Deuteronomy 21: 22-23
And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and thou hang him on a tree: his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) --
Jesus' body must be removed from the cross and buried that same day, for He bore the curse in God's sight that is upon us, all of us, each one of us, the curse that I deserve. Because He bore my curse, I am free of it, free from the bondage of the curse of sin, and God is now free to bless me instead.
How often have we returned to the mire, the sin that once bound us. In our rebellion, selfishness and pride, our childish willfulness, we have pulled away from You, tried to go our own way, as though we could ever know better than You!
But You are faithful and strong and wise and gentle with us, drawing us back to Your path that You have set before each of us from the detours we tend to run off to.
Father, I want to do what You have for me to do, I want to be who You have made me to be; open the eyes of my heart, Lord, I do want to see You! Thank You for Your promise that, He who began a good work in me will continue to perform it in me until I am perfect on the day my Lord returns. You will never let me go.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, October 17, 2016
Sunday, October 16, 2016
The Least And The Greatest
Luke 9:48
Then He said to them, "Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes Me, and anyone who welcomes Me also welcomes my Father who sent Me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest."
I must diminish while You must grow greater (John 3:30). Hide me in the clift of the rock and cover me with Your hand (Exodus 33:22), that I may not promote myself but rather be the servant of all, that my good works may bring glory to You, Father, Who does all things for Your glory. You alone deserves all the honor and glory, for it is You Who are accomplishing Your whole will in this whole world fulfilling Your whole plan for us all.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Then He said to them, "Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes Me, and anyone who welcomes Me also welcomes my Father who sent Me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest."
I must diminish while You must grow greater (John 3:30). Hide me in the clift of the rock and cover me with Your hand (Exodus 33:22), that I may not promote myself but rather be the servant of all, that my good works may bring glory to You, Father, Who does all things for Your glory. You alone deserves all the honor and glory, for it is You Who are accomplishing Your whole will in this whole world fulfilling Your whole plan for us all.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, October 15, 2016
The King's Responsibility
Deuteronomy 17:18-20
When he sits on the throne as king, --
This is when a new king is anointed and crowned to reign over the people.
He must copy for himself this body of instructions on a scroll --
He is required to make himself his own Bible.
in the presence of the Levitical priests. --
So he will copy accurately every word, every phrase, not leaving anything out.
He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily, --
He cannot misplace it, because he needs to read it every day.
as long as he lives. --
He will never know it so well that he doesn't need to review it every day, his whole life long.
That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God --
This will help him know God better and better, thereby growing in his "fear of the Lord," the reverential awe and respect for God that He deserves.
by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. --
This king will not only know intellectually what God says, but he will also put into practice everything it says to do; this is a faith of doing, not just giving mental assent. It will teach him how to rule his people according to true justice and righteousness.
This regular reading --
Every day.
will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. --
It will continually remind him that, although he is king over the people, he is still one of them, and he does not stand above the law, but is just as subject to it as everyone else.
It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. --
Continually reading all these stipulations every day will keep fresh in his mind the attitudes of mind that recognize that God is the One that is above all, and who made everything and devised the laws that govern all of Creation.
Understanding how all these rules fit together, as a "body of laws" will impress upon him that diverting from them in the least way would be like putting just a little poison into the great pot of stew: it will pollute the whole pot. Likewise, every detail of God's laws is woven into the whole body of laws, and to pull one "string" can unravel the whole garment.
And it will insure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.
This was when Moses was repeating to all the children of Israel the Law that God had given to him at the beginning of their sojourn in the desert, at the end of these 40 years of wandering, to make sure that they would all have these ideas clear in their minds as they entered the Promised Land to conquer and possess it.
This says that even the future king would be just as much under God's laws as the poorest of the people under him. It doesn't matter how important you think you are, or how insignificant you think you are, you are fully responsible to know, obey and follow the "Manufacturer's Instructions." No one is exempt.
Now, today, as Christians, we understand that we are not under the Law because Jesus fulfilled all the Law; so now we understand that Body of Law not as specific rules to be followed by rote, but as life principles that are to govern our view of the world, our attitudes, and our thinking processes. We all think that "common sense" should be followed, but what has commonly been known as "common sense" is nothing different than the principles God laid down in His Law. When we are so familiar with God's Word by reading it every day for years and decades, and have God's Holy Spirit living in us to teach us the Truth of His written Word, then we will follow the "common sense" it outlines for our lives.
When the king over Israel had his own Scriptures that he read every day, that would have kept him from ever being enticed to be diverted into following all the disgusting, demon-backed idols and practices of the people who lived around and among them. The peoples that God wanted displaced and eradicated from the land He gave His people. The enticing lies that had deceived these people were to be stamped out, and God's Truth would have triumphed, had the people only followed God with their whole hearts.
When the king strayed, then the people under him also strayed. Likewise, when the king followed God wholeheartedly, God blessed him and his people, and prosperity was enjoyed by everyone in the nation.
That's a very important reason why we need to pay attention to who we elect to be our leaders in our own society: If they follow the right ways, we will all be blessed; if they follow the (left?) wrong ways, they will be deceived and they will deceive the people, which has resulted in poverty and all manner of problems in our society.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
When he sits on the throne as king, --
This is when a new king is anointed and crowned to reign over the people.
He must copy for himself this body of instructions on a scroll --
He is required to make himself his own Bible.
in the presence of the Levitical priests. --
So he will copy accurately every word, every phrase, not leaving anything out.
He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily, --
He cannot misplace it, because he needs to read it every day.
as long as he lives. --
He will never know it so well that he doesn't need to review it every day, his whole life long.
That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God --
This will help him know God better and better, thereby growing in his "fear of the Lord," the reverential awe and respect for God that He deserves.
by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. --
This king will not only know intellectually what God says, but he will also put into practice everything it says to do; this is a faith of doing, not just giving mental assent. It will teach him how to rule his people according to true justice and righteousness.
This regular reading --
Every day.
will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. --
It will continually remind him that, although he is king over the people, he is still one of them, and he does not stand above the law, but is just as subject to it as everyone else.
It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. --
Continually reading all these stipulations every day will keep fresh in his mind the attitudes of mind that recognize that God is the One that is above all, and who made everything and devised the laws that govern all of Creation.
Understanding how all these rules fit together, as a "body of laws" will impress upon him that diverting from them in the least way would be like putting just a little poison into the great pot of stew: it will pollute the whole pot. Likewise, every detail of God's laws is woven into the whole body of laws, and to pull one "string" can unravel the whole garment.
And it will insure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.
This was when Moses was repeating to all the children of Israel the Law that God had given to him at the beginning of their sojourn in the desert, at the end of these 40 years of wandering, to make sure that they would all have these ideas clear in their minds as they entered the Promised Land to conquer and possess it.
This says that even the future king would be just as much under God's laws as the poorest of the people under him. It doesn't matter how important you think you are, or how insignificant you think you are, you are fully responsible to know, obey and follow the "Manufacturer's Instructions." No one is exempt.
Now, today, as Christians, we understand that we are not under the Law because Jesus fulfilled all the Law; so now we understand that Body of Law not as specific rules to be followed by rote, but as life principles that are to govern our view of the world, our attitudes, and our thinking processes. We all think that "common sense" should be followed, but what has commonly been known as "common sense" is nothing different than the principles God laid down in His Law. When we are so familiar with God's Word by reading it every day for years and decades, and have God's Holy Spirit living in us to teach us the Truth of His written Word, then we will follow the "common sense" it outlines for our lives.
When the king over Israel had his own Scriptures that he read every day, that would have kept him from ever being enticed to be diverted into following all the disgusting, demon-backed idols and practices of the people who lived around and among them. The peoples that God wanted displaced and eradicated from the land He gave His people. The enticing lies that had deceived these people were to be stamped out, and God's Truth would have triumphed, had the people only followed God with their whole hearts.
When the king strayed, then the people under him also strayed. Likewise, when the king followed God wholeheartedly, God blessed him and his people, and prosperity was enjoyed by everyone in the nation.
That's a very important reason why we need to pay attention to who we elect to be our leaders in our own society: If they follow the right ways, we will all be blessed; if they follow the (left?) wrong ways, they will be deceived and they will deceive the people, which has resulted in poverty and all manner of problems in our society.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Praise To Our God
Psalm 71:22-23
I will praise You with music on the harp, because You are faithful to Your promises, O my God. I will sing praises to You with a lyre, O Holy One of Israel. I will shout for joy and sing Your praises, for You have ransomed me.
O my Father, I pray that I may diminish that You be glorified and magnified. I give You all the credit, all the honor for what You are doing in my life. You alone are worthy. Make me a vessel fit for Your service; mold me and cleanse me and shape me for Your purposes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I will praise You with music on the harp, because You are faithful to Your promises, O my God. I will sing praises to You with a lyre, O Holy One of Israel. I will shout for joy and sing Your praises, for You have ransomed me.
O my Father, I pray that I may diminish that You be glorified and magnified. I give You all the credit, all the honor for what You are doing in my life. You alone are worthy. Make me a vessel fit for Your service; mold me and cleanse me and shape me for Your purposes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Jesus' Burial And Resurrection
Continuing in the Gospels the story of who Jesus is that we started on September 16, 2016 with His conception and birth, through the beginning of His public ministry, His presenting what God's Kingdom will look like on Earth, His miracles showing His authority over all Creation, down to His trials, Crucifixion and death.
They buried His dead body in a grave, following the customs of the day, wrapping it in a clean linen cloth with spices that would stiffen and "cement" the cloth around the body. (See Matthew 27:57-61, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-56 and John 19:38-42.)
Matthew 27:62-66 and 28:11-15 also tells us about the scheme to try to secure the tomb so the Disciples couldn't steal His body; then when Jesus rose from the dead and the angel rolled the stone away, scaring the soldiers into fainting, they bribed the soldiers to say that the disciples did steal it while they slept!
You may read about how Mary Magdalene's sorrow turned to joy in my blog entry of 3/26/16, and a probable time-table I devised for everything that happened between Jesus' Resurrection and His Ascension in my blog entry on 3/27/16.
I was struck by the accounts of the Angel telling the women to remind the disciples of the appointment Jesus made with them to meet in Galilee, but when Jesus spoke to the women, He wants them to tell His brothers to go to the meeting, also. His concern for His Earthly family is touching, wanting His own siblings to recognize who He really is. And His brother James became the Church Leader in Jerusalem and wrote the Epistle of James, and His brother Jude wrote the Epistle that bears his name. So His own brothers became disciples after His Resurrection. This is understandable; imagine having a big Brother who never did anything wrong! Very frustrating. But His Resurrection proved that He is who He always said He is, the Son of God.
I didn't cover all Jesus' teachings in this series except in the Sermon on the Mount, but I did comment on many of them randomly as I have posted my journal entries on my blog through the years.
My prayer is that this blog will help you to get to know God better and grow closer to Him. He loves you passionately, like a newlywed groom is enamored with his new bride; have you ever fallen in love with Him? He is not as concerned with what we do, but with who we are in Christ. When we are more aware of who we are, then what we do will flow from that.
I invite you to comment below on any of my entries, any questions you may have, any alternate views on what I've covered, or anything else you feel led to share. I read all comments, and will reply.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
They buried His dead body in a grave, following the customs of the day, wrapping it in a clean linen cloth with spices that would stiffen and "cement" the cloth around the body. (See Matthew 27:57-61, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-56 and John 19:38-42.)
Matthew 27:62-66 and 28:11-15 also tells us about the scheme to try to secure the tomb so the Disciples couldn't steal His body; then when Jesus rose from the dead and the angel rolled the stone away, scaring the soldiers into fainting, they bribed the soldiers to say that the disciples did steal it while they slept!
You may read about how Mary Magdalene's sorrow turned to joy in my blog entry of 3/26/16, and a probable time-table I devised for everything that happened between Jesus' Resurrection and His Ascension in my blog entry on 3/27/16.
I was struck by the accounts of the Angel telling the women to remind the disciples of the appointment Jesus made with them to meet in Galilee, but when Jesus spoke to the women, He wants them to tell His brothers to go to the meeting, also. His concern for His Earthly family is touching, wanting His own siblings to recognize who He really is. And His brother James became the Church Leader in Jerusalem and wrote the Epistle of James, and His brother Jude wrote the Epistle that bears his name. So His own brothers became disciples after His Resurrection. This is understandable; imagine having a big Brother who never did anything wrong! Very frustrating. But His Resurrection proved that He is who He always said He is, the Son of God.
I didn't cover all Jesus' teachings in this series except in the Sermon on the Mount, but I did comment on many of them randomly as I have posted my journal entries on my blog through the years.
My prayer is that this blog will help you to get to know God better and grow closer to Him. He loves you passionately, like a newlywed groom is enamored with his new bride; have you ever fallen in love with Him? He is not as concerned with what we do, but with who we are in Christ. When we are more aware of who we are, then what we do will flow from that.
I invite you to comment below on any of my entries, any questions you may have, any alternate views on what I've covered, or anything else you feel led to share. I read all comments, and will reply.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Good Friday
Matthew 27:45-46,50-51
From the sixth hour (noon) until the ninth hour (3:00 pm) darkness came over all the land. --
This is when the sun refused to shine.
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated as, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me." --
This is when Jesus bore our sin-nature. He was born with a true human nature, but without the sin; here is when He "became sin for us." God is too pure to even look upon sin, and He had to turn His back on Jesus. The sun would not honor the execution of God who created it by shining on this spectacle.
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit. --
He died.
At that moment --
At Jesus' death.
The curtain of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The Earth shook and the rocks split. --
The Earth could not stand the sun not shining, and after three hours it upheavaled. That earthquake is what God used (along with His or angels' hands?) to rip the curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place where God dwelt. This shows us that, now that Jesus has paid our debt in full, we have direct access to the Throne of God through Jesus; we don't need a priest or any other mediator, Jesus alone is our Mediator and our High Priest. And every believer is a priest under Him in petitioning God on behalf of our fellow man.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
From the sixth hour (noon) until the ninth hour (3:00 pm) darkness came over all the land. --
This is when the sun refused to shine.
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated as, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me." --
This is when Jesus bore our sin-nature. He was born with a true human nature, but without the sin; here is when He "became sin for us." God is too pure to even look upon sin, and He had to turn His back on Jesus. The sun would not honor the execution of God who created it by shining on this spectacle.
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit. --
He died.
At that moment --
At Jesus' death.
The curtain of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The Earth shook and the rocks split. --
The Earth could not stand the sun not shining, and after three hours it upheavaled. That earthquake is what God used (along with His or angels' hands?) to rip the curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place where God dwelt. This shows us that, now that Jesus has paid our debt in full, we have direct access to the Throne of God through Jesus; we don't need a priest or any other mediator, Jesus alone is our Mediator and our High Priest. And every believer is a priest under Him in petitioning God on behalf of our fellow man.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Jesus' Trials
John 18:12-13, 24
Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound Him and brought Him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.
This is His first trial.
Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Mark 14:53, 55
They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together.
This was in the middle of the night, an illegal time to meet.
The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put Him to death, but they did not find any.
They had already decided the verdict before they brought Him in, and were trying to justify it.
Matthew 26:63-66
But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to Him, "I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Messiah, the Son of God."
"You have said so," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of Heaven."
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?"
"He is worthy of death," they answered.
This is the second trial, a kangaroo trial, just an excuse to do what they already planned to do.
Matthew 27:1-2, Mark 15:1
Very early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders and teachers, the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans how to have Jesus executed. So they bound Him, led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.
I blended these two writers, as they both say virtually the same thing. The Sanhedrin, the political rulers over the Jewish people, had decided to get rid of Jesus by murdering Him, but didn't want to appear guilty of this crime, so they would accomplish it by execution. The Romans had conquered Judea, and didn't allow the Jews enough authority to execute their criminals, so they had to convince the Roman governor to condemn Him to death.
Luke 23:1-6
Then the whole assembly rose and led Him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this Man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king."
So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are You the King of the Jews?" "You have said so," Jesus replied. The Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this Man." But they insisted, "He stirs up the people all over Judea by His teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here." On hearing this, Pilate asked if the Man was a Galilean. When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
This is the third trial, and found innocent, Not Guilty.
Luke 23:8-11
When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see Him. From what he had heard about Him, he hoped to see Him perform a sign of some sort. He plied Him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing Him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked Him. Dressing Him in an elegant robe, they sent Him back to Pilate.
Here's Jesus' fourth trial, still not found guilty of anything.
Luke 23:13-25
Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, "You brought me this Man as one Who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined Him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against Him. Neither has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; as you can see, He has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish Him and then release Him. But the whole crowd shouted, "Away with this Man! Release Barabbas to us! (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this Man committed? I have found in Him no grounds for the death penalty." But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that He be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand.
When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this Man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" (Matthew 27:24)
He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
This was Jesus' fifth trial, and still has not been convicted of wrong. He is still innocent.
Then the soldiers mock and scourge Jesus, before putting Him on the path to Golgotha, carrying His own cross. Being so weakened by the scourging, He fell, and the soldiers grabbed a bystander, Simon of Cyrene, to help Him carry the heavy cross up the hill. (Matthew 27:27-31, Mark 15:16-24, Luke 23:26-31, John 19:16-17.)
Jesus, the Man who had no sin, died a criminal's death by execution. The Romans had devised the most inhumane method of execution that has ever been known. The Romans had also conquered the whole known world, and built good roads to reach every part of it. So God chose the perfect time for His Son to come as our Sacrificial Lamb, and, after all was said and done, for the disciples to be able to bring the Good News to every corner of the Earth. God's timing is always perfect.
Even so, Come, Lord Jesus!
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