1 Epiphany

1 Epiphany - Sunday

first posted 01/08/05

Isaiah 40:1-11, The coming of the Lord
Hebrews 1:1-12, Christ superior to angels
John 1:1-7,19-20, 29-34 Testimony of John the Baptist

God will comfort his people; the time of Judah’s exile is nearly over. Judah’s sin is pardoned She has been fully punished. The Lord’s herald cries in the wilderness, calling Israel to prepare the way of the Lord; to make a highway through the desert for his coming. Valleys will be filled in and hills lowered so that the way will be smooth and level. The glory of the Lord will be revealed to all flesh, as the Lord has declared.

The herald says “Shout!” What shall we shout? All flesh is transient, like grass which springs up and then quickly withers at the will of God. All the things of this world are like grass and flowers of the field, which quickly wither and fade, but God’s Word is eternal. Climb to the mountain top, people of God, and proclaim good news! Celebrate! Don’t be afraid. Look, your God comes with might; his right arm rules for him; he comes bringing his reward and he will repay (everyone according to their deeds). “He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11).

God spoke to his people in various ways in Old Testament times by the prophets, but now he has spoken by his Son, God’s appointed heir of all things and through whom the world was created (John 1:1-3). Jesus is the exact likeness of God; he reflects God’s glory, has the exact same nature, and possesses the identical power and creative force of his Word.

Having accomplished the purification of sin (once for all, through his sacrifice on the Cross) Jesus ascended to be enthroned at the right hand of God. He is as much superior to angels as his name is above theirs. Jesus’ relationship to God is one of Father and (first-born and only begotten) Son [Psalm 2:7, 2 Samuel 7:14 (while angels are servants and messengers)]. God’s angels worship Jesus (Psalm 103:20; Revelation 5:11-13). The angels are spirits (Psalm 104:4), but God’s Word says of the Son, that God’s eternal throne is his, and righteousness is his kingdom. He loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; so God has anointed his Son above [human brethren (Psalm 45:6-7)]. The Lord has created the heavens and the earth; they will pass away but the Lord is eternal (Psalm 102:25-27).

The Word of God is God’s creative force. Jesus is God’s Word in human flesh (John 1:14). Jesus is God (John 1:1c, John 20:28; Colossians 2:8-9). Jesus is the Creator (John 1:3). Jesus is the life-giver (John 1:4a; John 14:6). Jesus is the Light of the World (John 1:4b; John 8:12). Evil is darkness; evil cannot prevail against Jesus.

John was sent from God (Luke 1:5-25, 57-80) to announce and bear witness to the coming of the Messiah (Christ). When the religious authorities questioned him John confessed that he was not the Christ. John declared that Jesus was the Lamb (the Passover sacrifice) of God who takes away the sin of the world (by his sacrificial death). John testified that Jesus was the one who was to come after John who ranks before him. John himself did not know who the Messiah was, but that was the reason John came baptizing with water, so that the Messiah would be revealed. John testified that he had seen the Spirit descend and remain upon Jesus as a dove from heaven. John didn’t know who the Messiah was until he saw this sign, which God had told him would identify the Messiah who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. John saw the sign and bore witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.

This prophecy of Isaiah was originally given to the Judean exiles in Babylon before its fall to Cyrus, king of Persia, in 539 B.C. Part of it was subsequently fulfilled when the Israelite exiles were allowed to return to Judah. But it also speaks to the coming of the Messiah in the birth of Jesus and his earthly ministry, and it also applies to his Second Coming in power and glory to judge the earth (Matthew 25:31-46), because God's Word is eternal.

Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy. The glory of the Lord has been revealed to all humans in Jesus Christ, and all flesh will see him return in power and glory (Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:30). Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11); he’s also the righteous Judge (2 Timothy 4:8; Matthew 25:31-46).

Jesus is God’s fullest revelation of himself to us in flesh. “In him (Jesus) the whole fulness of Deity dwells bodily” [Colossians 2:(8), 9]. Jesus is God in human flesh. Jesus is Emmanuel, meaning “God with us” (Matthew 1:23b). We can first learn about Jesus from scripture, but we can only come to a personal knowledge of Jesus through the gift of his Holy Spirit, which he gives only to his disciples, who trust and obey him (Isaiah 42:5e; John 14:15-17). No one can come to a personal knowledge of and fellowship with God except through Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Matthew 11:27).

John the Baptist is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of the Lord’s herald crying in the wilderness, calling God’s people to prepare for the coming Christ (John 1:23). John came to testify to the Messiah, so that the Messiah would be revealed. He warned his people to prepare for the coming of the Lord; to make their paths straight and to smooth their rough places. John testified that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, but many of the Jews were unprepared for Jesus, and did not believe (John 1:10-13).

Jesus has promised to return to judge the earth. Are you ready for Jesus’ return? Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received his indwelling Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

1 Epiphany - Monday

first posted 01/09/05

Isaiah 40:12-24, Creator of the Universe
Ephesians 1:1-14, Sealed with the promised Holy Spirit
Mark 1:1-13 Jesus’ baptism by John

Who among humans compares to God the creator of water, heaven and earth? Who could teach or direct God’s Spirit? God doesn’t need any human to teach him wisdom, knowledge or justice. All the people of earth are but a drop in a bucket, compared to the Cosmos which God has created. All the trees of earth and all the beasts of the world would not be sufficient to prepare a burnt offering worthy of God.

To whom can we compare God. Can any idol made by man, even though covered with gold; or made with rot-resistant wood, compare with God. An idol just sits there. Mankind creates chains for his idols (so that they will be with him).

Do you not know that God is Lord of all creation and history? God is so great above us that the vastness of the heavens is like his tent, and the inhabitants of earth are like grasshoppers in comparison. The rulers and princes of this world amount to nothing in comparison with the Lord. Humans are like grass, scarcely sown, barely taken root, before they wither, dry up and blow away.

Paul was an apostle (one who is sent to proclaim the Gospel) in obedience to God’s will, writing to the Christians at Ephesus. True grace and peace are only received through God in Jesus Christ. Paul gave thanks God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we receive every spiritual blessing in the universe.

God chose us in Christ, before the creation of the world, so that we could be holy and blameless before God. “He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,” as a free gift lavishly given through his beloved Son Jesus. In Jesus, we have redemption (the debt we owed for our sins has been paid); our sins have been forgiven as an extravagant free gift.

God has made known to us his age-long purpose to unite (reconcile) all things in heaven and earth to himself through Jesus Christ. In Jesus, according to God’s purpose, we (the Jewish Christians; also, Apostles and elders) who have first believed in Jesus are destined and appointed to live to glorify the Lord. “In him you also (Gentile Christians; also, disciples), who have heard the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in Jesus, were sealed with the Holy Spirit, which is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it” (Ephesians 1:14).

The Good News of Jesus Christ begins with the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of a messenger sent to call people to repent and prepare for the coming of the Lord. John the Baptist was that fulfillment. John appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All the people of the surrounding region of Judea went out to him, confessing their sins and were baptized in the Jordan River.

John was dressed in the garb of Jewish prophets and lived on locusts and wild honey which could be foraged in the wilderness. John declared that he preceded the coming of the Messiah (Christ), who was so much greater than John that John was not worthy to be his most menial slave. John declared that he had baptized with water, but that the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. When Jesus came up out of the water the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove. A voice from heaven declared that Jesus was God’s beloved Son, with whom God was pleased. Jesus was immediately compelled by the Holy Spirit to go into the wilderness where he was tempted by Satan for forty days among wild animals, sustained by angels of God.

The Spirit of God is beyond human control. The Lord does not need any human guidance or instruction. He is the Creator and sustainer of the Universe. It is we who need God’s Spirit to guide and teach us. We tend to see things from a human, earthly perspective. We have a tendency to think in terms of getting God to do our will, instead of realizing that it is we who need to seek and do God’s will. If we truly seek to serve God and do his will, he will give us his Spirit to teach and guide us.

God’s Spirit cannot be bound or controlled by mankind, but he is willingly present to help and sustain those who are willing to be taught and led by him. In contrast, mankind creates chains for his idols with the intention of binding his idols to him, but ultimately he becomes bound to his idols by the chains of his own making. Any thing other than God which we seek and serve is idolatry.

Paul was obedient to God’s will. He was filled with and led by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9b), which he received through trust and obedience in Jesus Christ (Acts 9:17). Jesus only gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to his disciples; to those who trust and obey him (Isaiah 42:5e; John 14:15-16).

“Those who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of… salvation, and have [trusted and obeyed] Jesus [are] sealed with the Holy Spirit which is the guarantee of our inheritance (eternal life in Heaven with the Lord) until we acquire possession of it” (Ephesians 1:14). “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Romans 8:9b). It is through the indwelling Holy Spirit that we have personal fellowship with the Lord. It is through the indwelling Holy Spirit that we have the spiritual blessings of the Universe.

John the baptizer baptized with water, for repentance, but only Jesus Christ can baptize with the Holy Spirit. John’s mission was to prepare the people to receive Jesus Christ, who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit. John called the people to repent, and he testified that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God.

Those who believed and acted on what John preached followed Jesus, became Jesus’ disciples, and later were filled with the promised Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (John 1:35-37; Acts Chapter 2). John’s purpose and intention was not to make others disciples of himself, but rather to point them toward a personal discipleship with Jesus Christ. They were taught over a period of several years in daily fellowship with the Lord, and with testing of their trust and obedience, before they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

1 Epiphany - Tuesday

first posted 01/10/05

Isaiah 40:25-31, Incomparable, eternal God
Ephesians 1:15-23, Fulness of Christ
Mark 1:14-28 Jesus begins ministry in Galilee

To whom can God be compared? Behold the heavens: who created them? God has created the universe; he knows every detail about it. The complexity and perfection of his creation bears witness to his greatness. Why do you imagine, people of God, that the Lord doesn’t know your circumstances, and has forgotten your rights?

Do you realize that God is the eternal God and creator of the earth? God does not grow faint or weary. His understanding is beyond our comprehension. He revives the faint and gives strength to the weak. Even the young and strong will be weary and faint, “but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

Paul gave thanks to God for the Ephesian Christians’ (and all believers’) faith in Jesus, and their love for all believers. His prayer for them was that God would give them “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him" (God; Ephesians 1:17); that their hearts might be enlightened, knowing the hope to which they had been called and the richness of the wonderful inheritance of believers, and the unlimited greatness of God’s power at work in us who believe. This he accomplished in Christ when God raised him from death to reign at God’s right hand in heaven.

Christ’s reign is far above all other authority, power and dominion, and his name is above every other name in the entire universe for all eternity. God has given him all authority over everything, and has made him the head and ruler of all things for the Church, his body; “the fulness of him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:23).

After John the baptizer had been arrested, Jesus began preaching in Galilee, declaring that God’s timing has been fulfilled, that God’s kingdom is at hand, and urging people to repent and believe in the Gospel. As Jesus passed by on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, brothers and fishermen, as they were casting a net into the sea.

Jesus called them to follow him, saying that he would make them fishers of men, and they left their nets and followed Jesus. A little farther on, Jesus saw James and John, sons of Zebedee, in a boat with their father and hired servants mending nets. Jesus called to them and immediately James and John left their father and the boat and followed Jesus.

Jesus and his disciples entered Capernaum and went into the synagogue, and Jesus began to teach. The people were astonished, because Jesus taught with authority, unlike the scribes. There was a man in the synagogue with a demon who acknowledged that Jesus was God’s Holy One, and asked if Jesus had come to destroy them. Jesus rebuked the demon and told him to be silent and come out of the man. The demon convulsed the man and, with a shriek, came out. The people were amazed that Jesus had authority even over demons, and Jesus’ fame quickly spread throughout the region.

Those who wait for the Lord will be renewed and strengthened. Those who trust in the Lord’s promises and obey his teachings will be revived and empowered and endowed with eternal life. Those who wait for the Lord are those who seek the Lord’s will and his timing.

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians and for all believers is that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit; the Spirit of wisdom; the Spirit through whom God is personally revealed to us; through whom we have personal knowledge of God. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit who enlightens our hearts to the hope, riches, and power of our calling in Christ, and our minds to the wisdom of God and the understanding of the scriptures (Luke 24:45). It is the Holy Spirit who empowers and strengthens us to accomplish God’s purpose. It is the Holy Spirit who fills the Church and individual believers and enables all to work together to accomplish God’s will.

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20d). In Jesus the whole fullness of deity dwelt bodily (Colossians 2 :( 8), 9). Jesus is God’s only begotten Son (John 1:14); we become God’s children by adoption through Jesus Christ.

Jesus is God in human flesh (Matthew 1:23; John 20:28). Jesus, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men …he humbled himself and became obedient (to God’s will) unto death…on the cross” (Philippians 2:6-8 RSV).

We do not become “gods” by the gift of the Spirit, but through Jesus’ blood sacrifice on the Cross, we are forgiven and cleansed so that God’s Spirit can dwell within us. Jesus is the pioneer and perfecter of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10 RSV). (Because Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit he was the only one who was sinless from birth and able to be filled with God’s Spirit without the Savior’s atoning death.)

Jesus waited on God the Father’s timing; he didn’t begin his ministry until God’s timing had been fulfilled. Jesus trusted and obeyed God’s will completely and perfectly. John bore witness that the Holy Spirit filled Jesus at his baptism and that Jesus is the only one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; John 1:31-34). As Jesus was in the Father and the Father in him, Jesus promised that Jesus’ disciples would be in Jesus and Jesus in them (John 14:10, 20-21).

Jesus only gives the Holy Spirit to his disciples who trust and obey him (Isaiah 42:5e; John 14:15-17). We are all called to be Jesus' disciples and follow him in trust and obedience. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that we are in Christ and have eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). Anyone who does not have the (Holy) Spirit of Christ does not belong to him (Romans 8:9b).

Jesus taught with authority; it wasn’t his own (human) authority but God’s (John 14:10). He had power over demons but it was God’s power. We cannot accomplish God’s will by our own human strength or power, but only by God’s Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). Neither can we use God’s power to accomplish our own will and purpose. Are we trying to do ministry in the strength of our own flesh, or are we seeking the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit?

Have you experienced the fulness of Christ? Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the fulness of the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

1 Epiphany - Wednesday

first posted 01/11/05

Isaiah 41:1-16, The trial of the nations
Ephesians 2:1-10, New life in Christ
Mark 1:29-45 Jesus’ power to heal

The nations are called to listen in silence, then to draw near to present their cases for the Lord’s judgment. Who has stirred up [Cyrus of Persia] and gives him victory over nations and kings; who scatters nations and peoples like dust or like chaff? “I, the Lord, the first and ...the last, I am He” (Isaiah 41:4b; compare Revelation 1:8; 22:13).

The coastlands (the lands and islands of the Mediterranean; nearby) and the ends of the earth (the nations farthest away) draw near in fear. They try to encourage one another, trusting in the craftsmanship of the work of their hands. How can they possibly compare to Israel, whom God has chosen and befriended.

God has brought Israel from the ends of the earth; he has not abandoned Israel. God tells Israel not to be afraid, because he is their God. He will strengthen them and uphold them. All who are against God’s people will be put to shame and confounded; all who fight against them shall be destroyed.

They will pass away, but God’s people will remain. Although Israel is insignificant, with the help of God, the Redeemer, the Holy One, they will thresh the mountains into dust, driven as chaff by the wind. God’s people will rejoice and glory in the Lord the Holy One of Israel.

Believers, who once were (spiritually) dead as the result of sin because we followed the way of the world and were under the power of Satan, have now been made alive (through Christ). Believers once lived to satisfy the desires of the flesh, the body and mind, according to our human nature, like the rest of mankind, destined for the wrath of God. But God loved us so much that in mercy, he gave us (spiritual, eternal) life with Christ as a free gift, even though we were dead through our sin.

God raised us up to share in Christ’s glory in heaven through Jesus, so that in eternity he could show the limitless riches of God’s grace in kindness to us through Jesus Christ. “For by grace (unmerited favor; free gift) you have been saved through faith (trust and obedience to Jesus Christ); and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not because of works (any good deeds we may have done), lest any [person] should boast. For we (believers) are his (God’s) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John, and Jesus found that the mother of Simon and Andrew was sick with a fever. Jesus went to her and took her hand and she was healed, and arose and served them. News of the healing spread throughout the neighborhood, and the whole city of Capernaum gathered at the door. Jesus healed many with diseases and cast out many demons. Jesus would not allow the demons to speak because they knew who Jesus was.

Jesus got up before dawn the next morning and went out to a deserted place to pray. His disciples followed him and told Jesus that everyone was looking for him. But Jesus wanted to go on to the other towns to preach there also, and so he had come out so early.

A leper came to Jesus and knelt and expressed faith that Jesus could heal him if it was Jesus’ will to do so. Jesus replied that he was willing, and Jesus touched and healed the man. Jesus sternly told the man not to tell anyone, but to show himself to the priest and make the offering commanded by Moses (God’s Law given to Moses). But the healed man went and began to tell everyone of his healing. The result was that Jesus could no longer openly enter towns, but was forced to stay in the countryside, and crowds came to him from everywhere.

This portion of Isaiah was written during Judah’s exile in Babylon and the victory of Cyrus of Persia over the Babylonians, which resulted in the Judeans being allowed to return to Israel. God uses the nations to accomplish his will: Babylon was his instrument of punishment of Israel for failure to trust and obey the Lord, and Persia was God’s instrument to deliver Judah from their exile. But God had chosen and befriended Israel. He was faithful to Israel; he would not abandon his people.

God will redeem, strengthen and uphold his people. The nations of the world put their trust in their “works.” Their “gods” are of their own making. The enemies of God’s people will be put to shame and destroyed, but God’s people will remain. Though Israel is an insignificant nation, by the help of the Redeemer, the Holy One (compare 1 John 2:20) they will do great things and will be mighty and victorious beyond human possibility.

Believers in Jesus Christ are the New People of God, the New Israel. Jesus is the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel (compare Mark 1:24; 1 John 2:20). The enemies of God and of God’s people will pass away, but God raises us up to share Christ’s glory and the riches of God’s grace in Heaven for eternity. We have been redeemed from sin and the power of death as a free gift through faith (trust and obedience) in Jesus Christ. Redemption is not deserved, cannot be earned, (or taken by force or deception).

Good works are not the means by which we are saved, but are an indication that we have been saved. We are the work of God, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared beforehand for us to do.

We can’t do the good works God intends for us to do without the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We haven’t been redeemed so that God could pamper us and indulge our self-interest. We are given new life in Christ through his indwelling Holy Spirit so that we can serve the Lord and do his will.

Jesus raised up Simon and Andrew’s mother from incapacitating illness, and she rose and served him. The leper came to Jesus with the faith that Jesus could heal him if Jesus was willing. Jesus willingly healed the leper, and gave him specific instructions to tell only the priest of his healing, so that he could be restored to the congregation of Israel, but otherwise to tell no one.

The healed man left Jesus and immediately began to tell everyone that Jesus had healed him. He probably thought that he was helping Jesus’ ministry, but in fact he was working in opposition to Jesus. Jesus came primarily not to give physical healing but spiritual healing. Publicity about physical healing would attract large crowds of spectators and those seeking physical healing, and would obscure Jesus’ real message. A similar problem arose when Jesus fed the multitudes; attracting people who were only interested in free bread (see entries for Saturday, 3 Epiphany, and Wednesday, 2 Lent, even year).

Jesus can heal our spiritual illness and he wants to do so, but faith is not just a matter of believing that Jesus is willing and has the power. Faith is not like “wishing on a star;” we don’t get whatever we want if we "believe" "hard enough." We need to be willing to do what Jesus tells us. The man received physical healing, but probably missed the spiritual healing only Jesus can provide because he didn’t do what Jesus told him.

This text also suggests that it is important to find out what God’s will really is and then do it, rather than what we *think* God wants. We need to spend time listening to or reading God’s Word completely and also daily. We need to seek the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We cannot know and do the Lord’s will except by the guidance and empowerment of his Holy Spirit.

1 Epiphany - Thursday

first posted 01/12/05

Isaiah 41:17-29, Judgment against the nations
Ephesians 2:11-22, One in Christ
Mark 2:1-12 Healing the paralytic

The Lord will open fountains (of salvation) in the wilderness, and rivers (of eternal life) in the desert, for those who are (spiritually) poor and needy. The desert shall become a pool of water, and the wilderness shall become springs of water. The wilderness shall become a garden. The Lord will do this so that mankind will see, know, and understand that the Lord, the Holy One of Israel has created this.

Let the nations present their case and set forth their proof; let them explain the past and foretell the future. Let them prove the existence and power of their gods. They are nothing and their works are nothing; those who trust in them are an abomination (loathsome).

The Lord has stirred up “one from the north” (to accomplish God’s purpose; first Assyria and later Persia). Who foresaw this and declared it beforehand? No one! God revealed it to God’s people, the herald of good news. There is none among the nations or its gods who offers wise counsel; none who knows the correct answer. They are all a delusion; their works amount to nothing; their idols are empty wind.

Gentiles were at one time alienated from the people of God. They were excluded from the covenant by the lack of physical circumcision, separated from Christ, alienated from the nation of Israel, aliens to the covenants of God’s promises, having no hope and without God in the world. But now through Christ we who were far from God have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

Christ is our peace, who unites both Jew and Gentile into one body, the Church. Christ has torn down the dividing wall of the Old Covenant of Law, by abolishing it and replacing it with the New Covenant of Grace which creates one new (type of) person (“Christian”) in place of the two (Jew and Gentile), reconciling us both to God through the cross and ending the hostility.

Both Jew and Gentile have access to the Father through the one Holy Spirit. As the result, both Jew and Gentile are members of the household of God through faith in Jesus, and are built into the “House” of God upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ as the cornerstone, in whom both grow together into a holy temple in which we are the (individual and collective) dwelling of God in the Spirit.

News of Jesus’ power of healing spread so that when people learned that he had returned to Capernaum, a large crowd gathered around the door of the house where he was. Four men came to him bringing a paralytic on a stretcher, but could not get near to Jesus on account of the crowd, so they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and lowered the man on the stretcher down to Jesus.

When Jesus saw their faith he told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven. Some scribes (teachers of the Jewish Law) nearby questioned Jesus’ statement in their hearts, and Jesus, knowing their thoughts, asked them why they questioned his statement. Jesus asked them if it would have been easier for Jesus to declare the man’s sins forgiven, or to have told him to get up and walk.

Jesus had not chosen the easy solution, because he cared enough about their best interest to show them he had the authority to forgive sin. Jesus then told the paralytic to rise, pick up his stretcher and go home, and the paralytic did as Jesus had told him. All were amazed, acknowledging that they had never seen anything like that done before.

The prophecies of the Lord foretelling the fall of Northern Kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians, the exile of the Southern Kingdom of Judah to the Babylonians and their subsequent return after Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon, were fulfilled. The Lord has fulfilled his promise to open spiritual fountains and rivers of salvation and eternal life in the wilderness of our present world in Jesus Christ (John 4:14; 7:38-39) through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

It is the Holy Spirit, who only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34) only to his disciples who trust and obey him (Isaiah 42:5e; John 14:15-17), who is the spring of living water within believers which flows out and gives life in the wilderness of this world and causes our spiritual desert to bloom and become fertile. It is the Holy Spirit who opens the minds of believers to understand the scriptures and who reveals God’s purpose and will to God’s people (Luke 24:32, 45). It is the Holy Spirit alone who provides wise counsel, who declares truth (John 14:15-17; compare Isaiah 41:28).

God’s Holy Spirit is the Mighty Wind (Acts 2:2) that fills God’s House and God’s People; not the “empty wind” of the idols of the nations (Isaiah 41:29c). The idols of the nations of this world have no power or existence. They are nothing and their works are nothing. Those “gods” are “empty wind;” just so much “hot air.”

At one time pagan nations were separated from God’s people by outward manifestations (keeping the Jewish Law) and by circumstances of birth (being born into the religion). But in Christ, God has broken down the wall of separation. In Christ, one is reborn into God’s family through faith (trust and obedience) in Jesus Christ by the indwelling Holy Spirit [John 3:3, (4-8 RSV)].

No one is a member of God’s family by accident of physical birth or by outward display. There is no more distinction between the circumcised and the uncircumcised, between Jew and Gentile (or Greek). Both are members of the family of God only through trust and obedience of Jesus Christ and the resulting spiritual rebirth through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

All people have access to God only through the one and only Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ is built of “born-again” Christian disciples of Jesus Christ who have individually been filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit, and is founded on the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament Apostolic teachings, with Christ as the cornerstone.

The only way to have a Church full of the Spirit is to have members who are disciples of Jesus Christ filled with his Holy Spirit. The only way to make “born-again” disciples of Jesus Christ is to first be one. People will either be united in Christ through the Holy Spirit, or they will be divided by Christ and his Holy Spirit: Lost or saved; goats or sheep (Matthew 25:31-46) unregenerate (unreborn) or regenerate (reborn).

Jesus is the demonstration of God’s existence, his love and his power to save us. No other “gods” have any such documentation, because they are all the delusions and creations of human imagination. The physical healings that Jesus did were “signs” revealing who Jesus is. The people who witnessed the healing of the paralytic realized that no human had ever done such things.

It would have been a lot easier and caused a lot less trouble for Jesus to have simply told the paralytic to rise and walk, but Jesus did not come primarily to physically heal a few Jews. He came to provide spiritual healing for all people of the world by the forgiveness of sin. The paralytic was physically healed, but unless he realized that Jesus could forgive his sins, he was still spiritually dead eternally.

The only way to be reborn to eternal life is by trusting and obeying Jesus, and being filled with his Holy Spirit. Jesus is the only one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11-12; John 1:31-34). Jesus only gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit to his disciples who trust and obey him (Isaiah 42:5e; John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that we are in Christ and have eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16; see entry for 1 Epiphany Monday odd year). Those who do not have the (Holy) Spirit of Christ do not belong to him (Romans 8:9b). It is possible for one to know personally with certainty whether one has received the fulness of the indwelling Holy Spirit or not (Acts 19:2).

1 Epiphany - Friday

first posted 01/13/05

Isaiah 42:(1-9) 10-17, The mission of the Servant
Ephesians 3:1-13, Paul’s mission to the Gentiles
Mark 2:13-22 The call of Levi

The Servant has been chosen by God; God has put his Spirit upon him. The Servant will bring forth justice to the nations (Gentiles). The Servant will not be a “fire-brand,” arousing people to civil disorder. He will gently restore those who are spiritually “wounded.” He will not fail or be discouraged before he has established justice on earth, and the “coastlands” (the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea; i.e., neighboring nations) await his law.

The Lord is the creator of heaven and earth, “who gives breath (physical life) to the people upon it (earth), and spirit (spiritual life through the indwelling Holy Spirit through Jesus) to those who walk in it" (in obedience to the Spirit; Isaiah 42:5d, e). He declares that he has called his Servant in righteousness; and has led and prospered him. The Lord has given his Servant “as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6c, d) to heal the blind and free those who were imprisoned (by sin and death).

The Lord (Yahweh) is God’s name. He gives his glory and praise to no one, nor to any idol. God’s Word regarding former things has come to pass, and God reveals in his Word new things which will be fulfilled in the future. Let everyone on earth sing a new song of praise to the Lord. Let every place on earth, near and far, populated or isolated, high or low, praise the Lord, for the Lord “shows himself mighty against his foes” (Isaiah 42:13d).

The Lord has restrained himself from intervening in history for a long time (from creation), but now he has, like a woman in childbirth, brought forth his plan of redemption (his Servant; i.e., Jesus Christ). The Lord will lead the (spiritually) blind in new paths; he “will turn the darkness before them into light” (Isaiah 42:16c), and make rough ground smooth. Those who trust in idols and worship other gods “shall be turned back and utterly put to shame” (Isaiah 42:17a).

Paul had been imprisoned for the Gospel, because he had angered the Jews by receiving Gentiles into the Church without requiring them to keep Jewish Law and tradition. Paul had been given the ministry of the Gospel to the Gentiles, by revelation from Jesus Christ (Acts 9:3-5, 15; Galatians 1:11-12). The mystery which had been unknown to previous generations which had now been revealed to Paul and the apostles by the Holy Spirit is that Gentiles were also included in God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:6).

Paul realized that his ministry of the Gospel to the Gentiles was by the gift of God’s grace (unmerited favor; through faith in Jesus Christ) working in Paul. Paul felt least among all believers because he had formerly persecuted Christians (as “Saul;” Acts 9:1-2). Yet the Lord entrusted him with the ministry of the incalculable riches of Christ to the Gentiles, and with revealing the mystery and great wisdom of God’s plan of salvation, which had formerly been unknown, but has now been made known to all throughout the universe.

This plan of redemption has been God’s eternal purpose, but it has now been accomplished in Jesus Christ, through whom we have been empowered and assured by our access to him through faith. So Paul asks the Ephesians not to be discouraged by Paul’s imprisonment, because it accomplished their spiritual wellbeing.

As Jesus passed by a tax office, he saw Levi (Matthew; brother of the apostle James, and possibly of the apostle Thomas), the son of Alphaeus, and he called Levi to follow him. Levi rose and followed Jesus. Jesus and his disciples went to Levi’s house for a meal, and there were many tax-collectors ("collaborators," who worked for the Roman Government, and thus were ostracized by the Jews) and sinners present.

The scribes (teachers of Jewish Law) of the Pharisees (strict, legalistic, majority Jewish faction) criticized Jesus for associating with tax-collectors and sinners. But Jesus replied that it is those who are sick who need a physician, not those who are healthy. Jesus has come “not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17b).

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Servant of the Lord (see also, entry for Epiphany, January 6, odd year). But individual Christians, the Church and Christian nations are also to be the Lord’s Servant, following Christ’s example. Jesus is the New Covenant of God’s grace to be received by faith (trust and obedience) in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus came to heal the (spiritually) blind and release the (spiritual) prisoners from sin and (spiritual, eternal) death (Isaiah 42:7).

The Lord has had a plan for our salvation from the beginning of creation (John 1:1-5, 14). His plan of salvation is for all nations and all people (see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). His disciples (Christians) are to carry on his ministry. The Lord is the only God; all other “gods” are idols; delusions, the creation of human imagination. Those who worship and put their trust in any one or thing other than the Lord will be “turned back” (from eternal life in God’s kingdom) and “utterly put to shame” (John 5:28-29 KJV).

Paul is an example of a “post-resurrection” disciple of Jesus Christ. (Paul came to faith in Jesus after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven, as have all modern-day Christians.) He came to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit. He carried on Jesus’ ministry of salvation of the nations of earth by faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul took the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those whom the Jews regarded as pagans and sinners. Paul used his own conversion as an illustration of the power and grace of God to redeem sinners; to change them from enemies of God to God’s obedient children and disciples of Jesus Christ through trust and obedience of Jesus. Paul was doing what he learned by the example, teaching, guidance and empowerment by Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

Paul had been trained as a Pharisee and he though he was doing God’s will in persecuting Christians, but when confronted on the road to Damascus by the Spirit of the Risen Lord, he repented and turned to Jesus in trust and obedience. He was willing to recognize and acknowledge his sin. He is an example of someone who had been spiritually blind who was healed by Jesus (Acts 9:17), and filled with the Holy Spirit (the seal and guarantee of eternal life; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

We are all sinners who fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). Jesus came to heal sinners. Jesus couldn’t heal the scribes of the Pharisees because they were not willing to recognize and acknowledge that they were sinners in need of a savior. They considered themselves righteous, because they compared themselves with other humans, instead of comparing themselves to God’s righteousness. They considered themselves righteous because of their “good deeds.”

Salvation is only by God’s grace (unmerited favor) through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ; not by “good works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).

1 Epiphany - Saturday

first posted 01/14/05

Isaiah (42:18-25) 43:1-13, The Lord has redeemed his people
Ephesians 3:14-21, Prayer for wisdom
Mark 2:23-3:6 Lord of the Sabbath

The Lord judges his people. They are spiritually blind and deaf. They see but do not observe; they hear but do not listen! The Law of the Lord is righteous and glorious but his people are “robbed and plundered…trapped in holes and hidden in prisons” (Isaiah 42:22), with none to rescue or restore. Who has allowed this and why? It is the Lord who has allowed this to happen because his people sinned; they would not walk in his way, or obey his law. His people suffered but did not learn the lesson from their punishment.

But now the Lord has redeemed his people. The Lord has designated his people as his own possession (Isaiah 43:1c). When they pass through the waters and through the rivers (of danger and death; recalling Israel’s experience leaving Egypt through the Red Sea and entering the promised Land through the Jordan River) the Lord will be with them. They shall pass through the fire without being burned (compare Daniel 3:16-25). The Lord will give Egypt and Ethiopia (nations of Africa) and Seba (nations of Arabia) as ransom for his people (lands Cyrus of Persia was to conquer).

The great love of the Lord for his people makes him willing to offer a great sacrifice for them. The Lord will be with his people and will bring them back from the four corners of the world. Let all the nations of the world be assembled before the Lord. Let them bring witnesses to defend their idols.

God’s people are God’s witnesses; they’re blind yet have eyes, and deaf yet have ears. They have been chosen by the Lord so that they may know and believe and understand that the Lord alone is God. There is no other god, before or after him; there is no other savior. “‘I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses’, says the Lord” (Isaiah 43:12).

Paul prays for the Ephesian Christians (and all believers) that we might be strengthened through the indwelling Holy Spirit, “that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith” (Ephesians 3:17). Starting with love (the love of God which saves us in Christ) may we grow to comprehend and experience the fullness of Christ’s love which is beyond knowledge, that we may be filled with the fullness of God. God at work within us by his Holy Spirit is able to do more than we can possibly imagine. To God be the glory, in the Church and in Christ Jesus forever.

Jesus and his disciples were passing through a grainfield one Sabbath and the disciples were snacking on the ripe grain. The Pharisees criticized the disciples for breaking Sabbath law by “harvesting” grain. Jesus replied that the Scripture records that David fed himself and his army with the bread of the Presence (a bread offering) from the temple, which is not lawful for any but the Priests to eat. Jesus declared that the Sabbath was made for mankind, not mankind for the Sabbath. Jesus declared that he was Lord even of the Sabbath.

Jesus also entered the synagogue on a Sabbath and the Pharisees were watching him to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath. There was a man with a withered hand, and Jesus called the man to come to him. Then he asked the crowd if it was lawful on the Sabbath to do good or harm, to save life or to kill. All were silent, and the Lord was angered and grieved at their hard-heartedness. He told the man to stretch out his arm and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians (the political supporters of the Roman royal family, the Herods), plotting to destroy Jesus.

The Lord has called his people, redeemed them at great cost (the blood of his only begotten Son, Jesus) and put his name upon them (Isaiah 43:1c; “Christian”). He has done great things for them which they would know and realize if they used the spiritual eyes and ears God gives them to see and understand and learn from him. God has done all this for them so that they would be his witnesses to the nations (Acts 1:8).

Paul’s prayer for all believers is that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit so that they would be strengthened and grow in discipleship in personal fellowship with Jesus. If we trust and obey Jesus he will give us the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17); he will manifest himself to us (John 14:21); Christ will dwell in our hearts by faith (Ephesians 3:17). We will experience the fulness of Christ’s love (Ephesians 3:18-19).

God will be at work within us by his Holy Spirit and he will do, in and through us, more than we can possibly imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Christians are called to be witnesses for Jesus Christ. One cannot be a witness to something one has not seen, heard or experienced. Without the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit we are people who are called by his name, but we are spiritually blind and deaf (and hard-hearted).

The Pharisees are examples of members of God’s people who were spiritually blind, deaf and hard-hearted. They went to God’s House regularly, and participated in all the religious ritual and observances, but they didn’t love God or their brethren, because they did not recognize and experience God’s love for them in Jesus Christ. They considered themselves authorities on the scriptures, and they knew a lot about God, but they didn’t know God, or they would have recognized Jesus as God’s Son.

They turned the Sabbath, which God had intended for our benefit, to give us rest and restoration and spiritual nurture, into something which they used to oppress their brethren and exalt themselves. The Pharisees used God’s Word to deny sustenance and healing to their brothers, but saw nothing wrong with holding a meeting on the Sabbath with the Herodians (their political allies) to plot to kill the Messiah, the Son of God; their Savior. Jesus is Lord of everything, even the Sabbath.