Does Jesus Care?

Does Jesus Care?

Please read Exodus 14 for the context.

Exodus 14:23-25 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

I was reading this chapter a couple of days ago and was curious what the definition of “looked” in verse 24 was.

Strong’s defines it as: to lean out (of a window), i.e. (by implication) peep or gaze (passively, be a spectacle).

The idea is the Lord leaned over and looked down to earth to see how the nation of Israel and the Egyptians were doing. The verse gives the picture of the Lord leaning through the pillar of fire and pillar of cloud to watch over His people and to deal with their enemies. Now we know the Lord is not physically leaning over in heaven and peering down at us (He is omnipresent, after all), but the word the Holy Spirit used here shows His care in a comforting, picturesque way. The word is used 22 times in the Old Testament, and multiple times it is used of God in relation to His chosen people.

Consider these passages:

Deuteronomy 26:15 Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

Psalms 102:18-22 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD. For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death; To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem; When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

Lamentations 3:48-50 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.

The Lord Jesus Christ cares about whatever trials and troubles you are going through. He is not sitting afar off, disinterested in what is happening to you, but is leaning over in Heaven, watching over you, and reaching down with His almighty arm and helping His people and troubling or hindering their enemies.

The next time you peer out a window to look at the people passing by, consider that the Lord is doing the same to you - He always has you in His sight.

Does Jesus care? Yes, He cares!

September 6th, 2021

Jerry Bouey

Draw Near To God

Draw Near To God

Song of Songs 1:4 Draw me, we will run after thee:
the king hath brought me into his chambers:
we will be glad and rejoice in thee,
we will remember thy love more than wine:
the upright love thee.

The above verse is a prayer or desire of the believer desiring to fellowship with her Lord.

I love how the Word of God uses the idea of God drawing us to Himself.

Firstly, through His death on the cross and the preaching of the Gospel:

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 3:14; 12:32 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:… And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

And then seen through the Lord working in our lives:

The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying,

Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:

therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

It is God’s love and lovingkindness by which He draws us to Himself:
Jeremiah 31:3

I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love:

and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws,

and I laid meat unto them.
Hosea 11:4

It is interesting that the drawing starts (and continues) on God’s side, yet man has the responsibility or obligation to draw near to the Lord as well. If you are a professing Christian, are you making choices in your life to draw near to God for fellowship and worship? That is the only place to abide.

James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Hebrews 10:21-23 And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Are you trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ - are you hidden in the cleft of the Rock? (See Exodus 32:12-23) Are you drawing near to your Saviour today? If so, this is what the Lord is saying to you:

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock,

in the secret places of the stairs,

let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice;

for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
Song of Songs 2:14 

Draw near to God - as He has drawn near to you.

May 31, 2023
Jerry Bouey

For Whom Did Christ Die?

For Whom Did Christ Die? He died:

1. For all (1 Timothy 2:6; Isaiah 53:6)

1 Timothy 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Isaiah 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

2. For every man (Hebrews 2:9; 1 Timothy 4:10)

Hebrews 2:9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

1 Timothy 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

3. For the world (John 3:16; 4:42; 2 Corinthians 5:19; 1 John 4:14)

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 4:42  And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

2 Corinthians 5:19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

1 John 4:14  And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

4. For the sins of the world (1 John 2:2)

1 John 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

5. For the ungodly (Romans 5:6)

Romans 5:6  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

6. For false teachers (2 Peter 2:1)

2 Peter 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

7. For many (Matthew 20:28)

Matthew 20:28  Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

8. For Israel (John 11:50-51)

John 11:50-51  Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

9. For the church (Ephesians 5:25)

Ephesians 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

10. For me (Galatians 2:20)

Galatians 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

What To Read On Laundry Day

What To Read On Laundry Day

I found a Lent reading schedule in my Bible app. Do they have a Borrowed reading schedule?

Or maybe it's Lint - what to read on laundry day.

Isaiah 1:16-18 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

John 13:8-10 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Psalms 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Psalms 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Jerry Bouey

Requirements For Bible Studying And Preaching

Requirements For Bible Studying And Preaching

These are various cross references that I have added to two main passages in my Bible study app - passages that deal with studying the Word of God, and with preaching the Word of God.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The King James Bible is the only Bible version that commands us to “study” it. What spiritual requirements are needed for someone to rightly divide and understand God’s Word? Please look up all the verses listed below.

To get the most out of our Bible studying, we need to:

study and rightly divide the Word - 2 Timothy 2:15

be saved - 1 Corinthians 2:14

be ready scribes - Ezra 7:6

prepare our hearts - Ezra 7:10

be attentive to God’s Word - Nehemiah 8:2

read it clearly, distinctly - Nehemiah 8:8

humble ourselves - 1 Peter 5:5

deal with all known sin in our lives - Matthew 5:23-24; 1 John 1:8-10; Psalm 66:18

take into account all related passages - Isaiah 28:9-13

search the Scriptures daily to see whether what we are being taught lines up with it - Acts 17:11

We need God’s wisdom - James 1:5

We need to continue in God’s Word - John 8:31-32

We need to be determined to do God’s will when we learn what it is from the Bible - John 7:17

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

To preach the Word, we need to:

Know it - 1 Peter 3:15

Rightly divide it - 2 Timothy 2:15

Take into account all related passages - Isaiah 28:9-13

Clearly teach and explain it - Nehemiah 8:8

Remember that Jesus is the central figure and theme of the whole Bible - Revelation 19:10; Luke 24:25-27, 32, 44-48; Acts 10:43

All My Blogs

 I wanted to try something new, so I created two new blogs.

One new blog, called The Substance Of Things Hoped For (Faith-based Stories and Illustration), was created for a place for me to be able to quickly repost all the stories and illustrations that Angela Trenholm (my webpartner) had on her family site (Trenholms Of Kelowna). EarnestlyContending.com (our domain and the central hub for all our personal sites) got repeatedly hacked a little over two years ago and we lost all the content and had to rebuild from scratch. It is a lot of work trying to repost articles, stories, songs, etc. that were posted from approximately 21 years ago onwards, but I am making a valiant effort. Doing it in a blog format also gives me the opportunity to easily add new content.

The second blog is for posting Daily Devotionals once again - devotionals and poems. I had done that for several years back in 2004 onwards, but eventually it became too much work to keep doing that project and work full time, developing new messages to preach at the Kelowna Gospel Mission. I had turned many of those outlines into full length studies and stored the rest in various boxes to hopefully develop more fully someday. That time did not come till now (of course, now I need to sort through all those boxes!!). This new devotional blog is called Just A Walk With You (Daily Devotionals And Poems).

For those who may be new to Buy The Truth or my blogs in general, or perhaps had not visited for quite a while, I also wanted to list all the other blogs here for you as well, so you can easily check them out and bookmark them if you so desire.

All my other blogs:

• Buy The Truth (KJB IFB Bible Studies)
• Faithful Men Of God (Solid Christian Articles)
• A Shadow Of Things To Come (Outlines and Short Devotionals)
• Songs In The Night (Christian Poetry and Songs)
• The Psalms Of David In Metre (By Isaac Watts And The Church Of Scotland)

My original websites (before I started any blogs) are:

• Eagle's Wings Ministries (My Bible Study Site)
• Bookmark this page: EWM Table Of Contents
• Home Of The Real McCoy (My Christian Poetry Site)
• Bookmark this page: HOTRM Table Of Contents

Most of the content on Home of the Real McCoy are my own poems, plus some poems that I have included in several books of poetry I have put together; whereas Songs In The Night contain both my poems and any poems, songs or hymns by others I wanted to pass on to others. I have added pages for various poems that I presented in church in 2021 or 2022 (as I cannot seem to add the audio files to my blogs). Just look for those poems within Songs In The Night or Home Of The Real McCoy Table Of Contents. I do have them marked on there. Still a few more to put up with the audio files, but I will indicate those ones too when they are made. I have also decided to duplicate my personal poems on Home of the Real McCoy and Songs In The Night, in case we are ever hacked again. Building all those pages from scratch was more work than I ever expected.

I hope all these blogs and pages are a blessing to you.

In Jesus' precious name,

Jerry Bouey

All Of God's Word Is True

All Of God's Word Is True

Proverbs 22:21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?

Praise the Lord that I KNOW 100% that ALL of God's Word is certain, is truth, is entirely dependable. I don't have to be like the world or those in modern Christendom that question it, correct it, think there are parts that are not accurate or not in the "originals."

What I hold in my hand TODAY in my King James Bible and in the preserved underlying Hebrew and Greek texts is certain. Of that I have no doubt. I wouldn't want it any other way. In fact, I pity and pray for those true believers who do not have that certainty.

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

All of it.

Jerry Bouey