3 Pentecost A Year

3 Pentecost - Sunday

June 1, 2008

Hosea 5:15-6:6 -- Turn and be Healed;
Psalm 50:1-15 -- Divine Judgment;
Romans 4:18-25 -- Righteousness by Faith;
Matthew 9:9-13 -- The Great Physician;

Hosea:

The Lord declared through Hosea, his prophet, that the Lord would remove his presence and favor from among his people until they acknowledge their guilt and seek the Lord’s presence and help. When the people experience distress they may return to the Lord and seek his providence and protection. The Lord has torn, but he also heals; he strikes, but he also will bind up. “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him" (Hosea 6:2).

We should make every effort to seek and come to know the Lord. His existence is as certain as the dawn; his presence will refresh and restore us like the spring rains water the earth.

The Lord rebukes Ephraim and Judah, symbolic of God’s blessed people, because their love is as ephemeral as morning mist or dew which quickly disappears.

The Lord uses his prophets to shape his people, and those who do not conform to his Word will be (eternally) slain. The Lord’s judgment goes forth as light. “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6).

Psalm:

The Lord God Almighty calls all people all day, from dawn to dusk. From his eternal city the beauty and perfection of God shines forth.

The Lord our God comes. He is not silenced. His coming is with a devouring fire and a mighty storm. He calls earth and heaven to assemble for judgment of his people. He summons his faithful people who have made a covenant with him sealed by sacrifice. God alone is judge, and his righteousness is declared throughout the Universe.

God calls his people to listen to him. The Lord will testify against them, for he is their God. The Lord does not blame them for lack of sacrifices. They offer burn offerings continually, but God refuses to accept their sacrifices.

God refuses to accept their sacrifices, because all the cattle and every creature belongs to God. God has no need for mankind to provide him with food (through their sacrificial offerings). If God were hungry he wouldn’t have to ask mankind for food. God doesn’t eat the flesh or drink the blood of animals.

The sacrifice that God desires is the sacrifice of thanksgiving and obedient trust, keeping our covenant vows to the Lord, and relying on him for help in the day of trouble. Then the Lord will deliver them, and they will glorify the Lord.

Romans:

Abraham believed and hoped in God’s promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations, even when it appeared hopeless. He believed God’s Word that his descendants would be as numerous beyond counting as the stars in the heavens. He didn’t waver when he considered his age, that he was about one hundred years old, nor when he considered that his wife was past child-bearing age, and had never conceived. He didn’t allow distrust to shake his faith in God’s promise. Instead, his faith grew as he trusted that God was fully able to do what he promised. So righteousness was attributed by God to Abraham because of Abraham’s faith (Genesis 15:6).

The testimony of God’s Word concerning Abraham’s righteousness was not written for Abraham’s benefit but for ours. We, who believe that Jesus died for our sins and was raised for our “justification” (vindication; attribution of righteousness; acquittal from guilt), will be attributed as righteous in God’s Final Judgment.

Matthew:

Jesus passed by the office of a tax collector named Matthew, and Jesus called to Matthew saying, “Follow me.” Matthew got up and followed Jesus.

At dinner at Matthew’s house, Jesus and his disciples were joined by many tax collectors and sinners who were Matthew’s friends. When the Pharisees (legalistic Jewish religious leaders) saw this, they criticized Jesus to his disciples for eating with tax collectors and sinners. When Jesus heard it, he told the Pharisees that those who are healthy have no need of a physician; only those who are sick. Jesus told the Pharisees to go and learn what God’s Word means, that God desires mercy rather than sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). Jesus declared, “I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:13b).

Commentary:

God’s Word is eternal and eternally true. It is fulfilled over and over as the conditions for its fulfillment are met. God proclaimed through Hosea that God withholds his providence and protection from his people who have turned from obedient trust in the Lord to disobedience and idolatry. The Lord withholds his favor in hope that his people will realize their need and dependence upon the Lord and will return to him and call upon him for help.

Hosea prophesied that God would revive his servant after two days and would raise him up on the third day. That prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus Christ, the perfect trusting and obedient servant of God, at his resurrection. It remains to be fulfilled by us as we trust and obey Jesus.

The Lord wants us to seek and come to know him, and he promises to make himself known to those who earnestly seek him (Hosea 6:3; Acts 17:26-27; Hebrews 11:6; John 14:21). God is the one and only true God; he is; the great “I AM” (Exodus 3:14). His existence is certain and is attested to by Creation, God’s Word, and by every truly “born-again” Christian, because we have personally have come to know and have fellowship with him through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way to have forgiveness of sin (disobedience of God’s Word), to know divine eternal truth, to receive restoration of fellowship with God which was broken by sin, and eternal life in the kingdom of God (John 14:6).

Jesus is the only one who “baptizes” (“anoints”) with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). It is the presence of the Lord within us by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit that we are spiritually revived from spiritual death to eternal life. 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).

Ephraim and Judah are symbols of the people God has blessed. Ephraim means “double fruitfulness.” He was the second son of Joseph born in Egypt, who was blessed above the first-born by Jacob (Israel; Genesis 41:52; 46:20; 48:10-20). Ephraim received unmerited blessing. Judah, the fourth son of Jacob (Israel) by Leah, was a leader in family matters (Genesis 43:3-10; 44:14, 16-34; 46:28). Joseph was the one to whom the birthright belonged (1 Chronicles 5:2, but Judah became the chief among the brothers, so he also was blessed beyond his own merit. We also who trust and obey Jesus are blessed beyond what we deserve by God’s grace (unmerited favor).

The Lord has proclaimed his Word in the Bible and through his prophets so that we can be molded according to his will. Those who refuse to conform to his Word will be eternally destroyed. God does not want “fair-weather” friends; people who will serve the Lord if and when it suits them. The Lord doesn’t want people who only go through the motions of religious ritual. The Lord wants people who love him enough to trust and obey him and seek his presence and fellowship.

The Lord calls all people. The only people who are excluded are those who choose to be excluded by resisting his call. God’s people are those who choose to covenant with God and are willing to sacrifice their self-will in order to do God’s will.

There is a Day coming when every one who has ever lived will be accountable to the Lord for what they have done, individually, in this lifetime (Matthew 25:31-46). The Lord is coming to judge all people and his coming cannot be stopped; his judgment cannot be silenced. His judgment will be a destroying fire and a terrible storm for those who have rejected and refused to trust and obey the Lord.

Saving faith is trusting and obeying the Lord, even when his promises seem humanly impossible. The Lord wants us to learn to trust and obey him. If we will begin to trust and obey, he will show us that his promises are completely reliable and true, and as he demonstrates his faithfulness, goodness and power to do what he promised, our faith will grow to certainty. We will learn that God’s Word is always fulfilled.

We are all sinners who fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right). Jesus came to heal and restore sinners, but he can only help those who recognize their shortcomings and need for spiritual healing. Jesus calls us all, but the only ones who will be healed and restored are those who hear and respond with obedient trust. If we know we need spiritual healing we must call upon Jesus to heal us and begin to trust and obey what he tells us.

Has the Lord removed his presence, his providence, and protection from our churches and our nation? Would we notice if he had? Are we seeking his providence and protection or are we seeking help from some other source?

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 Pentecost - Monday

June 2, 2008;

Psalm 100 -- Song of Thanksgiving;

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 100).

Commentary:

In one sense we are all God’s people because he is our Creator; and he is Lord, whether we acknowledge him or not. God’s plan has always been to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey him. This temporal world has been created intentionally by God to allow us to seek and come to find and know God (Acts 17:26-27), to provide us the freedom to choose whether to trust and obey God or not, and the opportunity to learn by “trial and error.” This lifetime is our only opportunity to be spiritually “reborn” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift 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). All these can only be accomplished through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:21; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

If we seek the Lord he will allow himself to be found by us (Jeremiah 29:13-14a; Matthew 7:7-8). If we will trust and obey God’s Word we will experience his goodness, steadfast love and faithfulness, and the joy of his presence within us. We will learn the joy of serving him. We will enter into his “house” with thanksgiving and praise, now, which is just a foretaste of what it will be like ultimately to enter his eternal temple in heaven.

Disobedience of God’s Word is the definition of sin. We have all sinned and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10), and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Everything in this creation is constrained by time, because God is not willing to tolerate sin forever, nor allow it in his eternal kingdom. Otherwise it wouldn’t be “heaven.”

The best and most satisfying thing we can do on earth is to serve the Lord in obedient trust. I personally regret not having discovered this until my mid-thirties. Thankfully, I was able to come to know the Lord, to learn to be his disciple, to discover that God’s will is our best interest, and that serving him is such a joy!

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 Pentecost - Tuesday

June 3,2008;

Exodus 19:2-8a -- God's Covenant with his People;

The Israelites camped at Rephidim at the entrance to the Sinai desert, three months after they left Egypt (Exodus 19:1). They entered the Sinai wilderness and camped at the base of Mount Sinai (Mount Horeb). Moses went up to the top of Mount Sinai and the Lord called to Moses and told him to tell the Israelites that they had seen what the Lord had done to the Egyptians to deliver the Israelites from bondage to them. The Israelites had seen how the Lord had brought them “on eagle’s wings” to himself (at the Lord’s holy mountain).

The Lord proposed a covenant with Israel: If Israel would obey God’s Word and keep the covenant that the Lord was proposing, the Israelites would be the Lord’s particular possession among all the people of earth. Everything on earth belongs to the Lord but Israel would be God’s special possession, and they were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. This is what the Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel.

Moses assembled the elders of the people and told them what the Lord had said, and all the people of Israel agreed to do all that the Lord had commanded.

Commentary:

God is the Creator and Lord of all the earth, whether we acknowledge him or not. God has always intended to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey God’s Word. God knew Israel’s suffering and bondage in Egypt, and called Moses to lead them out of bondage in Egypt and into the land which God had promised to give to Abraham and his descendants.

God had fulfilled his promise to deliver Israel from Egyptian captivity, and Israel had seen the Lord’s deliverance and power. Now the Lord asked them to trust and obey God’s Word, and be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Moses was to be the mediator of the covenant which God initiated with his people.

The history of God’s dealing with Israel, which is recorded in the Bible, is also a parable and a metaphor for life in this temporal world, and a foreshadow and illustration of what the Lord was doing for all the people of earth in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the “New Moses” who has been called by God to deliver us from bondage to sin and death in the “Egypt” of this present world, of which Satan is “Pharaoh.”

The Lord brings us through the “sea” of baptism, through which we are saved from our spiritual enemies, “Pharaoh’s armies,” who cannot pass through, into Jesus Christ, and brings us to the holy mountain of God. God offers us a “New Covenant” with him, through Jesus Christ. If we will obey God’s Word, fulfilled, embodied, and exemplified in Jesus Christ (John 1:1-5, 14), we will be God’s special, chosen people among all the people of earth, and we are to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

The true Church (as distinct from the “nominal” Church) is the “New Israel” and the congregation is to be a kingdom of priests, carrying on the mission of Christ to be mediators of the “New Covenant” to the people of earth, and to be a holy nation, consecrated to the Lord’s service. Jesus Christ will lead us through the “wilderness” of this lifetime, and bring through the “river” of physical death (without getting our feet “wet;” Joshua 3:14-17) and into the “Promised Land of God’s eternal kingdom in heaven.

When we realize what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, the Lord asks us to believe in (trust and obey) Jesus, the “living Word” and keep our “covenant” with the Lord into which we are “baptized” in Jesus Christ, and we will be his kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Baptism into Jesus Christ is the seal of the “New Covenant” in which we promise to trust and obey God’s Word in Jesus Christ, and as we begin to trust and obey God’s Word we will receive the “baptism” (“anointing,” gift) 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 “pillar of fire” (Exodus 13:21-22), who leads us the through the spiritual darkness of this world,” and guides and empowers us to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation in the world. 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).

This “wilderness” is where we are to learn to be disciples of Jesus Christ, to learn to trust and obey God’s Word, to learn to be led by his Holy Spirit, and to rely on and experience God’s providence and protection.

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 Pentecost - Wednesday

June 4, 2008;

Romans 5:6-11 -- Reconciliation with God;

Christ died for us, while we were still helpless (enslaved by sin) and ungodly (far from God’s righteousness). Not many of us would be willing to die even for a righteous person, although a few might, for a good person. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Since we are now justified (found not guilty in God’s judgment) by the blood of Jesus, we are saved by him from God’s wrath. If by the death of his son we were reconciled to God, much more will we be saved by his life. So we can rejoice in God through Jesus Christ through whom we have been reconciled to God.

We are all sinners (sin is disobedience of God’s Word) and all fall short of God’s righteousness (doing what is good, right and true (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-10), and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). We were all helplessly trapped in sin, unable on our own to save ourselves from God’s wrath.

God has always intended, from the very beginning of this Creation to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey God. God designed this Creation from the very beginning to allow us the freedom to choose whether to trust and obey God or not, and he knew that we would have to learn, by trial and error, that his will was better than our own. But God is not willing to tolerate rebellion and disobedience forever, and will not allow it in his eternal kingdom, or it wouldn’t be heaven.

This Creation and our physical lifetimes are limited by time. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and come to know God (Acts 17:26-27), and to be spiritually “born-again” John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life.

God foresaw that we would need a Savior in order to escape eternal condemnation, and so he designed Jesus Christ into the structure of Creation (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus Christ is God’s one and only provision for our forgiveness and salvation from sin (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).

God loved us enough to send his only begotten Son to die for us on the Cross, so that we could be saved from the wrath and eternal condemnation of God on the Day of Judgment. Jesus is the only sacrifice acceptable to God, once for all time and all people who are willing to accept it, for the forgiveness of sin. Who of us would be willing to sacrifice our own child to save someone who has wronged us?

Those who have received the blood of Jesus by faith (obedient trust) in God’s Word will be found “not guilty” on the Day of Judgment, and we have been reconciled to God now and eternally. We are restored to fellowship with God that was broken by our sin.

When we believe God’s Word, fulfilled, embodied and exemplified in Jesus Christ (John 1:1-5, 14), we will begin to trust and obey Jesus. As we do so we are spiritually “reborn” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14: 15-17). Through the indwelling Holy Spirit we have personal knowledge of and fellowship with Jesus Christ and God our Father. We experience Jesus’ life within us.

If we have been reconciled to God by Jesus’ death, “much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10). The indwelling Holy Spirit is the testimony of Christ’s resurrection within us, and 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 by the indwelling Holy Spirit that we can rejoice in God through Jesus Christ, through whom we have been reconciled.

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 Pentecost - Thursday

June 5, 2008;

Matthew 9:35-10:8 -- Laborers in the Harvest;

Jesus went from village to village, teaching in synagogues, preaching the gospel of God’s kingdom, and healing every sickness and disability. He had compassion on the crowds, “because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Jesus told his disciples that there is a plentiful harvest, but few laborers, so they should pray that the Lord of the harvest would send laborers into the harvest.

Jesus called his twelve original disciples and gave them authority to heal spiritual and physical illnesses, disabilities and death. The names of the twelve were Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, the tax collector, James, the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus (Lebbaeus), Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, Jesus’ betrayer.

Jesus sent the twelve out with instructions to go only to Jewish communities, to the “lost sheep” of Israel, and not to Gentiles or Samaritans. Jesus told them to preach that God’s kingdom was at hand. They were given authority to heal the sick, the leprous and demonic, and to raise the dead. They were to proclaim the gospel without being paid, because they had received it without having to pay.

Commentary:

Jesus came to proclaim the Gospel of God’s eternal kingdom. He came to bring spiritual healing and spiritual life. His miracles of physical healing and resurrection were intended to reveal that he is the Son of God and has the power of spiritual healing and life.

Jesus had compassion on people, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. They had great spiritual need and no one to guide them and protect them from their spiritual enemy.

Jesus is the Lord of the spiritual harvest. He came to begin that harvest, and to show us how to do it. He called his twelve original disciples, and taught them the Gospel. They came to know Jesus and know that he is the Messiah. Then Jesus gave them Jesus’ authority over illness and death, and sent them out to continue what Jesus had been demonstrating.

On their journey they were to learn to depend on the providence of God, rather than relying on their own resources. They were to make the Gospel that they had received from Jesus, without paying, freely available to others, regardless of their ability to pay, but relying on God to provide their necessities through those who received the Gospel who had the resources. We also need to learn to rely on the empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit to provide the spiritual guidance and resources we need to carry out the mission he gives us, rather than trying to do the mission by our own human understanding and resources.

Jesus is the Lord of the harvest. Today there is a tremendously great spiritual need right around each of us. Many around us are like sheep without a shepherd, spiritually lost and in great danger.

Jesus is the true, “Good Shepherd.” There are many others who claim to be “shepherds” but who are thieves and robbers (John 10:1-16); “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15).

Only Jesus’ “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciples can do the harvesting. We must first come to Jesus and be “discipled” by “born-again” disciples until we have received the gift 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). We must have a personal knowledge of and fellowship with Jesus by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Then we can pray to the Lord of the harvest, and he will direct and send us and empower us to do the work of harvesting, just like Jesus did with his original disciples. This is exactly how I have come to this internet ministry.

The original disciples had been taught by Jesus and were empowered, directed, and sent by Jesus, although the indwelling Holy Spirit had not yet been given. The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit wasn’t necessary yet because Jesus was physically present, and the mission was intended to be training for them and an example for future disciples. But after his resurrection Jesus warned his disciples not to go and proclaim the Gospel until they had been “born-again” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8).

This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and find God (Acts 17:26-27), and this is only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (John 14:6), by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We are all born physically alive but spiritually “unborn.” This lifetime is our opportunity to be spiritually “born-again” by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit within us. 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).

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 Pentecost - Friday

June 6, 2008;

Micah 7:18-20 -- The Lord’s Compassion;
Luke 15:11-32 -- The Prodigal Son;

Micah:

There is no other god than the Lord, who pardons sin and forgives trespasses for the remnant of his heritage. The Lord does not hold grudges because he prefers steadfast love. The Lord will have compassion for us again, he will stamp out our iniquities and cast away all our sin, as into the depths of the ocean. The Lord will show faithfulness and steadfast love to his people, to Jacob and to Abraham (the patriarchs and inheritors of God’s promise), as God promised to our forefathers long ago.

Luke:

Jesus taught in parables (fictional stories of everyday experiences to illustrate spiritual truth). In the parable of the prodigal son, a man had two sons, and the younger asked his father for his share of the inheritance, so the father divided his estate and gave the younger son his share. Shortly after, the younger son left and went to a distant land, and there he wasted his inheritance in “loose living.” When the inheritance had been spent, there was a famine in the land and the son lacked the basic necessities, so he became the servant of a citizen of the land who hired him to feed his pigs. The son realized that the man’s pigs ate more and better that the son did, and he recalled that his father treated his servants better than the son was now being treated, so the son decided to return to his father, confess his sin, and ask to be his father’s hired servant, since he was no longer worthy to be his father’s son.

As the son drew near to his father’s home, the father saw and recognized him. The father ran to meet him and greeted him with a kiss. The son confessed his sin and acknowledged that he was no longer worthy to be his son, but the father called his servants to fetch the finest clothes and a ring for his son and to prepare a feast to celebrate the son’s return, because the son had been as though dead and had returned to life; was lost and had now been found.

The son’s older brother had been working in the field, and when he came back, he heard the celebration and asked one of the servants what was going on. He was told that the father was celebrating his brother’s safe return. The older son was angry, and refused to join the celebration. He felt that he was more deserving of his father’s favor than the prodigal son, since the older son had always obeyed and served his father, while the younger son had wasted his father’s inheritance in immorality. But his father said that the older son would always be with the father and that all of the father’s inheritance belonged to the older son, so he should not begrudge the celebration for the younger son who had returned from death to life.

Commentary:

There is no other God than the Lord. Other “gods” are the creation of human minds and hands, and are incapable of doing anything, even for themselves. Instead of doing what we hope and need, they become our burdens and responsibility.

The Lord’s nature is good, loving and merciful. Often, we don’t realize our sinfulness and how much we need forgiveness. God has given us his Word in the Bible, and in Jesus Christ, the “living Word,” (John 1:1-5, 14) to show us our need for forgiveness, not to make us miserable, but so that we can ask for and receive forgiveness through Jesus Christ, who is the only way to forgiveness.

We are all “prodigal” sons and daughters. We have all received our inheritance in this physical life, and unless and until we realize and appreciate what we’ve been given by God, our Father, we are squandering our inheritance in “loose living;” living to please ourselves. Sometimes we need to experience spiritual “famine” so that we can begin to recognize our spiritual need and our sinfulness. Then we can turn back toward our Father, confess our sins, and receive forgiveness and salvation, which he gladly wants to give us.

If we turn toward the Father, he will come and meet us. None of us is worthy of his love and his eternal inheritance, and when we recognize that, he is happy to give it to us as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The children of God should share their Father’s joy in the return of prodigal brothers and sisters. No one is more or less deserving of forgiveness and salvation. The steadfast son didn’t appreciate what his Father had done for him, but the prodigal son did. Jesus is the ultimate faithful son, to whom all of the Father’s inheritance belongs, but he rejoices in our return from death to true, eternal life; from being lost to being saved. Jesus is glad to share his inheritance with us.

We are all born physically alive but spiritually unborn. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and come to know God our Father (Acts 17:26-27). Jesus Christ is the only way to forgiveness of our sin (disobedience of God’s Word) and restoration of fellowship with God, which was broken by sin. Jesus is the only way to know divine, eternal truth, and the only way to be spiritually “reborn” (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life (John 14:6); the only way to be saved from God’s eternal condemnation and destruction in Hell (Acts 4:12; Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; see God’s Plan of Salvation; sidebar top right).

This lifetime is our only opportunity to be spiritually “reborn.” Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (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).

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 Pentecost - Saturday

June 7, 2008

Acts 9:1-18 -- Paul’s conversion;

Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul, obtained authority from the high priest at Jerusalem to go to the synagogues at Damascus to arrest people belonging to the “Way” (“Christians”). As he approached Damascus a bright light flashed around him. It was so bright that he fell to the ground. He heard a voice calling him by name and asking why Saul was persecuting him. Paul replied, “who are you, Lord” and the voice replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” The voice of Jesus told Saul to get up and enter Damascus, and wait for further instructions.

The men traveling with Paul heard the voice, but saw no one and they were speechless. When Paul got up he could not see and had to be led by the hand into the city. For three days Paul was blind and he did not eat or drink anything.

There was a disciple, Ananias, at Damascus, and the Lord called him in a vision, and told him to go to Straight Street to the house of Judas to talk to Saul of Tarsus. The Lord told Ananias that Saul was praying and had seen a vision of a man named Ananias come and lay hands on Saul and restore his sight. Ananias told the Lord that he had heard of Saul and knew that Saul was a persecutor of Christians. Ananias knew that Saul had come to Damascus to arrest Christians. But the Lord told Ananias to go to Saul, because the Lord had chosen Saul to be an instrument of the Lord to proclaim Jesus’ name to the Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel.

Ananias did as the Lord had told him and went to Saul. Ananias told Saul that the Lord Jesus who had confronted Saul on the road to Damascus had sent Ananias to Saul so that Saul’s sight might be restored and that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and his vision was restored. Then Saul arose and was baptized.
Commentary:

Paul is deliberately intended by God to be the prototype and example of a “modern,” “post-resurrection,” “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple and apostle (messenger; of the Gospel) that we all can be. He was chosen by the Lord to be the evangelist to the Gentiles, and to present the Gospel to several kings (for example, governor Felix: Acts 24:1-27; King Agrippa: Acts 26:1-23).

Paul was chosen by the Lord to be the replacement for Judas Iscariot. Jesus had told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they had been filled with the Holy Spirit. While they were waiting they decided to choose someone to replace Judas, but they weren’t yet empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit, so they chose, by “lot,” (by chance) one among them named Matthias (Acts 1:15-26). Nothing is ever heard again about Matthias, but from the time of Paul’s conversion he is a leading figure and the rest of the New Testament is filled with accounts of his ministry.

Paul’s conversion is unique in its speed. The original Twelve were with Jesus twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for more about three years, learning to be Jesus’ disciples. Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the Gospel in a matter of a few days (Acts 9:19b-20). But Paul had been formally educated in Judaism, he knew the Bible Scriptures, and he loved God. He just needed to be pointed to Jesus as the Messiah.

“The Way” was the early name for Christianity. “Disciples” was the early name for Christians. (Acts 11:26c). Disciple is not a optional category of “super-Christian.” Anyone who doesn’t want to be a disciple can’t be a Christian.

Notice that Paul was “discipled” by a “born-again” disciple until Paul was “born-again.” How do we know Ananias was “born-again?” Because he had a personal relationship with the Lord (Acts 9:10).

Paul was confronted by the Lord. He realized his sin, he repented, he accepted Jesus as his Lord, and became obedient to Jesus. As he trusted and obeyed Jesus he was “reborn” by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The infilling of the Holy Spirit is a discernible, ongoing event (Acts 19:2). One who needs to ask some religious authority whether one has been “reborn” hasn’t been. 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).

Paul went on to be a “disciple-maker.” Timothy is an example. Paul discipled Timothy until Timothy was “reborn” (2 Timothy 1:6) and he taught Timothy to make “born-again” disciples who would repeat the process (2 Timothy 2:2).

They were not making disciples for themselves but for Jesus. They were fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) that Jesus gave his disciples, to be carried out after they had received the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8). Paul was as much a disciple and apostle as the original eleven.

In too many instances the nominal Church today, particularly in America, is failing to make “born-again” disciples. Instead they are making church “members” and building buildings. It takes “born-again” disciples to make “born-again” disciples. If the Church doesn’t make “born-again” disciples it doesn’t have “born-again” leaders.

The nominal church is not only not doing their members any favors by telling them they are automatically reborn through some ritual such as water baptism; they are actually hindering their members from seeking the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit!

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