"For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." ~ Deuteronomy14:2
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Bible Kisses, A Valentine's Day Message
by Robert L. Cobb, Administrator, News For Christians Dot Com
"Give me a kiss, and to that kiss a score; Then to that twenty, add a hundred more: A thousand to that hundred: so kiss on, To make that thousand up a million. Treble that million, and when that is done, Let's kiss afresh, as when we first begun." ~ To Anthea by Robert Herrick 1591-1674
And while he was yet speaking, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near to Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said to him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? Luke 22:47-48
Popular culture has a lot to say about kisses. Radio airwaves are filled with songs about them, and teenage hearts are filled with thoughts of them. But the kiss is not strictly the domain of youngsters and songsters. A kiss is an expression of affection, an evidence of love. Society has denigrated the kiss by emphasizing the erotic aspects of kissing and encouraging public displays of affection. But a topical study of the word "kiss" in scripture yields surprising results. What can we learn from studying "bible kisses?" While there are many types of kisses today with many different meanings, the same can be said of bible kisses. The context each time the word is used reveals beneficial truths and biblical principles that will help us in our Christian walk.
I. The Figurative Kiss of God's Attributes
(Psalm 85:10) "Mercy and truth are met together; right- eousness and peace have kissed each other."
It is nearly impossible in this world to combine mercy and truth. Truth is absolute holiness without error or hypocrisy. Mercy is overlooking error and hypocrisy. The same can be said for righteousness and peace. Righteousness is frustrating to fallen man. He can have no peace without true righteousness. Man is not equipped to handle these two seemingly incompatible attributes. But our verse says that these two opposing truths are "met together," they have "kissed each other." When did such a meeting take place? It could only happen in Christ!
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:17)
Christ was the conduit who connected God's holy righteousness and His overwhelming love. God has never had a problem, as we humans know problems. But if He could have had a problem from the standpoint of human understanding, this is it. How can God be both righteous and merciful at the same time?
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:" (Romans 5:1)
He found a way by faith and through Christ. When Christ was sacrificed on the cross of Calvary, righteousness and peace kissed each other. Both sides of God's essence were satisfied and salvation was fully wrought!
II. The Faithful Kiss of Salvation
(Luke 7:37-38) "And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner... brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment."
Simon the pharisee had a problem with this "sinful" woman. In his mind, he thought this scene invalidated the ministry of Christ. He said, "...if he were a prophet, would have known..." Jesus proceeded to tell Simon a parable on forgiveness. He had not honored Christ when He had come into his house, but this "sinner" had taken it upon herself to honor Him. What a lesson to the Christian! True salvation makes a difference in one's life. The believer seeks for ways to honor Him with our lives. Each of our attempts to honor Him are like kisses unto Him.
For anyone else, this would have been an embarrassing experience. Simon expected Christ to feel the same way that he would have felt. Why would one allow a harlot to make such a scene? But Christ said, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven." Forgiveness did not come because of what she did, but because of the love that she had in her heart. Many times when children get in their teen years, they don't enjoy showing affection to their parents. This is a normal part of growing up. But my fellow Christian, we never grow up enough to quit showing affection to our Lord for saving us! Have you kissed your Savior lately?
III. The Family Kiss of the Brethren
"Salute one another with a holy kiss." (Romans 16:16)
(Also 1Cor. 16:20; 2Cor. 13:12; 1Thes. 5:26, 1Pet. 5:14) Repeatedly, the Apostle Paul admonishes the brethren to greet each other with a kiss. In today's society, this would be risky business. A kiss in modern western culture is much more intimate than it was in the days of Christ. The "holy kiss" was like a heartfelt handshake or, more likely, a hug. The greeting with a kiss was a brush of the lips against the cheek, or even two cheeks meeting in a semi-But what is behind this exhortation of the apostles?
The greeting with a holy kiss was encouraged to the believers. It was a sign of true affection, a wish of material and spiritual blessing to each other. Like our handshakes today, the kiss could sometimes become just a custom with no real meaning behind it. Paul encouraged the Christians to continue in real, heartfelt love to one another. Twelve distinct times in scripture we are commanded to "love one another." The holy kiss was not immoral or impure, but the result of real, God-inspired love. Cultures have changed down through the years, but the command of scripture has not. Though our customs decree that the intimacy of kissing may be out of order as a greeting, the demand that Christians love one another is never outdated.
IV. The Farewell Kiss of Separation
(Acts 20:36-38) "And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship."
The Ephesians loved the Apostle Paul immensely. They knew that his journey to Rome meant that he would never visit them again. Imagine the emotions that poured out during this scene. The verse says "they all wept sore..." This tells us that their weeping was so extreme that they literally could not cry anymore. The word translated "kissed" means "a tender kiss, to kiss again and again."
In the Christian life we are sometimes called upon to say good-bye forever. Whether in death or in duty, we sometimes must cut the connection with our loved ones. A missionary couple leaves the continental United States and says good-bye to both kin and Christian brethren. It is their duty to follow God wherever He may lead. The pastor who is called upon to leave his longtime congregation to lead another flock also knows the kiss of separation. When death calls a spouse home and leaves a weeping husband or wife behind, we see the kiss of separation as they say good-bye to their partner.
V. The Foolish Kiss of Idolatry
(Hosea 13:2) "And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves."
Baal worship was at its height in Israel. Baal was the god of the heathen, and in direct opposition to the God of Israel. By the time of Hosea, Israel had perfected its idol worship. There were community statues of Baal and smaller personal idols that could be carried on one's person. The custom was to kiss the statues to show honor and reverence.
Hosea shows the foolishness and ignorance of such idol worship. He says that the idols are the work of man's hands. They can be explained by human understanding. Christians today would not dare bow their knee to Baal or stoop to kiss an ancient idol. Or would we? Idolatry lives today in the hearts of men as much as ever before. Our idols today are sports gods, money gods, entertainment gods, or political gods. In direct disobedience to our God, we bow and stoop to "kiss the calves" of modern idolatry. Let it not be so in our lives.
VI. The Friendly Kiss of Hypocrisy
(Luke 22:47-48) "And while he was yet speaking, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near to Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said to him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?"
This is without doubt one of the most despicable passages of scripture in the entire Word of God. Even worse, the word here translated "kiss", is, like in the last example, the word for profuse and continual kissing. Judas' kiss was not only to identify Jesus, but a blatant attempt to fool Christ into thinking that he was innocent.
Jesus let him know the irony of the situation, that He had been betrayed by a kiss, a sign of fidelity, love and affection. The bible says in Prov. 27:6, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." There is a danger that our affections for one another can make it easy for an enemy to deceive us. Satan has many tricks and temptations to throw at God's people. Judas played the part of a disciple and was well respected by the group. But he was a devil from the beginning. The betraying kiss only revealed what was in his heart all along.
VII. The Forgiving Kiss of Compassion
(Luke 15:20) "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
This is one of the most blessed passages of scripture. Even the world places the story of the prodigal son in high esteem. The love of the prodigal's father is a picture of the love of our Heavenly Father. Many times people depict God as a harsh and demanding deity. They would give Him the qualities of a prison warden or a dictator.
This passage reveals God as a loving Father. The prodigal expected rebuke and reprisals from his father. He expected at least an "I told you so." But what he got from his father was a kiss, compassion, and joy that he had returned. If you are unsaved, do not think that God will somehow not receive you if you call upon Him. He stands ready to honor your repentance and receive your faith. You may be a great way off, but He is ready to run toward you if you will but take that first step. If you are a Christian who is out of the will of God, arise, and come to your Father. The blessings will be immeasurable.
As we have examined these "bible kisses," one fact stands out. A kiss can mean a lot of different things. It can be an affectionate sign of love, or it can be a hypocritical sign of betrayal. But an honorable kiss to God can bring many blessings and great benefits.
The Word Is Alive... Breathing Life Into All Who Believe
Defying Gravity, John Elefante
2012 - Precious, Pleasant Stones, We Being Refined to be His Jewels
“And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.” ~ Isaiah 54:12
"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." ~ Isaiah 61:10
In youth, we were all used to handling stones or kicking at them with our feet. Who hasn't picked up a stone and flung it through the air once or twice. At the time, it probably never occurred to us that something so common as a rock or a stone might have any value to it. Maybe today you feel common and ordinary, but as a child of God you are unique and precious in His sight! Our heavenly Father keeps a rock collection made up of people just like you and me. God sees value even in a lost soul, and through the blood of Christ, He brings the truth to the world - the realization that rocks can change!! Have you ever tried to change the shape of a rock with your own hands? It's impossible! Only the hand of the Lord can change us, but change IS possible!!
"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." ~ Mark 10:27
As in the case of the rock tumbler, a coarse grit is used on the first cycle, then a progressively finer grit. It may seem at present that the Lord's tumblings in your life are too abrasive, but it won't always be so. The smoother you become, the less abrasive He'll have to be. Yield to the process of perfection, for the end results are worth it! According to the directions for a rock tumbler, once the tumbling begins, it must continue till the cycle is finished. If the contents of the barrel are left standing for an extended period of time, the mixture will harden and become one solid cement-like cake. It's that way in our lives too. We need continual tumbling to keep our hearts from hardening again and the Lord knows it better than we do! Don't lose hope, don't give up - just patiently wait on God to bring about your beauty.
"As for God, his way is perfect" ~ Psalm 18:30
"He hath made every thing beautiful in his time" ~ Eccles. 3:11
Yes, through the various elements of nature such as wind, water, heat and pressure, over time this change is brought about in rocks. You know what's interesting about rocks? Each one is different. Some are larger or smaller. Some types are softer or harder. All this affects the tumbling process. The rocks that remain roughest after the first cycle must be taken out of the barrel, removed from the smoother ones so that they can continue to become smoother yet in the second cycle... Would you be one of those rocks that hindered the refining of another?? For good tumbling, it is instructed not to mix different types of material together in the barrel. For example, agates and amethysts when tumbled and polished together will not give the best results because the agates will chip the amethysts and neither will take a good polish. The bags of stones provided are wisely selected so that each individual bag can be tumbled and polished in one batch. God knows what He is doing in all our lives. Trust His tumblings! He knows precisely what people to put together in particular circumstances or trials of life because it is best for those selected, in order that each might take a good polish.
Yes, different rocks go through different changes, but if they change enough, they finally end up looking very much alike!! That should be our goal, ladies! Each one of us will experience some tumblings in life as we go through various forms of pressure at different times and for various lengths of time. However, the end result should be the same - we should all come out to be more like the image and likeness of Jesus Christ! Our lives as Christians should be bordered or outlined with pleasant stones. This is the reason for the pressure God's designing hand places upon us individually as He carves and polishes out the image of His precious Son in us. He brings out that which would otherwise never be seen by the world!
”He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing. He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light” ~ Job 28:9-11
"And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head." ~ Ezekiel 16:12
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in...
About Raising the Standard Series and the Renaissance Concept of the Two Books
UPDATE: 12/2011 - Completed Raising the Standard study. Character Sketches Volumes 1-3 are in the blog archives. New direction for 2012.
The seed of this topic and of the following topics in the "Raising the Standard" series was found in two wonderful volumes I received several years ago as a gift from a friend, Character Sketches, From the Pages of Scripture, Illustrated in the World of Nature, Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts Inc. 1983. For anyone who is not familiar with this publication, it is a wonderful "two books" approach to youth ministry... not only giving Scriptural lessons, but also giving examples in nature and educating youth both with the observable facts and stories of animal behaviors, and profiling Biblical characters who best exemplify each godly character topic key point. Highly recommended for all, but most particularly a very cohesive bible study for young people. It is a beautifully illustrated and informative set.
What's the two books approach?
Today’s theologians should seek a coherent way to integrate what we are learning about the natural world through the best science with what the Holy Scriptures tell us about the God of creation and redemption. Perhaps we could revive the Renaissance concept of the Two Books. According to the concept of the Two Books, nature is a book of revelation. Nature reveals to us something about the mind of God the creator. St. Paul alludes to the book of nature.
“Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.” ~ Romans 1:20
The second book, of course, is the Bible. In this book we learn of God the redeemer. Nature gives us general revelation, whereas the Bible gives us special revelation. The two books together provide the resources for understanding reality in relationship to God, the creator and redeemer.
"But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee: and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell the: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee." ~ Job 12:7-8
by Robert L. Cobb, Administrator, News For Christians Dot Com
I. The Figurative Kiss of God's Attributes
Jesus let him know the irony of the situation, that He had been betrayed by a kiss, a sign of fidelity, love and affection. The bible says in Prov. 27:6, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." There is a danger that our affections for one another can make it easy for an enemy to deceive us. Satan has many tricks and temptations to throw at God's people. Judas played the part of a disciple and was well respected by the group. But he was a devil from the beginning. The betraying kiss only revealed what was in his heart all along.
2 comments:
Hello! :)
Hello back at you Thankful Paul, blessings and thank you for posting.
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