We think of Jesus in so many ways. We might think of Him as the small baby lying in a manger. Perhaps we think of Him when He was 12 years old sitting in the temple teaching the Jewish priests. And certainly we think of Him as He went about teaching and preaching, or as He sat at the table with His apostles. And we remember Him as the suffering servant who was tried, tortured and crucified on a cruel cross. But we need to also see Him as a triumphant king who rose above all of the challenges that came while He was on earth and now reins over everything in heaven and earth. Just before leaving this earth Jesus said,
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." There was nothing that He didn't, or we should say, doesn't have power over at this time.
And Jesus taught about the kingdom to come while He was doing His ministry. Note some of these statements from Matthew 13:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed......."
"The kingdom of heaven is like leaven....."
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field..."
"The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price...."
"The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind..."
And when being tried, as recorded in John 18, Pilate said to Him, "What have you done?" Jesus said to him, "My kingdom is not of this world." Jesus taught a lot about His kingdom throughout His life. And He wanted His followers to understand that the kingdom was coming. Right before He left them, as we read in Acts chapter 1, He was with His apostles:
"Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, 'Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.' " They were thinking "Kingdom" as though it would be some earthly restoration of power to Israel. But Jesus was establishing a Spiritual kingdom of which He would rule forever....from heaven. And it is over this kingdom that He Now Reins!
What a wonderful kingdom......and King!
Thanks for reading. Have a blessed week.
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
The Birth of Jesus
It is certainly timely to discuss the birth of Jesus; Christmas is only 9 days away, eight more shopping days. In this blog we will discuss some of the facts of Jesus' birth....and some of the misconceptions about it.
First, I must say that Jesus likely wasn't born in December. The shepherds weren't in the fields this time of year. And the beginnings of celebrating His birthday came not in the days of Jesus, not soon after, but much later. And the Bible doesn't say anything about us making a religious holiday of it. But the day was picked, and people enjoy the celebration, and many even emphasize the importance of putting "Christ" back in Christmas.
It probably should be said that the New Testament, and Jesus Himself, put the emphasis on His death. It is His death that gives us life, the sacrifice of His blood. And when Jesus met with His disciples before His death, He told them to remember His death through the taking of the communion, the Lord's supper. He made no mention of His birth being remembered. Still, the birth is a beautiful thing, a wonderful story that resulted in us having a Savior. So we look a little closer:
The birth of Jesus is recorded in two places in the Bible. Luke 2 tells of the birth. I won't try to tell the whole story since you are familiar with it, how Jesus was born in Bethlehem, was wrapped in swaddling cloths and placed in a manger. The shepherds were visited by an angel, followed by a "multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!' " The shepherds went to Bethlehem and visited him, then went out and spread the word.
Matthew tells of the birth from a different standpoint, telling about the wise men. "....behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him..' " They brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It is interesting that most people talk about the "3 wise men," when there is no number given for the wise men at all. They brought 3 types of gifts, but that is the only reference to "3."
It is a beautiful, wonderful story/event, at which we can marvel and enjoy now, and really at any time of year.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
First, I must say that Jesus likely wasn't born in December. The shepherds weren't in the fields this time of year. And the beginnings of celebrating His birthday came not in the days of Jesus, not soon after, but much later. And the Bible doesn't say anything about us making a religious holiday of it. But the day was picked, and people enjoy the celebration, and many even emphasize the importance of putting "Christ" back in Christmas.
It probably should be said that the New Testament, and Jesus Himself, put the emphasis on His death. It is His death that gives us life, the sacrifice of His blood. And when Jesus met with His disciples before His death, He told them to remember His death through the taking of the communion, the Lord's supper. He made no mention of His birth being remembered. Still, the birth is a beautiful thing, a wonderful story that resulted in us having a Savior. So we look a little closer:
The birth of Jesus is recorded in two places in the Bible. Luke 2 tells of the birth. I won't try to tell the whole story since you are familiar with it, how Jesus was born in Bethlehem, was wrapped in swaddling cloths and placed in a manger. The shepherds were visited by an angel, followed by a "multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!' " The shepherds went to Bethlehem and visited him, then went out and spread the word.
Matthew tells of the birth from a different standpoint, telling about the wise men. "....behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him..' " They brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It is interesting that most people talk about the "3 wise men," when there is no number given for the wise men at all. They brought 3 types of gifts, but that is the only reference to "3."
It is a beautiful, wonderful story/event, at which we can marvel and enjoy now, and really at any time of year.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Communion--The Lord's Supper
In this article we look at the Lord's Supper in more detail. It is an important commemoration that should not be overlooked or avoided, based on the fact that Jesus made a specific command of it.
It is interesting that Jesus was observing the Jewish Passover feast with His disciples at the time that He instituted this memorial. The Passover was an important feast to the Jews, instituted by God to remember deliverance from Egyptian bondage. It was originally begun by the Jewish families putting the blood of a lamb at the doorway of their homes. All who did this were not subject to God's taking the lives of all firstborns in the land of Egypt. By observing this feast, even right before His death, Jesus was showing His respect for the Jewish Law since He was a Jew.
We read of the account of His new commandment to His disciples regarding the future taking the Lord's Supper in 4 places in the New Testament: Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and 1 Corinthians 11. In the first 3, commonly called the Gospels, the occurrence falls 2 chapters before the end of each book. Each of these 3 are essentially the same, just told by a different author. The account in 1 Corinthians is told by Paul and goes into more detail about how the supper should be taken.
In the taking of the Passover feast, the items served were unleavened bread and wine, or some form of juice of the vine. Thus, when Jesus told His disciples to take of the bread in remembrance of His body, and the wine to remember the giving of His blood, he served them the unleavened bread and wine or juice and told them to do that in the future. This is why unleavened bread and wine or grape juice is served today in the continued remembrance.
We read in the book of Acts that the Christians were meeting each Sunday, the first day of the week, to take the supper as Jesus had commanded. And this is why today, churches all over the world meet on Sunday to weekly partake of this commemoration.
Jesus instituted this practice at a time when He was about to be tried, tortured and crucified. He wanted to have this remembrance established so that Christians forever would remember Him and what He did for each of us. It is a beautiful gift.
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
It is interesting that Jesus was observing the Jewish Passover feast with His disciples at the time that He instituted this memorial. The Passover was an important feast to the Jews, instituted by God to remember deliverance from Egyptian bondage. It was originally begun by the Jewish families putting the blood of a lamb at the doorway of their homes. All who did this were not subject to God's taking the lives of all firstborns in the land of Egypt. By observing this feast, even right before His death, Jesus was showing His respect for the Jewish Law since He was a Jew.
We read of the account of His new commandment to His disciples regarding the future taking the Lord's Supper in 4 places in the New Testament: Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and 1 Corinthians 11. In the first 3, commonly called the Gospels, the occurrence falls 2 chapters before the end of each book. Each of these 3 are essentially the same, just told by a different author. The account in 1 Corinthians is told by Paul and goes into more detail about how the supper should be taken.
In the taking of the Passover feast, the items served were unleavened bread and wine, or some form of juice of the vine. Thus, when Jesus told His disciples to take of the bread in remembrance of His body, and the wine to remember the giving of His blood, he served them the unleavened bread and wine or juice and told them to do that in the future. This is why unleavened bread and wine or grape juice is served today in the continued remembrance.
We read in the book of Acts that the Christians were meeting each Sunday, the first day of the week, to take the supper as Jesus had commanded. And this is why today, churches all over the world meet on Sunday to weekly partake of this commemoration.
Jesus instituted this practice at a time when He was about to be tried, tortured and crucified. He wanted to have this remembrance established so that Christians forever would remember Him and what He did for each of us. It is a beautiful gift.
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
Friday, December 2, 2016
John the Baptist
We know that John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus, and there is much that can be said. But this blog was impressed with the birth story of John. We will look at that rather closely. And we will be examining his beginnings as reported in the book of Luke. The book of Luke gives a detailed account of the birth of John and of Jesus.
John's father, Zacharias, was a Jewish priest, his mother a descendant of Aaron, the priestly tribe. An angel, Gabriel, appeared to Zacharias.
Luke 1:12-17New International Version (NIV)
12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
John's father, Zacharias, was a Jewish priest, his mother a descendant of Aaron, the priestly tribe. An angel, Gabriel, appeared to Zacharias.
Luke 1:12-17New International Version (NIV)
12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
There are a lot of amazing things here. One is that these are old people, too old for childbearing. But God makes it happen. So when Elizabeth has been with child going into the 6th month, Mary, the mother of Jesus, finds out from the angel that she will bring forth a child of the Holy Spirit. She visits her cousin Elizabeth and spends 3 months with her:
Luke 1:39-45New International Version (NIV)39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
As the story continues, John is born....and he is truly a special child, to become a special man. The end of chapter one of Luke one reads:
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[a]; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
So much more can and should be said about John the Baptist. He was a great preparer for the Lord Jesus.
Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful week!
As the story continues, John is born....and he is truly a special child, to become a special man. The end of chapter one of Luke one reads:
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[a]; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
So much more can and should be said about John the Baptist. He was a great preparer for the Lord Jesus.
Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful week!
Saturday, November 26, 2016
THE UKNOWN GOD
Paul went to Athens, Greece preaching the gospel to whoever would listen, as we read in Acts 17. These were Greek, gentile, people who did not know the true God. They had lots of gods and a different god for all aspects of life. When they needed a god to worship, they created an image out of wood or stone.
"Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you."
Paul uses this opportunity to teach them about the "Unknown God" that they had an altar for, but really didn't worship it as the true God. Then Paul goes on to tell them a lot about the characteristics of God:
Acts 17:24-29New International Version (NIV)
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[b]
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.
The people there in Athens were religious, but they were totally confused about the true nature of God. And such could be said for many people today. There are a lot of people who are "religious" but who don't know the true God. And God loves everyone, but He is going to reward those who are His true followers.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
"Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you."
Paul uses this opportunity to teach them about the "Unknown God" that they had an altar for, but really didn't worship it as the true God. Then Paul goes on to tell them a lot about the characteristics of God:
Acts 17:24-29New International Version (NIV)
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[b]
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.
The people there in Athens were religious, but they were totally confused about the true nature of God. And such could be said for many people today. There are a lot of people who are "religious" but who don't know the true God. And God loves everyone, but He is going to reward those who are His true followers.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Saturday, November 19, 2016
The LORD loves you.....
Today we focus on God's love. Love is such an important part of the Bible, of God Himself. We read in 1 John 4:
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for GOD IS LOVE."
And all through the Bible we find the emphasis being put on love, and how much God loves us. We could not go far in this subject without bringing in John 3:16:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
No one who understands the sacrifice that was made in sending the Son to die could question the love of God for us. The writings of John are full of the love subject. And remember that John described himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 21). He says in 1 John 4:19:
"We love Him because He first loved us." His love was first....and continual.
But Jesus put this back on us; that is, that we must not only love Him back, but we must love others. Note John 13:
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
And Jesus taught that we are to love all people. We learn in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 that an injured man is passed up by supposed religious people, a priest and a Levite, but is helped by a Samaritan, an enemy of the Jews. We are to love our enemies.
And finally, note the beautiful and powerful wording of Deuteronomy 10:12-15,
12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for GOD IS LOVE."
And all through the Bible we find the emphasis being put on love, and how much God loves us. We could not go far in this subject without bringing in John 3:16:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
No one who understands the sacrifice that was made in sending the Son to die could question the love of God for us. The writings of John are full of the love subject. And remember that John described himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 21). He says in 1 John 4:19:
"We love Him because He first loved us." His love was first....and continual.
But Jesus put this back on us; that is, that we must not only love Him back, but we must love others. Note John 13:
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
And Jesus taught that we are to love all people. We learn in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 that an injured man is passed up by supposed religious people, a priest and a Levite, but is helped by a Samaritan, an enemy of the Jews. We are to love our enemies.
And finally, note the beautiful and powerful wording of Deuteronomy 10:12-15,
12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today.
The Lord loves everyone, and especially His people. Let us love Him.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week.....and feel the love!
The Lord loves everyone, and especially His people. Let us love Him.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week.....and feel the love!
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Jesus Invites
Jesus made many invitations in His teaching. He wanted people to know that they are wanted, that He cares about people, cares about their salvation. Let's think about some of the ways that He reached out to extend open invitations to all:
One of the best, most pleasant invitations is found in Matthew chapter 11:
"Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
We see from this that taking on Jesus in our lives can be like putting on a yoke, like what was done to oxen. But Jesus knows and tells us that this yoke is not a burden, or at least a heavy burden. It does carry its restrictions, but He knows that the end result is far lighter than the alternative. After all, we are going to carry a yoke of something, whether it be of Jesus....or of Satan and sin and degradation.
The yoke of Jesus is that of one who is gentle and lowly in heart, and there we find rest.
Remember that Jesus taught that we should "knock and the door will be opened." He has made preparation for us in heaven and wants us to join Him.
Hebrews 11:6 teaches that "...he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." He has done His part by sending Jesus to bring us salvation. Heaven is waiting for those who "diligently seek Him."
The story of the Prodigal Son is a great example of how God wants us to be home with Him. The son goes off and wastes his life, but when he comes home, the father comes running out to greet him, throws a celebration, and is so accepting.
The love of the Father is far greater than we can even imagine. He invites and wants us to follow Him. Let's pledge ourselves to Him, the one who loves us so.
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
One of the best, most pleasant invitations is found in Matthew chapter 11:
"Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
We see from this that taking on Jesus in our lives can be like putting on a yoke, like what was done to oxen. But Jesus knows and tells us that this yoke is not a burden, or at least a heavy burden. It does carry its restrictions, but He knows that the end result is far lighter than the alternative. After all, we are going to carry a yoke of something, whether it be of Jesus....or of Satan and sin and degradation.
The yoke of Jesus is that of one who is gentle and lowly in heart, and there we find rest.
Remember that Jesus taught that we should "knock and the door will be opened." He has made preparation for us in heaven and wants us to join Him.
Hebrews 11:6 teaches that "...he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." He has done His part by sending Jesus to bring us salvation. Heaven is waiting for those who "diligently seek Him."
The story of the Prodigal Son is a great example of how God wants us to be home with Him. The son goes off and wastes his life, but when he comes home, the father comes running out to greet him, throws a celebration, and is so accepting.
The love of the Father is far greater than we can even imagine. He invites and wants us to follow Him. Let's pledge ourselves to Him, the one who loves us so.
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
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