus the milk and meat of the Word of God! Plus a continual feast around the Cross of Calvary! Psalm 22, the crucifixion Psalm, promises: “The meek shall EAT and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. “ Amen!

And a “daily allowance?” Oh Yes! Psalm 68:19 … “Blessed be the Lord Jesus, who DAILY loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.”

In fact, we once-cowardly, ex-jailbird Christians … have “more than enough” from the hands of our Saviour!

“Our God supplies all our need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Hallelujah!

Just a little typology this morning. Illustrating in a small way the marvelous Grace of God!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Do I hear someone shouting the victory somewhere in the background?

.

Such a simple Verse, Verse Fragment really. Romans 8:1a … “There is therefore now no condemnation.”

But this is not a universal condition!

It is only true of those who have been born again by the Grace of God. So “therefore” in our Text carries a heavy meaning … “an inferential particle, “consequently” (quoting my lexicon).

In consequence of (resulting from) our being washed in the Blood of the Lamb!

Now to the result of this great “therefore,” this “great salvation” … NO CONDEMNATION! The root word here is “krima,” meaning judgment! In fact it is intensified in the Greek Text, “katakrima.” None whatsoever, judgment! For the saint of God … no condemnation, rather only peace and acceptance and assurance!

No judgment ahead (judicially) for the Christian. Our sin has already been judged at Calvary, Jesus bearing our judgment (payment) for us!

God sees no sin in my heart. It has been washed away! That’s the very definition of “justification,” in fact. (“Just as if I had never sinned,” my Sunday School teacher said years ago!)

But Preacher, what about the “Judgment Seat of Christ,” looming ahead for us Believers? Get this please. That’s a time of reward for faithful service, or loss of reward for shoddy service! It is NOT a judgment for sin!

Still, let us rejoice … NO CONDEMNATION!

But what about 1 Corinthians 11:31 … “For if we (saints) would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” Paul is here talking about discipline from our Heavenly Father! This is NOT condemnation, but loving correction from One Who cares and loves us!

Still … NO CONDEMNATION!

If you are genuinely saved … remember this thought all day long. Really, for the rest of your life … “There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” The full verse now, Romans 8:1.

Hallelujah!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

.

My Text this morning is found in 1 John 3:1. A verse familiar to most Christians, focusing on the Love of God.

“Behold, what MANNER of love the Father hath bestowed upon us.” This single Line of God’s Word!

With the objective “us” (in Greek “hemin,” the dative case of “ego”) meaning “us” Christians. We who have been born again by the Grace of God, by trusting in Jesus and His shed Blood on Calvary.

The opening verb, “behold,” is literally a command! And it indeed means “to look” but also “to understand, perceive, comprehend!” My laptop lexicon defines “eido” this way: “to see with the mind’s eye, most often signifying a clear and purely mental perception.” APPARENTLY GOD DOES NOT WANT US TO MISS THE PARTICULAR KIND OF LOVE HE HAS GIVEN/SHOWERED UPON US! “Behold …!”

And the Sentence’s main noun, “love,” is of course “agape.” One thought behind this word’s origin is that it derives from the Greek “agan,” which clearly means “MUCH!” As if there is MUCH of God’s Love available, perhaps even an INEXHUSTIBLE Supply! Divinely unlimited, in other words! And according to John 3:16 this “love” is sacrificial … “God so loved this world that He GAVE …”

Now to the verb “hath bestowed,” translating “didomi” in Greek. It means “to give” 365 times in our New Testament! “To grant” (freely) 10 more times! It even means “to show” 4 times! We love a “giving” God! (This is an indicative perfect verb, suggesting that God GAVE in the past, but is STILL GIVING right up to this very second!) Hallelujah!

But the little vocabulary jewel I mentioned in the Lesson Title is found here: “what MANNER of love!” This word is actually an adjective meaning “of what sort,” or “of what kind,” and often “from what country?”

Love that is “out of this world!”

Yes, from Heaven!

Yes, from the very Throne of Almighty God!

And yes, from the Heart of Jesus Who died for us!

A love that is indescribable, that is “foreign” to this old world, that is from another land!

Wow!

Vocabulary study, what a blessing … that is … if you really believe that God’s Word is inspired word for word!

I do.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

.

The first Paragraph of Paul’s Second Epistle to the Corinthians has always intrigued me.

It is LOADED with encouragement!

But this morning I have seen a “new” (well, “fresh” is a better word) truth sparkling within its Sentences.

I am excited, too!

“For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth (overflows all around) by Christ.” Paul, under the Guidance of the Holy Spirit, promises this great Blessing to us who believe.

The Apostle here has drawn what I call a “word picture.”

Imagine a pair of scales, the old fashioned kind. With a pail (bucket) on the left of side the fulcrum (balance bar) and one of equal size on the right.

In the Basket on the left pour a sizeable amount of “sufferings.” The noun is “pathema,” a Greek word implying “passion, pain, fervor,” literally “pathos.” Essentially here, things like Jesus endured!

Now … IN EQUAL MEASURE … in the right hand container pour “consolation” (in Greek “paraklesis” basically meaning “comfort” or “strength”)!

Jesus plans to fill us with, ounce for ounce, as much love and grace and help and encouragement … as we have experienced (endured) trials and heartaches and tribulation in this old world!

So … if lately you’ve experienced very little of the “comfort” (“consolation”) of Jesus in your heart … maybe you have endured none of the sufferings a Christian is promised to undergo either!

Here I quote form a Preacher (a Writer too, obviously) who often suffered despression …

“Here is a blessed proportion. The Ruler of Heaven and earth bears a pair of scales … in this side He puts His people’s trials, and in that He puts their consolations. When the scale of trial is nearly empty, you will always find the scale of consolation in nearly the same condition; and when the scale of trials is full, you will find the scale of consolation just as heavy. When the black clouds gather most, the light is the more brightly revealed to us. When the night lowers and the tempest is coming on, the Heavenly Captain is always closest to His crew. It is a blessed thing, that when we are most cast down, then it is that we are most lifted up by the consolations of the Spirit.”

Amen!

Jesus never fails!

This TRUTH, I sense, helped Paul though many a hard time in life. The more I suffer, the more He comforts!

Glory to God!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

.

Luke is an accomplished writer. Add to that the Power of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and you end up reading lines like this: “They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

Let me give you the background for this Sentence, this event, this occasion. Peter, the spokesman for the disciples, is here preaching to the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of Jews back in that day. These godly men had been arrested for proclaiming Jesus so publicly, so boldly. The next morning, at their arraignment, Peter says to those 70 men: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 14:12-13

The verb “took knowledge” is a super-strengthened form of “ginosko.” It is literally “epiginosko!” They REALLY knew these men had been with Jesus! Yet Jesus is dead! Rather dead and (according to some people) risen again! And now (again, if you take Peter’s word) ascended into Heaven! (So thought the Sanhedrin, with much doubt.)

Yet, undeniably, right in front of these Pharisee’s and Sadducees’ and Chief Priest’s eyes … are men who talk and act like they have (still) been with Jesus!

YES, the crucified, buried, risen and ascended Jesus, still influencing lives! Still communing and fellowshipping and impacting the men who loved Him so!

If the world looks at us today, my dear Believer friends, will they say the same thing?

That we have been with Jesus?

If not, we should adjust our ways of living!

They “had been” with Jesus is an imperfect tense in Greek. Indicating something that happened in the past … but is still going on today, still alive, still doing things to individuals!

That’s Jesus, for sure! (“And He walks with me and talks with me and tells me I am His Own!”)

Hallelujah!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

.