Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40, and John 12:12-19
Jesus' last week begins with His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as the King and Messiah over Israel. He went immediately to the Temple and cleansed it, all which incensed the Jewish leaders, who were afraid of Him, and also envious of His popularity. They are the ones who demanded His crucifixion later in the week.
Jesus then left the Temple, going back to Martha, Mary and Lazarus' home in Bethany, just outside Jerusalem, where He spent the night.
When He came back to Jerusalem, He went into the Temple again and stymied the teachers who hated Him, told parables against them, tripped them up in their own words, and taught the people to watch out for them, to do what they say but not what they do.
By the time of the Passover, the Jewish teachers had decided it would be best for Jesus to die and plotted to kill Him, and hired Judas to betray Him.
Matt 26:20-30, Mark 14:17-26, Luke 22:14-30, and John 13:18-30
Then at the Last Supper He tells them again of His death and resurrection, institutes the Lord's Supper Communion ordinance of the church, prays His High Priestly Prayer (John 17), and goes to the Garden of Gethsemane, teaching all the way.
Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:39-46, and John 18:1-2
Here we have the personal prayer Jesus prayed, as He asked His Father to release Him from having to be tortured to death, and separated from His Father, if it was possible, and still be able to save us. In His human body, He really didn't want to face this ultimate horror; but He knew that there was no other way, and He submitted to His Father's will, not His human one. Probably the only time in all eternity past and future when the Son and Father were not in perfect agreement in their wills.
Then He was arrested.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Jesus' Authority Over The Spiritual And Material Worlds
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
All of Jesus' miracles show His authority over:
physical conditions:
sicknesses,
paralysis,
lameness,
blindness,
deafness,
muteness;
His authority over:
food: loaves and fishes, water to wine;
weather: calming the wind and the waves, walking on water, letting Peter walk on water;
demons: to command them, limit them, to cast them out, even at a distance;
Life and death: to raise from the dead;
And the most amazing: to forgive sins.
All these miracles show His authority over the material world and spiritual world He created, to do whatever He wants with His own property.
And all His teachings: the parables, the prophesies, the stories; all show His complete understanding of all He has made and how it works, how everything works together, and how we are to regard God and one another. And how this world will function in His Kingdom; in His own (who have received Him) who are living now, and under His rule as King of the World for that 1000 years (Revelation 20:1-7), and continuing in the New Heaven and New Earth forever.
Next we will see what He accomplished, the work He finished.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
All of Jesus' miracles show His authority over:
physical conditions:
sicknesses,
paralysis,
lameness,
blindness,
deafness,
muteness;
His authority over:
food: loaves and fishes, water to wine;
weather: calming the wind and the waves, walking on water, letting Peter walk on water;
demons: to command them, limit them, to cast them out, even at a distance;
Life and death: to raise from the dead;
And the most amazing: to forgive sins.
All these miracles show His authority over the material world and spiritual world He created, to do whatever He wants with His own property.
And all His teachings: the parables, the prophesies, the stories; all show His complete understanding of all He has made and how it works, how everything works together, and how we are to regard God and one another. And how this world will function in His Kingdom; in His own (who have received Him) who are living now, and under His rule as King of the World for that 1000 years (Revelation 20:1-7), and continuing in the New Heaven and New Earth forever.
Next we will see what He accomplished, the work He finished.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, October 7, 2016
Jesus' Authority
Matthew 7: 28-29
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as One Who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Even the multitudes who heard Jesus teaching this Sermon on the Mount recognized that Jesus wasn't just repeating what God had given to Moses on Mount Sinai, as their teachers of the law did; Jesus expanded and deepened the principles that the Law was designed to portray, as only the Lawgiver would be able to do. This whole passage shows us that Jesus is the Creator Who designed and made this world, this universe, and is the One Who laid out the parameters, the rules by which it would function. So He does have the authority to explain how these statutes are to be applied to living in this world. And He is the rightful King and sovereign God over all, as the Owner Who cares for it all.
This is who Jesus is, Who He was, and will always be.
Next we will see what Jesus did, the work He came to do, and finished; and then, the results that come from His finished work, including His further authority.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as One Who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Even the multitudes who heard Jesus teaching this Sermon on the Mount recognized that Jesus wasn't just repeating what God had given to Moses on Mount Sinai, as their teachers of the law did; Jesus expanded and deepened the principles that the Law was designed to portray, as only the Lawgiver would be able to do. This whole passage shows us that Jesus is the Creator Who designed and made this world, this universe, and is the One Who laid out the parameters, the rules by which it would function. So He does have the authority to explain how these statutes are to be applied to living in this world. And He is the rightful King and sovereign God over all, as the Owner Who cares for it all.
This is who Jesus is, Who He was, and will always be.
Next we will see what Jesus did, the work He came to do, and finished; and then, the results that come from His finished work, including His further authority.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, October 6, 2016
What's Your Foundation In Life?
Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 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. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
Luke 6:46-49
Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord," and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.
Both Matthew and Luke relate this story Jesus told the people. They all had been listening to His whole Sermon on the Mount, and He is challenging them to take to heart all the life principles He just told them, life choices that can be very difficult to consistently apply in our lives.
We need to make the effort, though, and rely on His strength to do it. If we don't think we can, and just give up trying, then we will face the consequences. Both houses were subjected to the same rains, floods, winds, and torrents of life. Both houses (lives) were built to satisfy the builders' needs and wants, and were both furnished satisfactorily. The only difference was the foundations that were under them. The one had the Rock, Jesus, as a foundation, and the other had sand or ground, the world's philosophies, under it.
It doesn't matter which of this world's philosophies you choose to undergird your life, they are all as shifting as sand in the whirlwinds of life. The only firm foundation for our living every day is our trust in Christ Jesus, The Rock, who came to take our debt on Himself. He is the Maker of this Earth and everything in it, and He gave us His written Word as the Manufacturer's Instructions to guide us in our dealings with everything we encounter in this world, including one another.
When we know God, we recognize His holy and pure Character, and follow His rules in our treatment of one another and use of finances, and attitudes toward everything in this life; then we will be cooperating with how He designed this World to work, and thereby enjoy the results of obeying His commandments. We can no more "break" one of His natural laws, as "break" one of His moral laws--we only break ourselves on them, and do harm to one another.
So continue to read my blog, go back to my previous entries, and learn how to form God's thoughts in our own minds, to see life through His eyes, and do the "work" God wants us to do. Then He will bless us with His peace, regardless of the storms that swirl around us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 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. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
Luke 6:46-49
Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord," and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.
Both Matthew and Luke relate this story Jesus told the people. They all had been listening to His whole Sermon on the Mount, and He is challenging them to take to heart all the life principles He just told them, life choices that can be very difficult to consistently apply in our lives.
We need to make the effort, though, and rely on His strength to do it. If we don't think we can, and just give up trying, then we will face the consequences. Both houses were subjected to the same rains, floods, winds, and torrents of life. Both houses (lives) were built to satisfy the builders' needs and wants, and were both furnished satisfactorily. The only difference was the foundations that were under them. The one had the Rock, Jesus, as a foundation, and the other had sand or ground, the world's philosophies, under it.
It doesn't matter which of this world's philosophies you choose to undergird your life, they are all as shifting as sand in the whirlwinds of life. The only firm foundation for our living every day is our trust in Christ Jesus, The Rock, who came to take our debt on Himself. He is the Maker of this Earth and everything in it, and He gave us His written Word as the Manufacturer's Instructions to guide us in our dealings with everything we encounter in this world, including one another.
When we know God, we recognize His holy and pure Character, and follow His rules in our treatment of one another and use of finances, and attitudes toward everything in this life; then we will be cooperating with how He designed this World to work, and thereby enjoy the results of obeying His commandments. We can no more "break" one of His natural laws, as "break" one of His moral laws--we only break ourselves on them, and do harm to one another.
So continue to read my blog, go back to my previous entries, and learn how to form God's thoughts in our own minds, to see life through His eyes, and do the "work" God wants us to do. Then He will bless us with His peace, regardless of the storms that swirl around us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
The Work Of God
Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father Who is in Heaven. Many will say to me on that Day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name and in Your Name drive out demons, and in Your Name perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"
Wow! All these church leaders, these missionaries, these Bible College professors, all the good people who thought that they were serving God and doing His work, called "evildoers" by the Lord? So who is "the one who does the will of my Father," if not these?
John tells us very specifically, in 6:28-29, "Then they asked Him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.'"
So what does that mean? How could so many miss this? John used the Greek word, pisteuo for "believe," which comes from the word for "trustworthy." So we are to "entrust" ourselves to Jesus, to trust Him totally, implicitly, without reservation. Trust Him to do what? To be our "sacrificial Lamb," to die for us in payment for our debt of sin. When the penitent brought the lamb according to the Old Testament sacrificial system, in payment for the sin he was confessing, he would put his hand on the lamb's head, conferring his sin onto the lamb, then the lamb died in his place. That is what Jesus came to do, He is the "Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world." The Lamb God provided, to pay off the whole principle of our debt, not just the interest due on it year-by-year.
Now, when each of us realizes that we deserve death for all our sins, and that Jesus died for us, to pay off our whole debt; that is putting our trust in Him to accomplish in time for us what would take us forever to do. We are all "born in sin," with that Original Sin that Adam passes on in his DNA to all his children, all of mankind, the sin-nature that prompts us to make all those poor choices that "miss the mark" of what is best for us.
Romans 6:23 tells us that, "The wages of sin is death," and our "sin" is our sin-nature, that is the source and fountainhead of all our "sins." So if you ever made any decision to do what you knew was wrong and did it anyway, that proves that you have that sin-nature that Jesus bore on the cross when He came "to be sin," "for us," in our place (II Corinthians 5:21).
So even "good people" still have that sin-nature, and need a Savior to rescue them from having to spend eternity paying that eternal debt to God. Only the Eternal Person could pay our eternal debt in time. That is why He came, why He "became flesh," to qualify as human to die the human death we each deserve, yet still be the Eternal God, the Son that Isaiah said was "given" (9:6), Who was the Son from eternity past.
O my Father, thank You so much for showing me Jesus there on His Cross, letting me know that He took my place, my death, so that I could live forever with You. Thank You so much for loving me that much, to sacrifice Your own Son for me. Praise You, Almighty, Loving God, Omnipotent King of the Universe.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father Who is in Heaven. Many will say to me on that Day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name and in Your Name drive out demons, and in Your Name perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"
Wow! All these church leaders, these missionaries, these Bible College professors, all the good people who thought that they were serving God and doing His work, called "evildoers" by the Lord? So who is "the one who does the will of my Father," if not these?
John tells us very specifically, in 6:28-29, "Then they asked Him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.'"
So what does that mean? How could so many miss this? John used the Greek word, pisteuo for "believe," which comes from the word for "trustworthy." So we are to "entrust" ourselves to Jesus, to trust Him totally, implicitly, without reservation. Trust Him to do what? To be our "sacrificial Lamb," to die for us in payment for our debt of sin. When the penitent brought the lamb according to the Old Testament sacrificial system, in payment for the sin he was confessing, he would put his hand on the lamb's head, conferring his sin onto the lamb, then the lamb died in his place. That is what Jesus came to do, He is the "Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world." The Lamb God provided, to pay off the whole principle of our debt, not just the interest due on it year-by-year.
Now, when each of us realizes that we deserve death for all our sins, and that Jesus died for us, to pay off our whole debt; that is putting our trust in Him to accomplish in time for us what would take us forever to do. We are all "born in sin," with that Original Sin that Adam passes on in his DNA to all his children, all of mankind, the sin-nature that prompts us to make all those poor choices that "miss the mark" of what is best for us.
Romans 6:23 tells us that, "The wages of sin is death," and our "sin" is our sin-nature, that is the source and fountainhead of all our "sins." So if you ever made any decision to do what you knew was wrong and did it anyway, that proves that you have that sin-nature that Jesus bore on the cross when He came "to be sin," "for us," in our place (II Corinthians 5:21).
So even "good people" still have that sin-nature, and need a Savior to rescue them from having to spend eternity paying that eternal debt to God. Only the Eternal Person could pay our eternal debt in time. That is why He came, why He "became flesh," to qualify as human to die the human death we each deserve, yet still be the Eternal God, the Son that Isaiah said was "given" (9:6), Who was the Son from eternity past.
O my Father, thank You so much for showing me Jesus there on His Cross, letting me know that He took my place, my death, so that I could live forever with You. Thank You so much for loving me that much, to sacrifice Your own Son for me. Praise You, Almighty, Loving God, Omnipotent King of the Universe.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Broadway Or The Narrow Way?
Matthew 7:13-20
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Jesus is saying to not follow the crowd. Most people will go along with what everyone else is doing, thinking along the popular reasonings, and seeking after all the material things of this world, obeying all the advertisements, going along with the crowd.
But the way to real life is a narrow way, through a small portal, that few, compared to the crowds, will even search for to find. How can we know if we're following the right people, that will lead to that narrow way?
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes? or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Luke says, A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (6:45).
So we need to be careful of who we are listening to and following. These false teachers are coming in disguise, portraying themselves as good men, faithful Biblicists, people who only want to help. But if you investigate their personal lives, you could find out if they are being truthful or if they are deceived and are teaching lies that they believe are true.
I don't take what any teacher says as true just because they have a reputation as a good Bible teacher. I will take note of their teachings and then search the scriptures to see if what they are saying is true. Even Saint Paul didn't want people to believe what he said simply because he said it; he said that the Bereans were "more noble" than others because they not only "received the Word with all readiness," but also "searched the Scriptures daily [to see] whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11).
I also don't want you, dear reader of my blog, to take what I say to be true just because I believe it so. Do your own searching, to make sure that you are believing God's Truth, not any man's ideas. I may have some good ideas, but I don't think that I will never err in what I say, so please correct me whenever you find something that may not be correct. I will research your findings, also.
Tomorrow we will see why there are so many Bible teachers who may be deceived.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Jesus is saying to not follow the crowd. Most people will go along with what everyone else is doing, thinking along the popular reasonings, and seeking after all the material things of this world, obeying all the advertisements, going along with the crowd.
But the way to real life is a narrow way, through a small portal, that few, compared to the crowds, will even search for to find. How can we know if we're following the right people, that will lead to that narrow way?
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes? or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Luke says, A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (6:45).
So we need to be careful of who we are listening to and following. These false teachers are coming in disguise, portraying themselves as good men, faithful Biblicists, people who only want to help. But if you investigate their personal lives, you could find out if they are being truthful or if they are deceived and are teaching lies that they believe are true.
I don't take what any teacher says as true just because they have a reputation as a good Bible teacher. I will take note of their teachings and then search the scriptures to see if what they are saying is true. Even Saint Paul didn't want people to believe what he said simply because he said it; he said that the Bereans were "more noble" than others because they not only "received the Word with all readiness," but also "searched the Scriptures daily [to see] whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11).
I also don't want you, dear reader of my blog, to take what I say to be true just because I believe it so. Do your own searching, to make sure that you are believing God's Truth, not any man's ideas. I may have some good ideas, but I don't think that I will never err in what I say, so please correct me whenever you find something that may not be correct. I will research your findings, also.
Tomorrow we will see why there are so many Bible teachers who may be deceived.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, October 3, 2016
Do Unto Others
Matthew 7:12
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
This is commonly known as "The Golden Rule." Jesus says that to value others as we value our own selves and needs would fulfill the whole Old Testament ("The Law and The Prophets"), all the rules for living and everything that God has planned out for this Earth from beginning to end.
It makes sense. If I love my neighbor, I won't steal from him, lie to or about him, murder him, steal his spouse's affections, or desire to possess what he owns rather than work to get my own. And if I love God, I won't consider any other thing as more important than He is, or make a statue to worship, or use His Name in any but the most respectful way. I will honor the position my parents have over me, regardless of how good or bad I think their parenting to have been. And I will also honor both God and myself in taking off work one day a week for rest and worship.
That covers the Ten Commandments. And all the other rules and statutes and laws stem from those two tablets. And all the prophets preached about how God's people were "missing the mark" of even trying to follow the Creator's "guidelines" for how to get along in this world. And all the future prophesies will unfold in time, revealing all the consequences of not following our Lawgiver's direction.
But I read "the last chapter," so I know that our Almighty Sovereign will even all odds, straighten out all that is twisted, right all wrongs, and award every created being the awards each has earned, be it positive or negative.
So let us all strive to consider others in our lives as worth our love and affection, regardless of what it costs us, as our Father has lavished His love on us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
This is commonly known as "The Golden Rule." Jesus says that to value others as we value our own selves and needs would fulfill the whole Old Testament ("The Law and The Prophets"), all the rules for living and everything that God has planned out for this Earth from beginning to end.
It makes sense. If I love my neighbor, I won't steal from him, lie to or about him, murder him, steal his spouse's affections, or desire to possess what he owns rather than work to get my own. And if I love God, I won't consider any other thing as more important than He is, or make a statue to worship, or use His Name in any but the most respectful way. I will honor the position my parents have over me, regardless of how good or bad I think their parenting to have been. And I will also honor both God and myself in taking off work one day a week for rest and worship.
That covers the Ten Commandments. And all the other rules and statutes and laws stem from those two tablets. And all the prophets preached about how God's people were "missing the mark" of even trying to follow the Creator's "guidelines" for how to get along in this world. And all the future prophesies will unfold in time, revealing all the consequences of not following our Lawgiver's direction.
But I read "the last chapter," so I know that our Almighty Sovereign will even all odds, straighten out all that is twisted, right all wrongs, and award every created being the awards each has earned, be it positive or negative.
So let us all strive to consider others in our lives as worth our love and affection, regardless of what it costs us, as our Father has lavished His love on us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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