And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. [ Luke 11:1].
It is not part of life of a natural man to pray. We hear it said that a man will suffer in his life if he does not pray.; I question it. What will suffer is the life of the "Son of God," in him, that is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a man is born from above, the life of the "Son of Man" is born in him, he can either starve that life or nourish it. Prayer is the way of life of God is nourished. Or ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; The Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God himself.
"Ask and ye shall receive. " We grouse before God., we are apologetic or apathetic, but we ask very few things. yet what a splendid audacity a childlike child has! Our Lord says- "except you become as little children." Ask, and God will do. Give Jesus Christ a chance, give him elbow room, and no man will ever do this unless he is at his wits end. When a man is at his wits end it is not a cowardly thing to pray, it is the only way he can get in touch with reality. Be yourself before God and present your problems, the things you know you have come to your wits end. over. As long as you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything. It is not so true that "prayer changes things"
as that prayer changes me. and I change things. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things eternally, but working wonders in a man's disposition.
Monday, August 29, 2016
"Jesus sent with a purpose." [ John 6:23-35]
In this Gospel text, when the disciples asked Jesus for an impressive sign, He offers himself, as the bread of life to all who truly hunger. This gift enables all believers to grow in Christ and to become
one with his mission. [ Text: The next morning, back across the lake, crowds were beginning to gather on the shore, (waiting to see Jesus), For they knew that he and his disciples had gone off in their boat, leaving him behind. Several small boats from Tiberias were near by, so when the people saw that Jesus wasn't there, nor his disciples, they got into there boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him.
When they arrived and found him, they said, " Sir, how did you get here?" Jesus replied, " The truth of the matter is that you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you believe in me. No spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I, the Messiah, the "Son of Man." can give you. For God the Father has sent me for this very purpose. They replied, " What should we do to satisfy God?"
Jesus told them, "This is the will of God, that you believe in the one he has sent (Jesus)! They replied, "You must show us more miracles if you want us to believe you are the Messiah. Give us free bread every day, like our fathers had while they journeyed through the wilderness! As the scriptures say" Moses gave them bread from Heaven.' Jesus said, " Moses didn't give it to them. My Father did. And now he offers you true bread from heaven. The true bread is a person (Jesus) the one sent by God from heaven, and he gives life to the world" "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day of our lives!" Though our hunger will always return, Christ is ever present to nourish us with his very life. Verse 35 tells us that Jesus is saying he is the bread of life; that all who come to me will never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Jesus now makes a plain, frank statement. He had said that he would give wonderful bread that came down from heaven, which had the power to give eternal life. He himself is that bread. Whoever answers his call, will no longer suffer hungry, just as those who drinks of the living water of his salvation will never again be bothered by thirst. To Come to Jesus means to believe in him as Savior of the world. All the desires and longing of the soul find their complete gratification in him and his mercy. But, although the "Son of God" and with such perfect satisfaction was brought near to the Jews, yet they did not believe in him. Let's look at bread? The necessity of life. The symbol of the essential. Several story's come to mind about the thought of bread. A child, with a mischievous grin, saying to Grandpa, " Man does not live by bread alone- he needs peanut butter, too." A family meal during which an impatient child says too loudly, " Pass the bread!" Hungry people along the roads to Ethiopia pleading, " Bread, mister, please, because of Jesus Christ! A community of persons celebrating a beautiful experience of trust and support breaking and sharing bread together, remembering the promise of Jesus to be present in and with the breaking of bread.
Another vignette: Berke's face beamed with pride asTadessa took a big knife and began to cut the two-foot diameter Ethiopian bread. The huge thick loaf had been specially prepared and baked over a out door fire. If you were ever invited to spend an holiday with Berke and Tadessa in their mud and straw home, you would share of that loaf as it was being cut and shared, big hunks passed around to all their friends and guests and family, with twelve or ten children that gathered at the open door, they also shared big hunks of the course, brown delicious bread. Each child, in traditional Ethiopian style, received the gift in both hands with a graceful bow of the head, It is a beautiful scene...bread... of sharing together. Jesus's words re-echo from the Cathedral pulpit to simple home:" I am the bread of life. Just proceeding the the account in today's text from John in which Jesus declares and continues to remind us again, " I am the bread of life." There had been the feeding of the 5000. What a picnic that had been! Thousands fed on a hillside seeing the love of Christ tuned to bread, finally seeing him has the Father meant him to be seen. "Love in the flesh."
Just like the people in Moses time who were murmuring in the wilderness, the people who followed Jesus wanted to see more signs, more wonders, more tricks. But, Jesus was not a trickster! He wouldn't let them make him a King. He would not let himself be followed because of a few extraordinary things He did. Rather He called attention to the essence of his life...To his being. He was the leader of the "Way." So strongly and so directly was his own life tuned in to the Father, that He was able to say, "I am the bread... I am the light... " I am the Resurrection!" he was critical of those who came seeking him because of their narrow vision. He tried to challenge them to see more than just a free picnic on the hillside of green grass. just as now, many ignored his invitation to "Follow Me!" into the joys and sorrows of the world; and they are back on the hillside waiting for another course! He didn't call- and doesn't call- people people just to have good feelings about being in his "Picnic." There are times Jesus wants us to respond to the few. To those close to our own lives.
with the "Bread of life." The symbol of what is necessary, is sought by the few,too. The caring and, sharing relationship is one way of giving the true bread which does not perish.
It's an easy temptation to "Spiritualize" the life right out of this gospel text. Should we sit back and and enjoy our faith in the spiritual Jesus, " The bread of life." We must be concerned about the hungry
and rightly interpret his word, and be concerned with the bread that perishes. we must not be waiting for a new picnic. Remember, we our the bread of life right now, Jesus leading us into that community
, " that fellowship of persons, which are all our brothers and sisters.
Though our hunger will always return, to the bread of life, to remind us that Christ is always present to nourish us with life.
one with his mission. [ Text: The next morning, back across the lake, crowds were beginning to gather on the shore, (waiting to see Jesus), For they knew that he and his disciples had gone off in their boat, leaving him behind. Several small boats from Tiberias were near by, so when the people saw that Jesus wasn't there, nor his disciples, they got into there boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him.
When they arrived and found him, they said, " Sir, how did you get here?" Jesus replied, " The truth of the matter is that you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you believe in me. No spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I, the Messiah, the "Son of Man." can give you. For God the Father has sent me for this very purpose. They replied, " What should we do to satisfy God?"
Jesus told them, "This is the will of God, that you believe in the one he has sent (Jesus)! They replied, "You must show us more miracles if you want us to believe you are the Messiah. Give us free bread every day, like our fathers had while they journeyed through the wilderness! As the scriptures say" Moses gave them bread from Heaven.' Jesus said, " Moses didn't give it to them. My Father did. And now he offers you true bread from heaven. The true bread is a person (Jesus) the one sent by God from heaven, and he gives life to the world" "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day of our lives!" Though our hunger will always return, Christ is ever present to nourish us with his very life. Verse 35 tells us that Jesus is saying he is the bread of life; that all who come to me will never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Jesus now makes a plain, frank statement. He had said that he would give wonderful bread that came down from heaven, which had the power to give eternal life. He himself is that bread. Whoever answers his call, will no longer suffer hungry, just as those who drinks of the living water of his salvation will never again be bothered by thirst. To Come to Jesus means to believe in him as Savior of the world. All the desires and longing of the soul find their complete gratification in him and his mercy. But, although the "Son of God" and with such perfect satisfaction was brought near to the Jews, yet they did not believe in him. Let's look at bread? The necessity of life. The symbol of the essential. Several story's come to mind about the thought of bread. A child, with a mischievous grin, saying to Grandpa, " Man does not live by bread alone- he needs peanut butter, too." A family meal during which an impatient child says too loudly, " Pass the bread!" Hungry people along the roads to Ethiopia pleading, " Bread, mister, please, because of Jesus Christ! A community of persons celebrating a beautiful experience of trust and support breaking and sharing bread together, remembering the promise of Jesus to be present in and with the breaking of bread.
Another vignette: Berke's face beamed with pride asTadessa took a big knife and began to cut the two-foot diameter Ethiopian bread. The huge thick loaf had been specially prepared and baked over a out door fire. If you were ever invited to spend an holiday with Berke and Tadessa in their mud and straw home, you would share of that loaf as it was being cut and shared, big hunks passed around to all their friends and guests and family, with twelve or ten children that gathered at the open door, they also shared big hunks of the course, brown delicious bread. Each child, in traditional Ethiopian style, received the gift in both hands with a graceful bow of the head, It is a beautiful scene...bread... of sharing together. Jesus's words re-echo from the Cathedral pulpit to simple home:" I am the bread of life. Just proceeding the the account in today's text from John in which Jesus declares and continues to remind us again, " I am the bread of life." There had been the feeding of the 5000. What a picnic that had been! Thousands fed on a hillside seeing the love of Christ tuned to bread, finally seeing him has the Father meant him to be seen. "Love in the flesh."
Just like the people in Moses time who were murmuring in the wilderness, the people who followed Jesus wanted to see more signs, more wonders, more tricks. But, Jesus was not a trickster! He wouldn't let them make him a King. He would not let himself be followed because of a few extraordinary things He did. Rather He called attention to the essence of his life...To his being. He was the leader of the "Way." So strongly and so directly was his own life tuned in to the Father, that He was able to say, "I am the bread... I am the light... " I am the Resurrection!" he was critical of those who came seeking him because of their narrow vision. He tried to challenge them to see more than just a free picnic on the hillside of green grass. just as now, many ignored his invitation to "Follow Me!" into the joys and sorrows of the world; and they are back on the hillside waiting for another course! He didn't call- and doesn't call- people people just to have good feelings about being in his "Picnic." There are times Jesus wants us to respond to the few. To those close to our own lives.
with the "Bread of life." The symbol of what is necessary, is sought by the few,too. The caring and, sharing relationship is one way of giving the true bread which does not perish.
It's an easy temptation to "Spiritualize" the life right out of this gospel text. Should we sit back and and enjoy our faith in the spiritual Jesus, " The bread of life." We must be concerned about the hungry
and rightly interpret his word, and be concerned with the bread that perishes. we must not be waiting for a new picnic. Remember, we our the bread of life right now, Jesus leading us into that community
, " that fellowship of persons, which are all our brothers and sisters.
Though our hunger will always return, to the bread of life, to remind us that Christ is always present to nourish us with life.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Your Father Knows Your Needs. Luke 12:13-21
Then someone called from the crowd, " Sir, please tell my brother to divide my father's estate with me."
But Jesus replied, " man, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? Beware!
don't always be wishing for what you don't have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich you are."
Then He gave an illustration: " A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were full to overflowing-he couldn't get everything in. He thought about this problem, and finally exclaimed, ' I know- I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones! Then I'll have room enough, and I"ll sit back and say to myself, " Friend, you have enough stored away for years to come.
Now take it easy! Wine, women, and song for you!" " But God said to him, 'Fool! Tonight you die. then who will get it all?"
"Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth, but not in heaven."
Then turning to the disciples he said, " don't worry about whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. for life consists of far more then food and clothes, Look at the Ravens- they don't plant or harvest or have barns to store away their food, and yet they get along alright-for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable then birds.
This gospel text of St. Luke, tells how God brought good news to the poor, and how He sought to save those who are rich. Here he warns against identifying the worth of one's life with the value of ones possession. The text says: and one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
And Jesus said unto him, "Man who made me a judge or a divider over you?
And Jesus said unto them, take heed, an beware of covetous; for a man's life. consists not in the abundance of things he possesses.
While Jesus was addressing the multitude, there came an interruption. A man in the crowd asked him to speak to his brother about dividing the inheritance with him, the brother had found a way to avoid the law, "the life of the first born." (Deut.21:17.)
Verse 16 tells the story of the farmer, who had a abundant of crops that year; and he thought within himself saying, what shall I do because I have no room where to store my fruit? then he said to himself; this I will do: I will pull down my barns and build greater; there I will store my fruits and goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou has much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat drink and be merry. But God said to him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.
Thee foolishness of covetousness and of trusting in riches could not be brought out more emphatically than in this parable.
This story of the successful farmer who was called a failure by Jesus, is a subversive story. It threatens everything we we hold dear in our western culture. " Success" as opposed to " Failure"
has long been accepted goal in life. Our educational system rewards something called "success"
and punishes something called "failure" from start to finish. Any book with the words " How to succeed in.... its title is assured of being widely read.
This man was a success. He had mastered the techniques of his business. This striving for success is part of the hidden agenda of a full life. " Failures" are seldom happy people. the irony of success is that it can limit as well expand ones horizon. This man was locked in by his success. What he had mastered now mastered him. He learned to withhold his crops and wait for a better price. But that was a limit of his imagination. There was really only one question for him: How can I store my grain?" There was only one answer: "I must built a bigger barn. Even though he was locked in to his success oriented world so he was locked out from the rest of the world. He was not rich toward's God.
The Bible is the story of God's apparent insult to the status quo. Don't picture Jesus seeking out these people with a pious look an " I have come to help you tone of voice." In short when God chose to come to us as a person and not as a god, as one of us and not separate from us, he was trying to save us from being lost in the same way Adam and Eve were lost, namely, by trying to play God and not willing to be "Human beings." He saved us by the forgiveness of sin. So the fate of this man's choice closed in on him. The rich man grew wealthier and wealthier, and as he did he became more self-centered.
The story was: the Judgment was that his life was terminated because it was being wasted. He was not going to let a itinerant, untrained ex-carpenter going to disturb his way of life. He continues to disturbed the human race for these two- thousand years. He shows us today how haunting that the word "Christian" still remains the most beautiful adjective you can use in describing a person or an action.
The tragedy is that the man met God, and fully realized the life he lost.
But Jesus replied, " man, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? Beware!
don't always be wishing for what you don't have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich you are."
Then He gave an illustration: " A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were full to overflowing-he couldn't get everything in. He thought about this problem, and finally exclaimed, ' I know- I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones! Then I'll have room enough, and I"ll sit back and say to myself, " Friend, you have enough stored away for years to come.
Now take it easy! Wine, women, and song for you!" " But God said to him, 'Fool! Tonight you die. then who will get it all?"
"Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth, but not in heaven."
Then turning to the disciples he said, " don't worry about whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. for life consists of far more then food and clothes, Look at the Ravens- they don't plant or harvest or have barns to store away their food, and yet they get along alright-for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable then birds.
This gospel text of St. Luke, tells how God brought good news to the poor, and how He sought to save those who are rich. Here he warns against identifying the worth of one's life with the value of ones possession. The text says: and one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
And Jesus said unto him, "Man who made me a judge or a divider over you?
And Jesus said unto them, take heed, an beware of covetous; for a man's life. consists not in the abundance of things he possesses.
While Jesus was addressing the multitude, there came an interruption. A man in the crowd asked him to speak to his brother about dividing the inheritance with him, the brother had found a way to avoid the law, "the life of the first born." (Deut.21:17.)
Verse 16 tells the story of the farmer, who had a abundant of crops that year; and he thought within himself saying, what shall I do because I have no room where to store my fruit? then he said to himself; this I will do: I will pull down my barns and build greater; there I will store my fruits and goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou has much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat drink and be merry. But God said to him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.
Thee foolishness of covetousness and of trusting in riches could not be brought out more emphatically than in this parable.
This story of the successful farmer who was called a failure by Jesus, is a subversive story. It threatens everything we we hold dear in our western culture. " Success" as opposed to " Failure"
has long been accepted goal in life. Our educational system rewards something called "success"
and punishes something called "failure" from start to finish. Any book with the words " How to succeed in.... its title is assured of being widely read.
This man was a success. He had mastered the techniques of his business. This striving for success is part of the hidden agenda of a full life. " Failures" are seldom happy people. the irony of success is that it can limit as well expand ones horizon. This man was locked in by his success. What he had mastered now mastered him. He learned to withhold his crops and wait for a better price. But that was a limit of his imagination. There was really only one question for him: How can I store my grain?" There was only one answer: "I must built a bigger barn. Even though he was locked in to his success oriented world so he was locked out from the rest of the world. He was not rich toward's God.
The Bible is the story of God's apparent insult to the status quo. Don't picture Jesus seeking out these people with a pious look an " I have come to help you tone of voice." In short when God chose to come to us as a person and not as a god, as one of us and not separate from us, he was trying to save us from being lost in the same way Adam and Eve were lost, namely, by trying to play God and not willing to be "Human beings." He saved us by the forgiveness of sin. So the fate of this man's choice closed in on him. The rich man grew wealthier and wealthier, and as he did he became more self-centered.
The story was: the Judgment was that his life was terminated because it was being wasted. He was not going to let a itinerant, untrained ex-carpenter going to disturb his way of life. He continues to disturbed the human race for these two- thousand years. He shows us today how haunting that the word "Christian" still remains the most beautiful adjective you can use in describing a person or an action.
The tragedy is that the man met God, and fully realized the life he lost.
Friday, August 19, 2016
"Christ he King." Luke 23: 33-43
" Then the entire council took Jesus over to Pilate, the governor. They began at once accusing him" This fellow has been leading our people. to ruin by telling them not to pay taxes to the Roman government and claiming he is our Messiah-a King.
"And he said to Jesus, Remember me, Jesus when you come as King! Jesus said to him, ' I tell you this: today you will be in Paradise with me.'
There are many pictures in the New Testament. These portrayals show the many sides of Jesus personality and ministry.
We tend to pick the ones that most meet our personal needs.
When we feel lost, we look to Jesus as our Savior.
When we feel guilty, we look to Jesus, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world
the suffering servant of Isaiah.
When we are seeking truth, we look to Jesus, the word of God in the flesh, the logos of God.
When we're feeling most acutely the gap between our humanity and God's majestic divinity,
we look to Jesus the "Son of God," as the bridge over troubled waters.
When we are feeling righteous on behalf of the oppressed, we look to Jesus as the angry prophet
who cleaned out the "Temple."
But what if you don't particularly feel lost, not particularly guilt-ridden, not obsessed with truth, not to far from God, and not too radical either? What do you find in Jesus if your just an average American who loves to be a winner, who comes away from the Sunday afternoon all aglow because his footballers have bested their opponents, or just want to feel good about yourself and life.
For you competitive, aggressive, take-charge kind of person there is another image of Jesus. I said there was an image of Christ for the winners of life as well as those lost. This one is depicted on the wall above the altar, the crowned figure of Jesus, Christ the King! For those of you who want to follow a big winner. Remember that triumphant Chorus from Handel's Messiah.
It really says it all: Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns.
The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord.
George Frederick Handel has really captured the kingship of Christ in all its exciting grandeur and triumph. Let us focus on what it means to call Jesus Christ the King, which is similar to calling him Messiah-the anointed one.
First of all the Messiah's victory is foretold in the Bible, Jeremiah writes:
behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. (Jeremiah 23:5).
Those wise men from the east who came looking for the infant Jesus may have read of these words of Jeremiah and those of Isaiah 9;
For us a child is born,
To us a Son was given;
And the government shall be upon his shoulder,
And his name shall be called
"Wonderful counselor, Mighty God.
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Of the increase of his government and of peace
There shall be no peace.
upon the throne of David and over his kingdom
To establish it and uphold it.
With justice and righteousness from this time forth
and for evermore.
the Zeal of the lord of hosts will do this (V v.6-7).
They may have known these prophecies because they came to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, asking for this baby that was born King of the Jews! How that title was to haunt Jesus throughout his ministry! He played down the idea. He showed extreme reserve even in using the title "Messiah in relation to himself. He even considered some aspects of this political and military kingship to be demonic and satanic. To avoid the political image of king and Messiah, Jesus referred to himself as the 'son of man.' And yet they still wanted to make him king. When he was teaching, the people often came after him to make him a king. In John 6:15 we read; " Perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force to make him a king, Jesus withdrew again to the hills by himself."
King of the Jews! That title followed him into trials before Pilate, Herod, and the Sanhedrin.
When the Roman soldiers made Jesus the brunt of their sick humor, it was as a powerless king with thorns for a crown. And when Jesus went to the cross, here it was again... King of the
Jews. He never could shake off that old political bagged.
But what Jesus denied about himself as a political king and military messiah, he asserted a different kind of kingship, in a different kind of kingdom, in a different kind of way. He acted out the fulfillment of prophecy, especially that of Isaiah's suffering servant. When he rode into Jerusalem at the beginning of the Passover festivities , he was acting out the prophecy of Zechariah, in fact Matthews Gospel is aimed at showing how Jesus fulfilled the Old testament prophecy about the Messiah.
Jesus became a victorious king not in political and military takeover, but when he rose from the dead, and in so doing he defeated that most fearsome of human enemies, death itself with its horrid threat to our existence, sin, death,devil were defeated by Christ our victorious king in that later was called Easter.
Jesus may have won the victory and established the kingdom of God, but if you look around the world of ours its hard to see who it was that really won. It almost looks like Jesus lost, like all those skeptics of the resurrection have been claiming all along.
But there always was something in Jesus teachings that sounded incomplete and yet to be realized, So it is. A period of the it-is- finished of Jesus victory, but a sense but not quite yet. We live in the in between Jesus promises, in the presence of the high priests. " But I tell you hereafter that you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven (Matt. 26:64).
So it is with Christ the king, that to be a Christian means many things to us... He is a savior to the losers, a forgiver to the guilty, the truth to the searcher, " the bridge over troubled waters to to the lonely;
a radical word of justice for the oppressed and.
as we come to know Jesus as our savior, forgiver, truth, bridge, and word, so we come to know him as " "OUR KING!"
"And he said to Jesus, Remember me, Jesus when you come as King! Jesus said to him, ' I tell you this: today you will be in Paradise with me.'
There are many pictures in the New Testament. These portrayals show the many sides of Jesus personality and ministry.
We tend to pick the ones that most meet our personal needs.
When we feel lost, we look to Jesus as our Savior.
When we feel guilty, we look to Jesus, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world
the suffering servant of Isaiah.
When we are seeking truth, we look to Jesus, the word of God in the flesh, the logos of God.
When we're feeling most acutely the gap between our humanity and God's majestic divinity,
we look to Jesus the "Son of God," as the bridge over troubled waters.
When we are feeling righteous on behalf of the oppressed, we look to Jesus as the angry prophet
who cleaned out the "Temple."
But what if you don't particularly feel lost, not particularly guilt-ridden, not obsessed with truth, not to far from God, and not too radical either? What do you find in Jesus if your just an average American who loves to be a winner, who comes away from the Sunday afternoon all aglow because his footballers have bested their opponents, or just want to feel good about yourself and life.
For you competitive, aggressive, take-charge kind of person there is another image of Jesus. I said there was an image of Christ for the winners of life as well as those lost. This one is depicted on the wall above the altar, the crowned figure of Jesus, Christ the King! For those of you who want to follow a big winner. Remember that triumphant Chorus from Handel's Messiah.
It really says it all: Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns.
The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord.
George Frederick Handel has really captured the kingship of Christ in all its exciting grandeur and triumph. Let us focus on what it means to call Jesus Christ the King, which is similar to calling him Messiah-the anointed one.
First of all the Messiah's victory is foretold in the Bible, Jeremiah writes:
behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. (Jeremiah 23:5).
Those wise men from the east who came looking for the infant Jesus may have read of these words of Jeremiah and those of Isaiah 9;
For us a child is born,
To us a Son was given;
And the government shall be upon his shoulder,
And his name shall be called
"Wonderful counselor, Mighty God.
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Of the increase of his government and of peace
There shall be no peace.
upon the throne of David and over his kingdom
To establish it and uphold it.
With justice and righteousness from this time forth
and for evermore.
the Zeal of the lord of hosts will do this (V v.6-7).
They may have known these prophecies because they came to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, asking for this baby that was born King of the Jews! How that title was to haunt Jesus throughout his ministry! He played down the idea. He showed extreme reserve even in using the title "Messiah in relation to himself. He even considered some aspects of this political and military kingship to be demonic and satanic. To avoid the political image of king and Messiah, Jesus referred to himself as the 'son of man.' And yet they still wanted to make him king. When he was teaching, the people often came after him to make him a king. In John 6:15 we read; " Perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force to make him a king, Jesus withdrew again to the hills by himself."
King of the Jews! That title followed him into trials before Pilate, Herod, and the Sanhedrin.
When the Roman soldiers made Jesus the brunt of their sick humor, it was as a powerless king with thorns for a crown. And when Jesus went to the cross, here it was again... King of the
Jews. He never could shake off that old political bagged.
But what Jesus denied about himself as a political king and military messiah, he asserted a different kind of kingship, in a different kind of kingdom, in a different kind of way. He acted out the fulfillment of prophecy, especially that of Isaiah's suffering servant. When he rode into Jerusalem at the beginning of the Passover festivities , he was acting out the prophecy of Zechariah, in fact Matthews Gospel is aimed at showing how Jesus fulfilled the Old testament prophecy about the Messiah.
Jesus became a victorious king not in political and military takeover, but when he rose from the dead, and in so doing he defeated that most fearsome of human enemies, death itself with its horrid threat to our existence, sin, death,devil were defeated by Christ our victorious king in that later was called Easter.
Jesus may have won the victory and established the kingdom of God, but if you look around the world of ours its hard to see who it was that really won. It almost looks like Jesus lost, like all those skeptics of the resurrection have been claiming all along.
But there always was something in Jesus teachings that sounded incomplete and yet to be realized, So it is. A period of the it-is- finished of Jesus victory, but a sense but not quite yet. We live in the in between Jesus promises, in the presence of the high priests. " But I tell you hereafter that you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven (Matt. 26:64).
So it is with Christ the king, that to be a Christian means many things to us... He is a savior to the losers, a forgiver to the guilty, the truth to the searcher, " the bridge over troubled waters to to the lonely;
a radical word of justice for the oppressed and.
as we come to know Jesus as our savior, forgiver, truth, bridge, and word, so we come to know him as " "OUR KING!"
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
"Angels" Hebrews 1: 1-4: 5-12.
If Men were Angels, James Madison ( 1809-17). wrote, no Government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external or internal controls would be needed on government.Our text is quoted from Psalms 8:4-5. What is man, that thou are mindful of him? And the son of man, that you visit him? Thou made him lower than the angels, to crown with glory and worship. As we look at the text from Hebrews; "Long ago God spoke in many different ways to our fathers through the prophets [ in visions, dreams, and even face to face], telling them little by little about his plans, but now in these days he has spoken to us through his Son to whom he has given everything., and through whom he made the world and everything there is. Thus he has become far greater than the angels, as proved by the fact that his name "Son of God" which was passed from the father to the son, a fact which is far greater than the names and titles of the angels. For God never said to any angel, " you are my son, and today I have given you that honor that goes with that name. The author of Hebrews picks the universe as a hierarchy, with God on top, and then the angels, humans, animals, and on down the creative order to inanimate things. This philosophically has been referred to as the great "Chain of Being." The letter of the Hebrews understands that in the incarnation Jesus Christ moved from a higher to a lower place- thus the discussion about the placement of angels. In times past God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, including Abraham, Moses and all through whom God spoke. For God's revelation of His saving purpose is achieved through his son now in our last days. (Final stage). Jesus role as a redeemer, and a mediator being made the (heir) of all things through his death and exaltation to glory, yet he existed before He appeared as a man. The
Messianic Enthronement: for to which did God ever say, this is my son, this day I have begotten you?
Or again " I will be a Father to him, and He shall be a son to me?"
And again when He leads the first born. " Let the angels of God worship him."
Of the angels He says: " he makes his angels winds and ministers a fiery flame.
It seems as though angels have captured the imagination of people everywhere.
Unfortunately there's a lot of misinformation about angels, along with superstitions and unscriptural understandings, so we will look at the biblical perspective on angels.
DO ANGELS EXIST.
The word of God-not popular T.V. shows or magazine articles- is our only reliable source for knowing what angels are, and what they do. The Bibles teach that angels were made by God
during the six-days of creation. Before creation their was only God. (John 1:1-3). and after creation, we are told that on the seventh-day God "rested" from all the work of creating He had done. (Gen.2:3). The Bible does not say on what day of creation God made angels. but angels are very real.
"WHAT DOES THE WORD "ANGEL MEAN?''
The word "angel"comes from the Greek word that means "messenger"Angels." are God's messengers.
Elsewhere in the Bible angels are described as spirits, ( Acts. 23:9). (Heb.1:14). The word "angel"
is a description what they do.
"'What are Angels?
As we have said, Angels are spirits. They are beings who do not have a physical body. Jesus himself said, " a spirit does not have flesh and blood," as you see I have. (Luke 24:39). Evil angels too are described as not having "flesh and blood." (Eph. 6:12). In the scriptures, when angels do appear in human form, this is only a momentary appearance for those who need them. Angels are not God's. They are God's creation to serve His Holy and perfect will. The good angels are said to be ministering " spirits" sent by God to serve us. ( Hebrews 1:14).
ARE ANGELS HUMAN?
Human beings are the crown of God's creation. Only human beings, and no other creature, did God say, " Let us make man in our own image"(Gen. 1:26). Angels are not human beings, and do not become angels when they die. (When our children are born, we often call them our little angels, and
'ha ha).
HUMAN BEINGS WHEN THEY DIE DO NOT BECOME ANGELS.?
The scriptures are clear on this point. Until the last day, the souls of the dead are before the Lord, enjoying peace and rest in his presence, awaiting the final day when they receive glorified bodies for all eternity. ( see 1 cor.15; 1 Thess. 5:17; Rev 7). That's why its so important, that when you stand before Christ, and the book of life is open, and you hear these words: " Come and rest good and faith-full servant; the words you don't want to hear is:" I never knew you;" for their's nothing you can do to
regain your soul: for your dead!
The Bible describes angel as having both intelligence and a will. the "Good Angels know and follow the wisdom of God, which He has revealed through Christ to his church. (Eph. 3:10). They gladly serve us, who are heirs of the salvation Christ has won for us. (Heb.1:14). however, angels do not know all things. for instance, they do not know the thoughts of our hearts (1 Kings 8:39).
Angels are extremely powerful beings. They are described as "mighty ones" (Psalm 103;20; 2nd Thess.). 1:7. the good angels guard and protect God's children (Ps. 91:11:13). the power of angels is unlimited, but is always subject to the will and authority of God. Evil angels are powerful beings. The Bible tells us that they hold captive all unbelievers (Luke 11: 21-22; (Eph.2:2). Believers in Christ are able to withstand the temptation of evil angels through the power of God (Eph. 6:10-17).
Angels like God, do not inhabit the same physical dimension. Thus, while there are times when angels will make a distinct place (Acts 12:7), they remain beings that inhabit no physical space.
The Bible doesn't give exact number, but does clearly teach that there are incredibly large numbers of angels to serve God. Scripture speaks of "ten thousand times ten thousand times (Daniel 7:10). Elsewhere speaks of "a great company of the heavenly host." (Luke 2:13).
Every indication in the Bible, there are an unimaginably large number of angels, never increasing or decreasing. unlike human beings, angels do not marry and have children (Mark 12:25). They are immortal. Within the large number of angels there are certain orders or classes of angels. Scripture speaks of Cherubim ( Gen.3:24; Ps. 80:1), "seraphim" (Is. 6:2), thrones or powers or rulers,or authorities" ( Col 1:16) "archangel" (1 Thess. 4:16). (Mtt.25:41).
We know Satan is the prince of the evil devils, who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
The son of man will come, no longer in poverty and lowliness, as in the days of his earthly ministry, but, in the full glory of His God head, which he will exercise according to His human nature, accompanied by His angels, he will come to judgment, and he will give, give back, return to every one according, as every person has given proof of the faith in his heart, by the work of his hands, which no one can escape (Matt 25: 31-46). Christ makes no distinction between events near at hand and those afar off; for the eternal God who inspires prophecy has no time. The Roman Emperor Charlemagne knew that the pole of power was greasy! An interesting story surrounds this burial of the famous king. "Side note".
Legend has it that he asked to be entombed sitting upright in his throne. He asked that his crown be place on his head and his scepter in his hand.
He requested a royal cape be draped around his shoulders and an open book be placed in his lap. That was A.D. 814. Nearly 200 years later, Emperor Othello determined to see if the burial request had been carried out. He allegedly sent a team of men to open the tomb and make a report. They found the the body just as Charlemagne had requested. Only now, nearly two centuries later, the scene was gruesome ... open on the skeleton thighs was a book Charlemagne had requested- the Bible. One bony finger pointed to Matthew 16:26: "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul". You can answer that one.
Messianic Enthronement: for to which did God ever say, this is my son, this day I have begotten you?
Or again " I will be a Father to him, and He shall be a son to me?"
And again when He leads the first born. " Let the angels of God worship him."
Of the angels He says: " he makes his angels winds and ministers a fiery flame.
It seems as though angels have captured the imagination of people everywhere.
Unfortunately there's a lot of misinformation about angels, along with superstitions and unscriptural understandings, so we will look at the biblical perspective on angels.
DO ANGELS EXIST.
The word of God-not popular T.V. shows or magazine articles- is our only reliable source for knowing what angels are, and what they do. The Bibles teach that angels were made by God
during the six-days of creation. Before creation their was only God. (John 1:1-3). and after creation, we are told that on the seventh-day God "rested" from all the work of creating He had done. (Gen.2:3). The Bible does not say on what day of creation God made angels. but angels are very real.
"WHAT DOES THE WORD "ANGEL MEAN?''
The word "angel"comes from the Greek word that means "messenger"Angels." are God's messengers.
Elsewhere in the Bible angels are described as spirits, ( Acts. 23:9). (Heb.1:14). The word "angel"
is a description what they do.
"'What are Angels?
As we have said, Angels are spirits. They are beings who do not have a physical body. Jesus himself said, " a spirit does not have flesh and blood," as you see I have. (Luke 24:39). Evil angels too are described as not having "flesh and blood." (Eph. 6:12). In the scriptures, when angels do appear in human form, this is only a momentary appearance for those who need them. Angels are not God's. They are God's creation to serve His Holy and perfect will. The good angels are said to be ministering " spirits" sent by God to serve us. ( Hebrews 1:14).
ARE ANGELS HUMAN?
Human beings are the crown of God's creation. Only human beings, and no other creature, did God say, " Let us make man in our own image"(Gen. 1:26). Angels are not human beings, and do not become angels when they die. (When our children are born, we often call them our little angels, and
'ha ha).
HUMAN BEINGS WHEN THEY DIE DO NOT BECOME ANGELS.?
The scriptures are clear on this point. Until the last day, the souls of the dead are before the Lord, enjoying peace and rest in his presence, awaiting the final day when they receive glorified bodies for all eternity. ( see 1 cor.15; 1 Thess. 5:17; Rev 7). That's why its so important, that when you stand before Christ, and the book of life is open, and you hear these words: " Come and rest good and faith-full servant; the words you don't want to hear is:" I never knew you;" for their's nothing you can do to
regain your soul: for your dead!
The Bible describes angel as having both intelligence and a will. the "Good Angels know and follow the wisdom of God, which He has revealed through Christ to his church. (Eph. 3:10). They gladly serve us, who are heirs of the salvation Christ has won for us. (Heb.1:14). however, angels do not know all things. for instance, they do not know the thoughts of our hearts (1 Kings 8:39).
Angels are extremely powerful beings. They are described as "mighty ones" (Psalm 103;20; 2nd Thess.). 1:7. the good angels guard and protect God's children (Ps. 91:11:13). the power of angels is unlimited, but is always subject to the will and authority of God. Evil angels are powerful beings. The Bible tells us that they hold captive all unbelievers (Luke 11: 21-22; (Eph.2:2). Believers in Christ are able to withstand the temptation of evil angels through the power of God (Eph. 6:10-17).
Angels like God, do not inhabit the same physical dimension. Thus, while there are times when angels will make a distinct place (Acts 12:7), they remain beings that inhabit no physical space.
The Bible doesn't give exact number, but does clearly teach that there are incredibly large numbers of angels to serve God. Scripture speaks of "ten thousand times ten thousand times (Daniel 7:10). Elsewhere speaks of "a great company of the heavenly host." (Luke 2:13).
Every indication in the Bible, there are an unimaginably large number of angels, never increasing or decreasing. unlike human beings, angels do not marry and have children (Mark 12:25). They are immortal. Within the large number of angels there are certain orders or classes of angels. Scripture speaks of Cherubim ( Gen.3:24; Ps. 80:1), "seraphim" (Is. 6:2), thrones or powers or rulers,or authorities" ( Col 1:16) "archangel" (1 Thess. 4:16). (Mtt.25:41).
We know Satan is the prince of the evil devils, who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
The son of man will come, no longer in poverty and lowliness, as in the days of his earthly ministry, but, in the full glory of His God head, which he will exercise according to His human nature, accompanied by His angels, he will come to judgment, and he will give, give back, return to every one according, as every person has given proof of the faith in his heart, by the work of his hands, which no one can escape (Matt 25: 31-46). Christ makes no distinction between events near at hand and those afar off; for the eternal God who inspires prophecy has no time. The Roman Emperor Charlemagne knew that the pole of power was greasy! An interesting story surrounds this burial of the famous king. "Side note".
Legend has it that he asked to be entombed sitting upright in his throne. He asked that his crown be place on his head and his scepter in his hand.
He requested a royal cape be draped around his shoulders and an open book be placed in his lap. That was A.D. 814. Nearly 200 years later, Emperor Othello determined to see if the burial request had been carried out. He allegedly sent a team of men to open the tomb and make a report. They found the the body just as Charlemagne had requested. Only now, nearly two centuries later, the scene was gruesome ... open on the skeleton thighs was a book Charlemagne had requested- the Bible. One bony finger pointed to Matthew 16:26: "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul". You can answer that one.
Monday, August 15, 2016
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet. Matthew 22:1-14.
Jesus spoke to them in Parables, saying: " The Kingdom of Heaven is like a King who prepared a wedding banquet for his son." 'He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
Then he sent some more servants and said, "Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.
'But they paid no attention. and went off-one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreating them, and killed them. The king was enraged. he sent his army and destroyed those murders and burned their city. " then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find. So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, good and bad, the wedding hall was filled with guests.
But when the King came into see his guests, he noticed a man not wearing wedding clothes. Friend he asked, " how did you get in here without wearing wedding clothes?" The man was speechless.
" Then the King told his attendants,' Tie him hand and foot, throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are invited, but few are chosen.
Although the son was killed in the previous parable, here he is alive again. As Jesus tells these parables on Tuesday of Holy week, he is saying good Friday will most certainly be followed by Easter Sunday. That point might have gone right over their heads at the time, but after Jesus resurrection, when his disciples had the benefit of hindsight, they were able to see things they had missed before. And that is why we should read the scriptures over and over again. Nobody gets it all the first time.
Not only is the son alive again, He is getting married. John was given a glimpse of this wedding, which he records in Revelation 19:7-9 and 21;2; " Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him:
for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and right, for fine linen is the righteousness of Saints. Christ is the bridegroom and the Church is his bride. Husbands and wives will no longer be married to each other in heaven, as Jesus says in Matt. 22:30, because we will be married to Christ." Don't you realize that God was speaking directly to you when He said, 'I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? So God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. (Matt 22;31). God intends our marriages to be a preparation for and a foretaste of the wedding feast in heaven.
The people who are invited first are the Jews. When the refused the Kings invitation, the gentiles are invited.. In this parable, Jesus warns both Jews and Gentiles that Judgment will surely fall upon all who show contempt for God's gracious invitation. The Jews show their contempt in two ways: " some paid attention" to the messengers and went about their business while others actively mistreated the servants and killed them. the Gentile shows his contempt by failing to wear the wedding clothes the the King had provided. The former was killed and their city is burned. ( A reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70), while the latter was thrown out into the darkness where their shall be weeping and gnashing of the teeth., an expression Jesus often uses for the eternal suffering in Hell. It is significant that the King invites us to a wedding rather than a funeral. "It is the same invitation Jesus issues in a subsequent parable,"
Come and share your Master's happiness. and the bountiful table the king has prepared is the same feast Jesus referred to earlier: I say that many will come from the east and the west , and will take their places at the feast of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven" ( Matthew 8:11) A Foretaste of this feast is offered every Sunday, at the Altar.
All the people who are invited to the kings banquet re unworthy of his invitation.
When the original invitee's refused to come, the king said to his servants, " Those I invited did not want to come. So he sent his servants out into the streets to invite anyone who they could find. Jesus sends us out into the world to invite to the banquet. This is the mission of Christ's church, which began on Good Friday as the penitent thief, and the Roman centurion were moved to confess their faith in Jesus: and one of the criminals which were hanged railed on him saying, if thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But, the other rebuked him saying, "Dost not thou fear God", seeing thou art in the same sentence? and we indeed justly.; for we receive due reward for our deeds: But this man has done nothing wrong, And he said unto Jesus, Lord remember me when thou come into thy kingdom. and Jesus said: And Jesus said unto him; for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. (Matt, 23; 40-43; Matthew 27:54) now when the centurion and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earth quake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying Truly this was the son of God. Every sinner who receives this invitation in pentitent faith must confess with Luther, " I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ, my lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel. When you bring sin into being, you distort the whole world, that much more. The story of Noah, for instance, says that the "Earth is corruptly on earth." and God himself put the blame where it lies: " the Earth is full of violence because of them" (Gen 6:11-13). So, when one person sins, everybody has to put up with the consequences, too- sin is a sort of air-pollution: You can't hide it, and it ruins the quality of life everywhere, even far from its source ( as in Is 24:5). We're all tied together in the great scheme of things, which explains why bad things happen to good people. If we were all the way Adam and Eve were before the fall, there wouldn't be any death or taxes or crime or traffic jams or anything. God made the world, but we spoiled it.
But note that original sin only changed man's state; it didn't change human nature. People were made in the image and likeness of God (Gn 1:26). and created good.; people can act badly, but people are by nature good.
You have to be perfectly clear about this one point, because a lot of Christians separated from the church teach that humans are by nature depraved, sinful, and wicked- this is the point that all those fire- and brimstone preachers have tried to make for the past three hundred years.The innate goodness of human beings is a pivotal point in the cycle, because it means that people can attain Heaven, where nothing bad is allowed (Mt.5;8, Rv 21;27).
. These are the people who come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb, which cleanses from sin, which is provided by God. The Hymn writer teaches us to sing,"Jesus your blood and righteousness are my beauty and, my glorious dress. " The righteous robes are given to us in in Holy Baptism, as Paul explains, " All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Then he sent some more servants and said, "Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.
'But they paid no attention. and went off-one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreating them, and killed them. The king was enraged. he sent his army and destroyed those murders and burned their city. " then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find. So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, good and bad, the wedding hall was filled with guests.
But when the King came into see his guests, he noticed a man not wearing wedding clothes. Friend he asked, " how did you get in here without wearing wedding clothes?" The man was speechless.
" Then the King told his attendants,' Tie him hand and foot, throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are invited, but few are chosen.
Although the son was killed in the previous parable, here he is alive again. As Jesus tells these parables on Tuesday of Holy week, he is saying good Friday will most certainly be followed by Easter Sunday. That point might have gone right over their heads at the time, but after Jesus resurrection, when his disciples had the benefit of hindsight, they were able to see things they had missed before. And that is why we should read the scriptures over and over again. Nobody gets it all the first time.
Not only is the son alive again, He is getting married. John was given a glimpse of this wedding, which he records in Revelation 19:7-9 and 21;2; " Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him:
for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and right, for fine linen is the righteousness of Saints. Christ is the bridegroom and the Church is his bride. Husbands and wives will no longer be married to each other in heaven, as Jesus says in Matt. 22:30, because we will be married to Christ." Don't you realize that God was speaking directly to you when He said, 'I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? So God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. (Matt 22;31). God intends our marriages to be a preparation for and a foretaste of the wedding feast in heaven.
The people who are invited first are the Jews. When the refused the Kings invitation, the gentiles are invited.. In this parable, Jesus warns both Jews and Gentiles that Judgment will surely fall upon all who show contempt for God's gracious invitation. The Jews show their contempt in two ways: " some paid attention" to the messengers and went about their business while others actively mistreated the servants and killed them. the Gentile shows his contempt by failing to wear the wedding clothes the the King had provided. The former was killed and their city is burned. ( A reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70), while the latter was thrown out into the darkness where their shall be weeping and gnashing of the teeth., an expression Jesus often uses for the eternal suffering in Hell. It is significant that the King invites us to a wedding rather than a funeral. "It is the same invitation Jesus issues in a subsequent parable,"
Come and share your Master's happiness. and the bountiful table the king has prepared is the same feast Jesus referred to earlier: I say that many will come from the east and the west , and will take their places at the feast of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven" ( Matthew 8:11) A Foretaste of this feast is offered every Sunday, at the Altar.
All the people who are invited to the kings banquet re unworthy of his invitation.
When the original invitee's refused to come, the king said to his servants, " Those I invited did not want to come. So he sent his servants out into the streets to invite anyone who they could find. Jesus sends us out into the world to invite to the banquet. This is the mission of Christ's church, which began on Good Friday as the penitent thief, and the Roman centurion were moved to confess their faith in Jesus: and one of the criminals which were hanged railed on him saying, if thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But, the other rebuked him saying, "Dost not thou fear God", seeing thou art in the same sentence? and we indeed justly.; for we receive due reward for our deeds: But this man has done nothing wrong, And he said unto Jesus, Lord remember me when thou come into thy kingdom. and Jesus said: And Jesus said unto him; for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. (Matt, 23; 40-43; Matthew 27:54) now when the centurion and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earth quake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying Truly this was the son of God. Every sinner who receives this invitation in pentitent faith must confess with Luther, " I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ, my lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel. When you bring sin into being, you distort the whole world, that much more. The story of Noah, for instance, says that the "Earth is corruptly on earth." and God himself put the blame where it lies: " the Earth is full of violence because of them" (Gen 6:11-13). So, when one person sins, everybody has to put up with the consequences, too- sin is a sort of air-pollution: You can't hide it, and it ruins the quality of life everywhere, even far from its source ( as in Is 24:5). We're all tied together in the great scheme of things, which explains why bad things happen to good people. If we were all the way Adam and Eve were before the fall, there wouldn't be any death or taxes or crime or traffic jams or anything. God made the world, but we spoiled it.
But note that original sin only changed man's state; it didn't change human nature. People were made in the image and likeness of God (Gn 1:26). and created good.; people can act badly, but people are by nature good.
You have to be perfectly clear about this one point, because a lot of Christians separated from the church teach that humans are by nature depraved, sinful, and wicked- this is the point that all those fire- and brimstone preachers have tried to make for the past three hundred years.The innate goodness of human beings is a pivotal point in the cycle, because it means that people can attain Heaven, where nothing bad is allowed (Mt.5;8, Rv 21;27).
. These are the people who come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb, which cleanses from sin, which is provided by God. The Hymn writer teaches us to sing,"Jesus your blood and righteousness are my beauty and, my glorious dress. " The righteous robes are given to us in in Holy Baptism, as Paul explains, " All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Does He know Me! John 10:3
The Gate keeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him; and He calls his own sheep by name and Leads them out.
When I have sadly misunderstood Him? (John 20:17). it is possible to know all about doctrine and yet not know Jesus. The Soul is in danger when knowledge of doctrine out steps intimate touch with Jesus. Why was Mary weeping? Doctrine was no more to Mary then grass under her feet. Any Pharisee could have made a fool out of Mary doctrinally, but one thing they could not ridicule out of her was the fact that Jesus had cast seven- demons out of her; yet his blessings were nothing in comparison to Himself. Mary "saw Jesus standing and knew not whether it was Jesus...;" immediately she heard the voice,she knew she had a past history with the One who spoke, "Master!"
When have I stubbornly doubted? (John 20:27). Then He said to Thomas, " put your finger into my hands. Put your hand into my side. Don't be faithless any longer. BELIEVE!"
Have you been doubting something about Jesus- an experience to which others testify but which you have not had? The other disciples told Thomas that they had seen Jesus, but Thomas doubted- Except I shall see..., I will not believe." Thomas needed a personal touch of Jesus. When his touches come, or how they come, we do not know; but when they do come they are indescribably precious.
"My Lord my God!"
When have we selfishly denied Him? ( John 21; 15-17). After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, " Simon, son of John, do you love me more then these others? "Yes," "Then feed my lambs",(children) Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: " Simon, son of John, do you really love me?"
"Yes Lord," Peter said, "You know I love you." " Then take care of my sheep," Jesus said.
Once more he asks him, " Simon,son of John, are you even my friend?"
Peter was grieved at the way Jesus asked this question for the third time. " Lord you know my heart; (all things)." Jesus said, then feed my little sheep."
Peter had denied Jesus with oaths and curses, and yet after the resurrection Jesus appeared to Peter alone. He restored him in private, the Jesus restored him before the others." Lord, thou knowest that I love thee."
Have you a personal history with Jesus Christ? The one sign of discipleship is intimate connection with him, a knowledge of Jesus Christ which nothing can shake.
When I have sadly misunderstood Him? (John 20:17). it is possible to know all about doctrine and yet not know Jesus. The Soul is in danger when knowledge of doctrine out steps intimate touch with Jesus. Why was Mary weeping? Doctrine was no more to Mary then grass under her feet. Any Pharisee could have made a fool out of Mary doctrinally, but one thing they could not ridicule out of her was the fact that Jesus had cast seven- demons out of her; yet his blessings were nothing in comparison to Himself. Mary "saw Jesus standing and knew not whether it was Jesus...;" immediately she heard the voice,she knew she had a past history with the One who spoke, "Master!"
When have I stubbornly doubted? (John 20:27). Then He said to Thomas, " put your finger into my hands. Put your hand into my side. Don't be faithless any longer. BELIEVE!"
Have you been doubting something about Jesus- an experience to which others testify but which you have not had? The other disciples told Thomas that they had seen Jesus, but Thomas doubted- Except I shall see..., I will not believe." Thomas needed a personal touch of Jesus. When his touches come, or how they come, we do not know; but when they do come they are indescribably precious.
"My Lord my God!"
When have we selfishly denied Him? ( John 21; 15-17). After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, " Simon, son of John, do you love me more then these others? "Yes," "Then feed my lambs",(children) Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: " Simon, son of John, do you really love me?"
"Yes Lord," Peter said, "You know I love you." " Then take care of my sheep," Jesus said.
Once more he asks him, " Simon,son of John, are you even my friend?"
Peter was grieved at the way Jesus asked this question for the third time. " Lord you know my heart; (all things)." Jesus said, then feed my little sheep."
Peter had denied Jesus with oaths and curses, and yet after the resurrection Jesus appeared to Peter alone. He restored him in private, the Jesus restored him before the others." Lord, thou knowest that I love thee."
Have you a personal history with Jesus Christ? The one sign of discipleship is intimate connection with him, a knowledge of Jesus Christ which nothing can shake.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Theology of Rest Matthew 8:26.
"Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith?"
When we are in fear we can do nothing less than pray to God, but our Lord has a right to expect those who name His name should have a understanding confidence in Him.
God expects His children to be so confident in Him that in any crisis they are the reliable ones. Our trust is in God up to a certain point, then we go back to the elementary panic prayers of those who don't know God. We get to our wit's end, showing that we have not the slightest confidence in Him.
and His government of the world. He seems to be asleep, and we see nothing but breakers ahead.
"O ye of little faith!" What a pang must have shot through the disciples-" Missed it again!"
And what a pang will go through us when we suddenly realize that we might have produced downright joy in the heart of Jesus by remaining absolutely confident in Him, no matter what was ahead.
There are stages in life when their is no storm, no crisis, when we do our human best; it is when a crisis arises that we instantly reveal upon whom we rely. If we have been learning to worship God and to trust Him, the crisis will reveal that we will go to the breaking point and not break in our confidence in Him.
We have been talking a great deal about sanctification-what is it going to amount to? It should work out into rest in God which means oneness with God, a oneness which shall make us blameless in His sight, but a deep joy to him.
GOD EXPECTS HIS CHILDREN TO BE SO CONFIDENT
IN HIM THAT IN ANY CRISIS
THEY ARE THE RELIABLE ONES."
When we are in fear we can do nothing less than pray to God, but our Lord has a right to expect those who name His name should have a understanding confidence in Him.
God expects His children to be so confident in Him that in any crisis they are the reliable ones. Our trust is in God up to a certain point, then we go back to the elementary panic prayers of those who don't know God. We get to our wit's end, showing that we have not the slightest confidence in Him.
and His government of the world. He seems to be asleep, and we see nothing but breakers ahead.
"O ye of little faith!" What a pang must have shot through the disciples-" Missed it again!"
And what a pang will go through us when we suddenly realize that we might have produced downright joy in the heart of Jesus by remaining absolutely confident in Him, no matter what was ahead.
There are stages in life when their is no storm, no crisis, when we do our human best; it is when a crisis arises that we instantly reveal upon whom we rely. If we have been learning to worship God and to trust Him, the crisis will reveal that we will go to the breaking point and not break in our confidence in Him.
We have been talking a great deal about sanctification-what is it going to amount to? It should work out into rest in God which means oneness with God, a oneness which shall make us blameless in His sight, but a deep joy to him.
GOD EXPECTS HIS CHILDREN TO BE SO CONFIDENT
IN HIM THAT IN ANY CRISIS
THEY ARE THE RELIABLE ONES."
Thursday, August 11, 2016
God revealed-in a Human Person!
Within the gospel reading's are the profound words, with the simple message that God is revealed in a human person. Though we might try to understand how the word existed with God, from the beginning of time, The wonder we celebrate at Christmas is that the word continues to dwell among us. Christ comes among us in the gathered assembly, the scriptures, the waters of new birth, and the bread and wine.
Few words in scripture have gripped the human mind with the power of the opening lines in the fourth gospel:
In the beginning was the word
And the word was God.
And the word was God...
The Western Church used these words for centuries as a blessing for the sick and for the newly baptized children. It was even placed in amulets and hung around the neck to protect one from sickness.
It's seductive, though, to be so entranced by the mysterious repetition and simplicity of these words,
that we forget their importance. Like all human words, they are meant to bear a message, and that message becomes clear only at the end of this passage:
No one has ever seen God:
It is God the only Son, ever at the father's side,
Who has revealed him.
Jesus Christ has solved this riddle of God.
Riddles are not simply childish jokes. They have a long history in humanity's quest to understand the world. Have you heard the " Riddle of Sphinx?"
The ancient Greeks told of a monster which came each year with a riddle. " What speaks with one voice, but walks on four legs, on two legs, and on three legs?" If no one could answer, the sphinx would capture the victim and carry him away for dinner. Finally Opedipus answered the riddle by saying that man crawls on all fours when he is small, walks on two legs when he is grown, and hobbles with a cane when he is old. By answering the riddle, he saved the city.
We still use the "riddle" in his serious sense when we talk about the "riddle of life." or the riddle of suffering."
For many people God is a riddle. They would pose a question like this: " If there is a God, why do the innocent suffer?
Why is there so much pain and suffering?
Why is there so much pain and sorrow in the world?" or they ask " Why does God demand so much of us, when he didn't create us perfect in the first place ?"
We ought to take these questions quite seriously, because they remind us that the existence of evil and imperfection becomes an acute problem when we dare to talk about a loving God. Even the church calendar poses this riddle when it places observance of St, Stephen's day and holy Innocents day right after Christmas Day. It's as though we barely have time to hear the angels sing about " peace on earth" before we are reminded that people were stoned for their Christian faith and that a King so feared the coming of Christ that he tried to kill all the children under two years of age.
For a Christian then, the riddle would be: What kind of a God would let himself and his followers be pushed around by a hard cruel world?"
We are not the first ones to puzzle over this question? The gospels reminds us that confusion and misunderstanding have clouded the good news of God from the beginning.
"He was in the world... yet the world knew him not, " He came to his own home and his own people received him not." The rest of gospel of John repeatedly calls attention to the fact that people misunderstood Jesus- from Nicodemus asking " How can a man be born again when he is old?"to Pilate impatiently snapping, What is truth?"
An yet the answer to the riddle was there. That's the way it is with good riddles, When you really understand the question, you already have the answer.
Do you remember that old favorite about " What is black and white and read all over?" The secret to that riddle was the sound of the word "read." " newspaper."
Once you understood that it did not refer to the color red, the answer to the riddle made sense. Or
take the one that went:
"Railway crossing, look out for the cars.
Can you spell it with out any R's
When you realize that the task is to spell " it" rather then Railroad crossing, the answer becomes self evident.
The riddle of God is like: "that Once we grasp the key word, questions about his power and his will can be answered". John says the key word for today's riddles, is " Word;" "And the word became flesh
and dwelt among us."When we try to solve a riddle of God from any other starting point, we run into a dead end.
That's what Jesus meant when he said, " No man comes to the Father but by me."
How does Jesus solve the riddle? He shows us how God's power differs from our usual concept of power. For us, power means strength to have it our way, no matter who opposes us .We use it in like
"power-play or power-hungry." Today in a community, the people who make decisions and can enforce them are called the Power structure!
No body would dare challenge us. Power is that ability to eliminate the opposition.
If that's what "power" means, then God should have the power to blot out evil, protect his followers, and eliminate suffering. Prisoners of war have testified that the best resource they had against torture
and abuse was the absence of fear. When they worried a bout their reactions, the enemy had them in their grip. Christ met human anger, betrayal and even death, not by becoming angry himself, but by accepting the worst we could dish out and proving it could not destroy him. His resurrection illustrated how God's power works. It does not eliminate death. It simply takes away death's finality.
Jesus spent much of his ministry urging people to see that suffering does not go unnoticed. God marks the fall of a sparrow and the plight of the leper.
So Jesus becomes the key to understand the riddle of how to deal with suffering in a sinful world.
,
Few words in scripture have gripped the human mind with the power of the opening lines in the fourth gospel:
In the beginning was the word
And the word was God.
And the word was God...
The Western Church used these words for centuries as a blessing for the sick and for the newly baptized children. It was even placed in amulets and hung around the neck to protect one from sickness.
It's seductive, though, to be so entranced by the mysterious repetition and simplicity of these words,
that we forget their importance. Like all human words, they are meant to bear a message, and that message becomes clear only at the end of this passage:
No one has ever seen God:
It is God the only Son, ever at the father's side,
Who has revealed him.
Jesus Christ has solved this riddle of God.
Riddles are not simply childish jokes. They have a long history in humanity's quest to understand the world. Have you heard the " Riddle of Sphinx?"
The ancient Greeks told of a monster which came each year with a riddle. " What speaks with one voice, but walks on four legs, on two legs, and on three legs?" If no one could answer, the sphinx would capture the victim and carry him away for dinner. Finally Opedipus answered the riddle by saying that man crawls on all fours when he is small, walks on two legs when he is grown, and hobbles with a cane when he is old. By answering the riddle, he saved the city.
We still use the "riddle" in his serious sense when we talk about the "riddle of life." or the riddle of suffering."
For many people God is a riddle. They would pose a question like this: " If there is a God, why do the innocent suffer?
Why is there so much pain and suffering?
Why is there so much pain and sorrow in the world?" or they ask " Why does God demand so much of us, when he didn't create us perfect in the first place ?"
We ought to take these questions quite seriously, because they remind us that the existence of evil and imperfection becomes an acute problem when we dare to talk about a loving God. Even the church calendar poses this riddle when it places observance of St, Stephen's day and holy Innocents day right after Christmas Day. It's as though we barely have time to hear the angels sing about " peace on earth" before we are reminded that people were stoned for their Christian faith and that a King so feared the coming of Christ that he tried to kill all the children under two years of age.
For a Christian then, the riddle would be: What kind of a God would let himself and his followers be pushed around by a hard cruel world?"
We are not the first ones to puzzle over this question? The gospels reminds us that confusion and misunderstanding have clouded the good news of God from the beginning.
"He was in the world... yet the world knew him not, " He came to his own home and his own people received him not." The rest of gospel of John repeatedly calls attention to the fact that people misunderstood Jesus- from Nicodemus asking " How can a man be born again when he is old?"to Pilate impatiently snapping, What is truth?"
An yet the answer to the riddle was there. That's the way it is with good riddles, When you really understand the question, you already have the answer.
Do you remember that old favorite about " What is black and white and read all over?" The secret to that riddle was the sound of the word "read." " newspaper."
Once you understood that it did not refer to the color red, the answer to the riddle made sense. Or
take the one that went:
"Railway crossing, look out for the cars.
Can you spell it with out any R's
When you realize that the task is to spell " it" rather then Railroad crossing, the answer becomes self evident.
The riddle of God is like: "that Once we grasp the key word, questions about his power and his will can be answered". John says the key word for today's riddles, is " Word;" "And the word became flesh
and dwelt among us."When we try to solve a riddle of God from any other starting point, we run into a dead end.
That's what Jesus meant when he said, " No man comes to the Father but by me."
How does Jesus solve the riddle? He shows us how God's power differs from our usual concept of power. For us, power means strength to have it our way, no matter who opposes us .We use it in like
"power-play or power-hungry." Today in a community, the people who make decisions and can enforce them are called the Power structure!
No body would dare challenge us. Power is that ability to eliminate the opposition.
If that's what "power" means, then God should have the power to blot out evil, protect his followers, and eliminate suffering. Prisoners of war have testified that the best resource they had against torture
and abuse was the absence of fear. When they worried a bout their reactions, the enemy had them in their grip. Christ met human anger, betrayal and even death, not by becoming angry himself, but by accepting the worst we could dish out and proving it could not destroy him. His resurrection illustrated how God's power works. It does not eliminate death. It simply takes away death's finality.
Jesus spent much of his ministry urging people to see that suffering does not go unnoticed. God marks the fall of a sparrow and the plight of the leper.
So Jesus becomes the key to understand the riddle of how to deal with suffering in a sinful world.
,
Monday, August 8, 2016
Going to Hell with Heaven on your mind! [ Mark 10: 17-22]
No matter how you approach the subject, Hell is an awful thought. Hell is a place where the eternal torment and pain in unquenchable fire. (flames). Hell is a terrible memories and horrible thirst. Hell is a place of eternal separation from everything of beauty that resides in this world. Hell is eternal separation from the presence of God. Hell is a place for Satan (Devil) and his angels., but all those who reject Jesus as Lord and Savior will go there for all eternity. Hell would be a horrible place to spend eternity. The only thing worst is to Go to hell with Heaven on your mind. Does that really happens?
Theses are the people and their rejection of the Savior.
Judas Iscariot- He kissed the gates of heaven and went to Hell- Matt. 26:49; Acts 1:25.
Felix- He looked into salvation, but he wanted to wait to a more convenient time. Acts 24:25.
Herod Agrippa- He steeped up to the very door of heaven and turned away- Acts 26:28.
Festus- He heard the claims of the Gospel and called them the ravings of a mad man-Acts 26:24.
The very same thing takes place in this text; this Rich man was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, " Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, " Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: " You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness, you shall not defraud; 'honor your Father and Mother. He replied and said to him, ' You are lacking one thing, " Go and sell what you have, and give to the [poor ] and you will have treasure in Heaven; then come, follow me. At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. "How hard it is for those who have wealth, to enter the "kingdom of God!" ( Their wealth was more important then the salvation of their Soul!)
People today come into our churches, ( they hear the gospel message, they are told to acknowledge and repent of their sins, and turn to Jesus for salvation, but many leave the church just like they came in, lost and still on their way to Hell, and to die, with Heaven on their mind.
Matthew tells us " the Rich Man" had his youth, (Matt. 19:22) He lived a life of Privilege. The world was his! Anything he wanted was well within his reach.
Luke tells us that this man was a "ruler", (Luke 18:18). This probably means that he was an influential leader local synagogue.
According to all the information we have about this man, it appears that he was very moral, (v.20.)
He lived a good life. People all over looked at this rich moral young man, as a religious leader. He was riding high on his success. Looking on his life, you might think, he had it all. But, appearances are deceiving! In spite of everything, He had one big "skeleton" in his closet! An itch he couldn't scratch! Even with his much, his swift climb of the ladder (Social), it failed to give him what he wanted most (peace with God). Maybe you are in this same situation?Maybe you are a church leader, teacher, and everybody thinks your life is complete. But you know something is missing. You know what it takes to live, but are unprepared to die. For you do not have spiritual peace with God.
He came running's to Jesus' to fulfill his needs that his senses and the urgency, requited, action and he was ashamed to admit he has a spiritual need. He wants to know how he might " inherit eternal life."
This young man has a lot going for him. He, has it all! Yet, with all his power, his possessions and privileges, he still does not know the answer to the greatest of all questions, He knows a lot of things, but he is forced to admit, that He doesn't know the way to Heaven! He comes to Jesus with thoughts of Heaven on his mind.
You don't find many people who are thinking about eternity! Most people are so wrapped up in themselves and their lives that they have no thoughts of God, Heaven, hell, or eternity. " We can go at anytime!
People know a lot about many things, but their thoughts hardly ever turn to matters of God! Man can split atoms, put a man on the moon, harness the power of the sun, wind and rain, but he doesn't know how to get to Heaven, and eventually takes the road to hell. Sad fact is, most people don't even care to know. You see, death is coming; ( Heb. 9:27). If we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins, but a fearful and flaming fire, that is going to consume the adversaries. In the days of Moses, if you rejected; evidently sin against the law, but not just any law, but idolaters, (Dt. 17,2:7). One day soon, we will leave this world forever, we don't know the exact date? When we do, we will either go to Heaven or Hell. When you die, it will be determined by what you do with Jesus, while you are alive. You see the young man's confusion in our text was this, he was concerned about the right issue, in the presence of the right person, John 14:6; Acts 4:12. He comes at the right time, Isa. 55:6; and he came the right way, 1 Peter 5;5. This man gets a lot of things right in his encounter with the Lord. But, it is the things he gets wrong that causes him trouble. (1, He thinks salvation can be earned. He's looking for the "Do" oriented salvation. He wants to have a hand in it. He wants to be involved in it. He wants to get his salvation like he's gotten everything else in life: He wants to earn it for himself. He seems to think that if he can do just enough good things, then God would reward him with eternal life: Salvation is not a reward for service, but it is the gift of Grace, JOHN 10:28!
THE BIBLE TELLS US IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS THAT SALVATION IS NEVER ABOUT "DO" Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Salvation through Jesus Christ, is always about "Done!" When Jesus died on the cross, He said it is "finished!" He did it all and there is nothing you and I can do to add to it or get in on our own.
Salvation was achieved by Jesus when He died on the cross and rose again. It is received by us when we accepted what He did by faith! Salvation has never been about what we can do, but it has always been about what Jesus did!
Theses are the people and their rejection of the Savior.
Judas Iscariot- He kissed the gates of heaven and went to Hell- Matt. 26:49; Acts 1:25.
Felix- He looked into salvation, but he wanted to wait to a more convenient time. Acts 24:25.
Herod Agrippa- He steeped up to the very door of heaven and turned away- Acts 26:28.
Festus- He heard the claims of the Gospel and called them the ravings of a mad man-Acts 26:24.
The very same thing takes place in this text; this Rich man was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, " Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, " Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: " You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness, you shall not defraud; 'honor your Father and Mother. He replied and said to him, ' You are lacking one thing, " Go and sell what you have, and give to the [poor ] and you will have treasure in Heaven; then come, follow me. At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. "How hard it is for those who have wealth, to enter the "kingdom of God!" ( Their wealth was more important then the salvation of their Soul!)
People today come into our churches, ( they hear the gospel message, they are told to acknowledge and repent of their sins, and turn to Jesus for salvation, but many leave the church just like they came in, lost and still on their way to Hell, and to die, with Heaven on their mind.
Matthew tells us " the Rich Man" had his youth, (Matt. 19:22) He lived a life of Privilege. The world was his! Anything he wanted was well within his reach.
Luke tells us that this man was a "ruler", (Luke 18:18). This probably means that he was an influential leader local synagogue.
According to all the information we have about this man, it appears that he was very moral, (v.20.)
He lived a good life. People all over looked at this rich moral young man, as a religious leader. He was riding high on his success. Looking on his life, you might think, he had it all. But, appearances are deceiving! In spite of everything, He had one big "skeleton" in his closet! An itch he couldn't scratch! Even with his much, his swift climb of the ladder (Social), it failed to give him what he wanted most (peace with God). Maybe you are in this same situation?Maybe you are a church leader, teacher, and everybody thinks your life is complete. But you know something is missing. You know what it takes to live, but are unprepared to die. For you do not have spiritual peace with God.
He came running's to Jesus' to fulfill his needs that his senses and the urgency, requited, action and he was ashamed to admit he has a spiritual need. He wants to know how he might " inherit eternal life."
This young man has a lot going for him. He, has it all! Yet, with all his power, his possessions and privileges, he still does not know the answer to the greatest of all questions, He knows a lot of things, but he is forced to admit, that He doesn't know the way to Heaven! He comes to Jesus with thoughts of Heaven on his mind.
You don't find many people who are thinking about eternity! Most people are so wrapped up in themselves and their lives that they have no thoughts of God, Heaven, hell, or eternity. " We can go at anytime!
People know a lot about many things, but their thoughts hardly ever turn to matters of God! Man can split atoms, put a man on the moon, harness the power of the sun, wind and rain, but he doesn't know how to get to Heaven, and eventually takes the road to hell. Sad fact is, most people don't even care to know. You see, death is coming; ( Heb. 9:27). If we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins, but a fearful and flaming fire, that is going to consume the adversaries. In the days of Moses, if you rejected; evidently sin against the law, but not just any law, but idolaters, (Dt. 17,2:7). One day soon, we will leave this world forever, we don't know the exact date? When we do, we will either go to Heaven or Hell. When you die, it will be determined by what you do with Jesus, while you are alive. You see the young man's confusion in our text was this, he was concerned about the right issue, in the presence of the right person, John 14:6; Acts 4:12. He comes at the right time, Isa. 55:6; and he came the right way, 1 Peter 5;5. This man gets a lot of things right in his encounter with the Lord. But, it is the things he gets wrong that causes him trouble. (1, He thinks salvation can be earned. He's looking for the "Do" oriented salvation. He wants to have a hand in it. He wants to be involved in it. He wants to get his salvation like he's gotten everything else in life: He wants to earn it for himself. He seems to think that if he can do just enough good things, then God would reward him with eternal life: Salvation is not a reward for service, but it is the gift of Grace, JOHN 10:28!
THE BIBLE TELLS US IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS THAT SALVATION IS NEVER ABOUT "DO" Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Salvation through Jesus Christ, is always about "Done!" When Jesus died on the cross, He said it is "finished!" He did it all and there is nothing you and I can do to add to it or get in on our own.
Salvation was achieved by Jesus when He died on the cross and rose again. It is received by us when we accepted what He did by faith! Salvation has never been about what we can do, but it has always been about what Jesus did!
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth. Luke 4: 14-21 Home at Last.
Then Jesus returned to Galilee, full of the Holy Spirit's power. Soon He became well known through out all that region, for his sermons in the synagogues, Every one praised him. when he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on Saturday, and stood up to read the scriptures.
The book of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him, and he opened it to the place where it says: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed me to preach the Good News to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted and to announce that captives shall be released and the blind shall see, that the downtrodden shall be freed from their oppressors, and that God is ready to give blessing to all that come to him, ready to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. He closed the book and handed it back to the attendant and sat down, while everyone in the synagogue gazed at him intently. " These Scriptures came true today!
Jesus was directed by the Holy Spirit to his contest with the devil. After his baptism in the Jordan river, he is led by the spirit into the desert, a location reminiscent of the wilderness through which Israel was guided by Moses. the temptation lasted forty days and; this again reminds one of the forty years Exodus from Egypt. the forty days which Jesus spent in the desert are the origin of the forty day period of lent. During these forty days Jesus fasted.; He ate nothing and so he was very hungry. The devil seizes on this situation by suggesting to Jesus: " If you are the Son-of God, tell this stone to become bread." The devil is not so much challenging Jesus to prove his divine Son-ship as to temp him to use the son-ship for his own selfish purpose: by providing bread for himself. Jesus responds by quoting a portion Deuteronomy 8:3: ( Yes he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to both you and your ancestors. he did it to help you realize that food isn't everything, that man does not live by bread alone, and that real life comes by obeying every command of God.)
These are the words Moses addressed to Israel.The next temptation is of a political in nature. The devil led Jesus to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. Then another test: " I will give you all the authority and splendor that you see if you worship me." As the Son-of God, Jesus had almighty power; And he overcomes the Satan with a quotation from Deut. 6:13. "Worship the Lord your God and him only." We are to use the word of God to be winners over the temptations which come from Satan. Jesus won victory over Satan by using the sword of the spirit,
( which is the of word of God) to resist temptation of the devil. The defeat of the devil in the desert is not the end of the story. But, the devil would continue various tests in his earthly ministry.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the spirit. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up and on the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as was his custom, and he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet "Isaiah" was handed to him, which we heard earlier in the text. Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. The first few verses of John are among the most popular in the Bible: In the beginning was the "Word", and the "Word" was with God, and the "Word" was God. The words fairly leap off the page. as you begin to read God's scriptures, you feel you have entered a new level of God's truth in Jesus Christ. In the beginning of Johns Gospel through the word (God) speaks of Heaven which is the popularity within detail about a life beyond the grave. The promise of Heaven as Christ promise in John 14:1-3.; " In my Father's house is many rooms, if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you; and when you are ready I will come and take you there." ( Jesus is no liar).Heaven is a glorious city, a country, God's kingdom, paradise. Because of the warm image that is found there: Heaven is a home. We need a home, instead of a picture of a cold grave. We Had a home in Eden. But "Sin" caused a loss of that home and ever since, the human race has wandering,. We think of Cain, who killed his brother and was condemned to a life drifting. He had no home. In Genesis 11, we find men trying to create a city in which homes could be established. But, the men of Babel were in opposition to God, and God scattered them.
With the coming of Abraham we find a new heartening element. To be sure, God's first dealings with Abraham, was to take him from his home.- it was a sinful place filled with Idols, and Idol worshipers. But in the place of the home he lost, God promised Abraham a new place.: The land I will show you (Gen. 12:1). But even though Abraham was brought into the promised land, even though his descendants settle in large numbers, it was ultimately inadequate, because he looked forward to a heavenly home.
We don't know much about heaven except that is where Jesus is, and we shall be with him. When we talk to children, they want to know where heaven fits in. Was it between the stars? Was it beyond them? The only valid answer, was that heaven is where God is, and Jesus went to prepare a place for us. ( plays right into John 14:3).
This is the focal point of Revelation 5. It speaks of four and twenty elders, the angels and a vast amount of other creatures from everywhere, in the universe These being mention, not for descriptive
purposes, but because each bore testimony to Christ. and thus served to show how he is prominent. The four and twenty elders praised him with song. " Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain and by thy blood, didst ransom men for God. from every tribe and nation and tongue and, has made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth.(vv 9-10). then the angels gave their testimony " Worthy is the lamb who was slain (Jesus), to receive power and might and glory and blessing (v 12). Last the remaining creature joined in: "To him who sits upon the throne and to the lamb be blessing honor and glory and might. For ever and ever!" That is a Christian destiny. Remember Heaven is where God is. It is his presence, and that's what makes it Heaven. The words of Jesus were a comfort to the disciples and are precious to us. They were going to lose Jesus for a time, but he told them one day they would be united in his father's house. Heaven would be their home because they will be with Jesus. Remember in heaven we will know our family and friends, relatives God was explicit, and those who died in the Lord before us, " and we are not afraid, but are content to die., For then we will be at home with the Lord. (2 Cor. 5:8). home at last
The book of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him, and he opened it to the place where it says: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed me to preach the Good News to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted and to announce that captives shall be released and the blind shall see, that the downtrodden shall be freed from their oppressors, and that God is ready to give blessing to all that come to him, ready to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. He closed the book and handed it back to the attendant and sat down, while everyone in the synagogue gazed at him intently. " These Scriptures came true today!
Jesus was directed by the Holy Spirit to his contest with the devil. After his baptism in the Jordan river, he is led by the spirit into the desert, a location reminiscent of the wilderness through which Israel was guided by Moses. the temptation lasted forty days and; this again reminds one of the forty years Exodus from Egypt. the forty days which Jesus spent in the desert are the origin of the forty day period of lent. During these forty days Jesus fasted.; He ate nothing and so he was very hungry. The devil seizes on this situation by suggesting to Jesus: " If you are the Son-of God, tell this stone to become bread." The devil is not so much challenging Jesus to prove his divine Son-ship as to temp him to use the son-ship for his own selfish purpose: by providing bread for himself. Jesus responds by quoting a portion Deuteronomy 8:3: ( Yes he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to both you and your ancestors. he did it to help you realize that food isn't everything, that man does not live by bread alone, and that real life comes by obeying every command of God.)
These are the words Moses addressed to Israel.The next temptation is of a political in nature. The devil led Jesus to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. Then another test: " I will give you all the authority and splendor that you see if you worship me." As the Son-of God, Jesus had almighty power; And he overcomes the Satan with a quotation from Deut. 6:13. "Worship the Lord your God and him only." We are to use the word of God to be winners over the temptations which come from Satan. Jesus won victory over Satan by using the sword of the spirit,
( which is the of word of God) to resist temptation of the devil. The defeat of the devil in the desert is not the end of the story. But, the devil would continue various tests in his earthly ministry.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the spirit. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up and on the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as was his custom, and he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet "Isaiah" was handed to him, which we heard earlier in the text. Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. The first few verses of John are among the most popular in the Bible: In the beginning was the "Word", and the "Word" was with God, and the "Word" was God. The words fairly leap off the page. as you begin to read God's scriptures, you feel you have entered a new level of God's truth in Jesus Christ. In the beginning of Johns Gospel through the word (God) speaks of Heaven which is the popularity within detail about a life beyond the grave. The promise of Heaven as Christ promise in John 14:1-3.; " In my Father's house is many rooms, if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you; and when you are ready I will come and take you there." ( Jesus is no liar).Heaven is a glorious city, a country, God's kingdom, paradise. Because of the warm image that is found there: Heaven is a home. We need a home, instead of a picture of a cold grave. We Had a home in Eden. But "Sin" caused a loss of that home and ever since, the human race has wandering,. We think of Cain, who killed his brother and was condemned to a life drifting. He had no home. In Genesis 11, we find men trying to create a city in which homes could be established. But, the men of Babel were in opposition to God, and God scattered them.
With the coming of Abraham we find a new heartening element. To be sure, God's first dealings with Abraham, was to take him from his home.- it was a sinful place filled with Idols, and Idol worshipers. But in the place of the home he lost, God promised Abraham a new place.: The land I will show you (Gen. 12:1). But even though Abraham was brought into the promised land, even though his descendants settle in large numbers, it was ultimately inadequate, because he looked forward to a heavenly home.
We don't know much about heaven except that is where Jesus is, and we shall be with him. When we talk to children, they want to know where heaven fits in. Was it between the stars? Was it beyond them? The only valid answer, was that heaven is where God is, and Jesus went to prepare a place for us. ( plays right into John 14:3).
This is the focal point of Revelation 5. It speaks of four and twenty elders, the angels and a vast amount of other creatures from everywhere, in the universe These being mention, not for descriptive
purposes, but because each bore testimony to Christ. and thus served to show how he is prominent. The four and twenty elders praised him with song. " Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain and by thy blood, didst ransom men for God. from every tribe and nation and tongue and, has made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth.(vv 9-10). then the angels gave their testimony " Worthy is the lamb who was slain (Jesus), to receive power and might and glory and blessing (v 12). Last the remaining creature joined in: "To him who sits upon the throne and to the lamb be blessing honor and glory and might. For ever and ever!" That is a Christian destiny. Remember Heaven is where God is. It is his presence, and that's what makes it Heaven. The words of Jesus were a comfort to the disciples and are precious to us. They were going to lose Jesus for a time, but he told them one day they would be united in his father's house. Heaven would be their home because they will be with Jesus. Remember in heaven we will know our family and friends, relatives God was explicit, and those who died in the Lord before us, " and we are not afraid, but are content to die., For then we will be at home with the Lord. (2 Cor. 5:8). home at last
Friday, August 5, 2016
Matthew 9:9-13
As Jesus was going on down the road, he saw a tax collector, Matthew, the same who wrote this gospel, sitting at a tax collection booth. " Come be my disciple," Jesus said to him, Matthew jumped up and went along with him. Later, as Jesus and his disciples were eating dinner at [ Matthews house], there were many notorious swindlers there a guests! The Pharisees were indignant. Why does your teacher associate with men like that? " Because people who are well don't need a doctor!
It's the sick people who do!" was Jesus reply. then he added, " Now go away and learn the meaning of this verse of scripture, ' It isn't your sacrifices and your
gifts I want- I want you to be merciful.
For I have come to urge sinners,
not the self righteous, back to God.
Jesus said to them, " Can the friends of the bridegroom (Christ) morn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom (Christ) will be taken from them< and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on a old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and the tear is made worst. Nor do they put new wine into old wine skins or else the wine skins will break, the wine is spilled, and the wine skins are ruined. but, they put new wine into new wine skins. God's mercy doesn't run from suffering, but rather embraces and transforms it.
Jesus call is to be committed to love even in the midst of suffering of others.When Jesus confronted the Pharisees it was not because of they weren't devout people who cared deeply about their relationship to God; It was that their devotion to God had separated them from the needs and suffering of others. They had become so focused on righteousness that the distance themselves from those in need of mercy. Jesus call to mercy is the call to be vulnerable, to be open to receiving mercy
and to welcome God by welcoming suffering people into our lives.
An African proverb puts it this way: " You cannot wipe another's tears away without getting wet yourself. Jesus comes to move the stones we can't budge. Stones are no match for God. Not then, Not now. He still moves stones.
It's the sick people who do!" was Jesus reply. then he added, " Now go away and learn the meaning of this verse of scripture, ' It isn't your sacrifices and your
gifts I want- I want you to be merciful.
For I have come to urge sinners,
not the self righteous, back to God.
Jesus said to them, " Can the friends of the bridegroom (Christ) morn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom (Christ) will be taken from them< and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on a old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and the tear is made worst. Nor do they put new wine into old wine skins or else the wine skins will break, the wine is spilled, and the wine skins are ruined. but, they put new wine into new wine skins. God's mercy doesn't run from suffering, but rather embraces and transforms it.
Jesus call is to be committed to love even in the midst of suffering of others.When Jesus confronted the Pharisees it was not because of they weren't devout people who cared deeply about their relationship to God; It was that their devotion to God had separated them from the needs and suffering of others. They had become so focused on righteousness that the distance themselves from those in need of mercy. Jesus call to mercy is the call to be vulnerable, to be open to receiving mercy
and to welcome God by welcoming suffering people into our lives.
An African proverb puts it this way: " You cannot wipe another's tears away without getting wet yourself. Jesus comes to move the stones we can't budge. Stones are no match for God. Not then, Not now. He still moves stones.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Finding Life while losing it. Mark 8:31-38
Then Jesus began to tell them about the terrible things he would have to suffer, and that he would be rejected by the elders and chief priests and other Jewish leaders, and be killed, and that after three days he would rise again. he talked about it frankly with them, So Peter took him aside and chided him. "You shouldn't say things like that," he told Jesus. Jesus turned and looked at his disciples and then He turned toward Peter sternly, " Satan, Get behind me! You are looking at this only from a human point of view and not from God's. Then He called his disciples and the crowds to come over and listen. "If any of you want to be my followers," he told them, " You must put aside your own pleasures and shoulder your cross, and follow me closely. If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the good news, will ever know what it means to really live. How does a man benefit if he gains the whole world and loses his soul in the process. For is anything worth more than his soul."ANYONE WHO IS ASHAMED OF ME AND MY MESSAGE IN THESES DAYS OF UNBELIEF AND SIN," I THE MESSIAH WILL BE ASHAMED OF HIM WHEN I RETURN IN THE GLORY OF MY FATHER, WITH THE HOLY ANGELS." As deep an insight into the meaning of life as has ever been spoken was given by Christ on his way to the cross. Around the destiny of his own life he wrapped a teaching for every life.
Concerning his own suffering death, the message reads: take the love He brought. Concerning the believer's life, it says: lead the life He taught.
"He began to teach him," Mark's gospel reads. It would be the hardest lesson they had ever learned.
After almost three years with him, the disciples were put to their most difficult test.
Could they discern the meaning of the cross? What Jesus was going to say would stagger them.
It would be absolutely mind-boggling. Therefore, well ahead of time, love was preparing the beloved. Jesus was always preparing his disciples for the next step. He only began to teach them here about his cross.
The teaching would never end. The Holy Spirit would continue long after Jesus departure from earth.
"He began to to teach them that the son-man must suffer may things." That the divine one could succumb to suffering was a foreign thought of the day. He would be a victor, not a victim The title "Son-of Man," meaning the God-sent messiah, guaranteed exception from suffering in popular thought. Yet Christ was saying here to his disciples that he was about to suffer terrible things as one translation renders it.He would experience excruciating agonies. This left the disciples speechless.
They just couldn't handle such a concept. Sometime after the event they would discover that " with his stripes we are healed." Through the suffering death of the Messiah, God would work out the world's reconciliation with the Father. On the way to Jerusalem, however, they were utterly baffled.
Jesus went on to share with his disciples that " the son- of man must... be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and scribes." This, too, boggled the mind. Why go to Jerusalem if this was in store?
Head back to Galilee while there was time. Of all people the religious leaders should accept God's Messiah. This rejection was more than whips. "He came to his own home, his own people received
him not. " What a shudder must have shaken Christ's own heart as he foresaw the rejection he must experience!
He must be killed, Jesus told his disciples. The prediction was getting more fantastic every phrase. Here was the ultimate shocker. afterward they would learn to understand it as Paul interpreted, " God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Gave His all! But now this never even dawned on them. They were appalled by what He was saying. When Jesus came to the climax... "and three days rise again" they were completely lost. that probably didn't even register because they were so bothered by what He was saying, their heads were going around in circles and he said this plainly, " Mark gospel records. This was no parable or allegory with hidden meaning. It was frank, open, devastating. At least they could never say he hadn't told them.
This was just the first time. Other times would follow. Jesus wanted them to have a solid basis for interpreting what was to follow. When would it happen? They might remember what He told them.
Mean while, they could start thinking about it in advance. During their whole lifetime they would not have anything more important to ponder. After the disciples would witness the suffering death and triumphant resurrection of their Lord, they would come to realize the earth shaking meaning of these events. God with a rapturous offer of mercy through Christ was embracing humankind. No person ever again need feel rejected or lost or hopeless. By His cross Christ drew the sting from life and death,for those who put their trust in what He did for them, there is peace with God for the sinner and indescribable joy now and forever. The secret hid from creation was now shouted over the earth. God totally loves every person. He did it all that was necessary to settle every ones account with him.
Even when it required torture,death, and resurrection of his only son, he didn't hesitate. Henceforth, no catastrophe or threat, even death itself of his only son, could ever terrorize a believer or give him an anxious day.God holds us to his heart in tender mercy and pardon for the sake of Christ. This is why Christ suffered, cruelty rejected by his own, was crucified like a criminal and was raised to life
on the third day.
All this, however, was not apparent in that plain talk on the way to Jerusalem, so Peter reacted to Jesus stabbing prediction of being put to death, and rise again in three days afterwards, Peter grabbed Jesus by the and began to rebuke him. Peter rejected the whole Idea out of hand. If even Peter completely missed the point after being with Jesus for three years, no one today ought to be overconfident about his understanding of the Gospel, but always praying for the light and leading of the Holy Spirit. Probably all the rest thought like Peter but didn't say it. Jesus shot back a stunning reply. First He looked into the disciples thoughts, found them confused and disbelieving, and the ordered, ' Get behind me Satan, not Peter was addressed, but Peter had allowed himself to become a mouth piece for Satan in what he said . Jesus is saying to Peter, you are not looking at this from God's point of view. It can save so much heartache to reflect first for a while on how God looks at the situation and what He can do with it. Jesus did not humiliated Peter in what he said. He was stern with Satan., but loving towards Peter. The temptation had to be rejected. " Let him take up his cross", Christ continued, this reference is to condemned criminal carrying his cross through the streets of Jerusalem up to the hill outside the city where He would be crucified. The cross is a burden taken upon one's self for the sake of others. It is assumed in love and carried without complaint. It may be a very heavy burden. Christ apparently staggered and stumbled under the weight of His cross up the slopes of Calvary. Today a cross might be a women doing the food shopping for a neighbor during her illness. There are many types of examples that represents a burden voluntary assumed in love for somebody else. " Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Then Jesus gave life's great master principle: " For who ever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel will save it." THIS IS, IN EFFECT, A SACRED PROMISE TO GOD. If one gives his life away upon others, he can't lose. He can only win. " For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" Jesus asked:" For what can a man give in return for his life?" Christ pressed further. What is a fair exchange? Would one trade a Diamond for dirt? Or gold for fools gold? There is no equal exchange when it comes to life., meaning life made up of inner peace, joy, fulfillment, and hope. Today's collect ( prayer of the day) prays: " Bring back all who have erred and gone astray from your word, and lead them again in faith to receive and hold fast to your truth. Jesus concluded, For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the son of man be ashamed, when He comes in the glory of His father with the Holy angels. The way a Christian lives announces his shame or his pride regarding Christ. If such a one crumbles under the pressures of society and constantly compromises
Christian principles, he is ashamed of Christ. If however, that person holds fast through thick and thin because Christ's steadfastness toward him, then Christ is honored. When the Lord comes in all His glory, all will be revealed. Pray God for the courage to live for Christ in this day and toward that one. Take the love he brought. Lead the life he taught. The two are interwoven.Living solely in trust upon the radiant love for us., we can be motivated to live the life he taught. Living that life will turn us back time and again for strength to that love he brought.
I Christ, the Savior, we find the source of both.
Concerning his own suffering death, the message reads: take the love He brought. Concerning the believer's life, it says: lead the life He taught.
"He began to teach him," Mark's gospel reads. It would be the hardest lesson they had ever learned.
After almost three years with him, the disciples were put to their most difficult test.
Could they discern the meaning of the cross? What Jesus was going to say would stagger them.
It would be absolutely mind-boggling. Therefore, well ahead of time, love was preparing the beloved. Jesus was always preparing his disciples for the next step. He only began to teach them here about his cross.
The teaching would never end. The Holy Spirit would continue long after Jesus departure from earth.
"He began to to teach them that the son-man must suffer may things." That the divine one could succumb to suffering was a foreign thought of the day. He would be a victor, not a victim The title "Son-of Man," meaning the God-sent messiah, guaranteed exception from suffering in popular thought. Yet Christ was saying here to his disciples that he was about to suffer terrible things as one translation renders it.He would experience excruciating agonies. This left the disciples speechless.
They just couldn't handle such a concept. Sometime after the event they would discover that " with his stripes we are healed." Through the suffering death of the Messiah, God would work out the world's reconciliation with the Father. On the way to Jerusalem, however, they were utterly baffled.
Jesus went on to share with his disciples that " the son- of man must... be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and scribes." This, too, boggled the mind. Why go to Jerusalem if this was in store?
Head back to Galilee while there was time. Of all people the religious leaders should accept God's Messiah. This rejection was more than whips. "He came to his own home, his own people received
him not. " What a shudder must have shaken Christ's own heart as he foresaw the rejection he must experience!
He must be killed, Jesus told his disciples. The prediction was getting more fantastic every phrase. Here was the ultimate shocker. afterward they would learn to understand it as Paul interpreted, " God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Gave His all! But now this never even dawned on them. They were appalled by what He was saying. When Jesus came to the climax... "and three days rise again" they were completely lost. that probably didn't even register because they were so bothered by what He was saying, their heads were going around in circles and he said this plainly, " Mark gospel records. This was no parable or allegory with hidden meaning. It was frank, open, devastating. At least they could never say he hadn't told them.
This was just the first time. Other times would follow. Jesus wanted them to have a solid basis for interpreting what was to follow. When would it happen? They might remember what He told them.
Mean while, they could start thinking about it in advance. During their whole lifetime they would not have anything more important to ponder. After the disciples would witness the suffering death and triumphant resurrection of their Lord, they would come to realize the earth shaking meaning of these events. God with a rapturous offer of mercy through Christ was embracing humankind. No person ever again need feel rejected or lost or hopeless. By His cross Christ drew the sting from life and death,for those who put their trust in what He did for them, there is peace with God for the sinner and indescribable joy now and forever. The secret hid from creation was now shouted over the earth. God totally loves every person. He did it all that was necessary to settle every ones account with him.
Even when it required torture,death, and resurrection of his only son, he didn't hesitate. Henceforth, no catastrophe or threat, even death itself of his only son, could ever terrorize a believer or give him an anxious day.God holds us to his heart in tender mercy and pardon for the sake of Christ. This is why Christ suffered, cruelty rejected by his own, was crucified like a criminal and was raised to life
on the third day.
All this, however, was not apparent in that plain talk on the way to Jerusalem, so Peter reacted to Jesus stabbing prediction of being put to death, and rise again in three days afterwards, Peter grabbed Jesus by the and began to rebuke him. Peter rejected the whole Idea out of hand. If even Peter completely missed the point after being with Jesus for three years, no one today ought to be overconfident about his understanding of the Gospel, but always praying for the light and leading of the Holy Spirit. Probably all the rest thought like Peter but didn't say it. Jesus shot back a stunning reply. First He looked into the disciples thoughts, found them confused and disbelieving, and the ordered, ' Get behind me Satan, not Peter was addressed, but Peter had allowed himself to become a mouth piece for Satan in what he said . Jesus is saying to Peter, you are not looking at this from God's point of view. It can save so much heartache to reflect first for a while on how God looks at the situation and what He can do with it. Jesus did not humiliated Peter in what he said. He was stern with Satan., but loving towards Peter. The temptation had to be rejected. " Let him take up his cross", Christ continued, this reference is to condemned criminal carrying his cross through the streets of Jerusalem up to the hill outside the city where He would be crucified. The cross is a burden taken upon one's self for the sake of others. It is assumed in love and carried without complaint. It may be a very heavy burden. Christ apparently staggered and stumbled under the weight of His cross up the slopes of Calvary. Today a cross might be a women doing the food shopping for a neighbor during her illness. There are many types of examples that represents a burden voluntary assumed in love for somebody else. " Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Then Jesus gave life's great master principle: " For who ever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel will save it." THIS IS, IN EFFECT, A SACRED PROMISE TO GOD. If one gives his life away upon others, he can't lose. He can only win. " For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" Jesus asked:" For what can a man give in return for his life?" Christ pressed further. What is a fair exchange? Would one trade a Diamond for dirt? Or gold for fools gold? There is no equal exchange when it comes to life., meaning life made up of inner peace, joy, fulfillment, and hope. Today's collect ( prayer of the day) prays: " Bring back all who have erred and gone astray from your word, and lead them again in faith to receive and hold fast to your truth. Jesus concluded, For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the son of man be ashamed, when He comes in the glory of His father with the Holy angels. The way a Christian lives announces his shame or his pride regarding Christ. If such a one crumbles under the pressures of society and constantly compromises
Christian principles, he is ashamed of Christ. If however, that person holds fast through thick and thin because Christ's steadfastness toward him, then Christ is honored. When the Lord comes in all His glory, all will be revealed. Pray God for the courage to live for Christ in this day and toward that one. Take the love he brought. Lead the life he taught. The two are interwoven.Living solely in trust upon the radiant love for us., we can be motivated to live the life he taught. Living that life will turn us back time and again for strength to that love he brought.
I Christ, the Savior, we find the source of both.
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