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.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Keeping Company....inside or outside?
The Corinthian church had lots of problems, problems that the apostle Paul dealt with in his letter of 1 Corinthians. In chapter 3, he says:
"I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out to the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is a fornicator, or covetous, or idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person."
We see here a distinction being made between people who are in the circle of brotherhood, people who are considered Christian brothers or sisters and those people who are outside this circle. He is reminding them that they cannot remove themselves from the world, from worldly people, and cannot be an influence for good if they do not associate with all kinds of people. But he goes on to say:
"For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore 'put away from yourselves that wicked person.' "
He makes it clear that it is not our place to judge those who are outside. Oh, we will notice their evil lives, but not to judge, not to condemn; God will see to that.
On the other hand, we are not to tolerate open sin among our fellow Christians. There are a number of other passages/teachings in the New Testament that indicate that we must not accept freely those who are claiming to be Christians but are openly living in sin. And realize that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. But those who simply live in sin with no attempt to repent, to correct their lives, but live in sin, flaunting their sin, these must not be allowed to also openly claim faithful Christianity.
The Lord has given us great instruction for practical living. He is to be praised!
Thanks for reading. You are important.
"I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out to the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is a fornicator, or covetous, or idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person."
We see here a distinction being made between people who are in the circle of brotherhood, people who are considered Christian brothers or sisters and those people who are outside this circle. He is reminding them that they cannot remove themselves from the world, from worldly people, and cannot be an influence for good if they do not associate with all kinds of people. But he goes on to say:
"For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore 'put away from yourselves that wicked person.' "
He makes it clear that it is not our place to judge those who are outside. Oh, we will notice their evil lives, but not to judge, not to condemn; God will see to that.
On the other hand, we are not to tolerate open sin among our fellow Christians. There are a number of other passages/teachings in the New Testament that indicate that we must not accept freely those who are claiming to be Christians but are openly living in sin. And realize that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. But those who simply live in sin with no attempt to repent, to correct their lives, but live in sin, flaunting their sin, these must not be allowed to also openly claim faithful Christianity.
The Lord has given us great instruction for practical living. He is to be praised!
Thanks for reading. You are important.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
....whoever believes in Him......
We are all familiar with the popular verse, 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. He who believes in Him is not condemned...."
Believing in Jesus is the key to being saved, saved forever, for eternity. But believing is not a casual thing. It was not in Jesus' day. Those who believed in Jesus then did so at the risk of great persecution and many lost their lives. And it is not a casual thing today. Jesus taught that we must take up our cross and follow Him. And we know that Jesus taught that the only way to God was through Him:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Belief in God and in Jesus, His Son, requires that we be passionate about it, that we truly seek Him. Note Hebrews 11:6,
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
To believe in God is to "seek Him," and to do so diligently, passionately, and to keep His commandments. When Jesus was leaving some final thoughts with His followers in Matthew28, He said:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you..."
Jesus expected us to believe, but to believe in such a way that we keep His commandments. He said in John 15:14,
"You are my friends if you do whatever I command you."
This is what we must do; that is, do His commandments.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
"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. He who believes in Him is not condemned...."
Believing in Jesus is the key to being saved, saved forever, for eternity. But believing is not a casual thing. It was not in Jesus' day. Those who believed in Jesus then did so at the risk of great persecution and many lost their lives. And it is not a casual thing today. Jesus taught that we must take up our cross and follow Him. And we know that Jesus taught that the only way to God was through Him:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Belief in God and in Jesus, His Son, requires that we be passionate about it, that we truly seek Him. Note Hebrews 11:6,
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
To believe in God is to "seek Him," and to do so diligently, passionately, and to keep His commandments. When Jesus was leaving some final thoughts with His followers in Matthew28, He said:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you..."
Jesus expected us to believe, but to believe in such a way that we keep His commandments. He said in John 15:14,
"You are my friends if you do whatever I command you."
This is what we must do; that is, do His commandments.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Friday, October 21, 2016
Destruction Leading to Salvation
One of the themes of the whole Bible is that out of destruction comes Salvation. In this blog we will look at some of the examples of this principle.
One of the most obvious examples is that of Noah and the ark. God was upset with the evil that existed in the world. In this case, He brought total destruction by the flood, but allowed 8 people to be saved, Noah, his 3 sons and all of their wives. Just a small remnant was allowed to be saved, all being God fearing people.
David is an example of this principle. He sinned by taking Bathsheba and having her husband killed in battle. God was hard on this sin, causing the baby of David and Bathsheba to die. But out of this painful story came David, a man described as one after God's own heart, one who loved and served God.
When we look at the history of the Jewish people, we see that Israel split into two parts, Judah in the South and Israel in the North. As we read through Kings and Chronicles in the Old Testament, we see that in the North there was a total desertion of following God. And God allowed them to be taken into captivity by Assyria. Following that, Judah was mostly following idols, sinning against God. But there was some turning back to God from time to time, so God remained patient for awhile. But finally God allowed Judah to be captured by the nation of Babylon. Out of all this destruction, God allowed some of the people of Judah to eventually return and rebuild. Out of destruction came restoration, deliverance.
The best example of all is Jesus. Jesus had to endure the worst kind of destruction; yet we know that out of His suffering and crucifixion came triumph and salvation.
And Paul, known then as Saul, was killing Christians. And out of all of this evil came a powerful teacher and leader for the Lord's work.
And then to us. As we read in Romans 6, when we are baptized we die to sin and come forth a new creature. Out of our own devastation comes salvation.
Thanks for reading. Have a blessed week.
One of the most obvious examples is that of Noah and the ark. God was upset with the evil that existed in the world. In this case, He brought total destruction by the flood, but allowed 8 people to be saved, Noah, his 3 sons and all of their wives. Just a small remnant was allowed to be saved, all being God fearing people.
David is an example of this principle. He sinned by taking Bathsheba and having her husband killed in battle. God was hard on this sin, causing the baby of David and Bathsheba to die. But out of this painful story came David, a man described as one after God's own heart, one who loved and served God.
When we look at the history of the Jewish people, we see that Israel split into two parts, Judah in the South and Israel in the North. As we read through Kings and Chronicles in the Old Testament, we see that in the North there was a total desertion of following God. And God allowed them to be taken into captivity by Assyria. Following that, Judah was mostly following idols, sinning against God. But there was some turning back to God from time to time, so God remained patient for awhile. But finally God allowed Judah to be captured by the nation of Babylon. Out of all this destruction, God allowed some of the people of Judah to eventually return and rebuild. Out of destruction came restoration, deliverance.
The best example of all is Jesus. Jesus had to endure the worst kind of destruction; yet we know that out of His suffering and crucifixion came triumph and salvation.
And Paul, known then as Saul, was killing Christians. And out of all of this evil came a powerful teacher and leader for the Lord's work.
And then to us. As we read in Romans 6, when we are baptized we die to sin and come forth a new creature. Out of our own devastation comes salvation.
Thanks for reading. Have a blessed week.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Clothe Yourself With Christ
Perhaps my favorite chapter in the New Testament is Galatians chapter 3. Here there is a clear discussion of three basic principles that are taught throughout the Bible, that of Promise, Law and Faith. It goes into a discussion of the Promise that was made to Abraham, one that was made way back in Genesis 12, where God told Abraham that from his seed, or relative, would come one who would bless the whole world, referring to Jesus. This chapter 3 also talks about the Jewish Law that God gave His people at a later date, and it explains why this special Law was given. And it compares the Law to Faith, talking about the faith that comes in following Christ. This chapter ties the whole Bible together in one place.
Galatians 3:24: "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor." (Thus, we as Christians are no longer under the law, the Jewish law.)
"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." This is a neat way of saying that when we were converted, we were baptized, and we put on Christ like one would put on a coat. Christ is now a part of us; we have clothed ourselves with Him.
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." This is beautiful language to assure us that there is no distinction with God. We are all His.
And finally, "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." This shows that all Christians are heirs to the promise made thousands of years ago to father Abraham, that all the world would be blessed by his seed.
The Bible is amazing!
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
Galatians 3:24: "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor." (Thus, we as Christians are no longer under the law, the Jewish law.)
"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." This is a neat way of saying that when we were converted, we were baptized, and we put on Christ like one would put on a coat. Christ is now a part of us; we have clothed ourselves with Him.
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." This is beautiful language to assure us that there is no distinction with God. We are all His.
And finally, "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." This shows that all Christians are heirs to the promise made thousands of years ago to father Abraham, that all the world would be blessed by his seed.
The Bible is amazing!
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
Saturday, October 8, 2016
A Couple of Things.......
I think it is interesting to pick up little known facts from the New Testament. So here are a couple of things that I would guess most people don't know. That's no reflection on you because you may know these.
The first is that Jesus walked on the earth for 40 days after His resurrection. This is only recorded in one place, Acts chapter one. Acts begins:
"The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."
Jesus was killed, crucified, on Friday, rose from the dead on Sunday, stayed on the earth for 40 more days, then ascended to heaven as recorded at the end of Luke and the beginning of Acts.
I would suggest to you that most people are not familiar with this timetable and are not aware that Jesus spent 40 days showing Himself arisen to so many people.
A second fact that most people would not know is that Jesus, while growing up in Nazareth, moved His hometown to Capernaum when it was time to start preaching. This is only recorded, at least in clear fashion, in Matthew chapter 4:
"Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulon and Naphtali...."
Nazareth was not a good place for Him to teach, because they knew Him as a hometown boy, a carpenter, and just couldn't believe. But Jesus continued to live in Capernaum when He wasn't traveling about and teaching.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
The first is that Jesus walked on the earth for 40 days after His resurrection. This is only recorded in one place, Acts chapter one. Acts begins:
"The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."
Jesus was killed, crucified, on Friday, rose from the dead on Sunday, stayed on the earth for 40 more days, then ascended to heaven as recorded at the end of Luke and the beginning of Acts.
I would suggest to you that most people are not familiar with this timetable and are not aware that Jesus spent 40 days showing Himself arisen to so many people.
A second fact that most people would not know is that Jesus, while growing up in Nazareth, moved His hometown to Capernaum when it was time to start preaching. This is only recorded, at least in clear fashion, in Matthew chapter 4:
"Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulon and Naphtali...."
Nazareth was not a good place for Him to teach, because they knew Him as a hometown boy, a carpenter, and just couldn't believe. But Jesus continued to live in Capernaum when He wasn't traveling about and teaching.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Saturday, September 17, 2016
When God Speaks
I have been doing some reading in 1 &2 Kings and found an interesting set of stories in Chapter 20 of 1 Kings. King Ahab, one of the worst ever kings of Israel, was challenged by Ben Haddad, king of Syria. With some resistance verbally, Ben Haddad said he would reduce Israel to dust (I am shortening the story). King Ahab replied, "Let not the soldier who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes his armor off." That was a clever retort, but one that Ahab could not back up....except with God's help. In this case, the Lord sent word to Ahab that He would deliver Syria into Israel's hands. This happened and Israel triumphed.
After a little time, Ben Haddad's advisors said that the God of Israel must be a god of the mountains, but not of the plains. If they fight on the plains Syria will win. From the story, one would conclude that God did not favor Ahab much because the king was so evil. But God was not going to put up with being called a God of the mountains only. So God sent word to Ahab that he would deliver him again; and he did just that.
But a problem develops. After Ben Haddad has been utterly defeated, he puts on sackcloth and ashes as do his remaining survivors, and he sends word to Ahab asking for a treaty. King Ahab agrees to spare Ben Haddad. It is at this point in the story that another inside story is inserted.
We read of a man who is the son of the prophets who approached a neighbor and said "strike me." The man said no way. The first man put a curse on him and he was killed by a lion. Then he asked another man to strike him. He did....and now the man places his bloody body beside the road. The king Ahab passes by and the man says he was in the war, was supposed to watch over a captive, his life for his life, and suddenly the man vanished. The injured man said to the king, now what do I do? The king said, basically, that is your problem; you created it. This final story ends with the man saying to the king, paraphrased here, just as I did wrong in the army, you did wrong in sparing the king Ben Haddad, not following the wishes of the Lord.
This last story seems a bit strange, but it makes the point that we are to follow the word of God no matter what. What He commands we must do. And God means business; He means what He says. We know that He is the Lord, the Creator, the God of all, the one we must follow.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week.
After a little time, Ben Haddad's advisors said that the God of Israel must be a god of the mountains, but not of the plains. If they fight on the plains Syria will win. From the story, one would conclude that God did not favor Ahab much because the king was so evil. But God was not going to put up with being called a God of the mountains only. So God sent word to Ahab that he would deliver him again; and he did just that.
But a problem develops. After Ben Haddad has been utterly defeated, he puts on sackcloth and ashes as do his remaining survivors, and he sends word to Ahab asking for a treaty. King Ahab agrees to spare Ben Haddad. It is at this point in the story that another inside story is inserted.
We read of a man who is the son of the prophets who approached a neighbor and said "strike me." The man said no way. The first man put a curse on him and he was killed by a lion. Then he asked another man to strike him. He did....and now the man places his bloody body beside the road. The king Ahab passes by and the man says he was in the war, was supposed to watch over a captive, his life for his life, and suddenly the man vanished. The injured man said to the king, now what do I do? The king said, basically, that is your problem; you created it. This final story ends with the man saying to the king, paraphrased here, just as I did wrong in the army, you did wrong in sparing the king Ben Haddad, not following the wishes of the Lord.
This last story seems a bit strange, but it makes the point that we are to follow the word of God no matter what. What He commands we must do. And God means business; He means what He says. We know that He is the Lord, the Creator, the God of all, the one we must follow.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
All Things Work Together for Good
One of the more beautiful verses in the New Testament is in Romans 8: 28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." This is a very comforting passage, knowing that God is with us and will take care of us. But we also have to understand that God's ways are higher than ours, and we don't always get what we want.
We know that God doesn't promise health and comfort in this life. Many times we have to suffer....and we often don't know why. But a perfect example in the Bible is Paul, who had to endure a "thorn in the flesh" which apparently brought him much discomfort. Note 2 Corinthians 12:
We know that God doesn't promise health and comfort in this life. Many times we have to suffer....and we often don't know why. But a perfect example in the Bible is Paul, who had to endure a "thorn in the flesh" which apparently brought him much discomfort. Note 2 Corinthians 12:
7or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The Lord answered Paul's request by saying, "My grace is sufficient..." Paul wanted a break and asked for it three times, but God said, "No." Following that we see a good attitude with Paul. He would just "delight in weaknesses.." And this is a lesson for us. If life gets hard, as it often does; we must realize that God knows, God cares, and it will all be okay.
Back to Romans 8, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?....Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
Then the chapter concludes with these comforting words,
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
"All things work together for those who love the Lord...."
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Saturday, August 27, 2016
No Excuses
Sometimes we wonder about people who are deep in the jungle somewhere who haven't been exposed to Christianity. Do they have any responsibility to believe in God? We may not know all of the answers to this, but some information is made quite clear in the Bible. One such place is Romans chapter one:
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools..
Here we see that they are without excuse, His "invisible qualities....have been clearly seen" since the "creation of the world." Evidence of God and His existence are all around us and can be clearly seen.
Another passage that shows that God is the maker of all things is in Psalm 95:
1Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice,
All through the Bible we are shown that God is the creator. But we see that in the world around us every day, in the night sky, in the workings of our bodies, in every facet of nature. God expects us to see His handiwork everywhere. And we all know that His handiwork is amazing. Praise God!
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
The Gospel Unveiled
The principle of veiling and unveiling is taught in 2 Corinthians 3 & 4. Throughout the Bible there is use of veiling. We see this in the Old Testament where God told His people to set up a worship place, the Tabernacle, and place in it a veil to set off the most holy place of it. When Jesus was crucified, one of the unnatural major occurrences was the splitting of the veil in the temple. This was to show the people that the old Jewish way of worshiping God was over. There was no more Judaism, no more traditional temple worship, no more old law of the Jews. This is mentioned in the following passage:
2 Corinthians 3:14-16New International Version (NIV)
14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
The passage follows with, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The gospel brings "liberty." This means liberty from the old ways, the old law of the Jews, and from the old ways of sin. When we follow Christ, we are freed from our old ways of living in sin. Not that we will never sin....but that we will not live in sin.
He continues in chapter 4:3, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing...." Those who are true Christians do not have a veil, they/we have liberty. But if there is a veil, it is with those "who are perishing."
And finally, the end of chapter 4 says:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18New International Version (NIV)
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
As Christians, we see things differently. We have no veil over our eyes, but we have liberty, freedom from destructive sin. And we see beyond the temporary.....to the eternal. What a blessing!
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
2 Corinthians 3:14-16New International Version (NIV)
14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
The passage follows with, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The gospel brings "liberty." This means liberty from the old ways, the old law of the Jews, and from the old ways of sin. When we follow Christ, we are freed from our old ways of living in sin. Not that we will never sin....but that we will not live in sin.
He continues in chapter 4:3, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing...." Those who are true Christians do not have a veil, they/we have liberty. But if there is a veil, it is with those "who are perishing."
And finally, the end of chapter 4 says:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18New International Version (NIV)
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
As Christians, we see things differently. We have no veil over our eyes, but we have liberty, freedom from destructive sin. And we see beyond the temporary.....to the eternal. What a blessing!
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Sunday, August 14, 2016
The Ascension
One of the most exciting and meaningful events of the Bible is the ascension of our Lord. It is recorded in two places, Luke 24, right at the end of the book of Luke, and in Acts chapter 1. In this blog we will take a closer look at these two passages.
First we note that the ascension, being recorded in two places only, are both written by the same author. Luke wrote his book of Luke, but he also is the writer of the book of Acts. In fact if the reader wanted to just read an account of the life of Jesus and the events that followed His leaving the apostles to carry on His work, just reading the books of Luke and Acts would be ideal.
Note the passage in Luke:
First we note that the ascension, being recorded in two places only, are both written by the same author. Luke wrote his book of Luke, but he also is the writer of the book of Acts. In fact if the reader wanted to just read an account of the life of Jesus and the events that followed His leaving the apostles to carry on His work, just reading the books of Luke and Acts would be ideal.
Note the passage in Luke:
45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 50When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
Here we have the final act of Jesus on earth, His leaving. Then we can compare this passage with the one in the book of Acts:
9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
We see that Jesus was very much alive upon being taken up to heaven. It is there that He will sit at the right hand of God, and He reigns there as king until such time that He returns again in the clouds to call His people to Him. As the king, He has a kingdom. Note the wording of Colossians 1:13, "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." As Christians, we have been "translated" into His kingdom. This shows that His kingdom is in existence now, that He reigns now, in heaven, and we get to be His subjects.
Thank you for reading about this such special event in the history of the world. Jesus reigns!
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Jesus the King
A great deal is said in the New Testament about Jesus being the king. In fact the Old Testament described in many places that a Messiah and a king would be born who would rule over the Jewish kingdom and all men. It would be a mighty reign and a reign that would never end. As a result of all the teaching about this subject that had been done over the years to the Jews, they were expecting a king to be born.
When the angel visited Mary before she was even married to tell her that she would have a son, he told her that he would reign. Notice Luke 1:
30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
We see here that He will be a descendant of the great king David. It is interesting that the NT begins with the statement, "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David...." In the Bible there are two great kings. The greatest king of the OT is David. No other king even came close. In the NT, we find that Jesus is king, a descendant of David, but a much greater king.
The words of David are repeated in Acts 2 where he is describing the fact that Jesus would be a greater king; that He would not die or see corruption:
"Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses."
David was a great king, but he died just as all men do. But Jesus, a greater king by far, would not be kept in the grave but would live forever. Jesus is our king, our Lord, our Redeemer who reigns forever and ever. Thanks for reading.
When the angel visited Mary before she was even married to tell her that she would have a son, he told her that he would reign. Notice Luke 1:
30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
We see here that He will be a descendant of the great king David. It is interesting that the NT begins with the statement, "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David...." In the Bible there are two great kings. The greatest king of the OT is David. No other king even came close. In the NT, we find that Jesus is king, a descendant of David, but a much greater king.
The words of David are repeated in Acts 2 where he is describing the fact that Jesus would be a greater king; that He would not die or see corruption:
"Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses."
David was a great king, but he died just as all men do. But Jesus, a greater king by far, would not be kept in the grave but would live forever. Jesus is our king, our Lord, our Redeemer who reigns forever and ever. Thanks for reading.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Upon This Rock I Will Buld My Church
In Matthew 16 Jesus was discussing a very important matter with His apostles. Let's read this passage:
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practise is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practise is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Jesus is the rock, the foundation, the chief cornerstone of our faith. By following Him we have life eternal.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,b and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hadesc will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will bed bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will bee loosed in heaven.”
The question that is asked here is a very significant one, not only to Peter, but to us as well. Jesus could be asking each of us as Christians who we say that He is. And we read here that the correct answer is "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." The key here is to believe this, to allow this fact to be dominant in our lives, and to be willing to declare it to others.
Jesus answers to Peter using a word play. Peter means "rock." But when Jesus says "upon this rock I will build My church," He is using a different form of the word rock. It isn't Peter that is the foundation of the church; it is the statement that Peter has made. It is the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. It reminds me of the final words of Jesus in the sermon on the mount, Matthew 7:
Jesus is the rock, the foundation, the chief cornerstone of our faith. By following Him we have life eternal.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Seek the Lord
One of my favorite verses in all the Bible is Hebrews 11:6,
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
It isn't enough to just coast through life, be a good person, and show some commitment to the Lord. He wants us to seek Him...and to do so diligently. That means to take an aggressive attitude toward God, to want to know Him, and to actually try to be like Him.
In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus was talking about how we as typical people tend to worry about life, what we shall eat or drink or wear. He then says in verse 33,
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
It is all about priorities. But it also is about seeking. We have to seek the Lord to be successful as a Christian. And we are familiar with the passage in Matthew 7:7, where Jesus says,
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you."
When He says "seek" here, He means it. We must be people who are truly seeking the Lord.
We might wonder, just what does it mean to seek the Lord; how do we do that. I would suggest that first it means to study our Bible. This is the actual Word of the Lord, given to us to help us to know Him better. And we can pray. Prayer is more powerful than we know or can conceive. This surely is a part of seeking the Lord.
Let us be people who "seek the Lord." Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
It isn't enough to just coast through life, be a good person, and show some commitment to the Lord. He wants us to seek Him...and to do so diligently. That means to take an aggressive attitude toward God, to want to know Him, and to actually try to be like Him.
In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus was talking about how we as typical people tend to worry about life, what we shall eat or drink or wear. He then says in verse 33,
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
It is all about priorities. But it also is about seeking. We have to seek the Lord to be successful as a Christian. And we are familiar with the passage in Matthew 7:7, where Jesus says,
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you."
When He says "seek" here, He means it. We must be people who are truly seeking the Lord.
We might wonder, just what does it mean to seek the Lord; how do we do that. I would suggest that first it means to study our Bible. This is the actual Word of the Lord, given to us to help us to know Him better. And we can pray. Prayer is more powerful than we know or can conceive. This surely is a part of seeking the Lord.
Let us be people who "seek the Lord." Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Late Words of Jesus
This lesson comes from John 16 in the New Testament where Jesus is relating some important teaching to His apostles. The first thing He says is that they will have people trying to kill them.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
The people persecuted and killed Jesus; He lets them know that they will face this as well.
But this chapter in the book of John goes on to talk about the Holy Spirit.
John 16:7-14 King James Version (KJV)
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and.... of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Jesus is teaching here that there are 3 things that the Holy Spirit will do for the apostles. These are Convict the world, Guide them into all truth, and Glorify Jesus. We know that this is exactly what happened. Jesus left the earth by ascending into heaven (read in Acts 1.) Then the Lord sent back the Holy Spirit (read in Acts 2.) And the Spirit continued to assist the apostles, giving them the power to do miracles, and even to pass that power on to other Christians.
We are the benefactors of the work of the Spirit in that He saw to it that we have the Bible today...to read...to study...to follow. Praise be to God, and to His Son, and to His Spirit!
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
16 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
The people persecuted and killed Jesus; He lets them know that they will face this as well.
But this chapter in the book of John goes on to talk about the Holy Spirit.
John 16:7-14 King James Version (KJV)
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and.... of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Jesus is teaching here that there are 3 things that the Holy Spirit will do for the apostles. These are Convict the world, Guide them into all truth, and Glorify Jesus. We know that this is exactly what happened. Jesus left the earth by ascending into heaven (read in Acts 1.) Then the Lord sent back the Holy Spirit (read in Acts 2.) And the Spirit continued to assist the apostles, giving them the power to do miracles, and even to pass that power on to other Christians.
We are the benefactors of the work of the Spirit in that He saw to it that we have the Bible today...to read...to study...to follow. Praise be to God, and to His Son, and to His Spirit!
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Friday, June 24, 2016
Mary Has Chosen That Good Part
The Story of Mary and Martha as they were hosting Jesus in their home, is found in Luke 10:38-42. It is an interesting account and one that is a bit difficult to understand. Let's read:
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.
39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.
40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,
42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.aMary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
There are at least 3 accounts of Mary and Martha in the New Testament, from which we learn that they, along with their brother Lazarus, were good friends of Jesus. In this story we find Jesus enjoying some time with these two women. There is work to do in preparation, so Martha is working hard to get the work done. Mary is seemingly slacking, just sitting and listening to Jesus. Martha becomes perturbed and says so to Jesus, feeling that it is obvious that Mary isn't doing her part to help.
We would likely agree with Martha that Mary should have pitched in to help, especially with such an important guest as Jesus. But Jesus has a different outlook, and He uses this occasion to make a point, not only to these two ladies, but also to us for all of time.
Jesus is not against serving and working and doing one's job as a good host. He is simply saying that nothing is as important as sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to the words of Jesus, learning from the Master. And this is a lesson for us, as well. We cannot literally sit at His feet, but we have the written Word, the teachings of the Lord, not only from Jesus directly but also from His chosen vessels, the apostles. No matter what needs to be done in this life, nothing will ever take precedence over the teachings in God's Word, the Bible.
Let us hear this important teaching of Jesus, the Christ.
Thanks for reading. Have a blessed week!
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