26 Pentecost A Year

26 Pentecost – Sunday

Posted November 9, 2008

Malachi 2:1-2, 4-10 Indictment of Priests
Psalm 131 Submission to God's Will
1 Thessalonians 2:8-13 Apostolic Gospel
Matthew 23:1-12 Woe to Scribes and Pharisees

Malachi 2:1-2, 4-10:
The Lord has cursed his priests who have not given glory to the name of the Lord.

Levi was the priestly tribe. God covenanted with them to create an eternal priesthood (Numbers 25:12-13). God gave them a covenant of life and peace, so that they would fear (have appropriate awe and respect for) God's name. God's anointed priest speaks divine truth without error. He walks with the Lord in peace and uprightness. He turns many from sin (disobedience of God's Word). God's priest should preserve divine knowledge, and people should seek instruction from him because he is the messenger of the Lord.

But God condemns the descendants of Levi for turning aside from God's way; they have caused many to stumble by their teaching. They have corrupted the covenant, so God has made them despised and abased among all people, since they have not followed God's ways and have shown partiality in their instruction.

Have we not all one spiritual father, our Creator? Why then do we profane the covenant of our fathers by our faithlessness to one another?

Psalm 131:

The Lord's servants do not exalt themselves or become haughty in their own judgment. They do not pursue things that are great and marvelous beyond their ability. Instead, they are calmed and contented with their circumstances, like a baby at its mother's breast. Their souls are quieted and at peace.

O Israel! "Hope in the Lord from this time and for evermore" (Psalm 131:3)!

1 Thessalonians 2:8-13:

Paul declared that he was so affectionate for the Thessalonians that he was willing to share not only the Gospel, but everything he possessed with them.

Paul had worked (in his secular trade as a tentmaker) among the Thessalonians, so that they would not be financially burdened by supporting him. The Thessalonians themselves were witnesses able to testify that Paul had behaved with holiness and righteousness toward them, and Paul, like a father, had taught and encouraged each of them to live a life worthy of the calling of God. Paul was thankful that the Thessalonians had received the Word of God, preached by Paul, as authentic, and not merely the word of mortal people, and that Word was at work in them.

Matthew 23:1-12:

Jesus taught his disciples and the crowds that gathered around Jesus, that the Pharisees have the authority of Moses, so their teaching should be obeyed, but we should not follow their example, because they teach, but do not practice what they teach. They make others bear hard burdens that they themselves do not attempt or intend to carry.

They do everything to be seen and commended by other people. They make ostentatious phylacteries (headbands with a pocket containing scripture worn between their eyes), and they make the robes of their office ostentatious with conspicuous fringes. They like to be given special recognition at feasts and in synagogues, and like to be addressed as "teacher" in the marketplace.

Jesus taught his disciples to reject the titles of teacher, father, and master, because God is our only Father, and Jesus is our only teacher and master. So whoever wants to be great in God's kingdom must be the servant of all. "Whoever exults himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" Matthew 23:12).

Commentary:

The priests of Judaism, at the time of Christ's first advent (coming), physically, had turned aside from obedience to God's Word. Instead of being shepherds of God's flock, they had used their priesthood to exalt and benefit themselves. They considered themselves experts in scripture but they failed to practice it and learn from it. They caused many to stumble spiritually by their example.

God is the one and only true God, the Creator of the universe, and thus our Father, whether we acknowledge him or not. We have the freedom to choose whether to accept him as our Father, and to trust and obey him or not. When we act upon the desires and temptations of our flesh, we acknowledge that Satan is our father (John 8:44). We must choose to honor God as our Father, and trust and obey him, or we will be ruled by Satan as our Father (Luke 16:13) and share his eternal destiny (Revelation 20:10-15).

Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is the prototype and example of a faithful shepherd and priest of the "New Israel," the Church of Jesus Christ. Instead of using his position to benefit himself, he worked at a secular trade, so that the Church would not financially burdened by him. He shared not only the Gospel but his entire life with the Church. He practiced what he preached, unlike the priests of Judaism during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. The Gospel that he proclaimed was the Word of God, not of his own invention.

The prophecy of Malachi was fulfilled at the time of Jesus' first advent. Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, but the Jewish religious leaders did not recognize and acknowledge him. Jesus is the name of the Lord (Matthew 1:21; 23), but the religious leaders of Judaism didn't glorify Jesus; they persecuted and executed him.

America, the "New Promised Land," and the Church, at least in America, "The New Israel" and the "New Jerusalem," are in a similar situation as Israel and Judaism at the time of Jesus' first advent. In too many instances the ordained clergy are managing the (nominal) Church as their personal empire, for their personal benefit, and to manipulate people. In too many instances the (nominal) Church doesn't practice what it preaches.

Religious ritual won't save anyone. Wearing a conspicuous cross doesn't make us "Christians." Public prayer before we eat our "Big Macs" won't convert anyone. Only obedient trust in Jesus Christ will save us (Matthew 7:21-27). Only a personal relationship with Jesus, by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit will save us.

Every truly "born-again" (John 3:3, 5-8) "Christian" is a disciple of Jesus Christ (Acts 17:26-27) who has trusted and obeyed Jesus and has received the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John1:31-34), only to his disciples who willingly trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

Wake up, Church! Do you call any "priest" Father? Do you accept the title of Teacher or Master?

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)?

26 Pentecost – Monday
To be used only if there is a 27Pentecost Sunday - Otherwise skip to 27 Pentecost Posted November 10, 2008

Psalm 105:1-7 – God's Great Deeds Let us give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name. Let us proclaim his deeds among all peoples. Let us sing praises to him and tell of all his wonderful works. Let us glorify his holy name. May those who seek the Lord rejoice in their hearts. Let us seek his strength and his presence always. We are the descendants of Abraham, the Lord's servant; the sons of Jacob (Israel; the father of the heads of the twelve tribes); let us recall his wonderful deeds and his judgments. The Lord is our God; all the earth will be governed and judged according to his law. Commentary: The Church is the heir to the promise of God to Abraham (Galatians 3:29). The Old Covenant (Testament) of Law given to Moses was given as a “governess” to restrain and guide God's children (Galatians 4:1-2) until the coming of the Messiah. Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the “New Moses,” who has established and mediates the New Covenant of Grace (undeserved favor; a free gift) to be received by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. The Old Covenant taught that God's people are not able in our own physical flesh to keep God's Law (Galatians 2:16), and that there must be a blood sacrifice for forgiveness of sin (disobedience of God's Word). Jesus came to be the sacrifice, once for all time and all people who are willing to receive it by faith in Jesus (Hebrews 7:27). Jesus came to cleanse us from sin and make it possible for the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, as individual temples. The Holy Spirit within us makes it possible for us to obey God's Word, not by fear of the judgment of law, but from love, by the gift of God through Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1-14). Jesus Christ has been designed into the structure of this Creation from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14). God has been progressively revealing himself and his purpose for Creation. His purpose is to create an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God. This lifetime in this Creation and we ourselves are limited by time. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and come to know God (Acts 17:26-27). This lifetime is our opportunity to be spiritually “born-again” to eternal life (John 3:3, 5-8), and this is only possible through faith in Jesus. Only Jesus “baptizes” (gives the gift of; anoints) with the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). Those who seek the Lord will find him and come to personal fellowship with him through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of God (note the Trinity; Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). Through the indwelling Holy Spirit we will experience his love and the joy of his presence. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit we are guided and empowered to know and do God's will. We cannot accomplish God's will in our own physical strength (Zechariah 4:6c). In our search for meaning and purpose in life, we can first learn from the Bible, the Word of God, God's nature and purpose, and his great saving deeds done for God's people, Israel. The history of God's deeds for Israel recorded in the Old Testament are also intended to be a parable, a metaphor for life in this Creation. We are all slaves to sin and death in the “Egypt” of this world. Satan is “Pharaoh” and Jesus is the “New Moses” who can lead us out of “Egypt,” through the “Sea” of baptism into Jesus Christ, through the spiritual wilderness, guided by the “pillar of cloud and fire” (the indwelling Holy Spirit; Exodus 13:21). Jesus' name is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Joshua.” Joshua, the son of Nun, is intended by God to prefigure the Christ. Joshua went ahead of Israel and scouted out the Promised Land, and then later led Israel through the “River” representing physical death and into the Promised Land, prefiguring Jesus. The Bible tells us of the great saving deeds of God on behalf of his people, and is where we first learn about Jesus. As we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord and begin to trust and obey Jesus we will begin to experience God's great saving deeds for ourselves personally, and will come to a personal relationship with God and Jesus through the indwelling Holy Spirit. For “born-again” Christians, Christ has already begun his reign within us. We experience his eternal kingdom all around us now, which can only be discerned by believers, because the Holy Spirit removes the “veil” which covers the minds of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 3:13-16). Jesus is the eternal Lord and King, whether we acknowledge him or not. Now we have freedom to choose whether to trust and obey him or not, but there is a day coming when Christ will return to judge the living (quickened) and dead in both the physical and spiritual senses. In that day Jesus will command and we will have no choice but to obey. The standard of judgment will be God's Word, in the Bible, and in Jesus Christ, the “living Word;” God's Word fulfilled, embodied and exemplified in human flesh in this world (John 1:1-5, 14). Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior will have been spiritually “reborn” and will enter eternal life in God's heavenly kingdom, but those who have rejected Jesus, who have refused to trust and obey him will be condemned to eternal death and destruction in hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). 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)?

26 Pentecost – Tuesday

To be used only if there is a 27Pentecost Sunday - Otherwise skip to 27 Pentecost

Posted November 11, 2008

Jeremiah 26:1-6 – The Temple Sermon;

At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the Lord told Jeremiah to stand in the court of the Lord's house and proclaim, to all the cities of Judah that come to worship, all the words that the Lord commands. Jeremiah was warned not to hold back any of the words that the Lord commanded, in the hope that the people would listen and turn away from their evil ways, so that the Lord could repent of the evil (punishment) that he intended to do to them because of their evil doings.

Jeremiah was to say: “Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law which I have set before you, and to heed the words of of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not heeded, then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth” (Jeremiah 26:4-6).

Background:

This sermon may have been delivered during the Feast of Booths in September – October of 609 B.C..*

Jehoiakim was the second son of Josiah, the great reformer who had returned Judah from idolatry to the Lord God. The eldest son, Jehoahaz, was deposed by the Egyptians, who made Jehoiakim king instead. Jehoiakim became the vassal king of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. During Jehoiakim's reign Judah returned to idolatry and corruption.

Shiloh was a city 10 miles north of Bethel. It was the site of the Tabernacle after the Conquest (Joshua 18:1-10) until the Ark was captured by the Philistines (1 Samuel 5:1-2). It was a mass of shapeless ruins in the featureless landscape surrounding it, destroyed five hundred years before Jeremiah mentioned it.

Commentary:

God's Word contains great promises and ominous warnings, intended to help us receive the promises and avoid the consequences of ignoring the warnings. Our human nature wants to hear what makes us feel good, to avoid hearing what makes us uncomfortable, and to blame the messenger for messages we don't like. We see that in Jeremiah, who was warned by God not to withhold any part of God's Word; and Judah blamed and punished Jeremiah for the message they didn't want to hear.

Paul, the prototype of the modern, post-resurrection, born-again disciple and apostle, warned his protege, Timothy, that the time would soon come when people would not appreciate sound teaching and would get teachers who would teach what the people wanted to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4). That time has long since come!

The Lord punishes his people, like a good father disciplines his children, when they ignore the warnings and disobey God's Word, so that they may learn to do what is right and good and true, and live well. God's way is our best interest, and the only way to have true, eternal life.

This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and know God's will and purpose for us (Acts 17:26-27), and to learn to trust and obey God's Word. If we truly seek God with all our hearts he will allow himself to be found by us (Jeremiah 29:13-14a; John 14:21, 23).

Jesus is the only way to find God, to know divine, eternal truth, and to have true, eternal life (John 14:6). God designed this Creation to allow for the possibility of sin (disobedience of God's Word) so that we could be free to choose whether or not to trust and obey God. God knew that given that freedom we would all choose to do our own will, rather than God's. We have been given the freedom and opportunity to learn by trial and error to trust and obey God's Word.

All have sinned (disobeyed God's Word) and fall short of God's righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23) God loves us and doesn't want anyone to perish eternally (Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17). God has designed a Savior into Creation from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus is God's only provision for the forgiveness of our sins and salvation from eternal destruction (Acts 4:12; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

The Northern Kingdom of the divided monarchy refused to heed the warning of the prophets until it was too late, and were conquered by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. at the fall of the capital, Samaria. The ten northern tribes effectively ceased to exist, because of the Assyrian policy of relocating conquered people to other conquered lands. The remnant of the northern tribes not deported intermingled with people brought in by the Assyrians to occupy the land, and became the Samaritans, of mixed race and religion, despised by the Jews, in the time of Jesus' physical ministry.

The Southern Kingdom of Judah didn't learn from the example of the Northern Kingdom, and failed to heed the warning of the prophets like Jeremiah, until it was too late for them. As a result they were exiled in Babylon for seventy years, as Jeremiah had prophesied (Jeremiah 25:11-12), from 587-517 B.C.. Note that 70 years is a virtual life sentence for people who were adults at the time of the deportation.

The people who returned from exile were a renewed people but not the same people. They had learned to trust and obey God during the Exile, but subsequent generations forgot the lesson of the Exile, and consequently were unprepared for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. So Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., and Israel ceased to exist as a nation until re-established following World War II. The temple has never been rebuilt.

America and the Church, at least in America, are in the same situation as Israel and Judaism at the time of Jesus' first advent (coming; his physical ministry). In one sense, America is the New Israel, the New Promised Land, and the Church is the New People of God. In too many instances, ordained ministry is a “career choice,” an opportunity to have influence over people, to make a congregation their personal empire, to teach what benefits themselves, rather than the full Word of God. In too many instances the nominal Church has failed to make born-again disciples of Jesus Christ and build the Kingdom of God, and has settled for building buildings and making “members,” teaching them ritual and tradition.

At Jesus' entry into Jerusalem the final week before his crucifixion, he went to the temple and threw out the money-changers and merchants who had transformed religion into a business (Matthew 21:1-13). That is a preview of what will take place at the Second Coming at the Day of Judgment (1 Peter 4:17), only that there won't be any further opportunity to repent and be saved.

Jesus warns is that church “membership” won't save us; “ritual” and “tradition” won't save us; calling Jesus “Lord,” and calling ourselves “Christians” won't save us. Only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will save us (Matthew 7:21-27). The only way to be saved is to trust and obey Jesus and be spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the “baptism” of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciple who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).

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)?

*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Jeremiah 26:1-6n, p. 947, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.

26 Pentecost – Wednesday

To be used only if there is a 27Pentecost Sunday - Otherwise skip to 27 Pentecost

Posted November 12, 2008

1 Thessalonians 3:7-13 – Paul's Affection for the Thessalonians;

Brethren: In our distress and affliction, we have been comforted by the report of your faith, because if we stand firm in the Lord, we have (true, eternal) life. We can't thank God enough for all the joy we have for you, when we come before God in prayer, praying earnestly day and night, that we may see you in person, and that we may be able to supply whatever is still lacking in your faith.

May God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ allow and guide us to visit you again; and may our Lord help you to grow and overflow with love to each other and to all people. That way, he will cause your hearts to be firmly established, in holiness without any cause for blame, in the presence of God the Father, when our Lord Jesus returns with all his saints (all believers who are consecrated to him).

Commentary:

The Jews were persecuting the new Christians in Thessalonica, and also persecuted Paul wherever he went. Paul was concerned for the congregation he had founded in Thessalonica. When his protege, Timothy, returned with a good report, Paul was relieved and sent this letter to encourage them.

The new believers at Thessalonica were Jews and proselytes (Gentile converts to Judaism) experiencing persecution and attacks on their new faith by the synagogue from which they had come. Paul encouraged them to stand firm in the Gospel, and to experience joy through love and fellowship among their brethren in the midst of that persecution.

Paul was making “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciples in fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), which Jesus gave to his disciples, to be carried out after they had received the gift (baptism; anointing) of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8). Paul couldn't be present personally, so he had sent Timothy to strengthen them and encourage them in faith. After Timothy's return, Paul sent this letter to continue their “discipling.”

Christians are by definition “born-again” (John 3:7) disciples of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26c). The Church is to be a disciple-making organization, following the pattern of disciple-making that Jesus demonstrated.

Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is the prototype and example of a modern, post-resurrection, born-again disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ that we all can and must be. Paul was discipled by a born-again disciple, Ananias, (Acts 9:10-17) until Paul was born-again (Acts 9:18) and then Paul began to make born-again disciples also (Acts 9:19b-22). Timothy is an example of a born-again disciple made through Paul's teaching (2 Timothy 1:6-7). Paul was teaching Timothy to repeat that process (2 Timothy 2:2).

Only Jesus baptizes with the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

Discipleship is a spiritual growth process. Jesus' disciples were with Jesus day and night for three and a half years, and still weren't ready to go into the world and make disciples until they had been filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13). Paul's conversion and rebirth are extraordinary for their speed, but remember that Paul was already formally educated in Judaism, and had great zeal and love for God; he just needed to be pointed to the Messiah, Jesus.

By the indwelling Holy Spirit we experience the love and fellowship with God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:21, 23). When we pray in the Spirit, the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jesus (Romans 8:9) are present with us.

Discipleship really begins once one is reborn; from then on it is the Holy Spirit who carries on the discipling, and who will bring it to completion when Christ returns on the Day of Judgment.

The Day of Judgment is coming when Christ returns, and he will judge the living (quickened) and dead (1 Peter 4:5) in both physical and spiritual senses. The Day of Judgment is not far off; it will come for each of us at the end of life, and we cannot be sure we'll see tomorrow. Today is the only day we can be sure of; today is the Day of Salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Jesus is the judge and the standard of judgment by which all will be judged. Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been spiritually born-again, and will enter eternal life in God's Kingdom in heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus and have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus will be condemned to eternal death in hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

Sadly, in too many instances in the nominal Church today, the Church has settled for making members and building buildings, instead of making disciples and building the Kingdom of God. Church attendance and membership won't save anyone, church ritual and tradition won't save anyone. Only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior will save us, and that personal relationship is only possible through the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit (see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

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)?

26 Pentecost – Thursday

To be used only if there is a 27Pentecost Sunday - Otherwise skip to 27 Pentecost

Posted November 13, 2008

Matthew 24:1-14 – Signs of the End;

Jesus was coming out of the temple and leaving with his disciples, and his disciples proudly pointed out the buildings of the temple. But Jesus told them the time was coming when the temple would be completely destroyed.

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and sat down, and his disciples came to him privately and asked him what would be the sign of Jesus' coming and the close of the age. Jesus warned his disciples not to be deceived because there would be many false “christs” who would lead many astray. Then there would be many wars and rumors of wars. Those things must take place, but the end will not happen immediately. Nations will fight each other, and kingdoms will strive against others. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places, but these things are just the beginning of suffering.

Jesus' disciples will be delivered up to tribulation, and they will be hated and killed for the sake of Jesus' name. Many will fall away and hate and betray one another. There will be many false prophets who will arise and lead many astray. “And because wickedness is multiplied, most people's love will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:12-13). The Gospel of God's kingdom will be preached as a testimony to all nations of the world; and then the end will come.

Commentary:

The temple at the time of Jesus was being extensively remodeled, which had been initiated by Herod the Great in 19 B.C. (who had attempted to kill Jesus at his birth; Matthew 2:1-15), who died in 4 B.C., The temple wasn't finished until 62-64 A.D., and was destroyed in 70 A.D.,* by the Romans, in fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy.

God allowed the temple to be destroyed, because Judaism effectively ended with the crucifixion of Jesus. The veil of the temple, separating the congregation from the holy-of-holies and God's presence, was torn in two from top to bottom at the moment of Jesus' death on the cross, symbolizing that Jesus had opened a new and better way into God's presence (Matthew 27:51).

God has been revealing himself and his purpose for Creation from the very beginning, first in Creation itself, then in the Bible, then in Jesus Christ, and ultimately in the gift (baptism; anointing) of the indwelling Holy Spirit which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

God has always intended to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God's Word. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and come to know and have fellowship with God our Creator (Acts 17:26-27), and to be spiritually “reborn” by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and this is only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ, whom God has designed into Creation from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).

This Creation and we ourselves are limited by time, because this Creation was designed to allow us the freedom to choose whether or not to trust and obey God's Word. Disobedience of God's Word is sin, and God won't tolerate sin and rebellion forever, or at all in his eternal kingdom, or it wouldn't be heaven.

This present Creation is going to pass away. Jesus has promised to return at the end of time to judge the living (quickened) and dead in both physical and spiritual senses. Those who have learned to trust and obey Jesus and have accepted him as their Lord and Savior will have been spiritually born-again in this lifetime, and will enter God's eternal kingdom in a new Creation restored to paradise. Those who have rejected Jesus and have refused or failed to trust and obey him will be condemned to eternal destruction in hell with all evil. (John 5:28-29 & compare John 11:1-44; Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

Jesus' prophecy of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled, and the signs of the times he predicted are being fulfilled right now. There are many false “christs” and false prophets in the world and in the nominal Church today. There have certainly been many wars, famines, and earthquakes. Also great suffering and loss of life recently by tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding.

The world has always hated and persecuted the disciples of Jesus Christ, because they have hated and persecuted Jesus. I think the most telling sign today is the multiplied wickedness, sexual perversion, rampant homosexuality and rampant drug use; and people whose love has grown cold.

Today it is very dangerous to even look at the car and the people next to you on the freeway or on the street. It can get you shot or beaten up. It isn't safe for kids to walk to and from school by themselves. Kids kill their classmates and teachers in school. There are carjackings and home invasions. These things would have been unimaginable in the 1950's.

There are several reasons for this. I think two major ones are, one, that families have fallen away from Christian faith and the Bible, and have failed to raise their children with Christian moral values. The second is that because both parents work or because of single parent households, children are raising themselves.

The world and the Church, particularly in America today are urgently in need of Biblical, Christian revival. The Gospel has been preached to all the nations. The signs of the end of the age have been fulfilled. Are you ready for Christ's return?

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)?

*A Standard Bible Dictionary, Melancthon W. Jacobus, D.D., et al, IV the Temple of Herod, #25, Relation to the Second Temple, pg 855, Funk and Wagnalls Co., New York and London, 1909

26 Pentecost – Friday

To be used only if there is a 27Pentecost Sunday - Otherwise skip to 27 Pentecost

Posted November 14, 2008

Isaiah 40:9-11 – The Lord Comes!

Get up to the top of a mountain, people of God, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem (Church), herald of the Gospel (good news). Behold your God! Look and see, the Lord God comes with great might and his arm (symbol of power; Jesus Christ) rules for him; look, he is bringing his reward and his recompense (return in kind; reprisal; punishment). Like a shepherd he will feed and gather his flock. He will carry his lambs in his bosom, and lead the pregnant lambs gently.

Commentary:

The Church is Zion, the New Jerusalem, the temple, city, mount and people of God on earth. The Word of God commands Christians, individually and collectively, to be the watchmen and heralds of God's coming!

God came in Jesus Christ, into this world; the fullness of God in human flesh (Colossians 2:8-9). Jesus came to be the one and only sacrifice acceptable to God, once for all time and all people who are willing to receive it by faith (obedient trust) for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus is Emanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23b).

God comes individually and personally to us in the baptism (anointing; gift) of the indwelling Holy Spirit through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (John 14:23). Only Jesus gives the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-18). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of God (note the Trinity; Romans 8:9). Jesus is the fullest revelation of God, in human flesh (John 14:9b; Matthew 11:27b), to the world. The Holy Spirit is the fullest revelation of God to believers individually and personally (John 14:21).

This lifetime is our opportunity to seek, find, and have fellowship with God our Creator (Acts 17:26-27), and this is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way to know divine, eternal truth, the only way to come to know and have fellowship with God our Creator which was broken by sin, and the only way to have true, eternal life (John 14:6).

Jesus has promised to return on the Day of Judgment at the end of time to judge the living (quickened) and dead, in both physical and spiritual senses. That day is not far off; it will come for each of us within our lifetime, and no one knows how long that will be. At the moment of our death, time will cease, our eternal destiny will be fixed and unalterable, and we will immediately be at the throne of judgment (John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

Today is the Day of Salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Let no one fail to receive salvation as a free gift by God's grace (Hebrews 12:15a)!

The Gospel is the “good news” of forgiveness of sin (disobedience of God's Word) and salvation from eternal death, which is the penalty for sin (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-10; Romans 6:23; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). But for those who reject the Gospel, who refuse to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, who refuse or fail to trust and obey Jesus, God's coming will be bad news (Luke 21:26-27)!

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)?

26 Pentecost – Saturday

To be used only if there is a 27Pentecost Sunday - Otherwise skip to 27 Pentecost

Posted November 15, 2008

Hebrews 4:9-13 – Sabbath Rest;
Matthew 11:25-30 – Jesus Gives Us Rest;

Hebrews:

God has provided the Sabbath rest for his people. Those who enter that rest cease from their labor as God did from the labor of creation (Genesis 2:2). So let us endeavor to enter that rest so that we might not fail by disobedience as Israel did in the wilderness (Hebrews 4:3-5). “For the Word of God is living (quickening; life-giving) and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). No creature can hide anything from God but is completely exposed to him who will be our judge.

Matthew:

Jesus gave thanks to God that it was God's gracious will to hide divine wisdom from those of worldly wisdom and understanding, and to reveal it to those who the world regards as immature and ignorant. God has given all things to Jesus (Matthew 28:18). Only God knows his Son, Jesus, fully, and no one knows God fully except Jesus, and all to whom Jesus chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Jesus invites us to take the yoke of his teaching upon us and learn from his example. Jesus is gentle and humble in heart and he will give us rest for our souls. “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).

Commentary:

God has created the Sabbath rest for our benefit. It is designed into creation (Genesis 2:2). It is ours to appropriate for ourselves.

Israel could have entered the Promised Land directly from the Exodus from Egypt, but failed to do so because they didn't act in faith on God's Word to enter and possess it (Numbers 13:30-14:10), so they were forced to wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all those who disobeyed God's command died in the wilderness. Only Joshua and Caleb, who brought a favorable report and urged Israel to enter, survived and entered the land.

The history of Israel's Exodus, wilderness wandering, and ultimate entry into the Promised Land is also deliberately intended by God to be a parable, a metaphor, for life in this world. In a sense we are all in bondage to sin and death in the “Egypt” of this world. Satan is the ultimate “pharaoh.” Jesus is our “Moses” who can free us, lead us through the “sea” of baptism, through the “wilderness” of this lifetime, through the “river” of physical death, and into the eternal “Promised Land” of God's Kingdom restored to paradise in heaven. God's Kingdom in heaven is the place of eternal rest from the struggles of this present lifetime.

I believe that we should appropriate the promise of Sabbath rest. We don't have keep the Sabbath rest in order to be saved, but because God has designed it into Creation for our benefit, and God's Word tells us to do so (Exodus 20:8-11). I can accomplish just as much in six days as I could in seven. People who are unwilling to take a day off from the pursuit of worldly matters are enslaved by them.

We are eternal souls in temporal physical bodies. So many people make the maintenance and preservation of their physical bodies their only priority, and neglect their souls. We're all going to spend eternity either in the Promised Land of heaven, or in eternal destruction in hell with all evil.

God's wisdom is different from what the world falsely calls wisdom. Worldly wisdom and knowledge keep changing because mankind's wisdom and knowledge are imperfect and incomplete. The change in the number of planets in our solar system is an example.

Divine wisdom and knowledge are eternal and complete. God wisely designed Creation so that we can't know God through worldly wisdom. Only through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus can we know divine wisdom (John 14:6; 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:10a). When we trust and obey Jesus, Jesus opens our minds to understand the Bible scriptures (Luke 24:45; 2 Corinthians 3:13-16).

Sometimes new converts can go astray by speculating on “End Times” prophesies (the time and events of Jesus' Second Coming; Acts 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:4). New believers should focus on being discipled, learning to know and apply Jesus' teaching in their lives and seeking the “baptism” (gift; anointing) of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Preaching on End Times that is scripturally true is useful to call unbelievers to repent, accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and become new believers, but until they begin to learn and apply Jesus' teachings they are spiritually “unborn,” making no progress in spiritual growth toward spiritual maturity.

It is the baptism of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17), who causes us to be born-again spiritually. Through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus (Romans 8:9) we have personal knowledge of and fellowship with God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord (John 14:21, 23). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). Jesus warns us that one must be “born-again by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, in order to see the kingdom of God which is all around us now, and to see (and enter) it ultimately in eternity.

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)?