3 Easter

3 Easter Sunday

first posted 04/09/05

Daniel 4:1-18, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a tree
1 Peter 4:7-11, The end of all things
John 21:15-25 Until Jesus comes

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a dream, so he called all the wise men of Babylon and told them the dream but they could not interpret it. Finally Daniel was summoned. (Daniel was a Jew in exile in Babylon who the King had made chief of magicians because of his ability to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s previous dream; Daniel 2:1-49.) Nebuchadnezzar had given Daniel the name of a Babylonian idol, and acknowledged that the Spirit of the holy God (or “gods”) was in him.

The king told Daniel the dream. He had seen a great tree in the middle of the earth (conceived as being a flat disc). The tree reached the heavens and its branches spread to the edge of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant and it provided food and shade for all the creatures of the earth. An angel came down from heaven and decreed that the tree should be cut down, stripped of it’s leaves, fruit and branches, but its stump was to be left in the ground, bound in iron and brass, in the grassy field. The stump would be wet with dew, and his human mind would be changed to a beast’s mind, for a period of time, so that the people of earth may know that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of men and gives authority over it to whomever he chooses. Nebuchadnezzar asked Daniel to interpret the dream, because the wise men of Babylon had been unable.

Peter’s letter is thought to have been written in Rome to Christians in Asia Minor after Nero had begun his persecution of Christians in 64 A.D. Peter told his readers that the end of the age (the Day of Judgment) was at hand, and urged them to keep sane and sober, attending to their prayers, to love one another unfailingly “because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8; compare Proverbs 10:12), to practice hospitality, and to be good stewards in using, for the benefit of all, the gifts given them through the indwelling Holy Spirit. When speaking, we should speak as a spokesman for God; in doing good deeds, we should give the glory to God, so that in everything we do God will be glorified through Jesus. The Lord is worthy of glory and dominion forever.

After the resurrection Jesus revealed himself to his disciples again (John 21:14) in Galilee (Matthew 28:7). Jesus prepared breakfast for them on the shore of the Sea. After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter three times if Peter loved him, and Peter declared three times his love for Jesus and his faith that Jesus knows everything. After each affirmation Jesus told Peter to “feed” Jesus’ “sheep.” The third time Jesus asked, Peter was grieved that Jesus had asked him a third time. Then Jesus told Peter that Peter had always made his own decisions and had been free to go his own way, but the time was coming when Peter would have no choice and would “stretch out [his] hands” (as in crucifixion; John 21:18) and will be carried where he did not wish to go. Jesus said this to show by what death Peter would glorify God, and then told Peter to follow Jesus.

Peter turned and saw (John) following behind them and asked Jesus about John’s future, but Jesus said “If it is my will that he remain until I come (Jesus’ "Second Coming"), what is that to you? Follow me” (John 21:22). Because of this saying, a rumor spread among the early Christians that Jesus’ Second Coming would occur before John died, but that is not what Jesus said or meant.

King Nebuchadnezzar thought of himself as the center of the earth; he thought his glory and power reached to the heavens and extended to the ends of the earth. God’s judgment was coming on Nebuchadnezzar so that all people on earth will know that God rules the kingdom of mankind, and he gives authority over it as he chooses, according to God’s will and purpose.

God’s will and plan is not revealed to those who are wise according to worldly standards, but only to those who are filled with the gift of God’s Spirit. So in the final Judgment, those who consider themselves to be wise, rich and powerful on this earth will be stripped of their pride, power and possessions and be cut off from God’s eternal kingdom (Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 B.C. In 539 B.C. Babylon was conquered by Cyrus of Persia, who allowed the Jews to return to Israel).

The early Christians thought Jesus’ return was imminent, partly because of the persecution which arose against Christians. The end of the age really began at Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Satan was defeated at the Cross of Jesus Christ. The end was at hand for many First Century Christians at the hands of their persecutors.

The end is at hand for us also, although we may not face the persecutions those first Christians faced. No one knows when our individual end will come, or whether Jesus will return before our physical death. Peter urged Christians to live as though Christ’s return was imminent, not by quitting the normal activities of life in this world and sitting around doing nothing, but by applying Jesus’ teachings in our daily lives.

Christians should grow daily in prayer, and Bible study, seeking the gift of the Holy Spirit and personal fellowship, guidance, and spiritual growth in the Lord. Once we have received the indwelling Holy Spirit we should be guided and empowered by the Spirit to develop and use our spiritual gifts to carry on Christ’s mission in the world, according to his individual will for us.

We are called to “follow Jesus” and to “feed his sheep.” We should live in such a way that the Lord is glorified in all that we are and do, rather than seeking our own personal glory. The letter of Peter to the Church in Asia Minor illustrates Peter’s obedient fulfillment of Jesus’ command to feed Jesus’ flock.

Peter had denied Jesus as his Lord three times on the night of Jesus’ betrayal. Jesus forgave and restored Peter to discipleship and the ministry of the Gospel, by asking Peter to re-affirm Peter’s love once for each of his denials. Peter was grieved that the Lord had to ask him three times if Peter loved him. Imagine how it must have grieved Jesus to hear Peter deny him three times.

Jesus asked Peter to show his love for Jesus by “feeding” Jesus’ “sheep;” by spiritually caring for and providing nurture for “lost souls,” for new disciples (John 21:15), and all believers. Jesus said Peter would suffer for the Gospel, but told him to follow Jesus’ example of suffering and obedience to God’s will. Jesus told Peter to focus on following Jesus’ individual will for Peter rather than comparing himself to other disciples or trying to figure out the time of the Second Coming.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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)?

3 Easter - Monday

first posted 04/10/05

Daniel 4:19-27, Daniel interprets the king’s dream
1 John 3:19-4:6, Christian assurance and discernment
Luke 4:14-30 Jesus rejected by his home synagogue

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a disturbing dream which the wise men of his kingdom could not interpret. Nebuchadnezzar told the dream to Daniel (a.k.a. Belteshazzar), a Jewish exile whom the king had selected to be trained as the king’s advisor, and who had demonstrated that the Spirit of God was in him (Daniel 4:8-9 RSV notes g & i). Having heard the dream, Daniel was frightened to tell the king what it meant, but the king told him not to be afraid.

Daniel prefaced his interpretation by saying he hoped that the interpretation would apply to the king’s enemies rather than to the king. Then Daniel told the king that the tree in the dream, which grew strong, reaching to heaven and visible to all on earth, providing shade and fruit for the entire earth, represented the king. The holy watcher in the king’s dream represented a messenger of God’s decree. The tree was to be cut down and destroyed, but its stump would remain among the beasts of the field for seven units of time (until the perfect time according to God’s will).

Daniel told the king he would be driven from his throne (by insanity) and would live like a wild animal without any protection of the elements, eating grass like an ox, until the king came to realize that God rules over all the kingdoms of earth and delegates people to rule for him as God chooses. When the king has come to that realization, quits sinning (disobeying God’s Word) and begins to live according to God’s standard of righteousness, showing mercy to the oppressed, his kingdom will be assured, and he will hopefully live a long time in (God’s) peace.

By living the commandment of love for one another, rather than just talking about it, we will know and be confident that we are living according to God’s truth, rather than being condemned by our consciences, or being harassed by Satan. God is greater than our consciences (and he is greater than Satan). God knows everything and is able to judge us on the totality of our lives rather than a single portion or incident. If we have clear consciences, we can be confident before God because we have been obedient to God’s Word and have done what is pleasing to God, and we can pray to God with confidence that God will do whatever we ask (if we ask in obedience to Jesus’ teachings).

God’s commandment is that we should believe in (trust and obey) the name (his character, power and authority) of God’s (only begotten) Son, Jesus, and love one another just as Jesus has commanded us. “All who keep his (Jesus’) commandments abide in him and he in them [by the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus confers (John 1:32-34), only upon his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (Isaiah 42:5e; John 14:15-17)]. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the (Holy) Spirit which he has given us” (1 John 3:24; compare 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus has come in the flesh is of God” (1 John 4:1-2). Any spirit that denies Jesus, is not of God, but is the spirit of Antichrist, which the Bible prophesied, and which is now in the world. Believers (“little children”) are God’s children and have overcome the world through the indwelling Holy Spirit, because the Lord (whose Spirit is within us) is greater than the world and spirit of antichrist in it.

Worldly people, false prophets and the spirit of antichrist are of this physical, material, temporal world; what they proclaim is worldly wisdom and knowledge (compare 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 2:6-7) and worldly people listen to them. We (“born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christian disciples) are of God; and whoever knows God (who at least believes in God from reading God’s Word, the Bible, or from hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ) will listen (attentively) to us and recognize God’s Word. Those who do not recognize God’s Word in the Gospel of Jesus Christ don’t know God, regardless of what they think or profess. This is how we can discern the spirit of truth from the spirit of error.

After Jesus had been tempted by Satan in the wilderness “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee” (Luke 4:14). He began teaching in the synagogues in Galilee, and people were praising him. He came to Nazareth, where he had been raised, he went into his home synagogue on the Sabbath, where he had worshiped regularly, and he was given the book of Isaiah to read. He opened it and began to read “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Isaiah 61:1-2). Then everyone was looking attentively at Jesus and he said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

At first the congregation spoke well of Jesus and his gracious words, but they wondered how the local boy, the son of Joseph whom they knew, had gotten his authority and insight. Jesus knew what they were thinking and told them they were wondering why he hadn’t done the kinds of miracles in his hometown that he had done elsewhere. Jesus acknowledged that a prophet is not honored in his own neighborhood.

Jesus pointed out from scripture that there were many widows in Israel in the time Elijah (one of the great prophets of Israel) when there was a famine, but Elijah went only to the widow of Zerepath (a Phoenician town between Tyre and Sidon). In Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but Elisha (another great prophet of Israel and heir to Elijah’s anointing) had cleansed only Naaman the Syrian. When Jesus said this, the entire synagogue became enraged and they dragged Jesus out of the city to a cliff, intending to throw Jesus off, but he passed through them and went away.

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was a warning from God about God’s judgment upon Nebuchadnezzar (also see entry for yesterday, Saturday, 3 Easter, odd year). Nebuchadnezzar regarded himself as the center of the world, and thought of his kingdom reaching the heavens and to the ends of the earth. But Nebuchadnezzar would be cut down and stripped of his worldly power, position, and wealth, and cut off from eternal life in God; he would live out his days living and thinking like an animal, unless he came to realize that God rules over all the earth and appoints and deposes rulers according to God’s will. Only if Nebuchadnezzar realizes God’s sovereignty, quits disobeying God’s Word, and begins to live according to God’s standard of righteousness, showing mercy to the poor and oppressed, will his kingdom and long life in God’s peace be assured. God's warning to Nebuchadnezzar also applies to all of us today.

Nebuchadnezzar had been thinking and living like an animal, because he had no awareness of God’s sovereignty and will, and lived only to please and serve himself. He couldn’t understand God’s Word concerning himself because he was spiritually blind and deaf, but he at least recognized God’s wisdom and insight in Daniel through Daniel’s anointing by what Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged as God’s Holy Spirit (Daniel 4:8b, 9b RSV, notes g & i).

The author of the First Letter of John exhorted Christians to live according to Jesus’ commands, including the commandment to love one another. If we live in obedience to Jesus we can have confidence in our salvation and eternal life, and not be vulnerable to attacks of Satan or our own consciences. If we obey God’s Word and do what is pleasing to him we will have no reason to be afraid of God, and we can be sure that God will hear and answer prayers made in accordance with Jesus’ teachings (see Conditions for Answered Prayer, sidebar, top right) . God’s will and commandment is that we should trust and obey Jesus and love one another. If we trust and obey Jesus, he will give us the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit.

John’s Letter warns us not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to see if they are of God. Any spirit which denies the Biblical Apostolic (as taught by the Apostles) Gospel of Jesus Christ is not of God, but is the spirit of Antichrist, the spirit of error. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17), the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9b), the Spirit of the only, true, holy God (Romans 8:9a; compare Daniel 4:8-9, RSV, notes g and i). Authentic Christians, the true children of God, are disciples of Jesus Christ who trust and obey Jesus and have been “born-again” (by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit; John 3:3, 5-8).

The Lord only gives his 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). It is possible for one to know with certainty for oneself whether one has been filled with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2). Authentic “born-again” Christians are of God, and those who know God and/or Jesus through the Bible or through a personal relationship will listen to us and recognize God’s Word in Jesus and in his “born-again” disciples. This is how one can discern the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of error.

After his baptism, Jesus had been filled with the Holy Spirit, who led him in the wilderness for forty days (Luke 4:1; recalling the forty years Israel was led in the wilderness by God’s Spirit in the pillar of cloud and fire; Exodus 13:21-22). After withstanding Satan’s temptations he returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14). [Jesus disciples were subsequently filled with the Holy Spirit, beginning on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-42). Jesus told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem (the modern equivalent is the Church; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5) until they had received the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, before going out into the world to continue Christ’s ministry of the Gospel.]

Jesus is the fulfillment of scripture of the Spirit-empowered Son of God, our Savior, and our example of Spirit-empowered ministry in Christ’s name. Jesus’ fulfillment wasn’t intended to be the only fulfillment of that scripture. His Spirit-empowered disciples are intended to carry on Jesus’ mission and continue to fulfill that scripture in Jesus’ name (his character, power and authority; also see John 20:21).

Jesus was unable to do the miracles in his hometown that he had done elsewhere because the people were unwilling to trust and obey Jesus. They lost the gifts and blessings only Jesus could give them, which were received by others instead. They thought they knew so much about him that they were unable to see who Jesus really was. They liked him as a local boy, until he challenged their established ideas. Jesus had come to heal the spiritually blind and deaf, but when he tried to show them their spiritual disabilities, instead of turning to him to heal them, they hated him; they threw him out of “church” and out of “their” community! Perhaps that’s the reason “nominal Christians” are so hard to reach with the Gospel.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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)?

3 Easter - Tuesday

first posted 04/11/05

Daniel 4:28-37, Nebuchadnezzar’s affliction
1 John 4:7-21, God is love
Luke 4:31-37 Jesus’ ministry at Capernaum

Daniel’s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was fulfilled. A year later Nebuchadnezzar was looking out over his kingdom from the roof of his palace and thinking how great he was for having built Babylon and how great his power and glory were, when the Lord spoke to him from heaven, telling Nebuchadnezzar that his kingdom had departed from him and that Nebuchadnezzar would live among the animals in the fields, eating grass, until Nebuchadnezzar realizes that God is the ruler of all the earth, and God gives authority over it to whomever he chooses.

Immediately Nebuchadnezzar was driven from his palace into the fields with the animals for a long period of time. At the end of those days Nebuchadnezzar “looked toward heaven” and he regained his sanity, and blessed God and gave him praise and honor. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that God’s dominion is eternal and that no one can question God or thwart God’s will. Nebuchadnezzar was restored to his kingdom and resumed his role as its king. Nebuchadnezzar testified that all God’s ways are just and righteous, and God humbles the proud and arrogant.

John urged Christians to love one another because love is God’s nature, and those who are born of God (“born-again” by God’s indwelling Holy Spirit; John 3:3, 5-8) share God’s love for us with each other. Those who are unloving or hateful do not know God. God revealed his love for us by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die as a sacrifice for our sins, so that we might live eternally through Jesus.

God did this, not in return for our love for him, but while we were sinners in rebellion against God (Romans 5:8). Jesus gave his life for us so that our sins might be forgiven. If we realize God’s love for us we should love one another. No human has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God (who is revealed to us through Jesus) will abide in us (through the gift of his Holy Spirit) and his love will be matured and completed in us.

The gift of God’s Holy Spirit within us is our assurance that we abide in God and he in us. Those who have been “born-again” have experienced and testify that Jesus is God’s Son and the Savior of the world. Those who confess that Jesus is God’s Son abide in God and God in them. We know and believe God’s love for us (through personal fellowship with him through his indwelling Holy Spirit). Love for one another is evidence that we abide in God and God in us.

When God’s love has grown to maturity in us we will have no reason to fear God’s judgment. Perfect love overcomes fear, because mature love does nothing deserving punishment. We love because we have experienced God’s love for us. One cannot love God if one hates one’s brother. How can we love God whom we cannot see, if we cannot love our brother who is right here. Failure to love our brother is a violation of God’s commandment.

Jesus had been thrown out of the synagogue and town of Nazareth (Luke 4:29), so he went to Capernaum. Jesus began teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath, and the people were amazed by the authority with which Jesus taught. A demon-possessed man was in the crowd in the synagogue, and the demon acknowledged that Jesus of Nazareth was the Holy One of God. Jesus rebuked the demon and commanded him to come out of the man. Immediately the demon threw the man down and came out, leaving the man unharmed. The people were amazed that Jesus had authority even over demons by the power of his word, and news of Jesus spread throughout the region.

God warned King Nebuchadnezzar in a dream that Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and self-centeredness, and his failure to recognize and acknowledge God’s power and authority were going to bring God’s judgment upon the king. Nebuchadnezzar couldn’t understand God’s Word (through the dream), and none of his worldly counselors was able to interpret it for him (2 Corinthians 3:14-17; 4:3-4). But Daniel, whom Nebuchadnezzar realized was filled with the Spirit of God (Daniel 4:8-9, RSV, notes g & i), was able to interpret God’s Word.

A year later, Nebuchadnezzar had not heeded God’s Word and had not demonstrated any repentance, so Nebuchadnezzar heard God’s voice of judgment, but then it was too late to repent; he had to suffer the punishment. Only after a long time of misery did Nebuchadnezzar look to Heaven (to God) and then he was restored to his health and his position. Then Nebuchadnezzar praised God and acknowledged God’s eternal sovereignty and power. He testified that God’s ways are good and righteous, and that God humbles the proud and arrogant.

God’s Word is absolutely true and reliable; what God says, he does. God promised to send his Savior and he fulfilled that promise in Jesus Christ. Jesus promises that if we will trust and obey him he will give us the gift of his Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17). We cannot truly believe in Jesus without obedience to his teaching and his commands. What we do reveals what we truly believe.

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). It is possible for one to know with certainty for oneself whether one has been filled with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2). It is the indwelling Holy Spirit who removes the “veil” and opens our minds to understand God’s Word. (2 Corinthians 3:14-18). It is the indwelling Holy Spirit through whom we have personal fellowship with the Lord and experience his love and goodness (John 14:18-23; Revelation 3:20).

The city of Nazareth threw the Son of God, the long awaited Messiah and Savior, “Jesus of Nazareth,” out of “their” community because they were offended by the Word of God which Jesus spoke. It wasn’t how he said it (Luke 4:22a), but what he said; he told them the truth. Jesus interpreted God’s Word for them so that they could understand it, and they didn’t like what they heard. Jesus moved his ministry to another community which benefited from his teaching and his healing power. Are we listening, Church?

Jesus spoke the Word of God, which is “living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus is the Word of God in human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus teaches with the authority and power of God. Jesus’ word has power over demons (and the forces of nature; Matthew 8:23-27). Jesus has the power to heal and restore us when we acknowledge and accept Jesus as our Lord. He could command us to trust and obey him, but he gives us free will to choose whether to trust and obey. Even demons know Jesus is the Holy One of God, but Jesus lets us decide for ourselves who we believe him to be.

Who do you say that Jesus is? Is he your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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)?

3 Easter - Wednesday

first posted 04/12/05

Daniel 5:1-12, Handwriting on the wall
1 John 5:1-12, Christian assurance
Luke 4:38-44 Jesus’ preaching and healing

King Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus and Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter, although the Jewish author of this text apparently thought he was Nebuchadnezzar’s son. While a young man, he gave a great feast for his friends, and during the feast he commanded that the sacred vessels of gold and silver, which had been looted from the temple in Jerusalem, be brought, and he and his guests used the sacred vessels to drink wine toasting their many idols of “gold, silver, bronze, iron, and stone” (Daniel 5:4) Immediately the king saw a man’s hand writing on the wall. The king was terribly frightened, and his face became pale and his knees shook.

The king commanded that the royal wise men be brought to read and interpret what had been written. But the Babylonian wise men could not read or interpret the writing. The queen heard the commotion and came into the dining hall. She told the king that Daniel, a Jew in the Babylonian exile, had been able to interpret dreams and solve riddles because he had the Spirit of God within him and had divine wisdom (Daniel 5:11, RSV, note k). Nebuchadnezzar had made Daniel (whose Babylonian name was Belteshazzar) chief of the Babylonian magicians, sorcerers and astrologers because he was able to do what the Babylonian wise men could not.

Those who believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) are children of God, and those who love God will love his children. Loving the children of God means loving God and obeying his commandments. If we love God we will obey his commandments, and his commandments are not too hard for us. When we are “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8), Christ’s Spirit within us helps us to overcome the world, because Jesus has overcome the world, and our obedient trust in him gives us his victory. Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God overcome the world. Jesus comes to us by his Spirit through the water of baptism and the blood of the cross (received through the sacrament of Holy Communion). “The Spirit is the witness because the Spirit is the truth” (1 John 5:7).

The water (of our baptism), the blood (of the cross and the sacrament) and the infilling of the Holy Spirit testify that Jesus is the Christ. If we accept the testimony of mankind, God’s testimony is much more trustworthy. Those who believe in the Son of God have God’s testimony to his Son within them (through his indwelling Holy Spirit). Those who do not believe God’s testimony to his Son call God a liar. “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son (within him by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit) has (eternal) life; he who has not the Son of God has not (eternal) life (compare Romans 8:9b).

Jesus went to Simon Peter’s house, and Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever. Her family asked Jesus to heal her, so Jesus stood by her bed and commanded the fever to leave her and she was healed. She got up and served her guests. At sunset everyone in the community brought those who were sick to Jesus and he laid his hands on each one and healed them. Jesus also cast out many demons, who acknowledged that Jesus is the Son of God, and Jesus forbade them to speak because they knew he was the Christ. The next day, Jesus went to a place of solitude, but the people sought him and came to him, begging him to stay with them. But Jesus told them that he must proclaim the Gospel of God’s kingdom to other villages.

God’s Word is “the handwriting on the wall” (Daniel 5:5). God has declared what will happen to those who do not trust and obey him but use what God has given them, which God intended for his service, to pursue their own wealth, power and pleasure and to worship and serve other gods. The world offers many “spiritual” alternatives; seeking spiritual answers from any other source than God’s Word will ultimately prove futile and disastrous.

Daniel was able to read and understand God’s Word because Daniel had the Spirit of God within him (Daniel 4:8-9, RSV, notes g & i). God’s Word is "veiled" to those who are spiritually dead (2 Corinthians 3:14-17; 4:3-4), and it is only by the indwelling Holy Spirit that the “veil” is lifted and our minds are opened to understand God’s word. (See also entries for Saturday, Easter, odd year; and yesterday, Tuesday, 3 Easter odd year, above).

God’s Word declares that we are all sinners and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23). God warns us that the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our salvation from eternal death (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Jesus is the only one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33-34). Jesus only gives the Holy Spirit to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).

Jesus comes to believers, to be received by faith (obedient trust), through the water of baptism for our repentance, the blood of sacrifice of the Cross and the Communion for our forgiveness, and through the gift of the Holy Spirit, for our regeneration (spiritual rebirth) and sanctification (spiritual growth). Those who truly believe in Jesus as the Son of God have God’s testimony to his Son within them (through the indwelling Holy Spirit). 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). It is possible for one to know with certainty for oneself whether one has been filled with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2). Can you read the handwriting on the wall?

Only Jesus can heal us spiritually. Jesus has won, at the Cross, the victory over Satan and the forces of evil in this world. At the Tomb, Jesus won the victory over physical death. Only Jesus can free us from physical death (Hebrews 2:14-15), and give us eternal life through his indwelling Holy Spirit. The people in Jesus’ home town and his local “church” threw Jesus out because his message made them angry (Luke 4:16-30; see entry for Monday and Tuesday, Easter 3, odd year).

The people of Nazareth lost the opportunity for healing only Jesus can provide. Jesus went to Capernaum. There the people welcomed Jesus and they received physical and spiritual healing. The people of Capernaum begged Jesus to stay with them, but Jesus in the flesh couldn’t be two places at once, and he needed to fulfill his ministry of the Gospel in other places.

How are we doing? Do we realize that Jesus is the only way to forgiveness and fellowship with God; the only source of spiritual healing? Do we realize what Jesus has done for us on the Cross? Through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit, Jesus is able to be with us individually and daily. Jesus won’t force himself upon us; he wants us to decide individually for ourselves whether to trust and obey him or not. Are we begging Jesus to come and stay with us, or do we hate him and turn him away because we refuse to hear the Truth?

3 Easter - Thursday

first posted 04/13/05

Daniel 5:13-30,      Interpreting God’s Word
1 John 5:13-20 (21),    Christian Assurance
Luke 5:1-11     Miraculous Catch

King Belshazzar, a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar, had desecrated the sacred temple vessels looted from the Jewish temple by drinking toasts to Babylonian idols of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone. As he did so the hand of God wrote God’s judgment on the wall of the dining hall. The wizards and seers of Babylon could not read or interpret God’s Word, so Daniel, a Jew in the exile in Babylon was summoned (see entry for yesterday, Wednesday, 3 Easter, odd year).

King Belshazzar had heard that the Spirit of the Holy God was in Daniel and that he possessed light, understanding and (divine) wisdom. The king promised to reward Daniel with royal clothing and jewelry if Daniel could interpret God’s Word. Daniel told the king to keep his gifts and to reward someone else, but Daniel would interpret God’s Word without charge.

Daniel told the king that God had given the king’s ancestor, King Nebuchadnezzar, greatness and power which enabled Nebuchadnezzar to accomplish all that he did. But Nebuchadnezzar grew proud of himself and his accomplishments, so God took his glory from him. Nebuchadnezzar was driven from his throne and he lived like an animal in the open fields until he realized that God rules the kingdoms of earth and gives authority over them to whom he chooses.

Daniel said King Belshazzar knew what had happened to Nebuchadnezzar, but made the same error and exalted himself against God. The King had used the sacred vessels of the temple of God to praise the Babylonian idols of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone. Idols are deaf and blind; they know nothing and are powerless, but the king had honored the idols and failed to acknowledge God who has the power of life and death over mankind.

The writing on the wall was “mene,” “mene,” “tekel” and “parsin.*” Daniel told the King that God had “numbered” the days of Belshazzar’s kingdom; Belshazzar had been “weighed” by God’s judgment and found lacking, and his kingdom would be “divided” and given to the Medes and Persians.

King Belshazzar gave Daniel the royal clothing and jewelry which he promised, and made him “third-in-command” of his kingdom. That very night Belzhazzar was slain and “Darius the Mede” (perhaps Gobyras, the general of Cyrus, King of Persia, the actual conqueror) took control of the kingdom.

John wrote his message to those who believe in (trust and obey; see also 1 John 5:10-12) the name (the character, power and authority) of the Son of God (Jesus Christ). Those who trust and obey Jesus and pray according to his will can be assured that God hears our prayers, and if we know that he has heard us we can be confident that we have received what we request (see Conditions for Answered Prayer, sidebar, top right). Christians are to pray for fellow believers who sin unintentionally. Continuous, deliberate sin is not to be tolerated (1 John 3:6; and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the one unforgivable sin; Mark 3:28-29).

Those who are “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the indwelling Holy Spirit do not sin because they are guided by the Holy Spirit and empowered to resist Satan. “Born-again” Christians are of God (and protected from Satan’s power), but the whole world is in the power of Satan. “We know that the Son of God has come (in flesh, and also by his indwelling Holy Spirit) and has given us understanding, to know him who is true (God) and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Christians are to avoid any form of idolatry (including pride of self).

Jesus was preaching to a crowd on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Gennesaret), and the crowd was so eager to hear God’s Word that they were pressing forward to Jesus and pushing him to the water’s edge. There were two boats nearby on the shore, and the fishermen were cleaning their nets. One of the boats was Simon Peter’s, and Jesus asked him to launch the boat so that Jesus could preach from it. When Jesus was finished preaching, he told Peter to go into deeper water and put out his net to catch some fish. Peter said that they had fished all night and had caught nothing, but he was going to trust and obey Jesus.

When Peter lowered his nets he caught a large shoal (school) of fish, so many that the net was in danger of breaking. Peter called to his partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, to come with the other boat to help with the catch. The catch filled both boats to the point of sinking.

When Peter realized what had happened, he realized his own unworthiness in Jesus’ presence. But Jesus told Peter not to be afraid; that from then on Peter would be fishing for human souls. When the boats landed Peter, James and John left everything and followed Jesus.

King Belshazzar and his advisors were unable to read and understand God’s Word because there is a veil which lays over the minds of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 3:14-17; 4:3-4) and it is only by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, that the veil is removed and our minds are opened to understand God’s Word (See also entries for Monday through Wednesday, 3 Easter, odd year). The Queen recommended Daniel, who was recognized has having the Spirit of God within him (Daniel 5:11, 14 RSV, see note “k”).

Daniel told Belshazzar that the king had known about God’s judgment on his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, but had not learned from and avoided Nebuchadnezzar’s error. King Belshazzar had honored the useless Babylonian idols and had failed to acknowledge God’s sovereignty, so King Belshazzar had come under the same condemnation. That night Belshazzar died and the kingdom was taken from him.

We are like King Belshazzar, and America is the New Babylon (but God’s Word applies to the other nations as well). We need to seek our spiritual advice from Spirit-filled disciples and apostles (messengers) of Jesus Christ. We need to learn from God’s Word and apply it in our lives before it is too late and “the writing is on the wall;” before we die and loose the eternal kingdom.

John is an example of the Spirit-filled disciple and apostle of God’s Word. His message to Christians is that we are to be disciples who trust and obey Jesus Christ, who are “born-again” by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit within us which bears witness and is the seal and guarantee that we are in Christ and have eternal life (1 John 5:10-12; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). It is possible for one to know with certainty for oneself whether one has been filled with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2).

It is the Holy Spirit within us which assures us that God has heard our prayers (1 John 5:15). It is through the indwelling Holy Spirit that we have personal knowledge of and close, personal fellowship with Jesus Christ and God the Father (1 John 5:20). We need to hear God’s Word interpreted by authentic “born-again” preachers and evangelists, in whom we recognize the Spirit of Christ, and we need to apply God’s Word in our daily lives while there is still time to avoid God’s judgment and condemnation.

The people of Galilee were eager to hear God’s Word, and they realized that Jesus was teaching God’s Word, so they thronged to him and pressed toward him trying to get close enough to Jesus to hear him. Peter trusted and obeyed Jesus, even though what Jesus asked of him went against worldly wisdom and experience. As a result, Peter was spectacularly successful.

When Peter experienced Jesus’ power in his own life, Peter realized that he was a sinner and unworthy to be in Jesus’ presence, but Jesus accepted Peter and made him welcome. Jesus calmed Peter’s fears. Worldly success was no longer important to Peter. He left his huge catch, his boat and his fishing business to follow Jesus.

King Belshazzar, like his predecessor, was full of pride in himself and he pursued worldly idols instead of seeking and following God. He ignored God’s warning that those who pursue self-interest and material things will loose their worldly accomplishments, possessions, and physical life, and also their eternal lives and God’s eternal kingdom. Instead of being filled with himself and worldly things Peter (and his partner John, who eventually wrote the letter of 1 John) humbled himself and followed Jesus and was filled with the Holy Spirit. It is by the indwelling Holy Spirit that we get close enough to the Lord to hear him speaking to us.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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)?

* Aramaic for weights and thus coinage: mina, shekel, and half-mina but which can also be understood as meaning “to number,” “to weigh” and “to divide.” They imply the diminishing worth of Nebuchadnezzar’s successors, and the numbering weighing and dividing of the Babylonian empire by Cyrus of Persia. -The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Daniel 5:25-28n, p. 1076, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.

3 Easter Friday

first posted 04/14/05

Daniel 6:1-15,     Conspiracy against Daniel
2 John 1-13,      No fellowship with false teachers
Luke 5:12-26      Leper healed; sin forgiven

The Babylonian empire was conquered and the King was killed (as Daniel had prophesied; Daniel 5:1-31; see entry for yesterday, Thursday, 3 Easter, odd year). Darius, a Mede, became king. King Darius appointed governors of the provinces, and over the governors he appointed three presidents, one of whom was Daniel, a Jew in exile in Babylon. The governors were accountable to the three presidents, so that the King would not be cheated. Daniel distinguished himself above the other presidents, because “an excellent spirit was in him” (Daniel 6:3; compare Daniel 4:8-9).

The king planned to give Daniel authority over his entire kingdom, but the other presidents and governors were jealous, and plotted to destroy Daniel. They looked for some basis for complaint in Daniel’s administration of his office, but found none. Because Daniel was of a different religion, his enemies decided to use it as their only hope of eliminating Daniel. The provincial rulers came to the King as a group, and suggested that the King issue an edict that for thirty days everyone in the empire be required to pray only to the King, or be killed by being thrown into a lion’s den.

The law of the Medes and Persians required that any edict signed by the King could not be revoked. Darius signed the decree. Daniel knew that the decree had been signed, but he continued to pray to the Lord God of Israel three times a day as was his custom. The provincial leaders caught Daniel praying to God, and reported it to the King, reminding the King of his edict and the irrevocableness of Medo-Persian law. The King was greatly troubled by this situation, and he tried all day to find some way to deliver Daniel from the penalty of the law, but the governors returned, demanding Daniel’s execution.

This letter was from John to a Church (the Elect Lady), probably in Asia Minor, and her “children” (members). John declares his love for Christian brethren who know and hold on to the truth (of the Gospel of Jesus Christ), which abides in believers and will be with us eternally (through the indwelling Holy Spirit; John 14:17). Grace, mercy and peace are ours from God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ in truth and love. John rejoiced that some (but not all) members were following the true Gospel according to God’s Word. John urged the congregation to follow the commandment to love one another, and that love is revealed by obedience to Jesus’ teachings (John 14:15-17, 21).

John warns that there are many deceivers in the world who do not acknowledge that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (that Jesus is fully God and fully human; Colossians 2:8-9). Those who do not acknowledge Jesus’ divinity are deceivers and the antichrist (all forces opposed to Christ). John warns Christians to be careful to hold onto the true Gospel (as recorded in the Bible and as taught by the original Apostles, including John) so that they will not loose the full reward (eternal life in God’s kingdom).

Anyone who deviates from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ does not have God, but those who hold fast to the Gospel of Jesus have both the Father (God) and the Son, Jesus the Christ (Messiah; God’s anointed Savior and King). John warned the church not to receive or greet anyone who comes to them who does not hold to this scriptural, apostolic doctrine. Anyone who gives any kind of support or encouragement to such false teachers shares in their wicked work. John hoped to visit the congregation soon and speak with them directly.

A leper came to Jesus, bowed down, and addressed him as Lord, declaring his faith that Jesus could make him clean if it was Jesus’ will to do so. Jesus declared that it was his will, and commanded the man to be clean. The man was healed of his leprosy immediately, and Jesus told him not to publicize his healing, but to show himself to the priest and make an offering for the cleansing according to God’s commandment to Moses. News of the healing spread despite Jesus’ admonition, and great crowds came to Jesus seeking physical healing, but Jesus went into the wilderness to pray.

On one occasion when Jesus was in a house, teaching a crowd, there were religious authorities present who had come from every region of Israel; “and the power of the Lord was with him (Jesus) to heal” (Luke 5:17 RSV). Some men were bringing a paralyzed man to Jesus on a stretcher, but there were so many people they couldn’t get near enough to Jesus. Since the house was roofed with loose tiles, they went up and removed some of the tiles and let the paralyzed man down through the hole to Jesus. When he saw their faith Jesus told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven. But the religious authorities discussed Jesus’ words among themselves, accusing Jesus of blasphemy, since only God can forgive sins.

Jesus knew their thoughts, and asked them whether it would have been easier for Jesus to tell the man his sins were forgiven, or to tell him to get up and walk. Jesus said he had told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven so that people would know that Jesus has authority on earth to forgive sins. Jesus told the paralytic to rise, take his stretcher and go home, and the paralytic was healed and did exactly what Jesus had commanded, praising God on his way. The crowd who had witnessed the healing was amazed and glorified God, declaring that they had seen something supernatural, beyond human ability.

Daniel was in forced exile in a very worldly culture. The culture in which he lived recognized that he had the Spirit of God within him. His life was above reproach, but still his colleagues hated him and wanted to destroy him, and they conspired to use Daniel’s religion to destroy him. The king was deceived and forced to do what was contrary to his own judgment and interests, because he listened to flattery from Daniel’s enemies, who told the king that he should be treated as divine.

John warned Christians that there are many deceivers and false teachers in the world. Christians must hold firmly to the biblical apostolic gospel of Jesus Christ, so that they will not loose the “full reward” (2 John 8; i.e. eternal life) which that gospel promises. The enemies of the true Gospel often use flattery to deceive believers and lead them astray by telling them what they want to hear, instead of the truth which they need to hear.

Christians must be familiar with the Bible in order to recognize and avoid deception. One major warning sign is a “teacher” who relies on some other book in addition to the Bible. Another warning sign is anyone who denies the deity of Jesus in human flesh; Jesus is fully God who came in a fully human body (Colossians 2:8-9). Christians and congregations are warned not to welcome and tolerate false teachers in the Church.

There are several major heresies (false teachings) which began in the first-century and are refuted in the New Testament, but are still present, today, within “churches” that call themselves “Christian.” One is “Legalism” (“Works Righteousness”; earning salvation by doing "good works" or by keeping Jewish laws; the “circumcision party of the New Testament; see Ephesians 2:8-9). Another is “Cheap Grace,” first named and described by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.* “Cheap Grace” is preaching salvation by grace (free gift; unmerited favor) without requiring discipleship or obedience to Jesus’ teachings (see False Teachings, sidebar, top right).

As a Leper, the man was considered ritually unclean and denied fellowship with God’s people and participation in worship services. Jesus wanted to restore the man to access to God and to the religious community. (Note that the leaders of the Leper's "religious community" were hostile to the deity of Jesus and used "religion" to try to destroy Jesus.) Jesus healed the man physically, but his primary purpose was to restore people spiritually to forgiveness and fellowship with God.

Jesus didn’t want publicity for physical healing, because it would attract people who sought only what Jesus could do for them physically. That’s why Jesus told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven. Physical health is of no eternal benefit, unless our sins are forgiven and we are restored to eternal life with the Lord.

Both men had faith that Jesus could heal them; the Leper had called Jesus his Lord, but did he obey Jesus’ command to tell no one? According to Mark (Mark 1:40-45), the man didn’t obey, and Jesus’ ministry was hindered because of the crowds seeking only physical healing. The Leper received physical healing and was restored to his “religious community,” but he lost the “full reward” of forgiveness, salvation and eternal life in personal fellowship with the Lord. The paralytic also received healing, but he obeyed Jesus and his sins were forgiven, as Jesus promised. Just calling Jesus “Lord” doesn’t mean much if we don’t do what Jesus says (Matthew 7:21-24; Luke 6:46).

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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)?

3 Easter - Saturday

first posted 04/15/05

Daniel 6:16-28,     Daniel in the lions’ den
3 John 1-15,     Apostolic authority
Luke 5:27-39     Call of Levi

Daniel’s enemies had used his religion to force King Darius to sentence Daniel to death in a lions’ den (see entry for yesterday, Friday 3 Easter, odd year). Daniel was thrown into the den, and the King hoped that Daniel’s God (the God of Israel) would deliver Daniel from harm. A stone closed the den, and it was sealed with ropes and sealing wax, so that it could not be tampered with. The King spent the night in his palace worrying about Daniel.

At daybreak the King hurried to the den and called out to Daniel to see if he was still alive, and Daniel answered that he was fine. The Lord had shut the mouths of the lions, because the Lord had found Daniel blameless before God and also before the King. The King was glad that Daniel was all right and commanded that Daniel be brought out of the den. Daniel had no injuries at all, because he had trusted in God.

The King ordered Daniel’s enemies, who had set Daniel up to destroy him, to be thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children, and they were immediately mauled by the lions. King Darius made a proclamation that throughout his empire all people were to fear and worship God because he is the eternal living God who is sovereign over all the kingdoms of earth. God delivers and rescues, and does great miracles in heaven and on earth, and has saved Daniel from the power of the lions. As the result, Daniel was very successful during the reign of Darius, and of Cyrus the Persian.

John was apparently having trouble with Diotrephes, a member of a church, probably in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), who did not accept John’s authority as an apostle and elder. John wrote to Gaius, a faithful and reliable member of the congregation. John rejoiced in Gaius’ faithful obedience to the Gospel truth, and for Gaius’ hospitality to traveling Christian leaders and missionaries, who relied on the hospitality of Christians to provide food and lodging. The Church leaders communicated with individual congregations by letter or by personal visits by themselves or their emissaries.

John had sent a letter to the congregation, but Diotrephes opposed John’s authority, disparaged John among the congregation, refused hospitality to John’s emissaries, and expelled members who did receive and welcome them. John intended to personally visit the church soon, to deal with Diotrephes. In the meantime he counseled the faithful Christians not to follow the example of those who do evil, (like Diotrephes) but to follow good examples of faithful Christians (like Gaius). Those who are of God will do what is right. Those who do evil demonstrate that they do not know and follow God. Demetrius (possibly the bearer of the letter) was attested to by faithful Christians and by John for his true understanding of the Gospel. John greeted the “friends” (faithful Christians) in the congregation on behalf of himself and fellow Christians.

Jesus passed by the office of a tax collector named Levi (Matthew, the son of Alphaeus; Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14), and said to him, “Follow me.” Matthew left everything and followed Jesus. Matthew provided a great feast at his home for Jesus and his disciples, and Matthew’s friends, including many tax collectors. The Pharisees (the predominant, legalistic leaders of Judaism) criticized Jesus for eating and fellowshipping with tax collectors (collaborators with the occupying Roman government) and sinners. But Jesus told them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32).

The Pharisees replied that John the Baptist’s disciples practiced fasting and so did the Pharisees’ disciples (as part of their observance of Jewish law), but Jesus’ disciples apparently did not (compare Luke 7:33-34; Matthew 11:18-19). Jesus answered by comparing his situation to a wedding feast. Jesus is the bridegroom, and his disciples would not fast while Jesus was present; but the time would come when Jesus would be taken from them (by his crucifixion) and his disciples would fast in those days.

Jesus also told two parables to illustrate what he meant. One does not cut up a new garment to repair an old one, because in so doing both will be ruined. Neither does one put new wine in old wineskins, because old skins cannot handle the pressure of fermentation and will break, ruining both the wine and the skins. New wine must be put in new skins. Jesus also said that the disciples of John and of the Pharisees who continued the old form of religion after hearing the Gospel of Jesus were like those who prefer aged wine.

King Darius was a weak leader because he let the flattery of Daniel’s enemies induce him to do what was against his judgment and best interest. (He had signed a law that forced him to sentence Daniel, his best and most trusted administrator, to death). Daniel in contrast, trusted in God and did what was right in the judgment of God and King. God saved Daniel from destruction and death and gave him victory and success over his enemies.

This is exactly what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Satan is the enemy of our souls who wants to destroy us. Through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus God saves us from death and eternal destruction and gives us victory and success over our enemy (Hebrews 2:14-15).

The Apostle John was having trouble with a person who had become a leader in a church congregation, who wanted to change the Gospel message to suit his own preferences. He did not acknowledge the authority of the Apostles to proclaim and maintain the Gospel truth as they had received it from their direct discipleship by Jesus Christ. Diotrephes refused John’s guidance, disparaged John to the congregation, refused to receive and welcome John’s emissaries, and expelled members who supported or sided with John in any way. This kind of deviation from and opposition to the true biblical apostolic Gospel is quite evident within the “Church” today. Particularly in the American “Church” some members seem to think that the “Gospel” they believe and proclaim is a matter of majority vote, and many members are not familiar enough with the Bible to know what the true scriptural apostolic Gospel is.

Jesus came to invite the “lost” and sinners to follow him. We are all sinners who fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and God’s Word says that the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). The problem is that unless we recognize and acknowledge our sinfulness, Jesus can’t heal us.

The Pharisees thought that they were righteous because they thought they obeyed Jewish law. Jesus said that they had the outward appearance of righteousness and that they required others to keep laws that the Pharisees couldn’t keep (Luke 11:39; Mark 7:5-13). The Pharisees had structured their “religion” to please and serve themselves instead of trying to please and serve God.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly 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)?